Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion 03 By David (DAG1064@aol.com)

Author's Notes: I don't own NGE. It belongs to Gainax Studios in Japan. This story is a product of my overworked imagination. Enjoy.

Neon Genesis Evangelion 03

I woke up the morning I was to fly out. I shut the alarm off at four thirty. Slipping out from under the sheets and from under Shinji, I went into the bathroom and got into a cold shower, needing to wake up. While dressing in combat fatigues, I watched Shinji sleeping. He looked so calm and relaxed. Our relationship was getting under way and I felt really good about what had happened to us so far. Everyone except for Toji had accepted the fact that Shinji and I were lovers now. I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Shinji mumbled something and turned over on his side and went back to sleep. I smiled and left the room. It was just after five when I locked the front door. Ronnie stood there in the driveway, ready to escort me to the airport.

"Flight plan and weather reports," he said, handing them to me.

"Thanks Ronnie. Glad to see you're on the Pilot House security detail," I said. Ronnie started the car and drove out the driveway. "I asked for it. Told the old bastard that all of you needed to be protected. All he did was look at me. I guess he saw something in my eyes that told him I was serious. So I got the job." I grinned. "Glad you did. Now I can sleep better at night."

"Good. I brought in a bunch of my old Navy Seal pals to replace the no good can't cunt pussies that Gendo had assigned to me. Oh they raised a stink at first. Gendo suggested a combat exercise to see who was the better team for the job. I'll admit to you Davy, you literally stopped my heart to see you sitting at the table drinking coffee so calmly when them idiots barged in and blasted everything. How they managed not to hit you was beyond me," Ronnie said.

"You didn't see what condition my boxers were in after they got done. I considered diving under the table after that one idiot shot my coffee cup," I said. Ronnie snorted. "I thought Gendo was going to kill that man."

"He should have," I said. "But when you guys came in, exercising fire control, he sure paid attention fast." Ronnie grinned. "Yes he did. That's why we are doing your personal security in addition to security for the house." I smiled and returned to the reports. The flight plan was simple enough. The weather conditions were favorable, including the wind patterns. We were going to have a smooth flight up and back down. At least I hoped so. I looked up as we approached the gate to the Nerv airfield. Security at the gate reacted by moving out of the gatehouse, their MP-5 sub guns at the ready. One stood just behind the barricade in front of us while the other three spread out around us. I rolled down my window.

"Pilot Morgan requesting entry," I said, unclipping my ID and showing it to the guard on my side. He took my ID and tossed it over the car to the man inside the booth. Ronnie had surrendered his as well.

"You guys have set up an excellent defensive diamond," I said. "I'm impressed." The man on my side grinned. "Thank you sir. We take our security here very seriously."

"Good. May I have your names, please? I'll want to inform the base commander about how good you guys are," I said. I wrote down their names and then my ID was handed back to me. They saluted us as Ronnie drove off from the gate. He knew where he was going, and we got to the runaway in a few minutes. I got out and approached the plane, only to be stopped once again. That guard checked out my ID very carefully and then allowed me to approach the transport plane. Base Commander Ogami approached me.

"Good morning," he said. I saluted him. "Good morning, sir. I was pleased by your level and quality of security you have. This is a list of names of the officers you have at the main gate. These guys impressed me with the way they did their jobs. Can you put commendations into their records?" He took the list from me and read it. "Consider it done. These officers are well known to me and they are the best. These six guys train together on a weekly basis and are so adept at their jobs, they could easily protect Nerv headquarters if given the chance."

"That's good. Sure could use more people like that," I said. "She ready to fly?"

"Just about. Ground crew is doing their final checks," Ogami said.

"Then I'll jump aboard and get started on my work," I said, saluting. "A pleasure to have met you." Ogami saluted back and walked away. Ronnie climbed onto the plane behind me. I settled down into the pilot's seat and started my checks. The copilot assisted me. His nametag identified him as one Masaki Tojo. I quickly introduced myself and we shook hands and then got down to business. Once everything had been crossed off, it was time to go.

"Start engines," I ordered. The engines got started and I warmed them up. I got all green lights across the board. In addition to the flight crew, I also had a group of shooters on board. They were guys who would operate the weapons on board. I had about six fifty caliber guns, four laser cannons, and a full complement of missiles on board. I was ready for anything.

"Young Dragon to flight control," I called on the radio.

"Flight control go," they replied.

"Young Dragon to flight control, requesting permission to depart," I asked.

"Young Dragon, you are cleared for departure on runway one. Have a good flight," the voice said.

"Roger that," I said. "Time to rock." Masaki smiled at that as I hit the throttles and the plane began to move. We got lined up on the runway and I brought it up to full power and raced down the runway. I pushed forward on the controls and the plane's nose rose up into the air. We were airborne.

"Young Dragon to flight control, we have lift off," I reported.

"Roger that," came the response. "Have a good flight." I reached up and changed the radio frequency to a Nerv frequency. "Young Dragon to Ladycat, you there?"

"That's affirmative. I copy you loud and clear," Misato's voice came back.

"Roger. Inform Tophat that I've gone fishing," I said.

"Will do. Good luck," she said, and then signed off. I turned on the intercom. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. First off, thank you for flying Dragon Breath Airlines flight 001. We now have reached our cruising altitude of 30 thousand feet, so you now can move about freely. Our flying time is estimated at two hours half. We sincerely apologize for the lack of guest services and for not having an in flight movie today. For those of you who are signed up for the frequent fliers program, we will be flying approximately two thousand miles, so be sure to record that in your mileage book. Once again, thank you for flying Dragon Breath Airlines. Have a nice day." Ronnie was howling with laughter after I was done with my announcement. Masaki was grinning as well.

