A NEON GENESIS EVANGELION and X-FILES xover fic.
Rights belonging to GAINAX and the FOX Network respectively.
Used without permission.

This fic is inspired by previous works 'The Evangelion Files' and
'The Neon Mobius Files' on this subject by Joyce Wakabayashi 
<MOBIUSKLEIN@prodigy.net>. The abovementioned fics can be accessed 
at the SDAT archives <http://members.xoom.com/superdat/>.


THE EVA-FILES: INTO DARKNESS
by Toh E.L. (EeL)

     Asuka put her hands behind her head and leaned back into her side 
of the car's backseat. She watched Hokkaido's forest zoom past. Pine 
greens, wood browns and white snow. It was really pretty. She felt 
very pleased with herself. Tossing a stray lock of auburn hair over her
shoulder, Asuka turned to face her fellow passenger.

     "Hey Shinji. Isn't it beautiful out there?"

     "Um."

     "Hey! Why are you sulking? Aren't you glad the Bureau sent us to
attend this conference instead of having to run around chasing aliens?"

     Shinji glanced at his partner. "Why did I have to come?"

     "What do you mean?" Asuka's face registered a puzzled look. 
Shinji thought he saw a flash of dismay. 

     "I mean why did Skinner pack me off to this conference? It's on
American-Japanese law enforcement cooperation. Mafia-Yakuza sort of
thing. You're the expert on LCL and domal drug rings. Touji's had 
undercover experience with the underground. Hikari's good with tracing
laundered money. I'm just crazy Baka-Shinji who looks for Angels."

     "You always so negative! Think of it as a paid holiday! We've 
got 3 days of R&R after the conference. There's skiing, hot springs, 
snowball fights. I even got us a chalet at Sapporo once we're done 
at Hakodate. It'll be fun!"

     "Uh-uh. Figured that I might as well make better use of my time
while I'm in Japan. I've already made arrangements to use those 3 days 
to follow up leads on Projects Gaia and Eva with Rally Cheyenne at AMP 
Neo-Tokyo..."

     "Nandate(What did you say)!?" shrieks Asuka. 'Come all the way 
here to run after that crazy blue-haired woman. Ungrateful jerk!'

     "Pipe down back there, will ya?" said Touji. "I'm trying to drive
here. That voice of yours could've shattered the windscreen." 

     "Urusai (Shut up)! Stay out of this, jock!" Asuka snapped. She 
redirected her efforts to the original source of her anger. "I suppose
you would have been happier back in Washington D.C. so that you can
leer at Misato?"

     "Yeah! I would be! At least I could get some work done instead
having my time wasted!"

     "Shinji-kun. Sonna wagamama o hanasumono dewanai. (You should
not say such a selfish thing.)"

     "Yeah! Hikari's the best!" beamed Asuka. Shinji looked a little
surprised at being told off. Hikari was naggy but usually quite fair. 
"Everyone is ganging up on me..." he murmured morosely.

     "Shinji-kun. Asuka fought very hard to get a place for you."

     Shinji looked at Asuka in surprise. Asuka, blushing furiously,
suddenly found a spot on the seat very intriguing and was muttering
something about dummkopfs needing to get out once and a while instead
of staying home all the time and jerking off to hentai videos.

     "Saa..." interjected Touji. "Haven't even started the honeymoon
and the newlyweds are fighting already!"

     "It's not like that!" shouted Shinji and Asuka simultaneously.

     Hikari couldn't help giggling.

     It was just a few miles later when the party of four were stopped
at a police roadblock. In a clearing to the right, there was a lot of 
activity. People in police uniforms, camouflage fatigues and plains-
clothes milled around vehicles and assorted equipment. A helicopter 
had just lifted off and headed west.

     "What's going on?" Touji asked an officer manning the roadblock.

     "A local hunter was teaching his son the tricks of the trade when
he was attacked by some sort of strange animal. His boy managed to get 
away though. There's a report of a missing survey team in the area as
well."

     "Hey! Shinji! Wait up!" called Asuka as her partner got out of 
the car without a word.

     Just as Asuka caught up with Shinji, a frantic woman in farmer's
garb came up to him. She had a young boy in tow. He could not have
been more than thirteen or fourteen years old.

     "Keisatsukan-sama (Police officer)... they won't tell me
anything. Please. Please help me..." she pleaded with Shinji. 'Hmph,
Shinji-sama. All the trappings of a supervisor. Male, overcoat with a
nice suit. Wandering around with nothing to do.' Asuka smirked.

     Meanwhile Shinji had managed to calm the lady down. Apparently
she was the wife of the missing hunter and was anxious to know what
had happened to her husband. In his best 'soft cop' manner, Shinji
promised to find out who was in charge and to get them to brief her.
The hunter's wife seemed much more relieved as Shinji sat them down
at a roadside pavilion. He took a few more minutes to chat with the
young boy. 

