This chapter is dedicated to all those who lost their life in the 
(not so) recent earthquake and associated aftershocks in Taiwan. 

The Child of Love 2: End of the beginning
By David Templar

Neon Genesis Evangelion is brainchild of Hideaki Anno, and the property
of Gainax. The Child of Love is the idea of Axel Terizaki, I'm just
carrying on his legacy. I might also occasionally poke fun at other Eva
fanfics and anime shows. This fanfic is not making any money, so suing
me is pointless, sue Axel instead, he's the evil mastermind =)


NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
Chapter #5:0                                        SEELE attacks!

SEELE council chamber
"I still think it's too soon," objected SEELE-02.

"I agree," said SEELE-04, "we have much to gain from such an operation,
but also much to lose."

"Lose?" chuckled SEELE-09, "there's nothing to lose."

"We have created a most convincing cover story," explained SEELE-12,
"in case the operation should go wrong."

SEELE-02 and 04 fell silent, offering no more objections. 

"Then it is decided," said Chairman Kihl, "the council is in agreement,
the operation will proceed." 

The center of the room lights up as a man appeared, dressed in a black
suit. 

"Major Hasamoto," Kihl said to the man, who snapped to attention,
"commence Operation Yasha."

"Yes sir," replied the ex-NERV head of security. He was among the group
of NERV security officers recently fired and kicked out of the country,
due to his involvement with SEELE. The major saluted the monolith
representing Kihl, and disappeared. 

Operation Yasha
Commencing 
Stage one
T-minus a weeks plus a few days to H-hour
--- 
Office of the Vice-Commander, NERV headquarters, a week later
Misato stretched in her large black leather chair, and welcomed the
beginning of her workday with a hot mug of coffee. A young woman,
Misato's newly appointed secretary, stood in front of her desk. 

"Well Ms. Noriko, what exciting events are in my schedule on this fine
day?" 

"You have a meeting with the city council of Tokyo-3 this afternoon,"
the shorthaired woman replied.

"Tell them I can't make it," said Misato, trying anything to avoid the
annoying and tedious meeting, "tell them that there's an important Eva
experiment that I have to be personally present at." Dealing with
bureaucrats makes me wanna pull my hair out, she thought.  

"But ma'am, you used that excuse last week."

"What about having the flu?"

"The week before last."

"Angel-related emergency?"

"Commander Fuyutsuki is still mad at your for ordering that surprise
Angel attack drill three weeks ago, he didn't appreciate you avoiding
your council meeting that way."

"Well," Misato scratched her head; "you make up something."

"Yes ma'am," the young secretary pulled out a notepad and scribbled
down a quick reminder, "Vice-Commander unable attend meeting due to...a
test of headquarters security, all communications with the outside will
be out." 

"So we won't be responding to their calls, clever."

"Thank you ma'am," replied Noriko. She left the room a moment later,
leaving Misato alone to herself. 

Now this is much more like it, Misato thought, leaning back in her
chair. For the first time in years, all annoying reports are finished,
all stupid meetings are avoided, there are no Angel attacks, the kids
are fine, and NO BAD NEWS! Misato spurn her chair around several times
in celebration. 

"Oh wait, what's that western saying? Knock on wood?" She looked around
for something wooden to knock on, but her little trip on her chair had
left her out of reach of her solid oak desk. 

"What the heck, just a stupid superstition," she relaxed and enjoyed
the peacefulness of a sane world. 

"Excuse me ma'am," the intercom on her desk came alive with Noriko's
voice, "the head of security wishes to see you." 

"Very well," Misato said, working her chair back to her desk and
attempting to assume a dominating posture. She succeeded in looking
more sinister than dominating. A second later, a rather short, balding
man entered the room and walked up to her desk. Major Uragi was the new
appointed head of security for NERV headquarters, after most of the old
security personnel were replaced. He was regarded as a model officer by
the JSSDF, and his work at NERV so far had been exemplary. 

But he'd never shown up unannounced at Misato's office before. 

"Vice-Commander," he begins, snapping to attention and saluting Misato.
Strangely, he appeared somewhat jumpy and unnerved. She stood up and
returned the gesture, then sat back down. 

"Please have a seat, Major," he complied. "What is this about?" she
queried. 

"We've encountered difficulties regarding certain issues," he said. 

"What? Speak Japanese."

"Bad new, I've got bad news."

With that, the world once again cast away its sanity and returned to
being a loon. Misato tensed up so much that her head began tilting at
an angle. 

"Wha...what?" she said through clutched teeth, and the side of her face
twitched uncontrollably. Maybe if I shoot him before he can tell me
what's gone bad...yes...that sounds like a good idea.

The major noticed Misato's hand crawling towards her shoulder holster.
"Ah...err...we've been receiving terrorist threats," he said, handing
over a folder. Misato opened it and flipped through its content of
e-mail print outs, phone call transcripts, and a few hand written
letters. 

"A short while ago, a previously unknown organization calling
themselves 'Children of Noa' declared was against NERV. We didn't think
much of it, after all, every fanatical organization of every major
religion views us with great spite."

"So? What makes this one so different?" Ok, maybe this isn't bad enough
news to shoot the messenger. 

"Early this morning, several people suspected to be CoN members entered
Japan, from the United States and Germany. Our people tried to tail
them, but they managed to elude the security teams." 

Shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him, screamed Misato's
mind. 

"Any idea what are they doing here? Any chance they're just
vacationing?"

"We don't know, ma'am."

Misato frowned, "get every resource we have on it, I want those people
located and followed. If they even get close to Tokyo-3, I want them
arrested. If they somehow get into the city, I want them shot."

"Yes ma'am!" barked the Major; he turned to exit the office. Misato
sighed after he left.

"Why is God doing this to me?" She massaged her temples, "to us?" 
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence, next day
"Cheers!" called out Kaji.

"Cheers!" echoed the kids. Tonight is the 2nd last nigh of their summer
vacation. In two days, it'll all be over, and the monotonous routine of
life with school will return. Everyone dreaded that day. 

Well, almost everyone. 

"I can't wait to go back to school!" cried Hikari, while everyone else
looked at her with arced eyebrows. 

"Only you are so eager to return to that prison, Hikari," growled
Touji. She responded by sticking her tongue out at him. It was more of
a playful gesture than spite. 

"Ready for school, Takuma?" asked Kaji.

Takuma looked around the room, "not really, I wish summer could last a
bit longer." Say forever?

"Look at it this way, you'll get to meet new people, and make new
friends."

"..." Takuma just stared at his can of pop. Beside him, Rei sat just as
silently as ever. 

"I'm gonna miss having Shin-chan around constantly," sighed Asuka
quietly. She looked at Shinji joking around with the other two stooges,
"or maybe not..."

"Don't worry Asuka," Misato said, taking a breather from drinking her
Yebisu, "Kaji here will drive Shinji-kun straight home after school,
Takuma-kun and Rei too." She returned to her drinking. 

Asuka looked at Kaji curiously, "since when did you become a chauffeur,
Kaji-san?" 

Kaji shrugged, "I escorted you all the way here from Europe, didn't I?
That's what I do, odd jobs, random tasks, stuff like that." Not to
mention spying and stealing. 

"You ditched me when the 6th Angel attacked," Asuka looked at Kaji with
narrowed eyes. "You call yourself an escort?" 

"Well...err..." he tugged at his shirt collar nervously. 

"Oh yes, I remember that, too," Misato eyes Kaji strangely, with her
head tilted at an angle. The effects of alcohol were taking its toll. 

"NO I HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO SECOND BASE!" shouted Touji, taking attention
off Kaji. The outburst woke Teri, who was sleeping in her room. 

"Good one, stooge," grumbled Asuka as she leaves the table to check on
the crying baby. 
Hikari giggles at Touji. 

"Sorry," Touji said with slumped shoulders. 

"At this rate, it won't be long before the gets to second base,"
Kensuke whispered to Shinji. 

"What makes YOU such an expert? You're the only bachelor in this room."

"I am?" he gasped, and looked around the room. Kaji is trying to
contain a somewhat drunk Misato, Hikari is lecturing Touji about how he
will never reach second base, and Takuma and Rei are just sitting
beside each other, not saying a word. Sometimes words are not needed.
"Oh, well, I guess in a way..." 

"Shin-chan! Teri-chan needs her diaper changed!"

"So what's wrong with being a bachelor?" Kensuke asked Shinji smugly as
he leaves the room. Kensuke once again return his sights to the rest of
the room's occupants, just in time to see Misato spilling Yebisu beer
all over Kaji. 

"Come on Kaji, let's dance!" Misato said, waving her can of beer around
and covering everything around her with its spilling contents. "It'll
just be like when we were in that place that teaches stuff!"

"College?" suggested Kaji. 

"No, I think it was some sort of school," Misato said confidently, as
she opens another can of Yebisu. 

"No Hikari," said Touji, on his knees, "you're more to me than just a
pretty face! You have a great body, too! Oops, I mean your
personality's great, too!" 

"Hmpt!" Hikari turned away from Touji with her arms crossed. 

"So, Rei..." Takuma turned nervously to look at the girl, "do
you...like school?"

"..."

"Huh?"

"..."

"Really?"

"..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." 

The party went on for another hour, then Misato passed out and Asuka
and Shinji got too busy with looking after Teri to celebrate. Kaji was
one of the last ones to leave. 

"I'm sorry Kaji-san," Shinji said apologetically, "I dunno what got
into Misato, she's not usually this...bad." 

"I do," Kaji said quietly. 

"Huh? What's wrong with Misato?"

"Too much stress at work," he turned to leave, "see you soon,
Shinji-kun."
 
Operation Yasha 
Stage one completed
Stage two commencing
T-minus 2 days to H-hour
--- 
Local stationery store, the following day
"This is mine!" screamed Takuma, wrestling a notebook away from another
kid. Last minute shopping for school has become an incredible hassle.
Due to the fact that there's been break in the Angel attacks, the
governing body of Tokyo-3 has launched a series media campaign designed
to draw in more permanent residence. They succeed in convincing some
people that there are no more Angels, and offered a low rate for good
housing in the city. The result, a rise in population of the city and
attendance to the school. 

"No, mine!" another kid clubs Takuma in the back of the head with
ruler, knocking him to the ground. The boy then quickly steals the
notebook. 

Takuma rubs the back of his head, "why you! No mercy!" He screams, and
jumps on top of the other kid. Then half a dozen other kids joined then
a dozen more, until it's just a massive tangle of human bodies. The
store's security wisely stayed out of the brawl. Takuma succeeds in
retrieving the notebook and partially working his way out of the mess. 

"Heehee, it's mine! Mine..." a stray elbow nails him in the back of the
head, knocking him senseless. "Pretty stars..." he commented at the
astrological bodies circling around his head. He drops the notebook.

It lands right in front of Ayanami.

"Thank you, Takuma-kun."

Rei picks up the notebook and walks to the cash register. 

Takuma looks at the girl dumbly as she walks away. 

"Last Pikachu pencil case!" shouted a store clerk, tossing the item
into the air. The whole mess started all over again. 
--- 
Big conference room place, NERV headquarter
"Good morning," said Misato, "as you all know, there is a report that
an extremist organization has sent members to Japan and is threatening
the lives of the pilots. Major Uragi is here to present an update on
the current situation." Misato moved from the head of the room, and
Major Uragi took his place. 