"You just too funny," Ronnie gasped.

"Why thank you," I grinned. It was going to be a good day.

The flight went well, no problems. We got to our designation fifteen minutes behind schedule, which in my mind was acceptable. After landing, we checked in with the base commander, a guy named Suter. He was old school military, having gone through the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War, where he chased a group of terrorists called the Taliban and Al-Qaida. They were quickly overwhelmed. He lit a cigar as I approached him.

"General Suter?" I asked, saluting him. He grinned. "That's me. Glad to have you here." I nodded. "Thank you sir. Nice to be here."

"Your package is already here. If the word is given, we'll load it up," he said.

"General, the word is given. Please load it up," I said. He turned on his heel and shouted a word at another man standing in the distance, and he ran into the hangar. I watched the massive doors open and the flat bed truck come out.

"The loading process will take up the rest of the day. I would be honored to have you as a guest at dinner tonight. I have a VIP cabin at your disposal," the General said. I turned to face him. "Thank you for your gracious hospitality, sir. I accept."

"I'll see to it your flight crew and your security is taken care of," Suter said. Ronnie went over to the crew chief and informed him of what was going down. I saw the man nod and knew that everything was taken care of. Ronnie accompanied me to the cabin where we relaxed and kicked back for a bit.

"Should check in and inform them of what's going on," Ronnie said, handing me a cell phone. "It's a secure one." I dialed the number for the control room. Aoba answered on the third ring.

"Happy man pizza," he answered. I laughed. "You bored again, Rockdog?" I heard laughter on the other end. "It's slow here right now."

"Good. Let's hope it stays that way. Anybody around?" I asked.

"Yeah. Ritsuko's here and so is Shinji," he replied. I grinned. "Cool. Let me have Ritsuko first." She came on the line a moment later. "Ritsuko."

"What's a nice lady like you doing in a place like that?" I cracked.

"I constantly ask myself that all the time," she said with a laugh.

"In that case, I recommend a day off," I said.

"Sounds good to me," she said. "I take it you're there?"

"Yeah. Loading's going to take the rest of the day. We'll be airborne at first light tomorrow morning. We've got the VIP cabin here with Suter's complements. He's a nice guy," I said.

"Just make sure it's locked down good before you fly off," she said.

"Will do. I'll holler at you folks when I get up there," I said.

"Deal. Did you want to talk to Shinji?" she asked. I smiled. "Please." I heard voices in the background and then fade away. Sounded like they were giving Shinji some privacy.

"Hi!" he said.

"Hey lover, how are you?" I asked.

"Doing okay. Had a test this morning. Asuka and I tied for second, and Rei took first as usual," he said. I laughed. "I'm sure that set her off like usual."

"Sure did. My ears are still ringing," he groaned. I grinned, picturing her going off on everybody. "She just needs a guy her age to tame her, that's all."

"Heh, that's what Kensuke said the other day," Shinji laughed.

"You know it," I said. Shinji sighed. "Sorry I wasn't awake to see you off this morning."

"That's okay. You looked so peaceful and calm, I didn't have the heart to wake you. You look cute when you're sleeping," I said.

"Thanks. So do you," Shinji said.

"I'll be home tomorrow around 11, provided everything goes well," I said.

"Cool. Just don't go through any clouds. That's what caused the unit 03 to be infected by the angel when Toji activated his Eva," Shinji said.

"I remember reading the report. When does he go back into action?" I asked.

"He requalified this afternoon. The reactivation of unit 03 went extremely well. With his new limbs, you can't really tell anything happened to him. They look so darn real," Shinji stated.

"How do you feel about Toji climbing back into the Eva again?" I asked.

"I've got mixed feelings about it. He was bound and determined to get back into one, and now he is. I almost called in sick today. I didn't know if I could deal with it if it happened again. Toji and I had it out in the pilot's room and we settled things after talking for about two hours. I though Dad would get honked off at me for delaying things, but he didn't. Ritsuko sure did, and Dad told her to chill. Really surprised me, since it was Dad who shut me down and used the dummy plug to destroy 03 in the first place. I guess it was his way of trying to make amends," Shinji said.

"Ikari surprises me, Shinji. He really does," I said.

"Surprised all of us, that's for sure. I guess there is hope for him after all," Shinji said. "I remember as a little boy he was much more affectionate than now."

"People can and do change, Shinji. Takes time though," I said.

"You're right about that. I gotta go. I got that paper to finish tonight. I'll collect your papers from school tomorrow as well," he said.

"Thanks. Love you, have a good night," I said.

"You too love," Shinji said, and then hung up. I hung up the phone. I stood and stretched. Looking at the clock, I saw I had just under an hour to get ready for dinner. I jumped into the shower and dressed.

Dinner at the Officer's Club was great. They served up the best steaks I'd ever had. While sitting there, one of the crew guys came in and informed us that the loading was complete. We went to the plane and checked it out. The Eva was secured to the plane. As we watched, a streamlined cover was put in place over the Eva.

"It was designed by one of our engineers to cut down the drag the Eva would create on your return trip back to Tokyo-3. It really works," the General said. I nodded. "I'll pass that up the food chain."

"Okay. Make sure the guy gets the credit, not me. That engineer deserves it," Suter said. I liked this guy. He was very cool. I wrote down the name.

"I'll make sure of it," I promised.

"We'll run you back to your cabin for the night. It's coming up on 2130 hours," Suter said. "I know you want an early start."

"Thanks for everything," I said, shaking his hand.

"Our pleasure," he said. He escorted Ronnie and me back to the cabin. We went in and settled down into bed. Tomorrow would be a long day, and I wanted to be well rested for it.

