Evangelion: International

By Red Guard

 Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Evangelion or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. Studio GAINAX owns the characters and events appearing in this work.

Author's Notes: This is my first piece of fiction involving Evangelion characters. Hope that I will not do too badly. This fiction begins after the Ninth Angel attack and diverges pretty wildly from there. You have been warned.

Chapter 9 : Fallen Samurai

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'I guess that I would have done the same thing.' Kensuke whispered slowly.

'Escaping from reality would be preferable to losing one's sanity.' Rei added quietly. 'Shinji has suffered much. I cannot question his decision.'

'The Devil… gone.' His voice wavered slightly. 'I wonder what he is thinking right now.'

'That is something we will never know.' She whispered to herself.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Kensuke gathered himself. He stood up and faced her, a purposeful look set on his face. 'Let's go.'

'Where?' She was dumbfounded.

He looked at her, obviously surprised by her answer. 'To find Shinji, where else?'

'But…' She did not remember telling Kensuke anything about Shinji.

'You were looking for him weren't you?'

'I was.' She nodded slightly.

'You came to school to inquire about him, didn't you?'

'I did.' She nodded again.

'You came to me to ask for my help. Am I right?'

'Yes.' Rei felt slightly unnerved. This had never happened before. No one was able to predict her actions so well. Not even the Commander.

'Rei?'

'Yes?' She mentally retraced their conversation. Had she given something away? She did not think so. So, how did Kensuke Aida manage to perform such a feat? Had she become so easy to read? And why did that thought frighten her so much?

'Rei? Shall we?' He looked at her questioningly.

She wanted to ask him. She needed to know. She did not need this to be added to the dozens of issues that were plaguing her thoughts. 'How did you…'

'Rei.' He gave her a small smile. 'I have been around you long enough to know how much you care for Shinji. Now, we need to find him, don't we?'

Kensuke was right. Shinji was more important than her current concerns. 'Yes.'

Suddenly, her mobile phone rang, and an ear-splitting siren began to fill the air, instantly derailing her train of thoughts and stopping their conversation in its tracks. Though, for some strange reason, she could have sworn that she had wanted to give her friend the most genuine smile she could have ever hoped to muster.

************************************************************************

He heard the wail of the siren. It was so familiar to him; a call to action. If the situation were any different, he would have immediately turned around, thrown his bag onto the floor and dashed towards the base. This had happened before, a lifetime ago. That time, he had returned. He told himself that he wanted to protect something, someone, though he was not really sure what that thing was.

Now, there was still something to protect, but that something was not her. The finality of that thought jarred him out of his reverie. He continued walking on. A panic surrounded him. A family of five ran down the road; the father carrying a small toddler upon his shoulders, desperate in his attempts to save the young one's life. Several expensive cars hurtled down the road; rich men and women wanting to save their seemingly precious lives from disaster. Another faceless person hollered at him; a Good Samaritan, wishing to help those that he did not even know.

So many different people, so many different lives, and so many different fates, all united in their desire to survive the oncoming disaster. Life, he rolled the word around his tongue. Once, he thought that life was worth living.

Had he been happy? He didn't know. But, he was satisfied. He lived his days not worrying about the next, not worrying about who he would meet the day after, and not worrying about who he would lose down the road.

Was his life considered good? He was unable to answer the simple yet strangely complex question. But, he knew that what he left behind was infinitely better that what was ahead. It was strange. He always thought that he knew who his friends were. He always thought that he recognized which one of his colleagues he was the closest to. However, everything was different now.

He laughed softly to himself. Such was the power of death. He would have given everything to see her again, but it was too late. Such was the finality of death. Life paled so much in the face of the ultimate end. He sighed softly at the grim reflection.

A burly man bumped him aside. A young lady screamed at him for walking so slowly. A yellow van was barely able to avoid plowing into him as he trudged across the street. A huge traffic jam was beginning to build up in the middle of the road. A slew of yelling, constant honking and roars of frustration joined the cacophony of noises that permeated the air. Terror, the harbinger of death, saturated the air. Everyone was running away. Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit just to escape its icy grip.

Everyone except him, the naïve little boy who had decided that there was no point in participating in the eternal struggle against death, especially when she was no longer beside him.

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Twelve obsidian monoliths, each engraved with a number, materialized in a darkened room. Much had gone on since they had last met, and thus, much was to be discussed.

'That is a huge relief.'

'Agreed. We now have concrete proof that the scenario has not been compromised.'

'The investigations in Europe are getting nowhere. The disturbance may have not been an Angel after all.'

'I find that incredibly hard to believe.'

'I concur, but nonetheless, the appearance of an Angel in Tokyo-3 has done much to allay our doubts.'

'What of Europe? Do we consider the incidents there an anomaly?'

'No. We cannot allow the governments to interfere with our planning.'

'Fool. The governments will bend to our will if we wish them to.'

'Silence! Destructive comments will not be tolerated.'

'But the point is valid. Although the scenario is still intact, Europe will remain a pressing problem.'

'That goes without saying. We have invested too much. If we pull out, there will be great speculation among the public circles.'

'Withdraw our funding?'

'What funding? That military arm is being maintained by the fools in the European Union. We have no hand in those matters… at least, not for now.'

