The Characters and concept of Neon Genesis Evangelion are property of Gainax. I created this "scenario" in the spirit of the TV series. I made it in the hope that it would open up people's minds and give something to a series that really touched me. This little series that I have created is a piece of fan fiction thought up by yours truly, so if you are going to copy or distribute this work, please give credit where it is due, k? Now enjoy!

Background:

Let's see if I can bring you up to speed, if you have, by chance, forgotten the last Chapter of SBTA.

In Chapter Four, Shinji was released into Misato's tender, but carefree hands. In her mind, what was a better way of celebrating the most recent victory over the Angels than with a nice, friendly party out in the country.

Shinji's weak objections not withstanding Misato's determination, the Third Child found himself at a party with the other Children and several of the key personnel from NERV. Unfortunately for Misato and Asuka, Lieutenant Karpov discovered the party and invited herself and Hikaru. Sparks soon flew between Asuka and Hikaru, driving Shinji to seek some peace and quiet elsewhere.

Out in the forest, a recovering Ritsuko found Shinji and the two end up having a heart to heart. It is then that Shinji learned of Ritsuko, her relationship to his father, and her somewhat dark genesis with NERV.

While shocked by all that was being told to him, Shinji comforts Ritsuko with a gentleness that surprises the doctor. All was calm before Shinji's friends found him and dragged him back to the party, a silently amused Ritsuko in tow. On the way back, Touji's big mouth got him and his fellow males in trouble with the girls in the group. The resulting Volleyball game was anything but friendly...

In the meantime, Rei Ayanami found herself learning about the art form called music. Guided by the local musician, Shigeru, Rei learned to play the guitar well, far too well for her first time.

We left off last time as a dark shadow was moving toward the modern-day fortress of Tokyo-3...

--------------------------------------------

(Darkness. Darkness and padding. Consciousness is slow to come and the unfamiliar surroundings do nothing to reassure the boy. He is naked and alone. His breathing is the only sound in the chamber.)

Shinji (lifting his face off the floor): H-Hello?

(Silence)

Shinji: Where am I?

(Silence)

Shinji (fear creeping into his voice): W-What's going on?! Anyone?! HELLO?!

(Silence)

Voice: You are alone.

Shinji (eyes searching): W-Who is that?!

Voice: We are here alone. They have abandoned you.

Shinji (backing into a corner): W-What are you talking about?

Voice: You tried to kill them all and now they have abandoned you.

Shinji: ...!!

-------------------------------------------

(The Katsuragi apartment is silent except for a dripping sink somewhere. Hikaru quietly sits down at the kitchen table and pulls a pack of Tarot cards from the pocket of her shorts. She begins to set the cards out on the table before her, her eyes serious and a little red.)

Asuka (coming up behind the girl, her voice hoarse): What are you doing?

Hikaru (her hands moving with simple ease over the cards): Seeking answers.

(Asuka sits down in the chair across from the other pilot, crossing her legs on the seat. She is in a pair of dark shorts and a yellow tank top. Her face is a little pale and her shoulders are stiff.)

Asuka (quietly): I don't need a sitter. I don't know why Misato thought that I should be with someone. I'm...fine.

Hikaru (snapping a card down): I don't think that any of us are fine, Second Child.

Asuka: ...

(Hikaru begins the Tarot reading. Her motions are smooth and practiced.)

Hikaru: Besides, we might as well be together than apart. There is strength in numbers, right?

Asuka (looking toward out the window at the overcast sky outside): I don't know about you, but I stand on my own.

Hikaru (calmly): But should you if you don't have to. You don't have to prove anything to me, Soryu. I believe that you think you are strong.

Asuka (fuming, her voice cracking): And you don't believe me?

Hikaru: No one can be strong one hundred percent of the time. It is usually the ones who believe they are invincible that fall the hardest.

Asuka: ...

Hikaru (looking down at the card before her, her eyes going wide): ...!

Asuka (crossing her arms carefully): What? Find your answers?

Hikaru (slowly shaking her head): ...he will have a choice.

Asuka (closing her eyes): A choice...

(Thunder rumbles in the distance.)

-------------------------------------------

(The rain comes up suddenly, washing over the site with a vengeance, making dirt turn to mud and blood thin.)

Misato: ...

(Trees for kilometers around are flattened and snapped like match-sticks. This part of Tokyo-3's border seems like some giant child had thrown a tantrum and had taken its anger out on the earth.)

Natasha (grimly): ...you've done this before.

Misato (looking up at the umbrella that the Lieutenant raised over their heads): Sort of. I don't know what's worse; looking for clues or the waiting.

Natasha: The boy...has there been any word?

Misato (closing her eyes): No...

(FLASHBACK: Ritsuko (turning toward Misato): It's all up to him, Misato.

Misato (trembling): Isn't there anything you can do?

Ritsuko (looking out the window at the site below the VTOL craft): It was his choice. It wasn't like there was much else that could be done-

Misato (harshly): That was no choice! It was him or them! It is so cruel!!

Ritsuko (looking gravely over at Misato): ...if it helps at all, know that I will be with him every step of the way. You will be the...first to know if all goes well.

Misato (looking out the window): Thank you...

(Present)

Misato: I would never have thought... When he first came here, he piloted EVA because we told him to. That's how he moved through life. He was like a robot, never showing what he was really feeling, doing what you asked him to. But, he's changed. It was a slow process and not without it's bumps... And now...now to lose him like this-!

Natasha (quietly): He's not gone, yet, Major. They might not look it, but these Children have more strength than any of us could know.

(Misato looks away from the Lieutenant and gazes at Unit 01's hand, which lays not thirty meters from the two women. It was cleanly severed at the wrist. Its position seems to be one like a claw...)

Misato: ...we hope.

---------------------------------------------

(Fuyutsuki finds the Supreme Commander on an isolated catwalk, watching as Evangelion Unit 01 is slowly lowered into the pool of stasis fluid.)

Gendo (quietly): This is an unnecessary measure. We all know that there is no threat of contamination from Unit 01 any longer.

Fuyutsuki (bracing his hands on the rail of the catwalk): The Committee is already up in arms about the whole incident to begin with. Do you wish to push them further by not taking a few minor precautions?

Gendo (face grim): ...

Fuyutsuki: Who would have thought-

Gendo: He is too soft. We would have handled the problem, eventually.

Fuyutsuki (looking over at the Supreme Commander): How can you say that? I doubt he would have wanted to live that way.

Gendo: He came through the Unit 03 incident stronger. This would be no different.

Fuyutsuki: ...can you be certain that we would have been able to handle this without his intervention?

Gendo (gazing at Unit 01's grinning face): We would have found a way.

Fuyutsuki: At the cost of Rei, Asuka, and Hikaru?

Gendo: Unit 01 and its pilot are far more important to our survival than those pawns.

Fuyutsuki (looking back to the horrible creation): ...I think I will reserve judgment on that matter.

Gendo (cynical): You are entitled to your opinion, professor...as always.

(The two men gaze at the EVA, their eyes going over the EVA's severed wrist, cracked armor, and gaping mouth.)

Fuyutsuki: ...we can only pray now.

Gendo: ...

Fuyutsuki (after a long silence): Can you still say that we don't need the UN's help?

Gendo: We are fine as we are. Unit 04 was bad enough.

Fuyutsuki: Ikari, we are at the epicenter of this conflict. We can't afford to turn down help when it is offered.

