This is the story of the unknown being that is the Third Child. Based on the original works by Hideaki Anno and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, this tale will change the many of the events that transpired both in the anime and the manga. Taking place just after the 14th Angel, Zeruel, it explores the possibility of what might have happened had the Third Child possessed secrets of his own, secrets that may have surpassed even those of his father. With the introduction of characters from other series as well as novel characters from the author's imagination, the course of the story, as well as its past will be changed. Taken from the fantasies of the mind, I give this tale to you not for your pleasure, but for your thoughts.



Disclaimer: The author of the story does not claim ownership either to the characters or to the story itself. Should anyone wish to make a parody, side-story, or any other change to the original writings, they may do so on the condition that they claim the entirety for their own.

Chapter 2

Ikari Shinji awoke at half past five in the morning to the bright light streaming through a crack in his door. He took a few seconds to get his bearings before he began the daily morning routine in the Katsuragi household. Stepping outside the sanctuary of his room, he headed towards the kitchen with the purpose of breakfast in mind. While donning an apron, he considered whether he should make European or American style breakfast like Asuka wanted or just a simple Japanese breakfast. After thinking about it, he decided to try an American breakfast with pancakes and some tea or coffee. After all, he didn't mind it all that much and Misato's breakfast would probably consist of her daily dosage of alcohol.

A bare half-hour later, his barely clad guardian opened the door to her room and came out, eyes still closed with sleep, and yawning. He greeted her to whom she replied with a muttered "Good night" and a small curse directed at hangovers and paperwork. Trying not to sweat drop, Shinji made way for his very distracted guardian.

She made her way to a refrigerator and opened it, revealing a just stirring Pen-pen. Mumbling a quick "Sorry", she closed the refrigerator door and opened the other refrigerator, taking out a six-pack case of Yebisu beer. Drinking an entire can in one gulp, she then proceeded to let loose with a loud "Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaaah!" that probably packed enough decibels to destroy the eardrums of the Section 2 agents listening. This signaled the real start of the day.

A loud "Schiesse" was heard followed by the heavy slamming of a door as a certain redhead, dressed in a way to almost rival Misato's own wardrobe, came stomping out of her room. Shinji, not wanting confrontations so early in the morning, decided to greet her with a soft "Good Morning, Asuka".

"Guten Morgen", she replied through gritted teeth. Asuka took a glance at the major who by this time was halfway through her second case of beer. Making up her mind on the sanity of her guardian, Asuka proceeded to do her God-given duty to remind everyone that she was the best by insulting everyone else. "Mein Gott Misato, do you really want to get liver cancer by the time you're thirty. Just what kind of a guardian do you think you are if you keep doing that while your charges are in the same room?"

"Now Asuka," the said guardian chided, "I'm not really doing anything you haven't been exposed to yet. As a genius, you should already know about the beers and bees in this world. Besides, don't you know alcohol is an even better stimulant than coffee?"

"That's birds and the bees, and don't you dare give me a lecture on what I'm supposed to know or not. The point is, you are not supposed to be drinking, you're supposed to be doing you're job."

"C'mon Asuka, you're sounding more and more like Ritsuko these days. You geniuses are all the same."

"Arrrghh! That is not the point. Hey baka! Get over here and help me convince her not to do this."

Shinji looked over his soldier, having just finished setting the table.

"Maybe we should just leave her alone for now, Asuka. If we stay any longer, we're going to be late before we finish breakfast."

Asuka looked at the clock and saw that it was already past six. Cursing loudly about irresponsible guardians and spineless wimps, she started past Shinji towards the shower. Shinji stared towards her for a moment before giving a resigned sigh and starting his own breakfast. 'I'll just start eating before she finishes. Maybe she'll be in a better mood after a hot bath.'

Unfortunately, some of the power lines had been disconnected during the last battle, including the one supplying the apartment with hot water. The entire apartment shook with the blast from a very loud "Verdamnt!"

