Evangelion: G

by moguera

An EvangelionGodzilla crossover. Asuka and the others return home, but the reunion is short lived as a new threat looms in the near future. The pilots prepare to face their biggest challenge yet. CHAPTER 15 IS FINALLY UP!

11. Battle Against Three Monsters: Unit 14 U...

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or Godzilla (I just ran out of semi-clever ways of saying it).

Chapter 11: Battle Against Three Monsters: Unit 14 Unleashed

            Ishiro was in the lab…again.  He had stayed there almost constantly the entire week after returning from America.  Having unraveled the secrets of Godzilla's regenerative abilities only meant a whole new kind of work for Ishiro to complete.  He had found what he was looking for, now he had to figure out how to put it to good use.  For the most part, this meant testing the different ways Regenerator G-1 operated to find the way that best suited human use.

            Having return from the combat tests in America, Ishiro canceled all his scheduled synch tests and locked himself in his lab for up to two days at a stretch.  He even skipped returning home to his apartment for sleep, opting instead to set up temporary quarters in headquarters near his lab.  Nobody, save Ritsuko, had so much as exchanged more than a few brief words with him.  And the only thing she got were reports on the progress of his testing.

            Finally, on the eighth day of his self imposed confinement, Ishiro stumbled wearily out of his lab, calling Ritsuko briefly to announce that he was done with his work.  After walking, almost drunkenly, down the hall a few steps, Ritsuko caught up with him and managed to help support him on his left side.  "So you've done it?" she asked for conformation.

            "Yep," replied Ishiro wearily, "I've harnessed Regenerator G-1, or at least I think I have."

            "Have you tested it?" she asked cautiously.  She didn't want to push him too hard when he was in this state, but she wanted to make sure that he did all his homework before announcing the finished product.

            "The test will be finished soon," replied Ishiro evenly, "All we can do is wait and pray that I don't have to reach for the axe."

            "The axe…?" Ritsuko was confused.

            Ishiro raised his right arm for her to see.  Instead of the normal prosthetic hand, it was capped with what looked like a canister of LCL.  "You mean," hissed Ritsuko worriedly, "That you're testing this stuff on yourself."

            Ishiro nodded calmly.  "What I've found is that Regenerator G-1 fails to function unless it is irradiated.  With chemotherapy, I was able to supply the necessary radiation, but not enough to speed it up to the rate that Godzilla can sustain."

            "So Regenerator G-1 has to be irradiated before it does its work," summarized Ritsuko.  She was rewarded with a nod.  "That would make the whole treatment process much more expensive unless…"

            "The regenerator was irradiated beforehand and then dispensed while it was still radioactive," finished Ishiro, "I've tried that and so far, all results point to yes.  In fact, this would seem to work even better than giving the patient chemotherapy because Regenerator G-1 can store larger amounts of radioactivity than the human body, so it has plenty to spare when it multiplies in the human body and also speeds the recovery process."

            "But why did you talk about having to reach for the axe?" Ritsuko wanted to know.

            "Godzilla's cell structure is very volatile and highly susceptible to mutation.  It is possible that Regenerator G-1 might have something to do with that.  If that is the case and it causes some sort of mutation within my own hand, I have to be prepared to remove it."

            "I have one other question," said Ritsuko.

            "Shoot."

            "Why do you have an LCL canister over your arm?  If Regenerator G-1 is really as powerful as you claim, it should be able to function in any environment."

            Ishiro nodded.  "That is true; however, this has nothing to do with the properties of Regenerator G-1 itself, rather the human body is not accustomed to having previously removed parts growing back, so I use LCL to create an environment in which my hand can grow back.  Also, it was the perfect way to store the regenerator itself."

            "I see."  Said Ritsuko, though it was clear that she was slightly confused.

            "Any more questions Dr. Akagi?" inquired Ishiro, raising an eyebrow.

            "No," said Ritsuko quickly, "Carry on."

            "Thank you."

            "Oh," said Ritsuko behind him, "One other thing."

            "Yes?"  Ishiro turned around to regard Ritsuko.

            "While you had yourself locked in the lab, we figured out how to properly connect the plasma cannon with Unit 00 without having to remove the umbilical cable."

            "That's good," said Ishiro elatedly.

            "We created a single plug with an extra attachment for the rifle.  It operates on a switch system.  When Unit 00's energy pool is fully charged, it will switch from umbilical power to an outlet and transfer that energy to the rifle.  When the transfer is complete, the Eva would then switch back to umbilical power."  Ritsuko was beaming.

            "An excellent idea," remarked Ishiro, "I'm glad that we have now answered that particular problem.  Thank you very much Dr. Akagi."

            "You're welcome," said Ritsuko, smiling as he started away again.

            Touji was visiting his sister in the hospital.  Mari was resting when he arrived so he quietly sat by her bed, keeping her company.  Even though he was no longer officially a pilot, his sister was still in the care of the NERV medical facilities.  Touji was more than slightly peeved by the fact that they still seemed to be no closer to alleviating her condition.  A good portion of her body had been crushed by debris in that battle almost a year ago against the 3rd Angel.  It had taken months of life support and reconstructive surgery to get her to the point where she could live without a machine pumping her lungs full of air and keeping her heart beating.  She continued to be fed intravenously though and it was doubtful that even the NERV specialists would ever be able to restore her to the point where she could walk again.  Her upper body was making process and she could move her arms and sit up, but she lacked her old strength.

            At one point Touji wondered if NERV even intended to actually do anything for Mari now that he was no longer a pilot.  Now that he wasn't of any use to them, they wouldn't need to waste money on helping Mari to recover as an incentive.  Touji soon found that he was wrong when his visit was interrupted by the arrival of none other than Dr. Ritsuko Akagi herself.

            "Hello Touji," she said pleasantly, "How is Mari doing today?"

            "She's doing alright for what she's been through," replied Touji.  He sighed.  "Dr. Akagi, is there really anything that you can do for her or is this hopeless?"

            Ritsuko frowned.  "To be honest Touji, it was hopeless.  There's no treatment known to science that can completely restore someone who's this far gone."  Touji rested his face in his hands.  Then, Ritsuko smiled optimistically.  "However, I have some very good news.  Ishiro Saegusa has finished his research into the applications of Regenerator G-1.  He is in the process of conducting the first human test on regenerating his own hand.  If that test concludes successfully he will probably need to test it on someone else as well.  If you wish, either you or your sister could be the second test subject."

            Touji considered it.  "I want to go before Mari.  Ishiro's told me all about how volatile G-Cells can be and I'd hate myself forever if the treatment went wrong with Mari and she had to be…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

            "I wouldn't worry," replied Ritsuko, "Ishiro has told me how easily it can be controlled.  Furthermore, his willingness to use himself as the first experiment demonstrates his faith in both the effectiveness and the safety of these methods."

            "Yeah," agreed Touji, "But still…"

            "I wouldn't worry about it," said Ritsuko reassuringly, "Ishiro isn't the kind of person to risk the lives of others as guinea pigs in his experiments.  He wouldn't use Regenerator G-1 on your sister unless he was absolutely sure of its safety."

            It was late afternoon when Ishiro got home.  He was surprised to find a message on his answering machine.  It was from Shinji.  "We heard from Misato that you finished your research.  I was wondering if you'd like to come over and have dinner with us tonight.  Call me back."

            Ishiro smiled and picked up the phone.  He dialed Shinji's number and was rewarded with Shinji's voice on the other end of the line.  "This is Ishiro," he said, "I'd love to come over for dinner with you guys.  Just one question though.  Who's cooking?"

            "I am," replied Shinji.

            "Good.  Dr. Akagi warned me about Major Katsuragi's cooking."  This prompted a laugh from Shinji.  "I take it that she wasn't exaggerating either."

            "Well…" said Shinji indecisively, he wasn't a person used to insulting others.

            "What time is dinner?" asked Ishiro.

            "Six," came the reply quickly.  Shinji was more than glad that he did not have to malign his surrogate mother.

            "Do you mind if Rei comes?" inquired Ishiro.

            "Why?"  Shinji was still slightly uncomfortable given what he now knew about the enigmatic, blue-haired girl.

            "It's been a while since I've seen her.  I know that you see her almost every day at school and at synch tests, but after I got back from America I locked myself in my lab for a week straight and I haven't seen her at all.

            "Do you like her?" asked Shinji hesitantly, wondering if he should tell Ishiro the truth about who and what Rei was.

            "I see her as a friend for now Shinji.  And before you say anything, I already know about Rei and who she is.  That still doesn't change the fact that she is a person in her own right.  Regardless of where she came from you still need to see her as a human being or she truly will be nothing but the freak puppet the Commander made her to be."  Ishiro relaxed after his short tirade.  He didn't like to lecture Shinji but for some odd reason he was very defensive on the subject of Rei Ayanami, a girl he did not see, much less talk to, on a frequent basis.  Ishiro Saegusa, a person who through his unique abilities so easily came to understand the minds of other found the true mysteries to be lurking within his own mind; a place that ironically, he could not probe with his psychic abilities and reveal all to be read like a simple book.

