You Can (Not) Run Away

Chapter 6:

"Oh man oh man! I never thought I be riding in a Mech 55-D Transport Helicopter!" Kensuke squealed in excitement. "It sure pays off to be friends with a famous pilot like you, Shinji!"

"Glad you're enjoying it so much," Misato winked up front from the passenger's seat. "I figured you guys were getting a bit cramped up in the mountains."

"Hey, get that thing out of my face!" Toji shouted, shoving Kensuke and his obnoxious and intruding camera aside. He adjusted his cap, something that suspiciously appeared not long after his 'secret' lunch date getaway.

"So, where are we going?" Shinji pondered aloud. He knew that they were going to pick up the pilot, but he figured that it would be at an airport or something, not across the middle of the ocean.

"Oh, nothing too fancy. We're just takin' a cruise on that little boat down there," Misato pointed.

Several thousand feet below, cutting across the vast Pacific, lay an entire fleet of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers all ranging from different countries of the world. In the center of the fleet, a magnificent aircraft carrier stood out from the rest, its imposing size making it a fearsome sight to behold.

"OH MY GOD!" Kensuke gleefully exclaimed. "One, two, three- that's the entire United Nation's Pacific Fleet!"

"That's your 'cute little boat'?" Toji questioned indignantly.

"That's not any 'cute little boat', that's the pride of the UN, the supercarrier Over the Rainbow!" Kensuke announced. "It's a vintage model, built just before the Second Impact! Can you believe it?!"

"It's enormous…" Shinji commented. "I haven't seen anything like it…"

"It's nothing compared to an Eva," Misato joked. "Honestly, I'm just surprised that crusty old thing still floats."

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure watched as the helicopter descended toward the landing pad, long red hair catching the wind of the chopper's spinning blades.

"Cool, cool, cool, cool! This is the best day ever! Just look at the antennas, the dishes, the… everything!" Kensuke absorbed the sights of the carrier, quickly swiping his camera around the landscape of the ship as it recorded every little detail it could possibly fit.

The ocean's breeze was strong today, effortlessly blowing around anything that was not secured properly- including Toji's cap.

"H-hey!" he shouted, chasing fruitlessly after his fleeting garment. "That's my special hat! Come back!"

Misato and Shinji followed shortly after, the latter being pushed by the former to help against the current. Both, by contrast, seemed fairly disinterested by the vessel and the temperamental weather conditions.

Toji clumsily chased after his hat until it came to a halt- stopped by a slender leg adorned with a bright red shoe… stomping on his sentimental headwear.

"Whew- hey!" he shouted.

"Well, hullo, Misato," came a young, female voice from the owner of the legs. "How have you been?"

Misato came to a halt, forcing Shinji to one as well.

"Just fine, thanks. Goodness, and you've grown some since the last time I saw you."

"Uh-huh, and not only that, but my figure's filled out as well," the girl responded with a boastful tone, her foot still planted firmly on Toji's hat, perhaps in an attempt to firmly ground herself as an authoritative figure.

"Everyone, let me introduce you," Misato announced. "This is the designated pilot of Eva Unit 02 and the Second Child: Asuka Langley Soryu."

And with that introduction, the identity was revealed like a curtain on opening night. She was intoxicating; long, red hair flowing down past the shoulders was held back by two, cat-like neural connectors that glistening in the sunlight as if they were freshly polished for the occasion. Her vibrant blue eyes were a stark contrast to Shinji's dull ones and as energetic and dynamic like a sapphire flame. Her face was marked with confidence and beauty, a combination given by what appeared to be a mixed heritage. A slender body came to match, decorated with a spirited yellow sundress that rustled like her hair.

In fact, it moved a bit too much like her hair, catching the breeze and forcing the newcomers to become an unwanted audience to her undergarments.

A girlish shout ensued, followed by a barrage of strikes coming from a pale hand- one for each of the three boys that witnessed. Toji was the first to get hit, followed by a displeased Kensuke, whose camera operating was forced to come to a halt.

Asuka raised her palm in the air again, ready for the third strike until she released where her hand would land- right on the impaired boy's cheek. He recoiled instinctively, ready to bear the smacking. She wavered slightly until she withdrew, giving an snooty pout of irritation.

"Hmph, boys are such pigs."

"Hey! What the hell was that for?!" Toji angrily shouted.

"That's the viewing fee," she haughtily replied. "I'd say that's quite the bargain."

"Psht! It's overpriced!" Toji shouted, ready to give her a piece of his mind. He grabbed the elastic of his sweatpants before thinking about how a particular person would react to such a crude means of insult. He settled instead for an audible mumble and glare to lend to the Second Child.

"So," she continued, brushing past Toji," I assume he's the famous Third Child?" she asked, pointing her thumb back at the tracksuit-wearing teenager.