Gendo: ...the designated pilot is unacceptable.

Fuyutsuki (incredulously): So you're saying that the UN should just flush the Core down the toilet?! Do you forget what we are dealing with here?!

Gendo: That fact is never far from my thoughts, Professor.

Fuyutsuki: ...you will not be able to hold them back forever, Ikari. Would you sacrifice Mankind for your pride?

Gendo: I will not work with worthless tools.

Fuyutsuki: Worthless...tools.

Fuyutsuki (thinking): Can you even hear yourself anymore, Gendo?

Gendo: If there is no other choice, I will consider the new EVA. Otherwise, the UN can do as they will with the Core.

----------------------------------------------

 Maya (softly): Ma'am, I don't know if I can do this.

(Ritsuko and Maya are sitting in a darkened room by themselves. While both are completely competent, the real reason for them being alone is because of the very nature of their mission. Only a choice few could even know about what the two women are dealing with.)

Ritsuko (a cup of coffee in her hand as she gazes at the view screen): Would you leave me to do this myself, Maya? Would you abandon him?

Maya (bowing her head slightly): Ma'am... B-But we might as well do that! That's what he thinks!

Ritsuko (sighing softly): We can't afford to reveal ourselves. Shinji must do this himself. We cannot allow the Entity to hide itself.

Maya: ...

Ritsuko: And no matter what you may think, Maya, I'm just as concerned about Shinji as you are...

(The younger woman looks back at the doctor and finds Ritsuko gazing at the view screen, her eyes very solemn. On the screen, Shinji is curled up in a ball, his eyes staring at nothing...)

------------------------------------

Asuka: You always think too much. You never just accept things as they are. You are so stupid!

Shinji (looking over his shoulder): Why can't I question things? What's wrong with knowing?

Rei: You seek the truth...then you run away from it when it is too much to bear. Is this logical?

Shinji: But why shouldn't I run away?! What is there to be gained by standing there and just taking it?

Hikaru: Life is full of those special little lessons. If you gamble nothing, then you don't earn anything.

Shinji (looking hopeful): Maybe I'm happy the way everything is!

(Flash of memory: Hand wrapped around another's throat.)

(Shinji staggers and shakes his head.)

Misato: You are still running away. You don't trust others to help you.

Voice: You don't accept help when it is offered.

Shinji (bowing his head): Because people usually want something in return.

Asuka: That's how life is, you dork! You give some and you take some! God, you are so selfish! No wonder your dad dumped you!

Shinji (shouting): Father hated me! It wasn't my fault!

Rei: Then, how do you explain it?

Shinji: ...

 Asuka: You never want to take responsibility for yourself! It's always this or that! I've lived with you so long that I've begun to think that the whole world is against you!

Shinji: You don't know how it has been-

Asuka (shouting): Who cares! Most people hit bumps in life and just move on! You just sit there, dwelling on it!

Shinji: ...

(The face of Evangelion Unit 01 appears before Shinji.)

Shinji: Most people don't have to deal with things like this!

Voice: True, but most people have the ability to adapt to their situations.

Shinji: ...I can't adapt to this...

Voice: Then you will die...

----------------------------------------

(It is a lonely corridor, leading to the depths of Terminal Dogma. Gendo Ikari is walking slowly, with only a slight limp visible. He has a thoughtful look on his face, but his eyes are hidden by the glare on his glasses. He suddenly pauses.)

Gendo: I could have you killed on the spot right now.

Natasha (after a long pause): ...you are good.

Gendo: This place is restricted access. You would be wise not to abuse your welcome here.

Natasha (stepping out from the room she had been hiding in): I report to the Committee, not to you, Commander. It would seem that you have made some very dangerous enemies.

Gendo (turning toward the Lieutenant): As all great men do.

Natasha: ...I see that you are a very modest man.

Gendo: I have work to do. What is it you want, Lieutenant.

Natasha (crossing her arms under her breasts): I merely have a few questions that I want answered.

Gendo: "Questions?" You want to waste my time with questions?

Natasha (a slight grin on her lips): Yeah...I do.

Gendo: ...and if I refuse...?

Natasha: Then I will be forced to inform the Committee about the continued presence of an Angel within NERV Central.

Gendo: ...I see.

(Silence)

Gendo: Ask your damned questions.

Natasha: A slight hesitation on your part, hmmm? Are you hiding something else, Commander Ikari?

Gendo: I am sure I don't know what you are talking about.

Natasha: I see. Then, let's talk about what you do know about.

(Gendo makes a sweeping motion with his hand as if to say "be my guest.")

Natasha: You restrained the Major when she could have done something...about the incident. Why is that?

Gendo: This is required.

Natasha (confused): "Required?" What sort answer is that?!

Gendo: The only one you are going to get. It will make sense in time.

Natasha (narrowing her eyes at him): You seem to value the Test Model more than the full-scale Combat Model. That doesn't make any sense at all-

Gendo: Sometimes older things are better than newer ones.

Natasha: Perhaps you merely value your son more than Asuka Soryu. Perhaps you are letting emotion cloud your judgment!

(Gendo calmly gazes at the Lieutenant.)

Natasha: Don't think that by giving me these half-truths that I will be satisfied in the least. I will get my answers!

Gendo: For professional reasons...or personal?

Natasha (gasping): What-?!

Gendo: You aren't the only one who can look into classified files, Lieutenant Karpov. You should always remember that.

Natasha (growling): You don't scare me, you bastard-

Gendo: But I make you cautious. That is good enough for now.

Natasha: ...

Gendo (turning away): Don't come down here again or you will be shot on sight.

(The Commander's footsteps echo back to the silent Russian woman. Finally, she moves, and punches the metal wall.)

Natasha (savagely): Damn it!

---------------------------------------------

(The field is vast and beautiful. It is covered by flowers of every shape and color. The sky is blue with long, white clouds that pass slowly overhead like giant, bellowing ships. Shinji is sitting on one of the hills, hands braced behind him with his legs stretched out in front of him.)

Shinji (looking around): How did I get here?

Voice: You came here because you wanted to be somewhere else.

(The boy starts and looks over his shoulder.)

Shinji (face suddenly pale): ...no!

(Kaoru Nagisa is standing behind him, hands in his shorts' pockets, face in casual serenity.)

Shinji (shaking his head slowly): Y-You can't be-

Kaoru (sitting besides the Third Child): Can't be what?

Shinji: Y-You are dead!

Kaoru (shrugging): Oh, that.

Shinji: ...!

Kaoru: Is that going to bother you?

Shinji: ...I...

(The boy finally bows his head in defeat.)

Shinji: I don't know what is going on anymore.

Kaoru (laughing): Well, a lot has been going on. It's understandable.

Shinji: Please...tell me what's happening.

Kaoru (sighing): I'm sorry, Shinji. You failed.

Shinji: ...God...

Kaoru: It was very bad. You almost wiped out your fellow teammates. I must admit. It was very shocking. I don't even think that Unit 03 was so brutal..

(Shinji covers his face with his hands.)

Shinji: ...why? Why would I do such a thing?

Kaoru: You couldn't control yourself. The EVA was too much for you. You went berserk...just like before. You knew not what you were doing.

Shinji (lifting his face suddenly): I would never-

Kaoru (softly): But you did.

(The gray-haired boy stands and walks a few steps away.)

