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

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

Chapter 4  Secrets

=-=-=-=-=

2019 AD.
5th Branch, NERV
Arizona Desert


"Asuka Langley, special liason officer reporting for duty,"  said a 
spirited young woman at the checkpoint.  Two border guards looked at her 
passcard and work papers before they let her into the compound.  Trucks 
and people literally flowed around the facility but these things didn't 
even intimidate the newcomer as she calmly walked towards the second 
gate.  Once through the security, she quickly headed towards the nearest 
building, the training center of the 5th Branch of NERV.

The center was a small building from the outside, but just like any 
iceberg the bulk of the facility was hidden underground.  It's a 
trademark NERV building, Asuka noted.  Passcard checkpoints, long 
escalators towards the lower levels.  Hardly anyone she met was smiling.  
Typical, she thought.

Recalling the plans in her head, she stepped into a rather unpopulated 
hallway.  A few lights illuminated the way, but she knew exactly where 
she was going.  It wasn't her first mission, but with the change of 
plans Dr. Akagi introduced last night, she didn't mind mingling with the 
crowd in reaching her objectives.

Asuka quickly found her way towards her new supervisor's office. She had 
to report to a certain Lieutenant as Makoto had arranged.  "Lieutenant 
Aki, I've been instructed to report to you this morning, sir."  It was 
hard for her to speak the way she just did towards a total stranger who 
she knows was no superior to her, but she had to try.  She even 
practiced last night in front of a mirror, but this time she was 
confronted by a total stranger.  "I mean, Professor Hyuuga had just..."  

Lieutenant Aki, a not that tall, brown hair and frail looking officer 
was busy piling up several files into his bag.  Asuka thought she was 
not heard so she knocked on the door again.  "Corporal Langley reporting 
for duty, Lieutenant."

"Excuse me, will you please step with me out of my office for a while," 
the young officer hurriedly left the room, leaving a stupefied and 
rather irate young lady behind.  Noticing that no one was following him, 
he quickly turned around and peeked into his office again.  "Well, 
miss....Langley, right?  Shall we?"

"Um, sure."  Asuka kept her cool just in time, or her immediate 
superior's trash bin would have found the pointed end of her step-ins.  
"I mean, yes sir."

=-=-=-=-=

Tokyo-3, Japan

Misato placed her passcard down on the table.  She had just returned 
from a long trip, a tiring one at that.  She had to be blindfolded and 
tied up all the way back from that place...that facility which was 
housing the two Evangelions that are not anymore associated with NERV.  
Well, she wasn't actually blindfolded, she told herself as she reached 
into her fridge to grab a drink.  "Darn, those plugs could sure use a 
co-pilot seat,"  she spoke in between sips.

"Misato?"  Rei whispered surprisingly out of one corner of the room near 
the corridor.

"Rei?!!"  Misato almost lost her balance and fell off her chair being 
caught off guard by her roommate.  "How long have you been there in the 
darkness?"

"What darkness?"  Rei stepped out into the light and she was still in 
her school uniform.   "I just arrived."

"You did?"  Misato looked down her beer can and noticed she had not yet 
opened it.  "My, I sure am slow today."  She reached for the tab and 
broke open her drink.

"Where have you been, Major?"  Rei spoke rather seriously.

"Huh?  Nowhere," Misato sat down by the table and had another large sip 
of her drink, "nowhere particular, Rei..."  Only by her third sip did 
she finally realize the slight obnoxious sensation she was feeling.  
"Bleach...What the?"  She turned to look at her beer can, but it wasn't 
beer at all...but tea.

"Commander Usagi ordered the confiscation of all liquor within this city 
block, Misato-san."  Rei sat down as well, "I had nothing to do with 
that." Misato glared at the tin can on her hand, quickly her fingers 
tightened apparently disapproving the beverage.

"Arrgh!"  Misato's head ached, her stress levels were high and 
aggravated the fresh wound at the back of her neck.  "How does that 
woman expect me to think clearly with...with," she tried to read the 
crumpled label, "Black Emerald Tea!!"  The can sailed across the room 
and hit the back end of the wall, where it promptly fell and deposited 
itself into an expecting trash bin.

"I...I," Rei tried to speak above her roommate's bitching, "I did stash 
away several packs of your beer with Pen-pen, though."

Misato's reaction was as expected. "Where?....Pen-pen!"  She dug 
underneath the cooler, pulled out her penguin pet and grabbed a real 
drink.  "Ah, Arigato Rei.  I would be in your debt."  The can didn't 
take long to empty itself down Misato's raging thirst.

"If that is the case, Katsuragi-san, can you tell me where EVA Unit 01 
is?" Rei stood up at the same time.

"Nope," Misato finished one can and was about to grab another, "I was
unconscious, remember."  Her eye was peeking through her raised can of 
beer.

"I see." Rei turned around and walked away.  She turned a corner and 
entered her room.