"Good morning," he begins, "as of 2 days ago, the entire resource of
NERV security was directed at finding the Children of Noa members who
had entered Japan. So far, we have had no luck."

Everyone in the room grumbled at the statement. 

"However," the Major assured, "we have set up check points on all major
roadways leading into the city, informed all police departments in
Japan, and our security around the pilots have been increased three
folds. We've even asked the JSSDF's Military Police for assistance."

At the moment, almost completely unknown to pilots, they were being
tailed by a larger than usual security detail. Four teams were watching
Asuka and Teri, while three teams each on Rei, Shinji, and Takuma. Part
of the reason they were not spotted by the kids is because they are no
longer the older men in black suits and sun glasses, but now younger
men and women in more causal clothing. 

"I'm almost certain that the CoN members will not succeed in entering
Tokyo-3," boasted the Major. 

"Almost?" asked Commander Fuyutsuki, leaning forward in his chair. It
was the first word he said since entering the conference room. 

"In life, nothing is certain," replied Major Uragi after a moment of
hesitation. 

"Hmpt," Fuyutsuki leaned back in his chair, "indeed."
--- 
NERV express lane C-4, outside Tokyo-3 
The young private stared tiredly at the road in front of him. Having
been called up on the last minute to replace a sick officer, he was not
in the best of moods. 

"Damnit, I'm not suppose to work on Sundays," he fumed, guiding the
NERV vehicle, loaded with supplies, down a windy road, in a wooded
area. 

"Hey, they woke me up just to baby-sit you," sneered his partner, a
corporal, ridding shotgun. 

The driver turned his radio's volume up, in hopes of keeping himself
awake, and drown-out anymore comments from his partner. 

"Lousy hours, mediocre pay," he muttered to himself, "I should of
stayed with the Self Defense Force." He cursed as the radio's music was
suddenly replaced with static. 

"Stupid thing!" His partner slapped the dashboard on which the radio
was mounted, "probably made by the lowest bidder, like everything else
at NERV." 

While the driver was busy making additional jokes about NERV, he almost
failed to notice a small white van stopped in the middle of the road. 

"Shit!" he screamed as he stepped on the brakes, bringing the large
vehicle to a skidding halt, stopping only yards away from the abandoned
van. 

"What the..." His partner reached for his two-way radio set, picking up
the microphone/speaker. 

"Supply vehicle bravo 2-0 to base, there is an unidentified van parked
in the middle of the road, blocking our path," he released the transmit
key, but there was only static. 

"That's it! I'm quitting after today!" shouted the driver and throwing
opening his door. He started get out of his car, but his partner
grabbed his arm and stopped him. 

"Hey, do you hear that?" he asked. 

"Hear what?"

"The static, there's something weird about the static..." 

"Something weird about the static? You're nuts." He pulled his arm
free, and exited the vehicle. His partner remained inside the car and
watched him approach the small van. 

"Hey, anyone there?" the driver shouted at the small van as he
approached it. A large Caucasian exited the van. 

"Hello, my car broke down, can you help?" the man asked in English. The
young private didn't understand what he said; he turned to his partner
who knows some English. The young private turned his back on the
stranger. 

"LOOK OUT!" his partner was out of the NERV vehicle and raising a
shotgun. The young private turned around to see the stranger pointing a
pistol at him. He fumbled for his own pistol at his side, but it was
too late. The bullets stuck the young man a second later. The last
thing he saw as he fall backward was his partner meeting the same fate.
As the man put his pistol away, several other men emerged from nearby
bushes. 

"Get on it right away," the man pointed coldly the two bodies, then
walked towards the NERV truck. "Turn off the radio jammer," he ordered.
One of his subordinates reached into their own van and turned off a
device resembling a radio. The static filling the radio cleared
immediately. 

A voice came over the NERV truck's radio, "...repeat, supply vehicle
bravo 2-0, radio check, over," The Caucasian man picked up the receiver
and depressed the transmission key. 

"This is supply vehicle bravo 2-0, everything's fine," he said in
perfect Japanese, "over."

"Copy that, what took you so long?" the guy on the other end asked. 

"Sorry, you know how these cheap equipment are, you'd think with the
money they spend on those Evangelions that they could spend a little
more other things, over." 

"Yeah, you'd think they could pay us better, too, base out," the radio
clicked dead. 

"That should keep them off our backs," the man switched back to
English. A small but well-defined man approached him, and saluted. 

"We've scanned facial features of the two NERV personnel into the mask
maker," he reported, "it'll take us 30 minutes to replicate them. The
security at NERV will have no way of telling that it's a mask, short of
pulling it off." 

"Very well, we'll do it on the go," he surveyed the area, "load the
equipment into the truck, and dispose the of the bodies." The bodies
were promptly disposed of in the surrounding woods, and the back of the
truck was opened. 

Revealing the many boxes of donuts inside. 

"Make sure those boxes are labeled correctly, we don't want the wrong
people getting them." 

Operation Yasha 
Stage two completed
Preparations completed
T-minus 1 days to H-hour
--- 
Later that evening
Asuka and Shinji stood on the porch, gazing out at the Crystalline
Night Sky. Asuka held Teri in her arms, and Shinji wrapped his arms
around Asuka. 

"You'll come home right after school, right?" asked Asuka. 

"Of course," replied Shinji, "Kaji-san's gonna give me a lift." He
hugged Asuka tighter. 

"Good ol' Kaji-kun" Asuka said, "Shin-chan...I hate it when you're not
near me." 

"So do I," Shinji said softly, "I wish I can be at you and Teri-chan's
side every second. You two are everything to me, you are my whole
universe." 

"Shin-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." 

"Me too, my love, me too." 

"Remember how we use to fight?" she asked.  

"Yeah," he hugged Asuka closer. 

"I should have just told you I loved you right from the start."

"You mean, on the carrier, in front of Kaji, Misato, Kensuke, and
Touji?" 

"Who cares, it was the truth," Asuka turned her head a bit to see
Shinji's face, "why, didn't you fell in love with the fabulous Sohryu
Asuka Langley at first glance?"

"Well, yes, it was quite a glance, too." Shinji recalled the rather
loose yellow dress Asuka was wearing, and the windy carrier deck.
Kensuke had a tape recording of the whole event, until Asuka paid a
visit to his house and disposed of the recordings. "Actually, I have to
be honest with you, at first, I thought you were kinda..."

"Overbearing? Stuck up? Full of myself?" 

"Well...yeah," Shinji replied, slightly uncomfortable at those
descriptions of his sweetheart, even if they WERE true. 

"That's ok, I thought you were a spineless wimp, a cute one though." 

"Thanks...I think..." 

"Silly Shin-chan," Asuka turned to face Shinji completely, and planted
a long kiss on his lips. Teri stirred a little in her mother's arms. 

"Child of love..." Shinji whispered after Asuka broke the kiss. 

"Huh?" 

"That's what Teri-chan is," Shinji tapped Teri on her cute little nose,
"a Child of Love." 
--- 
[*The author coughs twice* What that last thing cute and sweet or down
right silly?] 
--- 
One floor below
Takuma stood out on his porch, looking around. 

"Strange, I could've sworn I heard voices talking in a romantic
fashion," he took a bite out of his ice cream bar. 

"I must be getting old." He went back inside, and prepared for bed. 

I don't like school, he thought, I can't even remember the last time I
was even in school. 
--- 
Next day
Across the city, hundreds of alarm clocks went off in a one-hour
period. Kids, most stricken with summer vacation withdraw symptoms,
stumbled weakly out of bed. Still asleep, a few walked into walls; some
took too cold or too hot showers, while others stabbed themselves in
the eye with toothbrushes. Some did all three. 

"What happened to your eye?" Touji asked Takuma. Shinji, Touji, Takuma,
and Kensuke were walking to school together. 

"I poked my self with...never mind." 

"Welcome back to life with school," Kensuke sighed. 

"Shinji," asked Takuma, "why is there three people and a van following
us?" 

Touji and Kensuke turned around; there were many people and cars on the
busy early morning street. 

"Must be NERV security," Shinji said without turning to see, "they're
always following us around, you'll get used to it."
--- 
Tokyo-3 Public School (formerly a pilot candidates only school, now a
REAL public school >:)
The gate to the school blocked by countless students, all trying to get
it. Hundreds of bodies pushing and shoving, most of them are new to the
city. 

"It's nice to this many people at school," said Shinji, as he tries to
push his way through the crowd, "it was so empty before." 

"Speak for yourself," said Kensuke as a larger student crushes him
against a wall.

"The noise and the crowd is making me dizzy..." said Takuma, getting
bumped around in the sea of people. 

"Just keep moving," said Touji, pushing ahead. They soon disappear into
the school grounds. 
--- 
Across the street
"Damn," a young man in a van with tinted windows muttered, "I've lost
them. Too many other kids."

"I told them it was a bad idea to allow none-candidate students into
this school," the senior officer in the van said, "How are we suppose
to protect these kids if we have to sort them out from 1,000 other
kids?" 

"Wait until they get out of school," observed another NERV security
officer in the van's driver's seat, "they'd be in a even bigger hurry."


"Well, at least one of them is easy to keep track of..." the young man
said, he focused his pair of binoculars on the only head of blue hair
among all the black. 

"Could somebody pass me a donut?"

"Sure," senior officer opened a box of donuts, labeled 'Reserved for
the Children's security detail only'. 

Suddenly, the van's radio came alive. 

"Comm check," it was the periodic communications check from
headquarters to the security teams. The radio came alive again as
security teams begin to report in. When it was their turn, the senior
officer picked up the receiver. 

"Team 11 here, nothing to report, out."
--- 
Inconspicuous van, few blocks away
"Did you get that?" asked the man. 

"Yep," replied another, "all the transmissions has been recorded, all
we have to do is to send them whenever is needed."

"Good, NERV headquarters will have no way of knowing they're not in
contact with their real security team."

Operation Yasha 
Commencing
H-hour
--- 
NERV headquarters, sometime later 
Major Uragi rushed into Misato's office. 

"This just came in," Uragi pulled out a small tape recorder, and hit
'play'. 

"Don't bother trying to trace this call, instead, listen to our words,"
a male voice began, "the first time, God sent a great flood to cleans
the Earth of the sinners, while saving those pure and good, that was
Noa and his children. Alas, the world has once again been reduced to a
cesspool of indecencies, but this time God has chosen his holy Angels
to rid the world of sin. NERV's Evangelion, unholy creations, has kept
that from happening. We, warriors of God, the pure and good souls, will
vanquish your ability to use those demons, creations of Satan."
[Ok, so I'm no good at making up fanatical religious cr@p, sue me]  

Misato's blood chilled.

"We will bring the souls of the wicked children before God, and let him
judge them." 

Misato's watch beeped, indicating the time as 3 PM. 
--- 
Tokyo-3 Public School
"Woohoo!" cheered several members of the class, as the school bell went
off. People began packing up and leaving the class even before the
almost ancient teacher stopped talking. NERV's public relations
department did their job right, most of the new students did know much
about the Angels, or that the Evangelion pilots attended this school.
NERV's Public Relations branch has out done itself suppressing
information on the pilots. 

"Phew," Takuma breathed a sign of relief as he closed his lap top,
"that old guy can sure talk, it's like he never stops." He massaged his
hands; "I've never typed so much at once before."

"Satori!" snapped Hikari, "Mr. Goto-sensei is the oldest teacher in
this city, show some respect!"