"No, actually," Misato pointed out.

"Him, then?" Asuka questioned. "That dork over there in the glasses?"

"Hey!"

"No, Asuka," Misato shook her head and pushed Shinji slightly forward. "This is him: a mister Shinji Ikari at your service."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Him? But- but he's a… a cripple!"

Shinji winced, the word stung more than it should have considering it came from someone who was supposed to be a fellow pilot.

"Asuka!" Misato snapped back.

"Oh yeah? You're not exactly what we expected either!" Toji retorted in place for Shinji.

"And what were you expecting, pervert? Besides, there was nothing mentioned about the Third Child being stuck in a wheelchair in the reports!"

"That's because we try to keep his public status private," Misato interrupted. "Now cut the arguing, I need to have a word with the captain."

"Fine, let's go then," Asuka agreed in a hasty retreat to an uptight demeanor, significant in the notion that she was compensating for maturity.

"Man, she's really pissing me off…" Toji huffed. "You're not going to have her walk all over you, are you Shinji?"

"Don't worry about it," Shinji sighed defeatedly. "I'm used to it."

"No, I am not approving these absolutely ridiculous requests!" the man refused. "I will not allow any request to activate that children's plaything!"

"Think of it as preparing for an emergency, Admiral," Misato insisted. "The Eva is quite valuable, sir."

"And just when did the entire Pacific Fleet turn into a cargo service? Using our navy to guard that toy, what an absurd notion!"

"The entire fleet isn't enough, especially when compared to the importance of Eva."

"We will not sign these documents, not yet at least. The Third Branch in Germany entrusted us with the transport of Unit 02 as we shall oversee its progress. The ocean is under our jurisdiction, and you will follow our orders here."

"Fine, but I should remind you that in an emergency, military jurisdiction is overridden to NERV's authority."

"As confident as ever, I see," came a suave, dignified voice.

"Kaji!" Asuka squealed, reverting her demeanor from fierce to friendly in an instant.

Misato blushed, her face morphing from that of the esteemed captain to a bitter ex-lover.

"Thank you for your time, Admiral," she interrupted, gritting her teeth. "Please… excuse us..."

Misato and Shinji soon found themselves squeezed into a tiny elevator compartment with barely enough room to fit his wheelchair inside.

"Is that the Kaji Ritsuko was talking about?" Shinji asked.

"Pfft," Misato responded, angrily blowing a lock of hair off her face. "I can't believe he's stationed here too. Talk about careless…"

"Huh."

"So, what do you think about Asuka?" Misato asked, desperately trying to change the subject. "Sorry the greeting was a bit… well..."

"It's fine," he partially lied. "She's… not what I was expecting. She's… I guess… a bit,"

"Abrasive?" Misato finished for him.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Don't let her get to you, she can't help it. It's just one of her quirks. I've only ever known her to be that way, even when she was just a little girl."

"But why is she like that?"

"She… lost her mother at a very young age. I'm just asking you to bear with her, and with me, for the time being- at least until this war is over. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Shinji nodded in compliance, her words re-sparking the faint memories of his own mother.

"Thanks, I know it's asking a lot of you," Misato chuckled, "she's a real piece of work sometimes. You should've seen her a few years back. Believe it or not, I think she's leveled off a little bit."

"I don't think I would've wanted to see that," Shinji returned with a smile.

"Aaaah, don't say that," Misato said as she playfully rustled his hair, "It just takes some time getting to know her. And who knooows~"

Somewhere, many levels of solid, seaworthy metal away, Toji could've sworn he heard the muffled groan of anguish as Shinji was chided once more.

"So," Kaji teased as he played a one-sided game of footsie, ignoring the awkward company of the four teenagers sitting at the dining hall table, "are you seeing anyone now?"

"That's none of your business," Misato retorted, not giving him the pleasure of eye contact.

"I'm hurt," he responded sarcastically, giving her another coy rub. "So, Shinji Ikari, I hear you're living with Katsuragi."

"Uh, yeah, that's right."

"Tell me something; is she still a loud snorer?" Kaji smirked. "She still hog the bed like she used to?"

"And what the hell are you implying by that?" Misato angrily snapped.

"Classic Katsuragi," Kaji chuckled. "It's been years, and she hasn't changed one bit, isn't that right?"

"I guess?" Shinji presumed. "But how did you know my name?"

"Who doesn't? You know, you're pretty famous in the defense business. The legendary Third Child, successfully piloting an Eva against not just one, nor two, but three Angels now with limited training! That's quite the accomplishment, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, well, I was just lucky," Shinji blushed at the compliment.

"Luck has nothing to do with it! You're a talented kid, Ikari. It's your destiny to be a great pilot!" Kaji continued, spotting steam rise from the local redhead in the corner of his eye.

