The Entry Plug Trilogy

BY: Chenalos(@aol.com)
Steberb@regents.ac.uk



Note: This long intriguing set of three stories may or may not fit into the 
standard Eva Arc.  I assume such events as what follows could happen but it 
would mean that the Eva characters must have incredible resilience.  For those 
of you who do not know what Chow is; it is a card game and it is also called 
Chinese poker. It is extremely popular in Hong Kong.  

OHHH NO the Epilogue!  I will never hear the end of complaints for my epilogue!  
Asuka is not a wuss, she is the roughest meanest Eva pilot around in my opinion, 
but forgive me for lowering her a bit, won't you Ron and Alan?  Finally: this 
fanfic is NOT a lemon!  I don't care what the ending looks like.  The epilogue 
does, however, leave it up to the imagination.  Keep it clean, ETCHIE!  Boy that 
Epilogue is huge!



Chapter 1

Innocence Taken


"Those jerks! I'd like to see them here right now.  If I'd had Unit-02 with me I 
doubt that they would ever even think of crossing me again.  I'd stomp them into 
puddles, I'd crush them in my hand like fish bones, I'd kill 'em all!"

	Asuka continued on her rampant threat spree sending red waves of hair in 
all directions, as she threw punches at the imagined villains.  Shinji just sat 
there, waiting his turn to give a report of the whole incident.  His eyes glared 
blankly at the floor.  The dark corridor was far from relief, as he sat outside 
the debriefing chamber.  He shook a little, part from the cold steel chairs and 
part from his own fear, the fear he tried to ignore.  He was glad that it was 
all over now, but now the even more stressful task of recreating this nightmare 
had to be accomplished.  He remembered little. His mind was bombarded only by 
thoughts of just staying calm, trying just to survive until the ordeal was over.  
Shinji knew that he could only tell Misato what the men were saying, not what 
they wore, not how big or small they were, but nothing about them, just what 
they were doing.  All the details were lost in a panic driven confusion.  Other 
than that he could only recall the entry plug.

"I'm so stupid," he muttered "I've forgotten everything."

"Stop complaining you idiot, it will all come back to you.  Say, remember when I 
nailed that guy square in the nuts?  That was cool.  Score one for Asuka."

"..." Said Shinji

	Just then the door opened up, and Ayanami stepped forward.  Her calm 
reddish eyes looked toward Shinji.

"Pilot Ikari, it is your time now."

"How did you do wonder girl?" Asuka asked, turning her face in disgust

"I told them what I recalled."

"Well, as I recall you just shut up, and backed down."

"I did as I was told."

	Asuka glared at her with piercing blue fire from her eyes.

"You were a coward."

	With all the anger directed solely at Rei, Asuka became even more 
infuriated.  Rei was as she always was, inert uncaring and unfazed.  How can 
this lifeless thing keep going, she thought, let alone become a pilot?  Hatred 
brewed inside her.  Shinji finally tried to make peace.

"Asuka, just remember we have all been through a very hectic time.  Just try to 
stay calm." 

"Oh, shut up you idiot. Both of you get out of my sight."

	Ayanami walked down the corridor, towards the light.  Shinji stood up and 
went to the door.  He looked back at Asuka.

"I'm sorry"

	For the first time these words surprised Asuka, she could tell that this 
was not like Shinji's usual default regret.  This was sincere.  This was an 
apology for everything that has happened since they had gotten out of school.  
Asuka felt both happiness and anger at this, was he pitying her?  The thought of 
that was wretched to her, but at least he was being sincere. She leaned back and 
closed her eyes,

"Well, you don't need to tell me that."

"Ok"
 
It was 10:30 PM

Shinji looked at Asuka, as he closed the door behind him, he walked inside the 
huge dark room, vaguely lit by the light of the lamp sitting on the commander's 
desk, and also the light of the low moon, at half phase.  The people he knew so 
well were dark silhouettes looming over the desk.  He could make out Ritsuko, 
and commander Fuyutsuki, and he new Misato was there.  Besides them were two 
other figures he could not make out.

"Pilot Ikari, Shinji; These inquiries are to determine the exact nature of the 
events beginning at 15:40, yesterday afternoon, up until the time of 16:10 
today, when recovery of the missing pilots was achieved.  Be aware that your 
statement will not be compared to either of the other children for continuity 
reasons.  Are you prepared to give a full detailed summary of these events?"

"Yes Misato."

"Pilot, for the time being, please refer to me in accordance to my military 
rank."

"Yes Major, I'm sorry."

"Very well, now pilot how did this all get started?"

