Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Mst: Children of an Elder God ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

The Standard Disclaimer!!!

Lot of mayhem going on about plagerism and stealing work…mostly due to the unauthorized new ending of TOILI, but let me assure you I DID GET PERMISSION!! He he sorry, couldn't help it.

I just moved into my new apartment but I HAVE NO JOB!!! No new anime, games, um…food :( , anyway I wanna ask you guys something

I want a few suggestions for party games and the always popular truth or dare game needs some tasteful truths and dares so please give me some, otherwise I hope you don't complain about what I use :) I'm a tad boring at times.

Enough of the pre-writers stuff, you want MST and MST you shall receive!

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Maya: What kind of games did you all play?

Shinji: Well we had a DDR match.

Touji: Kensuke made us play D&D.

Rei: We were asked to either divulge personal information or partake in an activity.

Misato: Huh?

Asuka: Truth or Dare.

Misato forms a wicked smile: Really…lets say we play a `game' of something after this installment?

Shinji: So soon? `Kami I don't like that smile.'

Maya smiles: I have solitare on my laptop, we can see who can get the highest score!

Asuka/Touji groan: That's boring!

Misato: We're all relatively grown-ups, save for Touji.

Touji: HEY! Why am I the only one!

Asuka/Shinji: You haven't had your life put on the line!

Rei: You have the least developed brain, but we will suffer through it.

Misato to Maya: Whow…how's it going raising those two?

Maya: Scary, I spent all last week explaining why girls shouldn't sleep in the same room as boys.

Misato: They wanted to visit my apartment, didn't they?

Maya: If I hadn't locked the door on my way out I'm sure they would have…neither knew how to open their own locked door.

Misato laughs as she looks at Asuka and Rei yelling at Touji…Rei being more subdued than Asuka.

Shinji: HEY!!! How about we watch another part! `Please let this madness stop!'

Misato: I agree with Shinji-kun. `Taking Asuka's seat on the couch.'

Asuka: HEY! That was my seat!

Misato: Not my fault you had to attack are guest.

Rei: Maya-san why are you in my position?

Maya: I like the couch, its comfy.

Shinji: Um…nevermind.

Touji: Lucky bastard.

Asuka grumbles and puts the next tape in. `Wait till we play T or D you two…I'll get even!'

(Begin MST!! Look for >>> to designate MY comments)

The electric hum of florescent lights buzzed, the

only sound in an otherwise sterile and silent bathroom.

>>>Rei: It is not silent then.

>>>Maya: They said `otherwise' so it's accepted.

Ritsuko Akagi began her nightly ritual, taking a

long look at herself in the mirror every night before she

went to bed.

>>>Misato: She always was the shallow one.

>>>Asuka: This isn't going to get…graphic is it?

She leaned forward and examined her right eye,

then her left. She held one hand before her, turning it

slowly, then examined the other.

Satisfied, she closed her eyes and took a deep

breath.

"I am Ritsuko Akagi. I am Ritsuko Akagi. I am

Ritsuko Akagi."

>>>Asuka: That's where Wondergirl gets that routine!

>>>Maya: Ritsuko-san is acting strange…even for her.

>>>Misato: See kids, that's why you don't take drugs.

She took one more breath, then gave her reflection

an intense stare.

"I mustn't forget."

And then she held up the syringe of opalescent

viridian liquid...

>>>Touji: She does heroine?

>>>Shinji: Would explain why she thinks she's not herself.

-*-

John Biles & Rod M. Present

A Neon Genesis Evangelion Elseworlds

Children of an Elder God

Part 2

This is Tokyo-3

>>>Asuka: In all it's destroyed glory.

-*-

It was one of the more mundane dreams of Shinji's

life. That, he found, was really odd, considering the day

before it was far from ordinary.

He was on a maglev train.

>>>Asuka: Heaven for fend! Not a Maglev train!

>>>Shinji: I spend way too much time on those dumb things why do I have >>>to dream about them too!

The constant thrum of the train's movement was the

only sound heard. Outside, to one side, the myriad towers

of Tokyo-3 stood, tall and shining, a testament to the

achievements of mankind.

>>>Rei: A sad testament if that is all mankind is capable of.

>>>Misato: So we didn't make the Garden of Babalon, a sinking city is still cool.

On the other side of the train was the ocean, vast,

wide, and forever flowing, a symbol of the endless nature

of, well, nature.

>>>Touji: Even in your dreams you can't make good comparisons.

>>>Asuka/Rei: What should he be comparing?

He looked from one to the other, studies in

contrast, and wondered what kind of a dream this was

supposed to be.

It was incredibly dull.

Behind him, hidden by shadows and unseen by Shinji,

a pair of red eyes watched...

>>>Asuka: A rabbit on the floor?

>>>Misato: Kid with contacts?

>>>Maya: For the children's sake, lets hope she stays in the shadow, not ready for that type of dream.

-*-

Rei Ayanami slept soundly, silently, unmoving.

No nightmares plagued her.

No dreams lifted her spirits.

Rei Ayanami never had dreams she could call her own.

>>>Rei: I don't dream?

>>>Asuka: It really sucks to be you! The commander won't even let you dream!

>>>Touji: Um…don't all humans need to dream?

-*-

Shinji awoke to something stranger than a dream.

"Shinji! Breakfast is ready!"

Misato's breakfast.

The young Ikari stared blankly at... it.

"Breakfast?" he asked.

>>>Shinji shakes his head: No that's roadkill.

>>>Asuka: At least it tastes like it.

>>>Misato: If my cooking is so bad, Shinji can do all the cooking from now on!

"Breakfast," she reaffirmed, much to his chagrin.

"Breakfast," he repeated, as if trying to attach the

concept to the object before him. It looked like Ramen but

didn't quite smell right. It was certainly ramen, but with

other... objects thrown in. The egg, he supposed, wasn't

too off track. The large chunks of spam were an odd touch.

>>>Rei: Spam…stuff posing as meat.