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Inside a dark office, a boy with red eyes and pale gray hair stood, awaiting his orders. The only furniture in the room was a desk with a speaker. The boy stood humming to himself while he pondered on why he had been summoned.

Suddenly, the speaker crackled to life, followed by a few moments of static before it faded into a soft hum. A voice that could have been described as both rich and deep had it not been so cold sounded from the speaker.

"Nagisa Kaoru, 17th Angel and designated Fifth Child, your mission has been moved up. As of today, you will be sent to Tokyo 3 via VTOL where you will operate as a reserve pilot and an agent. You will make friends with the Third Child and then destroy him as well as the entirety of the NERV command staff. You will do so in a way that will not be detected by the rest of NERV. If anyone tries to stop you, do what is necessary.

The boy's eyes widened slightly in surprise from the information. "And if I may ask, why was my mission changed?"

The speaker sounded again almost immediately.

"The change in scenarios has been due to the arrival of more from your kind. As of yet, they are not a threat but we need to secure our position before it becomes any more delicate. Hence, the decision to eliminate all risks."

"Then should I be eliminated as well?"

There was a silence before the speaker sounded again.

"Whether you will be eliminated or not depends on the outcome of your mission. Dismissed."

Kaoru walked out of the room, puzzlement evident in his eyes. It was the first time something so totally unexpected had happened in a while.

"This might get interesting indeed."

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Kaji Ryouji staggered out of his apartment. Inside, two men, their armbands bearing the insignia of SEELE, lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Kaji didn't waste anymore time before he ran out, limping slightly from where a bullet had nicked his left leg.

He managed to get to an alleyway, just as he heard the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked. Instantly, he dove behind the wall as bullets sprayed above his head and knocked a few bricks loose. Pulling out his own weapon, a small automatic, he aimed back at the source of the shots and fired. This time, four bursts of fire answered him and the wall he was hiding against was almost punctured from dozens of bullets.

He knew that staying there was suicide, so he looked for another escape route. He recalled a NERV shelter built near his apartment. If he could make it there, it could function as a bunker until he hacked his way past the locked panel used by NERV maintenance crews.

Gathering his strength for a burst of speed, he sprinted towards the shelter, bullets ricocheting off the pavement near him. He fired left and right in an attempt to slow down pursuers on his flank. Up ahead by fifty meters or so, he could see the outline of the shelter next to a condo.

A high-powered bullet flashed by, missing him by inches and he hesitated a bit. 'Snipers,' he thought. He took a quick detour that led around the next building, hopefully making the snipers lose sight of him. It worked. He flew around the next corner and came back to the street on the other side of the shelter. A hundred meters in front of him, nine men wearing armbands came running, pistols spouting fire. He sprayed them with a hail of lead from his own gun, using up the last of his ammunition. Then he was there.

Slamming the shelter door closed behind him, he got to work on the coded panel. Outside, he could hear the men trying to knock in the door or find another way in. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Suspicious of what might happen, Kaji crept towards the door only to hear something like "5. . .4. . .3 . . .2 . . ."

His eyes widened and he threw himself backwards just as the door exploded. Debris crashed into him knocking him further back. Five men came into the room, guns at the ready and trained towards him. Clenching his jaw, and blood pouring from a gash on his forehead, Kaji prepared himself for a very painful and hopefully quick execution.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the empty shelter.

And Kaji Ryouji found himself still alive, staring at the twitching bodies of the five men who had tried to kill him.

He heard a noise and looked up. Half a dozen figures in the uniform of Section 2 agents came through the blasted hole where the door used to be. In their hands were automatic rifles.

The lead agent stepped forward, his dark glasses hiding any expression on his face, and spoke.

"Kaji Ryouji, under orders from Commander Ikari, you are to come with us."

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Aida Kensuke yawned. Once again, the Sensei of Class 2-A was droning on and on about his life and Second Impact. Even Kensuke's online collection of illegal military information and erotic pictures did little to keep him awake. Taking a look around the class, he watched as his friends did what they did to stave off the boredom.

