An older man sat behind the desk, his hands folded together and supporting his chin. The room he sat in was dimly lit by a single light bulb that hung down above his head. The room was bare - the air still and bitter.

Creaking… a door could be heard quietly opening. Soft footsteps made their way over towards the man and his desk.

"Commander Ikari?"

"Do you have it?"

"Sir, it is here. I have it."

"Bring it to me."

The taller and slimmer of the two men made his way over to the desk and set down a stack of papers. He said nothing; instead, the man behind the desk spoke.

"Good. You may go now."

Still the taller man said nothing. Silently he turned and exited the room.

The man behind the desk took the stack of papers in his hands and stared down at them longingly. "Finally, it is here…" He whispered into the still, dark silence, "All of it is here…"

---------------------

"So wonder woman ain't here, eh?" Asuka demanded, peeking into threw the door and into our classroom.

I had not told Asuka that I had heard her conversation the night before, because I was afraid of what she might say… I gulped at the thought or what she might DO… "She isn't?" I asked groping at the door handle.

"Of course she's not!" She hissed back at me. Narrowing her eyes Asuka continued to glare into the full classroom, "She's probably off doing some wondrous experiment to save the world, "She said sarcastically, throwing her arms up in the air to add feeling to her already over dramatic performance. Again she narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "As usual."

Slightly lost as to why we had not gone into the classroom yet, I tapped Asuka on the shoulder to get her attention. "Why aren't we going inside?"

"Because!" She insisted as thought it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "We are very late!.." She trailed off. Rolling slightly sideways and pressing her body against the wall right outside the classroom door. "We'll just stay here until.." She trailed off again as the bell rang out above our heads, then with a grin she finished, "…the bell rings."

Students began to file out of the classroom and as they did, Asuka waved and slipped in behind Hikari, disappearing down the hallway and into the mass of student bodies. As Toji and Kensuke came from the room, one behind another, Kensuke pulled me into the line behind them. Confused and still not remembering much, I went along behind the two of them.

As soon as we had reached a less crowded area, Kensuke turned to me with a slightly worried looking face. "Where've you been?" He demanded, looking as thought he might jump on me and kiss me at any moment. Before I could answer, Toji jumped in as well. "Yeah! Were ya been?!"

As the two anticipated my answer they began closing in on me, forcing me into a corner where it was quite hard for me to breathe. "Get away…" I muttered, not really feeling like I had enough energy to yell and push them away.

Kensuke backed off giving me some room to breathe and drug Toji with him. "Come on…" He pleaded putting on his most innocent looking face, "Please tell us! You know you can trust us… we're your friends, Shinji!"

I hung my head and struggled to catch my breath. "I wasn't doing anything!" I told them… and it was the truth. What could these two possibly be so excited about? I bit my lip and tried to ignore the continuous pleading. That girl… Rei… was that who Asuka meant by 'wonder woman'?

Suddenly a hand smack me upside the head brought me back to reality, knocking my senses back into my head. "Shinji!" Toji screamed in my ear, nearly deafening me and making me quite surprised that I could still hear when Kensuke began talking.

"We you know where someplace, Shinji." Kensuke began, pushing the bridge of his glasses further up onto his nose. "You never come to school late without some kind of reason…" He paused, momentarily lost in snickers, "Unless of course you and Asuka where busy…"

"What?!" I demanded, shoving him back from me. "No, no! Nothing like that…" I insisted, beginning to lower my voice again. "Neither of us felt very well so we slept in a little late and, um, missed school…" I explained. I hoped they would both be able to tell it was the truth. And it was the truth; thought a vaguely returning part of my memory was telling me that they would never believe it.

"Sha." Muttered Toji, turning to look down into the now emptying hallway. "We believe 'ya."

"Hey!" Kensuke suddenly yelled, whipping his camcorder from seemingly nowhere, hitting the on button, and flipping the cap off of it. "It's Misato!"

Toji spun on his heels to stare gawking at the Major as she made her way down the hallway. Grinning broadly, he waved in her face as she made her way over in front of Shinji. Of course, she ignored him.

"Shinji." She began, pushing Kensuke's camera away from her face, "You need to come with me… now."

I could see the worry resting in her eyes and after the incident the night before; I was beginning to wonder about what was going on. I hope it's not something really bad… something in the back of my head told me I should be worried… very worried… "Misato." I began, still mostly lost in thought. "What's wrong with you? Where's Rei?" I lowered my voice, slightly concerned that Toji or Kensuke would try to but in. "What's going on?"

