Chapter 12

Enemy Within

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

Author's note: Sorry about not spelling the Angel's name right. I blame lousy reading skills on my part and that was how it read from the website. Thanks Marine Brother Shran for the complete list. I think I have corrected those mistakes.


Rei and Kaoru were walking back from sync tests. Toji had remained behind, as today was also a day for his sister's lessons in flying.

Though if asked, he was really there to see how many times Asuka would plummet into the NERV lake.

Mana had remained as well, taking notes for when she hopefully ascended.

That left the First and Fifth Child to walk alone.

Kaoru spotted her out of the corner of his eye. He knew what she was; SEELE had informed him so. She was a nephilim, much as he. But where he was based from samples of Adam, she was based from samples of Lilith.

Like him, the human genetics that had made them look...human...were samples of dozens, if not hundreds, of humans. The fact that the genes governing her appearance were those from Yui Ikari did not make her a relation to Shinji, or a clone of Yui Ikari. The fact that Commander Ikari had gotten the resemblance to his dead wife as dominant traits spoke well of either his techniques or his sheer luck.

"So," said Kaoru after he noticed that Section 2 was no longer tailing them, "what do you think of Shinji-kun's dream?"

They had not spoken of it since that night, but he knew it was the foremost thought on their minds. In all likelihood, SEELE would want him to report it, but Kaoru thought little of the chances of the old men taking the story to heart; dismissing it outright.

"It was...interesting," said Rei. "Why do you bring it up now?" she asked.

Kaoru kept staring forward, the ever-existent smile still on his face. "It does explain so much, does it not, of why the Angels take such extreme measures to penetrate or destroy NERV?"

He stopped as soon as he noticed Rei doing so. He turned, seeing her eyes staring at him with what was almost rage...and curiosity. "And what do you know of such things?"

Kaoru smiled still. "Why, I am as knowledgeable of such things as you...sister."

"We are not related."

"I disagree," said Kaoru, the smile disappearing. "We can assume that that which created the White Moon also created the Black Moon; why else would the red light...the Lance...be effective against us both?"

Rei continued to stare. "I am not as foolish as you may think. Shinji-kun's story opened my eyes to who you are as well, Son of Adam." She stepped closer. "If you seek to harm Shinji-kun—"

"I have no such plans...for the moment. But unlike the others, I have yet to hear the call that begs us to come to this place," he said, motioning all around them. "And in any event, I care too much for Shinji-kun to not face him in anything but honorable combat.

"Besides, for all I know, I am to be the one light of the fifteen that sided with his Moon, just as I guess you are already the light from Lilith; the blue, that has sided with him against the All Mother."

Rei's expression didn't change. "I will protect Shinji-kun. I have made that vow, and will do so with my life."

"As do I," said Kaoru. "Until I hear the Call, I shall be there for him. After I hear the Call... What that will mean, I cannot say."

"Such ironic words from you...Tabris."

"I know, a being of Free Will and still unable to decide my destiny... Such odd lives these lilim lead." He turned serious once again. "But you have still not answered my question."

"You have not asked on that I did not answer."

"Well then, let me ask again more formally.

"Do you think Shinji Ikari is a new Seed; a new Moon, that will issue in a new form of order for life and humanity?"

Rei slipped into deep thought, weighing what she knew of dogma, what her memories she had from Lilith told her. "Shinji Ikari's status as a new Moon is irrelevant. All that matters is that he will fight for humanity; including facing the designated First and Second Angels if need be."

"Do you think he could win?"

Rei started walking past him. "I do not know."

Kaoru nodded and caught up with her, walking beside the very type of creature his All Father deemed putrid. He had no clue why those that created the two Moons set them to hate each other, assuming it was some logical conclusion that he was missing data to understand correctly.

Of course, his mind would not drop the issue: what would he do when it was his time to challenge Shinji?


Shinji and Mana were walking along the streets, enjoying a day off.

Mana was glued to his arm, enjoying the fact that not only was he saying yes to dates, but had no problems with how she was.

After all, one didn't pilot a techno-organic creation without picking up a few quirks from it, did they?


The spare clones of both Rei and Kaoru sneezed, but no one was certain why.


What was really puzzling her was the dream Shinji had told them last week at the steak dinner. The way he described it, she almost felt like she was there beside him, witnessing the dream as well. Even Trident had said the visual imagery his words created made it likely the dream was something more.

That was one of the good things about having someone who could literally link with your mind: no need for fumbling with words to express yourself.

"Shinji-kun?" she asked.

"Hmm," he said, turning his attention from the path ahead of them to her.

"Shinji-kun, are you okay with the dream?" It was all she could ask. Normally, she was a straight-forward person; always knowing what she wanted and having no qualms about pursuing it.

But the dream...their enemy...was there more she was unaware of?

Shinji sighed. "I wish I could tell you, Mana. But ever since I had it...I've been feeling...more, like things are falling into focus.

"It...It's beginning to scare me a bit."

She nodded, hugging him a bit closer to her. "I'll be there for you always, Shinji-kun." She decided she needed to lighten the situation. "Just promise I can be your Queen when you start taking over the Universe."

Shinji chuckled, telling her that she had accomplished her task of getting him past the gloom that the dream could represent.

"Well, okay. But I should warn you, Naru expects that as well."

Mana pretended to look up. "King of the Universe and already can't stay faithful to his Queen. Oh, what did I do to deserve such a tomcat?"

"I think it was when you came over to use my shower," he said.

A few days ago, Mana had moved herself into the same building as Shinji; three apartments down the hall, signifying a continuing trend of NERV personnel moving into the apartment complex.

Ritsuko had signed the lease...sadly now next door to them.

Kaoru had taken the next one a day after Misato's promotion party.

And if she heard correctly, Naru was trying to convince Toji and her Father to move in as well.

To be honest, Mana thought the little girl was a child after her own heart.

"They were replacing the fixtures in mine. Nothing wrong with that."

"I was still using it at the time."

Mana continued to smile like a cat that had eaten the canary. "I relax better with a nice view. Nothing wrong with that."

Shinji went back to sighing. He sure as hell wasn't going to point out how little time he got to take a relaxing bath while living with two teenage girls and one embarrassingly immature adult.

Nor was he going to tell her that Rei wanted to do the same as Mana had done, or that every time Asuka saw him, she'd blush, mutter that he was a pervert, and dash out of the room since, and the less said about Misato's responses, the better.

They started walking again, beginning to once again enjoy the date. Shinji just had to be careful with his money, Rei wanted a date too.

"Well, you can't blame a girl for peeking."

"I can when she suggests we play Marco Polo in a bathtub."

And thus things continued.


Sanada and Rara were busy at their stations in their office, much to the dismay to both scientists that they were stuck...together.

"Hmm," said Sanada, "it looks like we're all set to test out the shield grid before the MAGI maintenance checkup."