'Europe should be viewed as an opportunity, rather than a liability.'

'Explain.'

'I suggest the investigations should proceed as per normal, discontinuing them would produce much more problems than we would wish to handle.'

'Ridiculous. We already know that the scenario has not been affected by the events in Europe. There is absolutely no reason for us to prolong our involvement.'

'I agree that the current focus of the investigation is flawed.'

'You are implying that we alter the investigator's rules of engagement?'

'Exactly. They should continue. Whatever happened in Europe could possibly affect the scenario later. That is something we cannot afford.'

'Intriguing. Your proposal holds much merit. I assume that we are all in agreement.'

Silence.

'Good. The European branch shall be informed.'

'Ikari should be performing the task.'

'Ikari is busy with other things at the moment. We would not want him to be distracted from his primary duties.'

'But of course.'

************************************************************************

'Damn you Ikari!' With that, Kaji flung a stack of papers into the wall. 'How the hell do you expect me to do anything if you tell me nothing about it?'

He was seething, and rightfully so. The Supreme Commander had given him no details on what he was supposed to do. No aircraft specifications, no personnel listing, no transportation instructions, no landing contacts, no nothing. It was almost as if he was supposed to be able to read the Ikari's mind.

Kaji growled in frustration as he tried to get through to Ikari for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. For some reason, the good Commander was busy, and all calls were rerouted to an automated system. And this was supposed to be NERV's command line! He hissed as he slammed his hand down onto the keyboard, cutting off the call. He had already dictated his demands to the blasted system a dozen times over and he swore that he would never do it again.

He felt his anger spike again as he read through the plans that detailed or at least tried to detail his upcoming trip to the cold hell that was Siberia. Luckily, Toricelli was kind enough to provide him with one of the larger transport vessels at his disposal. But the problems were still overwhelming.

Who could he bring? Since, Ikari obviously trusted no one with this mission, who could he, as the Director of European Operations, trust? Ikari told him to form a skeleton crew, but he was barely able to summon up a quarter of the number required. Most of the NERV personnel that he took along with him were either too inexperienced or too deeply involved in the ongoing investigation. And he would be damned if he compromised the security of the continent any more than he had to.

Then came the problem of transportation. He had a vehicle, and he supposed that Toricelli would be kind enough to lend him the pilot. And he assumed that the pilot, whoever he would be, would be competent enough to get the vessel into Siberia. But, what then? What would prevent the Russians from shooting him down out of paranoia? Where would he land? What would he do with the Evangelion Unit after he landed? Where was the supposed Siberian base? Would they provide the transportation from the landing site to the base? Would he have to airdrop the Unit? Would he have to put the Unit in a box, plaster a dozen stamps over it and give it to the friendly neighborhood postman?

He grimaced. While some people dreaded the phenomena of information overload, he was suffering from the exact opposite. He took another glance at the plans and another dozen questions popped into his mind. He cursed Ikari loudly as he hurled a clipboard at the door and watched it flop onto the bunch of papers on the floor.

His hand darted towards his keyboard. He was going to have to begin begging soon, and he knew that he would not like a single second of it. Just as he finished punching in the appropriate series of numbers, a light knock echoed throughout his small office.

'Come in.' He grunted as he turned to face the door.

It was Shigeru Aoba. The long-haired man pushed the door open and gave a curious glance towards the mess on the floor. 'I didn't know that work was so bad.'

'Don't remind me.' Kaji glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. 'You're early. Take a seat'

'I know.' Shigeru apologized as he sat himself down on the leather chair that Kaji offered. 'I should have called first, but the investigation is taking up almost all my time.'

'I am sorry that I can't help you.' Kaji glared pointedly at the pile of papers on the floor. 'But this project is a monster.'

Shigeru sighed. 'I wish that you didn't have to leave. I don't think that I am qualified to lead the investigation.'

'You have what it takes.' Kaji soothed. 'Don't worry about it.'

'That doesn't make me feel a lot better.'

'You will be able to contact me even while I am away.' Kaji grinned slightly. 'Or would you prefer that we trade places.'

'No.' Shigeru smirked. 'If there is one thing I hate more than my job, it would be yours.'

'Speaking about your job.' Kaji's tone grew somber. 'Do you have the latest report?'

'I do.' Shigeru nodded as he produced a small folder and placed it on Kaji's desk.

'What did you find out?'

'Nothing.' Shigeru shook his head. 'At least nothing new.'

'Explain.'

'The MAGI are fairly certain that whatever we faced was an Angel, but they haven't ruled out all the other possibilities. This is in stark contrast to the time I operated in Tokyo-3. There, the MAGI had absolutely no doubts about the nature of the attacker whenever an Angel appeared.'

'So,' Kaji reasoned, 'the higher command will not be satisfied with the results.'

'No, they won't. I have widened the search area, and we will hopefully be able to retrieve more conclusive data from the debris that had been swept outside the city area. Do you remember the explosion that tore the Angel apart?'

'How can anyone forget that?'

'Then I am sure that you remember the huge waves that resulted from that blast. I would assume that the most important evidence had been washed away from the city.'

'That would be the most logical step to take.' Kaji agreed. 'Go ahead with it.'

'Yes, Director.'

'Is there anything else?'

