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Establishing...

Calling Operator...

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...The Fun... Begins...

(Static)

The sound of a bike purr...

The beating down of the sun.

The whipping of air.

(Static)

Asuka looked up, her eyes weary and her body incredibly sore. The sun hit her eyes and she cringed from its glare. She was on the bike. She feels that she is leaning on someone but who? Her eyes struggle to adapt to the sudden brightness but they refuse and stay shut. She tries again and she could see Shinji's shirt flickering in the wind. He wasn't driving?

She attempts to lift her head but then she feels a gloved rugged hand gently land itself on her crown.

"Relax, lass. You are in good hands. Sleep." shouted a masculine voice over the engine roar. The voice was reassuring and something told her she could trust it. Without another thought she settled herself in the most comfortable position she could find and she softly drifted back to the realms of sleep.

She thought she was blind at first.

That is until she realized it was nighttime.

Before her a fire blazed sending wave after wave of heat and warmth in her direction. After several moments of blurriness her right eye shifted into clarity and now she could see. A pair of aged eyes stared at her, it's blue hue twinkling by the fire light.

She gasped.

"Who the hell are you?" she spat. The man with the blue eyes merely smiled as withdrew a cigar from his back pocket. Using the fire he lit it and held it to his lips.

"Goo' Mornin' to you too, lass." the man said. He had a rugged beard and his hair was messy. Scars littered his face and he wore ragged clothes but he possessed a friendly aura about him. He went on to say, "How ya feel, love?"

Asuka peered down at herself and then peered back at that man with a disgusted gaze. He laughed.

"No, no. I ain't that kinda man. I don't touch children if that were you thinkin'. No. I am nuthin but a drifter who just happened to stumble on you an' your brother." he said cheerfully, his smiling revealing several unhealthy teeth. Asuka looked to her side and saw Shinji resting comfortably beside her. His snoring signaling his state of sleep.

"Who are you and how do you know Japanese?" she asked him. Another smile came to his lips.

"Jus' because I am a drifter doesn't mean I kno' nothin'." he said taking in a drift of his cigar, "My mother was Japanese. I will go off the record here and say you are Japanese despite you lookin' like you're German."

"I'm mixed," she stated, "You're not going to kill us are you?"

"Me? Naw I'm done killin'. I used to kill. Men, women, children, dogs, cats and anything that moves. Then again, I was a child of war." he said blowing smoke into the air, "The name is Ross Hampton."

He pointed to her with cigar in hand.

"What?" she asked.

"Aren't ya goin' to tell me yer name, lass?" he asked. She wasn't sure what to make of the man. He seemed odd but not hostile.

"Asuka. Asuka Langley Soryu. And the sleeping idiot over here is Shinji... and no... he's not my brother." she said pointing at Shinji. Ross chuckled lightly as he slapped his thigh.

"My word! I had a feelin' you two were elopin'. Ah the good ol' days. I remember when my sweetheart and I did the same thing. Got caught by her father though. Beaten to the inch of my life." he said.

"I'm not going to marry him buster. I'm just traveling with him. We have to get to Nevada."

"Nevada? I've been there many a night. I could take you there for a price. I kno' the way." he said. Asuka stared at him suspiciously, what could a drifter want from her?

"What do you want then?"

"I will travel wit ya. And if we come upon anything valuable I want a cut of it. Be it money, objects or company. Anythin' is fair game, lass."

"How do I know I could trust you?" she asked him. He seemed prepared for this as he lifted a finger to her and pulled out an old service revolver from his back holster. He hands it to her.

"If at any moment you think I might be a threat to you. I want you to use this on me, no questions needed. The moment you think I am dishonest jus' pull out the old wench and give me a good crown haircut." he said with a smile.

She took the revolver and inspected it. It was severely old.

"Where did you find us? Tell me. What did you find?"