Rara leaned back in his seat as well. "Yes, those construction robots of yours were truly marvelous workers...once you ensure they don't run amok."

"Hey, we were sabotaged."

"Tell that to little Haruhiko."

"It was the boy's own fault for letting his dog loose near the test site. How was I supposed to know I'd need to program JA to avoid dogs?"

"A likely story," said Rara, once again looking at his monitor. "We'll need to increase stress resistance to all the emitters."

"And why?" asked Sanada, seeing that his friend/rival/co-founder of the "Ayuko's Ex-Husbands' Club" had a look signifying he had a rare moment of genius.

Rara sat back. "Whoever sabotaged us knew enough about JA designs to get around the safety sub-commands so we couldn't remote activate it when that damn spider came into town. Add that to someone who knew enough about Construction Robot technology to reprogram it with a viable battle AI interface, and what's to say that they aren't already planning a new assault...or with toys they never deemed fit to give us?"

Sanada saw where this was going...and he didn't like it. "They might even have their own JAs for an assault if need be."

"Or worse," said Rara. "I fear we may just have been a lowly testing ground for old tech, and useful enough to prove what processes worked. These people might already be entrenched here for sabotage, or even making plans against what they know we have."

Sanada nodded. "I have a meeting with Dr. Akagi and Major Katsuragi in an hour. I'll inform them of our suspicions."

Rara nodded. He had been planning on bringing his daughter to this city.

Considering what type of people would do the things he had mentioned, he decided that she would be moving...today.


Ritsuko stared in awe as the tarp was removed off the item the Commander had brought back from Antarctica. Remembering Shinji's dream as he had told the other pilots and then her when she asked, she could only stare, as memories of what it had been thought capable of entered her mind. "A lance of red light..."

"Excuse me," said Kozo, wondering what Ritsuko had mentioned.

Said woman turned to face them. "This little beauty just reminded me of Shinji's dream. He spoke of a lance of red light, which pierced the soul of the White Moon, keeping it quiet until it was removed."

Gendo nodded. "Go on."

"Basically, part of his dream seemed to fit what an outside observer would see of Adam's awakening and subsequent forced silencing."

Commander Ikari's lips grew into a small smile. "Tell me more of this...dream."


Commander Ikari looked at the report Dr. Akagi had made of the dream Shinji had spoke of.

In his mind, he could easily see it as a rendition of the occurrences of the Katsuragi Expedition.

But to what ends could he use this, were unknown at the moment.

His son's dream had fit with what SEELE had labeled First Impact, though some wanted that title to go to the asteroid impact that had ended the reign of dinosaurs.

"So, Lilith fell to our world, and then Adam's world fell into our own, creating a White Moon."

Kozo nodded from across the desk, looking at his own copy of the report. "He makes it sound like the first two Angels are little more than advanced computers."

"All humanity is a computer, just more towards the biologic machinery than silicon and such," he said. "Though it would mean that humanity has no one to blame for all the troubles that befell us other than ourselves."

"A hell of our own making."

Gendo nodded. "It would appear as if the old men have started a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"So, what do we do now," said Kozo. For over a decade, they had been working towards Instrumentality. If that was not their goal, then what.

Gendo took off his glasses, looking towards the man that had been a guide of sorts since college...since Yui. "We trust Shinji."

"You're entrusting the world to a boy?" he asked. Even if Shinji was Yui's son, he doubted the boy would be able to pull this off.

"His dream shows him as a developing Moon, one who's light is growing brighter, that even an Angel will side with. The tests have already shown that whatever Second Impact has done towards the potential of human procreation does not effect the ascended, and even Rei is now capable of birth."

"He changes a person into having both the Fruit of Knowledge as well as the Fruit of Life."

Gendo nodded. "As I see it, Adam and Lilith were two divergent lines of evolution; two seeds sent to create life. For what purpose two were sent, I dare not speculate, but it was obvious that the Lance was created to stop them from occupying the same world together. If we restart the world with her..."

"Then it may take another four billion years for humanity to return."

Gendo nodded. "With Shinji, humanity stays without Instrumentality."

"And Yui?" Kozo asked.

Gendo sank into his seat. "Unknown. We know the boy has an ability to sync with an EVA in such a way that he can communicate with the soul inside it. We know he's communicating either with Yui or something that may believe itself to be or be acting like Yui."

"You believe Shinji might be able to extract their souls and give them form?"

Gendo smiled, remembering the lines of the dream; where Shinji said his light continued to grow while that of the two Moons dimmed. "If not now, he will soon."

"Then...should we tell him?" Kozo was not comfortable with that idea. Telling Shinji the truth—considering how strong the boy was—was almost sure to illicit a death sentence.

He wondered if he could find someone willing to take that shot for the team.

Gendo nodded, placing his glasses back on. "When I have constructed a proposal, I will tell him.

"After all, once he hears the purpose, he will support it."

"And if he kills you?"

"Then I shall await Yui on the other side, because he will not allow her to stay bonded to Unit 01 forever."

Already, the duo began to formulate a new scenario.


Things were not going well after the meeting; as Gendo and Ritsuko stood in the elevator, going down to check on the new data compilations for the Dummy Plug System.

"It would seem that SEELE may already have us at a disadvantage."

Ritsuko nodded. "Our current saving grace would be the fact they have not shipped anymore Evangelions to us for S2 organ generation. Since they haven't, we can assume they are still using the data collected from the Fourth Angel to try and generate them on their own."

Gendo nodded in agreement. "They were most likely not scheduled for completion until after the Angels all fell."

"At this rate, we may have almost seven months then."

"Perhaps less, I fear they may order the release of the Dummy Plug data to assist their own."

Ritsuko turned to him. "Wouldn't they be receiving that from the Fifth Child?" Like him, she had already put together the true purpose of the Fifth Child.

After all, how many kids are there like Rei...with a full soul?

"They will certainly wish for all the data they can have...if they plan to use the Dummy Plug System to pilot the other EVAs we seem unable to get."

"At least funding isn't an issue," she said. While she may hate the fact that her work now amounted to little more than a real sentai series, she couldn't fault the funds they were now receiving. No longer did they have to go begging for money that should have been appropriated to them in the first place.

He nodded. "In any case, I want all incoming shipments inspected thoroughly. They may try to sabotage parts, especially in the matters concerning the MAGI maintenance and upgrade procedures."

She nodded. "I already have Misato and a few other trustworthy individuals going over the personnel files, to ensure we don't have any more incidents like we did with the power systems."

Gendo nodded. Already, the links the JAs had given him into the JSSDF were proving useful, as they considered the saboteurs as terrorists, since they did damage government property.

As such, even the UN would not be quelled in the hunt for the people that Section 2 had determined to be the persons responsible.

They even found out how they had left, an open door leading from the surface into the NERV systems had been proof.

"Inquire with my son as to who trained him. I want them here if possible training Section 2 agents, as well as base security and the pilots."