Misato stood by herself for a while thinking.  Her senses may be fooling 
her, but there was something ... something suspicious in Rei's question. 
She just had a gut feeling about it and stuck to it.  Her surgery must 
have cured her, as she was supposed to believe after being told a 
bizarre story just before she left her friend, Ritsuko Akagi, a few 
hours ago.  "Damn, I can't trust anyone, anymore.  What's the world 
coming to?"

=-=-=-=-=

Evangelion Training Center
Fifth Brach, NERV

"Asuka...is that right?"

The red head nervously shook her head.  They had just passed several
security check points, all of which she had no pass cards for.  The 
moving walkway had a curving direction, heading west, away from the  
nearest Evangelion cages she had been briefed on when she first laid 
eyes on the plans for the fifth branch.  "Yes, sir."

"Very well, then.  Professor Hyuuga will require us,"  Lieutenant Aki 
opened a folder and browsed through its contents, "to provide some sort 
of physical and psychological guidance to these children."  Just then 
the gateway ahead opened letting in a howling rush of wind that Asuka 
was all to familiar with.

"In other words?"  Asuka glanced off her right, several EVAs were parked 
neatly in a row.  She mentally noted their number, how much they looked 
so much uglier than her own EVA, and that of her original Unit 02...and 
basically some daydreaming of her own outside the envelope of her 
mission.

"Babysitting, yes I know."  Aki stepped off the walkway without her
companion noticing, "It's a thankless job but..."

Asuka took several long strides just to get to the platform her 
immediate superior had turned off.  "Gah...Why didn't you tell me we 
were getting off this level..." her breathing hard amused the numerous 
technicians around the huge Evangelion cages.

"There's nothing ahead but the Engineering and Waste Management 
Sections, Corporal."  Lieutenant Aki walked on ahead, "Come now, Asuka.  
We've got a whole day ahead of us."

"Why you!"  Asuka said under her breath as she forced herself to walk 
across the platform.  For some reason, she was beginning to not like the 
situation she's been placed into.  But the day was just starting, she 
thought as the two stopped in front of a doorway leading to what she 
guessed were the locker rooms.  She was right.

=-=-=-=-=

Tokyo-3, Evangelion Cage

Touji started climbing down the stairs from the platform where he had 
emerged from his Eva's plug.  He entered the nearest hallway and entered 
the locker room.  He checked his watch after undressing and noted that 
he had enough time.

"Time for what?" Kensuke asked from the other side of the room, as he 
too was dressing.

"Nothing, just some errand."  Touji laced up his sneakers and paused for 
a moment, silently caressing the leg he had raised up on the bench.

"For you sister?"  Kensuke's plug suit compressed to form on his body.

"Nope.  For me."  Touji grabbed his sports bag and waved to Kensuke from 
the doorway.  "Sayonara, Aida-kun."

=-=-=-=-=

Shinji checked his uniform.  Orange and sparkling clean.  Somehow he 
hated it.  He never thought he'd be good at anything but piloting an 
Evangelion, but it seems his new job now was quite suited for his 
purpose.  He was inconspicuous in his get up since about a hundred more 
of his fellow orange dressed handy men were all over NERV HQ.  He only 
had to do odd jobs.  Checking the  machines and handling the cleaning 
and maintenance around the Evangelions.  He was perfect.  No one would 
recognize him, or so he thought.

"Shinji." whispered Touji from behind.

"Oi!" 

"Calm down, It's only me." Touji walked into the shadows with Shinji.  

"I still can't believe you saw through my disguise, Touiji-kun."  Shinji 
remarked as he lead his friend through a series of corridors and finally 
ending in a supply room.

"What disguise?" Touji kidded, recalling his luck that he had bumped 
into Shinji in his haste coming from his apartment before he started his 
patrol that night.  "Surely, you don't think no one will recognize you 
in that utility man outfit?"

"Kensuke-san already past me by a while ago." Shinji answered.

"Damn, Aida-kun is sure an idiot." Touji joked as he made room on a 
tabletop for him to sit on.  "So, Shinji.  What's your story?"

Shinji leaned back on the door, crossing his arms.  "I...I don't know 
where to start."

"Well, I didn't come back from patrol early to hear sob story you may 
have compared to what had happened here these past four years, but I'm 
sure..." Touji crossed his arms "...you've got one hell of an 
interesting story."

"What happened here?"  Shinji asked.

"Hey, I asked you first!"  Touji retorted.

"Very well.  Why don't you just ask me specific questions, 'coz we both 
don't have much time."  Shinji checked his watch, noting that his break 
was almost over.

"Okay.  First question,"  Touji thought for a second.  "Here's a good 
one.  What the hell happened to you all these years?"

"Touji!  That's not fair."  Shinji said.  "Specific ones, that's all I 
can answer."

Touji jumped off the table and confronted Shinji.  "It doesn't matter, 
Shinji.  What ever happened to you...that's in the past now."  Touji 
held on Shinji's shoulder.  "What I do want to know is what do we do 
now?  Where do we go from here, Shinji-kun?"

"A...Arigato, Touji-kun." Shinji bowed his head.

