Answers:
dragonman: I've kind of been on a writing marathon, so I know for a fact that I've got plenty of great things to give you guys.
Fanus: You should be able to guess the Fourth Child from the hints I've put in here.

Disclaimer: See Prologue
Chapter 18: Rebellion

Hanscom Air Force Base, 0300.

"Pack mule to Hanscom tower, requesting latest weather." an Air Mobility Command C-5 Galaxy was preparing to lift a suspended Evangelion Unit from the East Coast to the JASDF's Matsushiro Air Base.

"Pack mule, this is Hanscom...heading 270 will be walled by low-level thunderstorms with lightning warnings for the remainder of the morning. You'll be climbing to Flight Level 400 passing through the turbulence until you reach altitude."

"Acknowledged, Hanscom. Requesting final clearance."

"Pack mule, you are cleared for takeoff Runway 29 for heading 270. Stay safe in the weather."

"Pack mule taking off Runway 29 for 270, Pack mule."

As the heavy-lifting beast rose from the ground, carrying Japan's future guardian below it, the First Lieutenant at the copilot's controls couldn't help but comment on the strange weather. "Hey, Captain, is it odd for a cloud to glow purple?"

"It may just be the moonlight, LT."

NERV HQ, Japan, 1600

Ritsuko woke Rei from the LCL Chamber. "Rei, we've had to keep you in somewhat longer than normal. What's your most recent memory?"

"...I was at school, at our swimming complex, with Shinji. He was trying to kiss me...after that...nothing."

Ritsuko was taken aback. "Trying to kiss you?! Did he actually do it?"

"He almost did. My telephone rang...Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi called us...He stopped when he heard what she had to say."

"After that?"

"I do not remember..."

"Then you have roughly 24 hours of memory loss, Rei. It's 1600 Saturday. Do you remember why Misato brought you in here?"

"...No, ma'am."

"Unit-04 in the United States exploded. It destroyed Branch 2."

Rei realized at that moment that she was changing. She had to consciously prevent herself from showing signs of shock. = Has my time with Shinji really led me to become more expressive? = She forced herself to maintain a blank expression to preserve the Doctor's opinion of the stoic girl.

"How many casualties?"

"Over 12,000. Because of our need for a...successor to Unit 00, we are receiving Unit-03 from the American East Coast."

"Why is my Unit being replaced?"

"Because it's too old and doesn't have the combat performance we need now. Unit-03 is going to be getting a new pilot-"

"Do you mean that I won't be controlling it?"

"Yes, Rei, and do not interrupt me. The Fourth Child will be initiated soon. You'll be taken out of active service." Ritsuko felt a slight resurgence of her suppressed loathing of Commander Ikari's surrogate daughter. = She cut me off...Since when does Rei talk out of turn!? =

"I...do not wish to abandon Shin- Pilot Ikari...and Soryu on the battlefield."

"If you don't retire while you still can, Rei, I can guarantee that there's going to be an attack that Unit-00 can't handle. You'll be killed in action."

"If I die, I can be replaced."

"This isn't about that, Rei." Ritsuko said with disgust. "This is about not having Unit-00 as the weakest link. If humanity is destroyed because of you, NERV will have failed completely. It's not about your self-worth or your 'friends', Rei."

"...Yes, ma'am."

"Good, then. Just so you know, until Unit-03 is active, you'll be temporarily taking Captain Soryu's position in the formation."

"I am being moved...up? Why?"

"What the hell do you mean I'm being deactivated!?"

"It's only temporary. Until Unit-03 replaces Unit-00, you're off active duty. Unit-02 still belongs to Germany and we will uphold the restrictions of the Vatican Treaty. We aren't going to be blamed for starting a second Cold War."

"And how the hell is taking me out going to help?!"

"Because if we have four active Evangelions, we'll get blamed for starting an arms race. Mutually Assured Destruction only works until somebody builds the biggest bomb. We aren't going to let 30 years of peacemaking go up in smoke to satisfy your ego."

"The cockpit of an Eva is the only place that I belong! This is wrong!"

"It's a combat weapon, Asuka, not a trophy. We have contingencies for every Unit and every Pilot, including you."

Asuka stormed away to the elevator shaft where she immediately scowled at the quiet girl riding to the surface. She huffed and stood against the wall as they ascended, the animosity Asuka felt towards Rei growing by the second.

"...You do not have to depend on your Eva for acceptance. There are other ways to do good things for the world." Rei said; an attempt to illuminate Asuka's dependence on her weapon.

