Rei's Child Two

Written By: Jon L and Kei Ikari (the author)

This Chapter follows the events of Chapter Two

"speaking"--'thinking'--<phone>--=dream=

An Angel is something sent by God. A Human is something created by God supposedly in his own image. What about those who are in between? Having angelic qualities can have its good side, like possessing superior knowledge for your age. Sadly, it can have its bad side, like dealing with people that think of you as an enemy, people that would rather have you dead instead of helping them. The world is full of people that are different, most only appear to have subtle differences. But, there are two young children that do not fall in the category of abnormal, they instead fall under Angel because of what they are, children blessed with gifts from their parents or grandparents. There are times that these children may be unable to save themselves from being attacked without using their abilities to defend themselves, just in case it injures or even kills someone. Being in between is not all someone may think it is, because not everyone will understand it.

****************

The next day, after an early start on the Eva training, Hikari greets the three newest Eva pilots in the temporary locker room.

"It looks like you have all received good scores today in the testing. By the looks of it we may be ready in time for the Angel threat if nothing changes. Then again, Commander Katsuragi would know more about that than I would." reports Hikari.

"Where is she anyway?" asks Mari, a bit confused as to why someone so important would be missing from the tests.

"I am not really sure, what I do know is she is not here..."

"She drank something that made her sick last night." adds Kaworu.

"I believe that would be beer. Guess I should call Shinji and have him look in on her. On to the next topic, your Plug Suits were delivered a short while ago. Please try to be careful with these because we only got two of each at the moment. The ones you are being given right now are for the day since we will be doing more training after lunch."

"Miss Horaki, when can I see my aunt again?" asks Kaworu.

"Hasn't anyone told you?"

"No. I am starting to miss her." he sighs as he looks at the floor.

Hikari quietly sighs as she walks over to the phone in the room. After she dials a number she waits for a response and receives one within moments.

"Hey honey, can you please do me a favor? No, I kind of need to talk to someone about something important. Can you come to the changing room and pick up your sister and Kei? Yes, they are dressed, I was going to bring them to lunch, but something came up. Great, that would be nice. One more thing, can you contact Shinji and tell him to check Misato's living quarters. I think she may have found something to ease her mind last night, let alone her ability to think straight. Thanks, see you in a few." she says into the phone before hanging it up.

"Hikari, what's wrong?" asks Mari.

"Nothing to be concerned about, I just need to talk to little Kaworu alone for a few minutes. I will be joining you in the cafeteria once I finish." she replies, hinting to Mari what it might be.

They each patiently wait for a few minutes until Toji arrives in the room, "So what is the matter that you had to talk to Kaworu alone?" he asks.

"A family issue that I want to clear up, that's all." she replies.

"What ki...oh...I think I understand..."

"I will be down shortly."

Toji nods and signals for two of the children to accompany him for lunch. Once he has left along with Kei and Mari, Hikari sits down on a bench in the room and motions for Kaworu to do the same. "Kaworu, I was hoping Misato would have told you this already, but I guess she wasn't able to due to her position. Five days ago, your aunt awoke from her injuries. Unfortunately...she died soon after. Their was nothing that could have been done to help her, she was hurt very badly...I am sorry..."

Kaworu stares at Hikari for a few moments before he speaks up, "So she can't come see me anymore?"

"She has moved on to a better place, one where she will be happy and content because there is no pain or suffering there. That doesn't mean she won't be sad about not being able to see you again, and she knows you will miss her as well."

"Why didn't she say goodbye to me?.." Kaworu asks sadly as a few tears well up in his eyes.

"Things happened too fast once she woke up from her deep sleep. If she had been able to live longer, I am sure Misato would have let her say goodbye to you. The doctors and nurses did all they could to bring her back, but they couldn't help her..."

Kaworu Jr. wraps his arms around one of Hikari's arms and starts to cry.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Kaworu. I thought Misato already told you." adds Hikari as she tries to comfort the small boy.

****************

"Mari, slow down some. If you keep eating at that speed you will choke on your food!" orders Toji as he watches his sister take large bites out of her food.

A few minutes after leaving the changing room, two children and one young adult have ordered their lunches and began eating while they wait for Hikari to arrive with Kaworu.

As Mari slows down and starts actually chewing her food, Toji hears his cell phone ring and answers it, "This is Toji."

<Toji, I have found Misato. It looks like Hikari was right.> replies Shinji on the other end.

"Did she give you a reason why she did it?"

<It's hard to say since all her words came out slurred, but I believe she said she missed Kaji and that he was stupid for getting himself killed.>

"Are you going to be with her for a while?"

<Well, someone has to chew her out!> Shinji finishes before hanging up.

Toji puts his phone into his pocket again and continues eating what looks to Toji as a small lunch in front of him. After a minute goes by he spots Hikari and Kaworu looking for a place to sit and signals for them to join him and his small group.

Once Kaworu has sat down with his lunch, Toji leads Hikari off to the side to speak with her.

"So, how did it go?" he quietly asks.

"He reacted the way I thought he would. At least he finally knows what happened..."

"So is he going to be okay?"

"He will be sad for a while but I think he will make it through the next round of training this afternoon."

"What about you?"

"I am a doctor, Toji. I will have to deal with situations like this once in a while. I can handle it."

"Just checking. By the way, Misato is plastered by the sound of it."

"Shinji with her?"

"Giving her a good headache if I am right."

****************

"You never learn, Misato! Whenever you remember the past you decide to get drunk so you can try forgetting everything! When you were living alone, that was okay, but now you are taking care of a young child!" yells Shinji at a large mass of blankets.

All that can be heard, as a reply, is a muffled moaning sound with words mixed in. "Nnnnnn tooz ca o nuu nnnn, rnn, n azzza, nnnn e?.."

Having had several lessons in the tongue of 'Drunken Misato', Shinji does his best to translate what she has said and replies, "Taking care of teenagers is different, they don't require their guardian to do stuff for them most of the time!! You are the guardian of a five-year-old child!!"

Misato just moans as she tries to move around a bit in the blankets. "Nnnnnn, leme bezn..."

Knowing that leaving Misato alone won't help the situation in any way, Shinji approaches the blankets and gives them a hard tug, causing Misato to roll out and fall onto the floor, hard, "WHA DA HELL!!!" she screams as a sharp sense of pain reverberates in her head.

"Time for you to take some responsibility for your actions! Get up, get dressed, and take some Aspirin!!" snaps Shinji as he leaves the room.

****************

About five minutes later, Misato has managed to stumble out of her room, fully dressed in baggy clothes, "Now What..." she moans as she leans against the wall, trying to focus.

"I managed to get the afternoon off from the rest of Eva training. So you and I are going to the surface where the light is nice and bright."

"But it is bright enough in here..." she quietly moans.

"You drink, you pay. And Hikari has made this an order." states Shinji as he helps the woman walk out of the room.

****************

Once lunch has ended for the new pilots, they have arrived back in the changing room to prepare for the next round of training.

"I wonder what the purpose of these suits is." says Mari as she opens the packaging for her silver and black plug suit.

"They are meant to be the life support system in the case the pilot is in danger. It also assists in some of the neural connections for the Eva." answers Kei as she removes her white and red suit.

Kaworu continues to struggle with tearing open the plastic covering his plug suit as the girls continue their conversation.

"So not only are they meant to show off our bodies as if we were naked, they are meant to save our lives?" Mari replies sarcastically.

"Yes."

"I bet the former NERV staff were always happy to see the pilots in their plug suits."

"I don't know about that."

"Kei, that was sarcasm."

"Oh..."

<Pilots, please report to Eva cage. Pilots, please report to Eva cage.> comes an announcement over the intercom. Mari looks over at Kaworu and sees he has yet to open the package.

"Can I help you, Kaworu?" she asks.

The boy just hands the package over to the girl and looks down at the floor.

"Don't be sad, Kaworu. I had trouble with mine as well." she adds before managing to tear a hole in the plastic, "There you go. Kei and I will go on ahead, just come when you are ready, okay?"

The boy slowly nods as the girls walk out of the room.

****************

About a half-hour later on the surface, in the barren sands of the desert, two figures have started to emerge from a small structure on the surface.

"Good thing you wore loose clothes, I heard it may be hot up here." comments Shinji as he leads Misato to a car that was loaned to him for the day.

"You know, I could really make your life hell for this..." she answers back.

"Just get in the car. As far as security is concerned, you are sick in bed and cannot be disturbed for any reason. Shigeru was kind enough to help me out on this."

"So where are we headed to?"

"The town of Rachel."

"Never heard of it."

"Almost two hours from our current location. Along what used to be called the Extra Terrestrial Highway. Toji said he had once read about that area and recommended it."

"Why go there?"

"Because I have never seen Rachel."

"Shinji, that is out in the middle of nowhere!"

"Then no one will mind us going there."

****************

Kei and Kaworu listen for the information over the intercom while they feel the Entry Plug being moved around.

'Why are you so sad, Kaworu?' communicates Kei to the boy behind her.

The plug finishes screwing in before Kaworu finally replies moments later, 'My aunt is dead.'

'When did she die?'

'Five days ago...'

