A/N: And here we are again. Last time, we learned that Russia had been fiercely attacked by an unknown enemy and had been swamped rather quickly. However, the one behind this attack is one by the name of Vladimir Topolov. How will our heroes react to this? How will Ivana react to this? Find out right now!
A/O/N: My university transfer has not been approved yet… as of (9/4/06). TT
A/O/O/N: I'm reposting this chapter so you're all aware that this chapter has been revised.
"Okay Commander, your call interrupted me while I was watching my favourite show, this had better be important!" boomed Zack as all EVA pilots that included Hikari, Toji, Elly, and then Misato walked into the briefing room.
"This is of utter importance," replied Gendo in his calm yet commanding tone, disregarding Zack's blatant sarcasm. "Now all of you take a seat. We have important matters to discuss."
"So what's going on Commanders?" asked Misato of Gendo and Fuyutski.
Gendo began to speak. "In the last twelve hours, we have been monitoring to the best of our abilities, what looks like a civil war that had abruptly broken out in Russia."
"What? A civil war?" shot up Ivana suddenly at the news of war breaking out in her home country.
"Yes," replied Gendo. "However, we are unable to determine who exactly this organization is working for."
"What do you know then Commander?" inquired Misato.
"We only know that the country has fallen to these terrorists within twelve hours," said Gendo.
There were many gasps of shock given in the room. It deeply surprised everyone at how such a powerful country such as Russia could have fallen. Sure, its army did have its inefficiencies here and there, but it was powerful enough to challenge the military might of the United States for the longest time. Perhaps there was the possibility that its government could be overthrown due to the lack of organization, but to have the government toppled within twelve hours. It was unheard of.
Ivana, who was the most worried about what was going on pressed Gendo for more information. "Commander, do you know any more information other than what you told us?"
"Indeed I do. You may not like what you are about to hear though. Do you wish to hear more?"
"Yes. I need to know," Ivana declared.
"Fuyutski, prepare the recording," ordered Gendo.
Fuyutski produced an audio disc, which he placed into a computer drive in the room. Everyone listened as the disc played out its recorded information. There was a lot of static for a few seconds, but a voice could be made out in English: "I don't have much time. I pray someone gets this. I am General Sergei Berezov of NERV Russia. As of twelve hours ago, our country was attacked by an unknown threat. We suspected it to be the rebels of… Chechnya. We made a grave miscalculation. This new enemy is much more powerful than mere rebels. We were overwhelmed in no time. They stormed our military bases and used our own power against us. For the last few hours, these unknown soldiers have pinned down myself and many other military and government officials along with the base's guards. They're unstoppable, and there's no doubt they'll eventually get in and kill everyone. Russia… has fallen."
Ivana, for the second time that day, had gone as pale as a ghost from the words that were being voiced by her former superior were telling anyone who heard about what was happening in her home country. But nothing in the living world could prepare her for what Sergei said next.
"Whoever is reading this, if you know a young girl named Ivana Kharlamov, please inform her that she needs to return to Russia now, to save it from… him. He has returned Ivana. Vladimir is back. I know without a doubt in my mind that he is behind this operation. And if I know any better, he has the rest of the world in his crosshairs. Oh no, this device is running out of power. Ivana… you must… stop hi…"
Once the recording ended, Ivana bolted from the room with her hands covering her mouth. Misato then bolted after her, leaving the others in shock.
"Whoa," said Toji. "That was weird."
"Vladimir?" thought Hikari out loud. "Who is he Commander? Does she know him?"
"From what I have gathered," began Gendo, "is that Ivana and Vladimir were very close while they both lived in Russia. Close enough that they were intimate with each other. They were also both in training to become EVA pilots. She was the pilot of Unit 09, and he was the pilot of Unit 10. However, according to what intelligence we have, another civil war had broken out in Russia. Rebels had sought to turn the country back into a communist state. I believe now that it was an attempt by SEELE to obtain Russia's weapons so they would have nearly no opposition to achieving their goals. At the time, Ivana sided with the government. Vladimir sided with the rebels. Their differences pitted them against each other."
