Author note: I just wanted to say that the past few chapters have been really slow developing. Chapters 3 through 6 were originally supposed to be one chapter, but during the writing of it, we came to the realization that it would be many times longer than we'd originally planned. We've decided to speed things up a little, because we are seriously behind schedule. Anyway, I'll get back to the story.

This chapter will be slightly more serious than most of the earlier chapters. We hope you will bear through it, because the story will get a lot better from beyond this point. Thank you, and enjoy!

Chapter 8 "New-found strength"

***

The sirens were ringing. Everyone in the city had been evacuated. Tokyo 3 was on high alert. NERV was at full battle-stations. Whatever was happening, it was no drill. And then appeared Unit-01 from an elevator shaft near the center of the city. Even the pilot was unsure as to what was happening. The tension ran swiftly through his blood. He knew that this was it. Weeks of preparations had come to this. The last week he'd gone through almost killed him. An endless bombardment of Harmonics tests, weapons training, combat maneuvers, memorization, and even fitness tests had been all Shinji had known for the past seven days. Now was the final test. If he failed now, everyone died.

Stepping forward and collecting his assault rifle, he surveyed the area, trying to get a good feel of what was gong on. He still didn't know what he was up against, and no one else was saying anything through the communications system.

Swallowing hard, Shinji took a few steps forward in his Eva, watching out for anything that he could consider dangerous. Not seeing anything a first, he continued forward, making sure every one of his senses picked up the slightest sign of trouble. His own sweat began to mix with the LCL around him and his breathing was heavy. He knew that it wouldn't be long before he found what he was looking for, or it would find him. Either way, time was the only factor preventing their meeting.

It was then that he saw something move behind a small building. In a panic, the young Ikari began to fire away at the general direction of the building, putting several large holes through it and creating a large cloud of dust. After some of the dust cleared, it was apparent that there was nothing there, and that his senses were playing tricks on him. He sighed, attempting to regain his composure and calm his nerves.

It was then that he saw something glowing brightly out from the corner of his eye. Turning to face it, he saw a bright reddish flash heading towards him. Survival instincts kicking in, he dove at the ground to avoid the blast. Fortunately, the beam of energy went right over him and smashed into a nearby mountain, vaporizing it.

Shinji got up after the blast, and looked at the direction in which the blast came from. He gasped when he saw it, eyes widening. There before him, was the same angel that he apparently killed three weeks ago. Same horns, same gray flesh, same hideous lump on its shoulder. It began to walk forward towards the purple Eva, and the pilot contained within it.

Fighting the stiffness he was getting, he went for his rifle, and began firing. Sadly, the bullets only bounced off of the angel's AT Field.

"That's impossible!" Said Shinji. "My AT Field should also be up. Why can't I hit him?"

No answered came from the communications system. He was alone, with nothing but him and his Eva. Things began to look even grimmer when he saw the angel grabbing the lump on its shoulder, and pulled it off. Before the young pilot could escape, the ball was thrown at him, attaching itself to the Eva. The boy could only look upon with horror as his watched the lump glow with tremendous energy, followed by an earth-shattering explosion.

The Evangelion was sent flying backwards, crashing against the ground and skidding several city blocks before stopping. The bio-machine had taken severe damage, and could no longer move. Shinji could only watch as the angel walked up, bent over, and grabbed the Eva by the head. It then took its cutting blade and drew it closer to the head or Unit 01.

Shinji continued to scream into the intercom. "Misato! Steve! Ritsuko! Help me!" Sadly, no one answered. Realizing he truly was alone, Shinji closed his eyes as he realized his fate. The angel had gotten its revenge, and now the world was doomed.

It was then that a voice echoed from the angel itself, even though it possessed no mouth. "Come on! Wake up! Wakey wakey sleepy head."

Shinji blinked upon hearing this. "What? Wake up? What do you mean?"

The angel continued to speak. "You're going to be late for school. Now wake up!"

It was then that a part of Shinji's mind had clicked on. The world around him was starting to fade. The face of the angel was slowly starting to change. Eventually, it revealed the face of his now permanent guardian, Misato, who was apparently annoyed.

Shinji jumped as he awoken, his brain snapping back into reality. He then looked around his room and gave a sigh of relief, realizing that he was safe.

The older woman stood up and crossed her arms. "I thought you said that I didn't look hideous in the morning."

After yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he looked up at Misato. "I'm sorry. I was having a bad dream."

Misato gave a slight look of concern. "Another one? Man, you've been getting those all week. Are you alright?"

Shinji stood up and stretched. "I'm alright. It's just that it hard not to dream of such things when everyday for the pass week I've been training and preparing to run headfirst into possible death. It's driving me nuts."

Misato turned around and walked out the door. "Well, you can tell me more about the dream on the way to school. Now get ready or you're going to be late."

Shinji looked at the clock and moaned. "Aw man, I don't even have enough time to take a shower. I smell bad enough as it is."

He quickly got dress and ready for school. After gathering the things he needed, he went off to the kitchen to prepare his lunch. There, he saw Misato, finishing off a cup of tea. The young Ikari took advantage of this and decide to make a remark. "Not having an eye-opener this morning? Last I checked, there was still a fridge full of beer."

Misato grunt as she swallowed the last sip of her tea. "I'm trying to cut down on beer. Is that a problem?"

Shinji shook his head. "Not at all, but according to Ritsuko, what you're really trying to cut down is your body fat."

The Director of Operations raised an eyebrow. "Ritsuko said that? Ha! She's just jealous that she could never look as good as me."

Shinji had just finished tying up his lunch bag. "I'd be careful if I were you. You're metabolism won't stay that high forever. Your bad habits are going to catch up to you sooner or later."

Misato looked at her watch and stood up. "Well that's why I have you around. Let's go!"

The two of them promptly left the apartment. On the way to school, their conversation continued.

"So tell me about you dream." Spoke Katsuragi.

The brow-haired boy tilted his head back and gathered the fragments of what he could remember from his dream. "There was another attack, and I was sent out. I had to fight that one angel all over again. I tried to shoot it, but it didn't work. It then attacked and beat the hell out of me. I tried to call out to you guys, but there was no answer. Just before it killed me, you woke me up."

The guardian nodded. "Well, I'm no Sigmund Freud, but from what I can guess, you sound like you're not very confident in yourself, and that your really dependant on us."

Shinji sighed and looked out the window. "I guess…"

"There probably going to be a time…" Spoke Misato. "In which you're going to need to rely on yourself to get things done. You're not always going to have somebody to help bail you out." Misato then continued to think. "You know what, in about a month or two, Ritsuko should have the software programmed into the simulation to create our own angels. When it gets finished, that dream of yours would make a good training session."

Shinji went wide-eyed. "You're going to make my nightmares come true?"

"Why not?" Asked the Captain. "Sounds perfect to me. What better way to prepare then by having you conquer your fears? By the way, after school, you have to be at NERV, ok?"

Shinji groaned under his breath. 'Great. More training. I'm starting to really hate being here.'

***

Touji and Kensuke were walking to school, and were just about to reach the school grounds. The two of them had been recently worried about the whereabouts of their new friend, who hasn't been to school in over a week.

"You think he's alright?" Asked Touji. "Seems weird to me that he's been gone this long."

Kensuke seemed slightly less worried. "I don't know. My guess is that he's been training at NERV or something, getting him ready incase we get another attack."

