-This is Chapter 7! Though it was a relatively long wait, compared my other stories, it is a little more consistent. After all, two of my stories weren't updated for over five months! For this story, well, just a measly three months without an update.

-And of course, during that time, I have written two new stories in the process! FMA/Eva story (my second Eva story. And this was my first NON-Teen Titans crossover story) and my Inuyasha story. For those waiting for the update for my FMA/Eva story, well, going to have to wait a little longer. I wanted to update this story first, and…believe it or not, might even begin another story in the process (Last Exile story). Although I have to admit, my FMA/Eva story IS better, especially in terms of originality in that, unlike this story (especially the first few chapters), I RARELY stuck to the actual episodes (adding the FMA group, a HUGE difference, can do that). In a way, that was the way I wanted to handle this story instead of the minor changes that I did now. Still, this story IS becoming more and more original with each update, and this chapter should help break from the official storyline a little bit more (again, I want the main events the same, but everything else SHOULD be different).

-As for Asuka? Well, once I get there (should be the next chapter given that yes…still following the chapter episode thing. Even though the events are now becoming extremely…well, mostly different) her personality will stay the same. However, she will have to deal with a changed Rei, if you know what I mean.

-BTW, the reason why these chapters are so long is the fact that it is chapter episode. Reason why I'm doing this is so that, I can get to certain parts in fewer chapters. I.e., the Introduction of Asuka (and hopefully a NEAR full break from the canon) that would be the next chapter. While I try to add a lot of original content, and cut out a lot of unnecessary parts (i.e. parts that would basically be the same as the series if I have had added it), they still add up to a long chapter. Contrast this to my FMA/Eva story where I'm 7 chapters up, but I've only gotten to the fourth episode using the Eva canon's timeline. In that story, if I keep to the canon's timeline (which I probably will to that extent), Asuka won't be introduced well until Chapter 14 at least!

-Without further ado…on with the story (and if you note, Author's Note for this section…extremely short compared to my other story).


Commander Ikari's Office

Gendo hung up the phone and looked at the documents that were in front of him. The civilian government, and the SSDF, was always suspicious of NERV or anyone that it didn't control, has been asking questions again. At the moment, with the help of a certain insider, they were able to pass off fake documents to quell any criticism for the time being. And of course, the SSDF couldn't do anything about it. At least officially. However, a more pressing concern was what the skittish members of the Japanese Heavy Chemical Industrial (as well as the civilian government. Wink, wink) have been under development for a while. They were apparently developing their own Evangelion of some sort. Of course, in reality, this fake Eva was no threat to them whatsoever given what Gendo has read. Still it was an annoyance that needed to be eliminated. At the moment, their plans to doing so have not changed even given this new information.

Though that was just one issue on his plate. The other issue was what happened during the last angel attack.

Ritsuko walked into his office.

Gendo looked up from his position. "Have you found anything that would explain the previous Angel's behavior?"

"Not really." Ritsuko shook her head. "I went over all the data the video of the incident that I could find. I even checked to see if there were any anomalies that could explain the Angel's hesitation." She then looked up at Gendo and frowned. "I did find an sharp spike in Unit 00's sync ratio."

Gendo was a little surprised by this even though his face didn't show it. "Do you think this was why the Angel hesitated?"

Ritsuko shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. Right now I have no explanation on what caused that spike. And even so, I would have no idea why the Angel would react to the way that it did. Our best guess would be that it simply did not expect that anomaly to happen. All supposing that our equipment was working fine of course and this isn't a technical error."

Gendo contemplated this for a moment. "Whatever reason it behaved the way it did, the schedule has been changed. The Second Child will arrive earlier then expected. Along with the 'cargo'."

"Understood." Ritsuko replied. "And about the other issue…"

"I'll be going on a 'conference' to discuss some issues." Gendo replied showing little emotion. "And as you know, you'll be representing NERV at the presentation of that…new machine of theirs."

"Ah yes." Ritsuko replied as she thought about what was going to happen. That 'fake' Eva won't last very long. "I'll be sure to keep you inform about their opinions on the new machine. I'm guessing it would be…unsatisfactory."

"Correct." Gendo then looked down at a monitor of Misato and Maya…ummmmm…going after each other. "Unfortunately, due to Captain Katsuragi's recent 'brash' behavior, she won't be going with you. I'm recommending a few days of cooling off for her."

Ritsuko's eyes widened. "What? But if she's not going then…"

"You'll be accompanied by the new guy…Kazuma Taira." Gendo answered with little emotion.