"Yeah, Takuma, show some respect," added Touji, leaning back in his
chair, with his feet on his desk. 

"Yes Ms. Class rep," said Takuma apologetically. He looked at Touji,
"henpecked." 

"What did you say?!" screamed Touji. In his rage he fell off his chair.


Takuma looked for a way out; he spotted Rei leaving the classroom. 

He picked up his bag and bolted after her, "hey Rei, I'll carry your
bag for you!" He made it out the door before Touji can catch him. 

"Ikari," said Hikari, "shouldn't you be going, too? Asuka's at home
with Teri, all alone." 

Shinji finished packing up his bag neatly, "I know, I think I'll get
her something on the way home. If Kaji-san can swing by a store or
something."

"That's so sweet," said Hikari, "I'm sure Kaji-san will help."

"You pilots are so lucky," said Kensuke, "getting a ride home AND
piloting giant bio-mechanical fighting robots." How I really really
really really wish I were a pilot, he thought. 

"Later folks," Shinji left the classroom, and headed towards the
arranged pickup point. 

"I hope I'm not making Rei, Takuma, and Kaji-san wait too long..."
--- 
Across from the school
The young NERV security agent lay motionless on the van's floor, beside
him lay his senior officer, and another agent is crumpled over the
steering wheel. Due to the tinted windows of the van, no one can see
the lifeless bodies inside. 

"Comm check," came the communications check from headquarters. 

As if by magic, the dead officer's voice came over the radio.

"Team 11 here, nothing to report, out."

The defensive ring of NERV security around the children has been taken
down. 
--- 
Few blocks away
"What the hell do you mean I was speeding?!" demanded Kaji. A calm NERV
officer stood before him defiantly. Kaji was on his way to pick up the
kids when a NERV registered vehicle pulled him over, the 2 cars stopped
on an empty stretch of road. 

"You were speeding, may I ask why?" said the officer, ignoring Kaji's
outburst. He pulled out a ticket book, and began writing a speeding
ticket. His partner remained beside the vehicle, watching the two. 

"I'm late for something very important," Kaji pulled out his NERV
personnel ID and flashed it in the officer's face. "Now get out of my
way."

"Sorry sir, no can do," the officer continued to write the ticket,
obviously taking his time. 

Damnit, Misato's gonna kill me for this, Kaji thought. These stupid
NERV security, what the hell are they doing giving me a speeding
ticket? Kaji looked at the officer's ticket book, it was labeled
'Tokyo-3 Police Precinct'. What the hell is HE doing with a police
ticket book?

Wait a minute, NERV doesn't have the jurisdiction to give out ANY
tickets! Who the hell are these guys? 

"If you'll just signed here," the officer placed the ticket on the
car's hood, obviously wanting Kaji to bent down and sign it. 

"Of course," Kaji took the pen the man offered, and began bending down
to sign. 

Before the man could even blink, Kaji had driven his left elbow into
the man's stomach. As the man's eyes widen with surprise and
realization of what just happened, Kaji pulled the man in front of
himself. At the NERV vehicle, the other officer opened up with an Uzi,
spraying the back of his fellow officer with 9-MM rounds. The man's
Kevlar vest prevented any bullet from completely penetrating him and
hitting Kaji. The man at the NERV vehicle swore as his submachine gun
ran out of ammo, and he rushed to reload. But before he could finish,
Kaji had dropped the dying man he was using as a shield, and had drawn
his Smith and Wesson. Kaji shot the man in the face, scattering the
contents of the man's brain all over the side of the NERV van. 

"The kids," he said to himself, and jumped in his car. He revved the
engine and sped towards the school. A moment later, he pulled up beside
the arranged pickup area. He jumped out of his car, his right hand
inside his jacket, on his pistol. 

"Shinji-kun?" he called out.

Shinji turned around, "what is it, Kaji-san?"

"Thank God you're alright," he looked around, "where are Rei and
Takuma-kun?"
--- 
Inconspicuous van, driving away from the school 
"Let go of me!" Takuma screamed, driving his elbow into his assailant's
stomach. The man made a 'OOF' sound, and staggered back, releasing his
grip on the boy. Taking the opportunity, Takuma grabbed the man by the
shoulders, and drove his knee into the man's groin. 

"Damn kid!" screamed another, larger man, as the first man fell to the
floor, whimpering. He charged Takuma. The boy whipped around and
brought his foot across the man's face. The larger man staggered a
little, but stayed standing. 

"I didn't endure years of pilot training for nothing!" shouted Takuma
as he jumped up and kicked at the man again, this time striking him in
the nose. Again the man absorbed the blow. 

"Takuma-kun, stop it," someone else in the van commanded. 

The momentary distraction allowed the man to jab the boy with the
stunner without further trouble. 

Takuma fell to the floor of the van like a sack of potatoes. 

"Tie them up," ordered the larger man, wiping a trickle of blood of his
mouth. The man that was kicked in the groin slowly picked himself off
the floor, and began tying up the stunned boy. A 3rd man was in the
van, guarding Rei. She looked at Takuma, and held her hand behind her
back for her kidnapper to tie her up. 
--- 
Back at outside the school
"I don't know, they left before I did," Shinji took a look around, too.
"When I got here, they were gone."

"Get in my car, Shinji-kun, and lock the door." Kaji took off towards a
white van nearby, while Shinji obeyed his commands. Kaji reached the
NERV security's mobile observation post, and knocked on the window. 

There was no response. Kaji threw the driver's side door open, and a
limp form fell out. Kaji bent to check the NERV agent's pulse; there
was none. He looked in the man's hand, held in it, was a donut with a
bite take out of it. Kaji peered inside the van, where he found two
more lifeless forms; beside each two, were more donuts. 

"The donuts..." he gasped, and raced for his car.
--- 
Through the streets of Tokyo-3 (Kaji is really speeding, this time)
"The Donuts?" came Misato's astonished voice over the cell phone.

"Yes, The Donuts," repeated Kaji, racing towards Misato's apartment. "I
found all the security agents dead, with freshly eaten donuts beside
them."

"Damnit," cursed Misato, "that is ingenious. Those terrorists must of
knew 7 out of 9 of our agents prefer to eat donuts while on stakeouts,
but how? We just had them freshly made and delivered yesterday!" 

"We'll worry about that later," said Kaji, "get some security teams to
Asuka and Teri-chan, quickly. I'm on my way there with Shinji." 

"Ok, and I'll..." said Misato, then the line clicked dead. 

"What the..." Kaji tried to reconnect, but there was no answer.
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"Main power grid is down!" shouted Maya.

"Switch to backups!" ordered Ritsuko, she said to herself quietly, "not
again..." 

"Switching to backups! Backups online!" reported Makoto, "but we're not
getting any response from the generators!"

"Confirmed," said Maya, "all power generators are down, solar batteries
are down, all external power feeds from outside the city are down." 

"All primary systems are failing!" yelled Shigeru, "communications,
sensors, environmental controls..."  

"Just like when the 9th Angel attacked," Fuyutsuki said quietly, from
his place overlooking the Central Dogma. Misato was by his side. 

"Sir, we have no way of communicating with the security departments.
Permission to take a security team and work our way out to the surface.
We need to protect the pilots."

"You mean protect the ones you can find, two of them are missing."

"Yes, I know," Misato looked down at the chaos below, her face a mask
of worry and rage. 

"Take as much of the security force as you want. Just leave us enough
to deal with these saboteurs."

"Thank you, sir."

Below, the confusion was finally being sorted out. 

"Ma'am," Makoto turned to Ritsuko, "we have the backup power grid
operational, but there isn't any power to put into it." 

"MAGI is now running on emergency batteries, at reduced operation
level," reported Maya. 

Misato descended from the command level to the control level via a
ladder, which took a while. 

"How bad is it, Ritsuko-san?" she asked. 

"It's just like last time," Ritsuko replied, "we're dead in the water,
so to speak. If an Angel attacks now..." 

"We don't have the power to launch the Evas, nor the pilots to operate
them." 

"Like how Asuka likes to put it: Schiest."

"Well, I'm taking some security force with me to topside, we need to
find and protect the kids." 

"That leaves us awfully vulnerable."

"If an Angel attacks, it's not going to make a difference," Misato
turned to leave, and walked straight into the unmoving automatic doors.
She cursed loud enough for most of the room to hear as she pried the
doors open with her bare hands. 
--- 
Many levels down
The door to Gendo's cell slid open and 2 men entered. Gendo sat up from
his bunk to face them. 

"Good afternoon, gentleman," he greeted politely. One of the men pulled
out a hypospray, and jabbed Gendo in the neck. 

"Send the council my kindest regards," muttered Gendo, before passing
out on his bunk. The other man took Gendo's right hand, and passed a
portable ultrasound scanner over it repeatedly. The monitoring devices
in the room had lost power, and the men made sure they didn't leave any
evidence behind. Then they set out for their next task. The NERV
security agents that passed them in the hallway, looking for the
saboteurs, never suspected the two. 
--- 
Terminal Dogma
The same two men at Gendo's cell cracked the security code to the LCL
factory in seconds. They entered cautiously as the large doors swung
open, but there were no patrol boats on the artificial lake today. One
of the men took out a large camera, and pointed it at the large white
being before him. 

"Say: cheese."

Lilith just continued to stare at them from behind her 7-eyed mask. 
--- 
Tokyo-3
"Looks like it's just the two of us, Shinji-kun," said Kaji as he put
down his cell phone. "The cell phone is down, I can't even reach
Asuka."

"Then it's up to us! We need to get Asuka-chan and Teri-chan to
safety!"

"I know, I know. Here's the plan, I'll cover you while you grab Asuka
and Teri, then we run for my car, ok?"

"Hai!" 

"Ok, we're almost there."
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence
Asuka was playing with Teri in her crib, when Shinji and Kaji ran into
the apartment.

"Shin-chan!" she called out happily as Shinji ran into Teri's room. 

"Asuka! Get Teri and let's go!" he shouted, scaring the girl. 

"Wha...what's wrong?" she asked, picking Teri up from her crib. 

Then the shooting started. 

Kaji fired at the front door, as two masked men charged in. One was hit
in the chest and thrown against the wall, the other ducked back out the
door. 

"Get down!" Kaji shouted at the kids. Shinji grabbed Asuka and pulled
her down towards the floor and away from the door. Asuka shielded Teri
with her body, while Shinji shielded Asuka with his. Kaji dodged into
the room, and slammed the door closed. He locked the door and hastily
pushed some furniture against it. 

"It's not gonna hold," they could hear men gathering outside. Any
moment now, they would all open fire and blast the door off its hinges.


"Shin-chan..." Asuka whispered. 

"Don't worry Asuka-chan," Shinji whispered, "I won't let anything
happen to you and Teri-chan." 

"I love you..."

"Me too," Shinji closed his eyes, and wished for someone to save them. 

"Mother..." 
--- 
Central Dogma
"Any luck with the getting the emergency generators online?" ask
Ritsuko.

"No ma'am," replied Makoto, "it appears the control circuits between us
and the generators are down." 

"Hey, do you feel that?" asked Maya. 

"What?" asked Shigeru. 

"Hey, I feel it, too," said Makoto, "the ground's shaking!"

"An Angel attack?!" gasped Ritsuko. 

"Oh no!" cried Maya, "we don't even have the pilots here!" 

