From: eltf@hotmail.com (Eliot Lefebvre) Subject: [Eva][FanFic] Neon Epoch Evangelion: Episode 4 X-Moderation-Queue-Date: 3 Jun 2002 16:27:44 -0700 As always, the pre-story warning wards off the flaming masses: This fanfic is an original take on GAINAX's "Shin Seiki Evangelion." It contains alternative characters, plots, and a different overriding internal logic. It is intended, from the beginning, to be different. This includes different Children and different histories. In short: if the mere thought of someone other than Shinji in the cockpit of EVA-01 makes you queasy, you are in -entirely- the wrong place. Any and all flames stemming from this alteration will be mocked mercilessly. You have been warned. Okay, this has been a screwy schedule since day one, and the fact that I'm starting a new job now has just further mucked up the schedule. On the other hand, at the time of this writing (6/3/02), Episode 3 still isn't up on RAAC, so most people probably notice this. I will say, however, that the archive should be all up to speed with Episode 4-6 added, along with some nifty new artwork, by 6/4. So by the time you read this... it'll be old news. Remember, http://www.lostfactor.net/nee.html is the place. On with the show, I guess. ]++[ ]+ ELECTRONIC TRANSCENDENCE PRODUCTIONS +[ presents ]+ NEON EPOCH +[ ]+ E V A N G E L I O N +[ ]+ EPISODE 4: LOVERS UNAWARE +[ By Eliot "Lostfactor" Lefebvre Based off of "Shin Seiki Evangelion" by GAINAX ]++[ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? - JEREMIAH 17:9 ]++[ Misato leaned against the wall, staring out of the hallway into the den. Neil wasn't saying anything, simply staring at the screen, watching one of his various movies, the sound low enough to keep Misato from catching most of the dialogue. He hadn't said a word to her since they'd left Central Dogma earlier, eating his dinner and silence and going straight to the den. It worried her, especially because she had a fairly good idea of why he wasn't speaking to her in the first place. "Neil," she said, receiving no proof that he was listening. "You're going to have to talk to me eventually." "I know that," he replied, slumping forward on the green felt couch. When Neil had first come to the apartment, he'd liked the way that the orange-yellow of the walls combined with the couch's tones. Now, they seemed vile to him, almost as though they were closing in. "But I don't want it to be now." He grabbed the remote off the couch seat next to him, turning the volume up noticably before tossing the remote back down decisively. Frowning, Misato walked over to the couch, turning the volume down as she sat next to Neil. His eyes remained fixed on the television atop its stand, an anger still visible in his gaze. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to remain calm, making her voice as soothing as she could. "Neil, if I hadn't sent Ryo up, you would have been killed. There was a good chance that you would both have been killed if I'd let you keep going with EVA-01. I know that it seems cruel, but we had no choice but to -" Neil's gaze hardened once more, his eyes narrowing further as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I know that, too," he muttered, suddenly sounding less angry at Misato and angrier with himself. "There weren't any other options. But..." He sighed, grabbing the remote and clicking off the movie, as if it were making him feel even worse. "It doesn't feel fair, Misato. Ryo's the better trained between us. I'm not suited to being a pilot, not really able to hold my own." "These things happen, Neil," she offered, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. Neil felt his cheeks flush, something that made Misato smile slightly, a fact that only intensified his blushing. "You're only sixteen, like you said in the car. Nobody expects you to be perfect at this just yet. Besides, you just disobeyed orders to save a teammate, and it worked out all right in the end, didn't it?" She smiled, and he managed to smile weakly back at her. "There you go. Nobody blames you." "I blame me," he replied, the smile turning somewhat bitter as he picked up the remote and clicked the movie on again, rewinding for a moment to get back into the film. Misato watched him for a moment, thinking on the one piece of news that she'd neglected to give him, trying to figure out if it was a good time. Noticing the stare, Neil glanced back towards the woman, eyebrows cocked. "What? Is something wrong?" Misato shook her head, sighing. "No, there's just something I should have told you." Standing, she stretched, almost wishing that she was wearing her uniform instead of her tank top and shorts - it would have helped Neil to take her more seriously, at least in her mind. Closing her eyes for a second, she turned towards him, unconsciously crossing her arms across her chest. "Neil, EVA-03 and 04 are on their way to NERV from our facility in America. The Fourth and Fifth Children are being recruited to pilot them." "Hopefully it's not like the recruitment I had," replied Neil, sounding a little bitter but still focusing his attention on the movie. Misato took a deep breath, feeling a little relieved - the biggest part, as far as she knew, was out of the bag. He sighed, then paused the movie and looked up at her, his interest apparently sparked. "So, who are they? Where are they from?" "Japan. They're native." She sighed, sitting back down next to Neil. "We've actually known who they were for a while, but we've concealed their identities for a while since they haven't been a part of the project." Smiling, she hit the play button herself, letting the movie start rolling once again. "You probably haven't met them - Koji Nekasa and Eiko Suzuhara." The last name didn't ring a bell, but Neil immediately recognized the second name, and he could draw the obvious conclusion for himself. "Koji Nekasa?" he asked, feeling something that he couldn't quite identify bubbling under his skin, shutting his eyes tightly. "He lives in the area, doesn't he? Stands a bit shorter than me, has blonde hair and blue eyes?" Blinking, Misato nodded, not quite understanding where the questions were going. "I've met him, then. He prefers to be called 'Vash.' I met him the day after I got out of the hospital." "You don't mean...?" Misato stared at Neil, having some idea of who he was referring to but not wanting believe in the odd synchronicity of the event. "His brother? Was it his brother that you put in the hospital during -" "No. It was Eiko's brother." He was breathing heavily, eyes closed tightly and anger beginning to come to the top of his emotions. "He hit me, hard. As though I'd done it intentionally. And I..." His eyes tightened, then snapped open, glaring at Misato with an intensity that she hadn't seen before. "You can't let them be pilots! Eiko doesn't deserve that kind of pain, and Vash isn't qualified to pilot the machine!" Misato was taken aback for a moment, not expecting such a strong response from Neil, but she reasserted herself a second later, staring back at him harshly. "Neil, this isn't a question," she said, trying to sound firm without sounding angry. "We don't have any control over who can and can't pilot the Evas, and we need all of the Children to be able to assist us during crisis situations." His anger visibly intensifying, Neil almost threw himself to his feet, glaring at Misato, hands clenching into fists. "Vash doesn't have the first clue about piloting an Eva! He'll just be a burden!" He stopped for a second, taking a deep breath and visibly trying to restrain himself. "I'll do better. I won't make another mistake like I did before. So you don't need to bring in the other Children." "It isn't because of your performance," replied Misato, shaking her head as Neil seemed to briefly calm down slightly. The statement made her feel a little uneasy, simply because she harbored her own suspicions that EVA-01's performance during the battle against the Third Angel had something to do with the sudden centralization of all the Evangelions. A silence settled in the air for a moment, Misato picking up the remote and clicking off the movie once again. "While I appreciate your feelings on the subject -" "Don't you understand? These are facts!" Neil's anger resurfaced almost immediately, his eyes flashing under the light of the living room lamp. "Vash is only concerned about himself, about his friends and his situation! The first time he gets hurt in the Eva, the first time things don't go entirely right, he'll be off for the hills. And Eiko..." He stopped, and Misato could swear that she saw a drop of water fall from his left eye. "I'm asking you, Misato, as one of the pilots, please, don't do this." "This isn't up for discussion, Neil!" Misato snapped, getting angry despite her best efforts. Somewhere inside her, she was vaguely aware of the fact that she agreed with Neil, but she pushed that feeling underneath, knowing that it wouldn't get her anywhere. "They're already going to be contacted and brought into the project. Whether you approve or not, it's going to happen." Neil stared at Misato, his face twisted into an angry expression that she couldn't remember ever seeing before. "What gives you the right?" he asked, voice quiet but still obviously angry. "What gives you the right to just tear people away from their lives, to make them get inside of..." He looked away, shutting his eyes tightly. "Misato, don't do it. They don't need to come to NERV." "It's already done," replied Misato, no longer truly angry but keeping her voice firm. "I understand that you might have personal issues with Vash, but there's nothing that can be done about it. You're just going to have to learn to live with it." She looked away, feeling terrible about the words coming out of her mouth. "The need gives us the right. You're the only people that can do it." An uneasy silence hung in the air for a moment, Neil staring at Misato and Misato hiding her head from him. Then his face grew angrier, brow furrowed as far as the skin would allow. "Don't you have any kind of conscience?" he shouted, whirling on his heel and stomping off to his room. Misato didn't follow him, listening as the door slammed shut down the hall and sighing heavily. ]++[ Eiko felt anxious, but didn't