"And what happened Father?" asked Shinji.
"It was a short, but fierce war. It eventually came down to a final battle between the two in the Evangelions." Gendo than concluded, "Ivana walked away, Vladimir didn't."
Realization dawned upon Shinji's mind. It was now beginning to make sense now as to why Ivana acted the way she did when it came to talking about her past. He remembered when Ivana had told him a small fragment about her past, when she brought up a boyfriend she once had. This Vladimir Topolov had to be the boy she was talking about. It was making sense now. He lusted for power, which was his joining the rebellion for control of Russia. And he had paid the ultimate price for such lusts. And his betrayal of Ivana must have ripped her heart in two. Her wound was that she had to carry around forever, not just his betrayal, but also the fact that his blood was on her hands. And to make the plot sicken as she was trying to put her past behind her, Vladimir had somehow returned as evil as he was before, bringing those horrible memories back to the surface of her mind.
"So what is the plan of action Commander?" inquired Rei. "Are we going to send the EVAs to Russia?"
"That is the initial idea," said Fuyutski. "But we will withhold our plans until more information is available. I advise you eight not to make any plans for a while, for we may be deploying you to Russia to assist with toppling this threat."
"That is all for now, you all which includes Pilot Kharlamov and Major Katsuragi are dismissed," finished Gendo. "Go get some rest, for you may be thrown into action very soon."
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NERV Russia
"Ah, what a fabulous facility," thought a hooded man aloud as he walked within the building's many corridors. "The technology here will do wonders to help forward my plans."
He paced along until he came to the main control room, where NERV Russia would conduct its combat operations from. It had everything from data on Units 09 and 10, plans for military tactics, plans for weapons for the EVAs, knowledge of where all Russia's nuclear weapons were, up to date knowledge on all government officials, and even trackers placed on certain individuals who the Russians eyed with suspicion.
A junior officer approached the hooded man and began to speak, "Master, Pilot Topolov has just docked."
"Good," replied the man. "Tell him to come before me."
"Yes sir." The officer went off to deliver the news.
And now he had a few more minutes to take a look around before Vladimir returned to request any further demands of him. At least Vladimir knew his place and that he would always take orders from the man, regardless of what they would be. And those who didn't know their place, the man wouldn't kill them for their insolence, as he was not that kind. Turning to his other officers, he spoke "What's the status of our… new government?"
"It is coming along very well sir," answered a female officer. "As of an hour ago, Russia has once more regained its former glory and is now a communist state. We are once more known as the United Socialists of the Soviet Republic, a nation that gave even the Americans the chills."
"Good. So everything is going as planned then?"
"Yes sir. Our forces are mobilizing and preparing for the next phase of our operation," the officer concluded.
"Excellent. Keep up the good work." He then looked at all of the workers in the room. "All of you, you're doing a great deed today. Not just for your country, but you're paving the road towards a great future."
"Indeed they are," replied a voice from behind the man. He turned around to see Vladimir, changed out of his plugsuit and into a military officer's uniform. "I must admit it felt great to be back in Unit 10 again."
"And did my little… push help at all?" asked the hooded man with curiosity in his voice.
"Yes Master, it made me feel like I was in absolute control," said Vladimir. "If I had that power before, I never would have lost to Ivana." The muscles on his face began to twitch with just the thought of his ex's name. "Damn! I want to kill her now! I'll make her pay for what she did to me!" he said alluding to the scar on his face.
"Relax my child," said the man. "I promise you, once she finds out what has happened to her country, I'm sure she'll wish to come back to 'save' her motherland."
"She had better," Vladimir growled. "I'm going to go get some rest."
"You do that. I'll have someone inform you when we're ready to begin the next phase of our plan." Once Vladimir left, he snapped his fingers. Within seconds, a much shorter person, who was also wearing a hood faded into existence.
"Yes, you called for me?" asked the short one.