Ritsuko blinked completely shocked. "You have got to be…"

-Later…

Misato Residence

Misato glared at Shinji. Shinji was eating a piece of bread, and drinking coffee. Misato, wearing her typical at home outfit, was drinking sake. Pen Pen, was busily eating his breakfast of fish. Shinji commented about why she was drinking sake, with Misato retorting that it was a 'traditional' Japanese breakfast. Shinji shot back and replied that it was just Misato's breakfast. He also noted that it was supposed to be Misato's turn to cook breakfast.

"Now I know why you're still single at your age, Misato." Shinji said, much to Misato's annoyance.

"Well excuse me, but are you saying that I'm lazy?" Misato glared at Shinji dangerously.

"And sloppy too." Shinji replied without even looking up.

"Hmph!" Misato raised her nose at Shinji. "Like you would know…" Then something clicked in Misato's head. A slight grin appeared on her face. "Shinji…you're not dating Rei behind my back are you?"

Shinji, who was up to this point, calm and controlled, suddenly widened his eyes and started to stutter. "Wha…what, what do you mean?"

Misato moved closer to Shinji. "You know…" Her grin widened.

Shinji sat back. The closer Misato got, the further back he sat back. He almost fell out of his chair given how close Misato was. "No! It's nothing like that!"

Misato eyed Shinji. She had to admit, she enjoyed Shinji like this. "You sure Shinji?"

"Yes!" Shinji replied quickly. "I mean we haven't really talked after what happened. So…"

Misato instantly sat back. "GOOD! That little hussy won't get near my Shinji!"

Shinji blinked at Misato's comments. "What?"

Misato blinked when she realized what she said. "Um, I mean, I won't let that blue headed freak hurt you! Hehehe!" Misato chuckled lightly.

Shinji continued to blink. He wasn't exactly sure if that was really better then what she said earlier. "Umm…okay?"

"Hehehe…" Misato continued to laugh lightly as she rubbed the back of her head.

Shinji looked around. "That reminds me…are you really going to come to school today?"

Misato was chewing a piece of bread. "You bet! I have to make sure that you and Rei aren't doing some 'extracurricular activities' that I don't know about!"

"Eh?" Shinji blushed a deep red. "Of course we're not!" He shot back.

Misato instantly frowned. "I was only kidding. Besides, it is parent – teacher's meeting."

"But aren't you busy? With work and all…" Shinji asked.

Misato sighed. "You're part of my responsibility you know!"

Shinji lowered his eyes. "So, it's just a part of your job isn't it?"'

"Eh…" Misato looked away for a moment. She didn't know how to answer to that. I mean, yes, it is a part of her job, but is that the sole reason she was doing this?

Shinji clapped his hands. "Well, I'm done."

-Later…

Misato was wearing a towel since she had just finished her shower. She waved Shinji and his friends' goodbye as she thought about the changes that have occurred recently. "It's good that it's getting easier for him to express himself." Then her thoughts wandered to a certain blue-headed girl. Her eyes narrowed. "Although I'm not exactly happy about the reason it's getting easier for him to express himself." Though she once thought that it would be better for Rei to also better express herself, there's just something not right about her now. 'I'd better keep a closer eye on her. Something about her seems…off.'

Misato picked up the phone and called NERV to keep an eye on Shinji.

-Later…

District 13 Tokyo 3 Junior High School Class 2-A

Rei Ayanami was sitting at her desk. Well, actually, it wasn't her desk at the moment. When word got out that Shinji's 'sexy' guardian was coming, all the boys were all gathered at the windows. This included Rei's desk. So, as to not get into the middle of that mess, she was sitting somewhere in the middle of the classroom until the initial excitement was over. She rested her chin on her hands as she eyed Shinji from the corner of her eyes.

Shinji was at the window looking at the remains of the last Angel. Unlike his two nearby friends who were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Misato, he had other things on his mind. Feeling like he was being watched, he turned back for a moment and he sees Rei staring at him.

Rei continued to stare at him for a while, then looked away and stared into space on the other side of the room.

Shinji continued to look at Rei. 'I wonder what she's thinking?'

Hikari was holding her folder as she stared at the boys all huddled near the windows. Standing next to her was Asuna Ookouchi, a slightly taller girl with long black hair, and Aki Ayase, a girl about the same height as her, with short black hair. "Hmph. Stupid boys. They're all the same." 'Including that jerk Touji! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!'