            Another thing was that Ishiro refused to mention the Commander's name or mention that he was Shinji's father in Shinji's presence.  Ishiro saw Shinji as a friend, but in difference with Shinji's opinion, he saw his father as the enemy.  While Shinji no longer viewed his father in a positive light (and it is doubtful that he ever did), he did not yet view the man as a foe, a dangerous position for one who was supposed to be the defender of all mankind; a very dangerous position considering the true plans of the man that was his father.  Ishiro had to make Shinji understand that he could not hope to find solace in his father ever unless he managed to put an end to the man's plan for humanity.

            "I'm sorry about that," he said softly.

            "No," replied Shinji, his voice unusually firm.  Ishiro's remark about Rei being Commander Ikari's grotesquely human puppet seemed to have struck a nerve within the boy, a part of his mind that continued to see Rei as the human that she was and had the potential to be.  "You're right.  Where Rei comes from doesn't matter, it's who she decides she is that will make the difference.  Thanks for setting me straight Ishiro, and I'll make room at the table for Rei too."

            "Thank you Shinji," said Ishiro, "I'll be there at six and so will Rei."  He hung up.  There was still plenty of time to call Rei and get ready.  However, Ishiro had many things on his mind, how to thwart Commander Ikari and save humanity being foremost among them.  For a moment, Ishiro pondered the irony that he was arrogant enough to believe that he was mankind's sole savior, fighting against a man who was of the same holier than thou attitude.  This may yet turn into nothing more than a battle of egos, he thought wryly.

            There were other things to consider though, among them the appearance of the three mysterious monsters Battra, Manda, and Baragon, who appeared to have taken a rather unhealthy interest into the fate of Lilith, the 2nd Angel.  Ishiro had seen that Battra's goals were one in the same with the other two when he attacked the Pacific Fleet, hunting it down because of the presence of a Lilith-like entity among the ships.  Unit 14 after all was one of the two Evas born of Lilith rather than Adam, putting it into a unique situation.  Furthermore, the monsters demonstrated an incredible level of coordination as was shown by their latest attacks.  Manda had moved in to cut off Tokyo 3 from the world while at the same time distracting its defenders from the real threat that approached from below in the form of the subterranean Baragon.

            And finally there were the dreams of one Asuka Langley Sohryu, dreams of terrible destruction wrought by some as of yet unknown god of death and despair.  These horrid images were the product of a mind that Ishiro knew, yet this knowledge brought him anything but comfort.  If a warning came from such a source, then it was best if treated with absolute seriousness.

            However, those thoughts were best if saved for another time.  The threat was not imminent yet and Ishiro needed time to rest before he faced his next crisis.  So he reached over, picked up the phone and dialed the number for Rei Ayanami.

            Rei was alone in her apartment, as usual.  Despite Ishiro's recommendation that she seek human contact, Rei had yet to truly open herself up to others.  Thus, she was most surprised to hear her phone ring in the dusty silence of the old room.

            "Rei?" came the voice from the other end of the line.  It was unmistakably Ishiro's.

            "What is it?" she asked softly.  She was still confused as to what she thought about the mysterious boy.  She had figured out long ago that he was anything but what he seemed.  Now she had to figure out what that 'anything' was.

            "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me when I went over to dinner at Shinji's?" said Ishiro.  His voice was candid but somewhat timid.  She wondered why the boy was suddenly so unsure of himself.

            "Why?" asked Rei simply.

            "Because were friends Rei.  I think you would have a good time if you came over to dinner with us.  It will help you to open up to others more, see what it is really like to be human."  Ishiro's voice was more confident now that he was reinforcing what he had told her several weeks ago.  "The first thing you need to know about being human is that humans have an innate need to relax and enjoy themselves once and a while."

            Rei pondered the question for several moments before answering.  Ishiro waited patiently.  "Very well," she answered, "When is dinner?"

            "It'll be at six," replied Ishiro, "I'll see you there."

            "Wait!" said Rei suddenly, "Will you walk with me?  I feel the need for companionship."

            On the other side of the line, Ishiro's smile widened.  Just another sign that Rei was beginning to catch on.  "I would be glad to."

            "Then goodbye," she said softly into the receiver and hung up.

            For a moment, Rei just stood there.  Why had she just asked Ishiro to walk with her over to Ikari's home?  Shinji's home, she mentally corrected herself, remembering what she had learned from Ishiro before.  She sighed after thinking about it for a moment.  Just another part of being human, she guessed.

            At the Katsuragi/Ikari/Sohryu household, Shinji was setting the table for dinner.  Asuka came into the kitchen after taking a shower.  Her eyes narrowed when she saw the table.  "Don't you know how to count baka," she said tartly, "There's four of us for dinner with Ishiro coming, not five."

            "Ishiro said he was going to invite Rei to come too," said Shinji, mentally bracing himself for the explosion to come.

            It came.  "WHAT!" Asuka nearly screamed, "I DIDN'T SAY THAT WONDERGIRL WOULD BE COMING OVER TO THIS PLACE ANYTIME SOON!  THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO LET THAT DOLL INTO MY HOUSE!"

            "Apartment," Shinji corrected with a whisper.

            "Whatever," snapped Asuka, "Listen, I don't know what you or Ishiro see in that doll, but there's no way I'm letting her into my home."

            "It's not just your home," replied Shinji firmly, "It belongs to me and Misato too.  One of these days you're just going to have to learn to accept Rei Asuka.  She's here now and there's nothing that you can do that will make her go away."

            Asuka was going to start throwing insults, trying to demean and threaten the 3rd Child into submission, but her mind came to a halt at that thought.  Hadn't she vowed not to push him away like that after she had finally woken up from her coma?  Hadn't she come to accept him as a person, as a friend, as her boyfriend?  They had shared their feelings with one another, shared embraces, and even shared a kiss or two.  Asuka didn't want to throw all that away because of a single dispute.  Furthermore, she had heard the iron in Shinji's voice and realized that no argument from her was going to change his mind.  So she simply snorted irritably and stomped into the living room, pausing only long enough at the door to shoot Shinji a glare before going over to the couch.  Shinji sighed as he watched her go.  He was surprised that he hadn't lost a few limbs in that last exchange, but either he was getting more of a spine or Asuka was starting to ease up on the people around her, perhaps both.  If Asuka was finally starting to relax and accept others, faults included, she might yet one day accept Rei.  But that still seemed to be a long way off yet.

            Shinji went over to the counter and began to gather the ingredients and tools for dinner.

            Rei sat on the edge of her bed, staring into empty space.  She often did this.  For a long time she had simply done what was required of her, eating sleeping, doing homework, automatically; and when she had nothing to do, she simply did nothing until she was called upon to do something.  It did not occur to her that humans quite naturally seek something to occupy their time when they had nothing to do.  It was the way of a tool to wait until somebody had use for it, the way of a doll.

            Rei rose from her bed at Ishiro's knock and opened the door for him.  Ishiro came into the apartment, looked around, sniffed the air, and sneezed.  The dust on the walls must be an inch thick, he thought.  He looked at Rei, who stood silently and motionlessly before him, wearing her school uniform, which was doubtlessly the only kind of clothing she possessed.  It's going to be very difficult to get her over these habits, he thought worriedly, She treats herself as a piece of equipment.  But for tonight we can put these problems aside and get Rei used to the idea of socializing with others.

            He smiled widely at the girl.  "Ready to go?" he asked.

            "Yes," she said, her face expressionless, or so it seemed.  However, Ishiro also saw the slight twitch at the edges of her mouth, the beginnings of a genuine smile.  It may not be so hard for her, he thought.

            "Let's go then."  He stepped away from the door and walked next to Rei as they made their way down to street level.  From there they began to walk from the almost abandoned line of buildings towards the Katsuragi/Ikari/Sohryu residence.  It was a fair walk but they had plenty of time.  Ishiro kept their pace nice and easy.  Looking up he saw that the sky was beginning to darken slightly, the beginnings of dusk.

            The air was warm, a residual effect of the radical climate changes that had taken place during Second Impact.  When one added the greenhouse effect and the ever present results of global warming it was amazing that the planet was still habitable at all.  However, when one factored in the reduction in the human population, resulting from the catastrophe of Second Impact itself and supplemented by the social upheaval that followed, humanity's impact on the planet had been greatly reduced.  Several previously industrialized nations had been knocked almost all the way back into the Bronze Age, some others along the coast being wiped off the map completely.  Rebellion and anarchy abounded and it was more than a year before order had once again been restored.  In some areas, nature reclaimed territory it had lost in the war of development.  Forests grew over farms, pastures were replenished; in the absence of man, the world actually began to heal.  It was ironic that both good and ill had come about because of Second Impact.

