(A/N Great news everyone[aside from the fact that this story refuses...yet again, to die I just got accepted to a college, so in about a half a year or so, I'm going to be changing home bases. This may or may not affect the story, but it doesn't mean I'm going to give up either. I also have more good news! Started in January, the first of a bunch of commisioned artwork for this story has begun to pour out onto the internet at deviant art. Can you guess the commisoned artist? Why it's me of course...so yeah, don't expect the best of stuff until I get the hang of photoshop. You'll find a link on my main page if you're curious, but now to end my elongated speech.)

Disclaimor: I do NOT own Halo, Evangelion, or Ace combat...WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY!!?

Chapter 17

Pulling Royalty

(POV Shinji Ikari)

"Cheers to good health, a roof over our heads, and great company to share it with." Misato yells across the dining room table, raising a beer high over her head in unforeseen excitement.

"What's got you all worked up Misato. Did Kaji come back from the dead or did you win an unlimited supply of beer?" Asuka's comment destroys Misato's momentary enthusiasm, suddenly shifting into sunken despair coupled with the frustration of such a delicate subject.

"Do you have to ruin the fun today, Asuka? I for one believe that you too have something to celebrate about! Wouldn't you agree Shinji?" Both pairs of eyes lay their sights on me; hungry for a response I'm not willing to risk my neck over.

"Well...you did get Unit-02 back, so I guess that's something else to celebrate…" A simple answer for a simple question right?

"You think it's that easy, don't you third child? Just hand me back Unit-02 and I'd straighten up again, is that it? Well think again Ikari, because it isn't that simple." It never is easy to deal with this ticking time bomb. Please Misato, stop the fuse now!

"Now Asuka…"

"And you Misato, what have you to celebrate over? You're back working the same job for the same people who made your life miserable for longer than I've been around, and you want to throw a fucking party. What's the deal Misato, just what did you have planned for tonight?" Asuka stops, catching her breath, all eyes now on Misato for an answer.

"Well, since you really must know, I invited some friends over for a few rounds of Texas Hold 'em. I was thinking about teaching you guys before they showed up, but I see that you really don't feel up to it." Misato finishes with a quick swig of beer and an audible sigh. "Kids these days."

"You're one to talk, Misato. With all the unhealthy habits we've seen you do, it's not like you're any better. In fact, I'd say that you're more drunk than Shinji is perverted. But, that's just the natural order of the apartment, it can't be helped!" Oh lord, not this again. Asuka, just drop it, you can't win against Misato.

"Hey, I could quit anytime I want. It's just in my best interest to take something to keep me focused and help me wake up in the morning. You'll understand when you're old like me." She shuts her eyes and smiles as Asuka jumps back in shock, her fists shaking while pressed into the wooden table.

"OLD like YOU!!? There's no way in this lifetime that I'll ever end up looking, sounding, or even remotely acting like you in any way, shape, or form! And don't ever try to compare my life to yours either." Asuka huffs, her back arching up and down while she leans more of her body weight across the table.

"You'll see in a couple years. One moment, you're the teenage queen, than you're suddenly an old geezer like me!" Misato remains motionless, not staved by Asuka's violent advances. Rather, she's holding herself up pretty well in this female battle of words…hopefully the gender line will stay intact as well.

"Old geezer is right, you must be what…35? …40? And you're still on your first liver and stomach? Now that's an impressive feat."

"You should try it yourself. When you're old enough, I'm gonna have to take you two out for a night on the town, to see how 'old geezers' like myself actually have fun." Misato takes another sip, than shaking it to make sure it's empty. Satisfied, she crushes it against her forehead and cracks open the next one on the table.

"Nice trick. How many beers does it take to learn?" Asuka's hostility knows no bounds this evening. It's almost as if she's been waiting to pick a fight with Misato and will use any argument to get a battle started. Asuka's already poked the beast several times with her stick, and yet she remains unscathed.

