Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Evangelion: OMEGA ❯ Michiru's Victory/ "Who is She?" ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Legal Stuff: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters created for that series. They belong to Gainax and Hideaki Anno and I *will* put them back when I'm done with them. I do, however, own all of the original characters I created specifically for this series.
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Dedication: To all of my friends in the Lakeland Gumi. "For Great Justice!!"
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Author's note: Remember that violence I talked about last time? This chapter contains a small taste of that violent content. A word of warning to the squeamish: it only gets worse from here on in. Ok, let's get this show on the road!
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Neon Genesis Evangelion: OMEGA

Chapter 0:2- Michiru's Victory/"Who is she?"


"Unit 01 is in position." Dr. Ibuki said, "The launch tube is clear."

"Good luck kid." Misato whispered so that only Michiru heard her. Then, in a loud, commanding voice, she gave the order.

"Launch EVA!"

Michiru felt an invisible hand pushing her down into the seat as the Evangelion shot upward through the launch tube. The farther up she went, the faster the EVA seemed to move. Within seconds, Michiru saw a pinpoint of light far above her. The light grew rapidly as the EVA began to move faster and faster through the tunnel.

Suddenly, the EVA burst out of the launch tunnel into sunlight. Michiru squinted, then blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the light. When she could see again, she looked around and found herself back in Tokyo 3. But the city looked different. Almost all of the major buildings were gone, apparently retracted into the Geofront. Only one or two skyscrapers were left erect, most of which bore variations on the 'Emergency Re-supply Station' message she had seen yesterday. The few buildings that were left were smaller apartments and offices on the outer edges of the city. With the skyscrapers out of sight and the streets deserted, Tokyo 3 looked like a ghost town that had been abandoned before it was completely built.

A holographic screen popped up in front of Michiru, revealing Misato's concerned face.

"How are you doing, Michiru?" she asked.

"I'm all right, I guess." Michiru replied.

Misato smiled. "We're sending your rifle now." She said. Michiru looked to her left and saw one of the remaining buildings open up, revealing a large rifle. "Release final safety locks." Misato ordered. Michiru felt Unit 01 lean forward slightly as the clamps holding the EVA to the launch pad were released. "All right Michiru." Misato said, "You have a few minutes until the Angel arrives. For now, just try walking and holding the rifle."

Michiru nodded. She concentrated as hard as she could on moving her left leg forward. But no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't seem to make Unit 01 respond.

* * * * *

In the control room, Misato saw Unit 01 standing completely still. She saw the strained look on Michiru's face through the video link to Unit 01's entry plug. She turned to Maya, who was monitoring Michiru's medical condition.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked.

"Heart rate's erratic, but that's to be expected." The younger woman replied, "Poor thing... she must be scared half to death. The real problem is her brain waves." She pointed to an EEG readout showing Michiru's brain activity. "She's concentrating too hard."

"Michiru." Misato said, "You're thinking about it too much. Just walk like you normally would. The EVA will take care of the rest."

Michiru nodded. "I'll try." She said.

Misato felt sick to her stomach and disgusted with herself. It was true that she didn't have any other choice. There was no one else who even had a chance at synchronizing with Unit 01. But she still felt awful sending Michiru to fight an Angel with no training. She thought back to that day, twenty-five years ago. The day Shinji had been forced to pilot Unit 01 for the first time. That time, it had been Shinji's father, Commander Ikari, who had given the order to send his own son into battle. But this time it was her call, her order. And God help her; she did the exact same thing.

* * * * *

Michiru took a deep breath; or would have, if her lungs hadn't been full of LCL. She tried her hardest to relax. Then, closing her eyes, she cleared her mind as best she could and stepped off of the launch platform.

"That's it!" she heard Misato call out. Opening her eyes and looking down, Michiru saw that Unit 01 had taken a single step forward. Feeling daring, Michiru took another step forward and Unit 01 responded, stepping completely off of the platform. The EVA stumbled slightly when she tried to turn around to get her rifle, but she quickly regained her balance. After that, reaching out and taking the rifle from its moorings was easy. Michiru was a little surprised to actually feel the rifle in her hands as Unit 01 picked it up. Now that she thought about it, the pavement felt hot under her feet as well. For some reason, being able to feel what Unit 01 was feeling disturbed Michiru. She was about to ask Misato about it, but suddenly she felt a slight tremor in the ground. Normally she probably wouldn't have felt it, but Unit 01's enhanced senses picked it up and relayed it to her. She felt the ground shiver again. And again.

"Misato..." she said, "I think it's here."

* * * * *

"AT Field!" Toji yelled, staring at the tactical map, where the red spot approaching the Geofront had just turned blue. "Pattern Blue! Approaching from the east!"

"Visual contact?" Misato asked.

"Negative, Commander." Toji replied. "The UN forces have not engaged the Angel. They're keeping their distance."

"It's just as well." Misato said, "They'd only get in the way. Although I wish we could see what we were up against."

"It should be within range in two minutes." Toji said, "Should we engage defense systems?"

Misato considered this for a moment. The city's defense systems probably wouldn't even scratch the Angel. On the other hand they might slow it down enough to give Michiru more time to prepare herself. That thought made her decision for her. She nodded. "Engage defense systems."

In response to Misato's order, officers all around the control room began to type instructions into various terminals. Within seconds, gun turrets and missile launchers hidden throughout Tokyo 3 sprang to life, ready to fire as soon as the Angel came within range. Misato turned to speak to Michiru through their video link. "Michiru," she said, "the Angel will be here in a few minutes. As soon as you see it, take aim with your rifle. A targeting reticle will appear. Position the Angel in the center of the reticle and press the trigger switch on the right handle in front of you. Understand?"

