This Chapter has been edited for your pleasure!

(A/N Okay, so here we go! Another fantastic chapter for EtLomS. I thank those of you who have reviewed my young and still growing story. Now note, this chapter was supposed to progress through more of the story, but I realised by a certain point that I was barely half way done with the chapter and already so much had been written. So, I will split Europa in to two parts. I hope you guys enjoy and maybe you'll review this time. I know some people are probably just waiting to flame me right now for my reviews, the whole 'Can't Do What You Preach' type thing. Crosses fingers for luck)

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo, Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Ace Combat. My forces at Microsoft report seeing the Master Chief in their forces and my navy in Japan was obliterated by unit-02. We're regrouping now and victory is close at hand!

Chapter 6

Europa Pt. 1

(POV Shinji Ikari)

Where am I?

The lone thought shoots from my mouth, traveling out thousands of miles into an empty darkness, echoing off an endless stream of undefined objects. Curled into a ball, I slowly unravel myself, lifting my head to get a good look at my surroundings. It looks like Unit-01's entry plug…but how is that possible? Isn't Unit-01 orbiting the planet miles out in space? I scratch my head, only to have them rub against the A-10 Nerve-Clips in my hair.

I look forward, seeing that the visual monitors are still working…or at least I think they are. All they show is a pitch-black wall stationed out in front of me. Shifting into an upright position, I scan around in all directions, hoping to find something out there, anything! But the screen only shows more darkness, more emptiness, and even more nothing.

Fatigue settles in, and so I lay my head back into the seat, closing my eyes in order to allow sleep to consume me. The Eva jerks violently, shaking the plug for a moment before settling back down. There's a thumping noise coming from outside the Eva. Re-opening my eyes, I stare back at the wall of emptiness, only now, something has changed. The wall is being torn at…from the other side. The wall slowly slides apart as it opens to reveal another dark abyss, lined with small white dots…almost like stars. A figure floats between me and the starry abyss, a human shaped shadow. The shadow tears the wall further apart, letting itself in, its white eyes glowing with an intense fury. The glow is just like an Eva's, narrowing as it focuses its sight on me.

The shadow slowly slides into the space surrounding me, slipping in through the gap it just made in the wall. It closes the distance between us, its eyes glowing brighter. I begin to sweat, something in the back of my head screams at me to back away from it, but what can I do? The Eva refuses to move, no matter how much I scream and jerk at the controls. The shadow reaches out with its hand, trying reach out to me, as if it's trying to desperately get a hold of me. I keep trying to get away, screaming louder and moving the controls, begging Unit-01 to move away from the approaching figure, all to no avail. The shadow's hand clasps around my face, ignoring my desperate pleas for life, and the hand begins to tug…

Screaming bloody murder, I jump from the seat out into the space in front of me. I pant hard, taking a moment to look at the surroundings. I wipe the sweat off my brow and take note the other people around me. Nobody seems to have noticed my sudden night terror, or fail to care for it in the least. With one last comforting breath, I calm myself down once and for all.

Looking out the window of the plane, I ponder the events of the last 12 hours. Out the window is Germany, so it won't be long until the plane arrives over Berlin and begins to descend. But what than? I don't understand a lick of German, my only link being the translation booklet in my pocket. I pray that it will be enough for me to find Asuka.

But what really bothers me is just how much Misato helped me in getting onto this plane. She was the one who gave me the ticket, the book, and a little money for the trip. I guess she can't hate me forever, but she did say, 'I'll deal with your attitude later, just bring Asuka home.' And that's exactly what I intend to do…as soon as I can locate her.

Misato also mentioned that the tip that came over the phone actually came from her Father's house, where she is supposedly residing at, just to the north of Berlin. Now the only problem is locating the house all way out in the German countryside. No pressure, right? Alright than, I guess it's time to get started.

"This is your captain speaking, if you would please buckle up and set your seat into its upright position, we can begin our decent into Tegel international airport in Berlin. We thank you for choosing us as your flight from Tokyo-2 international to Berlin and hope you choose to fly with us again real soon."

The captain repeats his message in German to all of the passengers that can actually understand it, whilst I turn my attention back out the window. I wonder how I should present myself to Asuka. I've already concluded that the normal approach would scare her off again, so I need to come up with something that is truthful and won't send her bolting for the next continent. But what can I say that will convince her to come home with me…back to Misato and company?

