Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Mst: Children of an Elder God ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Maya: Feeling better Shinji-kun?

Shinji: I feel a few pounds lighter.

Rei: Is it natural to empty ones stomach in such a setting?

Maya: Total freak out? Yeah.

Asuka: I just think Shinji's a wuss.

Touji: Then why did you want to be the one to hold his hair back?

Asuka: I said he's a wuss, didn't say I didn't want to help.

Misato: Got a point there.

Shinji: So what I miss?

Maya: Not much, we put the next tape in.

Misato: Going to play a game of poker after wards.

Maya: Then I have to go home for the night, it's getting late.

Asuka/Rei: Too bad.

Touji: You actually sound halfway sincere.

Misato: `I'll wipe the floor with them! Good thing too I'm broke.'

Maya/Shinji: `Should I tell them?'

Rei: Poker, I've played that before.

Touji: Yeah and you cleaned house…not fair.

Asuka: Whatever I say we watch the next part, maybe Wondergirl'll finally snap and bite somebodies head off.

Rei snarls a bit, but unheard.

Touji: So Shinji, hows the couch?

Shinji: 'DAMN IT TOUJI!' It's...a couch.

Maya/Misato: That all you have to say?

Shinji: Um...it's...'looks at Asuka and Rei, sinks his head.'

Touji bursts into fit of laughter as Rei turns the tape on.

(BEGIN MST!!!!! Look fo >>>)

John Biles & Rod M. Present

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Elseworlds

Children of an Elder God

Part 3

"Cherubim"

>>>Asuka: So whats that mean?

>>>Rei: We are fighting lower level angels.

>>>Shinji: So what are the others?

-*-

It was the same dream as before, Shinji within the

maglev train as it made its way around the city.

>>>Misato: Maybe you should take drugs...just to give you

>>> different dreams.

>>>Maya: MAJOR!

There was no other noise to be heard aside from the

seemingly endless thrum of the train as it passed over the

tracks. On the whole, it seemed like a rather pointless

dream to Shinji.

>>>Asuka: So why tell us about it?

>>>Touji: Bet Ayanami is watching him.

The train plunged for a moment into a tunnel,

swallowing Shinji in darkness. Unseen, something scuttled

along the floor, making rapid fire tap-tap-tap noises as it

moved. Shinji turned nervously, trying to see what it was,

but the train was still in darkness.

"H-hello?"

>>>Asuka: Mr. Monster, please don't eat me, I'll cook.

>>>Shinji: It could work.

There was a whisper in the darkness, a grating,

squealing, utterly alien voice that said a word that was

unknown by Shinji, yet somewhat familiar.

"Atlach-Nacha."

>>>Asuka: Gazoontight.

>>>Others: Wha?

>>>Asuka blushes: What! It's German!

Suddenly, the train emerged from the tunnel,

flooding the cabin with light, revealing an endless

entanglement of spiderwebs. On the floor, the ceiling,

between poles, over doors, crossing the windows, silver-grey

spider webs.

>>>Touji: How you miss that before.

>>>Shinji: Well that interesting enough for you Misato?

And at the center of the train, its back turned to

him, was a single spider-like shape, lurking within a thick

nest of webs.

Despite the fear he felt, Shinji slowly approached

the creature, brushing aside cobweb veils with trembling

hands. As he came closer, the creature turned to face him,

its features still hidden by the webs.

His hands shaking badly, Shinji parted the final

veils and stared at the creature.

And screamed.

>>>Rei: Yes Ibuki-san you were right, I must use the bathroom.

>>>Asuka: ME FIRST! 'Asuka and Rei run to the bathroom.'

Hideously twisted, yet still recognizable, the

monster within wore Shinji's own face.

>>>Misato: I think it's kinda cute.

-*-

The world passed by in a blur, but Shinji was numb

to it, merely shambling through the streets of Tokyo-3 on

the way to school. A serious lack of sleep had drained him

of energy, leaving him in his current state.

>>>Touji: Looks like that now, not sleeping Shin-man?

>>>Shinji: Don't ask.

>>>Misato/Maya: I'm curious, 'late' nights Shinji-kun?

Maybe, thought Shinji, maybe I should just skip

school today. He stopped, leaned over, and took several

deep breaths. The world faded into black for a moment and

he felt himself sinking into the ground.

A pair of hands reached out and held him up.

>>>Touji: Rei to the rescue!

"Ikari."

Shinji blinked, shook his head, then looked into two

very red eyes.

"Um, Ayanami," he said weakly. "Good morning."

"You are not well."

>>>Misato: What gave it away, the deep black circles under his eyes?

>>>Maya: Maybe the look of helplessness?

He wanted to believe there was just a hint of

concern in that voice, but he was too tired to tell.

"I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I see."

>>>Touji: See she does watch you sleep!

>>>Rei returning: I never said I didn't.

>>>All present: ...'too much information.'

They stood there in silence again, Shinji taking

deep breaths while Rei watched over him, ignoring and being

ignored by the morning rush of walkers.

>>>Maya: Aren't they on a train?

>>>Shinji: Hurried train riders.

"I wonder if I should just stay home today."

Rei seemed puzzled. "Stay home?"

"I don't know if I can make it through the school

day."

"You are not going to school yet."

Shinji looked at Rei curiously. "I'm not?"

>>>Touji: First the closet for some FUNK!

>>>Misato: Kids still do that, I preferred the roo...what?

"We are scheduled for more tests with Dr. Akagi

today."

Shinji's head slumped, along with the rest of

himself.

"Oh no."

"We should return to school by third period."

Great, grumbled Shinji to himself. More lab tests

_and_ school.

>>>Maya: At least you get a small break from school.

>>>Misato: And you get to see your 'girlfriend' in skin tight cloths.

>>>Shinji: MISATO-SAN, 'talk like that will get me killed!'

-*-

The wretched taste of LCL fluid was something that

just wouldn't leave his mouth for hours, an effect Dr. Akagi

said would decrease as his exposure to LCL was increased.

That didn't help his immediate discomfort.

>>>Shinji: The idea of adapting to it scares me more.

>>>Maya: You don't like the idea of forgetting to breath?

Alone, with his tongue hanging out from his mouth,

stumbling around the hallways of NERV in desperate need of

industrial strength mouthwash, Shinji settled for a can of

cola from a vending machine.

>>>Asuka taking a seat: One vending machine per person in that place.

>>>All others: You're right, we need more.

>>>(FYI Japan has more Vending machines than any other country!)

He quickly opend the can and drank, holding the

liquid in his mouth for a while in hopes that it would

dissolve the nasty taste of tar and roadkill that LCL seemed

to emulate so well.

>>>Rei: Again, you ate such things?

>>>Maya sweatdropping: It's a saying, it means really bad taste.

Instead, the lingering taste of LCL

somehow overpowered the soda, mixing with it into an

entirely new and amazingly more noxious combination that

forced Shinji to find the nearest water fountain and spit

into it.

>>>Misato: WHOW! It ate the metal!

>>>Shinji: And it's coarsing through my vains as we speak, great.

And so, as he was gasping for air and wondering if

trying to merely drink the soda quickly instead would be a

better solution, he passed by the massive vault where the

Eva units were kept.

And he saw Rei, her back turned to him, talking to

his father.

>>>Asuka: I knew it! She is his pet!

>>>Rei hand raised: Say that again.

His father.

>>>Shinji: A BIG bastard.

Talking.

>>>Maya: Not ordering?

Smiling.

>>>Misato: Thats means somebody is going to die.

Laughing.

>>>Touji: I'll never be comfortable hearing laughter again.

Shinji felt bitterness and envy rise within him.

His father hadn't spoken any words to him since his arrival,

none at all. And here he was talking to her and smiling at

her and laughing with her and...

>>>Asuka: So the commander IS a pedophile!

>>>Rei gets cold shivers: Kami I hope not.

He stalked away, the bitterness in his soul matching

the foul taste in his mouth.

-*-

Being on the maglev train disturbed Shinji. It was

all too much like those amazingly dull dreams he'd been

having lately. Yet now seemed as good a time as any to

ask...

"Rei?"

>>>Asuka: What the hell is wrong with you?

She turned to look at him, her expression as flat as

always. It didn't faze Shinji like it used to, but it was

still a bit unnerving.

"I, um," Shinji scratched his head, not sure how to

put the question. "What's my father like?"

>>>Touji: Thought you knew already.

>>>Misato: Cold, uncaring, evil, controling.

>>>Shinji: Bingo.

"Like?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"I... I haven't talked to him," explained Shinji.

"Not since I came here." He turned away, his expression

darkening. "I don't know what he thinks of me. I don't

even know if he cares."

Rei's expression became subtly more puzzled.

>>>Touji: Um...how can you tell?

>>>Shinji sighs: Can't you tell? Her lower lip is minutly shifted left.

"I... I don't even know why I bothered to come

here."

"You are here to pilot the Eva, as am I."

"Is that it?"

>>>Touji: About.

>>>Shinji: So having a life is out of the question?

>>>Misato: Didn't you read the papers? You sold that at the gate.

Rei shrugged.

"I saw you talking with father earlier. He was

smiling and laughing. Why?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

>>>Misato: If she did...then I would be scared.

>>>Maya: Anything with the commander scares me.

>>>In his office Gendo Ikari sneezes for the umpteenth time.

Rei merely looked out the window, to the ocean.

Feeling too tired and puzzled to follow this line of

thought any further, Shinji slumped in his seat and caught

up on another ten minutes of sleep.

And in his sleep, he dreamt of uneventful trips on

maglev trains.

>>>Maya: Dreams have never seemed so boring until now.

>>>Asuka: Leave it to Baka to ruin the greatest things.

-*-

She stared at the script, along with all the other

so-called journalists, and sighed deeply. NERV wanted the

press conference to run smoothly, which meant using scripts

that were most likely crafted for maximum deception.

>>>Misato: It's not deception, just selective truth telling.

>>>Asuka: The difference?

>>>Maya: What we tell 'is' true.

Of

course she went along with it. Everyone went along with it,

and anything else the government insisted on ever since the

2nd impact.

Catastrophes were an easy way to turn a free nation

into a police state.

>>>Shinji: What happens if they don't follow along?

>>>Misato: Know that list of buildings to step on, know you

>>> know where we get it.

'Freedom of the Press' wasn't what it used to be,

but that wasn't Megumi Kunzama's concern.

>>>Rei: That is an American tradition, why would Japanese care?

>>>Asuka: For a change the Americans had a good idea.

She was in the

business long enough to see that curiosity did kill the cat,

and would be a fatal exercise for some time to come.

So... just read over the script, say her lines, and

go home knowing she'd done her job well.

Megumi was dearly trying to ignore that nagging

voice at the back of her mind that said otherwise.

>>>Misato: That's silenced with are good friend Alcohol!

>>>Shinji/Asuka: But you talk MORE when drunk!

-*-

"Me?! Why me?!" yelled Maya in shock, staring at

Commander Ikari. Then she remembered the 'Commander' part

of his title. "Er, Sir, Commander, Sir, I mean. Why me, I

mean. Um, Sir?"

>>>Misato: Gendo's hitting on you!

>>>Asuka: Poor Maya. 'snickers'

Gendo frowned. "You're photogenic. Now follow your

orders. Here's your script."

>>>Maya: Ritsuko-sempai did say he was rather...odd.

>>>Touji: Script?

Gendo strolled out of the room, followed by

Fuyutsuki, his second in command, leaving a somewhat stunned

Maya in the room alone.

>>>Rei: To cry?

"I think that's the closest thing to a compliment

I've ever heard from him." Maya shook her head, took a deep

breath, then left the room as well. Whether she liked it or

not, it was showtime.

>>>Shinji: OH! I get it, Maya's the Nerv Rep at the press conference.

>>>A collective sigh of relief is heard.

-*-

Megumi sat numbly as she witnessed the press

conference take place. It was a joke, a sham, a big lie.

The rep from Nippon Sun will raise his hand, amongst

the many raised, and he will be selected. Whether he raises

his hand or not, he will be selected.

>>>Rei: How is that fair?

>>>Misato: Movie magic.

She'll answer with beautifully made, carefully

constructed lies.

And then others will raise their hands, selling

their souls to keep in line. And what would she do? She'd

sell out too.

What other choice was there?

>>>Asuka: Death.

>>>Touji: Who's pride is worth death?

"Good afternoon," said the spokesperson, a

surprisingly young girl, probably ten years younger than

her.

>>>Asuka: Just how old are you anyway Maya?

>>>Maya: Best not to think about it Asuka.

"I'm Maya Ibuki, spokesperson for NERV. We're a

subdivision of the United Nations, specifically created for

dealing with such threats as the creature that attacked

Tokyo-3 several days ago."

