Neon Genesis Evangelion:More Than Meets the Eye

by FallenWarrior101

Badly damaged and thrust into the world of Evangelion, the remains of Optimus Prime are found by NERV while Megatron's are found by a different source...rated T for future violence. Chapter 4 reposted

4. Chapter 4: Megatron's Resurrection

Neon Genesis Evangelion: More Than Meets the Eye

Copyright: In case you haven't guessed yet, I still don't own Evangelion or Transformers. If I did, Optimus Prime wouldn't have died in 'Transformers: The Movie', and Evangelion would have had a better ending.

I've noticed that these chapters keep getting longer and longer. A trend? Perhaps. . .

I would have updated this fic sooner, but thanks to this crashing computer of mine, I have had to rewrite a few sections of this fic. (Please allow the author of this fic a few minutes to go and bash his head against the wall several times to rid himself of his frustration). Sorry for the inconvenience.

I reposted this chapter because I noticed quite a few mistakes in the original draft. Sorry I couldn't post a new chapter yet.

We now return to 'Neon Genesis Evangelion: More Than Meets the Eye'

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Chapter 4: Megatron's Resurrection

Part 1

Ka-Pop!

The sound from the toaster told Shinji that his toast was done. After buttering it in his own careful way, he proceeded to eat his breakfast while Pen-Pen sat on the floor beside him, eating his own breakfast of fish and. . . beer.

Looking at the bird out of the corner of his eye as Pen-Pen took a swig of the beverage, the boy couldn't help but think, 'Man, it's hard to tell who has worse habits, Misato or this bird!'

Ever since Shinji had come to live with Misato, it was pretty much up to him to keep the place clean (thanks to a slightly unfair game of rock, paper, scissors). He could remember the day he first came to live with her; food wrappers on the floor, dirty dishes in and around the sink, full garbage bags, all sorts of feminine clothes hanging off of everything, and beer cans galore, 'as far as the eye could see'. Since then, he had kept everything in tip-top order, and with almost no help from Misato. Not that he minded it that much, but there were times when both Misato and Pen- Pen tried his undying patience

Just then, Misato came into the room, in her usual morning way. A grumbled 'good mornin', a loud, unladylike yawn, and more grumbling. She walked over to the fridge, grabbed the cure all for all problems, a beer, and plunked down at the table across from Shinji.

'3, 2, 1. . .' Shinji counted down silently as Misato chugged down the can of beer in a few short gulps.

"YEEEE-HHAAWWW!!! Oh yeah, that's the way to start your morning!" shouted a now very awake and very happy Misato. Shinji often wondered how this woman could be so neat and professional at work, but act like she was still a sloppy teenager at home.

Shinji gave her a funny look. "Er, what's wrong with coffee?"

Lowering her beer, the Captain of NERV looked at him as if he had just grew another head.

"You got a problem with tradition?! Don't you know that a traditional Japanese breakfast is steamed rice, miso soup, and a little sake?"

'So where's the rice and soup?' thought Shinji as he said aloud "Your tradition maybe. And by the way, whose turn was it to cook today, hmmm?" At this point, Misato averted her gaze and gritted her teeth.

Shinji let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes as if in deep thought.

"Well, we now know why a woman your age is still single. If your not careful, you're going to be an old maid, Misato," said Shinji, a barely there smirk on his face.

Misato glared at him, her right eye twitching and a crazy smile stretched across her face. "Are you saying that I'm lazy?!" she growled, daring him to continue.

He nodded. "And sloppy to!"

Misato turned away in a huff. "Oh, leave me alone!"

And so, another day at the Katsuragi/Ikari residence began.

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2 hours later
Location: Tokyo 3 school building

Shinji looked out the window of his classroom, staring at the wreckage of the Fifth Angel, it's clear blue bulk cracked and crumbling from the demolition crews that were hired by NERV to dispose of it. His classmates for the biggest part ignored the dead Angel, the battle of Eva, Autobot and Angel several days gone. They all had more pressing things to worry about today, namely the Parent/Teacher conference today. The girls of the school were for the most part were just worried about the usual things that the adults discussed at these meetings, grades, behavior and the like. The boy's on the other hand were all worrying about something else entirely: whether or not Ikari's guardian would show up or not.

Kensuke and Toji had spread the news far and wide about how Shinji's guardian and boss was such a babe. Because their info on Optimus had proved to be true, everybody believed them and were now anticipating the arrival of Misato Katsuragi.

Shinji looked over at his friends, who were now discussing (or bragging, as it were) to their fellow classmates about the last battle. Kensuke and Toji were the only ones that stayed and watched the battle, and Kensuke had once again recorded everything that happened with the new camcorder he had just bought. He was now showing a couple of girls a sample of the battle with the small screen attachment, bragging how he braved all odds so he could share this 'piece of history' to the world. Well, at least to some of the girls at his school.

Just as Shinji was about to shake his head at the absurdity of it all, the screeching of tires in the school's parking lot tore his attention away from his friends.

"SHE CAME!!!" shouted Toji as he and Kensuke rushed to the window, with the male members of their class in tow behind them.

Every boy in the building practically hung out the windows of the school, watching the as the gorgeous Captain of NERV got out of her car and walked into building, smiling and waving the whole time. The gathering of adolescent males all waved back and shouted out greetings to her, each and every one of them grinning like idiots, all the while wondering how somebody like Shinji could luck out and get to live with a woman like her. Meanwhile the girls all shook their heads and wondered what was so special about the older woman anyway.

Shinji shook his head at his friends as they drooled over the violet haired woman and their wishing that she were their girlfriend. 'If only you knew what kind of a slob she is. . .'

All Shinji could do was pray that Misato wouldn't embarrass him in front of the school.

As the elderly teacher entered the room, Hikari had all the student's take their seats, and do the daily rise, bow, sit routine. As Shinji took his seat, he allowed his mind to wonder as the teacher went on again about the Second Impact and how it affected the world's economy, briefly wondering what Optimus and Rei were doing.

Location: NERV, Unit 00 storage bay

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The bed of the massive shipping truck rattled and shook violently as Optimus dropped another piece of Unit 00's yellow armor into it. For the past several hours Prime had been removing the metal plate from the Eva, often having to cut and pry it loose from the organic body. Though the shield had taken the brunt of the blast, most of the armor in the front had been melted just enough to pretty much weld most of it into a solid piece. The ruined metal was to be shipped out and recycled back into new armor for the Eva Unit.

Ritsuko stood near by on a platform, watching as the Autobot did his handiwork on Rei's Eva. Thanks to him, the process of replacing the armor was going much faster than it would have if the human workers at NERV had to do it.

For the biggest part, Unit 00 had only suffered surface damage to its armor, leaving the biological part of it 92% intact. In a few weeks, the prototype Eva would be as good as new.

Ritsuko tapped her pen on her lips as she watched Optimus remove a piece of the melted metal from the right leg of Unit 00, thinking about the previous battle. Though the Fifth Angel's A.T. field deflected most of the Energon blasts from Optimus Prime's gun, some of them broke through and wounded it. According to her research, while a Transformer was incapable of generating an A.T. field, the strongest of their weapons could penetrate them, such as Prime's Gun and his Axe. Even now, some of the researchers at NERV were tying to find ways to integrate Energon weapon technology into the Eva weapons, including an Energon powered Prog knife.

Though there were still some at NERV that still didn't entirely trust Optimus Prime, he and Ritsuko had become quick friends. Often times the found themselves talking to each other, telling one another about events in their lives, or telling each other about their friends. While Prime was attending to Unit 00, he told Dr. Akagi about his old friends: the optimistic Jazz, serious Prowl, cheerful little Bumblebee, the historian, Bluestreak, the resourceful Wheeljack and Ratchet, Ironhide and his Southern attitude, the slow witted but incredibly strong Brawn, and the others that had crashed on Earth with him. After he finished how story about the Dinobots were built, and the ramifications of their presence with the Autobots, Ritsuko told him about her college days with Misato and her boyfriend, Kaji Ryoji. She was busy telling Optimus about the aftermath of a certain party they had attended when 2nd Commander Fuyusuki walked up to them.

"Well, apparently, Misato had to much to drink, so Kaji helped walk her over to his car."

Prime chuckled, and nodded his head. "Sounds like she and Ratchet would have gotten along quite well. He was quite the party 'bot. What happened then?"

"Kaji kept asking her if she was going to throw up, and Misato kept shaking her head and saying no. Yet no sooner does she gets into his car, she places her hands over her stomach and threw up on his seat. His brand new leather seat, no less! I can still remember the look on his face!!"

Prime threw back his head and roared with laughter, his metallic voice bouncing off the walls, deafening everyone in the room. He recalled a similar story, one that involved Bumblebee and his human friend Spike. They were in the same predicament Kaji and Misato were in. Spike was helping a girlfriend of his over to Bumblebee, who was in car mode at the time. Optimus could still see the disgusted look on his little friend's face when he returned to the Autobot base, grumbling about drunk humans and tossed cookies.

Ritsuko's and Prime's mirth was cut short by the sound of Fuyusuki clearing his throat.

"Well, I see we are all having fun today. It makes me so glad to see that we can all make NERV such a happy, wonderful place," smiled Fuyusuki, his hands in his pockets.

Ritsuko scratched the back of her head and chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Commander, but Prime and I were talking to help pass the time, and. . . well, we got a little carried away."

"Hmmm, just a little? The foundations of NERV practically shook when our big metal friend here laughed his head off. I'm surprised that he didn't set off the Magi!" Fuyusuki shook his head, but the smile never left his face.

Turning to Optimus Prime, Fuyusuki appraised the mighty Robot, looking Optimus up and down several times.

"So, I finally get to meet Optimus Prime face to face, and you're much more alive than when I first saw you. To be honest, I'm still surprise that you function at all, considering how damaged you were when we found you. Then again, you had NERV rebuilding you with the best tools and repair teams tax dollars can buy."

Optimus bent down towards the 2nd Commander. "Greetings, Commander Fuyusuki. According to the files that Dr. Akagi here gave me, you were among the first to find me. I thank you."

Fuyusuki smiled and waved his hand. "There's no need to thank me, Optimus Prime. No offence, but at the time, we thought that you would be just a useful weapon against the Angels. It wasn't until years later when we figured out what you truly were. Besides, it was Commander Ikari who ordered us to bring you to NERV."

For a second, both Ritsuko and Fuyusuki noticed that Prime's optics glowed slightly brighter for an instant, and they could have sworn that a wave of malice crossed his face when Fuyusuki mentioned Gendo Ikari.

Optimus folded his arms across his chest and let out frustrated sigh. 'Commander Ikari. . . , has my gratitude for having me repaired. However, my gratitude stops short at that. Any man who would abandon his own son and then call him back only to use him as a tool of war disgusts me to no end. Withholding the Matrix from me even when I promised to fight the Angels infuriates me as well."

Ritsuko bit her lip and looked down at the floor. Fuyusuki frowned slightly and shifted his weight. They both knew the reasons why Gendo Ikari had left his son in the care of his uncle and aunt, and why he was keeping the Matrix from Optimus, but they were under orders not to reveal them to anybody, especially Prime.

