N.G.Evangelion - When Angels Deserve to Die

Chapter Nine:

Shinji sat at the table, along with Touji. They were playing a game of cards when Rei and Alexia re-entered the apartment.

Alexia gave a faint smile to both boys. Kensuke was reading a book in another corner trying to get some homework done.

Shinji looked over his cards, as Touji did the same. The air was tense...full of electricity...then, Touji spoke.

\"Got any fours?\"

Alexia took the seat Kaji had used earlier and watched the game.

Shinji shook his head. \"Go Fish..\" Touji slapped his hand on the table in frustration.

Kensuke looked up at her and Rei. \"You have to admit, it is a little quieter in here now.\"

Alexia nodded.

Rei looked around. \"where are the others?\"

\"They haven\'t stepped out of the rooms yet. Misato\'s with . K. Kaji and Asuka are...\" He nodded to Asuka\'s room

\"oh.\"

Jack finished the water, then contemplated the blood. \"I can\'t believe I vomited up that much of it...\" he said quietly.

Asuka entered looking a little puffy eyed. \"So.. Where\'s he?\"

Shinji pointed. \"Bathroom...he was vomiting something...\"

Asuka paled.

Touji commented, \"Did he eat anything since he left the hospital?\" as he drew a card.

Shinji thought. \"I didn\'t see him.nd bnd before that he was asleep...and I don\'t think you can vomit up stuff from an IV..\"

Alexia hid her face in her bear as she felt something pulling on her arms. /It\'s not me... they\'re repairing one of the Evas... They\'d have to be.... It\'s not as strong as in Dogma though.../

The silence that had filled the room was interrupted by Alexia\'s stomach growling. \"I\'m sorry.\"

Shinji smiled. \"That\'s okay...once everyone\'s ready, we\'re gonna eat...\" He looked over his cards. \"Any tens, Touji?\"

She nodded. Asuka looked at her. \"A teddy bear?\"

Angered eyes flashed at Asuka.

\"KUSO!\" Touji took the card out, and tossed it at Shinji, who caught it with two fingers. \"Man...why do you always win this game?\" Shinji shrugged, and put down his pair.

\"Great... I\'m stuck with a loudmouth who can\'t take a hit... Wondergirl, boy blunder and a baby.\" Asuka muttered, falling into another chair hoping Kaji hadn\'t heard he
Ke
Kensuke looked at her. \"Asuka, lay off them.\"

Kaji sat down behind Shinji, and took a bite of the piece of poccy he had with him. \"So, who\'s winning?\"

Alexia softened her glare when Kaji entered the room. The man had shown concern for her wellbeing back at the elevator when Fuyutsuki had seen them.

Asuka caught the look the American girl was giving him and scowled. /He\'s mine, I\'m not letting an American take him.../

Touji grumbled, \"Shinji....again...\" and then checked his cards. \"Fives?\" Shinji smiled, and handed over the card. Touji grinned, and set down his pair. \"Sugoi.\"

Alexia looked at the floor, thinking, listening to the game.

\"Hey...when\'s the food going to be ready?\" Jack\'s voice came from the bathroom.

\"It\'s ready now. Just waiting for you and Misato!\" Kensuke replied.

\"Blah....well, does anyone have a mop?\"

Misato muttered she\'d get it and came into the main room. She passed the others, grabbing the mop.

\"Man...what a mess of blood...\" Jack could be heard commenting.

\"Good thing dinner isn\'t made with red sauce.\" Misato replied.

Alexia heard them and paled more.

Shinji blinked, then looked through his cards. \"Eights?\" Touji shook his head, grinning. He sighed, then drew a card.

Jack could be heard laughing, then coughing for a moment. \"Ow...my throat hurts...now I know how a pornstar feels..\"

Misatoghedghed this time.

\"Ew... I\'m not hungry now.\" Asuka started back for her room.

Shinji went red, and Touji coughed the words Yaoi Wonder before getting smacked in the head by a pillow. \"Who did that?\" He looked around, then saw... \"Ayanami?\"

Alexia stood going out onto the balcony needing some air.

