Angelus Retournen Incarnatus
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)

A fanfic inspired by the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, copyrighted by
Gainax and no attempt had been made to state otherwise.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Chapter 2. Illusions

=-=-=-=-=

2020 AD NERV 5th Branch
Arizona Desert, United States of America

The outside air smelled like burnt cinder and charred wood.  The thick
fiery smoke coming from the ashes had almost filled the upper atmosphere of
the front when the environment control unit kicked in and started venting
the smog out of the Geofront.  The sirens and warning announcements had
already died down almost two minutes ago, but all eight Evangelions were
still standing vigilantly outside the headquarters facility, looking
intently at the new smaller crater they had carved out of one side of the
whole Geofront.  Firefighters were rushing towards the scene, hoping to
control the small brush and forest fires the EVAs had created in the
aftermath.

"Where the hell is it?"  The pilot of Unit 35 asked everyone, "Did we kill
it?"  Trisha toggled through half a dozen computer readings and even linked
her EVA to the main computer of the NERV facility, hoping to find answers.
"No trace?  What do you mean no trace?"  She quickly kicked her EVA in
disgust, not that it had any effect though.  She was disappointed to say the
least. Her first major fight, and she wasn't even sure if she had won or
not.

"All EVAs return to their cages."  The order came through Trisha's
communication link just as she was approached the wreckage site. There
wasn't any real wreck, however. "EVA Unit three five, proceed to cage zero
zero immediately." A different voice ordered.  Several of her teammates were
already on their way back to their respective containment facilities..

Trisha stayed behind as she found herself still looking down at the supposed
wreckage of EVA Unit 01.  She only saw the blackened burnt waste, but no
Evangelion.  Not even a piece of armor was left.  She asked herself if she
had been too rough. Maybe it only needed one EVA to stop the renegade Unit
01, she asked herself.  Her EVA only told her some gibberish response which
she didn't pay much attention to.  "I wasn't talking to you." Unit 35 said
sorry, but Trisha was still deep in her thoughts.  "Pull up the file of Unit
01." Shinji's picture was among those windows that suddenly appeared in
front of her.  Trisha had heard a lot about Unit 01, and its pilot, mostly
from her textbook and old journals somewhere in NERV.  "So, you're the guy
who killed all those angels."  She stared at Shinji's innocent looking eyes,
they looked so real and unemotional.  "Kinda cute, but ..." The image of
Unit 01's head reflected in her mind, "you're probably eighteen by now. I
guess..." Her voice faded as she asked her EVA to clear the screen for her.
She turned EVA Three Five around, a feeling of disappointment hung inside
its LCL filled plug. "I wish I had met you. I've heard so much about you,
Ikari Shinji.  I'm sorry." She flew her EVA right down the reentry cage that
was prepared for her.

=-=-=-=-=

NERV Headquarters
Tokyo-3, Japan

Commander Maria Usagi left Central Dogma a few minutes after the
confirmation came through the computer that they had lost Unit 01 again.
The 5th branch of NERV had ten Evangelions in the capture operations, yet
all they had accomplish was destroy almost one fourth of the Geofront where
the facility was cradled in.  She wasn't disappointed though.  She knew this
sudden reappearance of Evangelion Unit 01 was only the beginning of larger
things to come.

She walked down the corridor and promptly recognized the salutes of two
guards that were standing by a doorway.  "Has Major Misato finished her
briefing yet?"  She asked one of them.

"Um, I don't think so, Commander.  Shall I ask if she is finished?"  Another
guard already had a hand on the doorknob.

"No need, soldier.  I'm sure she's already having a hard time keeping fifty
children quiet all at the same time while trying to make a point in her
lectures.  It's good that she's finally doing something around here."  Maria
walked off giggling a bit.

Both guards looked at each other.  "I thought there were fifty and one?"

=-=-=-=-=

"Hello, my name is Ikari Shinji, and I'm the pilot of EVA Unit 01."  Shinji
now had the microphone and was standing in front of the other EVA pilots.
He had their undivided attention.  "I used to be like you.  Fourteen and
scared." A few pilots started staring at each other.  "Yes, I know you must
be scared.  I was scared seeing Unit 01 for the first time."