say a word, something that would have surprised most of her friends if they'd known it. She'd never been someone to hide her emotions, especially something like anxiety, but now she found herself feeling uncomfortable simply by feeling it, knowing that she shouldn't be feeling anything but normal and knowing that her friends would be upset if she said anything. So she kept silent, but as she walked across the lawn towards school, she couldn't help but keep her eyes peeled for Ryo, knowing that he wouldn't be difficult to spot if he was in the area. "Hello? Earth to Eiko?" The voice startled her, and she had to glance back and forth for a second before realizing that Hikari had been the one speaking, standing to her left. She looked towards her friend and smiled sheepishly, trying to hide her embarassment. Hikari had stopped walking, folding her arms across her chest as if awaiting an answer. Eiko's grin widened, and Hikari cocked her head to one side, her brown hair's twin ponytails swinging with it and her blue eyes staring at Eiko from above her freckled cheeks. "Is something wrong, Eiko? You've been acting totally out of it for the past couple days." "Feh, she's just worried about finally losing me to some other woman," Vash interjected, poking his head between the two women and smiling at both of them for a second, his thin-framed sunglasses perched on his nose. "With my dashing good looks and sparkling personality, I can hardly blame her." He smiled broadly, then noticed that Eiko, Hikari, and Kensuke were all staring at him, at which point his smile slowly shrank to nothing. "Or maybe not." Shaking her head, Eiko smiled at Vash, leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek as a sort of consolation prize. He smiled back at her warmly, and for a brief moment Eiko's anxiety seemed to lift away. Then she noticed two men moving towards her out of the corner of her eye, and she turned her head, studying them in confusion. They were dressed in black business suits, both wearing dark sunglasses and with slicked-back hair. At first, she thought that they might simply be heading in her general direction, but as they walked past the school she knew they were heading towards her. "Wait - I recognize those guys," noted Kensuke, adjusting his glasses slightly as they walked closer. "Those are intelligence officers from NERV. Probably here for Ayanami about something." Kensuke glanced back at his friends, noticing that they were all staring at him out of curiosity. "I find out a lot of stuff on the Internet. It's a military buff's heaven." As the agents continued walking towards her, Eiko felt her pulse quicken for a moment, a fear rising within her that she'd gotten Ryo in trouble because of the sketch. She gritted her teeth, glancing up towards Vash, who put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. The agents seemed to take no notice, stepping up to the four students and standing for a moment. "Are you Koji Nekasa?" one asked after a moment, ignoring Eiko entirely and staring at her boyfriend. "Yeah," replied Vash, squeezing Eiko's shoulder again in a way that made her wonder if he was nervous about something. Then she remembered the day he'd met Neil, and another rush of panic went through her body, wondering if NERV or even Neil would send out agents as a result. "Is something the matter?" Neither agent paid attention to Vash's question, turning their gazes towards Eiko. "And you are Eiko Suzuhara, correct?" "I am," she replied, unsure of whether to be terrified, honored, or embarassed. It was one of the few times that she could remember being truly without words, something that did absolutely nothing to make her feel any less anxious. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward slightly, putting her own hand over Vash's on her shoulder and trying not to look intimidated. "Listen, I don't know what we did to deserve this, but -" "This is just about your birth, not your actions," noted one of the agents, the statement thoroughly confusing Eiko and Vash. They both reached into their pockets, pulling out small red plastic cards with pictures of the Eiko and Vash on the left side and a recognizable logo in white on the right side. "NERV wishes to welcome both of you as pilots of the Evangelions." ]++[ It was hard not to hear Misato as she got ready to go in to work for the day, but Neil did his best to shut the sounds out, focusing instead on the mournful notes wafting from his CD player, basking in the music as he laid back with closed eyes. He wasn't really mad at Misato, or at least not like he had been the night before, but he still didn't feel up to talking with her, both out of embarassment and because he wasn't very happy with himself, either. It was a sensation he was growing accustomed to, but that didn't make it any more tolerable. Hearing Misato sing to herself in the shower, Neil flicked the pause button on the CD player, smiling to himself - he'd only been living at her apartment for a short time, but he'd learned that Misato would only sing in the shower or when drunk, and while her voice slurred horribly when drunk, she did have an excellent sense of pitch. Besides, she sounded different when she sang, since it was one of the few times he heard her speak Japanese. It was worth savoring. "Besides, I'm probably not going to be here much longer," he muttered to himself, sighing deeply as Misato hit a particularly high note. He knew that he had driven a wedge between them with his final harsh words, and it seemed unlikely that she'd want to continue living with him afterwards. Rolling from his back to his side, he thought for a moment, feeling a prickling sensation in his body as he heard her giggle loudly. Even if he did stay, he knew that their relationship would be different, and he found himself unintentionally thinking about whether or not he still had any chance with her romantically. Less than a second after the thought popped into his head, he found himself chuckling at it, as if his subconscious hadn't been serious about it. Then he took a deep breath, feeling the thought come rushing right back and making him frown at himself. It was ludicrous, to think that a woman nearly twice his age was interested in him as anything other than a younger brother, and merely thinking about it made him feel like some kind of pervert. But the thought wouldn't remove itself from his mind for a moment, and he found himself thinking about her for a second before he shook his head, reminding himself that he had better chances with Eiko. Eiko. The thought of the other woman brought back his at once pleasant and painful memories of that day, a meeting that he'd assumed would never be repeated. For all he knew, it would never be, considering the fact that he put her brother in the hospital because of his own ineptitude. Still, he felt hopeful, knowing that she might feel some sympathy for him once she'd experienced piloting the machines herself. It wasn't easy, and perhaps actually dealing with it would make Neil's faults seem more bearable. Then the thought of Eiko actually piloting the things hit him full-on once again, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he didn't want her to have to go through the pain that the great machines put the pilots through. Thinking back to his first battle in EVA-01, he recalled the horrible sensation when the Angel had blown through his head, wondering if Eiko would have to deal with the same thing. It felt wrong for him to inflict that on someone else, for another person to have to deal with it. Recalling what he'd thought when he heard Misato tell him that the Fourth and Fifth Children were arriving, he closed his eyes more tightly, feeling like a reprehensible human being. Even though he'd had to stay because of NERV's reliance on him, it wasn't fair to others to make them go out because he was unwilling. Before his thoughts could go any further, the door to his room swung open, and he opened his eyes, turning to see Misato standing in the door, wearing the short brown skirt, black shirt, and red jacket that she seemed to wear every day to work. "Neil," she said flatly, her tone utterly devoid of emotion. "Were you planning on avoiding me again?" "Not really. I was more planning on just not going towards you." He smirked, realizing the stupidity of his response even before he'd said it. "But that's the same thing, isn't it?" He sighed, sitting up and looking towards the doorway, trying to judge Misato's emotional state from her face but seeing that she was keeping herself calm for precisely that reason. "Misato, I'm sorry. I said some things last night that were far too harsh, things that you really didn't deserve. And I -" "Don't worry about it," she replied, her characteristic half-smirk drawing itself across her face and finally giving Neil some idea of what was going through her head. "We both had a lot of stress to deal with last night, and I wasn't really fair to you either." Neil paused, then nodded, and Misato stepped into the room, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him up. "Now let's have some breakfast." ]++[ Sitting in the employee lounge a few hours after breakfast, Misato watched over one of the surface cameras as EVA-03 and 04 were taken down off their transports, launch ports open to bring them down to the bays that they would be stored in. The area had been roped off by the local police, allowing NERV all the time they needed to get both machines down to Central Dogma. The procedure wasn't particularly interesting, but like most of Central Dogma the lounge had been designed with a purely utilitarian point of view, and as such was kept a perfectly bland white all around except for the silver of parts of the furniture. There were windows along the wall that Misato was facing away from, but she didn't feel like watching the Geo-Front do nothing - there were no animals to make it interesting, just plants and the eerie almost-sunlight from the top of the chamber. Tilting her head to one side, she studied the two new units a little more closely, noting that they looked different from both of NERV's Evas in subtle ways - they were mostly a solid color with slight shading of another tone, and their heads looked far more human than either of the