     Further into the clearing, Asuka saw a group of men under a
portable tentage shelter who were poring over maps and debating with
each other and over walkie-talkies. That had to be it. Grabbing Shinji
by his arm, she dragged him towards the tent and pushed her way to
the map table.

     "Who's in charge of this outfit?" she asked loudly. Shinji 
was absolutely mortified by her usual 'hard cop' manner.

     All activity ceased as the men took time to appraise the duo.

     "I am," declared a Self-Defence Forces Lieutanant-Colonel. His
name tag read 'M Hiryu'. "And you are?"

     "Special Agents Sohryu Asuka Langley and Ikari B. Shinji of 
the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation."

     "Sohryu-san. This is not America."

     "Anno...sumimasen... (Excuse me) but maybe you'd like to see 
this," said Shinji who took out a piece of paper from his breast 
pocket and handed it over to Lt-Col Hiryu. The JSDF man glanced at it 
before passing it to a police Inspector who grimaced as he saw the
letterhead. After some more scrutiny, he spoke.

     "Ikari-san. This authorization from AMP-Neo Tokyo granting
police powers and privileges only has -your- name on it."

     "Sohryu-san is my partner. Where I go, she goes." That got him
a few envious stares.

     "Alright, alright, we could use the extra hands." The Lt-Col
saw that the nosy FBI couple could not be gotten rid of so easily. 
Shinji expressed his gratitude and then raised the matter of the
hunter's wife. Lt Col Hiryu assured Shinji that he would see to it
himself. 

     "Lt Ibuki, please brief Ikari-san and Sohryu-san. You know
what is expected of the operation."

     "Hai. Wakata. (Understood)" It was a very feminine voice. A JSDF 
Lieutenant with short black hair in camouflage fatigues stepped 
forward. Just a few years older than Shinji and Asuka, she had pretty 
features but generally came across as being very tomboyish. The 
'Ranger' tag on her sleeve just under her officer's rank indicated she 
was an expert in rough terrain warfare.

     "This way please." Lt Ibuki led them to the site of the attack.
"Quite a big deal - Americans getting involved. Neh, Ikari-san?"

     "Please call me Shinji. Actually, Lt Ibuki, I was thinking 
that it's also quite a big deal to call in the JSDF, isn't it?"  

     "Call me Maya, Shinji-kun. To answer your question, we were on 
exercise nearby when the attacks were reported. Our battalion got
detached off to help. PR gimmick by the higher ups - so I hear."

     "That makes a lot of sense," noted Asuka. Shinji couldn't tell
if she was trying to be sarcastic or not.

     After some time, they reached the scene. A bright orange 
surveyor's tripod stood out among the tall, thin trees and shrubs but
Maya led them towards a fallen log. Behind it was a torn and bloodied
fragment of a shirt.

     "The tracks indicate that whoever it was that was attacked had
been running from the tripod over there when he was brought down 
somewhere around here," said Maya.

     "Any traces of the assailant?" asked Shinji.

     "The tracks are confused and whatever it was was very stealthy.
Only clear thing we've got is over here..." Maya led them to a spot
that had been cordoned off.

     Shinji crouched down and examined the footprints. He looked 
perplexed. "What so interesting about a stupid mark on the ground?"
Asuka asked impatiently.

     Her partner looked up. "Everything," he said. "It's not from
a human or an animal." 

     "Then it must be either mineral or vegetable. How could you
know? Stop making it up, Baka-Shinji."

     Shinji actually bristled a little at that comment. "No, no,
Asuka. The shape and weight distribution is all wrong. There doesn't
seem to be any use of the heel. This thing walks on the ball of its
foot. It seems to be bigger than a panther but smaller than a bear.
Also, don't you think it's odd for a wild creature to attack an 
armed adult in broad daylight?"

     "Very good, Shinji-kun. It took quite a while for our own 
experts to arrive at exactly the same conclusion," said Maya who
gave him a big smile for the first time. 

     Shinji scratched the back of his head with his right hand,
feeling slightly awkward from the praise. "Oh, one of the senseis
that my father left me with was a wildlife fanatic. Guess it did
me some good... Also the hunter's son who got away told me that the
creature had glowing red eyes and was a bluish haze that moved very
quickly. Doesn't sound like anything native to Hokkaido."

     "I'm really impressed, Shinji-kun. I'll report the description. 
I think you will be very useful to our search effort after all." 

     Asuka fumed silently. 'Shinji-kun. Shinji-kun. Baka-Shinji.'

     "It's getting late and we'll be carrying on the search at 
first light tomorrow. Meet me at the clearing at 0500hrs sharp.
And Shinji-kun..?"

     "Yes, Maya-san?"