"You expect another attack?"

Gendo stared ahead as the door opened. "Of course, it's what I would do."


It had been only two days since the shield test. Several emitters were being fine-tuned, as well as new power couplers installed to help regulate frequency attunement. In the end, they were going to get the defensive screen to even hold off a sustained AT Field assault.

It didn't take long for those close to the top echelon to discover why such a possibility was needed. All you needed to hear were the reports saying that Unit 05 and above were not being sent to NERV due to...errors.


"How's circuit A-5 through G-4?" asked Sanada. Currently, he and Rara were helping the diagnostic teams while installing the upgrades to the Casper MAGI.

The purpose of these upgrades were split between preventing another sabotage like what had crippled them when Matriel; the Ninth Angel, had attacked. The other purpose was to allow for greater independence between the NERV systems and the JA systems. In effect, the two systems would have enough independence not to be taken down by the other, while maintaining the link for teamwork

"Checking out fine," said Rara as he observed the system tests on a laptop. "Better check connection DF-39. We're getting degradation in signal return."

Nodding, Sanada began checking the connections on the I/O ports, finding the weak link, and securing it.

"That's got it," said Rara.

They were also trying to correct another problem. Despite its advanced nature, the MAGI were responding too slowly to the information being sent via their link with the JA series. As such, the data was backlogging, slowing the systems down on both sides.

So, while they hadn't yet tested to see if the MAGI processors could handle the load, they were trying to increase the speed at which it could receive and return information.

Rara wiped the sweat from his brow. "Man, who new techs had it so rough?"

Sanada laughed. "Come on, Rara; can't tell me you never got into the trenches while building Trident."

"What, and risk disfiguring my rugged manly looks?" said the bald man as he took his "dashing prince" stance."

"Right," said Sanada, sarcasm evident in his voice. "Anyway, this is the last one; the other teams are finished. Now, we shouldn't have to worry about either the MAGI or the JA mainframe causing the other to be defenseless."

"Hey, Sanada," said Rara, "why exactly aren't we using the JA tech to update the MAGI processors?"

"Well, that's due to how those processors are made..."


Maya and Ritsuko were working on the MAGI programming to further update it as well as enable it to access the new buffers for the JA interface.

So far, things had been going well...minus the occasional scream as a tech learned which wires carried current. Hearing another, Ritsuko made another tick on her scrap piece of paper, happily noting that she was well on her way to winning that gambling pool once again.

After all, she had met these people, so she knew which ones were stupid enough to forget.

As the chatter over the speakers continued for the other teams working on the MAGI maintenance, she looked over towards Maya, smiling as the bridge bunny typed away furiously on the terminal. "You're getting pretty fast, Maya. But then, that's what makes you...you."

"Thanks, Sempai," said Maya, not looking away from the screen as she continued to type. "It's all thanks to you; you trained me."

Smiling, her eyes caught something. "Wait a second; A-8 would be faster there. Let me do it." With that said, Ritsuko reached over to her terminal, and with one hand, fixed it faster than Maya had been typing.

Maya just stared in amazement. "Well, she was my teacher...still is."

Finishing up, she went back to writing in a journal to document all the changes they were making, when her friend entered through the lift.

Misato was smiling. "Hey, how's it going?" she asked. "Finished with the work on the MAGI yet?"

"Almost done," said Ritsuko, not even looking up from her journal. "As promised, it'll be finished before today's experiment begins."

"You sure are something else," said Misato, walking up to the Doctor's desk and grabbing her coffee, deciding to perk herself up a bit. "You've got four nearly impossible tasks to deal with, and you still manage to beat the schedule."

Ritsuko was tempted not to tell her, but knowing that Misato's first reaction would most likely be to spit it up and over their documentations, she decided to help her friend and save herself some trouble. "That coffee's cold, Misato."

The girl immediately puckered her face in disgust. Cold beer was great, cold coffee absolutely sucked in her opinion.


As the MAGI entered self-diagnostic mode to ensure the new upgrades were still working and all systems had been restored from their examinations, a speaker announced that the routine maintenance had also been completed as well.

Ritsuko smiled as she checked the ticks, finding out that once again, she had won the betting pool. "Well done, guys. Take a break before the tests begin."


Ritsuko was washing her face, the stress of the work beginning to fade as only one job was left: the tests with the first three children.

Everything checked out. As usual, Mother is fine, but...is it just me getting older?

Seeing what systems were slowly beginning to become outdated when compared to JA supercomputer technology, she was beginning to question one fact: how long would she truly be useful here?


"What? You want me to take off my clothes again?" asked Asuka.

Currently, the tests were only being done for the First, Second, and Third Children, as that was all the room they had for. Toji and Kaoru were scheduled to be tested tomorrow.

Though, one did have to admit as to the reason for having a male—Shinji—test with the two females of the team, considering it would be less embarrassing for them to be exposed like this.

But then again, no one ever said that Ritsuko didn't have a sense of humor, and Asuka had been a bit bitchy lately. Besides, all three were ascended pilots, so they were to be tested together.

"One would think you are used to both hearing and saying that phrase by now," said Rei in her normal subdued tone.

Asuka growled, but Ritsuko's reply cut her off.

"The next chamber is an ultra-clean room environment. Just taking a shower and changing your undergarments is insufficient."

"Why do I have to go through this all for just a simple auto-pilot test?" she asked.

Shinji himself didn't mind the procedures.

What he did mind was the idea of an auto-pilot. While a pilot was in control, the bond formed between pilot and EVA was intricate and deep; not things that a simple program could ever duplicate. He could never trust an autopilot to handle Reika like he did. They were a team, and he'd make certain it stayed that way.

Of course, the logic they used also made sense. What would happen if they couldn't get to the EVAs before the Angels struck, or the EVAs needed to handle something that would be suicide for the pilots...even ascended people like them?

Also, they needed the data to run better simulations for new tactics and scenarios for battles.

So, he played along. Besides, he needed to explore HQ a bit more, and these rooms were something he'd never been in before.

Anything to find out what was nullifying his senses.

Even now, the shielding for this area was shutting off the now constant connection he had formed between him and the EVAs. Unit 04 had been talking to him a lot more lately, after receiving the choices of names between of Achewon: Spiritual One, as it seemed to fit what Shinji had seen of the EVA's personality, and Hoshoni: a Pueblo word that if Shinji was correct, meant all was in order and the world was beautiful.

Unit 03 was still torn between Mickey—the EVA had a penchant for wanting to act like a tough gangster it had seen in Toji's memories of old early movies, or taking the name of an Angel of Death: Azreal.

Truthfully, Shinji was just hoping they'd pick a damn name before he left the test chamber. He really was tired of them waking him up at night to discuss it.

Ritsuko's sigh could be heard over the intercom. "With the advance of time, EVA technology needs to advance as well. To do so, we need a constant influx of new data."

