A/N: And here we are again. 66 chapters, with no ending in sight! Wow wee! So now let's focus on the task at hand. Shinji, Asuka, Zack, and Ivana have been handpicked by Gendo Ikari to take part in the war that is breaking out in Europe. Are they up for the task? Will they be able to defeat the Russian Reaper known as Vladimir?

Jumbo Jet – en route for Berlin, Germany

"Ah, I knew getting Misato to buy Casanova some sort of music player would keep him quiet," smirked Asuka as she settled into her seat on the plane. "If he's quiet, everyone's quiet."

"You're not quiet," retorted Misato as she tried to get some rest, but couldn't because of Asuka's ranting.

"Yes, so keep your voice down," Ivana demanded from a seat across Asuka.

"I am not loud," Asuka shot back. She motioned to a sleeping Shinji sitting next to her. "Look at Shinji; he's out like a light. Obviously he doesn't find me loud."

"I got an idea," said Misato. She motioned to a flight attendant. "Oh could you get us some tequilas? We could all use something to relax."

However, Ivana noticed that Misato's face twitched for a moment as she was talking to the attendant. The Russian girl then noticed that Misato was looking her in the eye, and giving her a look that said "Play along".

"Oh boy, it's been a while since I had tequila," replied a cheery Asuka. "Thanks Misato."

"No problem. You guys and girls deserve it."

Zack meanwhile was listening to the music on the player Misato got for him. However, he wasn't playing relaxing music like Misato suggested. More rather, he chose some rather violent sounding music such as Kill Me Some Motherfuckers, a song he figured would get him in the mood for what was impending. He was getting deep into the song that he was caught quite by surprise when the flight attendant was offering him a glass of some sort of drink. He accepted the glass, thanked the attendant and went back to his music.

"Ah, this'll be quite the treat," said Misato accepting her glass. "Too bad Shinji isn't awake or he'd want one too."

"Well he'd be hammered after one," said Asuka as she sipped her drink.

"I concur," Misato replied after she sipped hers. "We couldn't afford you two drunk, and then rocking the plane together."

Misato was teasing again, and Asuka didn't like it. "Hey! I would cringe to see what you and Kaji would do in the bathroom together. And I know it wouldn't be turbulence," she finished with a sigh. Asuka took another sip of her drink.

"You two are just as bad as Casanova," Ivana interjected after she put her glass down. "If it's not him getting in Elly's pants, it's you two getting in Shinji's or Kaji's pants."

"What about you?" Asuka asked Ivana. She yawned then continued after another sip of her drink, "Isn't there a boy you like out there? Even if you don't want to get in his pants, isn't there one you like?"

"No there is not a boy I am interested in," Ivana swiftly replied. However, she also noticed that Asuka out of nowhere was growing rather tired quickly. Was Misato up to something?

"Come on," Asuka went on with another yawn. "It's not a bad thing to say there is someone you like. Look at me and Shinji." She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around the sleeping boy as best she could. "I've never been happier."

"You said that after you stomped Toji's groin at school last year," grunted Misato who was trying to conceal a growing grin on her face.

"What are you talking about…" sighed Asuka as her eyes closed and she apparently slipped into unconsciousness.

Now Ivana turned to Misato. She knew whatever had happened to Asuka was Misato's doing. "What did you do Misato?"

"Nothing a few sleeping pills couldn't deal with," chuckled her guardian. "She'll be out for a while. Now let's just relax and hope Casanova doesn't get loud, so we don't have to knock him out cold." She looked at the sleeping couple. "Don't they look cute like that?"

Denmark

"This country sucks!" roared Vladimir Topolov as he looked at a map with some of his generals. "Why do all these countries have shit for land? Why wasn't I informed of this?"

The Russian forces were obviously hell bent on reaching Germany to occupy the NERV bases there. Vladimir wasn't too sure what his master wanted out of this, but nonetheless, he would obey. Topolov knew the military forces he had were not that well organized, and rather less than effective. But with Unit 10 on his side, his odds of success were better, as his EVA was enhanced by the S2 engine provided by SEELE before 3rd Impact. Sure he could get to Germany, but he had to make sure his forces got there too.

