Wow.

Here we go again!

This is revised, right?

===========


The vast plane sped through the skies, heading east.

The pilots, snug in the cockpit, could see Japan on the horizon, and the sun seemed to be rising from it.

"Hell, I'll be glad to get this bugger off our hands."

Co-pilot Mark Anderson, sick already of flying, was referring to the vast bulk of Unit 05, slung beneath the plane. It was a bright green and pale pink, lending credence to the theory among NERV personnel that the person responsible for the colour schemes was colourblind. It had a massive set of compound eyes, supposedly the best new innovation.

"Don't talk like that," warned Captain Montgomery. "You know how they've been keeping an eye out for sedition."

"I know, but I can't get the disaster with Unit 3 out of my head. What happened there? I'm just glad that we're not going to be doing this again for a while."

Montgomery Grinned. "That's where you're wrong, Son. We transport Unit 6 from NERV-UK next week."

"What? I heard that it wouldn't be ready for a month?"

"They found  a new pilot, didn't they? Supposedly, he's going to blow the Third Child out of the water."

"No shit? What's his name?"

"John Harwood."

They flew in silence for a while.

"I feel sorry for those kids. They're going to die in those damn machines."

"Maybe, Maybe not..."

***

[In the artificial amniotic sac, the man stirred. All he had was his faith, and the cold, hard belief that he was now linked irretrievably to this instrument of the Devil.

A spiderweb of umbilicals stretched from him. He could no longer see, and the only light was shed from the technological centipede fused to his spine, as the blinking of the links confirmed to any watchers that the required drugs were being administered, and that everything was all right.

He squirmed again.

Big change coming.

The destruction of the Synagogue of Satan was at hand... perversely enough, by this weapon of Beelzebub.

Big change coming soon.

And then the Earth would be purified.]

***

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfiction

Fundamentals

By Matthew Harrison

Chapter 1

***

"Finally."

For the  first time, a smile of happy satisfaction spread across Ikari Gendou's face.

"Finally, a new EVA delivered without any problems."

"Counting your chickens, Commander?"

A small frown crossed Gendou's face, replacing the smile.

"Kaji? What is it? I require not your ministrations."

"Well, Commander, things can go wrong even with the best of plans."

"Not with this one." He raised his arms. "It is equipped with an S^2 engine, and can..."

"Nauseate the enemy?" Kaji blew a small cloud of smoke into the air. "You should know that anything can go wrong with one of these.  Particularly with that feature."

"This will be infallible, Kaji."

"I hope you're right, commander."

"And you can tell your masters the same."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do. Now good day."

***

"'And in downtown Tokyo-3 today, an explosion destroyed a small apartment. There was one casualty, a man associated with the group "The Church of the Flaming Sword". This has been noted in recent months for it's lobbying against NERV...'"

A gunshot rang out, and the short man fell to the ground. He struggled onward, and as he dragged himself forward, a slight shadow fell over him. He screamed as a small, pale hand dug its fingers into the wound in his shoulder, forcing him to stop.

"Who sent you?"

"The Abbot... The Abbot that will save us all!"

"Only Ikari-san will save us." The voice was flat and emotionless. The hand flexed, and the man screamed, and fainted.

Rei Ayanami stood up, looking curiously at the scarlet stain on her hand She had seen her own blood many times, and was fascinated by this. She had never killed a man yet, and this was the first time that she had had to use the sidearm issued to her by Commander Ikari.

She licked at the trickling fluid, cleaning the mess from her hand. As she waited for the NERV troops to arrive, she wondered if she would ever have to do this again.

***

"She's WHAT?"

Asuka Souryuu Langley was going ballistic at bad news again.

It wasn't bad news, really, it was just the way she interpreted it.

"I said, she's moving in here for the minute. Rei has nowhere else to stay since her apartment got blown up. And she's bunking in your room until the boxroom is cleared."