Suzuhara shrugged. "Yeah I guess…"

The two of them were walking up towards the front doors when they heard someone call out to them. "Hey guys!"

The duo turned around to see Shinji just exiting the vehicle. He began to walk up to them, happy to seem them.

Touji recognized the car, and the driver within. "That's her! That's babe I was talking about!"

Sadly, Aida didn't get a chance to see her as she drove off, lightly beeping the horn to say goodbye. Kensuke frowned. "Aw man, I just missed her by a second."

Just as Shinji caught up to them, they greeted with their patented handshakes, and discussed the whereabouts of the brown-haired pilot.

"So why'd you go MIA on us?" Asked Kensuke. "We were starting to think you'd died or something."

Shinji sighed as they made their way to class. "I wish I was dead. They've been training the hell out of me in order to get me ready for another attack. They've given me a 'healthy' diet of harmonics tests, weapons training, movement drills, and even physical conditioning, god forbid that I'd have a heart attack at this ripe old age."

"Sound like it's not all it's cracked up to be." Said Touji.

Kensuke thought dreamily as the walked into class. "I'd still like to take one for a test spin."

"I guess I should have read the fine print when I signed up for this." Remarked Shinji as the three of them sat in their seats.

Shortly after they sat down, another girl also entered the room. She was rather pale skinned with blue hair and red eyes. Her left eye was bandaged and her left arm was in a sling. Without looking a step, she walk right to her desk and sat down, forward and to the left or Shinji. The young Ikari seem surprised by the newcomer, and wondered who it was.

The four-eyed blond tapped Shinji on the shoulder. "Don't you know who that is? That's Rei Ayanami. You still hadn't met her yet?"

The brown-haired boy turned his head. "No I haven't. I had no idea that she was coming back to school today. What's she like?"

Touji entered the conversation. "Ice city. She doesn't talk to anyone, and she's always by herself. I have no idea what her problem is."

The bell rang, signally the beginning of class. Despite his best efforts, Shinji couldn't help but stare with curiosity at the enigmatic girl. He was kind glad that she was getting healthier, and he kinda hoped that having her back would take away some of the pressure off of him. After all, she was the only other person he knew of that could pilot an Eva.

His staring was interrupted by the next bell, indicating gym, and after that, they returned to class. He still continued to stare at the girl, who was that this point staring out the window. It was then that Shinji's laptop displayed a chat screen. Looking at it, he quickly realized that his friends had noticed his behavior.

**

Touji: Experiencing love at first sight?

Kensuke: You've hardly taken your eyes off of her all day.

Shinji: I'm not falling for her. I'm just curious as to who she is.

Touji: You're curious all right.

Kensuke: I can see you undressing her with your eyes.

Shinji: I am not!!!

Touji: Sure, like we believe you.

Kensuke: Well if you're so 'curious' about her, why don't you talk to her during lunch?

**

Shinji once again looked at Rei, and became a little nervous about the proposition.

**

Shinji: I think I'll just wait until I meet her at NERV or something.

Touji: Why wait? No time like the present, right?

**

Shinji sighed in nervousness. His friends were right. What could be so bad about talking to her? After all, he was probably going to have to work with her.

Touji added one more remark in the chat screen.

**

Touji: I wonder if NERV has policies against co-workers dating each other.

**

Upon reading that, Shinji closed his laptop, and gave both of his friends a nasty glare, causing his friends to chuckle. It wasn't much longer afterwards that the bell rang for lunch.

Placing his bag of lunch in the table in the cafeteria, he then looked towards the table where Rei usually sat, and sure enough, she was sitting there, by herself. Suzuhara came from behind and began to push Shinji in her direction. "This is it my man. Play your cards right, and she'll be all yours."

The young Ikari looked back at the dark-haired boy. "I'm only going to say hello to her. I doubt anything is going to happen between us."

Kensuke began to shoo him away. "What are you waiting for? Destiny awaits."

The pilot of Unit 01 rolled his eyes as he made his way up to the other table. Upon arriving, he sat down on the opposite side of the table and introduced himself. "Uh…Hi. I'm Shinji. Shinji Ikari. You're Rei Ayanami, right? I'm the pilot of Unit 01."

The albino girl slowly removed her unharmed eye off her food and made eye contact with the fellow pilot. "You are Commander Ikari's son, correct?"

Swallowing hard, Shinji answered the question. "Um…yeah I am."

Upon receiving his answer, she once again looked towards her food and continued eating. Worried about the awkward silence, Shinji pick something else to talk about. "I heard you got hurt pretty bad a few weeks ago. It nice to see that you're doing ok."

Swallowing her food slowly, she added another comment. "My bandages should be removed in a few days."

"Well, that's good." Said Shinji. The conversation died out again, so Shinji decided to bail out since he couldn't think of anything else to say. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"Indeed." Spoke Ayanami. It was then that Shinji got up from his seat and walked back to his table.

His friends greeted him with more teasing. "So did you seal the deal?" Asked Touji. "Are you two going out?"

"Oh no." Added Kensuke. "He probably asked her to marry him."

The young Ikari was hardly amused. "Hardy har har." He then sat down to start eating his lunch. "You were right about her. She's not much of a conversationalist."

Kensuke nodded. "Yeah, she's always been like that. It makes you wonder if there's anything going on in that head of hers. I don't think I've seen her make any emotional response ever."

Touji began to munch away at his lunch. "Sheth pobaby jus a bit…"

Aida shook his head. "Will you please stop talking with you mouth full? Not only is it gross, but we can hardly understand you."

The larger boy swallowed his food and spoke again. "I said that she's probably just a bitch. She must think that she's better than anyone else of something."

Shinji shook his head. "I didn't get that kind of vibe from her. In all honesty, I'm not sure what kind of person she is."

"I think we can all agree on one thing. She's definitely weird." Said Kensuke. "Which makes her totally your type, Shinji."

Touji and Kensuke gain another quick laugh at Shinji's expense. Shinji frowned at them. "Why are you making fun of me so much?"

Touji patted Shinji on the shoulder. "Just consider this a hazing ritual."

The brown-haired boy sighed. "Oh that's just what I need."

They then went and finished their lunches. Soon afterwards, the bell rang, ending lunch.

***

Several hours after school, Shinji was once again within the confines of his Eva, going through the motions of another simulation. This time, it was target practice, which Shinji loathed. He tried his best to attack the target before him with his assault rifle. The targets were as of right now a mixture of bulls-eyes. Each bull's eye was of a different size, and each bulls-eye moved through the simulated city at various speeds, if they moved at all. He was starting to get the hang of the computer targeting system. He was hitting the targets with eighty-nine percent accuracy, which was only moderate in comparison to where he should be.

Adams was supervising the exercise, and was rather disappointed in the boy's overall performance. "Come on Shinji. This isn't that hard. The computer is doing most of the work. All you have to do is time your shots!"

Shinji frowned in frustration. "This is like a video game to me. You know I don't like video games."

"Is that so?" Said the weapons developer. Adams then turns to Maya. "Turn off the targeting computer."

Maya did as instructed, pressing some buttons on the control panel. Moments later, the target crosshairs on the screen in front of Shinji disappeared. Shinji blinked in confusion. "What's going on? The crosshairs are gone!"

The American answered the question. "I've had the targeting computer turned off. Now you're going to have to aim without the help of computers. Do you know how to do that?"

