Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ One-Winged Angel ❯ Abandoned Revision ( Chapter 7 )

One Winged Angel

(Half The Heavens)

Prologue

By Suekeiichi Kaiton (suekeiichikaiton@yahoo.com)

---The year 1999 AD---

Ranma appeared in a back alley next to an overflowing dumpster, still in his boxer shorts and black muscle shirt. The warm air swirling around him was tinged with traces of salt and the sun hung high over his head. Looking around him, he realized quickly that this wasn't another one of Washu's bizarre experiments designed to test the boundaries of his mind and he was in a very real, very solid location presumably distant from his house.

Shaking his head and running a hand through his bangs, he gathered his hair back into a loose ponytail and secured it with a piece of string from several large spools sitting beside a rustic wooden door. Looking down at himself he snorted at his lack of proper attire and made a mental note to `thank' Washu for the impromptu trip when he got back, presuming that her strange machine wasn't some sort of galaxy-wide teleportation system. Taking a small shard of glass from the ground, he heated it with a bit of ki to disinfect it before pressing the point to the back of his scalp and tearing a short cut from left to right. Wincing slightly at the pain, he waited until the blood was pooling up and dripping down his neck before collapsing against the single wood door in the alley. He kind of felt sorry for doing this but in this situation there was little else to do save beg. He banged the door twice with a limp wrist.

"Who is it? What are you doing here?" A gruff voice called from behind the door. Ranma could hear the steady sounds of latches being turned.

"…help me…please." He sank to his knees and made his eyes unfocused, curling every ounce of ki in his body towards his chest which caused his limbs to turn pale and the wound on the back of his head to bleed more profusely. Hopefully there was some truth to the kindness of strangers…

"I'm warning you, I know Jeet Kun Do so you better not try any funny stuff!" Ranma judged the speaker to be between fifty and sixty years old and a chain smoker. There was a click as the final latch came undone and the door slid open on oiled bearings, spilling the deathly white and bleeding displaced doctor at the old man's feet. "Mother! Come here quick with a blanket! And call the doctor!"

---Sixteen Years Later---

Professor Ito walked down the dim corridors of NERV Berlin with a clipboard in one hand and a lit cigarette clasped between the thumb and forefinger of the other. His gait was light despite his age and his hard-soled leather shoes tapped across the expanse of gunship grey metal paneling on his way to the command centre. The documents in his hands were transfer notices sent to him via armed courier from Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari of the Third New Tokyo branch. A frown creased his brow at the thought of meeting Ikari again after so long and he absently flicked his butt into an ashtray outside the entrance to command.

The titanium doors slid open and he walked onto the right command deck, various techs analyzing, collating or just attempting to look like they were busy in his presence. He had earned quite a reputation in his tenure as Sub-Commander of the GEHIRN Officer Training Centre under Albert Whitley, which partially accounted for the technicians' behavior. He paid them no mind as he approached the bridge, taking a personal hydraulic lift up the sheer sides of the command hub jutting as it was from the far wall. A gigantic holo-display showed Berlin and its outlying suburbs with status screens for the retrofitting of key buildings with advanced anti-Angel weaponry.

As the lift brought him level with the bridge deck the crew turned to him and saluted. He waved them off with a smile and addressed the two men seated high above.

"Commander Kunze. I have just received transfer notification for both the Second Child and myself. Commander Gendo Ikari of NERV Japan has sanctioned the transfer himself and asks that it be performed ASAP." Ito tugged at his tie and motioned with the "For Your Eyes Only" marked document folder in his hand.

Commander Carsten Kunze nodded his balding pate and motioned for Sub-Commander Waechter to follow him into his office. The portly man trundled off towards the express elevator that led to the commander's office, his thin associate casting one last glance at Doctor Ito before following. Once the lift was heard Ito relaxed and turned to the rest of the crew.