"So were we." A voice cried out, sparking a few laughs from everyone else.

Touji whispered in Hikari's ear.  "These guys never knew what Kensuke and I
felt when we saw Unit 01 fight that Angel."  He muffled a laugh.

"What Angel is that?  Is that the one where you two almost got yourselves
killed? The one were you two tricked me into letting you use the bathroom.
Well?"  Hikari ranted, remembering that time all too vividly.

"Eh, why are you so edgy this morning, Hikari?" Touji asked her.

"I...I am not!" Hikari blurted out, crossing her arms and pouted in protest.

"I don't have enough to tell you guys everything, but this I will say."
Shinji waited for the room to die from the laughter.  He could still see
Touji and Hikari fighting at the back, but he didn't have to wait for them
to stop.  The forty plus other EVA pilots was his concerned.  "In the coming
days ahead, please be prepared."

Misato swung her head and looked inquisitively at the speaker.  Shinji too
looked straight at her, knowing that he had a lot more to explain to his old
guardian.  Rei was standing by the door but she had not been listening. She
was only staring at Shinji, her eyes couldn't seemed to move away from him.

"We...We have reason to believe that my father is still alive.  And," Shinji
looked at Rei, he noticed her sparked reaction when he mentioned his
father's name, "that we will do everything to rescue him."  A low rumble of
whispers filled the room.  "My father was the former commander of NERV.  He
and my mother were responsible for the Evangelions."  Shinji looked back at
Misato, her nod egged him to continue.  "And with their help, and I hope
yours as well...we could prevent the annihilation of mankind again."

"Um..." A pilot muttered in his chair, "I don't get it?"

"BAKA!  Don't you remember your history lesson?  His father was killed when
the last Angel attacked.  That was when NERV prevented the Third Impact."  A
girl EVA pilot slapped the boy's head from behind.

"Oh?" A few more children joined the conversation.  "But I thought there are
no more Angels?"

"Dummy!  If there are no more Angels, why do you think we still have EVAs?"
A boy exclaimed as he stood up from his seat up front.  Every child then
fell silent.  For the past three years they had been training to pilot the
Evangelions, only did the full realization of their purpose dawned upon
them.

Misato briefly turned to all of her children pilots, all were looking at her
for answers.  She however didn't have an answer. Shinji spoke for her
instead.  "There are still those that threatens humanity.  They are the ones
who we must stop."

"Who?"  Misato asked nervously.

"Evangelions and NERV, of course." Shinji's words silenced everyone.

=-=-=-=-=

5th Branch
Arizona Desert, United States of America

Maya waited just outside her husband's office, her palm resting on the
doorknob.  She feared entering with her mind still unclear of her reason
being there at a time when she should be crying for a friend.  Her eyes
closed briefly, holding the tears back.  Unit 01 disappeared for no apparent
reason years ago, and it was her that provided one when it came back looking
for the death it cheated. It was a difficult choice to make especially when
the burden of several hundred lives were resting on her shoulders.  She only
remembered Makoto's voice, telling her to do her best.  She regretted for
listening.  Slowly she turned the knob and the door silently slid open.

"Ohayo! Ibuki-san." A young looking girl in her late teens, with light brown
hair that was tied in a ponytail greeted Maya as the director of Operations
of the 5th NERV Branch entered the brightly lit quarters.  "My, you look
like you've seen a ghost."  Asuka couldn't help herself giggle as she slowly
approached the rather distraught and surprised Maya.  "Relax, Asuka is
here." She said in her best morale boosting cheer.

"Asuka?!  What?  How?"  Maya managed to blurt out despite her apparent
weakness in her knees and soul.

"Maya, Asuka has some very . . . disturbing news."  Makoto said, he was
sitting at his chair behind his rather huge desk.  He stirred the cup of
coffee on the table as he browsed through some pages of a document he had in
his other hand.

"Right.  Mrs. Hyuuga.  That is...I mean...oh, shucks...let me get straight
to the point."  Asuka led Maya towards the sofa as she continued her story.
"Maya, we will need your help again to save humanity."