original units. If she had to put a word to them, it would be regal. As EVA-03 began to be lowered into the Geo-Front, it occurred to her that they were completely identical except for color, that otherwise their structure was identical. It also occurred to her that if she was picking out minor structural details in the machines, she was getting dangerously close to going numb from boredom. "It's good to see you showing some interest in your position," came a male voice, and Misato whipped her head around to the door of the lounge, seeing Fuyutsuki standing and watching. She suppressed the urge to blush, sitting straight up and trying to straighten her shirt out before he held up a hand for her to stop. "Don't worry about it," he offered, grinning wryly, almost bitterly. "You look better than most of the professors that I used to work with." Unsure of what to say, Misato smiled politely, then looked back towards the monitor hanging from the ceiling. Fuyutsuki watched, then sat down at the table nearby, watching with her as EVA-04 began to be removed from its restraints and loaded onto the entry port. "It's good that they're arriving now," she noted at length, doing her best to cut the awkward silence that had settled in the air. "With Ryo's unit out of comission, we need all the help we can get." "Mmm," replied Fuyutsuki, nodding sagely. "It was never designed for combat. It was only supposed to be a test bed. Small wonder that it didn't fare well." He sighed, shaking his head. "The damage done to it is going to cost a huge amount to repair, and we're already over budget because of the repairs for 01. And that's on top of the costs for upgrading EVA-00." "So you're making it more suited to combat," Misato stated, almost meaning it as a question, glancing towards Fuyutsuki for some kind of confirmation. He nodded, understanding the intent, and she turned back towards the monitor, the tension rising again. She could tell that there was something he wasn't telling her, and after a moment of waiting she looked back at him. "You didn't come down here to watch the new units be brought down." "No," replied Fuyutsuki, shaking his head and sighing ever so slightly. Misato had some idea of what was coming, and leaned back in her chair, still focusing her gaze on the monitor's display on the surface. "I suppose you probably expected some kind of questioning about Neil." "After he outright denied the Commander? Yes." Closing her eyes gently, Misato was vaguely curious about whether they were going to try and deny Neil the right to pilot the Eva anymore. It wasn't something that she expected, especially considering that Neil was the only pilot who'd managed to reliably dispose of the Angels, but it didn't leave her mind as a possibility. Fuyutsuki smiled to himself, not entirely certain of what Misato was thinking but willing to make a guess about it. "It isn't about Neil's defiance with the last Angel," he offered, drawing her attention back over to him. "Commander Ikari has other plans for him. A little disobedience is acceptable, I suppose." He paused, frustrating Misato as he simply sat for a moment, glancing back up towards the monitor. "It's about his rooming with you." "What do you mean?" asked Misato, now thoroughly confused. She remembered discussing the housing situation with the commander, and he'd seemed almost pleased to have her volunteer. "If you're worried about a conflict of interest, it seems rather counterproductive. My first concern is supposed to be the safety of our pilots, isn't it?" "You're being quite defensive today." Fuyutsuki turned his gaze from the monitor towards Misato, and she saw that there was a sort of glint in his eye, a sort of smug satisfaction further augmented by the grin on his face. "We're extremely pleased with the fact that this has worked out so well, and it's obviously strengthened the ties between you and Neil. So Commander Ikari decided that it might be an idea worth taking further." He paused, Misato now getting another thought about where the discussion was going. "If I remember correctly, you have two spare rooms in your apartment?" Misato nodded, feeling slightly relieved by the seeming confirmation of her new suspicions. "Building up unit cohesion, then?" she asked, smiling to herself and looking up at the finally-descending EVA-04. She thought back to the prior night, remembering what Neil had said about Koji. "It could hardly make things worse." ]++[ By the time the agents had finished with Vash and Eiko, it was time for lunch in the classroom, something that they were both eager for, if for no other reason than to have a brief respite from the military information that the agents had fed to them. They'd said outright that most of the information the two children were being given wouldn't make sense until they'd actually had a chance to pilot an Eva, but that hadn't stopped them from going on for hours about terms that still seemed vague even after hearing them several times. They were both assured, however, that when they arrived at NERV headquarters after school, they would be given their chance to pilot the machines. It made Eiko more than a little nervous, but she said nothing. Running to get back to class on time, both found themselves arriving at the room faster than they'd expected, though it wasn't clear if fear or hunger was spurring them onward. Placing his hand on the door to the classroom, Vash stopped, then glanced back at Eiko and winked, a sure sign to her that he was planning something. He turned the handle, then stepped into the room and spread his arms wide, obviously pleased with himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the new pilots of the Evangelions," he announced, drawing everyone's attention immediately. "Vash Nekasa and Eiko Suzuhara!" Eiko caught a glimpse of Ryo out of the corner of her eye, but before she could even take a full step towards him the rest of the class rushed towards them, running off at the mouth with questions. Everyone other than Ryo bunched around them, trapping them around the door, a fact that didn't seem bother Vash in the least. She smirked to herself, relieved to see how well he was taking the news, though suspecting that part of his enthusiasm came from the attention he was receiving. "Excuse me," grunted Eiko, trying to elbow her way out of the throng. "Coming through." "Vash, why'd they pick you?" asked one of the other students, someone that Eiko didn't recognize but wasn't paying much attention to in the first place. "I mean, you're kind of a goofball, and it's not like you're that threatening..." "That's not true!" replied Vash, blushing even as his face contorted into a frown. He reasserted his prior demeanor swiftly, however, once again being the serene new pilot. "Besides, it's not about combat experience, it's about talent! Only a few people can pilot the Evas, which makes it even better luck that I happen to be one of them!" He smirked to himself as Eiko finally neared the outer edge of the crowd, placing his hands firmly on his hips. "Now that I'm in NERV, I'll show all of the slackers working there what it means to be a pilot -" "Will you?" Ryo asked, his voice quiet as usual. Something about the tone demanded attention, and the murmur of the other students died down as Vash looked at Ryo. The boy remained seated for a moment, then rose to his feet, his eyes still peering down at his notebook. "You're so certain that the problem is we're not doing our job correctly?" For a second, Vash seemed taken aback, simply staring at Ryo while Eiko managed to work her way out of the crowd. More than ever, she wanted a clear view of what was going on, especially considering the fact that she needed to talk to Ryo. Then Vash's expression changed to one of anger, his blue eyes flashing as they narrowed. "If you were doing what you're supposed to, Eiko's brother wouldn't be in the hospital!" he shouted, gesturing more in the general direction of his girlfriend than directly towards her. "You're supposed to be defending this city, and instead you nearly kill someone on your first mission!" Ryo finally turned towards Vash, his expression calm enough to be unreadable, red eyes almost seeming to look right through the other boy. "Neil had never piloted the machine before," he stated, still in a quiet but forceful tone. "He had no combat experience. Much like yourself, Vash." Eiko couldn't tell if Ryo knew his final statement would strike a nerve, but she could tell from the swift darkening of Vash's expression that it had succeeded anyways. "If he didn't know what he was doing, he shouldn't have gotten in the Eva!" shouted Vash, thrusting his fist into the nearest desk forcefully enough to produce a loud noise. "He should have known that!" "And who would have piloted the machine then?" asked Ryo, remaining motionless and apparently unafraid of Vash's anger. The comment made Vash's eyes widen, though the boy's anger seemed to remain just as intense. "I couldn't walk, much less pilot an Evangelion. Neither of you were part of NERV at the time. If Neil hadn't gotten in the machine, everyone would have died." Vash continued to glare at Ryo, while Ryo's expression remained unchanged, simply staring back at the other Child. "Well, you won't need Neil anymore," Vash snapped, obviously trying to keep a handle on his anger. "Eiko and I are going to do the job better than you've been able to." "I see. Because you obviously know more about how it should be done." Ryo stared at Vash for a second longer, then sat back down, turning away from the other boy while Eiko stared at him in shock. She knew that Vash's boasts were out of line, but she also knew that it was part of who her boyfriend was, part of the way that he related to the world around him. Ryo's words had been too harsh, and she suddenly wondered if Neil would feel the same way once he knew she was a pilot, if she wouldn't get to try and be friends with him because of it. The thought of it made her sad, though she couldn't quite place why. The crowd around Vash was laughing slightly at Ryo's final comment, deepening Vash's frown as he elbowed his way towards Eiko. "Shut up, guys," he muttered, touching Eiko's shoulder affectionately before he walked down to his desk and slouched back in the