"Yes I did," said the tall one. "Has the UN spoken at all about this?"
"As far as I know, the UN has begun an emergency conference," replied the short one. "They're scared shitless. They may actually do something about Russia's becoming a communist state."
"Can't say I'm not surprised," chuckled the taller one. "But then again, Gendo Ikari knows better than to attempt a preemptive strike to try and stop our takeover of Russia. The world would then somehow make Ikari look like the bigger enemy when everyone is likely sure that he has no desire to conquer the world."
A/N: My request to transfer by this time was rejected. (9/7/06) Moving on.
"But knowing the seriousness of the situation, the UN may actually pull itself together and do something about this."
The taller one was silent for a few moments, but then spoke. "Let them come. Saves us the trouble of us going to them. However, they cannot act immediately, as we have not attacked any other countries yet. But our… status will definitely be among their main discussions. Regardless of what they do, everything is going as planned. Inform Vladimir and our field commanders that we're commence the next phase within four hours. Poland won't take too long."
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Misato's Flat - Tread Quietly
Misato lingered over only the third beer of the night at the kitchen table. This had really been a horrible night indeed. Once Gendo had revealed that some boy named Vladimir Topolov was alive, with Ivana presuming that he was dead, she had bolted for the women's bathroom where she obviously was throwing up. In a sense, it reminded Misato of how Asuka had dealt with suppressed memories that were abruptly brought back to the surface. In that bathroom stall, Misato found herself comforting the sobbing Russian girl without much idea how to properly comfort her. But nonetheless, being a shoulder to cry on helped somewhat, as the guardian was able to convince Ivana to go home with her and go straight to bed. Once the others had gotten home, Misato advised them to get to bed as well because they may be ordered by Commander Ikari on some expedition to Europe or something along those lines.
As she had noticed, the kids had heeded her advice and had all gone to bed around 10:00pmish. After finishing off the third beer, she decided to take a check on all of them. Zack was first, and knowing her luck, he was just as annoying while asleep than he was awake. He was SNORING. And rather loudly now that Misato was paying attention.
"Zack!" she whispered shaking him. He subconsciously responded by snoring louder. "Zack!" she whispered a little louder.
This time, there was a response. "Elly… no more… twice is enough for me," he muttered in his sleep.
'Oh boy, perverted teenage mind is left on even with the lights out.' "Zack!" she called to him raising her voice a little bit.
"Wha!" he called out snapping into consciousness. Looking around, he saw Misato standing over him. "Oh hi Misato. What's wrong?"
"You're snoring, that's what," responded Misato.
"Oh sorry. That happens sometimes. G'night."
"Goodnight Casanova. And try not to snore," said Misato patting the boy on the head before going off to check on the others.
So next up, it was the 'Ikari's' room. Or at least that would be Asuka's last name once she married Shinji. Oh that would be fun to tease them with. However, things seemed peaceful and Asuka and Shinji got along rather well. And as Zack had painfully been taught many times that disrupting that stability was not wise, Misato was their guardian and would likely not be harmed as a result of any teasing she did. A privilege Casanova didn't have.
Sliding open their door, Misato noticed the two were fast asleep with Asuka on top! She wanted to check to see if they still had their clothes on to see if they followed her orders of absolutely no sex whatsoever. But the last thing she needed was Asuka awakening and thus a chain reaction of waking everyone else and the neighbours up as well. Going by what sex instincts she had learned over her… very sexually active life, she gathered many details quickly. First off, they had been kissing quite heavily based on the lipstick on Shinji's face. Second off, Shinji might have been feeling up Asuka again, as Misato noticed her pajama top was somewhat unbuttoned. But the part that concluded that they kept it mostly clean was that the room didn't reek of sex. These two would be off the hook for now, but they would be watched indeed.
Once she carefully closed the door to their room, she proceeded to Rei and Ivana's room. Upon opening the door, she saw the two girls on their respective beds. Rei's eyes had opened in response to Misato opening the door. Their eyes locked for a few seconds. Misato raised a finger perpendicular to her lips indicating for Rei to be quiet. She paced over to check on Ivana. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep apparently as Misato could see the remains of tears that had made their way down her face to the fabric in which she slept on.