Rei resumed sitting with her hands folded in her lap.

Kaji continued to watch the game with some amusement, evident by the grin on his face.

Misato sighed. \"Man, now we\'re all wet...\"

\"Pfffft...you call this wet?\" came Jack\'s voice.

\"Careful, wouldn\'t want to put that in there.\" Misato said, hoping it sounded bad to the others, esspecially Kaji.

\"Why not? Maybe I want to..\"

\"We don\'t have time though.\"

Touji\'s noise erupted in a mild gush of blood, and he fell back to the floor.

Shinji was twitching slightly, and Kaji was, for once, slack-jawed.

Kensuke looked up puzzled... \"They\'re not doing what I think they are….are they?\"

\"Always in a rush...fine...\"

Touji twitched violently, and Shinji looked like joining him in a nosebleed fest.

Alexia was blushing slightly.

\"What is it with boys wanting to go slow?\"

Kaji still had a blank, dazed look on his face.


\"Don\'t make me get serious..\"

She swatted his rear to get him to get up. \"Doubt you could little boy.\"

\"You doubt my manliness? Why you...I\'ll show you!\"

\"Bet that was a mouthful.\" She winked at him.

\"You..you...minx...\"

\"So I\'ve been told.\" She motioned for him to get into the hallway as she reached for a disposable camera in the medicine cabinet.

\"Well, it fits.\" He nodded, and slowly made his way out, not making a single sound, a grin on his face.

She moaned dirtily as she exited the room, ready to snap the picture.

Jack had his hand over his mouth, and was leaning softly against the wall where no one could see him.

She snapped the shot as she came into view, fighting back laughter.

Jack burst out laughing, and started rolling around on the floor as soon as the flash had died down.

Alexia looked in at them.

Shinji\'s left eye twitched uncontrollably, and he had that look on his face.

Alexia looked at Jack. \"You could have milked it a little more though... That\'s why you\'ll never be a porn star.\" She quipped in her quiet voice

Jack stared at her, thhrewhrew a balled up tissue at her. \"Shush, you!\" he grinned.

She caught the tissue and tossed it in the garbage, still holding her bear close.

Kaji sweatdropped, and Touji twitched in place, looking like something that had been electrocuted.

\"They\'re dead man...\" She grinned, going to help Kensuke revive Touji.

Jack sat up against the wall, and shook his head, still grinning. \"Man, you guys are so easy.\"

\"Asuka got sick though.\" Alexia said, not bothering to check on the girl. She was still upset at the German girl making fun of her and her bear.

He shrugged. \"She can\'t take the heat...score Asuka: 0, Jack: 2.\"

Alexia nodded hugging the bear tight again. Kensuke slapped Touji to snap him out of it.

\"..Whuuzat?\" the dark-haired boy muttered.

\"It\'s time to eat.\" Kensuke smiled. \"And Alexia helped, so it should be good. How could a pretty girl cook bad?\"

Shinji coughed, \"*Cough*Misato*Cough*\"

Kaji snickered softly, along with Shinji at that remark.

Misato bopped him on the head. \"I can cook just fine..\" She gave Kaji a glare.

Shinji rubbed his head. \"Ow...yea...if you want bad instant curry..\"

Kaji made the \'who, me?\" gesture, grinning.

\"I\'ve never had curry.\" Alexia said softly. \"They wouldn\'t let me have anything other than salads and the occasional pasta dishes...\" She said chewing on her lip. \"Though the meat ones tasted bad to me. I like vegetarian meals.\"

\"We\'re going to have to introduce you to stuff then.\" Kensuke grinned. \"Will you be going to school like the rest of them?\"

\"I do not know.\" She responded.

Jack shrugged. \"I dunno if I\'ll be going to school for a while...\"

\"They\'re going to need some rest first. As well as Rei.\" Misato said looking at them. \"Where\'s Asuka?\"

Rei began reading something intently, as Touji sat up slowly. \"I had the most horrible dream...\" he said softly.

