The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still

"Abort the test, break the circuits!"

Everything inside of the testing room shut off at those words. Ritsuko Akagi had been performing on an activation test for Evangelion Unit 00. So far, the operation had been a failure, the testing room returning to normal not too long after.

"It's always Unit 00." Ritsuko said. "Alright, let's start the experiment over again."

Next to the doctor, two technicians were monitoring the Eva. First Lieutenant Maya Ibuki was carefully examining the data, typing in the commands for the reactivation. Her fellow technician Shigeru Aoba was doing the same. There was a third seat next to them, empty.

"Things would go a bit faster if Hyuuga were here," Maya muttered. She turned to her colleague. "Do you know where he is?"

Shigeru shrugged. "I think he's out getting the Captain's laundry. Dude's devoted I'll give him that."

It figured. Makoto Hyuuga was known for having a crush on Captain Misato Katsuragi. His chances were slim and he knew it, but Makoto helped all the same.

"Still. he's not helping us getting the work done." Maya sighed. "At least we got our laundry earlier to avoid this issue. Thank you for helping out, Doctor Akagi."

"Always a pleasure." Ritsuko stared at Unit 00. "MAGI systems a go?"

"A go."

The data harvesting began again. Maya couldn't help but be amazed by the numbers and code on her screen.

"It's amazing how much technology has progressed." She said. "We don't just have the Evas, but the Geo Front and the MAGI systems are so far out of what seemed possible twenty or even ten years ago. Can you believe the MAGI being used to decide political elections? It's incredible how much can progress in so little time."

"Yeah yeah, real nice." Shigeru said. "Technophile."

Maya stuck her tongue out. "Need to be one to have this job."

"True enough." Shigeru said. "What a shame they're already thinking of taking the MAGI apart. The super computers were based on the other Akagi so there's worry they're gonna go wacko any time just like she did."

"Aoba!" Maya admonished him, "Don't say it in front of-"

"It's okay Maya."

Maya looked back at Ritsuko, who let out a heavy sigh.

"I know full well that my mother's legacy is being put up to question. Not unfairly either." Ritsuko said. "Let's just focus on the task at hand."

"R-right," The lieutenant looked down. "Sorry."

The rest of the synch test went without a word, as the Evangelion stared back at them with it's large robotic eye.

"And who are you, little friend?"

Kaworu had noticed the white cat following him a while ago. He had allowed it to follow him for am hour now. It wouldn't be interrupting his meeting with Asuka and Ayanami after all. Still, eventually Kaworu supposed it was dangerous to leave the little creature around. He decided to confront the little creature.

"Wow. You're a tiny little kitten." He held the cat in his hands. "And your mom? Did you lose her?"

He gently rubbed the cat, who hummed fondly at his touch.

"If only I brought some lunch or… hmmmm."

The little kitten licked his face.

"If the mother were here she'd be able to take care of you. If I left you here, I'm not sure who would come. You'd be starving to death. It would be kinder to kill you."

He picked up the cat from the floor. The cat was still licking his face.

"Thankfully, such an action would be unnecessary. I will simply find you an owner."

The boy walked with the cat across the street. Kaworu had studied Tokyo-3's map before coming here. He knew that there was an animal shelter close by.

Sure enough, about a block away there was one. An elderly woman was outside, waving good bye at a couple who had dropped a dog with her. Kaworu smiled, walking up to the woman.

"Hello dear," The woman said. "Is that a kitty?"

"Yes." Kaworu handed the cat over to her. "I found her all alone. Would you please take it from my hands? I do not think I am capable of caring for one."

"Sure thing!" The elderly woman smiled. "You're such a nice boy, coming all this way. Thank you!"

She took the cat with her, walking back inside of the shelter. Satisfied, Kaworu went back to what he was doing. He walked across several more blocks until eventually, he spotted two girls in the distance.

"Hello!" Kaworu waved his hand at them. "I hope I am not too late."

"Kaworu! There you are!" Asuka Langely Soryuu crossed her arms. "We're supposed to head to the Geo Front together. Just what were you doing that required wasting our time?"

"Oh? I forgot." Kaworu said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "I found a cat all by herself so I handed it over to an animal shelter. Didn't want to leave it out where it could die."

"How friendly of you." Asuka rolled her eyes. "Now get over here. We have a synch test and we're running late."

"Where is Pilot Ikari?" Rei Ayanami asked. "He is supposed to come with us to the synch test as well."

"Idiot boy said he was getting the laundry for Misato." Asuka said. "I swear, he follows her around like a lost puppy. We'll go without him."

From the corner of his eye Kaworu saw the way Rei's hand clenched. It seemed she did not take kindly to what Asuka had said. Interesting, but inconvenient for this particular day.

"I doubt it's like that Asuka." Kaworu said to defuse the situation. "He's probably busy as we speak."

At the same time, Spider-Man was getting dirty.

Since the encounter at the springs, he had been searching day in and out for the Scorpion. As much as he was able to without alerting Misato to what he was doing. Currently Shinji found his best bet was to investigate the Tokyo-3 sewer system.

The logic was simple. The sewer system was a useful entry way for the monster to kidnap victims. Investigating the system will surely lead to some kind of clue as to the creature's whereabouts. That was the idea.

However, it seemed this lead was a dead end. The boy began suffering nausea from smelling the worst stench his nose encountered in his entire life. Even the brief times he was in Kokoro's sewers weren't as bad as this one.

"Found anything Shin-man?"

"Touji! We can't just say names in the comms, what if we're being spied on?!"

"Please Ken, no one has enough free time to be spying on us."

Thankfully he wasn't alone. Touji and Kensuke had returned from their Okinawa trip. Shinji had told them everything, causing some confusion and horror from the duo. Kensuke promised to help his friend to comb Tokyo-3 for places the Scorpion could strike.

"Negative, Kensuke." Shinji said. "Just an feeling in my stomach. Wait I think it's on my throat."

"Try not to hurl over the line." Kensuke said from the ear piece. "I was sure this would be it. It's a less affluent area, only a laundry service nearby, less likely for anyone notice any kidnappings. You'd need to a train if you're headed anywhere."

"Hey wait Ikari," Touji joined in. "Don't you have a synch test right now? You're pretty far off from NERV, are you gonna be able to make it back?"

"Technically I do…" Shinji said. "But Misato must have thought it wasn't important given she sent me to get the laundry. Worst comes to worst and I'll say that I got sidetracked by the train."

"If you say so…" Kensuke said. "What are you going to do for the parent teacher conference today? Going to be a hassle calling your dad over I would think."

"Shit that's today?!" Touji yelled. "My dad's gonna kill me! My grades haven't been doing so hot ever since I started hanging out with you two."

"Like you need our help to tank your scores. Maybe you could ask the Class Rep for help? She's always looking out for you even when she really shouldn't."

"SHUT UP KEN!"

"Actually I already asked Misato to attend," Shinji said. "The Commander isn't someone who'd handle grunt work like that and she's my guardian so it just makes sense to me."

"…"

"…"

"… What?"

"Ken I think we got a Momma's boy over here."

Shinji stopped in his tracks. "What are you talking about?"

"Ikari, you're a mummy's boy!"

"Classic case of an Oedipus complex! Hates the father, loves the mother and is out on a quest to replace his daddy!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Spider-Man threw up his hands. "I hate you both right now."

"Take a joke Ikari! We have to deal with yours all the time." Touji laughed. "Still can't believe you've living with a hot babe like Katsuragi. You shoulda introduced us earlier!"

"Not going to dignify that." Shinji rolled his eyes. "I just hope Misato is having a better day than I am."

The teenager was so distracted by the conversation that he didn't notice the way the lights were flickering. A yellow electrical current was passing through them.

Misato was having a pretty good day all things considered.

For once she only had light paperwork. She got her renault leased, lectured Section 2 on the finer details of security over the fiasco back at the hot springs, and even managed to sneak some Yebisu on the job. Nobody suspected a thing!