"Humanity?"  Maya swung her head in apparent confusion.

"Well..." Asuka sat beside Maya, "at least that's how I understand it.
Ritsuko never could explain anything without elaborating too much on so many
other things."

Maya eyes widened, "She's alive?  Dr. Akagi is alive?"

"Of course she is.  Why wouldn't she?"  Asuka looked at Makoto, she stared
at a small black box that she had laid on the table.  It was accompanied by
the document Makoto had been reading for quite a while now. "Well, do you
how to turn it on yet?"

"Not a clue."  Makoto threw the pamphlet down on his desk, he looked
curiously at the black machine sitting in front of him.  "I never saw
anything like this before.  Are you sure Ritsuko is confident that we'll be
able to use this thing?"  Asuka stood up and rushed at Makoto, his desk
stopped her from laying her hand on him.

"BAKA!  Think for goodness sake.  Ritsuko-san has some pretty important
information inside this thing," Asuka grabbed the box and jammed it in front
of Makoto's glasses, "and she said that you or Maya here can break the
seal."

Maya approached the two. She looked at the box while reading its manual.
Asuka had calmed down and started on the pizza she had ordered.  Makoto
slumped in his chair, his arms crossed and he was thinking.  "Could this
be?"  Maya turned to her husband.

"Yup.  A communicator that's protected by a small AT field." Makoto reached
for the box. "Ritsuko wants us to break the AT field and personally speak to
her.  But, " he tossed the box into the air, Maya caught it, "how in the
world did she get an AT field at this size?"

"Is that what has been bothering you?"  Asuka spoke in between pizza bites.
"That's easy.  I'll tell you later.  But first talk with Dr. Akagi."  She
opened a beer can and heartily took a sip.  She even screamed in delight.
"Ah, much better!"

"I see.  So this thing is like an Angel." Maya toyed with the box for a
minute, inspecting every corner she saw.  "How do you destroy an Angel's AT
field?"

Makoto looked like he had an idea, but never got to speak it out.  "We
can't. We need to be Evangelions to erode an AT field."

"Angel?  Maybe that's it?"  Maya tossed the box in her hands until she found
some peculiar slot on its side.  "Yes, this might be the keyhole." Makoto
leaned over and took a look at Maya's discovery.

"But who has the key?"  Makoto dug into his pockets but found nothing that
would fit.  "There goes that idea."

"Maybe not." Carefully, Maya notched her fingers on the small slot.  Slowly
she tried to pull each side apart.  Her nails tensed at the force that
suddenly wrapped across her fingers.  Soon the whole box started glowing and
the slit started expanding.

"It's eroding!" Makoto exclaimed in his excitement. Asuka was already at his
side and knocked the beer can on his back.

"Why don't you help her? What kind of a husband are you?" Asuka jested.

"It's weakening." Maya said as Makoto finally pitched in the effort.
"There!"  The small AT field collapsed and the small black box fell on the
table top, much to Asuka's disappointment.

"Gee.  That thing is a delicate equipment.  See if it still works?" Asuka
blurted out and pushed Makoto forward.

Makoto did as told.  He slowly unfolded the unit and looked at the pad and
unfolded the liquid crystal display.  "What now?"  He saw a red button, and
assumed it was the power switch.

"What's 604?"  Maya asked Asuka as soon as the numbers came up on the small
display.

Asuka slapped her forehead in disgust.  "Ack!  It's broken!"  Makoto fell on
his chair depressed and hurt.  Maya took a closer look at the small
communicator, hoping to repair it somehow.

"Here, use this."  Asuka brought out another similar communicator, this one
was colored red this time.  "Its already open so all you have to do is push
the little red button, Maya."  Asuka walked back to her snack, opening
another beer can before she sat down.  She pulled a newspaper off the rack
and quickly browsed through the news.  "Wow, they named a contest after me?"

"Gee.  Asuka, should have given this to us in the first place." Makoto
whispered into Maya's ear, avoiding another backlash from the seventeen year
old.

"She was only testing us, Makoto.  You know that."  Maya turned the switch
on, and soon the LCD display glowed a brilliant green phosphor hue.
"Ritsuko?"

