Hey look...an elephant, no wait that looks more like a butter fl-

Shinji's thoughts were-much like his current mode of transport-on auto pilot. But the view just wasn't the same when trying to peer around someone and out the window...well thats what he got for sitting next to Asuka...an isle seat. Desperately he tried to distract his mind from the more barbed thoughts that had been floating about his brain. But just like in the big bad real world, the more you tried to run from something the faster it came back to smack you in the face.

Images of his parents began to dance about the clouds beyond Asuka's shoulder. It wasn't just his parents that were bothering him...the idea that he was too scared to take a stand on weather to return to them or not acted like a giant metaphorical usher, politely opening the door for his mind so it could see more of Shinji's faults in startling quality.

'Your a coward...you'll never take a stand on anything...however much you try to change...however out going you try to become...however many friends you make...you'll still run from everything the minute you sense trouble...no wonder she'll never even look at you'

Shinji shifted slightly in his seat...not daring to look at the girl on his left, why did his mind have to screw him over like this every step he took...he wished his own subconscious would just leave him alone...

'...there i go again, i don't even want to solve the problem, i don't want it to bother me...but im to weak to get it out of the way...so...so i run away.'

Shinji's painfully stumbled upon a conversation he'd heard as they were reaching the airport...the girl seemed to be fairly troubled...

'This world is strange no Ikari-kun...so many obligations...to protect...to destroy...to love...all constructs of our own making, what do the trees care for rising oil prices...what does the earth care for the fear of isolation...for the warmth of embrace. We humans have created almost another reality upon this one of rock and stone...a reality which i find no place in for my self...'

Shinji stared blankly back at her...what should he say...

'Relax Rei...humanity is trapped in its own reality...i'd rather not be a part of it.'

Edward chimed in, hurriedly breaking away from a prolonged Asuka monologue of her recent achievements that he was trapped in...

'But a reality humanity must face if it is to understand itself and the world...'

Edward didn't have much to say to this...

The light sound of chatter was the lifeline Shinji used to pull his mind out of his troubling train of thought, peering around the leer jet he saw Misato, Dr.Akagi, Maya and Hyuga huddled around a small table...deep in conversation.

"...I just don't get it...the pieces just don't fit..."

"Maybe they're not meant to fit..."

Ritsuko tried to put Misato at ease,but the look she received from the major said it all.

"I'm not ready to believe that just yet...its like there is a pattern but its hidden by a freggin thin veil...and it pisses me off, I'm starting from the beginning again..."

And before anyone could stop her, she was off again...

"We have two terrorist attacks...one directed at the children, one which destroyed the mainframes-and only the mainframes-of a U.S surveillance outpost in Alaska. Both these happened on the same day."

She gave a pause as everyone around just nodded...

"Ok...now can we say that the same people were behind the two attacks..."

"There is nothing to suggest that."

Hyuga replied.

"Right...anyway the guys that attacked us seemed too professional. Leave that aside...lets get down to the Manus. The Alaskan outpost stored images of the northern borders of Russia and a solitary picture of the arctic...and both Alaska and the Arctic were places mentioned by Father Pollock, so can we assume that the attack on the outpost was Manus driven?"

The others nodded their heads,this seemed all to logical. A few seats down the plane, Edward-feigning sleep-shifted uncomfortably, the attack had of course been carried out by him...on Gendo's orders no less. No one was to know that NERV was interested in the frigid lands of the north pole...not even some of its own members. Perhaps Gendo would spill the beans after re-birth reached phase two...

'It all hinges on rebirth'

"Well there's definitely something up there..."

Maya trudged on...

"Yeah..."

Thoughts of the Alaskan incident raced through Misato's mind...thoughts of Edward's mother who lost her life there . Misato had done some checking and had found all the evidence she needed...though many of the reports seemed poorly written and badly edited...their information was just the same...Dr.Irene Valcos married to a Francis Valcos...a man who had held a fairly high post in SEELE. The report said that they had had only one son...What more did she need.

"Its pointless...there are too many dead ends and all we keep doing is running into them...its pointless, why are we trying to figure out some obscure plan of the Manus. Let the incident in panama go and lets move on to more pressing matters...like the operation at hand."

Though detrimental to Misato's little game of 'Sherlock Homes', Ritsuko's calm outburst was right on the money...there were far worse things to be worrying about.

The once petty Fujian uprising had now evolved into a small scale war. The Republic of China continued to boycott any talks with the Peoples Republic all the while pumping exorbitant amounts of funds into the terrorists bank accounts. The result, the city of Shanghai had been besieged and was now almost completely under separatist control. The UN didn't have the evidence to impose any kinds of sanctions upon the Republic of China thus they opted for a more direct approach...NERV had been called in to assist the UN peace keeping force as they tried to force the alleged 'rebels' out of the now rubbled city.


The private jet landed on a makeshift emergency runway twenty miles from Shanghai, from there the NERV crew took a bus flanked by an armored convoy fourteen miles to the temporary base of operations for the UN forces. The Evas had already arrived and were prepped and ready for action.

"Eh...whats the point, there's still no challenge..."

Asuka grumbled as the children followed Misato and the others across a lush green field towards a heavily defended encampment.

"I mean, these guys can't do a thing to my eva...their like inse-"

"Don't be so confident about that miss...these guys are armed to the tooth."

Shinji looked to beyond Misato to see the figure of a short well built man with a buzz cut flanked by two marines.

"Major General Goran Vlaović,UN peace Keeping force."

The man belted out in perfect Japanese as he shook Misato's hand.

"Major Misato Katsuragi, operations director NERV"

"Morning Major, welcome to camp Iris, quite the day we have in store for you, follow me please."

And with that the General turned on his heels and began briskly walking towards the base. It was then-as Shinji quietly moved towards the camp-that he heard the not so distant rumble of gunfire. Looking towards the distant sky he say hazy pillars of black smoke slowly rising into the air, blanketing what he assumed was Shanghai in a doom laden darkness.

When the children arrived they were immediately debriefed on the mission at hand...those 'insects were seeming tougher by the moment.


AN:

he...long time no...and all i come upwith is this...well times are hard and im doing my best to get stuff written...

hopefully the real chapter...i.e the big fight in Shanghai will be up within the week...but i promise you its a depressing one...