"How would you know anything about me! I actually earned the right to be a pilot! You only do it because you're the Commander's little suckup!"

"I was raised from birth to pilot Unit-00. Every attempt I have made to separate myself from it has failed. Instead, it was separated from me."

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"After Unit-03 is confirmed, you, Shinji, and the Fourth Child will be the operational Eva pilots. I am being deactivated."

Asuka was dumbfounded. = Wondergirl's getting thrown out of the party! Now everything, the position, the fame, the Idiot's attention, I have it!...wait =

"So it's Shinji, now? Really? What else do you call him?"

"Shinji."

"That's what you just said, you idiot!"

"I...attempt to refrain from referring to him as 'Pilot Ikari'. It is an attempt to build a human connection outside of NERV. Is what I am doing...wrong?"

"Save your philosophical spiel and just tell me how you feel about him."

"...'Feel' about him?"

"Let's hear it."

"...I...do not know."

"How the hell can you 'not know'?! He does everything but shout it from the rooftops! I'm getting sick of his...obsession with you, and you just stupidly stare and say 'I don't know'!"

"...I do not know how I 'feel', but I think that he wants to help me build more human bonds, he wants to see me become more of a 'person'; and I think that I want to help him become more courageous...he thinks of himself as a coward, but I want him to see how brave he really is. I want him to see the truth...that's what I 'think'."

"...Is that so?"

Asuka spun around and almost ran out of the elevator. Growling out loud to anybody who could hear her. "She's even more stupid than he is! She's too stupid to realize she's already fallen for him! 'The Idiots'...it sounds perfect for them!"

"Commander, I do have some newsworthy information."

"Regarding?"

"The First and Third Children."

"What of them this time?"

"Your son has proceeded to create a relationship with Rei."

"Just as I predicted he would."

"...You wanted this to happen, Commander?"

"I knew it would happen from the moment the Third Child saw the First being wheeled in on a hospital bed. Admittedly, it wasn't by design, however, if the Third Child becomes loyally attached to the First, he will become controllable. Perhaps this will change his state of mind from constant 'retreat'. What is your opinion, Ritsuko?"

"Well, any sexual contact between the two will be quickly uncovered at their next physical examinations...Up until today I would have never concerned myself with their behaivor."

"Why?"

"Shinji used to be too timid to initiate contact with anyone. But, according to Rei herself, he attempted to kiss her yesterday."

"And?"

"Based on the explanation she gave me, Rei wasn't completely opposed to the idea. The only thing that stopped the two of them was a phone call from Misato."

"Are you concerned?"

"Considering that Rei is medically sterile, I'm not concerned about pregnancy. I am concerned with their psychological status."

"You shouldn't be. Rei knows that she carries the Second, but she's not aware of Yui. As long as that doesn't change, there is nothing to repulse Shinji. He will be under our control. And, perhaps this social exposure will create improvement in Rei. Social exposure is important, isn't it Doctor?"

"...Yes, Commander, it is." She answered, closing the office door behind the two of them.

Rei returned to her apartment experiencing a new emotion. = I am...afraid. = She thought to herself. = If I can lose a day's memory...can I lose a week? A month? What are they truly taking from me?...I think that I am beginning to understand Shinji's tendency to feel fear before his actions..."

Before she could convince herself otherwise, she took out her cell phone and dialed the Katsuragi apartment. A squwaking racket greeted her ears until she heard the voice of her squadron commander cheerfully speaking over the family penguin.

"Katsuragi family, what can this happily dysfunctional home do for you?"

"Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Rei? Is this a social call?"

"Perhaps, I am not yet certain..."

"Well, if it is, call me Misato, we're off duty!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Now if I didn't know better, I'd bet you're looking for Shinji!"

"Why do you assume that?"

"Because Asuka told me that you two have pretty much made it official, and I love it! You two are absolutely adorable together!"

"...Thank you...Misato, however, I have a question for you."

"Really? Anything."

"Do you believe in telling the truth or maintaining security?"

"Oh, give me a hard question, why don't you. Is this concerning NERV?"

"Not quite, it concerns myself."

"And is it something you want to tell your not-boyfriend?"

"...Yes, but I am not certain how it would affect him. He is sensitive."

"...Shinji's about to cook dinner, I'll be at your apartment in 20 minutes...you can come here for dinner tonight and talk to him in person."

"Is this the best course of action?"

"It's the lesser of two evils."

"I do not want to restrict your meal choices. I refrain from eating meat dishes."