Just then, a messenger came running in, informing them that it isn't an
Angel attack.

"Unit-01 is breaking out of it restrains and crawling towards the
surface!" screamed the NERV technician. 

"Not quite as bad as an Angel attack," said Makoto optimistically. 
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence
Kaji, being the closest to the door, felt it first. It ripped through
the air like a static discharge, making the hairs on the back of his
hands stand on ends. Then the doorknob was popped off the door by an
unseen force, rolling to a stop in front of Kaji. 

"...?"

Shinji hugged Asuka tightly, as an intruder began shooting at the door
lock. Sounds of automatic weapon fire can be heard through the door, as
metal slugs slammed against a hard surface. Kaji pointed his pistol at
the door, waiting for it to fall. 

A web of hexagons appeared in front of the door, and every bullet that
passed through the door was stopped by an AT-Field. 

Kaji's eyes widened in shock, as the field stops the last bullet and
then fades away. Sounds of confusion and amazement could be heard from
the outside, then replaced by more gunfire. Over a hundred rounds
ripped the door apart, but AT-Field behind it stopped them dead. This
time, Shinji and Asuka saw it, too. They can see the semi-transparent
field, and the wide-eyed intruders beyond it. One of them reached out
and touched the field, but drew his hand back as it shocked him. 

"Let's get out of here," said one of them, and they all ran out of the
apartment. 

"We...we're saved?" asked Asuka. 
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"Unit-01 has stopped its ascent," reported a runner, "it's in launch
shaft 12, 20 ft from the surface." 

"Damn that was close," said Ritsuko, "what the hell happened? The entry
plug wasn't even inserted!" 

"Dunno sempai," replied Maya, "but let's worry about the problems at
hand."

"Ok, so we can't get everyone to rid bikes with little dynamos to
generate power for the headquarters," Makoto said, "but does anyone
have any other ideas?"

"I still say we try to repair the generators," Shigeru said. 

"The technicians says that they'll need 3 more hours just to find out
what's wrong with them," Makoto retorted. He suddenly had a brainstorm.

 
"I know! We could get a really big bike, with a really big motor, and
have an Eva ride it!" suggest Makoto. 

Everyone looked at Makoto menacingly.

"I was just trying to lighten the situation, get it? Lighten?"

While Shigeru was busy hitting Makoto over the head with a book, Maya
had a real suggestion to make. 

"Ritsuko-sempai," she said, getting the doctor's attention, "what about
Unit-04's S2 engine?" 

Little while later. 

"The umbilical cable has been manually attached to Unit-04," reported
Shigeru, "current flow has been reversed." 

"Is this safe?" asked Fuyutsuki, standing behind Ritsuko. 

"Well, in theory, sir, it should work. We're not activating the Eva,
just that particular component. However, it's gonna take us all the
reserve power we have to try this." 

"S2 engine startup checklist complete," report Makoto, "ready for
startup."

"Initiate," ordered Ritsuko. 

"S2 engine coming online," reported Maya.

"Power level rising."

"Current flow stable," said Shigeru, "voltage stable." 

"Output of S2 engine rising, now at 130MW." 

"Hold it at 240MW," said Ritsuko. 

"Hai." 

A moment later, the light returned to their normal brightness, and the
air begins to circulate again. Makoto leaned over and blew out a candle
he was using for light, people stop using hand fans, and Fuyutsuki took
his feet out of the water bucket. Shigeru looked his now fully
functioning controls. 

"Someone is downloading MAGI's restricted archives!" he shouted. 

"What?" demanded Ritsuko. Maya and Shigeru jumped on top of the
situation. 

"Confirmed! Someone has gained access to Melchior! Looks like they've
got a direct physical line to it." 

"They've been downloading for the past hour! Trace puts them right in
this area!" 

"How come we didn't detect that?" Ritsuko asked angrily, glancing back
at the huge block that housed MAGI Melchior. "Get security on the line,
tell them to check all the terminals with direct access to Melchior,
NOW!" 

"Unable to reach security," reported Makoto, "the communications system
is still being reinitiated." 

"Sever their connection, now!" 

"We can't! They've override all the security interlocks!" 

"Can we at least see them?"

"We're still rebooting the security systems! Unable to receive feed
from the surveillance cameras." 

"Download completed!" reported Maya. 

"Damn, how much did they get?" demanded Ritsuko 

"Unknown, assessment in progress." 

"Uploading commencing!"

"Uploading?!" 

"They're uploading something into Melchior and Casper...it's a logic
bomb!" 

An instant later, every display screen went crazy as two logic bombs
detonated inside the MAGI, causing Melchior and Casper to literally go
'insane'. 

"Melchior and Casper are overriding Balthazar! We've lost all system
control!" 

"Cut power!" 

Warning lights begins to flash, as the city's defense grid begin to
power up. 

"MAGI is activating the arsenal buildings!"

"Target?" 

"It's just a bunch of random coordinates, but it's gonna hit part of
the city!" 

"God damnit cut power!"

"We can't! The controls aren't responding! We can't shutdown the S2
engine or eject the umbilical cable from here!"

"Get someone to the Unit-04 hanger and eject the cable manually!" 

"Arsenal buildings are traversing." 
--- 
Primary residential tower, central Tokyo-3
A young boy looked out a window, hundreds of feet above the ground. He
and his family have just moved to the city, and were fortunate enough
to acquire a flat with great views. 

"Mommy, mommy," the little boy cried out, "look at those buildings!
They're turning in circles!" 

"I'm busy sweetie."

The boy pulled out his binoculars to get a better look at the cool
buildings. 

"Cool, their roofs are opening!" 
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"We've sent a runner, but he isn't gonna make it to the hanger bay in
time," Ritsuko said to Fuyutsuki, "the arsenal buildings are almost
ready to fire." 

"And if they do?"

"Most of the projectiles will land in the new housing areas, some will
strike the Tokyo-3 towers." 

"Melchior and Caspar are in agreement, they've overruled Balthazar and
are clearing the buildings to fire." 

"Dear God, what have we done?"

Darkness.
--- 
SEELE council chamber
"The operation concluded at 1900 hour, today," Major Hasamoto reported,
"2 of the 3 primary objectives were achieved, along with 1 secondary
objective."

"And what of your primary objective?" asked SEELE-11

"We've acquired the most up to date data on NERV's Evangelions and
their pilots, as the personal files of Ikari Gendo. We've determined
the status of Adam and Lilith. They're both in good condition and are
ready."

"And the 3rd primary objective?" asked SEELE-04. 

"The team failed to reach the being know as Ikari Teri, so we weren't
able to determine her exact nature and purpose. We however, did acquire
Ikari Gendo's personal files, and the 2nd Child's pregnancy records and
that should shine some light on this mystery." 

"Your report indicated that the team assigned to capture Ikari Teri
encountered an AT-Field," said SEELE-11, "do you have anymore on that?"


"At this moment, no," said Hasamoto, "we still don't know where the
field originated." 

"Anyway, I'd hate to think Ikari manipulated his own son just so he
could play grandfather," joked SEELE-06. There was a brief exchange of
chuckles. 

"Like I said, there was nothing to loose," said SEELE-09. 

"The distraction provided by the fake terrorist threats succeeded in
drawing NERV's attention away from us," explained SEELE-12. 

"And what of the secondary objective?" asked SEELE-05. 

"The incident with the 'malfunctioning' arsenal buildings has created a
huge embarrassment for NERV, although most of the new residents chose
to stay at the city," said SEELE-08. 

"Of course, the arsenal buildings were intended to fire," said Kihl,
"why didn't they?" 

"We don't know," said Major Hasamoto, "the nearest thing we can tell,
is that they managed cut the power before they could fire." How the
heck could a runner from Central Dogma reach Unit-04's hanger in time?

"Very well Major, you're dismissed. You've served us well, we'll have
more use for you in the future."

"Thank you, sir," the man disappears into the darkness. 

I think I forgot something, he thought to himself. 
--- 
Tokyo-3
Takuma and Rei remained blindfolded and tied to chairs, in a vacant
apartment. 

"Why did you tell me to stop back in the van? Why didn't you help me?"
he demanded. 

"Because it was pointless," said Rei; "the result would have the both
of us getting injured, and you taking the worst of it." 

The boy sighed, "you're right, sorry." They both looked around the
vacant room.

"I think they forgot about us," said the two in sync. 


END of Chapter #5.0 version 3 (11/11/99)
Version 1 dated 09/24/99
Version 2 dated 11/10/99
Version 3 dated 11/11/99

The author jumps up and down with joy while listening to Zanukoku
(Ayanami version) as he finally finishes this darn chapter.

Author's words: 
Sorry this took so very, very long folks, blame it all on school! It's
all school's fault! Damnit! Anyhoo, a special thanks goes to Axel for
his incessant nagging (he just won't stop!). If it weren't for him, I'd
never get off my lazy butt and write. BTW, for any of you who doesn't
know where Adam is, Gendo had the embryo of Adam implanted into his
right palm. I had an interesting thought: If people watch animes to
escape reality, does that mean people read fanfics to escape unreality?
Because they didn't like how things turned out? You can think of the
funniest things while listening to the End of Evangelion soundtrack. =)
Another thing, did any of you realize that I didn't put my name on the
past 3 chapters? Silly me, eh? *sigh* Hey, if anyone have the
translation to the Evangelion Photograph booklets, contact me, please!!

My e-mail: damnit@intergate.bc.ca
My ICQ: 8155557
Also, please (very please) visit Axel Terizaki's wonderful,
award-winning website, at: http://asukanotebook.tsx.org
He great, he wise, he Axel. 

My wonderful prereaders for this chapter:
Axel (The One and Only), EBJ (without him, there would be no correct
grammars in Evangelion fanfics), |ncubus (a Canadian!), Disaster (Prof.
of anime-physics), Rajen (only one who formats his prereading response
in a visually appealing and organized fashion), and Yousef Al-Shamsi
(man of few words). 

Preview of next chapter/episode:
This little pilot went to the beach, this little pilot also went to the
beach, too, this little Child of Love also went to the beach, but the
two poor remaining pilots stayed home... 




This chapter is dedicated to all those who lost their life in the 
(not so) recent earthquake and associated aftershocks in Taiwan. 

The Child of Love 2: End of the beginning
By David Templar

Neon Genesis Evangelion is brainchild of Hideaki Anno, and the property
of Gainax. The Child of Love is the idea of Axel Terizaki, I'm just
carrying on his legacy. I might also occasionally poke fun at other Eva
fanfics and anime shows. This fanfic is not making any money, so suing
me is pointless, sue Axel instead, he's the evil mastermind =)


NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
Chapter #5:0                                                                                    SEELE attacks!

SEELE council chamber
"I still think it's too soon," objected SEELE-02.

"I agree," said SEELE-04, "we have much to gain from such an operation,
but also much to lose."

"Lose?" chuckled SEELE-09, "there's nothing to lose."

"We have created a most convincing cover story," explained SEELE-12,
"in case the operation should go wrong."

SEELE-02 and 04 fell silent, offering no more objections. 

"Then it is decided," said Chairman Kihl, "the council is in agreement,
the operation will proceed." 

The center of the room lights up as a man appeared, dressed in a black
suit. 

"Major Hasamoto," Kihl said to the man, who snapped to attention,
"commence Operation Yasha."