Fuyusuki cleared his throat and turned to Dr. Akagi, and changed the subject.

"I came over here to inform you that the meeting with the 'Jet Alone' project has been confirmed, and that you and Misato are to attend. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you."

Ritsuko nodded and turned to Optimus.

"Misato and I have to go to a U.N. meeting concerning a project on new weapons developed for this war against the Angels. We're to go there and represent NERV, ask a few questions, and we will probably be back within a couple of days. In the meantime, could you keep an eye on Shinji and Rei for us when they're here for their Sync tests?"

Optimus nodded. "Of course. Since the Children and I will be fighting the Angels together, it would be best for the three of us to get to know each other better."

Ritsuko smiled. "Good, heaven knows that those two could use a couple more friends. Who knows, maybe if you told them a little more about yourself and your old friends, maybe they would be more open about themselves."

"Very well," said Prime as he turned back to Unit 00. "In the meantime, I'll do my best to get this armor off and get it replaced as soon as I can."

As Optimus and Ritsuko continued to talk, Fuyusuki turned and walked back towards his office. Right now, he had some pressing issues to take care of.

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sometime later Commander Ikari's office

Gendo Ikari sat at his black marble desk with his gloved hands folded in front of his face, his eyes hidden behind the rose tinted lenses of his glasses. He watched as Dr. Ritsuko read over the file titled 'Jet Alone' that he had given her just two minutes prior.

"So, do you understand your objective, Dr. Akagi?"

The blond haired woman looked up from the file at the man before her, and did her best to suppress a shiver. In the darkness of the room, Gendo Ikari sembled a medieval gargoyle as he sat hunched over his desk. Quickly, she cleared her throat.

"Yes, Sir. I know how to take care of this."

"Good, now go and inform Katsuragi, she will accompany you."

"Yes Sir."

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The next day
Ikari/Katsuragi residence

Ka-pop!

Shinji removed his toast from the toaster while Pen-Pen sat beside him and ate his usual breakfast of fish and beer. As Shinji crunched and munched his toast, his eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall. In about thirty to forty-five minutes, Misato would drag her way out of her room and go through her daily ritual of morning beer drinking. Sitting back in his chair, he couldn't help but smile. He loved this time of the day, the warm rising sun at the window, no noisy friends, no sync tests, and no drunk, teasing Misato's pestering him.

Yep, life was good.

At least, it was good up to the point when he saw one of the most bizarre things he had seen since he came to Tokyo 3; Angels, Evas, and Autobots included.

Misato, up before 7:00 a.m. instead of after 9:00 a.m.. Misato, dressed in a modest yet pleasant uniform. But most shocking of all. . .

Captain Misato Katsuragi. . . was sober.

Shinji gaped at her, his toast slipping from his nerveless fingers and onto the floor. Pen-Pen, who had known Misato longer, stared at her, his beady eyes bugging out of his head as his beer drenched fish slid out of his mouth and back into his bowl with a splat. Shaking his head numbly, Pen-Pen waddled over to the fridge and took out several more beers, figuring that he wasn't drunk enough and was now hallucinating strange things. Popping one open, the pet penguin chugged down the alcohol as fast as he could, casting odd looks over at Misato every now and then.

Misato sighed softly. "Good Morning," she said, her arms folded across her chest.

"G-good morning, M-Misato," stuttered Shinji, who was still recovering from the shock. Who was this woman!? And where was Misato, the lazy, sloppy, carefree and usually drunk Misato he knew?

Putting on a pair of shoes, Misato addressed Shinji in a level tone. Her words were short and to the point.

"I'm going to old Tokyo on business. I'll probably be back here late, so have something delivered for dinner," Misato said softly as she left the apartment. "Bye."

Shinji blinked. "Um, okay, sure."

As the door closed behind Misato, Shinji turned to his animal companion

"Did. . .you see what I just saw?

Pen-Pen nodded, slurping down his forth beer.

Shinji shrugged. 'Huh. Women, who can figure them?' he thought as he put more bread into the toaster.

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Several hours later

All around Misato and Ritsuko, large groups of people sat their tables, talking and laughing. Most of them were rich fat cats and military leaders from the U.N., people who had placed huge investment in the 'Jet Alone Project'. Misato and Ritsuko both sat alone at their table, sipping their drinks and waiting for the conference to begin. Eventually, the spokesman finally got up from his table and walked up to the platform before the group of people. He spent the next several minutes were spent thanking everyone for coming.

"And in a few minutes, we will all go to the control room to observe the actual demonstration, but first, we'll be answering a few of your questions."

Ritsuko raised her hand.

The spokesman smiled. "Ah yes, the famous Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, It's a pleasure to have you here for this demonstration," he said, though the grin on his face reminded her more of a wolf's smile rather than a friendly smile. Ritsuko inwardly frowned. 'He knows something', she thought.

Taking a mike from the table, she got up and cleared her throat.

"The unit is equipped with an internal nuclear reactor, is this correct?"

The spokesman smiled broadly. "Correct. This is our products most distinguished feature, guaranteeing 150 days of continuous operating power."

"I see. But from a safety perspective, isn't it rather risky to incorporate a nuclear reactor inside a land based weapon designed for hand to hand combat?" asked Ritsuko.

"We think it's more practical than a weapon that won't work for more than five minutes," he smirked. "Plus, it's more humane than a system that induces tremendous mental stress and causes mental instability in the pilot," he said with a smug look while Ritsuko grit her at the subtle insult.

"Be quiet, you're both acting like children," mumbled Misato, who had already gotten quite bored.

"And there's still the issue about manual control," began Ritsuko, ignoring her friend.

"I would think that it is much safer than an extremely dangerous weapon that has been known to go berserk in the middle of the city," he replied holding up a folder that said 'TOP SECRET- eyes only' across the front. On the screen behind him was a still picture of Unit one, its giant mouth open wide emitting a silent howl of hate for the Angel it had fought. Gasps and murmurs of shock and fear where heard through the room. The spokesman continued.

"A weapon that can not be controlled, it's insane. It's like a hysterical woman: it can not be controlled!" he said the same smug look never leaving his face.

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes slightly, forcing herself not to run up to the pompous fool and tear his face apart. Instead, she spoke to him in a calm voice.

"Regardless, NERV has the only weapon that's capable of defeating the Angels," she said with some pride, hoping to put him in his place.

"Oh, you mean the A.T. Field, and. . .this?" he replied, a familiar shape coming up on the screen behind him: Optimus Prime. One picture was of him slicing through the Forth Angel's left appendage. A second showed him firing his gun at the Fifth Angel, and a short video showed him transforming into truck mode. But the most shocking were some black and white pictures of him when he was being repaired, the old photo's showing slightly hazy pictures of Optimus with his internal motors and circuitry exposed. Ritsuko and Misato stared in shock as people spoke in low murmurs around them.

"It's only a matter of time before we can master the A.T. Field with science, and build our own transforming machine, Dr. Akagi. NERV's day in the sun will not last for long," finished the spokesman, his arms folded across his chest.

As applause rang throughout the room, Ritsuko let out a shuddering sigh. "No further questions."

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2 hours later
location: locker room

Misato snarled as she took out her anger and frustration out on a locker door, a huge dent already formed by the brutal attacks made by her foot.

"&#% him!" Misato practically shrieked, her normally cheerful brown eyes blazing with intense fury. "Those jerks are just ticked off 'cause they got cut out of their share of the loot! Oooooh, I wish that I could tear off that smug face of his, shove it into this locker, and –and kick it again and again and again!! Aarrgg!!!" As if to emphasize her point, she proceeded to kick the locker even harder, tearing small holes in it with the heel of her shoe.

Ritsuko turned from her small task of melting her copy of the 'Jet Alone' folder over a small flame and addressed her friend.

"Misato! Cut that out and behave yourself! He's just a show off, someone looking for praise and adulation. He's petty, not worthy of attention."

"Yeah, but how does that smug S.O.B. know about the A.T. field and Optimus!?" Misato retorted, her face a mixture of immense anger and confusion.

Ritsuko sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know. I can understand how he would know about Prime, it isn't like we have been very discreet with him. But for that guy to know about the A.T. field and to have those photo's . . .that's all classified information!"

Misato shook her head in disgust. "Security must be dragging their butts!" she growled, placing her hands on her hips. Suddenly, a horrible thought came to her.

"You. . .you don't think that they know about Energon or the Matrix, do you? Or what Optimus really is?"

Ritsuko dropped the remains of the folder in the trashcan beside her a turned a knowing smile to her friend.

"Very unlikely. Prime and the A.T. field were highly classified, but Energon and the Matrix are even more so for obvious reasons. As for him and his superiors knowing about Optimus and his real origins. . . I doubt it. If you remember, he said it was 'only a matter of time before they build their own transforming robot.' Thanks to those pictures, they obviously think that we built Optimus, instead of actually repairing him. Those photo's were taken just after he was found, right before NERV security was up to its present form. Plus, if they knew anything about Energon, the Matrix, or Optimus, he would have mentioned it just to rub our faces in it." Ritsuko leaned back in her chair and smirked.

"And even if they did know, it wouldn't do them any good. I spent years trying to make an Energon Generator, and with no success. And besides that, the Transformation process is decades, possibly centuries ahead of our time. Even NERV would be hard pressed to make even the crudest Transformer."

Misato closed her eyes and turned her head up towards the ceiling, a smile forming on her face.

"Your right! Even with what they do know, the chances of them of making even a functional A.T. field anytime soon is unlikely!" Walking towards the door, Misato turned her head towards Ritsuko.

"Well, shall we go and see what their nuclear rust bucket can really do?"

It was Ritsuko's turn to smile.

"Yes, lets go see," she said softly, the smile never leaving her face.

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1 hour later
Location:NERV

Rei Ayanami walked down the empty hallways of NERV, her footsteps barely making any sound as she walked towards her destination. Her sync tests ended an hour ago, and she had just taken a shower to wash the LCL off of her body. Now dressed in her school uniform, she was on her way back to her apartment. Her mind went back briefly to the day when Shinji Ikari had come to her apartment to deliver her new NERV I.D. card. Her pail cheeks turned slightly pink as she thought of what happened. She had just come out of the shower, clad in only her towel, and standing there in the main room was Shinji, examining a pair of Commander Ikari's old glasses that were in her possession. What happened afterward . . .

The thought of it made her blush more and she pushed it out of her mind. After all, it didn't concern Eva, so it didn't matter.

Something that did concern Eva, though, was Optimus Prime. The giant robot was among one of NERV's and Commander Ikari's greatest kept secrets, something that even she didn't know about until recently. Her steps decreased in speed as she went down the hall, she continued to think about Prime. True, Optimus had saved Shinji and her when the Fifth Angel had attacked, but still . . .

Rei recalled the short trip back to NERV in the hands of Optimus Prime, sitting side by side with Shinji. Never before in her life did she feel so . . . protected. Even Commander Ikari, the man that was the closest thing she had to a father, even he did not produce such feelings in her. And then there was Shinji . . .

