On time (barely)- from now on, I have to work to keep up! Thank you to all the lovely people who wrote me reviews, I adore you all! Even the flamer- but if you hated it so much, then why the hell did you read all of them? Some people are just oddballs.
-insert disclaimer here-
Seriously, you know all of that jazz... Gryffyn's mine, but everything else here belongs to Akira Toriyama and some animation studio. Dammit. Maybe if I work out some evil astral technique to steal Akira Toriyama's body... I'll still be limited to my own 'creative talent'. Double dammit.
Shinji's eyes widened when the door banged open- and Asuka dragged Rei inside, grinning at her.
What had happened? He had to know.
The teacher looked up at the two late arrivals. "What's the excuse this time?" he asked in a bored tone.
"No excuse. Sorry, teach!" Asuka said cheerfully- then grabbed Rei's arm as she headed for her normal
seat. She muttered at her, "Now that you've proved you're actually human, you can come sit here with
me 'n Hikari!"
Slightly nervous, Rei took the window seat nearest to Asuka's. She looked out of it, annoyed at the
change in the angle of her view of the playground... but only for a second. What did it matter, anyway?
It was not as though either of those other girls would disturb her very often, anyway... and there was
little to disturb other than her loneliness and boredom.
Silence fell until the teacher continued his lecture, his monotonous voice fading, as always, into the
background. A few minutes later, by silent agreement, it was deemed safe to speak. It would take a lot
more than soft words at the back of the room to dig the teacher out of his almost trance-like state.
Shinji glanced across at Rei, then whispered, "Hey, you guys! Are you alright?"
"I am well," Rei murmured. Asuka, in contrast, leaned across to snap her ruler across his knuckles.
"None of your business, Shinji," she smirked as he sucked on his hand.
"Wassup?" Toji asked lazily. He was using a small knife- forbidden in schools, but not as if he cared-
to etch some odd geometric design on the surface of his prostetic arm. Most people, especially young
people, would have opted for replacement limbs as similar in appearance to the original ones as
possible. Toji seemed proud of his gleaming steel arm and leg. He'd picked up the habit of idly etching
things onto them until both limbs were as ornate as a tattooist's dream. "Something going on, huh?"
Asuka stuck her tongue out at him. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Yup."
Looking back out of the window, Rei listened as Asuka skillfully fended off persistant questions and
started to bicker with 'the three stooges." How dull. And how easy to do as she always did...
To loosen her mind...
Let time drift...
Nearly recess-time, and something different intruded on Rei's trance. An arythmic rustling, punctuated
by quiet but jarring scrapes. -Like a bird caught in something,- she mused. -Without the little peeps.-
A golden paw appeared, seeking, at the windowsill.
As she blinked in astonishment, another joined it, and Gryffyn's questing head was dragged into view.
His wings fluttered vaguely, not yet strong enough to bear his full weight in free flight, but strong
enough to- say- help him scale the side of a brick building. His eyes lit up brightly when he saw her.
Rei glanced around quickly- no, no-one else had seen him- and was about to urge him to stay outside
when he started trying to pull himself up, wings beating frantically and hind legs scraping. He was such
a pitiful sight that she had no choice but to reach out, grab him by the base of the forelegs, and pull him
inside.
There was absolute stunned silence in the room as Rei hauled the half-grown gryphon in through the
window. Every head snapped towards them. Uncaring, Gryffyn leapt happily onto Rei's lap, pushing
the desk away to sit more comfortably. Almost automatically she reached up with both hands to rub at
the base of his ears, the way he liked it.
"What the hell is that?!" the teacher blurted out.
Rei started, looking up. Gryffyn snuggled his feathered head into the hollow of her neck, tail thumping
with happiness, wrapping his wings around her.
Toji, ever the wise-cracker even in such a shocking situation as this, added flippantly, "And does it
have a visitor's pass?"
The teacher demanded, "What is the meaning of this, miss Ayanami?"
