TO HAVE PARALLEL VISION

Misato eyed the training field her gaze on Asuka's hologram image as she eyed Maya. "Is she okay I mean she's been really quite today?" Maya looked at the screen seeing 02 which had activated with out issue. Asuka was also well over the borderline in fact she was starting to rise by a few bars for the first time in three years which was a huge surprise and now she was doing drills with the others for the first time since the UN accident.

"She's just a little out of sorts I'm sure it will pass." Misato eyed her. "Is her art starting to come through?" Kaji leaned over. "Oh yes thick and fast, we got over ten images just this morning she's drawing with very much wild abandon. Some of them were really disturbing but Rei said she did nothing but draw on the train on their way up here and she didn't mind as she was just happy to watch." Misato turned sharply. "Oh so that's where she went last night, I thought she had gone to Asuka's but I didn't want to call because I thought maybe they both needed some quite time."

Kaji breathed in deeply eyeing Asuka who was waiting her turn to fire her guns as they had only just come back from Germany with the refit for her new hand length and they had also built a turret gun and rifle as well as a clip on retracting knife for her units two tails they'd also sent new slicing blades for the compartment in the curved shoulder sails so she could still use the sails as a firing weapon if necessary. "Yeah well whatever quite time they had it really helped but I get what you're saying I mean her focus is a little off. What's she looking at anyway on her hologram screen I mean she's lowered the virtual image so we can't see it?" Misato breathed in deeply. "I'll give you three guesses."

Kaji laughed. "Oh yeah should have known you know she's kind of sweet when she's smitten she just looks softer in the face." Misato eyed Asuka's image. "Yeah shame I have to break it." She pressed her console button. "Could one of you please get Asuka off cloud nine her turn is coming up?" Mari turned eyeing the red unit feeling a cold smile form as she grabbed a spear from close by before anyone could stop her. "Hey Asuka go Long!" She threw it with all her might ignoring Misato's rage filled shouting telling her to stop.

Asuka looked up sharply catching sight of the spear in the corner of her eye she raised her unit's clawed hand feeling her AT field come up as she stopped the spear dead on watching as it remained floating in the air. She held it there for a long moment as some thing crossed her mind there was a weird feeling of déjà vu going through her body right now.

Like she'd done this before even though she never really had, she breathed in deeply looking at Rei's face on the hologram screen before turning off the image. Whatever the reasons for these feelings she didn't really care she slowly closed her unit's clawed hand causing her AT field to pulse which sent the spear flying back in the opposite direction where Mari had to leap sideways to get out of the way as it struck the barrier embedding itself. She slowly walked her unit out on its hind legs. "I'm sorry you said it was my turn, I was paying attention."

Mari's face appeared on her holographic screen. "You nearly fucking killed me!" Asuka breathed in swiping her off screen. "My weapons can you bring them up so I can test the grip?" She watched as her two double guns came up she eased out her units hands taking hold of them rising them slowly hearing Maya's voice hit the air. "Go ahead any time Asuka we have set them up to fire holographic bullets once they're tested we'll load them with the real thing." Asuka raised both guns enjoying the sound as they fired at the moving targets she felt a toothy smile form oh how she'd missed the sound of bullets even holographic bullets, she lowered them clicking them back in the floor. "They are fine can you bring up my pistol."

She watched as her special one handed pistol was brought up she slowly raised it taking aim at the targets enjoying the feel of the trigger as Misato's voice hit the air. "Any time Asuka." Asuka breathed in taking aim. "Please don't interrupt me." She fired enjoy ever second as the virtual bullet sped up hitting the moving target in its face she felt a sly smile form. "Wunderbar."

She slowly put it back watching as it lowered itself down as the new tail turret gun and knife came up as Kaji spoke. "Okay you'll need to train with the rifle attachment so we can't bring it up to you but you can put on both the knife and the turret gun. They're for when you go down on all fours with your unit so just place them on see how you get on. Oh and your grandmother said if you really like the turret gun she'll send you a machine gun attachment, she has the division over in Germany designing one as we speak they just need your word on going ahead."