chair, obviously no longer so pleased about being a pilot. Eiko walked over to her desk, sat down, then glanced over at Ryo and thought for a second about asking him. Sighing, she looked away again, wishing that she could see some trace of emotion on Ryo's face, so she could at least guess at what he was thinking. ]++[ Nieve Soryu-Leary, bored, overheated, and irritated, stared over the rail of the massive battleship, watching NERV personnel confer amongst themselves on the docks as she pushed back a few red hairs that had fallen to stick on her forehead. "I'll admit, I wasn't looking forward to this to begin with," she announced loudly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Kaji was listening to her. "But now I've changed my mind. This isn't a stupid plan, this is the -worst- possible plan." "Your objections have been noted," replied Kaji, grinning at her. Nieve still found the gesture attractive, but considering the circumstances it made her feel more self-conscious than anything else. He was leaning against the side of the ship's bridge, wearing a white shirt with rolled sleeves and black slacks, apparently comfortable in the heat. "Why don't you enjoy the rest and relaxation a little? We're not likely to get much more of it." "Ick. How can you relax in this weather?" Nieve shook her head, then wiped the thin film of sweat off her forehead, feeling extremely unattractive. She knew how much she was sweating, and even the thin fabric of the light green sundress she was wearing (which, mercifully, wasn't thin enough to show her underwear, something she'd been afraid of) held in what seemed like enough heat to cook a chicken. Her hair was going limp from sweating, she'd already had to run to her cabin to put on another layer of deoderant twice, and no matter what she did it seemed to get worse. She looked as though she didn't have any control over her appearance at all, something that made her feel extremely unsettled. "Can't this branch of NERV get its act together and arrive on time?" Almost on cue, Kaji leaned forward off of the side, staring down the road that led to the bustling gray concrete dock. Nieve frowned in curiousity, then followed his gaze, seeing at length what he was looking at - a visibly huge transport rumbling towards the docks, with something yellow and equally huge strapped to the back of the truck. "They're moving pretty fast," he noted, walking over to Nieve's position to get a better view. "Should be here in a few minutes." "Good," replied Nieve, turning away from the transport. She knew that the yellow machine on the truck was EVA-05, but she hadn't been in the mood to wait for it for hours, and she hardly felt like watching its final approach. "It's about time. Now we can get to Japan and get the Angel situation under control, before the Third Child's luck runs out." Kaji said nothing, glancing towards Nieve and making a small "hmmph" noise that seemed halfway between amusement and exasperation. Then he was off, heading towards the plank that led to the docks while Nieve remained on the ship. She folded her arms, feeling resentful despite herself and wanting to simply get moving to Japan. Kaji had given her an explanation about why they couldn't simply airlift EVA-02 from Ireland with a stop in America, but it seemed ludicrous to her that facilities built to service the Evangelions couldn't accomodate one. More likely it had something to do with politics, a suspicion that she couldn't prove but accepted in her mind as more or less factual. Glancing up, she saw a few smaller trucks ahead of the one carrying the Eva were approaching ahead of it, one of which was probably carrying the Sixth Child. Scoffing, she turned away from the docks again, seeing if she could find a spot that was at least somewhat shielded against the light of the sun. It had frustrated her to be so powerless when she'd first found out about the transport method, and it had gotten no better, to the point where it seemed to her for brief moments that even the sun was mocking her lack of control with its heat. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she could keep a handle on the situation without the Sixth Child, and she found herself almost involuntarily resenting the other pilot without having even met her. "Nieve." The voice wasn't quite a shout, but it was loud enough to draw her attention towards the plank that Kaji was walking up, attention that was immediately refocused on the girl walking behind him. She was taller than Nieve, but that barely registered in Nieve's mind - she had gotten used to being shorter than almost everyone a long time ago. Nieve did wonder how she was able to tolerate the heat in jeans and a button-down white blouse, but the woman seemed unaffected by the heat, long black hair waving behind her as she walked, blue eyes glinting in the sun, her features sharp and almost edged. "They're here." "I can tell that," Nieve muttered, pushing away from the rail and walking over towards the Sixth Child. Kaji and the girl walked towards Nieve at the same time, and Nieve extended her hand to the other Child as they met, a gesture the woman accepted. "Nieve Soryu-Leary. Second Child. Pleased to finally meet you." The other woman's gaze seemed harsh, almost disapproving of the presence of someone else on board the ship. "Niobe Littmore," she said calmly, her voice deeper than Nieve had expected but still notably female. "Sixth Child." She paused, still holding Nieve's hand as if unsure what to do with it. "But you should know that already, considering your background with the project." "Well, yes. I was being polite." She shrugged, still feeling rather resentful of the girl simply because she'd delayed their progress. "Daughter of Joseph and Mary Littmore, lived in Neo Cape Town for most of your life, father worked as a bureaucrat for NERV before positive testing came back and you were confirmed as the Sixth Child. You entered the program three years ago, when EVA-05 was completed." Giving a self-satisfied little grin, she let go of Niobe's hand and turning her gaze immediately back towards Kaji. "So, does this mean that we can get on our way to Japan?" Kaji looked at her uncomfortably for a moment, then Niobe turned away from Nieve and towards Kaji as well, a motion that surprised the other girl. "Nieve is right. Every second we stay here is another second that we're falling behind in our goals." She sighed, then stared at Nieve somewhat resentfully. "If not for you, I would already be in Tokyo-3." "And if not for you, I'd be closer," replied Nieve, her gaze narrowing slightly at the accusation. She didn't like the idea of this girl thinking of herself as the more important one, especially considering the fact that Nieve had been with the program for nearly twice as long and had more experience with her Eva. Both girls glared at one another for a moment, then Niobe's expression softened, and Nieve realized the humor of the situation. She smirked, then looked back at Kaji. "So? Can we leave?" "Gods," muttered Kaji, holding his forehead and shaking his head. "There's two of you." Sighing, he looked up at the two girls, an expression that Nieve knew meant he was going to tell them something they didn't want to hear. "We've still got to wait for EVA-05 to get loaded onto the other transport, and that will probably take another hour or so. Then we can leave." He paused, letting both girls sigh in exasperation before continuing. "Don't worry. The ships are fast enough to get us there within another couple days. You'll be in Tokyo- 3 before you know it." "Not soon enough," muttered Nieve, turning her head away from Kaji as defiantly as possible. From the corner of her eye she could see him shaking his head again, then heading towards the plank down to the docks once again. Nieve kept her head turned for a moment, then looked over at Niobe, who seemed no happier with the situation than Nieve. "At least we didn't go all the way to South Africa, right?" "I suppose," replied Niobe, a bitter grin on her face as she turned towards the docks, surveying the huge yellow machine on the transport truck. It seemed patient, unconcerned with whether or not Niobe was tired of waiting for it, simply waiting until it was needed once again. Shaking her head, Niobe turned back towards Nieve, who'd followed her gaze towards the Evangelion. "Would you like to get some lunch?" ]++[ He'd marked the hill where he and Eiko had first met on his map of Tokyo-3, and somehow it only seemed appropriate for him to go back there, staring out over the horizon as the sun continued its descent below the horizon. Teal shirt hanging uncomfortably over his back, Neil sighed, dangling over the guardrail that he'd leaned on when he first met the girl, not sure if he had come to steel himself or simply to avoid having to deal with the reality of the situation. He would have liked to believe that he was doing it to be symbolic, but something inside him knew that he was afraid of going to Central Dogma, knowing that both of them would be there. And, he admitted silently to himself, he wanted to believe that Eiko would be there, too. It was stupid, overly romantic, and a chance in a million, the sort of scene that he'd seen millions of times on screen but he knew never happened in real life. Closing his eyes, he chuckled at his dellusions of grandeur, for once not feeling particularly bitter about them so much as amused. Part of the reason why he enjoyed the movies so much is because they obeyed a logic that he could understand, that you could break down. And much to Neil's personal chagrin, science had never provided hard and fast rules about how individuals worked. "Neil?" The voice was instantly recognizable, and it took Neil half a second to realize that he wasn't just imagining Eiko's voice. Pushing off of the rail, he glanced to one side to see her standing a few feet away, still wearing her school uniform and smiling at him. The irony didn't escape him, but he pushed it out of his mind, more concerned about what she would say next. "I didn't expect to find you here." "Ditto," Neil lied, turning fully to face her and suddenly feeling very exposed. "I... well, I expected to see you down at Central Dogma, but I just wanted to come up here first, with the sun going