>>>Shinji: But since you knew that already I don't know why I'm here.

>>>Touji: Thank you and good night.

The girl droned on, a bit nervously. They probably

picked her because she's got a pretty face,

>>>Shinji: I could see that...'oh shit! I didn't say that did I?'

>>>Maya: Shin-chan?

>>>Asuka/Rei: I did NOT hear that, 'he'll have to be punished.'

mused Megumi.

She didn't bother listening carefully as the spokesperson

talked. It was going to be packaged and sent to her

newspaper anyway, so why bother?

Why bother indeed....

Her editor told her of the times before the Second

Impact, when the media had _true_ power, a watchdog over the

government and society in general.

>>>Misato: Thank Kami times have changed.

>>>Maya: Now we have all the power! Take that journalism!

She was always

enthralled by his tales, and wished she'd been around back

then to enjoy it, the last glory days of the press.

"Next question?"

>>>Touji: Why are only cute girls with terrible personalities

>>> working at Nerv?

>>>Collective slap is heard as all four women smack him.

Megumi realized it was her turn.

She knew her question, her lines. It was time to

join in The Big Lie.

She could rebel. Toss out her lines. Demand to

know what NERV was covering up.

"Megumi Kunzama, Japan Today. How many casualties

were there in the attack?"

A small voice inside called her a coward.

She tried to ignore it.

>>>Shinji: OH! The Shinji escape measures! That's number 23.

>>>Rei: Ignore all internal comments about cowardliness.

-*-

She tried to drown out the lingering doubts by doing

what many legendary figures of history did: take a long

walk.

>>>Shinji: I'm legendary?

>>>Misato: Yo do take enough long walks.

And walk she did, through Tokyo-3's many streets, in

the shadows of its many towers, unable to shake the unease

that had latched unto her soul.

Curiosity killed the cat.

>>>Asuka: It's called roadkill.

>>>Misato: Why I have Pen-Pen.

Best not to forget that.

She was ready to just call it a day, go home and

brush her troubles away, even if it meant living in the

ignorance NERV tried to wrap around her. Two schoolgirls

passed her, absorbed with their own concerns. Perhaps it

was luck, or fate, or just journalistic instincts, but their

conversation caught Megumi's ear.

"Can you be believe _he's_ the new pilot for that

giant robot?"

>>>Asuka: A question I ask myself everyday.

>>>Touji: But he's better than...nevermind.

"I still can't believe it."

"He's weird, don't you think?"

"No, just quiet."

"Not as weird as the other pilot."

Pilot? Those schoolgirls know the pilot?

>>>Shinji: Know is such a vague term, I 'know' Beethoven

She walked quickly after them, waving her hand.

"Excuse me! Girls? Hi, I'm Megumi Kunzama, reporter for

Japan Today. I'd like to ask you a few questions..."

Unseen by any of them, a small camera by the

stoplight adjusted its lens...

>>>Rei: What happend to the rifle?

>>>Misato: Only two public killings a day, must have hit the quota already.

-*-

"Who is she?"

>>>Rei: A dead woman.

>>>Misato: No, just marked for death.

"Megumi Kunzama," said Fuyutsuki. "Reporter for

Japan Today. She was at the press conference earlier."

"Hrm." Gendo gazed at the image of the woman on the

screen, his expression neutral.

"Put someone on her. I doubt she'll find anything

too sensitive, but it's best to be cautious."

>>>Asuka: That code for kill her?

>>>Shinji: Knowing father, its much much worse.

-*-

Makoto was drunk.

>>>Maya: He loves you so much he's emulating you know!

He was off duty, though, so it

didn't matter. He could get drunk off his ass and pass out.

Or meander on about his love life to someone he had just

met, which was what he was doing right now.

>>>Touji: Doesn't make alot of friends does he?

>>>Shinji: Wow, even I'm not that despirate.

His confessor was one of the most gorgeous women he

had ever met in his entire life. She was a tall, lithe

platinum blonde whose breasts had to be either the result of

implants, plastic surgery, magic or the blessing of the

gods.

>>>Shinji: Blonde isn't a natural color in Japan.

>>>Asuka: Damn Americans and their plastic surgery.

>>>Rei looks at screen then Misato: Majo...

>>>Misato: Don't you dare.

They were too big for a slender woman, and too

perfect. He was too drunk to really notice or worry, though

he did stare a lot.

>>>Asuka: MALE PIG!

>>>Misato: If he does that at Nerv I can sue him right?

She simply watched him, amused, with

twinkling blue eyes and a pleasant smile as she sipped the

same kind of beer he was drinking by the goatload.

>>>Rei: She is going to use him.

>>>Maya: Only question is how far she's willing to go for info.

Not that goats were bringing him beer; they were

both ensconced at a table at 'The Tokyo-3 Brewery,' which

was a bar run by the city's main brewery.

>>>Misato: Good, I own 25% of that brewery.

Not a very clever

name, but the decor of street signs from the original Tokyo

had caused quite a few dedicated patrons to become totally

lost as they tried to find their way home without leaving

the bar after becoming almost, but not quite, too drunk to

move.

>>>Touji: They must have stock in sawdust.

>>>Shinji: Wonder if they have a room for those with overdoses.

"So, I like, I like...don't know what to do. She's

like beautiful, but she's my boss and I'd probably get in

trouble and I think there's someone else she likes, but

she's got a really nice ass and when she's off duty,

>>>Rei: When she is on duty it isn't?

>>>Maya: He's got a loose tongue.

>>>Asuka/Misato: Why you think she singled him out!

she

dresses fit to make a man go nuts," he babbled, then chugged

another beer. A thought struck him. "What's your name

again?"

"Akane. Akane Toshiba," she said. "And what's the

name of this woman you're so in love with?"

"Misato. Misato Kusanagi.

>>>Misato: I can kill him right...RIGHT!

>>>Shinji: Can't even remember your name, poor Makoto

Kobachi. Katsuniki.

Katsugari? Katsucon. Kitsuragi. Katsuragi? Umm...It's got

a K in it. And she's got big..."

>>>Misato draws her sidearm: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

>>>Asuka/Maya: Thought you wanted people to think that.

>>>Misato: WHAT! Not my fault they grew! I DIDN'T HAVE SURGERY!

Akane laughed. "I assume you'd be less blunt when

you're drunk."

He nodded. "I'd cower instead. She's a good boss

though, and a good commander. Given what she's got to work

with..."

>>>Shinji/Rei: HEY!

>>>Asuka: He's right, surprizing Misato's not grey yet with you two.

Akane leaned forward, revealing ever so slightly more

of her flesh. It got Makoto's attention. "You don't like

some of your coworkers? I know how hard that can be."

>>>Misato: No pun intended right?

"The fate of the world is resting in the hand of two

kids. One's creepy and the other is kinda...well, pathetic.

>>>Shinji: This coming from a guy that can't remember the love of his

>>> life's name!

His own father ignored him for most of his life. I dunno

why we're letting kids pilot these things. Well, I mean, I

sorta know, but..." He took another swig. "Hey, bartender!

More beer!"

"So why are they using child pilots?"

>>>Maya: It's bring you child to work day?

>>>Misato: Gendo's tring to involve the whole community?

He looked around, looked under his chair, then

inside his glass, checking for spies. "You gotta, like,

have the right genetics and stuff. I mostly just monitor

stuff;

>>>Touji: Misato's figure, Shinji's dad, what else?

>>>Rei: Empty LCD screen number 12.

Dr. Akagi is the one who really knows how everything

works. But I can tell you that all three pilots are about

the same age."

She blinked. "You said two."

"Never met the other one. She's off in another

country." He looked at the bartender. "Hey! BEER!"

He got his beer, took a swig, then began to wobble.

"Hmm. Time to go home, but I don't think I'll make it."

She smiled. "Let me help you home."

>>>Touji: Home is now a sewer?

>>>Asuka: Back alley, she'll shoot him and steal his wallet.

She had always thought of herself as strong, but by

the time she helped him stagger to the door, she was

rethinking that, or at least wondering how many pounds of

beer he had drunk.

>>>Shinji: Beer adds at least 25 lbs to people. 'looks at Misato.'

-*-

The woods around Tokyo-3 weren't supposed to be

inhabited. Regardless, there was a house, a relic of days

long ago. Built in a time of greater freedom and

prosperity, it had been intended to be a summer home. Then

the Second Impact had come, and its owner died.

>>>Touji: Wondering why he built his home on a fault line.

>>>Shinji: Pissed he took that vacation so late.

The

government took the land, but had failed to destroy the

house; it wasn't worth the effort, and vague plans, now

forgotten, had been made to use it.

It was being used now. Tiny runners came in and out;

unseen by most people, Never mind that rats couldn't have

turned the water and power back on. Nor was there much for

rats to eat in an abandoned house, unless they wanted to eat

wallpaper or suck on paint.

>>>Asuka: Could eat themselves.

>>>Rei: Houses were made of wood, they could eat that.

>>>Shinji: Plants outside the house.

>>>Misato: I DON'T CARE!

If something had been watching from the sky, it would

have seen an abnormal number of brooms upon the front porch

of the house,

>>>Touji: So we don't really notice the fifty brooms then?

>>>Maya: Apperently not.

the beat up Toyota Corolla that was likely the

oldest functional car in Japan with no value to a collector,

the plain black van, and the Shinohara Motors SUV-5, whose

owner likely thought it was cool, but was rather wrong. Or

perhaps this flying observer might have focused upon the

deep tire ruts that indicated a fourth car had pulled out at

very high speed at some time in the past.

>>>Rei: Why is it necessary to be flying to spot such obvious things?

>>>Shinji: Maybe they think we're idiots.

Indeed, a

sufficiently knowledgeable and eagle eyed observer might

have been able to tell the model of the missing car.

>>>Maya: If the observer was Kami, she'd know WHO was driving.

>>>Touji: Enough of this discription crap!

In fact, something was watching from the sky; Second

Impact had done nothing to destroy most of the spy

satellites circling the Earth. However, spy satellites have

three flaws. First, you can't hear anything through them.

Secondly, they're only useful if someone human is both

watching and cares. This one belonged to France, which

could care less about small houses in the Japanese

countryside.

>>>Misato: I'll take care of that, 'walks out of room with cellphone.'

>>>Shinji: I'm afraid of what she's going to do.

>>>Asuka shoves Rei back to floor and jumps into Misato's place: Hi!

It was on its way elsewhere, due to the third

flaw of spy satellites: they have to keep moving or fall out

of the sky.

As a result, no one who cared noticed the rat except

for a woman with short spikey orange hair who was expecting

it. She ran over, picked it up, and carried it inside,

petting it gently.

>>>Shinji: Snapped its neck and threw it in the pot with the others.

>>>Touji: Rat-tat-toue.

>>>Rei/Maya: That was simply the worst pun I've ever heard.

She didn't look like a threat to

humanity, but most threats to humanity weren't obvious until

it was too late.

This one was no exception.

>>>Asuka: It had Rei's face!

>>>Touji: It had rabies?

The woman carried the rat inside, talking to it, and

it talked back. The largest amount of devastation caused by

a rat since the Black Plague, if only indirectly, would soon

begin.

>>>Asuka: Bigger than Mickey Mouse?

>>>Shinji: Nothing could be worse than that, don't kid yourself.

>>>Asuka: Yeah, nothing is worse than that rat, nothing.

-*-

"(I want to rule the world)," one of the students

read from the book in English, then everyone chorused, "(I

want to rule the world.)"

>>>Maya: Reading from the book of Gendou.

>>>Kids: Why must we learn the EVIL language!

>>>Rei: My tongue feels polluted.

It was English class, and Shinji

was in a trance, as were most of the students, as the power

of sheer boredom smote them.

>>>Touji: Death by english.

He had never quite understood

how anyone was supposed to learn anything from the teaching

method they used in English class. Other than how to speak

in unison, anyway.

The next student translated the next line of the

day's reading. "(The small mouse raised his fists and shook

them.)" Everyone repeated after him.

>>>Shinji: Mickey is leading a revolution!

>>>Rei: We must kill the mouse!

Shinji let his mind drift, thinking about the

previous day's tests. Dr. Akagi had been looking for

something, but wouldn't say what.

>>>Shinji: She's always like that, I'm tired of probes.

>>>Maya: Probes...tests...Shinji, what are you... OH KAMI!

>>>Touji: SHIN-MAN!

>>>Asuka: I will so kill her.

He couldn't tell if she

had been pleased or not pleased to not find it. Although

maybe she had found what she wanted; she had the look of

someone waiting for something to happen the whole time,

though nothing did.