=-=-=-=-=

Central Dogma, 
5th Branch NERV

Makoto Hyuuga arrived just in time to see something he never sees too 
often enough.  His wife, Maya was sleeping in her station.  He corrected 
himself, her old station, just right of the computers operating the 
Evangelion sensory and feedback equipment.  He smiled, recalling the 
good old days back at the Geofront of NERV HQ.  Although that was long 
ago and in the opposite side of the world now, just looking at Maya now, 
peacefully asleep somehow rekindled those memories.

He sat over his old station.  The touch of the keypads and the newer and 
lighter headsets didn't really feel like what he was used to years ago. 
But the senses can be ignored for now, his mind was entering Alpha, or 
so what his wife would say any other time.  To him, the silence was 
making him sleep, and dream.

"Makoto?"  He snapped out of Beta stage instantly...or he just woke up 
feeling his head.  Maya was clutching on his arm.  "I didn't notice you 
come in here."

"Maya, I..."  He reseated his glasses, "I just saw you sleeping over 
there and thought I might as well join you."

"You mean I dozed off?  Impossible."  Maya looked around, and true to 
what she had just heard everyone else was waking up.  In fact a hundred 
moans quickly filled the Central Dogma moments later, dozens of 
technicians and controllers all waking up simultaneously from their 
stations.  "What the..."

Makoto stood up and witnessed something amazing.  It would seem that the 
whole night shift had been sleeping, for how long, he didn't know.  

"What happened?"  A rough sounding voice asked from behind.  

"Major Stevenson, you too?"  Makoto helped the base commander to a 
nearby seat realizing the major was still feeling the after effects of 
whatever that had caused everyone to lose consciousness.  "How do you 
feel?"

"I feel I need an aspirin the size of Texas!  For heaven�s sake, what 
the hell happened here?!"

"It seems that at one point tonight, everyone here fell asleep, Major.  
What caused this I still do not know."  Maya had just come back after 
receiving spot checks from her people on the lower levels of the control 
room.  "And for what?"

Makoto made cursory checks on all vital stations of the fifth branch, 
but nothing untoward were reported.  Nothing missing, no attacks of any 
kind.  "Every thing seems to be normal, the computers seems to have 
detected nothing during our snooze."  He punched a few more buttons so 
that the computer display cycled through the rest of the non-vital 
areas.

"Wait!  Stop the screen right there."  Major Stevenson shouted.  Makoto 
did as asked, he used a knob to zoom in on what looked like a huge stock 
room.  Cases of non-military equipment were in piles, and the place 
looked deserted, but secure.

"Nothing seems to be missing."  Maya said.

The huge computer screen had a split view.  The right was a table of 
environmental readings of that particular section of the fifth branch, a 
storage well deep within the central building block.  The left side was 
showing a real time 3d representation of that particular storage hold.

"My God!  It's gone."  Major Stevenson stood up in shock.  "What...who?"  
He stepped and stumbled back.

Makoto adjusted several more controls, his wife was curious as well, and 
the left picture suddenly zoomed into a more photographic resolution of 
the huge storage area.  "Gone, what?"

"What? What are you talking about, Major?"  Maya asked.

Stevenson had already left the platform, running from a terror neither 
Makoto nor Maya can't comprehend for now.  Instinctively, they asked a 
higher knowledge.  "Well, if he won't answer us, I'll ask HADES."  Maya 
sat down on her terminal and punched in her security clearance.

"Good Day, Professor Ibuki.  How may I help you?"

Makoto frowned and stared at his wife, "Ibuki?"

"Um...Ritsuko-sempai's joke...she was the one that created this new 
supercomputer, remember?"  Maya smiled and went to work.  "Here's an 
inventory list of the things stored in that area.  The list scrolled 
down and both of their eyes skillfully followed the lines.

"Hmm...All non military artifacts.  Construction equipment,"  Maya said.

"Yeah, nothing extra ordinary," Makoto leaned his face closer to his 
wife, "remind me to reprogram HADES."  A shriek from Maya almost made 
him stumbled.  "Was it something I said?"

Maya turned to Makoto, a arm pointing to the last item on the list.  It 
was listed as para-military, and was an Alpha classified item.  "That's 
unusual, having an Alpha classific..." Makoto was dumbfounded when his 
eyes reached the item's description.  "S. Longinus, Project HCP."

=-=-=-=-=

Training Center
NERV 5th branch


"Everyone, this is Corporal Langley, she'll be here to assist me,"
Lieutenant Aki spoke in front of the classroom filled with young pilots.  
The scene just raised a cold chill down Asuka's spine.  "Listen. 
Everyone will be taking patrol shifts starting today, as per orders."

"Does this mean we're going to use our Evas everyday, Aki-kun?!" A 
spirited hand raised to ask.

"Yes, Pilot 40 B.  Even backups will play a part in this exercise.  
But this won't be like any other training exercises you all have gone 
through." Lieutenant Aki tried to downplay the situation, but none of 
the children were listening after jubilation echoed around the room 
upon hearing that piece of news.

"Poor kids.  They're not even called by their first names." Asuka said 
in the midst of the celebration.  She caught sight of one particular 
girl though not at all in a festive mood.  "That's her."  