'No. You can read the report if you like, but it is filled with nothing but extrapolations, assumptions and guesswork. Not something that would concern you.'

Kaji heaved another sigh. 'Very well. You can go.'

'I wish you best of luck, Director.' With that, Shigeru Aoba stood and walked out of the office, slowly shutting the door behind him.

Once he was sure that Shigeru had left, Kaji slumped into his chair. It was getting more and more difficult to act professionally. His associates had to feel at ease, therefore he had to put up a careful façade whenever he faced them, but it was not easy. He felt as if he were an empty husk, drained of all emotion and feeling. He had lost so much, and he was certain that he would lose more as time dragged on.

He took another look at the folder that Shigeru had left. There was still no trace of Asuka. He had already accepted the fact that he caused her death, but he was still unable to truly understand the fact that the bubbly girl that he called a friend was gone. It was almost as if nothing had changed, but he knew that nothing was the same anymore.

NERV had taken so much from him, from her, from everyone. He had sworn that he would make Ikari pay, but he had no idea what to do about it. He was still leashed by Gendo Ikari and there was nothing he could do but bark uselessly. Another spike of anger followed the thought. He hated the man. He hated everything that the man stood for, and when he the chance presented itself, he would grasp it. He would sacrifice anything, even his soul.

************************************************************************

'Where is it?' Misato yelled.

'Nothing in Tokyo-3.' Makoto called out.

'Nothing in Tokyo-2.' Maya added.

'Keep searching!'

'Where are the pilots?' Ritsuko Akagi demanded. 'They should have been here by now.'

'I don't think Shinji will be coming this time around.' Misato answered, her eyes slightly downcast.

'Why?' The blonde scientist shot back. 'We will never be able to handle an Angel without him.'

'I know that.' Misato snapped in return. 'If I knew where he was, I'd drag him back myself!'

'So he ran away again.'

Misato sighed sadly.

'I didn't know that Asuka meant so much to him.' Ritsuko reflected somberly.

'Neither did I.' Misato agreed softly. 'Neither did I.'

************************************************************************

'Commander.'

'Yes, Professor?' Gendo Ikari turned to look at his old friend.

'Director Kaji has left another message. I believe that we should respond. There is little benefit in forcing him to perform his duties without sufficient information.'

'That is true.' Ikari mulled over Fuyutsuki's suggestion. 'However, the good Director is becoming more aggressive lately. He has begun to question my orders, and in doing so, he questions my ability to command. I cannot allow that to happen. He must know his place.'

'I have no qualms in disciplining the errant subordinate. And I even suspect that your assigning him to the Siberian mission is part of it. However, I don't think the organization can afford the failure that he will inevitably produce.'

Ikari chuckled. 'As always, you know me best Professor. Initially, I was willing to part with more information.'

'But?' Fuyutsuki prodded.

'Once again, SEELE has begun to force my hand.'

'Ah.' Fuyutsuki exclaimed in realization. 'So that was what the encoded message was for.'

'So it seems. The fools have decided that Europe is no longer relevant to the scenario.'

'So they arrive at the same conclusion that we did days ago.'

'In a way.' Ikari smirked. 'But, they have told me to pull most of my resources away from the continent.'

'That was unexpected.' Fuyutsuki commented.

'But I do not put it past them. Their single minded drive towards the completion of the scenario will be their undoing.'

'However, they will affect our plans.'

'They already have. I will need to speak with the Siberian contact again. This redistribution of resources will affect much.'

'Will you tell any of this to the Director?'

'No.' Ikari scoffed. 'He, like his woman, must learn about their role in the organization. Let him sweat for a while longer. For now, let us watch Major Katsuragi dispose of this Angel.'

************************************************************************

Misato stared at the screens. This ridiculous situation was aggravating her to no end. The Angel was there, but no one could find it. The Evangelion Units were ready, but there were no pilots. She felt toothless.

'Rei should have reported in by now.' Ritsuko observed.

'Stop telling me things that I already know.'

'Do you think that she is searching for Shinji?'

'Impossible.' Misato waved off the suggestion. 'Rei would never abandon her post, especially in times like this.'

Misato returned to her study of the consoles. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she felt that there was a very distinct possibility that Ritsuko had a point. If she was in Rei's place, she would have probably run after Shinji. But she was not Rei. Rei was different. Rei was… Rei.

Maybe.

************************************************************************

Fate was never kind. Especially to those who defied it on such a regular basis. But there was little she could do about the situation. 'Kensuke, I need to leave.'

'I know.' He summoned up a small smile. Life's fragility had caught him unawares and he couldn't stop himself from wondering whether this would be the last time he would be seeing Rei. 'Please. Come back safely.'

'I will.' She answered simply.

'Then this is goodbye for now.' Kensuke nodded slightly as he turned and began to walk away.

'Goodbye.' Rei repeated as she too began to rush towards the base. But then, she noticed something odd about Kensuke. Or more accurately, the direction in which he was walking. 'Kensuke?' She called.

'Yes?' He stopped and turned around, obviously wondering what Rei wanted.

'That is not the way to the shelter.' Rei stated.

'I know.'

'Why?' She asked, her voice betraying some of her confusion.

'I am going to find Shinji.'