"Lt. Ehrlichmann, please notify Agent Kaji that I wish to speak with him in my office." A short young woman sitting in the far right seat jumped at the mention of her name and turned towards the doctor. "Tell him that he and the Second Child are going on a trip."

"Understood sir," she replied crisply before calling up the intercom system and requesting that Agent Kaji of Section 5 please report to Doctor Ito's office.

"So, I take it you'll be leaving us?" Ulrika Adler remarked from her perch on Lt. Danvers' console to the far left. Her thick thighs were crossed and her black miniskirt was riding up her tanned skin exposing just the barest hint of robin's egg blue panties. She was dressed in a blue knit sleeveless sweater over a sports bra with her mixed red uniform jacket of TOD (Tactical Operations Director) thrown over the back of a command chair. "When do you leave?"

Lt. Danvers was trying to ignore the massive woman's voluptuous form crumpled by his right arm but was failing miserably as her tight white tank-top stretched across her chest revealing the twin nubs which could only be her nipples.

Lt. Miyazawa had her head pressed to the cool keys of her console, trying to block the insanity of her job.

"Today if everything works out. Ikari requisitioned the entire UN Pacific Fleet to transfer Unit 02." Ito flipped his long pigtail off his shoulder and watched as the taller woman's face slumped and she slid off Lt. Danvers workstation. "Something wrong?"

"No," she lied. "I just thought we'd have enough time to have a farewell party for you."

"No, no, you don't need to go through all that for me." Ito walked over to the muscular woman and took her hand. "I have something to discuss with you in any case, it's about your last physical."

Ulrika smiled at his deception and pulled her jacket off the molded titanium of her console. "I've got some time now, care to discuss it?"

"Of course, this information is of the utmost importance for your health." A glance over to Ehrlichmann confirmed that the mousey brunette with the multitudinous freckling across her cheeks was smiling behind her hand. "Care to walk with me down to the lab?"

"It would be a pleasure," Ulrika said, throwing her brawny arms through her jacket sleeves and pulling the zipper up halfway. As they walked off the bridge she looped her arm in his.

The trek back to his office deep within Central Dogma took the next fifteen minutes which Ulrika spent happily cuddling up to her lover's arm. She was oblivious to the stares she was receiving from technicians and other assorted personnel as they walked past the cafeteria and the main concourse leading to the public sector of the glistening pyramid nestled against forest and hills. Ranma for his part was enjoying the feel of her warmth beside him. They walked through the infirmary and into the laboratory sector, past the empty office of the head of Project-E Berlin - Doctor Rosalind Strauss - and into Ranma Saotome Ito's study near the locked elevator to Terminal Dogma.

No sooner had his door clicked shut in its runner than Adler threw herself against him, pushing them both behind his desk. He landed heavily in his chair.

"Before you start, `Rik', its not like we'll never see each other again. I have to come back in six months anyway to oversee the transportation of the artificial S2 organ to Japan." Ranma pulled her down into his lap, her heavy frame easily supported, and hugged her svelte torso to his. "So please don't cry."

"Me? Cry? No, I was just going to mope for the next few weeks, run Senta ragged every night, and send mail bombs to your address in Tokyo-3." It would look odd to a casual observer seeing the strawberry-blonde TOD, easily 190 pounds of pure muscle, curled in the smaller man's lap but thankfully no one was around.

"I'll be sure to warn Lieutenant Ehrlichmann before I go, I'm sure she'll need some of that cellular restoration and bruise reduction serum after you get done with her." Ranma swiveled around and opened his knees to deposit her on the floor. Ulrika already had her hands in his fly before her shins hit the metal plate beneath their feet.

She pulled the rolling chair into his desk and crouched by his knees, stroking him with one hand as the other went to work undoing his buckle. In mere moments his manhood jutted from a dark patch of pubic hair directly in front of her glazed eyes, her hands lightly caressing the shaft as his clothing pooled around his ankles. She licked her lips before taking the spongy head into her mouth; her tongue swirling around the peculiar bundle of nerves nestled at the junction of his foreskin and crown on the underside of his shaft.