Shinji shook his head. "Um…no…"

Steve slapped his forehead in frustration. "Why me? Damn sheltered kid!"

Adams proceeded in teaching the very basics in aiming a weapon using the iron sight. Telling Shinji the set the weapon in semi-automatic, they started by firing at a single standard target, so he could learn to get the feel of using the gun this way. Unfortunately, Shinji's accuracy left something to be desired.

"All of your shots are going over the target!" Said Steven. "Concentrate!"

"There must be something wrong with the gun. I swear I'm aiming it just right." Respond the young Ikari.

Adams realized the problem. "You're jerking when you're pulling the trigger. Just hold still and squeeze the trigger. Don't jerk!"

Following his instructions, the young pilot once again tried to aim for the target. This time when he fired, his bullet hit the target, although it wasn't near the bull-eye.

"That's better. Now let's do that a few more times and see if you can hit the bulls-eye."

After a few dozen shots at different targets, Adams decided that it was time to see if Shinji could handle firing the weapon in automatic. "Shinji? Set the weapon on automatic. Let's see how well you can fire it from that setting."

After switching to automatic, the young teenage boy once again took aim at the target, and pulled the trigger. The recoil took him by surprise, and he quickly lost control of the gun as it fired away uncontrollably in several directions, hitting everything in the area but the target.

Adams sweat-dropped as he viewed the results. He then scratched the back of his head and chuckles. "Um…maybe we should discuss how you should hold your weapon."

Shinji winced in pain as the butt of the gun had hit his shoulder several times. "Ow…."

After practice continued for another hour, it was official. This session of target practice was a complete and total failure.

The tactical advisor looked over the results. "Uh…without the targeting computer, your overall accuracy was eighteen percent. I don't think I have to tell you that improvements need to be made. So are you going to complain about the targeting computer anymore?"

Shinji simply sighed. "No…" Sadly, he was just hoping that the session was over. Adams confirmed the end of the session. "You're done for now. Why don't you get something to eat? When you're done, come back so we can perform a final harmonics test.

Shinji's eyes widened. "Another one?"

The American nodded. "Yes! Now get going."

***

It was late at night as Misato drove Shinji home. Shinji seemed especially exhausted from the training, and he rubbed his shoulder, which still hurt. Misato noticed the boy's discomfort and decided to ask about it. "So what happened to your shoulder?"

"I learned that recoil hurts." Replied the boy. "I had to try to fire the gun without the targeting computer today. Turns out that I still needed to learn how to hold the gun properly. How come it still hurts? I didn't have a bruise."

"That's has to do with you synch ratio. Your current test came up to 49.8 percent. That means that you're about one-half apart of your Eva. Whatever pain it felt, you felt. Your nerves just haven't realized that there's nothing wrong yet."

The young Ikari clenched his teeth in frustration. "Why do I have to do all this? What are the chances that I won't have my targeting computer to rely on?"

"Cause you have to be prepared." Answered the older woman. "You never now when such situations are going to occur. It's our job to make sure you don't get killed out there. You already know what happens if you do."

Shinji began to stare out the window. "Rei is almost ready to come back…."

Misato blinked at what the boy said. "Yeah, I know. Why did you mention that?"

"Remember…Remember when I said that I maybe wanted to go home once Rei was better?" Asked the brown-haired boy. "Well, I'm really considering it."

Misato nearly slammed the brakes in the middle of the highway when she heard this, even though it wouldn't have made much of a difference since the highways were pretty deserted these days. Stopping on the side of the road, the Director or Operations confronted the boy. "You're what?"

Shinji seemed equally surprised by his guardian's reaction. "I'm just saying that once Rei can pilot again, you guys won't need me anymore. You said yourself that it was alright!"

Misato swallowed hard in nervousness. "Shinji, when I said that, I was only trying to make you feel better. I was honestly hoping you would change your mind."

"I'm just not cut out for this." Said Shinji. "I don't like to fight, train, or do anything like that. This just isn't for me."

"Look Shinji! "Said the captain. "NERV is at a stage right now where we are very vulnerable. You and Rei are all that we have right now. If one of you should go, there would be no one to replace either of you should something happen to the other. We need as many pilots as possible."

Shinji crossed his arms. "So why don't you find more pilots. Are they that hard to find?"

"Yes they are." Confirmed Misato. "Out of all the prospects, the Marduk agency has only found three. You and Rei are two of them."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "So what going on with this third one? Where's that pilot?"

"She's currently stationed in Germany." Answered Katsuragi. "She won't be brought here for another month or two."

"So what are they waiting for?" Asked Shinji. "Just put her on a plane and send her here."

Misato was quite for a moment. "She's supposed to be the designated pilot of another Eva that's being built as we speak."

Shinji's eyes widened. "You mean that we're getting another Eva?"

Misato nodded. "You were supposed to pilot Unit 01, Rei was designated Unit 00 once the start-up test is successful, and the Second child was supposed to get the new Eva."

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "You guys never planned on having me leave in the first place, did you? You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you." Said Misato. "You are still free to leave. It's just that without your help, we may not be able to defeat the angels. We hoped it wouldn't come to this."

Shinji turned towards his window and stared out into the night sky. "You don't need me. I wasn't even the one who beat the last angel. It was something within the Eva that did it. The next time I go out there to fight, I'll probably get killed."

"That's why we've been really hard on you the last eight days." Said Misato. "We've been trying to get you ready so that you won't die. You were untrained when you went out the first time, but next time, I'm sure you'll do better."

"I'm no warrior, or soldier. I'm just a teenager who wants a normal life." Said the young Ikari. "This isn't normal, and this is not what I want."

The purple-haired woman gave a look of disappointment. "So that's it huh? You're going to run off? Well then fine. You're right. You're no soldier. With that attitude, you'd probably just get yourself killed. Very well, as soon as Rei is full-time again, you can go. She's scheduled to have her start up test this Friday. If it's successful, you're free to go home."

Shinji sighed, feeling a little guilty about what he was doing. "Ok…Can we go now?"

Misato put the car into drive. "Yes…and by the way, don't think that you're getting out of training these next few days either."

Shinji groaned upon hearing those words.

**

It was Friday. Shinji had somehow made it. Through all the homework, training, and sleep deprivation, he made it. All he had to do was get through school, and wait for Rei to successfully start Unit 00. He was really missing home right now, and even though he'd met some really nice people here, he realized that this wasn't for him. At the very least, he'd have some wild memories, but little more he figured.

Shortly after he arrived in class, Kensuke greeted him. "Hey Shinji! You ok? You look like crap."

Shinji shook his head. "Not really. Things at NERV had been pretty hard."

Touji walked up to the two of them, overhearing what the pilot said. "Still? Man, that must suck."

Shinji then told the two of them the truth. "If Rei's start-up test is successful, this will be my last day here."

The other two boys gasped. Kensuke spoke first. "What? Why?"

"I'm not cut out for piloting the Eva." Answered Shinji. "It's a lot of stress that I can't handle."

Touji narrowed his eyes. "You're quitting, huh? Just like that. You haven't even been here a month."

Shinji nodded. "Yep. I'm really home-sick."

Touji became angered. "And what about us!! Did you even think about the fact that our lives are at risk just because you don't wanna rough it out?!!!"

Surprised by his friends' reaction, Shinji tried to respond. "But…Rei will take my place."