"What?" came Asuka's surprised cry, as the doors opened.

Shinji felt himself cleaner than he had ever been before, and could almost swear that his wings were even shining from the extra attention.

Now, he felt his danger senses going off the scale, and of course, he knew why.

They were naked...all three of them.

He had seen Rei naked plenty of times...despite fevered protests. It wasn't that he found her ugly. It was that she just tended to do it at odd times as if she didn't know it was wrong.

Of course, Mana offering suggestions didn't help matters.

But now...Asuka was naked...and near him.

For some damn reason, he kept hearing the theme of Mortal Kombat playing in his head.

"All right, I'm here, just the way you wanted: butt-naked and run through the wash cycle seventeen times."

Shinji motioned for Rei to be quiet. He knew she would retort to that. The albino pilot had lately seemed to get great...joy...from teasing the redheaded pilot.

He just wanted her as calm as possible, in case he needed to make a break for it.

"Now, I want all three of you to stay that way as you walk through the room and board the entry plugs."

Shinji gulped.

Rei remained quiet.

Asuka did not. "WHAAAAAT?"

"Don't worry; the video recorders have been shut off. We do respect your privacy."

"That isn't the point!" Asuka argued. "This is a very personal thing!"

"The purpose of this experiment is to remove the interference from your plugsuits and monitor the harmonics directly from your bodies."

"Asuka," came Misato's voice, "that's an order."

"Alright," she relented. "But I don't want anyone peeking, got it?"

Shinji head a beep and saw that the camera now sported a red light. Man, I hope that means it's off.


"All pilots are ready for entry."

The colored forms of the three pilots were on the screen, glowing as if they were radioactive.

"Start the tests," said Ritsuko, as she stared at the half-formed EVA units inside the testing chamber. In a way, she was a little afraid that Shinji and the girls might actually start changing these EVAs as well.

But considering what the Commander had informed her of, that might be a good possibility as well.

"Beginning the tests," said one of the techs assisting them. "Now initiating autopilot recording."

"Inserting simulation plugs."

"Connecting the simulation bodies to the systems," came Maya's voice after the plugs had been inserted. "The simulation plugs are now under the MAGI's control."

Misato just whistled as the holographic screens began pouring out the data they were collecting. "Wow, that's really fast. The MAGI sure are impressive. It's hard to believe that the first experiments took a whole week."

"According to the schedule, the test will end in three hours," said a male tech.

"How do you feel?" asked Ritsuko, truly wondering what the simulation bodies would do when exposed to the Angelic pilots.

"It feels odd," said Rei, staring forward, her attitude gone for the moment due to the seriousness of the test.

"Yeah, it's different from the other times," said Shinji. "It feels...lonely...empty."

Asuka was staring at her hand. "Something's wrong with my senses. My right arm is the only thing I can feel clearly. Everything else is...fuzzy."

Ritsuko nodded. "Rei, imagine moving your right hand."

"Yes, ma'am," said Rei, as she grabbed the control yokes, causing the hand of the simulation body to move.

"Data collection is proceeding nicely," said the male tech.

"Everything seems good so far," said Ritsuko. "Any anomalies being generated by their essence?"

Maya shook her head. "No changes in the simulation bodies, ma'am. It doesn't look like they'll evolve them."

Ritsuko nodded. "Change the MAGI back to their normal state."

The data screens changed, as the MAGI began a deliberation.

Ritsuko smirked. "You can sure feel their creator's personality, can't you?"

Misato turned to face her friend. "What are you talking about, Ritsu? I thought you made them?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" said Ritsuko, smiling.

"That's because you never talk about yourself like I do, Ritsuko."

Ritsuko turned back out to the testing chamber. "That's true, I just created the system uplinks. The person who developed the basic theorems and the mainframe was my Mother."


Shinji heard this while the tests were still going on. So, I guess I know one of your demons, Ritsuko.

Despite his best efforts, like Misato, he had hardly learned anything about the blond that wasn't job related. Hell, he wouldn't have known that she had a cat had he not sensed the thing behind her apartment door when he returned home a few days after she moved in.

Suddenly, he felt...something. It was dull, and barely around...but it was there.

Once again, he was cursing the null field he felt inside the Geo-front. He couldn't tell if it was friend or foe.

Sadly, his guess was correct. It was almost always foe.


"Are you double-checking this?" asked Kozo.

"Yes, I am," said Shigeru. "These are the parts that were brought in three days ago. Now, they're showing signs of deterioration."

"The eighty-seventh protein wall," said Kozo. I guess a defective part got through.

At least we caught it now and not during a battle.

Shigeru tapped some buttons, changing the screen. "With some magnification, you can see some spots. Can you tell me what that is?"

"It's got to be corrosion," said Makoto. There are slight variations in the temperature and conduction rates at those spots. Deterioration of sterilized rooms are happening a lot...an awful lot...as of late."

Shigeru nodded. "The construction schedule was cut short about sixty days. It's possible that some air bubbles may have gotten inside." He turned towards the Sub Commander. "There are a lot of flaws in the construction of B-wing."

"This building was constructed after the Angels appeared, remember?"

"You can't really put the blame on anyone," said Makoto. "Everyone was so exhausted back then."

Kozo nodded. "Take care of it by tomorrow. We can't afford these sorts of things in case of an attack. If not, then Ikari will be jumping over our asses for this."

"Understood," said Makoto.

Shigeru continued to stare at the display. Corrosion couldn't have done this that quickly.


Ritsuko turned around. "Another water leak?"

Maya shook her head. "No, it's some sort of corrosion in the protein wall above this floor."

"Wonderful," said Ritsuko. "Could it have any effect on the test?"

"No," said Maya, "not at the moment."

Ritsuko nodded. "Then let's continue. We can't abort complex experiments due to minor technical difficulties.

"Otherwise, Commander Ikari will be jumping all over our asses for it."

"Dr. Akagi?" said Shinji.

"Yes?"

"Something's wrong...very wrong."

Misato stood straight. "Do you sense an Angel, Shinji?"

"I can't sense much in the Geo-front," said Shinji.

"So, the perfect third Child has a weakness?" teased Asuka.

"This is serious, pervert," spat Shinji. "I don't know what it is, but something is going very wrong."

Ritsuko began to actually consider aborting the procedure. When Shinji told you something was wrong, she learned a long time ago to believe him.

Sadly, events decided for her to end things...in a bad way.

"What's happening?" Ritsuko yelled out.

"We've got a contamination alert in the Sigma Unit on A Floor," came the voice over the loud speaker.

"The eighty-seventh protein wall is corroding and releasing heat!"

"We've detected an abnormality in the sixth pipe as well!"

"Corrosion of the protein wall is increasing at an incredible rate!" yelled out Maya.

"Abort the experiment!" cried out Misato.

"Shut off the sixth pipe!" yelled out Ritsuko.

Maya did as ordered, and the pipe was separated from the main lines.