Asuka eased up the three barrelled turret gun locking it on the right tail's end. "Could this fire of mines if need be not N2 ones I was thinking much smaller?" Kaji's voice came again filled with curiosity. "No but we could outfit it here to do that, why what's your thinking?" Asuka looked up slightly. "I don't know I'm just verfickte sick of the angel landing all over the world and crawling on solid ground I'd like to blow a hole under there feet, you know maybe create a pit. Then Shinji, Rei and the others can go in there and stab them to death, I mean my rifle aim is crap but with rockets and mines it won't matter. Because I'd only be taking out the floor and once we are done they can just turn the hole in a nature reserve like they did years ago back in the South America when I accidentally made a massive hole there because I didn't land on my feet and ended up six foot under with my legs sticking out one time when fighting Ankh."

She lowered her unit down slowly raising the right tail. "I think that got onto the wall of failure worldwide but it was really funny looking back because I was being such a reckless idiot, Asuka takes out three terrorist planes and then messes up by falling off the edge of a cliff." Rei's face suddenly appeared on her hologram screen. "Didn't they literality have to drag you out using two vertical wings, because your arms were stuck?"

Asuka laughed enjoying the sound as for the first time in a long time it felt genuine. "Yeah and they had this funny tag line Asuka the biggest embarrassment to Nerv." Shinji's face appeared next to Rei's. "Yeah but it was hardly fair since I did the same thing two months later I think Rei is the only one between us who lands on her feet every time." Asuka gave Rei her best smile. "Yes she does Shinji we are just here to blow scheisse up, as I'll now demonstrate." She breathed watching the rockets fire so what if they weren't real seeing them blow up things just made her grin she eased her unit back up on to its hind legs watching as both of their faces vanished. "Misato give my grandmother a call I want the machine gun attachment and give my thanks to the division."

Mari's face appeared on her screen filled with rage. "You know I don't know what's worse you fucking up or seeing you in a good mood, what happened last night did you ride Rei like a stallion or something? We all know she visited you last night." Asuka looked at her for a long moment. "Why do you assume that just because she visited me I'd be ungrateful enough as to take advantage of her like that?" Mari pushed up her glasses as she spoke her voice laced with sarcasm. "Oh I don't know your reputation for screwing anything you can get your hands on."

Asuka slowly moved her unit back in to position as she attached the huge retracting lacerated knife to her left tail she swung it around watching as the knife flew out she tensed causing it to instantly retract again and then lock closed. "Please I would never treat Rei that way, I value her friendship and I respect her." Mari smirked. "Stop pretending to be noble Asuka it really doesn't suit you." Rei's face appeared on her holographic screen. "No I think it suites her really well, in my opinion." Mari turned feeling her teeth grind together. "What is this defend princess day?" Asuka eyed her for a long moment. "You know Mari maybe you should stop trying to take chunks out of my verfickte hide for once and maybe focus on fixing your own life for a change, you might start to feel better."

Mari leaned closer. "Fuck you Asuka since when do you get to give out life advice? Your own life is a fucking train wreck, you have an angel inside your brain and you're a complete asshole!" Asuka watched as she vanished she folded her legs knowing she could still hear her. "True four eyes but at least I'm trying to get the train back on the track, you are not." Rei's face came up again on her hologram screen. "Would you like to go up to the bar on the twelfth the one we talked about last night this afternoon at lunch?" Asuka felt a smile form. "I'd love to." Misato blinked eyeing the screen. "You're up next Mari." She turned the speaker off. "Well that went far better than expected." Kaji looked up. "What the test going so well or Asuka just being in a really good mood?" Misato felt a smile form. "Both."