"This is my pet," she answered hesitantly, "Gryffyn. I don't know how he found me here." Her hand
was now absently stroking the soft feathers of Gryffyn's neck, curled into a proud arch.
He lifted his head, bright eyes sparkling. "Smell! Was out hunting, and..."
"You can speak better than that, Gryffyn. I know it." She regarded him encouragingly, not quite
smiling.
"I was hunting," he said slowly and carefully. "Chased big- I was... chasing... a big rrrbit. Rabbit. I
had it... cornered? in a dark place. Then found- I found that three big dogs, angry dogs, were chasing
me! I ran. Ran and ran and ran." She rubbed his ear soothingly, and he tilted his head into the caress.
"While I was running, I found your smell! So foll- so I followed it. Came here. But I could not get into
this big... building. Felt where you were, climbed to window! Did good?"
She smiled lovingly. "It will suffice."
"It can talk?" Kensuke gasped, impressed. Gryffyn's head whipped around to face him, and the young
creature drew closer to Rei nervously.
"Yes?" he ventured, shyly. Then he saw Shinji, sitting with his mouth open, slightly dazed. To see
Gryffyn here, in the schoolroom, with other people around... it brought two areas of his life closer than
he had thought he wanted them to be. And as well, it in some strange way confirmed Gryffyn's reality.
The appealing little- well, not so little anymore- creature existed outside of Itaikon Road and Rei's
apartment.
"Shinshi!" Gryffyn exclaimed, delighted, and pounced on him. Rei winced at the force with which his
hind legs pushed her to find leverage for the leap- but Shinji winced more when he landed, knocking
the boy from his seat.
Gryffyn creeled with happiness, rubbing his head against Shinji's chest. "Shinshi, Shinshi!"
"Hi, Gryffyn," he replied, a bit nervously.
"Bring food?"
That made Shinji laugh. "No, I haven't got your food, Gryffyn-chan! It's not time for that, is it?"
"Hey, Shinji, what's that thing talking about? Have you seen it before?" interrupted Asuka's shrill
voice.
Shinji put a hand up behind his head. "Well, Asuka, you know how I go to feed Rei's cat every
afternoon?"
"Not a cat!" Gryffyn proclaimed. "I am a gryphon." He rilled with pride in his careful pronunciation of
that sentence. Speaking was still a challenge for him, something that he was determined to conquer as
well as he possibly could. "Why are you here in the same place as Rei, Shinshi?"
"Uh... because it's school? This is where we have to go during the day."
"Who other people- I mean, who are these other people here?"
"They're our friends," he answered carefully. Under the window, Rei was actively watching the two
rather than lost in space. When he caught her eye he gave her a reassuring smile. He looked around the
rest of the classroom, still sparsely occupied after the scare of some months ago- wasn't it odd how the
human mind was capable of classing such mind-shattering events under the simple term 'the scare'?-
seeing, as usual, less than ten students- himself, Toji, and Kensuke, Asuka and Hikari, Rei of course,
and three other girls whose names he didn't even know.
Toji leaned forward toward Gryffyn, peering at him curiously. "Hey, little fellow," he greeted roughly.
Gryffyn cringed slightly, but at Toji's gentle smile, took a step or two toward him. His wings mantled
once and then he settled them, walking decisively over. His broad, dark-gold beak sniffed Toji's leg,
first the flesh, then the metal.
Hunkering down to bring himself to eye level with the mystical young animal, Toji asked softly, "Do
you like being petted?"
Gryffyn grinned at him. "You smell good. I like you. You can pet me."
Something passed across Rei's face as the older boy's rough hands rubbed at her gryphon's long, tufted
ears. Shinji only caught a flicker of it, and wasn't sure if there had been more. Jealousy?
Before very long, Gryffyn had been introduced to all the children in the classroom, becoming bolder by
the minute. He'd collected his due of pats from all of them, seeming to like Toji and Hikari the best. He
didn't like Asuka very much- she smelled nasty- but he got along alright with the others. Then, feeling
terrible, he noticed that Rei was all lonely. No-one here talked to her, or gave her hugs! He promptly
went over to her, sitting aginst her leg.
