Rei stared emotionlessly at Misato, "We will not be going on the class trip?"

The Major remained seated, occasionally nursing her can of beer, "No. Pilots are on permanent standby."

"I see."

Asuka barged into the kitchen, pulling Shinji behind her, "Wonder Boy says we won't be going to Okinawa. What the fick is this, a hostage situation?"

Gulping down the last of her beer, Misato threw the can into a nearby receptacle, where it simply bounced off of another can and fell to the floor. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the Major lifted her eyebrow and spoke, "You're a part of NERV's military. Your orders are to remain on-base on permanent standby status."

Shinji freed himself from Asuka's death grip, slipping his arm around her wast, "They didn't say we couldn't make use of the beach down in the Geofront."

He winced as Asuka slapped his chest with a satisfying noise, "That's right! Let's go!"

Watching the pair leave, Misato thought aloud, "They're so cute together."

Rei smiled and let out a hum. After a moment, she looked at the Major again, "I overheard Doctor Akagi say that Unit Three has been delayed again, but Unit Four is ahead of schedule. Does that mean they've selected a pilot?"

The woman looked at the albino teen with awe, "I hadn't heard anything about it." Slumping back into her chair, Misato folded her arms above and behind her head, "With the way these fights have gone, we're going to need any and every advantage we can get."

"Yes, the Commander and Sub-Commander have similar concerns. Even though it seems merely an aside for them."

Misato lifted herself from the chair, then slid along the linoleum floor in her socks like a kid, right to the refrigerator. She picked out another beer, "They have to worry about the Committee."

Major Misato squinted at the monitors in a vain attempt to see anything in the molten rock, "Decend another hundred meters, please."

The older, male technician on her left said to her, "That's barely within the safe depth of the probe's outer shell."

Eyeing the man, she stated in response, "If we get a positive result, NERV will pay for the damages."

He sighed, "Continue lowering probe. Depth three fourty."

Hyuga stared at the data feed from the probe, "It's reading... something."

"Depth three seventy-five."

The bridge bunny glimpsed to Misato and nodded.

She stepped up behind Hyuga. Looking over his shoulder, she whispered, "Is it?"

"The pattern is orange, still."

She straightened herself, "Continue descent."

The technician looked at her again, "That will put the probe into its crush depth! You'll destroy it!"

She nearly growled at the poor man, "Now you're being ordered to continue. And if you won't, I'll find someone who will!"

He kept his mouth shut, but spun back to his terminal. An automated voice squeaked out, "Probe depth now four hundred meters. Warning. Depth exceeds maximum operational safety limits. Hull implosion imminent."

After the probe imploded, Hyuga flicked his gaze to Misato again, who asked, "Did we get it?"

"Barely," he nodded. "Blue pattern confirmed."

Misato pivoted smoothly around to face the entire room, "This facility is now under NERV authority. All external communications are hereby terminated," she gave a nod to Hyuga. He typed on his keyboard quickly.

She continued, "All electronic and physical documentation from the probe and anything hereafter is now classified Top Secret. You are all to stay at your posts unless under escort by NERV personnel."

Closing the door, Misato had stepped out of the building and made a call on her cellphone, "Rits? Please switch me to a secure line." She heard the telltale squelch, "Good. We have a confirmation here. I want to file a Special A Seventeen. Right, I'll stay where you can reach me. That won't be necessary. Someone sent a bunch of the Chief's goons. There's enough to secure this place, for now."

Donning her hat again, Misato addressed two Section 2 agents nearby, "Secure this facility. Nobody leaves. No communications outside of official NERV channels." As she walked off, she added, "Oh, don't let it get messy. I'll have to be in there later myself, you know."

Another agent by the parking lot tapped his earpiece twice, nodded, then saluted her as she passed him to head back to Tokoyo Three.

Asuka and Shinji stilll had their bathing suits on, having been interrupted by a Section Two agent. Rei had on her school uniform, just like always. They stood in the briefing room; the screens embeded in the floor showing the pilots what one of them would be facing.