The phone rang at four-thirty. Someone knocked on the door ten minutes later with coffee while I was in the shower. Ronnie pointed to the coffee pot and the weather reports and the flight plan on the table as I came out. He went in and I helped myself to coffee and an onion bagel. I read the reports while getting dressed. Ronnie came out five minutes later and quickly dressed. Both of us went outside to see a jeep waiting for us. The private drove us straight to the plane. It sat on the tarmac surrounded by base security and my shooters. There were four of them standing on the plane as well.

"I like your security here," I said, turning to the General.

"I pay them well to do their jobs. Nobody has failed me yet," he said. I nodded. "That's good. No doubt these guys would follow you anywhere." After the security cleared our ID's, we were allowed to board. The General followed us on. He watched as I checked the cargo inside and out. The cover was firmly bolted in place. We were ready to go.

"Ronnie, the word is given. We are a go," I said. Ronnie turned and began issuing orders. I walked the General out of the plane.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you. Hope we will meet again," I said, shaking his hand, and then saluted him. He returned the salute. "Take care of yourself." I grinned. "I'll try." Going forward to the cockpit, I was handed a clipboard with the checklist on it. Everything had been ticked off. Now we were ready to go. I got into my seat and pulled my head set on.

"Young Dragon to air control," I called.

"Air control go," the response came back.

"Roger, we are requesting permission to depart," I said.

"Permission granted," the voice said.

"Thank you, have a good day folks," I said, starting to taxi the plane. I got it lined up right on the runway and then opened up the engines. The take off was nice and smooth. I took us up to 30 thousand again and leveled off. I turned on the intercom and made the usual announcements. Masaki just shook his head.

"You got a sense of humor," he said. I shrugged. "Not required, but it helps!" The man grinned and looked forward. "We're feet wet." I looked to see us out over the ocean. It sure looked nice and calm. I wondered if there were and chartered boats out of Tokyo-3.

"Ronnie, are there any fishing charters around our area?" I asked.

"I can find out for you. Planning a fishing trip?" he asked.

"Thinking about it. Be a nice getaway for a day and still be close just in case," I said, my mind picturing it.

"Done deal," Ronnie said. I reached up and changed the radio to Nerv frequency. "Young Dragon to the barn."

"Barnhouse here, Foureyes responding," Hyuga answered.

"Roger. Sawbones, Ladycat, Old One, or Tophat around?" I asked.

"Who the hell are you calling old?" Kozo snapped. I grinned. "I take it you haven't had your coffee yet?"

"Whippersnapper," he grumbled. I laughed. "Though I'd call and let you know that I'm on the way back with the package right now." Suddenly he was all business. "Good. I'll inform Tophat when I see him. What's your ETA here?" I checked my watch. "I'd say about 1130 hours."

"Be expecting Sawbones and Ladycat on location," Kozo said.

"Roger that," I replied.

"Barn out," he said, and was gone. I switched the intercom back on. The radioman behind me was monitoring channels for any kind of talk about us. Ronnie was cleaning his MP-5 and checking every round as he loaded them into magazines for the sub gun. He took his job seriously. Made me feel good to see him there. Ever since we met that day, we had been friends. I wish I had met him under better circumstances. It still bothered me greatly that he had been shot because of me. Ronnie and I had it out over that. He told me he didn't blame me at all, that it wasn't my fault. Once we got all of that worked out, I felt better about it. Ronnie knew that Farlane wouldn't quit coming after me until I was dead. He said that he thought that Farlane would take it all very personally. That was the main reason Gendo assigned Ronnie to me as my personal bodyguard, even though I proved I could handle myself in a fight. It was also the reason why all of us pilots got bodyguards. Too much could go wrong. He didn't want to take chances.

My time estimate was nearly on the money. We were early by ten minutes. I made contact and we flew in. with the added weight of the Eva, you would think landing and stopping the plane would be a problem. It wasn't. The plane had been built with transporting the Evas in mind. They built into it parachutes and heavy duty braking thrusters and engines, and super reinforced brakes. We landed with out any problems. Security immediately went into action as the crews went to work. Ritsuko was surprised at the cover over the Eva.

"Who did that?" she asked me.

"One of Suter's bright engineers did. He knew the Eva would create more drag, so he designed and built the cover to reduce the wind drag. Damn thing works. We used the same amount of fuel back here that we used going up," I said.

"We'll use it on all future flights," Ritsuko ordered. The crew chief nodded. "Done deal." I watched as they released the Eva from the bottom of the plane. Getting it down was a lot faster than putting it up. It would take all day to get it moved and into a cage at Nerv headquarters.

"Why don't you head on home?" Misato said. "You look tired."

"Okay. You'll let me know when we activate it?" I asked. Ritsuko smiled. "You'll be the first to know."

"Thanks folks," I waved tiredly. I followed Ronnie to the car and got in. He drove out the gate and back to Pilot House. I dozed off for a bit in the car. He woke me once we got back. I went upstairs and to my room. Nobody was home, and I realized they were in class still. I hated missing school, but bringing my Eva here was important. I stripped down, showered, and rolled into bed. It had been a long day, but everything had gone well. That was the important thing.

Something woke me. I rolled over and saw Shinji in the room. The clock was reading five in the evening.

"Hey Shinji," I said, waking up. Shinji turned to me, a smile on his face. "You're awake! I didn't wake you, did I?" I motioned him over. "No you didn't, lover." He sat on the edge of the futon and I sat up. We hugged and kissed, and held each other for a bit, enjoying the contact.

"Glad you're home," he said. "I missed you."

"I'm glad to be home. I missed you," I said.

"Dinner's almost ready," he said.