     "The tie looks good on you but I think something more suited
for this terrain will be more... comfortable. Good day." With that,
the JSDF Lieutenant excused herself and walked off to consult with
other members of the search party.

     As they were walking back to the car, Asuka bopped Shinji on 
his head. "Iteee (It hurts)... What did you do that for?" 

     "What have you gotten us into now?"

     "I was just trying to be helpful... and where did you get 
'Ikari B. Shinji' from?"

     Asuka's grin reached cheshire cat proportions. "Do you have to
ask the obvious, Baka-Shinji?" Shinji covered his face with his 
hands and groaned.

     Getting back into the car, Asuka told Hikari about how Baka-
Shinji had gotten them involved in a search-and-rescue cum monster-
hunt.

     "Asuka, your presentation to the conference is in three days
time. You sure you can make it?" Hikari was ever so by the book.

     "Yeah yeah. We have to find those people before that. Otherwise
they might be eaten or something."

     "Asuka! That's gross!" Shinji exclaimed.

     "Hmmph. Baka-Shinji always knows best. Now I have to spend two
days of my nice trip bashing through the forest with Ikari D. 
Shinji."

     "Hey, I thought it was 'B'?"

     "Dummkopf."

     "Oh," said Shinji rather stupidly.

     "Ooh, such loving banter. Boku wa urayamashiikedo (I'm so 
envious)," said Touji. "Shinji you sly dog you. I really under-
estimated you."

     "What I did do now!?"

     "It must soooo romantic to make mad passionate love in the wild
outdoors..."

     "URUSAI!!!" screamed Shinji and Asuka in tandem.

     Later the two checked into a nearby motel. In separate rooms. 
As Shinji was getting his gear ready for tomorrow, Asuka came in
through the connecting door and sat on the bed.
     
     "Shinji?"

     "Yes, Asuka?"

     "You're not doing this so that you can avoid the conference,
are you?"

     "I... well... this probably sounds stupid to you but I was 
wondering if this had anything to do with Project Eva. Some of my 
casefiles talk about secret testing bases in remote parts of Japan. 
Hokkaido seems to fit the bill."

     "Hmmph. Just because some bakemono (monster) may have red eyes 
and blue fur, doesn't mean that it has got anything to with your
missing twin sister!"

     "I'm not saying that Rei is appearing in Hokkaido to attack
people in the woods but it seems like such a coincidence. There's
got to be some kind of link."

     "You just want to spend time with Maya, don't you...Shinji-
kun?" The scorn had returned to her voice in full force. "Shinji, 
the great baka-hentai, leaps after every other woman he meets."

     "Oh be quiet, Asuka. Go and get some sleep. We have got to get
up early tomorrow and it's going to be a long hard day."

     "I will so I can leave you to whatever disgusting things you
do alone at night." Asuka stood up, turned up her nose to him and 
strode towards the connecting door.

     "Asuka?"

     "Yes?"

     "If I'm such a pervert, then you'd better lock the connecting 
door. You wouldn't want to risk me sneaking into your room, do you?"

     "HENTAI (oh come on, you must know this one)!!!" screamed Asuka 
who rushed towards him and gave him a good knock on his head before 
running back to her room and slamming the door. As Shinji rubbed his 
much-abused skull, he waited for the clicks of both the lock and bolt. 
They never came. 'I hope she doesn't still sleepwalk.'

     The next morning, Maya introduced Hyuuga Makato who would make up
the fourth and final member of their search group. He was in civilian 
hiking dress (like our intrepid FBI duo), had short swept-back black 
hair and wore black-framed spectacles. In his hand was a strange-
looking contraption.

     "This is a handheld sensor. We can detect any living creature
through its emanations. Anything in the full spectrum. From our 
interviews of the only witness, this creature might have abilities
that defeat normal human visual capabilities. This should even the
odds."

      "Okay, standard operating procedures," began Maya. "Keep close,
stay ready. If you get separated, initiate vocal contact - that is,
shout. Don't wander around looking for me. It'll only make it more 
difficult for me to find you. The woods are too thick and remote for
cel-phones to work or for the GPS to penetrate the cover. I will be
marking the trail with these pebbles. Wakarimasu ka (Understood)?"

     "Hai." "Hai." "Jawohl."

     "Alright, let's go." The four proceeded in single file
through the woods. Maya led the way, followed by Asuka and then 
Hyuuga who held forth the dish portion like some kind of radar 
while looking intently at the LCD display section that he held 
in his left hand. Shinji formed the rearguard. And they proceeded
thus for the rest of the day, Maya leaving a small white stone at 
convenient intervals.

     "Well, the woods are kind of beautiful, aren't they?"
remarked Shinji. "And it's so quiet."

     "Don't let Nature blind you to its deadly side," replied
Maya. She frowned. "Something's wrong. It's quiet. Too quiet."