Maya breathed in deeply. "I recommend you start sending her out but change the roaster, I mean have Mari shadow the fleet from Singapore she's always wanted to be the big gun and weapon so give her the responsibility. I mean that's why she was brought in along with Toji to take the weight of Asuka's shoulder's because she was getting so overloaded that she couldn't cope always being the weapon all of the time and she was becoming bored and miserable."

She eyed the roaster. "Send her with Rei to Saudi Arabia and the oil fields she can act as her guard while she fixes the machine." Misato folded her arms. "I took Asuka away from work like that in the past because she was reckless stupid and just couldn't be trusted and she made Nerv look bad and press and media have a field day with her every damn time." Maya breathed in deeply. "I think we can both say that she's past that stage now and she might enjoy doing new things and if they work well as a team you can send them anywhere. Plus you know that Rei doesn't like shadowing Shinji she's desperate to get out his shadow and Shinji always works best when he's with Kaworu and you might not have noticed but we have two possible romances blooming here on both sides here."

Misato raised her hand. "Shinji and Kaworu oh come on they're just friends." Kaji pressed the holographic buttons sending up Mari's weapons. "Clearly you've never watched them play the grand piano on the lowest floor of Nerv together." Misato eyed him. "Why does everyone else know everything about who likes who around here but I don't, even though they visit my house regularly?" Maya picked up her latte. "Maybe because you tease these young men and women far too much about their love lives and they get concerned about being open with you and revealing their feelings because you might tease them over something that's really important to them." Misato folded her arms. "That's ridiculous, who said that!?"

Maya look a sip of her latte. "Asuka to me many times, it's why she grew distant from you and doesn't visit you at all and she has a point you forever teased her and Shinji that they would grow up and get married and be a couple but we all saw how that romance worked out in the end, it was abusive violent and awful on both sides. They should never have been together full stop they were both damaged stunted children who needed to grow up and heal emotionally and Shinji is almost there and now finally Asuka is starting to make headway."

Misato eyed Maya. "Tell me something you protected Asuka from an early age I mean even when she was outright awful, egotistic and obnoxious, why did you do it? I mean the rest of us gave up on her." Maya breathed in, in annoyance. "It's because you and everyone here at Nerv gave up on her so I stepped in! It wasn't just about her finding the root to her sexuality, she needed someone to trust and she found it in me and underneath all the hatred and hurt I saw very faint glimpses of someone who is actuality good but who like Shinji had been given some real awful cards in life and had become very bitter and twisted inside."

She looked up pointing at Asuka's image on the main screen. "I saw the person you're finally seeing on that screen today, that's the real Asuka it's always been there its just been hidden out of sight, the gentle behaviour towards Rei is also very telling of her true nature." She breathed in sharply. "It pains me that the battle with Shamshel nearly ruined her and hardly anyone helped her back then either. She lost all confidence and later ended her relationship with Shinji then you just tried to shove her and Shinji into therapy but it never worked because she wasn't ready." Misato eyed her in annoyance. "I was doing what was best for her!"

Maya breathed in deeply shaking her head. "No you were doing what was easiest and most convenient for you I get it Shinji and Rei were both much easer to deal with they didn't lash out angrily when they were hurting. Shinji just used to play passive aggressive and Rei just locked up in silence and tried to disappear into the background but every time Asuka ran into trouble she just got passed onto other people and that's the root of all of her problems. She's always been passed around and ignored and now you're seriously asking yourself why you're the one being ignored by her and why she doesn't visit you? I know for a fact she hasn't invited you to her home since she moved in and it's been three years and I've been to her home more than once to visit over these past three years."

She folded her arms. "I told you were colleagues before but it's not the truth she's my friend I didn't tell you because I knew you'd take it badly because she grew up with you and you were meant to her guardian and don't get me wrong you were great in some ways but not so great in others, that's why I became that person she could speak to on a personal level." Misato felt her teeth grind together. "I knew there was more to this than you were telling me Maya, you should have told me about this!"