"No effect," said Maya. "The corrosion is spreading along the walls."

"Prepare the polysomes."

Several little subs were released into the testing bay, each one equipped to clean and sterilize the room with excessive force. They moved themselves over to the area where the corrosion was coming from.

"Set the lasers for maximum and eliminate the invasive particles," she ordered Maya.

"AHHH!"

"Rei!" shouted Ritsuko, as the simulation body struck the wall.

"Rei's simulation body is moving!" said Maya.

"ANGEL!" shouted Shinji as he felt his own false body beginning to be infected, the being now close enough for him to feel.

Soon, the arm of Rei's simulation body began reaching for the control room, causing Ritsuko to smash the emergency ejecting system for that limb, sending it smashing into the window.

"How's Rei?" asked the panicked Misato.

"She's fine," said Maya.

"Eject all plugs immediately!" screamed Ritsuko. She turned towards the other techs. "Hurry the hell up with those lasers!"

Two plugs ejected out of the simulation bodies, entering the emergency hatches.

Shinji's didn't.

"Emergency ejection systems have failed on Simulation Body 01!"

"WHAT?" screamed Ritsuko.

The lasers shot forth from the polysomes, striking the corrosion, before they were reflected away.

"An AT Filed!" gasped out Misato.

"Impossible," said Ritsuko, as she stood near several techs still trying to eject Shinji's plug. "How can something that small erect an AT Field!"

Soon, the infected areas began to glow red, emitting light.

In the simulation body 01, large portions of it began glowing as well.

"Get me video of Shinji, NOW!" screamed Misato, as one screen switched to an inside view of the entry plug.

Shinji was also beginning to glow red in several areas, his breath in staggered pants, his eyes wide, and his four wings out. Occasionally twitching, it didn't take a genius to see he was in pain.

Soon, a golden glow enveloped his body, seeming to lash out at the red blotches that were infecting him, as his body and own AT Field began to fight against the invading Angel.

"Pattern is confirmed as blue," said Ritsuko. "It's an Angel!"

"We knew that!" yelled out Misato. "Shinji told us already! We've got to get Shinji out of there!" screamed Misato, looking at her friend with hysterical and pleading eyes.

Ritsuko wanted to tell her that they could, that they could save him.

But he was already infected, so she began to set the system to blow the remaining emergency systems.

As much as it pained her to leave him—he was a great friend, and a light of hope in the dreary world they all seemed to exist in now—she knew he wouldn't want others to be put at risk to save him, and that is exactly what would happen if he got out, the Angel already infecting him.

Misato informed the bridge, hearing the orders to isolate Central Dogma. "Abandon unit. Evacuate immediately!' she cried out.

The techs began running, even as the glass behind them began to crack more, threatening to flood the entire room.

Ritsuko just stared into the water, at the corrupted form of Shinji's simulation body. Forgive me!

"What the hell are you doing?" screamed out Misato, grabbing her friend. "Hurry!"

They barely made it out in time before the windows gave way, and they were left with only their hatred, for what was taking Shinji from them.


Gendo put down the phone. "Cancel the alert."

Shigeru's eyes snapped open. "C...canceling the alert, sir."

Gendo continued. "This is a malfunction, an error in the alarm system. Report that to both the Japanese Government and the Committee."

Kozo looked over at Rara and Sanada, who both nodded.

Sanada scratched the back of his head. "We follow. Besides, if this got out, the bureaucrats would keep us so occupied with red tape, the next attack would wipe us out."

"As well as cause them to yank all our funding until they "decide" what to change," said Rara.

Kozo nodded, beginning to like the JSSDF attachment more and more. Like them, they knew how to play the system, and what not to report.

"The contamination area is still descending," said Makoto. "It's spreading all over Sigma Unit from the Pribnow Box!"

Kozo by this time had stepped closer to Gendo. "That's a critical area."

"Yes," said Gendo. "That is too close to Adam." He spoke louder. "Stop the corruption within Sigma Unit. If necessary, sacrifice the Geo-front. What is the status of the EVAs?"

"They're ready for launch," said Makoto. "Pilots Nagisa and Suzuhara are already inside, and ready. We can launch the others when the pilots are recovered."

"There's no need to wait for the other pilots, launch them immediately."

As much as Gendo wanted to tell them to save Unit 01 first, he couldn't. Shinji was his only connection to that soul inside it until he ascended, and if anything, he didn't want Yui madder at him than she might already be, considering how things had progressed to that point.

"Sir?" asked Makoto.

"But sir," said Shigeru, "we can't destroy the Angel without the EVAs!"

Gendo shook his head. "If the EVAs are contaminated first, we're finished. Hurry!"

Gendo merely turned to face Sanada. "I would suggest initiating a full separation of the JA from the MAGI should we fail. We do not need them corrupted."

Sanada nodded. "Come on, Rara, we need to cut the phone lines."


Soon, all of Central Dogma below the contamination zone of Sigma Unit was shut down.

Then it was sealed; no one or thing in or out.

Well, that would be true in a perfect world.

With an Angel, the world was far from perfect...or predictable.

"Well now," said Kozo, "we have to mount an offensive against an Angel without the EVAs...or Shinji."

"And the other ascended pilots have yet to be trained enough in their abilities to be of any use at this point." Gendo sighed. Not that they could, considering the Angel immediately isolated the strongest and removed him from interfering.


Shinji screamed as he leapt into the air again as the shadows lanced at him, trying to impale him.

"SPIRIT CUT!" he screamed once again, lashing out with his own energy at the enemy.

He didn't know how it had did it, but he was literally inside his own mind, fighting the Angel. It was constantly trying to adapt itself to him, trying to find a weakness to exploit or a strength to nullify.

But Shinji was himself changing just as fast to counter the Angel's moves. Like the AT Fields during battle, he was too random for it to pin down.

So, the battle continued. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life as a vegetable, he would not lose this battle.

It may be a near-classic model, but that body was his, damn it!

And no one was going to take it...or his life...away from him.


Ritsuko sighed as their last attempt on the Angel failed. They had tried to kill it when they saw it had a problem with ozone.

So, they injected ozone into the ultra pure water the Angel was inhabiting.

It worked...for about ten seconds.

Now, the damn thing was feeding off the ozone.

"Amazing," she said as the scanners were continuing to observe the now larger mass of the Angel. "It is evolving."

That was when the next plan of the Angel went into effect, as the monitors in the testing chamber died and the alarm sounded again.

"What's wrong?" screamed Misato.

"Something is hacking into the sub-computer," said Shigeru. "They haven't been identified."

The two bridge bunny males worked furious to stop the hacker, trying to get them to follow false trails and decoy entrances.

But, it didn't fall for it, and kept going.

Finally, the trace was complete, and they found that the hacker was inside the facility.

Shigeru's eyes opened wide. "It's in B-Wing, in the Pribnow Box!"