     "No bird calls or chirping bugs. This is odd." Asuka cocked 
her head to one side. "I don't hear a thing."

     "Chouto matte (Hold on)..." said Hyuuga. "I'm getting something 
up ahead. Right. 200 metres."

     "What's it doing?" asked Asuka.

     "Nothing. It's just sitting there."

     Maya, Shinji and Asuka drew their weapons. They began to 
slowly make their way towards the source of the signal. As they
started to near the place, Hyuuga exclaimed,"There's two of them!
They're going in separate directions!"

     Asuka and Maya went right. Shinji and Hyuuga went left. Asuka
cursed under her breath as she crashed through the brush, trying to
keep up with Maya. 'She's really fit. No wonder she's a ranger.'
Maya suddenly seemed to stumble... and she gave a short scream and
then...vanished.

     "Kuso! Now what am I going to do?" Asuka held forth her pistol
with both arms, looking out for a potential attack while trying to
see where Maya had gone. The woods around her screamed danger. She
heard the sound of thrashing of the dried scrub. Something was coming
towards her.

     "It's gone!" shouted Hyuuga. "What!?" shouted Shinji. A cold
knot formed in his stomach. "Divide and conquer! It's a trap! We've
got to regroup with Maya and Asuka!" Then the forest rang with the
sound of two gunshots. "Asuka!" The two men ran in the direction of
the shots.

     "Shinji! Here! I'm over here!" Asuka felt a wave of relief as 
Shinji arrived with Hyuuga.

     "Asuka, daijobu (are you alright)?" asked Shinji. "Where's Maya?"

     "She disappeared! Like she was sucked into the ground!"

     "What are we going to do?" Hyuuga looked close to panic.

     "We've got to look for her!" Shinji replied.

     "No way! You've got to be kidding!" shouted Hyuuga. "We can't
do this ourselves! We need to go back for reinforcements!"

     "Shinji! You're not thinking! Maya had our only flare and our
supply of water. These bakemono are really smart. Maya was in front,
they probably worked to take out the leader first. Shinji, we need
help! If no one gets back, then Maya will definitely be done for! 
Shinji! Please!"

     Shinji drew a deep breath. Asuka was right. He reluctantly
nodded. He gave Hyuuga a hard look. "You lead the way."

     The three then tried to backtrack. After about an hour, Hyuuga 
shook his head. "This can't be right. We must be going the wrong way."

     "But the compass seems to say that we're heading back to the
clearing and I recognize that tree over there."

     Hyuuga looked doubtful. "Compasses don't work very well here.
Lode deposits. And Maya marked the trail with white stones. I haven't 
seen one of those yet."

     "We go on. We've got no choice." Asuka growled.

     "I tell you - we're going the wrong way! Wait...wait a minute.
There is again!"

     "Where?" shouted Shinji.

     "Left! 100 metres!"

     Shinji and Asuka dashed off in the direction indicated. "There!
I see something!" Shinji cried. It was humanoid. Bluish. Blurry. It
was crouching under a tree... it seemed to look directly at him with
blood red eyes then it sprung off to the left and became this hazy 
shape... and then simply vanished. He pressed on after the rustle of
its movement.

     "Verdammt!" cursed Asuka who had been smacked on the face by
a stray tree branch. After a brief struggle, she pushed it aside and
tried to catch up with Shinji. Before her eyes, he fell to the ground.
The sounds of a struggle began. 'Oh no. Not again. Mein Gott in 
Himmel. Not Shinji.'

     She managed to reach Shinji's flailing form. A bluish shape
loomed over him. Asuka opened fire. It beat a retreat, disappearing
into the forest.

     "Oh Shinji," Asuka said as she helped him up. He had been hurt.
A series of four long scratches traced their way across his left
temple. The one at the edge of his eyebrow seemed particularly deep.
His gaze was slightly disoriented. "Asuka...? Where's Hyuuga?"

     Asuka cursed under her breath. "He must have run away or..."
"Or they got him too. Chikusho." Shinji completed her sentence.

     "Shinji, you're hurt. And I think we're lost. Light is failing
already. We've got to spend the night in the woods. Come on, that
looks like a good spot." Asuka slung Shinji's arm over her shoulder
and helped him over to a large fallen log. 'Waruiii yo (This is bad). 
He didn't even try to argue.'

     Evening rapidly begins to descend into dusk and dusk into 
darkness. Shinji watched as Asuka begun stacked some branches. It
looked like she was trying to start a fire. There wasn't any dry
kindler. Asuka decided to improvise. She removed her pistol's
magazine and took out a round. She then removed part of its casing.

     "Asuka, what are you doing?"