Kaoru: I do think that somewhere inside you, you actually enjoyed the sound of their agony-

Shinji: No!

Kaoru: Yes. I believe that...Asuka screamed the loudest and the longest. How they must hate you.

(The land around the boys is growing gray. The plants are dying and the sky is taking on a red hew.)

Distant voice: .....don't...list-

Shinji (his voice drained): ...what now?

Kaoru: ...you have a choice.

------------------------------------------------

(Misato is walking slowly down a corridor within NERV Central. Her eyes are tired and her hair is a little wild around her head.)

Misato (thinking): Nothing. Not even a trace remains out there.

(An image of Unit 01 flashes in her mind, it's head thrown back, screaming its torment.)

(Misato presses a hand to her heart and she closes her eyes.)

Misato (thinking): Why him? More than the others, it seems like the Angels always seek him out...torment him more than the others.

(Misato's stomach growls and she wonders when she ate last. It seems like a lifetime ago. She turns toward the cafeteria. The large chamber is silent and empty except for the several rows of rectangular tables and chairs. Misato gets a tray of food from the vending machine on one wall and moves to sit down at one of the tables. She jumps however, when she hears the sound of a page turning. She turns toward the sound and finds Rei Ayanami sitting by herself with a schoolbook in front of her.)

Misato (softly): Rei...

(The girl does not look up and it is then that Misato realizes that the girl has earplugs in with a SDAT player in front of her.)

Misato (thinking): It's just like...Shinji's...

Misato: Rei...?

(The girl continues to read. Misato reaches out and touches the girl's shoulder. Rei starts and looks up at the major. She blinks and slowly removes the earplugs from her ears.)

Rei: Major Katsuragi...

Misato (trying for a smile): I didn't realize that you liked music so much, Rei.

Rei: I didn't. Until now.

Misato: ...

Rei: ...is there something you wanted, Major Katsuragi?

Misato (thinking): Did I want something?

Misato (slowly): Just someone to talk to.

Rei (starting to rise): ... I shall get someone-

Misato (truly smiling this time): I meant you, Rei.

Rei: ...oh.

Misato (sitting down across from Rei): How are you feeling?

Rei: ...I...am not injured...

Misato: That's not what I asked, Rei.

Rei (closing her book gently): I feel...restless...

(Her hand touches the SDAT player beside her.)

Rei: Shinji....he found...comfort in music... I seek the same.

Misato (surprised): You seek comfort?

Rei (her head turning toward her book, her soft voice confused): Things are not as they were, Major Katsuragi. They have changed, yet I still do not know my place.

Misato: ...

Rei: But I know one thing...I know that I do not want to leave Shinji Ikari's side.

Misato: Rei...

Rei (blinking at something, her eyes growing wide): He-He...is dear to me...

(Misato can feel her mouth go slack with shock. She knows of Rei's origins, or rather, about them. The girl, herself, is still much of a mystery to the Major. Yet, over the last few weeks, she has noticed that the girl was changing on a very subtle, basic level. She still doesn't act like a normal girl...or a human being for that matter, but there is something...a warmth in the girl's eyes that wasn't there before.)

Misato (smiling sadly): ...I understand. I do know that sometimes Shinji had trouble understanding his place with us. At certain points in our lives, none of us know where we belong.

Rei (gazing at the SDAT player): Then...I am not alone.

Misato: You never were.

-------------------------------------------

Shinji (slowly, his head down): I need to see... I must see what I did.

Kaoru (shaking his head): I really don't think that is a wise idea. I don't think that you can handle it, my friend.

Shinji (looking up suddenly, begging): Please...show me. Help me...

(The gray-haired boy gazes down at Shinji for a long moment. He sighs and looks up at the red sky overhead. It looks much like they are under a sea of blood. Shinji doesn't see the slight, secret grin on the boy's lips.)

Kaoru (his eyes flashing): Then...as you wish...

--------------------------------------------

(Two Days Ago)

(The four Evangelions stand ready several kilometers from Tokyo-3. The newest threat to NERV moves slowly toward the city, like the shadow of a solar eclipse. As with the Sea of Dirac, any tree, any structure that comes in contact with it, is devoured.)

Asuka: Don't do anything stupid this time, Shinji! We don't want to peel you out of your plug like last time!

Shinji: What the hell are you talking about?! As I remember, you were the one who told me to take point!

(Asuka's face burns at the memory and pushes the thought away with a flick of her wrist.)

Asuka: And who was the one dumb enough to take point?

Shinji (growling): Why you-

Misato: Children, please! Try to keep your minds on the mission at hand!

Hikaru: What exactly is that thing? How are we supposed to beat something with no central body?

(Her eyes are haunted, remembering what had happened to Shinji the last time they had encountered something like this.)

Hikaru (thinking): I won't let that happen again!

Misato (hesitant): Well, at this time, we are just going to try to observe and find a pattern. We would rather handle this one by the book-

Asuka (scoffing): There's a book written on this?

Misato (annoyed): A figure of speech, Asuka. Shinji, Rei, you two are going to move in closer to get a better look at the Angel. Be extremely careful! If we tell you to get back, you move!

Shinji: Roger.

Rei: Yes, ma'am-

Asuka (furious): WHAT?! Why are you sending Wonder Girl up with that idiot, Shinji?!

Hikaru (smirking): Maybe because they don't want a screw up like last time!

(Unit 02 turns violently toward Unit 04, raising its fists.)

Asuka (shouting): What did you say?!

Misato: Asuka, calm down. We want someone with experience to be able to lay down cover-fire.

Asuka (her mood turning 180): Oh! Well, why didn't you say so!

(Asuka grins over at Unit 04.)

Asuka (gloating): See!

--------

(Inside the Command Center.)

Misato (rubbing the bridge of her nose, quietly): Thank God she bought that...

Ritsuko (grin on her face): Trying to keep the peace by feeding Asuka's ego?

Misato: Do you have a better plan?

Natasha (arms crossed, gazing up at the view screen): That girl is so unpredictable... Reminds me of myself as a little girl!

Misato (thinking): The thought boggles the mind.

Maya: Major, Units 01 and 00 are approaching the Angel's outer perimeter.

Misato (serious once more): Bring it up on the main screen.

-------

Shinji: ...

(A lake of darkness spreads out before the boy. The surface is completely flat.)

Shinji: No activity. It's like it doesn't even know we are here!

Misato (her face popping up on the screen besides Shinji's face): One could say the same of a tiger before it pounces. Watch your scopes and yourself, Shinji!

Shinji: You don't have to remind me, Misato. I am well aware of the dangers involved!

Rei: ...?

(Unit 00 slowly scans the surrounding area.)

Rei: No...trees...

---------

Shigeru (shouting): AT Field detected!

Misato: Shinji! Rei!

--------

Rei (calling over to Unit 01): Shinji! We are standing on the Angel!

Shinji: What?!

(As if on cue, Unit 01's feet begin to sink into a suddenly black ground.)

Shinji (screaming): Goddamn it! Not again!

(Out of instinct rather than conscious thought, Shinji forms an AT Field under his EVA's feet. The Angel's mass violently ripples away from the covered limbs and the EVA leaps back.)

Rei: Don't look back! Just run, Shinji!

(Unit 00 is already sprinting toward the city while gazing back at its companion. Unit 01 is running, but the Angel's body is right behind it, devouring everything in its path.)