>>>Maya: I tried that…makes me wonder if the Rei's are smart in being vegetarians.

Was that curry powder he smelled? And... and something

else. Something sharp.

>>>Shinji: She didn't take the shells out?

>>>Touji: If she cooked it…I'd eat it all.

>>>Asuka: And you'd be dead.

The drink next to it wasn't much help either. It

was some instant orange juice drink. He despised that

orange goo.

>>>Shinji: That looks like LCL.

>>>Maya/Misato: Had to do something with it!

"Eat up!" she said cheerfully.

Well, it all looked edible, certainly. It didn't

look... disgusting... no.

With a shrug, he took a bite.

"Graack!"

Hot! Very hot! Very spicy! Flaming spicy hot!

Need drink _now_!

*gulp*

Orange goo... Hate orange goo!

*SPIT*

>>>Asuka: Nice distance, wall needed a bit more color.

>>>Rei: Why is he rubbing his tounge across the floor?

"You okay?"

"Water! Need water!" He rushed out of the room

quickly, towards the kitchen and the promise of cold water.

Misato blinked. "Maybe the Tabasco was a bit much."

>>>Maya blinked: You're kidding right?

>>>Misato: But Tabasco makes any food a meal!

>>>Asuka/Touji: A last meal.

-*-

School was something he was ready for. It was, he

figured, going to be the same as it was in the last school.

He'd keep his head low, be quiet, and get through another

school year with no disturbances.

That was the plan, anyway.

>>>Shinji: Funny how my plans always blow up in my face.

>>>Asuka: So be smart and let me choose what you should do.

>>>A grunt from an unknown woman is heard.

He entered the room, feeling somewhat hesitant.

First days were always like that for him, though, so even

the feeling of hesitation was oddly comforting.

He arrived a little early, wanting to not stick out

too badly by being late, and looked subtly around the room

as he found his way to an empty chair in the back rows.

>>>Touji: Right were we'd be! Whow talk about intuition!

>>>Asuka: What about it, all the dumb kids sit in the back! Stooge!

The other students there paid him little attention,

just a quick glance as he walked by and nothing more. For

this he was relieved.

And then there was Rei.

>>>Asuka: With a piano falling on her head…to bad.

>>>Maya: It's good for you to be at school early but…shouldn't you DO something?

She was seated by the windows, and was staring out

at them with an unreadable expression. She still had her

bandages, one covering half of her face, another wrapped

around her arm, but seemed to be in no discomfort.

>>>Shinji: No…if you look at the tiny intersection between her eyebrows you note a blotch, she's in pain.

>>>All but Rei: HOLY SHIT HOW YOU DO THAT!

>>>Rei: Shinji-kun `understands' me.

And suddenly, the rest of world seemed out of phase,

as Rei slowly turned towards him. He tried to look away,

desperately, as if his life depended on it. His heart began

pounding, hands trembling, as her one red eye slowly locked

with his. Blood rushed through his eardrums in a roar and

he felt himself chilled to his very soul.

>>>Misato: If that's not love at first sight what is it?

>>>Touji: A scared animal about to be killed?

>>>Rei frowns slightly: I dislike my portrayal so far.

And then the bell rang, Rei looked away once more,

and Shinji found himself with a massive feeling of

disorientation. Shaking his head and blinking, he took a

seat.

"Stand! Bow! Sit!"

>>>Asuka: Hikari can be such a power hungry person some times.

The class followed along, as was custom, greeting

the teacher.

"Class, we have a new student today," said the

elderly man. "Transfer student Shinji Ikari."

"Um, hi."

>>>Misato: With witty one liners like that I'm sure you'll have tons of dates.

>>>Maya chuckles: You can just feel the apprehension from here.

And with that fairly embarrassing moment taken care

of, Shinji took to the task of fading into the background

once more.

At least, that was the idea.

>>>Shinji/Maya: Enough of the foreshadow all ready!

>>>Misato/Touji: What are you talking about?

As the teacher droned on about how the Second Impact

was caused by a meteor hitting the Antarctic, Shinji

received a mysterious message on his laptop.

>>>Touji: Free XXX passwords?

>>>Asuka: Do you want to see a dead body?

ARE YOU THE NEW PILOT?

No hints of who it was, or where they were

broadcasting from. Odd. He decided to reply, carefully.

pilot?

A moment later, the mysterious person sent a message

again.

ARE YOU THE PILOT OF EVANGELION UNIT 1?

>>>Shinji: No I just play him on T.V. may I go now?

>>>Misato cooed: Shin-chan want to be `home-schooled' instead of going to the nasty building?

Shinji sighed. No sense putting off the inevitable.

They'd find out sooner or later anyway.

yes.

He was expecting one person to turn around and

whisper at him.

Maybe two.

>>>Touji: I expected to find and kill you about this time.

>>>Maya: Section-2 would have dropped you at 50 ft if you tried.

"You're the new pilot?" "Wow, how's it like to be in

that thing?"

>>>Asuka: Claustraphobic nightmare.

"What's the inside of NERV like?"

>>>Misato: A big maze.

"Is it true your dad is NERV's commander?"

>>>Shinji: How the hell did they know that!

"Are you dating anyone?"

>>>Touji: NO.

>>>Asuka/Rei: Yes.

"How was it like to fight that thing yesterday?"

The entire classroom, on the other hand...

"H-hey! Waitaminute!"

-*-

Lunch was, in theory, supposed to be what the start

of class wasn't. It was going to be Shinji fading nicely

into the background and having a quiet time of it.

"So you're really an Eva pilot?"

That didn't happen either.

>>>Shinji: Why should it…I mean why should I get a MOMENTS peace.

>>>Misato taking his hand: Don't worry, you'll come home and things will be better.

>>>Asuka punches her armrest splintering it, Rei at-fields a book.

Shinji blinked, looking up from his instant ramen

lunch. There was a person trying to talk to him. He didn't

understand people very well, and didn't have much practice

communicating with them. It wasn't so much irritating as it

was embarrasing and awkward.