A buzz and a whirling sound crackled through the communicator.
"Hello...Maya is that you?"  Both Makoto and Maya heard the audio, and
instantly recognized the voice coming from the other line.  "What are you
doing with Asuka's transceiver?"

"Ritsuko, I don't see you.  The screen is all scrambled up."  A brief moment
later, the screen washed itself of the distortion and cleared up to show
the face of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, former head of NERV Research Division.  "My,
God.  You are alive."

"Maya, Makoto...it's so good to see the two of you again.  How is everything
over there?  Is Shigeru giving the two of you a hard time?"  Maya turned to
her husband before answering.

"Dr. Akagi, Shigeru is still in NERV Headquarters.  Didn't you know?"
Makoto spoke for the two of them.

"Oh, of course.  He's the loyal one, isn't he?"  Ritsuko appeared to have
sipped a cup of tea on her side of the communication link.  "Listen, you
two.  I have to ask you a favor."

Makoto leaned closer, Maya had her ears at full attention.  "What is it?"
Both asked at the same time.

"I wish that you could accommodate Asuka into the personnel of the 5th
Branch.  Mainly on EVA pilot training." Makoto and Maya looked towards
Asuka's way.  The young teen was already on her second pizza box, and her
third beer.

"You want her to pilot again?"  Maya asked as she turned to Ritsuko.

"No, Maya.  I'd like Asuka to take some odd job that's available.  Something
that will make her inconspicuous from the rest of the administration staff."
Ritsuko replied.

"Wait?  You are not connected anymore to NERV, are you?" Makoto suspected
something odd with the request.  One of the best EVA pilots, being asked to
lay low in the 5th Branch.  Ritsuko was up to something and he wanted to
know.

"No, I'm no longer with NERV, Hyuuga-kun.  I'm working for...another
company."  Ritsuko was serious in her tone.

"What?  You know NERV is under the United Nations, and we can't just let a
private company run things around here."  Makoto knew he was talking
nonsense, but he was fishing for information and RItsuko knew it.  Maya
tugged at Makoto's sleeve, silently asking what he was talking about.

"I can't tell you right now, but maybe later.  All I know is that you two
love birds owe me...and this favor is only a small one."  Ritsuko smiled
through the screen.  Maya and Makoto looked at each other, doubting their
own reasons for going along with this charade.

"I'll see what I can do, Ritsuko." Maya said towards the console, Makoto sat
down and leaned back on his swivel chair thinking.  "But you and I have to
meet ASAP.  We need to talk about...everything.  This...plan of yours.  This
has something to do with Unit 01, doesn't it?"  Maya's voice trailed off
with sadness hinted in her question.  She suddenly remembered the
destruction of the renegade Evangelion a few minutes ago.

"Arigato.  I know we've come at a most unpleasant moment for you, Maya.  I
assure you though, once we all meet again, everything will be revealed to
satisfy your curiosity.."  Ritsuko said over the communiqu�.

Maya closed her eyes, uncertain on how to ask her next question.  "Dr. Akagi
Unit 01 was...it suddenly appeared this morning.  I'm afraid we had to
destroy it."  Somehow she suspected Unit 01 had escaped certain death again,
but she needed Ritsuko's answer.  Someone, though, was laughing behind her.
Maya turned to see Asuka having a heartily laugh at something.  "Asuka?"

"Don't be fooled by mere illusions, Maya-san.  I'm pretty sure I didn't get
a single dent on Unit 01 when I came over."  Asuka proudly told Maya,
finally collapsing on the couch after laughing her head off.  "Goodness, if
Shinji-kun knew, he would never forgive me if I got his precious Unit 01 a
dent in its armor or something." She added sarcastically.  Maya only looked
at her in disbelief.

"Shinji?  He's alive as well?  You mean..."  Maya turned to Makoto for
answers.

"Apparently, the EVA Unit 01 we saw this morning was being piloted by
this...drunk seventeen-ager."  Before Makoto could add anything else, a
flying beer can hit his head again.  "Oww!"