She had just started gaining her rhythm when the doors slid open and Kaji entered with the Second Child in tow.

"Afternoon Ranma, what's this I hear about a trip?" Ryouji Kaji slid into the port-wine colored sofa beside the doctor's desk and pulled his tie away from his neck. Asuka curled up next to her guardian and was rubbing her check against his arm.

Ranma slid his chair further beneath his desk and felt his cock hit the back of Ulrika's throat. He coughed into one hand before folding his hands on his blotter.

"We three have been reassigned to the Tokyo-3 Branch. Commander Ikari's orders."

Kaji whistled through his teeth. "That's a hefty order but I don't suppose we could decline?"

"Definitely not." Ulrika was sucking his full length down her throat and licking the underside with her tongue as they spoke, running her hands against her wet panties as she slurped softly on her lover's rod. "We leave at 20.00 hours. The Evangelion transport jet will land at the Danube installation at 21.00 and we'll split up, the UN Pacific Fleet will transport you with Unit 02. If all goes well you'll arrive at Japan in a week's time."

"And just where will you be going?" Kaji pried Asuka's arms away from him and fished around in his jacket pockets for a cigarette.

"I'll be traveling via SSTO and will arrive tomorrow morning at the NERV Matsushiro installation," he looked down at his nylon/Velcro NERV issue watch, "about He leaned back in his chair to give Ulrika a better grip. "I think the reasoning behind your transportation should be clear."

Kaji nodded, finding an errant cigarette, and stood up. "I guess you've got some serious packing to do, Asuka. Well, Ranma, meet you at the airfield at 19.30."

"Better make it…uh…19.00." If either of his guests caught the subtle groan he gave in the pause, neither was bold enough to ask. Ulrika was guzzling his seed as it shot down her throat, both hands on his shaft quickly jerking him through his climax. As the flow finally abated she zipped him up just in time for him to rise from the desk and walk them to the door.

She was going to miss these thrilling escapades.

---Tokyo-3---

"Are you sure that this is a prudent decision? Especially with the command structure the way it is?" Kozou Fuyutsuki ran a hand through his grey hair, a nervous habit, and leaned back in his chair beside Gendo's desk. He crossed his legs deliberately and picked at a few hairs clinging to the thigh of his maroon uniform. A go board sat in front of him on the edge of the massive slab of onyx that constituted the Supreme Commander's blotter.

"There is no other way. The old men have advanced the timetable; this necessitates more manpower and expertise be directed to the Dummy Plug system and Project E. There will be no problems." Gendo was uncharacteristically sitting back in his chair with both arms resting at his side, eyes gazing at the esoteric diagram of the Tree of Life glowing from the ceiling.

Arrogant bastard, thought Fuyutsuki as he glanced at the transfer notification copies in his hand, of course he wouldn't tell me about such an important alteration in the scenario until it was already in motion…what else is new?

"It will be good to see Ito after so long. It's been five years, hasn't it?"

"Mmm? Oh yes, I forgot he was a student of yours. Doctor Ito served as Sub-Commander of the Officer Training Centre did he not?" Gendo brought his chair forward and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth, seemingly lost in thought.

"Something unexpected?" Fuyutsuki inwardly hoped it was, it would be worth it to see the look on his former pupil's face when he realized he'd made a mistake. It hadn't happened in a long time.

"No, it's nothing."

As Gendo was informing Fuyutsuki nearly twenty floors above, Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki were debriefing the pilots.

"Well, today's test was a success. Your synch rose five points since last week, Shinji, and Rei, your response time has become ten percent faster with the repairs." Akagi and her assistant were standing in Briefing Room 221b with the pilots seated in front of a projection of their EVAs while Misato leaned against the far wall. "Good job you two."