Asuna looked at the boys with little reaction. That was, until she eyed Shinji. "Except for Shinji Ikari. He doesn't seem all that interested."

"Yeah." Hikari replied. "Of course, he does live with her…"

Suddenly, the sound of a car screeching to a halt can be heard. Misato's BLUE car (AN: I know the anime had it as red in this episode. But unless Misato somehow got a new car, or, while she couldn't afford the repairs, but got a paint job instead, I'm going to assume that this was a blooper on their part) parked in front of their school.

"There! She came!" Touji excitedly replied.

"Cool! Who is she?" One of the other boys asked.

"Is she Ikari's guardian?" Another boy inquired.

"What? He's got a babe like that for a guardian?" Another boy said shocked and a little jealous.

"Those guys are such dorks." Hikari glared at them. 'Honestly, LUSTING over someone who's like, what, 30?' "Besides, what does Misato have that I don't?" Hikari asked in a lower tone.

"Bigger boobs?" Asuna answered.

Hikari eyed Asuna. "That was a rhetorical question."

"She's gorgeous, truly gorgeous!" Touji continued as he looked into the sky, seemingly beaming.

Shinji narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?" Shinji sardonically replied.

Hikari blinked. "Shinji really is different isn't he?"

Aki sighed. "Yeah." She then looked at the blue-headed girl sitting in front of her. "Too bad he seemed to be smitten over someone already."

Hikari eyed Rei. Although she normally would be happy about this, especially for someone as shy and non-social as Rei, the only thing she felt right now was indifference. Or maybe, something even less. "We'll see about that!"

Asuna and Aki both turned to Hikari. "What?"

Hikari looked at Asuna, and Aki and blushed in embarrassment. "Um, I meant, let's see what happens!" She then turned to the boys again.

"You just keep the Earth safe, and we'll take care of Misato!" Touji and Kensuke said in unison as both of them slapped Shinji in the back.

Hikari frowned again. "Disgusting." 'I'm really questioning what I saw in Touji right now.'

Shinji just sighed. Though I guess that's what he was all about. 'Keeping the Earth safe.'

-Later…

Misato smiled brightly. "Nice that you're doing so well Shinji! At least in this one class."

"Well, it's really not that hard when the teacher simply repeats his lecture over and over again." Shinji replied as they started to walk out of the school.

"Really?" Misato looked at Shinji oddly. "You're telling me that all he talks about is one subject? What is it?"

"Second Impact." Shinji answered. "I can pretty much repeat everything he said word for word."

"Heh. This is the education that we're paying for here?" Misato said in disbelief. 'It's not even what really happened either.' As they were walking out of the hallway, she turned and looked at a departing Rei.

Rei glanced back for a second before exiting the school, giving Misato a chill.

Shinji blinked at Rei's gesture.

Misato narrowed her eyes. 'What's with that girl?' Before she could think more about this incident, a voice called out to them next to them.

"Hi Miss Katsuragi! Hi Shinji!" Hikari waved at the two.

"Oh hi Hikari!" Shinji waved back.

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Hi 'Shinji' and Hi 'Hikari'?" Misato looked down at Hikari. "Hey! You're Shinji's Class Representative aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am!" Hikari bowed. "Um, I was wondering if I could speak to Shinji before he goes?"

Misato eyed Hikari wearily. 'I wonder what's her deal?' "No."

Shinji opened his mouth about to say something, but instantly stopped when Misato said her answer.

Hikari raised an eyebrow at Misato's response. "Eh?"

"Um, I mean, Shinji and I need to get to NERV Headquarters for some training!" Misato smiled.

"We do?" Shinji asked. This was the first time he heard about it.

"Yeah!" Misato took Shinji's hand and started to exit the school. "Sorry! But we really have to get there on time! Talk to you later!" Misato waved goodbye at Hikari.

Shinji was being dragged with a completely stunned look on his face. 'What the heck is going on here?'

Hikari watched the two disappearing figures, still blinking in disbelief. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm starting to not like Miss Katsuragi."

-Later…

NERV Headquarters

Things have been relatively quiet since Gendo went to a 'conference'. Shinji has been training with the Eva. Damages to Unit 00 weren't as bad as they had previously expected given the strange behavior of that Angel. Which made the budget people happy given that the budget wasn't that big to begin with (the world's fate is in their hands. Yet their budget could be described as, well, shit). Even then, it was still a significant number given what they had to do.