Her heart may or may not have skipped a beat when Shinji asked her to help with the parent teacher conference. Sure she was going to have to do it anyway, for him and Asuka. She's their guardian after all, and the Commander isn't someone who'd handle grunt work like that. It just made sense to her. All in in all, not a bad day.

"Hey! Hold the elevator!"

Until this asshole showed up.

Misato pressed the close button multiple times. She had a fleeting hope that maybe the elevator doors would shut fast enough that she wouldn't have to deal with Ryoji Kaji running towards the elevator with a crappy suit and suitcase.

"Hah, got it!"

Such hopes were dashed before her very eyes. Kaji stuck an arm inside of the doors and got in, much to Misato's chagrin.

"Man it's been a while since I ran that hard." He said with that infuriating grin of his. "What's with the black expression, sunshine?"

"It's nausea from having to see you," Misato made sure to keep her face away from Kaji. "Got more errands to run?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. Being an inspector for the U.N. comes with a lot of responsibilities, Misato. You should know given you're a Captain."

"You wouldn't know the meaning of responsibility if it bit you in the ass and tore it off."

"Ouch. What did I ever do to you?"

"Exist… and wear some bad cologne."

"Really?" Kaji sniffed himself and cringed. "Darn you're right. Gonna need to get a refund today."

Before she could make a snarky remark, suddenly the lights went out. Although Misato was glad for any excuse not to look at Kaji's face, the elevator made a complete stop as well.

"Power's out?"

"No it can't be, it's not possible!" Misato started pressing buttons on the panel. "Something's wrong. Could it be an accident?"

"I heard Doctor Akagi was doing a synch test today." Kaji said. "Maybe she made a mistake?"

"Can't be. NERV has back ups upon back ups."

"I wish they kicked in right about now." Kaji said. "Gonna end up late."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Late for what?"

"My electrician was supposed to be coming to my apartment," Kaji said. "The power's been acting up and so I called earlier so he could fix it. Seems like he's gonna need to make a trip to NERV too."

"Oh relax," Misato kicked the elevator wall. "The back up supply should be switch back on any second now."

"No sir. The back up generators aren't working either."

Sub Commander Kozou Fuyutski frowned. Central Dogma, along with the rest of NERV, was out of power. This naturally presented a problem to the organization who's job is to destroy the Angels if they can't get the systems that are supposed to detect their enemies back online.

"That can't be!" He said, bewildered at the situation. "Which circuits are still functioning?"

"Well only 1.2 percent of them, only 9 circuits in another 2567."

"Shit." The old man rubbed some sweat away from his forehead. "Connect all remaining circuits to maintain the MAGI in Central Dogma."

"But sir, that could interfere with our life support systems!"

"Do it! We need the MAGI!"

He surveyed the area with a critical eye. Employees were going overtime to restart the systems. Seeing everyone trying made him a bit proud. Humanity is nothing if not a resourceful species.

"Fuyutski, can you explain what the hell is going?"

Commander Gendo Ikari arrived. He brought with him a bucket, adjusting his glasses upon seeing the Sub Commander.

"Everything's down, Commander." Fuyutski said. "We're trying to jumpstart the MAGI systems but no luck yet."

"Hmrr," Gendo placed the bucket down to the floor, taking his seat. "Everything comes back to that woman."

Fuyutski looked down and noticed something. "You're not wearing any shoes."

"Why yes Sub Commander. I am so glad you noticed." Gendo placed his bare feet in the bucket. "It is not as if we are several levels deep inside of an underground military complex with no air conditioning or possibility for cold air. It is not as if everything is so blazing hot that it would be foolish to wear shoes in here. Thank you for your brilliant observation Fuyutski. I can see why I made you my second in command."

At that, the old man couldn't help but let out a small laugh. It was not a normal sight to see Gendo so outwardly crabby. Fuyutski will consider this a highlight of this day.

"Of course Commander. Who am I to question your wisdom?" Fuyutski said. "I think I'll do the same. Probably keep the socks though."

"So long as you kept your feet clean, there will be no problems." Gendo nodded. "I do not want to smell anything strange while we're here."

The two stared at the technicians below. Gendo placed his hands under his nose.

"Has anyone contacted the pilots?"

"Negative." Fuyutski said. "All the phone lines don't work. There isn't enough signal either. We can only hope they're making their way here. They were supposed to have a synch test today."

"Unfortunate. But inevitable." Gendo smirked. "I am just glad that woman hasn't made her way here-"

Suddenly a pair of doors opened violently. Doctor Naoko Akagi knocked over a few worker as she ran towards the consoles.

"NO!" Naoko screamed as she rubbed the computers with her hands. "My babies, my beautiful creations! Someone has tampered with my most perfect babies! Don't worry, I will make whoever did this to you PAY with their lives!"

That overly dramatic display freaked out many of the people in that area. Up above, Gendo and Fuyutski sweat pouring from their foreheads.

"…"

"…"

"Fuyutski."

"Yes?"

"Keep that woman away from me."

"I will delegate that task to Ritsuko."

"Excellent."

Asuka was getting just a bit annoyed.

She had passed her card though the monitor multiple times already. Nothing. Not even a signal would indicate the swipe was invalid. Something was up.

"Why won't this stupid thing work?!" She yelled. "Can't those idiots do anything right around here?!"

"Could NERV be shut down?" Kaworu asked. "It would seem the lights are gone out here as well."

"That's impossible Kaworu," Asuka said. "There are three back up circuits designed to prevent this sort of situation from happening. it's impossible for all of them to fail."

"I see." Kaworu asked. "What do you suppose could be the reason we're being prevented from entering?"

Asuka rubbed her forehead. "I don't know! Some kind of test? A malfunction? Someone playing us for a prank?"

"Doubtful. No one has enough free time for a prank like that." Kaworu said. "Could it be sabotage?"

Asuka was about to say no, then berate her friend as being a ginormous ignorant fool for daring to insult NERV and their impenetrable security… then she remembered that not too long ago a giant Scorpion monster managed to get past security and wreck the hot springs. Perhaps he had a point.

"That might be…" Asuka said. "But who would want to cause a black out here?! We're mankind's only line of defense, it's just stupid!"

"When faced with opportunity humans will find a way to take advantage of the situation it seems." Kaworu shrugged. "We will have to find a way to get inside."

Asuka nodded. She placed her hand on a railing, but a pain shot through her.

"OW!" She yelled, clutching her wrist. "What the hell?!"

The machine and the railing were enveloped in a yellow electrical current. The pilots looked in amazement as it passed, before it disappeared entirely.

"What… was that?" She let out finally.

Rei narrowed her eyes. "It might be an Angel."

"Crap, now of all times!" Asuka cursed under her breath. "No time to waste. We have to get in now!"

She looked around to see if there was another entrance. Ayanami took a step toward Asuka.

"What about Ikari?"

"Do you see him here? No? Well tough luck." Asuka said, turning to Rei. "If he makes it he makes it, but we need to get to our Evas before the Angel blows us all to hell!"

"Guys? Guys can you hear me?!"

Static rang over Shinji's ears. He took off his mask to pick at his ear pieces. Worry set in the moment the lights in the sewers flickered and died. He needed to be sure.

"Kensuke? Touji? Are you there?!"

Shinji was relieved when he heard the static vanish and some rumbling in the audio. The mic had been picked up.

"Ikari? Ikari!" He could hear Kensuke now. "The power's out and it knocked everything on our end."

"Black out?" Shinji asked. "But then how are you talking to me like this?"

"I charged my computer overnight. Got enough for a whole day."

The sound of fists slamming the table threw Shinji for a loop, almost putting him off balance and knocking him to the water. He saved himself just in time by attaching his feet to the floor. One of the advantages of spider powers.

"Everything's out!" Touji yelled. "The TV, the fridge, everything! Just what the hell happened?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Touji." Shinji pulled on his phone. "I'll go out and check if the rest of the city is like that."