"Surprisingly enough, I picked it up when I was still on soda…back during MY teenage years. They almost seem like a whole other lifetime ago." Whether it's a flashback or the beer is finally kicking in, Misato leans back into a silent trance. Her eyes gaze at the ceiling in a half-conscience manner. I wonder if it has to do with her past…the one I've never heard about. "Well, our guests should be arriving in just a few minutes. Than the real games begin."

"Great, you've called all your old college drinking buddies and are planning to spend the evening here, spending the rest of the night gambling your savings away to the drunkest of the lot." Misato sets her fresh beer down and smiles at Asuka, almost as if she has a planned response.

"I wouldn't say 'college drinking buddies.' I haven't even had the fortune of sharing a drink with these guys…at least, not yet." Misato finishes and downs another gulp, not even bothering to offer an explanation afterwards.

"Wait, you're letting strangers, male strangers into the house for beer and cards?" Asuka's relentless skeptics are still on target. She never seems to miss a beat.

"Actually, two guys and a girl would be more accurate, but they're on there way and they should be here in just a few minutes." Misato turns toward the clock, which reads off as Six O'clock in the evening. A mere fifteen minutes after our quite and calm dinner.

"Two guys and a girl…hmm" Asuka places a hand on her chin as she puts her mind towards solving the mystery. She violently snaps out the pose with sudden realization. "Shit, you didn't invite the other two stooges AND Hikari, did you?"

Misato puts the beer can to her lips again, shutting her eyes and gulping audibly. This incessant drinking begins to push at the limits of MY patience as she hasn't given us a straight answer at all this evening. Yet she keeps on drinking from the same can for an obviously excessive period of time, and how she can do that without breathing I may never know. Her hand crushes the can and she drops it from her lips, finally taking a breath of air.

Her lips crease into a smile. "A good guess Asuka, but you're completely off the mark."

"Ah, Dammit! Than who the hell did you call? Is it someone we don't know? Shinji, you've been too quite, you must know something!" From grumpy to eccentric, Asuka has bounded across an emotional gap I dare not cross. Asuka leans over the top side of the table, roughly grasping my collar, her lips curling into a centric smile. "You know something you're not telling. Spill it Third, before I wrangle your neck."

"I…know nothing, I swear. I'm just as surprised as you." Okay, maybe not surprised, but it sure wasn't expected. Just as her hands begin to tighten around for the kill, she's stopped by the sound of the doorbell in the hallway.

"Well, that must be them. I'll get the door while you two straighten up. I don't want our guests to enter to the sight of an all out brawl." She gets up from her seat and leaves the table; glancing back to make sure Asuka releases my collar from her grip.

"You get off easy this time Ikari. Just don't look so suspicious next time and I won't have to hurt you." Wait, I LOOK suspicious? Yeah, I'm sure I'm in complete control of whether I look 'suspicious' or not! A wondrous week this is turning out to be.

Misato's voice floats from the hallway. "Yes, they're over this way…I need to go grab the deck and chips so help yourself to some beer in the fridge."

A deep male voice proceeds next. "Thanks, but I'll be fine with a couple glasses of water."

A female voice follows the last. "You wouldn't happen to have some sake, I need something to unwind."

"I might have a little somewhere in the kitchen. Make yourselves comfortable on the kitchen and I'll make an effort to track it down."

Something tickles my ear, grazing the sides uncomfortably. "Hey, Shinji. Any guesses on whom Misato's mysterious card players are?"

Asuka's head hovers right over mine, causing some of her red hair to fall over my shoulders and into my face. I spit out some of the less fortunate strands which happened to enter my mouth before reopening it. "Your guess is as good as mine Asuka! …could you please get off, your hair tastes terrible."

"Deal with it…oop, here they come." The strands of hair slide back over my face as Asuka retreats back to her former position, awaiting the visual appearance of the guests walking in from the other room.

A shadow stops at the door, almost as if stopped by some invisible force or something rather meant to keep them from coming in through the door.

"Marcus, hurry up or you're going to be left out of the first deal." The female voice stands at the edge of the doorway, talking to one of the apparent males of the group.

"You and Hans go ahead. I really need this glass of water."