"I love you, Rei," he whispered.
The other students received their next big surprise when, for no apparent reason, Rei picked their
strange visitor up and hugged him fiercely, burying her face in the thick-spilling golden feathers of his
ruff. He gave a tiny squawk of surprise and wrapped his wings fondly about her.
"I love you too, Gryffyn," she whispered into the soft feathers, so softly that he could barely hear her.
There was a trickle of wetness there, and the tang of salt in the air. No human could have picked up
those words, that smell... but he did.
"I can't believe you have a gryphon for a pet!" Asuka exclaimed, dragging Rei further down the road.
Gryffyn pressed close to Rei's leg. "It's pretty neat though. I wonder if he can fly, but I guess he's not
all grown up yet, so if he can't that's alright! I didn't think that gryphons were real, you know. I
wonder if there's any more around or if he's the only one, like some sort of a genetic mutant or
something? Well anyway, he can help us pick clothes for you. I dunno if he'd have a good fashion
sense but he does keep himself well groomed, his little feathers look really pretty, so you never know."
Rei marvelled at the way that Asuka had not taken more than two breaths during that entire speech...
and her words didn't seem to stop, they just kept going, on and on and on...
Minutes later they arrived at the mall. It was full of people, their smell striking Rei forcibly. For a
moment she almost panicked and fled. She did not like to be near so many people, all busying around,
all forceful and intruding on her space. Then, with a sinking feeling, she realised that she would have to
send Gryffyn home anyway... a large sign prohibited animals from the shopping center.
After virtually wrestling Asuka to a halt, Rei knelt down to address Gryffyn. "You're not allowed in
here, Gryffyn. Can you get home alright? I won't be too long."
He looked crestfallen, but mumbled, "Can get home. Not sure of way, but find by smell. Shinshi bring
food?"
"I don't know. I don't think so, today. But you go home and wait for me, alright?"
Nodding, the gryphon nuzzled Rei's face briefly and then bounded off through the crowds.
"We've lost our male opinion. Okay..." Asuka mused, glancing about at the various stores, "I think
you need... some jeans, definitely, some tops, some cargoes, a few dresses, a skirt or two, some shoes,
some hair things- how much money do you have?"
Rei glanced at her. "Enough."
The redhead gave her a sideways look. "Where do you get money from, anyway? I have to scrimp and
save on my Nerv wages. Sucks, with a shopping appetite like mine."
"The danger wages should be sufficient for any purchases I wish to make."
"What?"
"You did not know of the danger wages? No, I don't suppose they would have informed you."
"What are you talking about?" Asuka snapped.
"Our security cards may also be used to access the account into which our danger pays are placed every
week. You truly did not know of this?"
"No! Does this mean..." she grinned evilly, "Does this mean that I have a year's worth of backpay
sitting in there? Wicked."
Rei shook her head gravely. "The accounts are emptied every week, just before the new pay is added. It
is supposed to be there in case of an emergency."
"Hey, if it's danger pay, it's ours by right! Screw 'emergency', I want my money! Oh, by the way, how
much money are we talking here, anyway?"
Rei shrugged slightly. She'd never cared much for money; as long as she could eat, sleep and keep
Gryffyn happy, there seemed no need to worry about it. "Enough to buy any moderate-priced car. Six
or eight months of regular wages."
"Mein Gott!" she swore, truly shocked. "You're shitting me, right?"
Startled by that piece of imagery, Rei shook her head.
"And you've known this how long?"
"How long have I worked for Nerv?" The answer was obvious- all her life. "It has not seemed
important before."
"But why so much? That's just unreal."
"I am not entirely certain. I believe they draw the maximum acceptable pay from the government for
us, and if it is not used, then they are able to retain the remaining funds for Nerv purposes. It is where a
substantial portion of their funding is attained from."
Asuka chuckled. "Screw that!" Taking Rei's arm, she pulled her into the nearest shop and began to
load her arms with clothes. "We can go completely wild!"