Maya raised her hand. "Please if I had told you, you would have acted jealous and petty like it was a competition between us and I didn't want that I already get that kind of crap from Ritsuko I'm not going to deal with it on two fronts!" Kaji stood up slowly seeing that Shigeru and Makoto had both turned in their direction. "No offence but can you two not do this right now? You should be paying attention to training field." Misato turned eyeing him and Maya as she turned off her personal holographic screen and panel. "You know what screw this you can both take care of this!"

Kaji watched as she walked out slamming the door behind her, he eyed Maya who didn't turn around. "Well that could've gone better I told you telling her wouldn't go down well and you know how stubborn she is." Maya breathed in deeply. "Yeah well she needed to know regardless and I'm so sick of having to hide the truth all this time." She looked up. "Maybe you should take her out to get a drink or something later to cheer her up I mean she really likes you." Kaji raised his hands. "I think you're reading too much into that we were friends in university but she never liked me that way, trust me I asked her out more than once but it never worked and she always rejects my advances."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "You know with everything that's been going on around here I'm starting to feel that maybe second chances are not completely out of reach maybe that goes for you as well." Makoto looked up slightly as he spoke in a cold tone. "Or you could just quit while you're ahead, I mean you're really not her type anyway." Maya eyed him seeing Shigeru turn eyeing their former friend coldly. "Are you really going to start this crap again Makoto?" Kaji eyed the Makoto as he spoke evenly. "Oh really and what is her type?" Makoto smirked leaning back in his chair. "Her types not a washed up loser of an ex-spy like you who have history of sexual harassment."

Shigeru eyed him in disgust. "What is wrong with you? Everyone knows Kaji was cleared off that." Makoto breathed in as he folded his arms. "Yeah but like I said he's an ex-spy so he could have just wiped Nerv's backup feed to make himself look innocent." He raised his hand casually. "But you guys believe what you want." Shigeru turned sharply. "Yeah well I believe he is innocent and so do the rest of us regardless of how you feel." Maya turned seeing the slight sadness in Kaji's face his eyes did nothing to hide it. She eyed her holographic screen switching something around hoping he wouldn't notice her quick change to the official work diary. "Seems you're needed up in head office Makoto please say hi to Ritsuko for me won't you?"

Makoto eyed his screen. "That's not for two hours!" Maya eyed the main screen watching as Mari stepped back as she finished her drills. "No I'm reading that it's in the next twenty minutes you should really get moving." Makoto stood up giving her a cold look as he grabbed his papers from the holographic desk before switching it off. Maya watched as he left closing the door behind him she folded her arms speaking coldly. "He's such a jackass." She turned to Kaji. "Ignore what he said you know what he's like." Kaji eyed her. "You changed the official work diary didn't you so he'd end up going to office instead of me?"

Maya nodded calmly. "Yes." Shigeru turned slightly. "I don't know what the asshole's problem is he never used to be this way, I mean me and Maya used to go drinking with him all the time then something happened between him and Misato and he went really dark and cold after that. Now all he cares about is brown nosing Ritsuko, money and power and he's desperate to get to management level so he can lead one of the divisions in another county." Kaji breathed in deeply shaking his head. "Yeah well I've been up there close to management level and believe me he won't like it at the very top it's cold, dark and it keeps you awake at night." Maya looked at him for a long moment. "I thought you would miss your old job." Kaji eyed his holographic screen. "So did I but believe me I don't."

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8

Misato walked through the massive visitor centre, she hadn't been up here in over a month as all Nerv employees entered via the secondary exit which was completely hidden from the public. She had to go up here because that was where Shoji and Leiko were located though she had no idea what floor. There were tourists from every corner of the world buying things from the vast gift shop and taking photos of the human size statues of the Evangelion's in battle poses which had flashing eyes and moving limbs and were being surrounded by children who were in awe.