The plug wall displays several different colors as it is connected to MAGI-02.

'I am sorry...maybe you could spend the night with my father and I.'

'I doubt I would be able to. Misato is my guardian now.'

'You don't know Shinji when it comes to Misato. He knows how to get her to listen.'

'As long as you have food, I will come.'

****************

Almost two hours later, Shinji and Misato have arrived at a ghost town from before Second Impact. They proceed to a run down building that once may have been an eating establishment, "I hope this is the right spot." comments Shinji as he gets out of the car.

Minutes later they both walk into the building and find a table to sit at.

"Shinji, you have pushed me out of bed for nothing. Why the fuck are we really here!!!" demands Misato.

"Hello, Ms. Katsuragi. Kaji had said a great many things about you when he was still alive." says a voice from a darkened corner.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"I once was with the Japan Ministry of the Interior years ago when Kaji was with them. Now I am here in the middle of nowhere since my assignment was completed when Gendo Ikari had died. The name is Yuri Chang now."

"How did you know we would be here?"

"I didn't know you would be here. I have been in contact with Mr. Ikari here for a little while now. Shortly after you had asked him to join the university to assist in restoring the world, I had managed to finally track him down and started talking to him about his father. I was the one assigned to handle matters concerning Gendo. But before that I was the person that ended up being paired with Kaji. Kaji and I did a lot of work concerning what NERV was doing."

"So you were the one that helped get him killed?!"

"No, I never was apart of that, I only provided the information to him. But there were times he and I would have time to kill, and your name came up several times."

"I see...Shinji, have you been in contact with this person recently?"

"I am sorry, Misato, but I wanted to come meet this person since I was close enough to." he replies.

"Do not worry, Ms. Katsuragi. There isn't anyone that will care within several miles, and I doubt anyone will care about anything that happens in the middle of nowhere."

"Ms. Chang...I am sorry for not warning you before coming, but I think you should talk to Misato about Kaji."

"I see. Well, I might as well have a seat then, this may take a while..." replies a woman who looks to be in her fifties by now as she walks up to the table.

****************

Back at NERV-02, training is in session for the new pilots. The basics had been completed that morning so the next phase involves hand to hand combat training.

"So, Doctor, how are the pilots doing?" asks Toji, who is sitting next to Hikari.

"So far they are doing fine. So what happened with Misato?" she replies.

"Do you remember ET?"

"I see. You sent them into the middle of nowhere."

"Shinji had someone to meet there anyhow."

"Well, despite the fact Misato is not here where she should be, I think the training has gone well."

"Is my sister looking good?"

"She had fair scores during the first phase of testing. Kei and Junior scored higher than her."

"So she has some competition. As long as she doesn't get hurt, I am willing to keep my mouth shut."

A few moments later, Toji hears the phone ring beside him and answers it, "Cage Control rear desk, this is Suzahara."

<Mr. Suzahara, this is Fuyutsuki. I am looking for Katsuragi.> comes the reply.

"She is not present right now. Anything someone else can help you with?"

"Actually she is not even within range of communications right now."

"Sir?"

Toji jots down a few notes before replying, "I will see if I can track her down."

"Be quick about it then." finishes Fuyutsuki before the line goes dead.

"What was that all about?" asks Hikari once Toji has hung up the phone.

"It sounds like Kozo and Misato have a large problem on their hands back at NERV. The JSSDF are asking for information that we don't have right now." he replies.

"Are we in...danger?"

"I don't know..."

****************

"Kaji was a great man, but he was even better at gathering secret information. As you know, he was a double agent between NERV and Interior. You may have not known that he was also working for Seele as well. He was a man of many jobs in the end and how he managed to stay alive for so long is still a mystery for many. I only worked with him on stuff concerning NERV but I did assist him unofficially in investigating Marduk. I always thought of him as a fool for sticking his nose into matters that really didn't concern him but once he did find out the truth behind Marduk things changed concerning all matters of NERV. I know he gave you his prized possession before he died. That chip caused a lot of uproar for several government agencies that wanted it. I am glad he chose you as the one to receive it." says Yuri.

"I know the chip was able to hack into the MAGI easily, but how did he come across it and why?" asks Misato.

"He managed to confiscate it several years ago during an investigation. No one knew about it at the time except him until it was too late. As for why...have you ever heard about his assignments before he came to NERV?"

"Not really. Is their something I should know?"

"Your father's work. Kaji was partially involved with the investigation into what really happened. The government had accepted the meteor explanation as a way to provide the public with a temporary story, but secretly they were doing their own investigative work. By the time Kaji became involved he was working a low-end job with Gehrin, which had built a second operations center in Germany. He needed some extra money so he took on a second job as an assistant. At first the investigation was going slow, and after four months he was transferred to another assignment temporarily. That was the one where he got the chip. Once that one was finished he was assigned again to the first job. The chip was secretly tested out late one night in an attempt to see if what it was made to do would really work."

"And it allowed him to gather secret info?"

"Yes. The info collected though made little sense to the government here in Japan, so a new investigation was started that involved Gehrin. Kaji became a double agent at that time and every once in a while found more and more out concerning the truth. The truth was never revealed to the public. Seele had somehow managed to kill off the investigation. That didn't stop Kaji because he wanted to find the truth out no matter what and eventually let the world know what happened. Do you still have the chip, Misato?"

Misato digs out a small vile from inside her jacket and shows it to everyone, "I never told anyone about this thing because I wanted to be ready in case action was needed."

Yuri nods and stands up, "Can you both follow me? I have something I would like to show you."

****************

A few minutes later, Misato, Shinji, and Yuri have entered another building several meters away. Once the door is closed, Yuri directs Misato to a small machine in the corner, "Install the chip in the empty slot on the board inside." she instructs.

Misato hesitates for a moment before complying. Once it is in, Yuri turns on the machine. "Misato, this is the original computer that the chip was designed on. With it you would have the power to get into any system with an external data connection. It was only tested once before the creator was arrested. The second and last time it was used was just before Kaji was transferred to NERV in Japan. Its how he discovered where Adam was being kept." says Yuri as she waits for it to finish warming up.

It takes only a minute before it is ready for use. Yuri directs Misato and Shinji to search for any information linking the JSSDF to NERV. Within moments data is returned.

Misato carefully reads the displayed information and becomes wide-eyed when she reaches the end, "Nothing has changed concerning how the Japanese government feels about NERV! Why can't they just accept that we are doing all we can right now!" she yells.

"You have just read information only available to high ranking officials without even reaching a barrier. Kaji wanted you to learn the truth for the sake of Humanity. He knew you were the only one he could trust to carry this out. Guard that chip with your life because when it comes time to expose everything once and for all about NERV and the Japanese government you will have to decide if it's the right thing to do. There are still things you have to learn about them." Yuri says before Shinji and Misato stand up in awe.

"You...you knew the government would not trust us!" states Misato.

"Kaji knew too. That is one reason he was silenced. I managed to avoid others from knowing that I know what is going on. I live here now not because I just wanted to be alone, but because I am safe here from people finding me, with the exception of those who know I still exist. I am glad to have finally met you, Misato Katsuragi. And you as well, Shinji Ikari." says Yuri before the computer starts to beep. Once she has determined what is going on she shuts it off and quickly removes the chip before handing it to Misato, "It looks like my time to die has arrived. The computer has given away this location to Interior. I suggest you both leave as quickly as you can, this town is about to vanish along with me. Misato, one more thing before you go, Kaji never trusted those he didn't know well, I suggest you do the same if you wish to expose the last of the secrets. Goodbye." finishes Yuri as she enters a code into a keypad on the wall. A moment later a timer appears and begins counting down from ten minutes.

****************

About nine minutes after making a hasty retreat from Rachel, Shinji pulls the car over to the side of the road and looks back in sadness. "Misato, this just isn't right. Ms. Chang doesn't deserve to die like that after all she told us." comments Shinji as he waits for the explosion.

"Shinji, she has done everything possible to help us out. She performed her services to her country and faded away honorably. She helped me understand today that Kaji had full trust in me even when we were apart. She did what was necessary to inform us that we don't know the truth about NERV and the government yet. She had to hide herself to ensure she would have a chance to continue where I stopped looking so that I may start again. I am sure she told you many things as well about stuff you needed to know about the past. I thought I had revealed everything already but I guess there is more that is out of reach." she states as she looks at the chip from Kaji.

"I know...I just don't think it is right..."

A moment later a loud boom begins to echo across the land as thick black smoke begins to rise.

"Shinji...some people do what they have to do to ensure that the right thing is done...and she knew that just as much as Kaji did..." says Misato as she sighs.

****************

Hours after the day's Eva training has been completed and the results have been reviewed. Hikari has started going over a different set of results concerning Kaworu Junior. She is so involved in her work that she misses hearing the door open and someone entering.

"Ms. Hikari?" asks the voice.

Hikari jumps in her chair once she realizes that someone else is in the room and places a name to the voice, "Kaworu! Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that!" It takes her a moment to realize that she had locked the door, "And how the hell did you get in here?!" she yells, not even making the boy flinch in the process.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, I didn't mean to."