down and everything." He paused, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and rubbing the back of his head, wishing that he had something better to say, that he actually was in a movie and knew all the right words. "I was afraid you were still mad at me, and I knew that Vash would still be." "He'll come around sooner or later," replied Eiko, shrugging and walked across the street to her perch beneath the tree. Neil hesitated for a moment, then she gestured for him to come over towards her, smiling. Glancing back and forth, he walked across as she fluffed her skirt and sat down, setting her schoolbag down to her side. "Actually, I came up here because I didn't want to go to Central Dogma right away." She paused, letting Neil sit down, leaning back against the tree behind her and feeling the rouch bark against the skin of her neck. "So, when did you find out that we were the Children? Did you know when we met?" Suddenly feeling as though he were being accused, Neil shook his head vigorously, eyes widened a little at the implication. "I wasn't told until last night," he replied, more firmly than he'd planned but still conveying the message. "Misato let me know - she didn't think that I knew you." He paused, easing himself a little closer to her. "I'm assuming that they didn't let you know until this morning, or I would have seen you before." Eiko nodded, letting her hands touch the grass, the soft give of the ground tempered by the thin sharpness of the blades. For some reason it suddenly felt as though every sensation was keener, more important, something she had to experience anew and remember. "They told us on our way to school," she replied, watching as the light glanced off the buildings of Tokyo-3, admiring the way that it seemed to put on a spectacle for the whole city without realizing it. "Neil? Can I tell you something?" Neil looked at the girl sitting next to him, admiring her for just a second, the way that her hair fell around her pale face, the way that her eyes reflected the light from the sun, the way that her face curved. One part of him felt disgusted with himself for studying her, knowing that he couldn't have her, but he was unable to help it, caught up in the unspeakable sadness that seemed to be hanging over her. "What is it?" "I'm scared, Neil," she replied, her eyes still focusing on the gleaming light of Tokyo-3. "I'm really afraid of piloting those things. Not just because of what happened to Toji, but because..." She sighed, turning her head away from Neil, almost as if she were ashamed. "Because I don't want to get hurt." Closing her eyes, she laughed bitterly. "Selfish, isn't it? You're putting your life in danger every day, and now that I'm supposed to share the burden I don't want to do the same." "Hey, don't say that," Neil replied, putting his hand on Eiko's shoulder before his mind had even registered the fact that he very much wanted to touch her. A slight flush rose to his cheeks, but he ignored it, knowing that it would fade by the time she looked back at him. "It's not something that anybody wants to deal with. Heck, when I got here, I was expecting to be put into a school program. If I'd known what I was getting into..." He paused, stopping to think about the implications of the statement. "Well, I probably still would have come, all told." "You're brave," she said, her voice no longer sounding angry but impressed. Looking back towards him, she smiled, feeling touched by the fact that he hadn't outright told her she was being cowardly. "Vash would probably laugh at me, tell me that we wouldn't have anything to worry about." The though made her laugh involuntarily, remembering how he'd pranced about in class before Ryo had spoken up. "He's not a bad person, Neil. I know that you -" Shaking his head, Neil held up his free hand, and Eiko stopped talking, feeling that she owed him that much. "I don't think he's a horrible person. If anything, I'm more angry at -" Pausing, Neil shook his head again, somehow feeling uncomfortable telling Eiko how he'd felt the night afterwards. He thought that it was because of his thoughts about her, but something within him knew that wasn't it. "It's not important. The point is that I'm not really that brave." It was Eiko's turn to shake her head, barely believing the words that she heard coming from Neil's mouth. "You've got to be kidding me," she replied, almost laughing but restraining herself. "Staying in a foreign country, changing your entire life, all to put yourself in danger? That's bravery, at least by everyone else's definition." She turned towards the city once again, leaning back against the tree's rough surface. "You're a strange boy sometimes, you know that?" "This isn't the first time it's come up," replied Neil, recalling Misato saying similar words to him the first night he'd been out of the hospital. Removing his hand reluctantly from her shoulder, he edged closer to Eiko, pulling his knees up to his chest and looking at her intently. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you - piloting those things isn't fun, and it's not that safe. NERV would probably tell you otherwise, but - well, you've been around for both of my performances in EVA-01." Eiko nodded. "I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to pilot them, even for not piloting them." Neil's voice trailed off, and for a second he wondered if the world was working cinematically enough that Eiko would move in to kiss him, if he could really be that lucky. She did no such thing, however, looking at him for a moment before turning her gaze back towards the city. "It sounded like there was a 'but' coming," she said softly, a tone in her voice that Neil couldn't quite place. "But..." He trailed off again, still unsure of whether or not he wanted Eiko to pilot the Evas or not. Try though he might, he couldn't think of anything good to say for or against it, then he gritted his teeth and said the first thing that sprang to his mind. "But if you pilot one of the machines, I'll protect you." His cheeks flushed the instant he said it, but she was looking at him now, and he knew that he couldn't just stop talking. "We'll be on the same team, right? So we'll back each other up. I'll keep you safe as best I can, and you'll keep me safe. So it's not so frightening after all." Eiko stared at Neil as if she were considering the implications of his words, then she smiled and nodded, relaxing the stress on Neil a little. "Thank you," she said, putting her hand on his and giving it a small squeeze. Neil forced himself not to blush again, although he felt the unmistakable urge to. "I would have talked to Vash about it, but... well, I thought he would think I was being silly. And I knew that you knew more about being a pilot." It took a great deal of restraint on Neil's part not to say what he was thinking, and he forced himself to remember that Eiko was touching his hand and he wouldn't be thinking entirely clearly. He wanted to tell her to leave Vash, that he knew he would be better for her, that she was incredibly beautiful. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that was what he would say in a movie, and the thought made him wonder if he wanted to say it because it was true or because he felt obligated by the situation to say it. "Don't worry about it," he replied, simply smiling and cocking his head slightly to one side. "I'm glad I could help." Opening her mouth to speak again, Eiko was cut short as a blaring alarm filled the air, a noise that Neil had only heard once before but wouldn't have forgotten no matter what. "The Angel alarm," he said, rising to his feet and looking around. Eiko hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and stood along with him, trying to follow his gaze enough to find the cause. "They might have detected it before it got close enough to the city to -" "There," Eiko gasped, watching the horizon as the sun slowly sank beneath it. Neil followed her gaze, watching the sun for a moment before he realized that something was blocking his sight. Moving his eyes towards the obstruction, he realized that it was a gigantic octohedron, as if two pyramids had been glued together at their bases, floating slowly out of the hills towards Tokyo-3. For a moment, he wondered if it might be some kind of defense system that NERV hadn't deployed before, then he saw the aerodrones flying towards the thing and exploding as they hit the unmistakable AT field. "Welcome to the monkey house," muttered Neil, hoping that NERV had some kind of contingency plan until he and Eiko arrived at Central Dogma. Grabbing her wrist, he tugged gently on it, and she began following him, both of them first jogging and then running down the hill. Neil surveyed the slope on the other side rail, then decided that he didn't want to pull the same stunt he'd tried on his first day with a sheer drop. "This way," he decided, pointing to his left as he started jogging, Eiko following shortly after as the Angel slowly approached the city. ]++[ "I wonder what's going on in Tokyo-3 right now," muttered Nieve, lying on her back in a reclining chair in the shade. She'd finally given up the dress entirely and changed into her swimsuit, a low-backed black purple one that she'd tied an absolutely transparent sort of beach skirt around. It was still warmer than she would have liked, but it was at tolerable levels, even though she felt horribly exposed out of her dress, especially with Niobe sitting nearby still wearing more casual dress. "Hopefully not -another- Angel." "At the speed we're going, they'll all be destroyed by the time that we get there," muttered Niobe in agreement. Nieve was curious about Niobe's eagerness to get to the city, but she didn't say anything, too concerned about the thought of not being there to really think much on other details. "It's because your facility was built so far away from all the others, you know. If they'd built the European branch in Germany like they'd originally planned, then we both would be there by now." Nieve let out an indignant squawk, sitting up like a shot. "Pardon me for not being born in Germany, Miss Littmore, but the European facility was built because that's where my father was and that's where my mother was. It would have been silly to build