Yet, I have no idea how she's going to react, much less she'll say to the final question. I guess I'll deal with that roadblock once I get to it.

The inertia of the plane shifts as the decent into the airport begins. A minute or two passes before the thump and squeal of tires reaches my ears, signaling touchdown. The plane taxis to the airport terminal and all of the passengers file out accordingly. I put the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, making it so nobody can recognize me, Shinji Ikari. I'm only here to be seen and recognized by one person, not the entire European continent.

I step off the plane, successful in not being noticed throughout the entire trip, but I do receive some odd looks. It's summertime in Germany and I'm the one wearing a sweatshirt with a hood, so I'm bound to receive some strange looks here and there, but it's nothing to worry about.

Everyone else around me is either dressed in shorts or any sort of summer clothing that will help against the blazing heat. I continue my way through the airport, looking for any place where I can look up an address or location in or outside Berlin. I manage to find my way to a row of phone booths, some occupied with busy travelers conversing with family or others used by businessmen in their expensive suits. I find myself forced into the farthest booth, but to my luck, there's a phonebook waiting to be scanned. I flip through several pages but I can't comprehend the lettering in the book. It's not just another language here, there's a whole different way of writing as well.

I drop the idea of finding an address in the phone book and move further along the terminal. Maybe I can find a Taxi that will know the way to Dr. Soryu's. I step out the airport's south entrance, which leads me to the edge of a giant loop. People bustle in and out as they move between the entrance and an assortment of cars and taxis, all carrying suitcases or one of many different forms of luggage. For lack of better term, I call this senseless mess a zoo. Walking amongst the crowd, I reach the curb and start to hail a Taxi, waiving my limbs and probably looking like an idiot. After about a minute or so of making a mockery of myself, a yellow cab pulls up in front of me. I put my suitcase in the back and pull out my translation booklet.

I start reading, flipping through page after page in an attempt to build an understandable sentence.

I finally manage to memorize one. "Können…Sie… mich…ins…Haus…von Sohryu…bringen?"

Handing him about 5,000 Yen, he nods without saying a word. When I finally do climb into the back of the car, the driver steps on the gas and the search begins. We leave the airport heading southeast, according to the compass I had brought with me, until we hit a highway that takes us northeast. We travel along this highway, the sight of tall buildings slides along the window, but these buildings have much to be awed for. Their tall, glassy structures block off the horizon, creating endless rows of indistinguishable slabs. I heard once in class that many world wide cities had developed quickly following the events of the second impact, and many developed massive skyscrapers to keep up with a growing business demand. The journey on this highway lasts about 20 minutes, and than we transfer onto another highway, this time heading east.

Now on this new freeway, the Taxi man speeds up the cab to a magnitude that can't be legal, but I should probably keep my mouth shut. Another 10 minutes pass before we leave this highway, finally exiting onto a smaller road. With only a few buildings around, I can safely assume that we are outside the city. More time passes as we journey into an area dense with trees. The strong sunlight beams through the trees, letting small rays of light glimmer along the path. The setting is deceivingly gorgeous.

Eventually, the taxi pulls up to a very large…and I emphasize on LARGE…house. The estate rests beside a lake, with small groups of people out on the back, either lazing around the water's edge or swimming in the water. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, their laughter and smiles genuinely viewed against the crest of the lake.

The car stops at the edge of a long driveway and I am allowed to step out. I hand the driver his fare before removing my luggage, allowing him to speed back down the road and disappear into the foliage.

I turn to face this behemoth of a house, letting it tower over my meager presence. I swallow the lump in my throat, my heart skipping a beat in the process, and trying to avoid the list of 'how things can go terribly wrong'.

But all I need is a way to Asuka and from there I can wing it. Maybe if I flash my old NERV ID badge to security, I can slip in without resistance.

I pull out the old familiar card with my picture displayed on the front, the professional appearance that I have never achieved stares back at me. The guys at NERV still haven't invalidated it yet, so it works as it did before third impact. I could probably use it to convince Dr Soryu that I'm Section 2 since it doesn't state my occupation. I look again at the house before settling my nerves and finally walk up to the door.