Surprisingly Asuka's new look version had already been rolled out and the old one replaced. It had two moving tails as well as opening jaws and flashing eyes and it had been put in-between 00 which had also been updated to show off the new armoured crest and 01. Then there was the museum which recounted the whole history of the program and a separate room purely dedicated to the pilots along with toy and merchandise room which had every toy and item ever created which she'd had set up years ago although it had now doubled in size.

There was another room dedicated to her Kaji, Maya and all the others who made everything work. She breathed in deeply walking in to the pilot's room looking at all of the huge material banner photos of them and their old plug suits which they had grown out of which were now all behind glass. There were family history panels and their love lives though it was all watered down for the public and shaped so that everything would look heroic. There issues with depression and personal difficulty never mentioned as well of running videos of there best battles and training simulations.

All six were here including Toji and Mari, she turned seeing that each of them also had a dedicated area for talents she could see Shinji's acrylic on canvas painting's on the wall all framed and lots of his base sketches drawn on drawing pad in pencil in a display case. Kaworu's musical symphonies could be seen they were all on music sheets behind glass but you could also press a button and you could listen to a number of his music recordings. Toji's writings were all in books in a glass and you could put on the headphones and listen to a Nerv employee reading them as he liked to write fantasy novels and some of his writing notes were in a smaller display case.

Rei's pottery and sculptures were close by encased behind glass there were pots vases and human like figures all in delicate and precise detail and in some case they were painted with ultra fine brush details along with her rough base sketches on paper which were just pottery ideas which were wall mounted in small frames. Then there was Mari's robotics which included two of scuttle bots in a glass display case though one was for display only all you had to do was press the case button and the one behind glass would perform an action. There was also a smaller glass area which showed her lesser robotic ideas and the robots internals as well as a small dark pink screen which was running white programming code used in all her scuttle bots.

She turned seeing that Asuka had a glass case with large machine gun which had been painted red in it she moved over staring at it seeing that someone had written on its barrel the words Angry Gun in big bold letters. She looked up just in time to see the head of the visitor centre coming towards the woman smiled as she raised his hand. "Major, it's been a while since you've been here." Misato looked at the older woman who was dressed in Nerv t shirt and grey trousers and black boots.

"Hello Kimi, I see you've changed the place a lot since my last visit." Kimi raised an eyebrow her blue eyes flashing with glee as she pushed her long tailed brown hair back. "Well we had to there's so much new stuff going on, I mean you keep us busy down there in head quarters. Plus we are forever having to liaison with the media guys in the other building as there always working with the merchandising people regarding toys and other new items. Not to mention here we ship so much merchandise worldwide it's beyond crazy we had to create a whole shipping floor on the tenth just to cope."

She looked up slightly. "Do you like our room dedicated to the pilots?" Misato looked around her. "Yes it's amazing I love coming to see it." She turned back to the Asuka's case. "But I have to ask is this a joke?" Kimi smirked eyeing her. "No its pretty accurate, I mean we all agreed up here and with the media people that Asuka has no talent beyond killing and taking life, I mean look at her Evangelion now. Okay I don't know what she did to it but that thing is a beast mode on steroids I mean it's a machine of death and destruction and its new look is permanent from what I hear." She raised her hand. "I mean you could probably send her and Shinji to kill all of the terrorists groups now and let him go berserk while having her wail on them, I mean the carnage would be insane." She smirked. "I bet Asuka would just loose herself and chew them up in her jaws, it would be hilarious."

Misato breathed in, in annoyance this was one thing she'd never liked, to people on the outside the Evangelion's were cool things that caused destruction. People liked seeing explosions they liked watching war but they didn't see the after effects it had on soldiers and civilians. Toji had seen people shot at point blank range and had, had to take his sister and hide in some really dark horrible places in the hope that neither of them would get killed. He was a young man who now had a terrible fear of the dark.

Kaworu had held a gun in his county when he had been forced in to becoming a child army rebel after his parents had been gunned down right down in front of him. He'd had to shoot people because if he didn't do as he was told his insane commander would have killed him. Now that he was free from all of this he hated war and weapons and he saw his Evangelion as a tool for justice not a thing to bring pain or punishment.