Rei: Come on! You are almost-urrgh!

(To everyone else, it looks like Unit 00 has run into a wall. The only thing that reveals what happened is the fading glow of an AT Field. Unit 00 falls back and Rei shakes her head. Her eyes look up and she gasps. To the girl, everything is revealed.)

---------

Misato: What the hell-?!

Hyuga (turning toward the major frantically): Major, a new AT Field has been detected! It's like a dome that surrounds the Angel along with Units 00 and 01! They are trapped inside!

Misato: Oh God! Asuka! Hikaru! Get over there and help Rei neutralize that AT Field!

Asuka and Hikaru: Roger!

(Units 02 and 04 charge toward the place where Unit 00 is struggling to form a hole in the barrier.)

Maya (her eyes on the image of Unit 01): This is going to be tight!

--------

Asuka (screaming): What the hell are you doing, Ayanami?!

Rei: ...it...is not coming...easy...

Asuka: Son of a bitch! Do I have to do everything?!

(Unit 02 reaches up and pulls its Progressive Knife from its holster. Unit 04 gets there a moment later, drawing its twin Progressive Blades like some sort of ancient warrior.)

 Hikaru (desperate): Shinji! Hurry! Hurry!

(Units 02 and 04 attack the AT Field with slashes and desperate stabs. The barrier begins to tear, but slowly. Unit 00 inserts its fingers into the tear and begins to pull it apart with all the strength in its frame. The EVA trembles under the strain.)

Rei (eyes closed in concentration): ...

(The AT Field sudden rips wide and Unit 00 stumbles through. The EVA looks over its shoulder at Unit 01. Unit 01 is a mere fifty meters from the tear when it happens.)

Hikaru: ...!

Misato: No...

Asuka: Shinji!

(The shadow body of the Angel seems to leap forth from the ground to form of an inky black cloak, catching the EVA by the shoulders. The black matter that touches the EVA instantly begins to contaminate the mecha. Veins appear in the EVA's armor and it seems to be in pain.)

Shinji (screaming): ARRRGHHH!!

(Unit 02 starts for the tear, but powerful red and black arms wrap around its shoulders, stopping its progress.)

Asuka (her eyes wild as she looks over her shoulder): What are you doing, Hikaru?! Let me go!

Hikaru (her voice cracking): What can you do against that, Asuka?

Asuka (her EVA struggling): I-I will think of something! Let me go!

Shinji: NO!!! GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!

(Asuka's head snaps back around and finds the EVA holding its head. The Angel was now devouring the EVA. It bows its head against the internal agony and all that Asuka can do is watch.)

----------

Misato: Damn it! Asuka! Hikaru! Where are your assault rifles?!

(On screen, the two EVA look over their shoulders, toward the city.)

Natasha (shock written on her face): My...God...

Maya (crying out): EVA Contamination at 89%!!

(Above the main floor)

Fuyutsuki: Isn't there anything-

Gendo: We will have to regroup and look at this problem another way.

Fuyutsuki: Sir...what about the boy-

Gendo: He was careless. We will...deal with him later. Major, call the remaining Units back.

Misato: ...

Gendo (looking down): Major, I gave you an order.

Misato (bowing her head): ...

Gendo (impatient): Damn it. Lieutenant Ibuki, open a channel to the EVAs!

Maya: S-Sir-

Gendo (shouting): Now!

Maya: Y-Yes, sir! Channel open.

Gendo: Units 00, 02, and 04, retreat to Area 35, immediately.

Asuka (her enraged face appearing on the view screen): You can't be serious! Shinji is-

Gendo: Pilot Ikari is gone, Pilot Soryu...as you can see.

(Asuka turns and a hand comes up to her mouth as she realizes that Unit 01 has disappeared from sight.)

Hikaru (her image appearing next to Asuka's): Sir, surely we can do something-

Gendo: I will not have multi-billion dollar war-machines wasted on childish dreams, Pilot Sohma. Retreat at once or you will all face court martial!

Asuka: ...

Hikaru: ...

Rei: ...yes, sir.

(On the main screen, Unit 00 turns away from the Angel and begins walking toward the city.)

Asuka (savagely): Damn it! Wonder Girl strikes again! You really are a fucking doll!

Rei: ...

Gendo: What is the condition of the target?

Hyuga (quietly): It has stopped its advance two and a half kilometers outside the perimeter of the city, sir.

Shigeru: There is activity from the Angel, but the readings are minor.

Misato (her voice quiet and brittle): It's focusing on its meal now...

Gendo (after a moment): Major Katsuragi, you are relieved of duty as of now. Go somewhere and pull yourself together. When you are ready to behave professionally, you may return. Lieutenant Karpov, you take command for now.

Natasha (looking over at the Major, who remains silent): Yes, sir.

(Without another word, Commander Ikari stands and leaves the Command Center. Natasha begins to open her mouth to say something to Misato, but the Major turns and slowly makes her way out of the chamber. She looks very tired.)

Natasha (thinking): No wonder he's called the Bastard...

---------------------------------------

(Asuka is sitting by herself on the top of the on-site EVA docking platform, safely out of the range of the Angel. She is still in her plug suit with her arms wrapped around her knees and her hair shielding her eyes.)

Hikaru (stepping off the elevator, softly): Asuka? Are you up here?

Asuka (from within the shadow cast by Unit 02, her voice deathly quiet): Leave me alone...

Hikaru: I-It isn't good that you are by yourself at a time like this. You should be surrounded by others that care about you-

(Asuka's cynical laugh stops the dark-haired girl.)

Asuka: "Others that care about me?" Who might that be, Sixth Child?

Hikaru (shrugging): I know that you are really popular at school. Surely you have some friends or someone.

Asuka (softly): No one really gives a damn about this stuck-up bitch...

Hikaru: That's not true... I know that Hikari cares, Major Katsuragi cares...I can see it in their eyes-

Asuka (her hands balling into fists): Ah, yes, your famous "Second Sight"... I heard about that from kids at school. You should have your own hotline.

Hikaru: It is obvious to anyone who looks.

(The Sixth Child gazes at Asuka for a long moment.)

Hikaru (slowly): But you don't want to see that. You like thinking that you are all alone in the world. That makes you...strong?

Asuka (snapping): Why don't you go and leave me alone?!

Hikaru (quietly): Because I care.

Asuka: ...

Hikaru: It doesn't matter if we have been adversaries in the past, we are still human beings. We are supposed to take care of each other.

Asuka (scoffing): Ha.

Hikaru: I know of someone else who cares deeply for you.

Asuka: ...?

Hikaru: Shinji-

Asuka (savagely, her arms tightening around her knees): Don't say his name!

Hikaru: Why is it so painful? You don't want to hear that he cares for you?

Asuka (growling): He only cared about showing me up! He was always better! He never gave a damn about me!

Hikaru: I don't think that's true. I think that you know that, too. Surely you don't need me to tell you that you are projecting yourself onto him now.

Asuka: Why...?

Hikaru: ...?

Asuka: Why did he have to go, Hikaru?

Hikaru (softly): ...because he cared.

--------------------------------------------

(Emergence. A hand slowly easing from the abyss of inky blackness. The blackness flows, coating the hand like a second skin.)

(A face. A horrible, grinning mask with glowing eyes. A tortured soul...deep within.)

(A howl that can be heard for kilometers around. Birds take flight into the darkened sky. A road is before the terrible creation and it takes its first step.)

