___________NEO___________

_________GENESIS_________

______EVANGELION_______

__________GOD'S__________

__________WINGS__________

~Shinji~

Shinji came to a definite conclusion halfway through the night, and that was that he would never sleep on Misato's couch again. Even with his small stature, Shinji did not quite fit on the small couch. His head was resting at an uncomfortable angle on the armrest, while his left foot was in an unpleasant position hanging off the side.

He drifted in and out of slumber until the sun started to shine in through the balcony window. Musing that he was not going to get any more meaningful sleep, the young Ikari tossed off the spare blanket Misato had given him and gratefully rose from his temporary sleeping bed. He then proceeds to fold the ruffled blanket and places it in the closet in the hall.

Shinji looked down at his ruffled clothes. He had worn his school uniform to bed, because he was worried that his new roommate would wake up before him and see him in just his sleeping attire - again, he added silently - and he didn't want a repeat of that experience. He was also so tired after his little walk around Tokyo-3 and meeting Rei that he probably didn't have the energy to even take off his clothes if he wanted to.

Yawning, Shinji made his way into the kitchen only to find it empty. He hadn't expected to see Misato in there - in the entire week he had been living here she had yet to wake up before him. That turned out to be a blessing, as despite the agreement to split the chores, Shinji preferred his cooking to whatever Misato usually made.

The person Shinji was looking for was Asuka. He had found out that she had moved in with him in the worst possible way. He had only meet her two days ago, but already he had been able to grope her breasts twice and upset her beyond anything else. It wasn't his fault - the incidents had been accidents, but she still blamed him.

Fortunately, the red head was no where to be seen. It was still early, and it was entirely possible that she was not up yet. He did not dare to look into his old room to find out - in fact, after last night, he honestly believed he would not go into that room ever again.

However, he pushed his worries aside and began to focus on more immediate things, like starting breakfast before Misato woke up and demanded that she cook it. Not that she usually did, but he didn't want to risk it after that curry incident.

Ritsuko claimed she would never eat anything resembling curry again after her visit during dinner, and Shinji could understand.

And maybe if he made a good enough breakfast, Asuka would start to forgive him. Maybe.

Oh, well. It was the only thing he could do right now. Now, what would she like . . ?

~Asuka~

Those who knew her knew that Asuka Langley Soyhru was not a morning person.

"Asuka, you need to get up." Moaning, the girl turned over in her bed and shifted her pillow so that it covered her ears, trying to block out the annoying person outside of her room. However, whomever it was trying to get her attention did not let up and continued yelling and banging on her door.

Asuka gave up any chance to continue sleeping and turned towards the offending noise, determined in her groggy mind to tell it off for waking her up. However, she stopped when she did immediately recognize her surroundings.

"Asuka, get up! We have to get to NERV!" Click. It came back to her suddenly. She was in Japan, Tokyo-3, transferred, living with Misato and that pervert Shinji whom had already touched her twice.

"Asuka!"

Asuka scrawled and answered in an annoyed voice "Alright, I'm up already!" She matched action with word by swinging her legs off the bed and beginning to look for clothes. Unfortunately, she had yet to unpack and most of them were in boxes. Sighing, she picked up one of the school uniforms that Misato had gotten her.

Looking at the uniform, she quickly checks her bedside clock to find it was past eleven in the morning.

Panicked, she screamed "Misato! It's eleven o'clock! Why didn't you wake me up?!? I CAN'T be late on the first day!"

Misato's resigned voice came through her door. "It's not your first day. You start school with Shinji tomorrow, remember?" Asuka's door shook again as the Major tried to open it. "And since when does this door have a lock? Asuka, could you please open this door?"

Asuka's eyes narrowed. She enjoyed privacy when she changed, as any decent person would and attributed Misato's lack of understanding of the concept to being Japanese.

"I'll open the door when I'm good and ready, just hold your horses, or whatever you Japanese hold!" She continued to dress, buttoning her skirt and putting on her blouse before Misato decided to break down the door. When she finished, she removed the strategically placed 'The Club' from the door and opened it to admit the frustrated woman waiting outside.

"Thanks. Um, you're missing your ribbon." Misato pointed down at Asuka's barren collar.

"I don't need you to tell me how to dress!" Asuka quickly turned around and grabbed the small red ribbon, tying it around her collar.

Misato gave a little chuckle, then eyed Asuka in an amused face. "You know, that uniform looks good on you. Your plush toy would . . ."

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "Didn't I tell you to quit that joke? He ISN'T my ANYTHING. GOT it?"

Misato couldn't help but smile at the girl's outright rejection. "Whatever you say."

Asuka growled at Misato. She knew from the look on her guardian's face that it was FAR from over. "I MEAN it, Misato. Do NOT call him that again!"

"Alright, alright. I won't call Shinji your plush toy no more." Asuka slumped. A double negative. That meant it could go either way - she may mean that she definitely won't, or she definitely will. Asuka would know this because she used the same trick a lot herself.

"Misato, I'm telling you . . ." A large growl silenced her. Her stomach was empty and was demanding to be rectified. "Whatever, Misato." Asuka pushed the Major to the side and made her way into the kitchen. She first tried the fridge, but only found beer. The cabinets were stuffed full of chips and more beer, while the freezer only held some ice.

"Misato! Don't you have anything else around here to eat!?!"

Misato appeared in the kitchen in response to the girl's yell. "Shinji said the same thing. He made some breakfast for you this morning before he left for school. It's in the microwave."

Asuka opened the appliance to find a dish ready to eat. In fact, it looked like . . .

"Misato! Is this Eggs Benedict?" cried Asuka, trying to keep from drooling.

Misato smiled. "He went all out. It sounds like him."

"Ham . . . Sausage . . . even hash browns?" Asuka pulled the dish out of the microwave and set it on the table, and when Misato wasn't looking, wiped away some drool from her chin.

Misato watched the girl devour the dish with a raised eyebrow. "You know, I was going to tell you that you only had fifteen minutes to eat, but I don't think it'll last for five."

"Very funny." Asuka paused only give Misato a quick retort, then continued to inhale her food. She finished quickly, and leaned back in her chair, a content look on her face. "You know, Shinji may be a pervert and idiot, but he's a damn good cook."

Misato chuckled. "Yeah, I know. He cooks here a lot, even when it's my turn to cook. I think he enjoys doing it."

Asuka, who had yet to experience Misato's cooking, only shrugged. She guessed that he was just another housebroken male, and not that it was for his own survival against whatever toxic waste Misato produced when she cooked.

Misato checked her watch. "Now, we have to get going. We have to go pick up Shinji and Rei from school. There's a high level situational briefing in NERV at thirteen hundred hours."

Asuka cringed at the idea of seeing her male roommate again, considering the fact that her last meeting with Shinji was still fresh in her mind. "WHY do I have to put up with that idiot? Can't you just take me there and get him later? Why does he have to be there anyway? Idiots like him should stay in school so they might learn something!"

Misato grinned. "Still anxious about seeing your favorite plush toy?"

"MISATO!!!"

~Shinji~

Lunchtime was precious, not for the fact that the students of the Tokyo-3 Junior High School were able to fill their growling stomachs or get away from the endless one-way discussion of the Second Impact. The most important thing about this time was the ability to converse with other students through words, and not instant messages.

And that is what one young boy would gladly be doing with his only friend in this school, had the freckled boy not been conversing with a taller and more muscular boy at the other end of the school yard.

Shinji Ikari sighed. Touji was still mad at him about his sister, and although Kensuke was trying to persuade him otherwise, Touji still hated Shinji. He could tell because the taller boy would always have this angry look on his face whenever he saw Shinji. It was probably Kensuke that kept him from repeating his first encounter with Shinji.

Therefore, the young man sat alone underneath the shade of a tree, eating his home-made lunch and listening to his SDAT player to try and quell the feeling of loneliness that welled up inside of him. As a result, he did not hear the approaching footsteps from behind him.

Needless to say, Shinji was extremely surprised when and hand came down on his shoulder and shook him. Turning around, he saw Asuka looking down at him, a devious looking smile on her face.

Shinji leaned back away from the girl in surprise. He hadn't been expecting to see her for a while and at school much less. Considering the last time he saw her was right after the bed incident when he accidentally felt up her chest, she seemed awfully cheerful to see him again.

And that is something that frightened Shinji Ikari very much.

Asuka's devilish smile filled Shinji's vision as she came in close to his face. Shinji's breathing became quick and his face red as he struggled to get the ear buds out of his ears.

"You think that a little breakfast is going to save you from me?" Asuka's smile grew wider as Shinji grew pale. "Do you honestly think that I would forget about last night just like that?"