-'If you're happy, you should . . . smile.'-

'Am I happy?' thought Rei, In all honesty, she had nothing to be sad about, but she didn't have anything that made her really happy either. Did she?

Rei nodded to Maya and Shigero as she passed by them, the two bridge bunnies smiled back as they passed her on their way to their coffee break. The simple facial expression of her two coworkers caused Rei to ponder her question further.

'Am I happy? I . . . am not sure. Are Maya and Shigero happy?' Rei turned back to peer at the pair behind her, just as the brown haired Maya suddenly laughed at something Shigero said.

'It certainly appears that they do. They seem to enjoy each other's company. They are friends after all. . .' Rei's brow furrowed as this piece of info went through her mind.

'Do I. . . have friends?'

Her silent question echoed in her mind. Was Commander Ikari her friend? No, he was her parent figure and superior, but not really her friend. Dr. Akagi or Captain Misato? No, they too were her superiors. Maya, Shigero, or Matoko? They were coworkers, and they treated her fairly, but they weren't her friends either. Her classmates? No, most of the people at her school, students and teachers alike, tended to avoid her as much as possible.

'No, I do not have friends,' she thought, a hint of sadness going through her.

'What about Shinji and Optimus Prime?' She thought suddenly.

Other than the Commander, Shinji was the only person that went out of his way to talk to her. Of course, their conversations were few, and they usually involved work, but still he talked to her, always smiling and blushing more often than not. Could he be called a friend to her?

'Perhaps . . .' mused Rei. The young boy was pleasant enough to be around, and he wasn't as annoying as some of her classmates. Plus he had proven himself trustworthy.

Optimus Prime . . . well, while he still confused her, and while she didn't know him that well, she felt that she could trust him. When she and Shinji were in his hand after their battle with the Fifth Angel, Rei felt safer there than she had anywhere else, including being with Commander Ikari, or inside her Eva.

Rei suddenly remembered her mental note to have a talk with Optimus Prime. Now would be the best time she would ever have to do so. Taking a sudden right to an elevator, Rei redirected her course to the repair bay, intent on having her talk with the leader of the Autobots.

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location: NERV repair bay

Shinji wrinkled his nose in disgust as he looked at the morbid sight of a dis-armored Unit 00, the bile in his stomach threatening to force it's way out into the world in a very violent way. The Eva stood at attention in it's restraints, most of the armor on its body gone, save for the new blue colored armor that Optimus had just finished fitting on the battle machine's lower stomach. All over the rest of it's body were blood stained bandages, all crisscrossing across it making it look like a bizarre mummy from a really bad sci-fi movie. Wires and cables plugged into the chest and head in various places, giving the NERV technicians Unit 00's vital sighs and power readings. But the part that sickened Shinji the most was the face: though bandaged, it's mouth still showed, spreading across it's face in a maddening toothy grin, and it's single bloodshot eye peered out at the world in an endless, blank stare.

Turning away from the monstrous sight, the young Ikari looked over at Optimus Prime, who was now assembling the rest of the chest armor, sparking flying as the Autobot welded the pieces together with a welding tool that was built in his arm. Optimus had been telling him some stories about Cybertron, before he and his companions had crashed on Earth in their search for new energy sources. Shinji never grew tired of listening the Autobot leader's tales, no matter how long they were.

"So Cybertron is a planet that drifts through space? Doesn't that mean that it would eventually run into something, like a star, or another planet?"

Grunting with approval as he looked at the finished welding job, Optimus turned to the young Ikari.

"Well, Shinji," said Optimus, as he folded his rectangular arms across his chest, and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "The planet Cybertron has always been on a path through the cosmos that has pretty much missed all major planets and stars. Whether by chance or by choice of our forgotten creators, I do not know, that part of our Planet has always been a mystery to us. Occasionally Cybertron will pass to close to a planet and it's gravity will wreak havoc on that world; mercifully, though, most of the worlds that Cybertron passes are uninhabited gas planets. The only real threats from space are fields of asteroids, and we can use some of the weapons on Cybertron to blast a path through."

Shinji let out a shuddering sigh as he thought about what he had just been told, thankful that his own planet just revolved around the sun instead of hurtling through Space.

Just then, Shinji heard the sound of an elevator door opening. Turning around, he saw Rei come out of the elevator and walk silently towards him and Optimus.

"Oh, hi Rei, how are you feeling?" asked Shinji shyly. Her red eyes drifted over to the young Ikari.

"I am doing well, Pilot Ikari," Rei replied softly, her expression never changing. She glanced down at his hands, which had been bandaged after the last battle. Noticing the direction of her gaze, Shinji smiled sheepishly.

"The doctors said that I could take them off in the next day or so, just as long as I didn't aggravate my injuries to much," said Shinji shyly, answering Rei's unasked question.

Optimus smiled inwardly as he watched the two teens talk with each other. From the file that Ritsuko had given him, Shinji had spent most of his life as a loner, rarely talking to anybody, and thus having practically no friends. But as bad as Shinji was on the subject, Rei was even worse, saying only a few whispered words, and only to a select few people. It would be nice to see the two young humans get together some day, mused Optimus silently.

Optimus was shaken from his thoughts when Rei turned to him and addressed him softly.

"Optimus Prime."

Looking down at the pale girl, who was staring back up at him with an intense stare, Optimus couldn't help but feel curious. After all, this was the first time that the blue haired girl had talked to him.

"Yes, Rei Ayanami, is there something I can help you with?" asked Optimus politely.

"Yes, I have a question that needs answering," said Rei softly as she stared up at the Autobot.

Optimus nodded to her. "Very well, ask away."

Her gaze never wavering, Rei proceeded with her question. "My question is this: Why do you fight Megatron and the Decepticons?"

Shinji stared at her in shock and Optimus couldn't help but step back in surprise.

"Hasn't anybody told you about my origins?" asked Prime, shock still flowing through his system.

"Yes. Shinji has already told me about your history."

"Then you should know why I and my fellow Autobots have fought the Decepticons."

"Yes, for the control of your home world, Cybertron. But I still do not see why you fight them."

Shaking his head, Optimus tried to rid himself of the confusion he was feeling.

"I-, I'm afraid I do not know what you're trying to say. Explain."

"You wish for your war to end, correct?" asked Rei. Optimus nodded.

"And you and your people are fully capable of relocating yourselves to a different world, or build a new one else where, correct?" Again, Optimus nodded.

"Then why not do that?" Rei asked softly. "Why not let the Decepticons have the Planet of Cybertron and go elsewhere. It would end the war, and both the Decepticons and the Autobots would be content."

Understanding suddenly came to Optimus as he listened to the red eyed girl before him. It was a question that he had asked shortly after the war had begun, and he had been set up as leader. A question that had been quickly answered by Megatron himself.

"The Decepticons. . . were not just content with having just Cybertron. Megatron has always sought not only to control Cybertron, but control over the whole universe. He and the rest of the Decepticons have made this their ultimate goal, seeking to destroy what was left of the Autobot resistance, and anyone else that would oppose them, and to make all those who where not Decepticons slaves to the Decepticon cause. So you see, we do not fight just for Cybertron, but for the whole universe."

Rei's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But still, wouldn't it make more sense for you and all other worlds just to join the Decepticons without argument? Wouldn't it make more sense for all to be united under one rule without any more bloodshed?"

"Perhaps," murmured Prime, as he looked at the young girl. "But you see the Decepticons seek to remove all freedom from all others, making their cause a selfish one, and although it may be easier for everyone to be under one rule, I have always believed that free will is the right of all sentient beings."

Rei blinked, taken aback by the Autobots strange words.

Just then, Maya's voice sounded over the NERV building's speakers.

"Pilot Ikari, report in at the Unit 01 storage bay, Optimus Prime, report in at the NERV aircraft field, this is a Priority 1 emergency! I repeat, this is a Priority 1 emergency!"

Shinji shot Rei a quick grin.

"I-I guess I'll see you later then, Ayanami," he said as he ran off to Unit 01's storage bay. She nodded, and allowed herself a small smile, and found herself asking herself again: Are Optimus and Ikari my friends? Before she could answer her own silent question, Optimus Prime spoke to her.

"I must be going now, Pilot Ayanami. I hope you found the answer to your question. . .enlightening." With that, he turned and quickly made his way towards the NERV aircraft field.

As Rei watched the Giant Robot walk swiftly away, she reflected on his last words. Instead of feeling enlightened, she found herself filled with even more questions. With a small frown on her face, she turned and went on her way to her apartment, the words of Optimus Prime echoing in her mind.

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1 hour later

"Hold on a second! You mean that after they activated their Jet Alone robot, it malfunctioned, and now it's out of control and is on it's way to Atsugi City?!" screeched Shinji, his voice cracking. Misato had given him and Optimus an update of what happened at what was supposed to be the official test run of the 'Jet Alone', and had also told them what they all had to do to stop it. Currently, Shinji sat across from Misato in his plug suit while Optimus had parked in truck mode within the cargo hold of the aircraft they were all on, his circuits hooked up to the communication system.

"Yep, that's pretty much it. Oh, did I mention that it's nuclear powered and is ready to blow?" Misato watched as Shinji turned completely pale, and pursed her lips together when she heard Optimus let out a soft groan of disgust and mumble, "They were going to use a nuclear powered machine to fight the Angels? Don't they know how much damage an Angel can inflict? Foolish humans. . ."

Misato sighed and silently agreed with Prime. 'Indeed, foolish humans. But then, aren't we all?'

"Anyway, I'm going to go into Jet Alone and Shut it down manually, and there's a danger that it might begin to meltdown in five minutes. Therefore, we can not afford to have it get to a populated area. Once we see it, Shigero will get this aircraft down closer to the ground to lessen our impact when Optimus hits the ground. Optimus?"

"Yes, Captain Katsuragi?"

"When we hit the ground, I need you to carry Unit 01 and drive up alongside the target. Shinji, once Optimus has done this, I need you to jump off and grab Jet Alone, and prevent it from advancing any further. As soon as you do so, place me onto it, and you and Optimus must keep it from moving, got that, you two?"

"You're going to go on that thing?! And break into it?!" Shinji exclaimed, shocked beyond words.

"That's right!" smiled Misato.

Shinji shook his head. "But that's just crazy!"

"I know, but there is no other way," Misato said softly.

"Captain Katsuragi, it's to dangerous. The hazard level is off the charts!!!" said Optimus, Shinji nodding in agreement at his statement.

"Don't worry, Unit 01's armor will protect you from the blast, Shinji, and the Magi calculated that your Cybertronian armor increased in density from your trip into this dimension, and is now more that capable to withstand a nuclear blast."

"That not what he meant, he meant you, Misato!!" Shinji shouted.

"Well, I've got to give it my best shot, my conscience won't let me do otherwise." Misato said, smiling gently, while Shinji just glared at her with a hard look in his eyes and Optimus mumbled, "This woman is crazy," a hint of admiration in his voice.