Misato sipped from a cup of paint thinner while Ritsuko read a report, "At oh nine fourty-three hours, this Angel was detected at Mt. Itoh." She flipped through the rest of the pages quickly and summerized, "The probe capsule imploded, stopping further analysis."

"Diving into magma. You're sure we can't armor an N Two mine?" Shinji wondered aloud.

"We might not get the chance to capture one alive ever again." Ritsuko pointed out.

Misato voiced her opinion finally, "We've been on the defensive too long. If we want to keep at this, we have to take the fight to them."

"You want to assault an Angel before you can assess its capabilities? You're mad, Commander!"

Gendo flattened his hands on his desk, "This is a chance to move from perpetual defense to an offensive posture."

The screen before Gendo showed a four star U.N. general, "We know conventional weapons only divert their attention. If you fail..."

"I'll destroy it with multiple, hardened N Two mines, General. It will not be a problem." Gendo pressed a nearly hidden button on his desk, ending the transmission.

Kozo stood nearby, having heard the conversation, "They're almost as fearfully cautious as the Committee."

"We still have all the trump cards. What was the status of the transport ship?"

"Thirty hours, at best. I can hardly believe another Evangelion is ready."

"Yes."

Rei asked, "What is the plan of attack?"

Ritsuko tapped her pen and the screens in the floor switched to show a pressure-resistant hardsuit made for Evangelion use, "One of you will be lowered into the lava. Your equipment will be an electromagnetic cage and a progressive knife, along with anything else your Eva normally carries."

She continued, "The Eva suit has coolant running through it like a radiator. Provided everything stays intact, you'll barely feel the heat."

Rei lifted her hand, "I volunteer."

"Hey! What-?"

Asuka's rant was cut off by Shinji, "That suit looks like only one of our Evas could fit within it..."

The scientist tapped her pen again, showing a close up of the suit. Eva Unit Two's face was clearly visible within it. Maya noted, "The Type D equipment has only been standardized for Unit Two. The probe on Unit One's head prevents usage of the current helmet, and Unit Zero has specific testing parameters."

Gendo appeared from a shadow, "And Unit Two is the basis of the final production model. If we are to be alert on all possible fronts, we must have as many Evangelions fitted as we can."

He turned his attention to Ritsuko, "Doctor Akagi, arrangements have been made to accelerate the new Evangelion's arrival. Please make the necessary arrangements to expedite its installation."

She nodded to Maya, "You know what to do, Maya. I know you can handle it."

Maya grinned and saluted, "Yes ma'am!" before practically springing away.

The Commander held a brief smile as he observed the interaction, "I thought you would jump at the chance yourself."

"It's a test, if you must know." Ritsuko stared off into the shadow where Maya had run off, "She's had remarkable improvement lately in the lab. It's time I gave her a chance to prove herself anyway."

"Speaking of..." Gendo turned to the trio of pilots, "You have each proven yourselves worthy of every praise a Commander could give you, and every praise a father could give, as well."

He kept right on speaking, "Adam's children are called to find Lilith. The Angels will do all they can to merge with her and end humanity." Turning to Shinji, he continued, "You spilled their secrets. Beginning five years ago, culminating in my full disclosure the other day." "The Old Mens' plan to become gods is all but dead. But their remains will want some semblance of vengeance."

Shinji practically stared Gendo down, "What of your own dream?"

"I will not end a life of happiness that isn't mine to end." With his sunglasses, only Rei could see his eyes shift to her during that sentence. The father walked up to his son and extended a hand, "I realized too late what Yui meant, 'our love'. Hers and mine... that being you, son."

Lowering into the magma, Liebkind made a scissors dive, "Hey look Wonder Boy, a perfect scissors dive!"

"Asuka, turn on your sonar and stay sharp. The Angel could have hatched and be on the move."

"Yeah, yeah. Be ready for anything. Understood."

Ritsuko said to Misato without transmitting over the radio, "Since we know what we're looking for, we can verify it hasn't woken up yet."