"What about the Scorpion?" Kensuke asked the natural question. "Wouldn't he make his move in the dark?"

Spider-Man had considered that. If he left the sewers now, with the power out as it is, it would be an opportunity for the creature to steal and maim more victims. However if this black out was the result of an Angel attack then Shinji couldn't safely keep searching without endangering everyone to extinction.

Sure Asuka, Kaworu and Rei could probably handle the job just fine… but that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"He might." Shinji admitted. "But chances are if the whole city's under a black out, then NERV might be too."

"You're just gonna let him off the hook Ikari?!" Touji said. "What if he's taking anyone right now!?"

"Hey that's my mike!"

"I know! I know the risks," Shinji said. "But we'll have bigger problems on our hands if an Angel attacks. A black out like this isn't normal. I need to get to NERV and see what's going on."

He heard an frustrated groan on the other line. Touji was muttering something under his breath, before resuming.

"You better get that fucker next time."

As if Spider-Man was going to say no to that.

"Definitely. Keep me posted guys. Heading back out."

He jumped up to the ceiling and stuck to the wall. Spider-Man crawled along it, having to use his hands to get a feel for the environment due to not being able to see in the dark properly. At least his spider-sense wasn't kicking in. It would be terribly inconvenient to fight the Scorpion right now.

'Either him or Vulture.' Shinji thought. 'Kinda surprised none of my bad guys came back for revenge or anything. Last time I saw Shocker he was working for that Samurai guy, He seemed to have it in for me. Maybe they'll come back and finish me off. Heh, unlikely. I don't even know if they're still around.'

A lot of Kokoro had been ravaged those months ago. Lots of people died in the struggle, many more had gone missing. Among the listed missing reports had been Shocker and Vulture, so the possibility of them coming back wasn't completely out of the question.

'I wonder though… if they did survive, would Kotei turn up as well?'

One of the missing people had been Tsuyoshi Kotei. Shinji had complicated feelings for that boy. A bully who also happened to be the class representative, he had tormented Shinji for years over a stupid misunderstanding and it was partly his fault he had been stuck cleaning the lab when the bite happened.

Even though he had seen a better side of Kotei when he stood up for Rai and pushed him to apologize to Mayumi (for all the good that did…), Shinji was one hundred percent certain they would never see eye to eye. Pain was pain, and he didn't forgive it so easily.

With all that said, he wondered what happened to Kotei during the Kokoro crisis. The last time Shinji had seen him was in school. That had been destroyed not too long afterwards. In the months before he had to leave for Tokyo-3, when Spider-Man was the one searching for survivors Shinji hadn't encountered him.

He wondered if Rai had heard the news about what happened to Kokoro, and how he had taken it.

'Rai… Oh God, he and Sunako…'

Rai and Sunako Shiraishi. Both had gained powers from being experimented on by HERZ, NERV's secret science division in Kokoro. Shinji had managed to rescue them from being captured and the last he saw of them was them leaving the city for parts unknown. With Tachiageru Yamagishi's revelation that their bodies will decompose over time Shinji had despaired over the thought of them meeting painful ends.

In moments like these he wanted hope that maybe they were safe. That they had managed to lay low and find help somehow.

He sure as hell hoped he didn't jinx himself.

"Ah, here it is."

Finally finding the lid, Shinji pushed it aside, blinking away the harsh light that welcomed him. His eyes refocused to find an empty city street.

"See anything Ikari?" Kensuke said from the line. "I'm checking the streets and I don't think anybody's outside."

Shinji did a brief glance around. "Yeah, it's pretty weird. There's usually traffic at this hour."

It was pretty strange indeed. There'd usually be a soul or two out at least during the day, but it seemed that wasn't case. Even the cars were left by themselves, the train just a bit above the street lying motionless.

"Wait…" Shinji said. "There's someone up there! Turn off the comm to save battery, Aida. I'll call back soon."

Spider-Man jumped quickly, landing in front of the lone stranger on the tracks. A bespectacled man dropped some bags and raised his hands in fear.

"Holy crap you're the Spider-Man!" The man said. "Don't hurt me, I swear I won't call on you!"

Shinji rolled his eyes underneath the mask. You'd think after some time people would see he wasn't going to hurt but it seems not. His eyes widened when he recognized who this man was.

'Crap it's Hyuuga! I was supposed to help get Misato's laundry and I totally forgot.'

As Shinji hoped that Misato wouldn't kill him when he got home, Makoto stared at Spider-Man with increasing horror.

"Were you the one who caused all of this!?"

"Uh, what? Even if I had the resources and planning to to cause a massive blackout on Tokyo-3, the place where Angels show up every other weekend to kill everyone, would I do that?" Spider-Man pointed at him. "You answer my question! What's going on, where's everybody? Isn't NERV supposed to have back up power generators?"

"Why would I tell you anything?" Makoto shook his head. "Actually scratch that, I may need your help anyway. Yeah we're supposed to have back ups upon back ups. If we got something to take down the whole system that means-"

"Someone or something took it out." Spider-Man crossed his arms. "Who could pull this off?"

They heard a plane coming through. Makoto recognized it in an instant as a voice could be heard everywhere.

"This is the third district JSSDF. An unidentified object is moving towards this area. All residents must evacuate to their designated shelters!"

'That explains the empty crowd.' Shinji thought. 'An Angel attack. What God did we piss off this time?'

"Shit, shit shit! I need to get to headquarters! They need to know!" Makoto looked over to the web slinger. "My name is First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuuga. I can't believe I'm saying but, I'm gonna need your help."

"Right. We need Evas to fight Angels." Spider-Man said. "I can give you a ride there no problem."

"You sure? You look kind of scrawny."

"Why does everyone say that? I lifted buses before!" The wall crawler turned around and sighed. "Just hang on."

Makoto looked around nervously. If word got to headquarters he got help from a vigilante he could land himself in big trouble. However there wouldn't be a headquarters if the Angel got there first. Swallowing his fear, Makoto decide to take a leap of faith.

He picked up the clothes he had just recently got from the laundry and grabbed onto the kid's back.

"Hey…" Makoto nervously said. "This is safe isn't it?"

"I wish I knew."

THWIP!

Spider-Man swung through the air, making Makoto yell in fear. It was kind of annoying for Shinji to be honest.

"Slow down, I'm getting dizzy!" The lieutenant shouted in vain, the winds making his eyes narrow. "Crap I just remembered. Have you seen this kid? Brown hair, blue eyes, looks like he could break down and cry any second?"

"Uh, no I haven't." Spider-Man felt sweat from his forehead. "I only saw you. Maybe he ran off?"

"Figured as much." Makoto chuckled a bit. "He was supposed to help me get Katsuragi's laundry but he left me in the dust. Not a bad pilot but definitely a dumb kid. Need any help with directions?"

"Nah. The spiders told me just now. I know where to go." Spider-Man said. "It's cool I have them at my command. They see everything, Lieutenant. You better watch yourself or they'll get mean."

Makoto gulped just a bit loudly, much to Shinji's admittedly petty satisfaction.

"Looks like the power's still out."

Ritsuko felt an irritated eye twitch coming after hearing Maya say that, giving the doctor reasonable cause to be rename her "Lieutenant Obvious." She moved the fan a little faster, trying to regain some chill in the hot furnace that had once been the Geo Front.

"It seems so, Maya." She said in a sardonic tone. "To think that we had all the advanced technology in the world and here we are. Back to square one."

"Nothing that can't be fixed, Doctor Akagi." Maya said. "It's a problem, but humans find a way to thrive no matter the situation. We'll manage it."'

Ah yes, the optimism of youth. Ritsuko wished she had relished that while it lasted. From the corner of her eye she spotted the Commander and Fuyutski staring down at the rest of NERV. As the most self important of men will do, they raised themselves above the flock to make sure everyone knew their place. The technicians worked up and down under pressure while they sat there and do nothing but observe.