"It's quite alright, but please don't just come in on your own for now on, it's best to knock first. Now then, what can I do for you?"

"Do you know where Shinji and Ms. Misato have gone?" he asks trying to hide the bit of concern in his voice.

"They went to someplace to the east of here. I am sure they will be back before dinner. Why do you ask?"

"Because...something feels wrong...as if they are in danger..."

"I am sure they..."

"They are in danger for talking to someone that knew someone from Misato's life."

"Kaworu, I am sure they are fine and heading back now."

"Someone Misato loved and lost. Someone that showed her the truth."

"Are you talking about Kaji?"

"I don't know...I just know that they are in danger..."

"Okay, let's go and visit Toji then. He will be able to help us find them I am sure."

****************

About five minutes later, Hikari and Kaworu have arrived in Central Control and located Toji at one of the terminals talking to Kensuke on the phone. "...Asuka would never do it, man. She may like you a lot, but I still think she has her limits to what she would do for someone." he says before he notices two people coming closer to him and waves a silent hello, "Kensuke, believe me when I say she won't do it. She just doesn't have the attraction to military equipment that you do meaning she will never ride in a tank with you just for some simple fun."

Hikari manages to get Toji's attention after indicating to him that she really needs to talk to him right away.

"Kensuke, can you hold on a moment?" says Toji as he puts the call on hold. "Is something wrong, sweetie?" he asks.

"Umm...it may be nothing...but Kaworu says that Shinji and Misato are...in danger..."

"Danger? How?"

"He doesn't know. Only that they are in danger."

"Maybe Kensuke can locate them. If a satellite is within range of us here then he can use it." Toji goes back to his call and begins explaining the situation to his friend. Within about the length of a minute an answer comes back and the call is put on hold again. "Kensuke has asked us to move to another room where we can talk to him privately.

"Wait, why does he want us to move?" asks Hikari, now a bit worried about her friends.

"Well, something seems to be going on that we didn't know about before." replies Toji.

****************

A half hour away from NERV, Shinji and Misato are still speeding along on a highway in silence since learning that they still have more to learn concerning the truth. The drive for the most part has been uneventful since leaving the area of Rachel. As was predicted, the day was a hot one and both were glad they had Air Conditioning in the car. But the silence won't last for much longer. Unknown to them they have been followed in various ways since leaving the outskirts of the town. It's now starting to get dark on the surface as the sun sets in the west. Sadly, this can provide a type of cover for anyone that would wish to remain hidden. For about ten meters behind them a helicopter stealthily follows their path forward, slowly moving closer little by little. Of course, the goal of the passengers in this helicopter is to make sure the car doesn't return to its origin. This is indicated very well in a matter of moments when the airborne object rapidly closes the distance between it and the car before one of the people inside stick a gun outside and start firing upon the car, panicking the car occupants.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?!" yells Misato as the back windshield and her window shatter.

****************

Now in one of the many meeting room available at NERV-02, Toji, Hikari, and Kaworu Jr. sit at a table talking to Kensuke on the phone.

"So what is with all this privacy stuff all the sudden?" asks Toji.

"If you pay attention to the screen I will show you in a moment. The images I will be showing are from the standard satellite network present in the atmosphere. The image on the left is from mid morning over there. As you can see nothing looks out of the ordinary. A different satellite about mid afternoon there took the image on the right. There is thick smoke in the right image where a town used to be. Strangely enough, when I zoomed in on an area just to the northwest I was able to spot a black car as well. The image wasn't clear enough for me to tell what type it was, but I doubt there are many black cars in the desert."

"You think it might be them, huh?"

"It would make sense. You did tell me that Shinji was using one of the unmarked cars today. To further the seriousness of the situation, it appears there is some military activity in the area right now. I can get another snapshot of the land in about five minutes when a pre S.I. satellite is within range."

Hikari looks over at Kaworu and sees his face is full of panic at the moment for some unknown reason. "Kaworu, is something wrong?" she asks, though she has a slight feeling about what he will say.

"Danger. They need help. I...I don't know why, but I...I think they are scared." he quietly answers.

Before Hikari gets the chance to reply her phone rings. As she answers the call she hears crying in the background, "Doctor Horaki. Can I help you?" she asks.

<Hikari, something is wrong with Kei! She started crying a few minutes ago and won't stop. She didn't hurt herself or anything and I can't figure out what is wrong!> answers a worried Mari on the other end.

"Okay. Calm down. Did Kei say what is wrong?"

"Okay, tell you what. I have Kaworu here at the moment as well and he is saying something about danger that involves Shinji and Misato. Why don't you..." She trails off as she picks up a bit of the conversation between Kensuke and Toji.

"That fire has got to be a car! Can you give me a thermal image?" asks Toji.

"Thermal won't do any good in this case." replies Kensuke.

"Kensuke! They can't be dead if that really is their car!! Just use thermal and see what we find!"

About a moment later the image changes to a more colorful view of the earth's surface, giving it almost a psychedelic feeling.

"By the looks of it, nothing is there except what we are seeing." reports Kensuke.

"Do a wider view. Something has to be moving out there!" snaps Toji.

"Umm...Mari, can you hold on for just a moment?" Hikari says into the phone.

It doesn't take long for the view to change on the screen as more detail is revealed to everyone. One item in particular catches Toji's eye, "Hey, what's that fading dot at the bottom of the screen?" he asks.

The image shifts southward as the dot starts to reappear before it stops in the center of the screen and is enlarged as much as possible, "That looks like a helicopter!" says Kensuke as he changes to a visual image to confirm it. Indeed, even though the object is very blurry everyone present is able to see it is as said and that it appears to be looking for something.

"Can you go back to the point right before the car was on fire?" asks Toji.

It doesn't take long for Kensuke to jump back to a point before the car caught fire and let it play out once he has enlarged a certain area of the image. Everyone's eyes are glued to the screen as they watch events play out in horrific detail. A sense of anger, shock, and panic starts to fill the room as they see the helicopter disappear.

"Mari, I think you better get down here as quick as you can with Kei." finishes Hikari as she looks on in shock.

****************

Now lacking a rapid mode of transportation to get them to safety, Shinji and Misato hide wherever they can find a spot from the people following them in the air. They never had expected that an attack upon them would ever happen in this way, but current events have proven that such is not the case. They were lucky to have jumped out of the car right before it exploded, even though they did receive some injuries as a result. Now they are forced to run from the enemy that they can't see during nighttime and because they are still out of range of NERV-02 they know that chances of help quickly coming to the rescue are pretty slim. Still twenty minutes away by car they do their best to head in the direction of the base, while, at the same time, staying alert for signs of trouble. The only problem is they lack any tools to assure them they are moving in the right direction, and the desert is a large and barren place when it comes to civilization.

"Misato, what are we going to do now? We can't see worth a damn and yet we have to get back somehow..." comments Shinji while trying to sum up their situation.

"We will be fine as long as we continue moving through the darkness of night. If I am right someone will notice that one of us is missing and that a car is gone too. I hope that will trigger some kind of search at the same time..." she replies as she continues walking in what she hopes is a straight line in the right direction.

****************

Within about ten minutes Mari has arrived with Kei in the same room that Hikari, Toji, and Kaworu Jr. are talking to Kensuke in.

"Kensuke, is there anything that can be done to locate them in the desert?" asks Toji as he looks over a map for the surrounding area with a radius of eighty miles from NERV-02.

"Yes, but there are a few problems with locating them." replies Kensuke.

"Wait, what type of problems could there be? Can't you just use that thermal image to locate them?" asks Hikari.

"It's not that simple..."

"Hikari, even if we do spot them somehow through the surrounding heat we still have to worry about that helicopter. We can't use the visual imaging either because the sun has set. Of course all of that would also depend on if they are hiding or not." explains Toji.

"Toji is right, there are a lot of factors that we have to work with here. Thermal imaging is the best option but it won't be easy to spot them unless the heat levels go into the green first. For now all we can do is follow the people following them." finishes Kensuke.

"Wait...what about their phones? Can't you just use those to find them?" quietly asks Mari from the opposite end of the meeting table.

"Shinji...didn't bring his...and I doubt Misato has hers either. He didn't want Security to track them..." answers Toji with a bit of regret.

Kei starts to wince in pain as she starts to cry, "I want my father back!" she manages to say before curling up into a ball in her chair as the pain starts to intensify.

Hikari notices this as well and moves towards the girl to see what is the matter, "Kei, what's wrong? Are you injured?" she asks as she feels Kei's head.

"My side...it hurts...stinging pain...make it stop!" Kei cries out as she grits her teeth as tear flow faster.

Hikari slowly lifts up Kei's shirt until she finds the problem in the form of a dark red spot to the right of her stomach, "Mari, when did this happen?!" demands Hikari as she starts feeling the area.

"It wasn't there when I brought her here and she didn't get hurt along the way either..." replies Mari.

"Not...my pain...pain from outside." stutters Kei.

"Pain from outside? What do you mean?" asks Hikari.

"Father...hurting."

"I get it! She is feeling what Shinji is at the moment. Of course, it all makes sense!" yells Hikari as she thinks for a few moments about how this is possible.

