Top Girls!

Chapter 18

Misato's Camero bounced slightly as they skidded over a section of damaged roadway, and she struggled for control.

"Eeep!" Shinji made an incoherent noise.

"I've got this!" Misatoi struggled with the wheel before adding, "I think."

"Ack," Shinji braced himself against the dashboard, but Misato soon recovered and got them back on the highway.

MUCH more cautiously Ritsuko and Maya followed.

"There was a lot of damage across the United States after Impact," Ritsuko noted calmly as she took her Shellby GT through the wrecked road, "and road repair was less of a priority on the back roads we chose."

"Yes," Rei agreed mildly, riding with her,

"Thank you, Miss Information," Misato quipped.

"Someone has to," Ritsuko noted.

Asuka was clearly enjoying the ride in the muscle car with Maya. "You should open her up," she encouraged Maya.

"Not until we hit the highway again," Maya said firmly, behind the wheel of her Ford Mustang.

"Spoil sport," Asuka joked.

"Besides, I am NOT wrecking this beauty," Maya added firmly. All three were, of course, speaking for the mini cameras mounted in each car...

They had headed east from San Francisco, through Freemont, Modesto then through Yosemite National Park. The glacier valley was impressive, but the park itself hadn't been THAT well maintained. Hence, iffy roads.

"Can we hit the gift shops?" Shinji wondered. Sheepishly he added, "I'd like to get something for our classmates..."

"Take it up with Gendo," Misato said mildly.

"Fascinating," Ritsuko murmured as they drove through the rock formations, the afternoon sunlight shining down.

"I sort of wish we could hold a rally here," Maya mused aloud.

"Oh hell no," Ritsuko shook her head.

"The park service would murder us," Misato laughed as they drove on.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"That, and we'd have to arrest them," Miyuki Kobayakawa noted, the long haired, pretty young woman driving one of the escorting police cars.

"Spoil sport," Natsumi Tsujimoto chuckled, the boyish woman sitting beside her.

There were a interceptor in front, and one behind, of the Top Gear group. As well, they had the option of calling in assistance if needed. Not that they were expecting trouble, of course.

"At least they're nice," Aoi Futaba noted, the feminine, taller woman driving the other car.

"I was a bit worried, considering their reputation," Yoriko Nikaidou admitted, pushing up her glasses. "Do you think it would be rude to ask for autographs?" she asked.

"Wait until we're finished escorting them," Aoi suggested.

"Hopefully they won't be too annoyed with us," Yoriko sighed.

In addition to 'escorting' the Top Gear team, they had been asked to try to keep them away from things the US did NOT want them to see. Like how LA was nearly a lawless hellhole. So far, nothing 'bad' had popped up on their route.

"So, we're going all the way to Bevada..." Natsumi mused. She brightened, "Maybe we can hit Las Vegas!"

"Natsumi," Miyuki sighed. "Gambling is BAD."

"I was more thinking the showgirls," Natsumi smirked.

"THERE ARE TEENAGERS," Miyuki smacked her.

"Oww," Natsumi pouted. "I bet Miss Misato would be okay with it."

Miyuki considered that, "Well, yes..."

"Mr Ikari's calling," Natsumi noted. "You get it.. his pedo-beard creeps me out."

"Ditto," Miyuki sighed and answered it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Gendo nodded as he said, "We'll cross into Nevada later today? Yes... yes... understood. Thank you, Miss."

Kaji was riding along in the 'support' Van, along with him and Satsuki Ooi. "Problems?" he asked Gendo mildly.

"I wanted to make sure there were no issues going into Nevada," Gendo explained.

"We set up everything when we were in Japan," Sartsuki pointed out.

"The Americans have been weird about this," Gendo shrugged.

Kaji had to concede that. The initial planning had hit road blockl after road block, and they had been very odd on their picking the route. They had wanted to hit LA, but had been totally refused. With no explaination too.

"So if there is trouble...?" Kaji wondered.

"We call in our ambassador," Gendo said with a shrug.

"We haven't seen the reported 'weird critters' as much as we expected," Satrsuki changed the subject a bit.

"Too far north," Kaji noted. Thoughtfully he added, "I heard things are crazy in Texas and South America."

After the destruction of Antarctica, a large number of lifeforms began to mutate and change. The effect rippled out across Australia, the South Pole Seas and basically the entire 'far south' of the globe. And the creatures were spreading, including the United States...

"Ritsuko was hoping we could bag some samples," Gendo shook his head wryly.

"She's straight up a mad scientist at times," Kaji agreed.

"Don't be mean," Satsuki chided.

They stopped for lunch not far from the boarder, in a little town that seemed almost deserted.

"Couldn't we have stopped at Lake Tahoe?" Misato complained as they ate at a small diner.

"I'd rather you not run wild at a resort," Gendo noted.

"Ha," Kaji chuckled.

"Meanie," Misato pouted.

"We're not filming this, right?" Ritsuko checked, seeing Satsuki hefting her trusty camcorder.

"No, only for behind the scenes," Gendo reassured her.

"Good. This sandwich is AWFUL," Ritsuko sighed.

"Next time don't order the pulled pork sweet and sour brisket sandwich," Maya said with a sigh, eating a somewhat safer salad.

Rei was also eating a salad, due to diet issues.

"It's not THAT bad," Asuka noted, chowing down.

"You fry EVERYTHING," Shinji pointed out.

"Meh," Asuka stuck her tongue out at him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Argh," Mari complained, sitting in class.

"Bored?" Hikari asked mildly.

"I hate sitting here while everyone else has fun," Mari pouted.

"I could...," Kensuke Aida started.

Mari gave him a withering look.

"Or not," Ken sighed.

"Besides, you just want me for my Evangelion," Mari pointed out.

"She's got you there," Toji agreed, the taller boy hanging out hearby. "Wanna hit the arcade later?" he suggested.

"Nah. I have to stay near NERV sxcept for classes," Mari scowled.

"So.. if a Angel does attack, what are you expected to do?" Hikari asked.

"Hold it off long enough for the other pilots to jump in a jet and get back here in time," Mari shrugged. "Or they'll try our classmates in the Evangelions as a last ditch effort."

"Awesome!" Ken exclaimed.

"Oh hell no," Hikari winced.

"Eh," Toji shrugged.

To be continued...

Notes: Yeah, I decided to use the You're Under Arrest characters.