"It must be so cool for them." Maya said naively. "How can they sit so calmly with how hot things are in this place?"

"Don't give them too much credit. They're also feeling the heat. They're just better at hiding it."

Both women shivered at the voice. Doctor Naoko Akagi deigned them with her presence, passing off a data chart over to her daughter.

"I salvaged as much of the data from what my beautiful children would be able to recover." Naoko said. "I believe you'll find the results rather fascinating."

Maya narrowed her eyes in contempt."Wouldn't your mechanical arms also be knocked out from the black out?"

"A common mistake, Lieutenant." Naoko grinned. "They have a built in power source to prevent these situations from happening."

"How fortunate," Ritsuko scoffed. "Have you isolated the cause of it?"

"Perhaps. Maybe." For a second the elder Akagi looked a touch humbled. "I ran a dummy program to check how the systems were affected. The power generators are, in fact, completely intact."

"Intact?" Ritsuko said dumbly. "How is that even possible?"

"It is as I said. The electricity is still there, but something is manipulating the flow in a way that is affecting the base."

"But that's insane! " Maya was astonished. "No one can do that!"

"A few months ago I would have agreed with you." Naoko said. "However, we shouldn't discount the possibility that there is someone who can do this very thing."

Ritsuko knew what she meant. In the months Spider-Man had been sighted several so called "super-villains" had sprung from seemingly nowhere, captured on live footage and given ridiculous names. Of course Ritsuko knew the truth, that most of these individuals were products of NERV's secret science division, HERZ. SEELE had not been pleased with two of those experiments managed to escape their grasp…

"Are you saying we're being attacked by…" Maya spoke in a particularly bewildered tone. "One of those mutants?"

"I'm not saying it as fact It's just a theory." Naoko brushed some hair. "I'm just saying it would explain the odd energy patterns, the strange way the electricity is being manipulated. Until we have official confirmation I can say no more than that. One thing for sure is that we're facing an act of sabotage."

"But… but-" Maya took a step back. "NERV is the only chance against the Angels! Why one of our own kind want backstab us like this? That's insane!"

At that the elder Akagi gave out a rueful laugh.

"No offense Lieutenant, but you been paying attention to the last four billion years? Humanity is absolutely insane."

Carrying a (supposedly) adult man while web swinging was, in Shinji's professional opinion, a pain in the butt.

Hyuuga kept swearing and praying to God over his ear which didn't do Shinji's concentration any favors. He tried to keep it safe by swinging low on the ground but not a lot was making this trip any more tolerable.

At least he knew they were getting close to an entrance. There was a highway break that led into NERV HQ, and in only a minute or so Spider-Man would make his stop, leave Hyuuga there, come back as Shinji with no one the wiser.

It should really be a piece of cake. Which, in Shinji's pessimistic mind, meant that it'll probably going to go to hell any second now.

"I- I think I see it," Makoto said. "The entrance! Just leave me there."

"Got it!"

One last whirl around the web line and Spider-Man made an impromptu landing. The judges would have scored that a 6 or a 7 if they were there. The nerdy lieutenant, letting his biases get the hang of him, would only give it a 3 as he dropped to his knees in relief.

"Oh God that was horrible." Makoto said, sighing in relief. "Well I'd say thanks a lot Spider-Man but you should probably get out of here. NERV doesn't take kindly to vigilantes."

"Aw no sweat it Lieutenant." Spider-Man said about to turn around. "Just make sure NERV keeps it's eyes on the prize instead of chasing after little ol' spiders like-"

SPIDER-SENSE!

Spider-Man immediately webbed Makoto to the ground, narrowly avoiding the gun shots.

"What the hell?!" Makoto shouted. "Who's firing?"

"Your boss probably." Spider-Man said. "This is a bit overblown though, let me have a talk with these gentlemen."

The web slinger zipped across the street and into the tunnel. He spotted it, a large van surrounded by men with guns. They looked like they could be Section-2 agents, with their black suits and sunglasses. The difference was in the small details. Their clothes were looser, their weaponry more advanced than the measly pistols Section 2 agents would carry. They are clearly up to no good.

"Okay fellas, how about I take you for a ride!"

He webbed up to one of the goons. Just before he could fire, Shinji rolled in and kicked the man away, before launching another web line at another goon, and kicking him. The Web Strike, as Shinji oh brilliantly named it, was a technique he had spent hours getting right, and boy was it paying off as he rolled back to the ground.

"How hard can it be to shoot this fucker-" The man didn't get a chance to say much else as his mouth was covered in webbing. "Gugh!"

"Whoah you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Spider-Man joyfully yelled as he jumped away from another bullet hell. "Here, let me get the soap!"

Landing between two other assailants, Spider-Man clobbered them both with his fists, then used both hands to shoot more webbing at the last man standing, sticking him towards the van.

"Please don't hurt me!"

Spider-Man got closer to the webbed goon, placing his hands on his hips.

"Considering you tried to kill us, I'd say we're being pretty lenient just webbing you there. Now how about telling me and the Lieutenant over there what you're up to?"

"Look, we're just here for a job." The man said, "We're supposed to be waiting for a spy to deliver a package to us. We had an agent of ours go inside to get it from him, but he hasn't reported in yet! I swear!"

So it was sabotage. Shinji grit his teeth, trying to keep the anger in check.

"That's all well and good, but you wouldn't happen to know who the spy is do ya?"

"No man, we don't get paid enough for that crap." The man said. "Our guy might know something. He's inside the complex I think. That's all I know, I swear."

Spider-Man had a pretty good idea of who "their guy" could be.

"I believe you. Now lights out."

He punched the man someone out. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Spider-Man turned to see Hyuuga walking up to him.

"Did you find out what they might want?" Makoto asked.

"These guys wanted something from NERV, so they caused the black out to get it." Spider-Man said. "Any idea what they could be after?"

"Not a clue. I need to hurry back up to base and let everyone know what's going on."

"You do that." Spider-Man turned around. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna try to bring in the other culprit."

Makoto shimmered a bit as he watched the wall crawler jump up to the ceiling. "You can't just break into NERV property!"

"Watch me."

Spider-Man punched through a vent, tossing the cover to the side and climbing in. Only one thought came to Makoto at the moment.

"I'm gonna get so fired…"

Being cramped inside of an air vent was not something Asuka looked forward to.

If things were went her way the pilots would have been at the hangars being briefed on the situation just fine. They'd fight the Angel, high five, then berate Idiot Shinji for being late. But no. Instead, she took the lead from her fellow pilots. Now that wouldn't be so bad if she knew where she was going.

She did not of course. Not that Asuka would admit it out loud. Who can blame her though, why did the map have to be such a pain to memorize?

"So does anyone know why do Angels show up?"

It was better to start a conversation rather than let the quiet get to her. There was a subtle shake of Kaworu's head, while Rei remained impassive.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" Asuka continued. "I mean, we're humans and they're big freaky space aliens! What could they possibly want from us that they can't get anywhere else?"

Kaworu shrugged a bit. "I assumed they were after our music. Bach is certainly delightful."

"Don't be stupid Kaworu." Asuka continued. "No way an Angel would go that far just for some music. Why are they attacking us? Why Japan only?"

"For the challenge perhaps?" Kaworu said. "Maybe they see the Evangelions as an affront to their existence. A blasphemy to be destroyed."

Asuka considered it. "That might make sense, but if they wanted to destroy the Evas, why take out the power to the city? Wouldn't a one on one fight be more satisfying for them? Crap why don't they just attack all at once?"

"You know, I'm not quite sure myself. It would be smart of them to team up. Oh well." Kaworu conceded. "Also, you're assuming that the Angels cut off the power."

"Pfft, as if anyone was dumb enough to take out NERV." Asuka scoffed. "Then again, you never know."

