Yes, I've decided just to have a blowout and put the last three chapters in. I'll admit, they're a bit long though...

Chapter 16

Mess hall

"Good morning Sven." Michel said pleasantly as he walked into the mess hall, to find the Master Chief, with his helmet off, eating some scrambled eggs and toast. Almost everyone else was still in the showers, though several Helljumpers and Marines were up eating breakfast as well. He looked up at the platinum-haired boy.

"Oh, good morning Michel, sleep well?" He asked. Michel did not get anything at the breakfast stand, instead, he just sat opposite of Sven. The Master Chief was about to ask if he was eating, then decided not to.

"Never better, and you?" He replied. Sven waited until Michel sat down opposite of the seat in front of him to speak.

"Kind of, I woke up at three this morning and went for a walk, I went to Susan's cabin to check up on her and she had a nightmare about us and Tartarus, so I had to calm her down, then she went back to sleep." He said. He didn't quite realize how much he was talking to Michel, opposed to just saying yes, no, or just short sentences. It was a mix of trust in Michel, and a feeling inside him that made him feel great, which of course was caused by Susan.

"Tartarus?" Michel asked. His red eyes darted to Sven with questions that were not spoken, though they were apparent in his eyes.

"Yeah, the Brute, remember?" Sven replied, taking a bite out of his toast.

"But…did we ever mention Tartarus to her before?" Michel asked.

"Yes, I know, I am just as confused as you are about it, but I guess we must have told her, or I did." Sven said. Michel thought deeply for awhile, taking occasional bites from his breakfast and drinking from the glass of water he had.

"So I don't get it why you and the stupid Spartans got to go on that stupid secret mission yesterday." Alexis spat at Ray, who walked quietly and mysteriously beside her. Her sapphire-blue eyes glared at Ray, who stared straight ahead still, then a scowl formed along her mouth. Holding in her anger, she took in several deep breaths, counted to ten, and looked back to Ray. "Hey, if we're going to be friends, you can at least talk." She said, much calmer this time.

"I never agreed to be your friend." Ray whispered.

"Well don't you want any friends Wonder Girl?" Alexis asked. Wonder Girl was the nickname she had for Ray ever since hearing from Johnson about her mission with the Spartans. Ray didn't reply however, she kept on staring ahead. "Hello? Earth to Wonder Girl, can you hear me? Hey." Alexis babbled on, trying to get Ray's attention. Still, the white-haired girl didn't respond. As they came to the Mess Hall doors, Ray looked over to the next hallway, spotting 'Takimee, 'Zukamee, and Grievous walking together.

"As you know General, we are honored to have one with your tactical genius with us here at the base, I'm sure you'll get to know the young Evas and Spartans rather quickly." 'Takimee said, then spotted Ray, Alexis had already walked into the Mess Hall to eat. "Why, here's one now, Ray, good morning." He said.

"Good morning Commander." She replied with a whisper before she looked at 'Zukamee, who stood with his arms behind his back as the three stopped before her. "Good morning…'Zukamee." She felt her cheeks blush slightly when looking at the Elite, something that was also an odd feeling to her.

"Ray, this is General Grievous, Rykov had left this station sometime yesterday and Grievous has decided to take his position." 'Takimee introduced the general. Grievous nodded his respects to Ray, who returned the nod with a blink. "Very well, General, are you hungry?" 'Takimee asked. Grievous shook his head.

"No, I do not need food or water; I only wish to meet the others." The cyborg replied. 'Takimee nodded in acknowledgment and clacked his lower mandibles.

"Alright, right this way." The Elite said as he opened the door for the others. Ray walked in first, followed by 'Zukamee, Grievous, then 'Takimee himself. As it turned out, Alexis was already eating, Sven was finishing his meal up and Michel had finally gotten something to eat, he was, however, only taking small bites out of his.

"Master Chief." Grievous boomed as he approached the Spartan. Sven looked up, smiled and nodded.

"Good morning General." He replied.

"Please my friend, call me Grievous." The cyborg said as took a seat right beside the Master Chief. Alexis grumbled to herself, mad that she wasn't the center of attention, while Michel looked up, and smiled brightly.

"General Grievous, it's a pleasure to meet you again." He said. Grievous looked at him, studied him, then nodded.