"You a gal with many questions. I came from Wisconsin and traveled over through Ohio. I went to New York for a job but none will hire me. Can't blame 'em. You should see all of the police. They are everywhere. I soon left for Pennsylvania but got sidetracked. I followed a road soon after. I never seen it before so I followed it. It took me a day and a half until I found you two. In the middle of the road. A bike with a broken light, which by the way I replaced for you, I found you two sitting up against the bike and I decided to round you kids up and take you off the road... and here we are." he said raising his hands.

"So you're using this opportunity to get money out of us?" she asked.

"Aw, don't look at it that way. I'm only doin' this to get money for my son's bail." he said, he then pointed to Shinji, "He kinda looks like him."

Asuka looked over to Shinji, her stomach cursed at her.

"Hey, did you bring that leather bag with you?" she asked.

"Yeah, not sure if you realized you had a tracking device on it." he said handing her the bag. The crushing realization that they had been duped hit her and she was appalled she had been fooled so easily.

"Yeah, I realized that." she said in a disgusted tone. She sat up and took the bag and placed it on her lap. She opened the flap and was relieved that the elastic band of syringes was still in tact. She couldn't remember what had happened after they became surrounded by the men. She just remembered hearing her own heartbeat. That's happened twice now. Every time Shinji's life was threatened she would experience the same damn thing all over again.

"What did you do to the tracking device?" she asked him. Ross reached into her back pocket and pulled the small object out.

"I thought you might not need it so I took it upon myself and tweaked it a little." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Aw nothin' much. It just now beeps when you get close to the source of where it came from. Not very useful out here." he told her. She looked at the man. Maybe he was more useful than she thought.

"Can I see that?" she asked him. Ross handed over the small device into the palm of her hand and she gazed at it. She looked at him again and asked, "Do you know which way is Nevada?"

The drifter points westward.

Asuka lifts the device in the same direction.

It beeps.

Yeah, he was much more help.

She placed the device into the bag but her gaze shifted back on Shinji who was resting easy by the fire. She caught sight of his bandaged shoulder.

Memories of what happened to them rush through her mind. Ross catches her eyes on the boy's wound and quickly says, "I didn' do that if you were wonderin'. I found him wit that."

She inspected his shoulder and was quite relieved that he sustained much less of an injury she primarily thought. She took a glance into the bag and retrieved a well preserved apple from its depths, she then withdrew what seemed to be a long strip of dried meat in which she caught Ross the Drifter staring hungrily at her.

"I guess you deserve something for your trouble." Asuka said as she tossed the strip of meat his way. He fumbled with it and nodded his head.

"Mighty kind of yer, lass." he smiled.

She focused her attention on the sleeping Shinji. She nudged him to wake him but his snoring only signaled that he would need more prodding to wake.

She nudged him again.

He stirred but fell back asleep.

She lightly backhanded his forehead.

"Ow!"

"Get up, Shinji. You need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry..."

She looked at him. He must be still suffering from the wound. Well if he wanted to heal his body would need something to draw energy from. She lifted his head on her lap while carefully maneuvering his shoulder to a comfortable position. She peered down at him and noticed he drifted to sleep again.

She sighed and slightly tapped his cheek with her fingers.

"Earth to Shinji. Get up you bum. I said you have to eat." she said, her voice soft.

"Come on, Asuka. I'm tired."

"I can see that. But your wound won't heal quickly if you have an empty stomach."

"Even if I could I don't even think I have the energy to even scarf it down."

She sighed again and rolled her eyes.

She took a small bite from the apple and slid the secluded piece from her lips to between her fingers. She held it under his lips and lightly pushed it in.

"Chew.." she says. She watches him clumsily force his jaw to close around the apple sliver but she could tell he was having trouble.

She sighs and squeezes his cheeks together forcing the apple sliver to his lips. She took it and popped it into her own mouth and began to chew. After several seconds she whispers to Shinji, "This is gonna be a little gross but you will get over it."

She leans over but her eyes somehow catch Ross the Drifter staring at her. She keeps her glare at him and with one hand she gesturing him to look away... because... somehow... she felt it was a little embarrassing to have someone watching. He obeys and turns away while enjoying whatever she had given him and she resumes her nursing.