"Maybe there is something in Tokyo-3 that they're after…"

Neither Asuka nor Kaworu expected the third voice. Rei kept her head low, staring at her own hands.

"Really?"Asuka said. "What do you think they'd want?"

"I am not certain…" Rei said. "They could be lured here. No other bases have been attacked according to reports. I doubt this is a coincidence."

Kaworu seemed to shiver at something. His eyes narrowed, as his foot gently tapped the floor beneath him.

"Hmmm… good point." Asuka said. "Something's fishy here."

Otherwise, nothing else makes sense. They come to destroy humanity but instead of attacking in numbers across the continents they go for one spot in the whole world. If NERV knew something there'd be reason to stock up Evangelions and leave Germany defenseless. Just what else is going on underneath?

CRRREAAAK!

Asuka heard the sound, quickly turning to find the floor had given away. Rei was still there, thank goodness, but Kaworu was not.

"KAWORU!" She yelled, searching through the hole formed in the vent. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

At the bottom of said hole, where circuitry and power cables could be seen, Kaworu was clutching at his foot while crouching.

"I'm quite alright Asuka." He said as if he was speaking about the weather and hadn't suddenly fallen across a high place. "I'll find my way to you. Make haste!"

He ran off in some random direction.

"Wait where are you going?! Urgh!" Asuka said. "First the dork and now him? Idiots."

No use complaining now. She moved over to take Ayanami by the hand, bringing her over to her side and avoid falling.

"So I guess it's just the two of us eh Ayanami?"

Rei said nothing. She moved in front of Asuka.

"We have been moving in circles because of your lack of direction. I will lead the way."

… well she didn't have to say it like that. At least it saved Asuka the trouble of having to ask.

The girls made a right in the vents. The walls above them vibrated, no doubt due to the Angel making it's presence known.

Asuka didn't like the quiet. Things were uncomfortable as they were stuck in these vents, they didn't need the silent treatment to go along with it.

"So… what's with you and the Commander?"

Rei Ayanami turned her head towards her.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing," Asuka said. "From everything I heard, he seems to hold you in high regard. What's it like being the favorite?"

Asuka could tell she did something wrong when Rei went from the emotionless mask she had before to outright frowning.

"You presume much."

A twitch of the eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You do not know a thing about me, Pilot Soryuu."

"I know, why do you think I asked?"

The vents started shaking.

"There are things I do not want others to know. You should respect them, Soryuu."

"Respect?" Asuka punched the wall in frustration. "You haven't been respecting me since this whole mess got started?!"

Rei glared at her. "You insulted Ikari."

"Is that it?!" Asuka kicked vent. Her repeated kicks were shaking the vent. "It's just a stupid joke Ayanami don't get your panties in a-"

CRRREEEEAAAAAK!

The vent gave away, landing the two of them onto the floor. Asuka clutched her head.

"Ow, that hurt," Asuka recovered first. "Where are we?"

"A remarkable coincidence, we were looking for you."

Asuka turned her head to find Doctor Ritsuko Akagi and Liutenant Ibuki staring down at them. Ritsuko's face was impassive.

"Where are Ikari and Nagisa? The Angel is getting closer."

Rei stood, dusting up her uniform. "They are indisposed. We have yet to find Ikari, and Nagisa had separated from us due to an accident."

Ritsuko looked over the railing, watching the workers pull at ropes, before sighing.

"The Commander's going to be disappointed." Ritsuko pointed to the Evas. "But we don't have a lot of time. Get the plugsuits and go."

"Hey Ikari? Come in Ikari? What's the hold up?"

Spider-Man crawled among the vents himself. He heard a loud noise just a bit earlier so he tried to hurry up.

"I'm fine, Kensuke." Shinji said. "Just a bit rattled from the fire fight."

"WHAT?! YOU GOT SHOT?! YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF IKARI, WE NEED ANSWERS!"

Shinji winced from the loud voice. "Hey it wasn't like I was looking to get shot! These guys were outside of NERV and I had to kick their butts. Apparently they sabotaged NERV's systems for a heist."

"A heist!?" Touji yelled. "Who's the dumbass who came up with this, I wanna punch em!"

"I have an idea on who they could be, Touji." Shinji said. "But I don't think I like the answer."

His hand vibrated at touching the wall. It was a brief second, but it Shinji had seen it. Yellow sparks that flowed through the systems. He was getting close.

"Ikari, I'm getting static on your end." He heard Kensuke say. "Where are you?"

Looking around, Spider-Man spotted an opening. The sparks were all concentrating on that one duct.

"If I'm right," Shinji said. "I'm right near the core."

A punch through the lid. Spider-Man dropped down from the ceiling, finding himself in an abandoned hallway. Circuitry glowed and dimmed everywhere, the sound of heat exhaustion putting Shinji on high alert.

NERV had a lot of redundant systems in place to protect itself from possible intruders and sabotage. Such a large scale disruption would best be served near the core of the MAGI.

"Ikari, I was looking at some stuff while we were in radio silence. There had been an unidentified van brought here earlier this morning, an hour before the black out began."

"That's probably the van I found outside of NERV." Spider-Man realized. "Keep going Kensuke. What else did you find?"

His hairs stood up from the magnetism around him, the hums flowing across the airwaves alerting him to where he needed to be. A few steps closer.

"That's not all," Kensuke continued. "The guys driving the van? Government mercenaries. Presumably hired for the job."

"Mercenary? Kensuke, where'd you find this stuff?"

"My dad works at NERV. I hack into his stuff sometimes. Anyway, they were apparently carrying some kind of huge case in their van. Did you see what was inside?"

SPIDER-SENSE!

"Not really." Shinji said. "I'll call you back guys. My spider-sense is kicking in."

As he turned off the comm, Spider-Man noticed a yellow outline formed around his gloves. He let out a small sigh. Someone was behind him.

"Shinji?"

Welp. No use wasting time. Shinji turned around.

"Shiraishi…"

Rai had changed. He had skin tight black armor, with sparks flowing across it, jumping restlessly. While before the electricity made his face disappear in the light, now a clear outline of his features can be seen. The former student had a harder look on his face. Whatever he had seen, Rai was not well.

"My God…" He said. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Of the things Shinji Ikari had expected, he did not think he would feel the sensation of crushing arms on his back, sweet whispers of gratitude over his ear.

"I didn't expect to see you here… well, I knew you were here 'cause you're a pilot now but with the mess I heard about Kokoro-" Rai moved away, smiling. "Sorry. I just haven't seen a friendly face in a while."

That wasn't good.

"I'm happy to see you too. Trust me." Shinji tried to assure. "But what are you doing here? Where's Sunako?"

Rai's smile had lost some luster. "Sunako's fine… we're fine. We're hanging on. Not by a lot, but we are."

"That's good to hear." Shinji looked around. "You wouldn't happen to know who those guys outside? Came in a van?"

Hesitation. Rai looked down, ashamed.

"Ikari… I can't answer that."

"Why not? You know em?"

Shinji didn't need any spider-sense to know where this was leading into.

"Do you remember… how we got our powers? Some guys in lab coats gave us these things?"

HERZ. Yes, Shinji remembered.

"I helped you save Sunako from them. Did they…?"

The electric boy looked away. The sparks flashed harder.

"We couldn't outrun them. Not for long." Rai said. "It was a month after that whole she bang in Kokoro. I wanted to go back to the city to find you but Sunako told me not to. Said we would have been caught if we tried. Not that it mattered. We got caught a week after that. Sunakp's boss, Yamashiro and those lab guys… they were working for bigger guys."

Shinji knew exactly who he was talking about.

"SEELE."

At that Rai looked surprised. "You know about them? Ah, I guess being the Commander's son has it's advantages huh?"

"What? No nothing like that!" Shinji was quick to shake his head. "Not too long after you left I discovered who they were. Mayumi's father worked for him."

"Mayumi?" Rai's eyes widened. "Her dad worked for those bastards?! Where is she?"