"Um, yes."

"Hey, that's neat! Shinji Ikari, right?"

Shinji nodded.

>>>Touji: Bets on its Kensuke?

>>>Asuka: He isn't drooling, I say it's somebody else.

>>>Shinji: I second Asuka.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kensuke Aida," said his

classmate enthusiastically.

>>>Asuka/Shinji: Damn.

Shinji blinked.

"Don't suppose they'd let you bring visitors into

NERV, would they?"

"Ah... I don't think so."

>>>Maya: Only when Ritsuko needs test subjects.

"Saw the fight yesterday. Didn't do too bad. How

long have they been training you?"

"They haven't.

This reply accomplished one thing: it actually made

Kensuke stop talking for a moment.

>>>Touji/Shinji: Hell no!

>>>Misato: Have to remember that one…boy could talk the ear off a dead dog.

"They... didn't train you."

"No."

"Not at all?"

"Not at all."

"Wow," said Kensuke, sounding very impressed. "Hey,

lemme ask you, how well do you know Ayanami?"

>>>Asuka: Looks like the geek likes ya wondergirl, why don't you date him?

>>>Rei: I find his presence to be…irritating.

"Ayanami?"

"The other pilot. The girl. Y'know, the real

creepy one."

>>>Maya: Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

>>>Misato: Wow, didn't think Rei could throw the remote so far!

"I haven't talked to her. Much."

"Oh. I can understand why, though. There's

something about that girl that's just... unnatural."

>>>Rei: My beauty is so overwhelming?

>>>Misato: Teaching them about boosting Maya?

-*-

She walked.

Cicidas were immediately silenced and ceased all

movement. Birds stopped in their singing and immediately

took flight. Squirrels scattered away in droves. No

mosquitos drew blood from her, nor did they seem to be

anywhere near her.

This was Rei Ayanami.

>>>Asuka: A walking insect repellent!

>>>Touji: That has got to be handy.

>>>Rei sulks a bit.

Enigmatic.

Silent.

Sneezing.

*achoo*

>>>Shinji smiles: That actually was very cute.

>>>Rei brightens a bit: At least you sense the greater good.

She stopped, rubbed her nose, blinked, and gazed at

the general direction of one Aida Kensuke.

-*-

"Didja feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Shinji.

"Felt like a cold breeze or something." Kensuke

rubbed his arms a bit, trying to warm up. Then he spotted

something behind Shinji.

"Shinji?"

>>>Touji: Kiss your ass goodbye!

>>>Shinji: I'm going to meet you…aren't I Touji?

"Yeah?"

"Um, I'd just like you to know the really pissed off

guy coming towards us, Touji Suzuhara, is mad 'cause his kid

sister got hurt in the fighting yesterday. And, ah, nothing

personal, but I don't think I can stop him."

>>>Shinji: Or plan on even trying.

>>>Maya: And he is your friend is he?

>>>Asuka/Misato: What a coward.

"Wha-ACK!"

Shinji found himself grabbed violently by the shirt,

lifted up, and tossed, actually, flung across the ground

roughly. He did manage to catch a glimpse of a tall boy

with a really angry expression on his face.

"Get up!"

>>>Shinji: Why, so you can throw me down again?

>>>Rei: In said situation the best thing would be to play dead.

Before Shinji could do anything, he found himself

picked up again, feet dangling helplessly above the ground.

This time he was staring right into the boy's face.

"You put my sister in the hospital, asshole!"

>>>Misato: SUZUHARA! If it wasn't for him she'd be DEAD!

>>>Touji: I um…know but still!

>>>Shinji snickering: `I knew I could count on Misato-san for help.'

"I... I didn't mean to!"

"That ain't enough!" snarled Touji. There was a

slight chill in the air, but Touji was too mad to pay

attention to it.

"Hey, c'mon Touji, give the guy a break."

"Shut up!" Touji wound his fist back for another

punch...

"Stop."

... and felt something cold grip his arm. His face

immediately drained of color and fury, replaced by a

somewhat nervous expression.

"Ohshit."

>>>Asuka: Damn, what did you do to him Wondergirl?

>>>Shinji: Leave it to Ayanami to save me `smiles.'

Shinji, who had his eyes closed, opened them slowly.

The scene wasn't exactly what he was expecting. There was

Ayanami, still emotionless, but holding Touji's arm back

easily. Kensuke was silent and perfectly still, while Touji

seemed actually frightened.

"Let him go," said Rei quietly

>>>Maya: So Rei comes to the rescue, how noble.

>>>Misato: Isn't it supposed to be the guy who saves the girl though?

>>>Asuka: But it's Shinji so…

Touji took a nervous gulp, then slowly released

Shinji. Rei shifted her attention to him and said, simply,

"Go."

"Who? Me?"

>>>Asuka: I'd think Touji, she's going to kill him and eat his brains.

>>>Rei: I dislike meat.

>>>Maya: Actually the brain isn't a muscle so it isn't meat.

"Go," repeated Rei.

"Um... okay." Shinji took a few awkward steps back,

giving Touji an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about your

sister, really," said Shinji. "I'll try to be more careful

next time. Um, bye."

Shinji left, and a moment later, so did Rei.

This left the area with two rather puzzled teens.

>>>Misato: So they're back to normal then?

>>>Maya: Maybe more puzzled than normal.

"Looks like she's taken a liking to him," said

Kensuke. "That's weird. She doesn't like anybody."

>>>Rei: I have good taste.

>>>Asuka: Damn…

Touji wasn't listening. He was, instead, sorting

through logic and finding something missing.

>>>Shinji: You logic? She hit your head or something?

>>>Touji: Um…I resemble that! No wait resent…yeah resent that!

"Hey, Kensuke. What the hell just happened?"

"Rei grabbed your arm and-"

"Yeah, yeah, but it doesn't make any -sense-," said

Touji. "I mean, Rei doesn't look menacing, does she?"