"Nothing that I can explain right here, Shinji." Misato answered quietly, gesturing towards Kensuke and Toji. I nodded. She then turned and began talking down the hallway away from us.

I started to follow her obediently, but Kensuke pulled me back. By the look in his eyes I could tell her knew something was going on. He shoved his camcorder into my hands and grinned. "I know your going to have to keep your mouth shut, but I'd like to know what's going on." He said as he forced me to take the camera I was trying to give back, "So here, tape it or something."

"Shinij! Come on! We have to go now." Misato was calling.

Reluctantly I shoved the camera into my bag and jogged to join Misato as Kensuke and Toji waved idiotically at my back.

--------------------

"What's this all about?" Asuka demanded as she slammed one of the doors in the locker room and glanced over at Ritsuko. "Why do they want a child? What're they going to do with it? And why did you tell me this? Why not Shinji?"

"Because." Ritsuko answered simply. "Shinji can't know about this."

"Why not?!" Asuka yelled, throwing her arms up into the air, "He's got to be the father! If anyone should know, it's him!"

Ritsuko gave Asuka a look of pure despise, as though she where the most lowly thing on Earth. "That is exactly the reason why he cannot know."

--------------------

I placed my hand on the door of the locker room as I heard crashes that sounded suspiciously like something being thrown at the door. I winced and took a step back from the door, not quite sure I really wanted to go inside.

"Don't." A familiar voice warned as a strong hand clamped down on my shoulder. I spun on my heels to come face to face with a man that I immeaditly recognized as being called Kaji. Oh… so my memory is getting better… "Ritsuko and Asuka are in there talking." He told me with a laugh, "I'm not quite sure you'll want to go in there." Kaji told me, turning and beginning again on his way down the hall. "In fact, I'm not quite sure why you're here, Shinji, you'd mine as well go home." He finished, disappearing around a corner.

I let my hand fall from the doorknob and turned to look after Kaji. But if I'm not supposed to be here… then why did Misato bring me? And where are Asuka and Rei? An idea suddenly popped into my mind and I was surprised at even my own thoughts. Slowly and somewhat reluctantly I reached into my bag and pulled out the camcorder that Kensuke had forced me to take.

I flipped off the cap and hit the on switch. Facing the camera I nearly lost my voice in nervousness, but I managed to speak. "Oi, Kensuke, I know this doesn't seem like me," I paused, trying to decide what to say, "But I'm going to be finding out some things I'm probably not supposed to know, so I've decided to take you along for the ride.

--------------------

"They want to do what?!"

…Muffled voices…

Misato stood in the dark hallway somewhere deep within NERV HQ. Her face was pale, her palms damp with perspiration. "But they can't! Why would they want to do that?"

…More voices…

"Resurrect," She whispered, her voice becoming raspy. Clunk… the cellular phone in her hand slipped from her damp palm and landed on the metal plating of the hallway's floor. Her eyes grew wide and her face paler than before. "No…" She muttered helplessly. "No… they can't…"

---------------------

"Okay." I muttered into the camera's small speaker. "I've been following Kaji and am now waiting for the -" Click… My speech was cut short as the elevator doors opened behind me. "Elevator."

I stepped backwards and ran straight into someone. Turning around I found myself staring straight into a familiar pair of strangely colored red eyes. Rei. "Rei…" I murmured, stepping back from her.

She said nothing. Instead she stepped past me, avoiding my gaze and disappearing into the maze of hallways. Ting… The doors had closed and I could feel the elevator descending under me.

I sighed as I fumbled with the video camera, struggling to turn it away from my face and situate it how it was supposed to be. Seconds later, the doors to the elevator had opened and I was faced with a vast, dark corridor. A large door stood at the end and a strange glow emitted from under the door. Stepping softly, I exited the elevator and made my way down the hallway, towards the door.

Reaching the door, I noticed that it was open just a crack. Not enough for me to really see anything, but enough for me to stick the head of the camcorder inside and for it to go unnoticed.

I heard voices and muffled moving around and I waited about twenty minutes until they died down. Slowly I pulled the camcorder back out and stood with my back pressed against the wall of the hallway. I flipped out the camera's playback screen.