The Major nodded, "She doesn't know that. I want her ready to fight, not ready to f-"

The Scientist grunted at her, interrupting Misato's train of thought, "No time for that right now."

"Depth three ten. Nearing last known location."

"Do you see anything?"

"No ma'am. No reflections or abnormal emissions of any kind." Even -with- this thing, I can barely see a damn thing. Asuka stared out into a vast sea of red and orange, some strips of material were yellow and greenish, on occasion.

"Continue descent."

The redhead heard a ceramic Crack! "What was that?"

"A crack has developed on the pressure suit's right leg. No loss of coolant pressure detected."

"Are you alright, Asuka?"

"I'm fine, Ritsuko. Good to go."

"We haven't reached the target yet. Press on."

Soon enough, Asuka's monitor showed ... something, "Wait..."

"Target sighted. Asuka, rotate F minus twenty-seven degrees. Come left three. Two, one, stop."

"Go for capture."

Liebkind held the electromagnetic-cage and spread it. The Eva waited for the Angel to drift into range, then the cage activated, trapping the unborn Angel, "I have it!"

Everyone in the station relaxed, some let out a sigh of relief. Asuka added, "I just want a cold shower."

"Us too, Asuka."

"Hey what the-?!"

To Asuka's horror, she heard a noise from outside Liebkind. The Angel in the cage began shifting and spreading out.

"It's hatching! Jettison the cage!"

Explosive bolts detonated, sending the cage slowly away from the Red Giant. Something lashed out at the Eva from the cage and struck across Liebkind's left leg, right where the holster for the Eva's progressive knife was.

"Left leg damaged! The progressive knife has been lost too!" With a pincer, Liebkind grabbed at an absent weapon.

Misato watched the various monitors, looking for the Angel, "It ran off. Shinji, she's going to need your Prog knife. Throw it in."

On yet another monitor, Unit One hurtled its weapon down into the magma, "About thirty seconds to knife arrival."

"What do you mean 'about'?! I'm defenseless you oaf!"

The Major's phone rang and she answered it, "Yes, sir? I can't spare Unit One! If the cable fails... Sir, when we're finished you'll have them as fast as they can move. We'll give them battery packs for the transit. We don't have a catapult here, but even then, it didn't get an Eva to break the sound barrier."

Ritsuko paled at Misato, "Another Angel?"

She stepped over to the scientist and leaned in close to whisper, "Someone sabotaged the city. Only two percent of the power lines weren't severed, backups are all offline. And yes, another Angel, too."

Ritsuko exhaled, "I'm gonna need a whole case of wine after today..."

Misato muttered under her breath, "God damn, these guys sure fight dirty."

Asuka hit another button on the side console, jettisoning the weight belt holding Liebkind down against the lifting cables. The action let the Evangelion avoid the oncoming Angel, "Get away! Grah! Where is that thing?!" Liebkind reached up with the pincers, repeatedly closing on nothing at all.

"Knife arrival in five, four, three..." Maya's words got Asuka to calm down a bit; the Eva looked up to see the knife and grabbed it, activating the weapon immediately.

The Angel went right for Liebkind, its open maw showing several rows of teeth; the Angel bit down on the hard-suited Red Giant's helmet and cracked the faceplate, as the Eva slammed down onto the Angel with the progressive knife, "Die damn you!"

Unable to penetrate the armor, every strike emitted a brief shower of sparks, "No good! It won't cut through!"

Shinji watched the situation on several monitors. Ritsuko's voice piped up on the radio, "It's shell has been hardened by the extreme pressure!"

Asuka continued her futile assault, but the Angel lashed out with a tentacle, slicing one of the coolant lines. Maya called out, "Coolant pipe four has been damaged!"

"Asuka, simple physics."

"Huh?"

"Thermal expansion."

Liebkind grabbed the leaking coolant pipe and jammed it into the Angle's maw, "Transfer all coolant to the fourth pipe!"

"Oh hell, do it!"