Shinji and Rei both hated killing people but they knew it was something they had to do regardless of there feelings while Mari on the other hand got pleasure out of it. Though she felt her deep rooted emotional problems were responsible for this as she didn't like the cards she been handed out in life and saw her Evangelion as a way to force out her frustration. Asuka had been the same but somewhere down the line things had changed and she had become bored and miserable as her only job was to protect others Evangelion's and shadow the UN fleet and kill terrorist groups. She never saw anything interesting or did anything interesting but she didn't complain she just went with it regardless and just lived with the fact that her screw ups in the past meant that her being a weapon was her only use.

Regardless of how angry she felt over Maya's words this morning she did agree that it was time to change the roaster she eyed the red machine gun again turning to Kimi tapping on the glass display case. "I want this changed." Kimi felt a sly smile form. "What to a bigger gun?" Misato eyed her in disgust. "No! She can draw you know, she's a very good illustrator." Kimi smirked as she folded her arms. "You're joking right? You're telling me the angry, crazy German can draw you're talking about stick figures right?"

Misato eyed her in annoyance. "No I'm talking about really impressive art work much like Shinji's but in a completely different art style when we get some decent pieces we'll send it up to you so you can put it behind glass or on the wall." Kimi breathed in deeply. "Yeah well I won't hold my breath." Misato eyed her for a long moment before speaking. "Where can I find Shoji and Leiko that's why I'm here?" Kimi breathed in deeply rolling her eyes. "Take the employees lift to the fourth floor it's the first door to the left, I'm guessing you're here to sack those two losers they are nothing but trouble with their shitty Evangelion conspiracy theories."

Misato put her hand in her jacket pocket. "That remains to be seen." She turned tapping Asuka's glass case. "Remove this today put a marker in it like upcoming exhibit and send it down to the special ops and tell them to have it destroyed, do not pawn it off on any website auctions and if Asuka ever comes up here you do not tell her that it ever existed." Kimi blinked in surprise. "What is this crap since when did Asuka suddenly become a priority? I mean gods she's a mean spirited, cruel young woman who has the same emotional range as a tea spoon you even said that once in an interview, or do you not remember that?" Misato turned sharply raising her hand. "Firstly I remember that interview and the media misquoted me I said that she had deep rooted emotional problems and that meant that her behaviour could some times be erratic!"

Kimi eyed her. "Yet you did not say the same for Shinji or Rei and we know they had behavioural problems as well which makes me think that Asuka has always been a massive thorn in your side one you'd rather just ignore and sweep under the rug." She shrugged casually. "Not that I blame you I would do the same, I mean she must a nightmare to work with even now." She turned pointing to Asuka's huge wall banner which showed her face and hung above her area. "I mean waking up to that every morning must be such hard work."

Misato eyed the banner which only showed the face and shoulders and was a portrait close up in plug suit as something suddenly occurred to her all of the other banners had smiling faces but Asuka's wasn't smiling she was looking down sadly almost staring of into space. "When was this photo taken?" Kimi eyed her. "All these photos are recent hers was taken three months ago back when she had both eyes and the red plug suit, you'd think she'd at least smile for the camera and not look so miserable I mean she has the best job in the world. Yet she's so ungrateful I heard she tried everything in power to get out of the photography studio in the media building when they took this to the point of trying to say that she didn't feel well and when they told her to stop bellyaching and to behave she just turned really hostile."

Misato eyed her. "Do you have a book chronicling all of the pilot's photos shoots up to the present?" Kimi turned to her. "Yeah I can get one for you from the gift shop all items are free for anyone who works below." Misato breathed in deeply. "No I'll get one myself since the employees lift are that way." She moved slowly away from her not looking back as she walked through the gift shop grabbing the thick photo book holding it up to the cashiers who were serving very long lines of people as always. "I want this!"