'Let's see, there's Ayanami staring out the window as usual. I'm beginning to wonder if whatever's happening out there is more interesting than this class. Wait a minute, of course it is! I must be really getting bored if I'm thinking this slow.'

'And as usual, Touji's sleeping through this class. I guess those artificial limbs of his aren't bothering him as much as I thought they would since he's this relaxed. What was it that he said again? Oh yeah, something about his little sister Mari giving him a lecture if she managed to get out of the hospital before he did. For someone who's a supposed jock, that little kid sure can boss him around. Though he might be able to get better grades if he actually tried to learn.'

'The Red Devil is still on the prowl. I'll have to stay on high alert to make sure she doesn't get past my defenses. For someone who's supposed to be a genius, she does like to pick pointless fights. Maybe that theory about the level of morals in a civilization being related to intelligence isn't true after all. Then again, Touji isn't helping, what with all the insults he gives her. Hey, maybe we can persuade Mari to defend us from the devil. Now that would be an even better fight than the ones with the Evas.'

'What's this? Even the Class Rep and Kirishima are looking bored at the moment. I guess even they aren't impervious to the power of Sensei's monotone. Though Kirishima's still interested enough to keep glancing at Shinji every now and then.'

'Speaking of Shinji, he actually looks interested in the lecture. No, that can't be it; he's probably just staring at Ayanami again. No, he's staring straight ahead. And was that a smile I saw just now? Weird. He looks like he's concentrating on something. Now what could be so serious and yet so amusing that it would make the Shin-man smile? Maybe I'll just send him a message.'

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The beeping of his computer, indicating a new message, disrupted Shinji's internal conversation. Taking note of the sender, he read the somewhat short inquisition from Kensuke. "What's up?"

"Nothing, why?" Shinji replied.

"You look like you zoned out for the lesson. Are you starting to turn into Ayanami? Or perhaps, trying to become a King for the Ice Queen."

Shinji blushed before replying.

"Nothing like that. I was just thinking about a few things."

"Such as her assets, maybe? Or have you and the Red Devil been up to a few things last night? Maybe you got lucky and scored with Misato?"

By this time, Shinji was rivaling Asuka's hair color. Fortunately he was saved from having to answer by a rather loud "OUCH!" Looking behind him, he saw Kensuke being held by the ear by a very disgruntled Horaki Hikari.

"No lewd messages in class!"

"Please Class Rep! After all, Touji and I did help you install that new monitoring program."

"Which is precisely how I knew about your messages. Since you installed them, I would have expected you enforce the program, not ignore it!"

All the other students were just ignoring the outburst. Sighing in resignation, Shinji turned away from Hikari's lecture towards his computer. After a few moments, his mental conversation was resumed.

"I dislike it when we are interrupted."

"Sorry, that was just Kensuke."

"The one you described as a military fanatic?"

"That's the one. Anyway, back to the topic. What were you trying to tell me?"

"The phenomenon is still occurring. Across the globe, signals from sources quite similar to Angels are being detected and then lost. It's like they're making a mass migration to this world but are trying to hide it. What do you think?"

"That would be the most likely explanation. I have a sync test later today. I'll ask Oka-san then to see if it's anything she knows about."

"Very well. By the way, were Mr. Aida's words about Ms. Ayanami accurate?"

Shinji couldn't suppress a small smile.

"You know very well that Rei is my sister."

"Among our kind, that would not really matter."

"Jealous?" Maybe that time listening to Misato's teasing was worth something after all.

". . ."

"Don't worry."

"I'm sorry."

"As incredible as hearing someone else apologizing to me would be, I don't want that someone to be you."

"Thank you."

"It's alright."

Just then the lunch bell rang.

"Let's talk after I ask my mom." were Shinji's parting words.

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Kaji followed his captors down one of the many passageways deep in the bowels of NERV HQ. Since he had snuck around here a few times, he knew that they were heading towards Gendo's office. He was proven correct mere moments later when the narrow door to the great commander's office opened. A blast of recycled air hit him full blast in the face, almost making him shiver with cold. 'Cold as ice. Just like the Commander', he thought wryly.

