On the Bridge in NERV headquarters, another night of endless testing and recording was coming to a close. Rei's synch test results were getting better by the day, as were Shinji and Asuka's.

Before leaving, Shinji made his way back to the bridge to find Ritsuko still clambering away at her keyboard one-handed, "Ritsuko?"

"Yes, Shinji?" She didn't take her eyes off of the three screens before her, all filling with code as she typed.

"That project, Jet Alone..."

She stopped her fingers and looked at him with suspicion, "What of it?"

Wonder Boy took a letter from his shirt pocket and said, "I was invited to see its functional test tomorrow... so were you and Misato."

"You were huh?"

"Yeah." He trailed off as he approached her desk and spoke as low as he could, "If that thing works, the Evangelions won't be the only ones capable of defending humanity."

She just stared at him, "Don't worry about it."

"I see," he uttered.

Before wandering off, Ristuko's voice stopped him for a moment, "I hear it's completely automated."

As she headed down the corridor, Asuka spotted Shinji leaving the bridge, "There you are!"

Strange as it was for him to see, she actually skipped to him, "Was wondering where you'd wandered off to, Wonder Boy."

Shinji walked along as Asuka gathered his hand with hers, "How's Ritsuko?"

Finally he got to speak, "She's good, for pulling another all-nighter. I think that makes fourteen in a row."

"If I ever go that far without a good night's sleep, kill me." Asuka deadpanned and drew her finger across her throat like a knife.

Shinji snickered, "Same here. I know I'm young, but sleep is too good to pass up."

Before the Redhead had her turn to speak again, he interrupted, "Speaking of too good to pass up... after nine hours of testing, I am starving!"

As if on cue, Asuka's stomach let out an 'urch', getting a groan from the girl, "You just had to say it, didn't you, Wonder Boy?" She playfully prodded his ribs with her finger.

"Ugh. Come on, I'll borrow a car from Section 2 and we'll see about that."

She eyed him for a moment, "They let you drive?"

"What are they gonna do, arrest me? Please."

"I am Shiro Tokita of Japan Heavy Chemical Industries. We would like to welcome you to our most ambitious project ever, JET ALONE!"

Shinji, Misato, and Ritsuko finally entered the outdoor ballroom.

As the trio made their way to their designated table, Tokita said, "We would like to give a special welcome to our friends from NERV who could be here today."

Barely above a whisper Misato muttered, "I hate how he said 'friends', what a creep."

Shinji and Ritsuko kept their faces straight, but slowly nodded their heads toward the announcer.

Now seated, the trio listened as the man pushed through his presentation:

"Our product can operate for one-hundred-fifty days without stopping and has enough armor and backup hydraulics systems to withstand numerous attacks."

"Oh, a question already. Yes, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi from NERV. Go ahead."

"Thank you." She glimpsed aside to the man-made machine and the restraint cage holding it in place, "Given that your product contains a nuclear reactor, how safe is it?"

"Jet Alone's reactor has more than enough backups and automatic safeties that it would shut down if anything were out of order." He took the moment to add a condescending remark, "It's certainly safer than..." The screen beside him switched to classified footage of Evangelion Unit 02 fighting Ramiel in New York, "something that causes nightmarish mental stress on its pilot to operate and has been known to ignore operator control and go berserk. Like an hysterical woman, impossible to regain control until it wears itself out."

"With all due respect, your device..."

He cut her words off, "The A.T. field is only a matter of time and research, Doctor. It won't be long, I assure you." The man tried to hide a smirk with his microphone, but Ritsuko showed no emotion.

"That smug bastard! How the hell could he know about the A.T. field. I'm gonna kick Kaji's ass when we get back!"

Misato was kicking in a locker, as Ritsuko sat near Shinji in silence. Only a shared glance between the two said anything about what they were thinking. Eventually the Scientist glimpsed over to her colleague, "Property destruction won't solve the problem."

An hour later,in the control room of the Jet Alone project...

"This initial test will just be a hydraulics check, before the actual activation and gyro-stabilized self-propulsion test."

The monitors showed various angles of Jet Alone as it shifted its various joints like a professional fighter getting ready for a bout. It slowly, but fluidly, sent a ripple through each arm and then the spine.

"Hydraulics test complete. No leaks detected, all circuits are green."

Barely out of range of his microphone, the man in charge uttered to his subordinates, "Will this really work?" They simply nodded.

"All systems go? ... then begin walk cycle!"

The technician to his left leaned over and hit a big, blue button, sounding a siren twice. "Final umbilical released. Jet Alone is now underway!"

Very mechanically, Jet Alone lifted its left foot, shifted its enormous weight forward, and planted that foot. A cheer erupted from the technicians and staff as their creation took step after step. The assembled crowd applauded, even Ritsuko faked being happy.

