In the Beginning.../Welcome to NERV Luna stared out over the Geofront, leaning on her cane. The sunlight coming down around from the city above coloured the air with a golden, almost holy, light. **It's finally completed,** she thought to herself. **The Project is finally completed.** Soft footsteps alerted her to someone's presence. The tall figure who appeared at her side was holding some papers. "The first three Children have been found," Seki Hisano, her assistant, said. She nodded. "It's just as well. When will they be notified?" "Formal requests will be made two days from now." "I trust everything has been provided for?" She slid her gaze over to him. "Yes sir." He ignored her. "Good. Dismissed." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A multitude of people with new hopes for the future milled around on their business at the Tokyo-3 airport. It was as busy as a beehive, and the noise was quite similar. On one of the arrival waiting lounges, a child about 7 years old was looking intently at the seated man in front of him. The man in question was partially hidden by the newspaper he was reading, but the child was expectant for the moment a page was turned, which allowed him a peek into the his subject's features. A page turned. Dark brown hair added a few years to the otherwise twentysomething face; a neat expensive looking suit contrasted with the somewhat ruffled shoulder-length hair. But what the curious kid was taken by was the black patch covering the man's left eye. "I'm not a pirate in case you're wondering", the young man said without taking his single eye from the paper. The child gasped. "What happened to you?", the child asked. "I had an accident when I was your age; I was riding my bike and didn't check both sides of the street", came the white lie; Toshiro Inukage, age 26, had lost his eye while fighting for his life during the Second Impact. But his young chatter didn't need to hear that. "Does it hurt?" "Not anymore", he shrugged, "I guess I got used to it. I think your mom's calling you". The child turned to see his mother waving at him, he piped and ran towards her. With excellent timing, for something started beeping inside Inukage's jacket. He took his cellular and put it to his ear. "Inukage here". "Hound", came a single word from the other end. Toshiro frowned and took the phone from his ear; he pressed a few buttons and resumed the conversation. "Okay; the line's secure now. What's up, Hisano-san?" "Operations are ready to begin; I trust you are now in Tokyo-3." The young man rolled his eye. "You wouldn't have contacted me at this number if you didn't know that already". "Indeed", the voice carried a little sarcasm, "all the necessary information is being uploaded to your account right now". "Let's see". The one-eyed man opened a laptop computer and typed a few commands; after the few seconds that took his cell link to connect and download, he answered. "So, I'll be living near the school. Convenient." "Attached are the dossiers of the Children; as a Marduk Institute representative, it will be your task to contact them and bring them to Operations. We'll brief them then." "If I read my orders correctly, my assignment involves a lot more than playing fetch." "Of course, Inukage-san; your original orders remain the same. We thought appropriate that you get acquainted with the Children as soon as possible." "I expect to be briefed on the complementary information I asked for; I don't like working in the dark, and I'd work better if I knew why NERV needs a proffessional psychologist dogging the Children's every step." "Your background was the most suitable for this task, Inukage-san; you will be posing as counselor at their school, to better evaluate their continued psychological condition." "Gee", Toshiro thought, "what _are_ you going to put these kids through, anyway?" "Look, Hisano-san", he talked into the phone, so low as to almost subvocalize, "I've done difficult undercover jobs before, but a double front is straining things; only you and Commander Ayanami will know I'm really NERV Intelligence; I do expect each front's details to be set up correctly; both my Marduk relationship for other NERV personnel and my teaching position for the public at large". "You've been informed of everything you need to know at this point, Inukage-san", the voice replied calmly, "You have two days to run through your mission parameters. The commander trusts your capacity, Lieutenant Commander Inukage". "Doctor Toshiro Inukage from now on," Toshiro had decided to use his real name for this mission; it kept things less confusing and all his stories could be verified by going through his public life records, "I've received my orders and will bring the Children to NERV Headquarters in two days time, presenting myself as the Marduk Institute's liaison with NERV". "Good; see you in two days". Toshiro absent-mindedly tapped his patch as he hung up. He still didn't know a lot of things, and that made him a little paranoid about the whole thing. His considerable acting skills had brought him to NERV Intelligence, and now his psychology training had landed him this assignment. He skimmed through the files of the three children he was supposed to play Big Brother to; he suspected that having raised his own younger cousin through the Second Impact's aftermath had something to do with Commander Ayanami's choice of putting him, covertly, in the middle of NERV operations as a knowledgeable civilian advisor. He closed the laptop and returned it to his suitcase. He'd absorb all the information when he was settled in his new home. He'd then contact the first of the three. Third call. The curtain is raised. The play is about to begin. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko Hayakawa was about to go through one of the worst experiences a teenager can have: the first day of class at a completely new school. She stopped nervously outside the classroom, her eyes still going back and forth from the room number posted outside the door to the room number printed on the small sheet of paper clutched in her hand. Finally taking a deep breath, she walked into the noisy room, gripping her school bag tightly. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, giving the other students free reign to goof around in the few minuted before lessons started. Most of the kids ignored her, engrossed in their own conversations, but a few did turn to glance at the new arrival. Even this small number was enough to make Noriko conscious of the eyes on her, and she immediately tilted her head down and away from their gazes, her short black pageboy-bobbed hair sawying against her neck. She started walking slowly and awkwardly to an unoccupied desk, her eyes blinking rapidly and nervously behind large round glasses...and despite her eyes pointing at the ground, she apparently didn't see the thick black network cables running across the floor, used to connect the bright red laptop computers that aided the students in their lessons. Her sneaker clad foot (with it's loose, saggy sock draped around her ankle) caught underneath one of the cables. Her other foot, and the rest of her body, wasn't aware of the minor detour her first foot had taken, and kept going. Noriko came crashing down on the floor hard, arms flailing, her school bag coming open and scattering papers and books to the four winds. She lay sprawled for a moment, then slowly sat up, very much aware of the stares and giggles of her erstwhile classmates, all of them now concentrating solely on her. She flushed deeply, but said nothing, and wordlessly began to gather her books and papers. It looked like it was going to be a long school year. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Oh, she did so miss Shiori-oneesama. But, Sakura resolved brightly as she stepped through the classroom door, she wasn't going to let that spoil her day - her first day in this new school. In fact, she was kinda looking forwards to it. After all, she hadn't been in a school in Tokyo for years now, and Kirishima Island wasn't exactly a great place to be educated. Except for - she had to push away the image of her beloved elder sister from her mind, shaking her head a little, as she finally stepped through the classroom door. No use dwelling on that. She had said she would be back soon, anyway. And she set her eyes on chaos. No, she amemded silently a while later. Not chaos, but a reasonable fasmicile of it. Kids were everywhere, plastered over desks, bent over laptops (oh yes, she'd heard about them) and chatting with wild abandon. Evidently the teacher hadn't arrived yet. A quick look around the classroom revealed at least one notable fact - a glasses-wearing girl who was somewhat nervously collecting a scattered pile of books and papers from the floor. A few eyes (mostly male) happened to glance at the next recent arrival, but Sakura was occupied with something else. Well, it did look like she needed some help, actually... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyuki amber eyes looked with sympathy at the poor girl sprawled on the ground. Her first instinct was to run over and see if she had been hurt. She barely managed to override the need to do that when she reminded herself that any attempt to help the girl might be considered a display of friendship. Sadly, she couldn't allow herself to make friends. Miyuki entered the classroom. It was yet another year when her father would wonder why such a nice sweet girl as Miyu could never seen to make friends. Everyone called her Miyu, but then everyone was just her father. Her mother and brother were but a distant memory. Still a painful one because of their deaths. Miyu shook off the reminder of why she didn't make friends and pulled out her books. She tried not to look around, but it was a new school, and that meant that there were new boys to look at. As it turns out Miyu, with long pink hair and well developed figure for a girl of only 14, could probably could have gotten a date with any of the boys, but that would of course mean getting close to them. That was even worse than friendship, and it would be even more painful when they died. Miyu didn't say much during class other than to to answer "Hai" when they called Hosaka Miyuki during roll call. In the moments between classes she thought about what she would fix her father for dinner that evening. That in turn lead her to wonder if the school might have a cooking club she could join. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko blinked at the sudden pair of legs in front of her, pausing as she reached for her Physics textbook. Grasping the book, she clutched it protectively to her chest, sitting back to take in the girl standing before her. Her mouth opens, then snaps shut as her eyes widen behind the lenses of her glasses, and she drops the textbook in an odd burst of sudden panic. "M-my notebook!" she cried, then suddenly slapped her hand over her mouth, like she'd just burned her tongue on too-hot ramen. And, indeed, the girl's toe was half-resting on a notebook, the cover of which was carefully lettered with "Noriko Hayakawa", in both English and Japanese. Given that there was still a multitude of papers and books scattered about, it was an awfully extreme overreaction...especially since the standing girl could hardly be accused of even leaving a sneakerprint on the notebook in question. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Oh, gomen" gasped Sakura. Actually, she barely had half a toe on the poor girl's notebook, but from the way she reacted one would think it was pretty important. As she reached down to help her pick up the books, Sakura happened to glance at the notebook cover. "So...Noriko-san? Yoroshiku!" she exclaimed brightly. Out of the corner of her eyes she watched yet *another* new arrival...with considerable interest. She looked good. Nice eyes. In fact - she pulled her eyes away to prevent the slight reddending of her cheeeks and instead proferred the remaining papers to the still-distraught Noriko. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko snatched the notebook from Sakura's hand, seemingly ignoring the other books and papers, and squeezed it tight to her chest. At Sakura's sudden greeting, though, she suddenly jerked stiffly upright, gazing at Sakura with wide eyes. "Ah...um...that is..." she said, obviously at a loss for words. She tried to cover her lapse by hurriedly stuffing all her piled books and papers back into her bag, although she still clutched the notebook, as if reluctant to risk it again. When she looked back up, nervously managing to get out a "Y-yoroshiku", the girl was distracted by another new arrival, and seemingly not paying attention to her anymore. Noriko scooted backward, then awkwardly gets to her feet, turning away and stumbling over to a desk, trying hard not to run into the pink-haired new arrival as she made her own way to a desk. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Humph...how rude" Sakura thought as she found the now-slightly battered notebook torn from her hand. Oh well - a part of her mind dimly noted a response to her greetings, but mainly her mind was occupied with trying to forget what little she had seen of the new student, who slowly, along with Noriko, had made her way to their desks. The school bell chimed slowly, the sound echoing down the hallways and reminding her that lessons were about to begin soon. It also reminded her that quite a few people were trying to see up her skirt - or at least, had been, when she was on the floor. She hated that, dammit. Scowling a bit, she walked to her own desk, noting that Noriko was still flustered and that Miyuki was strangely silent. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko glanced around her, then opened the notebook and started writing in it. She became so engrossed in it that she didn't even notice when the teacher arriveed and the class rep ordered everyone to stand up in respectful greeting... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Come to think of it, Sakura thought a bit ruefully as the class stood up, bowed and sat down aside, school wasn't all that nice after all. I mean, what did she have to look forwards to besides hour after interminable hour of the teacher's droning - it took but one look at this particular specimen to determine that he was of the droning variety - and then more work, droning, and work, in boring cycles. And of course ogling boys. She looked around, fiddling with the keyboard on her laptop (boy, this sure wasn't Kirishima) and casting speculative glances at the rest of the class. Besides the new arrivals, the other students seemed...well, like your average Japanese high school ones. How incredibly boring. She stifled a sigh and tapped some keys aimlessly. Already, what little excitement the new school promised was dissapearing quickly, and she found herself yearning to be out in an open field, practising - come to think of it, she had never figured out that high kick manuever yet... "And will the new students please introduce themselves?" Sakura gulped. Whoops. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Reflections of an old warrior, EVA sidestory......a prologue Moscow 2015 AD UN Security Council Secetary General Office ---------------------------------------------------- General Roderick walks into the building while cursing the cold weather that threatens to freeze him.... < Damn no wonder Hitler and his Panzers lost! Even my advanced thermal clothed balls are freezing!> he thought while approaching the gate of the UN HQ, guarded by a heavily clad sentry who grins at his predicament at first. The General frowns and instantly the sentry froze when he saw the gold stars in his shoulder. The sentry salutes him and ask his ID card as a matter of procedure. Before he walk in the building, he looks up and admire the beautiful view and then shrugs the thought off as he walks in. " Ahhhhh! Rod! It's good to see you!" bellowed Sec Gen, rushing to greet him in friendly manner. Roderick was taken a back but replied in same way. " Nice to meet you too Sec Gen" " Ah, some vodka my dear General?" " No thanks , sir" " Well, UN is deeply in graditute for your effort of rescuing the UN officials in Moghadisu few weeks ago. I trust that you have a good break in Black Sea resort? Da?" " Thank you, sir but I would like to know what is this meeting is all about becuase I am still supervising TINSPANNER project. My time is pretty precious, with all due respect to you, sir. I would like to go back to finish the job" The Sec Gen is bubbly but he doesn't like to be patronized this way, regarded the last statement with slight raised eyebrow. " My, my dear General, you are one dedicated man" smiles and shakes his head. < What the hell is he pussyfooting around!?> Roderick is irritated slightly by his Russian "friendliness" The Russian tosses a disc to Roderick "Ever heard of NERV and EVA?" " Hmmmm, yes sir. The specifically designed general purpose humaniod machine which uses neural linkage with exclusive pilot who happens to be early teens. Is that the one, sir?" " Hahhahaah! Da! That's the one. You never miss a thing don't you!? Load up the disc in your PDA and read it. It contains the mission specifics and informartion. The Assembly decides to appoint you as Inspector General, UN Liasion Chief NERV...blah quite a mouthful title you have there, hehehheh" " Ah yes" he noted the shock expression. "You the best man for the work, my General. Besides TINSPANNER now is run by Colonel Mumtaj Begum so don't worry." Roderick thoughts began to race...... < SEELE is getting too powerfull...and UN is suspicious....but why me in it?!> " Rod, I have a meeting in 10 minutes time. Our business is concluded for now" He toasts Roderick... " And may God go with you if there is, hahahhahahah" with a sheepish grin and walks away humming a Tchaikovsky's piano piece. Roderick went home wondering the new assignment would meant for him... 3 hours later...... As he examines the candidates of the EVA project, he sips his favorite Darjeeling tea scrolling down the list from the screen of his PDA. < Hmmmm...all 14-15 years old kid. Strange> < Third Child has been discovered not long time ago.....> His eyes caught the school records of the potential pilots put under one class as suberfuge by NERV to watch over their pilots and begans to check the names carefully < Hmmmm...mostly Japanese and what in the name of God!> His finger freezes and his heart sank like a rock. A name that he never thought possible is here, a name that gives him thousands of regrets. A name that is on the list right now staring back at him. " No, this couldn't be..." he mutters in utter shock. Suddenly the new assignment means to him more than just career advancement, he resolves to go to Tokyo 3. < Personal reasons.....> his last thought. --The END of Prologue-- Note: this is just a prologue and it is an introduction of the character. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko jerked suddenly in surprise at the announcement, reflexively slamming her notebook shut...which had the added and unfortunate effect of sending her pencil spinning off across the room. Her mouth gaped for a moment, then she turned to look at Sakura, waiting nervously. She obviously didn't want to be the first to do this. As a matter of fact, she was almost trembling with fear at the prospect of standing up in front of the class and announcing who she is. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu was yet again watching the scene. It reminded her of how she really should have helped Noriko earlier. However, this part she could help Noriko with. Miyu stood up. "Hosaka Miyuki desu." Miyu introducted herself to the class. She offered a friendly smile to the teacher and to the others in the class. Before she sat down she gave a supportive smile to Noriko, as if to tell her that she didn't have anything to worry about. With that the pink haired girl sat down and went back to her studies. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko blinked again, then turned to look at Miyuki as she introduced herself. She sat quietly for a moment, watching and listening, then jerked again, startled, as the pink-haired girl smiled in her direction. Noriko flailed around in shock, unsure what to do...and then she realized that she was smiling back, in an almost unconscious reaction. Noriko settled back in her chair, the tension draining from her a bit. She took a few deep breaths to steel herself, then (whiteknuckling the sides of the desk) she stood up in a sudden, jerky movement...which caused her chair to tip over and clatter noisily behind her. She flushed at the noise and disarray her clumsy movement caused, all her confidence flying from her like pigeons from an approaching child, and she stared down at her feet. "I...I'm Noriko. Noriko Hayakawa." she mumbled, barely audible. Then, trying to ignore the stares and smirks of her new classmates, she turned and tried to right her desk chair. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura stifled a chuckle at Noriko's antics. Boy, was she clumsy or what! And uncoordinated. Realizing it was her turn to introduce herself, she stood and offered a cheerful "Yoroshiku ne! Hoshino Sakura desu!" to the rest of the class. Though, she noted a second later, she might have overdone it a bit - people were turning to *look* at her, as well as take interest in the other two students. Ah well. Leaning back in her chair and reflecting on how bad the wallpaper was, she found herself thinking about the two students herself. It was quite a change being back in Tokyo, and friends would help...on that chain of thought, she reminded herself irritably that she should STOP thinking about Miyuki in that way. After all, Miyuki was rather silent most of time - come to think of it, so was Noriko. Her attention was distracted right then by the entrance of someone else in a white shirt... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The teacher waited until Sakura had introduced herself to address the whole class again. "Children", the elderly man said as if he was about to reveal a great surprise, "It looks like there will be many new faces around us, I'd like you to meet the new school counselor," he gestured to the door. "Doctor Inukage, please come in". A man in his midtwenties entered the room with a warm smile; his clothing screamed 'academic' at the same time it suggested relaxedness. "Wow, he's cute;" the girl sitting next to Sakura cooed, which brought a grunt of annoyance out of her. "Hi; my name is Toshiro Inukage; I won't insult you by calling you boys and girls since you're so clearly on the verge of becoming men and women". "Where'd you think he got that patch?", a boy whispered near Miyu. "Dunno," answered his friend "Looks cool, though." Noriko tried hard not to be noticed, but she had the uncomfortable feeling that the counselor's eye had settled on her a little longer as he scanned the room. "I just want to tell you," the young man continued, "that I'm here to help you in whatever problem you may have. _Except_ math; I suck at math." A general chuckle arose from the class. "My office is near the infirmary, and its doors are, to quote a cliche, wide open. Any questions?" "Yeah;" said a boy Sakura immediatley identified as the token disrespectful bully, "Where did you lose the eye?" Some murmurs of approval echoed among his clique. "Ah; I wondered who'd be brave enough to ask", Inukage didn't lose his pleasant demeanor, he turned a tad more serious before answering. "I was younger than you are now during the Second Impact... let's say... it's not very fun to have a construction rod sticking out of your skull for two hours as water rises all around until a rescue team gets you out of the pool that used to be your house", a smile returned "Does that answer your question?" The brat nodded, wide-eyed. "How could he ask that?", the girl next to Sakura spoke to the air. "Good", Inukage was smiling again as if he hadn't related such a gruesome scene seconds before, "I still have to present myself to the other classes, so I'll be going; my apologies for delaying your class, Kirama-sensei", he bowed to the teacher, who bowed back. Noriko was sure the one-eyed man had looked at her one more time before departing. "Now", the old teacher said aloud, pointing at the chastised bully, "let that be a lesson to you about courage; how our youth survived the tragedy of the Second Impact with chins held high...", he trailed off. Time passed at different rates for the three new students, and each chose to deal with the lulling drone of their nigh-senile teacher in their own ways. Noriko looked gingerly at the clock; it was almost time to leave. A sudden announcement from the sound system interrupted the class. "Miyuki Hosaka, Noriko Hayakawa and Sakura Hoshino, please present yourselves at the principal's office after class". The three girls coudln't keep from looking questioningly at each other. At the principal's office, Toshiro sat at the principal's chair as the rightful owner fixed some paperwork outside; he tapped the screen of his laptop. He hadn't expected the girls to be in the same classroom, and he hadn't expected the enormous span of the Eva Project that had been revealed to him the night of his arrival to Tokyo-3. There were new worries on his mind; he hadn't been told a lot of things, and he wondered about whatever was _still_ being kept secret. For example; he had an inkling of why someone with psychologic training was needed, if only to monitor and gauge the synchronization harmonics between pilot and biomechanichal behemoth. What made him nervous was the mention of an Ego Threshold and what it could entail it's breach. His musings were interrupted by the arrival of the principal. "The girls have been notified, Doctor Inukage. Let me say it's an honor to be able to cooperate with the Marduk Institute". "The honor is mine, Mr. Principal, to be able to work in such a well run institution as is yours. Just remember that only you and the girls will be aware of my affiliation. But could we possibly have some tea? It'll still be some time before the girls arrive". ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu went cold after hearing that. Even as good as she was at hiding her emotions, briefly a look of horror crossed her pretty face. Even after she regained her composure she kept thinking that he could have been dead if that rod had gotten near his brain. Miyu couldn't look up at him after that. The eye patch was a reminder of just how fragile people really were. She didn't hear another word he said after that as she sat quietly looking down at her desk. It would take her a while to recover. Of course she had the same thing happen if she watched the news or read about people dying. Not a big surprise she made it a point of avoiding all news broadcasts if she possibly could. If her name hadn't been called over the P.A. she might not have even have looked up for the rest of the day. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko was still uneasy from the way the new counselor kept looking at her. Normally, she didn't have to worry about such things as the lustful gazes of the male of the species, so being ogled was quite a new experience for her. It did seem, though, that Dr. Inukage was looking at her critically, as though sizing her up, rather than admiring her figure like some 14 year old schoolboy. She couldn't decide which thought made her feel more uneasy. In between the more boring lectures by the teacher, she would occasionally and surreptitiously open her treasured notebook, writing occasionally in it, with constant peeks up at the teacher and her classmates, to see if anyone noticed her scribblings. The end of school couldn't come too soon for her, and she longed for the comforting isolation of the room back at the small apartment she shared with her older brother...if she HAD to be alone, she'd rather be properly alone, rather than surrounded by unfamiliar and unfriendly faces. It came as quite a shock to her, then, to hear her name called out over the intercom, and even more of a shock to hear it alongside the names of the two other new girls. She blinked, glancing over at them, then began very carefully putting her papers and books into her school bag. She was trying her absolute best to avoid a replay of her clumsiness of that morning. A few fumbled attempts at trying not to drop her books and pencil case indicated that her best efforts were less than adequate. She slowly rose to her feet as her noisy classmates whooped and hollered, glad to be free at last. She walked slowly over to Miyuki and Sakura, head down, clutching her school bag before her. She looked up, then hesitantly spoke. "E-excuse me...do...do you know where the principal's office...um...is?" She quickly looked down again, and stood there, waiting. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu didn't understand why Noriko seemed so nervous about this. Again feeling pangs of guilt about not helping her this morning Miyu offered another friendly smile. "Not really, but I'm sure we can find it." Miyu suddenly had a thought. Noriko must be worried about being called to the Principal's office. "I'm sure there is nothing to be worried about we couldn't be in trouble." Miyu said cheerfully. Then with a grin she added. "Well at least not *yet*, anyway." Miyu giggled at her little joke. She wasn't use to making jokes but she thought that one might have come out right. "Shall we go try to find it?" She asked with particular encouragement directed at Noriko. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko looked up, momentarily flashing her deer-in-the-headlights look at Miyu. "Ah...okay...I guess..." she mumbled, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "Th-thank you. It is just the first day. What could they be mad at?" She was seized with a sudden panic, and looked stricken. "What if they're mad at me because I knocked over the chair?" Near tears, she gripped her school bag tightly. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Well, Mr White-Coated, thought Sakura appraisingly, let's see what you can do. Some rather harrowing experiences with doctors when she was young had not left Sakura with a particulary decent impression of them, but this one looked to be an exception - for one thing, he had a kindly expression and enthusiasm instead of the detached and clinical air she'd come to expect. I'm your counselor blah blah blah, see me blah blah, insert feeble joke. More or less the same introductory speech. The glances he gave Noriko didn't escape her attention either, bored as she was, and neither did the slight shudder that she saw pass through Miyuki. She frowned a bit as she listened - the SI was bad for everyone. At least he glossed over it. Overall, not a bad sort, she decided as he left. Sakura would have returned to the monotonity of being in class had not the announcement rang out; she raised her head from the desk in surprise at that. Following the two other students out, and giving Noriko a slightly bemused glance, she wondered where in the world the principal's office was... Distracted momentarily by that musing, she turned to find Noriko rather flustered...an occurence which was becoming quite regular. She favoured the bespectacled girl with a winning smile of encouragement before asking Miyuki where *she* thought the office was. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu didn't even know enough to take a guess, but then she also wasn't a boy so asking for directions didn't seem out of the question to her. "Let me find out." She said in cheerful response to Sakura's question. She looked around at the other few students in the hallway. In what seemed a rather bold move she picked out the most handsome guy she could find and went to ask for directions. Sakura and Noriko looked on as the pink tressed Miyuki almost seemed to be flirting with the boy. Well maybe not flirting exactly, but the two of them seemed to be smiling at each other way too much. Miyu was able to get away with talking to him like that because she figured it was just a quick friendly exchange. If she were even thinking that she might see him again then she would have been a lot more nervous and all those issues she had about getting close to people would come to light. Miyu had a fairly good talent for hiding her weaknesses. This gave the illusion that she was much more stable than was really the case. At least that is the illusion that her classmates saw, the illusion that Miyu had the courage to just walk up to a handsome guy and start flirting with him. Miyuki came bounding back to Sakura and Noriko. "It's this way." She smiled as she led the way to the office. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko blinked in near-amazement at the apparent ease with which the lovely young girl approached the rather hunky classmate. A brief pang of jealousy twinged in her heart, followed by a flood of sadness: she just COULDN'T do that herself. She wasn't comfortable enough with people, and always ended up tripping over her feet or saying the wrong thing, which more often then not put people off. Convinced she was a wierdo, most of them left her alone...which tore at Noriko inside. She sighed loudly, then blushed as she realized Sakura and Miyuki were looking at her strangely, wondering why on earth she was acting like that. She managed a smile, and "whew"-ed to herself when the sunny Miyu led them all off to the principal's office. She wondered again what was going on, why she and the two other girls were picked. She also wondered if that new counselor would be there. Perhaps he just wanted to get acquainted with the new students? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura stared at Miyuki as she...well, flirted with the boy. Well, *she* wasn't shy for one. Her cheeks flushed slightly again as she debated with herself what she could do with that startling revelation. Only to be interrupted by Noriko's sigh. (What IS it with that girl?) she wondered, looking at her curiously. Boy, she sure hoped she wasn't sick or something. Just then, Miyuki came bouncing back with the directions to the office. Patting Noriko on the shoulder reassuringly, Sakura moved off down the corridor, pasuing to smile again at Miyuki. (Hey, she reasoned. If it works...and that pink hair was quite attractive.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko stiffened a little at the sudden unexpected contact, then quickly tried to cover it with a smile in Sakura's direction. Inwardly, though, she was sure that Sakura, and Miyuki in turn, would get fed up with her total social and physical ineptness, and leave her alone again. Still, she had already found two friendly classmates, and it was just the first day. All she had to do was try her best to stop acting so wierd. If that were possible. Noriko looked up at the sign on the Principal's door, which was open a crack. She looked over at Miyuki. As the evidently brashest member of their little party, perhaps she'd go in first. Noriko certainly wasn't going to. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura stopped at the principal's door. She'd been in and out of enough schools to know what to expect - i.e, more lectures, so she stepped aside and gave her other two classmates a cheery "Dozou! Osakini!" with a slight giggle. Well, the school certainly wasn't THAT boring. She had met two new friends (sorta) and already one of them was pretty cute. Even if she had buttonholed that guy that they saw... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ USS Abraham Lincoln US Pacific 6th Fleet Vladivostock, Far East Russia ================================================================= The harbour is quiet as minimal shipping activity hums. Nearby USS Abraham Lincoln, one of the mighty Nimitz carriers docking majestically. In the bridge corridor, General Roderick is looking at the flight deck as it is busy with air traffic. Scores of F-22 and old F-18D cluttering the deck and the crew are dilligently attending the airbirds.... " General Roderick! Sir!" He turns around and found himself looking at a young Japanese ground forces officer. He is irritated when the customary Japanese habit of staring begans to take hold as the young officer is doing it now. And worse of all it is him is the business end. " Major Makoto Takashi, JSSDF. I am assigned to be your assistant in your new assignment, sir" followed by salute. " At ease, you can talk to me in Japanese" with suppressed smile. The Major smiles back " Thank you sir" He began to chew his cigar and looks again at the calm sea from the bridge pondering .... < Very young Japanese > Makoto hand a disc to the General. " Sir, this is the list of military assets of JSSDF ready at your disposal. I assume that the Assembly has given General sir a capacity of supreme commander in JTO ( Japan Theater of Operations ) and also can override any orders from JSSDF General Staff " Roderick nods slowly almost as if he never aware of it. For a while silence..... Makoto began to look closely at the war hero. The general's scar on right cheek is a result of his brief firefight with Serbian soldiers in 1994, his Leopard 1 MBT was plastered with several rounds of RPG-7s. His thoughts were suddenly stop as Roderick speaks. " Well, Major....let's board the bird. We can discuss more about coordination between UN forces and NERV whatever they have in store" Two figures walking to the awaiting SH-60 Seahawk. " Say who is the MARDUK liasion of NERV?" " Sir, that will Dr Inukage I think." " Inukage?...Hmmmm" murmurs Roderick. " Hey Rod!" He recognizes the voice, as he turns to look at the source he grins. "Admiral Green, hahahahha" " You bastard, leaving so soon?" The old greyish looking Admiral bellows while shaking Roderick's hand. " Yeah, I can't stand your ego so I have to run hehehhehe" joked Roderick as Makoto looks on sheepishly. The Admiral roars in laughter then he beckons Roderick to the more discreet corner of the flight deck. " Hey man, you know anything about NERV and EVA stuffs?" Green began to quiz. " Just public domain stuffs, more than that I can't positively say as you are not cleared for the infomartion." with a wink. Green groans. " Look, I already requested to UN for more reinforcements for JTO. There is no telling what kinda of _enemy_ we facing,nor we know about their origins, their composition etc etc..... in other words we know jackshit about them. One of my request item is stationing a US Pacific 7th Fleet near Tokyo Bay. I trust that Abe is on current attachment with 7th? Sure the list looks like a preparation of invasion of Japan but one can never to be too ready for anything. Hee. Besides you will be placed under my command technically." " Omigod....you?!" Admiral eyes rolled up. " I surely hope no more stunts like you did in Bosnia and Korea last time, eh? Can I count on that?" " Sure, besides I am a Canadian....the most up fenced people in the world." bantered Roderick and he suddenly looks at his watch. " Man, I better get my asses outta here. See you soon, Green." " Yeah, take care of your own ass you hear me!" "HAHAHAHAHAHHA, same to you too, old coot." As he riding the Seahawk with his aide at his side followed by a flight of F22s escorting him, Roderick took out a photo of his deceased family out of his pocket. The photo is worn out but the memory is still fresh for him. He puts it back, concertrating on his awaiting task. " Makoto" " Sir" " Arrange a meeting with Dr Inukage right after we arrive at Tokyo 3." Makoto nods furiously writing in his PDA taking dictation. " And of course I want to have defence inspection of JSSDF. Especially the Tokyo 3 defense and surrounding area. Also the evacuation procedure and the geographical tendencies of area. I want it ASAP on my PDA by 0900 tommorow Tokyo time." " Yes sir." After dictating notes, Roderick began to relax and looks out at the sea below, humming a classical music. As the Seahawk roars across the Sea of Japan, heading towards Kongo, Japanese cruiser. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu saw that Noriko looked like she felt she was about to be fed to the lions so she played along with Sakura's joke to show Noriko that there wasn't anything to worry about. "Doumo Arigatou!" Miyuki replied as if accepting a great invitation. Again there was a smile on her face as she hoped that Noriko might take the hint that there was nothing to worry about. Miyuki went in and politely spoke to the secretary. "Konnichi wa... we were suppose to report here" Miyu started to introduce herself but suddenly she realized she hadn't caught the names of the other girls. She hoped the secretary might already know who everyone was so she wouldn't have to look foolish about not knowing everyone's names. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The young woman behind the counter looked up at the three girls with a puzzled look that turned to realization seconds later. "Oh, yes; let me see... Hayakawa, Hosaka and Hoshino, right? "Yes, that's us;" Miyu volunteered again. "You can go right in, girls". Miyu went in first, followed by Sakura, who wondered if she'd have to drag Noriko along. "Good evening, girls" Miyu gasped; there, sitting directly across her in the principal's chair, was Dr. Inukage and the eyepatch that reminded her of how transient human life is. Noriko was almost shaking; although she was expecting the counselor to be there, there was something definitely not right. Sakura looked at her two companions; she'd come to expect the shock from Noriko, but Miyu was strangely silent. She was seemingly the only one to notice the older man standing next to the chair. "Are you the principal", she ventured. "Oh, not at all. Mr. Principal," the one-eyed man addressed the other "Could you please leave us alone?" "Certaninly, doctor; excuse me, young ladies", and the principal departed, defering authority to the younger man too naturally for him to be a simple counselor. "You must be wondering two things now." Inukage rose from the chair and sat nonchalantly on the desk's front edge. He gestured at the three empty chairs between him and the girls; they accepted the offer slowly. "One: what are we doing here? And two: what is _he_ doing here? Well; I'm here to answer the first question." Toshiro appraised the girls; he'd already gone over their files thoroughly, but he prefered to reserve his judgement until he himself had the chance to observe; and that he'd been doing all morning, monitoring the classroom from one of his previously installed microcameras, and also monitoring the girl's use of their laptops from his wiretaps. He still couldn't make a complete analysis, but he'd observed enough to make an educated guess. Miyuki; despite her outwardness, he'd noticed her expression when he had mentioned one of his favorite accounts of how he lost his eye. This girl probably wouldn't reach a high synch ratio on her first sortie, but he'd bet his other eye that she'd be able to erect the strongest Absolute Terror Field. Noriko; she was the typical nervous type; jumpy, edgy, terribly self-conscious... she was so aware of herself that she'd probably wear an EVA like a comfortable suit; once she got past the concept of synchronization. Sakura... she was the hardest to read of the three; she was sure of herself, though not so outward as Miyuki. Even if she didn't have a high synch ratio, her stance and balance told Toshiro of martial arts training, and she'd possibly be the best fighter of the three. "Well?", it was Sakura who asked. Toshiro smiled. "You remember how you received your scholarships?" "Ahh... the letter said... random selection." Noriko spoke, which surprised the other two. "I'll tell you the truth. The Marduk Institute's scholarship program is _anything_ but random. We made it look that way to draw suspicions away." "W...we? Are you...?" Miyu snapped from her trance. "Yes; I'm part of the Marduk Institute, though only you and the principal know about that; and what only _you_ will know is that my real work is to be the Marduk liaison agent for NERV." "NERV? That leaf symbol in some signs all over the city?", Sakura's turn. "Marduk is... sort of the recruiting arm of NERV". "Recruiting? We... then...", Noriko was feeling the weight of the appraising eye again. "Yes; the scholarship selection is a recruitment; you were chosen because you are amongst the most special human beings on Earth. Of all the inhabitants of our planet, your genetic profile enables you to pilot a new kind of weapon that will defend the whole mankind." Toshiro let his words sink in; disbelief was expected; protests too. He'd answer them all, and he'd take them to NERV. He was a little anxious; he'd only seen the schematics of the Evangelion units, and he was curious to see the actual giants. However, he knew he couldn't press the girls; he had several convincing arguments prepared. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura eyed the "Counsellor" (she was beginning to suspect something more) not warily, per se - but with a great deal of interest. There was that eyepatch, after all, and on closer inspection the man seemed to have something about him; some degree of calm and poise that your average run-of-the-mill school official wouldn't. She debated using her powers to check up on him, but decided against it. She disliked doing that anyway. Instead, she waited patiently for him to address all three of them. Noriko was fidgeting nervously and Miyuki staring straight ahead. Strange. She snatched a quick glance at the pink-haired girl. That wasn't like her. The counsellor started speaking right about then. Disbelief turned to a mixture of shock and finally, wondering acceptance - not, it was still mainly shock. A part of her thought that maybe Shiori-oneesama could have had something to do with this. She was always so kind and wonderful, but...mysterious, too. And there was that trip she took... Still, weapons to defend mankind? She was a decent fighter (alright, she amended, she was a good fighter) but this was a bit out of her league. And then all this about NERV - which explained the scholarship as well. She shook her head to clear it - she needed some answers. "Mr...umm...Inukage, why us? And what is this...weapon? I mean, we're just kids, basically." She fumbled for words - this wasn't coming out particularly well. "What I'm saying is that...what does NERV have to do with us?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko gaped silently. "S-sir! This must be a mistake! I...I mean, I'm sure I don't...um...belong in a recruiting program for saving mankind a-and piloting a...weapon!" she burst out. She whirled to face Sakura and Miyu. "My name must be in there by mistake! They're so...so...active and pretty!" Noriko looked back sadly at Dr. Inukage. "Not like me..." "Now, now", Toshiro sympathized with the bespectacled girl; his own little cousin had gone through a similar phase of self-demeaning very recently; he abandoned his sitting post and kneeled to look Noriko in the eye. "Your name is there for a reason; and it's not that your family name also starts with an 'H', funny coincidence, ne?" He smiled as he patted Noriko in the shoulder; apart from reassuring her, he was testing the girl's proxemics, her perception of personal space, and noted the distance his hand was at when she looked at it as if it was a coiled snake. "Besides," he added "Physical prowess has nothing to do with the selection process; and as for prettyness", he said as he sat again on the desk "Let me tell you that when I was your age I found girls with glasses irresistibly cute; even now a woman wearing glasses can get my heart skipping a beat; it's all a matter of opinion." Noriko moved back slightly from Dr. Inukage's hand, in an automatic, uncertain response. She relaxed a little at the comforting pat, though she still eyed the man warily, and blushed incredibly deeply at his words. "Ah...I...Inukage-san..." Miyu had sat stunned. She didn't watch the news and except for a few billboards she didn't even know the name Nerv. Now these people thought they were going to get her to fight? To pilot a weapon? TO KILL? It wasn't until Noriko's outburst that Miyu had her own. "What the hell does being pretty have to do with killing people!" Miyu's realized quickly that her anger was misdirected as she saw Noriko nervously looking at her. Quickly she found the correct target of her anger. Looking at that eyepatch gave her even more resolve. Noriko was suddenly cut off by Miyu's angry outburst...anger seemingly directed at her. She shrank back into herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. Tears started forming in her eyes, and she whispered, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean it like..." But her words were lost in Miyu's cold comments to Dr. Inukage. Noriko sniffled back her tears, and listened. "Dr. Inukage, please allow me to call the principal in here. I must inform him that I will be leaving this school. I am sorry to have wasted your time, and had I known that my coming her was dependant upon killing then I certainly would never have considered coming anywhere near this place." This was one of the few moments in her life when her weakness was actually a strenght. She didn't care that she was addressing an elder, or that she should have been treating him with respect. He was talking about her hurting people, and that she would not do. There was hatred in her eyes, and if she could have generated her own AT field she would have been doing it right now. Toshiro smiled inwardly as his preliminary conclusions were confirmed; he could almost perceive Miyu's hatred as a physical force; but he should be getting back to the play. His joviality disappeared as he walked past the chairs to open the door slightly, checking that no one would overhear; it was all a calculated act, even his worried sigh. "You must trust me on this; these weapons, the Evangelion Units, will _never_ be used against other nations or other people; I'd left my job as soon as I found out they did... what I'm going to tell you must never leave this room; it might soon be public knowledge anyway, but until then... look, I'm violating some of my non-disclosure directives by telling you this, but I feel it's important that you know. The Evangelions were built to defend humanity against an unknown invader." "What? You mean like aliens?", Sakura said unbelievingly. "I don't know; I'm not cleared for that information, but that's why you're so important for the future of mankind." "Eva... Evangelion?", Miyu mumbled. Inukage nodded; "NERV is in charge of developing and controling the Eva Project; we at Marduk have been looking for years for the Chosen Ones that would pilot them", he put a special emphasis on the nouns. "As for your original question, Hoshino-san; yes, we are well aware that you're kids; in fact, part of the uniqueness of this weapon is that adults can't even get it to turn on," not to mention they turn into goo or go insane, Toshiro thought to himself "It takes the special attunement of teenagers to interface with the Evangelion." "But, but...." Noriko was yet not comfortable with the idea that her entire species was depending on _her_ of all people "Isn't there someone else? I'm so... wrong for this..." With a slow shake of his head, Inukage continued. "No; you three are the only ones we've been able to find; and we've been at it for years. I understand that you're so nervous; but you'll understand a lot of things once you've seen the Evas down at NERV; the people there will explain things far better than I can." "'See' the Evas?", Sakura asked. "I have orders to take you to NERV HQ right now." "Why... should we believe you?", came the whisper from Miyu. "If you're afraid for your safety, the whole school knows you're here; and the principal knows you're coming with me. Again, I'll breach my directives and allow you a few minutes alone. Here, " he put his cellular on the desk "Use my phone to call your families and guardians; you must tell them we lost your admission applications and that you're filling them again, but you can give them my number, my name and that I'm from Marduk. If you accept being part in the salvation of mankind, only then can you tell them the truth." After a few moments of silence, he incorporated and headed for the door. "I'll give you ten minutes; then we must go. Please wait to see NERV for yourselves before making a decision. Either way." He exited, then popped his head back in with another of his jesting smiles. "Oh; if someone calls me; tell them I'm in the bathroom and I will get back as soon as I can". Toshiro Inukage closed the office's door behind him, putting a small earphone on; linked to the bug in his own cellular, and smiled diligently to the secretary as he sat down on one of the reception's chairs. Inside, the phone lay on the desk; a black spot that stared accusingly at the girls, as if daring each of them to be the one to take the first step. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu looked at the other two girls. She couldn't believe what she had heard. It was all just so ... so... insane! "Does anyone, even believe this? Martians are going to attack and we for some reason we are the only people who can fly the airplanes they are going to use to shoot them down? Geez I'm not even old enough to drive a car! What do I know about flying an Evangelion." Miyu had even less than rumors. She actually kind of liked those NERV billboards and that cute little slogan they had about 'God's in his heavens and all is right with the world.' That seemed kind of nice. She didn't know there was some military stuff behind it all. Miyu had also tripped herself up mentioning driving a car. It had been a car accident that had taken her mother and brothers lives. So with all the talk of weapons and deaths the reminder of what happened to them was a bit much. "Besides... how do they know I can fly their planes anyway? ... it's not like they gave me a pilot test or anything." Miyu's words were much weaker than they had been when she began her tirade. Piloting a plane, or driving a car, it was all the same to her. Associating the two brought back the memories of her family. She turned from Sakura and Noriko because she was fighting back tears, and she didn't want them to see her cry. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura was too dazed to register anything except surprise and astonshiment at Toshiro's announcement for some time. Her mind was whirling - NERV, EVAs and what, aliens? This was all too bizarre. All she was was a normal child with perhaps an interest in martial arts and all the normal things normal children liked. (That and a little bit more, sometimes at least...) Suddenly, Miyuki's protest broke rang out and she was shocked back into reality. She looked curiously at her - she was angry, positively furious. She'd been in enough tournaments to know true rage when she saw it and besides, she was picking up the residual waves of anger in her mind well enough. She wanted to leave school...? Sakura didn't know what to make of this. Noriko, predictably enough, was looking nervously from one to the other - out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Toshiro pacing and moving to close the door. She had to admit that in this case, she, like the other two, was probably lost. Apart from managing to ask a few questions, she really had no idea of what to do... NERV. EVAs. She was just a normal girl. But...the dreams. Yes. The dreams. Fire, and then hulking giants of -something- that dragged their long-limbed forms through the blazing inferno. Normal girls weren't psychic. And the sense of waiting, since long ago, until Shiori came. What did this all mean, she asked herself. Where was her onee-sama in all this? It seemed too much of a coincidence - what should she do? Then - "I have orders to take you to NERV HG right now." THAT brought her around. She couldn't wait any longer. She needed some sense of - well, she needed something to DO, something that would give her a handle on the situation. Concentrating, hoping the counsellor wouldn't notice her, she sent out a quick probe to his mind. She tried to make it as unnoticable as possible, more like a stray thought that anything else - just like she had practiced. She received a mental image, just a flash, but it was everything she needed to feel she wasn't welcomed in Dr. Inukage's mind. It was a large dog; a proud looking hound, it's jet-black features only betrayed by a single fiery amber eye. Wrapped in layers of shadows, Sakura knew instinctively she'd have to get past that dog -and whatever it symbolized-, to get anywhere near the counselor's mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dr. Inukage was describing how there was no mistake: she, Noriko Hayakawa, who was always the last picked in gym class and had trouble carrying her school books around, was one of a select few chosen to pilot a new weapon, defending humankind from alien invaders. She agreed with Miyu...it was ridiculous! She'd almost have suspected Dr. Inukage of being some sort of con-artist, preying on young schoolgirls...but for two things: her brother, who worked at NERV, and who told her little snippets of stuff (when he was allowed to) that at least didn't contradict what Dr. Inukage was saying, and the look somewhere deep inside the Doctor's one good eye. She didn't think he was lying to them...but he wasn't telling the whole truth. There was that matter about her family name starting with 'H', for instance. And, indeed, the principal seemed to know about Dr. Inukage. Noriko looked at the phone, then with an effort, she turned to Miyu, sitting next to her. She didn't forget the anger directed at her, though, and so didn't even make eye contact as she whispered, "My...my brother is busy at work. It...it won't matter where I am now...he won't be back until late anyways. I...don't need to use the phone." Then she curled back into the seat, feeling very overwhelmed and alone, and wishing she could write in her notebook. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As he was exiting, Toshiro felt that nagging sensation he'd felt when, once he'd fallen under suspicion during a mission, his objective tried to use hypnosis to question him, only to slide over the perfect mental conditioning he wove around his psyche each time he assumed a new identity. He shrugged the feeling away; though he made a mental note about it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura was now even dazed than before, if that was possible. (A vague part of her mind informed her that it was eminently so - her first tournament, for instance.) Her probe had gotten nothing more than a picture of a...dog...a, scary dog. And she was confused. As well as a bit worried. The high tension emotional states of the other two children had been picked up by her, and the slight images from both Noriko's and Miyuki's minds didn't contribute in the least to her general peace-of-mind and well-being. From Miyuki, there was pain - unclear, hazy, but still a definite sense of auguish. Noriko was simply nervous, but quite so. The phone. She was partially shaken out of her trance but it's presence, along with the other two girls speaking. It wasn't that she needed to use it; she had no immediate family or friends in Tokyo - and there was so much to think about! Firstly, that Inukage person; she hadn't gotten anything from him, and then there was this NERV matter (which, she realized, she would need to decide in all of 10 minutes) and... Concerned stares from the other two told that that she was spacing out. Shaking her head to clear it, she offered them a bright smile - faked, of course. As she gave a flippant comment about not needing the phone, her mind was still working...yes, she was afraid, worried over what might happen to her, but she needed to think about it. After all, this just might have something to do with onee-sama... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu still wasn't doing well, but it seemed that she was the only one who needed to use the phone. Nervously she picked up the phone. "Sumimasen" She apologized to her father for bothering him at work. "There seems to have been some error of some sort and it seems I must fill out a great deal of papers. I may not be home in time to make your dinner. Please pick up something so you will not be hungry. I will make a small snack for you later when I do get home." Miyu realized she was making plans. The whole situation scared her and there was even the possibility that she might not see him again. "...papa, I love you." Miyu listened for a moment longer then gently put down the phone. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at the other two girls. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko quickly looked away from Miyu's gaze, and distractedly found herself staring at Sakura. Sakura blinked back at her, questioningly, and Noriko jerked suddenly, blushed, and looked at the floor. She just wanted to go home. She felt sick inside, and had stopped caring about NERV weapons, or saving the world, or her new classmates. It was all too much for her:she'd been snapped at, things were happening too fast...and they were far too wierd. She needed to be comforted by her brother...but he wouldn't be back from the lab until after midnight, likely. Noriko sighed softly, almost a sob, and bit her lip. She sat in her chair, arms folded across her lap, and just waited. She hoped Dr. Inukage came back soon, to take them wherever it was he was going to take them, so she could go home all the sooner. She briefly thought about going to announce that she and the other girls were ready, but she didn't feel like getting up any more. She felt disconnected from reality, like she were cast adrift in a sea of antipathy...she wanted to write that phrase down in her notebook, too, but couldn't muster the strength. Noriko gradually tuned out the world around her... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Though with her own immediate concerns, Sakura didn't fail to notice the effect that this sudden turn of events had had on her friends. Poor Noriko was positively terrified, and by the looks of it, Miyuki wasn't fairing that well on her own either. NERV or no NERV, (she giggled a bit at the bad joke) she was going to have to do something about it. Turning to address both of them, she smiled with a fair bit of bravado - "Well, there's no use moping around like this, is there? Are we going to go or not?" She wished that, like the cliche, she felt quite as confident as she hoped that she sounded. This was like a tournament - but in this case there was no clear foe. Only this waiting. Noriko looked dully at Sakura. "O-okay" she whispered. Sakura shoved those thoughts from her mind. She could think about them later - why her probe had failed, this whole NERV and EVA business, what the hell was going on. Right now she needed at least a relatively clear mind for...well, whatever might happen. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko shook her head, trying to get herself out of the dark pool she seemed to be sinking into. This was not the time! There was something important, she remembered...Dr. Inukage said so. Dr. Inukage, who gave her one of the few compliments she had ever recieved in her short life. She blushed again, remembering, the red flush in her cheeks bringing odd stares from the other two girls. What was WITH her, they wondered? She then did something completely uncharacteristic. "M-maybe I should...g...go tell him we're...um...ready?" She clutched at her school bag, as though trying to cram all of the dark, sticky melancholy that coated her soul into it and away from her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu really didn't want the to call that guy back in. She really didn't want to see him ever again. He had already lied to her and caused her in turn to lie to her father. Of course there was all that insane stuff he was talking about so as far as she was concerned Dr. Inukage was just a weirdo. "Can you give me a moment... before you call him?" Miyu requested. Drying her eyes with a tissue, she started pulling herself back together. A few seconds later she rebuilt her illusion as she again looked like the happy bubbly girl that most people thought she was. If it were not a bit of redness in her eyes it would have been impossible to tell anything was ever wrong with her. Addressing Noriko she smiled. "I guess, I'm ready you can call him...and ... I'm sorry I snapped at you like that." It sound like she really meant it, at least the part about being sorry she had snapped at Noriko. The part about calling Dr. Inukage back however, was a bit more questionable. Noriko colored slightly. "Ah...it's okay..." she said softly, though the small smile on her lips showed that she felt a LOT better because of the apology. Perhaps Miyu was just tense, like she herself was. She wasn't a bad person after all... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ And just as the three were coming to accords with themselves, the phone rang. Miyus gasped. while Noriko dropped her bag and actually yelped. Two rings later, they somehow realized how funny it was and actually giggled; tension seeping from the air, though not disappearing completely. "That's mine, right?", Dr. Inukage popped his head in again. "Ah... yes... sorry", Miyu passed the phone to its owner. "inukage here... can you call back later? A meeting with me? When will he be arriving? Alright; I can meet him at 6:00pm tomorrow... Because I have important work here... that's just being processed. Okay; goodbye." He put the phone in his jacket. "Sheesh; not even because I'm carrying the possible saviours of mankind do I get some rest. Are you ready?", he rubbed his hands together, with a look of enthusiastic expectation. "I guess we are." Sakure ventured. Ten minutes later, they were all on board Inukage's car; a vehicle not fancy, but spacious enough for them all to sit comfortably. The one-eyed conselor had asked if the girls minded a little jazz and, receiving little response, had punched a tape into the stereo and was humming softly to a pleasant sax solo. "Ah, Dr. Inukage...?", Noriko asked from the back seat. "Can I... er... ask you something?" "Go ahead." "About... I'm sorry... about your eye? Was it true?", she was amazed at her own forwardness. Miyuki glared at her but, being sitting next to the bespectacled girl, the gesture was unnoticed. "Actually, no", he turned at her with one of his all-too-frequent smiles, "I was just satisfying your classmate's morbidity, he had that coming, don't you agree?" "It was too cruel." Miyuki blurted. "Maybe;", the psychologist answered as he slowed the car for a turn. "You can call it one of my personality flaws. When I had just lost it, my new classmates kept asking and making fun of it; it wasn't something I liked to talk about, so I invented a different story each time someone asked. I kept the practice; very few people really know about the actual cause." "I'm sorry... I d-didn't mean...", Noriko shrank back. "Don't worry; maybe sometime I'll tell you the truth. Meanwhile, you'll get to hear a lot of stories". They crossed several areas marked with the leaf symbol of NERV; some of them bore also the black and yellow stripes that meant warnings. "Do you have a dog?", Sakura asked a few moments later. "Now, that's a strange question, Hoshino-san; but no, I don't... why do you ask?". "No... no reason in particular", Sakura was occupying herself with the puzzle which's pieces were closer at hand. "You just look like a dog person, that's all." "My college nickname was 'The Hound', though." "Why's that?", ah, a clue. "Several reasons; one was my family name; you know, 'Inu'. Then I had the knack to always find my roommate's hidden stash of snacks", he paused as he followed an exit in the road. "And finally, and that's what most spooked my classmates, is that my eye, in special lightning, turns yellow; sometimes it even shines." "That's... weird", Noriko commented, a little more relaxed because of the trivial talk that kept the impending moment they'd see the Evas away from her mind. "It's not something I can control, but it got me a few dates now and then. Here we are, ladies; welcome to the Geofront." They had arrived at a series of closed blast doors, big enough to fit a trailer truck. There were four lanes, and on each was a machine that looked like the ticket dispensers at public parking lots. Dr. Inukage took an ID card from his pocket and inserted it into a slot in the machine. The door in front of them opened with a loud clang. "God's in his heaven; all's right with the world", he said as the car advanced into the entrance; or it could be, he thought, 'Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here', he shook the idea away and continued. "There's nothing like an electronic ID card to make you feel important... you'll have your own too, if you decide to join." He says it as if we had a choice, Miyu thought bitterly. "Now, prepare for one heck of a view, girls," The car was fastened by neumatic braces holding the tires, and the platform it stodd on began to descend. An eerie lighting filled the air, and there, out of a science fiction novel, was the Tokyo 3 Geofront, locked in eternal sunset. The three girls gawked; their predicament washed away by the incredible sight. Toshiro smiled to himself ruefully; enjoy the warmth while it lasts, he mused, because next stop is your first meeting with Ice Queen Commander Ayanami... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Noriko had spent the ride staring at Inukage-sensei, even managing to work up the nerve to talk to him a little. However, thoughts of the good Doctor were suddenly overwhelmed by the most amazing sight she had ever seen in her life. It was HUGE! The car was traveling along what seemed to be a long ramp, directly in the middle of a gigantic bowl. It was so huge that the bottom surface had it's own forest and lake, with ships floating in it. Noriko gaped, then was jostled as Miyu pressed against the glass to get a better look. Noriko tried leaning around the flowing pink hair to talk to Dr. Inukage again. "Wh-what is this? It's so...BIG!" she said in soft amazement, then immediately felt like an idiot for saying something so obvious. Dr. Inukage only looked at the girls in the rear-view mirror, and smiled indulgently, if a little wryly. "Don't worry, Noriko. I think everyone has that same reaction when they first see it. It is big, isn't it?" Noriko twisted around, trying to see better out of her window. Her efforts were made easier by Miyu shifting to press herself against the opposite window, to see what was out that side...incidentally pressing against Sakura as the pink-haired girl oohed and aahed. Neither of them noticed Sakura's blush. Noriko watched as they approached a large pyramidal building, in roughly the center of the "ground". She wondered where this giant cave came frome. Surely it couldn't have been dug out, it'd take forever!! She wanted to ask Dr. Inukage some more questions, but it looked like they were arriving at their destination. "Okay, ladies, everybody out! We're here!" she heard him say, but she was still lost in her thoughts...too lost to notice herself walking closer to Dr. Inukage than she otherwise might have. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Miyu looked around. The whole place was overwhelming. She started to wonder if she might not be wrong. Maybe the Evangelion thing she was suppose to pilot wasn't an airplane. It might be a spaceship! But anyway the whole place was very new looking and it felt very sterile compared everywhere she had been before. She was still nervous about the whole thing. Against her better judgement she decided to hang around the one familiar thing in the place, the girls from her class. Unfortunately Noriko was walking by that creepy Dr. Inukage so Miyu quickly decided to stay close to Sakura. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Sakura had a lot to think about during the ride. Besides being preoccupied with what she was getting into, there was the small matter of not being able to see into the Doctor's mind (a problem, she realized with no small amount of exasperation, that would not easily be solved) and basically just the general worry she had. However, she had never been one to mope for long - she also spent the time looking around NERV (which was huge) as well as sneaking covert glances at Miyuki and thinking about what little she had inadvertenly picked up from her mind. She frowned a bit at that - one problem with being psychic was that you tended to know, unconsiously, what other people were thinking when they were especially happy, or, in Miyuki's case distressed. She hadn't gotten anything clear, but what she had wasn't too reassuring. Ah, enough of this, Sakura told herself irritably. Sheesh, she was thinking too much. When she got back home she'd have a good workout and get all this out or her system. She looked about at the glass-paneled...ramp of sorts they were travelling on in interest. Hmmm, never seen one of these before. What was that up there - Oh my God is what people usually first think when they see an Evangelion. Sakura, having been so unfortunate (not really, actually) to have had Miyuki pressed up against her while she was looking at it, had the expected reaction delayed for a second. As her blush cleared, though, Sakura admitted that, well, "Oh my God" pretty well summed it up. The thing was BIG. Really really big. You know, the big that's big, not the normal size kind. And it was - Sakura craned her head to get a better view - in it's own way...vaguely familiar. Just ever so slightly. Inukage's words broke her concentration, and Sakura jumped out of the ramp to follow the others. Time to think of that later...and with Miyuki tagging along close by, the chance to start a conversation was too good to miss. "So, ummm...what do you think of this place?" Sakura mentally delivered the equivalent of her choicest twelve-hit combo to her psyche. SOME good pick-up line THAT was... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Luna Ayanami smiled. As smiles went, it was thin, and rather underdeveloped, but the feeling behind it was genuine. She had heard from Inukage... no message, of course, just the code telling her that all three of the Children were on their way. The project had been waiting for a long time. With any luck, it will not have proven to be too long. A muted from her desk's communit interrupted her thoughts. Luna turned, keying on her terminal... the person on the other end had their camera aimed a bit too high, but the purple hair at the bottom of the picture told her that it was Rokutanda. Well, the chief technician knew not to call unless he had something important... "Yes?" "Afternoon, Ayanami-shirei... lovely day, isn't it?" "Cut to the chase." Rokutanda coughed. "Ah, well, I just wanted to inform you that we finished the second docking facility. You want Eva 01 parked in it, I take it?" Ah, good news this time. They'd had some real trouble keeping the budget full, lately... well, not so much "full" as "not at zero", which it was rapidly approaching... but at least he'd managed to set up the second station. Luna seriously doubted that one Eva would be enough to work with, anyway. "Yes, of course." "Good! I'll get my crews over there... it shouldn't take us more than a week to get it into the cradle." Rokutanda fiddled with the camera, bringing his whole face into view. His features, always remarkably open, were now painted with sheer relief. Luna chuckled. "Belay that, Rokutanda. YOU have other duties today." "Other?" "Yes... you get to run a pilot orientation class." She watched as his Adam's apple worked in what had to be a deep swallow. "I... I have to run a class? Wait a minute... if I have to run a class... You found some pilots?" A bit of her exasperation leaked through her control and into her voice. "Yes." "But that's great! We can finally stop moving these things around by crane! Man, that took forever... how soon?" "They're on their way now." Rokutanda's face darkened. "You think they'll do better than the last..." "You have your orders, Tsutomu. Go." The technician formed a sloppy salute. "Yes, sir... ah, ma'am. Right away." The screen winked off. Luna allowed herself to grin. A nice person, really, Rokutanda was. Just a bit excitable, that was all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ She folded her cellular phone closed after several minutes of listening. She set it on her desk and pushed her chair back, rising out of it and walking over to the window overlooking the Command platform. She looked down at the people in it, busily working at their stations. She almost hated having to disturb their day... Hisano opened the communication speakers between the two rooms and she started speaking. "Switch the main screen to video feed A," she ordered. One of the technicians below did so, and after a moment of static, the image resolved. Gasps of shock came from many of the crew. The moving creature in the middle of the screen shocked even the head scientist into silence. "I want confirmation in ten minutes," Luna continued. The preliminary simulations had targeted the computers at confirming Angel Status in ten minutes or less. The technicians worked hard for the next few minutes. Finally, one stood up, staring at her computer screen. "Angel Status confirmed!" she shouted into the general noise going on. Luna felt a corner of her mouth twitch. "The pilots are coming?" she asked of Hisano. "Yes," he agreed. "Security checked them through not too long ago." "Very well." She spoke through the comm channel to the Command platform again. "Prepare Evangelion Units 00, 01 and 02 for combat." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Authors: Zhou Tai An, Luna Ayanami, Andy Kent Alex Melchor, Desiree Nehr, K. A. Pezzano, Dendrobium Stamen