"I am not drunk!"  Asuka shouted as she struggled to get off the couch and
stand up.  "Well, at least not yet, anyway."  The screen of the open
communicator only showed Ritsuko slapping her forehead in response to
Asuka's unladylike behavior.

"What is going on, Ritsuko?" Maya demanded.

"Okay, I'll set up a meeting.  Asuka!"  Ritsuko shouted loud enough to gain
the young pilot's attention.  "Send Maya on Unit Alpha.  Stay behind and
assume the job Makoto will give you."  Asuka promptly nodded.

"I hope you give me a job that pays well, Makoto-kun!"  Asuka grinned.
"Shall we?"  She walked over the door and opened it for Maya.

"Where are we going?" Maya asked as she walked out of her husband's office
with the young EVA pilot.

"Down to the cages.  I've got Unit 01 A parked there...somewhere."  They
both reached the elevator and proceeded down several levels towards the
containment cages of all the 5th Branch's Evangelions.

=-=-=-=-=

NERV Headquarters
Tokyo 3, Japan

Misato and Shinji walked out of the conference room in a rush.  Misato had
dragged the lad out by force, both guards standing outside were caught
surprised by the two.  Misato pushed Shinji towards the wall, screaming as
if the boy had done something that she didn't like.  The guards decided not
to interfere and walked away seeing that it was best if they were somewhere
else, far from Misato's rage.

"What do you mean NERV?  You're not making sense, Shinji-kun!"  Misato had
her finger right in front of Shinji's face, like a gun aimed at the boy's
innocent look.  "Explain yourself!  You certainly have changed a lot since I
last saw you."

"I may have changed, Misato-san." Shinji brought her hand down. "But it is
you who is different."  Misato blinked in surprise.  "They must have done
something to you.  They must have altered you, Ritsuko-san feared they might
have."

"What?" Misato was at a lost with those accusations.  "You are not making
sense, young man."

"They, the committee ...SEELE, if I'm not mistaken."  Shinji saw the blank
starry-eyed look in Misato.

The word Shinji uttered resounded in Misato's ears, it started like a small
pinch somewhere in her head.  Before long it had turned into a small ache in
her neck, that was inching its way up her head.  She grasped the small of
her neck, rubbing the pain away.  She lost her balance, but Shinji was there
to help her.  "Shinji..."

"I know..."  Shinji helped the now half conscious major to her feet.
Unknowing to both of them, a figure had been looking at them from the other
doorway.  Rei had stepped out of the room just in time to see Misato lose
all of her senses.  She hurried to her guardian's side, helping Shinji
cradle Misato's weight.

"Shinji-kun.  What is wrong?"  Rei asked as reached towards the door.

"No, Rei.  This way."  Shinji had opened an elevator and with Rei's help,
managed to drag Misato's unconscious body towards it.  "I'm taking Major
Katsuragi to the hospital, tell them that."  The doors closed in front of
Rei just as soon as the two guards came running back to their post.

"What happened?  Where is Major Katsuragi?"  One of the guards asked as soon
as they had reached Rei.

"I guess she had three drinks too many."  Rei responded, "My friend is
taking her to the hospital now."  One of the guards pulled out his
communicator.  "What are you doing?"

"I'm telling the commander about this."  The guard punched in a code and was
about to speak up when Rei placed her hand on his arm.

"Let me, I'm her friend."  Both guards looked at each other, unsure of what
to do next.  A voice crackled through the communicator.  He couldn't resist,
and promptly gave the device to Rei.

=-=-=-=-=

"Rei, is that you?"  Maria Usagi heard Rei's voice, but couldn't figure out
why she had a security personnel's communiqu�.

"Commander, Major Katsuragi ... fell sick all of a sudden," Maria was a bit
alarmed for her friend, "but she's all right now.  My friend has taken to
the hospital."

"What happened?  Don't tell me she couldn't even debrief fifty pilots?"
Maria though knew something like this was going to happen.  She was however
only expecting Misato to scold everyone of those unruly pilots and probably
walk-out of the debriefing...instead of getting sick because of it.  She
always thought Misato could take on anything, anytime, and anywhere.  "How
is she?"

"She's going to be...fine.  She's in good hands now."