With the fact that everyone was sleeping, and one snoring Misato retreated to her room, with the remnants of the third can of beer in hand. As she lay on her bed, a thought came to her: Shinji may have to kill somebody if he gets deployed to Russia! She quickly flashed back to the 13th Angel, where Toji was trapped inside the EVA that was possessed by the Angel. Shinji absolutely refused to fight the Angel for fear of harming or killing Toji. It took an unstable dummy plug to defeat the Angel. Shinji had run away after that battle, but was brought back by the coming of the 14th Angel. And then she remembered how he felt when he had to kill the last Angel, whom was a boy he befriended. That one was a few threads away from completely tearing him apart.
And then there was Asuka. She hadn't seen much of war either or killing people. She probably killed a lot of people during the battle prior to 3rd Impact. But it was all in the heat of the moment and she likely didn't have time to think about it because of the situation she was in. Misato never asked Asuka about that battle, and if she did, Asuka probably wouldn't remember much other than getting torn apart by the EVA Series. Asuka probably wouldn't be as badly affected as Shinji would be, but they were both just children and thus could run a very high risk of shellshock from being on a battlefield, regardless of how tough they thought they could be. That would be enough to mess them both up for a few lifetimes. Before finishing off the last of her beer, she made a mental note to talk to Ritsuko about getting some psychologists available for any of the kids that may have to go to war.
This was really going to suck a lot.
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Gendo Ikari's Office - Bundle up
Gendo Ikari had called the kids and Misato back into the office the very next day. Apparently, he had some new developments.
"There have been new developments," he told the kids and Misato.
"What kind of developments Commander?" asked Misato curiously. She was hoping deep down her worst fears wouldn't be realized.
"As the other members at the UN predicted, Russia is attempting to make moves to expand its newly formed empire to stretch all over Europe," answered Gendo. "The UN has unanimously agreed that Russia must be dealt with by force if they continue their aggression. From what I know now, they are occupying Poland as we speak."
"That's awful," said Misato. "So what are we going to do about this?"
"Since a NERV base was attacked," replied Fuyutski, "we are obliged to assist with liberating the NERV base in Russia. We along with the Japanese government are sending forces to Europe. In a sense, Japan has declared war on Russia."
"Yes, so we are sending our Evangelion Units to Europe to assist our allies with toppling the Russian threat."
Misato had another question, "But what about the impending threat of the Black Angels? We can't send our EVAs to Europe. What if Tokyo-3 gets attacked while we're away?"
"That is true," said Gendo. "That is why only four of the children will be going to Europe, while the other four will remain here to guard Tokyo-3."
Ivana then stood up. "Commander Ikari, may I request that I be one of the four going to Europe. I know the landscape rather well, and I have extensive knowledge of Russia too with it being my home country."
"Very well." Gendo then looked at his papers before speaking again. "The other three that will accompany Pilot Kharlamov will be…"
Everyone held their breaths, wondering if they would be the ones called to war in Europe. Gendo then read out the remaining three names.
"Pilots Harper, Sohryu, and Ikari."
Everyone let out his or her breaths except for Shinji, Asuka and Zack. Sure they had been in battles before, but this would definitely be a first for the three. Sure Zack had his share of gun battles before, but none of them had been in a full-scale war.
"I know this may come off as a shock to you," the commander continued, "but this is necessary." Looking at Shinji, Asuka, and Zack as the next few lines were meant for them he continued, "You may be asking yourselves why I chose you three to go and potentially fight and kill other people. My answer is this. You three and Pilot Kharlamov are best suited for combat riding on your past experiences with the Evangelions." He started with Zack. "Harper, your past experiences with the RCMP in their child officer programs have made you a very efficient candidate to fight whatever awaits you out there."
"Thank you sir," said Zack with his trademark mock salute.
