Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Superwomen of Eva: Emerald Fury

Chapter 4: A Secret Revealed

As Shinji worked in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the occupants of the Katsuragi apartment, he found himself occasionally darting glances in the general direction of Misato's bedroom. Caught between wondering when she'd finally wake up, and grateful that she was sleeping soundly that morning.

Especially after what happened last night, Shinji thought, memories of the previous evening dimming the tiny smile he wore. Of the fear he had known when he was certain that something horrific had happened to Misato, and that she would never come back home. Ever. I…I hadn't been so afraid since Jet Alone…I…

"Morning, Third," came Asuka's voice, breaking him away from his thoughts. Looking away from the stove, he saw the German girl approach, looking like she hadn't slept half the night. Which was probably a fairly accurate assessment, all things considered. "What exactly is that you're making?"

"Soup and rice," Shinji responded without a thought to the matter as he continued his culinary preparations. "I also found some good pickles and fish to go with…"

"Aw, Gott, I don't believe this…!" Asuka grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Soup and fish for breakfast?! What is it with Japanese cooking, anyway?!"

"What's wrong with fish and soup?" Shinji found himself wondering, only to realize too late that he had asked this aloud.

"Oh, nothing! For dinner, that is!" While Shinji was wincing, wishing there was some way of taking back the past thirty seconds, Asuka was shaking her head and looking up, as if wondering where he had been hiding when they were passing out the brains. "Honestly! What's wrong with waffles, or omelets, or pancakes?! Hell, even plain old cereal would be better!"

"Uh…" Shinji tried to begin. He knew he had to say something, but he hadn't the faintest idea of how exactly to respond to this challenge.

"For that matter, what made you decide to cook this stuff, anyway?!" Asuka went on, oblivious to Shinji's failed attempt at speech. "Don't you usually have toast or something like that?!"

This more direct question succeeded in spurring Shinji's mouth into action, and fortunately enough, he was able to push intelligent words out of it. "Well, with everything Misato went through last night, I thought I'd whip up something special for her, that's all." Asuka spent a moment processing this explanation, and then her glare diminished somewhat. Deciding that he could use a little more breathing room, the 3rd Child smiled and added, "If you like, I could make an omelet or something like that for you."

Asuka continued to stand there, a low, growling sound reverberating in her throat until at last she snorted and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Ehh, forget it. I'm not in the mood for eggs right now, anyway." Letting out a tiny sigh of relief as the German turned away, Shinji watched as she made her way over to the bread box. "At least Misato didn't wake us up with her screaming again. With everything that happened last night, I was sure that -!"

"Aaaaaauuuuggghhh!" a familiar voice cried out. Sending both Children jumping up a couple inches. A few seconds after they had landed, the two of them looked towards the source of the scream, at which a pair of devil horns sprouted from Asuka's hair.

"Grrrrrr…!" Asuka gritted, a vein bulging from her forehead. "Dammit! I should have known better than to -!"

"Augh! I'm late!" came another, less bloodcurdling scream. It was soon followed by the sound of frenzied activity as if there was a stampede occurring in Misato's bedroom. "I'm late! Oh, God, I can't believe how late I am!"

While Shinji was realizing that the purple-haired woman's screams had nothing to do with nightmares, Asuka was growling deep in her throat. Without preamble, she stomped her way towards Misato's bedroom, with the 3rd Child a short distance behind. Upon reaching the door, the redhead flung it open with a bang, revealing their guardian as she ran about her room clad in her usual tank top and cut-off shorts. Her eyes were wide with shock as she darted this way and that, gathering up bits and pieces of clothing that were lying about the floor. The two Children stood there for a time, uncertain what to do, until at last Asuka placed her hand to her head and asked, "Uh…and just what are you doing…?"

"I overslept!" Misato shrilled as she continued to run about, apparently attempting to be in as many places at once as possible. "I can't believe how late I'm going to be! I'm going to be fired for sure!"

Oh. So that's it, Shinji thought, heaving a deep sigh of relief. That's a relief! She must've forgotten that -!

"Uh, hello?!" Asuka broke in, more annoyed than relieved. "What are you talking about?! You don't have to go to work today, remember?!" The German's words brought Misato to a halt so fast that Shinji thought for a moment that he heard tires squealing. Looking up sharply, the purple-haired woman stared blankly at her young charges, her mouth and eyes hanging open with such blatant confusion that it would probably have been funny under different circumstances.

As Misato continued to stand there, a strange noise echoing in her throat and clearly not awake enough or recovered enough from the previous night to know what they were talking about, Shinji cocked his head to the side and explained, "Uh, remember? When we got back last night, and Ritsuko called the Sub-Commander? You talked to him, and he gave you the next few days off. You know…to recover from everything?"

"That's right. And he even gave them to you with pay," Asuka smiled in a superior fashion as she savored the moment. "So relax! You don't have to do anything but lounge around here until this Tuesday."

Again, Misato blinked her eyes a few times, but this time, Shinji thought he detected the sound of her think works finally revving into action. "Uh…" she got out. Then realization exploded across her face, sending her to stand up straight and smack herself on the forehead. "Oh, that's right! I remember now!" Shaking her head in dismay, the Major then looked at her charges with an expression of sheepish dismay. "I'm sorry, you two. I guess I'm more out of it than I thought."

"That's okay," Shinji assured her. "I mean, you did have a rough night last night, what with everything that happened."

Heaving a deep breath, Misato let her head roll to the side. "Yeah, I guess," she finally admitted. Her lips pressing together, she frowned and added, "But…I still don't remember….anything really happening. I…"

"Can't say I'm surprised. Considering the fact that Kaji had to carry you to the subway after you were done pickling your liver!" Smirking in triumph as her snipe hit the mark and sent a vein bulging from Misato's head, Asuka turned to leave. "Anyway, the Third's got breakfast ready for ya."

Grimacing at the German and clearly considering tossing a few vehement remarks her way, Misato eventually groaned in defeat before turning towards Shinji. "Okay, I admit defeat. This time!" Pausing to direct a look at Asuka that said that she was conceding the battle, not the war, the Major then focused on Shinji. "So...what's for breakfast?"

"Soup and rice, and some fish and pickles," Shinji reported. "You know, those really good pickles? Seven Lucky Gods?"

"Oh, those are my favorite!" Misato beamed with obvious delight. "I didn't realize I had any left!"

"Well, I noticed that we were running short of a few things, so I stopped at the store on the way back from headquarters yesterday," Shinji explained.

"Aw, Shinji…thanks!" Misato beamed, and without warning, she leaned down to wrap her arms about him. Pressing her breasts against him and nuzzling his cheek with her own, she pulled back just enough to look him in the eye and say, "You know, you're gonna make some girl a fine husband one of these days. Lucky her."

"H-hey! Misato!" Shinji gulped, his cheeks burning as the Major chuckled. A moment later, apparently satisfied her teasing, she stood up straight and continued to the dining area. Smiling as he watched her progress, Shinji then proceeded towards the kitchen area and went about his usual duty of serving breakfast, both for himself and his guardian. The two of them ate in relative silence for a while, exchanging words here and there about little things, like how Misato would spend her time off, or things that needed to be done around the apartment.

As they were finishing breakfast, Asuka's voice was heard from the other room. "Aw, give me a break!" the German grumbled sourly. "What, they have to have this on every single channel?!"

"Huh?" Frowning somewhat, Misato looked like she was about to say something else, but then she furrowed her brows before standing up from her seat. Watching as she made her way to the living room, Shinji looked down at his empty dishes before up at his guardian and decided that clearing the table could wait long enough for him to find out what was going on.

When Shinji entered the living room, he found Misato standing behind the German girl, who was lying on top of a beanbag chair and was glaring at the TV. "What is it, Asuka?"

"It's that thing! You know, that – whatever-it-was that was running around last night?!" Glancing away from the TV, Asuka gave them a grumpy look before looking back at it. "They're talking about it on every single lousy channel! Can you believe that?!"

His mouth popping open somewhat, Shinji looked over at the television. Sure enough, it showed a reporter standing in front of a heavily damaged section of Tokyo-3, and after all the battles he had fought against the Angels, he could easily recognize the destruction as having occurred recently. "So far, the police have no leads as to who or what attacked the subway tunnel, as well as several other locations throughout Tokyo-3," the reporter on the screen intoned. "When asked if it were possible that an Angel was responsible for the attacks, the NERV spokesperson declined to comment."

"What are they talking about?! Of course it wasn't an Angel!" Asuka sneered. "Seriously, if it had been an Angel, we'd have picked it up by now and taken it apart!"

While Shinji was suffering doubts about that, Misato looked down at her charge. "Well, I guess I can't blame people for being concerned," she decided in a wearied voice. "If they thought that NERV had somehow missed picking up on an Angel…"

"Which is simply not possible," Asuka broke in, her voice making it clear that she would not entertain any notions to the contrary.

While the two of them were wondering what, if anything, they should say to that, the reporter went on to say, "So far, several eyewitnesses have come forward, claiming to have seen the creature. But still, it is proving to be almost impossible to get an accurate description of this unidentified being, as no two people seem to be able to agree on exactly what it was they saw." The scene then shifted to several of the said witnesses that the news people had been able to find.

"It was big! Bigger than anything human!" a cab driver intoned, holding his hands over his head to indicate the creature's size. "And it was hunched over, with its hands on the ground…like a gorilla or something, I don't know!"