They were still there in the shopping center, weighed down with a dozen bags each, Rei wearing a
slightly bemused expression, at sunset- when the sirens went off. The two traded a level glance.
"My place is on the way," Rei said softly. "We can drop these things off there before we go. Gryffyn
will take care of them."
Shinji sat in the cockpit of Unit 01, his eyes closed as he calmed himself. There was no sinking feeling
in the pit of his stomach this time. He felt confident, though he could not have said why, that no-one
would be hurt today. The Eva was warm and reassuring around him.
He didn't know where the other pilots were, they should have been here by now. Last thing he'd seen,
Asuka had grabbed Rei and been pulling her down the street, Gryffyn staying close to his beloved
mistress. A smile twitched his mouth. The creature had been a true delight in the classroom, capturing
everyone's attention- even the teacher had spent some time with him, trying to correct his enunciation.
Normally, he knew that animals would not be allowed in a school, but everyone had been so enchanted
with Gryffyn that he wouldn't be surprised to see him there more often. Maybe, he mused with a smile,
he would be dubbed a class mascot.
Voices cut through his thoughts.
"- a visual yet?"
"Negative... stationary..."
"Sitting pretty there on..."
Slightly annoyed, he lifted himself fully from his reverie to pay attention. It would seem this newest
Angel was waiting for them to make a move, poised out of camera range in the swamps to the city's
east, generating just enough of an AT Field to set off the alarms.
There! He opened his eyes to see Asuka and Rei not-quite-run onto the bridge, already changed into
their plug suits. It was Rei his eyes tracked, seeing her shiver as she saw her Eva, her reluctance as she
climbed into the entry plug undetectable to any who did not know her well. She was frightened.
Frightened, but willing to do anything she needed to.
Almost simultaneously, the entry plugs were injected into Units 00 and 02, and the armour slid shut
over them. The start-up procedures would be beginning, LCL filling the plugs, colours flashing in front
of their eyes, the world undergoing two or three violent rotations for them. Somewhere distant, he
could hear a technician calling out the relevant details.
Two new snapshots flipped open on his right window, right next to Misato's. Both of the girls looked
ready to take on an Angel.
"Hey guys, you ready to play?" Misato asked flippantly. Shinji gave her a thumbs-up, making her
laugh. "Well, Rei, Asuka, you guys will both be going up. One of you move in from either side.
We'll..."
Shinji interrupted her. "Misato... I- I have a feeling that I should go up there."
"What, Shinji?"
"I mean it. I don't know why, I just really feel that I should go up there and face this one!"
"Jealous, huh?" Asuka sniped.
"But..." Misato spluttered, taken by surprise, "We're not supposed to use Unit 01! I mean...
Commander?"
Gendo's cold, gravelly voice came on speaker. "Let him go."
Shinji winced at the choas that generated in the control room- Ritsuko's voice overriding that of all the
other arguing technicians, Misato shouting, Fuyutski's quiet but earnest protests- all cut through, once
more, by his father's harsh words. "We will use Unit 01." His tone booked no protest, and after a
moment, Misato commanded his Eva's launch in a subdued voice.
The Evangelion shot through the entry shaft, coming to rest in the east side of Tokyo Three.
Taking his bearings quickly, Shinji headed towards the Angel's location, his power cord a thick black
snake trailing behind him. After a few minutes it pulled taut, and there was not another close by. He
reached behind and pulled it out, letting it drop to the ground. It's tiny rockets fired a blast before it hit
the ground, making sure it or the ground were damaged too badly. He wasn't worried... the latest
batteries in the Evangelions lasted for up to 90 minutes in fully active mode, and besides, Unit 01 had
ingested the S2 organ... it didn't need external energy.
He continued, the Eva's feet leaving huge misshapen footprints on the ground. The ground became
swampier, and Misato's voice murmured that he was reaching his destination.
Then he saw it. An involuntary gasp slipped from his lips.
No! It couldn't be... could it?
And yet it was.