He glanced across the class at Rei, who was intently

focused on the day's lesson in English; indeed, she was

probably the only person in the class fully paying

attention.

>>>Asuka: Since when do YOU pay attention?

>>>Rei: During english the window is being cleaned.

A casual observer might have simply concluded

she was the class brain. Shinji knew enough to know the

class brain was actually zoning out halfway across the room.

>>>Touji: In its jar.

>>>Shinji: Why do we keep a human brain in a jar anyway?

Only one other student was alert, and that was

Touji, who sat next to Shinji and looked like a mountain was

about to fall on him.

>>>Asuka: Finally something cool's going to happen!

Shinji glanced over at his desk and

soon understood why; the students were supposed to translate

the next day's reading at home as homework so they would be

ready to read when called upon. However, in practice,

because the teacher always called upon people in the same

order, most students only translated the sentences they

would be called upon to read.

>>>Maya: Children have such low ethics these days.

>>>Children: We like it that way.

However, two people were absent today, which meant

that the normal order of reading was thrown off. This meant

Touji hadn't translated the correct sentences and now as

trying desperately to translate them without the teacher

noticing; he wasn't going to make it in time.

>>>Touji: Why does it always happen to me!

>>>Shinji: That's my line.

Shinji had translated the entire thing; not because

he had wanted to, but because Misato had caught him doing

the same thing Touji had done, and had chewed him out, even

though he was quite certain she had done the same thing

herself in school.

>>>Maya: I doubt the Major even DID her homework.

>>>Asuka: Thats what geeks like you are for, bat an eyelash and

>>> they give you the answers.

>>>Touji/Shinji: Women are scary.

Touji glanced over and saw Shinji's full

translation, seemed to hesitate a moment in indecision,

then finally looked at him pleadingly.

Shinji's first instinct was to let Touji rot in his

own juices, but the guy looked so pathetically doomed, that

Shinji couldn't help but feel a little merciful.

>>>Asuka: You are to nice sometimes, he clobbers you and you help!

>>>Rei: He has a stout heart.

>>>Shinji: Um, it's not that big a deal.

He did

some quick calculation while someone was reading "(But where

will we find any rubber pants at this hour?)"

>>>Maya: Narf.

>>>Shinji: What?

>>>Maya blushing: Oh nothing.

>>>Asuka: Ouch stubbed my pinky. { He he he}

Scribbling at

high speed, he passed what he hoped were the correct

sentences to Touji on a note, which the teacher didn't

notice, since he was busy chewing out another student for

reading the wrong sentence; apparently that one had done the

same thing as Touji, but failed to notice that the absences

had thrown off the class order.

>>>Shinji: I love it when that happens.

>>>Asuka: How could you not notice giant empty spaces?

At lunch time, Touji came up to Shinji. "I owe you,

man. Umino-sensei was on the rampage today; I think you and

me and Rei were about the only people who were ready. And

Hikari."

>>>Shinji: You were ready because you cheated.

>>>Touji: Still counts.

Shinji blinked. While he did do Touji a favor, he

didn't expect the other boy to become so friendly.

Especially since...

"Um, about your sister..."

>>>Misato: All done, if France doesn't help, Nerv France explodes.

"Huh?" Touji blinked. "Oh, hey, I gave ya a few

good hits already. Figure we're even, yeah?"

Odd logic, but Shinji accepted it with a nod.

"Hey," asked Touji. "Did you get that math homework

done?"

"Yeah, though I still don't understand it."

"Don't understand it? Then how'd you finish it?"

>>>Shinji: Called "Answers in back of book."

>>>Rei: I assisted.

>>>Misato/Maya: Before or after the petting session?

>>>Kids: Petting?

"Rei helped me finish it. She was at my apartment a

few days ago; it was kind of scary."

"Helping you with your math was scary?"

>>>Shinji: You ever stare into the empty eyes of a polynomial equation?

>>>Asuka: Few have lived to tell of the horror.

Touji

agreed Rei was a bit creepy, but the only scary thing about

math was the grades Touji usually got.

"It was like..." Shinji tried to think of a

metaphor and failed. "Rei said she needed help, but she

ended up helping me more than I helped her. It was like she

didn't know why she had come to me to get help."

>>>Misato: That makes NO sense.

>>>Rei: To you.

Shinji opened his bento and nearly fainted. Misato

had insisted on making him lunch, which usually meant that

he got a cup of ramen, but he found a sandwich, a bag of

chips, and an apple.

>>>Asuka: Mugged another co-worker?

>>>Misato: Shigeru owed me one.

Not only was the fact that she had

actually gone to the effort of making a sandwich instead of

simply putting one of her infinite horde of cup ramen into

the box surprising, but the fact that there was actually

fresh fruit in it, when he would have sworn they had no food

that didn't come out of a can or a box or a cup, was quite a

shock.

>>>Rei: That apple doesn't look fresh.

>>>Touji: Is that a worm?

>>>Misato: Aren't those supposed to be in them?

For that matter, they didn't have any fresh bread

that he could remember. Maybe she mugged someone, he

thought, then dismissed the thought.

>>>Maya: He had it but then lost it.

>>>Shinji: Running theme.

Touji glanced over at Rei, who was eating by

herself. "Maybe she likes you."

Shinji's eyes widened. "You gotta be kidding."

"Women'll come up with crazy excuses to spend time

with someone they like."

>>>Misato: Pinch me, Suzahara said something intelligent about women!

>>>Asuka to shocked to speak.

Touji started eating his own

bento, which was full of pickled vegetables and rice. "I...

hey, who's that?" He pointed at a nicely dressed adult

female who was busily talking to two of the other guys in

the class across the yard.

>>>Rei: The walking dead woman again.

She was short with close-cut brown hair with a red

streak over her left ear. Her complexion was disgustingly

perfect in comparison to a class full of students now

starting to 'enjoy the pleasures of acne,' and Shinji

guessed she was around Misato's age. She wore a black

skirted black suit

>>>Touji: What color?

>>>Shinji: Why black, hard to tell isn't it?

with a red tie and held a digital

assistant which she was using to take verbal notes.

Shinji wasn't sure he knew the names of the two

students she was talking to, but he thought they might be

Taiki and Youta. The woman looked was even less familiar.

He'd seen her on TV or maybe in a newspaper or maybe just on

the street.

>>>Touji: Outside the bathroom window as you showered.

>>>Misato: In the hedges as you walk to school.

>>>Maya: Always watching...waiting.

"I don't know. She looks like a professor or

maybe a businesswoman."

"Why'd she be talking to Taiki, then?"

>>>Asuka: Earning money selling smokes to children.

Taiki pointed right over at Shinji and the woman

turned to look at him. He smiled back nervously; she had a

predatory look which made him uncomfortable.

>>>Shinji: That's the look Asuka gives me before...'blushes'

>>>Misato: Really, we need to increase securety at your school.

She walked over

and said, "I'm Megumi Kunzama. I'm from Japan Today. Mind

if I ask you a few questions?"

>>>Rei: Does she have a German accent?

>>>Maya: Maybe she's a neo-nazi.

"You're a reporter?" Touji asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Err...aah...sure," Shinji said. He had a nagging

feeling that talking to her wasn't such a good idea.

>>>Shinji: The red lazer light on her forehead is a dead give away.

"So, I understand you're the third EVA pilot?"

"Yeah," Shinji said. "The second one is off in

another country, though."

"So what sort of training have they given you?"

>>>Misato: Dodging reporters, but he isn't showing much progress.

Shinji glanced across the yard at Rei, who was still

eating her lunch and giving no sign of being aware of what

was going on.

>>>Asuka: Hello Mr. Obvious.

"I've been training intensively since I

arrived. Combat training, synchro training, shooting

practice, all kinds of stuff."

>>>Shinji: I do question the swim suit training. I hate

>>>changing into them

>>>Misato/Maya: But it IS procedure.

>>>Asuka/Rei: It is?

"Did you really go into action on your first day

here?"

Shinji nodded. "I got here only a few hours before

the first Angel attacked."

>>>Rei: It was a few hours AFTER it attacked.

"It was awful," Touji said. "Our apartment got

overrun with spiders and we had to flee. That's why we were

outside when..." He fell silent and stared at the ground.

Shinji was pretty sure he knew what Touji meant. That was

how his sister had gotten injured.

>>>Asuka: You do know about the shelters right?

>>>Touji: She didn't like them, said they were to damp.

I didn't mean to hurt anyone, Shinji thought. "It

was a hard fight, but we beat him."

"So they sent you into battle with no training?"

Megumi asked. The question was casual, but Shinji could feel

the sharp edge.

>>>Asuka: Which was inserted into the reporters chest.

>>>Misato: Security can never be to tight.

"We had no choice," he said. "Rei was injured and

I was the only one who could pilot it."

"Why?" Megumi asked. She stared at him intently,

and he wilted.

"Umm...because..." Shinji had no idea. "Only some

people can pilot an EVA."

"And the fact that the commander is your father had

nothing to do with it? No nepotism at work here?"

>>>Shinji: What father would WANT to put his son in front of a

>>> giant spider!!

>>>Misato: Yours, what a dense reporter.

"My father couldn't care if I lived or died," Shinji

said, staring off at a tree instead of Megumi. His voice

dropped. "I didn't want to do it, but they need me and..."

It had been exciting. He had liked it. Liked it enough to

scare him.

"So what do you think of the other pilot, Rei

Ayanami?"

>>>Touji: A mentalist ninja.

>>>Asuka: A monster in human form.

>>>Shinji: Walking up behind the reporter. 'that a knife?'

"She's creepy," Touji said.

"She's a good EVA pilot," Shinji said. "I hope the

other pilot's as good as her."

"Any truth to the rumor that you two are dating?"

Megumi asked, her voice lightening a bit.

>>>Maya: How could a rumor like that even get started?

>>>Rei: Some rumors are based in fact.

Shinji blushed. "I'm not dating anyone."

"That's enough," Rei said, cutting abruptly into

the conversation. She had come over while they were all

distracted, making her way through the crowd which had

gathered around them. Her red eyes locked onto Megumi's,

seeming to freeze her in place.

>>>Misato: And her head exploded?

>>>Maya: Screamed in terror?

>>>Shinji/Rei: It's not that bad.

"You're not supposed to be

here." Her voice remained flat, but with a hint of menace.

"But I just wanted to ask a fe-"

"Ask Ibuki-san," said Rei. She hooked an arm around

Shinji's and simply dragged him away.

Touji shrugged. "Some guys just can't admit how

they feel, I guess."

>>>Rei: Are you saying I am a male?

>>>Touji: No I meant...etoo...Shinji!

>>>Shinji/Asuka: HEY!

Megumi said nothing, simply watching them go.

-*-

Makoto should have been at work.

He also should have had the hangover that ate New

York.

Neither of these were the case.

>>>Maya: The attractive woman stole his kidneys!

>>>Misato: I knew he was in for it!

When he finally struggled his way to wakefulness, he

found himself in a nice apartment that clearly wasn't his.

Unless he had gotten so drunk he had bought and put up pink

flowered wallpaper, hung new white curtains, painted the

carpet blue and thrown out all his furniture and clothing

and had it replaced.

>>>Shinji: Maybe he should, his taste is awful...what!

>>>Girls: You feeling alright? 'Men don't know about stuff like that!'

Even the time he had gotten so drunk

he thought the vacuum cleaner was out to get him, he hadn't

done anything that bad.

>>>Rei: How could he make that mistake about the vacuum?

>>>Touji: Don't ask...don't ask 'shivers.'

Usually, he didn't get very drunk very often,

anyway. But the previous day he had gotten caught listening

to Misato talking to Dr. Akagi about some old boyfriend of

hers, some guy named Kaji, and it had just made him utterly

depressed. So he had gone out and gotten hammered.

>>>Asuka: But Kaji is with me!

>>>Misato: Then you won't mind letting me sit by Shinji-kun.

>>>Asuka: Yeah about that...'latches onto Shinji's arm'

>>> sorry can't, movie is so scary I need his support.

Now, he was awake, and feeling better than usual,

but he had no idea where he was. There had been a

woman...some blonde who had patiently listened to his entire

story. Maybe she had been kind enough to take him in.

>>>Shinji: Hope thats all she took.

>>>Rei: The human body can be sold for large sums of cash.

Then she walked in the door, wearing blue denim

shorts and a Kyoto Mariners T-shirt. He'd always thought it

strange that a landlocked city like Kyoto had a baseball

team called the 'Mariners,' but since the Mariners'

original home city, Seattle, was now underwater thanks to the Second

Impact, they had moved to Japan. It was hard to understand

why that had happened, unless one considered that they were

already owned by Japanese investors.