"Yes sir," replied the ex-NERV head of security. He was among the group
of NERV security officers recently fired and kicked out of the country,
due to his involvement with SEELE. The major saluted the monolith
representing Kihl, and disappeared. 

Operation Yasha
Commencing 
Stage one
T-minus a weeks plus a few days to H-hour
--- 
Office of the Vice-Commander, NERV headquarters, a week later
Misato stretched in her large black leather chair, and welcomed the
beginning of her workday with a hot mug of coffee. A young woman,
Misato's newly appointed secretary, stood in front of her desk. 

"Well Ms. Noriko, what exciting events are in my schedule on this fine
day?" 

"You have a meeting with the city council of Tokyo-3 this afternoon,"
the shorthaired woman replied.

"Tell them I can't make it," said Misato, trying anything to avoid the
annoying and tedious meeting, "tell them that there's an important Eva
experiment that I have to be personally present at." Dealing with
bureaucrats makes me wanna pull my hair out, she thought.  

"But ma'am, you used that excuse last week."

"What about having the flu?"

"The week before last."

"Angel-related emergency?"

"Commander Fuyutsuki is still mad at your for ordering that surprise
Angel attack drill three weeks ago, he didn't appreciate you avoiding
your council meeting that way."

"Well," Misato scratched her head; "you make up something."

"Yes ma'am," the young secretary pulled out a notepad and scribbled
down a quick reminder, "Vice-Commander unable attend meeting due to...a
test of headquarters security, all communications with the outside will
be out." 

"So we won't be responding to their calls, clever."

"Thank you ma'am," replied Noriko. She left the room a moment later,
leaving Misato alone to herself. 

Now this is much more like it, Misato thought, leaning back in her
chair. For the first time in years, all annoying reports are finished,
all stupid meetings are avoided, there are no Angel attacks, the kids
are fine, and NO BAD NEWS! Misato spurn her chair around several times
in celebration. 

"Oh wait, what's that western saying? Knock on wood?" She looked around
for something wooden to knock on, but her little trip on her chair had
left her out of reach of her solid oak desk. 

"What the heck, just a stupid superstition," she relaxed and enjoyed
the peacefulness of a sane world. 

"Excuse me ma'am," the intercom on her desk came alive with Noriko's
voice, "the head of security wishes to see you." 

"Very well," Misato said, working her chair back to her desk and
attempting to assume a dominating posture. She succeeded in looking
more sinister than dominating. A second later, a rather short, balding
man entered the room and walked up to her desk. Major Uragi was the new
appointed head of security for NERV headquarters, after most of the old
security personnel were replaced. He was regarded as a model officer by
the JSSDF, and his work at NERV so far had been exemplary. 

But he'd never shown up unannounced at Misato's office before. 

"Vice-Commander," he begins, snapping to attention and saluting Misato.
Strangely, he appeared somewhat jumpy and unnerved. She stood up and
returned the gesture, then sat back down. 

"Please have a seat, Major," he complied. "What is this about?" she
queried. 

"We've encountered difficulties regarding certain issues," he said. 

"What? Speak Japanese."

"Bad new, I've got bad news."

With that, the world once again cast away its sanity and returned to
being a loon. Misato tensed up so much that her head began tilting at
an angle. 

"Wha...what?" she said through clutched teeth, and the side of her face
twitched uncontrollably. Maybe if I shoot him before he can tell me
what's gone bad...yes...that sounds like a good idea.

The major noticed Misato's hand crawling towards her shoulder holster.
"Ah...err...we've been receiving terrorist threats," he said, handing
over a folder. Misato opened it and flipped through its content of
e-mail print outs, phone call transcripts, and a few hand written
letters. 

"A short while ago, a previously unknown organization calling
themselves 'Children of Noa' declared was against NERV. We didn't think
much of it, after all, every fanatical organization of every major
religion views us with great spite."

"So? What makes this one so different?" Ok, maybe this isn't bad enough
news to shoot the messenger. 

"Early this morning, several people suspected to be CoN members entered
Japan, from the United States and Germany. Our people tried to tail
them, but they managed to elude the security teams." 

Shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him shoot him, screamed Misato's
mind. 

"Any idea what are they doing here? Any chance they're just
vacationing?"

"We don't know, ma'am."

Misato frowned, "get every resource we have on it, I want those people
located and followed. If they even get close to Tokyo-3, I want them
arrested. If they somehow get into the city, I want them shot."

"Yes ma'am!" barked the Major; he turned to exit the office. Misato
sighed after he left.

"Why is God doing this to me?" She massaged her temples, "to us?" 
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence, next day
"Cheers!" called out Kaji.

"Cheers!" echoed the kids. Tonight is the 2nd last nigh of their summer
vacation. In two days, it'll all be over, and the monotonous routine of
life with school will return. Everyone dreaded that day. 

Well, almost everyone. 

"I can't wait to go back to school!" cried Hikari, while everyone else
looked at her with arced eyebrows. 

"Only you are so eager to return to that prison, Hikari," growled
Touji. She responded by sticking her tongue out at him. It was more of
a playful gesture than spite. 

"Ready for school, Takuma?" asked Kaji.

Takuma looked around the room, "not really, I wish summer could last a
bit longer." Say forever?

"Look at it this way, you'll get to meet new people, and make new
friends."

"..." Takuma just stared at his can of pop. Beside him, Rei sat just as
silently as ever. 

"I'm gonna miss having Shin-chan around constantly," sighed Asuka
quietly. She looked at Shinji joking around with the other two stooges,
"or maybe not..."

"Don't worry Asuka," Misato said, taking a breather from drinking her
Yebisu, "Kaji here will drive Shinji-kun straight home after school,
Takuma-kun and Rei too." She returned to her drinking. 

Asuka looked at Kaji curiously, "since when did you become a chauffeur,
Kaji-san?" 

Kaji shrugged, "I escorted you all the way here from Europe, didn't I?
That's what I do, odd jobs, random tasks, stuff like that." Not to
mention spying and stealing. 

"You ditched me when the 6th Angel attacked," Asuka looked at Kaji with
narrowed eyes. "You call yourself an escort?" 

"Well...err..." he tugged at his shirt collar nervously. 

"Oh yes, I remember that, too," Misato eyes Kaji strangely, with her
head tilted at an angle. The effects of alcohol were taking its toll. 

"NO I HAVE NOT GOTTEN TO SECOND BASE!" shouted Touji, taking attention
off Kaji. The outburst woke Teri, who was sleeping in her room. 

"Good one, stooge," grumbled Asuka as she leaves the table to check on
the crying baby. 
Hikari giggles at Touji. 

"Sorry," Touji said with slumped shoulders. 

"At this rate, it won't be long before the gets to second base,"
Kensuke whispered to Shinji. 

"What makes YOU such an expert? You're the only bachelor in this room."

"I am?" he gasped, and looked around the room. Kaji is trying to
contain a somewhat drunk Misato, Hikari is lecturing Touji about how he
will never reach second base, and Takuma and Rei are just sitting
beside each other, not saying a word. Sometimes words are not needed.
"Oh, well, I guess in a way..." 

"Shin-chan! Teri-chan needs her diaper changed!"

"So what's wrong with being a bachelor?" Kensuke asked Shinji smugly as
he leaves the room. Kensuke once again return his sights to the rest of
the room's occupants, just in time to see Misato spilling Yebisu beer
all over Kaji. 

"Come on Kaji, let's dance!" Misato said, waving her can of beer around
and covering everything around her with its spilling contents. "It'll
just be like when we were in that place that teaches stuff!"

"College?" suggested Kaji. 

"No, I think it was some sort of school," Misato said confidently, as
she opens another can of Yebisu. 

"No Hikari," said Touji, on his knees, "you're more to me than just a
pretty face! You have a great body, too! Oops, I mean your
personality's great, too!" 

"Hmpt!" Hikari turned away from Touji with her arms crossed. 

"So, Rei..." Takuma turned nervously to look at the girl, "do
you...like school?"

"..."

"Huh?"

"..."

"Really?"

"..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." 

The party went on for another hour, then Misato passed out and Asuka
and Shinji got too busy with looking after Teri to celebrate. Kaji was
one of the last ones to leave. 

"I'm sorry Kaji-san," Shinji said apologetically, "I dunno what got
into Misato, she's not usually this...bad." 

"I do," Kaji said quietly. 

"Huh? What's wrong with Misato?"

"Too much stress at work," he turned to leave, "see you soon,
Shinji-kun."
 
Operation Yasha 
Stage one completed
Stage two commencing
T-minus 2 days to H-hour
--- 
Local stationery store, the following day
"This is mine!" screamed Takuma, wrestling a notebook away from another
kid. Last minute shopping for school has become an incredible hassle.
Due to the fact that there's been break in the Angel attacks, the
governing body of Tokyo-3 has launched a series media campaign designed
to draw in more permanent residence. They succeed in convincing some
people that there are no more Angels, and offered a low rate for good
housing in the city. The result, a rise in population of the city and
attendance to the school. 

"No, mine!" another kid clubs Takuma in the back of the head with
ruler, knocking him to the ground. The boy then quickly steals the
notebook. 

Takuma rubs the back of his head, "why you! No mercy!" He screams, and
jumps on top of the other kid. Then half a dozen other kids joined then
a dozen more, until it's just a massive tangle of human bodies. The
store's security wisely stayed out of the brawl. Takuma succeeds in
retrieving the notebook and partially working his way out of the mess. 

"Heehee, it's mine! Mine..." a stray elbow nails him in the back of the
head, knocking him senseless. "Pretty stars..." he commented at the
astrological bodies circling around his head. He drops the notebook.

It lands right in front of Ayanami.

"Thank you, Takuma-kun."

Rei picks up the notebook and walks to the cash register. 

Takuma looks at the girl dumbly as she walks away. 

"Last Pikachu pencil case!" shouted a store clerk, tossing the item
into the air. The whole mess started all over again. 
--- 
Big conference room place, NERV headquarter
"Good morning," said Misato, "as you all know, there is a report that
an extremist organization has sent members to Japan and is threatening
the lives of the pilots. Major Uragi is here to present an update on
the current situation." Misato moved from the head of the room, and
Major Uragi took his place. 

"Good morning," he begins, "as of 2 days ago, the entire resource of
NERV security was directed at finding the Children of Noa members who
had entered Japan. So far, we have had no luck."

Everyone in the room grumbled at the statement. 

"However," the Major assured, "we have set up check points on all major
roadways leading into the city, informed all police departments in
Japan, and our security around the pilots have been increased three
folds. We've even asked the JSSDF's Military Police for assistance."

At the moment, almost completely unknown to pilots, they were being
tailed by a larger than usual security detail. Four teams were watching
Asuka and Teri, while three teams each on Rei, Shinji, and Takuma. Part
of the reason they were not spotted by the kids is because they are no
longer the older men in black suits and sun glasses, but now younger
men and women in more causal clothing. 

"I'm almost certain that the CoN members will not succeed in entering
Tokyo-3," boasted the Major. 

"Almost?" asked Commander Fuyutsuki, leaning forward in his chair. It
was the first word he said since entering the conference room. 

"In life, nothing is certain," replied Major Uragi after a moment of
hesitation. 

"Hmpt," Fuyutsuki leaned back in his chair, "indeed."
--- 
NERV express lane C-4, outside Tokyo-3 
The young private stared tiredly at the road in front of him. Having
been called up on the last minute to replace a sick officer, he was not
in the best of moods. 