"We have the target within sight!" Shigero shouted. Below the 'Jet Alone' sped across the desert floor, moving at insane speeds towards it destination of destruction. Mostly white with red shoulders, it was an ugly machine with segmented arms and legs; above it's neckless head and torso, six long rods stuck out resembling horns or spines. It's long metal legs kicked up clouds of sand as it made it's way across the desert below.

"Alright then, everybody knows what to do then, so lets do this," said Misato, wishing all the while that she was as confident as she sounded.

She and Shinji quickly made their way down to Unit 01, which was crouched on a truck mode Optimus Prime. After she made sure that Shinji was safely inside the Eva's Entry Plug, Misato climbed down onto Unit 01's left hand. Pressing a button on the glove covering her right hand, Misato activated the magnetic holds in the hands and feet of her suit, securing her grip on the metal surface of the Eva's purple hand. Taking a deep breath, she pressed a button on the side of her helmet, speaking directly to Shigero.

"Alright, Shigero, open the hatch!"

The hatch door below Optimus and the Eva unit opened suddenly, sending the small group of machines and humans hurtling down toward the desert below.

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Optimus hit the ground with an ear shattering bang, his massive rubber tires kicking up rocks and giant plumes of dust, his motor roaring as he sped after the Robotic time-bomb. Unit 01 crouched on his truck bed, it's right hand gripping Optimus Prime's smokestack while the left gently cradled Misato.

Misato once again found herself grateful that Optimus was present. Had it been just been Unit 01, catching up to the nuclear robot would have been an extremely bumpy and somewhat slower ride, but Optimus Prime's truck form withstood the desert terrain far better than any Earth made vehicle would have.

Closing her eyes behind the glass visor of her helmet, Misato couldn't help but smile broadly as she enjoyed the ride. Her reputation for being a reckless driver was well known throughout Tokyo 3 (mostly to her friends and members of the police force), but never before had she obtained such speed before. A small adrenaline rush went through her system as Prime continued to pick up speed, and she found herself almost wishing that it would take a little longer to get to their target.

Misato opened her eyes, and saw that they had almost caught up with the speeding robot. As Optimus pulled up along side of it, Misato pressed the button on her helmet, she cleared her throat as she addressed her companions.

"Alright, you guys, are you two ready for this?" Misato shouted into her intercom, somehow hiding the fear that was coursing through her. After all, in a few minutes she would inside the heart of a walking nuclear bomb.

"Ready, Captain Katsuragi!" rumbled Optimus.

"R-ready!" said Shinji, nervousness heavy in his voice.

The Captain of NERV took a deep breath.

"GO!!"

Unit 01sprang off of Prime's truck bed, it's right hand reaching out for the malfunctioning machine. Upon grabbing a hold of a ridge of metal along the nuclear powered robot's shoulder, Shinji willed the purple Eva to dig it's heels down into the ground, stopping it. The robot's arms continued to sway back and forth in a bizarre mechanical way despite the fact that it had stopped moving. Meanwhile, Optimus had swerved to the right just as Unit 01 had leapt off of him, positioning himself in front of the runaway robot. Initiating his transformation process, Prime's truck form unfolding back into his robot mode.

Slamming his massive blue hands into the 'Jet Alone' robot's chest, Optimus dug the heels of his metallic feet into the desert soil, leaving massive trenches in their wake. His blue optics glowed brightly as he and Unit 01 kept the machine from moving, and he found himself somewhat disgusted with the offending robot's ugly design. Granted, the Eva series were not much to look at, but they were of better design than the nuclear robot before him. Clearly the Jet Alone's creators idea for design left much to be desired.

As the two titans of NERV kept the unstable machine from moving, Misato climbed out of Unit 01's hand and up a built in access ladder on the robots back. Quickly the Captain of NERV made her way towards the entry hatch. As she made her way up, the robot lurched forward suddenly despite the grip of Optimus and the Eva, causing Misato to lose her grip.

Shinji let out a shriek of terror as he watched his guardian tumble down the side of the robot. Just as he was about to will Unit 01 to catch the falling woman, Misato somehow managed to grab a hold of one of the rungs on the ladder. Once she reestablished her grip, she turned to Unit 01 and waved to show that she was all right. Shinji let out a sigh of relief, and smiled despite himself, the experience leaving him rather shaken.

Regaining a firm grip on the metal rungs before her, Misato took a deep breath, and made her way towards the main opening, and towards her own possible doom.

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"Man this place is HOT!!" Misato said loudly to herself as she made her way through the room in it's red tinted light. Despite the fact that the radiation suit she was wearing was insulted to withstand the immense heat, Misato found herself sweating profusely. She had just made her way down a ladder into the Jet Alone's innards, and was currently making her way towards the entry to the robot's control center.

"Bingo," she whispered as she saw the computer monitor in the room. Quickly making her way to it, she swiped a security card through, causing the computer to unlock and allow her access into it's mainframe. Looking down at the keyboard in front of her, Misato quickly typed in the word 'Hope', the command that would shut down the Jet Alone. She almost didn't get the password, the people that were in charge of the 'Jet Alone Project' had said that the password was highly classified, and that they needed to get a written approval before they could give it to her. In the end, though, they saw that they didn't have the time, and thus gave it to her, figuring that stopping the Jet Alone and saving the City of Atsugi was worth more than their jobs. 'Thanks again' thought Misato as she pressed 'Enter' on the keyboard.

However, after she had done so, the monitor suddenly turned red, and the word 'ERROR' showed up across the screen, causing Misato's heart to skip a beat.

"What the %#/$?"Misato gasped, typing 'Hope' into the computer again furiously. Again 'ERROR' flashed across the screen. The red tinted light flashed on and off in the room, almost in beat with the young woman's heart. Again she typed 'Hope', and as she watched 'ERROR' come up on the screen yet again, she felt her own hope melt away.

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Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and Shinji Ikari were dealing with their own problems; keeping the 'Jet Alone' immobile and as far away from Atsugi City as possible. Optimus was pushing on the front of 'Jet Alone', the servomotors and hydraulics in his arms were quite literally screaming out in protest from the pressure caused by the offending machine. Unit 01 had it's purple hands griping the pipes sticking out of the top of Jet Alone's back, it's pilot growling softly as he willed the Eva to hold on.

Suddenly, a large blast of pressurized steam made it's way out of an exhaust opening in the Jet Alone's broad chest, causing both Prime and Shinji to jump back in surprise. Scanning the vaporized material with his cybernetic optics, Optimus immediately realized that the steam coming out wasn't made of water, but a chemical coolant. If it did not remain inside the Jet Alone, the nuclear robot would overheat and explode, killing Captain Katsuragi in the process. Optimus Prime quickly slammed a blue hand over the ejecting steam, forcing it to remain inside the robot. But seconds later two more jets of steam made an appearance, one just above the Jet Alones right arm and another coming out of it's back. Unit 01and Prime scrambled to cover the steam holes up with their hands, but soon over two dozen exhaust holes where releasing pressure, overwhelming the two machines.

As he and Optimus continued in their futile efforts, Shinji found himself crying, his tears dissolving in the LCL around him. Despite Misato's bad habits and embarrassing antics, Shinji had grown to like the violet haired Captain of NERV, the older woman had become like an older sister to him over the past few months. With his eyes closed, Shinji prayed to God that the Jet Alone would shut down, and spare Misato's life. But as he did so, more and more steam escaped the overheating Jet Alone , and Shinji knew that the end was near.

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Snarling in disgust at her own misfortune, Misato punched the computer screen, doing nothing more than hurting her own hand.

'The programming must have been altered, there's no other explanation,' she thought as she thought over what else she might be able to do.

In less than thirty seconds, Jet Alone would go critical, and would explode. Although the explosion itself wouldn't harm the City of Atsugi, the radiation left over by it would poison hundreds of thousands before they could escape. Jumping to her feet, Misato turned and did the one thing she could do: try pushing the control rods back into the wall. If she could succeed in doing that, it would stop the explosion.

Quickly, she made her way to the closest of the control rods. There were over a dozen stainless steel rods sticking out of the wall, each one with a diameter of about 12 inches and a length of six feet. Placing her hands over the end of one, Misato started to push, only to be surprised on how difficult it was to move it. Undaunted she continued to push, inching it back into the wall as second after precious second slipped away. She knew that she wouldn't make it, she knew that 'Jet Alone' would explode long before she could even get the first rod in, and she knew that she would be vaporized in a few seconds, but she would be danged if she would give up now.

"C'mon, hold together. . . you miserable. . . piece . . . of SLAG!" snarled Optimus as the Jet Alone started to shake uncontrollably. Prime knew that in a few short seconds, the 'Jet Alone' would explode, despite Misato's valiant efforts. All he and Shinji could do now was brace themselves for the explosion. He turned his attention to Unit 01, and told Shinji the words that he had hoped he wouldn't have to tell him.

"Pilot Ikari, prepare yourself, Jet Alone is about to explode."

In his Entry Plug, Shinji's head jerked up, the blood draining from his face.

"But Misato's still in there!!" Shinji screamed, terror in his voice. Quickly he turned on his communicator to Misato, hoping against hope that there was still time.

"Misato, get out of there!! It's about to explode!! Misato, can you hear me?!" When he received no answer, Shinji started to panic, tears pouring out of his eyes. 'Please don't die, just don't die!!'

As Shinji continued to try to communicate with Misato, Optimus activated metal plated similar to eyelids to cover his blue optics, partially to protect them from the eminent blast, but also as a gesture of remorse for Misato.

'She would have made a worthy Autobot,' he thought in admiration as the last few seconds from meltdown ticked away.

Just as the 'Jet Alone' was on the verge of shaking apart, the jets of steam suddenly stopped, and the machine slumped forward, and went still. Nothing more. No explosion, no radiation, no fallout. Nothing.

Uncovering his optic sensors, Optimus removed his hands from the front of the robot, confusion flooding his circuitry.

Shinji was no less confused. However, he quickly over came it and turned his attention to something more important.

"Misato! Misato, Are you alright? Misato, please answer me!!" Shinji screamed hoarsely as he baged on the communicator with his fists.

"I- I'm alright," came the tired reply. Inside the Jet Alone, Misato sat on the floor, her back propped up against the metal wall.

"I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all."

"You're alive?! You're alive!! Oh, thank God! It's a miracle! Thank goodness!" Shinji exclaimed, sounding as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

"Congratulations, Captain Katsuragi. You stopped the explosion," rumbled Optimus Prime. "It's good to know that you are alive and well."

"Thanks," murmured Misato. 'But I didn't stop this thing, it stopped on it's own. I was still pushing the first control rod in when it all stopped.' Just as she was about to push the control rod completely in, the alarm that had been ringing the whole time went off, and all of the control rods suddenly slid back into the wall, causing the surprised Misato to lose her grip and land face first on the floor. But she knew that what had happened was no miracle. Someone had made this happen.

'But who?' She thought, the answer alluding her.