"It won't be a problem, trust me. Turn your phone volume up and listen to the background noise."

"Yes ma'am."

Rei heard Misato shout across her apartment. "HEY SHINJI, You're about to have a very pretty dinner guest, cook something vegetarian!"

Rei listened closely and heard Shinji come to a realization. "Dinner guest? Vegetarian? Waitaminute...AAAAAAhhh *CRASH* ."

"Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi, what just happened?"

"Shinji realized that you would be the one coming over, and he tripped all over himself dropping our pots and pans everywhere!"

"Does he need medical attention?"

"No, Rei. You see, when a boy is really attracted to a certain girl, the mere mention of that girl's name is enough to turn him into a disaster-prone idiot! It's basically a superpower us girls have that remind the men of the world that we're the ones in charge!" Misato dissolved into laughter and finished the call.

"All right, that's enough fun for now. I'm leaving to pick you up, Rei."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "The loss of Unit-04 was unexpected, but not, as you already suspect, sabotage."

"It still gives me concern for the validity of Unit-03, Mr. Representative."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "You should concern yourself with the Identification of the Fourth Child."

"He has already been Identified. He is a 10th Grade athlete in 2-A. The current Children are all aware of his presence, but not his Identity."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "His qualifications?"

"He has recently lost his mother to illness, but the death is recent enough that she can be Transferred into Unit-03's core. He has a personal interest in this war: his young sister was injured when the Fourth Angel attacked."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "Then he will be willing to fight when he is brought before you, Ikari?"

"Indeed, his thirst for vengeance will either give him strength or lead to his defeat. This was proven in his dealings with the Third Child. There will be no middle ground for him."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Pack mule is en-route to Matsushiro Air Base as we speak. Can the new core be developed in time for it's arrival?"

"It is already being constructed."

"Shinji, once again, you've outdone yourself!" Misato exclaimed over her third beer.

He prepared a simple vegetarian meal, two rolls of fresh handmade vegetable sushi per person and a helping of his delicious miso soup, paired with hot tea for the Children, while Misato drank her usual Yebisu.

"Yes, Shinji, I have described your cooking as 'Delicious' in the past, I believe it is appropriate to do so again."

"...It's edible, Idiot. Why'd she have to be dragged over here, again?"

"Because Rei has something that she considers important to discuss with Shinji, and it's best to handle matters like that in person."

"Yeah, 'in person', Misato. You know that mean's they're just gonna make out, probably worse!"

Misato looked over to Rei and Shinji and sighed. "I'm sorry about her, but she has a point. Shinji, Rei, do I need to discuss anything with either of you?"

"You need not be concerned, Misato, this will not be a 'romantic' discussion, nor will it be what Pilot Soryu describes as 'probably worse'."

Asuka proceeded to burst into laughter. "If it's not, then Shinji must be getting dumped tonight! I don't believe it! Even a doll would rather have a real man than you, Shinji!"

Misato glared coldly at Asuka while Rei took Shinji's hand and led him to his room. She instructed him to kneel down as he cut in. "Rei, we aren't going to start sparring, are we?"

"Is that an attempt at 'humor', Pilot Ikari?"

"...It wasn't a very good one, was it?"

"No, we are not. Shinji, what security clearance level do you have?"

"Uhhh...Secret only. They wouldn't give me Top-Secret clearance."

"What I am about to tell you is beyond Top-Secret confidentiality. I am delivering this report to you in person because I believe you have the character to do what is right with this information."

Misato had ordered Asuka to do everyone's dishes as punishment for her unkind words to Shinji and now found herself eavesdropping through Shinji's door. = Of course she isn't dumping him...he said 'Top-Secret...shit where is it? = She ran to her bedroom, retrieved a directional microphone and headset and plugged them into her bedroom computer. She tuned the microphone until she was able to comfortably understand the two Pilots.

= I'm so sorry Shinji, Rei, I'm betraying your trust, but, whatever it is, it's too important to ignore. =

"Shinji, when did we separate, yesterday?"

"As Ritsuko took you to the hospital, she said your anemia could worsen."

"I am not anemic."

"...What?!"

"That is a cover. I am being taken down into NERV's sublevels to be immersed in LCL."

"Okay, we get immersed in LCL whenever we get plugged."

"Shinji, do you know the purpose of LCL?"

"Yeah, when it gets electrified, it turns into a kind of oxygen-rich gas that we breathe."

"Do you know the other purpose?"

"Uhhh...no..."

"LCL, when electrified, is capable of transmitting human thought and memory as network data."