His captors ushered him inside the room, then turned around and went out, locking the door and leaving him in near total darkness. A second later, glow panels began to shed an eerie light into the room and Ryouji Kaji found himself face to face with the Grand Bastard King himself.

"Welcome Agent Kaji. I trust you had a nice trip."

Kaji didn't bat an eyelid. "Was that supposed to make me laugh?"

"No," Gendo grimaced ever so slightly. "I was watching a few pre-Second Impact spy movies and wanted to try its effectiveness."

"Another tool at your disposal. As if the ones you already have are not enough."

"A man must be prepared if he wants to achieve his goal, Agent Kaji. That is why I have hoarded every weapon in my arsenal, whether it is technology, information or manpower. And after this meeting I have hope that yet another tool will be added."

Kaji raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that I would work for you?"

"Because if you don't, someone else, let's say certain major, might suffer the consequences."

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Gendo knew he had pushed the right buttons when Kaji grimaced. The spy was actually starting to lose his composure. Gendo liked it when he could control his enemy's reactions. Though this particular enemy would become an ally soon, it would still help to have some degree of control.

Then the spy spoke.

"Very persuasive, aren't you Ikari? You know that I would go to almost any length to protect her. One would wonder how is it that you have such an in depth understanding of the effect emotions for others can have on a man. One might think that you do so from experience."

This time, it was Gendo whose face cracked. Anger flashed briefly over his features, turning into rage before simmering down into a slow boil.

"You are a worthy opponent Agent Kaji. I would praise you on your ability to actually elicit such a response from me." Gendo's voice was barely controlled. "However, I would recommend that you do not pry any further into such matters. I am, after all, offering you a chance to live."

"What makes you think that I would want to live under your rule?"

"Because you will learn the truth, Agent Kaji. The whole truth, each and every fact concerning Project E known to me. Your beloved major will also be protected. I cannot promise complete safety, but by placing yourself under my command, you will at least eliminate one threat towards her life and others."

"What value would be their safety if you would destroy them later?"

"I do not intend to destroy the world Agent Kaji, no matter what you have heard. I have a specific goal in mind and it is neither power nor wealth. If I must destroy the world to attain that goal, so be it, but if there is another way, then I will consider it. At least this way, you have a say in the outcome, whereas by refusing my offer you would deny yourself the chance to live or let others live."

Kaji thought the matter over hard. The minutes ticked by in silence as one man contemplated his fate while the other prepared to deliver it. At long last, the spy spoke in a resigned voice.

"Alright Ikari, this time I'll sell my soul to the devil if it would pave the way for others in paradise. But before I sign on the dotted line, tell me. Why would you need me?"

Gendo was silent for a moment before answering.

"Because your skills can be a major factor in achieving my goal, not to mention your acquired knowledge about our mutual enemy. I would take any chance to make sure that goal is reached."

"So, had my death or the death of the world been instrumental in reaching your goal, you would have done it."

"Yes."

"You are obsessed."

"Possibly. But you are the one to sign."

Kaji glared for a brief moment, then relaxed.

"What's my mission?"

"You will continue to apply your skills, only this time, whatever information you acquire, you share with me. Your files will be erased and your death will be reported. No one outside of certain people in NERV will know of your continued existence. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Kaji replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Dismissed."

As the spy turned to walk out the door, Gendo relaxed behind his desk, one thought filling his mind.

'Soon Yui. Very soon."

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At a small cafeteria table, four girls sat eating what would have been a mid-afternoon snack had they been in any actual time zone. The shortest of the quartet, a girl with waist-length dark blue hair tied in a ribbon behind her, ate quietly while her three companions bickered over the food. Or rather, two were bickering and the other one was about to throw her hands up in despair.