His master was coordinating an assault through a few other countries to attack Germany from the East, while Vladimir was to coordinate the attack from the North. The battle on the northern front was supposed to be easier as, it would be easy to use the EVA to threaten Sweden, Norway, and Denmark that they would be bowled over if they resisted. So they were granted passage on the condition that they not be attacked. As of right now, they were in Scandinavia, Denmark. Unfortunately, Scandinavia was mostly covered in a huge, dirty swamp. This shithole was probably one of the worst swamps not known to man, especially in the month of November. This swamp seemed like it was alive on account of the fact that it was almost impossible to pass through. Even Vladimir in Unit 10 had trouble getting his EVA through the swamps of Scandinavia. Now Vladimir was with his generals trying to come up with a way through or out of this swamp.

"I'm sorry sir," one of his generals replied. "We had no idea the swamps would be this bad."

"What do you have for military experts? High school kids? Sci-fi freaks?" growled Vladimir, as his whole six-foot frame towered over the shorter man. "How are we supposed to occupy Germany if we're stuck in this swamp? And don't even mention ICBMs!"

"My lord," a female general spoke up. "I may have a solution."

"You'd better."

"We can always try pulling back, and enter from the northeast instead of from the north," the woman suggested.

Vladimir eyed the map carefully. Pulling back from Denmark was feasible, as they could call in the Russian fleet to enter Germany from the water. However, entering from the northeast would mean that the invasion would definitely slow down by ludicrous proportions. Long enough for NATO to have its forces mobilized and able to thump the fledgling army that was stuck in a swamp of all things.

"This won't work you morons," said Vladimir. "By the time we get out of this swamp, we'd have to call in the rust buckets you call our fleet. And NATO gets to use us as target practice while we wait. If we're going to advance, it has to be through Denmark."

"But sir…"

"SHUT UP!" the boy roared as he was quickly losing his temper. He abruptly then said, "I'm going for a walk." He then stormed off, walking away from the temporary military installation.

As Vladimir walked through whatever areas could be walked through an area of the swamp where it was possible to walk, he pondered their latest move. So far, they had managed to threaten Russia's neighbouring countries, but one could only go so far. Sometimes he wondered why he, a 15 year old boy was entrusted with the charge of this army. Was it because he piloted the most powerful weapon in Russia's arsenal? Was it because of the gift of life and power that his master provided him with? This wasn't making a lot of sense to Vladimir at all.

"Having doubts are we?" asked a familiar voice.

Vladimir turned towards where the voice was coming from. What he saw was a black oval shaped portal; it looked like a black hole. A figure stepped out the portal and stood before Vladimir. "You know, you really should have more faith in my plans." It was his master, clad with his black cloak and hood.

"Did your plans involve trudging through this shithole?" asked a frustrated Vladimir. "There's no way through. And no way out."

"This was a test for you," the hooded man replied. "This will be the reality of your situation should your faith in me be lacking. You will be trapped, with no way out of your predicament when you face off against the best of the EVA pilots."

"I know that much, but we're still stuck in this swamp," the Russian boy argued. "Unless a way out comes quickly, this whole plan will be up in smoke. Do you have a plan?"

"Indeed I do. Just believe, and miracles occur. At sunrise, look to the east, and prepare to be amazed." And with that, the man walked off, towards the black hole from which he had emerged from.

"Well. Let's see. He has gotten us this far," Vladimir said aloud. "Let's see if he's the real deal and pull through."

NERV HQ – Doc Akagi's Office

Dr. Akagi was patiently waiting for her coffee, courtesy of Elly Simpson. That girl had actually been rather convenient to have around. Not only could Elly cook with a talent that was almost on par with Shinji, but she could also make a coffee that one could actually look forward to having. So while she waited, it was time to check the news on the unfolding events.

And of course, the topic on everyone's mind was Russia and its new leaders showing unprecedented aggression. There were unconfirmed reports that a wave of military vehicles and soldiers was on the move advancing towards Germany from the north and the east. Ritsuko assumed that this enemy was trying to create a two pronged attack, probably to capture the Hamburg NERV base, then for a final advance on Berlin. But it didn't make any sense, as Russia wouldn't have much left, even if it did occupy Germany. And as expected, many other countries now declared war on Russia. These countries included: The United States (Fuck yeah!), The United Kingdom (Russia will be crumpets when the Brits are through with them!), France (I get this feeling they'll be the first to surrender), Germany itself (Germany's coming of age), Japan (Don't mess with Gendo.), Canada (Sweetness baby!), Australia (Crikey! The Australians are coming), the Czech Republic (Uh, yeah), and Austria (…no comment). How in the world was Russia going to try and plow through 9 different countries and come out on top? This didn't make any sense. Ritsuko would have to wager a guess on that Russia was completely relying on EVA Unit 10 to do the job. But if Russia's intelligence knew any better, Japan would come to Germany's aid because NERV bases are threatened, and that Japan would send EVAs to stop Unit 10. So it still didn't make any sense.