"And what happens if she can't do it?! If you're gone, were dead! Thanks a lot!" Countered Suzuhara.

"But I probably couldn't be of any real help anyway. I'd probably just lose." Pleaded the teenage pilot.

Even Kensuke was upset now. "Quitting is the same a losing. I don't think I want to be the friend of a quitter. Let's go Touji."

"Yeah. I agree." Said Touji as the two of them walked a way.

Shinji watched as he single-handedly lost his two only friends in the school. Shinji snorted in anger. 'Who cares? I'm leaving anyway. I don't need them.'

Despite what he had just thought, he also realized that they had a point. He was quitting, but just as the guilt of that thought started to grow, it was soon replaced by his homesickness. He began to think about the peaceful serenity of the outdoors, the simplicity of everyday life, and the relaxing feel of the wind in his neck. Sadly, since he has been in Tokyo 3, very little has been peaceful, simple, or relaxing, and Shinji disliked it greatly.

**

School was now over. Shinji was now walking towards NERV. As a strange change of pace, he was not alone. Walking close by was Rei. She was no longer in bandages, and she seemed pretty much in good health. Shinji remembered that today was her second attempt at the start-up test on Unit 00. Although he felt bad that she might have to defend the world alone, he secretly wished that the test was successful.

It was then that he had another thought. How would Rei feel about having to defend the earth alone? In all honestly, the mysterious girl had shown very little emotion about anything, and it was very difficult to determine what was on her mind, if there was ever anything at all.

In either case, the brown-haired boy decided to take advantage of the time being and asked her about what was going on. Being a few steps behind her, he quickened his pace to catch up to her. Upon doing so, he began to speak. "So today's the day."

Never turning her head, the pale-skinned girl responded. "The day for what?"

Shinji blinked briefly. "You know. Your restart test."

"And what of it?" Asked Rei.

The young Ikari began to search for the right words for what he wanted to say. "Well…I guess…that if everything goes well, you'll be piloting."

"Why do you bring this up?" Questioned Ayanami. "Does this have anything to do with you leaving should the test be successful?"

Shinji was surprised by her knowledge of his possible departure. "You…you know?"

"Yes." Confirmed Rei, still completely unemotional. "Captain Katsuragi informed me two days ago."

Shinji seemed almost confused by the way the fellow pilot handled the situation. "Doesn't that bother you? Aren't you afraid? Heck, the accident almost a month ago almost killed you. Do you…think it's worth it?"

"I will do what I am ordered to do." Answered the enigmatic teenager. "I have faith that those who order me will not do me wrong. Especially the Commander…."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "You mean my father?"

"Yes." She answered. "Do you not trust him?"

Thoughts of his father only made Shinji's blood boil. "Of course not. I hardly know him, and after what he's done to me, I'd hardly care if I ever know him. How can you trust him?"

For the first time, Rei stopped and turned her head towards the male pilot. "In the end, he is the only person who I can ever trust. He has always been there for me, and my trust and obedience is how I repay him."

Curiosity over took Shinji. "What exactly is your relationship to my dad?"

"He has taken care of me ever since I was a young child. He has fed me, sheltered me and taken care of my basic needs." Answered Rei

"So you're telling me that he's like a father to you?" Asked Shinji.

Rei once again began to walk. "If that is your analogy for it, then yes. I suppose that he is the closest thing I have to a father."

Hearing those words cause a great deal of anger to build within the boy. He couldn't understand how he could care so much for someone who wasn't even related to him, and then abandon his own flesh and blood. It made no sense. "You'd even be willing to die for him?"

"If that is my order, then yes." Spoke the albino.

The brown-haired seemed to be in amazement. "That's…that's nuts! You mean you not afraid to die?"

"If that happens, then so be it." Answered the blue-haired girl. "As pilot of an Evangelion, our primary objective is to defeat the angels. All other goals and motives are secondary and inconsequential."

Shinji couldn't believe his ears. Didn't this girl have a life? It was almost as if she was a robot. "But…I don't want that kind of responsibility. It's to much for me."

"You don't have a choice in the end." Countered Rei. "By leaving, you are leaving me with the sole responsibility of defending NERV and Tokyo 3. My training has been somewhat less extensive that yours, and should I be unable to defeat any attack that would occur after your departure, you would take partial responsibility. It is within your power to stay and defend NERV or leave, but in either choice comes great consequences that you cannot escape from."

The two of them had just about arrived when Shinji said one last thing. "I don't know about you, but I honestly don't think I can do this. Misato's right. I'd probably just get myself killed. At least if I left, I'd live a little longer."

"In any case…" Spoke Ayanami. "As of right now you are still the humanities last line of defense. Everyone's life, including my own, is in your hands."

The two of them had finally reached NERV headquarters. Before heading into the door, Shinji stops and opens up his book bag. Rei walks up to the door and looks in Shinji's direction. The teenage boy looks towards Rei. "You can go ahead. I need to make a call first."

Without saying a word, Rei went ahead and entered the complex, leaving Shinji behind. Just as he pulled out his cell-phone, Shinji collected his thoughts. Although he had just about made up his mind about leaving. Being reminded about his father was the icing on the cake. He didn't want to be apart of his organization, and he didn't want to be humanities savior. Right now, the sooner he could leave NERV and Tokyo 3, the better.

He began to dial the number to his Teacher's home. After a few rings, the line on the other end was picked up.

"Hello?" Said the voice of Misotaka.

"Hello Sensei." Replied Shinji.

The old man seemed delighted to hear his former student's voice. "Shinji! How are you?"

"I'm fine, I guess…" Said Shinji in a semi-depressed voice.

Misotaka picked up on his tone. "What's wrong? You don't sound very excited. What's going on?"

Shinji was silent for a second. "There's something I have to tell you. Well, I'm…probably coming home soon."

The old man on the other line seemed confused. "Why?"

"Things have been very stressful since I came here." Answered the young Ikari. "I don't think I can handle it. And besides, they have someone else who can replace me now anyway, so I'm really not needed anymore."

"So that's it?" Asked Misotaka in a let down tone. "Nothing else? It was just too hard and now you're quitting?"

Shinji seemed slightly shocked by his Sensei's reaction. "What do you mean?"

"Shinji." Spoke the teacher in a very serious voice. "Is all I've taught you gone to waste? I could have sworn I helped raise a stronger person."

"But Sensei." Said Shinji in a shaken voice. "The responsibility that they've put on my shoulders is more than any person my age should have."

The wiser man retorted. "And this person who's replacing you, is that person the same age as you? That's awfully selfish of you!!"

Shinji became guilt ridden. "Sorry…"

"Wasn't the last thing I taught you before you left was that you mustn't run away?" Asked Misotaka in a harsh tone. "I could have sworn that you were listening when I said that."

Some tears began to well up in Shinji's eyes. "I'm sorry…I just can't do it. I'm scared and it's so hard. You don't know what they are putting me through. If I could tell you, I would. I…I…" Shinji could think of anything else to say as his tear rolled down his cheek.

Hearing his former student tear up softened the old man. He too began to feel bad about his actions and tried to apologize. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from you. I guess you still have much growing and learning to do…" Then there was a brief silence before he spoke again. "If you truly want to come back, then you may. Maybe someday other opportunities will present themselves to you."

The young teen wiped his tears. "Thank you. I guess I'll see you soon."

"Indeed. Good bye." Said Misotaka.