The blue-haired girl watched as her friends continued to fight about the toxicity of cafeteria food in space, which had rapidly degenerated into insults between her best friend, a green-eyed girl with straight brown hair reaching to her waist, and another good friend, a dark blonde girl with an unusually reflective forehead. That is, until her best friend decided to include her in the debate with a question.

"I am not saying this to tick you off, Madoka, all I'm saying is that I can cook a better lunch than this cafeteria and especially you. Right, Ayano-chan?"

Hakuhoin Ayano Elizabeth, the girl in question tried to answer in a way that would not make the potentially dangerous situation any worse.

"Um. . ., I really don't know if your cooking would be better than Madoka-san's, Yoko-san. Though your cooking is very good, I haven't tasted hers yet."

The girl known as Yamamoto Yoko seemed to think over this reply but the other side of the debate, Midou Madoka, stared at the soft-spoken girl. "Wait a minute, didn't you taste my cooking when we made that spread for Lawson?"

"Not really. Since it was for him, I didn't want to eat his share."

"Girls, I don't think that fighting over whose cooking is better is going to make any difference", said Kagariya Momiji, the resident tomboy, and a girl tall enough to rival most basketball players.

"Tell that to the forehead monster here." Yoko replied, which of course got the target of the retort very irritated.

"Why you cat-eyed show-off, I'll . . ."

Ayano tuned out the rest of the conversation and turned towards the window. Outside, stars seemed to drift by as the large space station/spaceport/laboratory rotated. The space station and its small fleet of experimental starships had been built as a possible launching pad for Earth's developing defense fleet. Codenamed Project T or Terra, the spaceport had two main sorties of spaceship each made up of four units, the Terra force and the Ness force. It also boasted of several units of smaller fighting craft. The crew was mostly made up of scientists working on related projects.

Initially, the project had been a secret base built to detect and combat the invaders known as the Angels. Back then, many had thought the Angels came from some source in outer space. The project had barely been finished when the tenth Angel came. Unfinished, untested and still in development for minor errors, the starships had been unable to intercept the Angel. Fortunately, the engineers had managed to steer the lumbering spaceport out of the way of the equally lumbering Angel.

Since then, however, no more Angels had attacked in orbit. Somehow they had all bypassed the spaceports defense and detection system, making their way to ground level without anyone knowing until they were already there. It was as if they had appeared out of nowhere.

Because of this, the pilots of the starships had been put on indefinite standby. It was an almost boring routine for the Terra force each day, punctuated twice a week by mock fights with Ness and the self named Redsnappers. Though each team fought seriously, improving the skills of the pilots, it was still a bit of a let down when you knew that your opponent was just your friend and wasn't actually trying to kill you. Not that Ayano, wanted to fight. It was that the routine could become boring even for someone with her amount of patience. Inwardly, she wondered whether even Admiral Leon was having any second thoughts on the matter.

Perhaps it was a blessing that they did not have any attacks. Due to her brief entanglement with the other side as well as her past experiences, Ayano was one of the few people who knew the secrets behind the starships' flawless design. She knew and felt the technology and the biological components integrated into the ships. It shouldn't have been a surprise when she found out that the ships had been developed with the same internal system of the Evangelion units fighting below. Nor should it have been a surprise when she found out just how young most of the pilots were.

'No, to most people, it should have been a surprise but not for me' she thought, glancing at Yoko. 'Not for us. After all we're much more a part of this than even Lawson knows, though he designed the ships. Knowing what we are, it should not have surprised me when I found out. But it did. And it scared me. Maybe because I wished that I would never find anything like that ever again. Yoko-san was surprised too but she still has her confidence.'

She looked at Momiji who had given up trying to stop the fight, and at Madoka who was still ranting. 'Maybe Yoko-san and I should have told them what we are. After all, they are our friends and I know we can trust them. Yoko-san thinks so too. But to know what we know would just put them in more danger. They would try to defend us and get hurt in the process.'

She sighed. 'No, we can't tell them. I wish the others were here as well so that there would be at least more of us. Then it wouldn't be so lonely with just Yoko-san and me. But each of them has their parts to do as well.'