"Dr. Akagi?" called out a voice with a far too familiar accent.

The good doctor turned away from the computer to see Elly, clad in her favourite yet questionable choice of pink clothes as usual holding two mugs of coffee. Obviously one for her and one for Elly, as Maya and the others had long gone home. So obviously, Elly wanted to talk.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Ritsuko asked as she took her coffee from Elly.

"Umm…yeah, I just got a few concerns mate," answered Elly as she took a seat. "It's about Zack. Do you think he'll be okay over there in Nazi-land?"

"Well, I can't tell you for sure if we will be okay Elly," replied Dr. Akagi. "Against most conventional warfare, the EVAs are quite well protected. You know they have many layers of armour and the AT Field which can effectively block all but the most powerful weapons. So as long as he doesn't do something stupid, he for the most part should be okay."

"But what about that Vladimir guy? I hear he's mean, nasty, and a communist," Elly countered.

Ritsuko sighed. "Elly, the Russian army isn't as powerful as people are led to think. We see all these images of the former Soviet Union and think that's what Russia looks like now. But really, Russia's army has deteriorated immensely. I don't know what they'll gain out of this invasion, but I can believe that it won't work. Zack's only threat really, is Vladimir. And Zack isn't fighting alone. He has Shinji, Asuka, and Ivana. And before you say Asuka and Ivana will screw him over, they both know to keep the personal conflicts off the battlefield. Course they may sack him several times after the battle, but other than that, I believe he will be okay."

"Thank you," said Elly as she gleefully sipped her triple cream- triple sugar coffee. "I can't wait for him to come home."

"I'm not sure if we could all agree with you Elly." Now the doctor switched to another topic, "So what did you really want to ask me?"

Elly seemed caught by surprise for a moment. She initially decided to dismiss her next thought, but apparently Ritsuko had seen right through it. 'Ah well, may as well bring it to the light.' "Uh, I wanted to give Zack a gift for when he came back, but I need your help to do it."

"What is it Elly?"

"Can I get plastic surgery?" she suddenly asked.

"No," was the doctor's almost immediate reply.

"Aww, why not?" Elly wondered.

"Because not only are those silicone gel implants unreliable and potentially dangerous, but we don't want to have to conduct tests to see how EVAs react with foreign objects in your body, plus you don't want the risk of them breaking in battle. And if they broke, the gel would leak into your body, with a high threat to your health."

"Bummer," muttered Elly. "Can't I ask some other doctor then?"

"No because the procedure is illegal in Japan," said Ritsuko. "Just you wait till you grow older, your body will mature more and your breasts will mature with your body. Besides, you look fine just as you are now. And I know Zack thinks the same way except more so." What a day. First Ritsuko had to tell Shinji, Asuka, and Zack how to handle a war. Now she was telling Elly how to feel more secure about herself.

"Look Elly, I can sense you're feeling a little insecure about yourself, but you don't need to worry about outer beauty to get Zack to love you. I'm sure he likes your personality, that smile and optimism you always give off, and oh yes your amazing cooking."

"That must have been why I slept with him. To prove I loved him," sighed Elly. "Sometimes I wish I would have waited."

"Well that is a decision you are going to have to live with. You acted prematurely, and that will live with you for as long as you'll remember."

"What do you suggest I do when Zack comes back?" Elly asked.

"Just be yourself," answered Ritsuko. "Love each other, not lust for each other. Well a little lust doesn't hurt, but a lot potentially can hurt you."

Ritsuko noticed Elly had her head bowed down and wasn't talking. "Elly?"

"Yes?"

"Do you regret sleeping with Zack too soon?" the doctor inquired.

"Not really!" Elly suddenly replied, lifting her head to show a big smile on her face. "It was gonna happen one way or the other, so there's no sense in crying over spilled milk!"

Ritsuko shook her head in disbelief.

Airplane – 2 hours later – Hijackers will be Asukanated

Over the last little while, not much had changed. The only changes were that Shinji was now awake and Zack had finally fallen asleep. So now Shinji, Ivana, and Misato were interacting.

"I don't think drugging Asuka was necessary Misato," Shinji commented.

"Hey, she was making a lot of noise," replied Misato. "And the pills were meant to only put her out for a few hours, and hopefully she'll be in a much better mood when she wakes up. By the way Shinji, don't you think she looks cute when she's sleeping?"