            "How is school going?" he asked suddenly.

            "It is going well," replied Rei blandly.  She was slightly confused as to the purpose of his question.  She did not yet understand the art of making conversation.

            "Have you made any new friends?" he inquired, smiling pleasantly.

            "No," she answered simply, "Why are you asking?"

            "I just want to know how you're doing Rei.  Even if you don't see yourself as an actual person yet doesn't mean I don't.  What we are practicing now is an art called mundane conversation.  You could say that it is in part ascertaining the status of the other individual, yet it is also more often than not a way to simply pass the time and enjoy the presence of another's companionship."  Ishiro's soft brown eyes met Rei's blood red, icy stare.

            The edges of Rei's mouth twitched upwards.  "I have much progress to make," she observed.  Then she rewarded Ishiro with a true smile.  "How have you been Ishiro?" she asked, imitating Ishiro's pleasant tone.

            Very good Rei, he thought approvingly.  Out loud he said, "I have been doing well.  My research into Regenerator G-1 has yielded success and I have begun testing it."  He held up his right arm.  For the first time, she noticed the canister of LCL capping the end of the limb.

            "So you will soon have your hand back," she remarked.

            "I hope so," agreed Ishiro, "But with something as volatile as G-Cells you can never be sure."

            "I am certain that you have performed the experiment correctly," assured Rei, trying to encourage him.

            "Success, as it is defined in science, is not determined by the results themselves, but rather from the information that can be gathered from those results."  He looked intently at his hand for a moment.  "If my hand doesn't grow back properly, or not at all, the experiment will still be a success if I can determine why and how.  I would then try it differently next time.  The process is slow depending on the number of variables.  And with Regenerator G-1 there are quite a few variables."

            "I hope that you achieve the desired result the first time," said Rei, "It would mean good things for people here, especially people like Suzahara and his sister."

            Ishiro nodded.  "I would like to help Suzahara and his sister very much.  They have both lost so much because of the Evas and Angels.  It would be nice if we could give back at least part of what we've taken."

            Rei nodded.  They walked on in silence for a while.  This time, it was a comfortable silence.  Rei was beginning to understand what it was like to enjoy the simple company of another human being.  It is better than being alone, she reflected, Companionship is a pleasurable experience.  It was not much longer before they reached the apartment.

            They walked up to the door and Ishiro rang the bell.  When Shinji opened the door, Ishiro said brightly, "We're here."

            "Come in," said Shinji, smiling pleasantly.

            They entered the apartment and made their way towards the kitchen.  Misato was not yet in from work, but her place at the table was marked by the two cans of beer set out to appease her after work needs.  Asuka was presently in the living room, watching TV.  Though, the instant Rei came into her field of vision, Asuka promptly began to glare daggers at the girl.  Rei, for her part, ignored Asuka's angry stare and simply picked a chair at the dinner table and sat down.

            "Misato should be back in a few minutes," said Shinji, checking his watch.  At that moment, there was a hissing in the hallway as the front door slid open and Misato came into the apartment.

            The woman stumbled tiredly into the kitchen and upon seeing the two beers lurched towards them.  She picked up one can, opened it, and chugged it down in eight seconds.  "Yeehaw!" she exploded, "That's the stuff life is made of!"  Then, after disposing of the first, Misato opened the second can and took her place at the table as she slowly sipped from it, her eyes closed peacefully.

            Ishiro looked at Shinji and raised an eyebrow.  Shinji merely shrugged in response.  "I don't know," he admitted, "She's done that for as long as I've known her."

            "Mrs. Katsuragi," said Ishiro, astounded, "You wouldn't happen to have a hidden stash of spare livers would you?"

            Asuka's laughter could be heard from the living room.  Misato glared at Ishiro.  "Listen pal," she growled menacingly, "You should learn not to criticize women so much or else you'll ruin your love life."

            "Who said I was ever being plural in my criticism," retorted Ishiro.  He raised both eyebrows when he saw her knock back the rest of the can she was working on and head to the refrigerator to pull out another two.  But just as she was about to close the door, the door of the refrigerator across the room slid open and Pen Pen emerged.  He waddled over to where Misato was and pulled one of the cans from her grasp.  In an instant, Misato whipped around and snatched the can back from the penguin.  The glare she gave him made him duck around the side of the fridge and hide.  After Misato left for the table, he came back around the front and opened the door, pulling out a can of his own.

            Ishiro's eyes were the size of dinner plates as he watched Pen Pen head back to his refrigerator, beer in flipper, and step inside.  "Excuse me," he barely managed to say, "But when did the circus come into town."

            "Oh that's Pen Pen," said Shinji calmly, "He likes beer too."

            "I can see that," commented Ishiro.

            "Anyway, dinner's ready," said Shinji.  They took their places at the dinner table.  Asuka noticeably taking a seat as far away from Rei as she possibly could.  They ate quietly, nobody having much to say.

            Rei was starting to get unsettled by how much Asuka glared at her.  Finally, even she could no longer take the tension.  "Why is it that you dislike me Pilot Sohryu?" she asked emotionlessly.

            For a moment, Asuka was speechless.  She had never expected Rei to bother asking any questions.  "I…I…" she stammered.

            "Do you feel threatened by my presence?" continued Rei, "Do I unsettle you in some way?  What is the source of this anger you feel towards me?"

            Finally, Asuka couldn't take it anymore.  "I just can't understand you wondergirl!" she yelled, "You act so damn emotionless all the time!  You're always acting like such a stupid doll.  And I remember seeing the way Shinji looked at you!  I just can't stand you," Asuka was nearly sobbing with anger by this time.

            "I am not a doll," said Rei calmly, but not in the same blank, emotionless way that she usually did.

            "YES YOU ARE!" Asuka screamed, "You do whatever the goddamn Commander tells you.  You'll pilot the Eva, you'll lick his boots, you'd even die for him if he wanted you to.  How can you say that you're not a damn doll?"

            "I'm not a doll."  Despite the fact that her face was still devoid of expression a solitary tear mad its way down Rei's cheek.  A collective gasp went off from Shinji and Misato, who had been watching the entire exchange wide eyed.  It was the first sign of clear emotion that Rei had ever shown to so many people at once.  Ishiro watched Rei from his place at the table.  His face was as expressionless at hers.

            "I'm not a doll," Rei said, beginning to sob, "I'm not a doll."  She buried her face in her ands and began to sob quietly.  Asuka stared wordlessly at the girl, her mouth hanging open, the last fires of her anger dieing very suddenly.  Around the table, Shinji and Misato were also agape.  The situation was so unusual that it was almost alien.  None of them knew how to react.  None of them except for Ishiro, that is.

            He silently put an arm around her shoulder and helped her up from the table.  He then led her into the living room where they sat down on the couch.  Rei cried into his shoulder.

            Shinji, Misato, and Asuka came in after them.  Shinji sat down on the other side of Rei and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.  "Rei?"  He got no answer.  Rei continued to cry wordlessly onto Ishiro's shoulder.

            And so you have discovered the emotion of sorrow, thought Ishiro sadly, It wasn't an easy lesson to learn.  "It's okay," he whispered into her ear, "Cry as much as you want."  He turned his head to look at Asuka.  "As I see it," he said calmly, "You and Rei apparently need to have a discussion."  Asuka could only nod wordlessly.

            Misato was still too stunned to say anything.  She simply stared wide-eyed at Rei.  Rei had finally stopped crying and simply rested her head against Ishiro's shoulder.  Finally, she lifted her head and looked at Ishiro.  "I want to talk with Sohryu."

            Ishiro nodded.  He stood up and beckoned Asuka over.  When she came, he pointed her to a chair on another side of the coffee table.  Ishiro then ushered Shinji and Misato out of the room.  "They need to be alone to work things out," he said calmly.

            He closed the door to the living room, shutting them in the kitchen.  Misato finally managed to stop staring in the direction of the living room and turned to look at Ishiro.  "When did this happen?" she asked.

            "Rei and I had a discussion not too long after the first kaiju incident," replied Ishiro, "And I advised her to try and understand what it was like to become more human.  Rei agreed and has been trying to understand her own humanity ever since.  It's been a difficult struggle for her to shake the sub-human personality she used to have."  She's undoubtedly going to tell all this to Asuka, so it will probably make its way to Ikari's ears eventually.

            "She must have taken a big step tonight," remarked Shinji.

            "She did," agreed Ishiro.  Even I was surprised by her little outburst, he thought silently, And I'm not easily surprised.

            "Do you know what Rei really is?" asked Misato.

            Ishiro nodded.  "I know that she is a human/Angel hybrid created from the cells of Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother."  Shinji started to feel a familiar tug at his heart as he recalled this information for himself.

            "What did Commander Ikari intend to use her for?" wondered Misato.