Suddenly, she sensed something and snapped her head back.

Eyes widened, she looked at her best friend whose surprised gaze answered her unasked question. 'It can't be.'

They both stood up just as the alarms began to blare.

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Inside the NERV German Branch in Berlin, Commander Schoenberg prepared himself to face his extermination. The middle aged German held a Walther in one hand and a small and aimed a mounted automatic with the other. Set atop the highest level of the bridge, he fought along with his Second in Command and the techs that had been assigned at just below that level. Shooting at targets left and right, he grimly vowed to make sure that his death would come at a high price for the enemy. The same enemy that was at the moment swarming and slaughtering what was left of his troops.

The attack had begun just a bare forty-five minutes earlier. He had been sitting in his office scrutinizing the latest development reports of the Angel and Evangelion research crew when his Second in Command burst through the door and announced that they were under attack bare moments before the alarms started to go off. He had quickly made his way to the bridge and there learned the horrifying truth of what was happening.

Dozens of mysterious attackers had somehow managed to enter the facility through just as many entry points undetected and had begun slaughtering his soldiers before they could even be identified. By the time he took over command of the bridge, a full quarter of his troops lay dead. The enemy had taken almost half of the facility and the breach reached as far as the Fifth level, just two levels from the Primary Command Bridge.

The attackers were as effective as they were mysterious. They were clothed entirely in black, cowls covering their faces. They moved with a blinding speed taking out entire battalions before a single soldier could even point his weapon. Strangely, the attackers carried no ranged weapons, only dual orange blades that protruded from the arms. Schoenberg had witnessed them slashing men completely in half with just a single strike.

The massacre had continued until he had authorized the use of Bakelite and grenades, rockets, and other explosives. It didn't stop them but it slowed them down. The first attackers seemed to be taken by surprise by the sudden upgrade in force and were completely blown apart. There were no bodies, however. He had seen for himself the disintegration the marauders seemed to go through when they died.

The barrage of explosives didn't slow them down for long. They somehow bypassed the Bakelite, as if it was a medium instead as a barrier. Orange shields flared to life, deflecting blasts and bullets as if they were mere pebbles and slight breezes. But the massive hail of projectiles wasn't completely useless. Now and then, a concentration would break through a shield and a body would be seen falling, disintegrating into particles as it hit the ground. But more attackers always replaced the fallen.

Now pandemonium reigned over the facility. Whenever they had managed to penetrate the defense, the attackers would quickly slaughter those who were left. They moved in bursts of speed and once in close range, the soldiers were no match against them. Troops fell like tender shoots before the pelting hail of blades.

Schoenberg uttered a curse as his remaining troops were completely decimated. The attackers were leaping and running like shadows up the stairs and over the barricades, making jumps ten feet high and doing so at a speed that could not possibly be human. He aimed the machinegun at a passageway, swiveling it from side to side, shifting the aim constantly so as to hit as many points as possible. It worked to an extent. He saw two more disintegrate, the orange shields unable to protect them from all sides.

Then his Second in Command fell, sliced through the back by an invisible blade. He saw the techs die, almost at the same time, their guns in splinters. Realizing he was the only one left, he turned and jumped backwards off the bridge, firing the Walther at a veiled face. He saw a pair of red eyes flash out from under the cowl before they vanished, the particles swirling around where the body had been. Schoenberg grinned, satisfied that he had been able to take that one out. He was content that he had managed to do all he could.

Then the rest of the attackers leapt towards him from above, the sides, intercepting him from below. His body was slashed to pieces before it reached the ground.

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"Prepare for immersion."

Dr. Akagi's voice sounded inside the entry plug of the Third Child as the LCL began pouring in. Moments later, he could feel his connection with Unit 01 deepening, broadening as the giant mecha's senses intertwined with his own. And with it, the connection to his mother.

"Hello Shinji."