Gendo then faced Asuka. "Pilot Sohryu, Europe in another sense is also your homeland. I understand that you would also want to fight to protect your home country of Germany." Gendo saw determination in the German's eyes. Liking what he saw, he continued, "Knowing how dangerous and powerful our enemy is, Germany is very much at risk of being attacked. This will be difficult and very personal, but I believe you will not let us down."
Gendo at last faced Shinji. "Shinji, this will be by far the most challenging task for you out of all four of you. You yourself have faced challenges and hardships that no child should have ever had to face. But despite everything you've gone through and every task we've thrown your way, you've always managed to come out on top in the end." Shinji's face didn't change, or more rather he got worried about the fact that he may have to kill someone. Gendo concluded, "The task we ask of you is one we should never have enlisted upon you. But you are the only ones who can use the Evangelions. With them at our disposal, is the key to bringing a swift and quick victory in this impending war. I chose you because I believe in you, my son."
After Gendo finished speaking to Shinji, he then changed the subject. "Your plane will be prepared to leave in five hours. That will give you more than enough time to pack anything you may need, finish up anything else you wish to do. Your plane will be leaving for Berlin Germany, where a NERV base."
"Really?" asked Asuka half excited and half shocked. "Germany?"
"That is correct. For now, you are dismissed. Report back here in three hours."
As they all prepared to leave the room, Ritsuko then interjected. "Shinji, Asuka, and Zack. Before you go anywhere, can you come with me? I have some things that we need to discuss."
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Doc Akagi's Office
"Why are Shinji and I here?" Asuka demanded as all parties sat down in her office.
"Because there are some things I want to discuss with you before you leave for Germany to fight what looks like a potential war," Ritsuko curtly answered hoping she could get on with the discussion. Misato had called her early this morning with the request of having a few things to say to the kids before they left for the front lines. As much as she had work to do today getting the Evas ready for transportation, Misato did have a point to this discussion occurring.
"And why is Misato here?" was Asuka's next question.
"I'm your guardian and I want to know any ways I can help as well," Misato replied.
"And why is Zack here?" sneering at the boy sitting a good 6 feet away from her.
"I don't know. I was just asked to come here," the Canadian answered. "Don't take my head off."
"And why is Elly here?"
"Hey, this may be the last time I get to see Zackie, biatch!" Elly shot back.
"Okay, settle down," Ritsuko muttered with a tone of boredom in her voice. "We have some important things to talk about today."
"Such as?" asked Zack.
"The effects that war can have on a person," said Ritsuko. "Believe it or not, war does have its effects on everyone. If you even think for one second that war will not affect you, then you had best wake up from your dream state. What we're here to talk about is, understanding the likely effects of war. If you know what you are walking into, the better prepared you will be for it." She paused for a moment before going on.
"All right, I'm going to ask each of you about your initial thoughts of war and conflict." She turned to Shinji, "Let's start with you Shinji. What's the first thing you think of when you think of war?"
Shinji thought for a few moments, before speaking, "Well my biggest problem would have to be that people always have to die in wars. And worst off, those who don't even want to fight have to die as well."
Ritsuko locked eyes with Shinji, "You are correct Shinji. That is why we have to fight; to protect the innocent. To protect our loved ones so they do not become victims of the enemy. Your loved ones give you something to fight for."
Next Ritsuko turned to Asuka, "What's your first take on war when you think about it?"
"Kicking a ton of enemy ass!" replied Asuka.
"Do you ever look beyond kicking ass?" the doctor sighed. "There's a lot more to war than kicking ass. Have you ever thought of the life-altering effects that war has?"
"No."
"Well obviously there is a lot more Asuka," Ritsuko continued. "Like how it may feel like you ripped a part of yourself out when you killed that enemy soldier a few minutes ago."
And finally, Ritsuko looked at Zack. "So Mr. Casanova, what's your initial take on war?"