>>>Asuka: Why do you Japanese even like baseball!

>>>All: If you have to ask you'll never know.

"Hi, Makoto. I was starting to think you'd sleep

all day," she said. Her name was...Akane. Yeah.

"Akane?"

She walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yes. How much of last night do you remember?"

>>>Touji: I remember pink elephants and emptying my bowels.

>>>Asuka: Pouring his heart out about a girl whose name he

>>> couldn't remember.

"Umm. Drinking. Talking to you. Trying to go

home...that's about it."

She slid a little closer to him. "You forgot the

rest, then?" She sounded disappointed.

"Uh, rest of what?" He hadn't been this close to a

woman since college; he'd had some girlfriends then,

>>>Maya: Really? Him?

>>>Misato: Yeah I find it hard to believe too.

but

since taking a job at NERV, his love life had gone down the

toilet, although getting a crush on his boss hadn't helped

with that.

She reached out and took his hand; he could feel the

softness of her skin and the hardness of the single ring she

wore, a plain band of silver.

>>>Shinji: He is so dead!

>>>Rei: Why?

>>>Asuka: Rings equal marriage.

>>>Rei: Shinji-kun...

It felt warm, which was

strange, given that metal didn't absorb heat from flesh

well. Usually, rings felt cold. "I suppose..." She smiled

a naughty smile. "I'll have to remind you. I'm sure you're

much better sober."

He felt remarkably sober, in fact. "You mean..."

>>>Shinji: He cleaned her house?

>>>Room facefaults, Misato: THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT!

Soon, he was unable to finish his sentence. In

fact, soon, he wasn't able to think about very much at all

that wasn't very intensely physical. The fact that he was

supposed to be at work completely slipped his mind.

>>>Rei tilts head: Is the woman supposed to drug them like that?

>>>Maya: Shut your eyes! She's...um...Major?

>>>Misato: She is manipulating him for selfish reasons, best

>>> leave it at that.

-*-

Maya said, "So this reporter came by and asked you

some questions?"

Shinji nodded. He and Rei were in what passed for

Maya's office, which was basically a cubicle.

>>>Maya: Why do I have such a crappy office?

>>>Misato: You fought with Ritsuko and she kicked you out.

It was full

of stacked folders and bits of computer code taped to the

walls. Other than the Magi terminal, it was a chaotic mess.

A dusty mess. It was clear most of her work was done

elsewhere now.

>>>Asuka raises an eyebrow: Where might that be?

>>>Touji: Spending time with 'sempai?'

>>>Maya eeped and slaps Touji.

"She thought Father picked me because I was

his son. And she wanted to know...I mean...Actually, I

didn't know."

"Know what?"

"Why was I picked? Why any of us? Why are we all

so young?"

>>>Rei: We were born that way.

>>>Asuka/Shinji confused: Does she mean that?

"Well, my understanding is that it has to do with

you being born close to the Second Impact. You know about

how there have been a lot of stillbirths and deformities

since then in new children, right?"

Shinji nodded. "I went to school with a boy with

only four fingers on his left hand. No middle finger." He

shuddered slightly.

>>>Shinji: But that was a kitchen accident.

>>>Touji: How would he flip somebody off?

"Basically, there was a lot of radiation released

in the form of radioactive particles into the upper

atmosphere. It's been slowly raining down ever since. It's

worst at the South Pole, but luckily no one actually lives

there. That's why all the penguins had to be evacuated.

>>>Misato: Always wondered why Pen-Pen was around.

>>>Maya: You never questioned it!?

Anyway, it causes mutations, and most mutations are

malevolent; they either kill the children or cause

deformities. But a handful of those affected develop

benevolent mutations. For example, you've seen Hinako

Kotobuyki, the idol singer, right?"

Rei nodded. "Yes."

>>>Misato: Ayanami...you listen to idol singers?

>>>Rei: Research. I'm trying to learn what males find attractive.

>>> 'gives Shinji an odd look.'

>>>Touji: Cr-e-e-p-y.

Shinji was surprised at that. "Yeah. She's...a

mutant? Isn't she too old?"

"She should be your age, but she looks twenty.

That's a bad mutation, because she's going to have a shorter

lifespan, but she also got a perfect singing voice out of

it. Well, probably. We can't prove it, but it does seem

likely."

>>>Asuka: Sounds like somebody is jealous.

>>>Maya: Why would I be jealous! Just because she beat me

>>> during the final round! That bitch! I mean...

Maya tapped a pencil on her coffee cup idly.

"Anyway, so each of the Children has a special mutation that

greatly enhances your ability to pilot an EVA. Anyone could

try, but most people either can't synchronize at all, or

they can't deal with the experience.

>>>Touji: Then what?

>>>Asuka: Melt. HEY! Misato why DON'T we let Kensuke try?

>>>Misato: We have to many melted candidates already.

You'd have to ask Dr.

Akagi for the details, I'm really a computer specialist.

Anyway, so any pilots we find would be your age at the

oldest. There's probably a five year old somewhere who

would make a great EVA pilot, but we need the oldest people

we can find."

"So I'm...not human?" Shinji asked nervously.

>>>Touji: No he is MEGA-PLAYBOY! His mutation makes woman fawn!

>>>Maya: Actually, according to Ritsuko-san...

"I said you had a mutation. But lots of people

have mutations. You're as human as I am. You just have a

special talent. This isn't some comic book where being a

mutant makes you fire lasers out of your eyes and everyone

will fear and hate you.

>>>Shinji: No, I pilot a giant robot and people fear and hate me.

>>>Rei: You can't fire lasers? 'zaps a fly with her at-field.'

Probably lots of famous people had

some tiny mutation that gave them a little edge in what they

did best. You're just special." She smiled at Shinji in

the sort of way that no one ever smiled at him;

>>>Asuka/Rei: I KNEW IT!

it was a 'Mom smile'.

>>>Asuka/Rei: Damn.

She turned to Rei. "I thought you knew aboutthis."

"I never asked."

"Well, I'll ask Ritsuko to give you two the full

lecture. I'm sure there is one.

>>>Misato: She has a lecture on how to store toilet paper.

Hmm. I suppose I'll call

this reporter and ask her to not pester you. School is for

learning, not for reporters."

"Thank you," Shinji said. "The reporter seemed like

an okay person, but..."

>>>Asuka: Was found in a pool of blood the next day.

>>>Touji: The paper said it was an accident.

A rat scampered across the floor. Maya threw a

folder at it, but it leaped between Shinji's legs and ran.

Shinji got hit by the folder and toppled over onto Rei.

>>>Asuka grinds her teeth: Convenent placement.

>>>Rei: Ibuki-san has poor aim.

They ended up face to face. Rei looked calmly at Shinji as

if this was as normal as breathing. Shinji blushed. He

blushed more when someone spoke.

"Can't wait for somewhere private, Shinji-kun?"

asked Misato with a gleefully teasing voice.

>>>Misato: My office is always open for you.

>>>Shinji blushing: Misato-san!

Shinji leaped off Rei, crashed into the entrance to

another cubicle, and toppled into it, knocking down a pile

of file folders on himself. "It was an accident!"

>>>Touji: That's an understatement.

>>>Rei blushes: Shinji-kun seems to like falling on me.

Rei stood up and dusted herself off. "Another rat,

Katsuragi-san."

"Yeesh, I hope this doesn't mean a giant rat is

going to attack next," she said. "Has anyone seen Makoto?"

"He called in sick around nine," Maya said.

"Akagi-san logged it, I'm sure."

"Well, we're not doing anything urgent, but I wanted

to ask him about yesterday's test results." She shrugged.

"Well, if you two are done slaking your lust, it's time for

some more tests."

>>>Rei: Several more minutes please 'leans her back

>>> against Shinji.'

>>>Maya: Now Rei-chan what did I tell you about lust?

>>>Rei: Only when willing, usually in private, don't kill onlookers.

"Someone help me up," Shinji said feebly from under

a sea of folders.

-*-

The Frederick the Great, a German battleship, had a

human figurehead as it made its way across the Atlantic

towards the Straits of Panama. What had once been a canal

had now become ocean as the rising water level destroyed the

nation of Panama.

While several other nations had been almost entirely

wiped away from the face of the earth, such as Bangladesh

and the smaller, flatter Caribbean island nations, Panama's

annihilation had opened the way for an even greater volume

of ocean going traffic as the area,

>>>Shinji: So nobody cared about those who lost their homes.

>>>Asuka: Needs of the many out weight the few.

now under UN control,

had become toll free. It was one of many areas brought

under direct UN control in the crisis years immediately

after the Second Impact, when only coordinated action had

saved humanity.

>>>Maya: That and post-it notes.

Asuka stood at the ship's prow, watching the waters

part before them in gentle waves. Land could be seen, a

fuzzy blur at the far horizon, brown and green against a

cloudy sky and deep blue waters. She could hardly wait to

make it to Japan.

>>>Asuka: Where the populous will grovel at my feet!

>>>Maya: Has that happend yet?

>>>Asuka: 'leans into Shinji more' part of it.

It wouldn't be Germany, her homeland, but

she was ready for battle, and there was no one to fight in

Germany. Well, no one to fight with her EVA. She was a

little worried, though; what if the next one attacked in

Germany? The base would be destroyed before she could get

back.

>>>Rei: As long as Tokyo-3 is safe.

>>>Misato: WHY DO THE ANGEL'S ONLY ATTACK HERE!

>>>Maya/Shinji: Like the food?

They'd given her a folder on the other two pilots,

but it wasn't very informative. Although knowing they

played musical instruments too was nice. All they needed was

one more person, and they'd have a string quartet, for what

that was worth against monsters...

>>>Pilots: Absolutly nothing, but who cares.

It didn't tell her anything she really needed to

know. Could they fight?

>>>Touji: Nope.

Would they like her?

>>>Misato: One definate, other wants you dead.

Did they get

along or was she going to have to force them to work with

each other?

>>>Shinji: Ayanami and I get along well.

>>>Rei: If anything your being here hindered us.

She was used to doing that; her alleged

'bosses' had squabbled all the time back in Germany.

"Trying to make the boat go faster, Asuka?"

"It's not working," she said, then turned around,

smiling at Kaji, who she was quite certain was the man of

her dreams.

>>>Misato: If dreams are meant to destroy you.

>>>Rei: Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

>>>All: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK.

Sure, he was nearly twice her age, but that was

no barrier to true love, she was sure. He saw her as a

child now, but once he saw her in action, he wouldn't be

able to resist her.

>>>Touji: What 'type' of action?

>>>Asuka: TOUJI! 'dives off couch and tackles him.'

>>>Misato taking her seat: Knowing Kaji, best not ask.

Kaji was a scruffy man in a suit which was missing

a tie and a jacket. He needed to have shaved about two days

earlier, and his hair was a mess. But he did have a certain

rugged handsomeness, and the heart of a fourteen year old

girl was his for the taking if he wanted it.

>>>Shinji: Then the police would have a field day.

>>>Touji: He's a slob, plain and simple.

"I'm sure we'll get there before the next attack."

"I just...are we sure there won't be any attacks in

Germany?"

"Not that you could stop by yourself. We have to

concentrate our forces so you don't all get picked off one

by one."

"But an Angel could attack Berlin and destroy it

before we got back.

>>>Rei: So?

>>>Asuka: So what if it's underwater! It used to be a good city!

I mean, since these things are too big

to carry in a plane and even a plane would take hours and

hours and..."

>>>Shinji: Didn't we use a plan against Jet-Alone?

>>>Misato: Don't contradict the director.

He stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it."

"Do you think I'll be able to get good bratwurst in

Japan?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

Asuka frowned. "Ach. Verdammt."

And so the day went on.

>>>Touji: And nobody cared.

>>>Misato: Kaji spent his time hitting on Asuka.

-*-

Kensuke gazed across the athletics field, where the

solitary form of Rei Ayanami moved amongst her classmates.

He wasn't sure if they were doing it unconsciously or not,

but they seemed to move out of her way much like water

before a shark's fin.

>>>Asuka: Woman's intuition.

>>>Rei: I've trampled enough for them to learn.

"Y'think she likes Shinji?" he asked.

"Why?" asked Touji. "Jealous?"

"Huh?"

>>>Touji: Always wondered that.

>>>Maya: Aida-kun and Ayanami...'looks at her and then Shinji' nope.

"I'd think you'd be into Rei, y'know? She _is_ a

pilot, and you seem to be nuts about that sorta thing."

"Oh. Well, I am, but I have my limits."

>>>Rei: The otaku thinks he is better than me! 'eyes flash.'