--------------------------------------------

(Within a NERV briefing chamber.)

Maya: At 21:34 hours, the...target began moving once more. It is slow.

Natasha (arms crossed, grimly): ...that thing looks awfully familiar.

Misato: ...I can't believe this is happening...again!

Ritsuko (gazing down at the display panel on the floor): ...this is different than the Unit-13th Angel. This time, it would appear that the Angel actually is synchronizing with...the Evangelion. This is the result of complete contamination.

Misato (softly): ...what of the pilot?

Ritsuko (looking sadly over at the major): There is nothing coming from the target. All we can say is that the Blood Type is Blue.

Misato (gazing down at the image of the familiar Angel): I see...

Gendo (hands folded behind his back): Have you come up with a way to de-synchronize the Angel with Unit 01, yet, Dr. Akagi?

(Those in the room are shocked into silence.)

Misato (thinking): Concern? From the Commander?

Ritsuko (gaping): Sir! We have never come across something like this! Asking me to de-synchronize the Angel with Unit 01 is like asking me to separate a person from their skin, layer by layer! It would be almost impossible to do, even in a controlled environment!

Gendo (glasses shining from the light of the image panel): But it can be done.

Fuyutsuki (leaning toward the Commander): Sir...surely-

Gendo (snapping): I asked you a question, Dr. Akagi!

(The blond doctor jerks as if Gendo had slapped her. Her eyes seem very old as she gazes solemnly at the grinning face of Unit 01.)

Ritsuko: I would say I would have a .0000009% of success.

Gendo: So, it is not impossible.

Ritsuko: ...! I'm saying that it would take an act of a Higher Power for success! Even if I managed to pull off a miracle, I'm sure that the pilot would not survive!

Gendo: ...the pilot is lost. You will go forward with plans to de-synchronize the Angel immediately. We will destroy Unit 01 as a very last resort.

(With that, the Supreme Commander turns and leaves the briefing chamber. Ritsuko stares after the Commander for a long moment, then glances over at Misato. The Major is lost in thought, eyes locked with those of the new Angel.)

Ritsuko (quietly): Maya, come on. We have work to do.

Maya (nodding, looking over at Misato): Yes, ma'am.

(Natasha shakes her head and follows after the two, leaving Misato alone.)

Misato (to the image): ...Damn you. I should have listened, Kaji...

-----------------------------

(Hikaru looks over her shoulder, as she becomes aware of another. Rei stands at the elevator, her red eyes sparkling in the distant lights of Tokyo-3.)

Asuka (vicious): What do you want, you bitch?!

Rei: It is time. They have decided on a course of action.

(Asuka comes to her feet slowly, her blue eyes blazing. Hikaru stands close, prepared to intervene if the German girl becomes violent.)

Asuka: I'm sure that you are happy about that! Ever eager! Ever willing to do as ordered!

Rei: ...

Hikaru (gently): Asuka, Rei is not our enemy. She had nothing to do with...what happened-

Asuka (taking a step toward Rei): But she was the first to turn tail and run! She left Shinji behind to die alone!

Rei: ...would you have preferred that had I died with Shinji?

Asuka (softly): Yes.

Hikaru (horrified): Asuka!

Rei (turning away from the two other pilots): Then...we share something in common... We are about to be briefed, come if you care.

(The elevator lowers with the soft hum of servomotors, taking the blue-haired pilot from sight, leaving a stunned Asuka and Hikaru behind...)

----------------------------------

(It moves with the grace of a zombie. Its hands sway limply at its sides and its mouth gapes slackly. Each footstep is a small explosion in the serenity of night. Its eyes seem to glow in the starlight, burning with the insanity that comes from complete contamination.)

Asuka (thinking): So EVA's true form is revealed...

(FLASHBACK: Shinji (screaming): NO!!! GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!

Asuka: Eaten alive by things that we cannot control...

(FLASHBACK: Gendo (calmly): Pilot Ikari is gone, Pilot Soryu...as you can see.

Asuka (clenching her fist, thinking): Baka Shinji...you just had to stick your nose where it didn't belong! Now...now I'm alone...

(The girl looks around her entry plug.)

Asuka (thinking): Is it cold in here...or is it just me?

(The girl looks out at the Angel some distance from her hidden EVA. She zooms in on the demonic face of the target and she feels a cold hand wrap around her heart.)

Asuka (her teeth gritting): He...really is gone. Surely...even the invincible Shinji Ikari could not live through something like that.

(FLASHBACK: (It is just after the attack of the Digger. Asuka is getting out of her hospital bed, Misato's stinging words still echoing in her ears. She can't sleep with the image of Shinji pulling open her super-heated plug with his unprotected hands bouncing around in her mind. She turns a cold eye to table filled with get-well flowers. Many are from guys who only want that One thing from her. Her eyes flare and her teeth flash savagely as her arm swipes those hated arrangements from the tabletop. They hit the tiled floor with a collective crash, sending dirt and blossoms everywhere. The girl stands there, gripping the edges of the table tightly, her head bowed.)

Asuka (choked): No one gives a damn! They all want me to do this or that! Everyone!

(Her blue eyes open and she sees that she missed one of the pots. She raises a hand violently to strike it down. The delicate, white flowers sit before her, fragile, striking a cord within her. They are strangely familiar. Asuka's eyes almost unwillingly seek the attached note.)

Note:

Asuka,

Please get better soon,

Yours Truly,

Shinji

(Asuka feels a frightening tightness in her chest and her drawn hand raises a bit higher. She...NEEDS to destroy everything that makes her feel weak...dependent...)

Asuka (softly): He's like...every other man I've known! He'll want something...I know he will!

Distant Internal Voice: But what if it is something that you want to give?

Asuka: He...doesn't care...

Voice: Are you so sure?

(Asuka's striking hand suddenly comes down...and touches the flower with all the tenderness in her.)

Asuka (choked): ...no.

(Present)

Asuka (to the Angel): And now I will never know...you took him from me.

(The Angel continues toward the city, unmindful of the Second Child's rage.)

Asuka (grinning a bit grimly): He wants you intact...but if you took Shinji away...then they are going to have to scrape you up with a spatula...

------------

(Within NERV Command Center)

Misato: Let's get this over with.

Ritsuko (rubbing the bridge of her noses): Okay, this was the best that Maya and I could come up with on such short notice...it is not going to be easy.

(The doctor pulls up a map of the target site. The Angel is really getting close to Tokyo-3.)

Ritsuko (tapping a key on the command console in front of her, highlighting a circular area of the map): When the Angel reaches this point, you three are going to attack. Your mission is going to be to activate your AT Fields the moment you start moving out. This is imperative because the Angel is going to sense you the moment you have power!

Asuka: What do you want us to do, then? It takes about ten minutes to power up an EVA! Would you like us to just get out and push?

Ritsuko (shoving her hands into her lab-coat pockets, face grim): No...

(The doctor glances up behind her at Gendo Ikari. When he makes no move, she sighs heavily.)

Ritsuko: We were never able to test this Activation method before. I-I'm sorry.

Asuka (suspicious): What is this special Activation method?

Ritsuko (composing herself): We are going to keep your EVAs completely silent until the last possible moment. When the Angel gets within the target range we will...activate your EVAs...without an Activation period.

Asuka: ...!

Hikaru (slowly): I'm afraid I don't understand.

