This Chapter has been edited for your enjoyment!

(A/N Okay, today marks the beginning of the complete story arc. I give my thanks to the one person who reviewed my story, but lets see if this will pull in some more interest. I've looked over this document several times and tried to improve the dialogue. I'm not too pleased with it, but your mileage may vary. Anyway, just try it and see if you like it.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion, Ace Combat, or Halo. However, my navy will soon storm Japan, my marines are outside of Microsoft, and I have a ship in orbit about to blow Namco off the Planet. Soon my precious...XX

Chapter 2

So it Begins

"T-Minus 2 Minutes till launch"

"Over boost pressure zone is nominal"

"All gauges within the green zone"

"First Stage contact cleared"

So this is it, the big moment, the launch into the unknown. We would be the first ones to enter, the first ones to fight. We would also test and use the new weapon of the now recently formed Federation Counsel, the Evangelion. They didn't tell us why and they hardly gave us a reason. All we were given was a piece of paper stating how we would do this and when it would happen. Trained in haste for the past 3 months, we were few among a list of fine officers and soldiers, all eliminated until my group of four was all that remained.

The briefing was very skimpy on details, probably edited down to its bare essentials, or, the need to know part. In essence, temporal disturbances have been recorded by random ships traveling throughout UNSC territory and we were to find a way to prevent them. And what better way to stop them than by going to their very source!

Marines moving in and out of the platoon tell stories of these 'mysterious occurrences', saying anyone put into an investigation team would come across a site of pure terror and despair. They even told of some expeditors retiring because of the things they saw, but that's just another rumor. As for what they saw? It's said that when any team arrived, they would find clothes and suits scattered about, covered by an orange fluid which would puddle across the halls of the ship. There are even rumors of survivors, but were said to have gone so mentally insane, from whatever they had seen, that they had to be put into straight jackets just be kept from tearing away at their own flesh. Originally, I had just laughed these rumors off as somebody's own cruel, twisted joke.

But now I'm the one on a UNSC Heavy Cruiser, about to be catapulted into space for that very reason!

How ironic.

The Units we would be taking into battle were the first of their kind. They were called Evangelion; or Eva for short. However, in light of the fact that only soldier's of my type are even remotely capable of piloting these large 'mechanized' beasts of destruction (For now at least, more rumors talk on changing that fact), they were renamed as the first 'Spartan Units', numbers 1 through 4. That got a chuckle out of Hans 'Archer' Grimm, a skilled veteran who's also along for the ride with us. But despite that, he still acts like the 'kid' member of this group from time to time. Nonetheless, they were a first for our time, a weapon said to revolutionize the way we fight well into the next century! Such a ludicrous statement is hardly worth writing down, but there's still a strange presence about these things. The so called 'Schematics' ONI gave me hardly fills the void of curiosity. But I must digress!

Spartan Unit 1 consisted of a white paintjob all around. It had shoulder pads extending horizontally with two pieces of armor protecting each of its entire fore-arms. On its head, it wore what looked like to be a helmet with a 3 piece mask over the 'mouth' with a 'horn' extending upward and two blade-like extensions going in opposite directions from below the horn. Its real predominate feature was the 6 wings that spread from a central point along the back just below the hatch for the entry plug.

Spartan Unit 2 also had a white paint job with a helmet almost similar to the one my Eva wore, except it had two winglet extensions coming out the top. It was lightly armored, if not minimally, but it was supposed to be the fastest unit of them all. It had no face mask, but I'm sure the armor it wore there did a fine enough job of that anyway.

Spartan Unit 3 was most heavily armored with a gray paintjob and probably the heaviest one. It wore no helmet like the others, showing off an elongated head with eyes on both sides that would stare menacingly at any who would dare look at it. It was the most armored because it was the only Eva designed to use the Marasawa Mk III portable laser cannon. The Marasawa was a long rifle with the top barrel extending upwards like a small arm-guard for its user.

Spartan Unit 4 was the last design and probably the most balanced among the 4. It wore a helmet also similar to mine; only the face plate was a smooth, rounded one piece rather than square and 3 piece. It definitely had that menacing look to it, probably the one that creeped me out the most. At least I wouldn't have to fight it, right?

Our orders are clear, we are to enter the slipspace gate and find the disturbance as quickly as possible. From there we are to shut down and secure whatever it is that is causing these temporal disturbances. If we cannot secure the source, than we are to destroy it by any means necessary. A simple in and out retrieval for the military, right? I pray that it stays that way…for the sake of the four units under my command, myself included. The fewer complications, the better I'll feel.

Looking up, I check the countdown timer and quickly realize something. Time is running really short!

"Engaging final directives."

"Over boost charging."

"Pulse Generators functioning nominally."

"Capacitors are at max."

"Catapult locks released."

"10 seconds till launch."

Looking forward again, I continue with my final pre-mission thoughts, thinking how 'This is it, our moment of truth.' But what were we proving exactly?