Shinji grew a shade of white that even Rei couldn't match and desperately tried to back away from the Second Child, but his back was to the tree and couldn't get any farther away from her. "P_P_Please, Asuka, it was an accident . . ."

Asuka kept her face right up into his. "I'm going to enjoy this . . ."

"What do you wish to enjoy, Pilot Sohyru?"

Shinji looked up to see his personal guardian angel watching over him in the form of Rei Ayanami. No matter how annoyed his roommate got at him, Shinji doubted that Asuka would do anything too violent while someone, especially another Eva pilot, was watching.

Asuka narrowed her eyes at the intruder and frowned. She hated to be interrupted, and the fact that this girl just did interrupt her was unforgivable. She pulled away from her prey, allowing Shinji to sidestep and get up on his feet while Asuka approached her new victim.

"Just WHO do you think you are?" Asuka said as she approached the blue- haired girl, her hands on her hips to look dominating.

Rei stood passively. "Rei Ayanami, the First Child."

Asuka's devil smile returned at the introduction. "I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, designated pilot of Unit 02."

Rei didn't move. "I know. I have already addressed you as pilot. I am the same as you and Shinji."

Asuka's smile faded at Rei's statement, and frowned when she realized that Rei was correct. "WELL, only pilots with EVAS are important you know."

"That is incorrect. Shinji was not piloting an Eva and still as instrumental in destroying the previous Angel's core. It is due to that fact that we are to report to NERV for . . ."

Asuka scrawled at Rei. "I could have taken out that Angel WITHOUT that idiot's help!!"

Rei didn't respond, and Shinji was forced to look from one female pilot to the other. Oddly enough, he was reminded of an old-fashioned showdown in some of those pre-Second Impact westerns. The fiery, angry Asuka versus the cold, passive Rei, and the clock tower was about to strike noon.

In fact, Shinji jumped when Rei's wristwatch alarm went off. The girl calmly turned it off before facing Asuka again.

"We must report to NERV for the situational briefing. I believe Major Katsuragi is waiting for us." With that, Rei walked past the angry Second Child and didn't look back. Asuka glared at the back of Rei with a look that could kill.

Shinji sighed in relief. He had been really worried that something would erupt, and he didn't want to be in the middle of it.

Asuka grabbed Shinji by his ear and pulled him in her wake. "C'mon, Third. I'll decide your punishment later."

Shinji tried unsuccessfully to realize himself from her grip. "Asuka . . . ow . . . this is really painful . . . ah . . . ouch . . ."

~Shinji~

"Shinji, did you know that your ear is all red?" Ritsuko said when she met Misato and the children outside briefing room 19. She bent over him, trying to get a better look at the same ear that just minutes earlier had been in Asuka's unforgivable grip.

Shinji quickly tilted his head away from the prying doctor. "It'll be alright. It's just sore from stress."

Ritsuko stood up straight. "Stress? How . . . ?"

"Asuka."

Ritsuko gave a small smile when it clicked inside her brain. "Oh. Well, I can't help you with that. You might want to talk to Misato about it if you're having problems with her. But you'll have to do that later. Right now we have to get inside."

With that, she pushed Shinji inside the dark room. Shinji could make out Misato, Hyuga, and Maya in the second row of seats, along with Vice- Commander Fuyutsuki sitting in the back. Thankfully, he could not find his father anywhere in the room.

He spotted Asuka and Rei sitting in the front row, apparently as far apart as they could get. Shinji decided to join them in the front, sitting just a chair away from Rei. He looked up at Asuka, to see if she had noticed him yet.

Asuka was looking right at Shinji, but she didn't seem angry like earlier. In fact, she looked comptenplative for once, like she was pondering something deep and profound.

'I hoped she's calmed down a bit. Maybe she's just deciding what punishment she's going to come up for me.'

Shinji looked back up at the girl, but when she saw him looking, she quickly turned forward and hid her eyes underneath her long bangs.

Fuyutsuki cleared his throat, and the room became darker. "Alright, people, let's get going here. I know that Ritsuko and her staff still have a lot of work to do after this briefing."

A split picture of the two Angels came up on the projection screen. Fuyutsuki spoke up in his even voice. "As you well know, NERV and the Evangelions have successfully engaged in combat with the Angels." A picture of the Third Angel came up. "The first Angel to appear was engaged with Unit 01. However, during that battle, the Eva went into berserk and consumed the Angel, along with its core and power supply. However, we shall discuss this later in the briefing."

A picture of the snake-like Angel, the fourth Angel, appeared on the screen. "The next Angel appeared a week later. Unit 02 was scrambled from its cargo ship in New Yokosuka, using the back-up power supply, and with support, managed to destroy the Angel's core."

Maya spoke up, but didn't remove her sight from the clipboard in front of her. "The Angel is still almost completely intact, making it a good scientific sample. However, because the core of the Angel's body was completely destroyed, we cannot analysis it and draw comparisons between it and Unit 01."

A picture of Unit 02 in its cage came up on screen. "Due to Unit 01's unreliability and Unit 00's condition, Unit 02 and its pilot, the Second Child, have been brought in from Germany so that we have a functional unit ready to combat the Angels. Unit 02 is to remain on standby until further notice."

Ritsuko took over the meeting now. It seemed funny to Shinji, how everyone seemed to already know what was going on but they still have something like this.

A picture of Unit 00, frozen in mid-punch, covered in Bakelite, and surrounded by cranes projected up. "Unit 00 went berserk during an activation trial, and the First Child was injured in the process. We are in the middle of removing the Bakelite, and ready to retry the activation trials as soon as the pilot is able, which will be in thirteen days."

Rei sat passively as Shinji observed her. She showed no anxiety, no fear, no emotion whatsoever as her superiors laid out the plan for Unit 00. It only led to increase Shinji's curiosity with the mysterious First Child.

"Finally, the basis for this meeting. Unit 01." The picture that appeared brought a gasp from many of the people in the room, along with some surprised mutterings in German. The Eva was wrapped in bandages, and spots of red soaked through at some points. All of its head armor had not been repaired yet, and therefore many biological parts of it were still showing. In fact, the green eyes could be seen from behind the bandages.

Ritsuko continued, apparently not affected by the graphic image. "Unit 01 is currently under heavy restraint within Cage 07, and under constant observation by the Magi. So far, there have been no thermal or electromagnetic emissions from Unit 01, and as far as we can tell, its S-2 Organ that it ingested is completely inactive. However, there is still much concern."

"Much of the internal workings of the Eva have been rearranged, along with slight modifications to the shoulder and back structures. The Eva made these changes itself, and their purpose is still unknown. It is most likely that the Eva stopped functioning before they could be completed. We probably will not know their function unless the Eva reactivates and completes the process."

"Also, the Eva has managed to rip off its bindings. This is our gravest concern. The ability to rid itself of our control, along with the endless power supply provided by its S-2 organ, makes it a possible threat even greater than the Angels. Therefore the UN and special committee have deemed it unfit for combat or any kind of use."

Fuyutsuki cleared his voice, and Ritsuko sat down. "I have received orders from the UN Security Council earlier today in regard to Unit 01. They have informed me that a special containment and research facility is being constructed in Norway for the express purpose of examining Unit 01 and its S-2 organ. This facility will house Unit 01 until further notice, once it is completed. It's scheduled to be completed within the next two months. Until that time, NERV is to keep Unit 01 in stasis, and then transport it via land to the facility."

Shinji hung his head. Three pilots, two Evas. They were going to dismiss him. He was going to be sent away, he just knew it.

"Now, on to the subject of pilots. The First and Second Children will stay with their respective Evas. Major Katusagi was filed a recommendation in regards to the Third Child, Shinji Ikari, in light of recent activities."

Shinji held his breath.

"The Third Child is to be assigned and trained as a back-up pilot for Eva Unit 02, but also assigned under the UN's task force stationed at Air Base Iruma, outside Tokyo-3 as a pilot for the fighter support squadrons."

Shinji let out his breath, his eyes wide, his thoughts scrambled. It was like opening a box expecting a bomb, and getting ten million yen.

Asuka's voice was in the background, complaining about him being inside of her Eva, expressing her concern that it to would go berserk if he piloted it, or doing other things with it, but Shinji was far away from it all.

He was going to fly again.

~Asuka~

Asuka hated her alarm clock. No matter how hard she hit it, it kept on going off, even if slammed with a blunt object. She knew this quite well, as she tried it almost every morning. But it still wouldn't shut up. Therefore, the only way to regain the previous quiet was to reach around it and turn it off. But when she did so she was awake to the point that going back to sleep was not an option, and she was forced to get up out of her warm bed.