"Ah, Senior Chief, glad to see you here as well." He said. The general looked at Alexis, who was stirring her cereal, pretending not to notice him or even care. The cyborg grinned under his helmet.

"Let the ass kissing commence..." He thought to himself, having heard of Alexis... and her mood. Grievous was never one to actually such a thing, he was a leader, a leader who in the midst of battle was filled with the thought of victory and victory only. As he stated once to another, he merely compliments his allies so that they may serve under him more readily.

"Eva Unit 02 I assume." Grievous said. Alexis looked up.

"Yep, that's me, Alexis Langley Swans." She said, once again feeling full of herself.

"You're quite the icon in Germany." Grievous stated. Alexis, a bit surprised, looked at him.

"Really...? I mean, of course I am, I did live in Germany for most of my life, until I was transferred to New York when I was fifteen." She replied. Michel and Sven were rather surprised, since Alexis, who had only live in America for three years, spoke such fluent English, without much of an accent at all, while Grievous did speak English quite well, there was still a hint of a German accent in his voice.

"Yes, why, Eva Units 06 and 07 idolize you. They've met your parents and everything." Grievous went on. Alexis paused.

"I hate my parents." She muttered. The redhead looked back down at her cereal and stirred it again. Sven snapped his helmet on and got up to throw away his leftovers. He tossed it all away, tray and all, before turning and around and heading toward the exit. As he was just about to leave, 'Zukamee grabbed his shoulder.

"Master Chief, I've been meaning to speak with you." The Elite said. The Master Chief nodded and turned to him.

"Yes 'Zukamee, what is it?" He asked. 'Zukamee looked cautiously around the Mess Hall, from the Evas, Spartan, and Elite eating, to the Marines and scientists also present in the room.

"I think we should go somewhere else, it concerns the Eva Unit 04." He said mysteriously. Sven slowly nodded, not quite understanding.

"Um, 'Zukamee, you do know Evas aren't my business?" Sven asked. The Elite nodded as he grabbed Sven's shoulder again and led the Master Chief outside of the Mess Hall, turning to him once the doors shut again.

"Chief, I overheard 'Takimee saying something about an Eva Unit 04, something about a special weapon the child inside of it carries, and something about an entire base being wiped off the map." The Elite said breathlessly. "I looked for you last night, but I wasn't as nervous as I am now, I thought it was just a joke, but something about it just bugs me." The Elite said.

"Okay now calm down, I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of, besides, if anything, this Eva could really help us in the war." Sven replied casually.

"I'm not sure Chief, no offense or anything, but I'm not sure we Elites can truly trust humans. I've heard of how humans can loose their minds and go mad, what if this child is crazy?" 'Zukamee asked.

"They're not even sure this child exists." Sven said. He placed his hand on 'Zukamee's shoulder. "Eat something 'Zukamee, you'll feel better." A moment of silence passed, then the Elite nodded.

"Yes, thank you my friend." Just then they heard laughter as well as chatting. The two turned to see Amy and Susan, little Caleb was holding Amy's hand as the two girls talked. Their hair still damp from cleaning up, it wasn't until 'Zukamee spoke that they noticed them.

"Good morning Your Majesty and Ms. Winchester." He said, while Sven merely nodded. Amy and Susan stopped, the princess smiled brightly at the Master Chief, who was growing red under his helmet.

"Grievous, a word with you please." 'Takimee said, a tray of food in his hand. Grievous, who was engaged in conversation with Alexis, looked up, and nodded.

"I will see you around Children." He said to the others and stood up, walking with the Elite, who had set his tray down where Grievous was sitting before. The two stopped by the door, ironically just parallel to where the Master Chief and 'Zukamee stood, though only on the inside. "What is it?" Grievous asked.

"It…it's concerning Evangelion Unit 04." 'Takimee began. Grievous brought up a robotic hand to scratch the chin of his mask, which also was where the frightening fangs lay.

"What about it?" The cyborg asked.

"We've heard a report about a Committee base being annihilated by a mentally unstable child wearing the armor." The Elite said. He caught his tongue, sighed, and closed his eyes before opening them to the Kaleesh again. "We don't even know if there was someone in there armor...it was like it had a mind of its own...as the only survivor put it."

"Yes, what has become of this insane child, or armor...or whatever?" Grievous asked.