Maya screamed out, "The optical pattern is changing within the Angel!"

"Those glowing lines look like electronic circuits," said Shigeru. "This is just like a computer!"

They continued trying to stop the Angel, from opening more decoy entries to destroying the link the sub-computer was using.

It all failed.

"It's accessing the main security bank!" said Shigeru. "It's cracking the pass code!"

They tried everything to stop it, but the Angel plowed through all of their cyber-defenses, until its target was clear.

Shigeru turned to face the Command Deck. "They're going after the MAGI!"

"Shut down the I/O system," said Gendo.

The two guys inserted their keys, counting down, before turning, but...

"W can't shut it down!" screamed out Makoto.

"The Angel is intruding further into the computers," said Maya. "It has made contact with Melchior!

"It's no good!" she screamed as she and Ritsuko tried to block the MAGI-infection. "It's taking over Melchior!

"Melchior is being reprogrammed by the Angel!"

Soon, the computer spoke. "Melchior's self destruct has been initiated."

The three MAGI began to deliberate, before the uninfected two overrode the decision.

The Angel would not be denied.

"Melchior is now hacking into Balthasar!" said Shigeru.

"Damn, it's too fast!" gasped Makoto, not willing to give up.

Ritsuko gasped as an idea came to her. "Change the login mode! Change the synchronization code to every fifteen seconds."

The two men began doing it, and immediately the infection slowed down.


Shinji was hovering above the shadowy mess as he spotted three...women? He stared as the shadows seemed to immediately envelop one, before it moved onto the other. Not wanting them to be hurt, he lashed out with his energy, cutting into the connections of darkness that seemed to connect both the covered one to the infected one, as well as the shadows to their convert.

The ground exploded, as the three women were flung back.

The converted one screamed out, trying to still fight off whatever was attacking her.

Sighing, Shinji landed in front of them, facing the oncoming shadows. He didn't know what those three women represented in his mind, as he had never seen them before.

But, he would not let the Angel take them.


Two hours.

That was all they had to come up with a plan.

And things got worse.


"JA-01 initializing self destruct protocols."

"JA-02 initializing self destruct protocols."

"JA-00 init... JA-00 canceling self destruct protocols."

The JA in the center of the city then turned to JA-01, firing its main cannon at the base of the unit's feet, where the main control center was, obliterating it as well as the feet of the metal behemoth. Then, it turned and did the same to the remaining JA, before turning its own weapons to its own control center, causing it to topple as well.

Finally, it sent out one more code, before initiating full system shutdown after ensuring the others had received and complied. With the control rooms destroyed, they had no access to the MAGI systems, nor could a wireless connection make contact, so all decisions were now made through the head unit: JA-00.

"JA-01 canceling self destruct protocols. Initiating full shut down."

"JA-02 canceling self destruct protocols. Initiating full shut down."

Within moments, all three JAs were offline.


Sanada sighed. "That was close."

Seeing the questioning stares from the crew, he smiled. "Let's just say I have a few more failsafes in 00 than the others."

Ritsuko nodded. "This Angel is composed of a group of nano-machines, each the size of a virus. These machines then group together to form colonies. In a very short amount of time, they have evolved to form a sophisticated intelligent circuit."

"Evolved?"

"Yes, sir," said Ritsuko.

"But why go after Shinji like that?" asked Sanada. "It was like it targeted him as a primary. It barely touched Rei's or Asuka's simulation bodies."

Rara rubbed his chin. "Either they needed him as a power source, or they felt his energies might be used to disrupt their attack. All we know is that they needed him infected."

"Let's hope Shinji can fight them off," said Misato, hiding her worry for her charge. "If they gain full control over him...we've got no chance."

"So then," said Sanada, "let's kill this thing before it kills us...and Shinji."

"Well," started Ritsuko, finding his idea very agreeable, if it saved one of her intimate friends, "it is constantly evolving to best suit the current environment."

"That's their survival mechanism as a life form," said Kozo.

"Against an enemy that constantly evolves to overcome their weaknesses, the only effective counter-measure is to eliminate the host and let the parasite die with it."

"As much as that might be a good idea, Major," said Sanada, "we have a large range of hosts here for the buggers. So, unless you want me to head up and fully activate a self-destruct from the JAs to eliminate the Angel, the MAGI, the simulation bodies, Shinji, and about three floors of the Geo-front, I suggest we find another way."

"As long as the Angel keeps evolving," stated Ritsuko, "we have a chance of perhaps influencing or even controlling its evolution."

Gendo nodded. "Expediting its evolution, structuring it to quickly reach the end of evolution; self-destruction: death itself."

Ritsuko nodded.

"And Shinji?" asked Shigeru.

Gendo pushed the glasses up on his nose. "We have to hope he can evolve beyond what the Angel is capable of."

"We do have another problem...possibly. If the Angel sees it as its only practical means of survival, it may choose to co-exist with the MAGI."

Rara chuckled. "Man, we seem to be getting all of the upgrades done this month quiet cheaply."

"How could it do that?" asked Makoto.

"The Angel is a computer itself," said Ritsuko. "We can reverse hack by connecting Casper to the Angel and uploading a self-destruct program. But..."

Maya finished for her. "At the same time, we'll have to turn off the barrier to the Angel."

"An all-or-nothing gamble," said Sanada.

"Yes," said Ritsuko. "And since the last readings we had from Shinji showed he was still fighting it, we can assume it won't be using him as a trump card."

"Will the program be ready in time?" asked Misato. "If Casper is taken over first, it's all over."

"Have some faith in me, Misato," said Ritsuko. "I always keep my promises." And I never let my friends down.


Toji and Kaoru just looked at the fallen JAs from inside their EVAs. "Man, I do not want to know why they did that."

"It is most curious," said Kaoru.

"WILL SOMEONE DOWN THERE FUCKING ANSWER ME!" came a scream from their comm. systems.

Kaoru looked up, spotting the blue form of JA-03: Trident. "Hello, Ms. Kirishima. How can we help you?"

The image of her popped up on his holographic screen. "What the hell is going on? I've been trying to reach HQ for almost an hour, and Trident is detecting weird energy patterns. When I get here, I find the city defenses are offline and the JAs missing their feet."

Toji finished checking his ears to see if Mana's scream had popped his eardrums, before speaking. "Long story. Safe to say someone fucked up, and it'll be a while."

The Trident hovered near the ground, before switching to humanoid form. "This has the signs of a hacker all over it."

Kaoru blinked. "I remember Mr. Aida saying he hacked into things."

Toji smiled as Mana stalked off in the Trident to question the young military fanboy. Ah, sold out a friend to buy himself time. Taught you well, I have.


As Casper rose from the chamber sheltering it, the group of scientists and programmers stood to the side.

Opening an access hatch, Ritsuko peered into the crawl space that led to the MAGI's main core processor.

Of course, she discovered that her mother was never all that organized to begin with.