At the moment, Shinji was learning the truth about Second Impact. How, unlike what he has been told over and over again by his professor, had nothing to do with a meteor.

"That is the real truth behind the Second Impact." Ritsuko said in a matter of fact tone.

Shinji blinked. "Then the things we're doing here are to…"

"To prevent a probable Third Impact from happening. That is the purpose of NERV and the Evangelions." Ritsuko then eyed Misato and frowned. "By the way, has your 'replacement' been brought up to speed about the event scheduled for tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Misato looked at Ritsuko. "Oh! Oh yeah! That…hehehe!" Misato embarrassingly replied. "Yeah! The new guy has all my notes."

Ritsuko's expression darkened. 'If it's going to be a disaster tomorrow, I'm going to blame it all on you!'

-Next Morning…

Misato's Residence

Shinji was eating his bread much like the morning before. And Pen Pen was eating his fish, much like the morning before.

However, what was different was what happened when Misato stepped out of her room. She was decked out in a dress uniform with red trim.

Shinji's eyes widened. First, she wasn't in her typical 'racy' clothing that she usually walked around in. Second, she seemed, serious and determined.

Pen Pen was also shocked. So shocked that he dropped his fish.

Misato looked at Shinji with a serious expression. "Good morning."

After getting out of his shock, Shinji responded to Misato. "Good morning."

After a short pause between the two, Misato suddenly smiled. "So what do you think?" Misato posed in front of Shinji.

"Huh?" Shinji dropped the piece of toast that he was holding. "Um, you look…great!"

"You really think so?" Misato closed her eyes and smiled.

"Um…" Shinji scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Yeah…by the way, what's the occasion?"

"Occasion?" Misato sat down at the diner table. "Um, well…I was supposed to go to old Tokyo today for business…" She then turned to Shinji and smiled again. "But, instead, I got the day off!" 'Unpaid day off, but still a day off…hehehe…' "I decided to wear this anyway given the amount of money I spent on this thing! Shouldn't let it go to waste right?"

Shinji blinked. "Day off? Why did you get the day off?"

'Because that bitch wouldn't die!' "Because they wanted to break in the new guy! Kazuma Taira!" Misato lied.

"Oh yeah." Shinji said. "I've seen him around." He then turned back to Misato. "So, now that you have the day off…what are you going to do?"

Misato shrugged. "Beats me." Suddenly, she had a thought. "Say Shinji? Want to go on a picnic? The weather's nice!"

"Um, okay?" Shinji replied, a little reserved. "But don't I have school today…"

"Bah!" Misato waved him off. "You told me you're not learning anything from that class anyways! Besides, what's one whole day?"

"Well, yeah, but I do have other classes…"

Misato frowned. "You want to go to school Shinji?"

"Um…" Shinji instantly stepped back. "No! That's not what I mean! But…umm…" Deciding that hanging out with Misato wouldn't hurt, he continued. "So, who's going to make the food?"

Misato just kept smiling and didn't respond.

Shinji however, knew exactly what she was thinking. "I'll get it ready."

"I knew I could count on you Shinji!" Misato patted him on the back.

NERV Air Transport Vehicle

"My first business conference! This is so exciting!" Kazuma Taira excitedly said. He was pumping his fist really fast. He was wearing a cheap business suit that he probably got from Walmart.

Ritsuko was resting her hand on the seat while she looked at her computer. "Now, whatever you do, DON'T screw it up!"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Kazuma pressed his face on the transport's window. "Wow! Old Tokyo!"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "When I get back, I am going to strangle Misato!"

District 13 Tokyo 3 Junior High School Class 2-A

Hikari looked around the room. "Say, have any of you seen Shin…I mean Mister Ikari? Is he sick?"

"Yes." A disappointed Touji answered. "I mean, no, he's not sick. He's hanging out with the lovely Miss Misato! Lucky bastard!"

"And he wouldn't take us!" Kensuke cried. "What kind of friend is he?"

"Actually…" Touji looked at a nearby wall. "It was Miss Misato that asked us not to come…"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Hikari huffed. "You two had school you know! And so did Shinji. Speaking of 'Miss Misato', what kind of example is she setting?"

Rei was sitting in her typical place, staring out of the window. She, as usual, was ignoring the comments of the others. However, her mind was on a different matter and not on, well, nothing or something mundane like everyone assumed. In fact, it was on the events that were about to take place in Old Tokyo. 'It's going to be fun today.' A light smirk appeared on her face.

NERV Headquarters

"I had the whole day planned." Maya stared into space as she sat back at her chair. "It was going to be a fun day with just me and Shinji!"