And this morning was no exception. Her desk lamp proved to be no match against the resilient clock. She would have to get a new lamp after pounding her old one on her clock for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only five minutes. She conceded defeat to the damn thing, turning it off and rolling out of bed.

She pulled down 'The Club' that she used to keep the resident pervert, a.k.i. Shinji Ikari, from coming in and feeling her up again, from the door and proceeded into the bathroom for a hot shower.

Opening the door, however, proved to be a mistake as a cloud of steam and the sight of the resident pervert, Shinji Ikari, relaxing in the tub greeted her.

Asuka froze, her mouth wide open. "Whoa . . ." she whispered.

Red-faced, Asuka backed away slowly and closed the door behind her, thankful that Shinji had not seen or heard her come in.

"Whoa . . ."

Misato exited her room to find Asuka leaning against the door of the bathroom, red-faced and wide-eyed. "What's up with you?"

Asuka turned her head toward the major. "Do not mention a word of this . . ." she said before proceeding to the kitchen.

Misato cocked her head in confusion. She walked up to the bathroom door and pressed her ear to it, where she clearly heard sounds of splashing in a tub.

Misato grinned with the realization. "Oh . . . This will be fun . . ."

~Shinji~

Shinji finished drying off and put on his school uniform before walking out of the bathroom. Following the routine, he proceeded into the kitchen, hoping that he would get there before Misato and be able to fix an edible breakfast.

Asuka had yet to experience Misato's cooking first hand, he expected. She didn't get a look of pure terror whenever Misato offered to cook.

'Speak of the devil . . .' Asuka was siting at the table, watching Misato try to make some steam rice. Misato noticed him, however, and smiled.

"Well, Shinji, I can't let you do all the cooking. Asuka, he's out . . ."

Asuka slammed her fist down on the table. "SHUT UP! And it's about time! He takes FOREVER!" Asuka got up and stormed off towards the shower.

"I had to get dressed in there, I don't have a room you know!" Shinji yelled after her, but she completely ignored him as she pasted and entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Shinji sighed. "She's still not talking to me . . . she must really hate me . . ."

Misato looked up from her smoking pot of rice. "I don't think so, Shinji. She just . . . well . . . I don't know how to say it. But I don't think she really hates you."

"Hmmm." Shinji sat down and slumped in his seat.

Misato smiled at him. "By the way, I've managed to get some furniture from NERV. It's being delivered later today into the far room - you'll have your own room again."

Shinji couldn't help but smile. "That's great. Sleeping on that couch is torture."

Misato frowned. "I've slept on it many times, and I've never had a problem."

Shinji gave her a look. "And how many of those times were you drunk out of your skull?"

"Er . . ."

Shinji shook his head. "That's what I thought."

Misato went back to her stove. "Um, anyway, after school I'll meet you to head out to Iruma and get your assignment squared away . . ."

Shinji's face lit up. "Will I get to fly again today?"

Misato shrugged. "I don't know. I really don't know how it will go there. Probably a lot of paperwork . . . but we'll see. Anyway, during school, I want you to help Asuka, show her around, ok?"

"Asuka hates me . . ."

"I already said that she doesn't. Trust me. Just try, ok? Now, try some of this soup . . ."

Shinji cringed. "Wasn't that supposed to be rice?"

"Well, yeah, but the rice dissolved in the special sauce I made, so now it's soup!"

Shinji turned blue as a bowl was placed in front of him. Some of it splashed out of the bowl and landed on the tablecloth, were Shinji could swear he saw it smoking where the liquid touched it.

~Asuka~

Asuka usually did not take long in the bath - only as long as it took to make herself clean and pretty and then get out. Sitting around only brought memories, and many were the kind that she didn't want to remember.

However, today as she lay in the tub, her thoughts were on her male roommate. She just plain did not know what to think about him. She reviewed everything she knew about him, every encounter, every expression and deed, and she had yet to figure him out.

Or how she should feel about him.

The conclusion failed to reach her as she got out of the tub and wrapped her upper body and hair in her red towels. It still would not come to her as she walked out of the bathroom and into her own room, nor as she put on her school uniform.

"Asuka! You better hurry up!"

Asuka jumped at Misato's voice. Her thoughts about Shinji were dismissed as she finished dressing and ran out of her room.

Misato stopped her in the kitchen. "Asuka, you're forgetting your ribbon again."

Asuka swore in German and ran back into her room, and returned to the kitchen with her red ribbon tied around her collar. She looked around, but didn't find Shinji. But she did find the clock, and according to it if she didn't leave in two minutes she was in trouble.

Misato thrust some lunch bags into her arms. "These are the lunches Shinji made, but he left without them."

Asuka snorted. "Idiot."

Misato kept a firm grip on the girl's shoulder, preventing her from leaving. "Listen to me for a second, Asuka. Don't be angry with Shinji. Let him help you today."

"And why should I? Are you trying to set us up?"

"No I'm not, Asuka. I can't think of a worse fate then living with two teenage lovebirds. It's just that he thinks you hate him, and will probably try to make up with you today. I just don't want you to spur him."

"Humph." Asuka turned away from her guardian, her nose up in the air.

"Do it or I'll tell him about your little peeping session earlier today."

Asuka glared at Misato. "You wouldn't . . . And I wasn't peeping! It was an ACCIDENT!"

"Just like how Shinji ACCIDENTLY copped a feel? Do it, Asuka, or else."

With that, Misato let go of the girl's shoulder and proceeded into the bathroom to take her bath. Asuka stood in that spot, muttering to herself about scheming guardians and stupid roommates until she heard the clock strike five after, and she bolted out of the room.

~Shinji~

Shinji was watching the two people in front of him conversing with a sense of jealousy. They seemed to have an easy time just saying what they wanted, and didn't stutter at all, like he usually did whenever he talked to even the closest person.

They were even laughing. Shinji had never made a person laugh intentionally. He just lacked the ability, and doubted he would ever have it.

Shinji bowed his head to avoid looking at them again. He had been doing that a lot lately. But he was surprised when two small brown bags were thrust into his stomach.

Shinji looked up to see red hair and blue eyes looking at him.

"Well, since you nearly forgot your lunch and I had to grab it for you, you can carry them. It's the least you can do to make it up for me."

Shinji took the two bags from her, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "I made your lunch, and you carried them, so doesn't that mean that we're even?"

Asuka leaned over so that her face was near Shinji's. "Nope. You should consider it a privilege to make my lunch, Third Child. And revel in the fact that I trust you with doing such an important task."

"A p . . p . ." Asuka's hand covered Shinji's mouth, keeping him from speaking.

"Shinji, you shouldn't stutter. Try it again."

"B . . B . ." Asuka's hand covered his mouth again.

"Think about what you want to say before you say it." She glared again, and removed her hand.

Shinji took a moment and breath before speaking. "I didn't want you to eat Misato's cooking, for your own safety."

"That's better, Third Child. What's wrong with Misato's cooking?"

Shinji smiled. "I think what's not wrong would be a shorter story . . ."

~Shinji~

"The Principal's Office is down that way. You have to check in with the Secretary to get your class assignment. Then you'll meet the teacher and introduce yourself to the class. And then the day continues like it would."

Asuka nodded, and smiled. "It'll be wherever they put the smartest students."

"Whatever you say, Asuka." With that, he turned away from her and proceeded into class 2-A.

Shinji had to admit he didn't want to leave her. He wasn't very experienced with dealing and conversing with others, and the talk they had on the way to school, swapping stories about Misato's cooking, Asuka's experiences with Eva and the NERV Germany branch, was a lot more bonding that what he usually did with others.

Shinji liked it, but at the same time feared it. Feared losing it.

By some twist of fate, Shinji came face-to-face with Touji when he entered the classroom. He tried to sidestep the big boy, but Touji kept him from entering.

"Um, excuse me, Touji."

Touji glared down at Shinji and did not move. A few tense eyes watched the two.

"Please."

Touji finally stepped aside, letting Shinji into the classroom. But he could still feel Touji's eyes goring into the back of his skull. Shinji tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he took his seat near the back as his teacher made his entrance.

"Rise, Bow, Sit!" said Hikari, the class representative. Few actually paid any attention to her, but Shinji was one of them. Strangely enough, so was Touji.

The old teacher, in contrast to his usual routine of starting discussing some aspect of Second Impact, gestured outside the classroom. Of course, this gained everyone's attention.

"Class, today we have a new student joining us today. Er, what was your name again, miss?"

To Shinji's surprise, Asuka strode into the room. Next to him, Kensuke's jaw dropped in surprise at seeing the girl again.

Asuka proceeded to write her full name on the blackboard, and turned to face the class with a broad smile on her face. "I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu. Charmed, huh?"