They told us that the jump is still experimental, aside from being the first of its kind, so we were the first to make the leap as our survivability was the highest. Gee swell if that didn't make me feel better. And of course, with any first in history, something always tends to go wrong. However, they were kind enough to tell us that in two weeks, they would try and send us supplies with another jump by tracking our Eva's homing beacons. I wouldn't hold my breath for that one either, the last promise the military made to me ended at the cost of a life to a fellow squad member and I swore it would never happen again. Hence my current distrust in all military matters that seem odd or out of place.

Now watching the countdown timer, time seems to tick on forever, slowly the clock winds down.

"5…4…3…2…1…"

Now is the time! We, the soldier, help to shape the destiny of mankind. And today is no different!

"LAUNCH!!!"

The catapult lurches forward as the overboost kicks in, sending the Eva flying into awaiting abyss. The G-Force quickly punches me back into the control console's seat, pushing me further inward as I roll along the catapult's railing. The abyss continues to grow rapidly right up until it swallows me, replacing the surrounding canvas with stars twinkling off in all directions. Looking off to the side, I notice the other units following suit out the side catapults. The formation is all too familiar, looking back at our past occupation as SA-77 (Silpheed) pilots.

As luck would have it, they are the same squad mates I was assigned with almost 10 years back. I'm the tip of the sword, leading a four man formation through the very abyss that has engulfed us. Looking onward, I smile with the sudden satisfaction of knowing everything's going to be alright. So long as I have my allies…my comrades…my friends, following me every step of the way, it's almost seems like enough to make me feel better…almost.

"Opening Slipspace gate now!"

A blinding flash of light jets by, several beams pass out in front before converging together to form a vortex of blue and white. It's a defiantly beautiful sight for something as deadly as trans-light travel.

"Good luck Spartans, we'll be seeing you soon."

Through the unshakable feeling of death in this guy's voice, I manage to reply, "Alright, just don't keep us waiting too long." That is, if they come at all! I don't plan on waiting.

As the gate moves closer to us, I can feel the increasing radiance of the light as it draws near. It would soon absorb us and take us to a place where our fate is in the hands of whatever god may be watching over us. But would that place be the beginning or the end of our journey? All these questions and more would be answered as the vortex suddenly…

I look off into the never ending tube of light, struggling to recollect what had just happened. The wall had hit us such force that it felt like hitting a brick wall. It looks like now we're being thrown down the Slipspace gate, beyond the sight of one another. It's getting harder to think as the shaking seems to tear at my mind itself. It's finally getting to me after ignoring it for so long. Than the question of how long I have been here pops comes to mind. Since time really has no meaning inside of Slipspace, who knows how long I've been here.

I've already tried hailing the others over the communications link, but my attempts have come to no avail until…

The crackling on the receiver begins to morph into a voice, "Captain…..Captain! Can you hear me……Captain please respond!"

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. The voice belonged to Kei 'Edge' Nagase, the pilot of S-Unit 2. Flushed with remedial joy, I scramble to send a message back.

"Come in Edge, have you heard anything from the others?"

…static…

"Edge? ...Edge!!? ...Edge, do you read me, respond!"

…silence…

"EDGE!!!"

Dammit! Is she gone or just out of range? The gritting of my teeth does nothing to relieve the frustration. I fear now that I have grown far too close to her. It had all started with a simple talk in the lounge of a UNSC frigate, shortly after the war. It was nothing serious, just some coffee and some conversation with a friend. I guess one thing had led to another and before I knew it…well, I wouldn't say we were 'seeing' each other, but something happened. I'd swore to myself in my early years as a Spartan that I would never get involved with anyone only because it would distract me from my sworn duty to serve the UNSC and, ultimately, to protect mankind. With a sigh of frustration, I close the com link and shove the worst of thoughts into the back of my head.

It won't end like this! Kei isn't one to die in a situation like this.

The light continues to intensify, the shaking soon following suit. All of it forces me to turn away from the front screen as my helmet's visor switches to its maximum opacity setting, desperately trying to keep the light out. I can no longer see the controls in front of me. Not while my arms are up, trying to block everything shining in front of me. The panel in front of me begins to disappear as light becomes darkness, and all that appears before me is…

"Nothing…absolutely nothing." And that statement, being all too literal, is exactly what I find myself in…nothing but a pitch black empty nothing! And for the love of god, am I floating in it?

"What the hell happened? Where am I? Am I…?" I yell out for an answer that probably won't come. Figures, it wouldn't be the first time in my life.

"No, you're still alive." A voice startles me from behind.

Quickly, I turn around only to find myself looking not into the face of God or Satan, or even a stranger for that matter. It was the familiar face of…

"Chopper!!?" Yeah, you can't miss that messed up grin of his.

The old Friend, dressed in full military attire. It almost saddens me to think of the last time I've seen him dressed like that. It's a nice, full white suit, decorated with every medal he had ever received back in war time. He even had his small white officer's cap on. It's definitely been awhile in my books, but how much longer is that for him?

"Well Kid, I see you actually bothered to remember me. I thought for a minute, since it's been so long since we last talked, that you would have gone and forgotten about little old me." He smiles, taking off his cap and stroking his brown haired mullet with an available hand.