Makoto and Shigeru turned from their stations and looked at Maya oddly.

"Um, you do know Shinji's 15 right?" Shigeru said.

"Um…Maya? Are you okay?" Makoto adjusted his glasses as he stared has his coworker.

"Me?" Maya looked at the two. "Um, yes! I'm fine! I'm just fine! I mean we're just friends!" She smiled before she let out a tirade. "Just that the bitch Captain decided to ruin my whole day by staying home!" Maya threw down and shattered her coffee cup.

Shigeru gulped. "I think the Captain is going to need a few more days off."

Old Tokyo – Testing Facility Convention Hall

Kazuma was downing tons of food. Pork, roasted duck, steam vegetables, whatever he could get his hands on. While all the other tables were full of food and drinks, for the most part, NERV's table was simply full of drinks with the exception of what Kazuma was consuming at the moment. Of course, with the drinks in the middle of a MASSIVE table, how the heck could anyone reach it without crawling on top of the table? But I digress. While Kazuma was busily consuming as much as he can, Ritsuko was having a little debate with the Japan Heavy Chemical Industrial representative.

"It doesn't matter what you say. The fact is that NERV has the only weapon that can best the enemy." Ritsuko retorted. The JHCI representative was being quite annoying.

"You mean the AT Field? It's just a matter of time now." The man looked down at Ritsuko and grinned. "NERV's day in the sun will not last forever."

Ritsuko's eyebrow was twitching. Finally she decided that this was enough.

"No more questions? Well then…" The JHCI representative continued on his presentation.

Ritsuko turned to Kazuma. "Well, you're a load of help."

Kazuma stopped eating for a moment and turned to Ritsuko. "You say something Doctor?"

Ritsuko's head hit the table. "Why did we ever bring you aboard?"

-Later…

Old Tokyo – Control Center

"So Doc, we just stand here?" Kazuma asked as he and Ritsuko stood at the wall. "Why not we get a closer look?"

A blood vessel was throbbing on Ritsuko's head. "You can get closer once it starts moving."

Kazuma looked at the window. All the other representatives were standing, all awaiting the activation of the Robot J.A. "I guess so! But why not just watch it on the big screen?"

Ritsuko sighed. 'Where did we find this guy?' Of course, just a few minutes ago, Ritsuko had successfully sabotage the program so that it would go berserk. Though things shouldn't be a problem here…

"By the way, wasn't it strange that they knew about the AT Field?" Kazuma commented.

"Yeah." Ritsuko looked at Kazuma. "You're not saying that someone leaked it do you? Someone like you?"

"Eh?" Kazuma looked at Ritsuko oddly. "You know, I was just saying! Hehehe…"

"We're about to start the JA activation test." The JHCI representative ordered.

The attendants eagerly looked through their binoculars and watched as the building holding the Robot JA opened.

-Meanwhile…

Tokyo 3 Park

"You know, I really should have changed out of this dress uniform before we left." Misato was fanning herself while sitting at a picnic table. Misato then turned to Shinji who, quiet as always, sat across from her eating a sandwich. "So Shinji, tell me about your friends…what were their names again? Kenseke Suzero and Tojo Aidee something?"

"Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara." Shinji corrected. "Well, Kensuke…is really into computers and military stuff."

'Yeah. Had to punish him for that!' Misato thought.

"And Touji…well…he's really good at sports…I think." Shinji answered. "I mean, he's always wearing a sports jacket and gym pants…oh, and his sister…was injured in the first Angel attack." Shinji looked away as he relayed that bit of information.

"MmmmHmmmm." Misato was sucking juice out of a straw. "Well, its not all your fault Shinji. And NERV is paying for her medical bills." She then rested her head on her hand. "Oh, and what about that Hikari girl?"

"Hikari Horaki?" Shinji looked at Misato. "Well, I know that she's the Class Representative."

After a few moments of silence, Misato turned to Shinji. "And?"

"And?" Shinji asked looking confused at Misato. "That's all I know about her."

"Really?" Misato grinned. "Well, I hope it stays that way!"

"Huh?" Shinji asked confused.

"Um…" Misato looked from side to side. "I mean…ummm…I hope you two become good friends!"

Shinji continued to blink in confusing. "Sure?"

Misato sighed.

"I wonder what Maya's doing right now." Shinji wondered.

Misato glared at Shinji. "Oh please! We don't need to bring up…her."