"What are those?" asked Maya.

Ritsuko crawled into the computer, looking around. "These are the developer's notes."

Sanada whistled. "Reminds me of Rara during college."

"Humph," said the bald man. "I seem to remember someone leaving a sandwich under their bed for three weeks."

Maya ignored the two as she grabbed some of the notes. "My god, these are access codes: MAGI access codes! It's like a special map to all the MAGI's secret backdoors. Am I even allowed to see these?"

Rara looked at a set. "At least their even in INT-C."

"With these," said Maya, "we can program much faster than we thought!"

Ritsuko nodded, before staring forward. Thanks, mom. With these, we can make it.


Soon, Maya, Sanada, and Rara were programming code, as Ritsuko worked to access the MAGI's main processor.

Misato was inside with Ritsuko, as the woman worked on opening up the MAGI. "So, are you blaming yourself?"

"For the Angel?"

"For Shinji."

Ritsuko worked a little longer before responding. "No, he wouldn't want me to. He'd want me to stop this thing."

Misato nodded, handing Ritsuko another tool she asked for. "I'm sorry for suggesting..."

"Don't worry about it," said the blonde.

Misato sighed. "Doesn't this remind you a bit of our college days?" Seeing her friend was once again overly focused on the task at hand, Misato tried once again to break the tension. "Hey, why don't you tell me a little about the MAGI?"

"It's a long story," said Ritsuko.

"Try me."

"Do you know about the Personality Transplant OS?"

Misato nodded. "It's for transplanting an individual's personality into a seventh generation computer so it can think for itself.

"The same technology is used for operating the EVAs."

"I've heard that the MAGI's programming used one of the first test subjects." Ritsuko continued to work as Misato considered those words.

"My mother developed the technology," said Ritsuko as she removed one of the final seals.

"So, it was her personality that was transplanted?"

"Yep," said Ritsuko, as she turned the power saw onto the last seal.

As she put down the saw, she resumed speaking to her friend. "In a very real sense, these brains are my mother."

"You hardly ever speak of her," said Misato. "Is that why you wanted to protect the MAGI?"

"I didn't offer it to protect them," said Ritsuko. "I never really liked my mom. I did it to protect us all."


Balthasar fell, and the two infected MAGI began to assault the remaining one.

"The self destruct sequence has been initiated by the computer. Self destruct will be initiated twenty seconds after all three AI consent," said the computer.

"Any time, Ritsu," said Misato, as the three programmers sent their data to her.

"Please, Misato. First you say I need to add some style to my life, then you want the old me back."

"Don't add it when we're going to die!"

"Don't worry, I have a whole second to spare," said the calm doctor, as she finally pushed the return key to start the program.

On the screen, the bridge crew watched as one small section of Casper remained uninfected, blinking, before the infected areas fell away from it, and the MAGI.

At once, they all released the breath they had been holding, screaming out in celebration as the computerized voice informed them that the MAGI had now cancelled the self-destruct.

Throughout the complex, the now orange glow of the Angel's circuits faded away to nothing, including whatever had grown on an angelic boy.


Shinji slumped to the ground as the tentacles of darkness faded from view.

Looking up, he saw the three maidens walking towards him, now affording him a better glance. All three appeared unharmed from the ordeal, their clothes no different now than when he had first seen them.

One wore a lab outfit that he often saw Ritsuko wear.

Another wore an apron and simple house dress, like what he remembered his guardian-mother wearing.

The third wore a simple dress, but dressed to kill...in the dating sense of the term.

And all three...looked exactly the same. "Hello, are you okay?" he asked, trying to push away the feeling of tiredness in him.

The women stopped and nodded.

"I'm Shinji Ikari."

The lab coated one bowed. "I am Melchior; the creator as a scientist."

The scantily dressed one bowed as well. "I am Casper; the creator as a woman."

Finally, the apron-wearing one bowed. "I am Balthasar; the creator as a mother."

"And who is the Creator?" asked Shinji.

"She was Dr. Naoko Akagi," said Balthasar, helping him up.

"Akagi?" Shinji said, stunned. "I'm in the MAGI?"

"Yes," said Melchior. "I am quite amazed you made it here, but we thank you for giving them the time they needed to defeat the Angel."

The others nodded in agreement.

Shinji just smiled. "I seem to always be making weird friends."

Balthasar made sure he was standing, as his legs seemed to grow weaker. "You need to return to your body and rest, child."

"Yes," smiled Casper, "don't want that hot bod breaking down on you."

Great, now AIs are hitting on me!

"Before you go, Shinji," stated Balthasar, "can you do us a small favor?"


"Hello? Anyone?"

The bridge crew turned towards the screen, where an obviously tired Shinji sat still inside the plug of the simulation body.

"Shinji!' said Ritsuko, glad to see her friend was still alive.

Misato smiled, but stayed professional. "What's your status?"

Shinji sighed. "Tired, hungry, and in need of some aspirin. That damned thing hit like a truck."

"Is it still around?" asked Kozo.

"If it is, I can't feel it," said Shinji.

"Any bad feelings?" asked Ritsuko, remembering how he had warned them a bit before all hell broke loose.

He shook his head. "I think...everything's fine." Taking a deep breath, he paused a bit. "Dr. Akagi?"

"Yes, Shinji?" she asked.

"The MAGI had a message for you, I think I was linked to them when the Angel was attacking."

"What was the message?" she asked, wondering what the supercomputer had to say.

"They are...very...proud of you. Balthasar said you are a wonderful daughter, Melchior said you were brilliant in how you handled things, and Casper said you still need to go hang out more with Misato."

The bridge crew stared at the screen, while Ritsuko smirked. "That's Mother for you, always thinking three things at once."

Inside, it warmed her heart a bit...that her mother was proud of her...even if it was just a simulation of the actual person.

It still felt good.


"I'm beginning to get old," said Ritsuko, as Misato walked up to her, handing her a cup of coffee. "These all-nighters are killing me."

Misato smiled. "But you kept your promise. Good job."

Ritsuko nodded. Soon, Shinji would be extracted from the simulation body, and most likely spending a few hours in his regeneration tank.

"This is the first time I've ever appreciated your coffee," said Ritsuko.

Misato giggled nervously.

Ritsuko turned towards the open MAGI. "Before she died, my mother told me that the MAGI are three aspects of herself: herself as a scientist, herself as a mother, and herself as a woman. Those three aspects of her are struggling for dominance inside the MAGI.

"She intentionally implanted the dilemmas of the human experience into them. Actually, each of the three programs are slightly different as well.

"I don't think I'll ever be a mother, and I'll probably never understand her as a mother. I respected her as a scientist. However, as a woman, I hated her."

"You talk too much, Ritsu," said Misato.

As Casper was lowered back into its storage chamber, Ritsuko sighed. "Casper contains the program of her as a woman. She stayed a woman to the last; how totally like her."


