Kazenara lay asleep, sprawled across the couch. The sound of frying was heard through the apartment. The sound of pots and pans joined in. Kazenara's foot twitched as the smell of food filled her nostrils. She sniffed and opened on eye, scanning the room.

            Remembering where she was she sat up throwing off the covers and getting up heading for the kitchen.

            "Good morning," Kaze yawned as she entered the kitchen.

            "Oh, hey. Good morning," Shinji said over his shoulder. "Misato left already, so I thought I would relieve you of her cooking, besides I don't want to eat it either."

            "It's that bad?"

            Shinji laughed, "it's that bad."

            Kaze sat down at the table while Shinji put the food on the plated and turned around to set one in from of Kaze. Shinji went to the opposite side of the table and sat down. He looked down at his plate and began eating.

            "Well Asuka left this morning, too. Raised some hell because you were sleeping on the couch. Surprised you didn't wake up."

            "Asuka?" Kaze said puzzled.

            "Yeah, she's another pilot that lives here. She takes the other room."

            "Oh," Kaze nodded and continued to eat.

            "So today is your first day in the plug," Shinji said breaking the silence.

            "Yeah, I really don't know what to expect. I'm kinda nervous. What's it like?" Kaze looked down at her hands, wringing them.

            "It's not that bad. But I'm not gonna lie to you. When we go up against Angels, it gets scary. But you gotta trust your Eva," Shinji put his fork down.

            Kaze nodded, listening carefully with her elbows on the table and her head resting in her hands.

            "At first it seems difficult but it will get easier. If you want maybe I can finish showing you the ropes before you actually start," Shinji now had his elbows on the table.

            Kaze stood up and picked up her plate, walked over to the sink placing her dishes inside.

            "Sure," Kaze turned around leaning up against the sink.

            "Well it's nine o'clock. Your next run is at eleven. Misato left you some money to get some clothes. You'll probably be able to get more from NERV," Shinji told her walking over and handing her an envelope, placing his own dishes in the sink.

            "Ok. Yeah I bet I look like shit," Kaze laughed.

            "No you want to see shit, look at Asuka when she gets up in the morning," Shinji said rolling his eyes.

            "Well let me fix my hair, do you want to go with me?"

            "Sure, I have nothing to do until your test since you want me to show you around," Shinji said standing near Kaze.

            Kaze walked into the room and came back out with her shoes on and her hair tamed.

            "Let's go. I still want to be able to get a shower," Kaze said bouncing toward the door.

            "Ah… I wouldn't recommend that. I would wait till afterward."

            Kaze stopped and looked at him.

            "Well, they fill the plug with LCL and it smells like blood. It's disgusting."

            Kaze nodded and turned to the door opening it, "Well, I guess I won't."

            They walked down the street, looking through the window. Choosing at random which shops to go in. Soon they each had a couple of bags in their hands.

            Kaze looked at her watch, "Ten thirty, let's drop this stuff off at the apartment the head over to NERV."

            "Yeah sounds good to me," Shinji nodded.

            "So how long is this gonna take?"

            "Well, they'll run another sync test, then they'll put you through a simulation. Then you get to do the real stuff. It'll take a couple of hours."

            "A couple of hours!? This stuff is probably boring," Kaze complained.

            "Well the sync tests are and the simulation isn't that bad but the real thing is the coolest," Shinji explained.

            They hurried up to the apartment barely opening it up enough to throw their stuff inside before shutting it and taking off again. They ran to NERV.

            Both pilots stood at the entrance swiping their cards.

            "Welcome Ikari, Shinji"

            "Welcome Miyamata, Kazenara"

            They both passed silently through the door still catching their breath.

            Shinji lead the way silently.

            "Well hello Miss Miyamata," the blond woman turned from the controls as Kaze entered the control room they had been in the day before.

            "I'm sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself yesterday. The name is Ritisiko. Or Dr. Akagi," the woman held out her hand and smiled.

            Kaze smiled back and shook her hand.

            "Well you plug suit is over there," Dr. Akagi turned and pointed to the suit draped over the back of a chair by the back wall.

            "You'll find a locker with your name on it. Shinji will show you where the locker room is," Dr. Akagi turned to him, "Why don't you get into your plug suit as well."

            "Yeah, Kaze asked my to show her the ropes," Shinji said.

            "That's why I asked you to change I was planning on putting you in there anyway, Ritsiko turned to the controls. "Configure Unit 05 for Kazenara."

            "Yes, sir," a dark hair girl standing to Ritsiko nodded.

            Shinji walked doubt in to the hall while Ritsiko began the process of putting Unit 05 online.

            "Well there's the girls locker room, I'm going down her to the guys locker room but I should be back by time your done," Shinji reached down for the cuff of Kaze's suit. "After you get it on push this button and the suit will decompress."

            Kaze nodded as Shinji turned down the hall, Kaze open the door and slowly stepped inside. She walked down the aisle between the rows of lockers scanning them for her locker.

            "Oh, sorry," Kaze jumped when she saw a blue, shorthaired girl standing there.

            She slowly turned around and a small smile slowly appeared.

            "Hello," she said in a dull tone.

            Kaze saw the locker with her name on it, near where the girl was standing. As Kaze approached her locker, the girl reached into her own locker pulling out a plug out.

            "So you must also be an Eva pilot?" Kaze asked.

            "Yes," she replied in the same dull tone.

            Kaze placed her suit on the bench and opened her locker.

            "What's your name?"