"Bye, Sensei." Said Shinji before hanging up. He then gathered his things and entered headquarters. For Shinji, some of the things that his teacher had head had deeply hurt, and coming back home suddenly didn't seem as appealing to him as before, but still, his decision was made.

**

Rei Ayanami was with the confines of the entry plug of Unit 00 wearing her white plug suit and synch clips. The start-up test was about to start. From the command bay, all major personnel including Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki were present. Misato, Ritsuko, and the bridge bunnies were also present. Only Adams, whose involvement wasn't necessary, was not there. It was then that the start-up test was initiated.

**

Shinji was walking down a corridor heading towards the command bay so that he could watch the results of Unit 00's Start-up test. It was then that he ran across Adams, who was heading in the opposite direction towards the weapons dept. As they met, the American stopped to confront the boy. "So this is it, huh?"

Shinji didn't really want to face the weapons developer. "Yeah…"

Steven only nodded his head. "Kinda disappointing, I guess…"

"You're not really mad at me, are you?" Asked Shinji. "Everyone else seems to be."

Adam shook his head. "No, I'm not. In all honesty, I've met a lot of guys like you when I was in boot camp and special ops training. Many of these guys weren't even there by choice, and it was very obvious that some of them weren't cut out for it. Some of them made it, some of them didn't. I guess the main difference is that they were even older that you. At your age, I guess it would be hard. It just sucks that Rei has to do this alone now."

Shinji hung his head. "Hmmm…"

"Still, I kinda wished you would have realized that you weren't up to this sooner. It feels like we've wasted a lot of time." Said the tactical advisor.

"Sorry." Said Shinji as he started to walk off.

Adams only shook his head and walked off.

Shinji arrived at the command bay just as the start-up test had finished.

Ritsuko confirmed the success of the test. "All systems are fully operational. No abnormalities have been detected. Congratulations Rei, you are now back full time."

"Yes ma'am." Spoke Rei.

Shinji saw a look of relief on some of the faces within the room. He also saw his father, who had just turned his head to face his son's. He narrowed his eyes and sneered. He then began to walk towards the door and as he passed Shinji by, he spoke under his breath. "Disappointment."

His second in command followed shortly after him, the door closing as they left. Shinji could do all he could from running out and screaming at his father, but held back. It didn't matter anymore. He was leaving for sure now.

Misato walked up to Shinji, addressing him in a somewhat unenthused tone. "Well, I guess this is your last day."

"What happens now?" Asked Shinji.

"Well." Spoke the Director of Operations. "First, Rei's data will be uploaded into Unit 01. We'll have her pilot it while using Unit 00 as a back up. Then we'll go home and we'll pack your things. Have you talked to your teacher?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. He knows I'm coming back."

Misato crossed her arms and sighed. "Okay. Well in any case, it was nice getting to know you…"

Shinji also sighed. "Yeah…"

**

Both Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki were walking off in the direction of their offices. They were discussing the departure of the third child.

"I wasn't entirely expecting him to leave to leave so soon." Said Fuyutsuki. "Disappointing to say the least."

Gendo seemed almost angry at the event. "I should have known that he'd couldn't do it. He's weaker than even I expected. It makes me wonder how he could be my son."

The older second in command tilted his head back. "At least we have Rei. And soon enough we'll have the second child here as well."

"Agreed." Said the older Ikari.

A look of concern then came to Kouzou's face. "Just our luck, should and Angel attack though, we'd be a little fucked, having only one pilot to defend ourselves for now."

The Commander pushed his glasses to his face. "It would be bad timing should one attack before the second child arrives."

"Yeah." Said the Sub-commander just as his cell-phone begins to ring. He answers it, wondering who it could be. "Hello…Yes…What do you mean? Heading towards the city…I'll inform him at once. Thank you." Kouzou hung up with a grave look in his eyes. "There's and unidentified object moving a high velocity towards Tokyo 3. There is reason to believe it is an angel. So much for timing.

Surprisingly enough, Gendo actually smirked. "No, the timing is actually quite good. The Third Child is still here, and he will be the one that we will send out to intercept the threat. We must report to the Command Bay immediately."

The both of them nodded as they hurriedly walked back towards the Command Bay. Their sudden presence as they walked in startled some of the staff inside, including Shinji. Gendo spoke in a commanding voice. "There is an unidentified object moving toward our city. We have reason to believe it is an angel… We must launch Unit 01 at once." He then stares directly at his son, who was hesitant to do anything. "Well! What are you waiting for! Get going!! You haven't left yet!!"

The pilot of Unit 01 gasped in horror. "But…"

"NOW!!!" Commanded Gendo in annoyance.

Before Shinji could say more, Misato grabbed the boy by the hand and began to drag him out the door. "Come on! We don't have time!"

The whole base was put into high alert. Civilians within the city were evacuated to their designated shelters. Everyone inside NERV went to his or her designated stations in the case of an angel attack. This of course included Shinji, who was once again inside his Eva, for what maybe the last time.

'God dammit!" Thought the boy. 'I was really hoping I'd never have to be in this thing again.' He began to think about the possibility that it was an angel, and his heart rate began to skyrocket. 'Oh dear god! What am I gong to do? I can't do this. I'm going to get killed."

Both Adams and Misato entered the command bay, slightly winded. Misato turned to Ritsuko. "Is Unit 01 ready to launch?"

Ritsuko nodded. "It just got loaded into the launch bay. You make the call."

Misato called out to the pilot. "Shinji! Are you ready?"

Shinji was slow to answer; the feeling of once again going into battle was still rather surreal to him. "Yes…"

"Good!" Said Misato as she turned toward Maya. "Launch Unit 01, NOW!!!"

Upon her order, Maya pressed the appropriate buttons to launch the Eva. Upon doing so, the launch pad released, sending the giant purple machine and its pilot skyrocketing toward the surface. The young pilot once again held on for dear life the inertia pushed him upwards at well over 100 miles per hour. It wasn't long before it came at a sudden stop at the surface near the center of the city. As he got there, most of the taller buildings with the city were just getting finished transporting themselves underground. Also shortly afterward, a weapons container also surfaced, opening up to reveal a G2-EX. The Eva was then released from its final safety locks, and it grabbed the G2-EX, prepared for the worst…at least everyone hoped so.

Misato turned to Makoto. "Do we visual confirmation of the target, yet?"

"Just a few more seconds…and now." Said Hyuga as he finished putting the image onscreen.

The image revealed a rather large animal like creature, running at great speed towards the city. It had three heads, each identical in look. Each head was mostly featureless, containing only a visual set of jaws. No eyes or ears could be distinguished. The overall color of the creature was black with some tan streaks along it sides. Its tail was short, and probably only served as balance while it ran.

"So there it is." Said Adams. "So much for it being a false alarm."

"I just pray that Shinji is ready." Said Katsuragi. She then looks towards the American. "And if he's not, I'll blame you."

The tactical advisor rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks."

Shigeru then reported. "U.N. forces are set up to intercept the target."

"Their help isn't necessary." Noted Misato. "They'd just get themselves killed out there."

Shinji had not gotten a visual on the target as of yet, but he could head the sounds of combat near the outskirts of the city. Misato gave an order. "Shinji! Give the U.N. forces some support. They don't have a chance against this thing."

"Yes Ma'am." Said the young Ikari as he headed off towards the direction of the noise.