Ooo, whatever can it be? Personally I think it's pretty obvious, but if I manage to surprise even one person, that's enough for me! Next part due on Monday!
-insert disclaimer here-
Seriously, you know all of that jazz... Gryffyn's mine, but everything else here belongs to Akira Toriyama and some animation studio. Dammit. Maybe if I work out some evil astral technique to steal Akira Toriyama's body... I'll still be limited to my own 'creative talent'. Double dammit.
Shinji's eyes widened when the door banged open- and Asuka dragged Rei inside, grinning at her.
What had happened? He had to know.
The teacher looked up at the two late arrivals. "What's the excuse this time?" he asked in a bored tone.
"No excuse. Sorry, teach!" Asuka said cheerfully- then grabbed Rei's arm as she headed for her normal
seat. She muttered at her, "Now that you've proved you're actually human, you can come sit here with
me 'n Hikari!"
Slightly nervous, Rei took the window seat nearest to Asuka's. She looked out of it, annoyed at the
change in the angle of her view of the playground... but only for a second. What did it matter, anyway?
It was not as though either of those other girls would disturb her very often, anyway... and there was
little to disturb other than her loneliness and boredom.
Silence fell until the teacher continued his lecture, his monotonous voice fading, as always, into the
background. A few minutes later, by silent agreement, it was deemed safe to speak. It would take a lot
more than soft words at the back of the room to dig the teacher out of his almost trance-like state.
Shinji glanced across at Rei, then whispered, "Hey, you guys! Are you alright?"
"I am well," Rei murmured. Asuka, in contrast, leaned across to snap her ruler across his knuckles.
"None of your business, Shinji," she smirked as he sucked on his hand.
"Wassup?" Toji asked lazily. He was using a small knife- forbidden in schools, but not as if he cared-
to etch some odd geometric design on the surface of his prostetic arm. Most people, especially young
people, would have opted for replacement limbs as similar in appearance to the original ones as
possible. Toji seemed proud of his gleaming steel arm and leg. He'd picked up the habit of idly etching
things onto them until both limbs were as ornate as a tattooist's dream. "Something going on, huh?"
Asuka stuck her tongue out at him. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Yup."
Looking back out of the window, Rei listened as Asuka skillfully fended off persistant questions and
started to bicker with 'the three stooges." How dull. And how easy to do as she always did...
To loosen her mind...
Let time drift...
Nearly recess-time, and something different intruded on Rei's trance. An arythmic rustling, punctuated
by quiet but jarring scrapes. -Like a bird caught in something,- she mused. -Without the little peeps.-
A golden paw appeared, seeking, at the windowsill.
As she blinked in astonishment, another joined it, and Gryffyn's questing head was dragged into view.
His wings fluttered vaguely, not yet strong enough to bear his full weight in free flight, but strong
enough to- say- help him scale the side of a brick building. His eyes lit up brightly when he saw her.
Rei glanced around quickly- no, no-one else had seen him- and was about to urge him to stay outside
when he started trying to pull himself up, wings beating frantically and hind legs scraping. He was such
a pitiful sight that she had no choice but to reach out, grab him by the base of the forelegs, and pull him
inside.
There was absolute stunned silence in the room as Rei hauled the half-grown gryphon in through the
window. Every head snapped towards them. Uncaring, Gryffyn leapt happily onto Rei's lap, pushing
the desk away to sit more comfortably. Almost automatically she reached up with both hands to rub at
the base of his ears, the way he liked it.
"What the hell is that?!" the teacher blurted out.
Rei started, looking up. Gryffyn snuggled his feathered head into the hollow of her neck, tail thumping
with happiness, wrapping his wings around her.
Toji, ever the wise-cracker even in such a shocking situation as this, added flippantly, "And does it
have a visitor's pass?"
The teacher demanded, "What is the meaning of this, miss Ayanami?"
"This is my pet," she answered hesitantly, "Gryffyn. I don't know how he found me here." Her hand
was now absently stroking the soft feathers of Gryffyn's neck, curled into a proud arch.