'What?' She closed the distance between them. 'You must enter the shelter. Staying in the open is not safe.'

'I am worried about Shinji too. Do you think that he will bother looking for cover?'

 'But he may have returned to the base in my absence. He has done so before.'

'You don't believe that, do you? Do you think Shinji would return to face the very thing that killed Asuka?'

'No.' Rei reluctantly admitted.

'So, I will have to reach him as soon as possible. I don't want him to get hurt.'

'But…'

'You are worried about him, aren't you?' Kensuke interrupted. 'And I also know that you won't be able to fight well if your emotions are running wild. So, I'll take care of Shinji. You just concentrate on destroying the Angel.'

'You cannot do this.' She replied firmly. 'Do you recall the last time that you were unsheltered during an Angel attack?'

Memories of watching Shinji's purple beast locked in a death grip with an Angel flashed before his eyes. 'Yes…' He muttered.

'You almost died.' She continued. 'Do not toy with your life.'

'You put your life at risk all the time.' He countered.

'I am different.' She tried her best to keep her voice even. How could she tell anyone the truth? How would they react?

'Rei. I am as human as you are.' He never saw Rei's heart ache with his words. 'Shinji saved my life once. Now it is my turn to do something for him. I hope that you understand.'

'I cannot allow you to wander the city during an emergency.' She pushed her mental distress aside. Now was not the time to dwell on such things.

'Why? Is this about regulations?' He asked incredulously.

'No.' She paused, her voice turning in a whisper. 'I do not want to see you hurt.'

************************************************************************

'Something is wrong with the MAGI!' The shout reverberated around the room.

'What?' Ritsuko leapt towards the two technicians. 'Show me!'

'I can't pinpoint the disturbance.' Maya's fingers flew over her console. 'Something is inhibiting the MAGI's performance.'

'Let me see.' Ritsuko bent down and began to study the multitude of screens that were before her.

Misato glanced worriedly at her friend. If the MAGI were incapacitated, combating the Angel would become much more difficult. That, coupled with the limited resources at her disposal, made defeat that much more likely.

************************************************************************

'The information that you have provided us with are invaluable.' The man smiled contentedly. 'Our experiments are proceeding at an unusually fast rate.'

'It should. I spent much time developing it.'

'In the famous French underground laboratories, no doubt.'

The Professor nodded. 'That is hardly worth mentioning.'

'But, it seems as if there has been increased scrutiny around its location.'

'You do not need to worry.' The Professor scoffed. 'I have done more than enough to ensure that our operation's secrecy will remain intact.'

'That is until we decide to begin the movement.'

'When that happens, no one will care about what went on in France. Or anywhere else for that matter.'

************************************************************************

'Something is infecting the MAGI!' Ritsuko gasped.

'What?' Misato rushed to her friend's side. 'How?'

'How am I supposed to know?' She glanced over the screens rapidly. 'Maya, give me a scan on the virus.'

'On it.' Maya announced.

'The system is supposed to be…'

'Totally resistant to viral infection.' Ritusko cut Misato off. 'I know.'

'Scanning the foreign infection now.' Maya declared.

'Hurry it up.' Misato said through clenched teeth. 'We don't have much time.'

************************************************************************

The sirens blared on. He continued to ignore them.

He sighed as his legs gave way. He had walked onwards for what seemed like an eternity, and he would have continued, but he couldn't go onwards. He glanced around and immediately found out that he had walked himself into what seemed liked a grassy field. He was not too surprised since he did not really pay attention to anything on his way here.

He lay down upon the soft downy grass, and gazed at the deep blue sky. It was, in a word, beautiful. Fate was taunting him. Everything could be perfect, except for the ruin that was his life. He felt the tears well up.

He missed her so much.

************************************************************************

'Impossible!'

'What?' Misato and Ritsuko chorused in unison.

'The infection…' Maya stammered in shock. 'The infection…'

'Hurry up and spit it out!' Misato roared.

'Pattern blue…'

'What?' Ritsuko almost shoved Maya out of her seat. 'The virus?'

'The MAGI is being infected at an astonishing rate. At this rate…' Maya explained.

Misato was still reeling from the shock. Who would have expected an Angel to assault NERV in such a way?

'This does not make sense.' Ritsuko stated slowly. 'What does the Angel have to gain by infecting the MAGI? We won't be harmed. NERV won't be harmed.'

'The Evangelions.' Misato whispered to herself. 'It is going to infect the Evangelions'

'What did you say?'

'Launch the Evangelion Units!'

'Now?' Ritsuko stared at her in shock. 'The pilots aren't here yet!'

'It doesn't matter. Launch those things before they get infected!'

************************************************************************

'Thank you.' Kensuke smiled. 'But, I won't get hurt.'

'Can you be certain?'

'No.' He admitted. 'But…'

A loud rumbling explosion interrupted him. Startled, he looked up and was astonished to see a pair of Evangelions flying through the air.

'Why did they deploy my Evangelion?' He heard Rei speak in confusion. 'Why did they deploy Shinji's Unit? Has he returned without my knowledge? Who is piloting my Unit?'

'You had better return to the base and find out.' He suggested.

'There is no reason for me to.' She sighed softly.

'Why?'

'I am a pilot.' She explained. 'All our Units have been deployed. I have reason to assist in this mission.'

