All characters copyrighted by Gainax, not me.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
In this fic, Yui Ikari is NOT part of Unit 1.  If you have a problem with
this, don't read.

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        Misato put her hand to Ritsuko's shoulder, trying to stop the
bleeding.  When the control center was first broken into, Ritsuko had been
shot by the UN forces.  It was only an advance scout so when Kaji and
Misato opened up with their pistols, nobody was there to save the young
man's body from being riddled with bullets.  Ritsuko whimpered a little
when some disinfectant was applied.
        "Oh, be quiet you big baby; it's not that bad," Misato said.
Ritsuko only looked at her friend with venom in her eyes.
        "It would if you were in my place...arggh! Stop that, I'm fine!"
Ritsuko said through clenched teeth, and she cast a glance around the large
room.  "How goes the fortifing?" She was referring to the attempt at making
to room inpenetrable.  Misato followed her friend's gaze around the room
and didn't like what she saw.  Pistols and automatic rifles were being
handed out to every staff member.  As a policy, all employee's of NERV had
to be checked out on a firing range; though none ever thought that they
would need to use it.  Guards now stood at every door and possible
enterance.
        "It's going, but remember, this room was designed to withstand a
seige from all enemies.  We've got guns, ammo, and all the needed things,"
Misato said.
        "Needed things?  You mean food and beer?" Ritsuko tried for a joke
and winced a little when Misato tore off a strip of her lab coat to tie
around the injury.  Misato laughed a little.
        "Yup!" she said while looking around.  Maya looked a little out of
place with a pistol, but she wore a grim face.  Kaji was handing out the
rifles from an armoured cabinet.  Misato briefly considered the idea that
he was not on their side; that he was still a spy, but soon dismissed it.
Then she looked up at Commanders Fuyutsuki and Ikari, who looked like they
were bored, even through their heated discussion.  'Probably just a facade
the put up to give confidance,' she thought.  Fuyutsuki noticed Misato
looking at them and said as much to the commander.
        "She's looking at us, Ikari.  Who do you think ordered this?"
        "The answer is obvious, it was Seele who did this.  Who else has
the power to order such a thing?" Commander Ikari replied.
        "Yes, but _why_ would they do such a thing?" Fuyutsuki asked, more
perplexed about the whole thing than ever.
        "I suspect it has something to do with the development of the
project.  They still refuse to understand that without Unit 1 in operation,
the project _can't_ go on.  The old men are probably unhappy at having to
revamp their scenario so many times," the Commander answered and Fuyutsuki
laughed at their running joke.
        "But, _what_ are we going to do about this?  We can't hold out forever."
        "No, but we can hold out long enough to completely destroy the
project, if need be."
        "You...your n...not serious, are you?!"  But one look from the
Commander told Fuyutsuki all he needed to know about the Commander's
seriousness.
        "The project, the Main LCL Plant, Terminal Dogma, everything.  You
and I both know what will happen if Seele has it's way, and that outcome
must be stopped at all costs; you know that," Commander Ikari said, gazing
right into Fuyutsuki's eyes and in that moment of time Fuyutsuki knew the
Commander was right; Seele's ideas and plans for the project must not be
allowed to proceed.
        "You're right, Commander.  But what do they hope to accomplish by
attacking?"
        "They may be hoping to remove the project from the Geofront, that
way they could monitor it's progress on their own.  But you and I both know
that would only delay, perhaps destroy it.  Unit 1 and all the other items
are here."
        "What if that's not what they're planning?  What if it's something
else?"
        "Then I have no idea what it may be," Commander Ikari said.  He
looked up to see Kaji proffer a pistol at him.  He accepted it wordlessly,
even though he hadn't fired one in years.  There was no need.  Fuyutsuki
opened his mouth to ask something else, but was cut off by Shigeru.
        "Sir!  Even though the main power's been cut off, the backup's are
functioning enough to power the external camera's and sensors.  We're
detecting something," he said.
        "Is there still enough power to put it up on the main screen?"
Commander Ikari said.
        "Yes, sir," Maya replied while doing it.  The image that was
projected was the open sky.