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1 day later
location: Gendo Ikari's office

In the darkness of his office, Gendo Ikari listened as a darkened figure before related all of the events that had happened the day prior with the 'Jet alone' project.

". . .and other that Misato's interference, everything went according to plan.

Keeping his hands folded in front of his face, Commander Ikari smirked darkly.

"Good work, Dr. Akagi."

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At the same time Location: Katsuragi/Ikari household

Ka-Pop!

The sound from the toaster told Shinji that his toast was done. After buttering it in his own careful way, he proceeded to eat his breakfast while Pen-Pen sat on the floor beside him, eating his own breakfast of fish and beer

Minutes later, Misato emerged from her room, once again in her usual morning clothes, and her violet hair sticking in all directions. The sleepy woman grumbled a 'good mornin' as she made her way to the fridge. Taking out a can of beer, she plopped herself down at the table. She wasted no time in opening the can and chugging down the contents.

"YEEEE-HHAAWWW!!! Oh yeah, that's the way to start your morning!" whooped Misato, making it clear what it was that had made her day.

Across from her, Shinji closed his eyes and sighed, but he couldn't help but smile.

'Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home,' he though as he sipped his tea and watch as Misato started to hold a one-sided conversation with Pen-Pen. 'And even with these two, it's good to be home.'

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Part 2 Location: NERV

"After that, two battle ships fired at it point blank. . .;it was over," stated Ritsuko as she took a sip of her coffee, turning her attention to the small audience that had watched the footage of Unit 02's battle with the water based sixth Angel, the final bit of footage showing Unit 02 gutting the shark-like Angel with a Prog knife as it tried to jump over the battle ship Unit 02 was on. Misato, Shinji and Rei all sat in their respective chairs watching the footage of Unit 02's battle. Beside the two pilots, a large plasma monitor was set up; a small camera sat on top of it, its lens focused on the battle footage. Optimus Prime was on the plasma monitor, the camera serving as his eyes as he and the others watched the fall of yet another Angel and the rise of the blood red Eva Unit.

Ritsuko turned to her companions, human and otherwise. Their expressions of what they had witnessed were varied. Misato sat cross-legged in her chair, twirling a pen in her hair, smiling as she nodded slowly while she watched the screen. Shinji stared with wide eyes and his mouth hanging slightly open. Rei was expressionless, her red eyes never leaving the screen. Optimus rubbed his chin thoughtfully, clearly impressed with the new pilot's performance.

Ritsuko continued.

"While it's true she had the help of the Pacific Fleet, she managed to defeat the Anget within thirty six seconds, before the internal batteries could run out." She sat back in her chair and took anther drink of coffee before she continued.

"Her name is Asuka Langley Soryu, a German girl who has been in training for most of her life. Evasive maneuvers, decision making, piloting skills. . . whatever you look at she's. . . for lack of a better word, perfect," she stated softly, a small smile on her lips.

"Yes, we can see what you mean. If even half of what you say about her is true, then she will be a very valuable asset," said Optimus with approval as he watched through the monitor.

Misato quickly raised a point, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Why was an Angel there? There's nothing out there but water and sunken ruins," she asked turning to Ritsuko, who shrugged.

"For all we know, it was after Unit 02. After all, it was being transported by the fleet. Perhaps it sensed the Eva and felt the need to attack."

"And where's Unit 02 now?"

"Cage No. 5, in cold storage. Asuka has checked into a hotel."

Behind the two women, Shinji stared at the battle footage in awe while Rei sat beside quietly, her expression never changing.

"How. . . how does she move the Eva like that, I mean. . . wow!" he said softly to himself. While he was responsible for eliminating the last three Angels (well, he counted it as two because he had been unconscious during his first fight), compared to this new pilots abilities, it showed just how much of a novice he really was. 'Guess we now know who'll be killing the Angels now,' he thought, not that he minded.

"So, what's Miss Soryu like?" asked Shinji politely, a smile on his face.

Misato turned a predatory smirk towards her young ward, causing him to gulp and step back.

"Why, Shinji? Interested?" she asked teasingly, her smile widening as he blushed.

"Please, quit teasing him Captain Katsuragi," said Optimus, trying to save the poor boy from his plight. He sighed softly to himself. Although Misato never meant any harm, there were times he felt the need to step in help the young Ikari out.

Misato turned and wrinkled her nose at him.

"Ah, your no fun."

"Anyway," continued Ritsuko, getting woman's and Autobot's attention, "besides training to pilot Eva, she has already graduated college at age fourteen, making her a pretty bright kid." The blond woman took some amusement in watching Shinji's jaw hit the floor.

"She 's already through with college!?!" squeaked Shinji. Was there anything this new pilot couldn't do?

Meanwhile, Misato was looking over at the two young pilots before her as she considered everything she had seen, heard and read about the new pilot.

"Hmmm, you know, she might be the most one of the bunch," she said teasingly, earning a glare from Shinji and a quirked eyebrow from Rei. "Well, back to the original subject, we'll be introducing you to her tomorrow after we go through the official procedures. Something to look forward to." She winked at Shinji who blushed slightly.

"So come HQ after school lets out tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," said Shinji as he grabbed his book bag and turned to leave.

"Yes, Ma'am," said Rei, following Shinji to the elevator.

As the two women proceeded to talk to each other about the new pilot and where she would be housed, Optimus chuckled softly to himself.

'So, a new pilot, and a female at that. This could prove to be interesting,' he thought as he turned his attention back to Misato and Ritsuko, who were now asking for his opinion on this latest development.

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the next day location: streets of Tokyo 3

Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke walked down the street in the general direction of NERV headquarters, looking at the sights and stopping here and there to buy an occasional drink or snack. Although Shinji preferred to stick to a schedule, today he had allowed his two friends to talk him into taking his time. He probably would have enjoyed himself, if the other two boys hadn't kept ragging on him to no end about two particular subjects: Toji about girls, Rei and Misato in particular, and Kensuke about the war machines of NERV, mostly about Optimus and the Eva's.

Taking a break from Kensuke's rambling questions, Shinji reluctantly turned his attention to Toji. The older boy was still shaking his head, wondering aloud how a guy like Shinji would not only get the divine luck of living with a beauty like Misato, but also get the attention of the school's ice queen, Rei Ayanami.

The whole subject had started when Toji and Kensuke noticed Rei talking to Shinji in the classroom and later the hallway. It wasn't much, just a soft hello when Shinji greeted her, and telling him that she would see him later at NERV. If it had been anyone else, the boys wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but it was the fact that it was Rei who had –willingly- talked to Shinji. This was the girl that barely talked to anyone, classmate, teacher or otherwise.

It was bad enough that Shinji had the privilege to live with the Captain of NERV, but get the attention of the blue haired Rei. . . unbelievable. Needless to say, both Toji and Kensuke were jealous.

"At this rate every girl in the schools goin' to want to be your girlfriend," grumbled Toji, his hands behind his head as he walked down the sidewalk. "I mean, if you can get Rei attention, then everything's up for grabs."

"Ah, come on, we just talked a little," replied Shinji his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"That's just it," said Kensuke, lowering his camcorder. "This is Rei we're talking about. Miss Ice Queen of the century, the girl who talks to nobody. If you can get her to talk to you, then you can get almost anybody."

"Somethin' happened between you two, didn't there?" said Toji.

"Like what?" inquired Shinji, confused.

"Dang it, Ikari gets all the good parts," moaned Kensuke, visions of all the school's prettiest girls going for Shinji racing through his mind. "Can't you just be satisfied with a beauty like Misato?"

Shinji was about to retort about how living with Misato wasn't what it seemed to be, when Kensuke spoke up.

"Hey guys, look!"

Shinji and Toji followed Kensuke stare, and were greeted with a very pleasant sight. Inside an Arcade building, standing in front of a UFO Catcher machine was a foreign girl. Dressed in a yellow sundress, her thick red hair flowed down to her lower back. Even with just her profile towards them, the boys could tell that she extremely beautiful.

"Whoa, wadda babe!" said Toji, a stupid grin on his face.

"Totally my type!" said Kensuke, hearts in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah! She looks like a movie star!" Shinji exclaimed enthusiastically. His two friends turned and glared at him.

"Hey, your not allowed to look!" they both growled, pushing him away.

"Why not?" he said, confused.

Instead of answering, they turned their attention back to the red head, who was currently trying to get a toy out of the machine. Just as she was about to win her prize, the robotic hand let go of the toy. The girl's reaction was not a pleasant one.

She let out a small scream of protest, stomped her foot, and gave the machine a roundhouse kick, cracking the thick glass cover, snarling a curse as she did it.

The starry eyed looks vanished from the three boys faces immediately.

'To bad about her attitude," mumbled Toji, making it just loud enough for her to hear.

She turned her attention to them and narrowed her blue eyes. She quickly made her way towards them, her approach causing the boys to step back. She stopped several feet away from them, and folded her arms across her chest, and glared at them.

"What are you geeks looking at?" she said haughtily, causing Toji to bristle.

"Nothin'," he said, glaring back at the girl.

"Oh really?, I doubt that, monkey boy!"

Toji blinked. "Monkey boy?"

"That's right, monkey boy! Anyway, I'm out of tokens, so that'll be 100 yen from each of you."

"100 yen?! What for?"

"Duh, for looking at me, you little perverts! At 100 yen, I'd say that it's quite the deal. Don't tell me you don't have any money on you? Of course, if you are broke, then that would explain the way you dress."

It was all Shinji and Kensuke could do to hold their friend back. At this point, Toji didn't care whether she was a girl or not, this girl had a real attitude problem! When he managed to break away from his friends, he stomped up to her, causing her to step back. Not in fear, mind you, but in disgust.

"EEWW!! Don't touch me monkey boy!" she growled as she backed away from him. In doing so, she accidentally bumped into a big, tattooed street punk, who had been busy playing an arcade game. Bumping into him had caused him to loose the game, making him extremely angry.

"Oops, sorry," she said. The goon whirled around and glared at the young girl with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry?! I just got to the last level! Ya think 'sorry s' gonna cut it, girly? Well in a few minutes, your gonna be sorry alright!" he said as he reached out to grab her.

Her reply to his statement was a swiping kick to the jaw, causing the man to sprawl out on the floor, dazed. Shinji, Kensuke and Toji stared at the girl in shock, each glad that she hadn't done the same to them.

The street punk pushed himself off the ground, and wiped some blood away from the corner of his mouth. He snarled a curse at her, pushed himself off the ground, and called some of his friends over. Three other punks surrounded the girl, each one of them grinning and leering at her.

Just as the three boys where about to come to her aid, she attacked, forcing all four of the men to get on the defensive. Within minutes, they where all on the ground, writhing in pain. It didn't take an expert to know that this girl knew a thing or two about martial arts.

Outside, the sound off police sirens approached, getting louder with each passing second. The owner had called the police when the fight broke out.

The red head looked up, swore under her breath, and raced passed the teenage boys.

"See ya! Gotta run!" she said as she dashed out the door, leaving Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke in stunned silence behind her.