"By the way, what exactly don't you like about her?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, it's just a little minor misunderstanding! That's all!" Misato waved Shinji off hoping that he would change the subject. "Nothing to worry about!"

Shinji blinked. "Okay…"

District 13 Tokyo 3 Junior High School – Roof

"You know you two, you shouldn't be lusting over someone who's probably over thirty!" Hikari scolded Kensuke and Touji.

Touji rolled his eyes. He was carrying a basketball as he opened the door to the roof where the basketball courts were. "Yes mother."

"Hey!" Hikari scowled. "I'm trying to give you some important life advice here!"

Kensuke was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a girl standing near the edge of the roof. "Hey! Isn't that Rei Ayanami?"

Rei Ayanami was staring off into the distance. The wind was blowing her hair and clothing.

Touji and Hikari looked at where Kensuke was staring.

"What's she doing?" Touji wondered.

"I don't know." Hikari responded. "Let's ask her!" She ran up to her.

"Hey wait!" Touji held his hand out. "Maybe she doesn't want to be disturbed!"

"Hey Miss Ayanami!" Hikari waved at her. Rei did not respond. "Ayanami?" Hikari approached her. "Hello?"

"I guess we should just let her be for now." Kensuke commented.

Hikari looked at Rei's eyes. They seemed distant for some reason. "I guess so."

Rei stared at the direction of Old Tokyo. 'Things are about to go with a bang.'

NERV Headquarters

"Huh?" Maya was taping on the keyboard as a strange reading was coming in. "What the heck is this?"

Makoto caught and followed. "Do you think it's another Angel?"

"Already?" Shigeru frowned. "But we just fought one recently!"

Maya shook her head. "It doesn't appear to be an Angel but…" Suddenly, everything returned to normal. "It's gone!"

"Should we tell the Captain Katsuragi or the Doctor Akagi?" Makoto asked.

Maya frowned at the mention of the 'Captain.' "The Captain Katsuragi or Doctor Akagi doesn't need to know this. It was probably some sort of false reading."

Old Tokyo – Control Center

"Begin walk cycle!" The JHCI representative ordered.

"Walking. Forward ahead slow." One of the technicians there said.

"Roger. Forward right leg." Another one said.

Kazuma yawned. "Oooooo. They are excited that it walked?"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Well if it was falling all over the place, it wouldn't be very useful to them now would it?"

Kazuma sighed. "Yeah I guess not."

Ritsuko however, knew that this wouldn't last.

One of the technicians sees something that shouldn't be happening. "This is odd. The pressure inside the reactor is increasing."

"The temperature of the primary coolant system is also rising!" The other technician followed with a little concern in his voice.

The JHCI representative bent down and tried to give some orders. "Open the release valve. Insert the neutron – deceleration fluid."

"No effect!" One of the technicians started to panic.

"The pump output isn't increasing." The other technician yelled fearfully.

"Shut off the power. Emergency stop!" The JHCI representative ordered with complete fear.

"Abort signal transmission confirmed." The first technician relayed.

"It's not accepting it! That radio circuit is blocked! It's out of control!" The second technician followed in a terrified response.

"It can't be!" The JHCI representative said in complete horror.

"No! Oh God! Run away!" One of the technicians yelled!

Kazuma looked at the panicked room. "This isn't good is it?"

"Ya think?" Ritsuko eyed Kazuma.

Suddenly, a huge foot came crashing down on the building. Everyone was running for safety.

Ritsuko was careful not to be in its way. If all goes well, where she was standing was a relatively safe area. After all, it was following a predicted route. Suddenly, she noticed something odd about the machine. Something like, wings? She must be seeing things.

What she wasn't seeing however was the fact that the machine…just stopped!

Ritsuko looked at the machine oddly. 'Huh? Why did it just stop?'

The technician looked at each other in fear. When the machine stopped, their fear was subsided a bit.

The JHCI representative was still shaking in fear. "Did we…did we do it?"

"Wow! This has been a pretty exciting day!" Kazuma said with a cocky smile. However, internally, he was completely terrified. This was the closest he has been to the action.

Ritsuko frowned. 'This shouldn't be happening!'

Suddenly, the machine looked…down?

The technicians looked at each other.

The JHCI representative looked up at the machine. "What…what's going on?"

"I don't understand it!" The first technician was frantically typing. "Its like, its like, its like it's being controlled by someone!"

'WHAT?' Ritsuko thought in fear. She started to move towards the stairs. 'How? Who?'