"Wait, hold on for a moment. Are you telling me that Kei can locate them?" asks Toji.

"Yes. No. I am not really sure, actually. In the past Kei has been able to communicate on a telepathic level with others and I am sure she is able to sense what other people are thinking as well when she focuses enough on that person. It would also make sense that Kaworu here also has the same traits. But I don't think they can tell us a location. Kei's ability to feel pain may indicate something intense happening to Shinji. But neither Kaworu or Kei were able to give us locations or even useful information that could help us locate them." explains Hikari as she tries to figure out what to do.

"If Shinji is injured we may be able to narrow the search area down." says Toji.

"Already looking into it, Toji. If they were spotted by that helicopter and it has become stationary it is possible they are close by." responds Kensuke.

****************

After being spotted by the enemy, Misato and Shinji have found a spot to hide in for a bit. Sadly they were not able to totally escape injury. During the brief moment they were spotted someone started shooting at them and managed to hit Shinji in his side.

"How are you holding up?" asks Misato as she scans the area in the distance for any signs of trouble.

"I will survive, but I think the pain will slow me down from this point on..." winces Shinji as he holds his bleeding side.

"It looks like we can rest here for a moment. I don't think they got a good fix on our direction of travel. Chances are they will figure it out at some point that we headed this way, but by running the way we did it won't be easy to trace our footprints in the sand." reassures Misato, "Our main problem right now is I can't tell our current location or if we are even going in the right direction. Don't worry though, I have a feeling we will make it to safety eventually." she finishes.

"I just hope I don't go too slow for you." adds Shinji

****************

"I think I got a fix. I will send you the data concerning the area and the satellite control systems. Chances are that if we continue this discussion that Fuyutsuki will find out something is wrong. Let me know when you find them." says Kensuke before he ends the call from his end.

Within moments Toji and Hikari have been sent the data as well as control of the satellite and have begun the search.

"Okay. From what I am able to tell with the thermal image, the helicopter has stopped about eighty miles east-southeast of us. The surface heat has diminished just enough for us to spot individual bodies. The bad thing is I don't see them yet so they might have been captured or killed by now." states Toji as he studies his map in greater detail.

"What if they are just out of range?" asks Hikari.

"That is possible too. That's why I am checking to see if there are any spots that could provide cover close by...and I think I spotted one." he replies as he shifts the viewing area to a new point close by. His work pays off when everyone sees a small stationary blob appear a fair distance away from the enemy.

"They are still alive..." sighs Hikari, a bit relieved that they are still alive and somewhat safe.

"We still have a problem though. As long as that helicopter is within range of them, we can't get close enough to pick them up. Somehow we need to get the enemy out of the way so we can quickly retrieve them and get back here before they realize what has happened. The desert doesn't provide enough cover for them to just easily sneak away." states Toji as he analyzes the situation better.

"So what can we do for them?"

"Simple, we go to Makoto and ask him to help us out. Mari, you wait here with the kids until Hikari and I get back."

****************

Knowing that they are still in a bad spot, Shinji and Misato have decided to take the time to think about what has already happened since NERV had been reinstated by the U.N.

"There is something that I don't quite understand about why the U.N. reinstated NERV yet they are willing to attack us. I just don't get what is going on..." comments Shinji as he leans against a rock they hid themselves behind.

"They didn't restore NERV just so it could dispose of this last Angel, it seems they want to know how to use any others that may still exist. That is the only reason I can come up with. If you remember what Seele was trying to do then you should know that your father did something different than planned. If I recall correctly the reports I reviewed concerning Seele described the Dead Sea Scrolls as being the original plans for Third Impact. It appears that a few U.N. members were involved as well in some way and now they are seeking to reinitiate Third Impact in the correct way with this last Angel. If and when we get back I think I will start looking into the U.N.'s involvement with this..." replies Misato as she continues thinking about the subject over and over in her head.

"What about what Yuri told us?"

"That has started to bother me as well. During the battle with the Sixth Angel, Kaji had used a U.N. aircraft to escape from the ship. He said something about having to make a special delivery but I can't recall where and to whom. Yuri worked with Kaji a few times so it's possible she knew something was up and that Kaji was involved in it. You saw the same information I did saying that the government still does not like us, something is definitely wrong concerning NERV and its unknown part."

"Still one thing that bothers me...this Angel appeared during that iceberg investigation. Could this have been an intentional awakening?"

"Maybe..."

****************

After a few minutes of searching, Hikari and Toji have managed to track down Makoto in central control.

"Makoto, can we talk to you for a few moments?" asks Toji as they near him.

"Sure, I am not doing much at the moment." he replies.

"Can we do it in a more private location?"

"I...I guess. Why though?"

"Well, it has to do with Misato and Shinji...and something very few are aware of..." replies Hikari.

****************

Back at NERV in Japan, Kensuke has been greeted to Asuka's presence while he is taking a break from his current project.

"Is something wrong, Aida?" asks Asuka as she sees the long face her roommate and co-worker is wearing at the moment.

"Well...sorta. You know that the U.N. wants us to turn over info we don't have, right?" he replies.

"Yeah. Personally I think they just want to cause trouble for us since we are still the only ones that can battle an Angel."

"Funny you should mention trouble..."

"Okay, out with it! What is the problem that it involves the U.N.?!" she snaps when she has become impatient.

"Well...Shinji and Misato appear to be in trouble at the moment..." replies Kensuke as he digs out a sheet of paper and hands it to Asuka.

It takes a few moments for Asuka to figure out what the problem might be, "So how does this involve them?"

"They are the ones being hunted by the JSSDF right now and Toji and Hikari are trying to rescue them."

"Why Toji and Hikari? I would have thought the security division would be the ones doing that."

"That is another problem in itself. NERV-02 doesn't even know they are missing because they went on a secret mission earlier today. Only two people knew about it. Security was told that Misato is sick and that she should not be bothered today."

"So, Misato is not even in the complex as thought." Interrupts a voice behind Asuka and Kensuke.

Both quickly turn and see the Sub-Commander standing in the doorway, "SIR!" says Kensuke as he realizes that the situation has now spread further then wanted.

"How much do you know about the situation?" he asks.

"I don't know where they went to. Toji had asked me to look into something when one of the children alerted them to a problem. It turned out to be a big problem when the situation was revealed to us." reluctantly answers Kensuke.

"Please, bring me up-to-date on what is happening right now."

"I don't know any more than I have said. I broke off communications after transferring controls for a satellite and data to Toji so they could continue with devising a rescue plan. I didn't want for you to find out about this yet..."

"I guess that didn't do you any good. Now that I do know I would like you to contact Toji so I can be informed of the latest developments."

"Yes, sir."

****************

"So they are out in the middle of nowhere trying to get back here even though they are not moving in the right direction. To top it all off Shinji is probably injured and there is a helicopter searching for them to kill them. Did I get that all right?" states Makoto as he tries to make sense of the situation.

"Yeah. That is the whole of it. At the moment I am not sure how we can reach them without conflict." replies Toji.

In an attempt to form a plan to retrieve the lost comrades, Makoto has been brought in on the situation in the meeting room. Astonished that Security was fooled into thinking that nothing was going on, Makoto sighs as he thinks of the options that are available to them that won't alert others to the situation as well.

"The fact that no one else was informed of the day's plans makes this all that much harder. I don't know what can be done that will be successful and yet be within the parameters set for any operation to work. I think they are on their own right now. If you had informed the necessary people then we may have been able to mobilize an armed search and rescue team. Or maybe even used one of the anti-aircraft weapons that were put in place in the event of an Angel attack." informs Makoto after going over the situation once again in his mind.

"So in other words we can't do anything except watch them run or be killed?" asks Hikari as the grimness starts to take hold.

"I am afraid so..."

After a long period of silence the current information displayed on the main screen disappears before a phone call is connected to the room.

"Mr. Suzahara, Dr. Horaki, I think some explaining is in order as to what has been transpiring today." says the person on the other end.

****************

Because of the nature of the call, Mari had been asked to bring Kei and Kaworu to different room for the time being. Now a few minutes later, the younger two in the group have begun communicating with each other.

'Kaworu...I'm a bit scared.' communicates Kei.

'I can tell. Your feelings are showing me that.' he communicates back.

'I don't want my father to die...'

'Maybe the others will think of something to do.'

'I hope so. I think Misato and my father are starting to worry as well.'

'Can you still feel the pain?'

'It faded away shortly after it hit me.'

"Hey, why are you two so quiet? I would have thought you would at least be crying, Kei." interrupts Mari, not knowing what is really going on.

"I still want to cry, but I am trying not to." answers Kei.

"Don't do that. You can cry if you want to, it's natural when you are worried about someone you love."

"I know, I just don't feel like crying right now..."

"There is something I am wondering about though. How did you know your father got hurt before the others found out?"

"I would rather not talk about it...but Hikari does know..."

****************

"So Shinji wanted Misato to get out of the base and so he brought her to a small town someplace?" asks Fuyutsuki.

"Yes, sir. I told Shinji about it and they left for it late this morning. Shinji said there was someone there he wanted to meet anyhow." replies Toji.

"So why didn't anyone let Security know?"