"Issue shut-down command, the test is over."

The technician hit his enter key. That's when the alarms began sounding off. "It's not accepting the signal."

"Jet Alone is now fully autonomous. Target interception area set to Kasama City."

Misato growled quietly as she watched the monitors, "...just as poorly behaved as its creator..."

Ritsuko eyed Shinji for a moment. When he looked at her, she wobbled her head in Misato's direction.

"Misa... Major, orders?" Shinji stood tall, patiently waiting for her to speak.

He watched her eyes dart back and forth between him and the screens. Her expression changed back to her normal confidence, "Go get Unit 01. I'll need a Mark 44 radiation suit."

She was taken aback when he only responded with a salute and waited for her to dismiss him. She saluted him, "I know how fast you've had that thing run before, do it again."

Shinji gave a sheepish grin and could only utter, "Yes Ma'am!" before running off.

Ritsuko heard everything and walked over to the Major. As quietly as the Scientist could, she said, "You don't need to pull off any heroics."

Misato just smirked at her colleague, "Think of the PR..."

Ritsuko shifted her eyes to-and-fro, with a sheepish sigh, "Point taken."

Shinji retrieved a high-performance motorcycle from the NERV V-TOL the trio had used to get to the conference facility south of Sukagawa.

Hearing the bike's engine scream to life, Hyuga ran around from the side, discarding the cigarette he'd been nursing, "Hey, what the? Shinji!?"

Shinji turned off the bike and flipped open his helmet as Hyuga caught up, "Hyuga! Radio ahead to HQ, I need Unit 01 prepped and ready to go when I get there. Misato... the Major... needs a... Mark 44 radiation suit, too."

Naturally saluting, Hyuga spotted Jet Alone jogging off with a few helicopters in pursuit, "Jesus Christ! Yeah, it'll be ready ASAP!"

With another roar and a metallic whine, Shinji restarted his bike and hauled away at ever increasing velocity.

Maya sat daydreaming in Ritsuko's bridge chair. Only Shigeru was present, but he was busy with earplugs and surfing the internet.

Her hand trailed along the nape of Ritsuko's neck, eliciting a soft moan, "You're hands are like magic silk, Maya..."
She could only respond with a short, smiling, low chuckle that could be mistaken for an aroused giggle.

"If only this could last for days."

"Mmhmm. I could do this for a while, but this one-sided business..."

Without missing a beat, Ritsuko turned onto her side and sat up mirroring Maya's pose, "Oh, I wouldn't say this is one-sided." The pair shared a fit of contagious giggles while they shifted themselves into a naked embrace.

Maya had slid her hand into her panties when the radio beeped into life. Rudely awakened from her memory, Maya pressed the receive button with great annoyance, "This better be an emergency..."

It would be Hyuga to interrupt such a wonderful dream. "This is Hotel Utah. Requesting immediate prep of Echo One Niner. Repeat. Immediately prep Echo One Niner. This order comes from Mike Alpha Mike Kilo. Confirmation code Bravo India Tango Charlie Hotel."

Maya just grit her teeth, "Fuck me." She was glad to be pressing the transmit button now, "This is Lima India at Tango Three. Message received Hotel Utah. Lima India out."

"Roger Lima India. Hotel Utah out."

She looked down at Shigeru, he was still totally out of it. Sighing, Maya took a moment. What would Ritsuko do?

She'd do it herself, that's what!

Maya inhaled and nearly yelled at Shigeru, "Initiate prep of Eva Unit 01!" She began typing on Ritsuko's terminal.

Startled, Shigeru nearly fell backwards out of his chair, "What the fu..." Hearing a keyboard clattering, he peeked at the list of recent radio traffic and read the message. "Ew sheet." He started tapping on his keyboard, calling up the protocols and starting up various alerts down in the Evangelion Cages.

No wonder she can outclass all of us together, this board and terminal are configured perfectly! Maya was ecstatic to have found anything to get closer to Ritsuko's level of efficiency.

As fast as he was going, Shinji could hit a tree and only felt it next Tuesday. Chancing a look down, he saw the speedometer holding near 254 M/hr. He tapped a button for the radio, "This is Sierra India. Code clearance Lima Alpha Sierra Tango Romeo Echo Sierra Oscar Romeo Tango."

"This is Lima India, go ahead Sierra."

"Requesting local police and all available units clear a path for very high speed motor cycle to Mike Three at Point One Seven. Over."

"Roger Sierra India. Assuming paved route preference for specified mode of transport."

"Roger Lima."

"Local forces responding to request. Forcing traffic lights along path to specified route. Have a nice ride, Sierra India."

"Roger Lima. Sierra India out."