>>>Shinji: 'SHIT!' Um...is it important? 'puts hand on her shoulder.'

>>>Rei calms: No.

They watched Rei run; she was fast, faster than the

other girls, even the ones taller than her. And she made it

look easy. He had the feeling she could make them eat her

dust if she really tried.

"So, she might like Shinji?" said Touji.

"I dunno if she even likes herself," replied

Kensuke. "Maybe if someone at NERV told her to like him,

she would. I guess she is the perfect EVA pilot, though,"

>>>Asuka: Did the commander tell you to like Shinji?

>>>Rei: He forbade it.

>>>Misato: So...'smiles' Damn good work Ayanami.

Kensuke said, taking off his glasses and cleaning off the

dust in the air from them with his shirt.

"What's that got to do with her liking Shinji?"

Touji asked.

"Haven't you noticed? She hardly does anything,

other than act creepy, unless the teacher tells her to.

She's like...I'm sure she'd never disobey an order," Kensuke

said. "Although if I was her boss, I'd be scared to give

her orders."

>>>Rei: I have only two bosses.

>>>Misato: Excuse me!

>>>Rei: Stand down Major, I out rank you.

"So, like, do you think she'd..." Touji sounded

thoughtful; this was rare.

"Go to bed with you?"

>>>Rei punches Touji...hard.

>>>Touji: OW! what I do!

>>>Rei: I needed a venue for my rage, you look close enough.

"I suppose she's probably a virgin."

"We're only fourteen, man. I'd like to, but I

mean... And who could do it? With her?"

>>>Misato: I have a guess.

>>>Asuka/Maya: Me too. 'Asuka glaring daggers.'

>>>Shinji/Rei blushing deep: Lets drop this.

"Do what with who?" Shinji asked. He'd just hurled

his javelin. To his surprise, while most of the others had

hurled their javelin further, he had a lot more accuracy

than the others. Too bad accuracy didn't count for much in

the sport. Strength, on the other hand, was something he

lacked. But he had known that before he picked it up.

"So, are you sleeping with Rei?" Kensuke asked

bluntly.

>>>Shinji: WHAT!?

>>>Misato: Answer the question young man.

>>>Pilots: We refuse to answer that question.

Shinji got big eyes. "Who told you something crazy

like that?"

"Just checking. Little Miss Spooky seems to

intervene every time you're in any kind of danger or

threat."

Shinji had a very brief flashback to being saved by

Rei from the first Angel, then her saving him from Touji,

then her intervening to drive off the reporter. "We're

partners. She...I'd do the same for her." Okay, I'd

probably run away and hide, actually, he thought. But I

suppose I should.

>>>Rei: Yes, you should.

>>>Asuka: Women don't need 'protectors!'

>>>Shinji: 'Like night and day those two.'

"She likes you, man," Touji said. "I can tell, you

know. I can just look at people and I know who likes who.

And if there's ANYONE in the universe she does more than

tolerate, you're the one."

"She likes my father," Shinji grumbled.

Touji spun on one foot to face him. "What?! Her

and your father are-"

>>>Rei goes to punch Touji again but Shinji stops her.

>>>Shinji: It's my turn 'punches Touji in the knee.'

Shinji waved his hands back and forth in gestures of

negativity. "No! I mean she likes him. Like a father. Not

a..." He blushed. Please don't let this rumor get around.

>>>Touji: I don't think I'll survive if it does.

"She's watching us," Kensuke said. The other two

looked, and they could see Rei coming around the bend,

looking at them. While they couldn't be sure who she was

looking at, Kensuke and Touji both were sure they knew.

>>>Touji: Mega-playboy with his first score of the show.

>>>Misato: My lil-man is such a lady killer.

Then the coach grabbed Kensuke and told him to go

again, and soon all three were distracted off the topic

entirely.

>>>The group cheers.

-*-

Makoto finally came up for air some time in the

afternoon. He was so exhausted, he could hardly believe

it. Akane looked like she was ready for another round, but

he was almost too tired to breathe. "Wow," he finally

managed to say.

>>>Misato: Weak men are worthless.

>>>Maya: Don't you mean stamana?

She laughed. "It's been a while for me. So you

work for NERV, right?"

He nodded. "Monitor room stuff. I can't really

talk about it. It's so classified, I sometimes wonder if

I'm allowed to even THINK about it, off base."

>>>Misato: Nope, thats why we gave him an implant, one stray

>>>thought and BANG!

He sank back

onto the pillow and mattress as she crawled on top of him,

resting her head on his shoulder and upper chest.

"But you've met the pilots?" she asked. "I'm going

to have to be jealous, if you have."

>>>Rei: Does he not realize she is using physical pleasure to

>>> manipulate him?

>>>Touji: Hell I'd tell her anything she wanted to know.

"Oh yeah. Rei's been at NERV longer than I have,

longer than most of us. Commander Ikari practically raised

her, I understand. And his son, Shinji, just arrived

recently. He's a nice boy; I haven't seen much of him. He

lives with Commander Misato."

Akane sighed. "It must be awful having this new guy

come in and make a move on the woman you love."

>>>Shinji: He hasn't tried to kill me yet, please don't help him?

>>>Misato: It's hard being this popular.

Makoto laughed. "He's only fourteen. She treats

him like her son. In fact, she acts more like his mother

than his father acts like a father to him as far as I can

tell. If they ever became lovers..." The laughter came

louder.

>>>Asuka: She would be found minus her head.

>>>Rei: Shinji-kun wouldn't be found.

"If anyone gets to her first, it won't be Shinji."

"So there's just two pilots? To fight all those

Angels?"

"There's another one, but she's not here yet. She

won't be here for days. I think. So what do you do for a

living?"

>>>Asuka: Sell organs for cash.

>>>Shinji: Corrupt sniveling bridge personel.

"I'm a novelist," she said. "I write romance

novels." She ran a finger up and down his chest. "Right

now, I'm doing a little research." Giggling, she kissed his

cheek. "I bet I could write a very good book about you.

You'll get a happy ending, of course."

>>>Rei: Her lies run deep.

>>>Maya: Men are usually easily 'persuaded.'

>>>Girls look at Shinji: Usually.

He sighed. "I wish I could be sure of a happy

ending."

"You'll do fine," she said. "So what are the two

EVA pilots like?"

"Well, if you put them in your novel, you ought to

name them Creepy and Mouse..." He launched into a long

anecdote about the day he first met Rei which made her

laugh, and then several more stories.

>>>Rei: He poured water on my head.

>>>Shinji: Why?

>>>Misato: Commander put him up to it, he was hospitalized.

She simply listened

quietly, asking a question every once in a while when he

slowed down. And thus they passed the afternoon.

-*-

"Shinji-kun!" Misato said. "I have a very

important mission for you!"

Shinji looked up from his homework. "Huh? Did we

just get a report? Is another Angel attacking?"

>>>Asuka: Please say it is! This is so boring.

"No. I'm out of underwear, so it's time for you to

do the laundry." She pointed at the overflowing laundry

hamper, then at the 'job list,' which showed whose turn it

was to do what chore.

>>>Shinji: Why is your name crossed off?

>>>Misato: It's a hint for you.

"But I've got all this homework."

"I'll do it for you. I'd rather do that than

laundry."

>>>Touji: I'll do your laundry.

>>>Asuka/Misato shiver: You will NOT touch MY underwear.

Eventually, she hustled him out, and he headed down

to the laundromat. He arrived just as the sun set. A half

dozen people were there, but he didn't have to wait for a

machine. He'd taken some paper with him; he didn't trust

Misato to write poetry for him,

>>>Shinji: No more beer poems.

>>>Asuka: Sensei won't accept anymore.

but he thought she could

handle his math homework. Once he got the laundry loaded, he

went to work.

As he tried to think of a way to use the word

'angst,' Rei walked in.

>>>Touji: Irony.

She glanced over at him, and he

smiled feebly and waved. She stared at him, then moved on,

taking her laundry and swiftly loading it into available

machines.

>>>Misato: Yeah she is SO in love him him.

>>>Maya: The total lack of attention, sure fire way of knowig.

Picking up her school bag, she came over and sat

down by him, looking at his efforts. "Haiku?"

"Yeah."

"I lack skill at poetry." She looked at him calmly,

and he stared back, not sure what to say.

"You want help?"

"Yes."

"Um, sure, I can try. Show me what you've done."

Rei's haiku was,

'Five syllable line.

This line is seven syllables.

Five green blades of grass.'

>>>Asuka: I have never seen anything so sad in my life.

>>>Rei: It is in correct form.

>>>Misato/Shinji: That's not the point!

Shinji stared at it, blinking. "Umm...well, you've

got the format right. And it refers to nature, but..."

Unseen by them, two separate pairs of eyes were

watching them. One pair's owner simply clicked a button on

her camera, which she had removed the flash from. The other

chittered and scampered away.

>>>Touji: Then tried to get a piece of cheese from a trap.

>>>Shinji: And died.

-*-

Makoto was surprised to find he had drifted off to

sleep again.

>>>Misato: Non-stop sex tends to do that to a person.

>>>Maya: Speaking from experience?

>>>Misato: What? I um...you see, Stand down Lt. Ibuki.

He was more surprised to wake up back in his

own apartment as if the entire tryst had never happened. In

fact, he wasn't sure that it had. Normally, he would never

have gone to bed with someone the first night he met them,

although it was for the reason that no one ever decided to

sleep with him the first night. Especially not when he

already had a crush on someone else.

>>>Misato: I bet he is still a virgin.

>>>Rei: The "term saving himself for you" comes to mind.

>>>Asuka: Long wait.

He scrambled out of bed and got on the phone. Time

to make sure I still have a job. One way or another, I

definitely missed work today, he thought.

-*-

Under a starry sky, whistles blew and words were

chanted by the old house in the woods near Tokyo-3. It was

a call, a summons which was ancient when men still thought

that banging rocks together to make flint blades was the

greatest invention of all. The whistling had been a bit

trickier then, though.

The stars shone down serenely, slowly moving in

their courses across the heavens, unshrouded by a single

cloud. Aldebaraan hung low in the sky,

>>>Touji: Isn't that from star wars?

>>>Shinji: To bad we can't ask Kensuke.

and Fomalhaut could

be seen far off. The forest was silent, a thing of beauty.

Well, if the five humans making all the noise had shut up,

it would have been silent. As it was, three of them were

trying to chant in unison and failing, another one kept

blowing a silver whistle as if his life depended on it, and

the fifth one was trying to surreptitiously do her nails

while holding a book for the first three. This wasn't

working so well.

>>>Misato: Weakend satanists?

>>>Shinji: Stupid cult members?

>>>Asuka: Televangelists!

Still, the summons was more a formality than a

necessity, and those summoned heard the mangled call.

Indeed, they had heard it before it began; they had to, for

while they were fast, they had a far, far journey to arrive

in time to aid those who served the same master as they.

Slowly, wingbeats broke the not-silence as they

came, descending from the sky into the clearing, the frost

of space still shrouding their limbs, slowly shaking off the

cold that will kill any human. But they had never been such

a frail thing as a man.

>>>Rei: They must open their eyes then, they are surrounded.

>>>Asuka: The humans are corpsicles now.

-*-

"Oh, I did call in sick?" Makoto said into the

phone.

"You must be pretty sick if you don't remember

calling in," was the reply from the night shift secretary.

"But Dr. Akagi logged you as sick. It says you called in

around 9 A.M."

>>>Maya: Your voice was rather feminin but we didn't care.

>>>Misato: We just like having you gone for the day.

He shook his head in disbelief. What a crazy day,

he thought.

-*-

Misato frowned. Maybe I should have done the

laundry, she thought. Math had never been her strong point

and neither was poetry, although she was pretty sure she

already had a haiku she'd written in high school about beer

that she could have scribbled down.

>>>Asuka: You can't do junior high math!

>>>Misato: It was so long ago and you never really need it!

>>>Rei: I question how you attained your rank.

If she had been aware

that Shinji was doing the poetry himself, she would have

been somewhat relieved, but still not capable of doing the

math very well, either.

She scratched out more frantic scribblings and

started over on problem eight. Why are they giving him math

homework, she thought. Math is for science people; it only

gets in the...aha! she thought. I bet I can trick Ritsuko

into giving me the answer to this.

>>>Maya: Have expirence getting people to do work for you?

>>>Misato: Never lifted a pencil during college, batted eyelashes.

As she got up, heading for the phone, she noticed a

humanoid shadow outside her balcony window. Given she

didn't live on the ground floor, she concluded this was

likely bad news, and sprinted for her bedroom. The sound of

breaking glass convinced her that she had chosen wisely. A

few seconds later, the phone began to ring. She ignored it,

getting her handgun and taking cover behind her dresser.

