TOKYO-3

Later that same night

Dave loooked around as he stepped into the street.

"And that's sort of how it happened," he said, walking briskly to the other side. Chris and Cruts followed him, Colin took off down the road in the opposite direction.

"Where's he going?" asked Dave, waving a fat finger towards Colin's retreating back.

"Back to the apartment," Chris replied, "by way of NERV."


Misato stared out the window at the dark Tokyo-3 night. She could faintly see three shapes walking and talking in the street below.

"I wonder," she sighed, "what Shinji must think of me."

Meanwhile, in his own room, Shinji was laying on his bed staring up at his ceiling.

"I wonder," he sighed, "what Misato must think of me."

What a day it had been, he thought.


Colin approached the same key-coded doors that he had seen St. Pierre kind of...well...look open a few hours before. He wondered what he had to do.

He looked at the card reader. The light was red. He squinted at it; the light remained red. He raised his eyebrow, he twitched, and he blinked several times, but the light was still red.

Suddenly, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He spun around and saw St. Pierre behind him - the very definition of "looming."

"Well, Colin, I'm glad to see you're interested in our mission here."

"Um...yes, St. Pierre, I am a little...intregued."

St. Pierre smiled and adjusted his glasses.
"That is good. I am glad. Turn around."

Colin turned around and looked at the door.

"What is it?" he asked, looking back behind him to see...nothing. St. Pierre was gone. He looked back at the door. Slowly, it began to open. His eyes flickered briefy back to the card reader.

It was green.

"...what the devil?" he said quietly as he made his way inside.

He couldn't see much - the lights, it would seem, dimmed at night...for no real good reason. He found himself lost after a few minutes, endlessly wandering the hallways, looking for some sign of life.

When he found it, it wasn't what he wanted to see.


Omake Interlude!

Dave loooked around as he stepped into the street.

"And that's sort of how it happened," he said, walking briskly to the other side. The other three followed him.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked, "I mean, that's a little farfetched."

"Of course I'm sure. Second Impact was caused by giant mustard-yellow outer space yeti!"

All was silent. Colin stopped moving. Slowly, he turned around and crept away.

"Where's he going?" asked Dave, waving a fat finger towards Colin's retreating back.

"Back to the apartment," Chris replied, "I think you've injured his GEHRIN."

"It's all for the better. He was getting on my NERVs."

"Bah!" Cruts said, "He's just gonna go home and play video games. SEELE Calibur or something dumb like that."


The woman turned around holding a cup of coffee in her hand.

"How did you get here?" she demanded.

Colin opened his mouth, let out some air, and closed it.

"What is it? Can't you talk? How did you get here?"

Colin opened his mouth again, but found that no noise could be generated. As he thought about it, this crazy woman probably wouldn't believe how he got in anyway, so why bother?

And, of course, he realized that calling the woman crazy was a little hypocritical - just less than half and hour ago, he was squinting at a machine trying to make it do his bidding.

The crazy woman sighed deeply.

"You came with Mr. St. Pierre, didn't you?" she said, more of a statement than a question.

"Euh...um...well, yes." Colin replied in his best Japanese stutter.

She sighed again.

"My name is Dr. Akagi. Ritsuko Akagi."

She held out her hand.

"Um, no thank you," Colin said.

"Oh! Sorry."

She held out her other hand - the one without the coffee. Colin shook it.

"I suppose since Commander Ikari approves of you staying here, I should, too."

She stopped for a moment and took a sip of her coffee.

"Please excuse me," she said, and she left the room, leaving Colin all alone.

Or so he thought.

"Making friends already?"

Colin looked over to the door. St. Pierre smiled, adjusted his glasses, and walked inside.

"I guess - "

"You guess?"

"She seemed a little...startled."

St. Pierre laughed sharply and handed Colin a small card.

"I just got these," he said, "for the doors. Perhaps now you can come and go without my assistance."

Colin looked down at the card. "MIROKYO KORIN" it read in large letters. In the corner, he saw the now-familiar emblem of NERV, 'mankind's last defense' as St. Pierre had said earlier.

"Thanks," he said, looking back up, "for...where'd he go?"