\"Hey, who has my movie?\" Jack suddenly said, glancing over at Rei. \"Ack! She has my movie! Gimme!\" He lunged for it, only to get a face full of chair when she moved over slightly. \"Ack....\"

\"Can we eat something? I haven\'t eaten since yesterday morning.\" Alexia said calmly.

Shinji, still rubbing his head, nodded. \"Let\'s eat dinner, alright?\" Touji stood, and rubbed his head, nodding.

Kensuke grabbed Jack and moved him for the table. \"Rei won\'t damage it.\"

Jack twitched. \"Ow...my face...\" he said as he sat down. Kaji and Touji also sat, as Shinji started to get the food on plates.

Alexia looked at it and smiled. \"Looks really good. How is it you say thanks... Domo arigatou?\" She asked looking up at the others.

Misato took her plate. \"Thanks, Shinji.\"

Rei continued to look at the movie case, almost entranced by the shining foil. Shinji nodded, and set the rest down, and rummaged through the freezer. \"Uh...all we have...is beer..\"

\"I made juice.\" She pointed over to the pitcher full of orange kool-aid and ice. \"I had some kool-aid packets in my gear. Fuyutsuki got them for me the last time they visited me in America.\" She said calmly.

Asuka walked into the kitchen. \"I\'m only eating to be polite.\" She chose a seat away from Jack and Alexia.

Kensuke lipped \'polite?\' to Touji and Shinji.

Shinji shrugged, and Touji snorted. Jack chose to come out of his slight stupor, and flick a pea at Asuka. Kaji sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Rei eventually joined them, the DVD case still clutched to her chest.

Alexia gave Jack a glare. \"Behave \'Yaoi wonder\'.\"

Jack rolled his eyes. \"Well, if she\'s going to be a grouch, I\'m leaving.\" He pushed his chair back, and stood up. He gave them a slight wave, and headed for the apartmes dos door.

Misato looked at her then him, wondering where the nickname came from. \"Jack, sit back down. You\'ll be a team from now on, so deal with it.\"

Jack snorted. \"I don\'t have to deal with a person who makes me vomit up blood for five minutes...I LIKE my life, and if I have to, I\'ll spend the rest of it in a small cell rather than put up with her and her attitude.\"

Alexia looked at him. \"Please, Jack.. Stay, I need someone else to talk too...\"

Jack picked up the emitters in the living room, and pocketed them. \"I\'d like to....but I can\'t...because of SOMEONE being a pain, and reticent. Unless she apologizes, I\'m leaving, and I don\'t just mean the apartment...after all, three EVAs, five pilots...who needs more that four?\"

Misato looked at Asuka, who said nothing. \"Asuka, you don\'t apologize I\'ll take your Eva away from you.\" Misato warned. \"Alexia\'s trained, she can be the new pilot.\"

Kaji and the others sat there, poking at the food in front of them quietly. Rei looked down at hers, unmoving. She opened and closed her hand, and Jack\'s did the same, to his mild annoyance.

\"What? The baby?\" Asuka scowled. \"Fine, I\'m sorry.\" She said falling back in her seat. Alexia stood apologizing.

\"I don\'t feel the loooooooooove...\" he teased, hand on the doorknob.

\"If I\'m a burden, fine, I\'ll leave.\" She brushed past Jack and out the door.

He blinked. \"Guess you\'re back down to three again.\" He also left, softly humming.

Misato glared at Asuka. \"Go to your room.\" With that she went to go catch up with the two. “Jack, Alexia - wait.\"

Shinji remained silent, his hands in his lap. Touji shared a look with Kensuke, and Rei said nothing.

Jack was walking down the steps to the street below, still humming loudly. His hands in his pockets, he looked both ways and went to cross the street.

Kensuke looked at Touji. \"Maybe we should get going...\" He said figuring it was a NERV situation and they\'d get in the way.

Then, a flash of headlights could be seen, and a car screamed into view, bearing down on him like a bat out of Hell...Jack somehow oblivious to it.