"Damnit, I'm not suppose to work on Sundays," he fumed, guiding the
NERV vehicle, loaded with supplies, down a windy road, in a wooded
area. 

"Hey, they woke me up just to baby-sit you," sneered his partner, a
corporal, ridding shotgun. 

The driver turned his radio's volume up, in hopes of keeping himself
awake, and drown-out anymore comments from his partner. 

"Lousy hours, mediocre pay," he muttered to himself, "I should of
stayed with the Self Defense Force." He cursed as the radio's music was
suddenly replaced with static. 

"Stupid thing!" His partner slapped the dashboard on which the radio
was mounted, "probably made by the lowest bidder, like everything else
at NERV." 

While the driver was busy making additional jokes about NERV, he almost
failed to notice a small white van stopped in the middle of the road. 

"Shit!" he screamed as he stepped on the brakes, bringing the large
vehicle to a skidding halt, stopping only yards away from the abandoned
van. 

"What the..." His partner reached for his two-way radio set, picking up
the microphone/speaker. 

"Supply vehicle bravo 2-0 to base, there is an unidentified van parked
in the middle of the road, blocking our path," he released the transmit
key, but there was only static. 

"That's it! I'm quitting after today!" shouted the driver and throwing
opening his door. He started get out of his car, but his partner
grabbed his arm and stopped him. 

"Hey, do you hear that?" he asked. 

"Hear what?"

"The static, there's something weird about the static..." 

"Something weird about the static? You're nuts." He pulled his arm
free, and exited the vehicle. His partner remained inside the car and
watched him approach the small van. 

"Hey, anyone there?" the driver shouted at the small van as he
approached it. A large Caucasian exited the van. 

"Hello, my car broke down, can you help?" the man asked in English. The
young private didn't understand what he said; he turned to his partner
who knows some English. The young private turned his back on the
stranger. 

"LOOK OUT!" his partner was out of the NERV vehicle and raising a
shotgun. The young private turned around to see the stranger pointing a
pistol at him. He fumbled for his own pistol at his side, but it was
too late. The bullets stuck the young man a second later. The last
thing he saw as he fall backward was his partner meeting the same fate.
As the man put his pistol away, several other men emerged from nearby
bushes. 

"Get on it right away," the man pointed coldly the two bodies, then
walked towards the NERV truck. "Turn off the radio jammer," he ordered.
One of his subordinates reached into their own van and turned off a
device resembling a radio. The static filling the radio cleared
immediately. 

A voice came over the NERV truck's radio, "...repeat, supply vehicle
bravo 2-0, radio check, over," The Caucasian man picked up the receiver
and depressed the transmission key. 

"This is supply vehicle bravo 2-0, everything's fine," he said in
perfect Japanese, "over."

"Copy that, what took you so long?" the guy on the other end asked. 

"Sorry, you know how these cheap equipment are, you'd think with the
money they spend on those Evangelions that they could spend a little
more other things, over." 

"Yeah, you'd think they could pay us better, too, base out," the radio
clicked dead. 

"That should keep them off our backs," the man switched back to
English. A small but well-defined man approached him, and saluted. 

"We've scanned facial features of the two NERV personnel into the mask
maker," he reported, "it'll take us 30 minutes to replicate them. The
security at NERV will have no way of telling that it's a mask, short of
pulling it off." 

"Very well, we'll do it on the go," he surveyed the area, "load the
equipment into the truck, and dispose the of the bodies." The bodies
were promptly disposed of in the surrounding woods, and the back of the
truck was opened. 

Revealing the many boxes of donuts inside. 

"Make sure those boxes are labeled correctly, we don't want the wrong
people getting them." 

Operation Yasha 
Stage two completed
Preparations completed
T-minus 1 days to H-hour
--- 
Later that evening
Asuka and Shinji stood on the porch, gazing out at the Crystalline
Night Sky. Asuka held Teri in her arms, and Shinji wrapped his arms
around Asuka. 

"You'll come home right after school, right?" asked Asuka. 

"Of course," replied Shinji, "Kaji-san's gonna give me a lift." He
hugged Asuka tighter. 

"Good ol' Kaji-kun" Asuka said, "Shin-chan...I hate it when you're not
near me." 

"So do I," Shinji said softly, "I wish I can be at you and Teri-chan's
side every second. You two are everything to me, you are my whole
universe." 

"Shin-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." 

"Me too, my love, me too." 

"Remember how we use to fight?" she asked.  

"Yeah," he hugged Asuka closer. 

"I should have just told you I loved you right from the start."

"You mean, on the carrier, in front of Kaji, Misato, Kensuke, and
Touji?" 

"Who cares, it was the truth," Asuka turned her head a bit to see
Shinji's face, "why, didn't you fell in love with the fabulous Sohryu
Asuka Langley at first glance?"

"Well, yes, it was quite a glance, too." Shinji recalled the rather
loose yellow dress Asuka was wearing, and the windy carrier deck.
Kensuke had a tape recording of the whole event, until Asuka paid a
visit to his house and disposed of the recordings. "Actually, I have to
be honest with you, at first, I thought you were kinda..."

"Overbearing? Stuck up? Full of myself?" 

"Well...yeah," Shinji replied, slightly uncomfortable at those
descriptions of his sweetheart, even if they WERE true. 

"That's ok, I thought you were a spineless wimp, a cute one though." 

"Thanks...I think..." 

"Silly Shin-chan," Asuka turned to face Shinji completely, and planted
a long kiss on his lips. Teri stirred a little in her mother's arms. 

"Child of love..." Shinji whispered after Asuka broke the kiss. 

"Huh?" 

"That's what Teri-chan is," Shinji tapped Teri on her cute little nose,
"a Child of Love." 
--- 
[*The author coughs twice* What that last thing cute and sweet or down
right silly?] 
--- 
One floor below
Takuma stood out on his porch, looking around. 

"Strange, I could've sworn I heard voices talking in a romantic
fashion," he took a bite out of his ice cream bar. 

"I must be getting old." He went back inside, and prepared for bed. 

I don't like school, he thought, I can't even remember the last time I
was even in school. 
--- 
Next day
Across the city, hundreds of alarm clocks went off in a one-hour
period. Kids, most stricken with summer vacation withdraw symptoms,
stumbled weakly out of bed. Still asleep, a few walked into walls; some
took too cold or too hot showers, while others stabbed themselves in
the eye with toothbrushes. Some did all three. 

"What happened to your eye?" Touji asked Takuma. Shinji, Touji, Takuma,
and Kensuke were walking to school together. 

"I poked my self with...never mind." 

"Welcome back to life with school," Kensuke sighed. 

"Shinji," asked Takuma, "why is there three people and a van following
us?" 

Touji and Kensuke turned around; there were many people and cars on the
busy early morning street. 

"Must be NERV security," Shinji said without turning to see, "they're
always following us around, you'll get used to it."
--- 
Tokyo-3 Public School (formerly a pilot candidates only school, now a
REAL public school >:)
The gate to the school blocked by countless students, all trying to get
it. Hundreds of bodies pushing and shoving, most of them are new to the
city. 

"It's nice to this many people at school," said Shinji, as he tries to
push his way through the crowd, "it was so empty before." 

"Speak for yourself," said Kensuke as a larger student crushes him
against a wall.

"The noise and the crowd is making me dizzy..." said Takuma, getting
bumped around in the sea of people. 

"Just keep moving," said Touji, pushing ahead. They soon disappear into
the school grounds. 
--- 
Across the street
"Damn," a young man in a van with tinted windows muttered, "I've lost
them. Too many other kids."

"I told them it was a bad idea to allow none-candidate students into
this school," the senior officer in the van said, "How are we suppose
to protect these kids if we have to sort them out from 1,000 other
kids?" 

"Wait until they get out of school," observed another NERV security
officer in the van's driver's seat, "they'd be in a even bigger hurry."


"Well, at least one of them is easy to keep track of..." the young man
said, he focused his pair of binoculars on the only head of blue hair
among all the black. 

"Could somebody pass me a donut?"

"Sure," senior officer opened a box of donuts, labeled 'Reserved for
the Children's security detail only'. 

Suddenly, the van's radio came alive. 

"Comm check," it was the periodic communications check from
headquarters to the security teams. The radio came alive again as
security teams begin to report in. When it was their turn, the senior
officer picked up the receiver. 

"Team 11 here, nothing to report, out."
--- 
Inconspicuous van, few blocks away
"Did you get that?" asked the man. 

"Yep," replied another, "all the transmissions has been recorded, all
we have to do is to send them whenever is needed."

"Good, NERV headquarters will have no way of knowing they're not in
contact with their real security team."

Operation Yasha 
Commencing
H-hour
--- 
NERV headquarters, sometime later 
Major Uragi rushed into Misato's office. 

"This just came in," Uragi pulled out a small tape recorder, and hit
'play'. 

"Don't bother trying to trace this call, instead, listen to our words,"
a male voice began, "the first time, God sent a great flood to cleans
the Earth of the sinners, while saving those pure and good, that was
Noa and his children. Alas, the world has once again been reduced to a
cesspool of indecencies, but this time God has chosen his holy Angels
to rid the world of sin. NERV's Evangelion, unholy creations, has kept
that from happening. We, warriors of God, the pure and good souls, will
vanquish your ability to use those demons, creations of Satan."
[Ok, so I'm no good at making up fanatical religious cr@p, sue me]  

Misato's blood chilled.

"We will bring the souls of the wicked children before God, and let him
judge them." 

Misato's watch beeped, indicating the time as 3 PM. 
--- 
Tokyo-3 Public School
"Woohoo!" cheered several members of the class, as the school bell went
off. People began packing up and leaving the class even before the
almost ancient teacher stopped talking. NERV's public relations
department did their job right, most of the new students did know much
about the Angels, or that the Evangelion pilots attended this school.
NERV's Public Relations branch has out done itself suppressing
information on the pilots. 

"Phew," Takuma breathed a sign of relief as he closed his lap top,
"that old guy can sure talk, it's like he never stops." He massaged his
hands; "I've never typed so much at once before."

"Satori!" snapped Hikari, "Mr. Goto-sensei is the oldest teacher in
this city, show some respect!"

"Yeah, Takuma, show some respect," added Touji, leaning back in his
chair, with his feet on his desk. 

"Yes Ms. Class rep," said Takuma apologetically. He looked at Touji,
"henpecked." 

"What did you say?!" screamed Touji. In his rage he fell off his chair.


Takuma looked for a way out; he spotted Rei leaving the classroom. 

He picked up his bag and bolted after her, "hey Rei, I'll carry your
bag for you!" He made it out the door before Touji can catch him. 

"Ikari," said Hikari, "shouldn't you be going, too? Asuka's at home
with Teri, all alone." 

Shinji finished packing up his bag neatly, "I know, I think I'll get
her something on the way home. If Kaji-san can swing by a store or
something."

"That's so sweet," said Hikari, "I'm sure Kaji-san will help."

"You pilots are so lucky," said Kensuke, "getting a ride home AND
piloting giant bio-mechanical fighting robots." How I really really
really really wish I were a pilot, he thought. 

"Later folks," Shinji left the classroom, and headed towards the
arranged pickup point. 

"I hope I'm not making Rei, Takuma, and Kaji-san wait too long..."
--- 
Across from the school
The young NERV security agent lay motionless on the van's floor, beside
him lay his senior officer, and another agent is crumpled over the
steering wheel. Due to the tinted windows of the van, no one can see
the lifeless bodies inside. 