"Okay, let me get dressed," I said. I stood up and pulled on boxers, shorts, and a t-shirt. I followed Shinji down to the dining room and sat down at the table. Something sure smelled good.

"Who's cooking tonight?" I asked.

"Me, so you better like it!" Asuka said.

"Darling, it sure smells good!" I said, smiling. Misato laughed as she sat down at the table with her usual can of beer. "Asuka has nothing to worry about. Just about everybody loved her cooking." Rei joined us at the table. "I hear the new Eva is here."

"I brought it in this morning. Everything went so well," I said.

"The commander was very happy about that. Ritsuko spent an hour on the phone to the guy who built the cover. I think she intends to order some for the other transport planes. I am happy about how this mission went. Your activation test is either Monday or Tuesday. We can discuss it later," Misato said.

"Okay by me," I nodded. Asuka and Shinji brought in the food and we dug in. That girl could cook! I said as much after pushing myself away from the table.

"That was exceptionally good, Asuka," I said. The others agreed. Asuka smiled at the complements. I decided to go shopping tomorrow and get steaks. If the activation test went off without any problems, I was gonna celebrate. For now, I wanted to go and soak in the spa. Shinji joined me once he finished cleaning the kitchen. We sat there together, my arms around Shinji. He had turned off the outside light by the spa so we could have a bit of privacy. The night was clear and we could see the stars and the full moon. Shinji rubbed my shoulders.

"Ever think of what our lives might be like if we didn't have to fight the angels?" Shinji asked me.

"It would be peaceful for us. I think I would be living with another family next door to yours, and we'd be together all the time," I said.

"That's a nice thought," Shinji said. "I'd settle for us being together anytime we can. I feel good just sitting here with you."

"I'm happiest being with you," I said.

"Have you thought about what you would do once all this is over?" Shinji asked. I nodded. "Yes. I'd like to buy a big piece of property far away from here and build a two-story house with a big pool in back and all the nice things that go with it. You and I would be very happy there." Shinji looked at me. "You'd want me to be with you?"

"Of course. We are a couple, aren't we?" I asked. Shinji grinned. "Yes we are. I'd be very happy to be your significant other."

"Hey, how about you and I take off for twenty four hours on an overnight trip?" I asked him, suddenly inspired.

"If we can get it approved, sure!" Shinji grinned.

"I'll call Ritsuko in the morning," I promised.

"Cool!" Shinji exclaimed. Our kiss sealed that. Shinji snuggled up to me and I held him close. This felt right to me. People can preach to me about how wrong it is to be gay and in love with another boy until they are blue in the face, but it won't change anything or how I feel about Shinji. Shinji was a special person to me and I loved him unconditionally. That's the way it was, that's how it was going to be. We loved each other very much.

We headed off to school the next day. I kind of like the school uniforms. The black pants, blue t-shirt, and the white button up shirt seemed okay compared to what other school uniforms looked like. We got on the train that would drop us at the station near the school. Naturally I was packing. I wore my H&K nine under the white shirt, and it didn't show. The last car was almost empty, an old man sitting at the end. I looked at him and didn't think much about it. I should have paid more attention to my gut feeling. The train pulled out and I looked out the windows, not really paying attention to the discussion that the others were having. My bad feelings got even worse and I raised my head in time to see the car lights go out and the car jerked once. I looked out the forward window to see the train pulling away and a man crouched at the coupling. I turned towards the old man and he was already moving, his hand coming out of the cloth bag on the floor filled with sub gun. I shoved Asuka and Rei down to the floor as I reached for my gun. I beat the old man to the draw, putting two neat shots into the center of his chest. He blinked once and went down. Thank God for the training I did on a regular basis. The car slowed down even more.

"Asuka, get the man's gun. Rest of you spread out. Toji, get Hikari into cover. Rei, get us some help," I yelled.

Everyone reacted as the car came to a halt. I turned and tried to pry the doors open. No luck. I looked up in time to see four shooters come out of the bushes on the left side of the car. I didn't hesitate. I went down and so did Asuka. The four tangos opened up on us and broken glass went flying. I got cut a bit as I went crawling towards Asuka. She flung the bag to me and I found grenades in there. I grabbed two of them and threw them out the broken windows. The explosions were heard and I sat up, grinding glass into my ass. That hurt, and this was starting to piss me off.

"Clear the doors!" I yelled, putting two more grenades in the middle of the doors centered on the right side of the car. I dived for cover as the grenades went off, blowing the doors apart. Asuka was the first out, covering the area with the sub gun. Toji, Hikari, Rei, and Shinji were next. I was the last one out, my H&K at the ready. We ran away from the car into the bushes on our side of the train car. Asuka and I leapfrogged each other, keeping everybody else in the middle. I saw a cab parked in front of a bar and got in the driver's seat. The glass imbedded in my ass hurt and cut deeper as I sat down. I could tell I was starting to bleed. As luck would have it, the keys were still in the ignition and I started the car as everyone piled in, Shinji next to me in front.

"GO!" Asuka yelled as she slammed her door. I stomped on the gas and we were gone.

I lay on my stomach nearly an hour later in the ER of the Nerv hospital, Ritsuko clucking as she plucked the glass from my ass. Shinji was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. The others were being debriefed. I felt completely wiped.

"Shinji relax, will you?" I asked. "I'm going to be fine." He turned and looked at me. "You could have been killed!" I looked at him. "I know. But I wasn't. I'm here, you're here, and so are the others." The door opened at that moment. Ikari walked in, followed by Misato.

"How are you doing?" Ikari asked me. I sighed. "I've had better days. That guy didn't help any, wanting to up the lead content of my body."