Shinji fidgeted as the LCL dried on his plugsuit, he didn't understand why they wouldn't allow them to shower before the debriefing. He glanced towards Rei as she sat impassively beside him, her white suit showing the fact that she was very healthy in the chest region. His mind went back to the day nearly a month ago when he'd gone to delivery her ID card. The feel of her warm, soft skin, still moist from her shower; the feel of her subtly softer nipple pressing into the palm of his hand…

He quickly realized what these thoughts were doing to certain parts of his anatomy and fought to suppress the images, knowing all too well how little the plugsuit hid from view.

"And since Captain Katsuragi doesn't want to tell you, Unit 02 and the Second Child will be arriving from Germany next week."

"Hey! Seeing Asuka isn't why I'm upset!" Misato cast off from the wall and marched over to the blonde.

"I just don't understand why you're so uptight about Dr. Ito-"

"And speaking of which, Ritsu, why aren't you in a tizzy over being replaced? It just seems a little suspicious if you ask me…"

"Well no one did," Akagi replied curtly and tucked the status reports under her arm. "But for your information I applaud Commander Ikari's decision. Unlike some people I have the maturity to recognize when someone is more qualified." Ritsuko smirked and shrugged as Misato shook in fury. "Tsk, tsk, Captain, shouldn't command personnel be above such petty squabbles when the future of the world is at stake?"

"And just what does that mean?"

"All I'm asking is whether you've thought of the possibility that you just resent Dr. Ito because he was your drill instructor?" Shinji watched as Misato's eyes flattened and her hands began to spasm as if strangling something; realizing that an explosion was imminent he wisely decided to break into the conversation.

"Excuse me but who's Dr. Ito?" His surprise vocalization achieved the desired effect, defusing the hostility between the two and directing attention away from the presumably annoying aspects of the subject. Rei glanced at her fellow pilot and decided that perhaps further investigation was in order as her initial understanding of the Third was in error…

Akagi turned towards him and smiled, thankful that her argument hadn't come to blows. "He was the Head of Project E before me-"

"He's a sadistic, arrogant son-of-a-bitch!"

"-Until he took a post at NERV's Berlin facility. He's been leading their Project E section for the past five years."

"Um…if you don't mind my asking, Dr. Akagi, if he's more qualified then why did he step down?" Shinji's hands were gripped tight on the ends of the white towel hanging over the collar of his suit.

Akagi placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head back in thought. "That's a good question, Shinji, I've never really thought of it I guess. Maybe I'll ask him when he arrives."

"Yeah, and maybe I'll shoot him when he arrives…"

"What was that Captain Katsuragi?"

"Nothing!" Misato walked over to her Children and slapped them on the shoulders, offering her personal charge a brief smile. "You two get cleaned up and I'll take you out for dinner, okay? Okay."

The Children along with Ritsuko and Maya watched as the Captain walked out swiftly.

"I believe that there is something unusual about Captain Katsuragi's behavior." Rei plucked the neural interface clips off her bangs and set her hands down in her lap.

"I think you may be right, Rei," Shinji said, pulling off his own clips.

"Don't worry about Misato, guys, she's just remembering a difficult time in her life." Ritsuko handed the files to Maya and sat down in front of the pilots.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean to say, Shinji, is that Dr. Ito and Misato have something of a…a history I guess you could say."

"Are you referring to a romantic relationship, Dr. Akagi? I was unaware that the Captain and Dr. Ito had a sexual history." Ritsuko glared at the blue-haired girl but quickly suppressed her snarl, quietly masking it with a benign smile.

"Not quite Rei. You see Dr. Ito was the man who put Misato through basic training. He was Sub-Commander at the training centre Misato was sent to before she came here, I understand he's not the easiest person to get along with as a trainer but I've never known him to be anything but a kind and caring person." Just keep your freak mouth shut, Little Doll Rei, she thought, her hands clenched into fists.