"Comm check," came the communications check from headquarters. 

As if by magic, the dead officer's voice came over the radio.

"Team 11 here, nothing to report, out."

The defensive ring of NERV security around the children has been taken
down. 
--- 
Few blocks away
"What the hell do you mean I was speeding?!" demanded Kaji. A calm NERV
officer stood before him defiantly. Kaji was on his way to pick up the
kids when a NERV registered vehicle pulled him over, the 2 cars stopped
on an empty stretch of road. 

"You were speeding, may I ask why?" said the officer, ignoring Kaji's
outburst. He pulled out a ticket book, and began writing a speeding
ticket. His partner remained beside the vehicle, watching the two. 

"I'm late for something very important," Kaji pulled out his NERV
personnel ID and flashed it in the officer's face. "Now get out of my
way."

"Sorry sir, no can do," the officer continued to write the ticket,
obviously taking his time. 

Damnit, Misato's gonna kill me for this, Kaji thought. These stupid
NERV security, what the hell are they doing giving me a speeding
ticket? Kaji looked at the officer's ticket book, it was labeled
'Tokyo-3 Police Precinct'. What the hell is HE doing with a police
ticket book?

Wait a minute, NERV doesn't have the jurisdiction to give out ANY
tickets! Who the hell are these guys? 

"If you'll just signed here," the officer placed the ticket on the
car's hood, obviously wanting Kaji to bent down and sign it. 

"Of course," Kaji took the pen the man offered, and began bending down
to sign. 

Before the man could even blink, Kaji had driven his left elbow into
the man's stomach. As the man's eyes widen with surprise and
realization of what just happened, Kaji pulled the man in front of
himself. At the NERV vehicle, the other officer opened up with an Uzi,
spraying the back of his fellow officer with 9-MM rounds. The man's
Kevlar vest prevented any bullet from completely penetrating him and
hitting Kaji. The man at the NERV vehicle swore as his submachine gun
ran out of ammo, and he rushed to reload. But before he could finish,
Kaji had dropped the dying man he was using as a shield, and had drawn
his Smith and Wesson. Kaji shot the man in the face, scattering the
contents of the man's brain all over the side of the NERV van. 

"The kids," he said to himself, and jumped in his car. He revved the
engine and sped towards the school. A moment later, he pulled up beside
the arranged pickup area. He jumped out of his car, his right hand
inside his jacket, on his pistol. 

"Shinji-kun?" he called out.

Shinji turned around, "what is it, Kaji-san?"

"Thank God you're alright," he looked around, "where are Rei and
Takuma-kun?"
--- 
Inconspicuous van, driving away from the school 
"Let go of me!" Takuma screamed, driving his elbow into his assailant's
stomach. The man made a 'OOF' sound, and staggered back, releasing his
grip on the boy. Taking the opportunity, Takuma grabbed the man by the
shoulders, and drove his knee into the man's groin. 

"Damn kid!" screamed another, larger man, as the first man fell to the
floor, whimpering. He charged Takuma. The boy whipped around and
brought his foot across the man's face. The larger man staggered a
little, but stayed standing. 

"I didn't endure years of pilot training for nothing!" shouted Takuma
as he jumped up and kicked at the man again, this time striking him in
the nose. Again the man absorbed the blow. 

"Takuma-kun, stop it," someone else in the van commanded. 

The momentary distraction allowed the man to jab the boy with the
stunner without further trouble. 

Takuma fell to the floor of the van like a sack of potatoes. 

"Tie them up," ordered the larger man, wiping a trickle of blood of his
mouth. The man that was kicked in the groin slowly picked himself off
the floor, and began tying up the stunned boy. A 3rd man was in the
van, guarding Rei. She looked at Takuma, and held her hand behind her
back for her kidnapper to tie her up. 
--- 
Back at outside the school
"I don't know, they left before I did," Shinji took a look around, too.
"When I got here, they were gone."

"Get in my car, Shinji-kun, and lock the door." Kaji took off towards a
white van nearby, while Shinji obeyed his commands. Kaji reached the
NERV security's mobile observation post, and knocked on the window. 

There was no response. Kaji threw the driver's side door open, and a
limp form fell out. Kaji bent to check the NERV agent's pulse; there
was none. He looked in the man's hand, held in it, was a donut with a
bite take out of it. Kaji peered inside the van, where he found two
more lifeless forms; beside each two, were more donuts. 

"The donuts..." he gasped, and raced for his car.
--- 
Through the streets of Tokyo-3 (Kaji is really speeding, this time)
"The Donuts?" came Misato's astonished voice over the cell phone.

"Yes, The Donuts," repeated Kaji, racing towards Misato's apartment. "I
found all the security agents dead, with freshly eaten donuts beside
them."

"Damnit," cursed Misato, "that is ingenious. Those terrorists must of
knew 7 out of 9 of our agents prefer to eat donuts while on stakeouts,
but how? We just had them freshly made and delivered yesterday!" 

"We'll worry about that later," said Kaji, "get some security teams to
Asuka and Teri-chan, quickly. I'm on my way there with Shinji." 

"Ok, and I'll..." said Misato, then the line clicked dead. 

"What the..." Kaji tried to reconnect, but there was no answer.
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"Main power grid is down!" shouted Maya.

"Switch to backups!" ordered Ritsuko, she said to herself quietly, "not
again..." 

"Switching to backups! Backups online!" reported Makoto, "but we're not
getting any response from the generators!"

"Confirmed," said Maya, "all power generators are down, solar batteries
are down, all external power feeds from outside the city are down." 

"All primary systems are failing!" yelled Shigeru, "communications,
sensors, environmental controls..."  

"Just like when the 9th Angel attacked," Fuyutsuki said quietly, from
his place overlooking the Central Dogma. Misato was by his side. 

"Sir, we have no way of communicating with the security departments.
Permission to take a security team and work our way out to the surface.
We need to protect the pilots."

"You mean protect the ones you can find, two of them are missing."

"Yes, I know," Misato looked down at the chaos below, her face a mask
of worry and rage. 

"Take as much of the security force as you want. Just leave us enough
to deal with these saboteurs."

"Thank you, sir."

Below, the confusion was finally being sorted out. 

"Ma'am," Makoto turned to Ritsuko, "we have the backup power grid
operational, but there isn't any power to put into it." 

"MAGI is now running on emergency batteries, at reduced operation
level," reported Maya. 

Misato descended from the command level to the control level via a
ladder, which took a while. 

"How bad is it, Ritsuko-san?" she asked. 

"It's just like last time," Ritsuko replied, "we're dead in the water,
so to speak. If an Angel attacks now..." 

"We don't have the power to launch the Evas, nor the pilots to operate
them." 

"Like how Asuka likes to put it: Schiest."

"Well, I'm taking some security force with me to topside, we need to
find and protect the kids." 

"That leaves us awfully vulnerable."

"If an Angel attacks, it's not going to make a difference," Misato
turned to leave, and walked straight into the unmoving automatic doors.
She cursed loud enough for most of the room to hear as she pried the
doors open with her bare hands. 
--- 
Many levels down
The door to Gendo's cell slid open and 2 men entered. Gendo sat up from
his bunk to face them. 

"Good afternoon, gentleman," he greeted politely. One of the men pulled
out a hypospray, and jabbed Gendo in the neck. 

"Send the council my kindest regards," muttered Gendo, before passing
out on his bunk. The other man took Gendo's right hand, and passed a
portable ultrasound scanner over it repeatedly. The monitoring devices
in the room had lost power, and the men made sure they didn't leave any
evidence behind. Then they set out for their next task. The NERV
security agents that passed them in the hallway, looking for the
saboteurs, never suspected the two. 
--- 
Terminal Dogma
The same two men at Gendo's cell cracked the security code to the LCL
factory in seconds. They entered cautiously as the large doors swung
open, but there were no patrol boats on the artificial lake today. One
of the men took out a large camera, and pointed it at the large white
being before him. 

"Say: cheese."

Lilith just continued to stare at them from behind her 7-eyed mask. 
--- 
Tokyo-3
"Looks like it's just the two of us, Shinji-kun," said Kaji as he put
down his cell phone. "The cell phone is down, I can't even reach
Asuka."

"Then it's up to us! We need to get Asuka-chan and Teri-chan to
safety!"

"I know, I know. Here's the plan, I'll cover you while you grab Asuka
and Teri, then we run for my car, ok?"

"Hai!" 

"Ok, we're almost there."
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence
Asuka was playing with Teri in her crib, when Shinji and Kaji ran into
the apartment.

"Shin-chan!" she called out happily as Shinji ran into Teri's room. 

"Asuka! Get Teri and let's go!" he shouted, scaring the girl. 

"Wha...what's wrong?" she asked, picking Teri up from her crib. 

Then the shooting started. 

Kaji fired at the front door, as two masked men charged in. One was hit
in the chest and thrown against the wall, the other ducked back out the
door. 

"Get down!" Kaji shouted at the kids. Shinji grabbed Asuka and pulled
her down towards the floor and away from the door. Asuka shielded Teri
with her body, while Shinji shielded Asuka with his. Kaji dodged into
the room, and slammed the door closed. He locked the door and hastily
pushed some furniture against it. 

"It's not gonna hold," they could hear men gathering outside. Any
moment now, they would all open fire and blast the door off its hinges.


"Shin-chan..." Asuka whispered. 

"Don't worry Asuka-chan," Shinji whispered, "I won't let anything
happen to you and Teri-chan." 

"I love you..."

"Me too," Shinji closed his eyes, and wished for someone to save them. 

"Mother..." 
--- 
Central Dogma
"Any luck with the getting the emergency generators online?" ask
Ritsuko.

"No ma'am," replied Makoto, "it appears the control circuits between us
and the generators are down." 

"Hey, do you feel that?" asked Maya. 

"What?" asked Shigeru. 

"Hey, I feel it, too," said Makoto, "the ground's shaking!"

"An Angel attack?!" gasped Ritsuko. 

"Oh no!" cried Maya, "we don't even have the pilots here!" 

Just then, a messenger came running in, informing them that it isn't an
Angel attack.

"Unit-01 is breaking out of it restrains and crawling towards the
surface!" screamed the NERV technician. 

"Not quite as bad as an Angel attack," said Makoto optimistically. 
--- 
Ikari/Katsuragi residence
Kaji, being the closest to the door, felt it first. It ripped through
the air like a static discharge, making the hairs on the back of his
hands stand on ends. Then the doorknob was popped off the door by an
unseen force, rolling to a stop in front of Kaji. 

"...?"

Shinji hugged Asuka tightly, as an intruder began shooting at the door
lock. Sounds of automatic weapon fire can be heard through the door, as
metal slugs slammed against a hard surface. Kaji pointed his pistol at
the door, waiting for it to fall. 

A web of hexagons appeared in front of the door, and every bullet that
passed through the door was stopped by an AT-Field. 

Kaji's eyes widened in shock, as the field stops the last bullet and
then fades away. Sounds of confusion and amazement could be heard from
the outside, then replaced by more gunfire. Over a hundred rounds
ripped the door apart, but AT-Field behind it stopped them dead. This
time, Shinji and Asuka saw it, too. They can see the semi-transparent
field, and the wide-eyed intruders beyond it. One of them reached out
and touched the field, but drew his hand back as it shocked him. 