Suddenly realizing that if they stayed that they would be arrested, the three friends quickly dashed out of the Arcade, all of the silently thanking and cursing the girl that had both gotten them in and out of the whole situation unscathed

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Walking down the NERV hallway, Shinji sighed as he took his I.D. card out of his shirt pocket. He was thinking about his confrontation with the red haired girl. After they had gotten away, Toji and Kensuke went to their homes while Shinji made his way to NERV. It was bad enough that she had treated them badly for doing nothing, but to leave them at the scene of a crime? Shinji couldn't help but scowl at that.

'Oh well,' he thought. 'I won't have to worry about seeing her again.'

However, as he was about to turn a corner, he heard a familiar voice that made him stop in his tracks.

"What's wrong with this stupid machine!"

'Oh no, please, don't let it be. . .' Shinji prayed silently as he looked around the corner, and saw familiar red hair and yellow sundress.

'It can't be!' he thought in disbelief as his book bag fell from his shoulder and hit the floor with a thud.

She turned around, and speared him with those angry blue eyes.

"Well, well, what on Earth are you doing here?" she asked sharply, striding towards him. Just as he was about to answer her, she spotted the I.D. card in his hand. Grabbing his wrist, she brought the card up to her face and peered at it, her eyes widening in complete shock as she read it.

"WHAT?! Third Child? YOU?!" she screeched, causing said Child to step back and cover his ears.

Just then, the entry door opened up, revealing Misato. Looking at the two Children with a little surprise, she couldn't help but grin.

"Well Shinji, I see you've met Asuka," she said as Shinji looked at her with a stunned look.

This girl. . .

Asuka. . .

The Second Child. . .

Oh great.

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Gendo's office

"My, goodness! That was an eventful voyage! Never thought we'd run into an Angel out there!," exclaimed a cheerful unshaven man as he placed an armored suitcase on the desk before him. The owner of the desk glanced down at the case, and then looked back up at his visitor.

"I trust that it is safe?"

"Yup. Angel never even got close to the ship we were on. Although. . . could this be what the Angel was looking for? I wonder."

Ignoring him, Gendo Ikari pressed a series off number on the top of the case. Once completed, the case opened and revealed it's contents: a small glass container, which contained what looked like a human embryo. The unshaven man peered at it.

"This is it, huh? The Key to the Instrumentality Project. . .?"

Commander Ikari smiled darkly.

"That's right, Mr. Ryoji. This is the First Angel. . .Adam."

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Misato finished introducing Asuka to rest of the members of NERV, and had taken all three Children to the NERV cafeteria. Asuka kept sending Shinji the evil eye while Rei remained silent as always. Shinji was busy cursing fate while he and his companions selected their lunches.

Setting her food down on the table Misato sat down and looked over at Asuka.

"By the way, nice fight with the Angel. We all saw it on tape," she said as she opened her afternoon beer. Taking a sip of her drink, Misato continued.

"I heard rumors of the amazing Second Child, but after seeing that, it would seem that your heads and shoulders above our little newbie, Shinji"

Asuka puffed up with pride and giggled.

"Oh, I can't be that good," she said with that sugary sweet smile. "I mean, I've got so much to learn!"

Shinji rolled his eyes. It seemed that Asuka had a double personality. The one side she showed to Shinji and his friends was that of an arrogant girl who was loud and violent. The other side was that of a sweet, innocent girl, the side she showed to those that she wanted to impress. After seeing the former side of this strange girl, Shinji couldn't help but feel a little. . . creeped out.

"Whats with all the gloom and doom, Shinji? I thought that you would be pleased to have a new colleague," said Misato when she noticed Shinji's darkened mode on his face. Before he could answer, a pair of muscular arms wrapped themselves gently around Misato's neck in a soft hug.

"Aack! Wh- what the, Who's there! Cut it out!" shouted Misato as she struggled to remove the offending arms from her.

Asuka suddenly brightened and jumped from her seat, a huge smile on her face.

"Kaji!!" she squealed as she raced to the side of the older man.

Shocked, Misato finally peeled the arms away, and looked up into the face of their owner, who smiled down at her. A look of shock, surprise, and anger spread across her face as she jumped away from him, landing ungracefully on the table.

"What the heck are YOU doing here?!"

"That's a nice way to say hello, when we haven't seen each other in forever," replied Kaji as he picked up Misato's overturned chair. "As for you question, I accompanied Asuka on a business trip from Germany."

"Well, good for you! If your done with business, can't you be on your way?" growled the Captain of NERV.

"'fraid not. No plans on leaving for the time being," said Kaji brightly as Asuka latched onto his arm. Ignoring Misato's scowl, the older man turned to Shinji.

"Are you Shinji Ikari?"

"Uh, yeah," said Shinji softly. ""How'd you know who I was?"

"You're famous! At least in our biz. The Third Child who piloted Eva with no prior training, battled and defeated three Angels. Plus," he said pausing long enough to light up a cigarette, "there the fact that you've fought along side a giant robot in the two latter battles. I'm surprised the whole world isn't talking about it yet!"

Misato blinked in surprise.

"You know about it? How?"

Before Misato could answer, Asuka let out a snort and tossed her hair.

"C'mon, every branch of NERV in the world is talking about it! The new robot that has helped in destroying the last two Angels is common knowledge! However, I kind of doubt all the rumors are true. . ."

"What rumors?" asked Shinji, frowning slightly.

"Oh, you know, that it can walk, talk, and think on it's own, is equipped with a Lighsaber, and can turn into other machines at will. I don't doubt that NERV has made a powerful robot other than Eva, but something more powerful than Eva? Ha! Don't make me laugh! It might be good, but it's no match for my Eva, Unit 02, the first true Evangelion!" exclaimed Asuka with pride.

Before either Misato or Shinji could react, Rei spoke up.

"Do you wish to see Optimus Prime for yourself?"

Blinking in surprise, Asuka turned to the pale girl who had remained silent up until this point.

"Oh, so you can talk, huh? Yeah, sure, why not? It'll just prove that I'm right."

"No. It will prove that you are wrong," Rei replied softly, causing Asuka to fume.

Misato cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Thank you for bringing that up, Ayanami. Since he will be accompanying you in battle, it's best if you get to know him now, Asuka. Believe it or not, most of the rumors that you've probably heard are true."

Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say."

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20 minutes later
location: Unit 00 storage bay.

The small group walked silently in the lowest level of Unit 00's storage, the lights in the room somewhat dim. Asuka peered back and forth, throwing an occasional glare at Misato every time Kaji tried to flirt with the violet haired woman, who gave him the cold shoulder for his efforts. Shinji and Rei walked behind them, both as quiet as shadows.

Letting out a soft huff of disgust, Asuka broke off from the group and leaned up against a giant metal crate. Folding her arms across her chest, she glanced at the other two pilots.

"Well? Where is it? I didn't come with you guys just for your boring company, so tell me: Where. Is This. Optimus. Prime?"

Just then the lights turned on, momentarily blinding the small group. Looking up, Asuka saw Optimus Prime towering above her, with a pair of Energon cables sticking out of his lower chest, feeding fresh Energon into his system.

The metal titan looked down at his feet, directly at Asuka. Unplugging his Energon cables, he saluted the newest pilot of NERV.

"Greetings, Pilot Soryu. Welcome to NERV!" he said, his voice booming of the walls.

For several moments, Asuka just stared at him, her calm expression never changing. Slowly her pupils dilated, her face went pale, and her entire body went stiff. Then, a terrified shriek exploded out of her throat, and caused even Prime to cover his sound sensors with his hands.

Kaji soon noticed that he couldn't breathe. At first, he thought it was because the sight before him was so amazing, that it simply knocked the breath out of him. He then realized that Asuka had an iron grip around his chest, effectively stopping his lungs from receiving life-giving air.

"A, Asuka! C, can't. . . breathe!" he wheezed, trying to pry the young girl's arms off of him. Behind him, he heard Misato chuckle and Shinji trying to stifle a laugh. Rei remained silent.

"Pilot Soryu, I mean you no harm," Optimus said gently as he leaned down to have a better look at her.

"Um, Asuka?" Shinji gently shook the girls shoulder, tying to get her attention.

"I-I-it, h-he's real!" she squeaked, tightening her grip, much to Kaji's dismay. "He's really real!!"

"Yeah, he real," said Shinji softly. He knew exactly how this girl felt. He remembered what it was like to figure out that what he had originally thought was just a machine, turned out to be so much more, a living being. Clearing his throat, he addressed her in a firm voice.

"Asuka, if you let go of Kaji, I'm sure Optimus will explain himself to you, all right?" he said as he looked up at the Autobot, who nodded to the girl.

Slowly, Asuka released her grip on the poor man, who staggered back, gasping and wheezing. She closed her eyes, took a long, shuddering breath, and released it slowly.

"Alright. . .Prime. Start talking. I may be new here, but I'm smart enough to know that NERV didn't make you, even they aren't that that technologically advanced yet, so what are you and where do you come from," she said bluntly, staring the Autobot directly in the optics.

Optimus Prime couldn't help but chuckle. The girl had some spunk, he would give her that.

"I apologize for startling you like that. It has been a few days since my last recharge, so while I had myself plugged in, and I turned out the lights and shut myself down," he said, sounding embarrassed.

"Now I will answer your questions: What I am and where I come from. It is getting late, and I have already told the others the long version of this story, so I will tell you only the basics. If you want to hear the full tale, I can tell it to you later or have one of the others tell it to you," he said, looking over at Shinji, Rei, and Misato. "If you three want to leave, go ahead."

"No, that's okay, I kind of want to hear it again," Shinji said, Misato nodding her head in agreement beside him. With a nod, Optimus turned his attention to Asuka, and started retelling his story.

Kaji, who had finally gotten his wind back, stayed for only a few minutes. Then he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Misato.

"Don't you want to listen?" whispered Miss Katsuragi, an inquiring look on her face.

Kaji chuckled. "Normally I would, but unfortunately I have some thing that need to be taken care of. Unless," he said, a smile creeping onto his face, "this is your way of saying that you want me to stay?"

Misato rolled her eyes and turned back to Prime. Kaji shrugged taking this as his sign to leave.

And so Optimus told Asuka about the Autobots and the Decepticons, and his reasons for fighting with NERV. By the end of the night, Asuka had grudgingly accepted Optimus Prime as an ally against the Angels.

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later that evening

Within the NERV building, in an unused room, a silent figure was typing away into his laptop, his face highlighted by the little machines soft blue glow. Typing in the final command on his laptop, he pressed enter to confirm the data transfer from the Magi. Leaning back in his chair, he watched as new data was practically poured into the smaller computer, almost overwhelming it.

When the transfer was finished, he quickly accessed the newly acquired knowledge to insure that it was all there. Smiling grimly to himself in satisfaction, he made his way back into the Magi to cover up and erase all traces of him being there. Once finished, he folded his computer up and left the room.

He met no resistance on his way out of the NERV building, only stopping once to get a soda out of a vending machine, and waving at a couple of the guards stationed there. Getting into his rental car, he sped down the highway, on his way to his apartment.