'What? You are nothing but a pilot to them?'

'Yes.' She whispered; her eyes downcast. 'My sole function is to pilot the Evangelion Unit 00. That function is no longer available to me now.'

Kensuke winced. He hated to see Rei depressed and knowing her, being considered useless was extremely painful. 'You should at least ask them. '

'That would be prudent.' She nodded in agreement.

************************************************************************

Misato felt the sweat bead on her forehead as she watched Ritsuko and Maya desperately combat the Angel. This would be a difficult fight, the Angel was assaulting them at the heart of their operation and they were unable to laugh a conventional counterassault. Their only hope was Ritsuko's expertise and even though she had incredible faith in her friend's abilities, she knew that their chances were not good.

The only small consolation that she had was that they had managed to detect the Angel before the Evangelion Units were infected. If she had not launched those Units on time, she would have a nightmare on her hands. She was unable to do anything more, and she knew her presence was not needed. Waiting and watching was not something she was good at, and the she was pretty sure that the frustration showed.

************************************************************************

'Director.'

'Yes, Shigeru?' Kaji faced the digitized image of his subordinate. 'I don't recall asking you to report in at this time.'

'No, you didn't.' Shigeru answered. 'However, I thought that you would like to know that Tokyo-3 is under an Angel attack.'

Kaji felt himself pale slightly. 'Any details?'

Shigeru shook his head. 'None at this point of time.'

'Thank you. Keep me posted.'

'Yes, Director.' With that, Shigeru's image winked out.

Kaji let out a shuddery breath. Tokyo-3 was miles away, and he knew that whatever he did in an attempt to help those that he cared about would be totally futile. But, as he stared at the white ceiling of his office, he could not help hoping that nothing would happen to those who he considered his friends.

And he prayed to the powers that be, that the one that he cared most dearly for would come through unscathed. He had already lost the woman that he considered a great friend, and his life had shattered. But, he would not know whether he would be able to carry on if he lost one person that he loved.

************************************************************************

She was incredibly shocked to find her mobile phone ringing. Who in the world would be calling her now? She picked it up and felt her jaw drop as she heard the voice of the person on the other side.

'Major Katsuragi?' The quiet voice of the First Child was unmistakable.

'Rei?' She kept her voice down so as not to disrupt the frantic work that was going on around her. 'What the hell are you doing? Where the hell are you?'

'I am sorry.' If Rei Ayanami's voice could carry any guilt, Misato felt that she was hearing it now. 'But I need to ask you several questions.'

'Questions?' Misato echoed in disbelief. 'Now?'

'Yes. I am sorry, but this is urgent.'

Misato sighed in resignation; it was not as if she had anything better to do. 'All right. Go ahead.'

'Is Shinji there?'

'No.' She replied, her curiosity piqued slightly. Was Ritsuko right all along? Did Rei actually ignore her duties?

'Who was piloting the Evangelion?'

'No one.' So, Rei did see the launch. 'We had to prevent them from being infected by the Angel.'

'Am I required to be present at the base?'

Misato took a quick glance at Ritsuko, who was busy yelling out orders to Maya and Makoto. 'Not really, I don't think that your presence will be of much help. Mine certainly isn't.'

'Thank you, Major Katsuragi.' And with that, Rei hung up.

Misato placed her phone down. At least, she knew that Shinji would be in good hands.

************************************************************************

'We have found our target.'

'Good. Is he moving?'

'No.'

'Excellent. Keep an eye on him.'

'Yes, sir.' He watched as the young man saluted and ran out of the room.

He turned towards another one of his aides. 'Ready a combat team.'

'Yes, sir.'

He then picked up the phone. It was time to report to the Vice-Commander.

************************************************************************

'So, how did it go?'

'I am not needed.' He could almost feel her spirits sink.

'Don't worry about it.' He put her hand on her shoulder. 'I am sure they have their reasons.'

'You are right.' She admitted. 'My worry will not aid anyone.'

'Good. Let's go get Shinji.' He smiled. 'That was why you asked, didn't you?'

'We do not know where he is.'

'That is why we are going to search.'

'That is too inefficient.' She shook her head.

'Do you have a better idea?' He asked.

'Yes. I will ask.' She wondered why she enjoyed seeing the stupefied expression that he was giving her so much.

************************************************************************

'I hear that there is activity within Tokyo-3.'

'That is to be expected.'

'Are you not worried, Professor?'

'Me? Hardly.'

'You sound incredibly confident.'

'Of course. Tokyo-3's survival matters little in the grand scheme of things.' He smiled knowingly. 'The only thing that matters is the success of the project.'

'Success is a vague term.'

'In the game that we are playing, success can never be announced more loudly.'

************************************************************************

'Hello?' His eyebrows rose as he recognized the voice. 'Pilot Ayanami? Aren't you engaging the Angel?'

'Do you have Pilot Ikari's location?' The First Child demanded.

'Yes, we do. The Commander has requested that we watch over his son during this current crisis.'

'I see. Can you give it to me?'

'Give me a second.' He glanced over at his terminal and then rattled off a series of numbers. 'Do you want me to repeat that?'

'No. But I wish to request that you do not move in until I have a word with Pilot Ikari.'