"What?" Shinji was shocked at the question. "What are you talking about?"

'Oh joy,' thought Ivana. 'Misato's at it again.'

"Come on Shinji. Don't deny it. There's no shame in admitting it. She is sleeping after all," Misato's teasing tirade continued. "I wonder what you do to her while she's sleeping."

"Misato!"

"Come on. She's right there, you being a boy just wanna put your hands all over her, squeeze that tush of hers, play with her breasts, come on, I bet you do all that and more."

"MISATO!"

"Okay that's enough," commanded Ivana who was getting sick of this herself. "What do you do to yourself when you don't have Kaji around?" she now directed at Misato.

"Hey that is none of your business young lady," Misato shot back at Ivana.

"And whatever kinky games Shinji and Asuka play are none of your business Misato," the Russian calmly replied back.

"Anyways," began a relived Shinji who was quick to change the subject, "where exactly are we landing once we get to Germany Misato?"

"Hmm, there's an airport in Germany, they finished it about 5 years ago. Damn what was it called again?"

"Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport," answered Ivana.

"Thank you," said Misato. "Anyways, that's where we'll meet the Commander of NERV there. From there, we'll be discussing how and when you four will be deployed to defend the NERV bases."

"But there are two bases," said Ivana. "One in Berlin and one in Hamburg. So would they place two of us at each base?"

"Not likely from what I hear," answered Misato. "For you guys, your primary task is to deal with your ex."

Ivana now had a frown on her face from having to deal with her ex-boyfriend. "I wish it was as easy as you made it sound. It feels like I'm going to be living that day all over again."

"I heard about it in your report Ivana," Misato said to her sympathetically. "It was definitely the hardest decision you could make, but you without a doubt made the right decision, the only decision."

"Don't you ever wonder what the impact of your decision will be even if you make the right decision?" Ivana wondered aloud. "I feel like I tore a piece of my soul away when I struck him down."

"Then it must have been a bad piece of yourself you tore away," Shinji interjected.

"Really?" asked a confused Ivana.

"Well if his grasp on your soul was that bad, then I guess that it was good that the piece of him is gone." Shinji bowed his head down, "Well that's what I think anyways."

Ivana took a deep breath. "You tried. I just hope you and Asuka won't be put in a position where you're turned against each other."

Suddenly to everyone's surprise, especially Shinji's, Asuka began stirring. Her arms were still somewhat wrapped around her boyfriend somewhat. If Shinji knew any better, she was mumbling in her sleep.

"Asuka?" Shinji whispered to her, perhaps hoping to rouse the girl into waking up.

"Ich bin so heiß..." Asuka mumbled in German. Ivana had an eyebrow raised while Misato was slightly confused. Asuka was now subconsciously cuddling Shinji tighter, to his dismay.

"Asuka? " Shinji asked again. Not understanding what was going on was not doing wonders for our hero.

"Ich will...dich...jetzt... " she said next, subconsciously kissing Shinji. Shinji was a little frightened. Ivana was now becoming a little disgusted, and Misato was a little shocked.

"Ivana, is she saying what I think she's saying?" Misato asked.

"Yes and it's disgusting," answered Ivana. "She's got such a dirty mind. She's probably no better than Elly."

"I see," said Misato in her teasing tone. "Having fun Shinji? She wants you. She wants you badly."

"Shinji...du bist ein echter...Mann...ohhhhh..." Asuka sighed as she was now on sitting on his lap, facing him while she was still asleep.

Shinji was speechless for words. Not only was Asuka apparently talking dirty in her sleep in German, but apparently, she was dreaming about going the distance… all the way to the end zone. The pressure being put on his pants wasn't helping either. He was thinking one way upstairs, the other downstairs.

"Mhhhh...ja...genau da..." said Asuka in response to Shinji's biological response to her 'subconscious advances'.

"Uh… Asuka?" asked Shinji to sleep-talking girl.

"Shinji…" sighed Asuka. Shinji noticed her eyes beginning to flutter. Her eyes continued to flutter before she fully awoke into the conscious world. "Shinji?" she asked aloud. "Where are… oh my god!" she gasped as she saw the faces of Misato, who was on the verge of breaking out laughing, and Ivana who seemed downright disgusted.

If anyone were to look at the two pilots right now, there were in quite a compromising position. Asuka was sitting on Shinji's lap as if she wanted to do the very bad thing with him. If they didn't have clothes on… you do the math.