My eyes widened as I watched the colored shapes and figures flash by the screen and listened to the muffled voices of many people. The images I saw and the things I heard caused my hands to sweat and my face to go pale. I struggled to hold the camera and keep from dropping it as I whispered to myself. "No…" A short sob escaped my throat and struggled to hold back more. "No, it can't be true…"

---


"Kesuke!" Toji hissed, his voice echoing down the vast hallway that he and his friend stood in. "Ya 'e shouldn't be in 'ere an you know it!"

"Shut up!" Kensuke hissed back. "If they find us here…" He trailed off, not really wanting to think about the consequences of their actions. "Well, you know what'll happen."

"'Course I do." Toji whispered, careful not to let his voice rise. If anyone found them wondering around NERV … they where sure never to see the light again of day again, at the very least. "I ain't stupid, ya know."

Kensuke muttered something inaudible and Toji narrowed his eyes in return. "Well whatever." He said, louder this time. "Let's just find Shinji and tell him what we found out…." He trailed off again, continuing to grope through the darkness.

He suddenly banged his head on a low hanging bar and a hollow noise resounded throughout the hall. "Yeowch!" He yelled, jumping backwards and holding his forehead. "Ow, damnit…" Kensuke muttered,

"Come on." He said, turning back around. "Let's get out of here… we'll warn him later…"
-------

Green…

Green… It was all around me…

Surrounding me, engulfing me.

My eyes began to focus better and I could tell what it was. Trees… They where all around me, as far as I could see. Franticly I turned, looking for a way out of the mass of green, but there was none. Suffocating me… I feel suffocated… I had to get out… I had to.

As though I was running from death itself, I sprinted through the forest, twigs snapping back and scratching my face, branches flying out and bruising my arms, but still I pressed on. After what seemed like an eternity of running, I finally broke out of the strange forest and all at once light flooded my eyes, momentarily blinding me.

I could feel the ground slipping out from under me, becoming stale under my feet. As I was re-granted my vision, I could see huge dunes of endless sand reaching out in front of me. The light… I realized then, just how hot and bright it was. It hurts… in panic; I turned trying to once again find the shade of the forest I had been in… Gone… it was no longer there.

Slowly I groped forward through the blinding lightness, trying to find my way across the endless dunes. As I reached the edge of the dune I had appeared on, I tried to stop moving, but I continued to slide forward. Down the dune I slid, the sand flying up around me as I gained momentum and neared the bottom. I prepared myself for the end of my ride down the dune, but much to my despise I kept going even after I reached the bottom.

The sand at the bottom of the dune seemed to open up into a pit of blackness. I opened my mouth and tried to scream, but was unsuccessful as the sand continued to fly up into my eyes and mouth, engulfing me and making it impossible to see. And then as suddenly as it had all started… it stopped.

Darkness.

The sand was gone and darkness now surrounded me. I tried to swing my head quickly around to get a better look at where I was, but my head moved slowly as though everything had come into slow motion. It's cold… so cold… I tried to bring my arms around me to hold and warm myself, but I was unable. Out of nowhere, shots of pain tingled up and down my nerves. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. The sand I had swallowed back on the dune flew out of my mouth and became suspended in mid-air.

Where am I?! I tried again to scream, but still could not. It was so frustrating… so impossible. I don't remember what happened.. how'd I get into a forest? I… I… remember… walking down a hallway… and … there was a door then… I tried to shake my head again in frustration, but was reminded of the fact I could not. Gah! I don't remember! I don't remember! Someone... someone… someone please help me… where am I?

Then almost instantly, again momentarily blinding me, was a flash of light. It filled my eyes and swept over the empty darkness, warming me and giving me a since of existence. My eyes began to slit open so they could look out and try to figure out where I was, but as soon as they had opened, it was dark again. Cold again. But I could move. I brought my arms up around me to warm myself and was enlightened upon the fact that I was not clothed.

I did not care. As long as I can move…as long as I'm still alive, still here. But I was panicking. Why? What should I panic for? My breath came out short and raspy, clouding into mist in front of me. Eventually my insides became so chilled, like the air around me, that my breath no longer produced mist. Then I noticed something. The mist was stopping just short of my face, as if held back by a barrier. I reached my hand out and immeaditly it struck a cold, smooth surface.