'I will try my best, but I am constrained by my orders.'

'I understand.'

'Is there anything else?'

'No. Thank you for your assistance.' The line went dead.

How did the Commander know that this was going to happen? It was nothing short of prophetic. Maybe that was why he held the reigns of power.

'Sir?' One his aides appeared at his side. 'The combat team is ready.'

'Good. Keep an eye on the target.'

'Yes, sir.'

************************************************************************

'Shinji's location has been determined.' Rei announced as she put her phone away. 'Let us go.'

'Amazing.' Kensuke breathed. 'NERV knows everything.'

'No, this is worrying.'

'How so?' Kensuke asked.

'Section Two does not usually perform such menial tasks.' Rei explained.

'Menial?'

'Correct. While the welfare of the pilots is important, it does not usually warrant constant surveillance.'

'I see.' Actually, Kensuke couldn't follow but he just decided to play along. Rei usually didn't speak much and it was enjoyable seeing her so talkative.

'Then I am sure you understand that it is imperative that we reach Shinji as quickly as possible.'

'Is he in danger?'

'Shinji has effectively abandoned NERV.' Rei continued. 'He has done this before, and the Commander may have run out of patience.'

'But Shinji is his son!'

'Nonetheless, we must reach Shinji and convince him to return to the base before the Commander takes drastic action.'

'Then what are we waiting for?' Kensuke exclaimed. 'Let's go!'

************************************************************************

'Commander?'

'Yes, Professor?'

'The Section Two Chief is on the line. He says that he has important importation.'

'Ah.' Gendo Ikari sat up and faced his terminal. 'This is excellent news. It seems that we have managed to nip a disaster in the bud.'

'A disaster?'

'All will be revealed during the conversation.' Ikari tapped a button. 'Please listen in. You will need to know this.'

'Commander.' The high resolution live video feed of a well-groomed man clad in what looked like a business suit appeared on the Commander's screen. 'It seems that your hunch was spot on. The First Child did indeed request that we provide with the target's whereabouts.'

'Much to my disappointment.' Ikari grimaced.

The head of Section Two shrugged. 'That matters little to the section.'

'Are you ready to move in on Pilot Ikari?'

'Yes. My combat team is deployed and ready for my command.'

Ikari nodded, pleased with the efficiency at which his security division worked. 'Go ahead and commence the mission.'

'There is a slight issue, Commander.'

'What about it?'

'The First Child has asked us to refrain from engaging the target.' The head elaborated. 'She has asked us to give her time to speak with the target. If I may presume, I believe that she will attempt to negotiate with the target.'

Ikari's glare deepened. 'Did she really say that?'

'Yes, Commander. I have it on tape if you wish to hear it.'

'No. That is unnecessary.' Ikari's brows furrowed slightly. 'This is unexpected. Professor, what do you make of it?'

'This is inconsistent with Pilot Ayanami's usual behavior.' Fuyutsuki stepped forward. 'Not only has she ignored her duties to the organization, she has also attempted to override one of your orders. She has never done anything of this sort in the past. But…'

'But, Professor?'

'It seems that you expected such an event to occur and I can only assume that you gave the appropriate orders to Section Two.'

'Very good, Professor.' Ikari smiled thinly. 'But only partially correct.'

'Partially?'

'Pilot Ayanami has become more attached to Pilot Ikari of late. That, in itself, is understandable. However, during our last meeting with the pilots, she seemed rather resistant to my orders.'

'I remember it, but that situation was not easy for any of them.' Fuyutsuki reasoned. 'Pilot Ayanami's strange behavior could have been caused by simple stress.'

'That is a plausible assumption, but sadly incorrect. Pilot Ayanami has been trained to operate under the most stressful of situations. Her initial resistance was most likely due to her growing attachment to Pilot Ikari.' Ikari glowered. 'That would undermine the scenario.'

'You must have had doubts; otherwise you would have acted immediately.'

'You know me too well.' Ikari smirked. 'I expected Pilot Ayanami to inquire about Pilot Ikari's whereabouts, and the best place to do so would be Section Two. She knows how I work, and so she must have deduced that Section Two would be watching Pilot Ikari.'

'That would explain your conversation with Section Two.'

'But, I did not expect her to ignore her duties as a pilot.' Ikari frowned harder. 'And, I did not expect her to attempt to interfere with my orders. Her attachment to Pilot Ikari must have grown exponentially since the last time I spoke with her.'

'There is little we can do to help her in this case.' Fuyutsuki sighed softly. 'Pilot Ikari's imminent trip to Europe will put an end to all this.'

'No. We must be certain that their relationship is severed.'

'Are you not being a bit too harsh on her, Commander?'

'The scenario, our scenario, cannot be jeopardized because of our emotions, Professor. If this situation exacerbates, harsher action would be warranted. Their relationship must be ended now. I do not wish any harm to fall onto this Pilot Ayanami.'

'Yes, Commander.'

Ikari nodded his approval and turned back to his terminal. 'Do you have the location of the First Child?'

'Yes, Commander.' The head looked at his desk. 'She is current approaching the location of the target. However, she is accompanied by another.'

'Who?' Ikari asked, feeling slightly surprised.

'It appears to be one of her classmates. We assume that he also wishes to speak with the target.'