"Well, no, now that I think about it. Kinda cute,

in a mysterious kinda way."

>>>Shinji: Ken really think that?

>>>Touji: You're women are attractive its just personalities SUCK!!

>>>Asuka/Rei/Misato: Wrong answer.

"And she doesn't have superhuman strength, right?"

"Not that I've seen, no."

"She didn't yell at us or nothin'."

"Nope."

"Right."

Touji sat down and thought it over. He'd been in

many fights, and lots of arguments. He wasn't one to back

down easily.

>>>Maya: So thinking wouldn't really be your strong suit then.

>>>Touji: My fists do my thinking for me!

>>>Asuka: No wonder you're ranked dead last in the class.

But he just did.

"So what the hell just happened?!" yelled Touji to

nobody in particular.

Kensuke shrugged "I dunno, man. There's just

something about Rei."

>>>Asuka: Something creepy.

>>>Touji: Something cold.

>>>Maya: Something sad.

>>>Shinji: Something right.

-*-

As he made his way through the curving, twisting

metal hallways of NERV, Shinji felt like a rat in a maze.

>>>Misato: SEE!

>>>Maya: Ritsuko-san's uses it as a psychology test.

And he really didn't want to find his way out of this maze.

After all, when the reward was worse than death, it wasn't

much of a reward.

To waste time (i.e. to delay the inevitable), he

read through some of the various official papers and

pamphlets Misato had given him.

>>>Shinji: The `how to treat alcohol poising' pamphlet again?

>>>Misato: Better safe than sorry.

For some people, this would

have been making efficient use of time, but since Shinji

knew that he would walk slower if he was reading, this both

got him there later and gave him a valid excuse for being

late.

The first pamphlet looked like some kind of public

relations pamphlet. 'NERV--Defending the Earth', the title said

in big letters.

>>>Misato: Hipocritical if you ask me.

>>>Shinji: Saving the Earth so we can destroy it ourselves.

'Founded in 2001 AD, NERV is dedicated to advanced

technological weapons research and deployment in order to

deal with the threat to Earth discovered by the unfortunate

scientists who perished in the Second Impact.'

>>>Asuka: Not mentioned was the fact that said scientists CAUSED second impact.

'The precise events surrounding the Second Impact

remain classified, however, the information gathered was

sufficient to convince the Security Council to create NERV.

The surviving Alien artifacts were remanded into the care of

NERV, which has studied them to create much of its current

armnaments.'

Something squeaked under Shinji's feet. He blinked and

looked down just in time to see a rat flee for its life. Sorry

about that, Mr. Rat, he thought. He turned back to the pamphlet.

>>>Touji: What is with you and animals Shin-man really?

>>>Misato: If the next angel is a giant Rat I'm turning this off.

'It is unknown whether the aliens succeeded in

communicating with their home planet, however, before their

destruction (generally assumed to be the result of an alien

failsafe device that acted to prevent their capture),

>>>Rei: Death before capture, aliens with rather high morals.

they

successfully concealed a number of powerful artificial combat

lifeforms around the Earth, which NERV is continuing its

search for. It is expected that these lifeforms will come to

maturity in the mid 2010s, giving us several years in which we

can try to destroy them before they reach full strength.

>>>Shinji: But what fun is it to kill helpless angels?

>>>Misato: And it does nothing for our budget.

Research also continues into space travel applications in the

hope of preparing for the day when the aliens arrive from their

homeworld.'

That spider was an alien? It made a certain amount

of sense, although Shinji was left wondering how the aliens

had managed to conceal the life forms around the world but

couldn't hide themself. I suppose their failsafe was the

meteor, he thought.

>>>Asuka: Meteor…who's brainchild was that! I mean any kid that's watched ANY television knows that meteors burn up in entry.

>>>Maya: I THOUGHT MY IDEA WAS GOOD!!!…um…I mean…

>>>All: THAT WAS YOUR IDEA?!?!

Somehow, he reached the testing room much faster than

he had wanted to. This especially impressed him considering

he hadn't even been looking where he was going, due to his

reading. He stepped inside. "I'm here."

Maya frowned. "Well, you beat Dr. Akagi here. I'll

go look for her."

>>>Maya: Must she spend so much time in the pool!

>>>Misato: Is that why she's always in that suit?

>>>Maya blushes softly: One of them.

>>>Asuka/Rei/Misato exchange looks.

-*-

Ritsuko read over the lab report and frowned.

Another failure. If only the Human Genome Project had not

been disrupted by the Second Impact and its consequences.

If only Crowley had finished his researches. If only the

experiment in Germany had not ended so horribly.

>>>Misato: If only they wouldn't be so damn vague!

We should

have known better, she thought. The first recorded

experiment of that type had failed horribly as well. Still,

it had held so much potential.

>>>Shinji: Televangelists?

>>>Maya frowning: Yeah, we had to drop the Tel part.

Instead, we are stuck with mere children as pilots, two

of them potentially uncontrollable and a third one...She

shuddered.

>>>Asuka: Gee, `looks at Rei' wonder who the third is.

>>>Touji: Maybe she's thinking about Shin-man and it's a `good' shudder.

That experiment had gone too well. She reminded

Ritsuko too much of her own mother and of her old rival. There

was something...It was what they had wanted. But sometimes,

the gods destroy people by giving them what they want. She

prayed this would not be the case.

>>>Shinji: So praying to the Gods not to kill us…doesn't that seem odd?

>>>Misato: Yeah, "Please Kami, don't kill us like you want to."

"Whatcha reading, Dr. Akagi?" The voice was soft,

female, and pleasant. It was Maya, her assistant. One of her

assistants. Maya had been trained to monitor the life

functions of the EVAs.

>>>Pilots: Life functions?

>>>Maya: Glorified babysitter.

She was not privy to the more highly

secured aspects, such as the report Ritsuko was reading, which

she quickly closed.

"A failed experiment. Is it time for more synchronization

tests already?"