The room was silent.

~Shinji~

Despite the shock of her arrogance, people started to warm up to Asuka. She was always bragging how she gets forty love letters a day, and she had only been in the school for a week. Crowds of people always seem to follow the redhead, but they seemed to dwindle each day. It was kind of like getting bored of a new toy, Shinji noted.

Lunches, naturally, were a different story. Asuka didn't have her fan club with her during lunch, as they were too busy eating to pay any attention to her. Therefore, she spent her time with either Hikari, the only person to really pay attention to the Second Child seriously, or Shinji when Hikari was doing school rep business.

Shinji had to admit, although loud, Asuka was nice to be with. She would give her opinion about almost anything, from lunch to life. Hearing her side of things often made him wonder about his own views about things. Of course, if he didn't agree with her he wouldn't tell her. She was quite stubborn.

"So, Third, aren't you supposed to be going to flight school yet?"

Shinji swallowed his food and faced her. "Misato finally finished all the red tape paperwork. I'm skipping four years of flight school and immediately joining the squad for on-the-job training. All the pilots are using the Hawk for the first time."

Asuka made a noise of irritation. "I don't see how flying can be such a big deal to you."

Shinji cocked an eyebrow at her. "I don't see how Eva can be such a big deal to you."

"I get to save the world, and everyone will know me and how good I am! I'll be world famous! How in the world could you not make it a big deal?"

"Even if you hurt others? When people's lives are ruined or homes destroyed because of what you did?"

"Better than letting the Angels have their way."

Shinji was silent, staring at the girl. What did she mean by that? "Angels having their way? Huh?"

"Well, you're in Nerv, right? You do know, about Second Impact . . . right?"

"You mean about the meteor?"

Asuka leaned in close, so her face was close to his. "You really don't know, do you?" At Shinji's dumb look, a superior and knowing grin came on her face. She whispered, "Second Impact wasn't caused by a meteor - it was caused by an Angel."

"WHAT!?!?!"

Asuka's hand covered his mouth, silencing the Ikari. "Shhh! It's top secret - few know about it. Angels caused the Second Impact, and we are here to make sure that they don't cause a THIRD Impact."

"I . . . didn't know . . ."

Asuka shrugged returned to her lunch undisturbed, but Shinji suddenly didn't feel hungry. The rest of the period was spent in silence.

~Shinji~

"To save the world from Third Impact? That is what Eva does?" thought Shinji as he stared out the window of the moving train.

"The train heading for Iruma Air Base arriving in approximately fifteen minutes. I repeat . . ." The train was empty, save Shinji - not many people from Toyko-3 had a reason to go to the distant air base, and the soldiers and pilots stationed there did not have any reason to leave the outskirts of the base, as shops were plastered all around the base. The owners decided it was better for business to be close to the buying soldiers, and were more likely to keep their shop intact if it were away from the often damaged fortress city.

"The train is now pulling into station. All passengers please step behind the yellow line. I repeat . . ."

The train lurched to a stop a moment later, and the doors opened to allow the train's solo passenger to disembark. Shinji grabbed his bag, containing some papers Misato said he would need, and exited the station.

Unfortunately, the station was located a dozen blocks from the main entrance of the base. For security reasons, there was no structure within a few hundred meters from the base's perimeter, and that caused a bit of a walk for the young boy.

The guard at the entrance stopped Shinji. Shinji could tell the guard was eyeballing him even through the visor on his helmet.

"ID please."

Shinji pulled out his new NERV card from his pocket and handed it to the waiting armed guard. He looked it over for a moment before handing it back to him.

"Alright, Mr. Ikari, go on." The guard stepped aside to allow Shinji to pass through the gate.

The base was huge, and was bustling with jeeps and soldiers walking, moving, marching or running around. Shinji was supposed to go to the UN Air Combat Headquarters, but there were not any maps that he could find and most of the buildings did not have signs on them. He was lost in a few minutes.

"Excuse me, sir, but . . ." The marching soldier passed right by Shinji. He turned to another person. "Excuse me . . ." The soldier this time glared at Shinji, making him wince, before moving on. Shinji sighed.

"You lost?" Shinji turned in surprise at the voice. Its owner was a young boy like him, with grey hair and unusual red eyes. In fact, he was oddly reminded of Rei.

Shinji smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah. I'm supposed to go to the UN Air Combat . . ."

"Headquarters?" the boy finished for Shinji. Shinji nodded in response. "That's convenient, as that is my destination as well. If you desire, I can show you the way. I know this base well."

"Yes, that would be great, um . . I don't know your name."

The boy only smiled wider. "I am not surprised, but I believe that I know your name. You are Shinji Ikari, correct?"

"Um, yeah. How did you . . .?"

The boy smiled a smile that Shinji could not help but feel comforted somehow when he saw it. "You seem rather indignant of your status. You are one of the selected children, the protector of life and mankind's future, are you not?"

"Um, I guess . . ."

"You are quite interesting, Mr. Shinji Ikari."

Shinji flushed. "Please, call me Shinji."

The boy held out his hand. "And you may call me Kaworu."

Shinji hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you."

~Shinji~

The base, Shinji realized, wasn't just an airstrip and a few buildings. It covered more land than some major cities according to Kaworu, and he had yet to see anything like hangers or landing strips.

Kaworu had stopped a jeep going in the right direction and jumped on the back of it. Now they covered a lot of ground a lot quicker. And he even provided entertainment.

He was humming 'Ode to Joy'.

Shinji stared at him in awe. "You're . . . pretty good at that."

Kaworu again smiled at him. "I've always enjoyed singing. I think it's the best accomplishment of the human culture. Music provides a sort of energy, a drive, to a person. Do you agree?"

Shinji frowned. "I guess . . . I mean, I listen to music all the time at home."

Kaworu stared at him for a moment. "I believe that the type, the drive of the music a person listens to can tell a lot about that person. For example, a person who listens to slow music likes to be safe while a person who listens to high-beat music is reckless. Tell me, Shinji, what is your favorite music piece?"

"Um, I really enjoy Bohemain Rhapsody . . ."

"Then, are you sad at home?"

Shinji's frown grew deeper, and Kaworu gratefully dropped the obviously touchy subject. The ride continued in silence until the jeep came a stop in front of one of the buildings.

The driver looked back at the two teens. "This is your stop, ladies."

Shinji flushed at the guy's statement, but Kaworu only smiled and disembarked from the ride, pulling the stunned Shinji off with him. The jeep sped off down the rode the second their feet touched the ground.

"Why did he call us 'Ladies'?"

Kaworu shrugged. "It is something that many of the older and higher ranking officers do quite often. It is a sort of bonding, but also reminding a person of his status. Or perhaps it is because they wish to avoid attachment through insults, so the officer does not feel any pain if the soldier dies. I have never really understood it myself."

"It's . . . embarrassing."

"Do not worry over it, Shinji. Many people say things in which they do not mean. You have to find the true meaning behind a person's words and actions. Now, I believe that we must enter the Headquarters or else we shall be late."

Shinji nodded, and followed him through the front door. They were greeted by more armed guards, who also asked for Shinji's identification. However, they greeted Kaworu warmly and did not even request his name.

"They already know you?" asked Shinji as he was handed back his ID.

"Being one of the few teenagers to regularly come here has had its benefits. Those two can recognize me from a mile away. They also know my ID by heart, so therefore they don't even bother to stop me now."

Shinji shrugged as he followed Kaworu past the guards and into the building. Kaworu waved at a cheery secretary before leading Shinji down one of the hallways. An elevator took them up three floors, and Kaworu lend him to a corner office.

He knocked on the door, and announced "Mr. Kaworu Nagisa reporting, sir."

"Come in" said a voice through the door, and past it revealed an office decorated with military paraphernalia. Indirect lighting and glass shelves gave the room a homey feel to it. And sitting behind the oak desk in the middle of the room was a familiar face.

Kaworu saluted as Shinji asked "Mr. Midcaff?"

The middle aged man whom Shinji had meet on the aircraft carrier a week prior looked up and gave the boy a half smile. "You're supposed to salute when you address a superior officer."

Shinji spotted Kaworu holding a rigid salute, and copied him the best he could. "Sorry, ah, sir."

"At ease." Kaworu dropped his salute and relaxed. Shinji looked confused and stayed put. "Shinji, you can relax."

"Oh!" Shinji dropped his cumbersome salute.

Kaworu and Viper laughed at Shinji's flushed face. Shinji looked at the ground.

"It's alright, Shinji. I don't scold or reprimand just because you forgot something as silly as saluting. Waste of time, in my opinion. However, doing something like disobeying an order is unforgivable in my book. Don't forget that."