"Because Shinji didn't want anyone to track them down until they got back."

"I see. You have all created quite a predicament by keeping this a secret. I will think about what should be done later, for now I want to know what the JSSDF had done to initiate this problem."

"To be honest, we found out through Kaworu Jr. and Kei. They somehow knew something was happening before we did." adds Hikari.

"When you did confirm the situation, what made you think something was wrong?"

"The car they were in had blown up." answers Toji.

"Makoto, use one of the missiles to destroy the helicopter. I will explain the reasons for the actions as an eye for an eye."

"Yes, sir."

"As for you, Dr. Horaki and Mr. Suzahara. The fact that you didn't alert anyone to where the Commander and Mr. Ikari had really gone tells me that there may be other secrets that I have not been told. I hope you are not hiding anything else from me because that may not reflect very well on your status with NERV in the short run. Now, before I send you off on your next assignment I would love to know what prompted them to leave in the first place?"

"Err...well, it had to do with the Commander..." starts Hikari before Toji answers for her.

"She got really drunk last night and didn't report in for the training this morning. Shinji went to check on her and decided to get her away from here as a lesson of some kind. I believe he was thinking that making her travel a long distance while hung over might make her think twice about drinking and caring for a child."

"I see. I will have a word with her when she arrives back there. For now I will only make a minor note of this incident in your records, Ikari's too. Once Makoto has taken out the enemy I want the both of you to track down Katsuragi and Ikari and bring them back. I will be expecting some good news from one of you once you get back." finishes Fuyutsuki before the call is ended.

****************

A few minutes later, six people have arrived on the top deck of Central Control to carry out the orders. Since the younger children were involved it was thought to be a good idea to observe them for any changes that may occur in the situation. It didn't take very long for Makoto to set up the targeting system for the missiles as he now prepares to launch one of them.

"Toji, is the target still within the set coordinates?" he asks.

"Yes, but not for much longer, so launch now." replies Toji.

Without hesitation the codes are entered and the weapon is launched. Makoto, along with the rest of the technicians in the expansive room, closely watch the main screen and two colored dots close in on each other with each passing second. About a minute passes before they meet, then vanish from the screen.

"Target has been taken down. Start rescue operation." orders Makoto.

The other five persons in the group quickly leave the room. Once the doors have closed, Makoto starts writing up the reports concerning the actions taken this evening, keeping in mind that the JSSDF will find some way to retaliate later on.

****************

"Mari, I want you to stay with Kei and Kaworu until we get back. Bring them to one of the meeting rooms and see if you can find a program to watch on television. I am hoping that we won't be very long but it could be a few hours." states Hikari while Toji finishes checking the tracking equipment he has brought along.

Ten minutes after the rescue operation had started, Toji and Hikari quickly gathered the needed maps and electronics required for the search portion. Now they are preparing to head out with one of the security special operations personnel into the darkness above.

"I understand. Please, bring them back safely." quickly utters Mari as she leads the children away with her. Along the way to a meeting room, Kaworu indicates to Mari that he has to use the bathroom.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" she asks the small boy.

Kaworu shakes his head no and walks away by himself.

****************

"Five minutes until we are ready to take off, Sir." informs the special ops person to Toji.

"I will be back in a few minutes then." Toji replies back before motioning to Hikari to follow him to a quieter spot.

Once they are away from the noisy environment of the helipad. Toji starts to explain the immediate situation.

"It's possible that we may lose our chance of locating Shinji and Misato if they start moving. The last position of the satellite positioned it close to going out of range. If that happens before we spot them, we will have to turn back and devise a new plan." he tells her.

"What else could be done for them if we lose our ability to locate them?"

"Well, from what Kensuke told me in the notes he sent me, another one will be in range in five hours. The only thing is, if Shinji is badly injured then we may be too late by then."

"So either we locate them quickly or we risk losing one person?"

"Sadly, that's the situation." he finishes as he sighs.

"I see. Well, if we do find then there is a chance Shinji will need some medical attention. I will be back in a few minutes. I need to retrieve one of the med kits from the Medical Ward." says Hikari as she starts walking away from the area.

Because no one was expecting anything unusual, everyone present misses seeing a small boy running towards the helicopter and climbing in.

****************

About five minutes later, Mari starts to get worried about Kaworu when she doesn't hear anything coming from the bathroom. After determining the room is empty she walks in with Kei beside her and starts searching the stalls, until she locates one with an open vent cover in it, "Oh crap, he snuck away from me!" she curses as she hurries back in the direction of the helipad, hoping she isn't too late.

****************

With time being against them, Toji and Hikari immediately lifted off in search of their missing friends somewhere in the desert. Just in case more trouble may develop without warning, Makoto ordered another special ops officer armed with a rifle to tag along.

Toji, armed with the tracking equipment, double checks the destination before leaning forward towards the pilot, "Okay, once you are clear of NERV-02, head east by southeast or a while until I give you a new direction. Time is limited so the faster you go the better chance we have of finding them tonight. Any questions?" he asks.

The pilot shakes his head and starts moving forward a few moments later once they have cleared the underground helipad.

About ten minutes into the search, Hikari picks up on the sound of movement from behind her seat. Knowing that only four people are supposed to be on this mission, and three are in front of her at the moment, she takes the chance of looking behind her to see what it could be.

"Hikari, what's the matter?" asks Toji when he sees his love look behind her seat.

"I'm not sure. I thought I heard someone moving back here..." It only takes a few moments, but she eventually spots the problem in the form of a small boy, "KAWORU!?"

The hiding spot discovered, Hikari watches as the boy slowly moves out of his hiding spot.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she snaps at the boy.

"I can help you." he quickly replies.

"What do you mean you can help us?!"

"I can feel them."

At this point, Toji has moved closer to them as well in hope of finding out what is going on, "Do you know how much trouble you are in right now?!" he states.

"Toji, it's okay. Right now you need to help find Shinji and Misato. I will talk to him." says Hikari after calming down a bit.

Reluctantly, Toji nods and moves back towards the front of their desert ride.

"What do you mean you can feel them?" she asks the boy as she motions for him to sit in the spot beside her seat.

"I can't put it into words...except that I can."

"Can you tell if they are in danger?"

"I cannot tell, but I do know I can find them."

About to ask another question, Hikari is interrupted by an outburst from the pilot.

"We have a problem, people. All navigational systems on board have suddenly failed. I can't tell where we are anymore or which direction we are going in!"

Instantly, Hikari moves to Toji's side so as to get more details into what is happening.

"Sir, do you have any backup systems that you can use?" asks Toji.

"None that we can use at night. Without daylight I won't be able to locate any landmarks which would help us." he replies.

"Not even a compass?"

"A compass won't tell us the direction of NERV-02 from this position."

As Toji starts to think of another means of navigation he is greeted to another wave of bad news. "SHIT!! The satellite has gone out of range!"

"Are you saying we are totally lost?"" panics Hikari.

"It appears so..." he sighs as he sets the electronic equipment down on the floor, "Pilot, you might as well set us down until morning."

"I see them." says a voice from the back.

Hikari and Toji quickly turn around to look at Kaworu, "Say that again?" asks Hikari as Toji starts scanning the horizon.

"They are faint, but I see them in my head, as if they are coming closer to us."

Hikari moves back to the little boy and kneels down in front of him, "Kaworu, we can't afford to have you play games with us at the moment. You need to tell me more if you are going to be helpful."

"I...I see them in the distance but not in a visual sense. I...can see their feelings."

"Feelings?"

"They are talking about events I do not understand, but I don't hear or see the words, I see feelings. They are getting stronger as we move closer."

"You...you can sense what they are...feeling. I think I understand. You see an impression of them on a different level."

"I don't know..."

"Do you know what the word telepathy means?"

Kaworu only gives her a questionable look.

"You can communicate with other and manipulate things...in this case you are using your abilities to sense what they are doing."

"I do not understand."

"You are still too young to. But I hope you understand this. You are a special boy with a special gift that only one other hands."

"Like Kei?'

"Yes. Kaworu, can you tell me which way you think they are?"

"I...I am not sure."

Hikari takes the boy's hand and leads him to the front. "Toji, allow Kaworu to sit there and be ready to use a map if need be. I think I have an idea."

She sees the older boy hesitate as he looks back at her, but after several moments she sees him understand before moving to the back with some maps. She helps the small boy into the now empty spot and straps him in. "Kaworu, can you point in the direction you think they are in right now?" she asks.

It takes a few moments but the task is done as the pilot makes the correction in their course. 'So far, so good.' Hikari thinks as she lets a slight smile escape her lips.

****************

Misato and Shinji still remain in their hiding spot after witnessing a streak of light head towards them and dispose of their first problems in a fiery explosion. Unfortunately they still remain lost in the desert wasteland around them, and since the sun had set hours ago the air has started to grow cooler with each passing minute. Hope is not with them at the moment as they await the next event, even though they don't know what it may bring.

"That missile. It may be a sign that they have located us." says Misato as she does her best to keep Shinji warm.

"Could we follow the trail back to base?" he asks, sounding a bit hopeful.

"Even if we could, that would not tell us which way to go. The explosive could have been launched from a different location."