I ran my hand down the smooth surface and a slight ray of hope began to come back into me as the friction between the two surfaces warmed my hand. Warmth… warmth… I continued to run my hand down the glass, the hope inside me beginning to build. Warmth… it… it's warm! It's warm! I'm going to live! I wouldn't freeze to death!

---------------------------------

Asuka made her way down the hallway, kicking at the floor as she went. She wore her plug suit, Ritsuko had demanded she do so and her hair was clipped up as it usually was. She flipped her hair out of her face and muttered. "So they're going to resurrect one?" She asked, turning to the Misato whom stood beside her in the hallway.

Misato stopped walking, clutching the stack of papers she carried closer to her chest, then leaned on the wall for support. "Yes." She answered, her voice beginning to fade from its usual cheeriness, "You could put it that way… I…" She choked, as though holding back a sob. "I suppose you could put it that way."

But why is she crying? Asuka wondered. If they do… it's not like it'll really affect her more than anyone else. If she has a right to be bawling, so do I. She too stopped in the hallway and stood behind the major. "What do you mean 'put it that way'?" She demanded. "Do you mean there's another way you would refer to it… like it actually has some sort of real purpose?"

"Can I begin from the beginning?" Misato asked, pulling the papers up by her face almost as though she was trying to hide her face from Asuka. "That way you might... understand a little better?"

Asuka nodded. "Well of course, you can try. I'm not going to stop you." She glanced down both lengths of the hallway they stood in, unable to see the ends because they where clouded by darkness. "No one else is here… it's not like you could get in trouble by telling me, right?"

"That's right…" Misato sighed. "If I get in trouble, the worst they can do is kill me, isn't it?" Asuka knew Misato asked this question more of to herself, rather than to be answered by her. But was that really the worst they could do? They seemed capable of so much more. Asuka nodded as a signal for the Major to go on, and so she did. "Remember when… when we thought… all the angels where gone?… That we had all of them down?"

Again Asuka simply nodded. This much she had already known.

"Then we where so surprised… so shocked… when that other… thing… came out of no where." Misato continued. She paused a moment, apparently thinking, and Asuka could see her biting her lip in frustration. "That thing… everyone thought it was another Angel… so we attacked, tried to kill it. It wasn't an Angel, Asuka... it was…" She trailed off, almost as though not wanting to say what the monster that had attacked NERV had been.

Asuka pulled the papers down out of Misato's face so she could better read her emotions. "Tell me, Misato." She demanded, the volume in her voice growing. "I have a right to know. You tell me what it is."

"Something else…" Misato muttered, turning to look away from Asuka.

"You…" The anger in Asuka's voice began to fade and she stepped back from Misato. "You don't know what it was?"

Misato shook her head and went on. "They know it's more powerful than the Angels where though, that's how it was able to so easily defeat Shinji before we where able to beat it into submission." The two clips on the collar of her coat glinted slightly in the small amount of light as she shifted position. "The ones that will supposedly come after it… they'll be more powerful." She swallowed down what Asuka thought might be another sob. "There's no way we can defeat them. We can't even really try."

"What?!" Asuka demanded, moving forward in on the Major again. "There's no way that can be true! I know damn good and well those creeps running this place are able to outcome the odds in almost any situation, they've done it so many times before. Aren't the going to do something about this?!"

Misato pushed Asuka back, giving herself room to breathe. "Of course they're going to do something. That's where everything comes together… the child… the resurrection…"

"Are they?" Asuka asked, eyeing Misato suspiciously. "It doesn't seem to fit together to me. An off spring of two Eva pilots and a resurrection linked to stopping these … whatever they are." She took another step back and let out a short sigh. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Of course it does," Misato insisted. "You see… they where going to-"

"Major! Asuka!"

Both of the females turned to stare down the hallway at the figures running towards them. Asuka immeaditly recognized them. "Kensuke!" She hollered out in a ear-ringing screech. "Toji! What the hell are you two doing here?! Hurenshon… Kennusch de wayne…" She muttered, turning back to Misato. "Who let them in?!"

--------------------------

The warmth still surrounding me, I had become a very happy person. No longer bothering to get out of what was apparently a tube that I had been locked in, I stood passively. But suddenly something directly outside of the glass in the tube, which had again frosted over, caught my eye. Quickly I brought my hand up and wiped the frost away from the glass. A green haired toddler stood directly outside the tube, holding a torn and faded teddy bear in her arms. A huge smile spread across her face.

"Daddy! Daddy is awake!"