"Let's get out of here," said one of them, and they all ran out of the
apartment. 

"We...we're saved?" asked Asuka. 
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"Unit-01 has stopped its ascent," reported a runner, "it's in launch
shaft 12, 20 ft from the surface." 

"Damn that was close," said Ritsuko, "what the hell happened? The entry
plug wasn't even inserted!" 

"Dunno sempai," replied Maya, "but let's worry about the problems at
hand."

"Ok, so we can't get everyone to rid bikes with little dynamos to
generate power for the headquarters," Makoto said, "but does anyone
have any other ideas?"

"I still say we try to repair the generators," Shigeru said. 

"The technicians says that they'll need 3 more hours just to find out
what's wrong with them," Makoto retorted. He suddenly had a brainstorm.

 
"I know! We could get a really big bike, with a really big motor, and
have an Eva ride it!" suggest Makoto. 

Everyone looked at Makoto menacingly.

"I was just trying to lighten the situation, get it? Lighten?"

While Shigeru was busy hitting Makoto over the head with a book, Maya
had a real suggestion to make. 

"Ritsuko-sempai," she said, getting the doctor's attention, "what about
Unit-04's S2 engine?" 

Little while later. 

"The umbilical cable has been manually attached to Unit-04," reported
Shigeru, "current flow has been reversed." 

"Is this safe?" asked Fuyutsuki, standing behind Ritsuko. 

"Well, in theory, sir, it should work. We're not activating the Eva,
just that particular component. However, it's gonna take us all the
reserve power we have to try this." 

"S2 engine startup checklist complete," report Makoto, "ready for
startup."

"Initiate," ordered Ritsuko. 

"S2 engine coming online," reported Maya.

"Power level rising."

"Current flow stable," said Shigeru, "voltage stable." 

"Output of S2 engine rising, now at 130MW." 

"Hold it at 240MW," said Ritsuko. 

"Hai." 

A moment later, the light returned to their normal brightness, and the
air begins to circulate again. Makoto leaned over and blew out a candle
he was using for light, people stop using hand fans, and Fuyutsuki took
his feet out of the water bucket. Shigeru looked his now fully
functioning controls. 

"Someone is downloading MAGI's restricted archives!" he shouted. 

"What?" demanded Ritsuko. Maya and Shigeru jumped on top of the
situation. 

"Confirmed! Someone has gained access to Melchior! Looks like they've
got a direct physical line to it." 

"They've been downloading for the past hour! Trace puts them right in
this area!" 

"How come we didn't detect that?" Ritsuko asked angrily, glancing back
at the huge block that housed MAGI Melchior. "Get security on the line,
tell them to check all the terminals with direct access to Melchior,
NOW!" 

"Unable to reach security," reported Makoto, "the communications system
is still being reinitiated." 

"Sever their connection, now!" 

"We can't! They've override all the security interlocks!" 

"Can we at least see them?"

"We're still rebooting the security systems! Unable to receive feed
from the surveillance cameras." 

"Download completed!" reported Maya. 

"Damn, how much did they get?" demanded Ritsuko 

"Unknown, assessment in progress." 

"Uploading commencing!"

"Uploading?!" 

"They're uploading something into Melchior and Casper...it's a logic
bomb!" 

An instant later, every display screen went crazy as two logic bombs
detonated inside the MAGI, causing Melchior and Casper to literally go
'insane'. 

"Melchior and Casper are overriding Balthazar! We've lost all system
control!" 

"Cut power!" 

Warning lights begins to flash, as the city's defense grid begin to
power up. 

"MAGI is activating the arsenal buildings!"

"Target?" 

"It's just a bunch of random coordinates, but it's gonna hit part of
the city!" 

"God damnit cut power!"

"We can't! The controls aren't responding! We can't shutdown the S2
engine or eject the umbilical cable from here!"

"Get someone to the Unit-04 hanger and eject the cable manually!" 

"Arsenal buildings are traversing." 
--- 
Primary residential tower, central Tokyo-3
A young boy looked out a window, hundreds of feet above the ground. He
and his family have just moved to the city, and were fortunate enough
to acquire a flat with great views. 

"Mommy, mommy," the little boy cried out, "look at those buildings!
They're turning in circles!" 

"I'm busy sweetie."

The boy pulled out his binoculars to get a better look at the cool
buildings. 

"Cool, their roofs are opening!" 
--- 
Central Dogma, NERV headquarters
"We've sent a runner, but he isn't gonna make it to the hanger bay in
time," Ritsuko said to Fuyutsuki, "the arsenal buildings are almost
ready to fire." 

"And if they do?"

"Most of the projectiles will land in the new housing areas, some will
strike the Tokyo-3 towers." 

"Melchior and Caspar are in agreement, they've overruled Balthazar and
are clearing the buildings to fire." 

"Dear God, what have we done?"

Darkness.
--- 
SEELE council chamber
"The operation concluded at 1900 hour, today," Major Hasamoto reported,
"2 of the 3 primary objectives were achieved, along with 1 secondary
objective."

"And what of your primary objective?" asked SEELE-11

"We've acquired the most up to date data on NERV's Evangelions and
their pilots, as the personal files of Ikari Gendo. We've determined
the status of Adam and Lilith. They're both in good condition and are
ready."

"And the 3rd primary objective?" asked SEELE-04. 

"The team failed to reach the being know as Ikari Teri, so we weren't
able to determine her exact nature and purpose. We however, did acquire
Ikari Gendo's personal files, and the 2nd Child's pregnancy records and
that should shine some light on this mystery." 

"Your report indicated that the team assigned to capture Ikari Teri
encountered an AT-Field," said SEELE-11, "do you have anymore on that?"


"At this moment, no," said Hasamoto, "we still don't know where the
field originated." 

"Anyway, I'd hate to think Ikari manipulated his own son just so he
could play grandfather," joked SEELE-06. There was a brief exchange of
chuckles. 

"Like I said, there was nothing to loose," said SEELE-09. 

"The distraction provided by the fake terrorist threats succeeded in
drawing NERV's attention away from us," explained SEELE-12. 

"And what of the secondary objective?" asked SEELE-05. 

"The incident with the 'malfunctioning' arsenal buildings has created a
huge embarrassment for NERV, although most of the new residents chose
to stay at the city," said SEELE-08. 

"Of course, the arsenal buildings were intended to fire," said Kihl,
"why didn't they?" 

"We don't know," said Major Hasamoto, "the nearest thing we can tell,
is that they managed cut the power before they could fire." How the
heck could a runner from Central Dogma reach Unit-04's hanger in time?

"Very well Major, you're dismissed. You've served us well, we'll have
more use for you in the future."

"Thank you, sir," the man disappears into the darkness. 

I think I forgot something, he thought to himself. 
--- 
Tokyo-3
Takuma and Rei remained blindfolded and tied to chairs, in a vacant
apartment. 

"Why did you tell me to stop back in the van? Why didn't you help me?"
he demanded. 

"Because it was pointless," said Rei; "the result would have the both
of us getting injured, and you taking the worst of it." 

The boy sighed, "you're right, sorry." They both looked around the
vacant room.

"I think they forgot about us," said the two in sync. 


END of Chapter #5.0 version 3 (11/11/99)
Version 1 dated 09/24/99
Version 2 dated 11/10/99
Version 3 dated 11/11/99

The author jumps up and down with joy while listening to Zanukoku
(Ayanami version) as he finally finishes this darn chapter.

Author's words: 
Sorry this took so very, very long folks, blame it all on school! It's
all school's fault! Damnit! Anyhoo, a special thanks goes to Axel for
his incessant nagging (he just won't stop!). If it weren't for him, I'd
never get off my lazy butt and write. BTW, for any of you who doesn't
know where Adam is, Gendo had the embryo of Adam implanted into his
right palm. I had an interesting thought: If people watch animes to
escape reality, does that mean people read fanfics to escape unreality?
Because they didn't like how things turned out? You can think of the
funniest things while listening to the End of Evangelion soundtrack. =)
Another thing, did any of you realize that I didn't put my name on the
past 3 chapters? Silly me, eh? *sigh* Hey, if anyone have the
translation to the Evangelion Photograph booklets, contact me, please!!

My e-mail: damnit@intergate.bc.ca
My ICQ: 8155557
Also, please (very please) visit Axel Terizaki's wonderful,
award-winning website, at: http://asukanotebook.tsx.org
He great, he wise, he Axel. 

My wonderful prereaders for this chapter:
Axel (The One and Only), EBJ (without him, there would be no correct
grammars in Evangelion fanfics), |ncubus (a Canadian!), Disaster (Prof.
of anime-physics), Rajen (only one who formats his prereading response
in a visually appealing and organized fashion), and Yousef Al-Shamsi
(man of few words). 

Preview of next chapter/episode:
This little pilot went to the beach, this little pilot also went to the
beach, too, this little Child of Love also went to the beach, but the
two poor remaining pilots stayed home... 

unner from Central Dogma reach Unit-04's hanger in time?

"Very well Major, you're dismissed. You've served us well, we'll have
more use for you in the future."

"Thank you, sir," the man disappears into the darkness. 

I think I forgot something, he thought to himself. 
--- 
Tokyo-3
Takuma and Rei remained blindfolded and tied to chairs, in a vacant
apartment. 

"Why did you tell me to stop back in the van? Why didn't you help me?"
he demanded. 

"Because it was pointless," said Rei; "the result would have the both
of us getting injured, and you taking the worst of it." 

The boy sighed, "you're right, sorry." They both looked around the
vacant room.

"I think they forgot about us," said the two in sync. 


END of Chapter #5.0 version 3 (11/11/99)
Version 1 dated 09/24/99
Version 2 dated 11/10/99
Version 3 dated 11/11/99

The author jumps up and down with joy while listening to Zanukoku
(Ayanami version) as he finally finishes this darn chapter.

Author's words: 
Sorry this took so very, very long folks, blame it all on school! It's
all school's fault! Damnit! Anyhoo, a special thanks goes to Axel for
his incessant nagging (he just won't stop!). If it weren't for him, I'd
never get off my lazy butt and write. BTW, for any of you who doesn't
know where Adam is, Gendo had the embryo of Adam implanted into his
right palm. I had an interesting thought: If people watch animes to
escape reality, does that mean people read fanfics to escape unreality?
Because they didn't like how things turned out? You can think of the
funniest things while listening to the End of Evangelion soundtrack. =)
Another thing, did any of you realize that I didn't put my name on the
past 3 chapters? Silly me, eh? *sigh* Hey, if anyone have the
translation to the Evangelion Photograph booklets, contact me, please!!

My e-mail: damnit@intergate.bc.ca
My ICQ: 8155557
Also, please (very please) visit Axel Terizaki's wonderful,
award-winning website, at: http://asukanotebook.tsx.org
He great, he wise, he Axel. 

My wonderful prereaders for this chapter:
Axel (The One and Only), EBJ (without him, there would be no correct
grammars in Evangelion fanfics), |ncubus (a Canadian!), Disaster (Prof.
of anime-physics), Rajen (only one who formats his prereading response
in a visually appealing and organized fashion), and Yousef Al-Shamsi
(man of few words). 

Preview of next chapter/episode:
This little pilot went to the beach, this little pilot also went to the
beach, too, this little Child of Love also went to the beach, but the
two poor remaining pilots stayed home...