'Is he on record?'

'Yes, but he appears to be of little worth to us.'

'Then ignore him.' Ikari ordered. 'Allow the First Child to make contact with the target, but bring your combat team within striking distance.'

'How long?'

'Wait five minutes.' Ikari paused, deep in thought. 'No, allow them to converse for ten minutes. After which, proceed with your original mission.'

'Any special instructions for the capture?'

'As before, you are permitted to use non-lethal force.' A thought struck Ikari, and his grin widened. 'Do not answer any of the First Child's queries. Your operatives are to converse with the Third Child, and no one else. However, allow the target to speak as freely as he wishes, but take him away when he begins to become hysterical.'

'That will be difficult.' The head mused.

'You are Section Two. Menial tasks are not part of your job scope.'

'I understand.'

'Good.' A flick of a button later, and the Head of Section Two's image blinked out.

'You do know what will happen to the children.' Fuyutsuki said.

'Yes.' Ikari answered confidently. 'Their own actions will solve many of my problems.'

'Harsh.' Fuyutsuki commented.

'But necessary.' Ikari finished.

************************************************************************

The sirens continued to echo throughout the city, conjuring up a thousand painful memories. He tried to blink the visions back, but his efforts were futile. He had fought many battles in the hulk that was an Evangelion Unit. He remembered every single on of those monstrous battles that he participated in.

There was his first battle. He remembered the initial terror so well. Then there was his first battle with her. He remembered sitting in her Unit, battling the underwater Angel along with her. Then there was the clash with the twin Angels. He remembered the synchronization training that they had to endure. It seemed as if she had been a part of his life since the day he was born, and now she was gone, leaving him feeling empty and broken.

He hated his lack of strength. He hated dwelling on her, but he found out that he could do little else. She would have wanted him to live on, and he knew that he should live on. If not for her, then he should do it for his friends. But who were his friends? He tried to picture them and remember the life that he shared with them.

Rei Ayanami. The sullen azure-haired girl that had so intrigued him when he had first arrived. Misato Katsuragi. The ridiculously upbeat guardian that never seemed to be spent a night sober. Ryouji Kaji. The eternal ladies' man that was now probably building a reputation for himself in a far off place.

He knew all of them, and yet, for some reason he felt that they mattered little to him. They did not pounce on him whenever he returned home for the day. They did not taunt him everyday in school. They did not accuse him of laziness while he cooked meals. They were not her. No one could replace her. He felt as if he was going mad.

He covered his face with his hands and screamed. It was the only thing that he could do to quell his growing anguish.

************************************************************************

'There he is!'

Rei shifted her gaze in the direction that Kensuke was pointed at. He was right. She saw a boy lying upon the soft downy grass of the sprawling field with his hands covering his face. She was not close enough to see any of the boy's features, but she knew that it was him.

She soon found herself hurrying across the grassy plain, with Kensuke following closely behind her. She had to act quickly; Section Two was around the corner.

************************************************************************

A man watched as the azure-haired girl rushed towards the prone boy. He depressed a hidden switch on his person.

'Contact with target has been made.'

************************************************************************

Misato fidgeted as she watched Ritusko work frantically. The MAGI were almost completely affected, and the base's destruction was imminent. At least now, she knew that her decision of allowing Rei to stay away was the correct one.

She sighed heavily. Would she be the next one to go? What would Shinji do if she was gone?

************************************************************************

'Shinji!'

He thought that he heard his name being called, but that was impossible. There was no one around.

'Shinji!'

There is was again, slightly louder than before.

'Shinji!'

It was impossible, but the voice sounded like Kensuke's.

'Shinji…'

He jerked upright. That was a voice that he would always recognize. He turned and saw Rei and Kensuke both standing over him. 'Why are you here?' He asked.

'I…' Once again, Rei found herself unable to voice her feelings. What should she tell him? Should he know about Section Two's actions? Should she tell him that she felt Asuka's loss too? Should she berate him for his actions? Should she reach out and bring him back to the base? There was so much that she wanted to say, but her lips would not move.

'Rei wants you to return to the base.' In the end, Kensuke was the one who broke the tension.

'Why should I?' Shinji spat as he rose to his full height. 'I have nothing to do with those who killed her.'

'Asuka meant a lot to all of us.' Kensuke attempted to reason with Shinji. 'But you must live on. For her if need be.'

'Live?' Shinji turned his back on the pair. 'For her? What is the point of living for someone who is already gone?'

'She wouldn't have wanted to see you like this.'

'You have no right to speak for her.' Shinji began to walk away.

'Don't walk away!' Kensuke dashed forward and grabbed Shinji's shoulder. 'You can't keep running away from everything.'

Shinji turned his head slightly. 'Watch me.'

************************************************************************

'The First Child has made contact with the target.'

'Good. I assume that you are ready.'

'Of course, Commander.'

'There is still time to reconsider.' Fuyutsuki warned.

'Playing the Devil's Advocate?' Ikari smirked. 'There will be no turning back. This is the way that it must be done.'

************************************************************************

'Shinji.' Rei finally managed to find her voice. 'Don't go.'

'Rei, I can't stay.' Shinji's voice softened. 'My presence will only cause you more pain. I wish you well.'