"Ok, I trust you, Rei." Maria placed the phone down, she leaned back on her
chair thinking.  "Misato..."

There was another person in the room, a lonely looking figure was siting in
front of the commander of NERV.  He had a military uniform on, some lapels
that showed he was a high ranking official, but his designation was from an
unfamiliar branch of the armed forces.  He looked up from the document that
he was reading.  "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing.  One of my men suffered a mild nervous breakdown, I guess."
Maria turned back to a folder that she had in front of her.  They looked
like status reports of the events that had just happened earlier.  Mostly
offshore, on the 5th branch's facilities.  "Where were we?"

"Status log 10:04...I believe that was when the order came through that Unit
01 was to be captured...Not destroyed."  The man stressed the last phrase.

"The decision was a judgement call.  Unit 01 had penetrated the outer
perimeter network by going underground, they had to stop it or they would
have suffered more than the damage that they had created."  Maria's voice
was calm under the stress of the man's scrutiny.

"I will have to summon those that ... decided this, against committee
orders."  Maria saw the glint of evil in the man's eyes.  He was serious
enough that it even frightened her to say no.

"Of course.  I'll summon them for you.  Um," Maria said, "where do you want
them...here?"

"No.  I'll go to 5th Branch as soon as possible."  The man turned a page,
"Lets move on..."

=-=-=-=-=

5th Branch, NERV
Arizona desert

Makoto place the phone down.  He had done what he was asked of.  From that
moment, NERV had a new...Liaison Officer, third class....whatever that
means, Makoto said to himself.  He sat down, relaxing for the first time
that morning.  His nerves were shot from all the excitement, and mystery
Asuka had brought along with her.  He looked at the small gadget still
sitting on his desk.  Asuka had already retrieved her communicator, but had
left the broken black one with him.

"May I come in?"  The door slid open, revealing Major Stevenson had paid
Makoto a visit.  Quickly, Makoto grabbed the device off his desk and hid it
inside one of his drawers.  He had hoped the visitor hadn't noticed, but
that was wishful thinking.  "What was that?  It looked some kind of toy."

"Um, yes...its nothing much.  It's, " Makoto thought carefully what to say,
"broken now, so I just use it as a paper weight."

"I see."  Stevenson took a seat, he noticed the leftover pizzas and beer
cans, "Ah, Makoto.  You know better than to drink while on duty."

"Excuse me, but I'm not from the military, Major."  Makoto mockingly
retorted.

"Of course, I usually forget these things.  I'm sorry."  Stevenson made
himself comfortable before proceeding with his intended subject matter.
"Makoto, I noticed that you went to the communications station during the
foray earlier."  That made Makoto nervous.  He usually didn't fear the
military bigshot, but this was the first time he had gone under his
questioning.

"Um, Yes.  I wanted to establish contact with Unit 01."  Makoto felt uneasy.

"And did you?"  Stevenson brought out a pack of cigarettes and was about to
light one up when Makoto told him that the place was a no smoking zone.

"Major, you know that NERV is a no smoking zone." Makoto blurted.

Stevenson just scratched his head, "Oh, yeah.  That too...I keep
forgetting."  Both men started laughing.

"Seriously though.  I know you made contact."  Stevenson's mood quickly
changed, Makoto was now shuddering inside.

"I'm sure that I did not, Major." Makoto had to watch himself.

"Makoto, I'm telling you this because...sooner or later they will know."
Stevenson lighted a cigarette, "I'm sure we'll be summoned any time now, to
explain the events that had happened earlier."

Makoto was more surprised at Stevenson's revelation.  Why was this man
telling him these things?  Makoto asked himself.  Isn't he part of the same
organization, "Major, why are you telling me this?"

"We are nearing the end, Makoto.  You and I know that its just a matter of
time."  Stevenson stood up, dousing his newly lit cigarette on Makoto's
tabletop.  "I sure hope we're working on the same side, Hyuuga-kun."  He
promptly left the room, leaving a slightly bewildered Makoto slumping in his
seat.