Misato made it to the street. \"Jack!\"

He looked back, then stopped, almost in the path of the car. There a sua sudden flicker...a shimmer of air...then half the car was gone, torn away as it smashed into a hexagonal energy field.

Misato yelped, stepping back. \"What the...\"

Inside the apartment, Rei\'s head slumped, and she fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Alexia had gone to the roof hugging her bear. She saw the field and paled.

Kensuke caught her before she fell.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Alexia\'s eyes fluttered and she fell to the ground.

Jack stared at the mess. \"What the...no way...\" He reached out where the field had been. Nothing. Then he opened his hand, feeling nothing. Then it hit him. \"Holy....THE TEST!\"

Kensuke shook her. \"Rei? Ayanami, come on wake up...\"

Kaji looked down at her, frowning. \"That\'s strange...\"

Misato looked at him. \"Rei and Alexia...\"

Shinji looked at him. Kaji continued. \"Her lips...they\'re saying \"holy...the test.\'\"

Kensuke looked up. \"What happened during the test?\"
zeromutoh: Jack got out of the street, and saw the person driving get out of the remains that had continued down the street. \"This...is not how this is supposed to work..\"

Kaji frowned, and Shinji looked away. \"At the same time, two AT Fields were generated....by Rei and Jack...then all of a sudden, their bodies reacted more negatively, and they ended up in the infirmary...\"

Misato nodded. \"Let’s get back inside.\"

Jack had a worried look on his face. \"Why...Before I left, my hand opened and closed...only I didn\'t do it....\"

Misato nodded.

\"What happened...after the test..\"

“You and Rei were in synch... Breathing and twitches.\" She answered. \"Ikari said he had trouble with Alexia in his office at the same time.\"

\"Crap...well....from the looks of it...we\'re STILL in synch...\" He moved his hand, focusing. At the same time, Rei\'s hand moved in the same way, brushing against Kensuke\'s arm.

Kensuke flinched slightly and moved her up off the floor. \"Hm... Where was Alexia when you were testing?\"

Alexia moved ten seconds after them, as if lagged.

Back with the EVAs the blue and white one twitched at the same time as Alexia. It went unnoticed.

Kaji shrugged. \"Possibly with Ikari..she was nowhere near the others..\"

Jack sighed. \"Well, this\'ll probably pass..\"

\"....cold.....trapped....\" Alexia whispered twitching. Her bear fell from the roof landing on the walk as Misato and Jack got there.

Jack bent down, and picked up the stuffed animal. \"She\'s one the roof...and there\'s something wrong..there has to be...\" He commented. \"Where\'s the stairs that lead up?\"

\"Between our apartments.\" Misato started up the steps.

Jack nodded, and went for the stairs after her, holding the bear in the crook of his arm. \"There she is!\"

Alexia was shivering. Her eyes were closed tight. \"...Cold... too cold.....\"

Jack went over to her, poking her. At the same moment, Rei poked Kensuke, her eyes still closed, and her breathing slow.

\"Ow!\" Kensuke gasped.

Touji blinked. \"Something about this whole thing is creepy.\"

Alexia\'s eyes flashed open and she moved to bat him away from her.

Rei’s EVA moved as if batting something away, breaking free of one restraint.

\"Calm down...calm down...\" he soothed, rubbing her arms. \"It\'s okay...it\'s me, Jack...remember Jack? The idiotic American?\"

Alexia calmed some and hissed holding her arm. \"Hurts...\" Her arm was starting to redden as if she had hit it against something.

Misato watched. \"What in the world\'s going on...\"

Jack looked down at it. \"Something really fucked up, obviously....I\'m thinking those sync tests were a bad idea...\"

\"But she wasn\'t part of them... Why would it be messing her up?\" Misato moved closer as Alexia held her sore arm shivering.

Alexia shoved Jack away from her as her eyes glazed over.

\"Ack!\" he stumbled, falling and landing on his back, before rolling over on his face. Inside the apartment, Rei\'s body jerked and smacked against Kensuke, knocking him down. Her head laded on his thigh, then she rolled over...