"So what did he do that made Misato so angry? She doesn't normally get so angry…"

Ha, the blonde thought, you've never seen her talk about Kaji! "I don't know the details, Shinji, but I understand he said some things that…questioned Misato's motivation for joining NERV."

"Why would he do that? "

"Well, Misato hasn't always been the way she is now. There was a time when she was a very different person."

"I see…" Shinji ducked his head down as Ritsuko stood back up and walked back to Maya.

"You two better get going or Misato will leave without you."

Misato Katsuragi herself was leaning against the wall of her office. She'd gone in to pick up a stack of reports she was supposed to look through that night only to find the transfer notification at the very top of her pile. Unable to bear the thought of That Man coming back into her life she completely overlooked the mention of Kaji in the memorandum for the Pacific Fleet's cargo.

"For fucking-Christ's sake why now!?!" She pounded the durasteel wall, her forehead resting against the metal through a thin layer of her purple hair. "Why now…?"

Damn him! She thought as tears coursed down her cheeks, why couldn't he just stay in Germany and never enter her life again? He was the first man, the only man, to humiliate her and the sickening part was he hadn't meant to, it was her own foolishness and weakness! She really couldn't say what she would do when she saw him the next morning, and she would since all the commanding officers and Children were to greet him at Matsushiro. Dammit! She forgot to tell Shinji and Rei, oh well, Ritsu probably told them already…

It was going to be one long night.

---The Next Day, Matsushiro---

Shinji looked like hell as he sat beside Ayanami in the VTOL. After the pair had showered and changed, they met Misato in the level 1 parking garage. True to her word, the captain took them both out for ramen and dropped Rei off at her apartment before returning home. Shinji, exhausted by the battery of tests earlier that day, was unconscious the moment his head hit the pillow.

He was awakened only five hours after he fell asleep by Misato garbed in full dress uniform, red beret tilted to a jaunty angle, shaking him violently and yelling at him to get dressed _fast_! When he sluggishly began pulling on his clothes his guardian poured a cup of her extra strong coffee down his throat…

Which accounted for his bedraggled appearance as the swaying movement of the vehicle jostled him against a steel wall on one side and Rei Ayanami on the other, he couldn't quite place which one was colder. Fully awake, he turned to his fellow pilot, unaware that she was already staring at him. Their eyes met and Shinji felt his soul tugged towards those carmine eyes as if the entire world could be compressed and rolled into a ball under the influence of that gaze.

He noticed all kinds of things about her in that brief span of time they shared in the cargo hold of the VTOL as it sped through the dark early morning sky. He noticed how her eyebrows were a deeper color blue than her hair, how her posture appeared relaxed but was stiff and formal, how her lips parted as she talked-

"Pilot Ikari."

Shinji would have jumped up if the seatbelts had allowed it but as it stood he merely yelped in surprise and blushed, realizing that he'd been staring. Off to the side Misato was snickering. "Y-yes, Ayanami?"

"You do not look well."

"I woke up kinda late I guess, and I didn't get much sleep last night."

Ayanami reached her right arm out, the one facing him, and folded his sloppy collar, her cool fingers momentarily brushing against his neck for the briefest of instants. "That is unwise. You must sleep for a normal eight-hour cycle or your synchronization will deteriorate."

"Oh. Thank you for the tip, Ayanami." Shinji brought a hand up to his collar where her skin had caressed and touched the flesh gingerly, wondering what had possessed her to do that for him…

Beside him Rei was pondering the same question, just why had she reached out and touched him? It was almost a natural compunction, an instinct, to feel his soft skin on hers. Was this caring? She didn't know. She had never been cared for, save by Commander Ikari and even then it was more like an clinical interest, and she had never bothered worrying about anyone other than herself and the commander. What were these strange movements within her soul?

`Those two make a cute couple, `Misato thought as she watched both look away, `maybe I should try to set them up? Maybe having someone to talk to could get them to open up a little…hmm, but how to start? It's not like either of them are going to break the ice…I've got it!' It was in Misato Katsuragi's experience that when all else failed, tease.