            "I thought you would have found out by now Major," replied Ishiro, "You mean you haven't yet been able to access Ritsuko's data on the MAGI?"

            Misato's jaw dropped for the umpteenth time that evening.  "How did you know about that?" she demanded.

            "I know these things Major," said Ishiro cryptically, "But I cannot continue to discuss these matters here.  This place is too open."

            "What do you mean?" asked Shinji.  Ishiro simply held a finger to his lips.

            Ishiro had been able to sense the multitude of people observing the Katsuragi residence in various manners.  There were perfectly concealed listening devices in every corner of the apartment.  Ishiro didn't detect them, but rather the minds on the other end that listened constantly to the goings on.  He also sensed the men who watched the apartment and the comings and goings of its inhabitants with careful attentiveness.  Rei's emotional outburst would not go unnoticed and would undoubtedly cause Ishiro some problems when it reached Gendo's ears.  However, if Gendo found out that Ishiro knew his plans for Third Impact Ishiro would most likely be dead before he set foot outside this apartment.  Out of a simple sense of self preservation, Ishiro knew he could not reveal what he knew to Shinji and Misato in this place.  Ishiro knew that his own apartment was not under as careful surveillance, despite the fact that Commander Ikari was suspicious of him.  He also knew that Rei's apartment was completely unwatched by any NERV agents.  Ikari's trust in his former tool was so complete he didn't bother having any of his agents watching her.

            That might change in the near future though, he thought.  This was going to be difficult.

            So they waited while Asuka and Rei had their discussion.  Ishiro knew that Rei would probably give away several key details about her interaction with him that would soon arouse Commander Ikari's suspicions and force the man to take action against Ishiro.

            The three of them sat, Ishiro and Shinji sipping coffee, while Misato drank from yet another can of beer.  Finally, Pen Pen joined them at the table with a deck of acards.  Despite Ishiro's reservations about playing with a penguin, they played a game to pass away the time.  He didn't bother trying to use his psychic abilities to get the edge in the game; it was just a way to pass the time.

            Finally, at about seven past eight, the door to the kitchen opened and Rei and Asuka entered the kitchen.  Asuka's eyebrows went up as she saw the four of them playing cards.  Rei simply stared.  Then she smiled and let out a small giggle.  There was still evidence of tears on her face.  Ishiro stood up and walked over to them.  He looked first at Asuka.  "Do you two understand each other better now?" he asked.  She nodded.  "Are you feeling better?" he asked Rei.  She nodded.  Ishiro smiled.  "Well then, shall we enjoy ourselves for the remainder of the evening?  Pen Pen is apparently an excellent card player."  The two girls nodded and they all sat down at the table.

            They had a wonderful evening together.  At half past nine, Rei and Ishiro decided it was time to leave.  After saying goodbye, Ishiro started walking Rei back to her apartment.  They walked slowly, enjoying the peaceful night.  Ishiro sensed that Rei did not want to tell him about her discussion with Asuka and he was willing to honor her wish for privacy.

            For a long time, they walked in silence.  Finally, Rei asked, "Ishiro?"

            "Yes?" he replied.

            "What is the significance of holding hands?" she asked.

            Ishiro blinked, as if surprised.  "It depends on when it is used.  Sometimes holding hands is a way for two people to enjoy one another's company.  Other times it expresses feelings that two people have for one another in a way that they can't be expressed by words."

            "Do you have such feelings for me?" asked Rei.

            Ishiro didn't answer with words.  Instead he merely smiled and took her hand in his and holding it firmly.  They held hands all the way to Rei's apartment.  Opening the door, Ishiro walked with her into her sparsely furnished home.  Looking around, he noticed that Rei had neglected more than the dust.  She had obviously not cleaned the room in a long time.  "This place could definitely use some cleaning," he remarked.

            Rei nodded.  "It does."  She had never bothered with keeping her apartment clean before.  Now however, she thought that it must be another part of being a human being.

            "I'll help you clean up before I leave," said Ishiro.

            They spent about half an hour cleaning the small apartment.  During that time, they said little.  As they worked, Ishiro carefully scanned the apartment for any signs of listening devices or hidden observers.  There were none.  Gendo Ikari trusted his little puppet explicitly.  After they had finished cleaning, Rei walked with Ishiro to the door.

            "Thank you Ishiro," said Rei, "I enjoyed tonight."

            "I enjoyed tonight too," replied Ishiro.  He averted his eyes shyly.  "Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?"  It was strange, he had never felt this awkward around someone before.

            Rei nodded.  "I would love to."

            Ishiro hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around Rei's waist and pulled her into a warm embrace, which she gladly returned.  It was slightly awkward with the canister attached to Ishiro's right wrist, but comforting nonetheless.  They held one another for a few minutes.  Finally, after they let go, Ishiro gave Rei a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to go.  Rei watched him go, a smile on her face.  After a moment, the smile was replaced by a look of confusion.  What are these feelings that I am experiencing? She wondered.

            Ishiro walked to his home quickly.  He had a lot on his mind.  His head was spinning with the potential implications of the nights events.  In addition he was also pondering the meaning of his feelings for Rei.  He already knew that she shared them.  As he entered his apartment and shut himself in for the night, a pair of voices echoed through the stillness.

            "Greetings friend," they said in unison.

            "Oh no," groaned Ishiro.  On top of everything else that was happening, he didn't need to meet with the two very people whom, according to his mother, were portents of catastrophe.  Still, through his annoyance and anger, he had to admit a sense of respect.  These people had hidden in his home and had escaped detection by his mental probes.  This spoke of great and unnatural power.

            "Okay," he said calmly as he entered the living room, "Where are you two hiding."  From behind a curtain on the windowsill, two tiny girls emerged from hiding.  They were identical twins, no more than about six inches tall, Asian in appearance, clothed in orange dresses.  They bowed in unison.  Ishiro put a finger to his lips to signal for quiet.  Already he could sense the minds on the receiving end of the listening devices planted in his apartment.  He had managed to mentally blank them out when the tiny twins announced their presence.  However, any more activity would alert them to what was happening.

            Digging through his belongings, Ishiro managed to come up with an empty wooden box, more than large enough to hold both of the tiny girls with room to spare.  Silently, he signaled them to get in the box.  He needed to take them some place where it would be safe to converse.  After they were in, Ishiro tucked the box, handling it as gently as he could, under his right arm so that his left hand would be free and took them onto the top of the building.  He sensed that while there were listening devices in his apartment, no one was keeping him under direct observation.  So the roof of the apartment would be the perfect place to hold a discussion in complete privacy.

            He sat down on the roof and opened the box.  "Now tell me," he said as calmly as he could, "What brings the Cosmos to my humble abode."

            Commander Ikari looked up from the report he had just been given.  "I want you to put the 1st Child under observation from now on," he said, "I am also ordering increased surveillance of the 6th Child."

            "Yes sir!" the man from the intelligence division saluted crisply and strode out of Gendo's office.

            "So the 1st Child has been interacting with the 6th," observed Fuyutsuki.

            "Indeed," agreed Ikari, "And it seems that he is deliberately trying to destroy her emotional conditioning."

            "If this continues she will cease to be useful to you," said Fuyutsuki.

            "This cannot continue," said Gendo in a voice that just barely hinted at his agitation, "We have no more spares of Rei.  Dr. Akagi has purged them all."  He folded his hands and rested his chin on them.  "If Pilot Saegusa succeeds in turning Rei against me I will not be able to initiate Third Impact."

            "Do you think that Pilot Saegusa knows your plans for the instrumentality of man?" inquired Fuyutsuki.

            "I have suspected Pilot Saegusa from the beginning," remarked Gendo, "This appears to lend credence to the conclusion that he is planning to disrupt Third Impact.  However, I do not understand how pilot Saegusa could have learned about this.  Even the MAGI do not hold the records for my planned initiation of Third Impact and there have been no reports of the boy even looking into the matter."

            "What do you intend to do about this?"

            "I am not sure yet.  I may have to have a talk with both of them," mused Gendo, "But one thing is certain.  There cannot be anymore interaction between the 1st and 6th Children."

            "That will not be difficult to arrange," agreed Fuyutsuki, "Saegusa is working on Project G and Ayanami has other matters to attend to with school and her synchronization tests."

            "I wish to talk with Pilot Saegusa," said Ikari, "He cannot be allowed to continue this.  Where is he now?"

            "Intelligence reports that he entered his apartment briefly, but left soon after."

            "Find him," ordered Commander Ikari.

            "This is indeed dire news," agreed Ishiro, "I knew this all along of course.  I have been following Asuka's dreams carefully ever since she started having them."

            "Then you must know that there isn't much time left," said Mona, the first of the Cosmos.

            "Yes," agreed Lora, the other, "It has almost passed Mars and will soon arrive at Earth."