Kensuke blushed. \"Um.... Guys....\"

Touji started snickering, then returned with the camera. \"Say cheese...\"

Kensuke reddened more. \"That\'s not funny, Touji!\"

Shinji rolled his eyes. \"Okay...this is getting stupid...\" He got up and went for his room to clean up the mess made by Hurricane Jack.

\"Yeah it is.\" CLICK.

Ikari was on the lift to the cages, a frown on his face. There had been some kind of disturbance that had knocked out all the cameras. So he had decided to go down and take a look. It was probably yet another bug in the system...

Alexia stood perfectly still.

Jack got back up, wiping his face. \"What now?\" he asked lamely.

Misato went to her.

Ikari made his way down, and saw something odd. EVA-00 had ripped free of a restraint. /Stupid technicians....you can\'t trust them to do ANYTHING right./

\'Eyes\' focused on Ikari. The other arm ripped free.

Alexia moaned as her other arm started to redden.

Gendo backed away, cursing. He\'d walked into another Beserker incident, only this time there was no Dura-Bakelite, and no walls between him and the angry EVA.

The Eva moved to squish him.

Gendo pulled out his gun, and opened fire at it, as he ran for the lift doors.

Alexia took a step closer to Jack, her mind seeing him as Gendo Ikari. She jerked slightly as the Eva was hit. \"No... don\'t... you imprisoned us..... Want... want free.....\"

Jack met her, moving forward, and catching her in a bearhug, pinning her arms to her sides. He started shaking her slightly. \"WAKE UP!\"

The Eva fell silent as her head rolled forward.

All of a sudden, Rei\'s eyes snapped open, and she said \"wake up.\" Then she blinked, and saw where she was. \"how did I get here?

Kensuke blushed. \"I.. .I caught you when you fell..\"

Gendo slumped back against the lift doors, sweating. He wiped his brow with the back of one gloved hand, and hit the intercom button. \"I...want EVA-00 resecured immediately.\"

Rei blinked. \"why is my head...?\"

\"I didn\'t do it... Honest....\" He gulped, expecting her to hit him.

She blinked once more, and then tried to get back up, only to slip and fall on top of him.

Alexia\'s eyes started to open. \"What... Jack... Jack you\'re hurting me..\"

Jack let out a sigh. \"Well, you\'re creeping me out. So fair\'s fair.\"

Misato blinked. \"How\'d your arms get hurt, Alex?\" She asked, moving to take the girl so Jack could get up.

\"Restraints... snapped...\" She shook her head. \"I don\'t know what that means... I\'m scared... What\'s going on?\"

\"Damned if I know...\" Jack supplied, sitting on the roof.

Alexia whimpered slightly. \"Asuka didn\'t see that, did she? She\'d think I was more of a freak..\"

Jack rolled his eyes. \"We....are...on...the....roof.\"

Misato looked at her. \"Don\'t worry what Asuka thinks. She thinks she\'s an adult, but she\'s still really just a child.\"

Jack then waved the teddy bear around. \"Look at what I have...\" he said in a silly voice, doing a little dance-walk towards her, grinning.

\"Ted...\" She snatched the bear from him, curling up around it.

\"Okay...come on...don\'t make me have to carry you.\" Jack said, picking her up.

Misato laughed as she struggled against him. \"I can walk...\"

\"Really? Prove it.\"

Alexia got up still holding the bear tightly. She didn\'t take a step yet. \"Hm... Could... Could you two keep it quiet about Teddy? I... He\'s been with me through all of this...\"

Misato smiled. \"It\'s okay. I won\'t tell.\"

\"May-beh...\"

Alexia looked at him. \"What do you want to keep quiet?\"

Jack thought, then gave her a light noogie. \"Okay, I\'ll be quiet about it.\"

She fixed her hair and nodded, walking to the door to go back in.

Jack leaned against the ledge, then slipped. \"ACK!\"

Alexia reached out catching his arm as Misato reached for him.