        "Zooming in," Makoto said.  The image slowly enlarged in size until
the nine dots became visible.  Then the image jumped in size so the leading
dot became recognizable.  It was gleaming white, humanoid, but with a pair
of wings extending out of it's back.  It had a long, wide blade, the weapon
was longer than the thing itself.  But most recognizable feature was the
things head, long and serpentine and curved.  Then the others came into
veiw.  Eight of the things had their's curving up, while one had it curving
down.  Misato found her voice before anyone else.
        "What the _hell_ are they?!" she asked.  Commander Ikari replied,
almost loosing his composure.
        "I'd say that they were the UN forces' backup and the insturment of
our destruction.  Zoom in on one's shoulder," The Commander ordered.
Shigeru obeyed, and everybody suddenly felt cold as ice when the image
enlarged and focused on the writing of the shoulder.  It had a large 9 on
it, and below that "Mass Prod" was written.  Everybody knew that Eva's 5-13
were being used against them.  "Well, it seems that we are out numbered,"
Commander Ikari stated.
        "Call the pilots!" Misato yelled.
        Meanwhile, miles away from the base and conflict, one of the pilots
was having a discussion with himself.  "You idiot!  What were you
thinking?" Shinji was thinking back to his kissing Asuka.  He continuted to
berate himself out loud until he heard a mild clapping from behind him.  He
turned around to see Asuka standing there.
        "You're finally getting the idea, Idiot Boy.  I see that my
'hand'iwork is still present on your face," she said with a grin.  It got
wider as red spred across his face, matching the pair of fading hand prints
on his cheeks.  He was sitting in one of the chairs in their living room,
she sat down on the couch, facing him.  "Why did you do that if the
Commander didn't put you up to it?"
        "I told you, it was repay-"
        "No.  You don't have the spine for something like that.  So tell
me, why?"
        "To get your attention," he replied after a moment of thinking.
        "You could have done hundreds of other things, why did you kiss me?"
        "It seemed like the best course of action."
        "Or maybe you were waiting years to do that to me."
        "Now why would I want to do that?"
        "Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?"
        "Look, Asuka, stop with the third degree!"
        "Why?  This is just repayment for the kiss!" Shinji fought hard to
keep his anger down, then he thought of another question.
        "Why did you take so long to slap me if you hated it?" he asked.
        "I never said I hated i..." Asuka trailed off as she realized that
she just admitted to maybe liking him kissing her.  Shinji's eyebrows
raised.
        "Asuka, did you miss me when I left?" he asked after a few moments.
Toji's words came back to haunt Asuka, 'If you hated him so much, why were
you so broken up at having him leave?  For that matter, why did you smile
at him?'.  Asuka reminded herself that she'd never answered him, she had
told herself then that it wasn't worth the energy to answer.  Now she
thought that maybe she didn't answer because she didn't want to know the
truth.
        'Why did I smile at him?' she asked herself.  'Did I miss the jerk?
Nahhhhh, not possible.  They why did I take so long to hit him?  Did I
want him to kiss me?'  The last thought horrified her.  It meant that she
wanted him!  She hadn't wanted anyone other than Kaji...and her parents.
She didn't want to think about her parents.
        "Well, as you look like you don't want to answer my questions, I
shall leave you," Shinji said and he turned around, going for his room.
Asuka made up her mind, disgusted by the way she was thinking, but knew
that it was the right course of action; that, and she wanted to do it.  She
_had_ missed him.
        "Ohhh, Shinji," she said in a sweet voice.  She watched with
interest as he snapped straight and slowly turned around to face her.  He
wore an expression of fear on his face.  Before he left, Asuka had only
used that tone of voice when she planned on tormenting him in some
dispicable manner, and it didn't seem that she'd changed much in the last
three years, other than by becoming _very_ pretty.  Beautiful, even.
        "Y...y...yes, A...Asuka?" he asked in a shakey voice.  She had an
odd look in her eyes just before she walked up to him.  She stood eye to
eye with him and gazed with her vibrant blue eyes into his dark blue ones.
Shinji figured that, for some reason, she was gathering up her courage.