Asuka (growling): She means we are going to fry!

Ritsuko (shaking her head): You won't fry, Asuka. You will be very...uncomfortable. You are going to instantly be connected with your EVA. It will be a lot of information for your nerves to handle at once...

Asuka (grimly): I'm guessing we don't have a choice in the matter-

Gendo: If you have a problem, Pilot Soryu, then you may step down.

Asuka (wide-eyed): You've-You've got to be joking! Wonder Girl and the Rookie can't do this themselves!

Gendo: This is not the time or the place for cowards. If you have a problem with the mission, then just leave.

Asuka (gritting her teeth): Bastard...I'm no coward! I will not stand down!

(Gendo smirks under his folded hands.)

Ritsuko (cautiously): Once...your EVAs have been activated, you will charge the Angel and trap it in between your AT Fields. It will be up to you three to get the contained Angel to Access Hatch 05 where we will put the Angel into Stasis.

Asuka: ...

Hikaru: My God...

Rei: ...very well.

Misato (heavily): ...be careful, guys...250 seconds until contact...

-----------------------------

(Hikaru is sitting in her pilot seat, eyes closed, trying to prepare herself for that which is to come. Asuka's angry words seem to reflect back at her at strange moments, testing her resolve and her self-confidence.)

(FLASHBACK: Asuka (growling): She means we are going to fry!

Hikaru (thinking): Do we mean so little to these people? ...Shinji...

(The girl listens to the countdown with a half an ear. She focuses on her breathing and her control. She does that which she had perfected over the years...during the hard times she no longer remembers.)

Hikaru (thinking): They care so little for us, yet we are the ones who must get our hands dirty...

(Her violet eyes suddenly snap wide.)

Hikaru: My God...!

(Suddenly, it feels like her mind and body are ablaze. Every nerve screams, every joint burns...and Hikaru gives voice to her pain...)

---------------------------------

Maya (shouting over her shoulder): Unit 04's pilot can't take much more of this!

Shigeru (calling frantically): The target is turning toward Unit 04!

Misato: Asuka! Rei! Move out!

-------------------------------

(The Angel gazes a moment at Unit 04. The Evangelion had exploded from its concealment under camouflage canopies, wrapping its arms around its shoulders. The EVA is trembling, reacting to the agony that its pilot is feeling. The Angel's grin widens and it lowers itself casually into a crouch.)

Asuka (wincing from her own rapid connection, shouting): Hikaru! Watch out!

(Units 00 and 02 stagger toward the Angel and Unit 04. The Angel suddenly uncoils itself, spinning through the air, and slamming into Unit 04's chest plate. Hikaru gives a startled scream as her EVA falls to the ground. The Angel reaches down and grabs both of the downed Evangelion's arms by the wrist and begins to pull with all its might.)

Hikaru (strained, trembling): UrrrGHH!!!

------

Hyuga (crying out): Unit 04's arm joints are at their maximum stress level! Its going to rip those arms off!

Natasha: Hikaru! What is the condition of the pilot?!

Maya: Her health meter is erratic! She's not going to make it!

Natasha (growling): Can we eject the plug-

Gendo: What are you doing, Lieutenant?

Natasha (spinning on the Commander): I'm keeping my charge alive-

Gendo: You are not authorized to eject the plug.

Shigeru: Unit 02 has made contact...

-----

(The red EVA catches the Angel in a tackle, carrying it several hundred yards before it brings the two crashing into the ground. The Angel roars and its head snaps almost 180 degrees on its neck, glaring right into Unit 02's face.)

Asuka (drawing back in shock): My God!

(The Angel's elbow snaps out, catching Unit 02 in the temple, throwing it to the ground. The Angel rolls lazily back to its feet, starting toward the dazed Unit 02. The terrible creature draws back its foot and kicks the Evangelion savagely in the midsection. Asuka coughs, folding over in her seat with a jerk. She is shocked to see blood floating in the LCL before her face.)

Misato: Asuka! Get up! It's gonna-

(The Angel lifts a foot to crush the EVA's spinal column. An arm suddenly wraps around the Angel's neck and drags it away from the downed EVA.)

Misato: All right, Rei!

(Unit 00 shutters as the Angel tries to pull the arm away from its neck. Unit 00 suddenly steps over one of the Angel's legs and trips the Angel. Unit 00 slams the Angel's head into the asphalt of the country road. The Angel is silent for a moment and Unit 00 eases its grip on the creature's neck. Suddenly, the Angel grabs the hand on the back of its head and twists it viciously.)

Rei (holding her wrist): ...arrgh!

(The Angel rolls and back-fists the EVA, sending it falling back into the outdated telephone wires that line the road. The wires whine and snap like string under the deadweight of the EVA. The Angel slowly regains its feet, its eyes glowing as it begins toward Unit 00. A foot suddenly catches the Angel in the back of the head, causing it to stagger forward a few steps.)

Natasha (softly): Good girl...

(Unit 04 has finally regained its feet and is standing beside Unit 00. It is a little hunched over, giving the appearance that it is tired.)

Hikaru (panting): Are you okay, Rei?

Rei (shaking her head slowly): I...am not injured.

Asuka: Okay, it is time to finish this...Rei, Hikaru, activate your AT Fields!

(In the dark light of the night, the faint glow of the three EVAs' AT Fields shimmer around the mechas. The Angel slowly comes to its feet once more, its eyes blazing with unholy light.)

Misato (softly): Okay, spread out, you three. Get the Angel trapped in between you.

(The EVAs begin to move into position, keeping their eyes on the dangerous enemy between them.)

Natasha (savagely): This is mad...

(The Evangelions get to their positions and crouch down into defensive stances. Hikaru bites her lip. Rei stares at the Angel...searching. Asuka narrows her eyes. At some unseen signal, the three EVAs charge forward, their AT Fields ripping up the ground. The Angel suddenly straightens up and crosses its arms at the wrists before its face. Its horrible mask seems drink in the starlight from above. Each EVA was within touching distance of the Angel when it happens.)

-------

Shigeru (shouting): Massive AT Field surge detected!

Misato: It's a trap!

------

(Too late, does Asuka realize what is happening. Suddenly, a part of her mind is screaming for her to stop. The Angel suddenly throws out its arms and the three EVAs are hit by an AT Field of the likes that they had never seen. The wall of raw power hits Unit 00 the hardest, taking huge plates of armor off the Evangelion. Rei's cry of pain is echoed by Asuka and Hikaru.)

Asuka (as her EVA hit the ground): Damn it...!

(Asuka tries to lift her head and she finds the black Angel looming over her. Something strange is happening to the Angel's hand. The inky coating is writhing and swimming. The Angel seems to grin as it reaches down. Asuka's scream echoes in her own ears as it seems like the flesh of her own neck is being penetrated and ripped apart.)

-------

Hyuga: Oh my God! Contamination detected in Unit 02!

Misato: Asuka! What are the conditions of Unit 00 and 04?!

Maya: Unit 00's pilot is silent. She's lost consciousness! Unit 04's pilot is conscious...but the EVA's power cable has been severed and its left knee joint has been damaged!

(Asuka's hoarse scream comes again, threatening to drive the Major to her knees.)

Misato (turning to Maya): ...Call up the UN. Inform them that we need a bomber flight immediately-

Gendo: Ignore that order, Lieutenant. We will not be bombing the Angel.