Between the two, Asuka grew jealous, a displeased look of indignation growing each second she had to hear of this new pilot. From her perspective, it was just luck, beginner's luck if anything. This Third Child didn't go through the extensive, lifelong training that she received to pilot the Evangelion- the kind only those far above average can achieve, especially not someone confined to a wheelchair.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some business to attend to," Kaji stated, standing up from the table as Misato, Kensuke, and Toji all still sat motionless.

"I think I'll join you," Asuka declared, too irritated to continue being in the company of someone so great.

"So," Kaji asked once they reached an outdoor deck, "what are your thoughts on the Third Child?"

"He's boring, and not much to look at. But can you believe NERV? Hiding the fact that he's crippled- that's something that shouldn't be held secret. The audacity…"

"It's a security thing, private disclosure and all that. I would've thought you'd know quite well about confidentiality. NERV just likes to keep things tidy, that's all."

"You mean you knew about this and didn't tell me?" she gasped.

"Does it matter? Besides, he's the one achieved a fifty-two percent synchronization ratio with no prior training!"

"Fifty-two?! Mein Gott!" she exclaimed, not realizing she had switched back to her native tongue.

"Doesn't seem so bad then, does it? With enough training, I bet he'll be quite the competition for you…"

"It took me years to get my synch ratio up to that, and that daddy's boy thinks he can just waltz in and show me up?" Asuka pushed herself away from the railings and heel spun back inside.

"Now now, don't do anything rash," Kaji chuckled sarcastically, pulling out a cigarette and lighter. "Ahh, kids."

"Man, everyone on this ship must be nuts or something," Toji remarked as the group waiting in the moving elevator.

"That Kaji's pretty, uh, something, isn't he?" Shinji asked, still charmed by the man's presence.

"He's nothing but a chauvinistic pig! He hasn't changed one bit," Misato grumbled.

As the doors slid open, they were pleasantly greeted by a distinct voice and figure forcing their attention.

"HEY, THIRD CHILD!"

"Oh boy," Kensuke groaned.

Standing right before the elevator doors was perhaps one of the more alarming sights to behold- an irritated, red-headed German girl who knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it done.

"You're coming with me," Asuka demanded.

"Um, okay?" Shinji said, puzzled by her sudden appearance.

Toji patted his buddy on his shoulder. "Godspeed, Ikari."

Asuka led him around the ship, navigating through narrow corridors and a variety of security entrances until they reached an outdoor cargo hold covered by a large, beige canopy.

"Will you hurry up?" Asuka insisted as she began gaining the lead on him.

"Hey! I'm trying!"

"Not hard enough," she groaned.

She took the initiative and grabbed the handles to his wheelchair and pushed him to match the speed she was originally striding at.

"The mighty Third Child can't even seem to pull his own weight," she rambled. "You better not be dragging me down in battle, got it?"

"Hey, I could've pushed myself without your help."

"Pfft, as if. You're too slow on that thing. Whatever, doesn't matter now that we're here."

She pulled the tarp over her head, proudly presenting Shinji a good look at what lay hidden underneath the cover.

"It's, uh, red. I didn't know they came in red."

"Oh yeah? I heard yours is purple and the Unit 00 is blue."

"They are, but I just really thought about it."

Asuka groaned at his ignorance, and pressed on.

"That's not all that's different," she boasted as she led him to the Eva's docking back. "Units 00 and 01 are just prototypes for the real thing- the fact that you, an untrained pilot, were able to synchronize with one is proof of that. My Unit 02 is the first real production model, ready and tested for real-world combat!"

Shinji sat near the pool of LCL that the mighty giant lay half-submerged in. He studied the look of the Eva, something far different than that of the previous two he encountered. Most notably, other than the red and orange hues, Unit 02 had four piercing, cat-like eyes with its own unique head shape. Asuka stood atop the back of her Eva, something she did not need to do save for feel superior to him as he sat below her. By now, he formed the suspicion that it was at her request that Unit 02 would be painted red. No, actually, he was sure of it.

Abruptly, the boat shook with sudden vigor more powerfully than the frequent earthquakes in Japan.

"Whoaahh~!" Asuka yelped, her footing nearly lost.

Shinji, however, having not had his hands holding onto his wheels, was sent into the pool along with his wheelchair.

"Agh!" he yelped right before he went overboard.

His wheelchair sunk immediately as he helplessly flailed his arms desperately trying to sink- a battle he was quickly losing.

"H-help!" he gargled between breaths.

"Oh please- don't tell me the Third Child can't even swi-" she realized the fault in her statement before she finished, silently chiding herself for her own brief lack of awareness.