"Fine, quench your thirst. Just don't drown yourself like last time because we're not stopping on the way back to base." The female states the comment in an unserious manner, maybe lightening the mood for her compatriots.

A foot enters through the doorway, settling down and pulling in the body of one of the voices. She enters the room and looks over at the table, taking immediate notice of mine and Asuka's presence. Without warning, she raises her hand in a friendly, outspoken gesture.

"Hey Asuka, how're you doing?" Surprisingly, Asuka smiles at this unknown stranger, who on further examination by my part, turns out to be less of a stranger than I originally thought.

"Good to see you again…Miss Nagase."

(POV Ritsuko Akagi)

My office, the source of multiple lies, terrible transgressions, and horrible secrets, is where I seem to be spending more and more of my time these days. Every file pertaining to the Evangelion project, from minor system tweaks to major upgrades runs through this office before reaching anyone else. Even if my official position in NERV has changed, my duties as project lead have not. But even with all the paperwork and constant griping from the engineers in the cages, I wouldn't leave the pilots' safety in anyone else's hands. This work is what helps me sleep through all the guilt and I'm not about to let this cheap scapegoat slip away.

However, the mystery displayed on the computer screen is one of the most baffling I've ever encountered. From the moment I ran the Synch results through the computer, I knew something was odd about the tests a few nights ago. Yet, no matter how I try to decipher this compound sequence, I keep getting back negative results. I feel as though I've lost more ground than I had to begin with.

The door behind me opens, startling and causing me to jump a little out of my seat. Calming myself, I turn to be greeted with the serious, locked face of Commander Fuyutsuki.

"Any new results on the suppression agent?" As if my job didn't have enough pressure as it is, now I have to deal with the commander lurking over my shoulder. There's a reason why I like to do my lab work alone, and it's not for anti-social reasons.

"If I ever find anything of significance, you'll be the first to know Commander. But as you can see, I'm really busy and can't afford to sit and chat the time away."

The Commander raises his hand in a gesture of comprehension. "Don't worry, I'll make this short. Just tell me what you've got so far and I'll be out of your hair."

"Than you might as well take a seat, since the explanation is anything but short." He pulls one of the nearby rolling chairs, the seats I keep around in the unlikely event I need someone to come down and talk about lab results. I quickly rub my forehead and clear my eyes, adjusting to the environmental lights after looking away from the rather soft glow of my computer.

"As you already know, the chemical compound discovered in Asuka's synch test caused a short-out in Unit-02's nerve matrix. The compound, as inactive as it may be now, seems to stay relatively hidden until synchronization with the Eva. In fact, we never would have found out about its existence if Asuka hadn't told us of the…abnormality she had during the test. Upon further examination we found…"

I cease up, the sudden realization that saying this could jeopardize Asuka's re-candidacy freezes my jaw. All the actions I've done to make her return less straining could be unwound with but a few words against her. I look at the former university professor, nodding his head as to say, 'I understand, please go on.' Whatever this may do to Asuka, it must be said and accounted for, but if this ruins her chances…than it's all on my hands.

"We found…that the chemical compound has restructured her nervous system from the brain stem down, acting both as both a hormone and a neuron amplifier. In short, the compound makes her go through cycles of high and low brain activity, amplifying any emotion she may posses for any action performed by or around her." Is there anyway I could have shortened that sentence? Any longer and I'd have lost him to shear over-explanation.

"In short, she's been having mood swings? Doctor, she's a teenage girl, I would assume that you of all people would understand what she's going through." Yeah, but teenage girls don't usually fly across the planet to another continent because of rampant emotions. And besides, I'd consider a large number of her experiences to be anything but normal for a teenage girl.

"But that still offers no explanation for the foul up during her tests. The compound evaded all types of basic sensory, only becoming faintly detectable when we scanned it with our pinpoint analyzers. And than there's the neural agent that's rewiring her neurology as we speak. Whatever this is, I'm convinced that it's manmade and was intentionally injected into her blood and spinal fluid."