He lifted his head, bright eyes sparkling. "Smell! Was out hunting, and..."
"You can speak better than that, Gryffyn. I know it." She regarded him encouragingly, not quite
smiling.
"I was hunting," he said slowly and carefully. "Chased big- I was... chasing... a big rrrbit. Rabbit. I
had it... cornered? in a dark place. Then found- I found that three big dogs, angry dogs, were chasing
me! I ran. Ran and ran and ran." She rubbed his ear soothingly, and he tilted his head into the caress.
"While I was running, I found your smell! So foll- so I followed it. Came here. But I could not get into
this big... building. Felt where you were, climbed to window! Did good?"
She smiled lovingly. "It will suffice."
"It can talk?" Kensuke gasped, impressed. Gryffyn's head whipped around to face him, and the young
creature drew closer to Rei nervously.
"Yes?" he ventured, shyly. Then he saw Shinji, sitting with his mouth open, slightly dazed. To see
Gryffyn here, in the schoolroom, with other people around... it brought two areas of his life closer than
he had thought he wanted them to be. And as well, it in some strange way confirmed Gryffyn's reality.
The appealing little- well, not so little anymore- creature existed outside of Itaikon Road and Rei's
apartment.
"Shinshi!" Gryffyn exclaimed, delighted, and pounced on him. Rei winced at the force with which his
hind legs pushed her to find leverage for the leap- but Shinji winced more when he landed, knocking
the boy from his seat.
Gryffyn creeled with happiness, rubbing his head against Shinji's chest. "Shinshi, Shinshi!"
"Hi, Gryffyn," he replied, a bit nervously.
"Bring food?"
That made Shinji laugh. "No, I haven't got your food, Gryffyn-chan! It's not time for that, is it?"
"Hey, Shinji, what's that thing talking about? Have you seen it before?" interrupted Asuka's shrill
voice.
Shinji put a hand up behind his head. "Well, Asuka, you know how I go to feed Rei's cat every
afternoon?"
"Not a cat!" Gryffyn proclaimed. "I am a gryphon." He rilled with pride in his careful pronunciation of
that sentence. Speaking was still a challenge for him, something that he was determined to conquer as
well as he possibly could. "Why are you here in the same place as Rei, Shinshi?"
"Uh... because it's school? This is where we have to go during the day."
"Who other people- I mean, who are these other people here?"
"They're our friends," he answered carefully. Under the window, Rei was actively watching the two
rather than lost in space. When he caught her eye he gave her a reassuring smile. He looked around the
rest of the classroom, still sparsely occupied after the scare of some months ago- wasn't it odd how the
human mind was capable of classing such mind-shattering events under the simple term 'the scare'?-
seeing, as usual, less than ten students- himself, Toji, and Kensuke, Asuka and Hikari, Rei of course,
and three other girls whose names he didn't even know.
Toji leaned forward toward Gryffyn, peering at him curiously. "Hey, little fellow," he greeted roughly.
Gryffyn cringed slightly, but at Toji's gentle smile, took a step or two toward him. His wings mantled
once and then he settled them, walking decisively over. His broad, dark-gold beak sniffed Toji's leg,
first the flesh, then the metal.
Hunkering down to bring himself to eye level with the mystical young animal, Toji asked softly, "Do
you like being petted?"
Gryffyn grinned at him. "You smell good. I like you. You can pet me."
Something passed across Rei's face as the older boy's rough hands rubbed at her gryphon's long, tufted
ears. Shinji only caught a flicker of it, and wasn't sure if there had been more. Jealousy?
Before very long, Gryffyn had been introduced to all the children in the classroom, becoming bolder by
the minute. He'd collected his due of pats from all of them, seeming to like Toji and Hikari the best. He
didn't like Asuka very much- she smelled nasty- but he got along alright with the others. Then, feeling
terrible, he noticed that Rei was all lonely. No-one here talked to her, or gave her hugs! He promptly
went over to her, sitting aginst her leg.
"I love you, Rei," he whispered.