Liebkind grabbed onto the Angel and didn't let go as coolant invaded its thrashing body; it emitted a noise akin to a groan. Asuka tried the knife again and again. Eventually, she succeeded in stabbing the Angel's core with a brilliant shower of sparks. As her prey fell away into the abyss and disintegrated, Asuka looked up to see the other pipes and lines had been further damaged in the struggle, "The Angel's dead... but... I'm-"

Shinji heard her starting to sob and jumped into the pit.

"I'm done for."

Those in the station stared at the monitors, in shock as Asuka looked away from the cables, down into the bowels of Earth itself.

She felt the final thread of cable SNAP! and gravity began to win. Feeling a thud, she looked up, "Shinji!" Having jumped in, he couldn't see what the command center saw: Asuka's smile could have burned a hole in her Eva.

"Get us out of here, please."

Before Misato got out, "Reel them in dammit!", Hyuga had hit his F3 key, having punched in the set of commands into his terminal earlier.

Reaching the surface, the Purple Behemoth set the Red Giant aside and jumped onto dry land. Shinji went right for the waiting attachment cage and got his batteries, "I'll run in and take care of this, Asuka. You rest up."

He turned on the external speaker, "Give me an overcharge, I'm gonna need it."

One of the technicians on the cage gave the Eva a thumbs up, "You got it!"

The Purple Behemoth screeched to a halt. Tokoyo Three was hosting an Angel. Misato said the power was out. "Rei, where are you?"

"I'm just getting to the grate leading to the main shaft to head topside."

"The Angel is there. Did you bring a rifle?"

"Yes."

Rei kicked open the grate, sending it into the shaft. Seeing something fall down before her, she took out her progressive knife and let the two contact, "Matariel is using acid to attack the Geofront."

Shinji called up the basic schematics of the access and launch tunnels, "Wait there, I'm coming to you."

"Very well."

Moments later, Shinji surprised Rei by kicking free a grate behind her position, "What do you have in mind, Wonder Boy?"

She didn't see his surprise at the comment, "Defense and offense. Defense neutralizes the Angel's A.T. fiend and Offense fires into its body." His voice gave away how tired he was having sprinted nearly a hundred miles, "After I push through that field, there's a chance I may pass out."

"I will endeavor not to kill you, Pilot Ikari."

"Thanks."

He let out a breath before doing anything else, "Ready?"

"Yes."

Rei retrieved the rifle from her Eva's back and shifted over so Shinji could get through.

Without a word, the Purple Behemoth lept out of the tunnel and focused on his A.T. field and neutralizing that of the Angel.

Rei peeked out to see his Eva being coated in acid, steam rising from various parts of Unit One's back. She waited for any sign that he was done.

After a nearly a minute and Shinji not saying anything, Rei carefully aimed and fired a single bullet up and into the Angel's eye. The pellet did not meet an A.T. field, so she emptied the rest of the fifty round magazine of bullets into the Angel.

Unit One relaxed and started to slide down the sides of the shaft. Dropping the rifle, the Prototype Evangelion reached out and caught an arm of the non-powered Purple Behemoth and dragged it into the tunnel, "Pilot Ikari?"

There was no answer.

"Shinji?"

Rei was surprised to hear a noise from where she knew the Angel was dead and took a peek.

Eva Unit Two had kicked the dead Angel out of the way and was peering into the shaft, "There you are!"

Climbing down, Asuka hacked her way through Unit One's wireless firewall and ejected Shinji's entry plug. You better survive, or I'm gonna be angry for real. Liebkind made its way into the tunnel beside the Purple Behemoth and Asuka ejected her plug. Upon opening Unit One's plug, Asuka found Shinji asleep, "Idiot. You would sleep at a time like this."

The redhead involuntarily yawned, "You're contagious, Wonder Boy."

Shinji finally stirred. With a groan, Asuka tackled him for a hug. With strain, he spent the effort to return the embrace with one arm, "Thought I told you to stay put."

She whispered into his ear, "Like hell."

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