'Selfish idiot!' Kensuke yelled. 'Can't you see how much she cares for you? And all you do is brush her aside?'

'Kensuke.' Shinji shrugged Kensuke's hand off his shoulder. 'You will never understand.'

'Can't you see that we are trying to help you?'

'You cannot.' Shinji resumed his slow walk. 'No one can help me.'

************************************************************************

'Damn, the target is leaving.'

'Not good, let's move in now.'

'Wait, we must seek approval.'

'Then hurry.'

************************************************************************

'Shinji, don't leave!' Kensuke winced as Rei's voice broke. Why was Shinji so blind? Could he not see the agony that Rei was in?

'Don't try to stop me. There is no reason for me to stay.'

Rei pounced forward and blocked Shinji's path. 'We need you.'

Shinji looked at the girl that stood before him. Rei's expression was as stoic as ever, but her voice was betraying an endless amount of emotion. Why was Rei trying so hard to stop him from leaving? He did count Rei among his small group of friends, but Rei never did actually seem to be very interested in his friendship. While Rei had tried to approach him several times, those attempts were half-hearted at best. But this time it was different. She was spending an incredible amount of energy trying to stop him from moving on. But why?

She had little to gain from it. But could she be acting on another's orders? Did his father have a hand in this?

************************************************************************

Misato could almost hear the collective sigh of relief. Ritsuko had been successful, the Angel had been eliminated. She watched as everyone slumped in their chairs, exhausted from the strain. Thanks to them, humanity would live to see another day.

************************************************************************

'Why are you doing this?' Shinji asked.

'Regardless of what you think, NERV needs you.' She replied shakily, still unsure of her answer.

'You must be joking. NERV doesn't need a wimp such as me.'

'You are wrong.'

The sirens ended their screeching, plunging the city into an unearthly silence. 'See? They managed to take the Angel out.' With that, he gently pushed Rei out his way and carried on with his journey. 'They don't need me.'

'Wait!' Rei collapsed onto her knees. 'Come back! We need you!'

Shinji ignored her and continued onwards.

'I need you.' She whispered to herself. Why did she not have the courage to tell that to him? Why?

'Damn it!' Kensuke roared. 'Shinji! Are you an idiot?'

************************************************************************

'We got the green light.'

'Just in time. The target doesn't seem to want to stick around for much longer.'

'Alright! Let's go!'

************************************************************************

Kensuke could barely believe his eyes. In what seemed like an instant, several black-suited men appeared out of nowhere and leapt onto the flailing form of Shinji Ikari. 'Pilot Shinji Ikari!' One of them barked. 'You are under the arrest for the desertion of your post during an emergency. You are to remain silent while we escort you back to headquarters.'

'What?' Shinji fought a futile battle against the agents' iron grip. 'Why are you doing this?'

'We are not at liberty to discuss the matters of your arrest.' The agent replied stiffly.

'Wait!' Rei stared on, utterly horrified by what she had just seen. 'I told you to wait!'

'What?' Shinji looked up. 'You were in charge?'

'No!' Rei denied the accusation reflexively. 'I told them to…'

'Enough!' He snapped, realization dawning upon him. 'So that was why you were trying to make me stay! You were leading them to me!'

'No!' Rei denied it repeatedly. 'No! You have misunderstood!'

'She was right all along.' Shinji's expression was a mix of sadness and betrayal. 'You are my father's doll.'

'No!' Rei yelled again. 'I had nothing to do with this.'

'Don't bother. I thought you were a friend' Shinji said softly, an intense amount of pain radiated from him. 'You betrayed me.'

'Wait!' Rei called out as the agents hauled Shinji away. 'Wait! I order you to stop!'

But it was all for naught. Rei slumped to the ground as Shinji's person was dumped into a car and driven off. Kensuke approached his friend carefully. 'Where did it all go wrong?' He heard her whisper. 'Why?'

He wanted to comfort her, but realized that he needed a good amount of comforting himself. He could only watch on in sorrow as Rei attempted to deal with her grief.

It was the first time that she had cried. And for some reason, she knew that it would not be the last.

************************************************************************

Author's Notes:

Gah. Stupid college is taking over my life. I can't believe I am paying them to torture me... Anyways, I managed to eek out enough time to complete this chapter. Further updates may take longer as the exams roll around. But fear not! I will strive on! Well… unless I flop my finals and get condemned to a life as a McDonald's cashier.

I know that some of you are scratching your heads and wondering whether I have the order of my Angels mixed up. I can assure you that I did not. If you read one of my earlier chapters more closely, you will realize that the 11th Angel took a breather and let the 12th tear through the French countryside. But… you guys already knew all this, didn't you?

Told you that Rei's life wouldn't be so easy. But that's not all folks, she will spiral down into the depths of depression and will begin to fall apart at the seams, while everyone around her will begin to leave… and the melodrama goes on….

Now lemme see, I've given Kaji the workout, then Asuka, then Shinji, now Rei… so… hrm… I guess Misato will be next eh? I feel so evil…

Thanks to Lynx, Daniel Serafimov, Epsilon, Vrag and Psycho Pirate the Nth for pre-reading my work. Their hard work makes this work a million times better.

Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.

See you next chapter

Chapter 10 : Nevada Mystery