"That thing was no Angel! It was the spawn of the devil himself!" grated an old woman, who was waving her cane before the camera.

"It was green. A really deep green," commented a younger woman. "I dunno…maybe a mini-Godzilla…?"

"It was just big! Like, huge!" announced one of a pair of boys who looked to be a couple years Shinji's senior, while the other nodded and made noises of assent. "Like this great, big…hulk! And it was crashing and smashing through all these buildings, and…"

"Good Gott, what a pair of idiots," Asuka sneered, shaking her head in disbelief. "And I thought the other two Stooges were bad…"

While Asuka continued to make snide comments beneath her breath, the scene switched back to the reporter. "Well, whatever this hulking creature is, whether a gorilla or an Angel or something else altogether, there's no doubt that it's made its mark on this city, which has already received more than its share of battle scars."

"I don't believe this schisse," Asuka muttered as she clicked off the TV. "The Angels show up, and you barely see anything about them on the news! But some weird freak trashes a couple of buildings, and it's all over the place?! Gimme a break!"

"It's kind of hard for the Angels to make the news, what with the JSSDF making sure that reporters can't get anywhere near an engagement area," Misato pointed out blithely. "Or maybe mysterious creatures just have better PR people."

"Yeah, whatever!" Asuka muttered dangerously. "Hmph! 'Hulking creature'…who cares about that kind of thing, anyway?!"


"'Tokyo-3 Savaged by Unknown Beast'," Kaji muttered beneath his breath, reciting the headline of the newspaper in his hands. Then he glanced down at the smaller headline below, which read, "'Police Still Searching for Hulking Monster'."

Giving a roll of his eyes at this, the unshaven man then looked down at the picture situated just below the second headline, which someone had apparently taken using their cell phone. It was badly lit, unfocused, and all it showed was a dark, humanoid shape situated against even deeper darkness holding something over its head. According to the byline beneath the picture, the creature was hefting a car, but Kaji would never have been able to tell by the photo itself.

I wonder why they decided to call it a 'hulking' monster, Kaji wondered idly as he made his way through the streets. I mean, I guess they figured they had to make it clear it was big, because this picture certainly isn't going to show it, but hulking? Why not use some other word, like…gigantic? Enormous? Something like that? Looking up from the paper, Kaji considered the matter for a short time. Maybe whoever wrote this story decided that 'hulking' made this thing sound more dangerous.

Cocking his head to the side, Kaji decided that this made about as much sense as anything before yawning deeply. Aw, damn. Maybe I should have had two cups of coffee this morning, and not just one, he thought, stifling another yawn. Ugh…what am I doing up at this time of day, anyway?

Less than twelve hours ago, Kaji had gotten back home after he and Ritsuko had finished escorting Misato and her wards back to their apartment. The first thing he did was take some aspirin for the hangover that was hammering away at him, and the second had been to collapse into bed, asleep the instant his head had hit the pillow. And he very much would have liked to remain there and catch up on some much-needed sleep after everything that had happened. Unfortunately, six hours later, he had found himself awakened to an even larger headache by the sound of his telephone ringing its electronic head off. Something he would have gladly ignored, if not for the fact that his Caller ID had revealed the caller to be none other than Commander Ikari himself. Awake and alert and not caring if Kaji had a hangover or had just been crushed underfoot by an Angel, Gendo had made it very clear that he wanted some hard answers about exactly what happened the previous night. As well as whom he expected to get those answers.

I guess I can't blame the Commander for being a bit suspicious, Kaji mused as he recalled the events that had taken place in the subway, as well as everything else that had happened in the darkness of night. Katsuragi somehow manages to disappear just as some mysterious monster shows up and goes crazy in Tokyo-3? And it's only after said monsters disappears without a trace that she pops up again, au-naturel and with no idea how she got that way?

Looking up at his destination and grimacing as the noises coming from it aggravated his throbbing head, Kaji let out a weary sigh. For even as tired as he was and how addled his brain was after being so thoroughly soused, he could still see how easy it was to suspect a connection between these events. Which left him with no recourse but to either prove that a connection existed…or prove that it didn't.

As tired he had been, Kaji had been quick to get on the ball. Which was why, after slapping some caffeine into his bloodstream, he had made his way out towards the supermarket that had been at the end of the enigmatic creature's rampage, less than a block away from the alley where Misato had been found. Or rather, what was left of it.

What had once been a good-sized grocery store, much larger than most of the markets still operating in Tokyo-3, was now a broken shadow of its former self. The entire front wall had been ripped apart, with bits and pieces of it now littering an entire street. Men in hardhats and who were obviously used to heavy lifting were seen all over the place, as were bulldozers and other construction equipment. "Alright, keep it coming!" sounded a deep voice as Kaji drew closer, somehow managing to pierce through the sounds of both heavy machinery and workers toiling and grunting in the midst of their labors. Labors that consisted chiefly of lifting and carrying large chunks of concrete from one place to another, or using jackhammers and similar devices to break down even larger chunks.

"That's it, keep it moving!" that same voice sounded again, but this time, Kaji was close enough to get a look at the speaker. He was a big guy with a scowl that seemed to be permanently etched into his face, and judging from the way he was shouting orders to everyone in sight, he had to be the foreman of the crew. "Come on, people, let's move it! We have to have this place back up and running in a week, tops! So let's do it!"

"You got it, Godzilla!" one of the workers cheerfully called back. Or at least as close to cheerful as one could get while hauling around what looked like a hundred pounds of solid concrete.

Not envying the workers their task, Kaji snorted a laugh and kept going. Tokyo-3 had what had to be the largest consistent construction/demolition crew in Japan, possibly in the world, charged with putting the city back together again and again whenever an Angel came along to Humpty Dumpty it. And while they were better than all the king's horses and men, there was no doubt that their task bordered on impossible at times.

Then again, they do have job security. And that's about the hardest thing to find these days! Kaji admitted as he passed the work crew by. And speaking of finding things… Putting the construction crew behind him mentally and physically, he continued to roam about, looking much like a casual curiosity seeker poking around a place of interest. But his curiosity was far from casual. Pausing to inspect the supermarket that the work crew was attempting to salvage, the unshaven man continued onward.

As Kaji made his way into a nearby alley, he spotted somebody there. It was a man of about his height with hair-colored hair, and as unremarkable a face as was possible. He was clad in a brown vest and white shirt, and regular pants that had seen quite a bit of wear and tear. A completely ordinary person who was apparently studying his own feet. Only to look up at the unshaven man, and snort at his approach. "You're late."

Quirking a smile, Kaji shrugged as he approached his contact in the Tokyo-3 police. "Just wanted to make sure that no one saw me."

"You're being watched?" his contact asked with a definite frown.

"Not that I know of," Kaji responded with the ease of someone out for a night on the town. "But you know how it is. Just because you're paranoid…"

"Doesn't mean somebody isn't out to get you," his contact concluded with a lopsided smile. "That sure sounds like you."

Chuckling in his throat, Kaji cocked his head to the side as he studied the person he had called earlier that day and arranged to meet. "So," he began as he sauntered closer, "have the police managed to find anything?"

"You mean, beyond what we had last night? Not really." Heaving a weary sigh, his contact stood up straight and started towards the other end of the alley. "Captain Momochi has had every man and woman on the force going up and down the city since the first attack, and aside from the damage it caused, we've barely found any sign that this creature ever actually existed."

His ears pricking at the word 'barely', Kaji shot his contact a sideways glance. "But you did manage to find something, didn't you," he asked in a way that made it clear he was really asking. "Otherwise, why invite me down here?"

His contact frowned somewhat, his eyes falling even lower. "The captain would have me suspended for life if he knew I was talking about this to anyone, but…yeah, we found something," he admitted, his hesitation speaking volumes. "We were checking the area last night, trying to see if anybody had been hurt by this thing, or least if we could dredge up another witness when we found it." Heaving a deep breath, the policeman waved at Kaji, gesturing for him to follow. "It's this way."

Not bothering to ask, Kaji followed his contact at a discrete distance. Before long, they exited the alley and were in another street. It was completely unremarkable, with trash and debris littering the ground and graffiti on the walls, save for a section that had been barricaded off and was presently covered with a blue tarp. "What is it?"

"See for yourself," the officer returned as he moved past the saw horses and crouched down next to the tarp. Looking up at Kaji, he waited until he was right next to the site before lifting the blue covering up, and watched as an expression of genuine surprise plastered itself on the unshaven man's face when he realized what he was looking at.

"This…" Kaji began, kneeling down to get a better look at it, "this is an impact crater." Looking up at his contact, he frowned and continued. "Something landed here."

"That's right. And it wasn't just anything," his contact muttered pointing at the center. "Check that out." As Kaji followed the outstretched finger, his eyes bugged out as his already overwhelmed mind threatened to stall out on him.

At the center of the crater, there was a set of footprints embedded in the concrete, with spider-web fractures radiating out from the sides. As Kaji rose up to get a better look, he quickly realized that the cement surrounding the prints had been pushed up by the force of the impact. "We've found several more craters, just like this, in various parts of the city," his contact explained as the unshaven man moved towards the center, getting a better look at the print. "From what witnesses have been able to tell us, it seems that whatever this thing was, it moved around by jumping from one place to another."