Shinji reconsidered how this was going and hit the button for the radio again, "Mike Alpha Mike Kilo. This is Sierra India. Do you read?"

"Shin... yes, Sierra, I read you. Go ahead."

"I'm heading to Mike Three at Point One Seven. I think Echo Utah Two would be faster to get going than waiting on me."

He heard a sigh as Misato mulled over the idea, "Yeah, you're right. I'll have them send it out immediately."

"If I can get picked up, I'll brief her myself."

"Don't give us too much of a break, India."

"Roger. Sierra India out."

Shigeru sat staring into his terminal.

Maya knew him well enough to know when something was really bothering him, "Hey, what's on your mind?"

"My cousin and his family."

"Oh?"

"They live in what was Naka. Right next to the remains of Kasama." He sniffled loud enough for her to hear, but didn't care if she did.

"Didn't we order that area evacuated along with everything else?"

Shigeru typed on his keyboard, bringing up the EVAC orders, "Yeah, but I don't know if they'd get out in time. His dad is ... man, eighty I think."

Maya's chair creaked as she leaned back, "You know, I think there were some volunteers nearby them that were supposed to help the elderly."

"Volunteers?" He swiveled around in his chair to stare up at her.

"Yeah. A few Section 2 agents who... have no other choice."

"Gunpoint?"

"No, just constantly being watched. Not that they can go anywhere."

"Eva Unit Two, ready for launch." Asuka's voice on the intercom brought the bridge bunnies back to work.

As soon as it was released, Liebkind began the high speed trek to intercept Jet Alone.

"Asuka, stop at Mike Three near Point One Seven. You're going to pick up Shinji."

"You got it, Major." While she was thinking about that town he would be at, "Hey Wonder Boy, you listening?"

"Yup!"

"I understand there's an awesome bakery near where I'm picking you up."

"You slept in and didn't eat breakfast again, didn't you?"

Asuka huffed at him. How the hoelle does he do that!? "Heh, you're right. Just remember, you'll be in here with me. I want food, not excuses!"

"I see the place. Hey, I didn't eat yet, either! Mein Gott."

"Major, your suit is being brought to you by air. Oh, and as a precautionary measure, Rei will be leaving shortly to wait at the city limit along Jet Alone's predicted path, just in case."

"I didn't request to have all three of you for this!"

"The Commander ordered it."

"Oh."

As Liebkind crouched down and ejected its Entry Plug, Shinji hopped onto the Eva's waiting hand.

"Mein Gott, ich bin am Verhungern!" Asuka lifted Shinji like a million-dollars worth of crystal, "You are SO lucky you're carrying food, Wonder Boy."

Offering the redhead a box of a half-dozen doughnuts and a coffee, Shinji looked down to a Section 2 agent taking possession of his bike, "I hope he's careful, that thing is an antique."

Asuka peeked over the side of the plug, "The hell is that, a Ducati?"

"Yeah, an ST4. Then I changed out the engine."

She went back to scarfing down her meal. Somewhere in between bites, she said to him, "Better get in here, I'm leaving with or without you when I'm done!"

Shinji turned back to face her, as the Section 2 agent started the bike with another roar and the whine of a supercharger. Wonder Boy noted she wasn't sitting in the chair, instead standing behind it. As she finished the last of her coffee and carelessly threw aside the cup, she smiled at him, "Come have a seat." Asuka rested her hand on the top of the chair with a sly smile on her face and Shinji hopped in and sat down. Slipping around onto his lap, she took the left control yoke while he grabbed onto the right.

Ritsuko pulled a tablet PC from her regulation lab coat and turned it on. Misato peeked at the screen over the Scientist's shoulder, but Ritsuko turned so the Major couldn't see. What Misato did see read: Eva Unit 02 status. Pilots Ikari and Sohryu. Combined Synchronization Ratio - 247%. Misato gaped for a moment, "Damn."

Hearing Misato's curse, Ritsuko lifted the device so her colleague could see, "A very apt reaction."

"They didn't do a cross-synch test, did they?"

"No." The Scientist flipped through the individual pilots' personal synchronization data, "They've each been near that level on their own, but only under extreme duress." She returned the display to the paired, current data, "The fact that combined, they could easily attain that level? This data will be invaluable."

Liebkind was sprinting, but Shinji and Asuka only felt a fraction of the vibration, even though the Eva had broken the sound barrier.

"Maya, confirm Unit Two's velocity." Ritsuko's voice revealed no emotion, but radios aren't good for relaying vocal inflections.

"Unit Two speed confirmed at eight-hundred twenty-two miles per hour. Time to intercept Juliet Alpha, sixteen seconds. Juliet's speed confirms at only thirty-five miles per hour."

"All callsigns Hugo, this is Jaysock Overlord. Mike Alpha Mike Kilo will be taking command of this operation directly. Godspeed."