Voices pass from beyond the door, people shouting at each other in an apparent argument. The tension in the voices flares up, finally cut off by the slamming of a door, thus ending the undistinguished conversation. Having unknowingly held my breath the whole time, I allow myself breathe again, straightening up and finally apply my fist to the door.

The knocking itself seems to echo throughout the house, only making it seem that much larger and menacing. I hear footsteps make their way to the door, also echoing across the floor as they thump closer. The door swings opens, greeting me to the sight of a very tall, well dressed man with sunglasses and black hair. I feel the sweat pour from my brow at the sight of this tall, intimidating figure.

"Yes…um, I'm here about Miss Sohryu." Crap, I forgot to speak in German. Now where did I put that book?

"Yeah? And you are!!?" He understands? That's a surprise, but more convenient for me…or not.

I fumble through my pockets, finally managing to pull out my wallet and show him the ID. The man snatches it from my hand, lowering the sunglasses he wore. He appears to examine it for flaws, looking closely for any signs of forgery. After about thirty seconds, he hands it back to me.

"So, you're here to see about Dr. Soryu's daughter, is that correct?" He finally asks only repeating what I had already said.

"Yes, I need to speak with her right away." Again with the repetition.

The man takes one last look at me before shrugging and leading me into the house. Following him, I take in the house's large interior and intriguing décor. I'm lead past hallways lavished in flowers, pots, and other artistic objects. This isn't the kind of setting I would have believed would fit a world famous scientist who helped in the Evangelion project, but that's just me. The colors just seem a little…tacky.

Brought up a flight of stairs and to the end of a long hall, we stop at a doorway with a wreath set in the center with words written on it, words I couldn't understand. It was probably written in the usual German.

As he grips the handle, the large man speaks, "Before I can let you in, there's one thing I have to tell you?"

I nod giving him my full attention. Besides, this was Asuka we were talking about. He'd probably say something about her wild temper, her large-ass ego and pride, or how she hates other people in her room with her. The same typical, cynical, impatient, self-preserved Asuka…

"To the point, she's not in a good state. She won't see anyone, she hardly eats, and she refuses to move most of the time. The only reason Dr. Soryu called you Section 2 guys is because he doesn't want to deal with her like this. If you can get her to cooperate, that's fine but don't expect much of the sort."

Mulling over what the man had just said, he finally opens the door revealing to me a pitiful sight. There, slumped amongst the flowers, stuffed animals, and…the color red… upon a decently sized bed, lay the motionless figure of Asuka Langely Soryu. I begin to walk towards her, the man behind me shutting the door without even entering. Shuffling closer, her back is turned to the door and her attention unnoticing of me.

Slowly building myself up, I start taking more steps in her direction, reaching out slowly to shake her shoulder and gain her attention.

Taking one last breath knowing full well it may be my last, I say, "um…Asuka, are you awake?" oh…smooth! That one was original; you're dead now for sure!

Looking back, I see that she hasn't responded to me, in fact, she remains unfazed. Carefully, I tap her shoulder to see if she is even aware of me. Shaking it lightly just enough to wake someone up, she stirs in her sleep.

"Edgar, I told you, just leave me alone." Her voice is empty, solemn, and lonely, no longer filled with any positive emphases. And what's an Edgar?

I reply, "Edgar? No, it's me, Shinji. You remember me, right?"

She doesn't immediately respond, but instead rolls over and rubs her eyes. "Who?"

"Shinji Ikari, the boy you used to live with back in Japan." Used to? I make it sound like it happened years ago…it's only been a few weeks!

She slowly shifts, as she begins to sit upright on the bed. She turns around to face me, putting her legs over the side of the bed as she lifts her face and her blue eyes gaze into my own. Moments pass as neither of us says anything and Asuka just sits there examining me over and over again.

Finally she says, "No…it can't be you, this has to be a dream. I thought I left you and everyone else back in Japan."

"Well, half of that is true." Okay, way to pour on the harsh reality. But why did she want to leave? ...how did she leave?

"So if you're real, why did you come searching for me?" She asks with a sad look on her face, the same face she had worn before running off to commit suicide after the fight with the sixteenth angel.

"I came only to ask you to come back to Japan, nothing more." My face feels like its burning. Wait, that's not why I'm here…argh.