Asuka sat inside the entry plug in the lake of NERV, still naked...and still upset. "Can someone get us out of these things now?" she screamed.

"Hello?"

It would be a while before anyone answered. By that time, even Rei had left her own plug to go find some clothes, and take care of the feeling that once again, Shinji had been injured.


Sanada and Ritsuko sat in the bar at NERV HQ. The duo had been instrumental in saving the base from the Angel's attack, and now...were enjoying some down time.

Of course, Ritsuko also needed to satisfy her curiosity. "Care to tell me?"

"Hmm?" asked Sanada, as he set his now empty glass down.

"Exactly how JA-00 didn't allow the others to self-destruct?"

Sanada motioned for another drink, having it filled before speaking, his eyes never leaving the drink. "Kazuki Yotsuga."

"A name?"

He nodded. "While the AI soul of the JA is blank, it is left to us as designers to give it life...in some small way.

"You see, the AI was filled with the digitalized brain scan of a young boy my daughters knew. They were playing one day, when a drunk driver decided to jump the curb. Kazuki saved my daughters by pushing her out of the way. He...wasn't so fortunate."

"How bad?" Ritsuko asked.

Sanada took a sip of his drink, not liking the feelings these memories were dredging up. "Very bad. He was in a coma for over a week before his body began to fail.

"My little Mitsuki loved the boy as did my step-daughter Dee; I'm almost certain that Rara's daughter did as well. I didn't want them to fully lose their friend, so I scanned his brain pattern into the JA AI Soul, and thus...gave him life once again. His physical body died shortly thereafter."

"So then the memory patterns in the JA series..."

"Are the brain patterns of a child a few years younger than our own pilots," he finished. Looking at his drink, he tried to find solace in it. "Kazuki has always helped us. He was the reason we were able to board the commandeered 00. He sent me a message about how he was going to blind it, as well as allowed the cameras to see inside."

"But the other JAs authorized self destruct?"

Sanada nodded. "The others are merely copies of him, so their character and strength of will hasn't fully developed. 00 has had years to develop those, while 01 and 02 have had months.

"But...they do see themselves as brothers, and if one falls, another will stand in their place. The Kazuki in 00 kept the others from falling, and kept the Angel from succeeding."

He stood up, steadying himself a bit as the effects of the drinks began to hit him. "That boy is still protecting people, even in this limbo; much like your Mother."

Ritsuko nodded, but didn't show any of her usual displeasure of the mentioning of the woman.

"Well, I'm off!" said the slightly drunk scientist. "I got a repair team combing through the JAs to ensure our uninvited guest didn't leave any surprises behind. Good day, Dr. Akagi."

She watched him walk off, knowing the man was in pain from what he recalled. Dead, but alive; it describes them both so well. Echoes of a soul, still clinging to the mortal planes and some sense of immortality...to watch over everyone.

Does this mean...Mother is now watching over me?


Ken Sanada stepped into the empty control room of JA-00, before sitting in the programmer's chair. Tapping a few buttons, he smiled as a pixilated face slowly began to form on the screen, showing a young boy, slightly younger than those he worked with on a daily basis.

"Hello, Dr. Sanada," said the image, bowing slightly.

"Hello, Kazuki. How are you feeling?"


Omake by Innortal:

Gendo snorted as Dr. Akagi stormed out of his office. "Go then! I can defeat the Angels without you or your teams!"

Of course, it was only a few minutes later that Gendo suddenly realized...he had no fucking idea how to work or repair an EVA.

"Oh well," he said, "it's not like it can be that hard if a blond could do it."


Shinji was standing before his EVA with his father...who just handed him a weird green book. "What?"

"You will now pilot Unit 01 using this Mamodo book."

You see, when in trouble, Gendo turned to what helped him through college: anime and manga.

The less said about the time he accidentally called Yui "Ranma-chan" during sex was better off not said. The police report however is still available.

Shinji sighed in depression. His father was still using him, now to test new piloting techniques. So, he walked away, opening the book. "What the hell does Zakair do?"

Gendo's smile fell off his face as 01 opened its mouth and shot out a bursting stream of energy, impacting Gendo into the wall and giving him severe burns.


Shinji sighed as the battle raged on between the Angel and Unit 01. I hate my life.

"I use Polymerization to fuse Unit 01 with Blue Eyes White Dragon, to form Blue Eyes White Dragon Evangelion 01!"

Soon, the two blurred and were replaced with the fused form of the two monsters.

"Now, 01; White Instrumentality Neutron Blast!"

And the monster did strike, its blast obliterating the Angel...as well as the mansion ten miles away and directly behind it.

Gendo began crying. How could his dream home be destroyed?


Shinji sighed once again, cursing his obviously delusional father. "Big-EVA; it's showtime!"

And thus, the purple and black behemoth rose from the ground, Shinji trying to stand still on its outstretched fist.

As the giant took a step forward, it crushed a brand new sports car, completely decked out.

Guess who owned it?

"Sir," said Kozo, "I told you not to park it there."


Shinji sighed once again, wondering if he could simple fall off this building and die. His father had redesigned the plug suit, now giving it a helmet.

Taking out his flute/dagger/damn thing that couldn't kill a gnat but somehow hurt Angels, Shinji put it up to the crude lips of his mask, and somehow, began playing music.

Sadly, a flute, let alone a dragon flute dagger, was not his musical instrument of choice or skill.

Gendo slowly paled as Unit 01 stopped fighting the Angel, began to moonwalk, and crushed his remaining bright spot in this life: the Pretty Kitty Strip Club.


Ritsuko smiled as she left the Commander's Office, enjoying the sight of what little of his belongings were left being stored in boxes in the corner of the bare office. She knew how stupid the man was, but also how violent Yui would be when informed of her husband's infidelities.

"Sometimes, I wish it was easier to get a weekend off. Then I wouldn't have to do this every so often."


Omake by sabel4:

"Hello, are you okay?" he asked, trying to push away the feeling of tiredness in him.

The figures stopped and nodded.

"I'm Shinji Ikari."

The trouser wearing one said, "I am Yakko."

The red hat wearing one said, "I am Wakko."

Finally, the female one bowed. "I am Dot."

After this, Yakko and Wakko stated "We're the Warner brothers!", and Dot added "And I'm the Warner sister."

Meanwhile, outside, everyone was trying to figure out how someone already on the floor was performing a facefault.


Omake by Typhonis:

Misato had seen some weird things before but this took the cake.

Gendo sat at the head of the table...bald as a cue ball and wearing a grey suit. enpen sat in his lap as he spoke in a Kermit the Frog voice.

"Now our plan can proceed as scheduled. Isn't that right, Mr. Biggleworth."

The hot spring penguin had a look of horror on his face. Much later Gendo would demand to know who had slipped him those 'special' brownies.


In your reviews, state which name you want Unit 03 and 04 to have.