            "Rei Ayanami," the dull voice said.

            "Oh," Kaze put her head down.

            Kaze picked up her suit from the bench and held it by the shoulder looking at it, "I guess you have to be in the buff underneath it."

            Kaze flinched.

            She turned looking for a bathroom stall. She liked her privacy, and she didn't like changing in front of complete strangers. Besides there was something about Rei that creeped her out. The way she seemed, almost life less, like a drone.

            She stripped off all her clothes dropping them on the floor. She shivered in the chilliness of the air. She slowly put the plug suit on. It was colder than the air and goose bumps appeared all over her body. She slowly slipped the suit over her shoulders. And she pushed the buttons on the cuff. The suit tightened around her body showing all of her curves.

            "Oh geez. This is uncomfortable, Kaze swallowed.

            She leaned down scooping up her clothes on the bench, walking out of the stall. She walked over to her locker to find that Rei had left. Kaze dumped her clothes on the bench, only to pick them up fold them and toss them in her locker, slamming it shut.

            She turned and left the same way that she had entered. Shinji was out side the door, leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed. Kaze stared at him with wide eyes scanning his whole body.

            "Oh there you are I see you figured out how to get it on," Shinji laughed. "Here."

            Shinji held out his hand showing two neural connectors.

            "Ritsiko told me to give these to you. I guess these are specially for you," Shinji showed her how to clip them on.

            "My guess is that your Eva is totally different from all of the others. But how it's different, I don't know," Shinji showed the way down the hall.

            The walked right through the control room out to the dock. Shinji walked over to the plug explaining what it does.

            "Well, go ahead get in," Shinji smiled.

            Kaze slowly climbed inside while looking around.

            "Wow this is different," Shinji looked around following Kaze inside the plug.      Kaze sat down at the pilots seat while Shinji stood behind leaning over the seat, showing her the controls.

            "Kaze, pay attention because I'm going to show you something that is unique only to your Eva," Dr. Akagi's image appeared in front of them.

            "Yeah, Ok," Kaze, replied still looking around.

            "Unit 05 has a capability that is call M.A.L. Mind Action Linking. For Unit 05 there are two pilot modes. Normal and M.AL. See that platform in front of the seat. When you activate M.A.L. you have 30 seconds to get on that platform. The seat will then retract and you'll be able to pilot the Eva using your body movements. You also have two view modes for M.A.L. Frontal and 360°. Frontal is the view directly in front of the Eva. Just like normal sight. 360° is where you have sight on all sides of you inside the plug. Shinji will show the conventional method of piloting then you will activate the M.A.L System,"  Dr. Akagi explained.

            Shinji explained how to pilot the Eva using the control sticks.

            "Dr. Akagi how do I activate the M.A.L system?" Kaze asked.

            "Just call out anything you want to activate. Remember you have 30 seconds to get on the platform. I don't want you to get crushed while it retracts."

            "Ok I got it. Activate M.A.L system."

            "M.A.L. System engaged"

            A timer appeared on the status screen. Kaze climbed out of the seat and stood on the platform.

            "Shinji, stand back I don't want you to get crushed either," Dr. Akagi said.

            The pilot's seat retracted and Shinji stood where it used t be.    

            "M.A.L. system active"

            "Ok, great job Kazenara, now deactivate the M.A.L system and we'll launch you."

            "Ready Eva for launch" Dr.Akagi ordered, still heard through the com.

            "Deactivate M.A.L systems"

            "M.A.L. systems disengaged"

            "Ready, Kazenara?" Dr. Akagi asked.

            "…Oh yeah just call me Kaze. Yeah I'm ready." Kaze replied

            "Fill plug with LCL," Ritsiko ordered still being here through the calm.

            "Plug filled"

            "Ok, Launch Eva!" Ritsiko yelled.

            Kaze immediately felt the force, being so new. She began to scream because the force was too much for her. It felt like her body was being ripped apart.

            "Just hold out a little longer. We're almost there!" Shinji screamed through clenched teeth.

            Soon it all stopped as the world around her focused in the Evas eyes.

            "Wow," Kaze breathed looking around.

            "Coot isn't it?" Shinji popped back up from behind the seat leaning over it.

            "Yeah, hm hm," Kaze nodded. "Activate M.A.L. Systems."

            "M.A.L systems activating."

            Kaze got up and climbed on the platform.

            "M.A.L systems engaged"

            "Ok, Shinji try to keep from moving as much as possible. You'll give some interference." Ritsiko said. "Now every movement you make will be mimicked by the Eva. In action if you are hit and the Eva goes down you will too. You will feel pain if the Eva is hit."

            Kaze looked at her with wide eyes.

            "Well give it a try," Ritsiko smiled.

            Kaze turned to Shinji, "What do I do?"
            "Anything"       

            Kaze turned back a tried walking. The Eva reflected every movement she made.

            "This is so cool!" Kaze exclaimed.

            Kaze experimented a little longer while Shinji watched.

            "Ok tests are over come back to the shaft."

            Kaze headed back while a recovery team came out to get the Eva back into it's bay.

            "So what do you think?" Shinji asked while they made their way back to the locker rooms.

            "It's not that bad I kinda liked it."

            "You will for now," Shinji muttered.

            "What?"

            "Oh, nothing you can go ahead and get you shower. We're done for the day."

            "Yes, a shower!" Kaze ran into the locker room.

            Shinji stood outside the locker room staring at the door.

            "There's something about her," Shinji thought.

            He then turned to the Guys locker room