"I thought that's what our headsets were for."

"The A-10 interface is the connection, but the electrified LCL is the infrastructure that our thoughts travel through."

"Okay, that's how we mentally control the Eva Units."

"It is also how my thoughts, memories...and...emotions...are recorded."

"Recorded?"

"Yes, I am ordered to regularly report to the LCL facility to have my thoughts turned into biologic data to be uploaded into the dummy plug system."

Misato was recording this breakthrough. = Keep going, Rei! Keep Going! This is just the Truth that Kaji and I need to bring some justice for you kids! =

"Dummy plug?"

"NERV's program to create autopilots for the Evas."

"Autopilot? That kind of sounds like a good idea..."

"Shinji, I fear it..."

Shinji's world was just totally rocked off its foundation = I...didn't think Rei could be afraid of anything! This must be bad. Really Bad! =

"Rei, what do you mean?"

"Every time I am sent to the facility, I leave feeling...sick. I feel like I have consumed significant volumes of alcohol, or have injected opiates into my body, or, most recently, I have suffered amnesia and memory loss for my time in the chamber. The memory transfer sessions are becoming more involved and possibly...more violent. I do not understand the purpose of the experiments, but I fear that the outcome will not be a positive one for the pilots or the fight against the Angels."

"Rei, what do you want me to do?"

"You entered this conversation with positive opinions about an autopilot. Change that opinion. I refuse to trust it, and I hope you will do the same."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I do not know who to trust with this knowledge. Shinji, you may be right about Commander Ikari. The dummy plugs are his projects, and I no longer believe he has my best interest at heart. I wish that you could have had your father, Shinji, but I feel that I can no longer trust him, either."

"I do have a father, Rei. His name's Ryouji Kaji, and I know without a doubt that he has my best interest, Misato's best interest, Asuka's best interest...and yours as well. I won't take this story to him, yet, but I do think that he's the person to trust here."

"Why do you trust him so greatly, Shinji?"

"Because he's done so much to try and Rebuild things with Mistato, and he's done so much to help me. He helped me start acting braver, he helped me stop wanting to just please my dad and nothing else, and he helped me start talking to you." He blushed at that last comment.

"Very well, Shinji, not now, but later. For tonight, do we agree that this conversation did not happen?"

"What conversation?"

Misato cut her feed and called Kaji over her secure line.

"Okay, here's the deal. Meet me under the streetlight next to that bar that serves the awful beer. You know when. Make sure you have some kind of cover. Sniper cover would be preferable. Listen to me Kaji: I've found the human donor."

She got up and knocked on Shinji's door. "You two finished? Can I come in?"

Shinji quickly put on a straight face. "Uhh, sure, Misato."

She came in the room to see the two kneeling face-to-face, so she got down on her knees with them, and made up her cover story. "Rei, I know Asuka was bitter and unkind earlier, but I have to ask: Was this a breakup?"

"No, Misato. It was a delay." Rei played along with her question.

"A delay?"

"I understand that Shinji would like to have me as a...girlfriend, but I am not fully aware of my own feelings yet. I did not 'dump him' as Pilot Soryu guessed, I simply told him that I needed time to understand what my own feelings are."

"Shinji, were you okay with that?" Misato laid the story on even thicker.

"Well, yeah, I care enough about Rei to give her all the time she needs."

"Shinji, that's a wonderful thing to say. Rei, tie him up before some other girl does, this boy here is a trophy! Now, I need you two to do me a favor. I've got some paperwork to deliver to Ritsuko, so I can't take you home just yet, Rei. Asuka's already gone to bed because that's how lazy she is; I need you to just hang out with Shinji for a while and don't do anything that I would, okay?"

"MISATO!" Shinji was appropriately red faced.

= Well, Shinji certainly understands his own feelings. = Misato giggled to herself.

She left the apartment, slashed the tires for the dozing Section-2 agents' car, and made her way to that one place.

Misato returned to the apartment around 0300 that morning. She maneuvered in the dark until she saw the glow of her muted television on some blue, then brown hair. Shinji and Rei had fallen asleep on her couch, and Shinji managed to get his arms wrapped around her waist. = Ohhh, she's cuddling up against him! It looks like Shinji gave Rei all the time she needed after all. =

She crouched down to just above their head level and whispered. "You both have very good poker faces. I don't know if you bought my cover or not, but I want you to know that I love you both enough that Kaji and I are going to do whatever it takes to protect you."

A/N: (Dodges thrown shoes) I know, I know, get to the Eva fights, already!