"Yes, Mr. Midcaff."

"That's sir, Mr. Ikari."

Shinji cringed at his lack of knowledge of military ediquet. "Yes, sir."

"Or 'Ma'am, if your addressing a female officer."

"Yes Ma'am, er, I mean, sir, er . . ." Shinji heavily blushed and stared intently at the ground as Kaworu poorly restrained a laugh. Viper looked torn between hurt and amused.

Viper took a steadying breath and assumed a commanding, rigid face. "Alright, you two are to report to the pilot briefing amphitheater in fifteen minutes. Afterwards, I want to see you personally, Shinji. Understood?"

Kaworu stiffened again, and with Shinji, replied, "Yes, sir."

Viper smiled. "You're getting the hang of it. Dismissed." The two boys left without a word.

~Shinji~

Kaworu and Shinji burst into the large amphitheater without a moment to spare, panting hard for all the running they had to do to get there on time, only to find Viper already at the podium. Ten other lean and tough looking people sitting in various seats in the large room, each staring at the two new arrivals.

The two took seats next to each other near the back where only a few of the other men couldn't see them, and avoid the curious stares from the older, tougher men.

Shinji leaned over towards Kaworu and whispered, "If we left his office and came directly here, how did he get here before us?"

"I don't know . . . Many of the pilots and staff have been wondering how he does that as well. He does it all the time . . . he won't answer the question. We've even tried getting him drunk. Still won't talk. There's actually a betting pool . . ."

Viper cleared his throat. "Something you want to share with the rest of us, Ensign?"

Kaworu jumped. "Um, no, sir."

"Good. Now that we have got the chitchat out of the way, let's get down to business. We all know about the Angels - we're not civilians. Tokyo-3 has been built specifically to combat the Angels and provide the facilities needed to operate an Evangelion. So far, they have been the only weapon capable to combat the Angels. But they are not invincible, and need support from time to time. That is our job."

"Gentleman, and lady," said Viper, giving a small bow to a lady up front Shinji didn't notice earlier, "we have been specially chosen by the UN to be the Evangelion Air Support Squadron, designated Titan Squadron. We take orders from NERV, but are provided for by the UN. And provided for we are, as this squadron is not only been graced with the best pilots from around the globe, but as well as the finest machines ever built - the F/A-27 Sky Hawk."

Three pictures, along with detailed diagrams appeared on the amphitheater's movie screen. Shinji recognized two of them, one being a Launcher Hawk that he had personally flown in to attack the fourth Angel, and the other being the ordinary Sky Hawk, without any modification packs. The third looked like the Hawk with a strange set of black and red boosters and wings attached to the back.

"This state of the art flying machine is a prototype for a new kind of weapons platform - a modular one." The picture and diagrams of the regular Sky Hawk enlarged, blocking out the others. "This is the normal version, the Sky Hawk. Armed with AmRams and Sidewinders, four each, along with a four barrel machine gun, it provides enough firepower to take out any airborne threat. It is coupled with the largest powerhouse capabilities and thrust capacity, along with a unique wing design to make it the faster and most maneuverable fighter ever."

Viper pressed a button on the podium, and the view switched over to a picture of the Third Angel, with VTOLs pounding it with rockets. Viper continued on in a monotone voice, a speech he had obviously rehearsed several times. "Unfortunately, the Angels have shown to be impervious to these attacks, although the reason why this is has been classified beyond anything we can access. Therefore the designers have come up with this: the Launcher Hawk."

Schematics for the familiar aircraft came up onto screen. "This version of our little project loses a quarter of its missiles to install the Agni- class plasma cannon. Equipped under the left wing and coupled with a generator for extra power and counter-balance, it sacrifices maneuverability and speed for firepower."

The view again switched to the new type of Sky Hawk that Shinji hadn't seen yet. "The last version of the Hawk is the Aile Hawk. Again, it can only be equipped with two AmRams. However, the thruster pack equipped on its rear is also a sophisticated sensor package, making it a type of scout. Also, there are modifications to allow it to reach space and deploy N-2 mines."

The screen faded and the lights turned on. Viper's voice lost its monotone, changing back to a low pitch of someone who had seen a lot of misery. "Gentlemen and lady, we face an enormous enemy. One that will probably end up taking some of us with it. Make no mistake, this will not be an easy fight, but it is one we must win for everybody. Therefore I encourage you to excel at everything you do in this squadron - that is my number one rule. Individual Squad designations and wingman assignments will be announced at oh-eight hundred tomorrow. Questions?"

One of the guys up front stood up. "Yes, have any of these new fighters been delivered yet?"

"We are currently in possession of two aircraft and two sets of Launcher packs. Anyone else? No? Dismissed."

The pilots in the room stood up, some stretching, and slowly filed out of the room. Viper hung in the front of the room, conversing with a few of the pilots as they left.

Kaworu padded Shinji on the back. "Friend, I have some business to attend to elsewhere. I think the boss will take care of you."

Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Kaworu. I'll see you again later, ok?"

Kaworu smiled. "Roger that." They both chuckled as they parted, Kaworu heading for the exit and Shinji making a beeline for Viper.

Shinji saluted and said, "Shinji Ikari reporting, sir."

Viper chuckled. "I'll make a soldier out of you yet, boy. At ease. I wanted to talk to you about, well, you."

Shinji's curiosity was perked. "Yes, sir."

Viper took a deep breath. "Normally there are an even men or women to a squadron of fighters, so that wing pairs can be made easily. However, because you joined, there are thirteen. You will be the odd man out, and from what I understand, if an Angel attacks, you will more likely be piloting one of those Evangelions, correct?"

Flashes of Unit 01, currently in cryostasis, flashed in Shinji's mind. "I'm, uh, not so sure about that . . ."

"Anyway, those are the expectations I was given. In fact, with your school and NERV work, it is likely that you won't be spending a lot of time with the squad - mostly weekend work. And you might have to switch wingmen from time to time. That's something most pilots don't want to do."

"That's fine with me, sir. I doubt I'll be good enough to be much of a . . ."

Viper stopped him with a glare. "Don't ever say that. Knowing the extant of one's abilities and limits is good to keep from getting over one's head. Arrogance and pride, big-headedness will sometimes put someone in a situation that they could have easily avoided. However, the worst thing is meekness, for when you think you can do something you won't, and when you really can do that something and don't it only causes pain. Understood?"

Shinji cringed and the reprimand. "Yes, sir."

"You've already gone up against an Angel and lived, Shinji. You're a good pilot already, even if you don't seem to realize it. I'll make you better, even if the higher ups consider this as just brushing you off. Dismissed."

Viper left the amphitheater, and Shinji followed in his wake only to be stopped just outside of the door by one of the other pilots.

This man stood over a foot taller than Shinji, his face marred by a wicked scar between his eyes. He scrawled at Shinji. He stood in the young Ikari's way, keeping him from getting anywhere. Viper continued on, not knowing of the confrontation.

"So, what do we have here? Another shrimp sent to us by those NERV bums? Or are you the towel boy for us?"

Shinji squirmed. "No, I'm here too . . ."

A fist connected with the wall near his head startled him into silence. "You better just watch yourself, little man. Keep out of the real pilots' way . . ."

"You mean like me?" Shinji turned to see Kaworu standing in the hall, with his eyes narrowed. "Because if I'm not a real pilot, then what are you, Isaac?"

The man, Isaac, turned to the glaring boy. "You better watch yourself, boy."

"Leave my friend alone, Isaac, or you'll be reporting to a court martial."

The two glared at each other for a moment before Isaac turned his back and stormed off down the hall. Seeing the man leave, Shinji slumped against wall and let out the breath he was holding.

Kaworu looked at Shinji with apologetic eyes. "Sorry about that. He's the resident jerk - most of the other pilots aren't like that. He's just upset that youngsters like you and me were let into the squadron, he feels like he's being replaced. It doesn't help that I was able to shoot him down in a simulator last week. He's been trying to get back at me since."

"He . . . he reminds me of Touji . . ."

Kaworu shrugged. "Well, there isn't much you can do except stand up to him. Those guys just think that they hold a lot of power when they really don't. If you let them tread over you it only gets worse. Now, c'mon. We're at liberty for the rest of the day, and I say we head for the sims."

Shinji smiled. "Sounds like fun to me." They both laughed.

~Asuka~

"So, Shinji, how is it going?"

"Ok, I guess. I'm getting used to it."

"That's great. Let's start where we left off yesterday."

"Right, Ma'am."

Asuka watched her Unit 02, currently standing in a white simulation room, become active and bring up the practice pallet gun into a firing stance. The display monitors in front of her showed Unit 02 standing in the middle of Tokyo-3. Various targets appeared at different places at the city, and Shinji would target and take down the target.