"That-" Shinji choked on himself. "Look just how did you get involved with them?

"You know how powerful they are. They found me and Sunako. They kept us locked up for days testing and probing and hurting us.… Then…"

Spider-Man took a step back.

"Shiraishi, you're not saying…"

"We've been doing their dirty work for them." Rai glumly said. "Sunako's still at the lab and I haven't had sleep in days. Right now, I'm supposed to meet a guy. He's supposed to have Adam in a box."

"Adam? He's here?"

"So you know about that too." Rai said. "SEELE's nervous. Lilith was meant to be bait for the Angels, but the Commander also getting Adam wasn't something they're keen on. They want me to take it back and find someone to blame as the perpetrator or something."

"And you're just going to hand it over to them?"

"Do I look like I have a choice?! They have Sunako. I need to find my partner and get the sample. Do you know where they are?"

"I don't know…" Shinji remembered something. "Can your partner shape shift?"

"He can. You met him?"

Spider-Man took a step back. "You gonna tell me who he is?"

"Depends." Rai took a step front. "Are you gonna stop me?"

This was it. The moment of truth. Shinji had to pick an answer or else there would be a fight on his hands.

The thought of letting Rai go with Adam… it was tempting. Take one card out of his father's deck, it might make things easier. Maybe, if Rai was so willing, he might learn the identity of the impostor who wore his skin the day at the spa.

But… the thought of SEELE having an advantage gave him pause. Naoko had mentioned how powerful they were. If they had things on their arsenal…

"I don't want my Father to have all the cards." Spider-Man said. "But I don't think SEELE should have it."

"I see." Disappointment scratched itself on Rai's face. "Then we're at an impasse."

"We're not. I can help you-"

Before he could say anything more, Electro raised his hand, which glowed yellow.

"No. You can't."

You know what would be great to do after crawling vents for a couple of hours? Doing more vent crawling immediately after it. Of course.

Asuka sighed as she made her precious Unit 02 crawl through the dirty escape hatches. Ordinarily they would send the Evas through a launch system, but due to the power outage there was nothing they could do.

She wondered how Wonder Girl could take this in her clunky inferior model. At least she didn't have to carry around this big gun on her back.

"All this because of the Angel," Asuka said to herself. "Please tell me we're almost there Ayanami."

Rei did her best not to point out the many times Asuka had asked her this question within the past hour. She shook her head as patiently as she could manage, leading the way again. They came across the shaft entrance.

"We are here. Be careful."

A swift kick from Unit 00, and the door fell across the manhole.

"This will be a difficult task," Rei said. "The Angel is above us, so we must remain cautious."

Unit 00 climbed up the shaft, crawling the walls with her feet and hands. Unit 02 struggled to keep up behind it.

"Hey slow down will ya?" Asuka said. "We're supposed to be working together!"

"You need to keep up, Pilot Soryuu." Rei said. "The Angel might make it's descent any second now."

"Okay so what the hell did I do to make you so mad!?"

"You are arrogant and disrespectful."

"Don't give me that shit, Ayanami." Asuka's patience, as limited as it was, had officially ceased to exist. "You've been like this all day and you won't explain why!

"I do not need to answer anything, Soryuu." Rei's eye started twitching. "You are distracting us from the mission."

"No, your attitude is distracting me!" Asuka yelled. "Answer me you goddamn Doll!"

At that. Unit 00 stopped dead in it's tracks.

"I am not a doll."

Rei had said it so quietly yet so angrily, the first time Asuka had heard her used that tone. it disturbed her.

"I am not a doll, Pilot Soryuu. A doll might be cherished and cared for by it's owner. I am less than even that lowly standard. I am expendable. You are expendable. We are nothing but tools for the Commander and NERV to destroy the Angels. Nothing more. The very minute we are done with our purpose we will be nothing. You are nothing. You don't understand and never will you insipid-"

Just then, a disgusting slurp came from the ceiling. A liquid dripped unto Unit 00's hands, melting them.

"Nghhh…" Rei grunted in pain. "AAAAAAAHHHH-"

It was acid, and it burned like hell. The hand slipped, causing the Evangelion to fall. Too late to save herself, Rei's Eva fell right on top of Unit 02, sending them both tumbling down.

"Nggghhh, No!" Asuka yelled. "We're not gonna die because of a shitty Angel!"

With careful timing and quick thinking, she managed to grab onto the entrance they came from. She gripped Unit 00's hand as hard as she could.

"Shit!"

Asuka turned her head up. She couldn't see it in full, but there was no mistaking it. That was definitely an Angel above. The MAGI identified it as Matareal. It had a enormous spider body. It spat out acid from it's stomach.

On any other day even one of them could take this one out with no problem. As it stood, they were at a major disadvantage.

"Look Ayanami," Asuka pulled up her fellow pilot to the entrance. "You have a problem with me. I have a problem with you. But right now we need to work together and kick that thing's ass. Truce until this is over?"

Rei clutched her hand in pain. She did manage a nod though.

"Good." Asuka smirked. "I got an idea."

'How did I get myself into this?'

Spider-Man jumped around the room, avoiding Electro's blasts as they landed. Everywhere, the machinery had been going haywire from the power being added and subtracted.

"You're not getting in the way, Ikari!" Electro yelled. "I need to save my sister! You understand don't you?!"

"I do!" Spider-Man dodged another bolt. "But this isn't the way!"

"Fuck off with that!" Electro's eyes glowed in anger. "You have no idea what we've been through."

Shinji needed to think. It's too cramped to keep swinging forever, and the bolts are getting stronger.

Spider-Man grabbed a panel and threw it at Rai, who shoved it away.

"I hope you have a better plan than-"

A swift kick in the chest shut him up. Electro staggered as Spider-Man jumped to the ceiling. The web slinger bounced from the wall to his opponent again, punching his gut, then retreating.

Hit and run. A rather basic strategy. With someone as powerful as Rai, Shinji would need to move quickly and hit when he could.

'Looks like your suit's not as invincible as your face.' Shinji thought. 'If I can keep this up, I might be able to get Rai to leave.'

He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he needed to do whatever it took to get him out of here. Adam wouldn't be safe with SEELE, and if NERV captured Rai… Shinji didn't want to know what he'd tell them.

With each hit, Electro was getting angrier.

"Reminds me of back then. You attacked me first." Rai said. "Just so you remember, I tried to reason with you this time. You're responsible."

Rai summoned energy from everywhere, making his body glow.

"TAKE THIS!"

A wave of power burst from him, sending Shinji flying into the air. He got knocked into a nearby wall, which he quickly attached himself to.

"I don't, ah, suppose I can convince you to not do that again?"

Rai smirked. "Not a chance."

THWIP!

He caught the web in his hand so easily.

"Nice try. Get a new trick though."

The shock instantly paralyzed Shinji. He fell to the floor, his body covered in pain.

Electro, for his part, was not feeling very sympathetic. He walked over to Spider-Man- not Shinji in his mind- and raised his hand.

"If your'e doing spasming on the ground, where's my partner?"

Spider-Man tried to swipe at Electro's foot, but Rai just raised his leg stomped on his foot.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-!"

Rai tried to ignore the cries as he continued, "I can make the pain stop. Just tell me what I want to know."

Spider-Man coughed. "Sorry… Shiraishi…"

He just had to make this difficult huh? Rai's hand burst with electric sparks once more.

"I'm sorry too."

Shinji prepared for the inevitable. Rai was determined in his mission and he was just standing in the way. The sparks fizzled to life-

"I think that will be unnecessary."

-But nothing happened.

Instead, Shinji saw a wall made of orange light, with waves created from Electro's bolts. Rai was confused, before he frowned.

"Oh…" Shiraishi looked up, having already guessed the intruder. "So it's you."

Kaworu Nagisa dropped… or rather floated from his hiding place above, much to Shinji's shock and confusion. He landed on the floor with elegant ease, not a hair out of place.