That would take a few days, reflected Misato. It was crammed with junk... stuff she should have put in storage years ago. But now she was being forced to do it. This fundamentalist group had made a lot of attacks in the past few weeks, destroying buildings connected with NERV all over the world. They believed that NERV was the work of the Devil, destroying the Angels sent to cleanse the Earth. So they had thus to destroy NERV.

The recent attack on NERV-UK had been halted, and they'd managed to reach the EVA cages that 05 and 06 were being stored in; but no damage had been sustained to the units. That, Misato thought, was some relief.

Asuka stormed off to her room, while Misato watched as Shinji started
clearing the main room for the visitor. It didn't look right on him, she thought, looking at the sidearm he wore. It was policy now, since these loonies had started their demonstrations. And the shooting of Hyuuga... he'd survived, but he'd never walk again. There was too much of his spine missing to allow that.

"How are you coping, Shinji?"

"Hmmm?" He looked up, and realised she was looking at the holster on his belt. "Oh, fine. It feels a bit weird, y'know, but I feel fine about it. It's necessary." He frowned. "I wish I didn't have to wear it, but since father insisted, I do."

He'd been most worried about Kensuke, but that was not a problem. Not since the recent developments. He'd been sure Kensuke would have been all over it, wanting to know the calibre, the capacity, the spin...

It was a standard NERV special, 'adapted' for children to use...  but with the speed it had been issued, he was wondering if they hadn't considered this eventuality from the start. He was not particularly surprised that this had been planned for by his father. And he'd been surprised at the lack of outcry, until he thought about it. Every day, he could take charge of a machine  capable of destroying cities, and a pistol was nothing compared to that.

Misato had been worried in another way. Shinji and Asuka often argued and fought. Considering Asuka's hotheadedness, an argument could have got very messy if she pulled her gun. But a week had gone by, and Shinji was still alive.

No more to worry about.

***

In NERV-UK, there was a lot to worry about.

John Harwood had gone berserk, by all the accounts.

Unit-06 was smashing up the countryside. It had picked up a rifle and a LOT of ammunition, and was carving its way out.

"Eject the Plug!"

"We're trying!"

There was panic in the command centre. It had been a standard activation, until something in the harmonics had run amuck, and the blue-and-orange Evangelion had started smashing things.

"Plug ejecting!"

General Smith breathed a sigh of relief. He'd had horrible visions of having to order an N-2 strike against the EVA, and on British soil. At least the EVA would stop now.

The Entry Plug sped into the air.

Unit-06 spun and caught it, crushing the plug and the pilot like paper.

Then it strode off  towards the coast... and disappeared.

"Get me NERV-Japan on the line." Snith hung his head, thinking about what might happen. At the least, he'd be cashiered. At worst, he'd be executed. It was unlikely that the latter would happen, granted; but knowing- or rather, _not_ knowing- commander Ikari, it was a vague and terrifying possibility.

"And get a flight of Bombers after that thing. It must be destroyed."

He'd lost a magnificent pilot, and an EVA.

He was in trouble...

***

"Fascinating."

"That's all you have to say? Fascinating?" Fuyutsuki was beside himself. According to the report, the best pilot they'd ever found was dead, and there was a rogue EVA on the loose. "What are we going to do about this fiasco? If the UN decides to scrap the EVA project after this, do you know what this could mean? A hundred Jet-Alones, that's what it could mean! It costs less than a tenth of an EVA to build one of them, you know. And a lot less time! We could be wiped out! At least one person knows what you did to Jet Alone. And what if they talk? We could be executed!"

"We will be fine. This is a flawed pilot with an automeme that transferred to the unit. We thought his medication could stop it. Obviously not. It is a trifling matter."

"TRIFLING?!" Fuyutsuki was lost for words. Not since Unit-03 went berserk did they have such a problem. And Unit-03 had been stopped within a short while. But Unit-06 had disappeared.

"How did it vanish, anyway?"

"I seems to be a new application of the AT-Field. Bending the light around it so it seems not to be there. A truly magnificent achievement."

"So what do we do?"

"We wait."

"Wait?"

"We wait. Patience is a virtue."

Gendou smiled.

Fuyutsuki shivered.