            "There is very little that we can do," replied Ishiro, "If we had the Lance, we might have been able to destroy it before it reached Earth.  But it's been imbedded onto the surface of the moon for some time now.  And if this thing is coming as quickly as you claim, there is no chance that we can retrieve the Lance in time."  He looked questioningly at the two girls.  "What about Mothra?  Is there anything she can do?"

            "I'm sorry," said Mona, "But Mothra has only just returned from a task of her own."

            "Yes, mother told me about that whole business with the meteor," remarked Ishiro.

            "Then you should know that this task has drained much of her strength," remarked Lora, "She cannot fight it when it comes."

            "Perhaps the Evangelions will be able to take care of the problem," said Ishiro.

            "Perhaps," agreed the twins in unison.

            "But it is very strong."

            "It has recovered from when it was last here."

            "I have to warn the others," said Ishiro, "But I doubt they'll like, or even believe, what I have to say."

            Ishiro looked up from his discussion.  Agents from Section 2 were on their way with the intention of taking him to a meeting with Gendo Ikari.  "We will have to continue this discussion later," he told the twins, "It appears that the Commander has decided to honor me with his presence.  In the meantime, stay in my apartment and keep quiet.  It would not do for him to find out that I have guests."

            Shinji sat down on the couch next to Asuka.  "What did you two talk about?" he asked.  The television flickered in the background.

            "I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

            "Okay," said Shinji.

            They sat for a moment, watching the TV.  Asuka leaned against Shinji.  "I'm sorry about blowing up like that," she said softly, "It's just that I don't feel ready to talk about what I was discussing with Rei."

            Shinji's eyes widened.  Asuka had referred to Rei by her name, not as Wondergirl.  It might signify that she saw Rei Ayanami in a different light now.  "It's okay," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders, "You don't have to if you don't want to."   Turning his head he kissed her on the cheek.  Asuka responded by lowering her head onto his shoulder.

            After about ten minutes, Asuka looked up at Shinji.  "I'm tired," she whispered, "Let's go to bed."

            "Asuka…" sputtered Shinji, "Are you…are…are you sure!"

            "Pervert," she growled, cuffing him lightly, "You know what I mean."

            "Oh," said Shinji, slightly relieved.

            They got up and went to their respective rooms to get ready for bed.  After she had finished getting ready, Asuka went into Shinji's room where she got into her futon.  Shinji got into his and they fell asleep holding hands.

            Ishiro steeped into the cavernous confines of Gendo Ikari's office.  He saw the Commander and his ever present assistant waiting behind his desk.  Ishiro strode confidently past the guards, right up to the edge of the Commander's desk.  "You called for me sir," he said.

            "I wish to discuss with you the issue of the 1st Child," said Gendo icily.

            "You mean Rei," replied Ishiro with equal coldness in his voice.

            Commander Ikari ignored his comment and continued.  "You are to cease all contact with the 1st Child.  If I am notified of any you will be expelled from the organization."

            "If you expel me then you will lose a pilot," replied Ishiro smugly, "And I assure you that without me Unit 14 will be useless to you."

            "How can you promise this?" Fuyutsuki wanted to know.

            "I will make it so," replied Ishiro, "I happen to be quite capable of communicating with the spirit that resides within the Eva.  If I asked her to, I think that she would oblige me in refusing to synchronize with any other pilot you might ever find."

            "That is the most ridiculous bluff I have ever heard," stated Fuyutsuki.

            "It is no bluff," said Ishiro evenly, "You do not understand the degree of my relationship with Erika.  We are very good friends and she would hate to see me go."

            "That is beside the point," interjected Gendo, "The point is that you are not to interact with the 1st child anymore."

            "And how are you going to stop me?" wondered Ishiro, folding his arms across his chest.

            "If I have to, I will have you placed under military arrest," replied Ikari, "You will not be permitted to go anywhere without my personal consent.  You will be confined to specific areas of headquarters and the city.  You will always be under guard."

            "Point taken," said Ishiro.  He realized that that would indeed make things difficult, in other arenas as well.

            At that moment, an aide came scrambling in.  "Sir!" he exclaimed, "All communications with the surface have been cut off."

            "Well," said Ishiro, smiling smugly, "It appears that Manda has returned to our humble home."

            "Send runners to collect the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Children.  Have them report for duty immediately."  Gendo stood up.  "Assume battle stations level 1."

            "Yes sir!" replied the aide who scampered off after saluting.

            "Pilot Saegusa," said Gendo, "You will report to the briefing room immediately."

            "Yes sir," said Ishiro, holding back a chuckle.

            Shinji and Asuka were still asleep when the runner arrived.  His frantic knocking and ringing of the doorbell finally managed to stir Shinji from his slumber.  Groggily, he made his way to the door of his room, careful not to tread on Asuka on his way out.  He went to the front door and opened it.

            Shinji was nearly on the receiving end of the next knock coming from the panicked messenger.  "You need to report in!" he blurted out, "Manda's back!"

            Shinji was almost instantly awake.  "We'll be right there," he said quickly, shutting the door.

            Shinji rushed down the hall, shouting the whole way.  "Misato! Misato!"

            Rei was also asleep when a messenger came knocking at her door.  She opened the door wearing only a very large shirt.  The messenger was too frantic however to notice her appearance.  He blurted out his message quickly, to which Rei responded with a bland, "Very well," before shutting the door.  After that, she went to get dressed.

            Ishiro, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei all reported to the briefing room.  They waited as Commander Ikari listened to the latest news from the aide in the front of the room.  Other members of the support staff sat behind the pilots.  When Gendo was ready, a screen came on behind him, showing a map of Tokyo 3 and the surrounding coastline.

            "The monsters known as Manda and Baragon have made landfall on the cliffs north of the city," said the Commander.  Two red dots appeared on the map.  "They were reported to have arrived approximately thirty minutes ago.  They have remained inactive however."

            Three new dots appeared on the screen.  "Units 00 through 02 will be deployed.  They are not to attack the enemy unless they attempt to progress towards the city."

            "What about Unit 14?" asked Shinji.

            "Unit 14 will be placed on standby in case one of the other units should become inoperable," said Gendo.

            Another aide rushed into the room and whispered frantically into Gendo's ear.  Aftter he finished and left, Gendo turned to address the assembly again.  "We have just received news sent by a messenger from the Old Tokyo observation outpost that Godzilla has become active and is now moving towards Tokyo 3.  It is possible that he views the presence of these other monsters as an intrusion on his territory and is going to confront them.  However, if he continues on his present path, he will cut a swath through a considerable portion of the city before he reaches his objective.  Therefore, Unit 14 will be deployed to intercept Godzilla and the others…"

            Ishiro's hand went up.  "What is it?" asked Gendo, successfully keeping agitation from his voice.

            "I would like to suggest that Unit 00 be rerouted to confront Godzilla instead of Unit 14," said Ishiro.

            "Why?"

            "Unit 00 has been equipped with NT-20 artificial diamond armor which will permit it to absorb Godzilla's energy beam and redirect it through the plasma rifle back at him," replied Ishiro, "Unit 00 was technically thus equipped specifically to counter the threat posed by the kaiju."

            Gendo considered this for a moment.  "Very well," he said, "Unit 00 will be deployed to intercept Godzilla while Units 01, 02, and 14 will be deployed to stand against these other two monsters.  The pilots will report to the holding cages in ten minutes time.  You are dismissed."

            It didn't take long to get ready and the pilots reached their holding cages with time to spare.  Without any delays, the pilots boarded their entry plugs and the Evas were launched.  Units 01, 02, and 14 were sent to the edge of the city to stop Baragon and Manda, Unit 00 to fight Godzilla.

            When the three Evas reached the surface, they proceeded towards the coast.  There, the two monsters waited.  For a long time the two sides faced each other.  Each side remained motionless.  It seemed like the classic showdown.

            Ishiro tapped the fingers of his left hand impatiently.  Despite the fact that he now technically had no right hand, he was still able to use the Eva's.  They must be waiting for something, thought Ishiro, Because they certainly aren't waiting for us to make the first move.  Then the answer hit him and he knew what they were waiting for.  It didn't help that five seconds later, the answer appeared on the horizon, swimming for the shore.  Battra was coming to Tokyo 3.

            So the gang's all here, he thought.  Battra plowed through the surf like an unstoppable black juggernaut of legend.  As it neared land, something unexpected happened.  As Battra swam, red, violet, and orange lightning crackled across his body.  In an instant the entire monster seemed to dissolve into a cloud of energy.  The air above where he had just been flared with red light.  Violent and orange lightning filled the same glowing red space.  The light reached a blinding crescendo.  When it faded, a new creature was flying on wings of darkness towards them.

            Battra had transformed from an enormous armored caterpillar into an equally large armored moth.  Jagged armor enveloped his entire body.  His six legs ended in vicious looking claws.  The flanks of Battra's thorax were decorated with those familiar glowing red protrusions.  His eyes were smaller and more angular, his horns shorter.  The creature's wings were black with red stripes and spots.  As he neared his prey, Battra screeched that familiar bird-like screech.  He stopped and hovered over Manda and Baragon, his two comrades in arms.