The U.N. forces fired upon the target, doing little to impede the forward progress of the monstrosity. It lunged forward and crushed a tank with its front paw and it then charged up at blast from it middle mouth and fired it at a group of other tanks, obliterating them. It then swiped at a nearby helicopter, smashing it into pieces. It then blasted at several choppers, destroying them as well. Rockets and missiles were fired, but due to the angel's surprising agility, most of them missed their mark, not that it would have made a difference anyway. It entered the city untouched.

Unit 01 had just reached the edge of the city, only to be met by the demolished U.N. Forces, and no sign of the angel. "Where did it go?"

Misato answered him. "It went inside the city. It's to your right, probably taking cover behind some buildings."

Hearing this, Shinji slowly walked toward the general direction of where the enemy was supposed to be. He had his gun ready, but was extremely cautious, fearing the unexpected.

Scout pods floating around the city picked up a change in the angel's location. It was trying to flank the Eva.

"Shinji! It's running behind you!!" Yelled the female captain.

Shinji turned and saw the creature in the corner of his eye. He then fired in that direction, but the angel had already ran behind another building. Even though Shinji had an idea has to where the monster was, he still didn't charge forth, too apprehensive to go on the offensive.

The tactical advisor noticed something about the angel's attack pattern. "It's hunting him…"

Ritsuko and Misato turned towards the man. "What?"

Adams continued. "It's acting like a cat or a wolf, waiting for the precise opportunity to strike it prey. It reminds me of Cerberus, the three headed hellhound. The terrain favors the enemy right now. Shinji should move into the industrial district, where the buildings are too short to give the angel any cover." A thought came into the back of his head, though. 'I just hope they don't step in my house.'

Misato nodded. "I agree." She then turns to speak to Shinji through the intercom. "Shinji. Get out of the commercial district. Head towards the industrial district so the conditions are more favorable of us."

Unfortunately, Shinji didn't move, and instead he just kept turning to make sure he didn't get snuck up on.

"What the hell are you doing?!!" Yell Misato. "Get going!!"

"I…I can't!" Screamed the shaken pilot. "It's gonna sneak up on me. I know it."

*Shit! He's frozen!* Said Steven under his breath.

"Then moves out of the city at least." Commanded the Director of Operations. "You're going to get killed if you stay in one place!"

Shinji became more and panicked as he watched as his enemy moved between buildings with the greatest of ease. He began to fire randomly, missing his mark every time. The shots he fired only helped the angel as a cloud of smoke and dust not enveloped the area around him. Now he had no way of knowing where his enemy was.

"What should I do?" Cried Shinji as he realized the dire situation.

"Back yourself against a building." Yelled Adams. "That way it can't sneak up on you from behind. Then just wait until the dust clears enough for you to get out of there."

Shinji did exactly that as he backed up against one of the taller buildings and waited, watching out for the three-head beast. It wasn't long before a bright light began to sear in front of him.

"DUCK!!"

Following the order instinctually, the purple Eva leaped towards the ground, narrowly escaping the blast that was sent toward him. He then took his gun and fired back. The shot disappeared into the dust, but it didn't appear to have hit anything. Shinji turned to see about three blocks of pure destruction behind him. Fortunately, the force of the blast had scattered some of the dust around him, and he could see through the clouds now.

"Now's your chance!" Yelled Misato. "Get the hell out of there!!"

The Eva quickly got to its feet and bolted off towards the industrial district. It wasn't long afterwards that he noticed that he was being chased and that the enemy was gaining. "I can't outrun it!"

"Fire back at it to slow it down!" Yelled the American.

Shinji complied, firing a small volley of bullets back at the angel behind him. It tried its best to dodge the bullets, but it was hit in the shoulder, allowing Unit 01 to escape. It eventually made it to the industrial district, and the angel no longer had the cover advantage.

The angel had to stop after taking the shot to its shoulder in order to recover. It was then that it noticed the umbilical cable at its feet, which was the Eva's main source of electrical power.

Shinji held the G2-EX, waiting for his foe to show it head, or heads. He watched carefully, waiting for it to arrive. Instead, he felt a tugging sensation coming from the umbilical cable. It was then that he was pulled right off his feet from behind.

Ritsuko gasped. "Oh no! It's got the umbilical cable!"

The angel began to bite away at the cable, and with its power jaws, it snapped the cable through. It was then that Unit 01's back-up power supply began to count down from five minutes. "AHHH!! What happened?!!" Cried Shinji.

"It severed your umbilical cable." Answered Misato. "You need to find another one and attach it to the back of your Eva."

"Where?!!" Yelled the boy as he got up from the ground.

Ritsuko, Misato, and Adams groaned upon hearing this. "You don't remember?" Asked Ritsuko. "It was one of the first things we covered in your training. It was you responsibility to remember."

"Please!! Just tell m…AHHH!" Yelled Shinji as he realized that the Angel had just come into sight. It was charging another blast, and it fired it off shortly afterwards.

Unit 01 jumped out of the way in time, but it fell prone to the ground, so Shinji was unable to retaliate in time with precise fire.

The angel had not finished it attack. Knowing that it no longer had cover to protect itself, it changed into a different tactic. It drew upon another ability that it hadn't used yet. It climbed on top of a short building and lowered its heads. Then, they rose into the air with mouths opened wide almost as if they were howling. A sort of vibration came from the mouths, but no sound could be detected. The effects of what it was doing were notice rather quickly.

Shinji had just gotten up and he began to take aim. His targeting computer began to auto-site the target, but just before he could aim it perfectly, the computer began to malfunction. His visuals were becoming fuzzy and began to fade in and out. That wasn't the only effect it had. All of the scout pods floating about the city were disabled, making them unable to relay visual and audio relay to the Command Bay. It also disabled the communication system between the Command bay and Shinji. In all, Eva was everything but completely inoperative.

"Dammit!! What's happening? I can't see!!" Screamed Shinji. "Where is it, guys?!! GUYS?!!!" There was no response. "Come on!! This isn't funny! If you're there, say something!!" Still no answer. Shinji was in total panic. It felt like his nightmare from last Monday had come true, but worse.

The command bay was almost equally panicked.

"We've completely lost both visual and audio!!" Informed Makoto.

Ritsuko began to work frantically at the control panel. "Shit!! I can't anything to work!!"

Misato was equally frantic in trying to communicate with the pilot. "Shinji?! Come in Shinji!! Are you there?!! Come on dammit!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!" There was no answer. Only static noise could be heard. "Fuck!! What hell is going on?!!"

Gendo and Fuyutsuki watched the display in front of them, unmoved despite the desperate situation.

"So the Eva has a serious flaw…I guess Murphy's Law strikes again." Stated Kouzou.

"Unit 01 should still be able to function even without the use of it computer systems." Retorted the older Ikari.

"But not if it runs out of power." Said the Sub-commander.

Gendo narrowed his eyes. "None of this would be of any concern if the pilot responds accordingly."

Fuyutsuki turned towards his superior. "So you mean that the Eva's true weakness is derived from its pilot?"

The commander gave a light smirk. "That remains to be seen." He then stands up and addresses the others. "What is the current status on our situation?"

Ritsuko turned towards the Commander, swallowing hard. "We have no visual or audio relay, and our communication system has been completely shut down. The only thing we have is the display monitor that shows the status of both Unit 01 and the pilot. Unit 01 has only three minutes of power left, and judging from the pilot's heart hate, he appears to be frightened."