***

"Oh yes OH YES OH YES!"

Kensuke Aida, newly drafted into NERV, was ecstatic at seeing the new EVA for the first time. It was his, after all. Getting to wear a gun had simply been the icing on the cake to him.

In all honesty, you could have butchered his family and shown him a picture of his sister with a sparkler up her ass and he wouldn't have blinked.

He couldn't wait to get into it and try the controls.

All the weaponry in NERV was his to play with... and he made the butch, muscled, heavily-armed grunts of NERV security nervous.

Shinji sighed and shook his head as his friend went into raptures around the new EVA. If he knew exactly what he was in for, he wouldn't be so happy.

"Hey, Kensuke. Let's go. We're going to see Touji, remember?"

"Yeah... but isn't it cool?"

Asuka sighed this time. She agreed, it was a nice design, but nothing to get that excited about, was it? Unit 2 was much nicer looking. It was also very reliable. Thinking about what the new EVA might get up to was not something she liked to think about. And Kensuke should NEVER have been issued with a sidearm. No matter what the regulations said.

"Come ON, Kensuke!"

"Okay, okay..."

They walked on. Rei wasn't with them; she was having some sort of tests at HQ.

"So what's it like, piloting an EVA?"

Shinji thought for a moment, thinking for a good description.

"Nasty."

"Nasty?"

"Look, Kensuke, if an Angel breaks your EVA's arm, you get the pain. If anything happens to your EVA, you feel it. Remember when I was skewered?"

"Yeah..."

"That was not nice."

"And that verdammnt spider-thing..." Asuka shuddered.

"Eh?"

"Acid." She shuddered again.

"She still has nightmares."

"HEY! I do not have bad dreams!"

"Well, Asuka, what do you call them when you wake up screaming that the skin's coming off your back? Flashbacks?"

Asuka opened her mouth to reply, but was silenced by a boom.

From the third floor of the hospital, smoke was billowing out of the

windows.

***

"'At 1:15 today, a bomb went off at the NERV military hospital. Twelve people were killed, including a pilot for NERV, who was recovering from the incident last month. The Church of the Flaming Sword has claimed full responsibility for the attack, saying that the act was entirely justifiable...'"

***

Touji's funeral was a somber, quiet affair.

Rei, Asuka, Shinji and Kensuke were there, along with Hikari, Gendou, Misato and many, many others.

Hikari  threw in a large bouquet; his parents brought other mementos of the short-lived pilot.

"Present-ARMS!"

The honour guard of NERV troops fired three shots into the air, saluting a soldier in the fight for humanity. Rei,  Asuka and Shinji were among them, firing rifles they had never seen before yesterday. Cadet rifles, of course; NERV had organised cadet units as a PR maneuver some months ago. It was a somber day; none of them had really accepted the fact that they  might actually die while in NERV.

They watched as Touji's mother was presented with a banner emblazoned with the NERV emblem, and a package that contained a full dress uniform (inasmuch as there was one for NERV) for Touji- not that he'd ever worn it.

There would be, it was agreed, a lifetime compensation plan for his parents. They had no doubt that it would go towards helping Touji's sister as she recovered.

They watched as Touji's parents left, the mother stumbling as she left. It was obvious she was trying to hold in the emotions she felt; they all felt the same, except possibly Rei- what kind of bastards would blow up a hospital?- but there was no way that they could get a feel for Rei's emotions.

Lost in his thoughts, Shinji started as he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

"C'mon. Let's get drunk."

Shinji just nodded.

***

Around the table were six people.

Three of them were having trouble staying upright.

Rei, somewhat unbelievably, was finishing her third flask of  Sake, while Asuka, Shinji and Kensuke were nearly passed out.

Misato was flabberghasted.

Penpen was noncommittal.

"What is the purpose of this?"

"Drung... Drunkenesh ish helb... helpful in times of shtresh, Rei."

"It is?"

"It's also the tradizional thing for sad evendsh."

"I fail to see why. Misato-San, I think I will retire."

"Go ahead..."