Ritsuko was leaning over Ibuki, reading the display's screen. "Harmonics are at thirty-two point six seven percent."

Asuka smiled smugly. "No where near mine."

Misato stepped up. "But still impressive for only being in Unit 02 for two months, right Ritsuko?"

Asuka scrawled at her guardian as Ritsuko nodded in agreement. "However, Misato," reminded Ritsuko, "he had a much better synch ratio with Unit 01. If the guys at the UN would allow us him to practice in it and not Unit 02, then who knows how high his synch ratio would be right now."

Asuka sat back in her seat, frustrated. She didn't see what was so special about the boy - ok, sure, he was a good beginner, but she had years worth of training in Germany over him. He would never be as good as she was, right?

But then again, if she wasn't worried about him, why would she get so frustrated at him?

It was because he was in her Unit 02 she mused. She had to make sure that he didn't do anything that might mess up her precious Evangelion. Ok, sure the techs and Ritsuko would probably do that, but she had to make sure.

"Drill completed, Ma'am." The good Doctor winced at Shinji's announcement.

"That's very good Shinji, you're getting faster at this. But I told you not to call me 'Ma'am'. I'm not old." Various people started to laugh at Ritsuko, Misato more than anyone.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuko, but it's a habit I fell into at the base. It's customary to address superior females as Ma'am, no matter what their age is."

"But this is NERV, not Iruma, Shinji. Now stop it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ritsuko sighed and over the gales of laughter from Misato, announced the next drill. "We're going to start with close combat tactics, Shinji. Ready your prog knife."

Asuka heard a deep sigh over the com. Close combat was Shinji's weakest point, and Asuka's strongest. A fact that she pointed out frequently to him and anyone else around.

"I still don't get it . . ." said Shinji over the com as Unit 02 knife was unsheathed. "A knife is small. It would be better if it was a sword or something with more reach . . ."

"The prog knife is the only thing that will fit in the Eva's shoulder storage compartments. You know that, Shinji. There is just no other way. Get used to it."

Shinji sighed and started the drill, which consisted of another humanoid armed with a similar knife. The goal was to hit the target more than it hit you, but Shinji had yet to pass this drill. He marked high in sniper and artillery drills, but he had a block about close quarter fighting.

Asuka smiled as Shinji tried to outmaneuver his fake opponent, quickly recognizing some mistakes and missed opportunities to score a hit.

Ritsuko leaned back away from the monitor to talk to her old friend. "So, how's Shinji's other job going? I hear he's been doing a lot since he started two months ago."

Misato nodded. "Yeah, he looks forward to going over to Iruma every weekend. In fact, he's not even coming home during the weekend anymore. He shares a room with that friend of his, what's-his-name."

"Kaworu." Asuka replied, cutting in. "The name is Kaworu Nagisa, Misato. I can't believe you don't remember it, he only mentions it in every other sentence."

"Right, anyway, he stays over there during the weekends. He spends a lot of time in the sims there, and I believe they've even had him fly with a patrol or two with Kaworu. In fact, he is his . . . what was it again?"

Asuka gave a long sigh. "Wingman. Shinji is Kaworu's wingman, don't you ever pay attention to him?" Asuka jerked at Misato's sudden grin, and she realized she just made a tactical error.

"So, Asuka, you must pay a lot of attention to him if he's your . . ."

"DON'T SAY IT! DON'T YOU DARE!"

" . . . PLUSH TOY!!!"

"MISATO!!!" cried Auska, red in the face despite herself.

Red lights flashed on the monitors, stopping the nuclear catfight from getting into late rounds. The word 'FAILED' appeared in several places.

Ritsuko let out a frustrated sigh. "Shinji, you must improve in this area. Close combat is the . . ."

"Best way to defeat the Angels, I know that. I just can't move fast enough."

Ritsuko sighed. His low synch ratio with Unit 02 meant that the Eva didn't respond very fast to his mental commands, and handicapped him whenever fast action was needed. There wasn't much they could do about that, aside from trying to increase his synch ratio.

But that probably wasn't going to happen. He just wasn't as compatible with Unit 02 as he was with Unit 01.

"Alright, this test is over. Let's get him out of there." Unit 02 slumped over, its power cut, and techs swarmed over auxiliary bridges to get to the entry plug and pull Shinji from it.

As they were leaving, however, Ritsuko pulled Misato to the side. "Misato, that event that we talked about earlier will be tomorrow."

Misato sighed. "Understood."

~Asuka~

BEEP!

Asuka pulled out the microwave instant noodles and sat down at the table. She pried open the container and sighed at the contents. She hated eating over the weekend. It didn't take long for her to realize that Misato's cooking was not edible, and Asuka didn't know how to cook any of the stuff Shinji had in the pantry. Therefore she was forced to eat Misato's instant junk.

Slurping down some of the noodles, and making a mental promise to herself to make sure Shinji packed the kitchen with some decent food next time, something she knew how to cook. She was surprised to hear noises from Misato's room.

'Any minute now . . .' Misato had just woken up, apparently. It was always fun and yet sickening to watch the grown woman in her morning routine of drinking a case of beer in the first hour of the day. In fact, she was counting on it.

Today she had plans. She didn't know why she didn't think of this earlier, as she held the camera in her lap, ready to take some embarrassing photos of Misato. That way she would be for sure to never mention her 'Plush Toy' again.

Hearing the door opening, Asuka quickly turned, holding up the camera . . .

. . . only to get a picture of a fully dressed Misato, in her dress uniform no less. Asuka promptly dropped the camera in surprise

"Asuka, what are you doing?"

"I, um, was making a documentary on my life?"

Misato shrugged, not really believing her story but knowing that see probably wouldn't get anything else out of the girl. "I'm leaving on business and probably won't be back till late, so have something delivered for dinner. Bye."

"Um, sure. . ." Asuka said to the closing door.

~Ritsuko~

" . . . so, why are they having something like this in a place like this? Is the SSDF getting involved?"

Ritsuko kept her gaze on the laptop in front of her, analyzing the lines of code on its display. "The Strategic Self Defense Force? No, they're not allowed to." 'If Modular movement 1, walk cycle, begins, activate.'

"I see, that's why they can do whatever they like. Sigh."

Ritsuko was silent, and kept looking at her program. 'Disconnect valve control, value all, store data, delete, . . .'

"Hey, Ritsuko, we're supposed to get off now." Ritsuko looked up to see her friend standing already.

"Just a sec." She typed a few commands, and pulled out a disc from the laptop. Then she unfastened her harness and exited the helicopter. Blinking in the sunlight, she looked around for expected guest.

Misato grumbled at all the landed helicopters. "Seems like they invited everyone to their little party."

"Including NERV and its special company clerk, beautiful." Said a husky male voice behind the two ladies, one that annoyed Misato very much.

"Kaji, what are you doing here?"

The eternally unshaven man, dressed up for once in a suit but still looking a little rugged and base, put his arm around the Major's waist. "I was invited by NERV to come see this little demonstration. And of course, how could I refuse?"

Misato pushed his arm off of her and stormed off, muttering curses. Ritsuko and Kaji stood in place, waiting for the pissed off Major to be a little distance.

Kaji leaned in close to the blonde scientist. "So, you look lovely this evening."

"Can't you ever be serious, Kaji? Even I can see why Misato doesn't like you. You're smothering her with that charm."

"It's just the way I am. Do you have it?"

Ritsuko pulled the disc out of her pocket. "This virus will keep the nuclear reactor's control pumps from functioning. It'll overheat while it walks; making it seem it'll meltdown in Atsugi City. However, once the temperature reaches a certain point, it will automatically shut down. All you have to do is load it into the JA's main mainframe."

"Charming and intelligent, Ritsuko. Loading the virus won't be a problem, I'll be back for the opening ceremony."

~0~

"Titan, this is Iruma. We have unknown aircraft inbound. Vector zero-nine- zero for bogy."

"Titan Twelve, we read you. Unknown contact at zero-nine-zero, range ten miles and closing bearing two seven three, intercepting."

"Roger, that's your bogy."

Two jets soared through the air, effortlessly passing over the clouds, the beauty of the skies evident to the pilots. Their world shifted as the predators banked right, heading for their prey.

"You read him, Loner?"

"Roger, looks like a single. Break right, Falcon, look for a trailer. I'll go head-to-head."

"Roger that. Stay cool." One of the fighters banked right, angling to get a look for a possible aircraft hiding behind the first fighter. Distance closed and the pilot going head to head, Loner, could start to make out the jet in the distance.