"You know, there's the bathroom for that sort of thing," said Misato who was trying hard not to chuckle, "not that we mind or anything."

"YOU DIRTY BITCH!"

Horaki Residence – Hikari is also a great cook. Just ask Toji.

"Well, you'll be staying in here Rei. This is my room. We can bunk together until Misato and the others come back." Hikari had just finished giving Rei the tour of her apartment. "You can just drop your suitcase in here."

"Thank you," said Rei who proceeded to put down her suitcase that contained a few sets of clothes and some necessities.

"No worries," replied Hikari. "I gotta get dinner ready. I'm sure Nozumi would love to play Sega against someone other than me or Kodama. So you can go ahead and unpack, freshen up, and… play Sega while I'm busy." She walked off towards the kitchen, and with a smile she said, "Don't be shy."

"Thank you," was the best response Rei could come up with. "If it is alright, I would like to take a shower."

Hikari turned her head back and responded with "Go right ahead. Dinner will likely be ready by the time you get back. There's towels in the bathroom, and everything else you'll need."

"Thank you," Rei said again as she proceeded to the bathroom. Once she locked the door, she disrobed and took a moment to look at her altered self in the mirror. She ran a hand through her brown hair a few times. She looked fine overall, with her normal coloured skin, her brown eyes, and the brown hair (with streaks of azure).

But something didn't feel right. And Rei couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was that was giving her this uneasy feeling. And try as she could to dismiss that thought, it was a thought that would not be ignored. Rei then proceeded over to the shower tub to turn the faucet on. Once the water warmed up, Rei stepped into the tub to let the hot water soak her body.

As she washed her body, Rei realized that these thoughts she was having were those of concern. Concern for those who had left for Germany, and for war. Rei knew that there was a chance that Shinji and the others could be seriously wounded and/or killed during the fighting. This reminded her of the time she had spent with Commander Ikari during the beginning of the Angel War and her thoughts about Shinji during the end of the Angel War.

Once she had gotten used to the heat of the water, Rei picked up the shampoo bottle, squeezed a small amount into her hand, and applied it to her hair. To have concern for the safety for another, it brought a sense of worry and also a sense of attachment. She was worried for her fellow pilots.

In her mind, she sees an image of Shinji, with smiling at her.

Once Rei was comfortable with the amount of shampoo scrubbing she had done to her brown/blue hair, it was time for the conditioner to apply its… conditioning. As the First Child let the conditioner do its work, she pondered the memo she received from Dr. Akagi earlier that day. Apparently, the commander didn't want the remaining four pilots to be doing nothing while the others were off fighting the conflict. So they were going to use the new and improved virtual combat system that NERV technicians had been working on since Misato literally hammered out the prototype model.

And finally, she was done. Rei turned the faucet off and stepped out of the bathtub. She picked a towel off the wall and proceeded to dry herself off. As she was drying herself, she heard a knock at the door.

"Rei, it's Hikari. Just wanted to let you know that dinner's almost ready."

"Understood," Rei replied in her calm voice. Rei wrapped the towel around her body so it covered enough of her lower half of her body and almost her entire upper half.

About 10 minutes later, Rei was kneeling at the dinner table with Hikari and Kodama. Hikari had decided to cook up a curry dish, with some lamb and rice.

"Go ahead, eat up," said Hikari, who actually had quite a big bowl in front of her. "We love this stuff."

"I do not eat meat," replied Rei after looking at her dish for a few moments.

Kodama was quite surprised. "Aww too bad. Hikari's dishes are the best there is."

"That's alright," Hikari responded. She handed Rei the salad bowl. "Then help yourself to the salad then. If you don't mind, can I split your rice dish between myself and Kodama?"

"I do not mind."

"Yay!" cheered Kodama.

Airplane – Over Berlin, Germany

"All right," said Misato as she peeked out the window. "I can see the airport."

Staring out the window, Asuka was mystified by the sight. "Wow. I can't believe it. I'm home. I'm finally home. Look Shinji look!" she grabbed Shinji by the collar of his shirt and got him to look out the window. "This is the land where your pretty girlfriend grew up."

"So this is the heart of evil, the lions den, Satan's playground, the belly of the beast, the darkest pit of hell," Zack said in a monotonous, yet serious tone. "I never thought I would be walking on such accursed grounds. Once this task is over, I'll find a priest so he can purify…"

CRACK!