"Trisha, is there a problem?"  Aki shouted out to get his voice above 
everyone else.  The room fell silent all of a sudden, as if everyone 
knew what was troubling the pilot of Evangelion Unit 35.  "Trisha?!"

The focus was on this 14 year old, the 35th child to ever pilot an EVA. 
But everyone knew her by name.  She looked back at the Lieutenant that 
spoke her name, but the glassy eyed teen was far from the motion of 
acknowledging the call.  "I...I..." she cried.  She ran out of the room 
in desperation.

"Trisha!"  Aki shouted.

Asuka's eyes followed Trisha's departure from the room, somehow she felt 
sympathy for no apparent reason.  Something in those tears, she said to 
herself.  "I'll take care of this, Lieutenant."  Asuka said as she 
followed the trail of tears out of the room.

=-=-=-=-=

NERV HQ
Tokyo - 3, Japan.


"What? You mean that crazy girl is working with you?" Touji's reaction 
was unexpected and Shinji had to check the hallway if someone might have 
been an earshot away from the supply room they were coop up in.  "What's 
wrong with you, Shinji?"

"Asuka is not crazy,"  Shinji said.

"That's not what her last psychological evaluation said,"  Touji told 
Shinji about Asuka's last days with NERV. 

"Asuka...was depressed, that's all," Shinji retorted.

Touji smelled a rat.  "Shinji. How is Asuka in bed?"  A grin formed on 
his face.

"Well...Hey, why you!"  Shinji grabbed Touji by the collar.

"Ah, ha!  So just as I thought!"  Touji flinched as Shinji's fist came 
smack right into his face.  "Oww!"

"I...I can't think!"  Shinji felt an intense pain up on his head.  
"I can't think!"

Touji stood up, seeing Shinji on the floor grimacing in pain, he still 
had the urge to kick his ass.  But somehow he laughed instead.

"You think this is funny!"

"No.  Your conscience is eating you up, Shinji.  That's what's funny."  
Touji continued chuckling while helping Shinji up, swatting Shinji's 
hands away from his head.  "That kiss from Rei must be eating a big hole 
in there," He pointed at Shinji's chest.  "That's where you're suppose 
to feel it, not here." He pointed up on Shinji's head this time.

"Baka!  I'm so stupid."  Shinji slumped on the table, abit crying.  "I 
shouldn't have told her that Rei kissed me.  Now she hates me more that 
ever."

"Hey, big deal.  She still loves you."  Touji said as he checked his 
watch.

"How would you know?"  Shinji asked.

"Listen, what's the worse that could happen?"  

=-=-=-=-=

Fifth Branch, NERV
Arizona Desert

Trisha found herself running to the one place that gave her peace.  She 
had climbed into EVA Unit 35 on her own and felt relaxed.  She wiped the 
dried tears off her face and tried collecting herself to think.  That 
was when she heard a knock.  A metallic sounding knock.

"Who's there?"

"Open up,  I want to talk to you."

"Go away, I don't want to talk to anyone!" Trisha didn't have a clue on 
who was looking for her just outside her Evangelion, and turning on the 
external cameras were out of the question since her Eva wasn't plugged 
to a power source at the moment, she thought.

WHRRLLL!!

"What the?"  Trisha's Eva started to shake.  That's when a mental 
impulse hit her head.

"EVA Unit 35 Power Source Activated.  Initiating 10% delay on S2 engine 
in 30 seconds."

"The Eva thinks I want it started."  Trisha thought.  It was her 
thoughts that triggered her Unit to activate its internal power.  
"Stupid machine."

"Evangelion Unit 35 S2 Engine online in 3...2...1...Welcome, Trisha 
Stevenson, and I am not stupid."  

Trisha blinked a few times in surprise.  "You can talk?"

"I have been programmed to respond to your thoughts. I'm suppose to 
believe that you knew that?"

Trisha cleared her head and thought.  "Oh, yeah.  Right.  I forgot."  
She embarrassingly admitted that all EVAs were equipped with voice 
synthesis for years now.  "Gomen."

"Hey!  Are you going to let me in or what?!"  The Voice came from 
outside, and no sooner had she thought about it, external cameras were 
brought online.  Several pop up windows came up, zooms of a young woman 
standing just outside the catwalk leading to her Eva came into focus.

"Who are you?" Trisha asked, but she knew the girl wouldn't hear her.  
Instead several new windows popped up, a search request ensued and a 
resulting screen flashed in front of her.

"Person identified as Soryuu, Asuka Langley.  Evangelion Unit 02 Pilot.  
Second Children."

Trisha had to read the printout again.  "Did you say, Second Children?"

"I think I did."  The Computerized voice of her Eva spoke.  "I know I 
did."  A few clicks and beeps then started a new search request.  
Several screens popped up showing classified pictures of the second 
children.

"But, this was about four years ago."  Trisha was completely amazed, 
here was the second children, a total stranger to her, and yet just 
looking at the photos of her made her skin crawl.  "Incredible, she's 
like a 17 year old version of the ones in these file photos."