Zack immediately responded with, "Let's see: Nazis, Communists, D-Day, V-E-Day, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, V-J-Day, Gulf War, and anything else that involves the good guys sickin it to those imperialistic bastards!" It was sure a damn good thing that he didn't notice the scowls and threatening looks from everyone else in the room. Ritsuko decided to ignore this and moved on.
"It doesn't seem you take the psychological effects of war seriously. Well at least listen then so you might just pick up something." She took a sip of her coffee before speaking, "War is never a good thing, because it usually involves tragic losses of life. As bad as a thing is, it is natural for humans to want to be superior to other humans."
"But why do we have to fight?" demanded Shinji. "Aren't there others who can do this task? Why drop this load on us? We're only kids."
"Shinji, I'm saying this to you because your father believes the threat is darker than it looks," said Ritsuko. "Remember how your father spoke about how Ivana fought Vladimir in her Eva?"
She saw Shinji nod yes in reply, so she continued. "Well according to Russian intelligence, once she defeated Vladimir, the Russian authorities never recovered Unit 10 or Vladimir's body. They had assumed both were destroyed in the impending explosion that occurred when she finished him off. Your father suspects that the dark forces behind SEELE and the Black Angels are what have brought him back. So your father wants to fight an Eva with well another Eva; in our case four of them."
"You're saying that this Vladimir is the backbone behind this new force then? And it's up to us to beat him down?" asked Asuka.
"That is exactly correct," answered Ritsuko. "However I am getting off topic, this isn't what I wished to discuss with you. You're here so that you can understand what war really means and what it does to people."
"And pray tell what do you mean by that?" Asuka demanded, her patience wearing thin.
"Have you ever taken a life before?" Ritsuko sharply replied back, staring hard at the three of them.
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I've taken lives before; I've taken the lives of the angels."
"Asuka, have you ever had to kill a human before?" Misato interjected.
"No I haven't but what does that have to do with war? So we kill people big deal; they're the enemy," Asuka nonchalantly replied.
"Zack have you?" turning to face the young Canadian.
"Have you forgotten the incident with the Ron already?" he haughtily replied crossing his arms.
"Then would you…" Ritsuko began, before drifting off. "Then again better I do it. Knowing you, you'd blow something this serious way out of context.
"Asuka killing a human being be it self defense or because they're the enemy, will have serious repercussions after you've killed them. The aftereffects of taking a life with your own hands will have a serious impact upon your psyche; it changes you. Misato fully understands this and has dealt with it, but it still haunts her."
Misato sighed sadly as she turned to face them, "Taking another person's life is not easy. You may think it's easy because it's in your head, and you're not in any danger, so you can do anything. But in battle it comes down to one thing: It's you or them; kill or be killed. That is the law of war.
"Let me put it to you this way, as a soldier on the battlefield, you are running around, firing round after round as you fight to survive. Most of your kills will be from a distance, so you do not see the face of your opponent, only his or her body falling. But then you will on occasion come across a group of soldiers. Naturally you will do the instinctive thing and fire away until you run out of bullets or they have all died. In the moments it takes you to move on, you'll see things that you'll later wish you'd never seen."
"Before you would lay the blood soaked, bullet filled bodies of the enemy, most likely dying in their own blood or already dead. And etched on their faces would be the pained expression as the last thing they felt was the hot rounds burrow into their bodies. You run off scoffing it off initially. But then you remember it later on and then you begin to regret ever killing him. You then begin to wonder if that person had any friends or family, maybe even a wife and children back home. It already eats away at you. But it's just as bad for one in the Navy or in your case.
"You may never know the face of your enemy, because you're either too far away or you're in a vessel and all you see is the opposing vessel, so you blow it up. However the gunners who push the buttons to fire the weapons will be tormented; with a simple push of the button, they right there had taken a boatload of lives. Tens of lives, maybe even hundreds drown because their boat had been destroyed. The same will most likely apply to you as you crush tanks, aircrafts, warships and APC alike. Although never knowing the face of your enemy, you will late on regret it and wish you never killed that person. It will always hang over your conscience so long as you live."