            "At last you show your true form," Ishiro muttered under his breath.

            In unison, the three of them surged forward to attack the Evas that barred their way.  Unit 02 stepped to confront Manda while Unit 01 moved to counter Baragon.  Unit 14 leapt high into the air in an attempt to strike at Battra.

            Unit 02 sidestepped as Manda lashed out like a striking snake.  In a smooth motion, it retrieved the progressive knife from its sheath in the shoulder brace and brought it down on top of Manda's head.  The blade, vibrating with ultrasonic waves, merely bounced off the dragon's armored scales.  The attack did succeed in dazing the creature as Asuka had Unit 02 grab him around the neck with both hands and squeeze.  The Chinese dragon threw his coils around the Eva in retaliation, resulting in the same stalemate that had occurred in their previous sortie, a test to see which of them would strangle first.  However, because she had a firm grip with both hands on the kaiju's neck, Asuka was faring much better than she had the last time.   Maybe this time I won't need any help, she thought hopefully.

            Baragon came like at Unit 01 like a molted brown cannon ball, closing much too quickly for Shinji to unfold his AT field.  Reflexively, Shinji threw up a hand to block the monster.  However, Baragon was much more dangerous than a simple projectile.  Instead of impacting fully with the Eva's arm, the creature instead threw out its own clawed limbs and latched onto Unit 01's arm with them.  Using the momentum of his leap, Baragon hauled himself up over the Evangelion's arm and sent a stream of fire straight into Unit 01's face.  Already attached to the Eva's body, Baragon was behind that thin margin of safety that would have been created by the Eva's AT field.  Shinji screamed in pain as he felt the burns on his own face.  Little blisters began to form as the damage sustained by the Eva began to be transferred to its pilot.

            Desperate for some form of escape, Shinji punched at Baragon with his free hand.  The Eva's fist smashed into Baragon's head from the side, stunning the monster well enough to stop his attack from causing anymore damage.  A second punch knocked the kaiju loose and sent him tumbling towards the ground.  However, Shinji did not intend to let him get that far.  He kicked out with the Eva's foot, turning Baragon into an oversized football, punting him away.  The creature landed several hundred meters back, very much stunned.

            Unit 14 shot upwards towards its target, activating its AT swords in the process.  Battra easily countered Ishiro's initial attack by simply flapping higher into the air.  At the same time, focused beams of violet energy surged from its glowing red eyes.  The beams raked against Unit 14's AT field which had been unfolded just in time.  As his Eva began to return to Earth, Ishiro threw one of the AT swords like a javelin.  The sword missed Battra's body and instead created a small tear in his right wing.

            Battra shrieked in rage and dove towards the falling Eva, lightning once again arcing into its eyes to emerge as lethal energy bolts.  Again they exploded against the AT field.  However, the power of this attack was a cut above the energy attacks Battra had in his previous form.  Ishiro was hard pressed to keep the power of his AT field up.  It was already severely weakened by the power going into creating the AT blades.  Another hit like the one he had just weathered and the AT field would be torn apart like tissue paper.

            Unit 14 hit the ground and immediately went into a backward roll, which carried it out of the way just as energy beams raked the spot where it had been less than a second ago.  Coming out of his roll, Ishiro didn't hesitate to send the Eva leaping away in a completely different direction to keep Battra guessing.  He moved not a moment too soon as Battra's beams again struck the ground where Unit 14 had landed.  The monster shrieked with rage.  Seconds later, Battra swooped down upon the Eva.  Ishiro found himself blinded by the battering wings and scrabbling with his razor sharp claws, looking for a seam in Unit 14's armor.

            Ishiro fought back frantically with his remaining sword.  Again, Battra's armor sparked and hissed as the sword made contact but refused to break.  Finally, Ishiro gave up on attacking Battra's body and went after his new Achilles heel, his wings.  After one slash, Battra pulled back while firing another barrage with his energy beams.  The beams exploded against the Eva's AT field, breaking it.  However, the field absorbed enough damage that the attack did little damage to the Eva itself, barely scorching the outermost layer of armor.

            Looking into Battra's eyes, Ishiro was reminded of finely cut ruby crystal.  The energy that surged forth from them was almost like light refracted through a prism.  That's what I'll call 'em, Ishiro thought, prism beams.

            As the thought crossed his mind, more "prism beams" surged towards him.  Ishiro again dodged.  This could take awhile, he thought wryly.

            Rei felt Unit 00 lurch to a stop as it reached the end of the launch tunnel.  Her orders were to remain stationary until Godzilla arrived.  However, she first had to attach her power cable.  Because of the special umbilical plug needed to utilize the plasma rifle was much different from any of the other umbilical plugs.  Not much later, one of the weapons buildings opened, revealing the length of the plasma cannon.  Many of these buildings were nothing more than oversized storage lockers.  Others were actually launch silos of their own, linked to the larger weapons storage bays down in the geofront.  Rei took the rifle from its holder while at the same time pulling out the modified umbilical plug from the base of the building, pulling out the cable along with it.  Relieved, she plugged the cable into its socket.  She then plugged the attachment cord from the plasma cannon into the plug.

            "Remember," Ritsuko had told her, "You have to wait until the internal batteries are fully charged before you try to switch to the energy pool."  It was obvious though; that Rei would have plenty of time to charge Unit 00's batteries as Godzilla had not yet appeared.  Sighing, she settled down to wait.

            Manda had finally ceased his constricting and his coils went limp around Unit 02.  It was much sooner than expected.  Asuka shouted exultantly and pried the dragon's body off her Eva.  She dumped the unconscious creature on the ground and looked around for another target.  She saw that Ishiro was having a hard time against the much more agile and airborne Battra.  She smirked evilly.  It would be so wonderful to finally be able to rescue Ishiro for once.  Without hesitation, she began to head towards where Unit 14 and Battra were fighting.

            Asuka was caught completely off guard when Manda struck from behind.  The force of the initial contact between his head and Unit 02's armor was enough to knock the gigantic Eva to the ground and stun the pilot within.  Then, Manda wrapped his body around Unit 02, trapping its arms this time.  Asuka managed a curse before Manda began squeezing again.  The dragon had been feigning defeat in order to break the stalemate between himself and Unit 02.  His strategy had worked.  Asuka was helpless as Manda once again began to crush the Eva with his coils.  Asuka tried to curse, but she could not muster the lung power to do so.  She felt her ribs creaking as if it was she and not the crimson behemoth that she piloted that were being crushed.

            Shinji saw Asuka's plight out of the corner of his eye.  Instinctively, he turned to rush to her aid.  However, Baragon who had recovered quite quickly from the punting he had received earlier launched himself at the Eva's back.  The creature latched onto Unit 01's shoulders with his claws and bit down on the back of the Eva's neck.

            In the entry plug, Shinji screamed.  Not only was the agony nearly unbearable, but something else was happening.  The entire plug reverberated with the sound of metal straining to hold its shape under pressure.  Baragon had bitten down on the exact spot where the entry plug was inserted into Unit 01, and now his bite was threatening to crush it and Shinji.  He reached up with Unit 01's hands in a frantic attempt to dislodge Baragon from the Eva's back.  However, without leverage he had no hope of breaking the monster's hold on him.  Desperate for some sort of release, Shinji took the only course of action he could think of.  He threw the Eva onto its back.  Baragon's jaws released their hold on the Eva's neck as the monster roared with pain.  However, when Unit 01 rose up, it still clung to the Eva, refusing to let go.  So Shinji dropped the Eva onto its back again, this time jumping to gain momentum, trying to crush the kaiju attached to him.

            I have to hurry, thought Shinji frantically, Asuka needs help!  Baragon's cry of pain reached his ears again, but the stubborn monster still refused to let go.  And this time, instead of trying to bite back down on Unit 01, he instead unleashed a torrent of fire on the Eva's unprotected back.  Shinji screamed in agony as the armor melted under the incredible heat.  Now I need help, he thought frantically.

            Ishiro was beginning to get distracted by the plight of his friends.  So distracted that he was unable to completely dodge Battra's next attack.  The prism beams hit Unit 14's left shoulder, destroying the shoulder brace and the progressive knife.  The blast nearly disconnected the Eva's arm.  The AT field was useless for the time being and Saegusa realized that he was in something of a plight himself.  Battra's power was threatening to overwhelm him.

            We can't hold off all three of them, Ishiro realized.  Manda had taken the combined efforts of Units 01 and 02 the first time, along with a little help from Unit 14, piloted by Rei.  Unit 00 alone had been enough to repel Baragon, but only the timely use of the plasma cannon had been able to defeat the beast.  And Battra had nearly overwhelmed Unit 14 and still might have had it not been for the timely intervention of Godzilla.  Had Unit 00 been present for this fight, they might have had a better chance at victory, but with Godzilla approaching from the other direction, Unit 00 had had to be deployed elsewhere.  They were quickly being overpowered.