=-=-=-=-=

NERV Headquarters

Shinji waited for the number above the elevator door to read 20, it was
halfway there.  He looked to his right, Misato was still unconscious,
straddled across his back and arms.  She was heavier than he had imagined.
He made a mental note to tell Misato to exercise when she wakes up.  He
started staring at the doorway, the floors passing by was his only clue that
they were indeed moving.  He started recalling the last time he was on this
same elevator.  Four years ago...when he left NERV for the last time.

"Shinji?"  Misato spoke weakly.

"Hang on, Misato-san.  We'll be there in a few more minutes."

"I...I...love...you..." She fell to the darkness of sleep again.

The elevator door opened, and in front of him was his EVA Unit 01.  Shinji
walked over the bridge, carrying Misato along.  "Open."  The head of Unit 01
suddenly folded open, revealing the cockpit like seats.  Shinji strapped
Misato on the backseat, while he himself took the front one.  "Close and
Engage engines."

=-=-=-=-=

"Commander Usagi here, what's up?"  Maria picked the phone for the second
time.  "Are you serious?"

"What is it?" The man asked.  Maria placed the phone down and stood up
hurriedly.

"Excuse me, but I've got an emergency.  We'll continue this later."

The man walked with the commander towards the elevators.  "What is the
nature of the emergency?"

"It seems that Unit 01 has reappeared."  Maria pushed a button, and the
elevator door closed behind her.

"Then, it wasn't destroyed at all."  The man crossed his arms, "This doesn't
look good at all."

"There's more." Maria figured the man would look at her apprehensively,
"Apparently it decided to pop up inside NERV headquarters this time."

"What?!"

=-=-=-=-=

2016 AD  NERV Headquarters
Tokyo-3, Japan

Kouzou Fuyutsuki walked out of Gendou Ikari's office a few minutes after the
United Nation security force had left the room dragging the former
commander-in-chief of NERV in chains.  He headed towards the elevators,
accompanied by the third Children, Shinji Ikari.  Inside he was thinking,
mostly on the future or the lack of it in the coming months.  He looked at
the young boy, almost fifteen and was still too young to take on the burdens
of the world, he thought.

Shinji had a desolate look on his face, brought on by the isolation and
sadness he now feels.  He had found abandonment, first with the lost of his
mother, now again with the arrest of his father, Gendou.

Even if the last of the Angels had been defeated, this wasn't the time to
celebrate. This was the time to prepare, Kouzou said to himself.
"Shinji-kun, do you understand what you will have to do?" He was entrusting
EVA Unit 01 again to its recognized pilot.

"I think...so," Shinji muttered, "but, how am I suppose to get far in five
minutes?"

The elevator door opened and both men stepped inside.  Kouzou pushed a
button, the doors closed in response. "You will have to activate the S2
Engine that is inside Evangelion Unit 01."

"How do I do that?"  Shinji asked, a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

Kouzou sighed. "Honestly, I do not know, Shinji-kun...but," The doors slid
open, the mammoth facade of Unit 01 bounded and submerged in a murky sea of
red welcomed both men as they stepped off the elevator, "we should ask your
mother to help us."

"My mother?" Shinji asked.  He looked quizzically at Fuyutsuki and then at
the hideous purple head of EVA Unit 01.  "I see."

=-=-=-=-=

A Day Later

Misato opened the door to let everyone inside her apartment.  Ritsuko had
warned everyone about the mess, but to everyone's surprise,  the room was
clean.  Everything was orderly arranged, as if someone had gone to the
trouble of fixing the whole apartment for the group.  Misato was at a lost
too. She remembered that it was her turn today to clean the house.  Someone
else must have done it for her, she thought.

"Shinji-kun, I'm home.  I've got some food and lots of beer.  Ritsuko
and..." Misato ranted as she passed by Shinji's room while heading towards
her room. Everyone else made themselves comfortable.

"I guess Misato-san is really quite a good role model for the two children,
right?" Makoto asked no one in particular, but he did get an elbow stab for
his little joke.

"What do you think you're doing?" Maya glared at Makoto, not too pleased at
his feeble attempt in starting a conversation.

"What is it to you?" Makoto refuted, matching Maya's fiery temperament.