And the one following it. "Shit, there's two of them!!" Loner rolled his fighter and steered it right between the two incoming Hawks. As they passed, he noticed blue and grey trim on one of them.

"Shit, Isaac's up here! Do you copy Falcon?"

"Roger that. Remember; do not fire until fired upon."

Loner pulled up hard on the stick, whipping his own Hawk around to face his opponents. However, they weren't sticking together anymore. The first was vectoring left, towards Falcon, and the other was looping to get behind Loner. Loner followed the retreating fighter. If they became hostile, he could take out the fighter going after Falcon, and Falcon could take out the fighter behind him.

The seconds passed on tensely as the fighters closed in. Whoever shot first would be at an extreme disadvantage.

And, unfortunately, it had been Falcon to fire first, a short machine gun burst towards his approaching fighter.

All hell broke loose, with no time to think. Loner reacted on impulse, firing a missile and pulling up hard, releasing flares in case a missile had been fired at him.

He rolled, getting a good view of the battle zone as he cruised inverted. Columns of smoke indicated missile paths and wreckage - at least two of the fighters were shot down.

And according to radar readings, Falcon had been one of them. Despite himself, knowing he would not get an answer, Loner called, "Falcon, do you read me? Falcon, do you read me? Iruma, we have man down, man down, launch the alert fighter and rescue helicopters."

Lock-on warnings flared to life around the pilot, as the surviving hostile used the few seconds Loner used to call in to get behind him and acquire a lock.

"Shit!" Loner pulled hard on the stick and feathered this rudder, slowing the fighter to a stop and turning it to the side. A goose of thruster, and the square corner maneuver was complete, the missile unable to turn sharp enough to catch it target, exploding a safe distance away.

But it wasn't over yet. The blue fighter behind Loner was turning, aiming for another shot.

"Not so fast, buddy." Loner hit his afterburners and climbed, rolling halfway into a barrel roll and cutting his thrusters to slow him down. The enemy didn't compensate for his deceleration and blazed right past Loner's fighter and into his targeting reticule.

Loner got a red lock immediately, and fired his missile. It streaked forward toward its target, and exploded in a brilliant ball of light. Loner's spirits were the same as the explosion, brilliant. He had wanted to shoot down Isaac 'Scar' Jule for a long time.

He was so distracted, however, that Loner never saw the blue and grey fighter above him, or the missile. He was quite surprised when the warnings blared, and when the missile hit.

However, instead of oblivion, as would be expected, the cockpit went dark. The canopy opened revealing harsh artificial light, tiled ceiling, and the smiling face of Kaworu 'Falcon' Nagisa.

Shinji 'Loner' Ikari accepted the hand from Kaworu and climbed out of the simulator. Farther down, Issac 'Scar' Jule was climbing out of his own simulator.

Kaworu voice was beaming. "That was excellent flying. I think even Scar learned something."

Shinji shrugged. "I doubt it - I still got shot down. How did that happen, anyway?"

Kaworu smiled. "Isaac let go of his last flare late. The missile impacted there. You couldn't see it from the angle you were at. He flew through a cloud and above you, and made the easy shot. You need to remember to check the radar every time after a shot. Looks can be deceiving."

"I'll try to remember that."

Isaac smiled sadistically. "You SHOULD remember that you can never beat me. Remember THAT, you dumbass."

Kaworu sighed. "Don't listen to him; he's just afraid of you."

"Afraid?" asked Shinji, confused.

"I AIN'T AFRAID OF THAT . . . THAT . . . !"

Kaworu ignored Isaac's ranting and led Shinji out to the hall and towards the lounge. "Just ignore him. He knows that you're good and getting better. That's why he's afraid of you - because one day you may surpass him."

"I doubt it, but if you say so . . . I don't think I'll be of any use in real life."

"What makes you say that?"

"In the simulator, it's just a game. But in real life, with real people depending on me, I get scared. I'm just a nobody, how can they expect me to do something like this?"

Kaworu put a reassuring hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Everyone is afraid the first time, that's natural. Even veterans get scared during battle. And everyone has to find a reason to fight, to overcome that fear. For me, I just have to think about all the people who might be saved, who might one day live on to create more music, if only I act. And I do."

Shinji gulped nervously. "I don't think that will work for me, Kaworu. Thinking about people depending on me only gets me more worried."

"Hey, just don't think about it for right now. You'll figure it out."

Shinji nodded. "I guess . . . hey, by the way, why did you fire in the simulator? That's not like you . . ."

Kaworu smiled sheepishly. "I didn't mean to . . . something pinched me through my flight suit, and I jerked in surprised and accidentally squeezed the trigger." Kaworu fished though his flight suit's pants pocket, and pulled out a twisted paper clip.

Shinji laughed at the paper clip. "War was started because of that paper clip. Maybe we should give it over to a History Museum."

Kaworu shrugged. "Yeah, Ripley's Believe it or Not . . ."

~Misato~

". . .but, from a safety perspective, isn't it risky to incorporate a nuclear reactor in a land-based weapon designed for hand-to-hand combat?"

"We feel it is more practical then a weapon that will only work for more than five minutes."

"But in a combat situation, if the unit is damaged, you risk having a nuclear explosion. Also, you would have remote control issues."

"We feel it is more humane than a weapon that introduces mental stress and instability on the part of the pilot."

Misato slumped in her seat. Once Ritsuko got started, she could go on for hours. Honestly, she felt a little embarrassed that she was only person near Ritsuko, while the other tables representing other interested parties were stuffed with decorations and wines bottles, not to mention loads of people.

"Cut it out, you're acting like children . . ." Misato grumbled under her breath.

"But it still leaves the issue of manual control . . ."

"We believe it to be safer than a weapon that has been known to go out of control and run berserk in the middle of a city, not to mention consuming its target. A weapon that cannot be controlled is like a hysterical woman, completely out of control."

Gales of laughter made Misato wince. They were laughing at Eva, and Ritsuko took pride in her work. This would probably turn ugly.

"Our technology will be able to control it."

"So are you saying that science and human courage will tame the savage Eva beast? Are you serious?"

"Yes, of course I'm serious. It does not matter what you say, NERV has the only weapon capable of destroying the enemy."

"You mean the A.T. Field? That is just a matter of time and research. Your day in the sun will not last forever."

Laughter again became abundant.

But elsewhere, in a computer, lines of codes were being changed and deleted. And a lone figure walked away from a secure terminal with a disc in hand.

~Misato~

"Begin walk cycle!"

"Walking, forward ahead, slow. Forward Right Leg. Roger. Walk, forward ahead, slow. Forward, right leg. Balance is nominal. Power core status, nominal. Roger. Now, forward left leg. Keep her steady!"

And a pair of arms wrapped around Misato's waist, once again. "Did I miss anything?" asked the familiar voice.

Misato growled at her former boyfriend. "Just Ritsuko making a fool of herself. Let go of me. Where were you?"

"I had to take care of some things. But I'm done on, so I can focus on you."

"Focus on Jet Alone; you have a better chance with it." Misato pried his arms off and leaned against the wall, not giving the man another chance to hug her again.

"Forward left leg, slow. Maintaining balance.

Misato smirked. "Oh boy, it's walking. THAT'S certainly something to be proud of." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Ritsuko and Kaji were silent.

A large beep came from one of the many counsels.

"What's wrong?"

"This is odd. The pressure inside the reactor is increasing. The temperature inside the primary cooling system is also rising."

"Valve open. Insert the neutron deceleration fluid."

"No effect. The pump output isn't increasing!" said the tech, his voice betraying his worry. "Initiating valve system check." Meanwhile, JA was getting closer to the control building. Close enough that many of the occupants were backing away from the observation windows.

"Alright, emergency stop. Cut off the power."

"Abort signal transmission confirmed. It's not accepting it! It's out of control!"

People started to flee as the director of the project stammered in shock.

"It's coming right at us! No!"

The ceiling crumbled as the Jet Alone torn right through the building, flattening machinery and consoles alike. Strong arms grabbed Misato and flung her to the ground, and a heavy weight pressed on top of her. She looked up to see Kaji bent over her, protecting her from falling concrete.

Jet Alone continued to plow through the center, walking in a straight line.

Dust came down, causing Misato to cough underneath of Kaji. 'This robot is as badly behaved as the idiot who built it!'

When JA passed through and things stopped falling, Kaji let Misato up. Misato stood up, blushing. "Um, thank you, Kaji."

Kaji only smiled.

"Compression valves aren't operating! The control rods aren't working! Possibility of meltdown imminent!"

The director looked pale and his voice was tiny. "This is impossible. The Jet Alone's onboard computer system is programmed to handle all contingencies and scenarios. This sort of thing simply cannot happen."