            Perhaps if I help, suggested Erika from within the Eva.

            You're already helping, replied Ishiro as he dodged another barrage from Battra.

            Not like this, said Erika, My true form still remains orbiting the earth.  The Evangelion has always been but a temporary residence for me.  I can retrieve my other body and return to help you directly.

            But without a soul, the Eva will be useless! Ishiro replied frantically.

            I am not alone, said Erika simply.  Then, like a wraith she was gone.  But to where?  Ishiro reasoned that she had gone to collect her other body.  But that left his Eva useless, inanimate, helpless.

            Now what? he thought, nearly panicked.

            Ishiro's answer came almost immediately.  It started as a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, but there was a growing ferocity now.  He felt a hunger to lash out at the winged beast before him.  Battra had come to hover in front of Unit 14, bemused by its sudden silence.  Ishiro wanted to reach out and tear at the monster hovering before in front of him, rip it to shreds.  There was a beast within him trying to claw its way out.  It was then that Ishiro realized that this sense was not coming from him, but from within the Eva.  It was not soulless.  Furthermore, Ishiro recognized a certain familiar sensation from this soul.  He had sensed it before, but never had his sense of this soul been mingled with pain.

            It can't be! he thought almost skeptically.  He felt another surge of this bestial presence.  It is.  The presence grew stronger.  Oh crap!  Ishiro screamed.

            Rei was getting impatient.  She had been waiting for awhile now and there was still no sign of Godzilla.  Impatience was something new to the normally placid girl.  She normally would have waited for her target to calmly appear, but now she was a different person.  And her patience was running out.  She had better things to do than wait for a slow moving monster.  She should have been on the other side of the city, helping her friends to battle the other three monsters.

            Finally, the black shape that was Godzilla appeared on the horizon.  With a menacing roar, he advanced towards the bone white Eva.  Rei made Unit 00 stride forward to meet the monster.  She had to end this quickly so that she could get back to the others.  Godzilla looked at the Eva curiously, as if he did not understand its purpose.  Rei suddenly understood that her task was more difficult than it appeared.  Her hands were full with the plasma rifle, meaning that she would have to wait until Godzilla used his heat beam.  However, if the creature did not oblige and simply continued to move forward, she would be almost helpless to stop it.

            Godzilla however, was in an accommodating mood today.  Light danced across his spines as he opened hims mouth and unleashed a blast of plasma on Unit 00.  The blast slammed into the Eva's chest and splashed harmlessly across it, almost like water from a hose or a squirt gun.  Rei watched as the meter for her energy pool jumped up.  It was already over halfway full from just one blast.

            Godzilla snarled in confusion and attacked again, sending another stream of atomic energy at the Eva.  Again it splashed harmlessly against Unit 00's armor.  The energy pool was now completely full.  Rei quickly switched over to battery power and sent the energy in the pool into the rifle.  When the rifle was fully charged she switched back to umbilical power but did not attack.  She wanted to have another full charge in the energy pool before she fired back.  Rei wanted at least two solid shots against the kaiju before his mind put two and two together and he connected his own heat beam with the blast from the plasma cannon.

            Godzilla however, was not as agreeable this time.  So instead, the monster lunged forward in an attempt to strike Unit 00 with his claws.  The Eva danced back away from him, Rei attempting to taunt him into another blast with his heat beam.  However, she knew she could only retreat so far before she ran out of room to run.  She arrived at the conclusion that she should just use the cannon already.  Holding the weapon against Unit 00's shoulder, Rei had the Eva drop to one knee.  She knew from experience that the plasma cannon had one heck of a kickback.  When she was ready, she waited for Godzilla to come closer.  The monster obliged a second time and came at Unit 00 in a full charge.  Right when the monster would have come down on her Eva like 66,000 tons of bricks, she pulled the trigger.

            Godzilla was thrown backwards several hundred meters by the initial impact of the blast.  The beam burned away a considerable portion of his hide.  The beast shrieked with rage and agony as he toppled under the onslaught.  Rei held the trigger until the gun ran out of power.  Once he was no longer being kept down by the plasma beam, Godzilla slowly got to his feet.  This time, his injuries were too severe to heal almost instantaneously.  The wounds closed much more slowly, healing faster as they grew smaller.  Godzilla remained completely inactive while he waited for the pain to fade.  When he finished, the creature regarded Unit 00 for a few moments.  Then, with a roar of rage, he attacked with another heat beam against the still kneeling Eva.

            Rei was quite surprised that the monster had not yet figured out how Unit 00 was attacking.  However, she was grateful.  This time, Godzilla kept a steady stream of fire washing over the Eva.  And before she knew it, Rei realized that her charge was now at full.  She switched over to battery power again and transferred the energy to the plasma cannon.  She by the time she switched back, the energy pool was almost half full again.  Godzilla seemed to refuse to give up until he penetrated the Eva's armor.  Rei waited until the meter was just shy of full before she fired the plasma cannon again.  The blast hit Godzilla full in the chest just as the energy pool filled.  The monster was again thrown backwards by the plasma beam, sending his fire streaming up towards the sky.  Watching as he writhed under her attack, Rei smiled confidently.  She was winning.

            As the battles continued on either side of the city, the sky began to darken as it clouded over.  The strange clouds seemed to come out of nowhere, turning the sky gray.  Even as they were still forming, a light rain began to fall.  This turned into a deluge.  However, the storm was unnoticed by the combatants.

            All activity ceased on the battlefield as Unit 14 did something completely unexpected.  It lurched forward at Battra who flapped madly to get out of its way.  But instead of attacking, the black Eva continued to stumble forward, its hands going to its head as if it was being assaulted by intense pain the black cylinder of the AT sword falling to the ground forgotten, its blade extinguished.  The Eva's ebony body seemed to quiver.  It shook with a rumbling sound and metal screamed as it contorted into new shapes.  The long spike of the Eva's chin began to retract and the spike jutting from its head began to shorten.  The hands which Unit 14 had pressed against its head and covered its eyes began to change as well.  The finger's shortened slightly and the tips elongated into what looked like claws.  The Eva hunched over slightly as if in agony.  Finally, the hands dropped from its face.  They revealed a pair of eyes that no longer glowed yellow, but a demonic shade of red.  Unit 14 remained hunched over.  The spike of its chin had disappeared completely and the spike had shortened considerably.  It hands now sported a wicked set of claws each.  Its posture gave the Eva an almost bestial appearance.  It opened its mouth.  This time, instead of its normal gurgling bellow, a full throated roar emerged from Unit 14.

            Battra screeched and flapped backwards away from the transformed Eva.  As it did so, Unit 14 began to trudge forward slowly.  Battra unleashed the full force of his prism beams at the oncoming monster.  They met with now resistance, blasting away chunks of armor, and burning into flesh.  However, the wounds mended almost as quickly as the came and the Eva came on, completely unfazed by the attack.  As it did so, the flesh around its still wounded shoulder began to ripple.  Then, strangely, the flesh that had burned away seemed to just pop back into place.  However, instead of the normal shoulder, a bulge appeared.  This bulge had a large, black hole in the front.  It resembled some sort of cannon.

            Battra watched as golden light began to gather in the recesses of the hole in Unit 14's shoulder.  The light intensified until finally it emerged from the opening in the form of a ball of energy.  The blast rocketed towards Battra, leaving a rapidly dispersing contrail to form behind it.  The sphere smashed into the monster before he was able to react.  Battra was blown backwards and smashed into a hillside, being propelled the entire distance by the sphere.

            Baragon let go of Unit 01 and leapt to Battra's aid.  Even though Unit 14 did not see Baragon coming, the Eva spun around, displaying surprising agility, and dealt a backhanded swat to the airborne Baragon, knocking him backwards.  Baragon turned his flight into a backward flip and landed on his feet and leapt at Unit 14 again, this time leading with a jet of plasma flame.  Unit 14 did not make any attempt to evade the attack and instead waded straight into the fire.  It burned and seared armor and flesh, but wounds closed and armor regenerated just as fast as Baragon inflicted the damage.  Unit 14 lowered its head and collided with Baragon, using its greater mass to knock the kaiju backwards.  Even as Baragon tumbled through the air, Unit 14 continued its charge, reaching out with a clawed hand to swipe at the monster.  The attack connected and Baragon hit the ground trailing blood.

            Manda released his hold on Unit 02 and began to slither slowly towards the two enemies.  As he did so, his body color shifted to blend in with the terrain.  Manda came slowly up behind Unit 14, preparing to take the Eva in a constricting hold and give Battra and Baragon an opening to attack.