"That's better Asuka," Misato said. She looked down at the fallen Canadian who had been hit for the second time that day where the sun doesn't dare to shine. "You listen Casanova, you had better be on your best behaviour here and keep those comments to yourself, or the German authorities won't hesitate to deport you back to your little igloo in Canada."

Zack, who was now miraculously back on his feet and in fine form one might acknowledge. "I figured that was obvious Misato. Though I'm not sure about the deportation part. I might just get sent to Auschwitz and get laced with cyanide gas."

CRACK! I swear. Zack is just asking for it.

Hopefully the third time would be the charm. Within a few minutes, the plane finally touched down at Berlin-Schönefeld International Airport. At last, their journey was complete. As the group prepared to depart the plane, they noticed some soldiers standing outside the plane. Once they were finally off the plane, a person whom one would guess was a military officer came up to them. He was a man not much taller than Zack, clad in a grey military uniform, stripes and all.

"Welcome back to Germany Miss Sohryu," the man said in Japanese. "And to your companions, we also would like to welcome you to our humble country."

"Good to see you again too Commander Henkel," replied Asuka back in Japanese.

"Yes. But let's go indoors, where we can discuss the situation better," the commander insisted.

Board Room – Inside the Airport

"So now that we're all more comfortable, we can discuss the matters better," the commander began. "First off, allow me to introduce myself as Commander Joachim Henkel of NERV Berlin, and of NERV Hamburg."

"Ivana Kharlamov, Fifth Child," Ivana said as she shook the commander's hand.

"Ah, you're Ivana," Joachim replied. "I'm sorry about the underlying circumstances of this war." He then turned to Zack. "And you are likely Canadian, judging by your sports jacket."

"The one and only Zack Harper," Zack replied loud and proudly. Zack was wearing a Toronto Maple Leaf jacket. "Sixth Child and ready to kick some ass!"

"I see," commented Joachim who shook Zack's hand. "Glad you brought your enthusiasm with you." He then looked to Shinji and shook his hand. "And Shinji Ikari, it is an honour to finally see you in person."

"Uh, thank you," Shinji sheepishly said back.

Misato then jumped in. "And perhaps I should mention that Shinji and Asuka are now going out Commander. So that means you pay up."

"W-what? Really?" Joachim was shocked. "Shinji's her boyfriend?"

Asuka was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Misato ignored her. "Yup. And now you owe me 5,000 Euros."

"Uhh yeah." Joachim quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, back to business. The Russian army is advancing towards Berlin on two fronts. One from the north and one from the east. And despite the reports about the low quality military power Russia packs, they are still advancing. It's worse than our experts predicted."

"Is it that bad?" asked Ivana.

"It may be," answered Henkel. "I've heard some strange reports over the last little while. I can't confirm them yet though. But apparently, an attack on NERV Hamburg is imminent. I predict they will officially invade Germany within 72 hours."

"So what's the plan?" Misato inquired.

"Well the best news is that we know where Topolov is," answered Joachim. "He's with the army on the northern front. Since we believe he is the backbone of the Russian army, we will send all four of you to Hamburg to intercept him there, as he will likely attack NERV Hamburg."

"What about the Berlin base?" Asuka wondered.

Misato answered that question. "That will be NATO's job. We want to minimize casualties by letting NATO deal with other conventional forces. So you guys get Vladimir, while we'll do the rest. Sounds like a plan eh?" she finished with a smile.

"Yeah, a plan to let the UN stay lazy, by fighting a toothless tiger," commented Zack, while you leave us with the beast."

A/N: The UN is still rather useless.

"Unfortunately, that is how it stands," said Joachim. "But we do have the power to pull this off and stop the Russians in your tracks. But we'll need all of you to be at your best. Are you all ready?"

"Yes sir!" the four pilots said in unison.

'It's time to settle this,' said Ivana to herself.

'Time to kick some commie ass!' thought Zack.

'I'm back and I'll be a hero!' thought Asuka.

'To save the world once more,' pondered Shinji.

A/N: I. AM. SO. SORRY. FOR. TAKING. THIS. LONG. TO. UPDATE. I've been well up over my ass with work and that stupid piece of shit they call university. Ah, rather up over my eyebrows in work. But nonetheless, I have never stopped thinking about this ever since I last updated. I've whittled my way slowly but surely until I got here. The bad news is that my updating will have no consistency until after mid-December. So if you can all bear with me, we'll all be cool.

A/O/N: And so the war has nearly begun. What is Vladimir's X-factor that will give him a chance to bring his armada to German soil? Will Shinji and friends stand a chance against Vladimir?

Until 68, be cool!