"And that is all?" Asked Gendo.

Ritsuko nodded. "Yes sir."

'Now, the real test begins.' Thought Commander Ikari.

The middle head of the angel had stopped howling while the other two continued. The middle one instead looked in the direction of its enemy, Unit 01. It then jumped off the building it was on and slowly moved up upon the Eva, watching it closely.

With the middle head no longer howling, Shinji regain some of his visuals in front of him, enough for him to see that the angel was heading towards. Trying to calm himself down, he began to take aim using only the iron sight of the gun. Doing so was made even more difficult since the picture was still slightly fuzzy. He did his best to aim carefully, making sure the sight was lined up, but it was then that the angel suddenly charged forward. He once again panicked, and fired before he was lined up. Not only did he miss his mark, but also the recoil of the gun had knocked the purple machine backwards and off it's feet.

The angel had to back off slightly to avoid some of the gunfire, but since most of it had been fired into the air, it quickly resumed it attack pattern. The inexperienced pilot tried to sit up and fire again, but his attempt was thwarted when he suddenly realized that he'd run out of ammunition. "Oh my god!! Now what!!" Not thinking clearly, he turned around and tried to crawl away, but he didn't get far as his leg was quick snatched by the jaws of the angel. He and Unit 01 were flung into a building, crushing it. Shinji winced in pain from the landing. He then noticed that he only had less than two minutes of power.

Back at the Command Bay, Maya gave a report. "The Eva has sustained some damage, and it has completely run out of ammo. Not to mention that he's only has a minute and forty-five seconds left."

Ritsuko gave a look of frustration. "He needs to replace the umbilical cable and fast!"

"But he doesn't know where he can find one!" Added Adams.

"And we can't tell him where…" Said Misato as her eyes glazed over. "It's just like the dream he told me about the other day, where he had to fight an angel all alone…"

The American rolled his eyes. "Isn't that great."

"There's nothing we can do…He's all alone…" It was then that the glazed over look on her face suddenly disappear and was replace by a look of confidence. "But he doesn't have to be!" She then turns to Ritsuko. "Where's Rei, and how long would it take us to launch Unit 00?!!"

Ritsuko blinked and then went wide-eyed. "Rei is still inside Unit 00. In all the commotion that occurred with the attack, we never extracted her from it. In that case, we can launch immediately."

"Perfect!" Said the Director of Operations. She then switched the intercom to Unit 00. "Rei, can you hear me?"

Everyone was pleased to hear her respond. "Yes."

"Shinji needs back-up. We're sending you out to help him right now." Said Misato.

"Understood." Replied the female pilot.

Adams interrupted. "Unit 00 is not equipped for combat, yet. She's a sitting duck out there if she gets attacked."

"All we need her to do is distract the angel long enough so Shinji can have a chance to find a umbilical cable and a loaded rifle." Stated the ranking captain. "We're not asking her to do any more than that."

Steven sighed. "I guess. You call the shots. I just give advice."

Meanwhile, Shinji attempted to stand-up in his Eva, but the attempt was defeated as the angel landed on top of him. It then grabbed the Eva's neck with its middle jaw and began to close upon it. Shinji's air way began to constrict, and he was slowly being suffocated. And to make matters worse, he had less than a minute of power left.

Ritsuko reported on Shinji's condition. "His heart-rate is increasing and his airway is closed! We're short on time!!"

Fortunately, Unit 00 was ready to launch. Misato addressed Rei on last time before launch. "Rei, we'll be unable to contact you from the surface, so you're going to be on your own. Just do your best. A rifle will be supplied to you at the surface."

Rei nodded. "Understood."

"EVA LAUNCH!!!" Spoke Misato in a commanding tone. As so, the orange Eva was launched to the surface, quickly arriving near the industrial district. Next to it, a weapons supply transport also appeared, giving Rei a means to attack the angel.

Shinji was starting to black out from being strangled. No matter how hared he tried, he couldn't break free, and his strength was quickly fading. With only thirty seconds of power left, his help had arrived. A small volley of bullets came flying around the angel. Although none of them hit their mark, the angel was forced to let go of Unit 01, or else it would be hit by the Eva's attack. It then went and took some evasive maneuvers to avoid being shot.

Shinji finally was able to regain his breath, looking about as to what saved him. He then saw Unit 00, doing it's best to hold off it opponent as it darted and circled around it. "Unit 00!! Is that Rei?!!"

It was then that Unit 00 looked directly at Shinji, and then pointed to its right. Shinji blinked upon seeing that. "What is she pointing at?" He then looked in the direction she was pointing, and noticed a station that had an extra umbilical cable waiting. It was then that he realized that he was almost out of power. With ten seconds left, he got up and ran with all his might to get to the cable in time. The seconds ticked, one by one, getting ever closer to zero. Just as Shinji had reached the cable and had inserted it into his back, the clock reach zero, but fortunately, Shinji had made it on time.

"He has the cable reattached!!" Yelled Ritsuko.

The other smiled in excitement. They could only stand and wait for the outcome since there was no way they could watch the action outside.

Sadly, when Rei had taken the time to point out the location of the back-up cable to Shinji, she'd taken her eyes off of the enemy. Taking the opportunity, the three head monstrosity charged another shot up and fired. Rei had no time to react, and the left arm of her Eva was vaporized. Rei hollered at the feeling of her left arm being scorched in pain. The Eva fell to the ground and tried to fire while holding the gun with only one arm, but the angel moved in and swiped the gun away with it paw before moving in and attacking the orange bio-machine directly. With only one arm, Rei was helpless to defend herself.

Having full power back in the Eva had only solved half of Shinji's problems. He was still unarmed, and he had no idea where to find another rifle to use. He was also still very much afraid to try and face-off against his enemy, an enemy that almost killed him. Then he saw Rei being attack, and also saw her rifle slide in his direction. For some reason though, he couldn't make himself grab it. He'd frozen again and was filled with self-doubt. He began to worry about missing his target if he picked up the gun and fired. Doing so would mean that the angel would attack him, which was something he didn't want.

It was then that voices began to ring in the back of his head. "As of right now you are still the humanities last line of defense. Everyone's life, including my own, is in your hands." and "You mustn't run away…" Those words that Ayanami had said earlier and the great words that came from his Sensei. They put a great awareness in Shinji's mind and heart. He began to realize his importance, not just to the organization of NERV, or the city of Tokyo 3, but also to the entire world. He watched as Rei struggled to survive, knowing now that he had the power to do something. He had to do something for there was no one else who could. It was then that everything clicked. A new side of Shinji emerged as if a long hidden inner strength had just release itself. He took action.

With newfound vigor and resolve, Shinji took Unit 01 and darted forward towards the spare rifle lying on the ground. Picking it up, he then holds in front, making sure to grip it correctly, and lines up his shot. He then fires a small volley of bullets. The bullet hit their mark, one hitting the creature in the backside, another passing right through the right head, causing it to stop howling. With only one head left making the high frequency noise, almost all of the interference caused by the two head was gone. Shinji's view had completely cleared, and he could hear the garbled noises coming through the intercom. It wasn't enough for him to make out, but it was an improvement.

The angel was left with no choice but to take evasive action against the new threat. It began to once again encircle its prey, looking for an opening. The young Ikari kept his focus, doing his best to make his shots count, but it was difficult since the targeting computer still wasn't working. It seemed a virtual stalemate, each one unable to make decisive attack.