"I suggest you leave now, Electro." Kaworu said. "The Angel will die soon. I will deal with this matter personally."

"Affirmative." Rai smirked at Shinji. "You're lucky you made friends in high places, Ikari… see ya soon."

With that, Electro disappeared into a yellow electrical current. The systems slowly turned back online one by one, illuminating the chamber. As it happened, Kaworu turned towards Spider-Man.

"You have questions, Ikari. I'll answer them later. For now, we need to get to the Evas."

Shinji nodded. "Right."

"Ready?"

Asuka and Rei got prepared. They figured out that every minute or so, a splooge of acid would rain from the ceiling. They had one shot at this.

"Ready."

Unit 02 went in first. Asuka latched onto the walls, forming a barrier between her and Rei.

"Alright you ugly son of a bitch, come and get- AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The acid dripped fast. It burned like hell, making Asuka cringe through the pain. It reminded her of the molten hot lava she experienced fighting another Angel.

"Position Target in the center."

Unlike that time, however, this was deliberate.

Unit 00 climbed atop of Unit 02, readying the rifle in it's hands. Rei had carefully calculated the time it would take until another acid drop, and there was no mistake.

"Pull the switch."

She opened fire. Within seconds, a loud explosion was heard. The Angel above died without fanfare.

That in itself did not do much to save them from their current predicament. The two units both started free falling down the shaft.

"Mein Gott," Asuka said too tired too yell anymore. "If we had to get splattered like this at least we did it killing an Angel."

"I… suppose that is a considerable accomplishment." Rei accepted. "I do not wish to die though.

"None of you will."

Suddenly the lights came back. A panel appeared beneath Unit 00 and Unit 02, and they both fell on top of it.

"What the hell-?!"

"Super convenient isn't it?" The voice of Naoko Akagi was heard over the intercom. "We managed to restore power as you were taking out the Angel. We're bringing you back to base now."

It was super convenient. Something fishy was going on, though Asuka didn't question it now. She just wanted to get back home.

"Thank you Soryuu. You did your part well."

Asuka was surprised to hear that from Ayanami. Rei was smiling at her from the comm link. As thanks, Asuka let out a smile of her own.

"No problem. I try to be the best after all."

After being lowered enough, the panel turned left. The Evas were returned to the cages. Several people could be seen in the hangar.

"Asuka, Rei, good work on the Angel." Ritsuko said over the intercom. "We also found Shinji and Kaworu. They are here with us."

"Oh really?" Asuka glared at the screen. "Idiot Shinji! Moron Kaworu! What were you thinking, leaving the mess to ourselves!"

"Haha, well, I kinda got stuck in traffic and couldn't find a way back here fast enough." Shinji said. "Sorry."

"I ran into him in here." Kaworu looked at Shinji knowingly. "We found our way back."

"Try to avoid situations like that in the future Pilot Ikari." Rei said. "The fate of the world is on our shoulders."

Shinji nodded. "I'll try to get here faster, Ayanami."

The screen cut off as the Evas were preparing to be stationed back into the pens. Shinji was relieved that they managed to beat the Angel without him. That relief disappeared when he felt a shadow loom over him.

"I am disappointed in you." Gendo said. "I worked hard to set up your entry plug, but it seemed to be a waste."

Was he seriously going to pull this shit? Really? Shinji couldn't believe it.

"Sorry to disappoint, Commander." Shinji smiled at him ruefully. "Some things just can't be helped."

There was a tension between them. Gendo looked away first.

"Try not to repeat this incident again. Your pilots need you."

Like Shinji needed to be told twice. Certainly not from this jerk.

"I know."

Somewhere else at NERV, Makoto Hyuuga was lost.

"I'm glad that the power came back," He said to no one in particular. "Now I need to find Misato. Or Akagi. The younger one not the elder one. Naoko is all sorts of creepy."

He stepped next to an elevator. Suddenly it opened.

"Freedom!" Misato yelled. "Makoto! Quick, is the Angel defeated?"

Makoto was surprised. He recovered though.

"Um, I just got here myself?" Makoto said. "Although we're not dead so I guess we beat it. I brought the clothes for you!"

Misato grabbed them from him. "Thanks Hyuuga. Wait, where's Shinji?!"

"He's fine, Misato." Ritsuko came from the hallway. "We beat the Angel and saved everyone."

"Ain't that nice." Kaji said smoothly. "Hey Ritsu-poo."

"Guys, you won't believe what I learned." Makoto said. "We have a traitor in our midst."

Misato stared at him. "You better explain. Now."

Kaji rubbed his collar. "Right. I'm gonna goooo…"

"Not so fast Agent," Ritsuko said with a knowing smile. "The Commander wanted everyone to be debriefed. Including you."

In the back of his mind, Kaji cursed at his luck.

The night was beautiful.

Asuka and Rei lied down together on the cliff. It overlooked the whole Tokyo-3 area, The city shined bright, the power having been restored fully hours ago.

"The night's quite pretty isn't it? Stupid Shinji said he and Kaworu wanna have a talk. Let 'em have it. Why waste time when we can enjoy the stars?"

Rei Ayanami allowed herself a little smile.

"They are quite nice."

"Yes they are Ayanami." Asuka paused briefly. "So the Commander doesn't care much for you does he?"

Rei didn't say much. Not usually. But this time…

"I thought he loved me. I was wrong."

"Yeah, I know how that feels." Asuka whistled. "I thought I was the favorite for a time… what a fool I was. They'd throw me away the first chance they got."

"Katsuragi cares for you. So does Nagisa. And Ikari."

Asuka sighed. "That's true. He cares about you too, ya know. Stupid Shinji I mean. I've seen the way he looks at you."

"… that makes me happy."

"It should."

"…"

"…"

"Hey."

"…"

"Sorry for calling you a doll."

"It is alright. Do not do that again."

They said nothing else. They continued watching the stars, that shone even with the city lights blocking them.

On a rooftop, Kaworu smiled enigmatically. He could feel Asuka and Rei miles away. He was sorry to have missed that particular event, but he had business to take care of.

"I see you brought your ridiculous monkey suit, Ikari."

Spider-Man pulled off his mask in front of Kaworu.

"The correct term is a spider suit." Shinji said. "So… you know who I am."

"Yes. It was rather obvious in hindsight to be honest."

"So…" Shinji hesitated in this question. "Who are you?"

"I am Kaworu Nagisa. The Fifth Child." Kaworu said. "I was sent here to keep an eye on Commander Ikari, by Chairman Lorenz's orders."

"You work with SEELE?"

"I am their child… so to speak."

"Are you a human/Angel hybrid?"

"Hybrid?" Kaworu laughed. "Is that what you think? No Ikari."

Immediately, Shinji's eyes were assaulted by images he did not understand. Kaworu was no longer one, but two, three… warped as if imprinted on paper. His smile still remained.

"I'm afraid I am the genuine article. An Angel, as the Lilim call me."

Author's Notes:

Electro returned! But who was he trying to contact? Maybe you'll find out next time… or maybe NOT! OOOOHHHH

I hope everyone is doing alright. Coronavirus is a nightmare, please keep the masks on and save others as well yourself.

Edit: Something I forgot to mention is that Author0fntent wrote an omake for this fic. He has written another Eva crossover, this one with Frekazoid titled "Super-Wackos of EVA: NERV Freaks Out". It's a clever and funny story, I recommend it! Thanks for the omake and that amazing story.

This is a bit of an odd request for you guys, but I need a favor. See, I wrote a fic called Episode of Broly and Kale: Clash of the Legendary Saiyans. I liked what I did but I got comments about the action not being up to snuff. Do any of you know any Dragon Ball fanfics with particularly great action? I want to learn from them and get better since I want to have a go at another Dragon Ball fanfic in the future. Any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks!

Anyway time to answer some reviews:

Jackie Lin Tho: Now you know where the Shiraishis are. Where is Kotei you may ask? Keep reading and find out!