***

None of them were at school the following morning. NERV made their apologies for them.

-=End Chapter 1=-

Unit-06 swam onward. It was in the heart of the ocean, swimming onwards to the east. It occasionally hit things, like whales and small ships, but its blue-and-orange bulk swam onwards.

On to Japan.

[The man squirmed in his sac, the warm whiteness surrounding him. A net of umbilicals linked him to the whole of the blasphemous engine that he had commandeered. He had slain the evil one who had piloted the thing, and was ready to destroy the centre of darkness.

NERV-Japan.

He was ready.]

***

Fundamentals

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfiction

By Matthew Harrison

Chapter 2

***

"Has it been located?"

"No, commander. Unit-06 is still missing. We believe it to be sunk in the North Sea."

"A waste... I hope it can be recovered. Is there any reason we found that it went berserk?"

"There was this." Fuyutsuki dropped a bag onto the table. "The last known personal effects of a Mark Andrews. We entered his house... and found these." He dropped a cluster of pamphlets on the table.

"I see."

"All from that damn Church. They infiltrated NERV-UK. I've ordered a purge of the personnel there. We have found that at least one of his compatriots is there. They both disappeared at about the same time. And the time is interesting."

"Really?"

"It was about the same time that they were fitting the armour and bindings to Unit-06."

Gendou's brow crumpled. "That's bad. The technicians have been detained?"

"Yes. But a few of them are missing..."

"I think we should be trying to find them..."

***

It was now a week since Touji's funeral. His parents had left the area, and into the mountains. They'd decided to make a fresh start; his sister, who had been in the hospital as well, had stayed, her treatment continuing. She was, ironically, making great progress since her brother's death.

Asuka, Shinji and Kensuke were moodily sitting on a bench looking at the lake in the local park.

"It's not the same without Touji."

Asuka nodded slowly at that. She hadn't liked him much, and had argued with him on a regular basis... but he'd been a friend. Sort of.

Kensuke aimlessly threw a stone into the lake. A few confused ducks
scrabbled about the ripples, looking for a titbit. "Shinji, what do you say? I heard that you had a fight with your father after he was injured."

"That I did... I was in the unit that took Bardiel down."

"You did?"

"Yes." He looked glumly at the water. "I refused to fight him, and so they switched to the Dummy Plug."

"Oh."

Asuka looked at the water. There was a sudden squeal and crack, and a series of ripples appeared in the pond.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

Asuka turned to Kensuke. "That noise..." Suddenly she slapped him down, and they all heard the noise again.

Kensuke jumped up. "What was that for?"

Then he saw it too. A red spot, moving over the side of Asuka's head.

"DOWN!"

The three of them hit the deck. Shinji started dialling frantically. Asuka and Kensuke pulled their pistols, and scanned the area ahead of them.

Kensuke started firing.

Then all hell broke loose.

***

"Shinji? What's going on?"

"We're *CHOOM* surrounded! There's six of *CHOOM* and at least one *CHOOM* sniper!"

"We're getting security there as soon as possible. Hang on..."

Misato heard the phone get suddenly cut off. She hoped, desperately, that nothing had happened to him...

***

Shinji was rolling, keeping out of the way. A round ricocheted off the
ground beside his head. He'd never had to use a gun on a real person... he was trying to think of them as Angels.

Finally, he managed to get a round to hit. He'd been given Misato's special order.

He hadn't realised that they were quite so messy when they hit.

The bullet was a softjacket hollowpoint; the point of the bullet was that it hollowed out people. It ripped through the soft jacket on the thug, and a bleak mess exploded behind him.

Kensuke and Asuka had taken cover, laying down a terrible field of fire.

The other thugs were concentrating on concentrating on them, leaving him alone. A flash of light caught his eye from a window across the road.

Muzzle flash.

He scrabbled into cover, and worked his way around to the door.

He looked up.

A library. How cliched.

He ran up the stairs, looking carefully at the doors.

This one was ajar.

He heard a cracking noise from inside.

He stopped thinking.

"DROP THE FUCKING GUN!"