"So...I guess we have to wait for them to find us...or wait until we die?"

"I have confidence in them to find us soon." reassures Misato as she silently finishes her thoughts, 'Hopefully they will get here before Shinji bleeds to death, though.'

Even if unspoken, Shinji still senses what Misato is thinking, "My chances don't look good...do they?" he asks, a bit concerned.

"Well...you haven't stopped bleeding yet, even though I have slowed it down a lot." she quietly says, "I still have faith in them finding us before you lose consciousness, but that hope is starting to fade bit by bit..."

"If...if I don't make it back...and Rei does wake up. Can you please tell her I am sorry for leaving her this way...and that I hope she, Osamu, and Kei have a wonderful life after...after the final Angel is disposed of?.."

The signs of a losing battle begin to show on the Commander's face as she hears Shinji finish his request, but she still does her best to put on a smile as she answers back "You won't die, I won't let you."

****************

The rescue operation still continues, despite the lack of useful navigational tools at their disposal. Shortly after the correction in their direction, Mari had managed to finally contact them and alert them to Kaworu's actions. Now twenty minutes later, Hikari sits at Toji's side as she awaits their arrival at their destination. "Do you think we will make it?" she quietly asks.

"I don't know. When I calculated the distance they were a fair distance out in travel time. We have about fifteen minutes more until we reach them...if we are on a direct path." he quietly replies back, "Are you sure we are doing the right thing letting that boy navigate us?"

"He said the feelings are getting stronger and more complicated. I think he is leading us in the right direction."

"Can he get us back to NERV-02 as well? We cannot wait until daylight once we find them to go back."

"I have a feeling he and Kei discussed this beforehand."

"I trust your judgement, please believe me when I say that. But this is quite literally a shot in the dark. We don't know enough about this boy to be sure he is even on our side since he is the son of an Angel."

"Toji...I share your concerns. Tell me though, do we have a choice at the moment?" she asks him. No reply is heard from the boy as she rests her head on his shoulder, awaiting the point where she will be needed.

****************

Back at NERV in Japan, alarms ring throughout the command center, the same ones that used to warn of Angels that attacked Tokyo-3 years ago.

"Sir, twenty minutes ago MAGI detected a Blue-Pattern just outside of NERV-02. Current data suggests it to be moving away." reports Maya from her position at the right terminal.

"What is the status of the Second?" demands the Sub-Commander, who had arrived a moment ago. Because the old housing units in the NERV complex had been done away with, it took a long while to arrive from his residence on the other side of the Geofront.

"It is still south of the equator,"

"Compare this new one to past records."

"Sir I have discovered the identity of the AT Field causing the Blue-Pattern!" yells one of the technicians manning the station opposite Maya's, "It matches the same characteristics as Kaworu Junior's from the hospital incident."

"Get me NERV-02!"

A few moments later, the alarms have been silenced and Makoto has responded on the other end of the transmission, <Sir, my apologies. Kaworu is using some kind of field, which is blocking out our attempts to locate the rescue team. He had boarded the craft shortly before it took off and when we were alerted we were unable to do anything about it.>

"Have you been able to contact them?"

<Yes. Everyone is still safe, though it is believed that Kaworu Jr. is causing problems with the navigational instruments aboard. He is...directing them towards the Commander and Ikari at this time.>

"If they have no navigational instruments how will they get back?"

<Kei, Sir.>

"I see. Please notify us once they have arrived back safely."

A few moments later the link is closed. "Maya, please log the latest readings as non-threatening for future occurrences but keep track of them each time they occur." orders Fuyutsuki as he turns and exits from the command center. Possibly to go back to attending to schooling matters at his residence again.

****************

Fifteen minutes later, two figures still remain huddled together as the cold air begins to affect them in the desert. Shinji has begun to show signs of fatigue due to his injuries, bringing a lost sense of hope to Misato.

"I'm sorry, Shinji. I wish I could be of some help to you..."

"Mi...Misato...please don't worry about me...Please make sure Rei gets better so she can raise Kei and Osamu like a good mother..." Shinji manages to say slowly and a bit slurred.

"I will...I promise you..." she whispers as she hugs the boy in her arms.

"You have been a good friend to me...ever since I met you. I...I don't regret our time together...at all..."

"I know...I wouldn't take back the last several years even if I had to..."

They both remain quiet for several minutes as they enjoy what appear to be their last moments together. Each shedding a few tears before one dozes off in the other's arms. Shinji...I'm sorry..." Misato sighs quietly before a very faint sound is brought to her attention.

At first it seems to be the sound of a faint drum beating an uneven rhythm. As the sound begins to grow in intensity she rethinks it and realizes it is the sound of a helicopter blade closing in.

"Shinji! We may still have a chance!" she says as she tries to waken the boy, with no effect. "Shinji? Shinji?!"

****************

"Slow up! I think we are very near!" yells Toji from the back of the aircraft. Quickly, the pilot slows until they are barely moving from what they can tell. Just ahead of them about two hundred meters away is the smoldering remains of what must have been the enemy craft, giving off very little light from its small fire."

"I can see the ridge just barely off to the right. Where is the light?" continues Toji as he pulls open the door next to him. Within moments a bright light illuminates the space below them and is directed towards the ridge he fells is the spot. Within moments a pair of hands begin waving in the air, signaling that they are at the right spot. "Land just on the lower side about 30 meters away." orders Toji as the weapons officer checks his weapon and prepares to jump out when they are close enough to the ground.

****************

A few moments later, Misato watches their rescuers jump out and run up to her and Shinji.

"Misato, are you okay?!" yells Hikari as she approaches them.

"I am fine. Shinji is in need of help though! He has lost a lot of blood!" she answers back.

Without wasting a moment, she watches as Hikari quickly checks Shinji's wound and his vital signs. "Still alive, but we need to get him back now!" Toji, help me get Shinji on board fast!" the girl yells as the sound of gunshots ring out above them. It doesn't take long for them to finish up and regroup inside the helicopter before lift off.

"Commander Katsuragi. Glad to have you safely aboard. We will have to move away from here quickly since one of the enemy was still moving and managed to trigger a distress beacon.' reports the weapons officer.

"Thank you. Toji, what is the status of NERV?"

"Last I saw, the second part of the Angel was still south of the equator. I have a warning for you as well.'

"What is it?"

"The Professor is not happy at the moment."

"Gee...great..."

****************

Two hours later, Shinji has begun to stir in the bed he was placed in inside the Medical Ward of NERV-02. As he tries to shift he is reminded of his injury as pain emanates from his side.

"You are awake. Nice to see you again, Shinji."

Shinji quickly turns his head and sees Makoto in one of the corners of his room, "What happened?"

"Well, right after you drifted off to sleep, the rescue team arrived and rushed you back here. The doctors say you will be fine and that your blood pressure is back to normal thanks to the reserve we had in stock. You will be released in the morning, Kei is with Hikari and Toji right now."

"What about Misato?.." he weakly asks.

"She is fine. Though you both are in trouble with Fuyutsuki at the moment for leaving the way you did."

"It was worth it..."

"So I hear. Misato explained that a few unknown details have been uncovered concerning the government, but she didn't say what."

Shinji nods slightly and turns his head back to back at the ceiling again so as to rest, when Makoto says one more thing.

"By the way, good news from Japan. Rei is showing improvement according to Asuka." the technician adds before exiting the room, leaving Shinji with a stunned look on his face.

****************

"Yes, the doctors tending to him have reported that he will be okay and that his blood has been replenished to safe levels once again. He will be released tomorrow morning."

About an hour later, Misato and Fuyutsuki are conducting a conference call concerning the current situation on the Angel and bits of what has been discovered concerning NERV, Seele, and the Japanese government.

<That's good news. So what exactly did you discover on your improvised road trip?>

"That the secrets still exist concerning us. Speaking of which, does the MAGI contain a copy of the list of directors from the Marduk Institute?"

"But does a list still exist?" she repeats.

"Can I ask you a question...off the record here?"

After a moment, the professor replies <You can now.>

"Kozo...are you on that list?"

A long silence ensues between the two before the answer comes, <Yes...>

"So, you are one of them..."

"I will contact you in the morning again for the latest reports." finishes Misato before she disconnects the call and walks out of the room, 'So, does that mean I can trust you or not?' she asks herself upon leaving the conference room.

****************

After the line has been broken, Fuyutsuki continues to stare at the screen for a while longer, even though nothing is displayed on it anymore. As he remains there he starts to think long and hard about the past, before the Angels first started to attack. Many things were said to have happened in secret during those many years, he remembers, but only some of it had been revealed to the global public. Now the past is beginning to resurface due to contact with someone that knew the trust about the events. 'Commander...I hope you don't dig too deep into this. You may follow the same path as your predecessors did.'

****************

After communicating with NERV in Japan, Misato has decided to pay Shinji a visit before heading off to bed. Upon her arrival, she notices other people in the room as well. As she moves closer to the bed her presence is noticed, "Misato. How did the call go?" asks Hikari as she helps Kei onto the bed beside her father.

"I can't tell you everything about it this time. Sadly, it is information that might get you in trouble. Don't worry though, I will do my best to make sure you all stay safe." she replies as she stops at the foot of the bed.