     She looked back at him and grinned. "The gunpowder should get
a nice warm fire going. If any bakemono try to get us, we'll stick
a burning branch in its face." She poured the fine power into the
stack of wood and began to strike two rocks together. There was a
flash and a cloud of smoke. Asuka coughed and waved her hands. The
wood remained as inflammable as ever. Defeated, she trudged over to
Shinji's side and sat down beside him as shadows fell all around
them.

     "Aaargh, I topped my class in college and I can't make us a
decent fire."

     "Well, I would have given you a Brownie badge for firemaking.
That was quite innovative." Shinji smiled at her.

     "Still... it's getting cold. Shinji! You're shivering!"

     "No, no, I'm ok. Really."

     "You can't fool me. You're still in shock. Come're." Asuka
reached over and put an arm around his shoulders. She then pushed
his head onto her lap. He didn't try to pull away.

     "Asuka?" His voice was barely a murmur. She knew he was tired
from the long day and from the attack he had suffered.

     "Yes, Shinji?"

     "I'm sorry."

     "For what?"

     "For dragging you into this. It was dumb of me."

     "Shinji. It's not your fault. Stop beating yourself up." 'Like 
you always do. Especially over losing Rei.'
     
     "Asuka?" She knew he was beginning to drift off and was 
starting to babble. "In college they said that the best way to 
warm up in a place like this was to get naked and climb into a
sleeping bag - with someone else already in it." He tried to chuckle.
It came out as a cough.

     Asuka scanned the woods. Vigilant. Alert. Slightly nonchalant. 
"Well, if it starts raining sleeping bags, you might just get lucky." 
She listened to his breathing. He looked comfortable but still there 
was a troubled air about him. Asuka sighed. Even when they were 
little, he never seemed to be able to have any serious fun, to be able 
to forget his many troubles - even after all these years, he hadn't 
really changed. 'I wish he could just forget about all those terrible 
things. That he would stop blaming himself for everything. Well, I'm 
one to talk.' But still, there were flashes, brief moments when he was 
happy and when he smiled and laughed, the weight on his shoulders 
lifted. Just for a while. Asuka looked down at her oldest friend and 
lightly, gently stroked his brown hair. "I'll keep watch." She cocked
her pistol for added emphasis.

     "I'll take second watch." 'Damned if I let you,' thought Asuka.

     "Asuka?" Softly fading, his voice sounded almost childlike.
Memories. So many memories began to well up in her. "Could you
sing me a song, like you did, when we were little? Please?"

     A lump formed in her throat. "I... I can't sing very well..."

     "Please, Asuka?"

     She swallowed. She remembered a song he did like and she did
sing to him when he was upset about his father or sister. To try and
cheer him up but more importantly, to try and tell him to stand up
and be strong. Those childhood years. Innocence. So long ago. So long
ago. She sighed. "Alright."

     "Zaaankoku na tenshi no youniiii..."

     "Shooouunen yo shinwa ni nareee..."

     He snuggled closer to her warmth. 

     "Aoooiii kaze ga ima... memu no dou taitemooo..."

     "Watashidake o tada mitsu mete... hohoenderuu aanataaa..."

     Her voice was strong and clear. The words slow and deliberate.
Her weapon was at her side. Shinji would be safe in her shelter. She 
smiled to herself, against the darkness all around them. Asuka would 
not waver.

     Shinji awoke, curled up on the ground. It was morning. He 
suddenly realized that he was alone. He hurriedly pushed himself
upright.

     "Asuka...? Asuka? Asuka!"

     "Ohayo! Over here!" She waved at him cheerfully as she stuffed 
some berries into her mouth as she started to make her way back. "I 
was getting some breakfast. Wish I could get my hands on some pizza. 
Forest food is really mazui-EEEEEEE!!!" Before his eyes, Asuka seemed 
to have been swallowed up by the earth.

     "Asuka!" Shinji jumped to his feet and rushed towards where
she had been standing.

     "I'm down here!" came her voice, sounding slightly hollow.

     Shinji saw a hole in the ground and got on all fours, trying
to look over the edge. "Are you alright?"

     "Yeah, I'm fine." Asuka rubbed her sore bum.

     "What have you found?"

     "Some sort of cavern. It looks big... Mein Gott!"

     "What is it Asuka?"

     Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness. Asuka could make out
vague human shapes in the uneven edges of the cavern. Bodies.
Human bodies. Stuffed into the nooks and crannies. She recognized
one of them. She felt a pulse. It was weak.

     "I've found Maya! She needs urgent medical attention!"

     Then she felt its presence. Heavy. Oppressive. Angry. She
looked into the darkness and she saw a pair of glowing red eyes.

     "Shinji?"

     "What's the matter?"

     "I'm not alone. One of them is here as well." Asuka slowly edged
towards the circle of light, not taking her eyes of her enemy. "I lost 
my weapon in the fall." Its form began to solidify, emerging from the
inky blackness. She could hear its growling. Its hatred.