"It has been three years since she was last affiliated with NERV."

Suddenly she heard it.  A sharp metallic sound.  External cameras 
adjusted to her thoughts.

=-=-=-=-=

"Are you going to stay there all day, young lady!  Or do I have to get a 
can opener and pry you out of that pathetic clamshell you call an EVA."  
Asuka hit the Evangelion again with the toe of her heels, and it seems 
she's not getting much from her actions.  "Shit!  I think I broke a 
nail."

"Are...are you the second children?"  Came the voice from within the 
EVA.

Asuka almost fell down hearing those words fill the evangelion cage.  
She struggled up, looking around to see if anyone had heard it.  Luckily 
they were the only one in that rather spacious room at that time.  "What 
the...let me in there now!"  Asuka was getting desperate about not 
getting her cover blown by the same kid she kicked ass a few days ago.

"Alright.  Come on in."  The head of the Eva popped forward and the gate 
occluding the plug snapped open.  Asuka jumped right in.

=-=-=-=-=

"It's you, It's really you."  Trisha exclaimed as Asuka made her way 
down the plug.

"Of course its her, that was what I was telling you all this time."

Asuka blinked after hearing that strange voice of someone inside the 
plug as well.  "Who was that?"

"You...can hear it?"  Trisha was doubtful, she thought that all EVA were 
uniquely synchronized with their particular pilots and backups.

"It?  Who was talking?"  Asuka leaned on one side of the plug, 
apparently the plugs on these new Evangelions are much bigger now.    
"You mean that..." Asuka pointed up.

Trisha nodded, "Yes that's the voice of this Unit.  Evangelion Unit 35.

=-=-=-=-=

Tokyo-3, Evangelion Cage


"Kensuke, let's go!"  Hikari shouted from her Evangelion as she jumped 
into her plug.  Kensuke was about to do the same when he noticed Touji 
emerge from a distant hallway opening.  

"Touji!  Touji!  I thought you left early!"  He shouldn't have wasted 
his breath since it was a clear fifty feet from where he was to his 
friend.  So he jumped into his Eva thinking nothing of it.  Inside he 
relaxed and soon he would be in synch with the bio neural computer that 
was installed.

"Eva started, Welcome."

"I wonder when will they install those layman algo-logic into our 
Evas??" He thought.  "I know that these things are a lot older than 
those models from America, but still..." His external camera views came 
online and just in time, he zoomed in to where he last saw Touji.  
"Hmm...you're hiding something, Suzahara.  Probably a girl I don't 
know."

"What!!!"

Kensuke cringed in his seat, his ears must have received a full 80 
decibels with that high pitch amplified scream through the radio.  
"Aaaaaaa!!!  Hikari, don't ever...I mean EVER do that again!!!"  A 
picture screen of the other EVA pilot popped up.

"Where is he?!  Where is Suzahara?!"  Hikari was almost tempted in 
grabbing a hologram phone just to strangle the answer off Kensuke.

"Will you relax, Hikari-san.  He's just over that way, he seem to be 
talking to one of the maintenance crew!  Okey!!!"  Kensuke extended his 
arm pointing towards the backside of the Evangelion cage.

"Oh...oh!  Okay.  For a minute there I thought you said he had another 
girl.  Unforgivable!"  Hikari zoomed in on Touji, he seemed to be 
bidding farewell to the guy in orange.  "Funny."

"What's funny?!"  Kensuke was preparing his Evangelion to latch on one 
of those launch pads near him.

"For a second there, I thought the guy in orange was Ikari-kun."  Hikari 
felt the snapping clamps, telling her her Eva was secured on the ramp.  
"Don't you think its funny?"  A number flashed on the upper right hand 
corner of her screen.

Kensuke had a better angle so he zoomed in at the fullest.  The number 
on his screen was counting down. "Hey,  that...that is Ikari-kun...I 
mean."  Three...Two...

"What?! Are you sure?"  One... "Ikari-kun!!!"

"Shinji!!!"  Kensuke turned on his external speakers just as the horn 
that sounded liftoff filled the cages.

=-=-=-=-=

"What the..."  Shinji and Touji turned around, seeing two Evangelion 
being carried topside.  To their bewilderment, the two Units seems to be 
calling out his name.  "Can't be..."

"Son of a . . .Leave it to Kensuke and Hikari to blow your cover..." 
Touji held his hand on the railings just as a billowing gush of wind 
swept through their part of the cage.  "You'd think he'd find a better 
way of announcing your return, eh?"  He turned around...but Shinji was 
gone.  "Shinji?"  He looked back at the corridor they had come from, but 
no one was there.  "There he goes again.  Dissappearing from sight seems 
a talent he'd learn since that day...that day he left,"  He said to 
himself.  He picked up his things again and went on his way.

=-=-=-=-=

Central Dogma
Tokyo-3


Misato almost fell off her chair when she heard the two Evangelions 
launching off the cages.  "Baka, those two..."