She leans over and connects her lips with his, sharing the contents of the chewed apple.

Shinji at first couldn't decipher what she was giving him, it was mushy and the consistency wasn't anything to applaud for but he was too tired to care. However, it just struck him not what she was giving him but rather how she was giving it to him. He could smell her scent and the heat of her breath on his upper lip. It was gross...

Moments passed and soon the apple itself deteriorated into nothing but a core. Asuka felt quite proud of herself but the reason why was another story for another day. She lifted her head and looked up into the heavens and smiled.

The stars were bright. Brighter than she had ever seen before and just over the white capped mountains she could see the dying glow of the sun. It's dimmed orange hue welcoming the dark blue from the other side of the earth.

The wind blew and it was soothing.

The fire crackled softly.

She felt content.

Ross the Drifter was fast asleep and facing away from her the glow of the fire on his suspenders.

She looked down at Shinji who was snoring softly. With her fingers she touched his cheek and grazed her finger downward to his chin. Her mind began to wonder.

Her hair drifting in the wind.

"My birthday is soon... I think... what you gonna get me huh?" she whispers. Shinji stirs then resets back into slumber. She chuckles.

She gently grasps Shinji's hand and rotates it palm side up. She then places her own palm beside it and gently breathes, "We are the same... ha... if you told me this when we first met you would be insulting me.."

Their hands were the same. The creases, the grooves, the way the skin swirled at the center. She swallows and then places her hand up against his and slowly clasps her fingers around it. It wasn't often they held hands... actually she couldn't remember a time they have done this. She had seen several couples in New York do it and she always wondered the deal with such a mundane gesture. However now it seemed somewhat clear.

The girl gently slid her lap from under the boy's head. Looking around, the darkness of night had already made itself comfortable and it would be difficult to walk around without any light.

She peered over at Shinji.

She pressed her hand over his chest.

The darkness lifted.

Her pupils dilated.

The night became visible.

She stood. The mountains that had disappeared into the night were now visible as bright contrast outlines. The ground became illuminated at the stars above brightened. Her vision enhanced.

And with that she went into a full sprint. Like a free spirit she darted into the night, her hair whipping through the air. She felt as if she was the only person in the world but soon her legs developed an excess of lactic acid causing her to slow to a stop. Breathing hard, her arms on her legs in attempt to keep herself up, she looked up and her heart froze.

Two mountain lions stared at her, their eyes glimmering.

Her eyes darted between them and she had he sudden urge to run away but she knew if she were to just up and run she would be attacked.

She took a step back.

One of the lions hissed.

Fear was beginning to claw at her heart. The lion that hissed lowered its head and approached her but the moment that happened the second cougar jumped in front of Asuka and hissed at its comrade to stop the action. The first lion complied and backed off.

The second lion turned its head to Asuka and approached. Tension grew and she instinctively took a step back. The lion noticed and lifted his head, it then turned away and went in another direction but stopped halfway and looked back at her.

Does it want me to follow it, she thought?

Asuka took several steps forward and the two lions continued onward but stopped shortly to check if she were still following. Then suddenly, the lions went into a full sprint and Asuka followed suit. With all the strength in her legs she raced through the desert darkness trying to keep up with the cougars. She jumped several ravines and dashed through some random ice caps almost slipping on one of them. Then suddenly the lions stopped and she nearly tripped over her own legs.

Breathing hard she looked up and could see one of the lions staring at her. She sat herself down to catch her breath. Then from behind a large rock one of the lions withdrew something and carried it over to her. She didn't know what it was until she looked down at her lap.

It was a cub.

A baby lion?

Asuka could only blink. The cougar lifted its paw and lightly tapped against the cub's leg and Asuka could see it was bent in an awkward angle. Then the same cougar pressed its head against her shoulder as if it were telling her to leave. What? Did it want her to take it? She couldn't! How could she care for an animal?

The lion continued to push her away. Was it giving her the cub because it wouldn't survive with a broken leg as such an early age? But why her?

The lion was now growling for her to leave and she finally retreated, lion cub in her arms, she took one last glance at the pack of lions and ran off.