Shinji turned down the volume of his voice transmitter before replying. Though he didn't need to speak to communicate with his mother, he couldn't take the chance of speaking his thoughts out loud. He decided to get right to the point.

"Hello mother."

"Are you all right?"

"I swear everybody's asking me that today."

"Why wouldn't they? With everything that's happening, I think they would be concerned."

Shinji took a deep breath of LCL.

"You know about it?"

"I feel it. The Evangelion's ability to generate and detect other AT fields helps me. And my own gift, though not as developed as yours, helps me as well. But I don't know where it is from or what caused it."

"Then you don't know anything about it?" Shinji didn't know whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

"Sorry, no. Your father might know something though."

Shinji looked towards the bridge where his father was observing the test.

"Why. . ."

"Because he would go crazy if he really knew about my condition, Shinji. He might grow even more desperate. That wouldn't really help anybody would it?" Yui answered her son's question before he finished it.

"I know. I'm sorry but I sometimes feel that if we all didn't have a need to keep secrets, then we wouldn't be where we are at the moment."

"It's alright to feel that way. But you must be strong for a little while longer."

"Thank you, Mother."

"All right, dear. But you better get your concentration back to the test or Naoko's daughter might get suspicious."

As if on cue, Ritsuko turned towards his monitor and asked. "Are you all right, Shinji? Your sync rate is fluctuating."

Shinji suppressed the urge to groan and answered instead.

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something. I'm fine now. Really! Sorry."

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Atop a high building, two figures lay, their bodies intertwined, one over the other. One was tall with a lean but hardy built, while the other was almost diminutive, just over half her partner's height. She was asleep, her head on his chest, while he continued to look into a visor.

Suddenly, she stirred. "What's wrong," she asked, sitting up on his lap, her deep maroon irises staring into his own maroon eyes.

'Do we all have the same eye color?' he silently mused. Out loud, he replied. "I've been monitoring their communications. Two of their bases were attacked. One was the outer space facility where two of the others are."

"What do we do about it?"

"Nothing. Not until the others decide to do something."

"Then rest. It's meaningless for you to keep watch if there is nothing you can do. Just set yourself so that you're alerted when a message comes from them."

"I feel better knowing what happens to them."

Settling down into his chest again, she replied. "Suit yourself. Tell me when they call."

They continued to listen as the battle began and ended.

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In a covered area, just outside visual range of the former NERV branch of Germany, two other figures stood, hidden by the shadows. One was obviously a female, her black garb trailing behind her and opening towards the front as if to create maximum maneuverability while still retaining some sense of style. The other, a male, was dressed in a cloak of the same color, it's folds arranged in such a way that he might have been mistaken for a man of the Church. Though strange, they could be considered as nothing out of the ordinary in a country such as Belgium if it weren't for their eyes, eyes that glowed a brilliant crimson.

"We're too late." He murmured quietly.

The girl turned her head towards him.

"We best report this to our superiors."

The girl nodded and began to set up their communication equipment. Her companion stopped her with a hand and she looked up at him.

"And tell him as well. He needs to know about this." He intoned in a barely audible voice. She nodded again.

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End of Chapter 2

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Author's Notes

First and foremost I would like to thank Eternally Lost Zeppo, funvince, Amber Caitlain, dennisud 2015, Gopu, and seeker for being the first ones to review my story. I hope that you enjoy the rest.

Second, as of this chapter, most of the main characters have been presented, if not properly introduced. A few others will be uncovered in the next chapter. Their complete identities shall not be revealed for a few chapters yet. After all, "Unknown Secrets" is a story about secrets.

Third, I would like to thank the creators of "Starship Girls: Yamamoto Yoko". Actually, the title character's resemblance to a certain green-eyed, brown-haired scientist was one of the inspirations for the story.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Ms. Ayanami, Rakna, Random1377, and The Seldon Planner for their works of fanfiction. They made up the rest of my inspirations.

Edit: This chapter has been rewritten to delete a few errors. Thanks to de Wardes for pointing out them out.