Touji snapped another picture oft he two on the floor, snickering. \"Maybe I should sell these..\"

Jack was still sliding back. \"Ack...not enough...leverage...to get back up...\"

Kensuke was bright red. \"You do I\'ll tell everyone who you\'re really sweet on.\"

Misato pulled his arm as Alexia fought for her footing.

\"What are you talkin\' about?\" Touji snapped another picture. \"Hey, maybe I can sell these to the school paper...\"

“Rei... Could you move so I can pound him?\"

Rei tried to move, and slipped again. \"someone has spilt water on the floor....I cannot gain purchase.\"

Kensuke looked at her. \"You\'re on the carpet though.\"

Rei glared at him. \"i said I cannot gain purchase.\"

He tried to help her sit up.

Alexia\'s foot hit the slope and she dropped her bear again.

Kaji smiled, and helped Kensuke with getting Rei upright again. \"You\'d think she was trying to tell you something.\"

Jack slipped back, and fell, dragging anyone holding onto him with him. He closed his eyes in an act of concentration...

Kensuke\'s face went even more red.

Misato lost her grip on him before she too fell. \"JACK! ALEX!\"

Suddenly, there was another spark of light, and an impact sound as another AT Field burst into life.

Kaji rushed to the window in time to see the hexagonal energy plates that had saved them from impacting with a car parked below. Rei\'s eyes were squeezed shut, and her body was still.

Alex didn\'t scream. She moaned slightly, feeling it. She felt as if she was burning.

Then the field gave, and they hit the roof gently. Jack opened his eyes, and blinked. \"Okay...I didn\'t do that..\"

Kensuke watched Rei. He pushed his glasses up.

She opened her eyes, and blinked. \"i feel tired\" was all she said before she fell back again.

Alex was hardly breathing. Her hair fell around her face as her eyes stayed closed.

Kensuke sighed. \"Why don\'t we move you to the couch?\"

\"Ow...ow...ow! Someone help me!\" he called out.

Misato was running down the stairs fearing the worst.

\"Damn stupid cars...why the hell do they have those things on them?!\" he complained as the door to the apartment opened, and Touji and Kaji made their way down.

Rei nodded sleepily. \"hai...sir...\"

Misato stopped to catch her breath.

Kensuke helped her up and to the couch.

\"Looks like this has been an interesting night, eh Misato?\" Kaji asked her as he passed, helping lift Alexia off of Jack.

Alexia\'s face and arms looked slightly burned. Her head rolled back limp as Kaji held her.

Rei, her eyes half-lidded, made a sleepy yawn. \"arigato...\"

Kaji shifted her weight slightly, then carried her back upstairs. \"We\'re going to need some ointment, or something....\"

Misato nodded. \"Jack, do you need help?\" She asked going to his side.

\"Pain....in my back....damn stupid...\" he muttered. \"Well, I feel like garbage, so yes, I do...and I think I\'m gonna vomit more blood.\"

Asuka watched from her window and sighed. She sat on her bed, finishing up her homework.

Misato helped him up. \"Touji. could you see if you can find her bear. She\'s using it as her keyring.\"

The boy nodded, and began looking around. His boot hit something that made a jingling noise, and he bent down to see what it was. \"Got it!\" he called out, picking up the stuffed toy and dusting it off.

Misato helped Jack to the apartment again.

\"Okay...I officially...hate this place...\" he griped. \"As soon....as I can...I\'m seeing if I can...get transferred..\"

\"It\'s not that bad...\" Misato said, nodding to Touji to get the door.

Kensuke got it for him.

Alexia moaned slightly.

Kaji carried her to her apartment, opening the door with one hand and supporting her with the other. He set her down on a small couch that had come with the place, and went to the bathroom to see if there was anything he could use to treat her burns.

There was a small medkit with her name on it on the counter in the bathroom, as if she had started to unpack.

Alex whimpered low. in her mind she was in the plug during the first synch test. \"Hot.... too hot... Captain....\" Her voice was soft, hardly a whisper.