She jumped off the Eva and ran toward the edge of the platform. "Here, take my- hold still you idiot! I can't reach you from here!"

Shinji perilously labored against the liquid, but his strength was not enough. He sank, his dead weight lowering him to the bottom of the pool, the only indicator of him being little bubbles rising to the surface.

'Some hotshot he is…'

Asuka quickly and tentatively weighed her options without a second to spare, ripping off her shoes and diving into the pool. She saw him, descending at a helpless rate. Fortunately, as part of her training, she knew how to swim- quite well she might add, another thing she prided herself in. She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled, barely managing to carry the weight of herself combined with Shinji's own. They both gasped for air as they broke the surface of the LCL and headed toward the platform, with Asuka obviously leading them both.

They pulled themselves onto the metal floor, both of their clothes thoroughly soaked with the orange mess. Shinji gasped for breath as he tugged his legs onto the surface. Asuka stood up, still clearly trying to catch her breath.

"Thanks," Shinji said between his frequent gasps for air.

"Don't expect me to be there all the time, Third. I can't be the one to babysit you all the time."

Shinji ignored the comment, whether it was a quip about his impairment or not, he did not particularly care at the moment. His wheelchair, sat the bottom of the pool, unobtainable by other of them lest they find some sophisticated method to fish it out.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Undersea shockwave," she answered as she rung out her hair. "And it sounded close!"

Asuka raced toward the edge of the canopy and pulled it open, catching a glimpse of a mighty wave that struck the side of a nearby battleship, followed by the blaring of alarms across the entire fleet.

"That looks bad," Shinji commented from behind. "It looks like an Angel attack. We need to get Misato."

"We don't need Misato for this!" Asuka quipped. "This is just wunderbar…"

Now that, certainly worried Shinji.

"Here," Asuka said after briefly running to another room. She tossed him a red plugsuit- a matching color to her Evangelion. That wasn't the worst part, the worst part was that it was a woman's plugsuit.

"Well? Put it on!" she ordered. "Don't just sit there, get moving!"

"I-I can't wear this!" he complained.

"And why not? This is an emergency situation!"

"I- uh,"

"You can get yourself dressed, can you?" she reeled in apprehension.

"I- uh, yes, of course I can!"

"Then good! You can't expect me to help you with that!" she said, stomping to a private staircase.

Shinji sighed, and hurried to get undressed. Here would have to do, considering it would take him too long to find somewhere private. He just really, really hoped she didn't walk in on him.

"Let's go, Asuka," she muttered to herself once she tightened her skin-tight plugsuit. She swore it was designed by perverts, considering how revealing the material was.

It was her first Angel battle, something she trained her entire life for. She had not even ever been in a real fight, only simulations or training sessions. She wasn't scared. She was terrified and simultaneously exhilarated that the time had finally arrived, albeit she was going to have to be joined by another passenger. Of course, she thought it was luck that he lost his means of transportation, as this would be the perfect demonstration to show off her superior fighting prowess.

She hastily stuffed her clothes back into her matching red duffel bag and hurried back to the Eva's docking back. Caught in the anticipation for her debut battle, the possibility that Shinji was still changing slipped her mind. She whipped around the corner, prepared to announce her return to be greeted by the pilot's bare back as he tugged himself into the plugsuit. Her face reddened as she exhaled a tiny 'peep' before she quickly retracted herself. Shinji, thankfully, was scarce to notice her brief interjection.

"Sure takes a while," she quietly muttered to herself. "Guess I can't really blame him."

She peeped around, curiosity overcoming the best of her. Shinji had just removed his pants and was slipping into the plugsuit legs, struggling with the slightly different shape of the uniform. She brushed around the corner before she caught more of what she intended to see. A short minute later, she checked again, thankful that he was adjusting the final touches to the suit.

Asuka turned the corner before he could say anything. "Are you done yet?"

"Hey! I could've still been changing!" Shinji exclaimed as he noticed her prematurely enter the room.

"But you're not, are you? C'mon move it, let's get going already! Use that side hatch to get in the cockpit and don't touch anything, got it?"

"Alright, alright," he sighed, as he began crawling toward the entrance. Meanwhile, another shockwave rocked the ship, this one slightly worse than the previous. Loose equipment from different levels of the ship could be heard crashing into each other.

Asuka saw this, turning her nose up and scrunching her eyebrows together. "Dammit, we don't have enough time for this," she said, grabbing him under his shoulders and dragging him across the floor by awkwardly back-peddling. "Don't get any funny ideas, got it?"

"Okay."

"You're… really… heavy, you know that, Third Child?"

"Sorry."

"Sorry? Why the hell are you saying that? It's not like it's your fault you're like that, are you?"

"No."

"Then why do you feel like you need to say that? If it's not your fault it's not your problem."