"I've been looking for you for ten minutes." Some would

have chided, but with Maya, it was just a statement of fact.

Likely, she had enjoyed the hunt.

>>>Misato: So you like playing cat and mouse with Ritsu?

>>>Maya: Um…I rather not say.

"Shinji doesn't seem to be too happy about getting into the LCL."

>>>Touji: When IS he happy?

"I wouldn't be either, and I helped to invent it," Ritsuko

said, getting up. "Not quite so clean and shiny as the tech in

mech animes, but then, real life never is."

Maya smiled, grabbing Ritsuko's arm. "Come on. They're

waiting for us."

>>>Rei: Rather physical for a mere assistant.

>>>Asuka: Hiding something from us Miss Ibuki?

>>>Shinji: Girls…leave Maya-chan's private life alone.

>>>Sigh in Relief Maya relaxes.

-*-

Shinji tried to fight off the urge to choke to

death. He could see Rei's face in a little box on the

corner of his vision and Misato's face in another.

>>>Touji: Urge to look manly finally kicking in?

The rest

of his sight was dominated by what his EVA saw, which was

the rather boring interior of the huge tube they kept it in.

None of it was able to distract him from the fact that gooey

black tar (well, a close substitute) was inside his lungs

and stomach and throat and most importantly, his mouth.

>>>Asuka: That is a very disgusting fact.

>>>Misato: And you all get to basically live in it, aren't you glad to be a pilot?

Rei was simply too serene; indeed, she had her eyes

closed. Not that you could have seen one of them through the

bandage. Indeed, he was somewhat glad he couldn't see either

of them. "Don't tell me you like this stuff, Rei," he said.

>>>Asuka: With how freaky she is…bet she has a jar at home.

Silence.

"It's just so...does it have to be THIS disgusting?"

"It's not toothpaste, Shinji," Misato said. "Would

you rather it taste good or work? Move your right arm."

>>>Shinji/Asuka: I'd rather it taste good.

>>>Rei: Major, you know how toothpaste tastes? I thought it wasn't to be eaten.

Shinji saw Unit01's arm move across his vision. He felt

it too; it was just like moving his own arm. "Done."

"Done." Rei said. She was in a seperate tube; he couldn't

see her Unit moving.

"How about your sense of spatial relationships?" Ritsuko

asked.

"What about it?"

>>>Touji: You're losing it, the Eva is stealing it!

>>>Misato: Spatial wha?

"Are you having any problems?"

"None," Rei said crisply.

"Uh... I seem to be able to judge sizes and stuff as far as I

can tell," Shinji said. Should I be having problems?

>>>Shinji: Emotional or otherwise?

>>>Rei: Mechanically.

>>>Shinji: Oh…the only one I'm not

Her voice brightened slightly. "No sense that everything

has shrunk?"

"It's kinda like watching a movie; things may be too big,

but I can still judge size from how things...uh...comparing

sizes."

"No change," Rei said.

>>>Touji: Expected otherwise?

>>>Rei: I do my job.

The test continued, with Shinji usually feeling like he

wasn't getting something, until finally it was all over and he

was liberated from the plug. As usual, it left an aftertaste

which he didn't like.

>>>Misato: Bet you three know `all about' aftertaste.

>>>Pilots: What are you getting at!

>>>Maya blushing: Katsuragi-san! Keep the tapes a secret!

They left him alone with Rei to change out of his suit,

which embarrassed him, since there was no dividing room.

>>>Rei looking at Shinji: And if it wasn't for the 2nd there wouldn't be one, no need.

>>>Asuka/Shinji: What!

Especially since Rei had apparently not learned the concept of

modesty. He simply turned his back to her and said, "Thanks

for helping me out with Touji. He was mad 'cause his sister

got hurt during our first battle." He paused, then said, "And

thanks for helping me against the spider thing. I know you

were hurt."

Silence was his answer, except for the swish of

clothing in motion.

>>>Asuka: I just hope she doesn't get a personality…that would be bad.

>>>Rei: I would have said something, I don't always keep silent.

"I mean, I can understand why he was mad at me, but

getting beaten up...well, no one likes to be beaten up. I'm

not really any good at fighting, but I guess you kind of

figured that out from what happened against the first

Angel."

>>>Misato: The whole hacking legs off thing instead of really hurting it?

>>>Maya: Or was it the fact you got stuck in a big obvious web?

Only the tiniest of grunts replied. For a moment, Shinji

wondered if she had somehow fallen asleep. That didn't seem

likely.

>>>Touji: Why isn't it?

>>>Shinji: She wouldn't have put cloths on if she were planning sleep.

He kept talking, trying to fill the silence, wondering why

he couldn't shut up. "Except for being beaten up a few times, I

haven't had a real fight in years, especially not against a giant

spider. So, what exactly happened at the end? When it died.

Our EVAS... they haven't said anything, but I think something

happened to our EVAs. Yours grew fangs and mine...got all

shiny and stuff."

>>>Shinji: I hope that doesn't happen all the time…

>>>Touji: Some of those angels were too messed up.

"Adaptation. Like humans, EVAS learn." Her voice

was cool, but Shinji was happy to hear it; it meant he

didn't have to keep talking. "Are you done?"

"Umm... yeah, I guess." Shinji hastily buttoned his shirt.

"So how did you stop Touji?"

>>>Maya: Jedi Mind trick?

>>>Misato: She's a shaolin master?

Her voice had just a hint of surprise. "Touji has not been

stopped."

Shinji blinked and turned around. Rei was back in her

school uniform; without the bandages, you could have mistaken

her for a normal girl.

>>>Asuka: Note the word `could.'

"You stopped him from beating me up."

"Commander Ikari would not be pleased if both of us

had been rendered dysfunctional at the same time. The

Second Child has not yet arrived." She turned to go.

Shinji followed her. "Do you live with your parents?"

"They are gone," she said, heading out the door.

"Dead?"

>>>Maya: That's so sad.