The second technician looked at the monitor. His eyes widened greatly. "It's activated a self-destruct program?"

"That's impossible! We didn't program a…" The JHCI representative looked down at the monitor, then back at the machine. "This can't be happening!"

The room was now in complete panic. Everyone was running every which way.

"Um…Doc…this doesn't look good!" Kazuma's jaw was twitching. "Doc? Yo Doc?" He looked around when he noticed, that she wasn't there. "Doc? Eeeeeh!"

Ritsuko was running down the stairs. She instantly whipped out her cell phone and called NERV. "This is Doctor Ritsuko Akagi! Something's gone terribly wrong! I'm heading towards the underground bunkers right now!"

The JHCI representative was now seated. "This building has shelters. Yeah. EVERYONE HEAD TO THE SHELTERS! LAST FLOOR!"

Kazuma was now completely terrified. "AHHHHHHHHH! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" He was running through the crowd, pushing people over the stairway. He apparently ran so fast that he caught up to Ritsuko. "DOC!"

Ritsuko suddenly slammed the door shut and sealed it closed.

Kazuma was now banging at it with all his might. "No! Doc! Open up! Open up!"

Kazuma was suddenly crushed by a bunch of other people trying to escape to the now shut bunker. They all held fear in their eyes.

The JHCI representative was sweating like there was no tomorrow. And given that his only means of safety has been sealed off, there really was no tomorrow for him. He looked up at the machine that was supposed to take down NERV as the force to stop these Angels. Instead…

The countdown continued…until it reached zero.

Tokyo 3 Park

Shinji opened a bag of chips and was about to eat one.

Misato sighed. 'What a boring…' Suddenly…a HUGE explosion ripped through the sky behind them. "What the fuck was that?" She instantly stood up and looked behind her.

Shinji panicked when he heard the explosion, and dropped the bag of chips.

From the sounds of it, they weren't really close close to the incident, but it was nearby. Maybe like…OLD TOKYO! "Holy shit! Ritsuko!" Suddenly, her phone rang at that instant.

District 13 Tokyo 3 Junior High School – Roof

Touji just launched the ball at the hoop when…BOOM! "What the hell was that?"

Hikari, who was talking with Asuna and Aki instantly, turned to the sound. "Whoa!"

Kensuke also turned towards that direction. "What the heck could that be?"

"Do you think its another Angel attack?" Touji asked Kensuke.

"If it was, then why weren't we evacuated to the shelters?" Kensuke replied.

Suddenly, they all noticed something.

It was the same direction that Rei had been staring at for the past hour or so.

'That was fun.' Rei grinned.

-Later…

Transport Plane

"According to Miss Ibuki, Ritsuko called saying something went horribly wrong and she was escaping to the underground bunkers." Misato frowned. She was still wearing her dress uniform since, well, no reason to change. "With any luck, all the claims that they could survive a nuclear blast were true."

Shinji, in his plug suit already, nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Now Shinji…" Misato looked down. "This is a recovery mission. You are to take the bunker completely intact, careful not to let even a single crack through. Ritsuko's life may be dependant on it. Supposing that she made it of course."

"Got it." Shinji replied.

"And when you have the bunker…walkover to a cleaning station that NERV has set up outside the fallout zone. Also, don't worry about the radiation. The armor of Unit 01 should protect you from the radiation." Misato followed. "Oh, and one last thing. Be careful with the bunker once you got it. Remember, Ritsuko or anyone else might be in it."

Shinji nodded. "Yes!"

Misato was still stunned about what happened. Although, maybe not completely surprised either. 'The foolishness of man.' "Hyuga, as soon as you drop Unit 01, get out of the fallout zone."

-Later…

Remains of the Testing Facility

Shinji, inside Unit 01, knelt down over the remains of the facility. Like digging out a time capsule buried for years, Shinji carefully brushed away the radioactive debris. After a while, he finally sees his goal, a strong sturdy bunker.

Inside the Bunker

It was completely dark inside the bunker. Ritsuko was, well, the only one in it since she closed it on everyone else. Including the new guy. Ritsuko was going over what had just happened. 'How? It wasn't supposed to stop!' Suddenly, she thought about seeing wings. 'An Angel? But it can't be! It's too soon for one! And if it were, NERV would've detected it and contacted me! So what was it?' Suddenly, the room violently shook. Ritsuko held onto the bench as she felt the bunker being lifted into the air.