"You know, I'd consider all this more than just a little information. If I had known this sooner, I could have taken action before the end of the day. But now I can't do anything about it until tomorrow morning, which is slightly annoying." His head shakes disapprovingly, but he doesn't know that this is only the tip of the iceberg. I've only tapped 4 percent of the compound's elemental structure, meaning that there's even more to be had than discovered.

"This is hardly enough evidence to take any sort of action over. I've barely tapped any of the scanned data, and until I know just to what extent Asuka's neurological changes will be, I can merely speculate. I can't stop you from taking action, but don't do anything rash Commander; we don't want to rush into these things head-first." I may have let Asuka self destruct when Gendo was the Commander, but for the sake of redemption, I won't let it happen again, to any of them.

"I won't stop the tests if that's what you're implying. You'll keep working with Asuka for as long as these results keep popping up. What I had meant by action was more along the lines of an investigation when and how this happened." I look back at my computer screen, knowing full well that any physical investigation will turn up next to nothing. Even if I am the Sub-Commander of NERV, I'm the only one who can break this case.

"I'll keep working until I have the answer, but right now it's a slow process. Any samples I could get will help, so maybe I can extract some before the next Synch Test." Luckily, it's getting close to the pilots' annual blood test, so it shouldn't be hard too obtain a sample.

"That's what I like to hear Akagi…just don't work yourself to death tonight, you have more than enough time to work with your computer." With another healthy dose of Fuyutsuki's advice prescribed, he gets up and leaves the office.

Although the thought of rest isn't unwelcome, neither is the thought of burrowing further into this elusive conflict. Checking around the office one last time, I reach for my purse and pull out a small flash drive. Slipping it into the tower, I save the data to the drive before taking it out and slipping it back into my purse. There isn't anything or anyone stating that I can't continue my work at home.

(POV Shinji Ikari)

With the other pilots seated and served, the split conversation suddenly dies down, a thick aura of awkwardness descending upon the table. Asuka gives the other pilots a look of distrust while Captain Grimm shifts around in his seat. The one I recently learned to be known as Captain Snow pulls a pair of sunglasses out of his flight jacket and slips them up the bridge of his nose. Despite the air of suspicion, Miss Nagase displays no signs of discomfort, content to slowly drink from her small cup of sake.

It appears that this group is in dire need of intervention if it's ever going to interact, because this conversation is going nowhere fast.

And right on cue, Misato marches back into the room with a deck of cards in hand. "Alright, as agreed by the adults who make up this table, all of whom have played cards before, the game will be straight down Texas hold 'em. No wilds, Ace high, 2 card draw, five on the table. Any questions?"

Before I can raise my hand, Misato slaps the deck down on the table and, using one hand, spreads all the cards across the table. In one fluent motion, she swipes them all back up and begins shuffling.

"Jeez, first we learned she's an alcoholic and now today we discover she's a card shark as well." Asuka shrugs her shoulders and sighs at the sight of Misato's card handling. "How many years have you been addicted to card hustling Misato?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that I'm a very controlled gambler. I only place a bet if the odds are in my favor." Misato continues to look at Asuka, but still manages to keep the cards moving.

"Oh, you mean like those lottery tickets you always buy. Shinji told me all about them, didn't you Shinji?" She turns and gives me her 'innocent' smile, but just the sight of it turns my innards to goop, knowing now that the attacks from Misato will shift to me. "Now, if the odds are always in your favor Misato, than where's your stash of winnings?"

I slide lower into my seat, trying to reduce my visibility and somehow make the situation just vanish. Surprisingly though, Misato doesn't turn her wrath toward me. Rather, she finishes with the cards and begins to pass them out amongst the guests and residents respectively. The guests, Miss Nagase, Mr. Snow, and Mr. Grimm, appear to lose patience in their own way. Nagase with a faded smile, Snow with narrowed eyes, and Grimm with a line of sweat rolling down his forehead.

When no attack comes, I raise myself from the bottom of the seat and stare down at the two cards placed before me. Nobody has bothered to pick up their cards yet, all staring at Misato as she disappears momentarily under the table.