>>>Shinji: What that they lied about her having parents or telling her they were dead?

>>>Rei: The test tube was broken?

"I was raised here at NERV." She turned back and looked

at him. "Have you familiarized yourself with the layout of

NERV?"

Nervously, Shinji said, "Umm... not yet."

"I will take you home," she said. "Follow me."

>>>Misato: She's being really helpful to Shinji, isn't she.

>>>Maya: One could think she actually liked him `smiles at Asuka's irritation.'

-*-

Shinji quietly ate what passed for dinner in the

Katsuragi household, namely the same thing that passed for

all three meals, instant ramen.

>>>Shinji: No orange goo?

>>>Asuka: It's supper so it's brown goo.

I think Penpen eats better than I do, Shinji thought. "What happened to Rei's parents?"

"Killed in the anarchy after the Second Impact," Misato

said. "I think. She was here at NERV before I was."

>>>Asuka: So an infant, less than one year old, was left to fend for itself.

>>>Touji: That's believable.

Shinji blinked. "Before you?"

"I was catatonic for a year after the Second Impact, then

went to school for several years. I was your age when it

happened." She finished off her box of ramen. "Hmm. Needs

more beer."

"She sure knows her way around the place. And... does she

know martial arts?"

>>>Touji: Hell no!

>>>Rei punches through the end table: You are mistaken.

>>>Asuka/Shinji: Holy…shit.

Misato paused in the middle of trying to decide if

she wanted Sapporo, Guiness, or Mad Dog #3.

>>>Shinji: Deciding, don't you mix them all together?

>>>Misato: Weak ass spirits? Never! It's all hard liquor for me.

"Martial arts?"

"She used some weird move on Touji when he tried to

clobber me. Grabbed his arm and he couldn't do anything."

Shinji finished off his ramen and made a quick mental prayer

to something (what he was praying to, he didn't know) that

Misato would learn to cook.

>>>Misato: I'm getting tired of the complaints about my cooking.

>>>Maya: Who is the god of cooking anyway?

>>>Rei: Betty Crocker.

"She's been trained in unarmed combat, but nothing like

special nerve pinches or the like. I wish we knew anything like

that which actually worked." She looked over at Shinji

contemplatively. "We need to start training you as well.

Heaven only knows how many of these Angels are going to show

up."

>>>Touji: Shinji knowing martial arts…that's the funny.

>>>Rei: I can train you; an intense training schedule `gives him a look.'

>>>Shinji catches look and blushes…deep, while others are lost.

"Are they really aliens?"

"They're not from this Earth, whatever they are." Misato

shrugged. "I'm sure Ritsuko could tell you more, but you

probably wouldn't understand any of it."

Shinji nodded. "Well, time for me to do my math

homework." He sighed and got up. "I don't suppose you're good

at math?"

>>>Asuka: Can't you do your own homework?

>>>Maya: The homework ploy is used by people in love you know.

>>>Misato: It's the first lesson, ask object of affection for help.

"Nope." She stretched. "I think I'll watch Baywatch

Generation 2 now."

Shinji resolved to do his homework in his room with his

walkman volume turned up to ten.

>>>Maya: You'll be deaf by 16 Shinji.

>>>Shinji: If I live that long.

-*-

Makoto drove round and round in a very large circle,

circling Tokyo-3 in his battered old blue compact. I need a

new car, he thought.

>>>Misato: He needs to get contacts. Those glasses make him so dorky!

>>>Maya: He's going for the whole `genius' look.

But I'll never afford one on this salary. It

wasn't that his salary was bad; it was that new cars were

expensive in this day and age. The world wasn't quite on a full

war economy, but there were tendencies in that direction;

quite likely it would shift over to such once the Angel attacks

heated up.

>>>Shinji: Doesn't Nerv get its funding from other countries?

>>>Misato: Yup, so when we need money, countries starve.

If only we had a little more time, he thought. We hoped

to finally be ready for mass production of EVAs in a few

months, but now... Still, that wasn't why he was driving round

and round the city on the loop road.

>>>Asuka: The mass production Eva's…HAHA HAHA.

>>>Shinji: Those things have been standing outside the apt. for weeks!

He was thinking about Misato, who he liked very much,

but who he didn't know how to approach. Part of the problem

was that she was sort of his boss. In NERV, one often had

multiple bosses with variable levels of authority and other

people who technically had no authority over you, but in

practice you grovelled to them. A chart of the command

structure would have looked like a family tree for a family

riddled with incest.

>>>Asuka: And who's at the head Commander Ikari…go figure.

>>>Shinji/Rei: What are you getting at?

The other part of his problem was that he simply didn't

know too much about how to get a woman's attention.

>>>Shinji: Booze.

>>>Asuka: Cars.

>>>Rei: Raw sexual prowess. `Eyes on her'…what?

Well,

besides the blunt approach, which he didn't quite have the guts

to try. Not after watching Misato shoot down several other

potential boyfriends in flames.

>>>Misato: It's a hobby.

>>>Asuka: Really? Me too!

After much malingering, he decided to finally go bite the

bullet. He drove back to where he lived and walked over to

where Misato resided. As he approached, he saw Rei heading

that way. He didn't want Rei lurking about when he was trying

to ask Misato out. Or at any other time, really.

>>>Rei: Why would my presence cause his courting to fail?

>>>Touji: The creepy vibe would act as a…a…'slumps over.'

>>>Asuka: What do you know, nerve pinches do work.

Something

about her creeped him out, although she had her moments

where she seemed quite normal.

I'll just go home and come back in an hour, he told

himself. Yes, that would be wise. I ought to shower before I

ask her, anyway. Yes. Good idea. He walked merrily off to his

apartment and within an hour, he was asleep.

>>>Misato: Typical man! Time comes to do something for a lady he falls asleep!

>>>Maya: I'm glad for that, while in quaranteen he and Shig…

>>>Shinji/Rei: Maya!