He picked it up, and brought it back out, opening it and taking out some burn ointment. He carefully applied it to her arms, taking care not to disturb her too much.

\"Captain... please! Stop the test.... Smells... Blood... Captain.. It\'s blood...\" She struggled slightly.

Misato took Jack into the bathroom.

Kaji then wrapped her arms with some gauze, and went to get a wet rag to place on her forehead.

Jack immediately lurched to the toilet, and once more a loud \"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRGHHHHH!!!\" filled the air.

Alexia fell still, the rag helping to cool her.

Misato leaned against the door outside the bathroom.

Kaji sat silently, thinking about everything she had said, and storing it away inside his head.

\"HUUUUUUUUUUURGHHH!!\" Then the sound of the toilet flushing.

\"Shinji? Where\'s Kaji? He had Alex, I want to ask her a few questions.\"

Shinji, who had been cleaning his room, shrugged. \"Maybe he took her to the other apartment.\"

Touji handed Misato the bear. \"Uh...here..\"

Jack wiped his mouth, then sighed. \"Well, this has been.....odd...to say the least.\"

Misato took the bear. /If he\'s done anything to her I\'ll hurt him. Kaji\'s such a sexist pig. I wouldn\'t put it past him..../ She marched down the hall.

Kaji went back into the bathroom, and washed his hands, still thinking about many things. Mostly on what he was going to report.

Touji looked over at Kensuke. \"Whaddya say we head on home? It\'s getting late, after all.\"

Alexia stirred slightly on the couch.

Ken nodded. \"Rei, you going to stay here tonight? I could walk you home if you want.\"

The green-haired man dried his hands, then fixed his hair, turning the light off as he left, and heading back towards the door, looking in at Alexia first.

Rei yawned. \"i should get home...i would appreciate it.\"

Misato slammed open the door, expecting to find Kaji being Kaji. Instead Alexia was lying on the couch, still asleep.

He nodded, holding out his hand to help her up.

Kaji looked over at her, with a slight grin. \"What? Where you expecting me to rape her? Misato...I\'m not THAT bad..\"

Rei took it, nodding, and yawned again.

\"How\'d she get burned so bad?\" Misato wondered, setting the bear on a table

Alex coughed slightly. She shivered but stayed asleep.

Misato\'s phone rang in the other apartment.

\"No idea...now, I think I\'ll head back to my place, and settle down for the night...I\'m sure the dinner would\'ve been lovely.\" He passed by her, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek before she could react. \"Night, Misa-chan!\"

Jack heard the phone, along with Shinji. They both went for it, but Jack got it first. \"Yeeeello? Pizza Delight - you name it, we use it as a toping.\"

Misato turned to glare at him and stopped. \"Yeah... good night.\"

Ibuki gave a slight chuckle. \"Better not let Ikari hear you answer like that. Is Katsuragi there?\"

\"She be not here...this be Jack. Is it important? \'Cause we\'ve been having one weird-as-Hell night...YO!! SHINJI!\" he cried out, even though Shinji was right there. \"GO SEE WHERE MISATO IS!!!\" Shinji was all-too glad to go, to get away from that yell.

Touji commented as they left, \"Man, can he yell.\"

She tapped the computer. \"We had two AT fields flair up in the city... and one of the EVA\'s went beserker. Commander Ikari got out of there before it could attack him, but something really weird is going on.\"

Kensuke nodded as he escorted Rei to the street.

Jack swallowed. \"I..can explain the fields...\"

She looked over at him curiously. \"why do you help me?\"

\"Because it\'s not safe out here at night for a girl. And besides, I think Shinji would hate it if you got hurt on the way to your home.\"

Shinji peeked into the other apartment. \"Misato? Are you in here?\"

Rei tilted her head. \"oh.\"

\"Huh? Misato turned. \"Yeah, I\'m here. What\'s up Shinji?\"

\"Uh...there\'s a phone call for you...I think...\" he blinked. \"How\'s she doing?\"

\"Still there?\" Jack asked, sitting on the floor.