Nope: I feel like Gendo would be the last person to do something like that. We shall see.

DPSS: No, Doctor Akagi attacked the glass and gave Rei an anxiety attack. She's kind of a jerk like that.

Real Remainder: We may get flashbacks later. For now, Kaworu is a mystery woooooo!

SuperiorSuperman: I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.

Platinum Lee: It's a mystery woooooo!

lautaro94: Maaaaybe~ ;)

Guest: Strong enough to stop a train with webbing, would probably die fighting a Hulk straight on.

Another special thanks to Author0fntent for providing an omake of his own. Join us next time for: Letting Go.

Omakes:

"Anger Management" by Johnny Freeman

It was a slow day in the office for Naoko Akagi.

For someone who's only job is to maintain the MAGI with her angry daughter and make sure the flow of data is going smoothly, it was a slow day. Aside from that, Naoko found herself with very little to do but either sit in a small office writing up theoretical improvements for the MAGI, loopholes to screw over NERV or make crude drawings of her tentacles impaling those that wronged her.

It was on that particular day when she was confined to the office due to Ritsuko explicitly stating that she didn't wanted her mother anywhere near the MAGI or her workspace. With no call or email from command, she was left to the inane trappings of boredom. She reclined back on her desk as asked herself an important question.

"Where did my life go so wrong..."

The tentacles all looked at each other, as if they were asking themselves the same thing, before they all turned to their master.

"Where do we even want to start?" it replied, "You didn't make a move on Gendo sooner than that Yui Bitch!"

"Gendo…" Naoko muttered his name like a fly got caught in her mouth. "I feel like despite my bitter new feelings for him... I wonder what life would've been like had I been first instead of Yui..."

"No, that's not it!" Another tentacle shouted back, "This all happened because of Rei! That Rei girl!"

"Yeah... The little bitch was just a parroting mouthpiece. I should've guaranteed her a permanent death the first time I killed her"

"No, I think we know who the real culprit of this situation is!" The third tentacle popped in, interrupting the other two, "Shinji Ikari! The little goody two-shoes has been trying to stop you from achieving your revenge, all in the name of justice! Screw him! If you want the real culprit, then he's swinging out there."

"That makes more sense! Of course it has to be Ikari! Had I just killed the spider-brat sooner, I would've already destroyed this place already..."

"No, stop it! ALL OF YOU!" The fourth and final tentacle screamed out, "Don't you see! All of these things have happened because you couldn't move on! Gendo, Yui, Rei, ikari... They may have been contributed to our misery but the true culprit is you, Naoko Akagi! You're the culprit for your own sins!"

Naoko and the other three tentacles looked at the fourth one, her face left utterly blank at the truths it was spitting.

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU EVEN ON!?" Naoko screamed out as she strangled the tentacle. Her other tentacles join in grabbing this traitorous arm. "STUPID STUPID TENTACLE! STUPID EVERYONE!"

"D-doctor Naoko Akagi?"

Naoko Akagi stopped strangling the traitor long enough to spot Ritsuko's #1 fangirl, Maya, stand at the door and looking clearly disturbed by the situation that had been unfolding in the small office.

Naoko composed herself, the tentacles retreating behind her like embarassed children. Which they were.

"Miss Ibuki! What do you want?"

"Oh uhh... I was just wondering if I can ask a few personal que-"

"No. Get out."

Maya opened her mouth but decided better on it. She turned around and was about to leave-

"Miss Ibuki?"

"?"

"You saw nothing."

"And Now for Something Freaking Different" by Author0fntent

Freakazoid was standing on a rooftop looking at his watch, when he heard a familiar 'thwipping' sound. He turned around to see Shinji Ikari, aka Spider-Man, swinging towards him. He greeted the teenage webslinger with a friendly smile as Shinji landed on the rooftop a few feet away from him. He then stood up from his crouch, arms folded in front of him.

"Hey, thanks again for meeting me-" Freakazoid started to say.

"What the heck was that for?!" Shinji yelled as his arms when skyward.

Freakazoid recoiled slightly as he held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy there, Web-head," Freakazoid said as he tried to calm him down.

"I barely got to do anything in that cameo!" Shinji continued. "I mean come on! You show me in shadow, building up how cool and important I am for fighting the villain, and then right when your announcer gets to the part where he'll reveal me, you go right for the copyright infringement joke! Again, what the heck?!"

Freakazoid sighed a little, got on one knee, and placed a reassuring hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Look, kid, you have to understand," Freakazoid started saying, his voice shifting to Paul Rugg's serious 'Jerry Lewis/Mr. Director' voice, "it's how the joke was played out right in my very first episode. It's a tradition, of sorts. I mean you were in, lest you forget, a strictly-Evangelion/Freakazoid crossover story. (Plus, it makes the folks in legal happy.) Besides, you don't see Batman complaining about his cameo now, do you?"

The wall-crawler gave it some thought before saying something. "Oh yeah," Shinji replied, realizing Freakazoid had a point there.

"Still, I do kinda feel bad about us pulling the rug out from you like that," Freakazoid said, his voice back to its usual tone. "So on behalf of myself and the crew, we decided to get you a little something for your troubles."

"Really? What is it?" Shinji asked, now curious, an eyebrow arched under his mask. Freakazoid then pointed to somewhere behind him, causing Shinji to turn around. Freakazoid then pulled a cord from out of nowhere, which in turn caused a large white tarp to fall off of a gigantic shape. When the tarp fell clear, Shinji's eyes went wide when he saw what had been underneath.

Standing before him was a giant, black-and-white robot with gold highlights. The 'belt buckle' and two 'shin guards' on the legs were also the same gold color, and had a spider web pattern sculpted on them. On the robot's chest was half of a black spider web on a red background. The head of the robot looked like a samurai helmet of sorts, with a gold crest on the forehead, red highlights on the sides of the helmet, and a silver face plate with a strange, star-shaped mouth below the nose. In the robot's right hand was a long sword with a red hilt, a black handle, and a gold round tip on the bottom of said handle. In the robot's left hand was a large, gold shield that resembled the belt buckle, only held vertically.

"This-this is-!" Shinji stammered out excitedly.

"Shinji "Spider-Man" Ikari, say hello to your own personal super-robot, Leopardon!" Freakazoid presented.

Shinji, at that moment, jumped up and down gleefully. "Woo-hoo! Awesome!" he shouted. He then froze for a moment when something occurred to him. "Wait a minute-I already have a giant robot!"

"Technically, you pilot a giant cyborg powered by your mom's soul," Freakazoid said as he corrected him. "No, ol' Leopardon here is 100% Toei-created machinery!" He then took out from somewhere an object that looked like a large electronic wristwatch. "Here's your control for the robot. The instruction manual's in the baggie attached underneath."

"But still, why give me this?" Shinji asked as he took the wrist controller.

"Well, as Kensuke-my Kensuke, that is-mentioned to me," Freakzoid explained, "the Spider-Man of the 1978 Japanese show made good use of Leopardon whenever the bad guys decided to "live large". Plus, it'll help you with the "being in two places at once" part of your secret identity! Say you get called in to fight an Angel, and you need to reassure your friends and coworkers that you're not Spider-Man. So, you set Leopardon to join you on autopilot, and presto! No one's the wiser!"

"Yeah, that does make sense..." Shinji said as he held his chin. "Wait, what'd you say about my mom-?"

"Uh-oh," Freakazoid said, dodging the question as he hastily looked at his watch, "Sorry, can't talk, gotta go! We're resuming shooting in a few minutes and I'm needed on the set. Bye now! And remember-great power and responsibility and all that jazz!"

With that, Freakazoid zoomed away in a flash of lightning, leaving a stunned-and at the moment, very confused-Spider-Man, now the owner of an honest-to-goodness super-robot. Soon, a new question came to his young mind:

Where the heck was he going to put Leopardon in his off-hours?