"Sorry."

Asuka growled in annoyance. "Is that all you know how to say?"

"Sor- no."

She gave up once they reached the hatch, and they both climbed in. Asuka went in first, finding herself comfortably positioned in her personalized seat. Shinji came in second, uncomfortably sat behind her chair and leaning over her shoulder as a result. He was too encapsulated by the slight nuances of the entry plug's interior that he failed to notice Asuka ordering her Evangelion to life, albeit in a different language. What caught him out of his stupor was the German word 'FEHLER' blinking throughout the chamber in bright red lettering along with a matching alarm buzz.

"Fehler… fehler…" he muttered, trying to recall the Evangelion nomenclature from his NERV handbook. "Error! It's a programming error!"

"It's thought noise," Asuka sternly corrected. "You're not supposed to be disturbing me!"

"What do you mean?"

"You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you! If you must think, do it in German!"

"But I don't know German," Shinji confessed.

"Ugh! And you're supposed to be great Third Child? I'm starting to think that those fights with the Angels really were all flukes!"

"Hey! And how many have you been up against?"

"None if I have your sorry ass slowing me down! Now just be quiet and let the real pilot show you how it's done! Switch language to Japanese!" she barked. "Evangelion Unit 02, launch!"

The machine spurred to life, its stiffened limbs loosening as the giant appeared to break free of its bindings. Its four eyes flashed a threatening green as it rose from the pool, its massive arms helping bring the mech to its feet.

This mystifying sensation of two pilots in the same Eva was differed vastly when compared to being in Unit 01, Shinji noted, like two minds in the same body. He could feel the same things Asuka did; the arms, the legs, even the cargo ship's canopy that she was certainly using just for showing off.

"Deactivate that toy at once!" the Admiral's gruff voice shouted over the speakers. "That Eva is under my jurisdiction! It's under my authority!"

"No one gives a damn about your authority! This is an emergency!" Misato interrupted, wrestling the microphone away. "Don't listen the moron, Asuka! Go for it!"

"Already on it!"

"Hey, I just thought of something," Shinji pondered aloud. "If we fall in the ocean… we're done for, right? I don't think we have the proper equipment."

"Then we won't do that," Asuka declared, her focus already concentrated on the impromptu mission.

"Shinji!" Misato joyfully exclaimed. "You're in there too? You're okay, right?"

"Uh, yes- hi! I'm alright, Misato!"

"Okay then, this is it! Asuka, launch!"

On those words, Evangelion Unit 02 shot into the air, fully-activated and prepared for combat. It landed gracefully onto the top of a UN destroyer with years of dedicated practice under its belt.

Shinji glanced over to the timer. "We've got only fifty-eight seconds of power left!"

"I know that," Asuka snapped. "Misato, prepare the power cable on the flight deck!"

"Roger!" Misato confirmed as she grabbed the microphone away from the Admiral.

"Alright, let's play a little hop-scotch."

"Hop-scotch…? Wait, wha- AAAHHAAAHHHH!"

With that, the striking red Evangelion launched from ship to ship, several hundred tons of metal carelessly colliding with each other at the pilot's discretion. The sight of the war machine used in such a manner was almost comical, were it not for the impending danger striking its way closer to the supercarrier with each leap the Eva took.

"Eva Unit 02, coming in for landing!" Asuka shouted.

Meanwhile, Shinji, not one for intense acrobatics, mustered the strength to hold in his lunch from earlier. Unit 02 collided into the Over the Rainbow, grounded jet fighters falling helplessly into the ocean waters as it nearly collapsed the entire ship.

"Switching to external power supply!"

"How are you going to fight it?" Shinji asked. "We have no guns!"

"The progressive knife should do," she responded. "I thought the ace pilot would know this already!"

She steadied the boxcutter-style blade as the typhoon approached like a missile. The Angel finally revealed itself as it leapt from the water toward the Eva, crashing down upon it like it were nothing to its immense size. Its appearance resembled that of a deep-sea creature, complete with fins, gills, and rows of teeth each the size of Unit 02's head.

The Eva struggled with the beast, pulling and twisting its fins in vein as the Angel wrestled its weight across the deck. Unit 02's knife fell, the blade effortlessly slicing through a landed jet, much to Kensuke's dismay. Asuka lost her footing on a lowered platform, forcing herself awry. Grabbing onto the Angel, she burdened it with her weight and the two sank into the clear blue depths.

"Asuka! It's impossible to fight underwater using the B-type equipment!" Misato quickly reminded the fiery redhead.

"Well, Misato, just as they say: you don't know until you try," she retorted.

"But why wouldn't we know if they've tested it before?" Shinji questioned.