     "I'll drop you mine."

     Asuka raised her right hand straight up, over her head as she
reached the edge of the light. Shinji's aim was true. She deftly 
caught the pistol and brought it before her as it leapt to attack.
She pumped five rounds in it. Asuka did not miss a single shot. The
bakemono (monster) was thrown back by the impact of the bullets. 

     Shinji heard the shots. He suddenly realized that the woods 
were once again deathly silent. Then he could just make out a quick 
insidious rustling. It was coming towards him. He launched himself
over the edge and landed roughly on the cold hard surface. He crawled
to his feet and saw Asuka standing over the body of her would-be
attacker. Her weapon was still held at the ready. Shinji looked at
their hitherto invisible enemy.

     Yellowish blood bled from its wounds, pooling around its
body. It took on a definite shape, the distortion field around it 
dissipated. It was hideous. Matted light blue fur covered its body.
It had claws and fangs. Long gangly arms and slightly stubby legs.
It seemed like bear, wolf, ape and other creatures melted together
with an unnatural element. Its red eyes were defiant. It growled
and tried to move towards the two FBI agents. Asuka would have none
of that and put a bullet through its skull.

     Shinji looked away from the mess. 

     They searched the cavern and found another survivor. The man
was presumably the missing hunter. He needed urgent help as well.
He and Maya were pulled from the cervices and close to the light.
Shinji and Asuka covered their torsoes with their jackets.

     Shinji looked up at the hole. "There's no way we can climb
up that, especially not without them."

     "Let's go down the cavern. The bakemono must have an exit
somewhere," Asuka suggested. Shinji nodded his assent.

     As they groped their way down the tunnel, the walls gradually
became smoother and smoother. Until they became completely flat and
regular. They also had an odd glow. Shinji took a closer look at the
surface. "This is the stuff that's used for military tunnels in case 
of black outs."

     They pressed on and came to a landing of sorts. It was circular,
like a balcony that ran around the edge of a pit. A strange orange 
glow was coming from it. The only other way from the chamber was a 
spiral staircase descending into the depths. This was definitely man-
made. Shinji and Asuka followed it to its logical conclusion to 
a vast circular room. Around the edges, sunk into the floor like
orchestra pits, were control consoles. Most of the equipment had been
smashed and the instrumentation panels unintelligible. 

     What was the most amazing thing was the machinery that dominated 
the room. In the centre, a massive system of pipes, almost organic, 
fed down into a glass tube. It was big enough to fit a person and was 
reinforced by three metal bands at regular intervals. The cylindrical
vat was filled with an orangey-yellow fluid and gave off a sinister
glow. Around it, on the floor, were concentric lines of four letters
A, C, G and T in various perputations. Runelike, they emananted from
the cylinder, reflecting its pale light, and covered the whole floor
except for a single spot. It was a plain circle. Slightly raised, 
like a platform. On impulse, Asuka strode forward and stepped onto it
before Shinji could stop her.

     The chamber was filled with groaning. The sound of mechinical 
parts long disused, now coming back to life. The walls surrounding
the room began to retract. The metal plates sliding up into the
ceiling. They revealed similar glass vats sequestered within. They
had been fed by less elaborate pipe systems. But most of them were
shattered and some yellowish liquid still lingered on, pooling in
the stumps of the broken vats. A deadening smell filled the room.
Asuka recognized it immediately.

     "LCL..." she whispered.

     Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp cry from Shinji.
She spun round to see that the other bakemono had surprised him
from behind and had pinned him to the ground. He was trying to
fend it off.

     "Shinji! Keep still!" she shouted.

     He immediately put his hands onto the back of his neck
and kept the rest of his body as close to the ground as possible.
Asuka took careful aim and fired.

     Its profile shifted somewhat. Asuka's round was supposed
to splatter its brains but found its shoudler instead. It howled
in pain and with a powerful swipe, swept Shinji into one of the
control pits. It crouched and prepared to spring towards Asuka.
She pulled the trigger. Click. Again. Click.

     "Verdammt!" Asuka hurled the empty weapon at the bakemono
and took up a ready fighting stance just as it rushed towards her.     
She felt its sharp claws tearing against her forearms. She gritted
her teeth and fought back. After more scratches, she had managed
to connect several hard blows to where its stomach was supposed to
be. Not much effect. It was inhumanly strong. 'It's got to have
a weakness.'

     Locked in a furious struggle, Asuka suddenly had an idea.
Her fist came down on the bullet wound on its shoulder and the
bakemono gave a monstrous cry of pain. Taking advantage of its
distraction, she delivered a vicious front kick to its groin
and followed it with a jumping sidekick. Her foot smashed into its
face and sent it flying into the cylinder at the centre. Its body
struck it with a loud thwack and then limply slid to the ground
where it stayed in a heap.