Thirty minutes later, he made it there and parked his rental in the near disserted parking lot. Quickly he made his way to apartment, the star and half moon illuminating his way. After locking the door behind him, he made his way to his bedroom. Setting the laptop on the table beside the bed, he turned it on and connected to a secure line to his employer. After waiting several minutes for his employer to pick up, he was finally acknowledged by him.

"Do you have it?"

"Yep. Every last bit."

"Excellent. Send it then."

Nodding silently, the figure brought up the file needed.

The complete designs to an Energon generator.

Typing in the command, he watched as the data was sent from his computer to it's now secret location. When it was finished, he spoke to his employer.

"It's finished."

"Good. The money is already in your account," came the brief reply just before the connection was severed.

Nodding quietly to himself, he reached under the bed dragging out a small duffel bag and walked over to the bathroom. Reaching in, he pulled out a small propane torch. Lighting it up, he proceeded to melt down the laptop in the bathroom sink.

Finished with that small task, he threw the melted plastic and circuits out of the apartment window into the dumpster below. Sighing softly to himself, he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. Lighting one up, he took a long breath of smoke into his lungs. As he released the toxic fumes from his body, he looked up at the ceiling, a look of remorse crossing his unshaven face. Quietly, he whispered to himself.

"I'm so sorry, Misato," Kaji said bitterly as he pondered the ramifications of his actions.

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The next day Location Tokyo 3 school building.

"WHAT?! She's the new pilot?! No way!!" screeched Toji, stepping back from Shinji as he added silently, 'That red haired banshee, the new pilot? Great, there goes the rest of Tokyo 3!'

"Yeah. . ." Shinji said with a sigh.

"I wonder if only weirdo's get chosen to pilot Eva," murmured Kensuke.

"Man I feel sorry for you," said Toji, shaking his head sympathetically and laying his hand on Shinji's shoulder. "We'll probably never see her again, but hey! It's your J-O-B! I feel for ya."

"Thanks," mumbled Shinji. At least Toji was right. It was difficult enough to deal with her at work, let alone at school.

Just then the elderly teacher came into the class. As the students went to their respective seats, he cleared his throat and made an announcement.

"Today we have a new student, so please remain quite as she introduces herself.

'Herself?' three boys though at the same time.

Toji was the first to react.

"LOOK!!" he screamed, jumping up from his seat and pointed his finger at the person who had entered the room.

Writing her name down on the chalkboard, the red haired girl turned to the classroom, and smiled sweetly as she introduced herself the class.

"Hi. I'm Asuka. Asuka Langley Souryu. Charmed, huh?"

Three boys slumped down in their seats, and knew that their lives had just taken a turn for the worst.

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2 weeks later Location: unknown

Deep within a giant metal room, the final pieces were being put together. The smell of ozone, hot metal and chemicals filled the air with an almost intoxicating stench. The few human workers in this room scurried about to complete their work, as if their lives depended on their success. For the past couple of weeks they had spent almost all of their waking hours building the Energon generator from plans given to them by their masters. The design was shockingly simple; most of the parts needed were available to them already, while only a scant few parts they had to be built from scratch.

The generator itself was a huge machine. It was generally box shaped, with levers, keyboards, and monitors covering one side of it. Hundreds of cords and cables coming from the walls and ceiling connected into the top and back of it. Connected to the front of it with thick rubber hoses, eight large glass cylinders stood, each standing eight feet tall, and each one marked with a number on their metal base.

Going over the data one final time, Haitani Kimiaki, a young scientist and the leader of this group, let out a soft, nervous sigh. A man of 28 years, he had spent the better part of 8 of those years working here in this building. A man with brown hair and eyes, and with only average height and build, he was a pretty normal looking guy.

He didn't know who it was that had given him and his crew this job, but there wasn't a day that passed that he didn't regret it. Now, after all those years, his work was complete. Getting up from his chair, he went over to the laptop that sat on his desk. He approached it as if it were a poisonous snake ready to strike. After sitting down in his chair, he adjusted his glasses, and typed in the command to connect himself to his superior. The seconds passed by far to slowly for his taste as his laptop hummed and beeped it's dial tone. Finally, the connection was made. The cold voice he had been dreading to hear made itself known.

"Is it finished?"

"Y-yes sir, we just finished putting the generator together."

"Excellent. Now, proceed to make the Energon."

Nodding to himself, the young man quickly typed in the command to activate the generator. He motioned over to his coworkers across the room to hook up the electrical connections to it. Once they completed their task, he pressed enter on his laptop.

The Energon generator came to life, it's motors humming softly as it converted electricity to Energon. Overhead, the lights faded in and out, the generator devoured the energy so fast that it almost shut everything else mechanical down. Beside the generator, one of the glass cylinders started to fill up with Energon.

Breathing a sigh a relief, Haitani went back to the laptop.

"Sir, the Energon Project was a success. We are now converting electricity into Energon."

Haitani shivered as he heard his boss chuckle. It sounded demonic despite it's obviously human owner.

"Good. Now, begin the energy transfer."

Motioning over at his companions, he picked up his laptop and walked over to the Energon filled cylinders. The sound of hissing was heard as two of the containers released from the vacuum lock in the floor below them. On the bottom was a system of wheels to allow easy transport.

Slowly the two containers were pushed along, each going to a different destination. Haitani was taking his to the holding cell.

As he pushed his precious cargo along he passed a massive round metal table, which was covered with a glass dome. Inside was a collection off strange mechanical devises, all of some bizarre, otherworldly design. Some were easy to recognize; a small collection of parts to be circuit boards and microchips, far more advanced than anything found on earth. Others were not so easily to identify; little and big machines of unknown use. However the biggest and most dominant machine on the table was what appeared to be a gigantic black cannon, it's bright shiny finish catching the eye of any who might pass by.

Haitani pursed his lips together. On each of those parts, no matter how small or insignificant, had a symbol, a crowned purple face that glared at anybody that looked at it. For some reason, when Haitani and his coworkers had first seen it, it had filled them with. . . fear. Every now and then, when Haitani took the time to really look at it, he felt shivers of fear running down his spine. To him, it resembled the face of the devil himself.

Finally, Haitani reached the holding cell. The cell itself was a huge cage, the titanium bars were enormously thick, reminding him of the sequoia tree trunks he had seen on a visit to America before the Second Impact. Though the spaces between the bars were big enough to allow a vehicle to pass through with ease, going between them was potentially lethal: the bars were powered by enormous amounts of nuclear electricity. The bottom ant tops of the bars were thickly insulated with industrial grade rubber to prevent the electric power to flow into the metal ceiling and floor. Beneath the floor and above the ceiling the bars curved around, making a complete circle, further insuring that nothing could get in or out. On one side of the cage was a huge metal door big enough to allow an Eva to pass through. Only, it wasn't an Eva that was in this cell, it was some far more powerful, far more intelligent, and much, much more evil.

Megatron, leader of the Decpticons.

After pressing a series of numbers on the number pad beside the door, Haitani entered the cell, a knot of dread twisting up in his stomach. The day he had been dreading had arrived: the reactivation of Megatron.

Haitani could still remember the day he first saw Megatron. The robot had been in a giant piece of ice at the time, most of it's features hidden by the cloudy tinges in the ice, but even a fool could tell what it was. Haitani didn't know what happened to the Captain and the crew that had found Megatron, but he was pretty sure that they were no longer alive. Haitani's boss was not one to leave loose ends undone.

Haitani shivered as he recalled when he hooked up to the Decepticon's memory banks and looked at the data. Before, he had assumed that Megatron was just a mighty weapon, a device created by a race on another world for war and conquest. After looking over the readable data, he soon discovered that he was terribly wrong. Megatron was an intelligent being, a self-aware machine that was so cruel, that he made people like Adolf Hitler look like school children. Countless millennia of conquest and ruthless slaughter of his enemies, Megatron proved to be an evil that made even Haitani's master look kind in comparison.

Haitani took a cigarette out of his shirt pocket, lit it up and took a long draw of smoke into his lungs. His boss pretty much forced him and his colleagues to continue their work on Megatron after they had stopped the repair work on him, saying that the reactivation of Megatron would be catastrophic, the machine would most likely destroy everything and everybody in it's path. Of course, 'The Boss' scoffed at it, saying that he would have the metal Goliath under his complete control. After all, a machine was just a machine, no matter how powerful. It was only after recent events that he reconsidered, the recent event being Optimus Prime.

The young man chewed on his death stick as he thought about Optimus Prime. According to a piece of data he had come across in Megatron's mind, it appeared that he and Optimus Prime where mortal enemies, having fought against each other through the ages. He had mentioned this to his boss, who saw it as a possible way to bend the Decepticon leader to his will. If they were such terrible enemies, the idea of getting the chance to kill Prime might help Megatron to follow orders. And if not, there were other ways. . .

Megatron now lay on a massive table in the cell, several cranes on all sides ready to lift and move machinery and tools to repair him. Out of several open panel in Megatron's chest, arms, and head, dozens of electrical cables connected into him, all go in different directions, some coming out of the ceiling, other going into and along the floor. Above him, a multi armed apparatus hung out of the ceiling above Megatron, codename, R.R.E.D. (Retro Repair Engineering Droid). On the end of each 'arm' was a tool, each different and serving a different purpose, blowtorches, giant screwdrivers, wrenches, ratchets, laser cutters, robotic 'hands', and all sorts of other devices that were of alien design. Haitani couldn't help but feel very proud of this machine. The designs were found within a file in Megatron's mind, a machine capable of repairing and even upgrading anything mechanical in only a few minutes. It was also hugely responsible for do the majority of the repair work on Megatron's body. Haitani could still remember when that happened.

On the day the R.R.E.D was completed two years ago, Haitani's employer ordered it tested on Megatron. Firing up R.R.E.D. Haitani and his team watched a computer screen as R.R.E.D. scanned the Decepticon leaders body. On the left side of the screen, a wire frame model of his damaged body appeared, and on the right a model of what his body would look like after repairs were done. Without warning, R.R.E.D. tore into Megatron's metallic body, tearing off pieces of armor and gutting the machinery beneath with blinding speed, while Haitani and his crew looked on in horror. The arms, legs, chest, cannon, even the head were reduced to nothing in mere seconds. Just as they were about to abort the test, R.R.E.D. started to put Megatron back together. Pieces of metal that had originally looked beat up beyond repair, servo-motors and circuits crushed practically to pieces, all were repaired and placed back into their respective places, all looking brand new. Megatron, whose body looked like it had taken on a thousand years of brutal war, now looked like it had come right off the assembly line, the formerly battle scarred armor was now a shiny gray-white color. The only thing that R.R.E.D. hadn't done was bring the robot back to life.

Now, thanks to the info that Haitani's boss had mysteriously acquired, the small group of workers could now make the substance needed to give life back to Megatron: Energon.

Unfortunately, although they now knew how to make Energon, they lacked the knowledge to make Energon –cubes-. The process that Haitani and his team used was the old fashioned, expensive way, and could only make a hard to handle liquid Energon, while the one that NERV was using was much more efficient, simple, and was much cheaper. Right now, the only way to store Energon was to put it in glass containers.