The pistol outstretched before him, he kicked the door open. There was a man there, with an expensive-looking rifle resting on the windowsill. It had a variety of sights, but the only one that Shinji was interested in was the foresight, that was swinging around towards him.

***

"Last clip. How're you doing?"

"Last one too, Kensuke." She flashed a grim smile. "Where's Shinji?"

"I think... I think he's gone. He went down as we got back here." He smiled as well. "It's been nice knowing you."

"And you., Kensuke."

As one, they knelt up to face the small area that the enemy- the
Michaelites, as they were occasionally called- were hidden in. Both started firing.

Suddenly, there was a small spray of blood from behind a bush.

"What the hell...?"

***

"How the hell do I reload this thing?"

***

A NERV van  pulled up, and out poured a squad of soldiers. Kensuke had never been so glad to see a load of guns in his life.

***

"Where did you get to, Shinji?"

Shinji looked sheepish. "I tripped. I shot that guy over there..." he
started to go pale... "And then I spotted the sniper's position. I went up there and shot him..." Shinji started to sweat... "And then I used the rifle that he had to shoot another guy, and then the gun jammed." Shinji was grey-green, now. "I... killed three people..."

Asuka was impressed. So was Kensuke.

"Shinji Ikari?" A sergeant had walked up, looking about.

"Yes?"

"According to these guys, you got the most! Well done, son! That's damn good shooting!"

"Really, sir?"

"Don't call me sir,  I work for a living. But that's absolutely right.. I've only seen pro's do it as well as that." He motioned over a stretcher. "I mean, look at this..." He flipped back the sheet. "Right between the... Aw, Jeez. Let it all out, son."

***

"It seems that I have reason to be proud of my son, Major."

"You always have, commander."

Gendou ignored the comment, letting it slide from him like water off an umbrella.

"He saved the lives of the Second and Fifth children today."

"He saves many more on a weekly basis, sir."

"Without an EVA? We have seen his mettle in true combat."

"As you say, sir."

"I think there should be some sort of reward for that."

"Sir?"

"Take him for a meal... or whatever. Enjoy yourself, too, as I hear it was you that taught him to shoot."

In Misato's brain, a little arrow spun to point due beer. Then it spun to point at her bank balance.

"And charge it to my account."

The section of Misato's brain that dealt with her finances clicked its
heels, did a little dance and went 'whoopee.'

*Click*

"This should cover it."

A piece of plastic had dropped on the table.

A NERV expenses card.

The needle spun to face due whisky.

"And, of course, I shall look at the entire receipt."

..Due Kaliber.

"I don't want my son getting drunk in public."

Due Sake?

"But you needn't stint yourself."

Due Clear Spring...!

"However, you'd better not get too bad. Just enjoy yourself."

The needle swung to point to beer.

"Should I take Asuka as well?"

"I see no reason not to. Have a good night out."

"Yes, sir!"

***

[The massive , oddly-coloured unit swam onwards, the rifle stuck to its back. There was no stopping it.

Embedded in the spine of the beast, the man consulted the GPS map included in the system.

Ten kilometers.

Ten to the coast.

Ten and then he would be the instrument of the Lord's vengeance.]

***

Kensuke stood in the cage, looking at his EVA.

Damn, but it looked fine. He wished that the colours were a little
less...clashing, but at least they hadn't got to plaid yet.

For a brief moment, Kensuke thought of an EVA in that colour scheme and shuddered.

No...

But he would be piloting tomorrow. He'd scored damn near perfect in the initial tests, and was ready to take out this magnificent machine.

He would pilot it and crucify the enemies of NERV.

At least, he'd kill them.

But he couldn't get the feeling out of him that there was something wrong with the unit.

But that was absurd.

Wasn't it?

***

Rei sat alone in her room. She had completed her assignments for the night, and was beginning to read a novel. She'd heard that it was enjoyable... or at least a way of passing the time.

There was very little she did that she'd considered enjoyable. The meaning of the word was actually all but lost on her; but she supposed it was something like the sensation she got when she took a shower.