Ritsuko though had something else in mind.  She had this suspicion every
since she discovered Unit 01's disappearance, and she accepted Misato's
invitation only to find the truth.  She started snooping around, knocking at
the door of Shinji's room.  She noticed that the "Shin-chan's" sign was no
longer hanging in front.  She was about to sneak a peek inside when Misato
finally got back after changing clothes. Ritsuko confronted her,  "Misato,
when was the last time you saw Shinji-kun?"

"Huh?  This morning, why?"  Misato was lead towards a small corner, partly
hidden from their other friends.  "I'm sure he's in school now.  What is it,
Ritsuko?"

"Misato, EVA Unit 01 disappeared this morning, and I have reason to
believe..." Ritsuko was cut off by the noise from the living room.  It would
seem that someone had just arrived, Ritsuko and Misato hoped it was Shinji.

"Hello, Asuka." The guest sitting inside the living room cried out, but were
completely ignored by the other tenant of the apartment.

"Anta BAKA!  Where is that BAKA Shinji-kun?  He was suppose to report in
class today!"  Asuka came barging in, slamming her fist forcefully at the
door to Shinji's room.  "BAKA!  Wake up!  You didn't come to class today,
why? The teacher forced me to report ..."

Ritsuko and Misato looked at each other, fearing for the worst.

=-=-=-=-=

SEELE Headquarters
Location Unknown

"You don't have a clue were Unit 01 is?  I can't believe that."

"I don't care.  Someday the world will know."  Misato said as she stayed
motionless in her seat.

"What?  What will the world know, Major Katsuragi?  As far as we know, it
was your father who caused the Second Impact."

"Liar!" Misato shouted angrily. "You're all a bunch of liars!"

"Watch your foul mouth, Major."  Kihl spoke, "Do you want to be served the
same fate as your boyfriend?"

Misato grounded her teeth, "You ... You ... "  Her rage overwhelmed her
articulateness.

"But, we won't.  We still have no idea where our EVA is."

"You will provide us his location, Major Katsuragi."

"I won't! Even if I knew, I won't tell you a thing!"  She shouted at the top
of her lungs.

"I don't think you have the benefit of a choice, Misato." Kihl scowled at
her.

"See you all in HELL!!"

=-=-=-=-=

2020 AD NERV Headquarters

"Where did it come from?"  Shigeru asked one of the controllers.

"Sensors picked it up leaving sector 2A, underneath the lake a few minutes
ago."  The controller responded.  A few more operators were busy in their
stations, trying desperately to keep track of Unit 01.

"EVA Unit 10 and 11 ready to launch."  An operator announced, Shigeru gave a
nod to proceed.

"What is the situation with the target?"  Commander Usagi finally reached
Central Dogma just in time to see Unit 01 scurrying off in one of the access
tunnels that was leading straight into Tokyo 3.

"Unit 01 is  breaking through the tunnels.  It will reach topside in thirty
seconds." A controller announced.

"EVA Unit 11 and 10 are in pursuit.  EVA Unit 12 to 15 are ready to launch."
An operator manning the EVA station again announced.

"Let him go." The man interrupted Commander Usagi's thoughts.  "It's obvious
that we are dealing with a different Unit 01, but this one is running away,
instead of attacking."

Maria had no choice, she wasn't in-charge at the moment.  "Very well,
continue pursuit until Unit 01 has cleared our airspace."

Several affirmative replies came back.  Maria turned to the man she had been
talking with.  "Don't worry.  I'll take the responsibility for this one."

Shigeru looked on from a distance.  He suspected that this stranger was
another agent of the committee.  He had seen a lot of them around, once in a
while, but never had they imposed their will on NERV ever.  Until now.  He
now had a new enemy to be wary off.

"Unit 01 had disappeared above the flight line.  Retrieving all EVA Units."
The announcement was the last thing Maria heard before she had again left
Central Dogma with the stranger.

=-=-=-=-=

End of Chapter

=-=-=-=-=

Please C&C, MST, the works.

Special Thanks to...

Christopher Angel
Anand Rao
Lord Talon
AlphSailor
Derian Saotome
Thomas Kinnen