Then in a flash she covered his mouth with hers.  Shinji's eyes slowly got
wider as he realized what was going on, then he did the unexpected; he
responded to her. It was as if three years of reined-in feelings suddenly
burst free of their bonds and ran amok!  The kiss grew deeper and deeper,
until neither of them expected to get out of it.  But all too soon the kiss
broke and they looked at each other with silly grins.
        "Those are my answers," she said, still grinning ear-to-ear.
Shinji had no idea what she was talking about.
        "Huh?  What?" he managed to get out as he was still trying to
digest what had just happened.
        "If I missed you and why I took so long to slap you; yes I did miss
you, and I liked you kissing me.  Those are my answers," she said, finally
able to get it out.  For three years, maybe more, she'd denied herself the
truth.  She liked Shinji.
        It took a minute for Shinji to realize that now he'd twice called
her beautiful.  Then he realized something, he _liked_ Asuka, far more than
he liked any friend that he had.  He stepped back for few moments, just
looking at the girl standing in front of him, with a silly grin to match
his own.  Then he laughed out loud.  It started as a small chuckle and
turned into full-blown mirth.
        "What?  What's so funny?" Asuka demanded, though not as forcefully
as she would have a few weeks ago.  Shinji waved a hand and tried to catch
his breath.  "Shinji..." she said dangeously low.  Then he sobered up and
looked her square in the eye.
        "At least this time I could breathe, as I didn't have a hand
holding my nose shut!"  Asuka blushed at the memory, as it was she, not he,
that initiated the contact that time, even though it was only to waste
time.
        'Did I want him to kiss me back then?'  She closed her eyes, trying
to remember the feeling of having his lips touching hers like they did a
few moments ago.  She heard a grunt of pain from in front of her and opened
her eyes just in time to see Shinji fall to his knees, clutching at his
head.
        Shinji was enjoying himself by watching Asuka's face take on a hue
close to her plug suit when his head suddenly started trobbing painfully.
The throb got worse and worse until it felt like his head was swelling.  He
could feel a small drop of blood trickle out of his nose, and for a moment
he thought that he could see the dark cloud from the entry plug.  He could
feel...something.  It wasn't human, whatever it was.  Then he heard a voice
calling.
        "Shinji...Shinji...Shinji...come to me...we must be together," the
inhuman voice chanted over and over again  In that moment Shinji knew that
he and his father were right about Unit 1.
        "Stop it!  Stop it!  Stop calling me!  I don't want to fight!  I
don't want to hurt anyone!  Please, stop!" he yelled.  The voice stopped.
For a moment he thought that it was his imagination, but then he heard
Asuka's voice shouting at him.
        "Shinji!  Shinji what's going on?" Asuka yelled, worried about him,
and she momentarily thought about that feeling in regards to young man in
front of her. Then she ran to him, and grabbed on to his shirt.  "Stop
what?" she asked, perplexed.  Then he stopped shouting and rose from his
knees.
        "I'm fine," he said, trying to sound calm.
        "No, you're not.  You just don't collapse to your knees in pain,
yelling at someone to stop, and still be fine.  Tell me what's wrong," she
asked, deciding that even though she's revised her opinion about him, he
was still an idiot.
        Shinji, for his part started open his mouth to tell her that he was
fine again, but then he looked into her eyes and he started to loose
himself in those deep orbs, and suddenly didn't have the heart to lie to
her.  But he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth, for fear that it
would make her worry.  Already his thoughts about her, and what he would do
to her, were changing with his feelings.  Unable to decided to lie or tell
the truth, he settled on a comprimise.
        "I don't know," he said sadly, wiping the drop of blood away from
his face.  "You surprised me, you know.  I didn't think you'd show such
concern for me," he admitted.  Asuka was silent for a moment, considering
her answers.
        "I'm surprising myself these days," she responded.  Shinji's
response was cut off by two cellular phones ringing.

end part 11
Cory Holmes
gholmes@rodeo.sd27.bc.ca
K Yee and Joshua Stanczak.
Special thanks to:
Anthony Woo, Shachihoko, Brian Yaple, JLee100441, Micah Potasnik, and
Curtiss R. Nelson for answering my pesky questions.

Cory Holmes
gholmes@rodeo.sd27.bc.ca