The angel then decided to charge up a blast. Seeing the blast coming Shinji attempted to take a defensive position, preparing to dodge the shot. This turned out to be a mistake as the angel then saw its opening and instead of blasting, it charged forward with a claw slash. The brown-haired pilot tried to dodge, and had managed to escape its attack without any harm, except for one problem. The angel wasn't aiming for the Eva. It aimed for the gun, which had been sliced into pieces.

"Oh no!!" Screamed Shinji as he watched the pieces of the G2-EX fall to the ground. "What am I going to do?! It's coming right for me!"

It was then that he remembered that he still had one more weapon in his arsenal. Opening the right shoulder compartment, out popped the progressive knife. He quickly grabbed it and held it tightly as the angel made its second pass. It leaped into the air in an attempt to tackle and kill its opponent. Its attack however, had been seriously compromised as Shinji took the progressive knife and plunged into its flesh just as it landed on top of Unit 01. They both fell back onto the ground. The angel made one last roar before its heads slumped on top the Eva, ending the battle.

**

Shinji was sitting in a bench outside the doctor's office. He'd just finished his medical examination to see if he'd taken any injuries. He was fine, but the stress of the angel battle had taken a toll on him, and so he decided to rest for a few minutes while his body recovered.

It was then that Misato arrived, followed by Adams. Both looked rather concerned for the safety for the young man who'd just saved the world once again.

Misato was the first to address him. "Are you ok? You had me worried for a while, being unable to contact you and all."

Shinji smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted. That wasn't easy."

Adams smiled back. "I'll say. You did great in the end. To be honest, I didn't think you had it in ya."

Shinji chuckled. "I didn't think so, either. It was weird. It was like no feeling I've ever felt before. I became focused on what I had to do, and it felt like I could do anything. All those other thoughts of death and homesickness were gone. It was like nothing could stop me until I had won, or died."

The American gave him the thumbs up. "That's the spirit of a true warrior! And you said you weren't one."

Shinji seemed surprised. "Really?"

Adams nodded. "Oh yeah."

"Wow…" Said Shinji as he began to really think about the moment.

Misato then had a pressing question. "Um…so are you still going to leave?"

The young Ikari was silent for a moment, but then he shook his head. "No…No I'm not. I learned a lot today. About myself, and about what I've been going through. I realize now why I've been put through all that training these past few weeks. Without it, I'd be dead by now. I just wish I could've figured it out sooner so I wouldn't have been such a jerk."

Misato hugged the boy tightly. "You're not a jerk. You're a hero. That's something to be proud of. And I'm really glad you're staying."

Adams tilted his head up with pride. "My progressive knife got to have its first field test. I must say that without it, victory would have been impossible."

Misato stopped hugging Shinji and stood up to confront the weapons developer. "Speaking of jerks…if it was anybody who was responsible for insuring victory, it was me. I was the one who came up with the idea of sending Rei up to assist Shinji."

Adams turned his head away. "I would have come up with it if you hadn't."

"Ha!" Said Misato. "Even if you had, which I doubt you would have, it would have been too late. As you may recall, Shinji made it to the reserve cable by only one second."

"I would have gotten it done sooner." Retorted the tactical advisor. "I would have been less talk, and more action."

Misato gritted her teeth. "Are you saying that I talk too much?"

Adams nodded. "That's precisely what I'm saying."

Misato popped a vein in her forehead. "Why you overrated, arrogant son of a bitch!! How dare you talk to your boss like that?!!"

Shinji tried to interrupt, a large sweat drop forming on his head. "Uh…guys?"

"Bitch, bitch, bitch. That's all you ever do!" Insulted Steven. "Why don't you try and do something productive for a change?!"

Misato got into the American's face. "How's this for something productive?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you fired!!"

Adams returns his stare. "Cause I'm less expendable that you!"

Misato became really pissed. "You are not!!!"

"Uh…Guys!" Spoke Shinji yet again, but was still ignored.

"You need to calm down and drink a beer or two or ten!" Fired the weapons developer.

"And you need to take that stupid iguana of yours and shove it up your ass." Came back the female captain.

"Stupid?!!" Yelled Adams, offended by the last statement. "Felix is twice as smart as your fucking penguin!!"

"BULLSHIT!!!" Screamed Misato.

Shinji screamed at the top of his lungs. "GUYS!!!!" He finally gets the attention of the two of them. "I think we can all agree that everyone has played an important role in beating the angel, including Rei."

Both captains huffed, but gave in. "Fine…"

Misato then took Shinji by the hand. "Let's go home. You look like you could take a nap."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, I could." He then looks to Adams before walking away. "See ya later, Steve!"

"See ya!" Said Adams.

The two of them walk towards the locker room where Shinji was to get changed. After doing so, the two of them walked in the direction of where Misato had parked their car…or at least where she believe she parked her car. Sadly, she'd had gotten lost again, wondering aimlessly in a desperate hope to find her car. The search did not go in complete vain, though. Along the way, the two of them ran into Rei. Shinji smiled, for he had hoped that he would get a chance to talk to her. He ran up to her to talk. "Rei! Wait!"

Rei stopped and turned around. "What is it?"

Shinji caught up, and tried to discuss the victory. "We did pretty good today, didn't we?"

Rei expression never changed. "Since the angel is destroyed, I suppose our performance was acceptable."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. We make a pretty good team. I guess I should look forward to your help in the future."

"I take it…" Responded Ayanami in her low monotone voice. "That you are not leaving."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah…" The young Ikari then became serious. "Thank you…"

The blue-haired girl seemed surprised, as if the words of gratitude were foreign to her. "For what?"

Shinji blinked. "For saving my life. I would have died if it weren't for you."

Understanding the reasons behind the thank you, she decided to return it. "Then I suppose I should return my gratitude for saving my life."

Shinji smiled. "Yeah, well I guess we have each others backs then."

Rei nodded. "Indeed."

Feeling the conversation dying, Shinji decided to say good-bye. "See ya later Rei."

Rei nodded back. "Yes, good bye."

Shinji caught back up with Misato, who had an evil grin on her face. She began to giggle when he got back. "You lover boy. Already making it with the ladies, huh?"

Shinji crossed his arms and tried to hide his blush. "I was just thanking her for saving my life. I don't see anything out of the ordinary about it."

Misato continued to tease. "I hope you two know what you're doing. God knows what would happen if we had little Shinjis and Reis running around."

Shinji's jaw dropped. "Oh my god! I can't believe you! Will you cut it out? It's not funny."

Misato laughed. "Oh come on. I can't help it. You're just so fun to pick on."

Shinji was still not amused. "Well instead of picking on me, why don't you figure out where you parked?"

Misato moaned. "Oh, fine." It was then that they came to a spit in the path. They had to choose left or right. "I think we should go to the right…No left. Left. Definitely left…unless…"

Shinji hung his head in exhaustion. "So much for taking a nap…"

***End Ch. 8***

Author's notes: As you maybe able to tell, there is the possibility that there will be a romance in the form of a Shinji/Rei in this story. While I will not reveal whether there will be any romance between them, the fact is that love and romance will play larger part of the story much further on.

Angel battles should occur a little more frequently from point on as well, although there will not be one next chapter, so look forward to that.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The best is yet to come!!