-*-

PenPen suddenly bolted upright, splashing water

around the bathtub. His feathers stood on end and the water

fowl's eyes bulged wide in what could be called panic.

With a shrill squawk, PenPen scrambled out of the

room, past a puzzled Shinji, and slammed the door shut

behind him as he hid in the refrigerator.

>>>Touji waking: The Rei Alarm system.

>>>Asuka: When Animals run, you best as well for Ayanami is on her way.

-*-

Rei stared at the door, wondering why she was there.

She knew where she was; she had had to report there twice

before. Plus, she walked past it on a regular basis.

Still, she had no reason to go there. Her arm was suspended

in mid-swing. She had been about to knock, but had nothing

to say if anyone had answered.

>>>Misato: Never stopped her before has it?

>>>Rei: …

She felt something, something new. Like she was being

watched. Looking around, she saw nothing. Just a rat staring

at her. Wherever humans go, you go too, she thought.

Rei had no idea what, exactly, one was supposed to

do when a small creature was as close as this rat was. She

had no experience with this sort of thing.

>>>Touji: When nothing goes by you, makes it kinda hard.

No creature

aside from man ever approached her, yet this rat stood

before her, looking at her curiously. She found this very

curious.

Not knowing what to do, she tried to recall what

other people did.

>>>Maya: Scream and throw things at it?

>>>Asuka: Try to kill it?

She knealt and turned to the rat, trying to make

soothing noises. The rat, however, chose this moment to

panic and scamper off. It certainly didn't help that Rei's

idea of soothing noises weren't quite that, sounding more

like a bad attempt at mimicry.

>>>Misato: My ears are bleeding!

>>>Shinji: Did the window just crack?

Before she could stand back up, Shinji opened the

door. "Hello?" He looked around, then looked down.

"Umm... what are you doing, Rei?" And why are you making

weird noises, he asked himself.

>>>Asuka: If you knew the real answer, you'd kill yourself.

>>>Rei: 2nd, I grow tired of these constant insults.

"Nothing." She blushed just a tiny bit.

>>>Shinji: KAWAII!!

"I came

ask you about... the math homework." She had in fact had

trouble with the math, although normally she would not have

sought help. Perhaps that is why I came over here, she

thought, although she wasn't entirely convinced of that.

>>>Misato nudges Shinji: Getting the girls already Shinji.

>>>Maya nudges him too: Quite the ladies man.

"Yeah, it is pretty tough. Come on in," Shinji said.

Soon enough, they lost themselves in the complexities of

mathematics.

>>>Misato: How tame, KISS!!!

>>>Rei: We would but you have taken my position.

>>>Misato: I have…ok `leans over and kisses Shinji's cheek.'

-*-

Frau Doctor Himmelfarb found the girl she was looking for

up on the roof of her house. When the girl had not been in her

room, Himmelfarb had known where to find her. She had a

liking for high places for some reason. Frau Doctor

Himmelfarb spent little of her time trying to understand the

subtleties of human behavior.

>>>Misato: Some doctor.

>>>Shinji: Rather hypocritical isn't she?

Standing in the yard, she shouted, "Come down here this

minute!" The head of research for NERV in Germany had better

things to do than climb up on the roof, even to fetch the girl

who had been her ward for ten years.

>>>Maya: That's kinda rude.

>>>Rei: Her ward most likely is just as bad.

It was not that she didn't

care about the girl; it was more than she had to do this several

times a month and was tired of it.

Asuka scampered down the ladder. "Sorry, Frau

Himmelfarb. I was just trying to spot Scorpio. It's..."

>>>Asuka: THAT'S ME!!! I MADE MY APPERENCE and boy am I beautiful!

>>>Touji: Damn demon…

"I have good news, Asuka. They've found the Third Child.

And defeated an Angel."

Asuka's eyes widened. "Without me?"

>>>Rei: And we beat more without you.

"We did not know where the first one would strike. You

will be departing for Japan within a few days; the Commander

has decided to consolidate our forces. I hope you've been

practicing your Japanese."

>>>Asuka: Of coarse I have!

>>>Misato: How about your kanji?

>>>Asuka: I…um…bout that…

"<Yes, Himmelfarb-sama, I have. Even if it's a weird

language.>" She laughed, and Frau Doctor Himmelfarb smiled as

well. Asuka's laughter was infectious. She was an impulsive,

passionate child and at times she made Himmelfarb remember

her own youth and lose the carefully built up control that

shielded her from her memories.

>>>Touji: Who's memories?

>>>Misato: The impulsive passionate part I get…but never heard you laugh without malice.

"Good. You'll need that and possibly your English

if you go to the American base, which you almost certainly

will."

>>>All: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

She smiled more; Asuka was dancing around like a

small child on Christmas morning. Perhaps she did see it

like that, Himmelfarb thought. This is what she was raised

for, what we've trained her for.

>>>Maya: A soldier, how sad.

>>>Shinji: Things are changing for us.

>>>Rei: Yourself, the Major, and Shinji-kun are helping with that.

Probably sees herself as a

red knight on a shining metal steed. "Go pack. And try to

not take everything in the house this time." Taking Asuka

on a vacation was almost impossible; she seemed to believe

she would wither and die if she left anything, a single item

she owned, behind. Ever.

>>>Asuka: But somebody could do something perverted to my things if I leave them!

>>>Misato: You don't have to take the damn lamps though! Kami!

Sometimes Himmelfarb wondered how

she could bear to go to school and leave her possessions

behind.

>>>Asuka: Hidden cameras.

Three of the Children, Himmelfarb thought. But who will

be the fourth?

>>>Misato: Somebody expendable no doubt.

-*-

Touji sat by his sister, holding her hand. The doctors

thought she would recover from her injuries in a few days

enough to go home; the worst of it had been the spider venom;

she had had an allergic reaction.

>>>Shinji: So it wasn't MY fault at all this time?

>>>Touji: Um…well you didn't kill the spider fast enough!