"Misato, was it just me...or did Aida-kun and Hikari just said...Shinji 
Ikari?"  Shigeru came over to Misato's station.

"Shinji?  Why in the world would they say that?" Misato gulped for a 
drink, trying to avoid answering any more questions about the matter.

"I see." Shigeru was about to leave Misato alone, when Kensuke and 
Hikari's view screen popped inside the Central Dogma.

"Misa...Misato-san!  Misato-san..."  Both teens where in 
incomprehensible excitement.  "We saw..."  

Misato slammed her cup on the console, shattering it into a hundred 
pieces.  "You two concentrate on your mission!"  Shigeru and everyone on 
the platform were flabbergasted at Misato's sudden outburst.  Her first 
in recent years.  "You just concentrate on your patrol.  Is that 
understood?!"

"But..." Hikari meekly responded.

"Hai, Major Katsuragi," Kensuke nodded, "we'll focus on our patrol.  
Over and out."  Kensuke's screen disappeared, and Hikari's view a moment 
later.

"Hmm...Those fools."  Misato was about to leave when Shigeru blocked her 
way.  "What now?"

"We better get you to Infirmary, Katsuragi-san."  Shigeru pointed to 
Misato's crimson red hand.

"Ack!  How'd I . . ."  Misato was about to take off her jacket to cover 
her lacerated hand when Shigeru came over and wrapped her hand with a 
piece of cloth torn off his uniform.  "Arigato."

"Look.  I know you've been through a lot lately, Misato.  Let me help 
you."  Shigeru tied the ends of the cloth together.  "We are...friends, 
right?"

Misato paused, "Right."  She walked with Shigeru towards the elevator. 
"So how much do you know, Shigeru?" she whispered.

"I only know that she is alive.  I'm sure of it."  Shigeru said while 
the elevator went down.  "Sometimes, it shows in her handiwork."

"The two Unit 01's, you mean?"

"Oh, she made two this time?  Interesting."  Shigeru smirked.

"Ack! I'm such a fool!"  Misato lamented, gritting her teeth after 
realizing she had been tricked.

"Relax Katsuragi-san.  Right now we had better see to that hand of 
yours.  Then we'll talk...on the beginning of the end."  The elevator 
opened at the 5th level, Medical wing.

"You're such a pessimist, Shigeru."  Misato sat down, attending to her 
bleeding arm.  "You know that we'll stop that from happening, like we 
did the last time."

Shigeru spoke to the chief nurse and soon a crew of medical attendants 
and a bed was ready to take Misato. 

"The last time, we were lucky because of the quick thinking of Shinji 
and Professor Fuyutsuki.  Let's hope we'll be as lucky this time 
around."  Shigeru waved goodbye to Misato.

"Of course we'll win again."  Misato climbed on bed and reflected.  Not 
another operation, she thought.  "I'm getting used to this surgery 
stuff, I better take care of myself from now on."  She said jokingly as 
she disappeared through the doorways.  "I hate this."

=-=-=-=-=

Fifth Branch
NERV

Shinji emerged from a doorway and scouted his surroundings.  Somehow he 
ended up outside the facility, right around the entrance into the 
pyramidal complex.  He walked a few blocks down the street he was so 
familiar with.  Traffic nowadays were less than when he used to 
remember.  Maybe it was because of the alert status the Geofront was 
currently in, he thought.

He reached the park, a few families were there and their children 
playing in a huge sandbox.  This used to be Kaji-san's cabbage patch, he 
recalled.  He sat down quietly on a bench.  He looked tired from 
running, but he wasn't.  He was exhausted.  Somehow speaking to Touji 
for a few minutes seemed like he was pouring out years of emotions.  But 
he hadn't told much.

"Asuka."  He said under his breath.

=-=-=-=-=

2016 AD.
Frankfurt, Germany

Shinji had barely enough time to rest from a long trip that he was 
awakened by a phone call.  He opened the shutters of his windows to let 
the morning sun come inside his hotel room.  He arrived last night so 
nothing had been unpacked yet.  "Hello..."  Shinji heard only static, a 
security decryption was on the line, so he used a portable decoder and 
placed it on the receiver and allowed it to do its work.

"Shinj-kun?"

"Ritsuko-san, how are you? How is mother?"

"I'm fine, Shinji.  And your mother is recovering well.  I'm sure she'll 
be up and awake by the time you complete your mission over there."

"I'm hope so, Ritsuko-san.  I hope she's going to find our plans worth 
it.  Asuka and me had never met eye to eye on things, remember?"

"I remember, Ikari-kun.  Nevertheless, I'm sure she'll be happy to see 
you the very least."

Shinji peeked through the window, the sun was high and glaring.  "What 
time is it?  Is it noon already?"

"Over there it should be about two in the afternoon, Shinji."

Shiji realized there was a clock on a nearby tabletop and confirmed 
Ritsuko's calculations.  "Arigato, Ritsuko-san. Her performance should 
be starting in a little over an hour from now, I'll get myself ready."

"Sayonara and see you soon, Shinji-kun."  The line went dead.

"Asuka" Shinji said to himself.