"And it made these every time it came in for a landing," Kaji muttered as he came up alongside the prints themselves. Though they were rough in shape, it was obvious to him that they were made by something very much like human feet. Except that when he placed his own foot next to them for comparison, he realized that they were, at least, four to five inches longer than his own. "And for it to make such an impact, and to just…walk away from it…"

"It gets better," the officer muttered grimly. "We've measured the distance between the various craters, in order to get a better idea of what we're dealing with. See how far it could go." A shadow of doom darkened his features as he leaned in closer to Kaji. "And unless we missed something, the shortest distance between these craters is six miles."

Sucking in a deep breath, Kaji looked from the impossible footprints to his contact and back again. "Damn," he got out as he wrapped his mind around that particular tidbit. "What about the attack sites? Do you have any clues why the thing went after them in the first place?"

"None whatsoever. The places it attacked apparently had nothing in common. It's like this thing was mad as all hell and decided to take it out on anything it could find." The officer gave a self-depreciating look before adding, "Except for the supermarket. We did some checking, and it turns out that this thing did have a specific reason for sacking it."

Kaji required a moment to consider this statement before he reached the obvious conclusion. "It was hungry?"

"And in a big way," his contact confirmed. "It wasn't too fussy about what it ate, either. Bread, instant foods still frozen, juice, booze…just about anything." Sighing tiredly, the officer shrugged before going on. "Anyway, this…thing…it knocked out the market's power, but we're hoping the security cameras picked up something before they went down."

"In which case, I'll be extremely grateful to you if you could find some way of making sure a copy of those tapes found their way into my hands," Kaji noted.

"That'll be easier said than done," the contact grimaced. "In case you've forgotten, Captain Momochi isn't a big fan of NERV. And if he ever found out that I've been giving information to them…"

"Which is why we better make sure that he doesn't find out," Kaji broke in, not wanting a valuable contact getting overly concerned about 'what-ifs'. Determined to keep him from worrying, he pulled out his wallet and fished out several bills. "Here, why don't you forget your woes for a while, and go buy the wife something nice?"

The officer gave the proffered bills a hesitant look before he finally accepted them. "Just so you know," he muttered as he tucked them away out of sight, "if I manage to come through on those security tapes, it's gonna cost you. Big time."

"I don't doubt it," Kaji intoned, already planning on getting compensation for his expenditures. "Well, not that it hasn't been fun, but I better get going. I've got bosses of my own I need to keep happy."

"Heh. Good luck with that," the officer remarked, waving dismissively at Kaji before turning to leave.

As for Kaji, he continued to stand next to the impact crater, studying the impossible footprints at the center for a time before placing the tarp back exactly as he had found it. Whew. This just keeps getting nastier by the second, he thought ruefully as he stood back to study his handiwork. Once certain that no one would be the wiser to his visit, the unshaven man started away as well. Ritsy, I hope you're having better luck than I am. Because unless you can pull a rabbit out of your hat, things aren't looking too good for Katsuragi.


"So you've managed to find something?" Gendo muttered, again seated at his desk. Again with his fingers steepled together in that painfully familiar pose of his, with the minimal light of his office reflecting off his glasses. As a result, his eyes were hidden from view, leaving Ritsuko confronted with two soulless disks of cold light.

I hate this, Ritsuko moaned inwardly, not for the first time. She hated the way the man who she sometimes shared a bed would turn those cruel eyes on her. A situation made even worse by the fact that Fuyutsuki was nowhere to be seen for once. The old professor was perhaps the one person that could diminish the Commander's palpable air of malice in situations like this.

Pausing to wonder if Gendo knew about the impact Fuyutsuki's presence had on people, and had dismissed him for that very reason, Ritsuko sucked in a breath and focused on the situation. Focused on being a scientist, on doing what she had to do. "Yes, sir," she began, trying to stabilize herself. "I checked with the crew on duty at the bridge during the time period in which this…this creature was attacking Tokyo-3, to see if they had detected anything unusual."

"I take that they found something," Gendo oozed, leaning closer towards the woman who had surrendered her fate to him a long time ago. "Something of importance."

"Yes, they did. Though they hadn't realized it at first," Ritsuko explained, bringing forth a remote control, one used to activate certain holographic displays in rooms such as this one. With the press of a button, she caused a map of Tokyo-3 to appear in the center of Gendo's office, with several points already highlighted. "These are the locations that were destroyed last night, marked for the times they were attacked. And this…" The doctor hit another button, causing something else to appear. An orange blob that covered the site of the first attack, the subway, "is what the MAGI detected at the time of the first attack."

The cruel light in Gendo's glasses diminished for a moment, in which time Ritsuko could actually see something that might have been scientific curiosity. "What is it?"

"An energy pattern of some kind. The MAGI couldn't identify it at first, let alone pinpoint the origin," Ritsuko explained, making sure that everything she said was clear. That there was nothing that could come back to haunt her. "Now, I've created a time-indexed recreation of the creature's progress through Tokyo-3 and cross-referenced it against the movement of the pattern. And this is what I found."

Again, the doctor pushed a button and sent the display into motion. The indicator marking the subway flashed for the time it was attacked, shortly afterward the blob of orange began stretching out towards the next site of destruction. Shortly after it covered the location, the indicator flashed, symbolizing that place's destruction. Then the orange glob started towards the next location, a pattern that repeated until it reached the supermarket. "The pattern disappeared a short time after the last attack."

"Then this pattern was generated by the creature," Gendo remarked needlessly. "Have you analyzed it?"

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko nodded, clicking the remote again. This time, a shot of an analysis screen marking the energy composite of the pattern appeared. "The pattern is a hybrid of the red pattern seen in human life, and the blue pattern of the Angels."

"A hybrid pattern," Gendo repeated, his glasses flashing with menace. "So this creature has aspects of human and Angelic physiology."

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko muttered, well aware of what she was saying. "The red component is clearly dominant, however." Gesturing at the makeup of the pattern, the doctor knew that Gendo could see the difference. "Less than a quarter of the pattern makeup is blue. So whatever this thing is, it's not an Angel."

"So I see," Gendo muttered darkly. "But why were the MAGI unable to identify it?"

"Because of the other factors in the pattern," Ritsuko answered immediately, pointing to the various energy spikes that were on display. "There are several varying energy frequencies present here in different amounts, any one of which could have interfered with the Angel Detection System." Then she pointed out the largest spike to be seen on the display. "Particularly this one."

Frowning somewhat, Gendo eyed that spike for a time before saying, "Gamma radiation?"

"Yes, sir. Whatever this thing is, it has a massive gamma signature. It's impossible to miss, once you know what to look for," Ritsuko intoned, moving down to other analyses. "Now, here's the interesting part. Whenever this creature moves past a given area, there's no sign of lingering radiation. As if the gamma energy is completely contained and regulated within the creature. Of course, I can't confirm this without actually studying this thing itself, but given our current data, it's the only thing that makes sense."

Nodding somewhat, Gendo gave the holographic displays a final look before turning his attention towards the doctor. "And what about Major Katsuragi?" he muttered dangerously. "Have you made any progress in determining her…connection to this creature?"

Her heart instantly plummeting, Ritsuko heaved a weary breath. "Sir, I can't tell you if there even is a connection, let alone what it is," she began, her voice soft and weak, even to her own ears. "There's no hard evidence that -"

"Really? No hard evidence, you say?" Gendo spoke, his voice taking on a hard, dangerous tone. "Her reaction to Adam, her nightmares, her inability to account for her location during the entire time this creature was running rampant. And you claim that there is no connection?" His eyes narrowed sharply, the soulless light caught in his glass intensifying, causing Ritsuko to recoil ever so slightly. "I think it's very obvious that there is a connection, Doctor. And what that connection is."

Ritsuko knew where this was going. In fact, she had found her own thoughts wandering up that path herself. So much so that she could certainly understand how easy it was for someone to reach that conclusion. Except for one indisputable fact that completely ruined that hypothesis. "Sir, with all due respect, I can't see how that would be possible. If Misato really was this…this creature…then a medical examination would have confirmed it! But there's just no sign of any kind of mutagenic factors in her system!"

"And you're sure about that?" Gendo inquired, his voice still cold and dangerous.

"Yes, I am," Ritsuko returned, not allowing herself to wavered by emotion. To rely on the facts and figures that she had based her existence on. "NERV Medical performed an extensive examination the day she fainted, sir. And I conducted several more tests, including blood analysis and cellular scans. All of which the MAGI confirmed as reading completely normal, sir." Giving this a moment to sink in, the doctor frowned and tried a different tact. "Even with all the similarities between human and Angelic DNA, a mutation capable of transforming a human in such a way would be easily detectable."

Gendo didn't say anything to this. Not at first. Instead, he continued to sit there, his hands a pyramid before him, his mouth pressed tightly shut. "Dr. Akagi…what progress have you made in your other project? To mask Adam's presence?"

Thrown off by this sudden shift in topic, Ritsuko felt her mouth pop open before she was able to recover. "I've done the necessary tests, and everything looks sound," she explained, her voice shakier than she was happy with. "I'll be ready to perform the procedure as soon as I have the necessary materials. They should arrive in…two days, sir."

"Very well. Until then, I want you to conduct a full evaluation of Major Katuragi's condition," Gendo intoned. "Use whatever resources you deem necessary, but I want decisive proof regarding her connection to this creature. One way…or another."

Letting out a low gasp, Ritsuko struggled to remain on her feet after this blow. I guess I should have known it wouldn't work, she moaned heavily. Once again, Gendo had his way, just as he always did. Just as he always would.