"Rei?"

"Yes, Captain Katsuragi."

"Why don't you stay over at my apartment tonight? You and Shinji-kun have synch tests tonight with…the new leader of Project-E," she suppressed a gag, "afterwards you can come over for dinner or something. Okay?"

"I do not have other orders after the tests are completed. I will join you."

"Great!" Misato was beaming as Rei accepted, it was a beautiful thing to have a plan work out so brilliantly. She gave Shinji a wink and a thumbs-up. "Don't forget, Shinji-kun, Rei doesn't eat meat so make sure to prepare some veggie dishes for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Okay…I guess…" Shinji was blushing fiercely.

"Great!" Misato exclaimed, kicking her arms and legs out in excitement. She was going to set those two up if it was the last thing she did. In all the plotting she had nearly forgotten about the unpleasantness that awaited them at the Matsushiro SSTO landing pad until the pilot called back.

"Sir! We are approaching the Matsushiro landing strip!"

Shinji watched the change come over Misato's face at the news, it went from elated to nervous to annoyed to angry in the span of five seconds. From her reaction the new transfer was a devil, maybe as bad as his father. Shinji shuddered at the thought of two Commanders and hugged himself tightly as the VTOL descended.

"Are you alright, Pilot Ikari?" He turned, speechless, and looked back into Rei's eyes. "If you are cold there are emergency coats in the locker under the seats."

"No, that's alright, Ayanami, I'm fine." As the temperature was hovering in the high sixties Fahrenheit and was sure to hit eighty by that afternoon he was cool in his school uniform. "Do you know anything about Dr. Ito, Ayanami?"

"I do not remember." Rei continued to stare impassively out the window. "I-" She hesitated, unknowing of the protocol for such a situation, should she dare to speak? No, it would remain her personal mystery - one she would not share, not even with the Commander.

"I see. `Wonder if he's really as bad as Misato says…" Shinji was looking out the porthole on the wall across from him, watching the bright cluster of lights around the Matsushiro satellite base grow larger as they approached.

"I do not know." Rei replied. "It is possible."

"We have arrived sir!"

"Acknowledged," Misato grumbled as she smoothed out her bangs and replaced her beret. She was wearing a conservative skirt, for her anyway, and dark nylons with a deep maroon sleeveless blouse under her TOD uniform jacket. "C'mon guys, let's get this over with…"

The other officers along with several senior technicians were already at the landing strip awaiting the arrival of the SSTO, most in dress uniform. However, there were several notable exceptions. Ritsuko wore a white dress blouse with her brown polyester skirt and lab coat, Maya wore her usual beige jumpsuit, and the head of Section 2, Tenma Honou, was dressed in a black suit. Misato approached the group while Shinji and Rei stood at the periphery of the assemblage.

"I see I'm not late for the fucker's arrival," she cheerfully declared to Ritsuko as the blonde turned at the sound of the VTOL lifting off, brushing dust from her sleeves, "I'd hate for Sub-Commander Ito to wait on little old me."

"Sarcasm duly noted, Captain, but certainly not appreciated." The polymath genius blew a cloud of smoke out her nostrils and rubbed the cigarette into the tarmac, her impatience and uncharacteristic signs of it were mystifying for Misato - it wasn't like Ritsu to wait for any man. "Here it comes! There! On the horizon!"

Aoba and Hyuga turned towards the current head of Project E with mouths open in astonishment. Was there a hint of enthusiasm is her voice? Maya was stunned at her sempai's uncharacteristic exclamation and wondered just what sort of man Dr. Ito was to inspire such excitement in the usually droll doctor. Misato gave her friend a wider berth as they approached the landing site as a group, thinking that maybe Ritsuko's head would finally explode.