"That's not funny!" Shinji yelled. I laid my head down. "I know, and I'm sorry. Shinji, those were out to stop our clocks. I sure as hell don't know why. They could have been after me for all I know. Don't forget Farlane. He tops my list at the moment. Then there's the possibility of at least a dozen hate groups who want to nail us dead bang because of what we are doing. I'll tell you one thing. Those were some very serious players." Ikari nodded. Too well planned. They were organized."

"Too many questions and not enough answers," Misato said. I closed my eyes. "There is a chance our security has been compromised."

"Agreed," Ikari said. Misato walked over and rubbed Shinji's shoulders. "Suggest we confine pilots to the house for a few days."

"I second that," Ritsuko said.

"I agree," I said. Ikari sighed. "Then make it so. Inform Ronnie and his men to double the security."

In school the next morning, Kensuke said hi to us while Toji avoided us. I could tell it was bothering Shinji and Kensuke.

"He'll eventually come around. He's not going to ditch us forever," I said. Kensuke nodded. "I want to ask you guys a question at lunch, okay?"

"Okay, no problem. Meet in the usual place?" I asked.

"Sure," was the reply. Class was boring as hell. The old guy who taught us would go off on another trip down memory lane about life before Second Impact. I zoned out after awhile and let my thoughts wander. I had a daydream about Shinji and I living together in a house on a mountain overlooking the beach on the west side of Japan. We were sitting there together in the smooth clean sand on a blanket, just holding hands. That would make life perfect for us. I sighed and jerked myself awake just in time for the lunch bell. I got up and followed Shinji to the roof, carrying my lunch box. Kensuke came up a moment later with his lunch. The day was bright and clear, the temperatures just right. I sat in the shade with Shinji on my right, and Kensuke facing us.

"So what's up, Kensuke?" I asked, handing Shinji a sandwich.

"I have a friend who is a counselor at the gay community center. Could I introduce you guys to him?" Kensuke asked. I looked at Shinji for a moment. "What do you think?"

"Be nice to talk to someone who could answer our questions about things," Shinji said, nodding his head.

"Then it's okay?" Kensuke asked.

"Provided he keeps it confidential," I said.

"I'll talk to him today," Kensuke said. "I hope he can help you guys."

"Be nice if he could. I've got questions about things," I said.

"Thanks for the help," Shinji said.

"You guys are friends," Kensuke grinned. We spent the rest of lunch discussing various things. It was one of the few times I'd seen Shinji so relaxed. I guess our relationship was doing him a lot of good. He had changed quite a bit since we met. He'd really come out of his shell and was interacting with people more. He'd also stopped talking about his Dad all the time. It was like he suddenly decided not to deal with that subject anymore. He had me next to him, and there was no way I was going to let him go or hurt him. I cared about him far too much to hurt him. But there would be times in which we might argue about things, and I hoped they wouldn't break us up.

Ritsuko did approve the overnight trip. She had guessed that Shinji and I had become lovers. She confronted us on it after I asked for the overnight trip.

"I don't have a problem with you guys being lovers or a couple. All I ask is that you two be safe and use protection. I know both of you are clean, I've tested you two enough times to know. Just be careful if you play around," Ritsuko said.

"We won't play around. We won't cheat on each other. It's gonna be David and me," Shinji said, getting pissed off and defensive. She quickly put up her hands. "Relax, guys. I didn't mean to offend you. I apologize. Why don't you two take the entire weekend? That would give me lots more time to thoroughly check out David's Eva. I don't want a repeat of last time." There was universal agreement there. Ronnie caught up to me and suggested a hot spring resort close by. That fit the bill after he showed me the book on the place. Shinji approved of it as well. We were packed and on the way late Friday. We'd stay there Friday night, come back Sunday evening. The ride down was relaxing. Ronnie was driving and his partner was riding shotgun while we sat in the back. We checked in and was advised our room had been upgraded to a much larger suite and that we were to check out on Sunday evening. Someone had done us a huge favor.

The room was a big one, about twenty by twenty. The room was decorated in the traditional manner, with the traditional furniture. I liked the looks of it.

"This is nice," I said.

"I think so too," Shinji said, looking around inside. We unpacked our bags and stretched out on the bed. Ronnie had guaranteed us total privacy, all we had to do was push the panic button and he'd come running. Shinji rolled up next to me and kissed me. I returned the kiss and felt so good about being here with him. Life was good.

We spent the entire weekend soaking in the hot springs and making love to each other. That weekend strengthened the bond that existed between us. We didn't go all the way just yet, we were taking our time for that. We were concentrating mostly on the foreplay, learning what we could handle. It was now early Saturday evening, and we had spent most of the day in the hot springs. We were showered and dressed, heading out to dinner and a show. There was a dinner theater nearby so we went to see the show. The food was exceptional and the show was great. It was a comedy, and both of us really laughed. We wished we could have gotten up to dance a few times, but didn't. The house band was great. I decided to recommend this place to everyone when we got back.

We got back to our room and Shinji turned the radio on to a soft music station. We held each other close and slow danced for the next hour. Looking into his eyes, I could see the love and longing there. I slow stripped him, taking the time to touch and please him. Shinji returned the favor, making me feel good. After turning the lights out except for the fireplace in the room, we got on the bed and started kissing. His tongue chased mine as we deep frenched. His naked body felt good on mine. I could feel myself get hot with passion. I could see it burning bright in Shinji's eyes. Our hands roamed all over each other's bodies. His skin felt smooth and soft, while he felt the small scars and the larger one on my shoulder. I could see tears in his eyes.

"Why did they hurt you?" he whispered.