Struggling to keep her feelings buried below, where they couldn't keep her from doing whatever survival demanded of her, Ritsuko again relied on the part of her that was a scientist to see her through. "Very well, sir," she got out, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. "In that case, I'd like to bring Maya in on this project." A questioning noise was heard in the Commander's throat at this, the only sign of surprise he gave. "She's one of the best minds I've ever worked with. She might be able to come up with a different way of approaching this."

Gendo hesitated a beat before answering. "Very well. But make sure that she has no idea why you are conducting these tests. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko responded, feeling as if she were an empty shell. A puppet on someone else's strings.

Which, in the grand scheme of things, she knew she was.


As Misato lounged in her bathtub, trying to relax and let the hot water wash away her worries and concerns, she couldn't help but be aware of the irony of her present situation. Of the fact that her she was, lazing around at home, essentially being paid to do absolutely nothing…and all she wanted to do was go to work and tackle her duties. To do something, anything, to busy herself. To distract herself from her own nagging doubts, from things that she had had too much time to dwell on as of late.

Three days had passed since she had gone out with Ritsuko and Kaji, three days since she had woken in an alley, bare to the world. Three days since a creature had run rampant through Tokyo-3, and had not been seen since. Three days in which Misato had been given plenty of time to goof off, drink, relax, watch stupid movies on TV…and think.

Something was wrong with her. Misato knew that much. She could feel it in her heart. Something far beyond the nightmares which had hounded her so frequently. Something much worse, with so many things that didn't add up.

What happened to me back in the Commander's office? Misato thought as she lay back in her tub, her arms folded beneath her head as she studied the ceiling. Looking at it as if the answers to all her questions were hidden somewhere within it, waiting to be discovered. What was it that caused me to pass out? And…what was…that feeling…?

As Misato's train of thought broke up completely, she frowned as she waged an internal debate that she had been having more than she wanted to think about. She had known something was wrong since she had started having the nightmare, and the way she had started having it so frequently had been proof of that. To the point where it had even started intruding upon her in the waking world.

That feeling, Misato thought, frowning intently as she recalled that hideous sensation the dream inspired in her. The same hideous sensation of terror, like something was watching her, like the monster from the capsule was right there, glaring into her soul. Why do I keep having that feeling, even when I'm awake?

Shaking her head wearily, Misato remembered all the times she had had that dread sensation, like when she had been getting ready to board the Over the Rainbow, or when she was at work. But why? What does it all mean?! What's so important about this damned nightmare, anyway?! Shifting her legs about, the purple-haired woman frowned as the answers to her questions continued to elude her. The same way they had been doing so since the nightmares began. And…what does it have to do with what happened to me…?

That was another point, another thing that Misato didn't want to think of, but couldn't forget, no matter how she tried. The dread sensation she had felt within Commander Ikari's office when he had raised his right hand to her. Congratulating her for her promotion. The Commander's hand… she thought, recalling the exact sensation as she had been confronted with it. A feeling like it was something with a life of its own. A creature hiding in the darkness, waiting for the chance to strike her down. A feeling that she had been quick to dismiss as her own over-active imagination getting the better of her. Something that was harder to do in the days that followed. But why? Why would the Commander make me feel like that?! Sure, he's a thorough bastard, and just about everybody hates him, but why…?

Again, Misato had no answers, no resolution. And no peace as her mind returned to another, more recent point of contention; the night the creature appeared in Tokyo-3.

Something happened to me that night. I'm sure of it, Misato frowned, thinking back to that night. A night that was veiled in darkness by booze and exhaustion…and something else. Something like the nightmare, but different. Something terrible, yet familiar, all at the same time. But what? And how the hell did I get all the way over to that alley, anyway?!

There were no answers to be found there, either. None that made any sense. If Misato had been abducted by the creature, she was certain she would have remembered it. If she had been roused by its attack and forced to escape, it was possible she could have wandered out that way. Unlikely, but still possible. But that didn't explain how she would have lost her dress in the process. If she had been found by an honest citizen of Tokyo-3, she wouldn't have been dumped in an alley. And if she had been picked up some of the less pleasant people there, she could see herself being dumped in an alley, but not before they had had their way with her. In which case, she wouldn't have woken up completely unmarked.

There's something else going on here. Something I'm missing, Misato knew. Just as she knew that she was no closer to figuring out what that something was then she had been the morning after she had first had her recurring nightmare. Aw, damn! Why am I even bothering?! Shifting about in the tub, she rested her chin on the side. Why can't I just sit back, relax, and forget it all happened?!

But even as she asked this, Misato realized that this was one question she knew the answer to. Because she couldn't forget, any more than she could drive the horror of Second Impact from her thoughts, and let the ghosts from her past rest in peace. The only way she could cope with these things was by burying them, either in booze…or in her work.

While Misato was groaning at the sickening irony of it all, someone started knocking on the door of the bathroom. "Uh, Misato?"

"Hey, Shinji," Misato smiled, grateful for this sudden distraction. She considered asking him if he wanted to join her in the bath before soon discarding that idea, and instead asked, "What is it?"

"I'm almost done fixing dinner," Shinji reported. "It should be ready in about five, ten minutes."

Her smile turning into a grin, Misato lifted herself out of the bathtub. "Thanks! I'll be out in a minute!" Satisfied that she had given her ward ample warning, she hurriedly toweled herself off before wrapping herself up into the damp cloth. Once that was done, she left the bathroom and entered the kitchen, pausing to sniff at the delightful aroma filling the air. "Hmm…is that curried chicken I smell?"

Turning away from the stove, Shinji looked at his guardian, blushing somewhat as he nodded. "Ooh, I can't wait!"

Grinning impishly, Misato made her way into her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she let her used towel flop to the floor before she went over to her closet. Ah, what would I do without you, Shinji-kun? she asked in a way that was sadly familiar to her at this point. I swear, if you were just a bit older…or I a bit younger…

Shaking her head at this, at the kindness shown her by the boy she had taken into her life, Misato sighed in longing as she donned a pair of cutoff shorts. Then she found a tank top shirt on the floor that was in halfway decent condition, at least enough for dinner, and picked it up. "Misato!" Shinji called out. "Dinner's ready!"

"I'm coming!" Misato smiled as she held up the tank top. Looking away from the mirror situated at her dresser out of well-worn habit, she pulled the shirt over her head before exiting her room.

What Misato didn't know was that there was no longer any reason to avert her eyes from her own body, that she hadn't had to do it since she had been brought home after she had been found by the police. She didn't know that the scar that had been with her since Second Impact was gone. She didn't know this because she had hardly ever looked at it because she didn't want to be reminded of all the things it symbolized. And with everything that had happened, she had deliberately avoided looking at the portion of her flesh that had born this mark of pain and remained unaware that it was gone...


As Ritsuko and Maya worked in the doctor's office, utilizing the small-yet-efficient laboratory it houses, the faux-blonde could only stare at the results of their labors with ever-increasing disgust. "Aw, damn," she muttered as she looked away from her computer screen. "What about you, Maya? Got anything yet?"

The technician shook her head weakly. "Nothing, sempai," Maya muttered before rubbing some of the exhaustion from her eye. "Uh…remind me again why we're doing this, anyway?"

"Commander's orders," Ritsuko muttered as she sat back in her seat and removed her glasses. Not in the mood to say anything further, she glared at the lab equipment like it was her personal enemy.

In the days since her last meeting with Gendo, Ritsuko had done everything she could think of to either confirm or deny that there was some kind of link between Misato and the unknown creature. She had gone over her initial exams, run them through the MAGI every which way she could think of, studied medical reports done on her shortly after the Jet Alone incident, and subjected the blood sample she had taken from her friend to every test she knew of. All of it with the same results.

Misato's just fine. Everything checks out as being completely normal, Ritsuko told herself for what felt like the umpteenth time. So why can't Gendo accept it? That he was wrong about her? But even as she asked herself that question, the faux-blonde realized that she already knew the answer. Because Gendo was never wrong. He couldn't or wouldn't accept the fact that he was every bit as fallible as any other human being.

Okay, I admit it. This whole thing is more than a little suspicious. Misato disappears when this creature shows up, the creature disappears before we find Misato. Misato has no idea how she managed to get miles away from the subway all on her own. Misato is naked when we find her. I get that part! Ritsuko groaned inwardly. But there's nothing in her biochemistry to suggest that there's any form of connection between them, let alone the possibility that Misato…that she's…

"Sempai?" Jumping somewhat as she was jolted from her thoughts, Ritsuko turned to look at Maya. "Are you alright?"

Pausing to gather her thoughts, Ritsuko sighed before saying, "No, I'm not alright. I'm tired, I'm fed up, and I wish I could figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong here!"

"What?" Maya started, sitting up at this vehement declaration. "But…you're not doing anything wrong! We've done all the tests exactly right! Several times!" Shrugging helplessly, the brunette smiled and said, "It's not your fault the Commander can't accept it when he's wrong."

Smiling wanly in response to this gesture of faith, Ritsuko replied, "Thanks, Maya. But do yourself a favor and don't let Ikari hear you say something like that. Or you're liable to wind up on Maintenance Team 13!"

"Ugh! I'd rather get fired!" Maya grimaced, punctuating her statement with a full-body shudder. "Still, I don't understand why we're spending so much time on this. So the Major fainted a week ago! NERV Medical already cleared her, so why do we have to spend so much time on this?"