Misato was furious. "Well, then you're about to have an impossible nuclear meltdown out there!"

"Under the present circumstances, the only option we have is to wait for it to stop itself."

"And how likely is that?"

"Zero point zero zero zero zero two percent. It would be an act of god!"

"Acts of men are better than acts of God. There must be a way to stop that thing."

"We've already tried to stop that thing, even the last resort - complete erasure."

Warnings blared from what equipment was still working. "Warning. Jet Alone is heading for Atsugi City."

Cries of 'Oh my God' and other profanity came from the people and workers. A nuclear bomb was heading towards a massively populated area, and they were responsible.

One of the techs consulted his console. "JA will reach Atsugi City in seven minutes. Its expected meltdown time is . . . eight minutes. Dear god . . ."

Misato turned to Ritsuko. "Can we get an Eva here in that amount of time?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "It takes three hundred and eighty seconds to prep for activation, plus loading an Eva onto the transport plane and actual flight time - there's no way. We can't move something like an Evangelion in that short amount of time."

Misato sighed. "The people in Atsugi are in peril. There has to be something we can do." She paced around for a moment, before stopping dead in her tracks. "I got it! There's nothing but abandoned area between here and Atsugi. A nuclear explosion anywhere here would be negligible, as it's already been swamped with radiation. Therefore I suggest we force it to meltdown here."

The director looked at Misato with a concerned look. "And how do you think you're going to do that?"

Misato smiled. "NERV has more than just Evas."

~Shinji~

Shinji laid back, enjoying the comfortable chairs of the lounge, and the cool drink in his hand. Of course, it's amazing how much things can change in an instant.

A screeching alarm came over the com, surprising Shinji and making him drop his soda. "This is an emergency. Titan Squadron scramble, scramble, scramble. This is an emergency."

Kaworu was up the second he heard the alarm, and dragged the stunned Shinji behind him.

"Kaworu! What . . . what is going on?!?"

"I don't know! But we have to get up in the air! Get your flight suit on and launch ASAP!"

As they entered the locker room, most of the squadron was already there, putting on their suits, donning their helmets or checking their air hoses. A few were already proceeding into the hangers.

Shinji put on his flight suit and helmet in record time, but was still one of the last to get to the hangers. The whine of starting engines greeted him as he entered the hanger reserved for his wing group. The fighter he was assigned to was the standard grey with purple trim, to make it look like Eva Unit 01. He guessed it had been a joke from the mechanics.

Right now, he wasn't too thrilled about the fighter. Not about the paint job, however. He couldn't care less about it, really, but right now it was configured as a Launcher Hawk. The first time he piloted a Launcher Hawk, the generator exploded. Although an emergency release to dump the extra equipment had been installed in case the improved generator overloaded again, he still felt uneasy.

Shinji flipped the switch to power up his engines. They whined, and diagnostics came up on his HUD. Power was fed to his thrusters, and the jet began to vibrate rather nicely.

Finally, the checkup was completed and this radio came on. Chatter and requests to take off flooded the com, but Shinji ignored them as he taxied his fighter out of the hanger and into an area that could withstand vertical takeoffs.

"This is Loner, Titan Thirteen, to Iruma control, requesting clearance to take off."

"Clearance granted, Titan Thirteen. Please set vector to two seven three, and accelerate to supersonic - your commander will brief you."

"Thank you, Iruma control. Loner out."

Shinji gripped the throttle in this left hand, and softly pushed the levers forward. Thrust from his engines was countered by thrust from his forward thruster, giving him only upward thrust. The fighter was pushed upward, and when he cleared the hanger building, he rotated the Hawk towards his vector and eased back on the forward thruster, pushing the fighter forward.

Once the fighter gained enough speed to keep aloft without hovering, Shinji hit the afterburners and accelerated to mach speeds, trying to catch the already speeding squadron ahead of him. His fighter shook violently as he passed the sound barrier, the air hitting against the plane at incredible velocity. As he approached the speeding fighters, he took note that only he and Kaworu were using Launcher Hawks.

Viper's voice came over the com channels. "Alright Titans, listen up. Here's what's going on. Japan's Heavy Chemical Industrial new product, codenamed Jet Alone, went out of control during a demonstration. Its nuclear reactor is going critical, and it's headed for Atsugi City."

"Dear God . . ."

"Before it reaches Atsugi City, however, it has to travel through abandoned area twenty six. Our job is to keep it in that area, at least fifty miles from Atsugi. At current speed, that only gives us two minutes to take it out."

"Two minutes? Isn't that cutting it a little close?"

"That's the way it is. Oh, and by the way, anyone who wants to sign a letter of protest to Japan Heavy Chemical, come to my office after this mission."

Nervous laughter came from many of the fighters. Shinji pulled up alongside his wingman, Kaworu. The rest of his five-man flight, Titans Nine thorough Thirteen, was in the immediate vicinity, as was expected.

But unlike the rest of the squadron, he was in a panic. Lives were depending on him. He couldn't fight; he was just a kid, right? What was he even doing here?!?

"Thirty seconds until target. Alright gentlemen, we're going in hot."

At the end of thirty seconds, Shinji pulled back his throttle and decelerated. The flattened ruins stopped speeding past him, and now he could make out individual buildings if he really tried. But Shinji's focus was on another, much more obvious object.

"Is that an Eva, Leader?"

"No, it can't be, Evas are uglier."

"Like your mother?"

"Less chatter, five and six. Arm your weapons. Launchers, power up your cannons. Engage. Engage. Engage."

In less than a second after the order was given, over twenty missiles were launched at the giant white robot, none belonging to Shinji. As they streaked towards the monolith, Shinji felt like its destruction was assured. He didn't have to fight.

Until the missiles started to explode one after another and not one hit the target.

"What the hell? Not one made it?"

"The fuck?"

"QUIET!" Viper's loud voice betrayed his anxiety as the squad passed over the Jet Alone. "Does anyone know what is going on?"

"Titan Eight, sir, I believe I saw flashes from its shoulders. If I had to guess, it's been equipped with anti-missile and aircraft machine guns."

"Shit, one minute remaining until it reaches the perimeter."

Shinji looked down at the target, trying to think about what to do.

"Sir, Titan Twelve. Loner and I are Launchers. I suggest we make a run." Kaworu said, his voice not betraying any worry.

"Understood. The fate of Atsugi is in your hands. Do it."

"Roger. Starting the run." Kaworu banked and dived, lining his fighter up with Jet Alone. Shinji, however, remained in straight flight.

'People's lives are . . . me? Eva . . .? Like Eva?'

"Loner, make your run."

'I can't . . . I can't . . . Why does everyone depend on me?'

"Thirty seconds until perimeter . . ."

"TITAN THIRTEEN, MAKE YOUR RUN!!"

'Why!?!'

"Please, Shinji." Kaworu's voice was a light through the sudden fog of fright in Shinji's mind. He didn't know why he had to, but just because Kaworu, not Viper, not Misato, not Asuka, not his father, but Kaworu, asked, he suddenly knew he had to.

"Titan Thirteen, making my run!"

"Fifteen seconds!"

Shinji passed the Jet Alone at mach speeds, inverted and pulled back on the stick. His fighter sped towards the ground, barely pulling level before striking the ground hard. The Jet Alone was right in front of him, and Shinji lined up his reticule.

"Loner, aim for the left leg!"

"Roger!" A slight adjustment and pull of the trigger, and the Agni Cannon fired a blast that connected right above the left knee of the robot. At the same instant, Kaworu's blast connected directly opposite of Shinji's, blasting the leg clean off.

Jet Alone stumbled and fell, parts being crushed under its weight and momentum as it fell to the ground with a crunch. The JA tried to continue walking on the ground, even with its legs gone. Rolls of steam billowed out of its backpack, indications that the nuclear reactor stored there was about to go critical.

"IT'S GOING TO BLOW!! EVERYONE, GET OUT OF THERE!" screamed one of the fighters. In the confusion, Shinji couldn't tell who.

Shinji pushed his throttle hard forward and his afterburners lit, slamming the boy into his seat at the sudden acceleration. He could see other the other fighters doing the same, taking off at various directions, desperate to get some distance between them and Jet Alone.

A sudden flash of light blinded him for a second, prompting him to look back behind him.

He could make out a small mushroom cloud over the horizon.

"All fighters, return to base. All fighters, return to base."

Shinji banked his fighter to the right, engaged the autopilot and sank into his seat. He suddenly felt exhausted, like he had run a marathon, as the adrenaline wore off.

"I think I'll take Viper's offer and sign that damn protest."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

IDEA REFERENCE:

www . mahq . net / mecha / gundam / seed /ts-ma03 . htm