>>>Asuka: Telemarketers! The true evil in this world!

>>>Shinji: Not only on the phone but in person too!

They started trashing her apartment, and with

every breaking noise, a little cash register in her mind

began to tote up the cost of fixing everything. Shattered

glass. 5,000 yen a pane. Broken TV. 50,000 yen.

>>>Asuka: THIS tv?

>>>Misato: So I tacked on a few thousand yen, sue me.

She

heard the refrigerator door open and the sound of beer being

scattered across the room. Hundreds of yen there. There

was a loud squawk of terror. Pen-pen! she thought.

>>>Touji: Glass - 5,000 yen, Tv - 50,000 yen, PenPen?

>>>Shinji: Priceless.

And through it all, the phone kept ringing.

Footsteps in the hallway, getting closer. More

squawking. More wasted beer. She tensed and readied her

gun. They would be framed in the doorway. She could see the

shadow first...it had wings?

>>>Rei: That is not natural.

>>>Misato: No kidding, and here I thought Akagi was playing god.

Then it stepped into the doorway. It was naked and

bipedal, with a black chitinous hide run through with

streaks of grey and blue. On a few places, ice clung to its

wings and its limbs, and there was a faint sheen of moisture

all over it. It had two arms, with ended in thick three

pronged claws, and two legs which it stood upon shakily, its

legs bent unnaturally. Its black leather wings were folded

in somewhat, compacted to allow it passage down the narrow

hallway.

>>>Maya: I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

>>>Touji: It male or female?

>>>Rei: As no appendage is hanging, it would seem female.

Misato stared at it in shock; what the hell WAS

it? She couldn't move, transfixed by a primal fear like

that which traps deer when they gave into headlights. The

room's cheery lamp left yellow highlights on its black hide

and glittered off its disturbingly human eyes, one on each

side of its head, which somewhat resembled a buzzard without

any feathers. Two antennae arched backwards from points

just above its eyes, twitching about independently as it

moved.

>>>Shinji: Simply put its the most hidious thing we've seen.

>>>Misato: Thank you Shinji-kun for the elequant summation.

It looked into the room and sniffed. She tried to

shoot, but her fingers wouldn't move. Her brain felt

stuffed with cotton. It shook its head and stepped back

out, heading down the hallway, where it promptly began to

ravage either Shinji's room or the bathroom. Probably

Shinji's room, she was sure.

>>>Asuka: Why go there? Nothing in it at all.

>>>Shinji: At least I don't have to replace anything.

Pen-pen squawked again, and her volition returned.

She crept over to the doorway and peeked out into the

hallway. The smashing sounds in the living room had

stopped, but there was still some scuttling noises and

periodic squawks from Pen-pen. There's at least two of

these...things, she thought. If the next Angel is a giant

version of one of these things...she shuddered.

>>>Maya: Better that then another spider or a rat.

>>>Touji: It's not so bad after you get used to it.

>>>Asuka/Rei: You CAN'T get used to it.

Well, if I

don't panic THIS time, I should be able to take it down, she

thought. But if there's two...

>>>Misato: Shinji-kun, remind me to get a bigger gun for the home.

At least Shinji isn't here. She had to get out and

alert headquarters. And find Shinji. Even if it means the

house is trashed...how am I going to pay for this? she asked

herself.

>>>Maya: Hazard pay?

While she thought to herself, the creature walked

right past her, ignoring her completely. She blinked in

surprise. It had to have seen the gun, unless it had no

peripheral vision at all. Given the way its eyes were set

into the sides of its head, it probably had much better

peripheral vision than straight forward. Maybe it couldn't

recognize a gun.

>>>Rei: Or it doesn't care.

>>>Misato: Maybe a bullet in the brain will make it care!

As it stepped into the living room, Pen-pen stopped

squawking. She ran down the hallway, raising her gun to

fire. Might as well take them down before they can get away

if they're too dumb to recognize a gun, she thought. Then

she saw there were four of them in the living room.

>>>Asuka: Not to good with predicting the odds are you?

>>>Misato: Only two off, could been worse.

She

froze, and they all turned and stared intently at her. For

an endless moment, they all stared at each other across the

room. Then they turned and departed, finishing off her

window.

The living room was a disaster. Pen-pen was

unconscious, maybe dead, but seemingly unwounded on the

tipped over couch. Shinji's homework was gone. In fact,

she now realized one of the creatures had stolen it.

>>>Shinji: You have got to be shitting me.

>>>Rei: With what little work the Major did, is it so bad?

>>>Misato: I tried at least! Doesn't that count?

I bet his teacher will never believe this, she

thought.

The phone was STILL ringing. She ran over and

picked it up. "Hello?"

It was Ritsuko. "Are you alright? We picked up

unexpected blips on the radar headed for your apartment, as

well as Rei's, the hospital and a few other locations. And

now...moving away from your apartment and hers."

>>>Touji: What could they take from Ayanami's place?

>>>Asuka: Life time supply of dirt and bloody rags.

>>>Rei: I need those.

"We're under attack. Scramble everyone." She

sighed. "You're not going to believe this."

"I can believe quite a bit when there's evidence,

Misato."

"Well, to start with, they stole Shinji's homework.

Secondly, they weren't human. Thirdly, they looked sort of

like...big humanoid insects with beaks and...Anyway, we need

to scramble ground forces. Get the EVAs ready, but we're

probably going to need flying units and ground forces; these

things can go places EVAs can't. And let's see..."

Planning the counterstrike was quite soothing. Misato

needed soothing.

>>>Shinji: And when Misato needs soothing the world shakes.

>>>Maya hushed: Or head boards.

>>>Misato: Did I hear something Lt. Ibuki?

>>>Snickering and an embarised Maya follow.

-*-

Shinji had concluded he would never become a poetry

teacher. "It has a nature reference because it does.

That's just what you put in a haiku. It's like asking why

you don't use broccoli in sushi instead of raw fish."

Rei shook her head. "I would."

"What?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

>>>Touji pointing at the tv: And we see the vain burst in his skull.

>>>Asuka: The Ayanami affect, lack of common knowledge

>>> resulting in death of those around her.

Shinji resisted the urge to strangle her. It wasn't

a very strong urge, anyway. "But do you understand what I'm

saying."

"Yes. Some things are not to be questioned." She

tapped her pencil against one leg in a five/seven/five beat.

"Show me yours."

"Right." He dug around and pulled it out. "Here it

is." It said,

'I stare at the sky,

empty just like my life is,

and wait for the rain.'

>>>Maya: Got depression down.

>>>Asuka: Feels like it's sucking my soul away.

She stared at it. "What will you do when it

rains?"

He blinked. "When it...oh. I don't know. I'm not

sure I even want rain. I've just...I don't know why I'm

alive. Sometimes."

"We live to pilot EVA. That is why we were made,"

Rei said.

>>>Misato: Made?

>>>Maya: Rei, remember what we talked about?

>>>Rei sighs: Yes I was not 'made' or 'created' I was born.

>>>Asuka: Test-tube baby.

Before he could reply, his washer sounded off. It

was time for him to go move his laundry to the dryer. Rei

silently got up and helped him. As they were finishing off,

something caught his eye through the huge glass windows on

the front of the laundromat.

>>>Asuka: Just about anything would distract him from that.

>>>Rei: I will master the social graces yet, you watch.

Something winged and inhuman.

Two of them. Watching him and Rei. Coming towards the

glass. Instinctively, he grabbed Rei and pulled her back

between two of the huge dryer banks.

>>>All Shocked: He did WHAT?

>>>Rei: Shinji-kun saved me 'smiles' this has just gotten better.

Seconds later, the glass shattered inward;

apparently they didn't have much use for doors. The few

people still in the area howled in fear or froze in terror.

One of the two creatures grabbed one of them with a clawed

hand, pulling it close, while the other sniffed the air,

then began to lope over towards the row of dryers as the

first one enjoyed its snack.

>>>Touji: Now thats what I call brain food.

>>>Shinji: Shut up Touji.

The screams of the dying and the sickly sound of

flesh being ripped and bones torn asunder snapped the

remaining people into action, namely running away. Shinji

was terrified, but Rei remained calm. "We must escape," she

said.

"Shhh!" he said, hoping to not draw its

attention. The creature headed over to the dryer which now

held Shinji's clothing and opened the door, sticking its

head in. He blinked in surprise, then got an idea.

>>>Asuka sneers: If he threw Rei at it, he could escape.

>>>Touji: Cold blooded...you are so evil.

Grabbing a hold of the top of the row of dryers, he gestured

to Rei to grab the bottom. She did, but gave him a

quizzical look. Then he shoved with all his might. Not

much happened until Rei straightened most of the way up and

shoved also from above instead of below. The whole row of

dryers, a huge contraption of ten linked machines, stacked

in two rows of five, toppled over onto the creature, which

gave out a great howl.

>>>Misato: Who gave Ayanami steroids?

>>>Maya: Have you gotten into the Nerv cabinets again?

>>>Rei: I ran out of my normal pills.

The first one looked up from its snack, while the

other one twitched feebly under the weight of hundreds of

pounds of metal. Tossing the now headless corpse aside, it

cocked its head and stared at Shinji and Rei with one beady

brown eye.

Its gaze was hypnotic, or perhaps Shinji's earlier

fears simply rushed back in upon him. He stood, and stared,

and slowly, the universe began to fade to black, shrinking

in on him and dissolving into darkness.

>>>Shinji: That happens every time I think about father.

He felt his legs

turn to water, but he never felt himself hit the floor.

-*-

Megumi Kunzama shook her head. She could only

take so many shots of the pilots working on homework.

Still, that would be something none of the other reporters

would have.

>>>Touji: Or care about.

And the pilot romance angle...that would bring

in the readers. She was starting to think it was true.

>>>Misato: Who wouldn't, I mean look at them!

>>>Shinji sits watching with Asuka and Rei leaning on his legs.

>>>Maya: Not the REAL pilots the movie ones.

'Help me with my homework' was a classic ploy of young teens

in love. If even half the information NERV HAD been willing

to give out on the pilots was true, there was no way that

girl could really need help with her homework.

>>>Asuka: Honer-student needs help alright, but not with homework.

>>>Misato: Bet Shinji-kun would help her 'smiles.'

So, she had departed the vicinity of the laundromat

to go get dinner when she saw two...shapes...flying towards

the laundromat. They were faster than her, so they got

there before she did. In fact, she never did get there.

The reason for this was a blur that came streaking

down the street past her. She snapped a photo instinctively,

which she had to develop later, in her hotel room. It

showed her something she wouldn't have expected to see.

>>>Misato: Pen-Pen?

>>>Shinji: Father in a speedo?

>>>Rei: Something 'credible.'

The

girl pilot, Rei, running full tilt down the street carrying

the boy pilot, Shinji, her eyes almost glowing red, though

it was probably just the flash, she was sure. Thinking back,

Megumi was sure the girl was running...very, very fast.

The black streak that shot past in the air a few

seconds later...she took a photo, but when she developed it,

there was nothing there. She never did quite figure out for

sure what it was. But she was glad it had no interest in

her.

>>>Maya: If it had, she'd not be able to use the film.

>>>Touji: It'd be found later and a cheesy movie made about it.

>>>Asuka/Shinji: The Tokyo-3 project!

-*-

Touji was visiting his sister when the alarms began

to go off. "So I was talking to Kensuke and..." He looked

around. "I hope that isn't a fire. I'll stay here until

they throw me out of here." He tried to remember what he

had been about to say. "Oh, right. So we were talking

about whether this Shinji guy...you remember him, right?"

>>>Shinji: I never met her in this movie.

>>>Touji: I told her about you.

>>>Rei: She is in a coma.

>>>Touji: It's the thought that counts!

He

paused, even though he knew she couldn't really answer. It

was simply habit. "Anyway, he really helped me out. I

guess he's not such a bad guy after all. So, we wanted to

know if..."

Gunfire shocked him out of his monologue. He ran to

the door and looked up and down the hallway, then nearly

died as bullets whizzed past him.

>>>Asuka: Sticking your head out in the middle of a gun-fight?

>>>Maya: Suzuhara-kun, you need to have your head examined.

He got a quick glimpse of

a black chitinous creature, or maybe two, at one of the

hallway and four well armed NERV security guards at the

other end. Pulling his head back in, he ran to his sister,

picking her up, and hid under her bed until the shooting

stopped.

>>>Misato: Ripping the IV from her arm.

>>>Rei: Causing more harm than good.

>>>Touji: 'I should leave...this is getting brutal.'

-*-

"You look a lot better than you sounded this

morning," Ritsuko said to Makoto as he settled into his

chair.

