AN: Sorry bout the wait. I'm not that good at getting these out quickly. Sorry..... School and stuff gets in the way.... So sorry.....

Ok. This chapter is gonna focus a bit more on the psychology aspect. Gonna reveal a bit more about the relationships, not just the romances, which will evolve and grow through this story. Don't assume anything though...

Oh, and if you read my reviews, ignore Stu Pidasso. That's a friend of mine being a Stupid Asshole. He actually likes this story and is a closet Evangelion Freak. So Stu, STFU!!!!

Ok, I'll shut the hell up. ACTION!

The van was black, with a giant red emblem on the sides. "Nerv," Mike muttered. "German for Nerve. And what's this? 'God's in His Heaven, all's right with the World'?"

"The company slogan," Misato elaborated. "C'mon, climb in,"

Several minutes later, Misato was driving the four warriors and two EVA pilots "home". The drive took them through some of the decimated parts of town. "Maj- er.... Misato," Kris said. "Is there a war going on?" His dark, piercing eyes were arched in question.

"...I.... It's a long story," she said. "I'll tell you later,"

"Why oh why do I get a bad feeling about this?" Sean muttered pessimistically.

"Because you always feel like you're gonna shit a kidney whenever anything happens?" Mike shot back at the dour boy. Sean's reply was a single finger long.

"Oh, I'm number one, eh?"

"UP YOURS!" Sean yelled as he launched himself at the Captain. He made it halfway before John caught him and hauled him back. The ensuing fight between the two shook even Asuka out of her revere.

The sun was setting, and the sky was stained bloody red. A fitting color for Tokyo-3, considering the vast amounts of blood that had been, and has yet to be shed within the confines of that city. Rei awoke to this sight, and nearly vomited with fear. Groaning, she slowly stood, her gut afire with pain, and her mind bubbling with confusion.

I... do not.... understand.... she thought as she began to weep lightly. She quickly regained control of her emotions, and attempted to decide where to go. Ungh.... I cannot return home, Commander will not help me. If there is another, then I am no longer required. Yet.... I do not wish to die.... She stood, the pain in her bowels having subsided momentarily. Her churning mind brought back a memory of the battle against the 5th angel. Ikari..... Rei thought. Perhaps he will.... help... "Aaahh!" she cried as the pain began again. I must hurry, she thought as she stumbled off towards Tokyo-3 proper.

"We're here!" Misato announced. "Home sweet home!"

Mike hopped out of the van, and glanced around. "Hm... not the best, but better than nothing. Eh, better than we've had since Operation Damocles, eh boys?"

"Right boss," Kris said. "Maybe a few days of R&R. That'd be nice!"

"R&R... SHIT! What the hell happened to Chief Tech Richard and his MFB team?!?!" Mike yelled as he remembered his valued friends in an instant. The excitement of time travel had overwhelmed him totally.

"I... uh..... fuck," Kris said. "We gotta find them! I guess we'll start tomorrow,"

"Um, not to be dour," Sean chimed. "But how do we know they came with us?"

"Hate to say it, but Pessimist is right. We don't know," John said.

"Yea," Mike stated. "I hope he is, because if the MFBs are here, the Jags could be too. C'mon, we've no time to waste!"

The room was dark, quiet. The only light source was a single desktop lamp. That was exactly how Commander Gendo Ikari liked it. The room was vast, wasteful, it's volume filled only with a desk and a chair. Both the ceiling and floor were inscribed with the Tree of Sepheroth. Gendo reveled in the silence, but that was quickly taken from him by the opening of a door to the room. Gendo looked up from his schedule and saw Rei III. He knew it was Rei III because she had entered. If it had been Rei II, she'd not have been able to open the door, for though they looked identical, every incarnation of Rei had different retinal pattern for just this purpose. "Rei, welcome. I trust you completed my tasks with no difficulty?"

"Yes. Here is the core you require," she said as she handed a small, round device to him. He immediately recognized it as a human cartable S2 organ.

Gendo took it. "You performed admirably," he said, smiling.

"Thank you, Sir,"

Gendo frowned slightly. The Second would have at least smirked a bit,

"Dismissed,"

The van's tires squealed as they jerked to a sudden stop, which the van failed to adjust to as fast as the tires had. In that instant, the side door slid open and Lanceleader-Captain Michael Rutz leapt out of the vehicle and hit the ground in front of NERV HQ running. He dashed through the doors and leapt into the elevator as its doors were closing, nearly slamming into a female tech in a beige and orange jumpsuit.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing!" she yelped as she neatly dodged aside.

"Sorry ma'am. I'm in a rush. Which level is the command deck?"

"I'm headed there now," She replied. "You're one of the pilots, aren't you?"

"Aye."

"The one I saw in the hospital?"

"Uh.... shit... that was you talking to me?" Mike said as his face became a bit redder.

"Yes," She held out her hand. "Maya Ibuki,"

Mike took her hand and shook it. "Michael Rutz, but you already knew that,"

Maya was about to reply, when the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Mike looked up, and dashed out of the doors, calling a hurried farewell as he lunged towards Gendo's pulpit. "IKARI!!!" he yelled. "IKARI, YOU BETTER GIVE ME A PIECE OF YOUR TIME, NOW!"

"What do you want?" Gendo asked in a calm voice.

"My MFB team, where the hell are they?"

Gendo looked puzzled. "Your MFB Team? Oh, those support vehicles..... they're here. We are keeping them in a safe place,"

"Yeah? And what about the crews???"

"They're fine,"

Mike slammed his fist into Gendo's desk, making a slight indentation in the wood. "I want to see them, NOW!"

The cavernous room was darkened, the only light coming from a trio of cockpits twenty feet in the air. "Tech Richard! It's me, Mike!"

"Cap'n? Is it you? Where've you been?" came the familiar, gruff voice of Michael's friend and Technician.

"Look Richard! I need you to do me a favor!"

"Can't Cap'n, unless you want me to put off fixin' your Madcat!"

"Oh," Mike stated flatly. "Never mind. Um.... you ok?"

"Never better Cap'n,"

"That's good. Um, you and your boys got a place to stay?"

"Yeap. With our work, 'corse! You know me Cap'n. I like-"

"-Machines better than you like most people. I've heard it a thousand times,"

"Good. So I'll see you when you need your 'Mechs?" Richard asked.

"Yea, which I bet will be very soon..."

Sub-Commander Kozu Fuyutski was not a man normally given over to panic. So when he received the reports from Lieutenant Ibuki, he acted exactly as the situation warranted. He went to Gendo. "Sir, have a look at these,"

Gendo took the papers and glanced over them. He became visibly angry at the data contained within. "Should I ready them?" Fuyutski asked.

"No, let them have a night of fun. It might be their last,"

Interesting? I kinda rushed this chapter, cos it's been so long since I released one. Terribly sorry bout that, but school takes priority. So do a few..... other things..... The Ultra Pessimist knows what I mean. Go read his stories. He's got a Diablo fic in the works.... and that's it. He's good friend of mine...

Next Chapter..... lemme put it this way. Y'all know the Wierd Al song "Beer", right? Joy! You'll see.