"Because the Commander wants to be absolutely certain that Misato won't faint the next time an Angel shows up," Ritsuko muttered, taking refuge in a half-truth. "And before you ask how much longer we have to keep working on this, the answer is until he's satisfied with our results."

Maya managed a snort that, one that she followed up by saying, "Well, the way things are going, the next Angel will have probably shown up by the time that happens."

Despite everything, Ritsuko found herself chuckling at this. Despite Misato's various jokes about the real reason Maya liked working with her so much, the doctor had to admit that she would be lost without the techie. The two of them worked extremely well together, and Maya was one of the few people that could lift Ritsuko's spirits when she was feeling down. She was one of the kindest, gentlest people the doctor had ever met, and despite her experiences with grim reality, she couldn't help but hope that she remained the innocent that she was.

"So what now?" Ritsuko wondered, looking helplessly at her understudy. "Got any brilliant ideas?"

Rolling her head to the side, Maya asked, "I don't suppose calling it a night and trying again tomorrow is an option?"

"I wish. Unfortunately, that didn't work too well last night," Ritsuko muttered. "We came in this morning every bit as clueless as we were the night before, remember?"

"True," Maya conceded before giving the doctor a lopsided grin. "But at least we got some sleep out of it." Another chuckle sounded in the doctor's throat at this. "I dunno, sempai. I mean…there has to be some way to prove the Major's okay."

"If there is, I don't know what it could be," Ritsuko conceded, more than a little unhappy about that. The simple fact of the matter was that she knew there would be no placating Gendo until he was proven right, despite the fact that all the medical evidence was to the contrary.

If only someone had seen her! Had spotted Misato after the creature had attacked the train! Ritsuko thought bitterly, thinking of all the people that still resided in Tokyo-3. And while there were plenty to have seen the monster Misato was suspected of being, not one of them had spotted her friend, lost and alone and staggering helplessly in the dark. If we just had had one witness, just one, that might be enough to convince Ikari, and…

Heaving a bitter sigh, Ritsuko sat back as her chain of thought broke apart. The fact of the matter was that there was no such witness, and if there was, then he or she didn't have the decency to come forward. Leaving her sitting in her office, without a single idea of what to do, and her scientific mind throwing up its hands in unconditional surrender. "Y'know, on second thought, maybe we should just call it a night," the faux-blonde grumbled as she shifted about in her seat. "We've gotten nothing so far, so…"

"Right," Maya agreed as the doctor trailed off. "And if the Commander's so concerned, we should probably have the Major come by NERV Medical. Have them run another check on her."

Not likely. Not until the Commander's sure she won't pick up on Adam, Ritsuko grumbled inwardly. Aloud, she said, "It couldn't hurt. It certainly couldn't be any more useless than what we've been doing." On that note, the doctor rose to her feet, her body issuing various aches and pains in protest. "Come on. Why don't we stop someplace, have a drink or two before heading home."

"Good idea, sempai," Maya beamed approvingly. "But if it's all the same to you, I'll skip on the drink. I've never been a big fan of beer, or…"

"I see," Ritsuko nodded in understanding as her friend trailed off. "Okay then. I…" Now it was the doctor's turn to trail off as Maya's jaw fell with surprise, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Maya?" Ritsuko asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied her understudy. "Maya, what is it?"

"Oh, my…of course! Why didn't I think of it before?!" Slapping herself in her forehead, Maya looked hard at her mentor, an expression of surprised delight spreading across her face. "Sempai, we've been running those tests with the Major's blood as it is, right?"

Her mouth popping open, Ritsuko narrowed her eyes before saying, "Uh, yes. Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, it's just that I thought of something!" Maya went on, energy and enthusiasm showing in her voice for the first time in days. "Maybe the reason we're not finding anything wrong with the Major because, right now, there is nothing wrong with her! Because whatever caused her to faint isn't in her system anymore!"

A blank noise echoed in Ritsuko's throat as she tried to make sense of what her friend was saying. "Uh, not there anymore…?" she got out, her overworked mind failing to make sense of Maya's words. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"Think about it! Maybe there was something in the Major's body that caused her to pass out, and the reason we're not seeing it is because her system had metabolized it before you took her blood sample!" Maya then turned and started pacing about the lab, her idea taking on greater definition with every step she took. "Maybe she ate or drank something without realizing it, something she had a bad reaction to, and that's what caused her to faint!"

As Ritsuko finally managed to catch up to her friend's train of thought, she found herself rolling her eyes at it. "Maya, that seems pretty iffy to me," the faux-blonde muttered halfheartedly. But then another portion of her, the scientific portion, pounced on her friend's theory and took it in another direction. "Still…maybe if we analyzed the blood with something else mixed in with it…maybe some other naturally-occurring biochemical…"

"Right! Kaji said that the Major was awfully keyed up! Maybe that has something to do with it!" Maya grinned as she moved to stand in front of the doctor, waving her finger about as if to orchestrate her thoughts. "Maybe if we tested the blood under different conditions, we might get something this time!"

"Hmmm…" Ritsuko sounded, placing her hand to her chin. Because as enthused by this new idea as Maya was, the doctor really wasn't as optimistic about running such tests, and for more than one reason. The first being that she knew the real reason she and Maya were conducting this exam, and she didn't see how a sudden influx of endorphins or estrogen would somehow cause Angelic DNA to pop out of nowhere. The second was that, even if her friend was correct and testing the blood under different conditions was the key, they didn't have much blood left to work with, nowhere near enough to test the complete spectrum of substances one was liable to find in the bloodstream. More than likely, they would have to bring Misato herself in for that.

And I just know Ikari won't like that idea. Not unless he's already left to conduct his 'inspection' at the harbor, Ritsuko thought grimly, well aware of the Commander's motivation behind giving Misato some time off. But even as she considered these things, the doctor realized something else; that Maya's theory was pretty much the only thing they hadn't explored yet. And was likely the only chance she had of proving or disproving the Commander's theory.

After a few more moments of consideration, Ritsuko sighed in resignation and said, "Fine. Prep a series of slides for analysis while I get some likely biochemicals for testing. And!" Pausing to hold up her finger to Maya, she then added, "And if this doesn't work, we're going home. No stops, no drinks. Just home and bed. Got it?"

"Works for me, sempai," Maya replied with a weary smile, and without further ado, the two women set to work. While Ritsuko gathered up several biochemicals often found in the bloodstream in varying amounts, Maya placed a few drops of blood on each of a dozen glass slides before snapping them into the bio-analyzer for simultaneous comparison. Hovering about each slide was high-definition camera fitted with a microscope, which allowed them to view the blood cells themselves via the holographic display which hovered in the air above the machine.

"Well, this is it," Ritsuko muttered once everything was in place. Turning to look over at her understudy, she asked, "Maya? Ready to commence analysis?"

"Ready and waiting," Maya confirmed with a broad smile. Responding with a nod, Ritsuko turned back towards the slides with the small samples of blood before her and started with the one on the far right. Holding up a source bottle filled with endorphins, she took from it a dropper filled with the natural chemical and positioned it over a sample. Squeezing gently, she allowed a single drop to plunge down upon the blood, mixing with it instantly. As soon as this was done, she looked up at the display, to see if there was any kind of reaction. Anything to indicate some change, anything that might give them a clue.

Nothing. The blood was exactly the same. No signs of a mutation. No Angelic DNA. Nothing.

No surprise there, Ritsuko sighed before turning towards Maya. The two of them exchanged a look, shrugged, and the doctor set aside the one source bottle, this one containing progestin. Again, nothing.

Serotonin. Nothing.

Insulin. Nothing.

Estrogen. Nothing.

One by one, the two scientists exhausted the various possibilities, as well as whatever energy they might have had remaining to them. As they came within five slides of the end of their experiment with still nothing to show for it, Ritsuko picked up another source bottle and looked at the label. Adrenaline, she thought, smiling somewhat as she studied the bottle. Considering Misato's temper, her cells should be very well acquainted with this stuff! Chuckling at this thought, she took the dropper and allowed a single drop of the liquid to fall down and mix with the blood.

Ritsuko very nearly passed out when she saw what happened next. The moment the adrenaline made contact, the blood shifted and seethed, seeming to boil as it darkened. "What in the -?!" the doctor shrieked as the blood continued to change, the once dark red giving way to a bright green.

"SEMPAI!" Maya shrieked an instant later. The doctor immediately looked towards the techie…and felt her heart sink straight into her toes.

"Oh, my God…" Ritsuko moaned as she looked at the magnification. Before her eyes, red blood cells still danced about, though they were now vastly outnumbered by larger, green blood cells that seemed to glow with their own inner light. As she continued to watch, the few remaining red cells darkened and swelled, glowing more brightly before turning green as well. Somehow managing to tear her gaze away from what she was seeing, Ritsuko looked at Maya. "Analysis!"

"Biochemistry…mass differential…energy potential…what the hell?!" Maya moaned helplessly as her fingers rained down upon the keyboard.

Moving over to where she could look over her understudy's shoulder, Ritsuko's eyes swelled in disbelief at the numbers displayed on the screen. "No way…" she moaned, shaking her head as her fears were confirmed by the MAGI. There is all was for them to see; altered cell structures, massive amounts of gamma radiation somehow being regulated within the individual blood cells. And the final touch, clear indications of Angelic DNA.