* * * * *

Michiru smiled, hoping that doing so would somehow make her appear braver than she felt. "I'll do my best." she said. The last thing Michiru wanted was for Misato to see how terrified she was.

Michiru felt her heart skip a beat when machine gun fire rang out across the deserted city. As the shockwaves underneath her feet increased in intensity, the sounds of explosions and gunfire got closer and closer. Michiru squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to block out the sounds of the Angel's approach. Suddenly, the noises ceased and silence settled over the city once again. Michiru slowly opened her eyes... and found herself face to face with a monster.

At first, Michiru couldn't move. She simply stood there, mesmerized by the pure horror of the thing in front of her. The Angel was huge, easily as tall as the Evangelion, perhaps even taller. Although its shape was vaguely humanoid, the resemblance ended there. The Angel was entirely covered in some kind of rigid exoskeleton, like an insect or crustacean. It had no head, only a single, huge eye set into its chest, between the shoulders. Just below the eye, a large, glowing orb seemed to grow out of the thing's body. Instead of hands, the Angel had two huge claws like those of a crab. The claw on its left arm was a short, thick, club-like appendage that looked extremely strong. The Angel's right claw was longer and thinner, with a wickedly sharp tip. The Angel stood still for a moment, staring at Unit 01. It seemed almost puzzled by the creature standing before it. Evidently it decided that the EVA posed no immediate threat, because seconds later it began moving again, striding purposefully toward Michiru.

"What are you waiting for?" Misato's voice snapped Michiru out of her paralysis. "Take aim!" Michiru didn't need to be told twice. She snapped the rifle up into firing position. Immediately, a small white triangle appeared, floating in front of her face. She manipulated the rifle until the triangle rested directly over the Angel's one eye. She let the Angel take a few more steps forward, just to be sure it was in range, and then held down the trigger switch, emptying the entire gun in one shot.

The shot was perfect. Hundreds of high-speed bullets flew out from the rifle and ripped into the Angel. Or they would have. Within a few feet of the Angel, the bullets seemed to hit an invisible barrier. A network of shimmering, concentric octagons appeared in front of the Angel. Michiru's bullets ricocheted off of the mysterious force field. The only effect Michiru's well-placed shot seemed to have was letting the Angel know she was there... and pissing it off.

Raising its claws over its head the Angel let out a terrifying, high-pitched scream of rage. It charged toward Unit 01 and Michiru. As it ran toward her, the Angel raised its left arm, intending to crush Unit 01's head in its massive claw. Instinctively, Michiru threw her arms up to cover her face, expecting at any moment to feel the impact of the Angel's claw. But the impact never came.

Lowering her arms, Michiru saw a series of glowing octagons in front of her, just like when she had tried to shoot the Angel. But this time, the shield, or whatever it was, was protecting her. The Angel was straining with all its might, trying to force its huge claw through the field.

* * * * *

Kensuke stared in awe at the screen in front of him. "Unit 01 has expanded its own AT Field!" he called out. "The Fields are echoing. They're neutralizing the phase space!"

"Michiru!" Misato yelled, "That AT Field won't hold for long! Get out of the way!"

* * * * *

Even as Michiru heard Misato speaking, she saw the ordinarily uniform lines of the AT Field start to waver. The Angel was beginning to push through the Field. She threw herself to the side just in time, as the AT Field collapsed. The Angel missed Unit 01's head, but managed to grab hold of her rifle, snapping the gun in half like a matchstick. Michiru didn't have time to worry about the rifle, however. Her hasty dodge had thrown her off balance and she was trying desperately to keep Unit 01 standing, on the assumption that if she fell down, she wouldn't have a chance to get back up.

Michiru swung her arms wildly, which must have looked strange to the people watching Unit 01 from the control room, not that she cared. She took three huge steps forward, trying to regain her balance. The maneuver worked and Unit 01 stayed on its feet. Unfortunately, the EVA's back was now completely exposed. Too late, Michiru realized her error and spun around just as the Angel's claw smashed into Unit 01's face.

Unit 01 was thrown backwards by the Angel's punch. It flew hundreds of feet through the air and landed on its back in the middle of a residential area, crushing almost a dozen buildings under its massive weight. Michiru didn't notice any of this, however. She was too preoccupied with the sudden pain in her left eye where the Angel had hit Unit 01. It felt as if she, not the Evangelion, had been hit. Michiru squeezed he left eye closed and gritted her teeth against the pain. She could feel the ground shaking as the Angel approached. She had to get back up, and quickly.

* * * * *

Misato watched in horror as the Angel slammed its huge, blunt claw into Unit 01's left eye. The damage to the EVA was, no doubt, negligible, but she heard Michiru cry out as she felt Unit 01's pain. Misato felt a pang of sympathy for the girl; Michiru was learning the downside of the Evangelion's control system the hard way.

Misato reopened her link to Unit 01's entry plug. Michiru seemed all right, though her left eye was squeezed tightly shut. Misato felt the need to explain what had just happened; even though she was sure Michiru had already figured it out. "Michiru," she said, "the pain your feeling is from..."

"Let me guess." Michiru interrupted her, "That nerve connection thing runs both ways doesn't it? Listen, I lost the rifle. What do I do now?" Michiru was trying to play it cool, but the fear in her voice was unmistakable.

Kensuke opened his own link to the entry plug. "Use your progressive knife." he said. "Press the top button on the left handle."

* * * * *

Michiru had gotten to her feet and was now facing the approaching Angel. She pressed the button Kensuke had told her about. Immediately the armor plate on Unit 01's left shoulder slid open and a large handle popped out. Michiru reached up and grabbed the handle, expecting to pull out a knife. Instead she pulled out a handle. The Angel was dangerously close now. It was getting ready to strike again. "Uh... Captain Aida..." Michiru said in a panicked voice, "I think I broke it."