=-=-=-=-=

2019 AD.
NERV Geofront
Tokyo-3

"You still think of her?"  A voice behind him said.  Shinji nervously 
looked behind.

"Rei."  Shinji said reluctantly, struggling to breath at the same time.  
Ayanami Rei sat beside him.

"Is she...alright?"  Rei stared at Shinji's eyes, "Are you two getting 
along well?"

Shinji was feeling hot, "Well, funny that you mention it."

"Gomen, Ikari-kun.  I shouldn't have kissed you."  Rei confessed.

"No, no...it wasn't that."  Shinji was an awful liar.

"You mean we can kiss again?"  Rei smiled, just like the way she smiled 
at him, like every time she smiled, it was always for him.

"Ulp...well."

Sirens began flaring around the Geofront.  Both Rei and Shinji stood up.  
"What's happening?" Shinji asked, seeing the families fleeing off for 
safety.

"Angel attack!"  Rei said as she hurried off, running towards the 
nearest entrance gate into the NERV Evangelion cages.  Shinji was a few 
steps behind, but he slowed down instead.

"Angel attack?  That's not possible."  He came to a full stop just as 
Rei opened the gates with a passcard.  She was waving to him.  All he 
could do was wave back.  Rei understood and disappeared as the doors 
closed and separated the two again.

=-=-=-=-=

2016 AD.
Music Lounge, The Blue Velvet
Frankfurt, Germany


Shinji entered the hall in the middle of the performance.  If only he 
studied his German better, he'd have been here sooner.  But that was the 
past.  Now, he had to confront a girl from his past.  Outside he noticed 
the billboard announced the performance of a certain Agatha Langley, 
pianist.  This he had to see for himself.

The ballroom was not that large, and only a few of the tables were with 
people.  The room was darkly lit, except for the middle portion where a 
large piano was the center of the attention.  From the moment he stepped 
inside, the music struck him immediately.

Lizt?  He thought, maybe Chopin.  He sat down about a quarter away from 
the stage, just underneath the shadows of the room.  He could see her.  
She was playing.  Asuka was playing the music that was filling his head.

"Asuka." He said to himself.

=-=-=-=-=

2019 AD.
Central Dogma
NERV HQ
Tokyo-3


Shigeru had just enough time to sidestep away from a running Misato as 
they both arrived at the platform.  She had her hand bandage fairly well 
but she moved as if nothing was bothering her.

"What is going on?  What's the emergency?!" Misato screamed for 
attention. 

"Calm down, Katsuragi." Base commander Maria Usagi said from above.  
"There is an angel attack on NERV."

"What?!"  Misato and Shigeru couldn't believe it, until they saw the 
computer display.  "My god.  That can't be..."

In front of them was a three dimensional real time display of an 
approaching angel, a cubic designed floating flotilla or AT fields.  As 
far as Misato and Shigeru could remember, this particular angel 
shouldn't be where it is right now.

"I thought we finished that thing off years ago."  Shigeru said.

Maria spoke through the intercom, "All personnel, this is Base commander 
Maria Usagi.  The alarm that has been sounded off is due to an angel 
approaching the Fifth branch of NERV, in the deserts of Arizona.  
Nevertheless, we are all on full alert from now on, until the threat has 
been removed.  Thank you."

Misato checked the screens.  Indeed, the angel appeared halfway across 
the world, but the sight of that particular angel sent shivers to 
everyone here in Tokyo-3 as well.

"This ain't happening."  Misato sat down and rested her arm.  "How can 
this be possible?"

"All they had to do was replace the core, Misato."  Shigeru spoke so 
that only Misato could hear.  "And we sent all of our samples to them, 
didn't we?"  Shigeru looked at Misato, not at all pleased at his own 
conclusions.

Misato, too, can't believe the proposition but nothing else can justify 
the resurrection of this angel, or probably more.  

=-=-=-=-=

2016 AD.
The Blue Velvet


Asuka stepped out the building and into the back alley of the Blue 
Velvet.  She was tired.  Her hands must be having spasm from doing two 
encores for a jerk requesting them from the somewhere in her audience.  
But she was happy.  This was the first time anyone had noticed her 
playing inside the lounge, and even though that jerk, she thought, still 
asked for more, she couldn't play the last piece he had asked.

"Why did you stop playing?"  A voice crept from behind her and Asuka 
jumped a little in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?!"  Asuka held up her songbook and bag for 
protection.  "You better well know that I know how to kill a person!"   
She posed in some sort of pseudo-fighting stance and wailed a yell.

"Oh, I know that."  The person was in darkness, and still didn't moved 
into the light.  "I can still remember how hard you can slap a person, 
Asuka."

"Asuka?!  How did...You must be mistaken, my name is Agatha."  Asuka was 
about to run when a hand held on to her.  "Eee!!  Get your hands off 
me!!"  She slapped her handbag on the assailant.

"Ouch!  Stop it Asuka!"  The voice had changed and that made her stop.

"Shinji?"  No it couldn't be, she thought.  "Is that you?"