As Ritsuko took this all in, very nearly collapsing beneath her own horror, Maya was still working frantically. "Sempai…the MAGI have just conducted a pattern analysis of the blood! It's now registering a partial blue pattern!"

Ritsuko barely even heard a word the techie said. She didn't have to. As the MAGI conducted their analysis, their data was all spelled out for her, down to the smallest detail. The Angelic DNA that was now manifesting, the gamma radiation, the base properties of the blood cells in this configuration. All of it. And as her mind absorbed all these facts, her soul was cracking beneath the hammer blow it had just taken.

Jet Alone…the radiation… Ritsuko thought, recalling the aftermath of that fiasco. How she had flown with the rescue team to retrieve Misato from the fallen robot, how she and Shinji had been at her side during the flight back to Tokyo-3, how they had raced her into isolation in NERV Medical, the doctor already convinced that they were too late. That her friend had been lost to a deathtrap of her own making. Only to find relief beyond comparison when it turned out that Misato had escaped the radioactive soup that had been Jet Alone's interior completely unscathed. That her damaged hazmat suit had protected her after all.

But it didn't protect her! The radiation…it did something to her! It changed her! Ritsuko screamed in her own mind, the part of her that cared for her friends, that felt guilt at such things howled its wrath and disgust at the scientist for allowing this to happen. For not acting to protect her friend when she had the chance. Her body…it must've absorbed it completely! That's why we never found any trace of radioactivity inside the suit! And now…and now she's…!

As Ritsuko's overwrought mind tried and failed to complete this sentence, another voice penetrated her consciousness. "Sempai?" Maya began, her voice trembling with fear. Something that prompted the doctor to turn to the techie, and look into her shaken eyes. "Sempai…what should we do?"

Why are you asking me?! I'm the one who caused this mess in the first place! the angry, emotional part of Ritsuko demanded. But even as that part of her cursed and condemned herself, another more rational part came into play. A part that said that there was no use in recriminations, that she had had no choice then, and that she had no choice now. All she could do was what she had to do.

As soon as this thought ran its course, Ritsuko heaved a deep breath and forced away the guilt that still hovered over her. "I'll get the Commander," she began, taking charge of the situation and herself. "You call Misato's place and try to warn her! Tell her that she has to stay calm, no matter what!"

"But…!"

"Don't think! Just do it! NOW!" Ritsuko screeched before pulling out her cell phone. Hoping against hope that she was in time.


Moaning gratefully as she swallowed the last bite of dinner and washed it down with a beer, Misato sat back in her seat as her worries and concerns slid away from her. "Ahh…" she sighed before letting out a deep belch of satisfaction. "That was delicious, Shinji-kun. I definitely needed that…"

"I'm glad you liked it," Shinji smiled as he got up to pick up the dirty dishes. "So, do you feel like dessert?"

Misato's eyes widened at this. "You mean there's dessert as well?"

"I made some strawberry pie earlier," Shinji informed her with a smile. "Would you like a piece?"

Smiling as she shook her head, Misato replied, "You're just too good to me, Shinji-kun. And yes, I'd love a slice!"

"Okay!" Shinji responded as he carried the dishes into the kitchen area. Setting them down to be rinsed off, he then went to the refrigerator.

Growling deep in her throat, Asuka eyed the purple-haired woman. "You're going to turn into a blimp if you keep eating like that," she muttered crossly. When Misato paused, a vein visibly bulging from her forehead, the German followed up by adding, "Seriously! Dinner and pie? Gimme a break!"

"Oh, really?" Misato growled beneath her breath, shooting the redhead a poisonous look. "Should I take it that you don't want any pie yourself?"

"Hey, I didn't say that!" Asuka retorted instantly. "It's different for me! I'm still growing, in case you've forgotten!"

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten." Then Misato smirked in a typically mischievous fashion and added, "Just like I haven't forgotten that I'm not the one who has to worry about being able to fit into a plug suit!"

While Asuka was trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback, Shinji reappeared and said, "I'm sorry, Asuka. Did you want some pie, too?"

Leaning forward to glower more effectively, Asuka growled, "Yes, I want a piece, Third! And thanks for asking me the first time!" Shinji recoiled somewhat, stammering for a moment and guilt playing across his features as he looked between his two female housemates.

"Don't mind her, Shinji-kun," Misato smiled gently, waving aside his concerns. "C'mon! Let's have some pie, relax, and enjoy ourselves! Maybe after we're done eating, we can sit back and watch a movie!"

"Oh," Shinji got out, clearly distracted as he looked back and forth between the two of them. "Well…okay. Sure. That sounds good."

While Shinji retreated into the kitchen, Asuka groaned and rolled her eyes at his behavior, asking herself for what felt like the umpteenth time why she put up with this. Seriously, look at him, fawning all over Misato! Sometimes, he's as bad as the other Stooges! Then she shot a glare at her guardian, who somehow managed not to notice. And look at her! Flirting with him like that when she's twice his age! It's ridiculous!

While Asuka usually got on well enough with Misato, the fact that the Operation Director preferred to act like a juvenile delinquent instead of a mature person like Kaji was thoroughly grating to her. Especially since she had recently gotten promoted, and was supposed to be a high-ranking military woman. You wouldn't catch me acting that way if I ever become a Major! the German sneered derisively. And the way she's been lounging around here these past few days, letting the baka cater to her at every turn…!

Grunting in disgust, Asuka shook her head before shifting about in her chair. "Excuse me, I have to take care of something," she muttered, sliding out of her seat. The German then started towards the bathroom, not really paying attention to anything. Until her foot came down on something other than hardwood flooring, and a horrific shriek filled the apartment.

"Ack! What the -?!" Asuka gasped, marginally aware of the others whirling about to see what was going on even as she leaped up on one foot. Looking down to see what had happened, her eyes went wide she saw their resident penguin there, holding his flipper in a very human gesture of pain.

Oh, schisse, this isn't good… Asuka moaned inwardly as she realized that she had just stepped on PenPen's flipper. After quickly examining the webbed foot for possible damage, the genetically engineered warm water penguin shifted its eyes on the German. Eyes that held a distinctively malicious glint as his feathers ruffled in a familiar manner.

"Aw, crap," Misato groaned from behind the German.

"Uh-oh…" Shinji moaned. And for once, Asuka couldn't blame him for it. They all remembered what happened the last time someone had made the mistake of stepping on PenPen.

"Waaaaarrrrrkkk!" PenPen shrieked, raising up his wings, claws appearing from the tips as he charged the German. Advancing mercilessly on her bare, tender legs.

"Auughh! Get away from me, you verruckt dummkopf!" Asuka shrilled as she backpedaled away from PenPen, her eyes focused on his beak and claws.

"Asuka, watch out!" Shinji cried out in warning. Before the German could tell him that that was exactly what she was trying to do, she stumbled against a warm body and realized too late what the boy was trying to warn her of. All she could was stagger back against Misato, the impact sending them tottering off-balance. The apartment blurred around her as Asuka, Misato, and the chair fell over in a tangled mess, crashing to the floor.

"Arrrrgggh!" Misato cried out, sending Asuka jumping up and tumbling off of her. As soon as she was on the floor as well, the German looked to see what damage had been done.

Misato had landed face-first and was writhing about on the floor, clutching at her forehead. Asuka couldn't see well enough to tell how bad the injury was, but judging by the way she was groaning and writhing on the floor, it hadn't been good.

"Misato!" Shinji cried out as he rushed over to her side.

"Is she alright?!" Asuka demanded. Then she heard a wark of concern, and her concern was momentarily forgotten as she looked at the cause of their trouble. "Back off, you stupid bird! This is all your fault!" PenPen warked angrily at this, flapping his wings as he leaped up and down. Her hair curling up into devil horns, the redhead snarled, "Knock it off, dummkopf! If you hadn't started this -!"

PenPen shrilled even more loudly at this, advancing on the German even as she clenched her fists. "Would you two be quiet?!" Shinji shouted before it could come to blows. The two of them jumped and looked at him, frozen into a sudden silence as the normally timid child knelt down, taking hold of Misato's shoulders. "Misato? Misato, are you alright?!"

Marveling at the way Shinji was taking charge of the situation, and wondering in the back of her mind why he didn't act this way more frequently, Asuka watched as he took hold of the Major's wrists, speaking as soothingly as he knew how. "Misato, please, calm down, okay?" Her only response was a series of tormented moans. "Now, let-let me see where you got hit…"

"Rraaarrrgghh…!" Misato growled, her voice sending the hairs on the back of redhead's neck standing straight up. Then the purple-haired woman looked up sharply, allowing both of her wards to get a good look at her face. At which they both gasped in shock.

"What the -?!" Asuka cried out as she took in Misato's contorted features. The expression she wore was confused and animalistic at the same time, like a wounded beast. Something made even more horrific by Misato's eyes.

Instead of their normal chocolate brown, they were glowing bright green.


Misato could see Shinji and Asuka, but she couldn't make sense of what they were saying. She could barely think as a fog wrapped itself around her mind, a fog of pain, rage, and overwhelming power. Her ears were filled with triumphant roaring, as something clawed its way up from the depths of her subconscious.

Smash, a low, horrible voice growled, becoming more and more forceful with each passing second. Crush, bash, destroy…! Those were the last things Misato saw before her eyes were filled with green…and she was sent plummeting into darkness.