This gets a smile out of me. He hasn't changed a bit since his death, but that doesn't matter. It's nice to hear his crack sense of humor at least one more time. But after looking once more at his suit, I proceed to looking at my own clothing and realize that I was no longer wearing my armor. Instead, it looks more like I'm wearing a plain white undershirt paired with plain white under-armour for pants. But going aside from that, I think of something more urgent to say…

"So…where is this place if I'm still alive? And wait, if I'm not dead, than how are you…"

"Whoa, slow down, all questions will be answered at the end of the tour my old friend. Right now, I need to get you thinking on something more important first."

"And what is that?" Might as well inquire him further, primarily because this is a strange place to be and the sooner I get my answers, the sooner I can leave.

"Well, I will tell you where you are first good ole' captain of mine, just as an introduction. Welcome to the nexus of Universes!

"Nexus of Universes?" Yep, something was definitely strange, and it wasn't just the location.

"Yes, this is a place where all realities and possibilities come together, each affecting one affecting the other in unforeseen ways. Put in terms even you will understand, if one Universe is affected in a large enough way, it will affect the others right next to it in a sort of domino affect."

He makes a gesture with his hands as to show these 'universes' colliding into one another.

His sudden change of subject hits a very sensitive nerve, calling for a retort, "I see, and the point of your impending speech is…?"

"The fact of the matter is that it explains why you're here. You've come to see what's going on in the Universe next door, in a different place as well as time."

"A different time!!? You've got to be kidding me!" Yeah…now he's getting into time travel? I think he's lost a couple marbles too many for my taste!

"Where you will end up after our little chat here, things may…or rather, will change. This includes the time, or rather, date, in which you enter that world. And as we both know, time has no meaning in Slipspace. Even the very laws of physics change when they're subjected to Trans-Light travel."

"Hmm, that sort of makes sense. Well, thanks for your time, but I really need to get back to where I came from, so if you care to make this long story short, than I'll just be on my way!" I cross my arms to display my impatience with him. I'm not trying to be rude, but if I'm not dead, I would like to get back to living thank you very much.

"I'm getting to that, just hold on a sec, will ya? The thing is, in the place you're going to end up in, your Eva is going to need something in addition to the pilot in order to function."

"Something else? Like what?"

Chopper bows his head slightly and seems to scowl, giving me a more serious look. And what a look it is! I've never thought it possible, in all my years serving with him, that he could look like this. But nevertheless, it gets my undivided attention.

"A human soul!" And if I ever thought it possible, this grabs even more of my attention. It also brought in a whole mess of questions that needed to be answered and answered now and I had just the question to give him.

"And what would happen if the Eva's were still as they are exiting out of the gate?"

Chopper's mug shifts into a cheesy grin, all for his triumph of getting me to think along his track of thought. But that doesn't last long, as his face shifts back to a look of seriousness, preparing to answer in his cool and calm manner.

"Your very bodies and souls would be absorbed into the Eva, never able to return to this or any world, so long as its core remains intact."

Now we have a problem and a large one at that. One that needs a proper solution and fast, or else…

"Is that why you brought me here? You actually plan to help us out with this…catastrophic problem?" Okay, he's still our friend, even in death, so why wouldn't he help us?

"Exactly, I have devised a way so that your Eva's can function without your souls…all of them at least."

"All of them?" Surprise doesn't even begin to explain my internal reaction to this 'solution'. And I wonder, what exactly did he mean when he said ALL of our souls? What is he going to do, tear out a piece of our very soul and say, there you go and all is right with the world, there are no repercussions whatsoever. And also, how do I know this isn't just a dream? For all I know, I could have been knocked out in Slipspace and this is all just a figment of my imagination, playing at my convenience until my armor wakes me up with an injection of adrenaline.

Suddenly tearing me from my thoughts, Chopper answers, "Well, since I already know how the whole system actually works, I've come up with only one way of doing this. Something else must substitute the space for the soul within the Eva's core. I'm not going to bore you with the disgusting details, but I will tell you that it's already been taken care of. However, when you wake up from this, you will not remember this conversation or this place at all."

"What!!? But why the hell not? And if you had already taken care of the problem, why did you bring me here anyway just to forget it all once I left?"

Chopper just smiles as if he's been expecting me to say that.

"Questions, questions, and more questions, that's all it is with you. Is it a crime just to say hello to my old captain once in a while?"

"The years have been pretty kind to you, huh?"

With that, I turn and proceed to walk…or rather, float, off in a direction…I think…when a door blocks my path.

"Take that door out, it should lead you back from whence you came. Although you won't remember anything about this, you can still leave knowing full well you're in my protective custody."

"Thanks, I feel a whole lot better now." A sarcastic reply, but he more than deserves it.

"Hey, you know me, just saving your butt whenever I can"

With a mock salute and a returned smile, I proceed to step through the door where my destiny lies…and my life…I hope.

(A/N So you survived my story, eh? Well, just wait until next week, because the danger is far from over, until next Saturday.)