"Yes."  He finally stepped into the moonlight.  "Hello, Asuka."

Asuka was all teary upon seeing her friend, "I can't...I must be 
dreaming." Tears were pouring, she was shivering.

"I'm real. And I'm back.  I'm here with you."  Shinji said.

Asuka couldn't help it anymore.  She threw herself at him, hugging 
Shinji like there was nothing that had ever come between them.  A friend 
now found, a death denounced.  She was rising from the dead as well.  "I 
can't believe it."  She said teary eyed.

"Well...I can..."  Shinji didn't have the chance to say another word.  
Asuka kissed him, and the two intertwined their embrace with the passion 
of the moonlight that was witnessing the reunion of these two.  The 
night was young, but their destinies had finally ended.  They're in each 
others arms again.  And only time will tell if it'll be forever.

=-=-=-=-=

2019 AD.
Fifth Branch, NERV
Unit 35 Cage


�Let me get this straight,� Asuka moved from one side of the plug to 
another.  �You ran off the classroom because...�  she looked at Trisha 
and waited.

�Because I don�t want to be pilot anymore.�  Trisha heard the whimper 
coming from her unit�s voice synthesizer.  �It�s not you, Unit 35.�

Asuka still had not gotten the hang of the idea that an Evangelion could 
talk back at its pilot. Only when Trisha explained how the new 
computerize logic worked in each Eva did she realize such a system could 
work.  This talking back was artificial, she realized, not like the one 
she�s accustomed to on her Unit Alpha.

�And you don�t want to pilot anymore because your father didn�t let you 
go to the school dance last night?  Is that it?�  Asuka asked.

�It�s more than that.�  Trisha cuddled up in her seat.  �I don�t like 
being used anymore.�  She looked at Asuka intently, �You know what I 
mean?�

Somehow, Asuka knew exactly what she meant.  By some coincidence, the 
two have been put in this situation where they actually share 
something...something quite common.  Loneliness.�

�Listen, I once felt that way.  That�s why I left.�

�By the way, what are you doing here again.  Are you going to pilot 
again?� Trisha asked.

Asuka could only smile and chuckled. �Didn�t Lieutenant Aki tell you?  
I�m going to be his assistant.  That�s all.�  I better not reveal too 
much, she thought.  �Listen, Trisha.  Lets make a deal.  I�ll help you 
become a great Evangelion pilot, if you�ll help me.�

�But...� Trisha was about to say that she didn�t want to be pilot 
anymore, � what so great about being a great Eva pilot?  You can�t do 
anything on your own time.  You can�t go out with your friends, or go on 
vacations...�

She�s got a point, Asuka thought.  �Well, if you become a great pilot, 
you�ll meet great people and probably meet the boy of your dreams.�  
Just like what happened to me, sort of, she thought.

Trisha just sulked in her seat.  �I...he�s already dead.  I don�t think 
that�ll do.�

�Who�s dead?�

�A few days ago, the renegade Unit 01 attacked this base.  We...we had 
to ...� Trisha turned away, �we had to destroy it.�

�And so?� Asuka had to check herself or she�d reveal to much about her 
mission there.

�Well, I had always admired the Third Children...you know, Ikari 
Shinji.� 

Asuka almost fell over, but there wasn�t space.  �You...and Shinji?�

�Oh, you knew him, right?  What was he like?�  Trisha looked around her 
seat to see Asuka, but her friend had slumped behind the seat.

�He was a pretty dull boy, Trisha.�  Asuka retorted, cursing the pilot 
of Unit 35 at the same time.  �Don�t waste your time on him.�  What�s 
this kid doing, having ideas with Shinji, she said to herself.

�Really?  I always thought he was kind of cute.�

�He�s four years older than you!�

Trisha paused, she felt some uneasiness in her friend.

The cage suddenly turned all red.  Alarms were blaring all over the 
complex.  A message screen soon popped out on the screen.

�What�s happening?� Asuka gathered herself up.

�There�s another angel, and it�s coming here.�  Trisha flipped a switch 
and soon the plug was partly ejected off Unit 35.  �Asuka, thanks for 
listening.  But I have a job to do.�

�Really?  An angel?� Asuka tried to take control of the EVA so that she 
herself could see what angel was heading for the fifth branch.

�Asuka, please.�  The top opened and Asuka ceded.

�Just remember, its our little secret, okay. You and I never had this 
conversation.�  Asuka winked before she started climbing. She jumped off 
Unit 35 and hurried off the platform since it was being withdrawn for 
Unit 35�s launching.  She looked back once she was at a safe distance.  
�Remember, Trisha.  It�s our secret. And...don�t you dare get funny 
ideas with my Shinji!!!�  She shouted just as the propulsion engine of 
Unit 35 roared to life.

�Unit 35 to 38, launch for intercept!�  The PA announced just before all 
three Evangelions catapulted off their cages.

=-=-=-=-=

End of Chapter 4

=-=-=-=-=

C&C, MST appreciated...
Previous works are at...

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/3641/index.html

Thanks to everyone that waited...

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com