Reappearing, she hoists a huge bucket of multi-colored tiles onto the table, causing it to thump a great deal upon impact.

"Ladies, gentlemen, these chips are your betting money. Since Asuka here is so worried about our financial state, all bets will be no more than empty threats. Instead, these chips will act as our sole currency." Misato begins handing out evenly measured stacks around the table, taking her time making sure everyone receives the same amount of 'money'.

"Red chips are one yen, blue chips are five, white chips are ten, and yellow chips are fifty. Any questions? No!!? Than let's play." The three guests across the table, as quite and patient as they've been, appear to relax as they finally pick up their cards.

I slide my own cards up off the table, scanning them in curiosity. In my hands, I hold an eight and an A. I doubt A can be right, but I've never played card games like these, always stuck playing games with tiles back when I lived with my old hermit teacher. I'm going to need to pick this up fast if I want to stay in the game.

Misato takes up the deck and places three cards down on the table. A seven, ten, and two respectively.

"It's to Grimm." Misato nods across the table to the other pilot.

"Check." "Check." Both Grimm and Snow say the same thing, looking to their rights at Nagase who lays several red chips on the table.

"That's four yen to Shinji. Match or fold?" I'm lost at this point, the game moving faster than I first believed it would. All eyes are on me while I try to focus on the cards. Maybe copying her will work. I pick up the same number of red tiles and throw them out on the table, hoping I played it right.

"Match, it's to you Asuka." Asuka repeats my action without so much as second glance, Misato following through as well. Another card is played, this one a nine. Again the checks and chips roll around with me repeating Nagase's actions again. It goes around the table a second time, this time with more chips being thrown in, Misato and Grimm throwing their cards into a pile in the center.

Misato flips the final card onto the table, a pictured card labeled J. More money gets thrown into the center, but this time Snow and Nagase throw their cards into the pile. I look over at Asuka, who looks back with a neutral face. The pile of chips seems tantalizing, but I question my odds of winning a game I've never played before.

"So Shinji, think your hand beats mine? I bet you don't even have a clue of what you're doing." She fans herself with her cards, flashing their backs to my face in some sign of intimidation.

I throw a few of the blue chips into the center, which gets a scowl and snort from Asuka. However, her shock quickly gives way to a look of motivation for further competition.

"Let's make this interesting Third child." She tosses one of her two yellow tiles onto the table. "If I win this round, you tell me if you've ever played before. But you might as well tell me now to ease your approaching demise."

For the sake of keeping this knowledge hidden, I simply copy Asuka's move, throwing one of my yellow tiles out into the center. Befuddled, Asuka merely throws a blue tile out and looks at Misato.

"I'll match. Now let's get on with the exposure!"

Misato back behind Asuka and over at me. "Alright Shinji, show us your cards."

Slowly, I place my own cards face up at the center, which Misato is quick to snatch up and carry over to the other five cards on the table

"Eight goes in making a straight, Jack high. Wow Shinji, you really did have something to pull. Alright Asuka, show us yours." Whether she heard it or not, Asuka doesn't lay her cards down. Instead, they slip out of her hand as her jaw slacks into a look of dumbfoundment.

Misato however, is quick to pick up the fallen cards. "A Two and a Jack makes a pair. This means Shinji wins the pot." In a moment of disbelief, the small pile of multi-colored chips comes sliding over to me, complimenting the stacks already given to me from the start.

The cards fly across the table as another game is dealt, marking the beginning of an interesting evening. However, despite a rocky start after my initial victory, I slowly gain a grip on the fundamentals of the game. The set I had used to win my first game was called a 'straight', and was apparently a fairly rare find in the game.

Though my pile of chips began to sink since my splurge of luck in the first round, while Asuka's pile grew I direct comparison, the spread begins to even out later in the evening. After the first hour and a half, my losses weren't as bad as at the start and it looked like I would stay in the game for a little while longer.

By Ten O'clock, Misato stood up and picked up the deck for another shuffle. "Okay, it's getting rather late and I'm sure most of us are getting ready to cut our losses."