"You justify that you killed them in defense or for the honor of your country but in the end it all comes down to the fact that you've taken a human life. That is reality of war." Misato turned to look at Zack to see him sitting quietly in his seat with a hardened expression. She could sympathize with the boy. He had killed before, but she knew the level of killing he would have to do soon would be worse. She hoped that he would be able to pull out of it.
Turning to look at Shinji, she saw how pale he looked. She had tried to dim the violence down but even then it still affected him. Killing never sat well with him, but now he was forced into a situation where killing was a necessity. Misato could only pray that he was strong enough to be able to ask for support. If he isolated himself again she shuddered at the dangerous repercussions of such a response.
Asuka on the other hand although seemed a bit more understanding of the concept still had her arrogant smirk despite it being lessened a bit. Misato worried the most about her for when she found out the dire truth of what killing really meant it would shatter her ego to a level worse than when the 15th angel had attacked.
"Now you just may understand why we decided to have this talk," Ritsuko began after the moment of silence. "Killing isn't a subject to be taken likely, especially with what is currently happening now in Russia. With an Evangelion involved in this along with whatever dark force behind this assault, NERV now has to step in and deploy its forces to assist. If Evas were never involved in this conflict, you kids would likely be at school right now not having to worry about this."
Shinji was about to speak again, but the good doctor interrupted him, "I know you're wondering why you Shinji. It's because your father believes in you. You heard him say that himself. He knows that you'll be facing something you shouldn't be facing. But he believes that no matter what you face over in Russia, that you will emerge victorious. And that goes for you two as well," she said looking at both Asuka and Zack. "And he believes that you three and Ivana together have the best chance of defeating Vladimir and saving countless people from the perils of this war." She then gave them a smile, "And if the Commander believes in you, then I can believe in you guys too."
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Misato's Flat (Love the sound of that)
After the talk with Ritsuko, everyone went back to Misato's place to pack their bags. With Shinji, Asuka, Zack, and Ivana being deployed to Europe, Rei was to be sent to live with Elly until Misato and crew returned. We now go to Shinji and Asuka's room where Asuka was packing hers and Shinji's suitcases.
"Let's see," she said looking at Shinji's clothes. "This is good," selecting one clothing item, folding it and placing it in Shinji's suitcase, "And this is crap," she said about another item which she tossed on the floor.
Shinji just stood there and watched as Asuka went "crap, crap, crap, good, crap, crap, good."
He had to say something, "Err Asuka. What exactly is the point of all this?"
"What do you think? We're going to Germany! And if I'm bringing you along, I want you to at least look half decent. I don't need everyone staring at us because you're a fashion disaster!" she replied.
"We're going over there to fight a war, not see sights. I don't see the point of trying to meet foreign fashion standards."
"It's just… ugh! Why bother?" she sighed and then sat down on the floor.
"Something wrong?" Shinji asked sitting down beside her.
"No. Nothing's wrong," she muttered pulling her knees up and burying her face in them.
"Well something isn't exactly right. I may not be as smart and as intelligent as you Asuka, but an idiot like me can tell something is wrong," said Shinji putting an arm around her. "It's about going to war isn't it?" He saw her nod then he continued, "If you're worried about the war, don't bottle it up."
"What would you know about that?" she snapped at him. "You were the one who didn't want to go. And worse of all you bitched about not wanting to go!"
"Shinji bowed his head down, "I hate fighting Asuka. I don't ever want to have to kill another person. I'll always object to fighting. But…"
"But what?"
"But I know that killing is justified ONLY when it is for a greater good. A part of me will not like it, but it will understand that we are doing what must be done. We're fighting to protect, not to destroy Asuka. We're fighting because we have something to fight for. We're fighting for Misato, Father, our mothers' wishes, for Germany, and for countless millions of people all who will be affected by this war. And as much as I hate war, I know when it has to be waged. I'll always object to it, but when I am called upon, I will answer."