"Calm down." he replied, "press the button on the knife."

For the first time, Michiru noticed a button set into the handle. Moving Unit 01's fingers turned out to be more difficult than she would have expected but she managed to press the button. A sturdy-looking blade slid out of the handle just as the Angel grabbed Unit 01's left shoulder in its big claw and began to apply pressure.

Michiru cried out involuntarily and nearly dropped the knife. She felt as if the bones in her shoulder were being crushed. Her vision blurred as tears formed in her eyes from the pain. She did the only thing she could think of. She put all her strength into a desperate swing at the arm that held her. The ultra-sharp blade sliced through the Angel's carapace, nearly severing its arm in a single stroke. Immediately, the pressure Michiru felt on her shoulder released. The Angel pulled violently away from Unit 01. A thick, blue liquid that Michiru assumed was the Angel's blood poured from the partially severed limb, spilling on Unit 01. The Angel's scream of anger and pain was deafening.

Michiru felt a rush of pride at having scored a massive blow against her opponent. However, the Angel didn't stay out of commission for long. It raised its long, sharp claw and rushed at Unit 01, apparently trying to run the EVA through.

* * * * *

In the control room, Misato saw Michiru slice through the Angel's arm with the progressive knife. The Angel let go of Unit 01 and reared back, spraying its thick, blue blood all over the EVA. A collective murmur of awe ran through the control room.

"Amazing..." someone whispered.

"She's a natural." Kensuke said.

"Well..." Maya replied, "Considering whose daughter she is..."

Misato was glad Michiru was all right. However, the Angel was already preparing to attack Unit 01 again. "Hold your applause people." she said grimly, "That thing's not dead yet."
* * * * *

Michiru saw the Angel right itself and rush toward her, preparing to stab Unit 01 with its remaining claw. She wasn't about to let that happen. She dove to the side as it ran past her. But the Angel wasn't going to be fooled by that trick twice. It twisted its body around as it passed Unit 01 and managed to deliver a quick stab to the EVA's leg. The force of the impact and the sudden pain that shot through her leg made Michiru stumble, tripping over her own feet. Unit 01 went down hard, reducing another building to rubble.

Looking up Michiru saw the Angel looming over her, its claw poised to deliver the killing blow. In the confusion of crashing through the building, she had dropped her progressive knife. With no way to defend herself, Michiru's only hope was to evade the Angel's attack. As the Angel brought its claw down, she rolled to the left. The Angel's claw smashed into the ground where Unit 01's head had just been. Before the Angel could attack again, Michiru swung her good leg at it with all her might. The kick connected, sweeping the Angel's feet out from under it. The ground shook as the Angel toppled forward, demolishing what was left of the building Unit 01 had fallen onto.

As the Angel struggled to disentangle itself from the wreckage it had fallen into, Michiru leaped to her feet, wincing at the pain in her injured leg. Looking down, she saw a slow trickle of crimson blood leaking out of a hole in Unit 01's armor and running down its leg. But Michiru didn't have time to worry about that, she had to arm herself, and quickly. Michiru cast a look around, searching desperately for anything she could use as a weapon. "Um Captain Aida?" she asked, "Does this thing have any more knives hidden up its sleeves?"

"Go back to where you got the rifle." Captain Aida replied. "I'll see what we can do."

* * * * *

"Do we have any more guns?" Kensuke asked the nearest tech officer.

"None that we can send out there fast enough." The young man responded. "The best thing we can get to her on time is the battle axe."

"Send it." Kensuke ordered. "Now!"

* * * * *

Michiru rushed back to the supply building where she had been given her first rifle. She had been hoping for a new knife, or even better, another rifle. Her face fell when the building slid open revealing a large axe. "What the hell is this?" she demanded.

"It's the best we can give you." Captain Aida replied. "It may not look like much, but it'll get the job done."

Michiru grabbed the axe and turned back to find that the Angel had freed itself from the collapsed building. The creature was back on its feet, looking directly at Michiru with animalistic fury burning in its lone eye. The wound Michiru had given the Angel had completely stopped bleeding. In fact, the arm seemed to be regenerating. The Angel was healing itself right before her eyes!

"Michiru." Misato's face appeared before her. "The only way you can kill that Angel is to destroy its power source. Go for the Core! Beneath its eye!"

Michiru brandished the heavy axe in what she hoped was a good fighting stance. She had never fought with an axe before, and the weapon felt awkward in her hands. The Angel let out a deafening roar and charged toward her. Michiru raised the axe over her head, ready to cleave the Angel in two as soon as it came close enough. Unfortunately, she underestimated the Angel's speed. Before she could even begin to bring the axe down, the Angel slammed into Unit 01 like a ton of bricks. Or, more accurately, like several dozen tons of bricks. The Angel fell on top of Unit 01, pinning the EVA beneath it.

Michiru struggled with all her might to push the Angel off of her, but to no avail. The Angel was too strong and too heavy. She couldn't get out from under it. Once again, the Angel raised its long, sharp claw. Unless she did something soon, it would drive the claw straight through Unit 01, and that would be the end of her. Michiru tried swinging the axe at her attacker, but she couldn't get sufficient power behind the swing from this angle. The axe's blade bounced harmlessly off of the Angel's armored exoskeleton. In desperation, Michiru took the only option left open to her; she reached up and grabbed the Angel's partially severed left arm. With a quick twist, Michiru ripped what was left of the Angel's arm completely off.

That got the desired effect. A fresh stream of blood poured from the wound. The Angel reared back, screaming in fury and agony. Michiru wasted no time in planting Unit 01's feet on the Angel's chest and kicking it away as hard as she could. The Angel went flying. It landed flat on its back and lay still, blood leaking from its severed arm to form a sickly blue puddle beneath it.