            Both Shinji and Asuka watched from their respective Evas.  Both didn't know what to make of the situation.  However, for some reason Shinji guessed that Ishiro was no longer in control of Unit 14.  The Eva seemed to have gone berserk.  Asuka was the first one to notice the weather.

            "Where did this storm come from?" she wondered.

            The rain that had been falling stopped as abruptly as it had started.  The clouds remained hovering ominously over the battlefield.   Then, something new began to emerge from them.  At first all that could be seen in the swirling vapors were brief flashes of golden light.  Then, slowly, a shower of golden specks descended from the heavens.  They resembled fireflies.  But as they continued to fall, their true nature became more apparent.

            "It's pollen," gasped Shinji.

            Even Unit 14, Battra, Baragon, and Manda had stopped to watch the phenomenon.  The cloud of pollen fell and disappeared into the ground.  For a moment, nothing more happened.  The kaiju and Evas were about to resume their battle when suddenly, the ground was split asunder.  Dark green vines shot up out of the cracks that appeared in the crumbling earth.  Some of these vines ended in pods that opened and closed like mouths, lined with thorns that gave them the look of tooth lined maws.  As the pods opened, they emitted shrill trills.  As more vines emerged, the ground began to disintegrate further, yielding to an even larger mass.

            A huge, dark green mass erupted from the earth.  It seemed to be composed from an enormous mass of leaves and branches.  It rose up on gigantic root-like legs.  At its center was an orange glowing mass of tissues that expanded and contracted like a human heart.  Its most remarkable feature however, was the massive thorn lined maw that resembled the snout of some sort of colossal crocodile.  A pair of beady eyes sparkled from the base of the snout.  The monster turned to face the other three kaiju.  As its jaws opened, the creature unleashed a low gurgling bellow.  It was the same sound Unit 14 used to make.

            Battra had finally extricated himself from the hillside.  Upon seeing this new arrival, the black, armored mother shrieked and dove towards it.  The plant monster saw Battra coming but didn't respond.  Then, at the last moment before Battra would have collided with it, the creature lashed out with dozens of whip-like vines, battering Battra's carapace and knocking him off course.  Even as the creature swatted Battra aside, it surged forward on its root-like legs towards Manda, who had dropped his concealment.  Manda reared up and lunged towards the oncoming monster.

            Even as Manda lashed out at it like a striking snake, vines wrapped around his serpentine form.  Those that ended with thorn lined pods, bit down on his armor, the thorns penetrating it with ease.  Manda thrashed with agony, hissing madly, but the plant monster was not done yet.  Even as the dragon convulsed, it began to drag him towards its massive jaws.  As the jaws opened, some sort of sap began to trip from the thorns that lined them, almost like saliva.

            Manda was unable to resist as he was dragged into their reach.  When the maw closed upon him, the immense power behind those thorns drove them into his body with all the ease of someone pushing a thumb tack through paper.  Manda's hissing increased in intensity as the monster continued to apply pressure.  Finally, the jaws closed entirely and the two halves of what had once been Manda, dropped to the ground, still writhing as the last of his life ebbed away.  Not bothering any further with the now deceased dragon, the monster continued forward, its roots trampling the carcass beneath it.

            Baragon launched himself at the newcomer.  However, as the vines reached out to embrace him, he opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of heat upon them.  The vines fell to the ground, many of them burned to ashes.  Pods screamed in pain and writhed as they caught fire.  Some were detached and left nothing but smoldering stumps behind.  Again the plant monster tried to wrap its vines around Baragon.  Again Baragon's flames drove the vines back.  The creature gave up and charged forward on its roots in an attempt to crush Baragon.  Baragon jumped backwards and out of the way with ease.

            The monster opened its jaws again and bellowed.  Then it closed them and opened them a second time.  However, instead of roaring, the monster unleashed a stream of dark green liquid that sparked and glowed.  As the liquid made contact with Baragon's hide, it began to smoke and burn.  It was an acidic sap.  Baragon howled in agony as the sap burned its way into his skin.  He was so caught up in his pain, that he did not notice the vines wrapping around his writhing form.  Tooth-lined pods bit down on him in several different locations.  As soon as they latched on, they began to pull in different directions.  As Baragon realized what the thing was doing to him, he began to thrash even harder, but was not in a position to bring his head around and burn the vines away from his body.

            Some of the vines pulled away with chunks of flesh.  As soon as they were gone, more took their place, latching on to where their predecessors had been.  Baragon could only yowl in pain as he was ripped limb from limp.

            Shinji watched spectacle from Unit 01, feeling a little sick as he watched it.  He had seen a lot of blood in his time, but had never seen anything so brutal before.  In Unit 02, Asuka was already putting her hand over her mouth in an effort to keep from throwing up as blood flew everywhere.  Unit 14 simply stood, watching intensely as the monster tore what was left of Baragon to shreds.

            Godzilla roared and got to his feet again, only to be hit by yet another blast from the plasma cannon.  Godzilla shrieked as he hit the ground.  This time, when Rei ran out of energy, Godzilla did not get up immediately.  The task of regenerating all the damage he had received in addition to the number of heat beam attacks he had made had severely drained Godzilla's radioactive reserves.  The monster slowly stood upright and regarded the Eva wearily.  Then, with a frustrated but tired roar, Godzilla turned and began to stagger away from Unit 00.

            Rei relaxed back into her seat and sighed in relief.  She was glad that the fight was over, even though it had been one sided.  She watched and felt the satisfaction of a job well done settling on her consciousness.  She already couldn't wait to tell Ishiro how successful his weapon had been.

            "We have communications back," said Shinji who had just managed to tear his eyes away from the battle.  He should have realized that the instant Manda had been killed, but he had been understandably distracted.

            "What is that thing?" wondered Asuka.

            "Biolante," Ishiro's voice croaked.  His voice was raw and sounded like he had been screaming for quite a while.

            "What happened to you Ishiro?" asked Shinji.

            "That monster over there is Erika," explained Ishiro, knowing that it didn't quite make sense to the others, "Until now, Erika was the soul that resided in Unit 14, but she had originally come from the monster Biolante.  To help us in our fight against these three kaiju, she returned to her true form and came down to help us.

            "But Unit 14 wouldn't have been able to fight unless it had another soul," said Asuka, "So how can it still be active?"

            "Let's just say that Unit 14 has more than one soul," explained Ishiro, "But I'd rather wait until we're done here to explain.  My hands are a bit full right now.  I hope Erika comes back soon."

            As if in response, Biolante let out another gurgling bellow.  Even as she did so, Battra rose off the ground with a scream.  However, instead of attacking the monster began to flap unsteadily away from the battlefield, leaving the Evas and their new ally behind.  Biolante roared in triumph.  Even as she did so, her body dissolved into a cloud of pollen, just as she had arrived.  The pollen rose upwards into the clouds disappeared.  When she was gone, the sky cleared and the sun shone brightly upon the Evas and their weary pilots.

            Over the comm, Shinji heard Ishiro sigh in relief a moment later as Erika's soul returned to the Eva.  Shinji couldn't help but sigh himself.  It was time to go home.

            It was drawing steadily nearer.  As it came closer to Earth, thoughts of revenge filled its mind.  However, buried beneath all those thoughts of hatred and vengeance was an instinctive tug, the same pull that had drawn the thing to this tiny blue and green planet in the first place.  As it approached, it became more and more aware of the presence of its other, its twin.  For even though its primary objective now as revenge, it was possessed by another goal, the one that it had originally come to Earth to fulfill.  When its wish was realized, two would become one and the universe itself would quake at the monster's power.  This puny planet that had dared to defy it would soon learn the true wrath of King of Terror.

Author's notes:  I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this posted.  I know I said I would have it up in a week, but I had quite a few distractions, what with school starting up again and all.  As I've said before, this is the last chapter I'll be posting for a while.  I'm taking a short break from this story to work on some others that I've been working on.  Don't worry; I'm not going to abandon it.  Once again, my humblest apologies for taking so long to update.  Now onto other business.

I know that Rei is OOC, but that's the point of that entire facet of the story.  Ishiro is working his magic (or so to speak) to help Rei to understand what it is to be a true human, which he is doing for multiple reasons.

And now for some non-story related stuff.  On Sunday, I became one of the happiest G-fans on the face of this Planet as Godzilla vs. Megaguirus and Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah Premiered on the Sci-fi Channel, along with reruns of the three Rebirth of Mothra movies.  I heard a lot about both movies and they were pretty good.  The story was a little shaky in Godzilla vs. Magaguirus, but that's okay.  In GMK King Ghidorah is a good guy.  WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO!  It was an interesting role reversal to say the least.  But one thing about Godzilla vs. Megaguirus really threw me off.  What is Godzilla doing with purple spines?  Did you here me?  PURPLE!  Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.  Anyway, that really made my Labor Day weekend.

Other than that, I've got nothing else to talk about so you readers are now free to go on your merry way.  I'm not going to be updating for a while, but I'll be back.