in an entirely different country." She leaned back, ignoring the retaliatory stare from Niobe. "Besides, I would probably be there by now if we didn't have to pick up your machine along the way." Both girls remained silent for a second, staring at each other before letting their mouths curl into smiles. "You're surprising, Nieve," muttered Niobe, turning her gaze out towards the sea. She'd been on large freighters before, but it was always a rare occurence, and never for so long a time. In some ways, it was a little frightening, but in other aspects it made her somewhat invigorated. "Not at all like what I'd expected." Scoffing, Nieve propped herself up on her elbows, smirking at the other girl. "What?" she asked, trying to make her speech sound as accented as possible. "Did you expect me to down a pint, curse, swear upon the name of God, Jesus Christ, and the Saints, then dance a jig?" Niobe giggled in response, and it made Nieve feel a little better, considering how dour the other girl seemed to be. "For what it's worth, I expected you to be squatting in the bush rubbing paint onto yourself and crying out that the ships were demons." "Fine, fine, point made," replied Niobe, still giggling slightly but feeling slightly stung by Nieve's comment. Though she recognized that the statement was being made ironically, she had felt very isolated as she'd boarded the ship, driving up amongst the the mass numbers of NERV personnel made up almost uniformly of caucasians and oriental individuals. "I didn't mean to imply that, I just... well, I know your background with Project Eva. I would think you'd be comfortable waiting." "Waiting for what my entire life has led up to? Not likely. I want to get out there and get a move on with this already." She leaned back once again, staring up at the overhang from the deck that shielded her from the bright sun. "Besides, I've read the reports about the Third Angel's attack, and I heard some of the radio chatter about the Fourth. The Third Child might be lucky, but he hasn't spent his life preparing for this." Glancing towards Niobe, she gave a smug grin. "I have." "You're not the only one," replied Niobe, sounding a little resentful. Nieve leaned forward again, trying to get a better look at the other girl's face, but her face was angled so that Nieve could only see her profile silhouetted against the light of the sun, not enough to make out an expression. "You might have been in testing for three years before I was, but I've been training my entire life to be the best at everything I do." Niobe turned her head and smiled at Nieve, but the smile wasn't exactly a friendly one. "So don't think you're alone in having the initiative." Nieve frowned slightly, not having expected such a reaction from Niobe. It was common knowledge that she'd been in NERV longer than any of the other Children, and she'd certainly been training with her Evangelion longer than any of the others. She'd assumed that her seniority would give her some kind of clout with the other Children, but she was beginning to wonder if the others might also prevent her from maintaining control over the situation. "Well, then," she replied, mirroring Niobe's smile. "We'll just have to make sure that we both do our best, won't we?" "Sounds about right to me," replied Niobe, leaning towards the red- haired girl with her hand extended. Nieve took her hand and shook it, the grip between them exchanging all the information either of them needed to know. In the back of her mind, Niobe found herself wondering if perhaps she was wrong, if Nieve might turn out to be the better pilot of the two of them despite her best efforts. "We'll be the best together." ]++[ "Fifth Angel 'Ramiel' is approaching a position directly above Central Dogma," announced Makoto, fingers dancing across the keyboard as the monitor displayed the strangely-shaped Angel's approach. The alert had sounded some time prior, but as the sun set the Angel still had made no motion to attack, causing Misato to wonder if perhaps it had another destination in mind. "There's no mistaking its route. It'll be overhead in a few moments." Misato sighed, worried about where both Neil and Eiko were. They should have headed straight to NERV when the alert had sounded, although she wasn't sure if they'd run into problems along their way. The thought of an aerodrone crashing down on them occurred to her, and she shook her head, trying to push the terrible concept out of her mind. "We can't wait any longer," muttered Misato, more to herself than to anyone in the control area. "Maya, what's the status on EVA- 03?" "Unit 03 fully secured, all equipment checked out," replied Maya, her monitor still displaying a flat line for the unit's synchronization gauge. Vash had been put into Unit 03 on standby when the alert had sounded, but Misato had been reluctant to deploy him alone, especially considering the fact that he didn't have any combat experience. "We'd need to flood the cockpit and begin synchronization before we could deploy the unit, however. Estimated time if we begin now is one minute." "All right." She took a deep breath, then motioned to the communications officer to open a channel with the cockpit of EVA-03. "Vash?" she asked, still feeling a little uneasy about the reliability of the production-model units. Academically, she'd been informed by Ritsuko that they were designed to be more functional than 00 and 01 and knew that to be the truth, but she wasn't used to working with them, and had learned from prior tests that an Eva couldn't be counted on until it had been activated at least once. "Can you hear me?" Sitting in the cockpit of the machine, half-admiring the purple plugsuit with its black chestpiece, Vash almost didn't realize that Misato was speaking to him until she'd fallen silent, and which point he sat back in the cockpit correctly, gripping the metal handles on either side. "Loud and clear," he replied, nodding to nobody. "What about Eiko? Is she inside her Eva yet?" The response was a bit delayed, giving Vash all the answer he needed without Misato having to speak a word. "Damn it, where -is- she?" he muttered, thumping his hand idly against the side of the cockpit. "I've been down here training, and she's off doing God knows what." He shook his head, feeling betrayed despite himself. Though he would have liked to say that he wasn't a jealous person by nature, the thought that both Neil and Eiko were missing made it dangerously easy for his mind to draw the connection, and he was beginning to feel very much alone. "Don't worry. I'm sure she and Neil will be here soon." Misato paused, glancing towards the main screen, wishing that the Angel would stop or that Neil would arrive before she had to send Vash out. She shut her eyes, then turned back towards the primary microphone. "We're going to send you out to engage the Angel on the surface. We don't have much information on its capabilities at the moment, so you're going to be flying blind for a little while. Are you ready?" "Of course," replied Vash, drumming his fingers eagerly against the metal handrests, eagerly awaiting the activation that he'd heard about. "What happens now? You flood the chamber with some kind of liquid, right? The agents told us a lot about the machines this morning, so I -" "It's called LCL," replied Misato, motioning for Maya to begin flooding the cockpit. She briefly considered mentioning to Vash that she didn't think the liquid was particularly pleasant to inhale or even be around, but decided against it, waiting until Maya gave the sign that the cockpit was completely flooded and that she was ready to begin synchronization. "All right, Vash, we're going to begin synchronizing you with your Eva, and we'll be moving you to the launch pad at the same time." Coughing at the uncomfortable sense of having the noxious liquid in his lungs, Vash nodded before realizing that Misato couldn't hear him. "Go ahead," he announced, watching as the the space around him flashed before his cameras turned on and gave him a clear view of the drained holding room. He felt as though there were a second set of limbs besides his own, a sensation that he'd been expecting from his earlier briefing as the machine started moving towards the launch pad. "All right. I think I'm ready. Let's get this started." "You're being cocky," announced Ryo's voice, coming over both Vash's radio and the speakers in the control room. Misato sighed, shaking her head at the communication, wishing that Ryo were emotional enough so that she could write it off as jockeying for position. With EVA-00 out of comission, Ryo could only wait in the locker room on the off chance that he was deployed in another unit, something that she assumed the other Children would have been resentful of. Ryo had accepted it without a word, and had remained silent until he'd opened communication with the Eva. "Don't be so sure of yourself." Vash frowned inside of the Eva's cockpit, feeling as though Ryo was hoping he'd screw up. "You just watch, Ayanami," he shouted over the radio, extending his mind outwards towards the Evangelion's limbs, flexing the machine's fingers and preparing for combat on the surface. "You don't think I can do it? I'll show you just how great a pilot I can be." "EVA-03, launch!" shouted Misato, half because she knew that the machine needed to be deployed immediately and half because she wanted to stop whatever was going on between Ryo and Vash as soon as possible. The main screen, which had a small box window in the upper right-hand corner displaying EVA-03, showed the machine's launch pad rocketing upwards, and Misato turned towards Maya, with Ritsuko leaning over the other woman's shoulder. "What's the status of the pilot?" "Synch ratio at 47%, the standard projected rate for the production models." Maya's fingers were moving with practiced grace, the computer shifting displays at an amazing rate. "The AT field is deploying normally. No problems with the machine." The mention of EVA-03's AT Field surprised Misato, and she cocked her head to one side, apparently unsure if she'd heard Maya correctly. Ritsuko noticed the gesture, and she sighed, shaking her head and knowing that Misato hadn't been paying attention to her e-mail again. "All of the production models