"Rrraaawwwrr!" Misato roared savagely. A sound that would have completely paralyzed Shinji if he hadn't already been frozen in shock.

"Misato?!" Shinji cried out, aghast at this. Unable to think or move, he could only sit there, looking into the glowing green orbs that had taken the place of Misato's eyes. Eyes that closed as she growled again before flinging herself away from him and Asuka. "Misato, what's wrong?!" This question went unanswered as his guardian slammed into a wall. Misato spread her arms out, flinging her head this way and that as she shifted her legs about. "Misato, I – ack!"

"Mein Gott!" Asuka cried out, which made Shinji realize that he wasn't the only one seeing it. That she could also see glowing green spilling through their guardian's blood.

Unearthly growls and moans tore their way from Misato's throat as she flung herself back down to the floor, catching herself with her hands. But then she quickly pushed herself up, her back bulging beneath her tank top as her arms momentarily relaxed, then forced her back up again. The Major went up and down, and every time she peaked, Shinji and Asuka could see her back swell that much more, could see her spine cracking and growing beneath her skin.

With one final push, Misato flung herself into a standing position before staggering against the wall. Crying out in pain and rage and triumph, she arched her back even as her breasts swelled up, rapidly ballooning and filling her tank top to capacity. Shinji's mouth popping open, he then watched as the rest of his guardian's skeleton cracked and shifted, becoming larger and taller, forcing the rest of Misato's body to grow to keep up. And grow it did. Her arms flexed seemingly of their own accord, the biceps exploding into mountains of solid muscle. The cutoffs she wore were already straining to contain her swelling buttocks, and her thighs and lower legs expanded as if whatever force causing her change was constantly demanding more reinforcement, more muscle, more strength, more endurance.

Oh, my God… Shinji moaned as Misato continued to grow, rapidly going from a few inches shy of six feet to eight feet tall. Her cutoffs growing taut before splitting along the seams while her tank top stretched horrendously. Finally, the brief shirt exploded before her massive breasts, falling away from her shoulders, landing in a heap with her ruined shorts, leaving the boy confronted with a sight that sent his cheeks burning and his nose bleeding profusely. They're – I mean, she's huge!

Off in the background, Shinji was aware of Asuka making various noises of fear, that PenPen was warking his horror before retreating to his refrigerator to hide until he woke up from this nightmare. But his focus was always on Misato as she continued to change, her entire body becoming a massive expanse of exquisite muscles as her skin darkened, green spreading across her body. Her hair remained purple, but it grew in proportion to the rest of her body, becoming longer and wilder. All the while, Misato grunted and growled in pain and rage, pleasure and triumph, her face contorted, becoming fiercer, more deadly.

Finally, the convulsions and growth and screams ceased, and the creature that had once been Major Misato Katsuragi of NERV stood before the two children, flexed her muscles, clenched her fists…and roared. All the power made flesh and blood, all the frustration and anger known to humanity, all the lust for battle and destruction, it was all there in that single roar.

"Mi-," Shinji tried, only to let out a gasp of fear and confusion, unable to wrap his mind around what had happened. That the creature that had run rampant through Tokyo-3, shattering buildings and leaving nothing but destruction and fear in her wake…had ripped its way free of the form of his commanding officer and guardian.

Shaking his head in denial of the reality before him, Shinji watched as Misato stood up straight, only to grunt loudly when she bumped her head against the ceiling. The green giantess growled slightly before bending down so that she could look accusingly at the ceiling, as if mad at it for being so low.

His mouth opening and closing of its own accord, Shinji wanted to run away. He wanted to close his eyes to the horror unfolding before him. But ultimately, all he could do was stammer out, "M-M-Misato?"

At the mentioning of her name, Misato looked at the quivering children, furrowed her brow, as if considering what these strange little creatures were. Snorting light, she cocked her head to the side before starting towards them, her very footsteps causing the floor to tremble. "Wh...what is this?!" Asuka spat out, making sure to keep Shinji between herself and the jade giantess that was advancing upon them. "What the hell is happening?! How's this possible?!

"H-how should I know?!" Shinji demanded, not daring to look away from the green woman as he slowly backed away from her, hoping that Asuka was doing the same, lest they repeat the disaster that had caused this.

"Well…don't just stand there! Do something!" Asuka ordered, her voice shaking too badly for her to sound truly angry.

"Huh?!" Shinji squawked, struck speechless by the ludicrous demand made of him. Whipping his eyes from the panicked German to the green Amazon that was looking at them, her lips curled in a dangerous fashion, he incredulously demanded. "W-wait a minute, Asuka! What do you expect me to do?!"

"I don't know! Just do it!" With this final demand, Asuka shoved Shinji straight at Misato. The 3rd Child slammed into a gigantic green leg and automatically wrapped his arms around it. The force of the impact left him momentarily stunned, for while the beast-woman's skin felt soft and warm, the muscles beneath felt harder than solid rock. Acting automatically, he shook his head in an attempt to free it of the stars and comets that were passing before his eyes before dizzily looking up, trying to look into the creature's eyes. Only to have the view obscured by the super-deluxe, green versions of the Best Assets at NERV.

As Shinji was desperately trying not to completely go to pieces, whether because of hormones or pure terror, the emerald Amazon's attention was focused elsewhere. The creature that had once been Misato narrowed her eyes angrily, letting out a growl of disapproval as she looked at Asuka. The German simply froze, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before the purple-haired giantess leaned forward and casually swatted her away. The redhead instantly flew into the opposite wall, crying out in pain before crashing to the floor.

Sucking in a horrified breath at what the creature, what Misato had just done, Shinji jumped back from her. Then a disdainful grunt prompted him to look up at her and watch as the green woman headed towards the prone German. "Misato, stop it!" Shinji pleaded as Asuka struggled to get back to her feet. But she was still too dazed and in too much pain to do more than watch as the impossible monstrosity came up and grabbed her right forearm. "Misato, no! Don't do it!" the 3rd Child pleaded, rushing up to her side as the creature lifted Asuka up and dangled her in the air before her face. "Please! Let Asuka go!"

The creature didn't respond. It simply stood there as Shinji rushed up to its side, staring dangerously at the German. As for Asuka, her blue eyes were wide with terror as she dangled from the beast-woman's implacable grip. Grabbing hold of Misato's wrist with her free hand, the German pulled herself up, easing the strain on her captive wrist. "Misato…" she got out as the creature gently shook her, Asuka's right hand turning white as the blood circulation died. "Please…it hurts…!"

"Stop it, please!" Shinji begged, tears rolling down his cheeks as he once again came up beside Misato. This time, the green woman looked at him, but she did not move. "Misato…please…" he pleaded, his fear and desperation mounting. "Let Asuka go…" For the longest time, the two of them looked at each other, with Shinji staring helplessly into the creature's green irises, more helpless than he had felt in a very long time. But then, after a seeming eternity, something shifted in the creature's visage. The anger and hostility that filled her visage subsided somewhat, and in their place, something else appeared; shame.

Now it was Shinji's emotions that were shifting, horror and vulnerability shifting to confusion and amazement as a moan of guilt escaped the creature's lips. Looking away from the boy, the green giantess returned her attention to Asuka and seemed to study for her a time before carefully setting her down. As soon as her feet touched the floor and her arm was free, the German flung herself against the wall and began scooting away, stopping only when she reached a corner. There she stood and quavered, watching Misato with eyes filled with terror.

As the creature let out a low growl of sadness, Shinji stepped closer to her. He didn't even think about it as he raised his hands before him, as if unsure of what else to do with them. "Misato?" he sniffled, looking at the giantess that had once been the closest thing he had to family in his life. As she swung her gaze about to meet his, he saw his own tearful face reflected in her green irises. "W-what's happened to you…?"

Shame and confusion mixed together in Misato's face as she took a step away from the boy. She closed her eyes and snarled in frustration, bringing her hands to her forehead in a gesture of self-loathing. A gesture that was so human that it was impossible to mistake it. But before Shinji could act on this tiny realization, the green woman grunted, a spark of fear in her eyes as she turned away from Shinji and started towards the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony. Not even bothering with the door, the emerald Amazon simply stomped her way through the glass, completely ignoring the shards as they rained down across her body.

"Misato?" Shinji whimpered as she stopped before the guardrail, his eyes going wide with horror as she crouched to jump. "Misato, no!" Without hesitation, Shinji rushed out to the balcony, knowing that there was nothing that he could do. Before he even reached the shattered doorway, the green-skinned Amazon leaped off the balcony and plunged to the ground below.

Slamming into the guardrail, Shinji watched helplessly as Misato fell several stories down to the parking lot below. His eyes expanded to take in every moment of the horror, already seeing her demise on the concrete below. And thus were completely unprepared for when the giantess landed feet-first in the apartment parking lot, a huge crater resulting of her landing. A moment later, several car alarms went off, prompting the creature to look about and roar in hatred before running off into the night.

Dumbstruck by what he had just seen, Shinji continued to stand at the guardrail, watching as the beast-woman leaped into the night sky, a leap that carried her over the top of the nearest building. When she disappeared from sight, the boy took a limp step backward, barely able to support his own weight. "No way…" he gasped, shaking his head in denial. "No way…" Staggering away from the guardrail, Shinji turned back towards the disaster area that his home had been transformed into. Gulping loudly, he screwed his eyes shut and clenched his fists.