"But I don't want to go back. I like it here, even if it is with my basterd father." Well, this is a fine example of showing your enjoyment. Moping on the bed and ignoring all else, that's something. "It's not like I have anything to go back to Shinji. My mother is lost to me, the Eva project is no more, and NERV is disbanded. There's not even a home for me to return to, so I would rather stay here and wait out the rest of my existence. It's beats returning to face your death."

"But if you don't come with me now, Section 2 will eventually show up and take you by force anyway," It doesn't matter if she wants to stay or not, she's coming back anyway. I just prefer it be with me than with someone else. Besides, I need to set the record straight with her.

She gets off the bed, walking over to a window and pulling the velvet curtains aside, allowing sunlight to flood the room with sparkling radiance. She stands in the wake of silence, light beaming unto her pale skin. She peers off into the distance, a sudden look of focus and drive, the light adding a certain divinity to the picture.

"They'll never find me because this is the last place anyone would expect me to go. After all…" She trails off, but continues to answer in defiance!

"Yet, I found you pent up here, so how does that stop anyone else from finding out." Please think with some sense Asuka, I'm trying to help.

"Because you're an idiot and there's no way you could know about the relationship between me and my father!" She yells back from the window, eyes ablaze with hatred.

"And this makes me any different from the guys at Section 2, who don't give a damn about who you know and whatever it is you've done?"

"Yes, because unlike you, those guys have a record of why I escaped from my father so many years ago!" She yells even louder.

"Your father was the one that told us where you were." I cover my mouth realizing what I had just said. I just mentioned another betrayal in her life. Great job Ikari!

A hard clamor comes from the door, the door rattles simultaneously with a loud pounding. Both Asuka and I turn to face whatever was making that noise. The knock comes again, this time followed by curses and shouts.

"Asuka let me in this instant. That man I let in here is not really from Section 2!" A new voice, who could it be?

Asuka and I face each other and without saying a word about it, Asuka turns back to the door and yells, "How do you know he's not from Section 2?"

"Because Section 2 is at the door, waiting to speak with you. This man is an imposter, so let me in so I can deal with him!" Crap, I didn't think this could happen. There's no contingency

"Shit, you told him you were Section 2." And there's something wrong with this how?

"It was the only way I could get in. Besides, what would you do so differently, huh?" She'd probably just beat the guard up.

"Shit." Asuka runs back to the window, swinging the panes open and waving for me to come over. I look back at the door, hearing the pounding is begin to increase, meaning it probably won't hold for much longer. When I look back, Asuka has already jumped out the window onto a tree that looms just outside. She waves again for me to follow.

"Are you sure this is safe?" It's a long way down. One wrong move and this little escape will end in a flash.

"Of course it is!" She waves again with less patience. "I used to do it all the time when I was living here. Now stop being a baby and jump."

I recite a small prayer in my head before stepping back, making a run for the tree with a leap towards the branch. Taking one more step on the branch, I lose my balance and start to fall. Gravity tugs at my body, threatening to end the journey until I feel a slender hand grab my own, pulling me back up on to the branch. Without a word Asuka begins climbing down the trunk, to which I follow behind in hot pursuit.

We reach the bottom just in time to hear the door in Asuka's room give way, followed by the sound of footsteps trampling in after us. Silently, we make for the street as fast as our legs carry us. I feel bad for Asuka, since she's the one running without shoes. After about 10 minutes of full blown running, we stop to catch our breaths. Asuka stands up again, taking out a small cellular phone. Flipping it open, she begins dialing the number pad.

"Who are you calling?" Yeah, who would you call in the middle of an escape?

She gives a harsh look, pressing a finger to her lips. "Shhh…I'm calling us a Taxi, so hush."

She Returns to her phone, while all I can do is sit and watch her speak in German to whoever is on the other side of the line. Precious minutes tick past as she converses over the phone before finally folding it up, putting it back into her pocket, and turning to face me. "I got us a Taxi. They should be here in about 5 minutes, which should allow us to go to Berlin and lay low for a few hours before splitting off."

"Split off?" I hope she doesn't mean what I think she means.

"Yes split off, go our own separate ways, you know? Traverse! Do you understand or must I speak slower Third Child." Is she returning to her old self or is this madness speaking? She hasn't been acting like I thought she would…something doesn't feel right.

"And than what Asuka? Where would you go with Section 2 hunting you until they get you to come back to Japan? And they'll do it with or without your cooperation, so just stop running." Running? Did I just say she was the one running?