"Finish it off!" Toji yelled into the video link, "Before it gets back up!"

Michiru jumped up and rushed to where the Angel had fallen, raising the axe as she ran. The Angel saw Unit 01 coming for it and tried to get up; but it had been mortally wounded, and blood loss had made it sluggish. The Angel made one last feeble attempt to stab Unit 01 with its remaining claw, but it lacked the strength to even pierce the Evangelion's armor. Michiru raised the axe high above her head and brought it down with every ounce of strength she could muster. The blade bit deeply into the Angel's exposed core, cutting the glowing sphere nearly in half. Sparks flew from the shattered core for several seconds before the orb lost its glow and the Angel's body went limp.

* * * * *

"She did it!" A collective cheer erupted through the control room as the blue dot on the tactical map winked out. All around the room people hugged, shook hands, and slapped each other on the back.

Misato breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into her chair. "You did it Michiru." She said. "You beat it."

* * * * *

Michiru stood over the dead Angel, looking down at her handiwork. She knew she should feel proud of her victory. But all she felt was relief that she was still alive. The thought that she might have died here today hit her as she stared at the Angel's corpse. The fear that she had pushed to the back of her mind flooded over her. All the tension in her let loose at once and she suddenly found herself crying, her tears dissolving in the LCL surrounding her.

She was still crying quietly as she rode the EVA lift back to NERV headquarters.

* * * * *
When the EVA was locked in place and the LCL had been drained out, the hatch above Michiru slid open and a crane lifted her seat out of the entry plug. Michiru felt she must look like a drowned rat; soaked from head to toe in LCL, coughing violently to remove the disgusting stuff from her lungs, her eyes red from crying. At least the pain in her shoulder, leg, and eye had disappeared completely the moment Unit 01 was deactivated.

Michiru saw Misato running toward her. Michiru climbed clumsily out of her seat, her limbs still asleep from connecting with the EVA. Misato handed her a large towel, which she gratefully accepted. She wiped most of the LCL off her face, but she couldn't seem to get the slimy stuff out of her hair. And she feared the worst for her sun dress.

For a while, the two women simply stood in silence. Then, on a compulsion, Michiru crossed the space between them and threw her arms around Misato, desperate for any kind of human contact after her ordeal. Before she knew it, she was crying again.

Misato simply held her and let her cry for several minutes. When she was finished, Michiru looked up at Misato. "Thank you." She said.

Misato smiled, "You did great out there." She said.

"I couldn't have done it without all of you helping me." Michiru said.

* * * * *

Michiru was grateful for the chance to take a shower in the locker room adjacent to the launch bay. It took three cycles of lather-rinse-repeat to clean all of the LCL out of her hair. Michiru wondered just what the disgusting goo really was, but decided that, given its 'unique' flavor, maybe she didn't really want to know. Stepping out of the small shower, she found a NERV uniform had been set out for her. The uniform consisted of a pair of white pants and a beige shirt that seemed to flow into a sort of skirt. The uniform was *almost* the right size, but a little tight in the shoulders.

Misato was waiting for her in the hallway. She smiled when she saw Michiru in the NERV Uniform. "We sent your dress to the cleaners." She said. "Did I guess the size right?"

"It's all right." Michiru said. "But I'm pretty sure that dress is ruined."

"Nah." Misato smiled, "It'll wash out, don't worry."

Michiru smiled. "So what now?" she asked.

"Oh. Now comes the fun part." Misato rolled her eyes, "We get to participate in an hour long debriefing."

"Sounds like fun."

* * * * *

The debriefing was, in fact, not fun at all. Something about going over her life-and-death battle in precise, sterile, military terminology bothered Michiru. Nevertheless, Michiru tried to be helpful; answering all the questions she was asked as accurately as she could. However, when the debriefing passed Misato's promised hour and dragged halfway through its second, she began to feel restless. Michiru was glad to see that Misato looked as bored as she was.
Mercifully, the debriefing finally ended and Michiru was released from her torment. Misato seemed just as happy to be done with the briefing as Michiru was.

"Sorry that took so long." Misato said once they were out of the briefing room. "Most of the crew here is brand new. They've never seen an actual combat situation before. I think they were just trying to impress me in there. It probably won't be so bad next time."

"Next time?" Michiru stopped dead in her tracks. It had never even occurred to her that she might have to repeat today's battle. "Misato?" she asked, "How many of those things are there?"

Misato turned to face Michiru, a pained expression on her face. "We...... don't really know." She said, "We used to think there were only seventeen but...... then the eighteenth attacked. The one you fought today was the nineteenth."

Michiru sensed that Misato was holding something back. There was a note of hesitation in her voice when she spoke about the eighteenth Angel. She was sure Misato wasn't telling her the whole story. She chose not to press the issue, however. She trusted Misato to tell her if it was really important. "So how long until the next one shows up?" she asked.

"It's hard to say." Misato replied, "Could be days, could be weeks. But we should be able to give you some more training before the next Angel attacks. So....." she said, "Not a bad first day huh?"

Michiru was happy to let Misato change the subject. She didn't want to think about fighting again. At least, not today. She smiled. "Well," she said, "I certainly won't be bored working here."

* * * * *

Several hours later most of the day crew had left for home. In their place, the minimal night staff kept NERV running, while the custodial staff prepared the building for the next day shift.

Toji Suzahara stood in the small control room overlooking cage seven, where Unit 01 was undergoing maintenance to repair the damage inflicted upon it in the recent battle. Staring at the giant being, Toji decided that the Evangelion was definitely one of the ugliest things he had ever seen. Unit 01's helmet had been removed to ensure that the punch it had received from the Angel's claw had not inflicted any permanent damage. Fortunately, there was only minor bruising around the eye; bruising that was already beginning to fade thanks to the EVA's rapid healing. Seeing Unit 01 with a black eye might have been somewhat amusing, if the thing hadn't been so damn hideous.