Misato (turning on the Commander): Sir-

Gendo (his glasses flashing, calmly): The target is far too close to city.

(The entire Command Center gawks at the Commander.)

Misato (furious): Sir-!

Asuka (her voice not even realizable anymore): ...Please...Shinji...

(Misato spins back toward the view-screen and is shocked to see Unit 02's hand reaching up and touching the Angel's face.)

--------

(Tears are now coming as Asuka feels her consciousness leaving her. The Angel's insane eyes glare down at her and she feels something inside her break.)

Asuka (softly): ...kill me...then.

(The Angel becomes deathly still, then it savagely frees Unit 01's Progressive Knife. Its eyes flash as the knife is drawn back. It comes down-)

--------------------------------

Shinji (holding his head, wailing): NO! NO! NO!!!!

Kaoru (calmly): I have not shown you anything that is false. You did every one of those things.

Distant Voice: ...don-...listen-

Kaoru: You did everything in your power to destroy Asuka Soryu... When she showed you kindness...you moved to strike her down. Why is that...

Shinji (rocking himself): Asuka...oh God, what have I done?!

(Images of Asuka flash through the boy's mind. Asuka angry. Asuka sad. Asuka happy. Asuka flirting...with him. Asuka kissing him...the first and second times. The first time: Just practice. Meaning nothing. Asuka ran into the next room to clean her mouth afterwards.)

Shinji (shivering): Asuka...

(The second time. Her lips gentle, her eyes...tender. Her hands holding his head. No fingers holding his nose shut.)

Shinji: What...is my choice now...?

Kaoru (sighing): Well, as you can see, you are incapable of going on by yourself. You are destroying yourself from within.

Shinji: What do you suggest?

Kaoru (leaning down, looking into the other boy's eyes): ...Join with me.

-------------------------------

Maya (standing suddenly): Ma'am! AT Field detected! It is getting strong!

Ritsuko (turning away from the view screen): ...forgive me, Shinji... Maya, opened the vents...flood the room with the nerve gas.

Maya: My God...ma'am-

Ritsuko (looking over her shoulder violently): Now, Maya! Shinji...he's gone...

Maya (after gazing at Ritsuko for a long moment): Yes...ma'am.

(It is then that Ritsuko realizes that she is crying. She turns back to the view screen without wiping them away. Perhaps...it is the tears that remind her that she is human...)

--------------------------------

(Shinji reaches for Kaoru's hand and he can feel the power of the other. He will never be afraid again. He is to be strong. He will crush all that are in his way...)

Shinji (blinking): "Crush all that are in my way...?"

Voice: Don't listen to him!!

Shinji: What?!

Kaoru: Damn it! Join with me, Boy!

(Shinji jerks away from the entity that claimed to be Kaoru. It is trembling now, its eyes burning with a hatred so powerful that Shinji is shocked he hadn't seen it before.)

Shinji (his voice becoming stronger): What really happened?

Kaoru (viciously): I didn't lie to you, Ikari! You did try to kill your teammates! You wanted to rip their hearts out!

Voice: Wrong...you wanted to rip their hearts out!

Shinji (gazing around himself): Who...?

(An image: Small, outstretched hands...laughter, two figures...no, three. Two tall, one small. The small one running. Smiling...

Voice: There is more...that you were never shown...

Kaoru (screaming): NO!

-------------------------------------

(Two days ago)

(Shinji Ikari opens his eyes slowly. He feels light...as if just awakening for the first time in a very long time. He is within EVA. He can see outside, but he feels no connection with the beast. He suddenly is seized by a horrible feeling of possession. He wraps his arms around himself.)

Shinji: W-What's going on?!

(A consciousness. He can feel it around him. It is terrible...angry, and hungry. It is filled with such brutal hatred that Shinji feels like he is being burnt by it. Suddenly he sees the red EVA before him.)

Shinji: Asuka-

(Unit 01 abruptly attacks and the boy screams out in warning and confusion. A hand, black and slick, wraps around the other EVA's neck.)

Shinji (crying out): Stop it!

(He can hear Asuka scream and he can see the inky coating on the Unit 01's hand start to ooze past the red EVA's armor.)

Shinji (jerking the control handles): Oh please! Make it stop!

Voice: For what?

Shinji: What?

Voice (cruel): What will you give me in exchange?

(Asuka's hoarse cry comes again and Shinji grabs his head.)

Shinji: Y-You have to stop!

Voice: Why?

Shinji: B-Because...Because Asuka...

(Unit 02 reaches out and touches Unit 01's face. Shinji can feel Asuka. She is dying.)

Asuka (weakly): ...kill me...then.

(Shinji suddenly lets out a vicious roar and forces the connection with the EVA. He opens himself to everything...the Evangelion...the Angel. He feels the hilt of the Progressive Knife come to his hand and Shinji can feel the horrible blood thirst of the Angel.)

(Shinji screams his battlecry and the blade leaps forward. Unit 01 slashes toward the red EVA's throat, but turns the blade a second before contact. Agony radiates up Shinji's arm, from his wrist. Unit 01's head throws back and it roars long and loud in pain. Shinji can see Unit 01's severed hand fall away from Unit 02's neck and he feels satisfaction deep inside himself even as he clenches his wrist.)

Voice: And now?

Shinji: ...

Voice And now?

Shinji: ...and now I will take Unit 01's place.

(The back of the Evangelion opens with a small explosion and the plug fires away from Unit 01 on three tiny thrusters. The black matter of the Angel leaps away from the EVA and wraps around the plug...)

--------------------------------------

(Present)

Shinji (standing before the entity): You aren't Kaoru. Kaoru died in the lowest level of NERV.

Kaoru: There are things you do not know yet, Shinji Ikari. Horrible things. You believe yourself so righteous, but you humans are as bad as myself.

Shinji (eyes narrowed): I find that hard to believe. Show me...Show me who you really are.

(Kaoru smirks.)

Kaoru: You don't like my present form?

Shinji: You are not Kaoru. Kaoru might have been of your kind...but he was different. You care only about death and destruction. You only seek to satisfy your desires.

Kaoru: Are we so different...you and I?

Shinji: ...

(A crack appears in Kaoru's face and Shinji backs away.)

Kaoru: You should seek answers about your race, Shinji Ikari. It is quite fascinating...

(Crack)

Kaoru: Even now, they are attempting to kill you.

(Crack, Crack)

Kaoru: You will never live to see another day.

Shinji (quietly): If that is how it is to be...

Voice: You won't die...I will protect you.

Shinji: ...?!

Kaoru (suddenly furious): Damn you, First-

--------

Maya (stunned): Ma'am, a new AT Field detected within the containment chamber!

(Ritsuko braces her hands on the control console of the chamber.)

Ritsuko: Who the-?! ...!

-------

(The entity calling itself Kaoru, all pretense of serenity is gone, points over Shinji's shoulder, eyes blazing.)

Kaoru: Traitor! Heretic! You don't even honor your own birth! Your own suffering!

Voice: You will not hurt the Third Child.

(The face of Kaoru shatters as does the rest of his body. The image of the country side vanishes in an instant. The true form of the Angel is a seething mass of darkness with a white, disk-like mask replacing Kaoru's face.)

Entity: The boy is mine!

Voice: No...he belongs to many...but not to you.

(A pale, gentle hand reaches up and covers Shinji's eyes. The boy falls unconscious into waiting arms.)