The cashier closest raised his hand. "No problem Major, take it, free for central Nerv staff remember." She nodded putting it in her bag as she moved on finding the lift. She'd never felt as bad as she did right now. Asuka had clearly been depressed for a long time and she hadn't noticed and she had no excuse she had walked through this visitor centre more than once. She'd looked at the other pilots things but she had just ignored Asuka's and she'd even looked at those photos which made up the banners as she approved them.

She had assumed that Asuka was just being difficult for the shoot because she didn't like photo shoots. In the past she had always been the first to point out Asuka's faults rather than what she was good at and as a result was everyone just saw the worst in her now, to them she was nothing beyond a killing machine no wonder she believed everyone hated her. Unlike the other pilots she had no one saying other wise and she was hardly ever complimented for acts of talent on or off the field and it had clearly led up to her deep depression and misery.

Gods she needed to talk to Rei as soon as she found time because she was the one who had seen something that no one else had and video footage of them together didn't paint the whole story and she wanted to hear about what Asuka was really like underneath.

She stepped out of lift seeing the first door which had a big poster of 01's face with open jaws saying enter at your own risk, she rolled her eyes opening the door watching as a man looked up from his desks in shock and the woman opposite him almost dropping her can of coke. The burly man was of African decent he had a short back beard and short hair while the small woman was of Indian decent with long plaited black hair. From what she had read in their files they both had parents who had married into Japanese's family hence there Japanese's names and both were in their early thirties she eyed the small box room which was mail room made out to look like the cave of wonders.

There were Evangelion toys on desk masses of paperwork which clearly had nothing to do with their job at all, wall scrolls of the units hanging off the back walls. Both of them weren't in uniform they were both wearing Evangelion t-shirts, dark jeans and trainers she eyed them. "So you must be Shoji and Leiko, your job is to send out mail am I right?" Shoji stood up the fear appearing on his face as his hazel coloured eyes darted. "I can explain everything."

He tried to shove the papers side ways. "We have nothing to do half the day, I mean once we've sent out the letters and e-mails we just do this little hobby." Leiko stood up her green eyes filling with uncertainty. "Nothing we find is illegal it's all through our contacts and rumours and we don't hack any private channels." Misato turned eyeing their drinks machine as she put her bag down. "Does your drinks machine work, I want a coffee?" Shoji eyed her in confusion. "Yeah its works fine…"

Misato moved over pressing the button watching as it filled a fresh cup of coffee. "So rumour has it you're the people who know everything about everything that even the employees where I work don't know." She pulled up the spare computer chair sitting backwards on it so her head and arms were on the back rest. "Including the strange ghost girl, that looks like Rei whose being appearing and disappearing over the years."

Leiko moved over pulling a large folder out from the cabinet opposite passing it to her. "Oh yes I know all about her, she's my favourite subject, I have everything on her here do you know she's appeared over a hundred times since the program was founded oh make that hundred and one because she was seen some days ago in the quarantine zone, which is weird because she never normally appears there." She looked up nervously. "A rumour was there was an incident in the quarantine zone but like I said we don't hack private channels and the only reason we knew was because a lot of the workers down there got very scared and we heard they took days off everyone knew that even up here."

Misato eyed her desks toys seeing she had 02 and 00 as she looked through the file which was incredibly detailed it had sketches and everything along with personal accounts from employees. "You guys really don't miss a thing do you how long have you been running your hobby?"

Shoji looked up slightly. "Four years…look this came about because we both got demoted I got shoved up here by Kimi because she said it was all I was good for because I wasn't a good tour guide and Leiko used to be from the media building and worked in the designs and ideas department until Eshima fired her."