"Admiring the patient, major?" Toji turned to see his best friend, Kensuke Aida standing in the doorway. Kensuke crossed the room and handed Toji a cup of coffee, still steaming.

Toji took a sip and grimaced. "Is this coffee, or motor oil?" he asked.

"Well." Kensuke said, "Someone's in a bad mood tonight."

Toji sighed. "I guess I'm still just a little on edge from earlier."

"I see." Kensuke nodded. "Feel like talking about it?"

"Oh. You know. Same old story." Toji replied. "You know how I feel about this thing." He indicated the EVA, which was having its helmet bolted back on.

"Yeah, I know." Kensuke said. "But I'm guessing this is less about Unit 01 and more about its new pilot. Would I be correct in that assumption?"

"It's nothing I haven't said a thousand times before." Toji sighed. "I seriously doubt that this is what Shinji and Asuka would have wanted for their daughter."

"I know." Kensuke said. "But its like Misato said. We really don't have any other options."

Toji nodded grimly. He knew what Kensuke said was true. But that didn't make him feel any better about it.

"Speaking of daughters;" Kensuke said, "don't you have one of your own to go home to."

Toji laughed softly. "Changing the subject I see." He said.

"I'm serious." Kensuke said. "We have everything here taken care of. Your shift ended over an hour ago. What are you still doing here? You're certainly not admiring the scenery." He gestured at the cage, where Unit 01 was being locked in place.

Toji sighed again. "Well Machiko is staying at a friend's house tonight, so...I don't really want to......"

"Oh no." Kensuke groaned. "Toji. It's been ten years. You have to move on buddy."

"It's been *nine* years. Ten this December. And I am moving on." Toji assured him. "I'd just rather be here doing something useful than moping around the house alone. Look, they're running a test program through the Magi for the...you know..."

"Yeah." Kensuke said.

"Yeah; they're doing a dry run on the power supply tonight. So I think I'll just go supervise over there."

* * * * *

That night, Michiru once again experienced the dream that had kept her awake for weeks before she left the orphanage. The giant beasts were the same, but this time she was not afraid, was not jarred from her slumber. Because now there was a new figure in her dream. A towering warrior in regal purple armor, keeping her safe.

* * * * *

Michiru sat dejectedly on the steps leading up to Misato's apartment building, trying to think of what she was going to say to Misato. She knew things had been going too well ever since she arrived in Tokyo 3. Even her battle yesterday had gone well, in that she had beaten the Angel without dying or suffering permanent injury. All in all, Michiru had started to feel pretty good about this new chapter in her life. Now she just felt lost. She fervently hoped that Misato would be able to advise her. Surely Misato would know what to do.

"Michiru?" Michiru had been so lost in thought, she hadn't seen Misato approaching. She leapt to her feet and met Misato halfway up the steps. "What are you doing here?" Misato asked. "I thought you were moving into your apartment today. Actually I just stopped by on my way over there to help you out."

Michiru looked down, suddenly very interested in her shoes. Why was she so ashamed to tell Misato? *It's not like it's my fault or anything*, she thought. "Uh...yeah." she said, "About my apartment."

"Its still not ready?" Misato asked.

"Um...not exactly." Michiru mumbled.

"What's wrong with it?"

Michiru figured she might as well fess up and get it over with. "Well," she said, "yesterday...I kind of, sort of...fell......on top of it. It won't be ready for a *long* time. If ever. I was wondering if, maybe I could stay here a little while. Just until I find another apartment......"

"Michiru," Misato interrupted, "You can stay here as long as you want to. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Michiru asked, "I mean it won't be a problem for you?"

Misato smiled. "Of course not. Actually I've enjoyed having you around the past few days. It sure beats living alone."

"Well all right." Michiru said. "But I'm helping out with rent. I'm not going to be some kind of freeloader."

"Fair enough." Misato replied. "Now come on. I've got a surprise for you."

* * * * *

"College?!" Michiru could hardly believe what she was hearing. "I'm going to college?"

"That's right." Misato said, sitting down across the kitchen table from Michiru. She popped open a can of beer and took a long swig before continuing. "I sent your academic records to Tokyo University, and they were *very* impressed. You've been admitted for the fall term."

"But what about tuition money?" Michiru asked. She certainly couldn't afford to pay for college. Unless her parents had left some massive inheritance that Michiru just didn't know about, there was no way she would actually be able to attend Tokyo University. Even if she had been accepted.

"It's all taken care of." Misato assured her. "NERV has a scholarship fund for young officers, especially EVA pilots." Michiru's face perked up. It seemed there were advantages to risking her life in Unit 01 after all. College was one of the many things Michiru had always wanted to experience, but had simply assumed she never would. Now here was Misato, practically handing her dream to her. Not for the first time, Michiru wondered why Misato was so bent on helping her. "So I take it you want to go?" Misato asked.

"Of course." Was all Michiru could say.

"Great!" Misato smiled. "Now classes start the day after tomorrow, so I guess we'd better start getting you ready quick."
* * * * *

The conference room, such as it was, was completely black. Only the dimmest of lights shone in the room, and their meager glow failed to illuminate the dark corners of the chamber. *Not that the light matters* the room's lone occupant reflected bitterly. As always, his "companions" chose not to reveal their faces. Each member of the council was instead represented by a large black monolith bearing the message "Sound Only" and a number identifying which member each holographic image stood for.

Of course, the only actual person in the room wasn't showing his true face either. Wherever the others were, they saw him as nothing more than a black monolith also. It was just as well. If the newer members of the council could truly look upon their leader, they might not like what they saw.