"I don't know. But it doesn't matter anymore, because I have you to love and that makes my life perfect," I said, kissing him. Shinji sighed and kissed me back. His fingertips moved down my body and hit my hot spots, making me shiver. He knew how to make the hot spots on me turn me on. We continued the lovemaking. He'd kiss my neck, I'd fondle his balls. Shinji kissed, licked, and sucked my nipples, I'd use my fingertip at his gate. Shinji slowly worked his way down my body, kissing and licking the torso. He got down to my cock and he moved his tongue around the base of my cock, making me jump and moan. Shinji started licking and sucking on my balls. I dug my fingers into the mattress in an attempt not to leap off it. He pushed my knees up to my chest, exposing my anus. He gently blew his breath on it, and then slowly dragged his tongue across the opening, driving me crazy. I was so far gone, I didn't know where I was. The feelings just can't be described.

Shinji kept working my gate, licking and sucking it, even sticking his tongue into it. I shivered from the very intense feelings. He started back up to my cock, running his tongue up the shaft slowly. I moaned out loud from the pleasure. I could feel him sucking gently on the tip of my cock, and then he slid the five inches into his mouth. That felt so good! I was out of control now. I just couldn't hang on much longer. Shinji must have known, because he started sucking hard and fast. I reached my breaking point in seconds, my cum boiling up and out of me into his waiting mouth. Shinji sucked it down as fast as I shot it.

"Shinji, oh God man, Shinji I'm cumming!" I cried out. He kept on going until I finally ran dry. He held me close to him as I relaxed. We kissed passionately, my love for him so strong.

"Love you," I whispered. He looked at me and hugged me tight. I started kissing his neck, wanting to please him just like he did me. I loved listening to him moan and cry out in passion as I played his erogenous spots, touching them and caressing him. I licked along his jaw line and he squirmed underneath me. I went back to kissing his neck and he stiffened up, the pleasure overwhelming his body. I touched the outline of his erect nipples with a fingertip, making him shiver. I started licking and sucking on those delightful nipples, pleasuring him. He wrapped his legs around me and pressed his very hard six inches into my stomach. I managed to shake him loose.

"Not yet honey," I whispered. He just moaned in anticipation. I went back to pleasuring him, my fingers taking hold of his balls and fondling them. He sighed, the sounds of pleasure music to my ears. I moved down his torso, gently kissing him. I passed his cock completely and started sucking on his balls. He pulled his legs up, giving me access to his secret place. It looked so tantalizing, the pink surrounded by the brown. I put my face in there and started sucking and licking at it. I could hear him gasp from the sudden pleasure. I managed to get my tongue up in there, wiggling it slightly. That drove him nuts.

"Please get me off!" he whined. I played with his gate for another minute or two and then started back up to his cock. Shinji moaned again, the pleasure strong inside his body. I nibbled on the tip of his cock like he had with mine. He thrashed about on the bed, clearly in heat. I slowly inhaled his cock, wiggling my tongue against his shaft as it sank into my mouth. I managed to swallow it, deep throating his cock. His eyes went wide as his body stiffened up. I came off his cock and got him to calm down a bit. I wet one finger on my left hand and started teasing his hole with it. I started sucking his cock again as I slowly pushed the finger inside him. Shinji moaned low, shivering in excitement. I started finger fucking him while sucking his cock hard and fast. He went crazy, his hips slamming against my face as he tried to gain release.

"Cumming, I'm cumming," he whispered, and then he was, fast quick shots of his cum hitting the roof of my mouth and going down my throat. I wiggled my finger against his prostate, getting him off even more. Once he stopped ejaculating, he calmed down and I took him into my arms. He turned to face me and I saw tears in his eyes.

"I love you, he said, and kissed me.

People looked at us strangely on Monday morning as we walked to school. Both of us had big grins on our faces, and we were holding hands. We were feeling really good about ourselves. The weekend had done us good. After school, Shinji and I headed back to the house. We stopped at the market a block or so from the house and bought up things we'd need for the party tomorrow, provided the activation went off perfectly. We got home and put everything away except for the steaks. I spent an hour fixing them up and getting them ready. I planned on soaking them in a teriyaki marinade sauce overnight. Once that was done, I made a quick dinner. I didn't say much during dinner. My thoughts were on tomorrow. I was nervous, hoping nothing would go wrong.

"Ritsuko checked your Eva top to bottom and she assures me there is nothing wrong with it," Misato said. I looked up. "God, I hope so. I am worried about tomorrow."

"We will be out there with you," Rei said calmly. "You have nothing to fear except for fear its self." Asuka, Shinji, and Misato nodded agreement. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Try not to worry," Misato said. I nodded. I managed to finish dinner and cleared the table, while Misato and Rei did the kitchen. I looked up at the clock. It was coming up on seven. I decided to go upstairs and stretch out and try to relax .

Up in our room, Shinji laid out our futon. "Get on it, and I'll give you a massage. That should calm you down some." That sounded like a good idea. I stripped down to my briefs and stretched out on the futon. Shinji set a small metal bowl on a heating pad and poured some body oil into the bowl to be warmed up. Once that was done, he rubbed some of the warm oil on his hands and started the massage. He was good at it. Another one of his hidden talents had been discovered.

"Where did you learn to do this?" I asked.

"Read a book on it," Shinji admitted.

"Well, you're really good at this," I complemented.

"Thanks David," he said. I felt his hands move around my back and shoulders and he kneaded my muscles. That felt super good. I was feeling so relaxed, I closed my eyes. Next thing I knew, something was shaking me gently.

"David wake up," Shinji called into my ear. I blinked and moved a little. "sorry, Shinji. Want me to turn over?"

"David, it's eight in the morning. You need to get up," Shinji said. I opened my eyes and saw the sun shining in through the windows. I was confused.