"That is what I am worried about." 'Takimee began. "Unit 04 was a prototype, rumored to be the best Eva armor out there; only a Spartan could challenge one to hand-to-hand combat."

"We have two Spartans, what are you complaining about?" Grievous replied. "Compared to the Abaters this child shall be nothing but a mere nuisance, like a fly." He brought his hand up and formed it into a tight fist, as if he were crushing a fly in it.

"Yes, but still, being able to destroy a base like that, General, you can't help but worry a bit." The Elite spec ops Commander said. Grievous nodded.

"Yes, yes, of course. Go on now, eat your meal, I would like to warn the Master Chief of this." He stated, since the Chief was already his favorite out of the other children.

"That is if 'Zukamee hasn't already." 'Takimee replied before returning to his seat to eat. Grievous turned on his heel and opened the doors, spotting the Master Chief and 'Zukamee immediately.

"Ah, Master Chief, I have something to…" The cyborg paused when he spotted Amy, who stared at him back. Sven looked away from Susan and at Grievous.

"Hello General, what is it?" He asked. Grievous, whose glare was locked onto Amy, who was glaring right back at him, her face flushed, brought his cat-like eyes away from her and onto the Chief's visor.

"Commander 'Takimee has just informed me on an…important ordeal facing us right now." He began. He glanced over at Amy and Caleb; Caleb stuck his tongue out at him. Growling, the cyborg tightened his hand into a fist again. "'Zukamee, you haven't perhaps informed the Master Chief on a certain…Evangelion Unit 04 have you?" He asked.

"Yes General, I've spoke to him about it already." The spec ops Elite replied as he took a step towards him, now standing between the cyborg and the Spartan. Meanwhile Amy took Caleb's hand again and walked past the three of them, sticking her nose up in the air when she passed Grievous, who pretended to ignore her.

"Well then, I have nothing else to speak with you about Master Chief, except…" 'Zukamee and Sven didn't notice as Susan walked up beside the Master Chief, the princess obviously amazed at the sight of the cyborg. Grievous stamped a clawed foot down on the tiled floor and looked over his shoulder to the mess hall door. "Those little brats!" He boomed. "How dare they treat me like…like…a buffoon or a-" Before his voice could grow louder and everyone in the other room could hear, the Master Chief, without thinking, stepped forward, patting the cyborg's shoulders with his hands.

"General, I think you need to calm down." Before he could finish, the lights went red an alarm sounded off.

"Alert! Alert! Abater attack! All military personnel prepare for battle! All civilian personnel must evacuate at the launching bay. Repeat." As the warning repeated itself, Sven pulled his hands off of Grievous as he and the others looked at each other. Suddenly the mess hall doors burst open and Michel, Shinji, Alexis, Ray, and the others flooded out to get their gear prepped. Michel and 'Takimee stopped and ran to the Master Chief, 'Zukamee, Grievous, and Susan.

"Princess, you must go with Amy and Caleb to the launching bay, there you will find Dr. Winchester and Dr. Myer, they'll prep you for evac." 'Takimee spoke breathlessly.

"What is it this time?" Sven asked. 'Takimee stared the Chief down hard with his eyes, before he approached him, stopping mere inches away from his visor.

"They've found us Chief." He said grimly. "Now come on!" He boomed and took off sprinting down the hall. Michel rushed up beside Sven, nudging his arm with his.

"I'm ready when you are." He said. Sven noticed his humble smile somewhat, lacking in the energy and kindness it usually had.

"Come you three, today will be a great day for victory." Grievous said proudly as he walked down the hallway 'Takimee took.

"Is he fighting?" 'Zukamee asked. No one responded. The Master Chief turned to face Susan, her face filled with worry.

"Susan, we've got to go!" Amy shouted as he burst through the doors with Caleb in her arms. "Come on! Grandpa will be waiting." She stopped when she saw the conversation between the Master Chief and princess.

"Your dream won't come true." The Spartan said as the others around them watched.

"I hope not." She whispered back.

"Go on now, we'll catch up." Sven said. Susan, too confused and frightened to say anything, swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and nodded, before turning around and running with Amy down the hallway they came there with. The Master Chief turned around to face Michel and 'Zukamee.

"Come on, time it fight." He said.