Leiko picked up the 00 toy playing with the arms. "She didn't approve of my whole idea of making the pilots more human, really pissed me off, I spent three months working that pitch and she kicked me to the curb. I mean hers and Tadao's warrior concept isn't working they're making them to much like gods and it means when they have accidents the media circle's them like vultures. I saw the recent photo shoot I've never seen Asuka look more miserable and unhappy it really annoys me that they still put that banner up downstairs poor women no wonder she never ever visits this place it must make her feel like she's nothing but a screw up." Shoji looked up. "Not to mention that for the last year both her and Rei have been going off the clock to do things while out on mission." Misato turned sharply. "What?" Shoji typed in to his holographic desk bringing up his holographic screen blinking in confusion. "You didn't know Major?"

Misato looked up. "No show me." Shoji paused before pulling up a number of videos which had been shot by civilians on their mobile phones. "Asuka's been diverting and so has Rei on their flight paths when coming home. This stuff never makes the news or social media and the people rescued remain quite because they don't want to get either of them in trouble as Evangelion's are not meant to divert from their flight paths ever. It's against Nerv policy but the pilots know full well that the flying camera hover drone and flying wing carrying their weapons leaves once their mission is complete neither of them follows them home, instead they both come straight back here to have their internal cores recharged."

Misato breathed in deeply as he started playing the videos one of which was Rei helping people to move wreckage in 00 so they could build housing, while Asuka was bringing in a large battered refugee ship which had been sinking using 02. "Rei we kind of expected this from, she's her mother's daughter through and through in that she has a very open heart but Asuka that was a complete surprise at first but then it kind of dawned on us that in truth it's not that much of surprise. Because her anger is clearly just a mask and there is a good person underneath who cares about people it's just the press and media would rather paint her as dangerous, aggressive and untrustworthy and only good for killing."

He tapped the screen. "Rei and Asuka both seem unaware of the others actions and we think they're both doing this kind of work of the clock because unlike the others they don't get to do civilian crisis missions. Also there have literally been three occasions where they've landed in real close locations but not close enough to see or hear each other but they've been trying to help the same groups of people." Misato looked at them for a long moment talk about impressive she had a team down stairs who had missed this stuff yet these two low level employees where seeing and hearing everything and she had no idea that Rei and Asuka had been diverting no one did.

"You know I came here because I was told that you two might be able to help me find out who messed with Asuka's plug suit some time ago, but now I feel like I've stumbled up on something much bigger." Shoji looked down sadly. "But let me guess we broke the rules and you're firing us both?" Misato put down the file down as she finished her coffee. "No quite the opposite I want to hire you both and promote you and make you part of the intelligence division I mean how would you both feel about working in Nerv central near my office? I'll give you the resources you need and you can turn this little hobby of yours into a full time thing. You'll get better pay and healthcare, free stuff because the gift shop is free to central employee's and you'll get to see the pilots since they have lunch quite often in the Arcade and you'll get to see the Evangelion's up close now again and you'll both get the official uniforms." Leiko put a hand on his chest. "You're seriously hiring us?"

Misato eased up the thick file. "I have people who are meant to be telling me things like this, it's my job to know everything about Nerv, yet I know nothing and you two have told me more in ten minutes than the people who are meant to be giving me info in the last month. So yeah I want to hire you because there's some twisted crap going on in Nerv's under belly and I want to know who's behind it." Shoji put his hands together. "We'll really get to see the Arcade zone and the tropical swimming pool, spa and gym as well as the Delphi gardens I mean I've heard there like wonderland?" Misato nodded. "Yes and everything you've brought here toys and collectors items can be forwarded back to your credit and debit cards and you can bring all your stuff with you, we don't have any rules against employees decorating there offices with Nerv mechanise its good for moral."

She raised her finger. "Only thing that's conditional is you must practice gun training weekly and hand to hand combat, this is so you can defend yourself if Nerv is ever taken over and all offices have a special locking box containing guns and ammunitions." So felt a wide smile form. "Interested?" Shoji turned giving her a smile. "I never liked the coffee up here any way it tastes like shit I want to try it down stairs." Leiko raised her hand. "Yes plus I want to taste real food down in the Arcade."

End of part 31

Silvermoonlight