Shinji takes a long look at Misato's face to figure out if it concerns what they learned earlier that day or not, "So what is the plan for tomorrow?" asks Shinji.

"First thing in the morning I will be coming here to release you from this room before treating you to breakfast. I will also need to talk to you during that time alone."

Shinji nods and glances over at Kei, "How would you like to stay with auntie Hikari tonight?"

"Yes, please." the little girl happily replies.

Shinji laughs a bit before looking at Misato again, "Misato, I think we should all talk for a few minutes, without the children present." he states.

"About what?" asks Toji.

"Shinji, I..."

"No more lies, Misato. Please, doesn't this concerns them as well?" he interrupts her before she has the chance to say no.

It takes several seconds for her to decide before she smiles and nods to him, "You're right. The original people involved with NERV five years ago deserve to know. Mari, can you bring Kei and Kaworu Jr. back to your place? Your guardians and I need to discuss some...sensitive subjects..." states Misato with a serious tone present in her voice.

Without hesitation the children pick up on the Commander's tone and quickly make their way out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Toji, Hikari? Do you remember what was revealed to the public years ago?"

The two teens look at each other, trying to figure out what is going on, before they look back at Misato again. "Yes." they both reply.

"Well, apparently, not all was revealed to the public like was assumed back then...and it does tie into what we are doing now..."

****************

After leaving the adults alone in Shinji's room to talk, the children have taken a slight detour to grab something to eat from the cafeteria. The hour is a late one and the kitchen has since closed for the night. The only food available now is located in snack machines along a wall. As they approach the closest one a few other employees enter the large room from the other side and find a table to sit at in one of the corners. They begin to talk softly about the three Eva Pilots as they pull out some food they brought in. Mari digs out her identification card used for food purchases and slides it in as she picks up on some of the words being whispered.

"Did you hear about the new Pilots?" one asks.

"Yeah. Two of them seem to have some kind of mind ability that allows them to communicate with others in special ways." answers another.

"What if they start to use them against others?" adds the first.

"it would mean trouble for everyone here, that's for sure."

After making her selections, Mari removes the card and finds the furthest table from the others for her and her fellow Pilots.

"I took a look at their records a few days ago and discovered that the younger two have angelic qualities, like an ATF." says a third.

"So they might be the ones the Angel is after?" asks the second.

"Yeah. I mean they could be the cause of this one awakening and coming after us. It would make perfect sense since they could be considered Angels themselves."

"And yet the higher ups don't even realize that. I wonder how many more have to die before something is done to fix the problem? Even if this Angel is killed, what's there to say another one won't reappear and attack?"

"If I was running this place, I would forget about those Evas and just kill the root of the problem, those Angel kids." states the first.

Mari has only managed to eat half of her sandwich before she gathers the food up and heads towards the nearest exit, but not before hearing their last comment.

"I bet that girl is under their control too."

****************

"So as you can see, we are not out of danger yet from an attack,. As a matter of fact, I'd say the chances are greater now." finishes Misato as she looks at the group in front of her.

About a half-hour later, Toji and Hikari have been informed of the latest information concerning their lives and the secrets that have yet to be exposed.

"So even if we forget about what you both told, we still will be attacked, huh?" asks Toji, half knowing the answer already.

"I'm sorry. The fact that I was told a bit of the news a short while ago makes me think this was in the plan to begin with, a sort of revenge for exposing secrets they didn't want known. The hour is growing late. All we can do for now is just get some sleep. We also have to finish the training as soon as possible so the battle can begin against the newest Angel. Goodnight everyone." says Misato as she turns towards the door and leaves.

"Toji, Hikari, go home. Get some sleep so you will be ready for tomorrow. She knows the risks, knows the rewards, and knows how to keep us safe. Besides, Mari is probably waiting for you anyway.' says Shinji as he prepares to go to sleep.

"How can you be so calm about this?" asks Hikari.

"Piloting Eva and battling the Angels prepared me for times like these. I am scared, really, but I know how to hide it better now."

"Ahh. See you tomorrow, Mr. Ikari. Sleep well." says Hikari as she and Toji slowly walk out of the room.

'Don't worry, Hikari, Toji. In the end things will hopefully work out for the best...' thinks Shinji as he hears the door close.

****************

Several minutes later, Hikari and Toji have returned to their residence inside of NERV-02 and are greeted by Mari.

"So how did the talk go?" she asks.

"Not well. But don't worry about it right now. You should be in bed sleeping." says Toji as he closes the door.

"Kei and Kaworu are sleeping already, but I needed to tell you something...disturbing." says Mari as she looks at the floor.

"Hikari, how about you see how the others are doing?" asks Toji as he sits down next to his sister. Hikari nods and leaves Toji alone to see what is wrong. "Okay, Mari, what has you in such a mood that you had to tell one of us about it?" he asks.

A bit hesitant at first, Mari starts to explain what happened after they left the Medical Ward to her brother and some of the things she had overheard. When she finishes she begins to cry a bit.

"Mari, don't worry about them. I will talk to Misato about this tomorrow when I first see her and we will go deal with the comments then. I won't let anyone hurt you or the others without going through me first. Now, go to bed, you have training in the morning to attend and it is best if you are awake for it." assures Toji as he hugs his sister and gives her a kiss on the forehead.

Mari returns a slight smile before she gets up and leaves the room just as Hikari returns, "What was that all about?" she asks.

"It seems that a few NERV employees are saying bad things about the Pilots, and tonight they were in the area. Mari overheard the conversation and immediately came home after she thought they might be in danger." he explains.

"Are you going to speak with Security about this?"

"No, I will speak with Misato so we can both find out what is going on. In the meantime I will be making sure the door is tightly secured before we go to bed. Might as well make sure nothing can happen at night while we are asleep." says Toji as he stands up.

****************

The next morning arrives without any problems and the Pilots have started training already in the Evas. About a half-hour into the training, Misato and Shinji arrive and take their places near Toji and Hikari in the Cage Control Room. "How was your night?" asks Misato.

"Well, I need to talk to you about that, actually...' replies Toji as he indicates away from the room. Within a few moments both have exited into the hallway, leaving Shinji and Hikari to watch the progress of the Pilots.

"How did Kei sleep?" asks Shinji after a few moments of silence.

"Okay. Mari fed her some dinner last night before heading home." replies the doctor, sighing a bit as she finishes.

"So what happened last night that Toji had to tell Misato about it in the hall?"

Hikari moves closer to Shinji and lowers her voice as she explains, "It seems that a few people here do not like the fact that Kei and Kaworu are here or that they are different. Mari told Toji that a few unpleasant things were said about them last night, and she overheard them. I hope it doesn't mean anything, personally."

"I see. A safety issue." he replies.

Hikari nods and returns to watching the screen in front of her as some preliminary results are displayed for the Evas.

Shinji looks at the monitors displaying images of the Pilots in the Entry Plugs as they continue their tasks at hand. About a minute passes before either of them speak again.

"Hikari, do you think we have a future after this?"

The doctor is caught off-guard as the last few words leave Shinji's mouth. After a moment she regains her composure and answers him, "Of course we do. Once this Angel is dealt with and the other matters are sorted out, we will all be done with the stress brought upon us here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"This Angel has managed to kill even more people all over the world. I doubt things will ever be the same again for us, or anyone else."

"Life does bring about its hard hits, and I think that many of them are not fair. But, if there is one thing I learned from all of this, despite the losses that have resulted from it, it is that people will adapt to whatever happens. It might take years to do, but the determination of people makes it so. All we have to do now is regain our happiness and live on in the world."

"But...what if living results and pain?"

Hikari thinks for a few moments about where this conversation is going before she replies, "You are afraid of losing Rei, huh?"

"These...ever since I first met her for the first time at NERV, my life has ever since been in a state of constant change for the better, even during the bleakest of times. But, I have grown to love her company day in and day out. My children are a result of that whom I would never let suffer the same way I did. Rei was the starting point in my second chance at life and to lose her now would hurt so bad that I would probably start drifting away from life until I die."

"Shinji, we all know how much she means to you and every one of your friends are hoping she lives through what has happened. But look on the bright side for a moment. Even if she does pass on, you will still have your two children, and the knowledge that you had a huge impact on her life. So much of one that if I were to be asked about the past Rei, I would have thought of them to be two different people. You still have a reason to live if she dies, it's right in front of you and back in Japan at this very moment. Shinji, they are a part of her as well that you will not lose quite as easily as you may think. As soon as lunch rolls around, I am planning on contacting Asuka. How about you come with me and ask about your wife."

"I guess it may be a good idea to talk to her, she did help as well in keeping us alive years ago." says Shinji as he watches his only daughter follow in his footsteps.

****************

Now one in the afternoon, lunchtime has finally arrived for everyone involved with the Eva training. Most of the staff has chosen to grab something to eat in the cafeteria, while others have wondered off to various locations to deal with personal matters. Two of those people have chosen to make a long distance phone call to talk to a friend. Hikari and Shinji patiently sit and wait in one of the smaller conference rooms for their call to connect to its destination. It isn't long before they are greeted to a familiar face on the other end.