Shinji sat close to the fire, his gaze staring suspiciously at the man who laid asleep only feet away. Who the hell was he?

"His name is Ross Hampton and he's the one who found us." a voice from behind said. Shinji looked behind him and there stood Asuka holding something furry in her hands. Shinji stared and said, "What is that?"

Asuka placed the lion cub on Shinji's lap. It was asleep and its tiny leg was wrapped in linen. He stared at it and his brow raised oddly.

"You stole it?"

"I did no such thing. It was given to me." she said.

"Someone gave you a cat?"

"It's not a cat, it's a mountain lion and it won't survive on its own. I couldn't leave it there." she said trying to hide her extremely odd encounter with the wild cougar. She took the precious animal and placed it on her lap and began to pet it. Something within her mind felt at ease and she felt calm. It was like some ancient instinct was taking over her and she liked it.

"You mind telling me what's the deal with that guy over there?" he asked her.

"I told you already, he found us and he's offering us a service."

The little cub began to play with her finger.

"A service?"

"He's going to show us the way to Nevada. He says he's been there before. Hey, he even provided us with a fail safe." she said teasing the cub.

"Fail-safe?"

She reached under the leather pouch she had left and withdrew the revolver Ross had given her. She offered it to Shinji and said, "He told me if we thought if he was getting out of hand we could take care of him."

"You guys gonna talk 'bout me all night?" said Ross.

Asuka's eyes darted to the man.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Never said I was sleepin'." he said turning around, his eyes saw the tiny lion cub and immediately he jumped to his feet pulling out another revolver from a spare back holster and pointed it at the lion cub.

He cocked it.

Asuka's eyes widened.

Another cock of a gun was heard.

Shinji knelt in front of Asuka, the revolver she had offered him in his hand and was pointed at Ross.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" shouted Asuka hiding the cub.

"Are you a dimwit, girl? That there be a lion you got in your hands. That little critter will have its keepers lookin' for it! If we kill it they will lose its scent." Ross said, his hand trembling.

A bullet was fired.

Smoke bellowed from the revolver Shinji held.

Ross could see his dangerous eyes from behind the revolver reticule.

"Shinji?" Asuka whispered. The boy's hand was trembling from the recoil, he was now standing still aiming the gun at the drifter. He had intentionally missed him. It was a warning shot. Asuka stood now, she placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder and whispered to him, "It's alright. Relax." She could feel that he was tense.

"I won't let anyone hurt you." he whispered back.

"I know but don't do anything stupid." she said placing her hand on the top of his hand which held the revolver, "We need him for now."

Shinji cocked the revolver.

"Shinji, listen to me, we need the bastard." she whispered to him. The lion cub purred. Asuka looked over to Ross who was obviously unprepared for the confrontation and said, "You! Drop it. There's no need for this. If you don't like Liebe then you can go!"

"Liebe?" Shinji repeated.

"That's her name. If you don't like it you can go too." she hissed. Ross lifted his hands and dropped the revolver.

"Jus' make sure that little beast don't come near me." he said.

"Fine."

That morning Ross lifted the bike off its side and revved the engine. Asuka placed the leather bag, that was now empty, over her shoulder and placed Liebe within it. She opened the flap slightly so that the little cub could breathe. She looked over to Ross and asked, "Where are we headed?"

"Well, we gotta head through Ontario territory. There we can find a rest area and from there we will head through the Alberta territory and take a sharp cut into the U.S." he said.

She nodded. At least they had a plan. She looked over to Shinji.

"How's your shoulder?"

"it's fine. You sure we can trust him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Remember..." she pulled out the revolver, "we have ourselves a fail-safe."

Shinji sat on the bike behind Ross. Asuka followed and positioned herself behind Shinji but facing the road behind. She wasn't too disappointed that she couldn't drive the bike but she at least could play with Liebe.

Then the morning sun faded. Asuka peered upward. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. What was blocking the sun?

"Asuka! Look up!" called Shinji. The girl did so and what she saw took her breath away. A mighty leviathan hovered in the air. It's giant eye staring down at the Earth.