She would still have a cast on

one leg from the telephone pole that had been knocked on her by

the EVA, and she'd have to come back and have the stiches on

her stomach removed, but she would be fine.

>>>Rei: She was that close to the EVA and wasn't stepped on?

>>>Maya: That is a small miracle.

"I beat the guy up whose clumsy fighting got you hurt,

sis. You're going to be fine. Just fine, they said."

She moaned in reply, and he frowned. Weren't they giving

her enough painkillers? Then she mumbled something. Was she

trying to talk?

>>>Misato: Asking for less drugs.

>>>Rei: Painkillers…you can never have enough of them.

"Did you say something?"

"...coming back..." she muttered along with garbled, half-

human noises. Her body had been placid. Now it began to jerk

about and thrash. "The stars...the stars are moving. He's

calling them. They call him. No! MAKE IT STOP!" Only his grip

on her hand was keeping her on the bed.

>>>Shinji: My dad is calling movie stars?

>>>Misato: Would explain the signed pictures in the mess hall.

>>>Rei/Maya: Not that type of star.

"Nurse! NURSE!" he shouted.

It took an amount of sedatives that disturbed him to

calm her down. The nurse frowned. "We may have to restrain

her; if she thrashes around like that, it could have

complications." She sighed. "Although she's not the only one

having bad dreams."

"Eh?"

>>>Asuka: People have bad dreams all the time, but normally don't go beserk over them.

>>>Shinji: Did they just dump horse tranquilizes into her mix?

"We've had a couple of insomnia cases; people who can't

sleep or report weird dreams. Probably just tension due to

that spider thing attacking. I sure had nightmares the next

night after it showed up. And I'm STILL trying to get all the

damn spiders out of my apartment." She looked over the files.

"You'd best get home unless you just want to watch her be

comatose."

>>>Rei: That is what he has been doing.

>>>Shinji: How old is your younger sister anyway?

>>>Touji: Not telling you, you'd try to add her to your harem!

"I'll stay a while, if that's okay."

The nurse shrugged. "She'll be out a good four hours.

Maybe six. Have fun." She departed.

He finally left after he started hearing squeaking noises,

but not seeing anything. Must be fatigue, he thought.

>>>Asuka: Look out Touji, you're hearing things, what little mind you have is leaving you!

>>>Touji: I'm not going crazy!

>>>Shinji: You said the walls were listening to you Touji.

-*-

It wasn't every day that someone dropped a dead rat

on Gendo Ikari's desk.

>>>Shinji: I doubt that, I bet he gets hate male all the time.

>>>Misato: Yeah, but usually dead fish.

His second in command sat down onthe other side of the desk. "Another one."

Gendo frowned. "More of those fools. Again."

"The rats really don't have much choice in the

matter."

>>>Maya: The metal bar swings down and SMASH, dead.

Clasping his hands together under his chin, Gendo said,

"Very funny. You know what I mean."

>>>Asuka: He must really like the smell of death to keep that under his nose like that.

"Not really. I understand the basic principle, but

there's still a wide range of possibilities." He stared at

the rat. "Or do you recognize it?"

>>>Maya: His pet rat fluffy.

>>>Misato: Kozo and his odd pets.

Gendo picked up the rat with one hand, staring intently at

its face, which was disturbingly human-like. "How freshly

dead is it?"

>>>Shinji: I'm going to be sick 'gets up and runs to bathroom'

>>>Rei: That truly is disturbing.

"About ten minutes or so."

"Not too late to find out, then."

-*-

She consulted the chart a fourth time. It was best to be

sure that everything was coming into place before striking. A

lock of hair fell down between her eyes, but she brushed it

aside. Her hair had always been unruly; it seemed to be getting

out of place even worse lately. The chart gave her the results

she had been hoping for.

>>>Touji: And for that unruly hair she will destroy the world.

>>>Maya: Never doubt the lengths people will go for their hair.

It was time; the return had begun. They would awake and

she and her followers would be ready. Ready to worship and

serve them as... a thought troubled her, a thought of a time

when she had not sought to serve them but to prevent that

return. She brushed it aside.

>>>Misato: Can't have that silly conscious bother her.

>>>Touji: Serve the angels…talk about a death wish.

She had no more time for

childish weakness, the squeamishness that had held her back

for so long.

Yet, even the stars could not be left to do all the work.

And the rivalries of the great ones...there would be wars.

>>>Asuka: Gee you think?

Takeo had told her that NERV posed a threat. She had not

believed it until they had learned. One of the Great Ones was

dead. She had not believed it possible, but what she had seen

through her...the shock suddenly hit her. He was dead. Dead.

Shot by a soldier. A soldier of NERV.

>>>Misato: We have competent soldiers now?

>>>Maya: When did they learn how to use fire arms?

>>>Rei/Asuka: Thought an invasion would kill us all.

They would pay, pay in full.

>>>Touji: With interest.

>>>Rei: You're pun wasn't funny.

>>>Misato/Maya: I thought it was.

There would be a reckoning.

Takeo was right; they would drown, drown in blood, a sacrifice

to open the way for the one to whom they had sworn the

Unspeakable Oath. The Stars were Right. She and her allies

would see to that.

>>>Rei: Can we step on her home with are EVA's?

>>>Misato: Yes, yes you can.

-*-

- end part 2 -

(end MSt of part 2)

Misato: Damn is this thing odd.

Maya: Ayanami is show as overly creepy but seems to like Shinji.

Rei: Something wrong with that?

Asuka: Yeah.

Touji: My sister is REALLY messed up in this one.

Rei: The commander likes dead rats.

Misato: Oh well, what about these games you were talking about?

Maya: I'm feeling up for a little break to lighten the mood.

Asuka: When Baka gets back from empting his stomach we can start.

Rei: I'll go check on him `up and gone before Asuka can react.'

Asuka: How does she DO that!

Misato: If you knew, would that really help?

Maya: I hardly know what they can do and I'm their Guardian now.

Touji: I just hope Kensuke gets here soon `with plenty of pictures.'

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