"Asuka! How are you doing over there?" says Hikari.

<Hikari, nice to see your face again! How is the training going?> replies Asuka over the video call.

"Great. If this rate keeps up, we will be ready earlier than expected. The Pilots managed to adjust quite well after the first few times in the Plug for training."

"That's good news. Shinji here has been worried about her. So I told him to come with me today to speak with you."

"Sorry...I didn't want to interrupt..." replies Shinji, somewhat nervously.

"How...how is she?"

The image starts to shift on the other end as Asuka positions the camera so Shinji can see his wife's face.

"Rei!" yells Shinji once her face is visible on the screen.

<Shinji...> the girl quietly replies.

"I miss you so much right now. How are you feeling?"

"I'm glad you are awake."

"Worried about you, and still recovering from yesterday. I am doing okay otherwise. Kei is doing good too."

"I had a bit of an...adventure in the desert and was injured."

The image shifts once again as Asuka arranges the camera so her, Rei, and Osamu can be seen at the same time.

<Hey, Shinji. How is Kei handling being an Eva Pilot?> asks Asuka.

"Okay I guess, but Hikari can answer that better than I can." answers Shinji as he notices a bit of concern on Rei's face.

"Very well. She and Kaworu Jr. are in the same Plug, just like Shinji and Rei were for the last Angel five years ago." answers Hikari.

<Why...why, Shinji?..> sadly asks Rei from her spot in bed.

"I'm sorry, Rei. We don't have any choice but to put her in Eva with Tabris's son. Together they can properly pilot. But I wish it didn't have to be this way..." answers Shinji.

"Rei, only three people can pilot at this day and age. We tried all other options first before using Kei, Kaworu, and Mari as pilots. Both Shinji and Toji put up a fight against it but eventually chose to go along with the plan. We are doing everything possible to assure they remain safe." adds Hikari.

"Are you feeling okay, Rei?"

<Say hi to your daddy, Osamu.> says Asuka as she points at the screen.

Shinji and Hikari see Osamu turn around and start waving to everyone, <Hi daddy.> he says.

"Hello Osamu. Are you taking care of mommy?" asks Shinji.

"Keep her safe until I come home, okay?"

<O.K.>

<I'm sorry to break up this happy moment, but I need to bring Osamu to daycare and head to Central Control for a long shift. We hope to see you all soon. Take care.> states Asuka.

"Bye, Asuka. Bye, Osamu. Bye, Rei, please be out of the hospital by the time we get back." replies Shinji as he smiles at his wife, friend, and son.

<Bye, daddy.>

"I will talk to you in a few days, Asuka. Say hi to everyone for us." finishes Hikari as she terminates the call. "See, she is doing just fine. Asuka is making sure of that." says Hikari as she turns to face Shinji.

"Thank you, Hikari. This was a great idea."

****************

A half-hour later, as the lunch hour winds down, Mari, Kei and Kaworu finish up and walk out into the crowded corridors as many employees return to their workstations throughout the complex.

"Stay close to me, okay?" she tells the younger Pilots beside her as the three of them move along with the crowd around them. Kei and Kaworu Jr. nod and grab hold of one of Mari's hands.

After about two minutes of walking, the hallway violently shakes ahead of them as a bright flash illuminates the hall before total darkness follows as most of the lights above black out. Within an instant the crowd changes direction in the opposite direction of travel, sweeping the Pilots away in its wake. Within moments the Pilots are all separated as the panicked crowd tramples over each other to get away from danger. Several terrifying seconds later, Mari is thrown to the floor and knocked unconscious.

****************

Mari begins to stir in her bed as Toji and Hikari stand close by, very shaken up by the news they heard a minute after hearing about an explosion in the complex. Also in the room are Shinji, Misato, and a few security and intelligence officers, along with a nurse to check on the patient.

"Toji?.." says Mari very quietly.

"MARI! You had me so worried! What the hell happened to you?!" yells Toji as he pulls his sister into a tight hug, glad that she is awake at last after waiting for a long twenty minutes in the room.

"I tried my best..."

"Oh man, you are the only one I have left in the family! I don't ever want to lose you like that!" adds Toji through a large stream of tears.

After a minute has passed he releases his hold on her and wipes his eyes.

"Mari, what happened to you?" cries Hikari as she gives the girl a hug as well.

"I don't know..."

"Considering the lunchtime crowd going into a panic like they did, she is lucky to still be alive. The moment she was found we didn't even call for medical assistance. She was carried all the way here as fast as possibleweat." comments one of the security officers in the room.

"I am so glad you responded as fast as you did." says Toji as he looks at the person.

"It's part of the job. Just glad I was able to be of help today."

"Wh...what happened to...Kei and Kaworu?.." asks Mari.

Misato moves towards the bed after she hears the question asked, "Well...about that, Mari. What I am about to tell you is not your fault, you had no control over the situation, okay?" says Misato as she reaches the foot of the bed.

"Okay..."

"They are missing. After the crowd panicked, the three of you got split up and they haven't turned up yet...nor do we think they will today."

"What do?.."

"The explosion wasn't an accident. it was set up to split up the Pilots without arousing suspicion from others at the same time. Kei and Kaworu Jr. have been kidnapped and must have been moved out of the complex during the chaos. We don't know if they are still alive either...' she finishes as she sound of sobbing is heard from the door where Shinji is standing.

"I'm sorry...Shinji..." replies Mari as a few tears begin to stream from her eyes.

"Thanks..." replies Shinji as he sits down in one of the chairs in the room.

To Be Continued In Part B...

Since this is half of Chapter Three, you only get two questions. HA!

Will Kei and Kaworu be okay?

Who caused the explosion?

Find out in Part B of Chapter Three.

----

Notes:

This is rather unusual, dividing a chapter in two. Don't worry though, I don't plan on doing it again...if possible.

You may have a few questions at this point that I have not included as normal questions, so I will answer them here. First off, having Shinji and Misato take a road trip (let alone have Misato get bossed around by Shinji) originally came out as a fuzzy idea until I played around with it and formed a clear use for the trip. What if not everything has been revealed to the public yet about NERV, Seele, JSSDF, and other involved parties? Simply put, I reopened the door by recalling a character from the past for the rest of the secrets that still remain hidden (Yuri is from DPF. I don't know the person's real name). Since I reopened the door, I had to create the bad side to it, thus the town blowing up and them being hunted down in the fashion they were. The location and highways used were the result of my studying an atlas a few days before I went on vacation to Montana during the last week of March (Took only 24 hours of non-stop driving to get to Libby, MT. Located just west of Kalispell at the time I went there. Good thing Kei Ikari (the other writer) was with me.

If you read the opening paragraph, you know that it talked about something that wasn't covered until the end of this part. I have a very good reason for that. I had trouble making it fit into the chapter at first until I came up with the idea for a plot against the pilots, thus the events that happened. Rei waking up at this point in the story was not originally planned to happen yet, but I can work around that to fit the ending events still.

The ending has a few parts already written (The White Space Of Eva, Poem), and another part still being worked on (The Black Space Of Eva). These parts are what will be included into the last chapter (except for the Epilogue). Why White and Black? Think Ying and Yang and you will get the idea. I can't say anything about the poem because in doing so I would give away too much about the events to come.

I am hoping to write the second part of this chapter rather quickly since it isn't my style to normally cut chapters in half, but this one had already reached 46 pages and thus required the cliffhanger as the break point.

If you had read about my error concerning this part, then you would know that I am a complete fool for letting it happen... (this part would have been out sooner except I accidentally deleted the file and my backup only held half of this part. My advice to all writers whom have read this -BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!- you won't regret it.

During my time of writing (and retyping) this part I finally finished a fanfic titled Higher Learning (hats off to Strike Fiss). I have posted a review of it on the site and gave it the best rating I could with good reason. I COULD NEVER DO THAT GOOD OF A JOB AT DETAILED WRITING!!! WHAAAAAA!!! Anyhow it is a very good fanfic with a superb ending. Go read it sometime soon (51 parts).

Last, I have FINALLY purchased the Eva movies on DVD (cackles). Though I am very happy that I have the digital detail and surround sound effect now. I am a bit disappointed in some of the translations done and pronunciation of certain items (IT'S MAGI!!! M - short A - G - long I!!! NOT M - short A - J - long I!!!!) Well, I am still happy to have the movies...sort of. Rebirth on the DVD is NOT the original Rebirth for Eva, they just took the first 30 minutes of EoE and called it Rebirth. And a few items mention in the commentary for the movies are a bit inaccurate and linear. On the plus side, the voice actors for the English track did a nice job, and the word FUCK is used twice in the right spots ^_^.

Enough of me rambling on here. Feel free to drop either Kei Ikari or I an E-mail if you have the time and let us know what you think. Goodbye for now.

Well, C&C is welcomed.

Flames will be tolerated.

Ways of contacting can be found on the About Us page

https://members.tripod.com/reison_ayanami

http://tvinc.w3.to

Or, try the affiliate site at:

https://members.tripod.com/kei_ikari

[designed by Kei Ikari]

Of course, any fuck-ups are our fault. ;-)