     Asuka didn't even wait to catch her breath before running to
Shinji's side. She knelt down next to him and cradled his head 
against her shoulder. A quick check showed that he was not badly
hurt and like the day before, slung his arm across her shoulder
and helped him to his feet.

     Clap. Clap. Clap.

     Shinji and Asuka looked up to see a woman clapping slowly in
a mocking fashion as she entered the chamber. She was dressed in a 
white lab coat, blue blouse and black skirt. Her face was covered
by a gas mask - it did not hide her shoulder length blonde hair
though. She was followed by a large number of blackclad men. Toting
submachine guns, they moved with a deft military precision. The
woman loomed over the two FBI agents who had not yet gotten out of
the pit. She was flanked by two men who trained their weapons on
them.

     "Ma'am, its still alive." One of the men reported as they 
checked on the bakemono.

     "Secure it and return with it to base. Set the charges to
ensure complete structural failure of the Guf Chamber."

     "Yes, Ma'am!" More men began to enter and the once dead room
was now a hive of activity.

     "Ikari Shinji, Sohryu Asuka Langley, come with me." Her 
voice was cold, hard and commanding.

     The two silently followed their captor back to the cavern
they had first dropped in through. Maya had been strapped securely
on a stretcher. Two men hoisted her up.

     "Wait! What are you going to do with her?" demanded Shinji.
His only response was a mocking look from the blonde woman. He
could almost imagine her smiling at him from behind her gas-mask.

     "Akagi-senpai..." came a weak voice from a semi-conscious
Maya. The blonde woman froze for just a second before walking
away to the stretchered officer. 'Akagi? One of the leaders of
the Eva project?' thought Shinji.

     "Maya?" Akagi leaned over her.

     "Gomen... couldn't... stop... reveal..."

     "Ssshush. Everything is under control. Save your strength."
The blonde woman stroked Maya's cheek. "Sleep now." She then nodded 
to the men who swiftly whisked Maya away.

     One of the faceless men stepped forward. "Ma'am, do we dispose
of the other bakemono's body?"

     "No. Once the local authorities have a resolution of the issue, 
they will leave things as they are. The DNA would already have 
started to decompose, there is no risk."

     "And the witnesses, Ma'am?" Akagi thought for a while and after 
a long moment declared,"Our orders are that Ikari Shinji is not to be 
harmed. Just remove the appropriate memories like the hunter here." 

     "Hai!" A device was hastily brought forth. Work had barely
begun when a man ran up the tunnel. "Ma'am! We've got a large search
party heading this way!"

     "I thought the search had been called off?"

     "It's the Americans from the Hakodate conference. We've got
FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, Treasury agents, DEA swarming into the area.
They are heavily armed. And they've brought along some of their
exhibits - a helicopter gunship and two heavy mecha. What are your
orders, Ma'am?"

     "We cannot risk a direct confrontation. Evacuate at once.
Detonate the charges." The men melted into the shadows. The blonde
woman turned to leave.

     "Akagi-hakase? Is my sister still alive?" shouted Shinji.

     She turned her head slightly over her shoulder. "Yes. Yet... in a
way, she has never really been alive."

     "Wait! What do you mean?" Shinji pleaded frantically. But 
she had already disappeared. A minute later, the cavern shook from
an explosion from deep below. All the evidence would either be 
incinerated or buried under tons of rubble.

     "Shinji! Asuka!" Voices drifted from the hole into the world
of light above.

     "That's Hikari!" exclaimed Asuka. "Here! Over here!"

     "What are you doing down there?"

     They were soon fished out of the cavern to see Hikari and Touji
at the head of a small army. Hikari wielded in a sniper's rifle 
instead of her usual pistol. Touji had painted his face and bare chest
with camouflage paint in addition to a red band of cloth tied around 
his forehead. A M60 machine gun with his right hand with its long belt
of ammunition wrapped around his left arm was his primary weapon, 
backed by rocket launcher, twelve-gauge shotgun and two uzis that 
were either strapped to his back or sticking out of his pack. He had 
decided against bringing the grenades and the M-16 - that would have 
looked like overkill.

     Of course, most of that had been discreetly tucked away when
the local police arrived to take over the situation. They had already
been fairly annoyed that the gaijin had stolen a march on them and the
JSDF were of no help - they had been withdrawn suddenly that morning.
Nearly two dozen bodies were recovered, a few belonged to people who
had been reported missing for almost 30 years. Hyuuga was not among 
them.

     Shinji and Asuka were huddled in blankets at the roadside 
pavilion near where all this began. They watched with some 
satisfaction as the hunter's wife and son cried tears of joy as
they followed him on to the ambulance.

     "You did good, Shinji," said Asuka.

     "Couldn't have done it without you."