are fitted to automatically deploy an AT field upon synchronization," she explained. "We've incorporated the design into EVA-00, and made some tweaks to EVA-01's systems so that the field will activate more easily. Didn't you read the brief on it?" "I had other things on my mind," replied Misato, blushing slightly at the embarassment. Watching the monitor, she waited as Vash reached the surface, his Eva screeching to a halt with the platform, the black machine reflecting the setting sunlight just right to show off the iridescent purple underneath. The Angel was only a short distance away, still slowly floating through the air, approaching Central Dogma's location horizontally. "All right, Vash, there should be a weapon depot a few meters to your right. Retrieve a standard rifle and get a bead on the Angel." Vash shouted an acknowledgement, and Misato watched as the machine took a hesitant step forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Makoto's screen suddenly light up a brilliant red, and she refocused her gaze on the display as his fingers raced across of it. "Energy buildup detected in the Angel!" he shouted, and Misato looked up to see a glowing pinprick of light suddenly appear on the smooth side of the Angel. "It's about to attack!" A warning came over the loudspeaker, but Vash had only barely registered it when he saw a column of light erupt from the Angel, streaking towards his chest as though it were seeking him with its own intelligence. He watched, horrified, as it slammed into the AT Field, the green octagons rippling outwards for only a second before the beam tore through it without hesitation, as if the field had only been a momentary distraction. Then it his the center of his chest, and Vash had a split second to contemplate the fact that there was something touching his chest, something that burned with the heat of the sun. Then the touch became a violent stab, and he couldn't help but scream as his Eva was flung backwards against the rails of the entry port, feeling like his flesh was being burnt away vigorously. "EVA-03's frontal armor is currently at 37% and falling fast! AT Field is not slowly the beam! Synch ratio is down to 22% and falling rapidly! Pilot's mental activitiy is peaking dangerously!" Maya stared up at the screen as her hands seemed to pound the keyboard, glancing back and forth before the gauge of the remaining chest armor stopped at 13% and the beam dissipated. "It looks like it's charging for another shot! Captain Katsuragi -" "Recall EVA-03 immediately," Misato said firmly, trying to ignore her feelings of despair at the machine's sudden deactivation. She'd paid attention to the briefing about the capabilities of individual production models, and she knew that Vash's unit had armor unsurpassed by the other Evangelions. Shaking her head as the black machine descended once again, the Angel beginning to drift away towards their location, she turned towards the communications officer, forcing her gaze to remain stoic and calm. "Aoba, try to establish contact with the pilot. Do we have a location for Neil and Eiko yet?" "Both entered the facility shortly before the Fifth Angel attacked EVA- 03," replied the officer, moving more calmly than the other two technicians. "We've kept a link open to the entry plug - you should still be able to talk to Vash. I don't know how responsive he'll be, though." Misato stepped over to the primary microphone, hardly able to blame Vash for his silence. The size of the control room seemed to only redouble the volume of his heavy breathing, and it did nothing to quell Misato's growing fears about the Angel and their chances. "Vash?" she asked, hoping that he could hear her. "It's all right. We'll get you out of the machine, and we'll figure out a plan. You didn't do anything wrong." She wanted very badly to say the same thing about herself, but having watched what happened to the machine and heard Vash scream couldn't even believe the concept. ]++[ There wasn't time to go to the lockers for changing, not even enough time to get some kind of briefing from Misato, only time to rush to the docking area as fast as possible, clambering over the catwalks through the massive rooms housing the Evangelions before finding EVA-03's room, Eiko and Neil watching as the black monstrosity was slid back into place, restraints clamping over it as the entry plug slid out and let the LCL spray out to the sides. Cranes brought the white cylinder down to the catwalk, and Eiko leaned over it as Vash emerged, holding his chest and coughing up first LCL and then blood. "Vash," she said softly, touching his shoulders gently. "Vash." "It's okay," he said, trying to sound as undisturbed about the situation as possible as the doors at one end of the catwalk slid open, medical personnel rushing in with a stretcher as Vash tried to stand. His nose was filled with the scent of burning skin and blood, a combination that did nothing to raise his spirits. "Just a little more intense than I'd expected. Give me a few hours, I'll be up and running without a problem." "Honey, I'm sorry," Eiko replied, hugging Vash as gently as she could. Drips of LCL fell from him onto her hair, and the liquid seeped through the white cloth of her blouse as she held him. "I should have been here sooner. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Honey, please, I'm sorry." She leaned forward, kissing him gently on the lips before the medics motioned for her to move aside, picking Vash up and putting him on the stretcher while she watched. Neil watched from a few feet away, Eiko kneeling on the catwalk and watching forlornly as the stretcher was wheeled away, Vash looking fairly confident despite the experience. On some level, Neil felt as though he should be touched, but he only felt resentful, wishing that he could be the one she felt that way about. Swallowing the sense of resentment, he stepped over to Eiko, putting his hand on her shoulder and drawing her up. "It's okay. He'll be all right. Now come on, we've got to get in our own machines." "Correct," announced a familiar voice, and Neil glanced around before seeing the same skybox from EVA-01's holding back slightly to one side of the black machine, Gendou Ikari standing inside and looking at Neil and Eiko dispassionately. "We have ascertained the Angel's capabilities, and Captain Katsuragi has plotted a course of action. Both of you will put on your plugsuits and prepare for a briefing on the plan of action. Eiko, you will pilot EVA-04." Eiko's eyes were shut tight, and as he watched Neil could see a single tear seep out of the corner, something that tugged at the strings of his heart powerfully. Without even realizing it, he reached up with one hand, wiping the tear away from the girl's face, feeling an electric tingle across his arm as he touched her soft skin, another tingle coming as she looked at him, her eyes filled with an expression that he couldn't describe. She nodded, and he nodded back, smiling slightly at her. "I'll show her down to the locker room," he announced, shooting one last stare at Dr. Ikari before leading the girl towards one of the catwalk's exits. Before they'd reached the end of the walk, the facility seemed to shudder slightly, and Neil stopped, looking towards the skybox once again in hopes of some kind of explanation. "The Angel is drilling into the Geo-Front," announced Dr. Ikari, sounding perfectly unconcerned by the fact. "It extended an appendage slightly before you arrived in this room, and it has begun to penetrate the upper levels of armor. We have approximately an hour before it gets through the armor." "So we're on a schedule now," muttered Neil, not having been terribly comfortable with the situation before and certainly not pleased by the new development. Then he felt Eiko squeeze his upper arm, though he couldn't be sure if it was out of fear or sympathy. Either way, it made him less afraid, and he smiled at her before continuing their path from before, his steps falling faster now. ]++[ The plan, as it had been described by Dr. Fuyutsuki, seemed simple enough. After Vash's disastrous encounter with the Angel's attack capabilities, it was decided that an indirect attack was required, and Misato had suggested the use of a long-range weapon to penetrate the Angel's AT Field and destroy it. NERV, apparently, didn't possess anything up to the job, but after a few quick phone calls they'd obtained a prototype photon weapon from the JSSDF and adapted it for use by the Evangelions. Neil got the distinct impression that the Japanese government was not happy about having to hand over the weapon, but he also got the impression that they didn't have much say in the matter. Combined with a makeshift shield that Ritsuko had gotten assembled, Neil was to shoot the Angel with the rifle while Eiko shielded him from any retaliatory strikes. It was simple, but risky, and as Neil sat in the soft grass near the entry plug, the plugsuit managing to keep him surprisingly warm, he could only think about the chances of the plan actually succeeding. Between the time it had taken to deploy the Evas, to move the photon rifle, to prepare the pilots for remote insertion into the machines, and to hook the rifle into the Tokyo-3 power grid so that it could actually fire, there were only ten minutes left, and Eiko and Neil had been told that it would take a few minutes before everything was truly ready. "I'll have one shot, two if I'm lucky," he muttered. "This is going to be impossible." Feeling a touch on his shoulder, he looked back, expecting to see Misato and being suitably surprised to find Eiko standing over him. Her plugsuit looked different than his, less armored and almost entirely silver to match her Eva, with the arms along with a few bits of highlighting here and there a bright red. It looked far more like a wetsuit than his did, aside from the two bits that looked almost like headlights just below her ribs and the high collar. What attracted his attention first, however, were the thin wire-framed glasses she wore. "I didn't know you wore glasses," he said, wanting to talk about anything besides the obvious. "Most of the time, I wear contacts," she replied, sitting in the grass next to Neil. He was trying his best not to notice her