Remains of the Testing Facility

Shinji looked at the devastation wrought by the now defunct Robot JA. As bad as this was, he was just glad that it didn't go into a more populated area. He carried the bunker to a waiting radiation cleaning facility where NERV personal wearing radiation suits waited.

-Later…

Commander Ikari's Office

Ritusko was standing next to a man wearing glasses. She was giving a report to Gendo.

"So the new guy is dead?" Gendo asked.

Ritsuko nodded. "I am the sole survivor of the incident. Everyone else, a few military commanders, politicians, venders, CEOs, everyone else is dead." She looked at the corner of her eye. "This wasn't exactly what we planned."

"Yes. Nonetheless, it was still beneficial to us. Our dominance will remain." Gendo noted. "And given what happened, we now have near free reign over what we can do. I'd say its an improvement over what we intended."

"That is true." Ritsuko commented. "But what about Seele?"

"They will be informed when the time comes." Gendo answered. "Although, I'm sure they are pleased about what happened as well for their own power within the UN has greatly increased due to this incident. Now, unless you have something else to say, you are dismissed."

Ritsuko nodded and left the room. She however, was still bothered about the events that have transpired. "What's going on here?"

Gendo turned to the man. "We are entering a very uncertain time."

"And that could be a very big problem for us, AND Seele." The man noted.

"Yes." Gendo replied. "We need to take back the initiative."

"But first, we need to figure out who has taken it." The man replied back.

"Yes." Gendo sat back. "Continue your investigation."

-Meanwhile…

Japanese Government Facility in an "Undisclosed Location"

"Do you think this was the doing of Gendo Ikari?" A man hidden in the shadow asked.

"Possible. Especially given that he now has free reign over what he can do." Another man in the shadow replied.

"And that can be very dangerous for we still do not know what his true intentions are." The first man commented.

"Exactly." The second man got out a folder. "We're going to need to activate our second agent on the field."

"Affirmative." The first man took out a cell phone. "Activate Agent Mana Kirishima."

-------End of Chapter 7

Hehehe. That was the end of Chapter 7! Things are really starting to take shape now! And look, another character for Shinji. Hehehe.

BTW, if you were wondering where I got the name of the 'new guy', and Hikari's friends, I got them from S-cry-ed, Paranoia Agent, and Negima. Sort of. I didn't lift any of their names directly, but I did use those three series as a reference. Kazuma (S-Cry-ed: Kazuma) Taira (Paranoia Agent: Yuiichi Taira), Asuna (Negima: Asuna Kagurazaka) Ookouchi (Akira Ookouchi), and Aki Ayase (Negima: Yue Ayase).

Next chapter…Asuka comes to town! But in this brave new world, what's going to happen? Until then…later!

OMAKE

Tokyo 3 Park

"You know, I really should have changed out of this dress uniform before we left." Misato was fanning herself while sitting at a picnic table. Misato then turned to Shinji who, quiet as always, sat across from her eating a sandwich. "So Shinji, tell me about your friends…what were their names again? Kenseke Suzero and Tojo Aidee something?"

"Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara." Shinji corrected. "Well, Kensuke…is really into computers and military stuff."

'Yeah. Had to punish him for that!' Misato thought.

-Flashback…

"Oh please Misato! I can't handle anymore!" Kensuke was in tears while being tied up to a huge X. He was wearing a leather mask and leather shorts.

Misato, wearing leather corset, gloves, and boots looked at the scene oddly. "What the? Oh you gotta be shitting me! CUT!"

OMAKE 2

Inside the Bunker

It was completely dark inside the bunker. Ritsuko was, well, the only one in it since she closed it on everyone else. Including the new guy. Ritsuko was going over what had just happened. 'How? It wasn't supposed to stop!' Suddenly, she thought about seeing wings. 'An Angel? But it can't be! It's too soon for one! And if it were, NERV would've detected it and contacted me! So what was it?' Suddenly, the room violently shook. Ritsuko held onto the bench as she felt the bunker being lifted into the air.

Suddenly, she hears a loud crack.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ritsuko feels the radiation burn her skin.

Remains of the Testing Facility

"Oops!" Shinji said through the com-link.

"Oh you gotta be…" SimmyC hits her forehead.

OMAKE 3

Remains of the Testing Facility

Shinji started to shake the bunker with Unit 01. "Hey! There's something inside of this one!"

SimmyC slapped his head in frustration. "That's Ritsuko you moron!"

"Oh." Shinji scratched the back of his head. Unit 01 did the same. "Oops?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" SimmyC screams in frustration.