"The only reason you want to cut your losses Misato, is because if it weren't for the fact that you're the 'Casino', you'd have dropped out an hour ago." Asuka's large pile of chips stands next to Misato as a reminder of how much she had actually lost. In fact, it's a good thing that we're not really betting tonight, because I couldn't imagine our entire finances being in Asuka's hands.

"Ergh…anyway, it's time for the final round. This will be a winner take all, no holds, all-or-nothing game. Though it's really just for show, there has to be a winner somewhere along the line." Misato and Asuka's eyes lock in a silent acceptance to this final bout. Everyone else around the table just nods and slides their shrunken piles over to Asuka's, who pushes it all into the center.

The card pairs go out across the table, quickly swapped up by their respective owners. Hoping to receive something of decency, I pick up my pile to find an Ace and a Jack. The first three cards are placed, a two, eight, and ten. Feeling my stomach sink a little, what little reassurance I have goes down the pooper when Misato and Grimm flip their cards over with a smile. The next card goes out, a Queen, which makes me feel a little better.

If I can get another straight right, maybe I can at least have a decent go against Asuka's hand. Snow and Asuka stay levelheaded, but Nagase flips her cards over in a newly brandished smile and joins the ranks of Grimm and Misato. The blood in my chest pumps heavier as Misato lays down the final card. My heart springs forward as a King is played. But Asuka seems to smile as well, having something up her sleeves as well.

Misato places her cards on the table, making a three of a kind of eights. Grimm and Snow shake their heads and turn their cards over in disappointment. Nagase places her two cards down, a nine and a Jack, making a straight set from 8 to Queen.

Well, it was great in the long run, but this straight will have to do. I hand my cards to Misato, who lines them up. She looks between the table cards and mine for any winning sets, until her hands seize up and her eyes widen. In fact, everyone around the table goes wide eyed and slack jawed the moment Misato takes her hands off the cards. And if Asuka had looked dumbfounded before, now she was just plain lost.

"Shi…Shinji…this is a royal flush. The odds of this are…" Misato stutters, trying to say something of great significance.

"…One in a million." Snow finishes for Misato as his sunglasses slide off the bridge of his nose, falling onto the table below.

The hands holding Asuka's cards slacken, almost slipping out of her hand. But before they fall, she realigns them, only to slam them down full force on the table. "YOU CHEATED!"

Without realizing what's happening, Asuka leaps from her seat and sends us sprawling to the ground. Struggling to get out of her grip, she reached down my sleeves and begins probing. Her nails sear against my flesh, the feeling of small cuts and tears spreading up the length of my arms.

"Where are they!!? Where are those cards?" The clawing and tearing fails to cease as Asuka desperately digs for something in my sleeves, and whatever it is she's looking for, she's drop-dead determined to find it. It isn't until the joint effort of Misato and Miss Nagase that Asuka is finally yanked up off of me and restrained.

When I finally do return to my feet, a big, black, burly arm finds its way around my shoulder giving it a big squeeze. "Well done Shinji! That was quite a hand you had there." Captain Snow gives me big shake before releasing me.

"Hey Major, maybe you should take Shinji with you to a Casino when he's old enough. There's probably enough luck in him to turn your losses around." Captain Grimm gives a hearty laugh, which is cut short when he notices Misato's death stare aimed right at him.

"So…same time next week?" Nagase's question sparks another round of laughter, the room erupting in a joyous chorus of voices.

Yet, amidst the laughter and lasting threads of joy, Asuka no longer resides within the arms of Misato and Miss Nagase. An immediate glance around them finds the quick disappearance of Asuka as she closes the door to her room, marking the probable end of her evening with the rest of us. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that she left without a word…that she retreated like a wounded animal…

…that we've done something to harm her without knowing exactly what?

(A/N Another one down...we're getting closer to the half-way mark...supposedly. Well, give me your opinion and visit the my art page too. I promise that it's not the WORST thing you've ever seen, but it's getting better. Drop a review, leave a comment, whatever...just say something, please!!!)