"You got to be kidding. Last thing I remember was stretching out for a massage, the Shinji Special, and it was dark out," I exclaimed. Shinji laughed out loud. "You conked out almost immediately. You really needed to sleep, your body was stressed out." I sat up and yawned. "Well, let's get going here." Shinji handed me a cup of coffee as I went into the bathroom for a shower. I gulped it down as I showered. Between the cold shower and the hot coffee, I got charged up. I went down to the kitchen after dressing. The nerves returned, and I didn't feel like eating anything. Misato walked into the kitchen.

"Time to go," she said.

We arrived at Nerv. The walk to the control center was a long one and I felt like a condemned man taking his last walk. I walked in the command center behind Misato. People saw me come in and nodded. I knew then I had everyone's support. I turned to see Gendo standing there. On the big screen behind me, the others were boarding their Evas. Ritsuko started activating each one.

"Mr. Morgan, please suit up and board your Eva. Good luck to you," Gendo said. I nodded and walked down to the pilot's ready room. My nerves still wouldn't settle. I found an emergency candle and lit it. Turning out the lights, I stripped down and assumed the Lotus position on the floor. I gazed at the flame on the candle and started to clear my mind of everything. Once I had done that, I closed my eyes and concentrated on slowing my heart. The only sound I heard was the air conditioning system running.

Upstairs in the command center, the activations were running right on schedule. Maya watched the board for any changes in units 00, 01, and 02. Suddenly the board for 03 lit up. She studied it for a moment and then realized who was in it.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Is he crazy?" Turning to Ritsuko and the command deck she stood up. "Commander, Sempai, Toji Suzuhara has boarded unit 03!" Gendo whirled around. "Say that again!"

"Toji Suzuhara has boarded unit 03," she said more calmly. Shinji was sitting in unit one and he heard what Maya said. He quickly opened a communication window to Toji.

"Are you crazy!" he yelled. "You're not cleared yet!" Toji opened his eyes and looked at Shinji. "It's time I faced my fears and get past them. I'm no good to anybody if I am afraid to get back in. Besides, our friend needs our support when he gets activated. That's why I'm here. To help him get over his fear. United we stand, divided we fall. All of us are a team. We are the team. Team Eva, and we will never be stopped. So fire me up and park me topside, and let's get David activated and running." Everyone turned to look at Gendo. He nodded, thinking about what Toji said.

"Who is the officer of the deck?" he asked. Maya stood. "Me, sir." Gendo checked the clock. "Please enter into official record that of 1030 hours, today's date, Toji Suzuhara was returned to official duty as an Eva pilot. Mr. Suzuhara, welcome back to Nerv." People applauded as Toji grinned. Gendo turned to Kozo and Ritsuko.

"That boy has balls," he said quietly. Ritsuko smiled. "Activate unit three!"

I was deep into my meditation when Kozo arrived. He opened the door and saw me sitting on the floor.

"David?" he whispered. "It's time." I looked up. "Hai (yes) sir." He turned around and turned the room's lights on. I blew the candle out and pulled the suit on. He turned to see me standing there.

"Push the button on the left wrist," he instructed. I did, and the suit shrank until it created a perfect fit. On impulse, I looked down at my crotch to make sure I wasn't that obvious.

"Ready?" the older man smiled. I nodded, and exhaled sharply. He led me to the cages where my Eva stood alone. Standing there in front of it, I got a true picture of how big it was. He guided me to the entry plug. I paused at the hatch and he nodded at me. I got in and it closed behind me. I secured myself in and listened to the radio.

"David, you in?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah, I'm here," I replied.

"Okay. What's going to happen now is that the plug will be filled with LCL. It's a liquid that promoted even more of a connection between you and the Eva. Two important things. It's specially formulated to provide oxygen to you and it carries nutrients essential to keep you alive in the event you are stuck in there for a day or more," Shinji informed me.

"I can breathe this stuff?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes you can," Rei's voice came through. "It's very safe." I could feel something coming up around my legs, so I looked down. The liquid was filling the plug. I laid back and closed my eyes, willing my breathing to stay steady. Once it was around my waist, I scooped up some and poured it into my mouth and sucked on it for a moment to get used to the taste, and then started breathing like normal. I could feel it move down into my lungs and start to work. The liquid was at my chin now, so I ducked my head under quickly. I opened my eyes and discovered I could see normally. I was breathing normally, so I was okay.

"Okay, we're sending you up to the Geofront," Ritsuko said.

"How can I hear you if my ears are plugged up?" I asked as I felt the Eva move upward to the top.

"You can hear us through the interface clips on your forehead David. Has something to do with brain waves," Asuka replied.

"Very good, Asuka. You're right, they do. Perhaps you should spend some time with me down here," Ritsuko said. I felt the Eva stop. This was it. I closed my eyes and tried to steady my nerves.

"Yo, relax kid. You'll do just fine," Toji's voice came through.

"Toji?" I reacted in shock.

"Yup, it's me, back in black. Now listen up, I'm gonna say this once. There is nothing to fear. Nothing is going to happen. You got all your friends up here, and we are gonna be right here with ya. So just calm down, relax, just breathe. That's all you gotta do," Toji said. "Time enough for talking later." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Light me up," I said. Up in the control room, Ikari nodded to Maya. She turned and entered commands into the computer in front of her. I didn't pay any attention to what was said, because it was way over my head. Suddenly I felt different. I was feeling bigger, stronger, and more aware of what was going on around me. I opened my eyes in time to see a light show start inside the plug.

"Wow. Fuck me," I breathed. This is too awesome." Suddenly the light show ended and I could see the other Evas standing around me. I blinked. This was nothing like I had ever expected. Not even Shinji's best explanation could do this justice. This was really happening.