"I feel fine now. Must have been a really messed up

hangover," he said. "What are we fighting?"

>>>Touji: Maybe the non-stop sex helped him.

>>>Maya: It was all just the perverts wet-dream.

"They stand to the Angels as a rat stands to us,"

Ritsuko said. "Dangerous to an unarmed human, and

terrifying, but capable of being slain with normal

armaments. We probably don't need to scramble the EVAs to

deal with them, but..."

>>>Misato: I like overkill.

>>>Rei/Shinji: We need the practice.

"But I'd rather be ready, in case this is like the

spiders," Misato said. "Also, we're hoping to find where

they came from and launch a strike, once the spy satellite

monitors give us a proper report."

"And it will be good practice against live, but

not very threatening to an EVA targets," Ritsuko said.

"Also, an EVA might be able to take one alive."

>>>Misato: She going to try cooking them again?

>>>Shinji/Maya: NO MORE ANGEL MEAT! (fyi- Quaranteen Saga)

"Just don't stare them in the eye," Misato

muttered to herself, feeling embarrassed. I should have

done more when they were in my apartment. She fingered her

medallion without being aware of what she was doing.

>>>Touji: She was fi...

>>>Misato: Don't you dare young man...don't you dare.

It was

simply a soothing activity. "I'm going to be cleaning up my

apartment forever," she said. "And how I'm going to

replace everything they broke...I don't know."

"They broke into your apartment?" Makoto asked,

horrified.

"And they stole Shinji's homework."

"No doubt the whole attack was just a diversion to

steal Shinji's homework," Ritsuko said sarcastically.

>>>Rei: Evidence suggests just that.

>>>Asuka: The angels need tutors but are to ashamed to ask!

"Perhaps that's what the Angels are after as well."

"They did!"

Everyone looked at her dubiously, so she simply

ignored them and turned to the screen so she could pout

without them making too much fun of her.

-*-

Shinji woke up dressed in his plug suit, inside his

plug, already inserted into Unit01. "Hey, what's going on?"

>>>Shinji: Who changed me?

>>>Misato smiling: Somebody with a polaroid camera.

A tiny viewscreen window opened. It was Misato.

"We're under attack, Shinji. It's time to get even with the

bastards who trashed my house."

He remembered now. The creatures. He'd squashed

one at the laundromat and then...darkness. "They attacked

our apartment?"

"And stole your homework." He could hear laughter

faintly behind her, and she flushed. "They did!"

>>>Touji: Then Shinji got mad!

>>>Asuka: Over a few mis-answered questions.

He looked at her, clearly confused. Shinji knew

Misato didn't like math, was lazy to begin with, and liked

to joke around, so he had to wonder if this was her way of

squirming out of it. Then again, stranger things have

happened...

"They really took my homework?"

>>>Misato: What do I need to do to get some respect!

>>>Maya: Lay off the Yebisu?

>>>Shinji: Help clean the apartment?

Misato flushed. "They did!" Louder laughter now.

"Dammit. Anyway, you and Rei get to squash them all.

There's three major bands, so we get to practice search and

destroy. Then we'll likely send you to their base, which we

think we've located."

"We'll need a longer extension cord," Shinji mumbled

to himself.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Nevermind."

"Ready, Rei?" Misato asked.

>>>Maya: Isn't she always?

A tiny viewscreen of Rei appeared. "Yes."

"Let's go, then. Launch the EVAs."

-*-

Gendo looked at a topographic map and compared it to

the viewscreen in his office. His second in command stood

nearby, looking over his shoulder. "Satellite reports

indicate here." A finger stabbed down.

Gendo looked over at him contemplatively. "A bit

more creative an assault than I expected, I have to admit.

A reminder not to underestimate ants; a swarm of weaklings

can win through numbers where a lone champion loses through

strength."

>>>Misato/Shinji: STOP WITH THE RIDDLES!

>>>Asuka: No culture, I can finally tolarate the man.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Alert the armed forces. A good bombing never

hurts."

>>>Touji: The one doing the bombing.

>>>Rei: The bombee's never feel it either.

-*-

Shinji ran amuck. The only hard part about killing

the creatures with an EVA was hitting them; it was like

swatting flies. If you hit, they died, but they were pretty

small and agile in comparison to an EVA. Rei's EVA was

splattered with purple-black goo from dead winged beasts,

but the stuff just ran off his EVA onto the ground. One had

tried to attack Unit00's left eye,

>>>Shinji: Left eye?

>>>Asuka: When did cyclops grow the second?

but Rei had trapped it

with the mandibles that her EVA now possessed, then ripped

off its head. It still hung at mouth level, apparently

forgotten.

>>>Misato: Haven't taught her about cleaning her face have you?

"Try to take one alive," Misato repeated for the

eighth or so time.

This was easier said than done. It reminded Shinji

of the goldfish game often found at festivals, where you

tried to flip a goldfish out of the tank and into a smaller

bowl or bag or some such thing, using a fragile net. He

always ended up breaking the net or killing the goldfish.

His 'net' wouldn't break, but he was leaving a trail of

'goldfish' in his wake.

>>>Shinji: Oh well, never liked goldfish anyway.

>>>Asuka: Dumb dirty fish.

He had trouble making subtle

motions with his EVA. A strike, a crushing blow, smashing

things...that was easy. He was fairly certain he couldn't

use EVA to write a kanji yet, or grab something with less

than heavy force yet.

"They die easily," Rei said. "We need a net."

"Ahh, perhaps you can use an AT-field to confine

one," Ritsuko said. "Cup your hands around one and

concentrate on generating the field. That should do it."

>>>Shinji: So we're now we really are children.

>>>Touji mockingly: Catch the butterfly Shin-chan.

"Right," Shinji said, as the last squad of whatever

they were closed in down the long street that Unit00 and 01

stood on. "What are these things?"

"For lack of a better name, we're designating them

as 'Cherubim,'" Ritsuko said. "They are like Angels, but

much lesser. Essentially, we can think of a sixth kingdom

of life forms, distinct from the ones we are familiar with.

>>>Misato: And the pilots die as they listen to the lecture.

>>>Maya: She does ramble on from time to time.

Both they and the Angels belong to that kingdom of life,

which is quite distinct from ours, but Angels are much

greater, in the same way that a human and a termite are part

of the same Kingdom, but one is more important than the

other."

It wasn't a perfect explanation, but it was good

enough for Shinji. And the name was comforting, even if the

things looked little like the image he had of Cherubs. To

name a menace was to lessen it, to make it knowable. It

helped.

>>>Asuka: Not like the 'angels' look like angels anyway.

Catching one the way Ritsuko advised was still not

easy. The Cherubim buzzed around like a swarm of bees,

evading Unit01's flailing arms and Unit00's more careful

movements. At one point, he accidentally slapped Unit00

upside the head, knocking it down and crushing a Cherub

against the side of its head.

>>>Touji: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

>>>Misato: If Rei gets mad, bad. She'd kill Shinji.

Fortunately, Rei did not retaliate. Instead, she

began to herd one of them towards Unit01 with a series of

one handed blows deliberately aimed to force it to dodge

towards Shinji. Unit01's hands then came together, forming

a bowl, and as he focused, his hands glowed. "I think I've

got it!" He felt excited. It had worked!

"Good job, Shinji. Bring it back to base. You can

finish the last few off, right, Rei?"

"Yes."

Shinji looked up, hearing multiple engine noises

closing in somewhere above him. The jets zoomed past,

heading to the northeast. "What was that?"

>>>Misato: Something wonderful.

>>>Asuka: Death from above!

"Nothing you need to worry about right now," Misato

said.

-*-

"Target acquired," Captain Hikaru Hibino reported.

"Fire."

Missiles, followed by bombs, streaked from the sky

into the small house in the woods. In seconds, it was

reduced to a flaming pile of charred boards, shattered

bricks, and ash.

>>>Rei: Death was dealt quickly, odd from the Commander.

>>>Misato: 'I' ordered the raid, bastards pay from breaking

>>>my stuff.

Captain Hibino enjoyed destroying things, although

she rarely got to do so. The best part of it was blowing up

all the cars, though, especially the Porsche, which reminded

her too much of the car an ex-boyfriend of hers had driven.

Seeing it burn made her grin. The death of the Corolla

wasn't as much fun, and the trashed SUV wasn't too much of a

thrill, but she kept turning over the image of the burning

Porsche in her mind. And life was good.

>>>Touji: Shinji, I so pity you.

>>>Shinji: Why?

>>>Touji: One day that could be...

>>>Shinji caught on...and Life wasn't good.

-*-

"Are you okay, Touji?" the class president asked.

She was a brunette, and somewhat cute, but often rather

brusque. Not this time.

Touji had a bandage on part of his head. "I got

grazed by a bullet during the attack on the hospital," he

said. "I stuck my head out into a fire fight."

>>>Touji: Guess that doesn't sound to smart does it.

>>>Maya: Another inch and you'd be in a coffen

"So one of those monsters attacked you?" Kensuke

asked. Everyone was out in the yard of the school eating

lunch.

"A couple of them broke into the hospital," Touji

said. "Some attacked Rei and Shinji at the laundromat,

too."

The small crowd of students turned and stared at

Shinji, who blinked. "Uh, yeah."

Kensuke got an evil smile. "So you and your

girlfriend make out at the laundromat?"

"We were NOT making out!" Shinji shouted, drawing

more stares.

>>>Misato: Make out someplace else then?

>>>Maya: Now Rei, the lessons?

>>>Rei/Shinji: Can we drop this?

Megumi walked across the yard towards them, keeping

an eye on Rei, who was eating by herself. What a shy girl,

she thought. But how did you...There was something unusual

about her, Megumi was sure. No normal person could run so

fast.

>>>Rei: She is just asking for her demise.

>>>Shinji: I guess she really wants into the obituaries.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. You should

be sitting with your woman, Ikari," one boy said. "Or does

she scare you too?"

"You shouldn't be scared of her!" Shinji

protested. "She fights to protect all of you too!" He felt

something, like a warmth at the back of his head.

>>>Shinji: A red dot?

>>>Asuka: Somebody with a magnifing glass?

Rei was looking at him now, he knew.

>>>Rei: I can be warm when I wish.

>>>Misato: Hope he doesn't burst into flames.

Megumi stepped forward. "Got a minute, Ikari-kun?"

"I...uh...They told me to not talk to reporters,"

Shinji said nervously. He could feel Rei was coming.

"So are you and Ayanami-san really dating?" The

notepad was out; the woman was in full reporter mode.

"No! We're not dating! I just helped her with her

homework!"

>>>Asuka: Who helped who now?

>>>Rei: I lack Haiku skills.

Rei had arrived very swiftly. "Go," she said to

Megumi.

"I can tell you about my adventure in the hospital!"

Touji said as Megumi and Rei stared each other down.

"I'll talk to you later," Megumi said, finally,

turning and walking away swiftly.

Rei turned to go, but Shinji took her arm. "Why

don't you eat with us, Rei?" he asked quietly.

>>>Touji: We actually want to eat in peace?

>>>Shinji: Say that again and you'll have to drink your meals.

She stared at him, looking for something on his

face, something that he couldn't tell what it was. Then she

softened, ever so slightly. "Okay." She went to go get her

food.

Kensuke whispered, "Shinji's got a girlfriend."

Shinji blushed.

>>>Shinji blushed, Rei blushed, Asuka was pissed, Misato laughed.

>>>Asuka: Just wait for my arrival!

-*-

"Read yours now, Ayanami-san," the teacher said,

straightening his glasses. It was language and literature

class, and they were reading their haikus to everyone.

She stood, as had the others before her, and read in

a monotone.

" I pilot an EVA.

Under heaven's gaze, I fight.

That is why I live."

She stood and waited for judgement.

>>>Asuka: And Kami-sama wasn't pleased. She rained thunder!

>>>Maya: And I thought Shinji's was depressing.

He nodded. "Good use of the form, Ayanami-san.

Usually, one writes about something one is observing,

although that observation may bring one to greater

understanding of one's own situation, but you did what I

told you to." Rei smiled a tiny smile.

>>>Touji: Thats a damn lie!

>>>Shinji sighs again: What is wrong with you people!

>>> look at the clef of her chin! See it's obvious!

>>>Misato: If you say so...I can't see it.

"You may sit down,Ayanami-san."

"Touji-san, you are next."

Touji stood nervously, accidentally crumpling his

piece of paper. He carefully flattened it out, then read it.

"The class president

Really needs some larger breasts.

But still, she is cute."

He stared at the paper. "Hey, I did NOT write this!

KENSUKE!"

>>>Asuka: In her absence 'smacks Touji.'