'Children at the Cherryfield Orphanage were adopted according to looks...'

Coin Locker Babies... she felt a vague affinity in the title to her own situation.

Born in a small case.

A knock.

She started to nod, then realised it was pointless.

"Enter."

"Rei?"

"Hai?"

"Would you like to go out?"

An odd sensation welled up in Rei.

It might have been heartburn.

"Where?"

"Umm... we're going out to a restaurant. You'd be alone with just Pen-Pen."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to come with us?"

"That would be... nice, Ikari-kun."

"Would you wear something n-nice?"

"Much of my clothing was destroyed in the explosion."

"You must have something?"

Misato looked in.

"Rei? Good. Maya sent these over. You've had a load of your stuff replaced. And you were due some new things, as well."

Rei nodded.

"I will see what I have that is appropriate for tonight."

"Great!"

Shinji smiled at her as he left the room.

He missed her brief smile in return.

***

The massive unit stood on the floor of the ocean. It was undetectable, in the relative shallows of the sea.

Its 'pilot' tuned into the communication system. A secured line that would be barely detectable. Transmission in encrypted infoburps.

[Brother do you hear me]

[I hear]

[Praise the Lord and the Abbot Michael]

[Let the sinners be purged]

[I strike at dawn Smite them with me]

[I will brother I will]

[We pray now]

[Indeed Pray for the just judgement of the Lord]

***

The night out was swinging into things. Misato was onto her eighth beer of the night (with shot of brandy) and Shinji was cautiously sipping his way through his second. The restaurant owner knew that he could lose his licence serving minors, but since it was an official NERV arrangement, he knew that he would get away with it. The boy was a pilot, after all.

It was a reasonably expensive restaurant. The whole city was filled with vague pride at having the 'Saviours of mankind' living in it, and so the chef had gone into overdrive; thinking on his feet, he'd prepared a vegetarian meal that Rei found perfect- inasmuch as she did show any pleasure.

It was, to Asuka, a great counterpoint to the events of the previous week. She quietly slugged the coke (after the hangover she'd had, she was avoiding alcohol) and requested another one. She'd never admit it, but she missed Touji more than she'd like to think. She had liked him... more than she thought she had. Touji hadn't deserved to die the way he had.

As she continued on the filou mignon ("Puce in colour, mot a mauve or a magenta, not bleu or well done, bearing in mind that any deviation either way and it's ruined") she decided that if she survived all this, she would ensure that the Church of the Flaming Sword would be exterminated.

Root and branch.

***

"So what dragged you out with us, Ritsuko?"

"Commander Ikari. He decided that someone ought to ensure that the children are okay."

"They're okay with me..."

"That's what he meant."

"I resemble that remark..."

"Exactly. Now eat up..."

***

They got home close to three in the morning.

Shinji, Rei and Asuka were fine, although Misato... was drunk. Again.

Ritsuko helped her to bed with very little trouble.

Rei, Shinji and Asuka took their leave.

And that night they hoped to sleep.

***

[Brother I may not survive this]

[We will We have our faith]

[Then we will triumph]

[In the name of the Lord]

[In the name of the Lord we will prevail]

[We may not speak again]

[Now I go Farewell]

***

"IT'S HERE!"

The Alert started at six in the morning. Pilots scrambled into plugsuits and into cars with much cursing.

"So, another agency works to confound us."

Gendou watched on the screens as the rogue unit knelt before the city,
crossed itself, and stood again, readying its rifle.

Then the EVA units started to rise around it.

First rose the red fury of Unit-02, with a seething Asuka at the helm. It was followed by Shinji in Unit-01, Rei in Unit-00, and Kensuke in Unit-05.

All were armed to the teeth.

A shimmering in the air betrayed the deployment of AT-Fields, neutralizing each other.

The battle was joined.

Unit-01 opened fire with its positron rifle, tearing the air around the blue-and-yellow bulk of number six. The unit rolled, and released a volley from its own rifle. Chunks of binding ripped away from Unit-01 as the shells burst against it, and Asuka tried to get in close with the sword she was carrying.