"Now's not the time for being a smartass, Third," she quipped as the Angel dragged the Eva across the city ruins of the ocean floor. The cockpit violently shook, as well as the passengers inside. Asuka gripped the controls, receiving the full brunt of the turbulence. Shinji clung to the back of her seat, his unsecured lower half being throttled against the lower half of her chair.

"Can you cut that out?" Asuka challenged, her voice distorted, rumbled, and most certainly annoyed.

"No! I can't help it!" Shinji shouted in return.

Asuka grunted. "Then hold on tighter, dammit!"

"Hold on you two," Misato shouted. "The cable's about to end!"

The carrier jerked like a fishing pole as the enormous electrical wires came to an abrupt halt, nearly tipping the ship once again. Misato, Toji, and Kensuke grabbed onto the closest available handle, which happened to be the window sill they were sticking their heads out of to get a closer look at the battle.

"Hey, look!" Kensuke pointed. "It's a Yak-38 Custom!"

"Hey, Katsuragi!" a dashing call came from the plane.

Misato's demeanor instantly changed as the owner of the voice registered in her ears. "Kaji~!" she cheered like a schoolgirl.

He winked back at his old companion. "I'd love to stay, but I've got a delivery! Catch'ya later!"

Misato's mouth fell agape, an overwhelming combination of emotions flooding back to her.

"Well, let's get to it then. I'd rather not stick around for too long," Kaji said to his pilot as they began their ascent. "Take care of the rest of this, Captain!"

"Okay, where's- hey, he ran away!" Kensuke remarked as soon as he replaced his camera's tape.

"Some help he was," Toji added.

"There it is! It's coming back around!" Shinji pointed.

"Alright, this time I'll finish it off," Asuka growled as she shook on her useless controls. "Hey, what's wrong? It's not working!"

"It's B-type equipment, it's not going to work," he reminded her.

For once, Asuka look afraid, her challenging attitude swept over by a suddenly grim mode of panic. "Then what are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?"

And the attitude was back again. "Well you're the esteemed Third Child, do something useful for once!"

"Well I- look!"

The Angel approached the Eva, first baring its voracious intent through its many rows of fangs followed by its gaping maw whose end was nowhere to be seen.

"The red thing- that's the core!" Shinji shouted, quickly examining the shining red orb at the back of the Angel's throat.

"Eeeeeeh!" Asuka shrieked right before the Angel clamped down Unit 02's abdomen, its teeth impaling through the many layers of crimson armor.

"Urk!" Shinji grunted. "We have to destroy that core! It's the only way to kill this thing!"

He lunged forward and over Asuka to grab the controls in a desperate attempt to struggle the Evangelion free. His first instinct was to try prying the Eva from the Angel's bite, but to no avail. There was hardly any noticeable reaction that came from the machine.

Asuka blinked her eyes open once she registered the pain as not nearly as bad she originally anticipated. Although the teeth sunk cleanly through her armor, half the pain was burdened upon Shinji as well, making the injury feeling more like a sudden punch to the gut.

The view was entirely surrounded by the rose-colored gums of the beast, save for the endless black tunnel that encompassed its throat. She felt Shinji's weight atop her, without failing to notice his well-developed arm and shoulder muscles from years of wheelchair use which was only emphasized by the skin-tight plugsuit.

"Hey, get off my lap, you pervert!" she struggled once she regained her senses.

"But we've got to do something!" he retorted. "At least I'm trying something!"

"You. Did. Not. Have. Permission. To. Pilot. My. Eva!" she shouted between beating Shinji's back like a set of bongos.

"Oh will you shut up already?! You told me to do something useful and that's what I'm doing!"

Asuka glared at him in both a combination of confusion and disgust. The façade of a meek boy she just recently encountered on the deck of the iron-clad ship had washed away in the time of desperation and alertness, replaced by an entirely new demeanor of confidence and determination.

"The core… it's so close…" he continued. "If only we could get closer then we can destroy it…"

"So? Then what are you waiting for?"

"Is there another progressive knife in the second pylon?"

"No, that one has a needle launcher, but there's no way we're going to be able to hit it from this angle. This stupid thing's also jerking around too much to even try it. We'd have to stabilize ourselves before this overgrown seafood tears us apart, it's like we're just bait on a stupid fishing trip!"

"Wait, fishing!" Shinji exclaimed. "Misato! Are you listening? I need you to reel in the umbilical cable, I have an idea!"

"Roger!" Misato responded, turning back to shout orders. "Reverse the cable! Bring them back in! Shiniji, what's the plan?"

"This Angel has teeth and gills, like a shark, doesn't it? I read this in a book once, that sharks need to keep moving in order to move water through their mouth and out through their gills."

"Get to the point, nerd!" Asuka squirmed.