\"Yeah, I\'m here.\" Ibuki said after securing the line.

\"Well..it was me and Rei...we made the fields...\"

Misato sighed. \"I have no idea.\" She looked to Shinji. \"Could you stay with her while I get the call? I don\'t want to leave her alone right now. Not with what happened on the roof.\"

\"What?\"

Shinji nodded slightly. \"Oh-okay, sure.\"

Misato gave him a peck on the cheek then went to get the phone.

\"Blame it on the tests...we\'re synched together for a while...like with an EVA...my guess is in a few days we should be separated from each other..\"

Shinji blushed, then sat down on a box, sighing, and thinking /Like that\'ll ever happen.../

Alex stirred starting to wake again. Her stomach growled reminding her that she had missed another meal. /This time it\'s not my fault... Asuka was a bitch.../ She thought.

\"The reports said you two were doing some strange things...\"

\"Oh...you\'re awake...\" Shinji smiled weakly, any fantasies in his head gone in a flash.

\"Unfamiliar ceiling...\" She muttered looking at it. She then turned to Shinji. \"How is it I\'m not dead? I remember falling with Jack...\"

Jack nodded. \"Well, one example was I opened my hand and closed it, and she did the exact same thing at the exact same time...I think the AT Fields are an attempt by our minds to separate ourselves again...\" He looked up at the roof for a moment.

Shinji blinked, and shrugged. \"I dunno...there was some commotion with Ayanami at the same time, so we weren\'t paying any attention....except Kaji, but he went home for the night.\"

\"Kaji... He was wondering around the lower levels before the testing,\" She said not daring to move.

Ibuki made a sound as if thinking.

\"Jack, who is it?\" Misato asked.

Shinji stared for a moment. \"He was? Well, he was probably just lost....\"

Jack looked up at her, the phone cradled by his shoulder and his hands holding a sketchbook. \"I...have no clue...someone from NERV...a young woman...\"

\"I don\'t think so... I didn\'t tell Commander Ikari... For some reason I can\'t trust him. Fuyutsuki I can a little... But Ikari...\"

\"Ibuki.\" She took the phone. \"Ibuki, what\'s going on up here?\"

Shinji smiled lopsidedly. \"Well, if he was with Asuka, then she probably just dragged him down there.\"

\"I didn\'t see Asuka until this morning. I think he was there for something else...\" She shivered slightly and bit back a hiss of pain as in the tank repairs were being made to EVA-00\'s arms.

\"Do-do you need anything?\" Shinji asked, getting concerned.

\"No... I will be fine... Hm... Company would be nice... Back in the States they wouldn\'t let me talk to anyone my age group. Something about keeping me purer than the first child...\"

Shinji blinked at that. \"Well, I wouldn\'t know anything about that...my father abandoned me for a while after my mother died and then I ran away from home, so I don\'t have any clue about what he does, really.\"

Jack began drawing something, looking up at Misato, and squinting, then looking back at his sketchpad and adding some more strokes and scribbles.

\"I\'ll get Shinji and Asuka there as soon as I can.\"

Jack looked up, then back at his pad, and pulled out a purple marker, filling in some details. He said as he colored, \"What\'s going on?\"

Alexia bit her lip. \"You\'re lucky... My parents both died when I was young... They tested me at an orphanage and took me to NERV when I was four..\" She looked down.

Shinji made a face. \"I wouldn\'t call it lucky...I ended up here anyway, piloting EVA.\" He sighed, and slouched back, losing his balance and sliding down to the floor. \"I forgot I was sitting on a box...\"

Misato looked at Jack. \"Commander Ikari\'s not going to like this, but I\'m going to have to leave you and Alex here.\"

\"What? Why?\" he asked, setting the pad aside. His eyes were narrowed, and one eyebrow was raised slightly higher than the other.

She glanced at it. \"Be careful with the one next to it. That has glassware in it.\"

\"While you, Rei and Alex were freaking out... Another Angel appeared.\"


TBC