Chairman Keele was old. His skin was a sickly gray color and hung loose on his face. What hair he had left was white with age. He should have succumbed to old age years earlier. He owed his continued existence to the hundreds of machines and cybernetic components throughout his body, some even extending outside his skin, like the visor permanently attached to his eyes. Keele was rather grateful that his "partners" couldn't seem him today, or they might have taken offense at the look of disgust on his face. In the almost two decades since they had last met, SEELE seemed to have degenerated into a bunch of squabbling children.

--IT IS CONFIRMED THEN? THE CREATURE WAS AN ANGEL?--

--YES. THE NINETEENTH ANGEL. SLIGHTLY BEHIND SCHEDULE, WAS IT NOT?--

--HOW WILL THIS EFFECT OUR PLAN?--

"The effect of the Angel itself is negligible." Keele finally entered the discussion. "The issue at hand is the pilot."

--CORRECT.--

--ALL POTENTIAL PILOTS FOR UNIT 01 WERE TO HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE SCENARIO. YOU ASSURED US THIS WOULD BE DONE!--

"The arrival of the pilot was an unforeseen factor." Keele said. "Steps had been taken to assure that she had no contact with NERV or EVA. Apparently, we underestimated Katsuragi's determination."

--THEN THIS PILOT?--

--IS SHE REALLY.....?--

"Yes. She is. Born of the Second Child. Sired by the Third. Gendo Ikari's granddaughter. The Sixth Child."

--THE GIRL WILL INTERFERE WITH OUR TIMETABLE!--

--SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESTROYED ALONG WITH HER PARENTS!--

--REMOVING HER FROM TOKYO 3 DID NOT REMEDY THE SITUATION AS YOU SAID IT WOULD. NOW OUR PLANS ARE FOR NAUGHT.--

"Don't be so melodramatic!" Keele snapped. "The Sixth Child was lucky this time. The Angel was weak. She will not fare so well against the next one."

--AND IF YOU ARE WRONG?--

"If I am wrong, we can still deal with the situation ourselves. But I would prefer to let the next Angel solve our problem for us, as I am confident it will."

* * * * *

The next day, Michiru found herself on the sprawling Tokyo 3 campus of Tokyo University. Her first day of college was turning out to be a bit overwhelming. Her entire life, Michiru had never taken a class at school with more than thirty people in it. Now she found herself in classes with literally hundreds of other students.

Michiru's classes weren't hard; in fact, most of the material was fairly straightforward. Michiru had always done well in school and college didn't seem like it was going to be any more difficult than high school had been. What really made Michiru feel overwhelmed were her fellow students.

First of all, Michiru knew she stuck out like a sore thumb. Tokyo University did not require students to wear uniforms. Unfortunately, with the more pressing concerns of registering for class, buying books, and setting up her scholarship; not to mention her responsibilities at NERV, she had not had time to go shopping for clothes. She had gotten rid of all her school uniforms from the orphanage. Her blue dress was still at the cleaners having LCL scrubbed out of it. That left her with only two options; wear a NERV uniform, or borrow something from Misato.

Michiru tugged uncomfortably at the neck of her uniform. It wasn't that Michiru didn't like Misato's clothes. Misato actually had pretty good fashion sense for a member of the 'Second Impact' generation. Michiru just hadn't felt comfortable with the idea of borrowing clothes from someone she hadn't even known for a whole week yet. Now, however, she wished that she had had the guts to ask Misato anyway. In a sea of casual clothes, nothing could have been more conspicuous than her NERV uniform. Everyone seemed to be looking at her, especially members of the opposite sex.

Michiru never really felt comfortable around boys. The classes at the orphanage had been separated by gender just like the dormitories. The only times she had really been around boys were meal times and special occasions. Her limited contact had not left her with a favorable impression of the male gender. Basically, all boys seemed to fall into one of three categories: jerks, wimps, and perverts. And Michiru wasn't interested in members of any of the three. Sadly, Tokyo University seemed to be overflowing with members of the third group. After less than a day on campus, Michiru was already sick and tired of being hit on.

Michiru was sitting on an empty bench, checking her class schedule to see where to go next when a shadow fell across the page. Michiru sighed, bracing herself for another round of come-ons and pickup lines. However, when she looked up she saw a girl about her age looking down at her. The girl was clearly not Japanese. She had blonde hair and fair, almost pale, skin. If Michiru had to guess, she would place the girl as being from England or America. Michiru's suspicion was confirmed when the girl spoke to her.

"Do you.....speaking English?" she asked in very broken, heavily accented Japanese.

Michiru smiled. "Yes." She replied in English.

"Oh thank God!" The girl sat down next to Michiru. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a map of the campus. "Can you tell me what this says please?" she asked, pointing to a label written on the map.

"That's the Humanities building." Michiru said. "I'm heading over there myself in a minute if you want to tag along."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She said. "That sounds good. I'm Claire, by the way. Claire Bradley."

"Michiru Ikari." Michiru introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Michiru." Claire said. "So...uh..... are you, like, in the army or.......?"

"Oh." Michiru tugged at her uniform self-consciously. "It's a long story."

"Okay." Claire said with an amused laugh. "So what's your class?"

"My class?"

"Yeah." Claire said. "In the Humanities building. What class are you going to?"

"Oh." Michiru said. "Elementary English actually."

"You're kidding?" Claire exclaimed. "That's my class! Well this is great!"

"Yeah." Michiru agreed. "But why are you taking English? I mean, from where I'm sitting you seem to have a pretty good grasp of the language."

Claire smiled. "Well I figured I should take at least one class where I spoke the language."

Michiru laughed. "How long have you been in Japan?" she asked.

"Two weeks." Claire replied. "My parents decided it would be a 'good experience' for me to study over here for a year, completely ignoring the fact that I barely speak a word of Japanese. They're getting a divorce; so basically I think they just wanted me as far away from California and their endless legal proceedings as possible."