"Point is, if we can open the Angel's mouth and unhook ourselves from its teeth, we'll be pushed back deeper into its mouth, in firing range of its core!"

"So what, your whole plan is to get swallowed by this thing?!" Asuka questioned.

"More or less? By retracting the cable, I think we'll be able to push ourselves back into its throat if we time this just right."

"This might work…" Misato said.

The cable suddenly jerked as the enormous motors back on the oversized cable reel worked at full force against the Angel's constant swimming, eventually picking up speeds as it dragged both the Angel as well as its passengers through the dark blue depths.

"Alright, we need to open the mouth!"

"Right!" Asuka said, forgoing the idea of questioning when he became the boss of her.

She grabbed onto the yokes with both hands and pulled back against the resistive controls with all her strength. Shinji followed very shortly after, unintentionally wrapping his own hands around hers to grip the controls.

"Open, open, open, open, open…" they both muttered, not realizing that they were soon muttering in sync with each other.

Unit 02 reacted, the combined mental power conducted by two pilots working in harmony with each other to unlock a whole new strength to be wielded. The four distinct green eyepieces glowed white as if a beast awoke from dormancy and the entire machination pried apart the powerful jaws of the Angel, releasing the Eva from its sharpened grasp.

"Now, Misato!" Shinji and Asuka shouted simultaneously.

"Stop the cable!" she ordered to the mechanics.

As the engines came to a halt, the predator and its prey slowed as a result. The Angel surged ahead regardless with the accompanying Evangelion to allow itself to rush inside its mouth by following the current. Instinctively, in order to encapsulate its meal, the Angel clamped its jaws shut once more, this time with nothing between the massive fangs.

"There!" Shinji shouted while focusing on the red gem in a sea of darkness.

Together, as the Eva quickly floated down the Angel's throat, they grabbed onto the core with both arms, wrapping their entire conjoined body in a secure position. Asuka was swift in her reaction, immediately launched the large, black needles at the glass-like organ; half of which barely managing to penetrate the target.

"It wasn't enough!" Shinji exclaimed.

"Then let's make it enough!" Asuka retorted.

Shinji quickly nodded in a silent agreement, and in an effortless motion, the Evangelion reached out to a nearby floating needle and grabbed it like a knife, sinking the repurposed weapon deeper into the core to expose a shining bright light from an ever-growing crack.

The Angel lurched to a sudden stop, the jaws and lips clamping down even harder than before. The entire creature seemed to be folding in on itself, becoming an enormous vice on its unwanted passenger with hundreds of pounds of pressure almost as if…

"Uh oh," Shinji spoke, his confident attitude drained.

"Huh?! What do you mean uh oh?" Asuka questioned in alarm.

"Hold on to something!" he yelped, shutting his eyes in anticipation.

"What do you mean-"

An incredibly intense surge of energy cut off her sentence as the Angel self-destructed, with Unit 02 at the heart of the explosion. Miles away aboard the Over the Rainbow, the entire crew and its guests could see the enormous wave of ocean water erupt in the distance, the resulting effect being waves powerful enough to uncomfortably rock the supercarrier. Moments later, a red lump of partially melted red and white conveniently crashed onto its deck and toppled over, the reserve power being drained from its system. Its eyes flickered off as its massive head rested upon the smashed remains of a helicopter.

"Shinji, Asuka, are you two okay?" Misato's voice entered the plug.

"Yeah," both responded while rubbing their heads and other bruised parts, "we're fine."

Misato exhaled in relief. The Fourth Angel had been defeated.

"Hang tight, we're getting a crew to help you out. Nice teamwork, you two. I'll see you shortly."

"Not bad, Third," Asuka grunted. "Maybe you'll be useful for something after all."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Don't let that imply that you're a better pilot than me. I've trained for Angels for years- I probably could've taken it myself."

Shinji rolled his eyes at her obvious gloating. "Yeah, whatever…"

"What kind of tone is that? If it weren't for me, you'd still be back on the cargo ship still drowning in the LCL pool- consider us even."

"Fine," he sighed in defeat, followed by several minutes of awkward silence.

A bout of silence followed shortly until Asuka realized that it was possibly going to take the rescue crew longer than she originally expected to arrive. She tried stretching out her arms but accidently bumped into Shinji's limp leg that rested beside her. Although he had no feeling in his lower half, he could still feel the slight tremor that was sent up his body.

"Sorry," he said, using his arms to push his leg further to the side.

"Don't apologize like it's your fault, you can't move them or do anything about it."

"Okay," he replied flatly.

"How'd that happen anyway?"

"An accident, a few years back. I was hit by a car."

"I bet that was fun," she quipped sarcastically.

"So will you staying at NERV Headquarters?" he said, changing the subject.