     "Course not."

     "..."

     "Hey. I'm sure Rei is fine. Don't let what that horrible
woman said upset you."

     "Thanks, Asuka."

     Asuka nodded. She was starting to look a little tired. She had 
not had any sleep for the past thirty six hours, had killed one 
bakemono and fought another hand to hand.

     "Ummm...Asuka?"

     "Yes, Shinji?"

     "Is Sapporo still on?"

     Asuka blinked. A soft warm smile slowly appeared. She reached
over and placed her hand over his. 

     "Sure."
         

From: Aida.Kensuke@the-lone-three-stooges.com

     Hey Shinji, this is what I managed to dig from the various
archives I looked at. The 'Akagi' name has been linked to Project
Eva. It would probably be Dr Akagi Ritsuko that you met. Seems that
Dr Akagi Naoko came to a sticky end as a result of the internal
dynamics of the Project.

     The records for 'Ibuki Maya' have been purged from the JSDF
system. It's like she never existed. Interestingly, there's a 
'Hyuuga Makato' who was with the Japan Defence Intelligence Agency.
He had been seconded to an unnamed agency several years ago - the
records stopped then. 'Lt Col M Hiryu' doesn't hold any appointment
in the normal military manpower establishment. Looks like a special 
forces man - maybe the Koruryuu (Black Dragon) Unit.

     The glass vats and the chamber you describe sound like a early
model of a cloning system that uses LCL as the medium of transport
- kind of like synthetic blood. The 'Guf' is a Biblical reference to
the room in Heaven from where God sends all the souls to Earth. When
it finally becomes empty, the world will end. The detailed materials
will be in the Lone Three Stooges office. You owe me dinner. Ja ne.


In the depths of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan:

     "Sir, the operation produced unexpected results. Agent Ikari
led us straight to the old facility. We even managed to capture
the last bakemono alive. Unfortunately, we were unable to destroy
all the evidence - his memories of the incident are fully intact."

     A puff of cigarette smoke rose across the reflective surface
of the Cancer Man's glasses. "It is of no consequence, Dr Akagi.
Agent Ikari cannot prove anything. The Project remains on schedule."

     "Sir, I propose that we use the bakemono to speed up the 
development of the DP System."

     He stumbed the cigarette into an ashtray, extinguishing it.

     "Let us see this bakemono."

     The pair descended into the facility where the creature was
held in a vat filled with LCL, much like the one in Hokkaido.

     "The advantages of using this creature are twofold. On the
practical side since it was created by us, its DNA will prove much
easier to manipulate and duplicate. I estimate cloning time will
be cut by almost 15%. On the ethical side, it contains no human
DNA and it will help to keep our more squeamish but brilliant techs 
on board."

     Maya, who was taking notes on a clipboard next to the cylindrical
vat, flinched. These comment were always directed at her.

     "Shall we proceed?" asked Dr Akagi.

     The Cancer Man paused for a moment and made his decision. "No."

     "What?"

     His only response was to walk over to a panel and start pressing
some buttons. Bubbles welled up in the vat. The form of the bakemono 
began twisting and then bit by bit, disintegrate. A low howl could be 
heard through the glass.

     "Stop! What are you doing!?"

     The LCL began to take on a reddish hue. The howling faded and
eventually ceased. Soon, there was nothing left. Then the screen
indicated that the files on the subject were being purged. Not
deleted, purged. Completely, irretrievably.

     "Why?"

     He ignored her.

     "You...! The explosion in the Hokkaido facility was no accident! 
The unison trials for terrestrial and Lilith DNA was a success! Before 
we had that doll! It was you! You're protecting your doll!"

     "Are you quite done, Dr Akagi?" A cold, mocking smirk. As he
walked out of the room, Dr Akagi - who was still shaking with rage -
nonetheless fell into step behind him.

     'What have we done?' Maya lowered her gaze from the vat. 'What
are we doing?' Standing numbly in the unholy orange glow, she heard her 
own voice - it was barely a whisper. "Why is it the years seem to fly 
by but the darkness goes on forever...?"     


The End.

Production notes:
Begun 18 Nov 98.
1st draft 22 Nov 98.
Prereaders 22 Nov 98.
FFML 25 Nov 98.
RAAC

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK
This fic was just a side project that exploded out of control. 
Three solid days of writing. If only I worked this hard on my
course. As you can see, I'm a sucker for melodrama and the 
possibility of romance between Shinji and Asuka. About the Japanese,
apologies to those who were annoyed - was trying to imitate some
aspects of MobiusKlein's style.

Also a self-promoting ANNOUNCEMENT, my web site which archives
my previous works has been shifted due to server consolidation
by my service provider in its neverending quest to inconvenience
its toll-free users. New URL is http://web.singnet.com.sg/~toheel/