"Does it matter? I'll go wherever I please whenever I please and, last I checked, you weren't in charge of what I do, so back off." She twists her face in anger, trying to get me to back off again!

Just as I open my mouth to retaliate, a honking noise travels from behind me. Both of us turn to meet the noise, coming from our just ordered taxi as the driver waves from the door. Despite being suspiciously fast, we both run over and climb in while Asuka hands the man some bills and whispers something in German. The car starts rolling and we start for Berlin.

The car became stone silent as it traveled backward along the route that I had originally come in on. We arrive back in the city after about 15 minutes of driving, probably because this time we didn't turn for the airport, but instead exited the freeway at the northern part of the city. New, tall buildings and skyscrapers litter this part of town, all of which appear to have been built just recently.

Asuka once again speaks to the driver, to which we stop in front of what appears to be a small café. Giving the man a few more bills, we both exit the vehicle and head for said café. I still can't read the sign, but that doesn't matter as Asuka enters through the front with me in tow.

As we search for a table, Asuka says, "We'll talk more here, there are some things you need to understand before we split off."

I nod, but I have full intention of convincing her otherwise. I want her to come back with me to Japan and Misato and…uh oh! She finds a table in a fenced region just outside the café. We sit down and face each other, allowing a full ten seconds of awkward silence to pass between us.

Breaking the silence, Asuka points to the lounge inside. "Are you thirsty, because I can get some drinks if you want?"

"No, I'm fine." Its shear madness! We come here to quickly converse and she suddenly backs out on me. What the hell is wrong with her? "But was it that you brought me here for? What did you need to tell me so badly?"

Silence ensues once more, Asuka stares into the table and not a word is spoken. I wait for her to start, but just when I think she isn't going to tell me, she takes a deep breath and I prepare for the words to come flying out.

"Do you know why I'm even able to sit with you right now and have this conversation?" Why is she answering a question with another question? Answers please!

I fathom an answer though. "Because you survived the instrumentality that was meant to unite humanity and came back with me to a hollow and empty Earth." That answer had seemed a lot better in my head.

"Yes, because of instrumentality. Shinji, did you know that before all of that happened, I died. I died and my mother was taken with me." She starts to cry, which I have only seen happen on too few occasions. But I'm more than convinced something is wrong with her.

"Died? And your mother? All I remember was seeing your Eva ripped to shreds, I thought your mother was back here in Germany."

"I thought I already told you, that wasn't my real mother. My mother was supposed to be dead, but than something happened. While I was hiding in Unit-02, I found myself with another presence, one that felt too familiar…one that was soft and warm." She flows into a slight trance, a single tear finding its way down her cheek, "And now that Unit-02 is gone and NERV no longer exists, there's nothing for me to return to. The only reason I know you and the others is because of Eva. Without it, who or what am I?"

"You're Asuka Langely Soryu, who else." I state something she likes in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Oh…don't rub it in Third! The only thing Asuka Langely Soryu ever was and should be is an Eva pilot." She starts to go into a full blown sob, which catches the attention of pedestrians on the sidewalks. Occupants of the restaurant look over to see what's happening. One man walks over to me and starts yelling something in German. Not knowing what to say, I shrug my shoulders, but that just gets me pushed to the ground. Getting back on my feet, I prepare to go another round…but the man's attention isn't one me.

He looks back behind with his mouth agape before jumping the fence and running down the street. I run over to Asuka to try and get her moving, all the while, people around us are screaming and running. I look back to see what they're running from, but I don't see anything. Shaking Asuka to get her aroused, she continues crying and remains limp.

"Just go home Third Child. Leave me alone…"

The ground beneath my feet rumbles, causing me to stumble and look for my balance. Desperate at getting Asuka and myself out of here, I pick her up and sling her over my shoulder. Finally moving, although rather slowly due to the additional 'weight' on my back, I make my way inside and back out of the restaurant. Looking back up the street, I look back up the street in the direction everyone is running from. The culprit finally comes into view, walking down the street, shaking the asphalt apart with every step.

"An Eva!!?"

(A/N So there you have it, the first half to Europa. Here's a little trivia for you, the title for this chapter come from the song by Globus in their album Epicon, so to diclaim it, I don't own Europa. But listen to it to get its meaning! Hope you guys all review!!!)