>>>Maya: If he really talked to her like that, no wonder she's

>>> visiting Shinji now.

Kensuke began to snicker, at least until the class

president began to beat him to death.

>>>Asuka: GO HIKARI!!

-*-

Ritsuko watched the creature hurl itself at the

glass again. She sighed. "It's going to kill itself at

this rate." The Cherub didn't look very healthy, although

it hadn't looked very natural when it was brought in,

either. It was starting to fade, to turn the same sickly

grey the first Angel had turned just before it died, the

same color as the flakes that were all that remained of it.

>>>Misato: Bad case of dandrif?

>>>Shinji: Needs special shampoo then.

"Maybe it's too hot. I mean, it lives in deep

space, right?" Maya asked, standing by her. "And maybe it

can't take long term exposure to oxygen? Or maybe it's

photosynthetic."

Ritsuko blinked. "Hmm. You may be right. I wish

we had more in order to test...it might die before we find

the right thing."

>>>Asuka: Aren't you lil' miss answers.

>>>Maya: It's my job.

"Or perhaps it just can't stand captivity," Maya

said. "Some creatures wither away in captivity and die. Or

maybe it's moulting or..."

"I do remember my biology classes," Ritsuko said,

just a little sharply.

Maya blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean

to...Computers are my specialty. I wish I knew as many

different kinds of things as you, though, Akagi-san."

>>>Touji: You could feel the admiration from here.

>>>Misato: Are you 'sure' you don't swing that way?

>>>Maya blushing: Leave me alone!!

Ritsuko nodded, and smiled again. "I know you just

wanted to help." She turned to go. "Well, staring at it

won't help. I need to go check the chemical tests."

Maya nodded. "And I need to go over the reports

from the big fight." She took a final look at the creature.

"I wonder what I would do if I was trapped in a cage like

that."

>>>Misato: Bet Gendo knows.

>>>Shinji: Why would father know that?

>>>Misato:...

"When you are doomed, it's best to go down

screaming into the dark, taking your enemies with you and

fighting to the death," Ritsuko said. "I think it's trying

to escape. I respect it for that."

"I think it wants to die," Maya said. "Poor

thing."

>>>Asuka: You say that now, what about when it was eating

>>>peoples heads?

"Then it is a coward that deserves the death it

desires," Ritsuko said from the door. "I have never

surrendered to anything, even when it was inevitable.

>>>Shinji: That sounds really stupid if you ask me.

>>>Misato: Aren't you fighting the inevitable Shinji-kun?

>>>Shinji gulps as Asuka and Rei press harder against his legs.

And I

won't. I won't give up. There's always a cure. Always."

She walked out swiftly, slamming the door.

Maya frowned. A cure? A cure to what?

>>>Misato: Her nasty personality.

>>>Asuka: Some friend you are.

She's not sick, is she? Maya didn't want to think about that

possibility.

-*-

Makoto saw a shadow lurking over him as he sat in

his cramped, rarely used cubicle. You'd think a secret

agency capable of building an entire city that sinks into

the ground could build adequate office space in the process,

he thought. "Hello?"

>>>Shinji: Just expand the Geo-front for useless office space.

>>>Asuka: I say do it, if it means I get an office.

Misato dropped a letter in his lap. It was a pink

envelope with little red hearts all over it. "Somebody

likes Makoto," she said in a sing-song voice. "So where

have you been hiding her?"

>>>Asuka: Bet in a box under his bed.

>>>Touji: No to easy to rip it when you...bring..it..out...

Makoto blushed. "I...I don't know what you're

talking about." He fumbled with the letter.

"C'mon, open it. I bet she scented the letter with

perfume. Hmmm...She knew to send it here." Misato grabbed

it back and held it to her forehead. "Could it be...Maya?"

He snatched it back. "Maya has someone else on her

mind, I'm sure."

>>>Misato: From the looks of it her 'sempai.'

>>>Maya/Shinji: MISATO!

"If you don't open it, I will!" Misato said,

lunging forward to grab it. They wrestled around in

Makoto's chair, the letter changing hands a dozen times.

Finally, the chair toppled over, crashing to the

ground, and knocking the cubicle wall over on one side.

"Hmm. I see you're busy," Ritsuko said. "When you

two are done, I need to see Misato." She turned and walked

away.

>>>Rei: Makoto seems very happy.

>>>Touji: What man wouldn't!!

Misato leaped off Makoto and ran after her. "I was

just trying to find out who his girlfriend is!"

As they passed out of sight into the nearby

elevator, he heard Ritsuko say, "I suppose he had it written

on the inside of his underwear or something?" The elevator

door closed before Misato could reply.

>>>Misato: Knowing him yes, he can't even remember MY name.

>>>Asuka: Heaven forbid that.

Makoto looked around. Everyone else was gone. He

set his chair back up and nervously opened the letter.

There was no return address. It held a simple note, scented

of lilacs. "Had a wonderful time. I'll send you the first

few chapters of 'Forbidden Love in NERV' when I finish them.

>>>Asuka: Enough forbidden love to go around.

>>>Touji: Enough pairings to have authors writing for years.

I've got to go plan getting even with a few people who've

caused me some trouble lately right now, but I'll come see

you again when I can. Good luck with Misato. Hugs and

Kisses, Akane Toshiba."

He slumped down into his chair. It had been real,

he thought. But how did she...why did she...his head spun

for quite a while.

>>>Maya: That is why you never do 'that' on the first date.

>>>Rei: Matoko is a security leak, we must 'terminate' him.

-*-

Megumi slumped down onto her hotel bed, tired. I

wonder what my editor will think of all this, she thought.

If he won't publish it, it'll come for naught anyway, but...

>>>Touji: Always the internet...

>>>They all bust out laughing.

She picked up the sheaf of pictures; she had

developed them herself, to avoid them 'vanishing' at the

photomat. One by one, she went through them, then paused.

One of them was missing. The photo of Rei carrying Shinji

at high speed. It had been replaced by a picture of Rei

running track. No note, no threat, but someone...someone

had to have done this. Right?

>>>Rei: No.

I couldn't have dreamed that, she thought. Surely not.

>>>Misato: All a dream...thats right all a dream.

>>>Shinji: Forget...forget...forget.

-*-

"Elegant," Gendo said, as he sat at his desk. "But

she will likely be trouble."

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "Not guided properly.

If we lead her, poke her, prod her,

>>>Asuka: HENTAI!!!

give her bits of

harmless information, such as pictures of the pilot in

school...she will get a reputation for knowing the inside

scoop without really knowing anything. Indeed, we'll be

able to leak things to her and get them spread around

without anyone finger us.

>>>Misato: DON'T YOU EVEN THINK IT SUZUHARA!

>>>Touji: Sorry.

>>>Rei: What does that mean?

>>>Maya: Oh hell.

After all, surely what we want

people to believe is all in our press releases, right?" He

sat down.

Gendo blinked, then smiled. "Alright, I'll allow

this. It does have potential." He picked up the photo on

his desk. "Those fools don't really understand what Rei

is," he said.

"And we do?"

>>>Misato: I'd have to say no.

>>>Rei: Shinji does.

>>>Touji/Asuka: Lot of good that does us.

the older man said gently. "Just

because our methods were less crude than the Massachusetts

experiments doesn't mean we fully know what we've

unleashed."

"She will do what we want. When the time comes, she

will be the key to the door we must unlock. That is how and

why she was made. And if she proves unsuitable,

replacements will be ready."

>>>Rei: Like hell.

>>>Shinji: Misato?

>>>Misato: Yes, if he tries you can grind him to paste.

"If we ever get them to stay mentally stable,"

Fuyutsuki replied. "DAGON has caused quite a few

casualties, more than any of our other projects." He paused.

"Almost more."

"The Fount is not unguarded now," Gendo said. "No

fools will stumble into it." He rose. "I must go and

confer with my 'superiors' now."

>>>Shinji: So thats why the water fountain has guards!

>>>Rei: I enjoy untouched water.

"Will the Second Child arrive before the next

attack?"

"Our scouts indicate he has not yet awakened, though

he stirs. And when he does...it will be a long swim from

where he slumbers. Although I would not wish to be living

in Toronto this year," Gendo said, walking towards the door.

"This would be much easier if we could simply order him

transferred to a secure facility, but..."

"Even we have our limits. Everything has limits,"

Fuyutsuki said. "And we must remember them or be broken by

them."

>>>Misato: I know my limits.

>>>Shinji: So do I, 20 cans Yebisu or 7 shots of hard liquour.

"Mankind exists to transcend its limits," Gendo

said. "I will not be bound by limits." He closed the door

behind him.

>>>Maya: Or age limits.

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "It is the job of the

young to hurl themselves at the limits which their elders

know cannot be breached. But as to which of us is

right...history will tell." He started for the door, then

muttered to himself. "If history itself is not about to be

at an end."

>>>Touji: BITCHEN! No more studing!

>>>Shinji: He didn't mean the class!

-*-

- end part 3 -

-*-

>>>End MST PART 3

Rei: It is growing in intensity.

Asuka: You're losing your creep factor, it sucks.

Misato: Now now don't get all bent out of shape, only

three of twenty something.

Touji: Long way to go isn't it.

Shinji: Understatement, wonder what's going to happen next.

Misato: I know!

Maya: You do?

Misato: Yup, we play poker!! Winner of hand is dealer of next!

Asuka/Rei: Do we have to?

Touji: Is it strip poker?

Misato: No Touji it isn't.

Shinji lets out sigh of relief: I'll set the table.

And he does, the table is set and they crowd around it.

Maya: I can only stay for a few hands, it's getting late and I

still have some things to do at my apartment.

Rei: Ibuki-san...

Maya: Yes you may spend the night, as long as you follow Misato's

instructions.

Asuka: You get the couch!

Misato: Fine fine lets play! 'She deals the cards out.'

Players look at their hands, Misato and Maya notice sutle hints

from all the children about their hands.

Maya: 'They may not notice but Ayanami is easy to read.'

Asuka: 'Damn wonder girl! can't tell a thing' Give me a card.

Shinji: 'Should I tell them Maya taught me about this game in the

quaranteen?'

Rei: Two cards.

The players went round table a few times until...

Rei: two pair.

Asuka: Full house ten's over sevens.

Touji: One pair.

Maya: Nothing.

Shinji: Um...

Misato: Now Shinji you have to show us.

Asuka: Isn't it obvious! I won!

Shinji: Straight flush.

Asuka: BAKA!!

Misato: Shinji wins a total of 3500 yen.

Misato passes the cards to Shinji to be dealer.

Game progresses like the previous until.

Misato: Raise 5000.

Asuka: Damn it! I'm out...

Touji: I don't have that type of money!

Rei: Ibuki-san?

Maya: No loans. I raise 2000.

Shinji: 'This is getting pricy!'

Misato: 'I can't lose with these cards! I'll milk her!' Raise 1000.

Maya: 'I really need the money...' I see your 1000 and raise

another 3000.

Misato gasps: 'Shit I don't have that much.' Ok...I see 2000 and

throw in Shinji's services for a week!

Shinji: WHAT!

Asuka/Rei: You can't do that!

Touji: I thought men were the pimps.

Misato: NOT LIKE THAT! He'd cook, clean, and I'm his guardian

so I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!

Shinji: 'Oh hell that didn't just happen.' Cards.

Misato triumphantly: Eat it four of a kind!

Asuka: YES!

Rei: I am relieved.

Maya smiles softly: Sorry Misato but...'lays down

another straight flush'

Misato's face loses its color: No...no way!

Asuka: MISATO!!!!

Maya: Well I must be going, lets roll Shinji-kun.

Shinji stands on shaky legs: Um...see you all later I guess.

Rei: Ibuki-san...

Maya: You can't stay at my place Rei, 'gathers her winners and

they leave.'

Touji: At least I'm still here 'smiling.'

Misato's face turns wicked: Yeah, we need a punching bag about now.

Asuka: I am so pissed right now!

Rei flashes her at-field: Must releave the tension.

A good beating will help.

Touji's painful screams are heard late into the night...

around 3 in the morning he arrives home with multiple

cuts, bruieses, and black eyes.

----------------------------------------------

MST Author notes.

Another chapter done!!

Hope you like it. Touji will be fine so don't worry.

Setting things up for a few different mst'ers in next

chapter.

still wanting more game ideas and truth or dare suggestions

so keep them coming!!

Ideas? Questions? Comments?

email me!!

requests?

still taking them, dispite the slower turn around.

Damn being back in school :) Universities take so much time.

Ja-mata

Zentrodie (zentrodie@secondimpact.com

www.geocities.com/zentrodie.geo)