Entity (frantic): What have you done?!

Rei (calmly, softly): I have just killed you.

-----------------------------------

Ritsuko (shouting): Stop the gas! Activate Level 5 Scrubbers!

Maya (flicking several switches): Yes, ma'am!

(Ritsuko turns away from the view screen and runs out of the chamber, ignoring the confused calls of Maya. She runs down the silent, metal corridor to the secure door guarding the containment chamber. Ritsuko enters her code into the keypad with trembling fingers and the door slides open. The light from behind her reveals Rei in her school uniform, kneeling on the floor. Shinji's head is resting in her lap. Her eyes are kind as she gently strokes the boy's hair from his forehead.)

Ritsuko (shocked): R-Rei?!

Rei: He...was in danger...but no longer. He is fine now.

Ritsuko (sighing with a hand pressed to her heart): ...thank you.

----------------------------------

(Gendo Ikari is sitting in his office, his hands folded before his face as Fuyutsuki confronts him with this new information.)

Fuyutsuki (deathly quiet): What was Rei doing in the containment chamber, Ikari?

Gendo: Why are you looking at me? I had nothing to do with it.

Fuyutsuki: Somehow, it seems a little incredible for the girl to have been able to get within such a high security place without our knowledge.

Gendo: Sometimes, it is best to leave good enough alone.

Fuyutsuki (gazing at the Commander out of the corner of his eye): I see... I don't know if you care, but Dr. Akagi has given the boy a clean bill of health. He was a little quiet, but other than that, he seems to have come through this incident little worse for wear.

Gendo: ...

Fuyutsuki: Major Katsuragi was there the moment Dr. Akagi lifted the quarantine. She...really has become attached to the boy.

Gendo: ...

Fuyutsuki (turning toward the bay of windows behind Ikari): I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. At least we know that she will never betray us.

Gendo: The Third Child seems to incite that in the females of the species.

(Fuyutsuki blinks and looks over at Gendo.)

Fuyutsuki (thinking): Like father, like son.

Fuyutsuki: What now? You know that the Old Men will not sit still for this.

Gendo: Who said that they would know?

Fuyutsuki: ...! You have got to be joking! They will learn of this-

(Gendo turning toward the bay of windows, gazes out at the Geo-Front.)

Gendo: It really doesn't matter what the Old Men at Seele think right now. They are hardly a threat.

Fuyutsuki: Arrogance, Ikari-

Gendo: A fact, professor. With the Lance in our hands once more, there is little they can do-

Fuyutsuki: What if they decide to do away with you?

Gendo: That is not in question, anymore, Professor. All I am concerned with now is setting things right...

Fuyutsuki: Your scenarios-

Gendo: Are not as they used to be.

Fuyutsuki: ...and of the Children?

Gendo (glasses flashing): Have faith, professor. Some things might not be as clear as they were, but other things were taken care of a long time ago.

Fuyutsuki (shaking his head slowly): ...I see.

-------------------------------------------

(Within the apartment of Lieutenant Natasha Karpov.)

(The woman looks at the computer screen before her. The light from the monitor is the only illumination in the small room, making her face seem like a stark mask, a simplistic facade.)

Natasha (gazing at the words she had written): ...

(The Russian woman closes her eyes and again she can hear the sound of Hikaru screaming. Her finger wanders over to the Enter key, preparing to send in the...report.)

Natasha (growling): The bastard will pay...

(She hesitates.)

(FLASHBACK: Misato walking out of the NERV Command Center, her walk slow, her eyes ancient.)

Natasha: But can I do such a thing...? Can I...?

(The Lieutenant looks down at the ring that flashes on her right hand. She grits her teeth and makes a fist.)

Natasha (choked): ...what should I do...Ryo?

-----------------------------------------------

(A single car is alone on a road way leading toward the heart of Tokyo-3. Predawn light paints the sky in dark blues and purples. The headlights of the car reveal the cracks in the asphalt from almost a year of constant fighting with beings larger than some buildings.)

Misato: ...

(The silence is becoming unbearable for Misato Katsuragi. While Shinji seems to be all right, she doesn't like how he continues to gaze out the window of the car, not really seeing a thing. It reminds her too much of Rei...)

Misato (softly): Shinji...

(He makes a quiet sound of acknowledgment without turning to face her. Her hands tighten on the steering wheel of the car.)

Misato: I think that you should give up piloting EVA.

Shinji: ...no.

(Misato gapes at Shinji. She had been expecting anything from shock to anger to confusion. But simple refusal had not been on her list of things to expect.)

Misato: What?!

Shinji (looking down at his hands): I can't do that, Misato. Piloting EVA is my duty.

(Echoes of her dream caress the Major's mind, sending chills down her back. Shinji...she had come so close to losing him this time...)

Misato (looking away from the boy): Shinji...if I lose you, I don't know what I would do.

Shinji (quietly): I hope it won't ever come to that...

Misato: But it can, as long as you do this!

Shinji: What about Asuka? And Rei? And Hikaru? What about everyone at NERV?

Misato: ...

Shinji: Misato, I could never turn my back on any of you. I've tried running away from all this before. Every time I came back. This is where I belong. My place is here...with you.

(Misato bites her lip and tries to focusing on the road rather than the rip-tide emotions warring within her.)

Shinji (peeking around at the Major's face): You aren't going to try and send me away, are you?

Misato (laughing a little wildly): As if I could. How could I send you away when you don't want to leave?

Shinji (smiling a little): You could make it an order.

(Misato laughs again.)

Misato (looking over at Shinji): Maybe the better question is, how can I send you away when I don't want you to go?

Shinji (his eyes widening): ...!

Misato (fiercely, eyes turning to him): But if you ever go and get yourself killed...I-I will give you hell!

Shinji (softly): It's...a promise, then.

Misato (looking at the long road ahead of the two of them): Yeah...

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To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

Okay, that was a different sort of chapter, I'll admit. It isn't everyday that almost an entire story is told as a Flashback! I borrowed the idea from Volume 1 of the original series and just elaborated on it.

This Chapter was also a bit darker than most simply because of the setting and the fact that you are shown the after-effects before the actual event. This was how I wanted to do it so, well, I did it. (It's one of the few privileges that I get as the author!)

"Hikaru comforting Asuka?!" Where did that come from?! As with every character in NGE, I tried to weave values and faults into my ACC (Author Created Character, for those of you who have never heard the term.) While Asuka represents a sort of obstacle to Hikaru, Ms Sohma is not one to let another suffer...she is able to see it far too well!

One little detail that I don't know will make a difference or not. I have been trying to get pictures to go a long with a scene or feeling created by a passage and what-not. Those pics are extremely hard to come by, especially when I have an idea of what sort of picture I want in my head. If and when I get a scanner, I will most likely put my own original work on the site to communicate what I want. Whether it will ever happen is all a matter of funds and time. (Sigh) Oh, well, I got two on here and whether I have more in the future will depend on if I can find anything worth posting.

As always, C&C is requested and appreciated! It kind of gives me a measure of how I'm doing!

I would like to thank my pre-reader Axel Terizaki (author of Child of Love and several other great fics!) for all the input and ideas! (I would be stuck without them!)

Chapter 6: "The Darkness Without/ Her First Kiss...Act One" is just on the horizon, so watch for it! Some teasers for you all: Classroom deceptions, a romantic interlude, and pilots' block! See you next time!