"Oh. I'm...uh...sorry." Michiru said, not quite sure how to react.

Claire smiled. "Don't be." She said. "I'm not. It's about time they got it over with. I don't know why they let their 'marriage' drag on as long as they did. Anyway, enough about my screwed-up family. What about you? Your parents I mean."

Michiru looked down at her feet. "I...don't really know." She said. "I never knew them."

"Oh." Claire was silent for a moment. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault." Michiru said. She smiled. "They died in an earthquake that I'm fairly certain you had nothing to do with." She glanced at her watch. "We'd better get going." She said.

"Yeah." Claire said with a laugh. "I don't want to be late to the only class I have a chance of passing."
* * * * *

"Hey Tai!" A voice called out across the lecture hall from the open door, causing every head in the room to turn. Every head, that is, except the one to whom the message had been directed. The speaker, a tall, athletic young man moved into the room and approached his oblivious friend before trying again. "Hey Tai!" Again there was no response. Frowning, the young man stood right behind his friend and yelled into his ear. "TAI MATSUMOTO! ARE YOU THERE MR. MATSUMOTO?"

The young man named Tai jumped slightly and turned around to see his best friend staring at him. "Oh; hi Akira." he said quietly.

Akira Takaeda shook his head in mock disgust. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, Matsumoto. It's like you're in your own little world sometimes. What goes on in there?"

"Nothing important." Tai said. "I'm just a little tired."

"From what?" Akira said, almost laughing out loud. "I can't really picture you out partying all night. No offense but you lead pretty much the most boring life of anyone I know."

"I was just getting ready for classes to start today." Tai replied.

"Ah now *that's* the Tai I remember." Akira said. "Studying before classes even start. I'll bet you spent the entire summer studying didn't you?"

Tai looked away, embarrassed to admit that he had, indeed spent most of his vacation preparing for this semester's classes. His eyes fell on the double doors to the lecture hall just in time to see an Angel walk through them.

Tai was dimly aware of Akira offering him exorbitant amounts of money for help in English, but the bulk of his attention was focused on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was....perfect. That was the only word Tai could find to describe her. She had brown hair, the color of dark chocolate, that spilled over her shoulders down her back. Her eyes were the deepest, darkest blue Tai had ever seen.

"There you go again!" Akira gave Tai a quick slap to the back of the head, jolting him out of his trance. He turned and looked at Akira, trying to reconstruct what his friend had been saying while he was distracted.

"Uh....yeah.....notes, English, tutor....Got it." Tai said. He quickly turned back around and scanned the room for the woman who had captivated his attention. There she was, sitting on the other side of the lecture hall, three rows back from the front row.

"Hey, what's so interesting?" Akira asked. He followed Tai's gaze to the front of the room. He was almost surprised when he realized that his friend was staring at a girl. He studied her for a moment. "Well she's cute I guess." He finally said. "I didn't think you went for blondes though."

"Blondes?" Tai asked.

"Yeah." Akira replied, pointing. "You were checking her out weren't you?" For the first time, Tai noticed another girl with long blonde hair sitting next to.....whoever she was. Now that Tai thought about it, he remembered that the two had entered together.

"Not the blonde one." Tai said. "Her friend. The one in the uniform."

Akira shifted his gaze to the other girl, and immediately frowned. "Oh no!" he groaned. "What is it with you Matsumoto? It takes you two years to notice that this school is full of hot women, and when you finally do, you pick *that* one."

"You know her?" Tai asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Akira said. "She's in my math class."

"Who is she?" Tai asked.

"Might as well not even ask buddy." Akira said. "You don't want anything to do with that one, believe me."

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

Akira put his hand on Tai's shoulder. "Okay, she may look great. Well.....all right, no maybe about it, she's gorgeous. But trust me, that girl is a total Ice Princess."

"What?" Tai asked.

"I know." Akira said. "She doesn't look the part. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I had a math class with her this morning. I saw her come in and sit down. She didn't have the blonde chick with her at the time so I was thinking of making a move, but some other guy beat me to it. Now from what I saw, this guy was just trying to make conversation like any normal person would; but I swear to God, she nearly bit his head off."

"You're kidding." Tai said. "She looks like a nice girl."

"Well I guess looks really *aren't* everything." Akira said. "I suggest you find somebody else to crush on;" he pointed at the girl, "because there is nothing but trouble over there."

"Maybe she's just having a bad day." Tai suggested. "I mean, first day of class....everyone's nerves are on-edge, right?"

"God, you really are hooked aren't you?" Akira said. He stood up. "Well come on." he said. "We have to nip this in the bud right now."

"What?" Tai asked.

Akira grabbed Tai's arm and pulled him up out of his chair. "Come on. I can tell the only way you're going to get this girl out of your mind is to see just how cold she really is. We're going to go talk to her."

Tai pulled out of his friend's grip quickly and violently. "No way!" he said, "I can't go talk to her."

"Come one!" Akira said, "A minute ago you were undressing her with your eyes, now you won't even talk to her?"

"I was not undressing her!" Tai said a little too loudly. Several heads turned. "I wasn't." Tai continued, more quietly this time.

"Fine. You were admiring her in a totally pure and virtuous way. That sound better? Now come on, we're going to talk to her before class starts."
"What am I supposed to say to her?" Tai asked.

"Trust me, it won't matter what you say." Akira assured him. "You could come up with a sonnet to make Shakespeare envious and you'd still get shot down. Just be yourself, and don't be surprised when she doesn't care."

"All right." Tai sighed. "I'll give it a try."

* * * * *

Michiru and Claire had found two empty seats near the front of the lecture hall and sat down. Michiru began flipping through her English text book while Claire took a quick look around the hall.