The flat shape of the SSTO appeared on the horizon like a bat emerging from the darkest depths of a cave, its titanium wings glinting from the surface lights of the landing strip and its back aglow with the firing of the reverse boosters. Beside Shinji, who she had mysteriously decided to stand close to, Rei Ayanami frowned in thought for the briefest of moments as the sub-orbital vehicle inched closer to the ground. There was something strange here but it didn't seem to be a threat…

The craft's landing gear hit the tarmac with the deafening screech of burning rubber and it began to drift slightly from side to side as SSTO craft were prone to do upon re-entry but the massive spacecraft had slowed to a crawl before it was even five hundred meters from the entourage. Misato thought it the perfect opportunity to question her _dear_ college roommate.

"What are you so excited about, Ritsu, it's only your replacement?" Shinji and Rei had come forwards and were standing impassively behind the purple-haired woman. The group was standing around the disembarkation steps as the SSTO slowly rolled towards them with the throaty purr of a one hundred million dollar titanium-duranium engine. "Don't tell me you actually like this shithead?"

"Hmph! I have a strictly professional relationship with Dr. Ito. I'm just a little excited to finally have someone to talk with about work." Ritsuko lit another cigarette and took a long drag.

"You talk to Maya all the time; no, this is something else."

"You're imagining things, Captain; besides, you should be happy too - with Dr. Ito's help we'll have another defense analyst who knows the EVAs' capabilities and weaknesses." Two more drags and the smoke curled the thin paper down to the filter. "You really shouldn't be so hung up on _petty_, _little_ squabbles you had with Ito back in basic training."

Misato growled at her friend's superior attitude but did not reply, instead turning to the Children and taking them both by the shoulder.

"Shinji-kun?" Uh-oh, he recognized that particular tone of voice…

"Uh…yes Misato-san?" Here it comes, he thought. "What is it?"

"Well…it's like this…"

The SSTO came to a full stop at the designated line and powered-down its engines, the twin nacelle pods on the wings expelling smoke and gases as the heavy door on the side screeched open and the pilot appeared. Ritsuko walked to the bottom of the platform and stood nervously with Maya at her side, Aoba and Hyuga were standing directly behind them, and Misato was still huddled with the Children far at the back.

The pilot secured the door open, checked to make sure the disembarkation stair was secure to the side of the ship, and turned to the cabin with a polite `Sir!'. A few minutes passed with the pilot standing at attention before movement was detected in the dim light of the vehicle's underbelly.

Ranma stepped out of the passenger cabin with a duraluminum briefcase at his side and a thin coat slung over a shoulder. He looked down at the assemblage and smiled, seeing Akagi waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. Far off in the back of the small group Misato broke off from her ward and took a place behind Honou in the greeting line.

"Dr. Ito, it's wonderful to see you again." Ritsuko stepped up to him and held out her hand.

"Ritsuko, you know you can call me Ranma." They shook as he scanned the crowd. "It doesn't look like Ikari or Fuyutsuki-sensei are here…"

"No," she replied, reluctant to let go of his hand, "the commanders are waiting for you back at NERV HQ."

Ranma let his hand drop and slung the grey raincoat over his shoulder. "I see. Are these the bridge staff?" At the mere mention of themselves Aoba, Hyuga, and Ibuki stood at attention. The pony-tailed newcomer waved off their salutes. "At ease."

"Sir!" They replied in unison. Makoto Hyuga stepped forward first.

"Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga, sir. Diagnostics and telemetry." He stepped back crisply in line with the others as Aoba stepped up.

"Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba, sir. Data collection and EVA status." Next up was Maya who hesitantly stepped before the handsome man and whipped off a rigid salute.

"Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, sir. MAGI diagnostics and assistant to Dr. Akagi." Ranma scrubbed his chin a bit once the introductions were finished. These three seemed unnaturally afraid of him, almost as if…

It all made sense in a startling moment of cognizance.

"Is that Captain Katsuragi I see back there?