"David? Are you all right?" Toji asked.

"Dude, this is so...." I started to say.

"Don't try to explain it. You'll never find the right words to accurately describe it," Asuka said.

"Congratulations. You've taken a step into a larger world," Ritsuko said. I stood there for a moment and got used to this. I looked down and took a small step. Shinji came up on my left, Asuka on my right. I kept taking small steps until I gained more confidence. Within two minutes, I was walking normally. In four minutes, I was doing a slow jog. By the time ten minutes was up, I was at a flat out run with the others behind me.

"Synch rate 58%!" Maya called out.

"Yes!" I yelled, timing my steps just right and doing a couple of cartwheels. Ikari, Kozo, and Ritsuko sighed as the rest of the command center broke up laughing. I slowed down to a walk. Looking around the control area, I spotted something off the side that looked like a car stereo. Turning it on, it was exactly what I thought it was. I fooled with it until I got the local rock station in. They were just introducing Queen's "We Will Rock You" and the song started.

"Yeah!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air. My Eva started to rock with the song as Asuka, Toji, Shinji, and even Rei laughed. I started playing air guitar as Ikari moaned.

"We've created a monster." Aoba grabbed his guitar and jammed right along with us as Toji stood on Shinji's right and started doing air guitar as Shinji did air bass. Asuka stood behind us and did air drums. The mood was infectious and everyone was singing right along. Kozo looked at Ikari to see his expression.

"Oh it won't hurt this one time," he said. "Let them have their fun."

We partied late into the night. Lots of people showed up and we all had fun. Both Jacuzzis were in use as well as the Olympic sized pool. The steaks and hamburgers received rave reviews, and we set up our instruments and did a set. Aoba joined us for the next set. That dude could rock. I could see Ikari sitting off to the side and having a few drinks. I thought he was going to tear me a new asshole for that stunt, but he didn't . All he said was, "Good work." That was the end of it. Feeling majorly relieved, I had gone back to the house to get a much-needed nap and to get things ready for the party. Toji showed up with Hikari and he approached Shinji and me.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure. Let's go outside," I said. We went outside and over to the barbeque. Shinji handed me and Toji sodas.

"Thanks for being there, man. I appreciate that," I said. He nodded. "Anytime. I want to apologize for my reaction last week about you guys. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"It's okay, Toji. Forgiven and forgotten," I said.

"Glad you are still our friend," Shinji grinned. Toji hugged Shinji first, and then me. Everything was cool again. Toji told us about how he talked to a guy who he knew was a counselor from Nerv, and then found out the guy was gay. He told us about what was discussed, how Toji was afraid we would turn out to be like the gays that he had seen on TV, parading in leather and other things. Shinji and I assured him we weren't like that.

"We're just normal average guys," I said, and that ended that.

The party ended around eleven. A few people stayed long enough to help clean up the mess and put things away. Tomorrow was to be an off day, and I needed it. Hopefully it would be a quiet day. Shinji and I got to bed around one. After kissing each other good night, we snuggled down and went to sleep. I was really exhausted more than I realized. When I woke up, the clock was reading 11:30 mid morning. I stumbled down the stairs, feeling hungry. I found Shinji in the kitchen, two section two officers sitting at the dining room table sipping coffee. I didn't give them a second look. Shinji was sitting at the kitchen table, staring off into space.

"Hey, are you all right?" I asked, coming up to him.

"No. I am so damn tired of all this fighting. I never wanted this. I never asked for this. Father forced me into being a pilot and I hate him for it. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I nearly lost you last week!" he shouted. I took his hand into mine and he jerked it back. I looked at him with shock in my eyes. Shinji glared back and then unloaded on me all his feelings that he had kept bottled up inside of him about his father, Toji's injuries, piloting Eva, the fight last week, and then he started in on me about my actions.

"You had to play the hero, taking chances with your life and getting hurt. You could have been killed! There could have been a better way to stop that man instead of killing him!" Shinji yelled.

"Shinji, he pulled a gun out of the bag he had with him. He was going to kill us," I said, reaching for a soda.

"That made it all right?" Shinji demanded.

"I was justified," I said. Shinji threw up his hands in anger and then slapped me real hard across my face.

"I did not think these things behaved this way," a voice said. Both Shinji and I turned to see the two black suited men looking at us. They had their guns pointed at us. Shinji backed up into me as I dropped my hand down my left side and hit the panic button.

"Who are you guys?" Shinji asked, scared. One of them smiled. "We are the Sons of Heaven. We are here to stop you from killing the Messengers from Heaven. Both of you are responsible for the deaths of several of them. Our leader had found you guilty and has ordered your executions. It is time to carry out the sentence. Prepare to die." Just as he moved forward, a frying pan appeared out of nowhere and speedily introduced its self to the back of the man's head. He went down as I threw my can of soda at the second man, hitting him between the eyes. He stumbled backwards. A fist appeared out of nowhere and hit him in the face, knocking him down. Rei and Asuka appeared in the kitchen. Asuka had the frying pan and Rei had a look of extreme anger on her face. Shinji and I blinked at them.

"Shinji, remind me to never piss off the girls," I said. Shinji looked at them and then turned to me. "You got it."

To Be Continued.

Next Episode: I call Kensuke and ask him to research the Sons of Heaven. I go to Australia to bring back another Eva and it's pilot, Diggory Pearson. We arrive in the middle of a fight situation and Diggory proves himself. Kensuke briefs us on the Sons of Heaven and he gets involved with Rei. Hikari signs on as a pilot after a new Eva arrives unexpectedly by ship. Hikari and Toji shock us by announcing their impending marriage.