The Red Giant turned to its right to avoid colliding into Jet Alone and only missed by what looked like a few meters. Sliding to a near-stop, Liebkind flipped backward into the air and stuck out its left hand, catching the backpack handle on top of the machine.

Asuka yelled out over the radio, "Misato!"

With that, a Chinook helicopter floated down to the giant robots. It hovered over Jet Alone and let out a single rope, "This is Mike Alpha Mike Kilo. Alpha Lima Sierra, if Juliet's reactor actually reaches critical, you are to throw it clear of the city. Preferably out into the Pacific."

"We're not going to abandon you in that thing!"

Asuka gritted her teeth, No way I'm letting you go out with a bang.

"If you don't, then Kasama city may be destroyed. This thing's target path was leading it to the western most portion of the city. So..."

"I just want to note that I hate this plan." If there was a storm inside of Eva Unit Two, Shinji was the eye of the storm.

"There isn't much of another choice. I wish there was, but this is the best we've got." With that, Misato clasped the rest of her helmet together and descended the waiting rope.

She quickly grabbed onto rungs of a built-in, very convenient ladder on the backpack of Jet Alone.

When the Major opened the hatch to the central computer matrix, a gust of steam escaped. Her HUD indicated that the steam was four-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. "This thing should just say 'damn hot'."

Making her way down into the bowels of the machine, she found a wall with cylinders sticking out of it. Must be the physical control rods for the reactor.

A call over the radio contained a panicked voice, "Jet Alone's reactor is nearing critical! Whatever you're doing, do it soon!"

Shinji nudged a button on his control yoke and said quietly to Asuka, "That's the asshole in charge of this project."

Asuka merely eyed him, then reached over and hit that button to return the radio transceiver to 'ON'. Feeling a warmth on her hand she said aloud, "Let's get this over with, even the control handle I have is getting toasty."

Misato finally got the computer to respond to her attempts to gain access. It presented her with a password input. "HOPE"
Hitting the enter key, the device beeped and displayed "ERROR". What the hell? Somebody tampered with this... Shinji? No, he hasn't had the time or the expertise. Damn you Ritsuko. I bet Gendo ordered it, too.

For the hell of it, she tried the password again, this time it locked the terminal. I hope it shuts down soon...

"Get ready to get rid of this garbage, you two. No excuses!"

"Thirty seconds to critical core temperature! Once it gets there, the reaction will be so hot it would melt the control rods."

Major Misato Katsuragi did the last thing she could think of and ran over to the control rods sticking out of the wall to manually push them in, one by one.

As Asuka held onto Jet Alone, Shinji closed his eyes and focused his attention inward. She felt her overall control of the Eva slip just a bit and looked at her companion, "This is no time to pray, Third Child!"

He breathed slowly, "Not... praying..."

She tried to calm herself down, too, "That's right! The A.T. field." The redhead while focusing on keeping their prey in-hand, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Envelop ... the machine."

"Fifteen seconds to melt down!" A thin, orange-tinted haze began washing over Jet Alone.

Misato pushed as hard as she could, barely moving the rod, but it started.

"Ten, nine, eight..." The haze now covered Jet Alome, while Liebkind held fast on the handle.

"Seven, six, five, four, three..." Misato didn't see the computer screen switch to a long ton of code running. With its files restored, Jet Alone's safeties kicked in. The panel holding the control rods emitted a green LED light. Without warning her further, the automatic control pulled in all the rods, letting Misato fall hard onto the floor.

"Reactor temperatures have stabilized! Pressure control valve is operating normally again."

Shinji exhaled, "Well, there's a miracle, if I ever saw one."

Misato just sighed, "... yeah." Must have been what she was working on the last few nights.

Asuka let go of the control yoke and slipped her arms around Shinji instead.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she whispered into his ear, "If you hadn't thought of containing the blast, I would have already thrown out the trash."

Wonder Boy let go of the control yoke in his hand, wrapping his other arm around Asuka, "She's too valuable to toss aside, even if my father really is that careless with lives."

She shifted her left hand up to the side of his neck and gently gripped his skull. He stared into her eyes with a small smile before she planted her lips against his.

Maya lied to Shigeru quite convincingly, "I have -got- to go to the can, man. Take over for a bit."

He lifted his hand and waved, "Just coordinating the retrieval. Unit Zero can get back on its own."

With that, she wandered off to the ladies' room. Not that she had to go, since she had already turned off any recorders she could find that traced to the particular bathroom she was headed to.

::: Good god I messed up a bunch of things. Like having Hyuga play Shigeru's part on the bridge with Maya. The hell is wrong with me? . Today I'm doing edits. Tomorrow I'm headed up to Minneapolis for a comic book convention.