The other students received their next big surprise when, for no apparent reason, Rei picked their
strange visitor up and hugged him fiercely, burying her face in the thick-spilling golden feathers of his
ruff. He gave a tiny squawk of surprise and wrapped his wings fondly about her.
"I love you too, Gryffyn," she whispered into the soft feathers, so softly that he could barely hear her.
There was a trickle of wetness there, and the tang of salt in the air. No human could have picked up
those words, that smell... but he did.
"I can't believe you have a gryphon for a pet!" Asuka exclaimed, dragging Rei further down the road.
Gryffyn pressed close to Rei's leg. "It's pretty neat though. I wonder if he can fly, but I guess he's not
all grown up yet, so if he can't that's alright! I didn't think that gryphons were real, you know. I
wonder if there's any more around or if he's the only one, like some sort of a genetic mutant or
something? Well anyway, he can help us pick clothes for you. I dunno if he'd have a good fashion
sense but he does keep himself well groomed, his little feathers look really pretty, so you never know."
Rei marvelled at the way that Asuka had not taken more than two breaths during that entire speech...
and her words didn't seem to stop, they just kept going, on and on and on...
Minutes later they arrived at the mall. It was full of people, their smell striking Rei forcibly. For a
moment she almost panicked and fled. She did not like to be near so many people, all busying around,
all forceful and intruding on her space. Then, with a sinking feeling, she realised that she would have to
send Gryffyn home anyway... a large sign prohibited animals from the shopping center.
After virtually wrestling Asuka to a halt, Rei knelt down to address Gryffyn. "You're not allowed in
here, Gryffyn. Can you get home alright? I won't be too long."
He looked crestfallen, but mumbled, "Can get home. Not sure of way, but find by smell. Shinshi bring
food?"
"I don't know. I don't think so, today. But you go home and wait for me, alright?"
Nodding, the gryphon nuzzled Rei's face briefly and then bounded off through the crowds.
"We've lost our male opinion. Okay..." Asuka mused, glancing about at the various stores, "I think
you need... some jeans, definitely, some tops, some cargoes, a few dresses, a skirt or two, some shoes,
some hair things- how much money do you have?"
Rei glanced at her. "Enough."
The redhead gave her a sideways look. "Where do you get money from, anyway? I have to scrimp and
save on my Nerv wages. Sucks, with a shopping appetite like mine."
"The danger wages should be sufficient for any purchases I wish to make."
"What?"
"You did not know of the danger wages? No, I don't suppose they would have informed you."
"What are you talking about?" Asuka snapped.
"Our security cards may also be used to access the account into which our danger pays are placed every
week. You truly did not know of this?"
"No! Does this mean..." she grinned evilly, "Does this mean that I have a year's worth of backpay
sitting in there? Wicked."
Rei shook her head gravely. "The accounts are emptied every week, just before the new pay is added. It
is supposed to be there in case of an emergency."
"Hey, if it's danger pay, it's ours by right! Screw 'emergency', I want my money! Oh, by the way, how
much money are we talking here, anyway?"
Rei shrugged slightly. She'd never cared much for money; as long as she could eat, sleep and keep
Gryffyn happy, there seemed no need to worry about it. "Enough to buy any moderate-priced car. Six
or eight months of regular wages."
"Mein Gott!" she swore, truly shocked. "You're shitting me, right?"
Startled by that piece of imagery, Rei shook her head.
"And you've known this how long?"
"How long have I worked for Nerv?" The answer was obvious- all her life. "It has not seemed
important before."
"But why so much? That's just unreal."
"I am not entirely certain. I believe they draw the maximum acceptable pay from the government for
us, and if it is not used, then they are able to retain the remaining funds for Nerv purposes. It is where a
substantial portion of their funding is attained from."
Asuka chuckled. "Screw that!" Taking Rei's arm, she pulled her into the nearest shop and began to
load her arms with clothes. "We can go completely wild!"
They were still there in the shopping center, weighed down with a dozen bags each, Rei wearing a
slightly bemused expression, at sunset- when the sirens went off. The two traded a level glance.