"See anything interesting?" Michiru asked.

"Quite a few actually." Claire replied. "What do you think of him?" she asked, pointing to a random guy in the front row.

Michiru took a quick look and shrugged her shoulders. "No comment." she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Claire asked.

"I'm just not interested that's all."

"Not interested in men?" Claire asked suspiciously, giving her a look that made Michiru realize that she had just given her new friend the wrong idea entirely.

"Oh it's not like that!" Michiru said quickly. "I *like* men." she assured Claire. "Just not the 'men' of our particular generation." The look in Claire's eyes said she didn't totally get Michiru's point. "Remind to explain to you about the three groups some time." She said. "I just find guys our age....substandard."

"Oh." Claire said. "Well don't look now, but there are two 'substandard' males heading right this way."

Michiru looked anyway. Sure enough, two guys were making their way down the aisle toward Michiru and Claire. One was the tall athletic type, with brown hair and the look of a total jock. His friend was slightly shorter and considerably thinner. He seemed more reserved, almost shy. Michiru rolled her eyes and turned back to Claire. "They're all yours." She said, starting to get up. Claire stopped her and pushed her back into the seat.

"Not a chance girl, you're staying right here." she said.

Michiru sighed. It was too late to leave now anyway. The two guys had already reached them. The athlete was the first to speak.

"Hi." He said in a friendly voice. "How's it going ladies."

"Great!" Claire smiled and struggled to reply in Japanese. "What is up?"

"Oh nothing much." the young man replied. "We just thought we'd come say 'hello'. You're both new here aren't you?"

"Yes." Claire said. "It's our first day."

He smiled. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to Tokyo University." he said. "I'm Akira." the young man pointed at his friend, who had yet to say a word. "And this guy here is Tai. He doesn't talk much."

"I'm Claire." Claire said. "And this is Michiru." She nudged Michiru lightly with her elbow.

"Hi." Michiru said quickly before lapsing back into silence.

Akira gave his friend Tai and look that seemed to say *See, I told you so*. Then he smiled again. "Well we were just looking over the text for this class; looks pretty tough. We just thought you two might like to do a study group or something some time. How about Friday night at the Student Café?"

"Sure!" Claire said cheerfully.

"What about you, Michiru?" Akira asked.

"I can't. I'm working." Michiru said in an icy tone.

"Really?" Akira said, sending another knowing look Tai's way. "Too bad. Well if you can get out of it we'd love to see you." He smiled again. "We'd better be going. Looks like class is about to start." He gave them one last wave, then he and Tai turned and headed back to their seats.

As soon as Akira and Tai were out of earshot, Claire turned to Michiru. "Jeez, you really *do* have a problem with guys don't you?" she said.

"It's not my problem." Michiru replied. "It's the guys. They're all the same. Just big dumb animals drooling over anything in a skirt."

"I don't know..." Claire said, looking over to where Akira and Tai had sat down. "I thought he was kind of cute."

"Which one?" Michiru sneered. "Jay or Silent Bob?"

"Both of them actually." Claire said. "But I was thinking of the tall one. Akira."

"That walking hormone?" Michiru said in disbelief. "What do you see in him?"

"I don't know." Claire confessed. "He just seemed like an OK guy. His friend seemed nice too. What was his name?"

"Tai" Michiru said.

"Yeah Tai. He seemed all right. He certainly wasn't drooling."

Michiru found she didn't have a comeback to that. As much as she would have liked to deny it, there *was* something about Tai. He seemed....different somehow. Not like the other guys she had run into today. She brushed the thought away. It was probably just because he hadn't said anything. Michiru was sure that if he had talked, he would have turned out to be just like his friend. Another idiot male.

"So," Claire said, "Friday night.....student café. You with me?"

"I said I'm working." Michiru replied.

"And I'm sure Akira and Tai believed you." Claire said. "I, on the other hand, cannot be lied to. I always know." She smiled. "You might as well get used to it if we're going to be friends."

"Why should I want to hang out in some café with those two?" Michiru asked.

"Two reasons." Claire replied. "One: I'm a young lady in a foreign land and I need someone who understands the culture to accompany me and keep me from embarrassing myself. Two:" she paused, smiling. "I think Tai has a thing for you."

"A 'thing'?" Michiru asked dubiously.

"Yeah." Claire said. "He couldn't take his eyes off you the entire time we were talking. He seems like a nice guy too. So my advice is to come with me Friday and see if you can't add a fourth group to that list of yours."

Michiru smiled despite herself. "Fine." She said. "But just this once."

"Deal."

* * * * *

"That was great Tai." Akira said after they had sat back down. "Really an amazing display of linguistic aptitude. For future reference though, it usually works better if you actually *open* your mouth."

"Oh shut up!" Tai said.

"Woah! Touchy, touchy." Akira said. "Hey I warned you about that girl. And I was right wasn't I?"

Tai didn't answer. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Michiru. Even her name was beautiful. It was true she had brushed them off rudely, but nevertheless there was something about her. Something Tai couldn't quite put his finger on. He had blown his chance at talking to her but there was hope. Akira was meeting her friend Claire at the Student Café on Friday. He could try to contact her through Claire. He had to have another chance to get to know the girl who had captivated him so suddenly.

"Who is she?" he whispered to himself. Tai had never been this obsessed with a girl before. It frightened him. He felt that meeting Michiru was a turning point of sorts. Tai felt like his life was about to change forever.

He couldn't have imagined how right he was.....

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter:

Michiru finds a video of her parents as teenagers. But before she gets a chance to watch it, an Angel attacks! Michiru is about to be destroyed when Unit 01 suddenly goes out of control! The beast within is released with devastating results in Chapter 0:3 "Faces from the past/ EVA Unleashed!"