(Static)

...N-number T-ten...

(Static)

Angel...

(Static)

... Sahaquiel...

(Static)

"An angel..." mouthed Asuka. The Earth shook and from the mountains a large figure loomed. It was the figure of a human and must have been stories high. It's blue hue and large eye staring at the angel above.

(Static)

..Eva...

(Static)

... Evangelion Unit... 00...

(Static)

"Rei..." Asuka whispered.

"What?" called Shinji over the sound of the bike engine.

"It's wonder girl!"

The Angel, Sahaquiel, hovered menacingly over the desert. It's massive eye staring down on the Earth. Asuka then felt something vibrating in her back pocket. She withdrew the device Ross had modified and found that it was beeping hysterically. Looking up again she could sight of a bomber plane, one similar to the one she and Shinji had taken to Brazil. From the plane she could see something being dropped.

"Ross! Do you see that thing up there?" called Asuka. The drifter looked up and said, "Yeah, I see it!"

"Go to it!"

"You got it!"

Ross blasted the bike's throttle and he sped towards the now floating parcel that was coming their way. As the box began to hover the ground Shinji outstretched his hand to catch it and upon reaching he took the parcel from the air. Asuka looked skyward once again and in the distance several fleets of fighter jets roared onto the scene. The whole desert was becoming a war zone!

Shinji tore away the packaging of the parcel exposing two small headsets with a small post it saying, "Put me on."

The two teens took the headsets and applied them.

"Shinji! Asuka! Can you hear me?"

"Misato!" both teens exclaimed in unison.

"Get out of there now! Lilith and her mercenaries have rounded up almost all of their fleet here. They're on the way to your position now!" said Misato over the headset.

"Why is Rei here?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know! We tried communicating with her but her channel is blocked by another frequency. Get towards the mountains. We have a special delivery for you." she said. Asuka nodded and pointed out to Ross where they need to head but as she did so sudden explosions rocked the Earth and it took Asuka a moment to realize the Angel was shedding explosive pieces of itself.

The pieces fell like rain and the white desert ground erupted skyward like fountains. Ross skillfully maneuvered the bike to dodge the incoming explosions.

Explosion after explosion.

The Earth shakes in fear.

The bright blue sky obscured by the Angel and massive fleet of fighter jets.

Then, as if predestined, a falling piece of the Angel lands only feet from the bike sending a geyser of dirt and debris skyward. Ross couldn't dodge away in time and in return the bike hit the gaping hole sending it upward into the air.

Asuka's leather pouch slipped from her shoulder and landed on the ground.

Jerking her head behind her she felt her eyes widened.

She jumped off.

"Asuka!"

The girl rolled on the ground but despite feeling the pain of hitting the floor she managed to get to her feet in time. She darted for her leather pouch and saw the little lion cub poking her head out in confusion. She could see the mighty shadow of the Angel loom over the cub.

The Angel began to descend using its body as a massive bomb.

The girl slid to the ground and grabbed the bag.

The ground around her began to lift.

The ground shook.

(Static)

There was no chance she could get out of the radius of the blast.

This was it.

She hugged the cub.

She shut her eyes.

(Static)

It's not over. ...

(Static)

She felt a sudden brush of dirt hit her thigh. Looking up, Shinji stood over her, his arms outstretched over her head as if he was going to attempt to stop the Angel from hitting.

"What are you do--... get out of the--" both teens headset hissed.

Shinji looked down at her.

Asuka looked up at him.

A red feather appeared.

A brown feather intertwined with it.

"Get ready.." he says to her.

"Yeah..."

The Angel's A.T. Field appears. A golden barrier forming.

Asuka struggles to stand. .

Misato stares helplessly from the plane. All she could see was the back of the Angel. She couldn't see the teens anymore. She was growing nervous.

A blur of purple and red caught her eye.

A deep roar echoed the Canadian desert.

(Static)

Eva...

... Evangelion...

Data feed lost!

Re-Connect?

Y/N