figure, knowing that he let his thoughts drift in that direction that the plugsuit would do nothing to hide it, but in the skintight garment she wore it was severely difficult. "Misato told me that they'll get me ones I can wear inside the Eva, but until then I'm wearing my glasses. My contacts would just float off, since they flood the cockpit, and all." "Yeah. Flushing your eyes." He glanced towards the two silent machines for a second, watching as the technicians scrambled to ready the entry plugs. "Eiko? I've got to be honest, here... I'm scared, too. This is a hit-or-miss operation, and..." He paused, struggling for the words despite himself. "You've seen my track record in EVA- 01. Screwing up at the beginning is the way that I operate." A shout from the raised platform where the entry plugs lay told both Neil and Eiko that it was time to begin the operation, and both stood, walking towards the platform as swiftly as possible without running. "It's my turn to reassure you, then," she shouted as she climbed into EVA-04's plug, Neil stepping gingerly into his own cockpit. "I'll watch over you. Just do your best, and I'll take care of everything else." The words seemed to echo in Neil's head even before Eiko had finished saying them, and as the top of the entry plug slammed down he gripped the handles of the cockpit firmly, determined to perform the operation correctly. He felt the plug lurch into the air before being lowered into the machine, and for the first time he barely even noticed the LCL flooding the chamber, simply waiting until the unit was active and taking his position, lying on the ground with the rifle in his hands, targeting systems circling around the Angel as the Eva's fingers wrapped around the rifle's trigger. In front of him, he could see the silver Eva that Eiko was piloting grasp a massive shield, holding it at just the right angle so that Neil could still get a clear shot at the Angel. "We've got five minutes left, guys," announced Misato's voice. "You've got to make this count." "Don't miss. I've got it." Neil closed his eyes for a second, then gently nudged the rifle to the right, watching as the target crosshairs centered themselves around the Angel. The lower right-hand corner of his display popped open a window to keep him up to date about how much time he had left, but he forced himself to ignore it, watching carefully for the instant that the crosshairs lined themselves up and then pulling the trigger. The sudden sense of firing was liberating, and for a moment he could see the beam streaking towards its target, the blast a perfect shot through the center. That was an instant before a spot of light flashed on the Angel's surface, and a beam struck out directly in the opposite direction from the blast of the photon rifle, sending Neil's beam off into the hills harmlessly and slamming hard into the shield that EVA-04 wielded. "SHIT!" shouted Neil, losing his control for a moment as he watched the world around him explode in a spray of red energy. "This is EVA-01. The Angel managed to deflect the shot. How soon can I fire again?" It was a moment before any response came from Central Dogma, and Neil could see the shield that Eiko was wielding didn't hold up as well as NERV's staff had hoped, the Angel's beam obviously damaging it before the beam subsided. "You can fire again in ten seconds," announced Misato, sounding quite pleased with herself. "It'll take the Angel another twenty seconds by out calculations, so you should -" "-No-!" shouted Eiko, her Eva lurching into action. Before, it had stood beside the prone EVA-01, holding the shield to one side to act as a barrier. Now it stepped over the rifle, standing with its legs wide enough to straddle the weapon, the shield held close against its body. "If we try to fire like that again, it'll just deflect the shot again, and I doubt we've got the time for a third shot. We've got to wait until it takes a shot at us, and then fire at it before it can react." "Eiko, that's suicide!" shouted Neil, slamming his fists against the sides of the cockpit. He could see the targeting crosshairs lining themselves up, but he resisted the urge to fire, suspecting that Eiko was right about the Angel being able to stop them. "That shield couldn't possibly last against another shot, and once it goes, you'll be -" "Protecting you," replied Eiko firmly, her eyes focused on the thin point of light she could see on the Angel's surface. She felt adrenaline rushing through her body, a terror like she'd never experienced before, but tempered at the same time by the certainty that she'd make it through. "Neil, don't fight me on this. I know that you won't let me down now, that you'll make the shot and destroy the Angel." She shoved EVA-04's heels into the ground, bracing herself. "Go for it." The blast hit with the force of a hurricane, and the silvery Evangelion couldn't help but slide backwards slightly with the power of the blast. Neil cursed as he focused on the targeting crosshairs once again, thrown off their target by the sheer force of the impact. He tried to move the rifle closer to the target's center, but the cone of light exploding against the shield was too intense, all but blinding him as he focused on the crosshairs. Above him, Eiko felt the shield melting away, and gritting her teeth she released it, letting it fly away as she crossed her arms across her chest and focused all of her energies on remaining stationary. When she'd been greeted by the agents, she was informed that EVA-04 had reflective armor, that it would cut down on the impact of any such energy attack. The fact was small consolation as the sheer force felt as though it seared away her flesh, and she couldn't help but scream, gripping the handles of the cockpit until her knuckles turned white as the Angel seemed to drive a knife straight through to her bones. The sudden, pained scream was all Neil needed to hear, and he closed his eyes, focusing on the weapon for just a second, turning it slightly to one side, and pulling the trigger. Below, every voice inside of the command center went silent, the main display showing the blue-white bolt of energy streaking towards the Angel even as the rumbling above Central Dogma grew louder. Misato found her lips beginning to move in a prayer half a second before the beam burst through the Angel's AT field and then through the Angel itself, the Angel's attack suddenly dissipating as the tip of its drill broke through the ceiling of the Geo-Front. There was a moment that time stood still, and then the Angel began to fall, the monitors of its condition all showing that it was dead. "Eject EVA-04's entry plug immediately," announced Misato, knowing that the machine had to be causing its pilot severe pain. "EVA-01, eject!" shouted Neil, watching as Eiko's machine tumbled to the ground in front of him. He could only see it for a second, then suddenly the view went blank and he felt the entire entry plug lurching upwards with a speed that he'd never experienced before, and the thing rotated madly as it flew into the air, the LCL spraying out with a loud noise as he felt the plug fall back towards the ground. It hit with a thump, and without hesitation he kicked the top of the plug open, jumping out as Eiko's plug skidded to a halt from the back of her machine. Grabbing the handholds for the manual opening, Neil pulled hard for a moment, then suddenly felt a spray of hot LCL directly in his face, a disgusting sensation under any circumstances. Forcing it out of his mind, he climbed into the plug, worried that he'd find Eiko dead inside. She lay in her chair, body limp and eyes closed, but her chest was slowly heaving up and down, breathing regularly. "Thank God," he muttered, stepping over to the pilot's chair along the curved surface of the plug, hoisting himself up next to her. "Eiko? Eiko?" "Mm." The girl's eyelashes fluttered for a second before her eyes actually opened and stared up at Neil, a pain filling them even as they looked hopeful. "You... got it, right?" He nodded, words escaping him as she coughed up a mouthful of LCL. "I... I'm glad. I knew that you would get it in time. I knew -" Neil knew, on some level, that it was the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't keep himself from grabbing Eiko and holding her tightly, embracing her even as he felt his eyes begin to water. "Don't do that again," he whispered, unsure of what he was feeling, whether he was crying from fear of failure, fear of her near-death, fear of the machines, or even just to remind himself that he could cry. The tumult of emotions inside simply wouldn't give him the moment's respite that he needed to sort himself out. "Please, don't put yourself at risk like that." "All right," replied Eiko, returning the embrace. Neil felt his cheeks flush as his body acknowledged the attractive woman in a skintight outfit hugging him, but if she noticed she didn't say anything. They needed no more words for a time, and both lay in the embrace until the technicians came to check on them, their Evangelions silent without their pilots, both pilots answering to the most basic need of human contact. ]++[ Outro: Neon Epoch Evangelion is based off of -Shin Seiki Evangelion- by GAINAX and company. It is not intended to be a straightforward fanfic, but it is building off the work of others, and as such it is done with the utmost respect for the original works and their authors. Basically, even though this is an original work, it's based off the work of others, and if you read this, you should go to see the original. Special thanks to all of the real Children - you know who you are. Extra special thanks to Joe Augulis for his consultation on the Japanese portions of the story. He might not know much Japanese, but that's more than I know. Copyright 2002 Eliot Lefebvre. NEXT EPISODE: A voyage across dangerous waters. An encounter of momentous implications. Hearts with perilous secrets. NEON EPOCH EVANGELION 5: LEVIATHAN "You might as well have asked me to turn back the tide." ]++[ We only have a little time in our lives to waste. Make the most of it. Electronic Transcendence Productions: http://www.lostfactor.net Producer of, um, stuff for an unspecified time-period. Rants: http://www.livejournal.com/users/lostfactor