"Wow, you've grown up," said Asuka who smiled at him. "You're getting closer and closer to being a man everyday. I remember when I first saw you. You were this shy, borderline cowardly child. And look at you now. Now maybe if you worked out a little bit, you'd look even more so. Now at least I know there's a shoulder I can lean on during this war without worry of it collapsing on me."
"Asuka…"
"Shinji, sei still und küß mich," she commanded in German.
"Asuka? I'm not following here."
With a shrug of frustration, she tackled him from her sitting position until she was lying on top of him. Her lips quickly united with his. After a few seconds of fiery kissing, she broke it off. "Joyous. I'm gonna have to teach you some German, so you don't feel completely lost over there."
"Sounds great."
"What's so great?" asked a voice that wandered around outside. The voice belonged to Zack and he was getting closer to their room. "I'm not so sure what's so great about…" he then sees them in their room in their… compromising position… "oh my god shut the door!" He turns around till his back is to them. "Oh boy, wait till Misato hears about this."
"Versuchs, und du singst im Soprano," she warned him.
"Whatever that means," he replied. He then darted off yelling "MISATO! MISATO!"
Asuka got up off Shinji. "Stay put, I'll be right back," she said taking off after Zack.
Shinji could hear several footsteps being made. Next he heard something that sounded like a struggle, and then he heard a sharp crack followed by what sounded like a boy screaming in a rather high pitched voice. This scream was followed by a thud, then silence. Shinji could then hear some light footsteps being created that were returning back towards him. Peering through the doorway came Asuka who appeared as happy as a sunflower on a sunny day. "That'll teach him," she said with a smirk.
"You didn't…"
"Yup. He sung some soprano alright," declared Asuka. "I think he's got a thing for it too." She embraced Shinji again, "Now where were we?" she wondered as she kissed him again.
They might have carried on forever, if Misato's voice didn't ring out through the apartment, "Come on you two! You can kiss on the plane!"
Asuka broke off the kiss with great frustration. "Sexually starved bitch…" she muttered. After rush packing Shinji's suitcase, they were finally ready. "You ready Shinji?" she asked.
"I am," he replied.
"Good. Whatever is out there, we'll face it together."
"Together."
"Good. Now let's go kick that Vladimir guy's ass!" she shouted as she took his hand. And the two walked out together.
A/N: Finally! I never thought I'd get to the end of this one. I had a really hard time doing the last bit of this chapter (From Ritsuko's talk down). It might show unfortunately. If to you guys it really looks as bad as I think it does, I may go back and fix it.
A/O/N: Now I'm in university. I never got my transfer, so I went back into my original program. Hopefully it'll go okay. Because of university, my work will likely slow down. But I won't stop thinking about it though. Rest assured of that.
A/O/O/N: Well, the problem has been fixed. Thanks to Marine Brother Shran. He told me I should go back and retake Psychology immediately.
Here's a little extra for you all.
Epilogue
The Section 2 agents made their last check of the building before heading out. It was standard procedure as usual.
"I don't get paid enough for this," a stocky one said.
"That's rather obvious," a tall thin one said.
"You can worry about money later," put in a young female member of the crew. "Get over here!"
The other two ran over to where their colleague was. The object of her attention apparently was a boy on the floor in the fetal position. What was obvious was that the boy was clutching his groin area in immense pain. "It's Pilot Harper," said the woman. "I think the Second Child sacked him again."
"Not again," the stocky one sighed. He pulled out a walkie talkie. "Daichi. We got a Code Green up here on Major Katsuragi's floor. Bring the ice." Putting the device back in its holster, he sighed again, "That girl needs some serious anger management."
"You want to tell her that?" asked the tall one. "We'll be getting a Code Green for you then too."
"Why don't you two shut up and help me here," the woman interjected as she was checking Zack for any other injuries.
"We really don't get paid enough for this."
Until 67, be cool!
German Translations
Shinji, sei still und küß mich. Shinji, shut up and kiss me.
Versuchs, und du singst im Soprano. Try it, and you will sing soprano