"My place is on the way," Rei said softly. "We can drop these things off there before we go. Gryffyn
will take care of them."
Shinji sat in the cockpit of Unit 01, his eyes closed as he calmed himself. There was no sinking feeling
in the pit of his stomach this time. He felt confident, though he could not have said why, that no-one
would be hurt today. The Eva was warm and reassuring around him.
He didn't know where the other pilots were, they should have been here by now. Last thing he'd seen,
Asuka had grabbed Rei and been pulling her down the street, Gryffyn staying close to his beloved
mistress. A smile twitched his mouth. The creature had been a true delight in the classroom, capturing
everyone's attention- even the teacher had spent some time with him, trying to correct his enunciation.
Normally, he knew that animals would not be allowed in a school, but everyone had been so enchanted
with Gryffyn that he wouldn't be surprised to see him there more often. Maybe, he mused with a smile,
he would be dubbed a class mascot.
Voices cut through his thoughts.
"- a visual yet?"
"Negative... stationary..."
"Sitting pretty there on..."
Slightly annoyed, he lifted himself fully from his reverie to pay attention. It would seem this newest
Angel was waiting for them to make a move, poised out of camera range in the swamps to the city's
east, generating just enough of an AT Field to set off the alarms.
There! He opened his eyes to see Asuka and Rei not-quite-run onto the bridge, already changed into
their plug suits. It was Rei his eyes tracked, seeing her shiver as she saw her Eva, her reluctance as she
climbed into the entry plug undetectable to any who did not know her well. She was frightened.
Frightened, but willing to do anything she needed to.
Almost simultaneously, the entry plugs were injected into Units 00 and 02, and the armour slid shut
over them. The start-up procedures would be beginning, LCL filling the plugs, colours flashing in front
of their eyes, the world undergoing two or three violent rotations for them. Somewhere distant, he
could hear a technician calling out the relevant details.
Two new snapshots flipped open on his right window, right next to Misato's. Both of the girls looked
ready to take on an Angel.
"Hey guys, you ready to play?" Misato asked flippantly. Shinji gave her a thumbs-up, making her
laugh. "Well, Rei, Asuka, you guys will both be going up. One of you move in from either side.
We'll..."
Shinji interrupted her. "Misato... I- I have a feeling that I should go up there."
"What, Shinji?"
"I mean it. I don't know why, I just really feel that I should go up there and face this one!"
"Jealous, huh?" Asuka sniped.
"But..." Misato spluttered, taken by surprise, "We're not supposed to use Unit 01! I mean...
Commander?"
Gendo's cold, gravelly voice came on speaker. "Let him go."
Shinji winced at the choas that generated in the control room- Ritsuko's voice overriding that of all the
other arguing technicians, Misato shouting, Fuyutski's quiet but earnest protests- all cut through, once
more, by his father's harsh words. "We will use Unit 01." His tone booked no protest, and after a
moment, Misato commanded his Eva's launch in a subdued voice.
The Evangelion shot through the entry shaft, coming to rest in the east side of Tokyo Three.
Taking his bearings quickly, Shinji headed towards the Angel's location, his power cord a thick black
snake trailing behind him. After a few minutes it pulled taut, and there was not another close by. He
reached behind and pulled it out, letting it drop to the ground. It's tiny rockets fired a blast before it hit
the ground, making sure it or the ground were damaged too badly. He wasn't worried... the latest
batteries in the Evangelions lasted for up to 90 minutes in fully active mode, and besides, Unit 01 had
ingested the S2 organ... it didn't need external energy.
He continued, the Eva's feet leaving huge misshapen footprints on the ground. The ground became
swampier, and Misato's voice murmured that he was reaching his destination.
Then he saw it. An involuntary gasp slipped from his lips.
No! It couldn't be... could it?
And yet it was.
Ooo, whatever can it be? Personally I think it's pretty obvious, but if I manage to surprise even one person, that's enough for me! Next part due on Monday!