"Just a hotel for now until they get my living arrangements settled. I hope they don't take too long and find me somewhere nice. Hotels are just too small, honestly."

"I wouldn't know."

"That 'crew' is certainly taking its time…" Asuka impatiently grumbled to herself. "Can't we just eject the plug and climb out ourselves?"

"Well, one of us can."

"Oh," she said, completely forgetting about his condition, "right."

"Sorry, they're probably taking so long because of me."

Asuka sighed in annoyance. "I guess it's not that big of a deal. I just wanted to hurry up so I can finally explore the city."

"You've never been to Tokyo?"

"Japan," she corrected.

"Really? I mean, your Japanese is pretty good and your name is Japanese as well. I guess I kinda just assumed."

"My father is German, my mother was half-Japanese, half-German. They wanted me to still be in touch with my Japanese heritage, so obviously they gave me a Japanese name."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Well, while we're at it, how about you?"

"Nothing special, my father is Japanese and my mother was as well."

Asuka blinked, although Shinji was unable to see it in the dim lighting.

"Was?"

"…yeah. She passed away when I was little."

"Oh. So you just live with your father?"

"No, he's… busy. I've lived with my teacher since my mother died. It wasn't until a few months ago that I've been living with Misato."

"You live with Katsuragi?" she snorted. "Do you at least live somewhere nice? Being the Commander's son and all…"

"Is nothing special," he finished. "It wasn't really my choice either."

Before any other word could be spoken, the entry plug was released from the back locks of the Eva and the hatch was opened by the rescue crew who promptly helped both of the pilots into towels to dry off the remaining bits of LCL that clung onto them. Misato, Toji, and Kensuke were nearby as well, with the two boys quick to laugh at the obvious breast indentations of the borrowed plugsuit that Shinji still wore.

As Asuka was led inside her cabin to change into her normal attire, she was still unable to decipher what Shinji meant by his final ambiguous statement.

"My, my, my," Ritsuko teased as she looked at the many scars and holes added to the supercarrier. "Looks like it took quite a decent amount of damage; the UN won't be too pleased. Although, relatively speaking, the overall causalities are low. They'll be glad to still even have a navy remaining after this."

"You can thank Shinji for that," Misato said, leaning her head back on the car's backseat headrest. "We were also able to capture some valuable data."

Ritsuko peered into the charts, her eyes widening in surprise. "Misato, this certainly is valuable data," she stated. "The synchronization rate spiked at one particular moment- when both pilots achieved a perfect mental alignment."

"It was only for seven seconds; probably due to the danger."

"Hey! Wait!" interjected an excited young voice. Asuka ran up to the two women, forcing the driver to bring the car to a halt. "Where's Kaji?"

"That jerk ditched us; he's probably already back at headquarters," Misato snapped.

"He didn't even see me in action…?" Asuka said, rather disappointed.

"Just like him to leave like that," she grunted. "Figures."

"Well that was certainly an exciting trip! A real shame that I wasn't able to see the finale. Although, you seemed to insist otherwise…" Kaji shifted closer to the commander's desk. "Could it have been because of this, I wonder?"

Gendo Ikari smirked, as he opened the biomedical transport container, releasing a chilled breeze.

"Quite amazing," Kaji commented. "It's alive and frozen, having restored itself this far. It's the keystone to the Human Instrumentality Project, isn't it?"

"Correct. Adam, the first human being. Another step closer to achieving the next step of evolution."

"I'm telling you, she may have looked pretty-" Toji said, quickly glancing over his shoulder, "uh, decent, but she was a real b-i-c-h, if you get what I mean."

"I'm pretty sure there's a 't' in there," Shinji corrected.

"Aw whatever man, b-i-c-t-h, doesn't matter."

"Yeah, at least we won't have to see her again," Kensuke added.

"Well, not us, but Mr. Bigshot Pilot here still has to go to work and see her. I don't envy you."

It was almost as if it were fate that the classroom door would slide open and a familiar, slender redhead with two polished neural connectors would walk inside at that moment, adorned with the standard school uniform causing Toji to nearly fall out of his seat. She signed her name in perfect cursive on the chalkboard, taking as much space as to announce herself to the awe-struck class.

"I'm Asuka Langley Soryu. Charmed, huh?"

A/N:

So, you know how I said that it was 70% complete? Yeah, sorry, I didn't intend on taking almost 3 months to complete that last 30%. Life constraints really got in the way, so I had little time to finish the rest of the chapter. On the bright side, I kinda like how it turned out. As always, thanks for reading, favoriting, following, etc.

Anyway, Asuka's finally here! Hooray! I've been pretty eager to introduce her because she's the biggest motivation for a tonal shift in the story, allowing for my original concepts to really come into fruition and allow for the story to pleasantly deviate into something other than what I refer to as "stock NGE".