Haitani pushed the glass cylinder up to Megatron, the cold feeling in his stomach growing bigger with each step. Stopping beside the giant robot, the young man climbed up a ladder that was welded into the table. Slowly, he climbed up onto Megatron's body and proceeded to check the cables connected into the Decepticon's body. As he made his way to the head, Haitani briefly looked at the metal face. . .and turned away, shuddering. No matter how many times he looked, the eyes, though a dead gray color, made him feel insignificant, a small piece of existence that meant nothing.

After insuring that the cables were all connected into their proper locations, Haitani went back down to the Energon cylinder. All the cords coming out of Megatron gathered together to a large rectangular machine. After hooking the glass Energon tube up to it, Haitani turned on an intercom.

"Hey Kyle, have you hooked it up yet?"

Kyle Pierce, a young red headed American man, waved back at Haitani from the control room above him.

"Yep, Energon tube hooked up and ready, H Man, and ready ta power up the cage."

"Alright then, turn on the power at 80%."

All around him, Haitani could almost hear the Energon flow through the titanium bars of Megatron's holding cell. Originally, ordinary electricity was put through the bars, in the event that the Decepticon leader should somehow come to life for unknown reasons. Now pure Energon went through them, boosting the amount of power immensely, insuring that everything that was in the cell –stayed- in the cell.

Turning his attention to the computer monitor in front of him, Haitani brought up the file concerning Megatron. Looking over the data a final time, the young man couldn't help but shiver.

'Now that is some really evil tech' he thought. He was briefly reminded of the 'Terminator' movies he had watched as a kid, manlike machines from the future, built and programmed to hunt down and kill humans for Skynet, an all powerful supercomputer with a mind of it's own and hell- bent on driving the human race into extinction. Turning back to his laptop, Haitani cleared his throat and addressed his employer.

"Sir, as you know the repairs are all complete, and now the Energon is in place. We. . .we await your command to initiate the power transfer."

Haitani heard a cold chuckle as he waited for a reply.

"Good. Proceed with the power transfer."

". . .yes sir."

After a moment of hesitation, Haitani confirmed the command on his computer, but as he did so, he couldn't help but feel that he had unlocked the gates of Hell itself.

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Keel couldn't help but smile as the other members of SEELE gathered, the dark voices muttering softly as they came. The dark room lit up dimly, the monoliths symbolizing each member becoming visible. They were the unknown employers of Haitani and his team, and they had come together to be updated on their progress. Keel spoke first.

"At last, our instrument of destruction is complete. The final pieces are coming together."

"Yes, the tool has been rebuilt, and as God breathed life into Adam in the beginning, we will give life to our weapon."

"Ikari may think he has the upper hand, but if he get out of line and tries to send his Optimus Prime to destroy us, we will counter him."

Keel chuckled softly, causing the others to fall silent.

"Yes. . . Ikari. He did fool us, and he managed to keep Prime a secret from even our best spy. But. . .we managed to keep ours a secret from him as well. When the time comes, we will. . .show Ikari our little secret."

Looking down at the monitor in front of him, Keel addressed his underling.

"Haitani."

"Y-yes Sir?"

"How goes the power transfer?"

"12.34% of Megatron's internal power has been restored, sir."

"Excellent. How long before he has been fully recharged?"

Haitani cleared his throat. "We're not entirely sure. Anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours."

Keel grunted softly. "Good. Now, are all of the restraints in place?"

"Of course. All restraints are in place and are in working order."

Keel smiled darkly. "Very well. Keep me updated with your progress."

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Haitani watched quietly as the energy gauge slowly went up, the manmade Energon flowing swiftly into Megatron's system. He was now standing on an elevated platform overlooking the prone body of the Decepticon leader, the feeling of dread growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. But at the same time, a morbid sense of excitement was building up inside him as well. He and his colleagues had spent several long years of working on this project, and though the human side of his mind was absolutely terrified of what was about to happen, the scientist part was jumping up and down excitedly, awaiting the moment of Megatron's resurrection.

He glanced down at the metal behemoth, and looked directly at the dead eyes. Even now, Haitani couldn't help but feel that Megatron was somehow watching him, the gray optics glaring back at the little man as he gazed back with fear and excitement.

Turning away, Haitani redirected his attention back to the energy gauge, the power level now at 63.92%. Haitani estimated that it would probably take ten or fifteen more minutes before Megatron was fully powered. Even as he watched, he could see a soft bluish glow within the seams of the joints and some semi exposed parts of Megatron.

Just as Haitani was about to tell his boss about Megatrons progress, he saw something that made his heart go still.

Megatrons eyes flickered on for a second, then went out. Seconds later they flickered on again, this time staying on, the dead gray turning into a glowing demonic red.

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Something akin to static on a television screen was the first thing that Megatron saw as he slowly became aware of his surroundings. His thoughts where scrambled as his circuits tried to process data while the fresh Energon went through his body. As his mind finally pulled itself together, he began to feel his body reactivate.

As Megatron's vision slowly came into focus, numbers, words and pictures appeared in the corner of his eye, giving him info of the area around him. The data was basic, telling him the room temperature, the polarity, the amount of time he spent deactivated, the longitude and latitude of his location, and small wire frame models of all of the machines in the immediate area around him.

The memory of being incased inside a glacier, floating around in the arctic was still fresh in his mind, as well as the memory of the long and torturous depletion of his energy.

'But. . . how did I escape? And how did I get repaired and recharged?' he thought groggily, his mind as cloudy as that of a drunken man. He shook his head the clear the fog in his mind, and became vaguely aware that something was connected to it.

More Energon was transferred into Megatron, and he quickly came out of his lethargic like state. As his vision finally came into focus, he got a good look at his surroundings. All around him, dozens of Earth made cables were sticking out of all parts of his body, sending life-giving Energon into his being. Above him, he saw one of the pathetic flesh creatures he loathed so much gawking down at him. He was also dimly aware that his arm cannon was missing.

The memory of his battle with Optimus Prime suddenly came back to him. Megatron had thought for sure that he had perished at the hands of Prime, that the combination of the battle and the crash had deactivated him once and for all. But. . .here he was, rebuilt and reactivated.

Megatron couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about this. Prime had probably survived the crash as well, and most likely thought that Megatron was dead.

As Megatron's cruel laugh continued to rise in volume, he heard a panicking Haitani shout orders in Japanese to turn off the power transfer and shut down Megatron. Just as the little human was about to pull an emergency lever to a machine designed to drain the power from the Decepticon, Megatron's black tetra-titanium hand shot out and crushed the small machine like a beer can, sending hard plastic and circuitry everywhere.

Haitani turned around towards the giant robot and pressed his back against the railing on his platform as Megatron pushed himself up into a sitting position. Reaching up, Megatron took a massive handful of the cables that were coming out of his body. He turned to the cowering man, and smirked as he tore the cables from his body, the tattered ends sputtering and sending a shower of sparks everywhere. Slowly, the ancient living machine stood up, rising higher and higher towards the ceiling of the cell. Then, as if addressing the world, the leader of all Decepticons spread his arms out victoriously, and roared savagely:

"I. . .still. . .FUNCTION!!!"

to be continued. . .

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To those who are interested:

As you all know, it's been some time since I last updated this fic. I know that I said that I would have a new chapter up after the first of the year, and sadly, did not make this self-made deadline. While part of the delay had to do with the fact that my Dad was rewiring our basement (thus cutting me off from the Internet for two months), the biggest part of this delay was writers block, and (groan) a crashing computer. I would love to put up a new chapter up every two or three weeks, but at the same time I really want to put up a well written chapter. So, to put it in a nutshell, you can expect some long delays in between chapters. I'm sorry, but I want this fic to be enjoyable to all readers, so I'll have to take my time. Just remember, good things come to those that wait.

So, what did you all think of this chapter? And what did you think of Megatron's return? Good, bad, what? And what of the arrival of Asuka? For those of you who don't know, this version of Asuka's battle was taken out of the Evangelion Manga, so to see it (or rather, read it) go pick up a copy of this graphic novel and read about it yourselves. Asuka's arrival was the hardest for me to write, so please don't be to hard on me.

To Mike Silva: Thanks for your review on this fic, it was very much appreciated (as are all the reviews I have gotten). I read Rob A. Jung's fic 'Cause of Madness',(a fic showing the return of Megatron to all those who are interested) and found it to be a great story, but I don't think I follow your request to use this Authors idea for a reasonable return for Megatron ( no offence). Don't get me wrong, It's a good idea, (now that I look back on it, Megatrons return in the first chapter was a little forced) and using it has crossed my mind more than once. However, for me to do so would almost seem like cheating, and I don't like to cheat at anything. That's just the way I am. However, If you and/or anybody else would like to see a side story of the resurrection Megatron, email me and I'll write it up in upcoming chapters.

Regarding Megaton, some people might be asking, 'why not use Galvatron in this fic?' Lets face it people, those of us who remember the Gen 1 Transformers always liked Megatron to Galvatron 10 to 1. Why? Because Galvatron was little more than a raving lunatic, and compared to the old war veteran Megatron, he was a very poor second. In 'Transformers: the Movie', Galvatron had the potential of being a villain that could have blown Megatron away, but the people at Hasbro thought it would be better to make him go insane. A poor, poor idea. So much potential wasted. (They also thought it would be a good idea to kill off Optimus Prime, and you all know how that idea turned out.)

Cybertron. Okay, all I know is that Cybertron is a planet that travels through space, and I have no idea how it keeps from colliding with anything. I couldn't find anything on the internet about it, so I put this explanation up.

Rei Ayanami. I don't know if this is really OOC for her or not. Given her background, you got to remember who exactly raised her (Gendo Ikari), so asking questions about the Autobot/Decepticon war isn't that much of a stretch. So before anybody sends any hate mail regarding this, remember: Gendo has pretty much taught her about everything she knows, and those of you that have followed the Evangelion story line know what he was setting her up for: Unity of the human race. Freedom would be the last thing he would teach her.

Haitani and R.R.E.D. are my original ideas. R.R.E.D is basically a man made version of Teletron 1. And before anybody says anything, YES, I know that it was the Autobots who had Teletron 1, not the Decepticons, but no doubt they had similar versions of this machine as well, so finding data of something like this in Megatron's memory files isn't all that far fetched. Haitani was a random name I found on the Fanfiction.net site. If this belongs to anybody, tell me.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this fic. If you did (or didn't) read and review this fic. It seems to help make new chapters come to me faster when I read people's thought's on this story. So, again, read and review!

Thank you for your time and patience. All hail the rise of the Masterpiece Optimus Prime, the ultimate version of Optimus! I got mine just last week! ;D

FallenWarrior101's Note: Isn't it odd that when an American turns 18, he/she is old enough to vote, pay taxes, and go to war to die for their country, but they aren't old enough to be allowed to drink beer or any other form of alcohol? Just a thought. . .