I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away… he thought to himself, time and time again. And he continued to think this for almost a minute, until at last he felt somewhat stabilized, at least enough to be able to focus on doing something other than curling up in fear.

After what felt like an eternity, Shinji felt his heartbeat slow to a more controlled rate, and his mind was somewhat calmer. Opening his eyes again, he rushed into the living room. "Asuka!" he called out to the German girl, who was still huddled in the corner, cradling her arm. "Are you alright?!"

Asuka just looked at Shinji with eyes filled with desperate disbelief. "Wh-what…?" she got out. "What the hell's going on?!"

Shinji didn't have an answer to this. He didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. All he knew was that something had happened to Misato, something horrible, and that if he stopped to think about it, he was sure that he would freeze up again, and that nothing short of the Third Impact would be able to stir him from his anguish. He had to keep going. He had to do something. And now that he was satisfied that Asuka hadn't been seriously injured, he started moving again.

Making everything up as he went along, Shinji rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of large towels. Then he whipped into his room and retrieved a duffel bag he used for his gym clothes. Hastily emptying it, he stuffed with the towels, as well as a large flashlight. Looking over his supplies, and sparing a moment to make certain that he had his cell phone, he rushed out of his room and headed towards the kitchen.

"Wait!" Asuka cried out before Shinji could reach the hall leading to the apartment door. "Wh-where are you going?!"

"I have to go, Asuka!" Shinji returned as he looked towards her, his body shaking with nervous energy. "I have to go find Misato!"

Asuka stared incredulously at the boy for the grand total of five seconds before exploding. "What?!" she shrieked, her jaw clattering to the floor. "Did you forget what just happened, Third?! That…that monster could have killed us both!"

"No, she wouldn't!" Shinji countered forcefully, suddenly sure of it. "I…I don't know what's happening, to her, but…she's not a monster, Asuka!" As the German stared blankly at Shinji, he flashed back to the shame and guilt she had displayed, even locked in her bestial form. He had seen Misato in bad ways before, drunk and doing incredibly stupid things because of her impaired judgment, but at the same time, she had never been a hurtful person.

Whatever transformation Misato had gone through, whatever it had done to her mind, she was still capable of guilt, of remorse. Shinji had seen these things as clear as day. Things that a killing beast wouldn't feel, let alone display.

"Oh, really?! And what would you call that thing, Third?!" Asuka sneered, too scared to be really nasty. "Didn't you see what it did to me?! What, do you think that was its way of inviting me out for a drink?!"

Wincing at this blow, at the memory of the way the creature had tossed Asuka around like a rag doll, Shinji hissed and tried to remain focused. "I don't know what's going on, Asuka! All I know is that I have to help her!" This said, Shinji started towards the door. He was barely keeping himself together and was afraid the tiniest thing would cause him to shatter entirely. "Call NERV, and tell them what happened!"

Not giving Asuka the chance to say anything in return, Shinji flung open the apartment door and darted out into the night. Afraid and without an Eva to protect him, without any real plan, he raced towards the elevator, intent on doing whatever he could that night…


The sound of the door slamming shut signaling Shinji's departure, Asuka stood there and glared in the general direction of the apartment door. "Uh…argh!" she finally growled, desperate to hear a human voice. "What is with that dobe baka?! Does he want to get himself killed?! Is that it?!"

Wondering what it was about teenage boys that made them so completely stupid, Asuka stood there for a time, listening as sounds of confusion started coming from the other apartments. Then, as if the evening wasn't quite complete, the telephone rang. Jumping about a foot or so straight up at the unexpected noise, the redhead placed her hand over her heart as she stared at the phone like it was some form of alien artifact as it continued to ring. Shuddering with fear and annoyance with each successive ring, Asuka staggered over to the phone and picked it up. "H-hello?"

"Asuka! This is Maya!" came the familiar voice of the bridge tech. "Listen to me! Is the Major there?!"

"Uh…" Asuka sputtered out before her brain stalled on her.

"Listen, tell the Major that we've found something important! It's about what happened to her a couple days ago! The situation's worse than we thought! A lot worse!" Maya explained tersely, her voice sharp with barely contained panic. "Look, we're sending an ambulance to bring her to NERV Medical! Tell the Major to wait there for it! And whatever you do, you have to make sure that she stays calm! Do you understand?! Do not – for the love of God! – do not do anything to make her angry!"

For a few seconds, Asuka just stood there, a short laugh somehow escaping her lips as she stared incredulously at the receiver. Then, as her mind somehow recovered, there was only thing the German could say.

"You couldn't have told me that ten minutes ago?!"


Author's Notes: Well, things are really hitting the fan now! Please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories as well?

Now, originally, Asuka had a much larger role in Misato's hulking out in this scene. But after being lectured about my harsh portrayal of the 2nd Child (over and over again), I decided to revise it a bit, and include PenPen in on the incident. This seemed plausible enough, given my experience with cats and what happens should you accidently step on one's tail.

Another tricky part here was Misato's scar, which was eliminated by her first transformation. I knew that I wanted to space out the transformations here a bit, build a bit of suspense, but at the same time, I knew that the instant she realized that her scar was gone, she'd head into NERV Medical, or something else, and that would greatly damage the possibility of another rampage. Needless to say, that simply wouldn't do.

Now, I gave some thought on how to handle this situation, and eventually decided that the easiest way out of this was for Misato to avoid looking at where her scar had been. To check the viability of this idea, I talked to a relative of mine who used to work with elderly and disabled people, and she confirmed that people who have serious scars tend to avoid looking at them, especially those whose scars are a result of a traumatic event, so this seemed to work nicely. True, I remember that scene with Misato studying herself in the mirror in the episode with the 10th Angel, but given the unhappy look on her face, I got the feeling that this was something she didn't do very often. I hope it makes sense.

And now that that's settled, onto the omake!

Omake

Grunting in disgust, Asuka shook her head before shifting about in her chair. "Excuse me, I have to take care of something," she muttered, sliding out of her seat. The German then started towards the bathroom, not really paying attention to anything. Until her foot came down on something other than hardwood flooring, and a horrific shriek filled the apartment.

"Ack! What the -?!" Asuka gasped, marginally aware of the others whirling about to see what was going on even as she leaped up on one foot. Looking down to see what had happened, her eyes went wide she saw their resident penguin there, holding his flipper in a very human gesture of pain.

Oh, schisse, this isn't good… Asuka moaned inwardly as she realized that she had just stepped on PenPen's flipper. After quickly examining the webbed foot for possible damage, the genetically engineered warm water penguin shifted its eyes on the German. Eyes that held a distinctively malicious glint as his feathers ruffled in a familiar manner.

"Aw, crap," Misato groaned from behind the German.

"Uh-oh…" Shinji moaned. And for once, Asuka couldn't blame him for it. They all remembered what happened the last time someone had made the mistake of stepping on PenPen.

All three humans in residence remained frozen where they were, watching in dread as PenPen reached beneath his collar, and pulled out what looked like a simple remote control. "PenPen, no! Please, not that!" Misato pleaded as Asuka blanched with fear. "Think about the mess that'll make!"

PenPen clearly wasn't impressed by this threat, especially in light of the fact that Tokyo-3 was in a state of constant repair, due to the Angel attacks. He held the control in one clawed wing and raised his other wing above it.

"Aw, c'mon!" Asuka grinned nervously as she looked out the corners of her eyes, searching for some avenue of escape. "You don't wanna do that!"

The low growl that was heard from the penguin assured Asuka that he really did want to do that.

"Oh, please, PenPen!" Shinji moaned in imminent defeat. "Not the button…!"

The answer Shinji was got was the avian equivalent of a demented cackle, which was quickly followed by PenPen pressing a large, red button.

"Aw, crap…!" the three humans groaned in unison. Which was followed shortly by the sound of immense thrusters firing, and quickly drawing closer. Before any of them could move, a massive impact shook the building, glass shattering as a huge wind blew through the apartment, filling it with a cloud of dust and debris.

"Oh, Gott," Asuka moaned, knowing full well what was coming next. Sure enough, a massive mechanical hand flew into the apartment and grabbed her. While PenPen worked his remote control with evil glee, the German cried out in protest as she was lifted out of the apartment by a giant robot.

"Aw, great! And I just cleaned up this place!" Shinji groaned woefully.

"And you wonder why I never bothered?!" Misato asked before breaking out in a fit of coughing. "I've been putting up with this ever since PenPen got that damned thing!"

"Okay, okay! I get the idea!" Shinji protested before looking out the shattered wall. In the distance, he could see the massive mecha PenPen had summoned dangling Asuka in mid-air, the German screaming in protest. "But where on Earth did PenPen find a used giant robot in the first place?!"

"At some anime sale. It was from one of those giant robot shows," Misato grumbled loudly as Asuka was tossed around.

"Really?" Shinji frowned before looking at the robot. It was kind of like a Gundam, but one of the fancier ones. "I don't recognize the robot from TV. Which show was it from?"

"Who knows? I've lost count of the number of giant robot shows that have been made, especially the flops," Misato replied helplessly while the robot wound up for its fastball special, with Asuka as the ball. "Guess I better call Section 2, tell them they're on pickup duty again."

"Okay. And could you get construction team here, too?" Shinji pleaded, wincing at the sound of Asuka being sent flying to parts unknown. "Because I really don't want to have to clean up this mess!"

(Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.)