And they all felt/heard it.

[NOW]

And Rei was knocked to the floor by the hail of shells that slammed into her back from Unit-05.

Kensuke screamed simultaneously.

"What the FUCK are you playing at, dumbkopf?"

"I Can't... it-it hurts... my head and my back..."

Shinji  realised that something was wrong with the EVA before the others. Kensuke was clutching his right wrist with his left hand and abysmally failing to stop it raising.

He did the only thing he could.

"YAAAIIIEEE! My... my hand..."

Shinji dropped the rifle and tackled Unit-05.

"Calm down! You said your back hurt."

"Yes... yes..." The hapless pilot was crying, now, sobbing from the pain.

"My h-head... there's fire in my brain..."

"Where does your back hurt?"

"Please... stop the pain..."

"WHERE, DAMMIT?"

***

Rei and Asuka were trying to pin down the other rogue EVA. As bullets tore the air about them, occasionally scoring direct hits, it paused.

Then it disappeared.

And all hell broke loose.

***

"GYAAAAHH! STOP! FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Shinji was kneeling on Unit-05's back, cutting carefully into the spine where Kensuke had said.

He didn't know much about EVA's but he knew that if there was something out of place, he'd find it.

And he did.

A small sac, smaller than his palm, pulsing and throbbing obscenely.

Then his world exploded in a red haze.

***

"Unit-01 has gone silent! Pilot ejecting!"

Gendou cursed under his breath, and looked round. There was a UN airstrike ready to be called in, but so far, there hadn't been the need.

"Get the bombers in the air. Now."

***

Against all expectation, Unit-05 was on the ground. Rei could see a way to solve the problem it had- the same way Shinji had. With Shinji out of the picture- and that hurt, somehow, she didn't know why, but it hurt in a way she couldn't define- Unit-05 was a good choice. She had to hope that Asuka could take out the rogue EVA on her own.

***

Asuka had had a pretty good idea.

"Hey! This invisibility- OW- trick is done with an AT-Field, right?"

"Yesss..."

"Gimme a feed from the scanners! I need to know the positions of the
AT-fields and their strengths in the locale!"

"You got it..."

An image flickered up onto her screen. She superimposed it onto an aerial feed, and watched the movements.

Then she fired.

***

Unit-06 snapped back into visibility as half its head disappeared.

Then a massive hole appeared in its chest.

It collapsed to its knees, and then to its face.

And died.

***

Rei, however, had her progressive knife out; but Unit-05 was flailing too much to cut out the tumour.

Then a bright flash of light flew past her, and a cloud of steam blew out of the hole in the back of the EVA,
revealing a white, normal spine.

Kensuke passed out.

***

Much later, the pilots- all but one- were relaxing in NERV HQ. Or trying to.

"That was well timed, Asuka."

"I know. Isn't everything I do well timed? I was just in the nick of
time...."

Rei and Kensuke tuned out Asuka running off at the mouth, as they'd heard it so often before. But this time she was right. The pain Kensuke had felt had gone almost as soon as she'd used the positron rifle to burn out the pseudo-pilot, and he'd joined in the search for Shinji's plug. He was okay, he'd broken a few bones, but he was in no danger.

None at all.

Rei sat for a moment, thinking over what had happened, and how she'd been rescued by Shinji after the Fifth angel had parboiled her.

She felt indebted to Shinji.

***

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, commander. It'll be a few days before he can pilot again, but not that long. Two weeks at most."

"Can I see him?"

"No. He has a visitor at the minute. Only one at a time."

Ritsuko watched as Gendou frowned slightly. She knew him so well, she could read his face. It wasn't much, but she could tell all his emotions. To her, he was a baby's primer.

Even in orgasm, his face didn't change much.

But to her, she could tell.

She sighed. "Look, I think Rei just wants a little time alone with him. And that, I think, we should give her."

***

"Shinji-kun..."

"Thank's for seeing me, Rei."

"I was worried. Very worried."

"At least I survived..."

-=End Chapter 2=-

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