"It started, uh, at about 15:00 hours, yesterday afternoon.  W-well School had 
just been let out, so Asuka and Rei and...I...I mean p-pilots Soryou and Ayanami 
along with mmyself went to, to check in at, uh, headquarters..." Shinji was 
loosing his focus, already he could not judge the important details and 
worthless facts. His story was blank, he mumbled, trying to say the details, 
when he just wanted to blurt the whole thing out and be done with it.  "While 
on-on route on Hiechi Street, no no, no Sokawa Street, or was it... was it..."

'WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS IT, WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT, 
IT... IT, IT... I'm so stupid, This is important! I need to remember, I have to 
remember what I did, I have to remember...what do I remember?'

A tear formed in his eye, and escaped all the way to the floor below.

"We were kidnapped."

Silence-

Finally...

"We are aware of that pilot.  Please, if you can, could you try to tell us 
exactly what happened."

Shniji wiped the moisture from his face.

"Yes Commander, uh, On this street we were a-approached by a van.  It was a 
grey, unmarked van... No, wait it was uh-unmarked, except that there was a large 
NERV insignia on uh, the right side, on the door. Oh, and it was not really a 
um, light grey, more, more of a dark grey, a really dark g-grey like midnight 
grey...very dark, black grey...actually, it was uh, black.  I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, please proceed."

Misato was doing her best to make this easy on Shinji it was not easy.

"The door slid open, and uh, we all stopped since it was a NERV van.  A man 
slowly stepped onto the street, and flashed his NERV ID, he said we had to come 
with him for special uh, training at a different NERV facility-"

"And you believed him?" barked Fuyutsuki

"...Uh, yes sir, you see um, th-that day, and I told Rei and Asuka, that I got a 
call on my sel-cellular phone saying that we would all be picked up sometime 
after school.  The man uh, claimed to be from NERV, and I thought that this was 
all planned, anyway...that's what I um, thought."

"This man that was in the van, can you recall what he looked like?" asked 
Ritsuko

"He uh, he looked like... he had... he wore a-uh"

Shinji thought hard, then all of a sudden, as if by magic he remembered all of 
it.

"TAKAHASHI"

"You know his name?"

"Uh no, Takahashi street, we were on, uh, Takahashi street---but I do remember 
that the man was wearing sunglasses, and a black suit.  Hey, and he had a mole 
on his neck.  Well, anyway we all got in the van, when we noticed Misato--I mean 
Major Katsuragi was not there, and she is always present for any tests, so we 
asked where she was, but they didn't answer."

"They?" Said Misato

"Yes, now I remember," and he truly remembered it all "there were two other men 
dressed in exactly the same way in the van.  They were in seats that directly 
faced ours.  We looked forward at them and they looked back at us.  They shut 
the door, and started down the street, really fast.  Uh, as I said, um before I 
asked were The major was, and they replied that she would not be present for 
these tests.  When Asuka asked why not, they didn't say a word.  She asked again 
and still they remained silent.  No, they then said, 'Miss Soryou please be 
quiet.'  Well she was sitting next to me, in the middle and she grabbed my 
cellular phone from my bag, but before she could do anything, one of the men 
snatched it out of her hand, took the battery off and threw it out the 
window...the battery.  He handed the cellular phone back to Asuka, and he said 
that we would be returned when the test were done, but no contact was to be made 
with anyone from NERV, or otherwise."

	Shinji paused briefly, he swallowed, and held his breath, as he felt his 
blood get hotter.

"I wondered...I wondered if they were NERV personnel, I even asked if these men 
worked for NERV, and they gave no answer.  I quieted down, but Asuka kept asking 
that question to them, getting louder every time.  She then fell silent for a 
moment, then she raised her foot in the air, and brought it down right on top of 
the mans....uh, his uh," making hinting gestures "You know, right..."

"Very well, pilot"

"As soon as she did that, the man across from me...grabbed her, and threw her on 
the ground, and she screamed.  I shouted for her, and tried to jump on top of 
the man and pull her off.  When I did this, the man Asuka had kicked grabbed me 
by the back of the neck, and threw me down on the chair.  I was face down on the 
Men's chair when I felt them tugging at my arms...they were tying me up.  What 
really upset me, was when I looked at Rei, she hadn't done anything, she 
wouldn't have, she's too peaceful, but the third man had jumped her and forced 
her down on the seat, just as I was.  There...there she was, and they were tying 
her up for no good reason.  She looked at me and said my name then I was truly 
scared.  I was helpless to stop them.  We all were."

"Are you, um, alright to go on?" asked Misato, in a scratchy voice


"... I think so.  As I remember, they sat us back in our seats.  The driver 
complained about the brawl, but then one of the men said it was unavoidable 
anyway.  We were just leaving Tokyo-3 when they blindfolded us.  I don't know 
how, but eventually we all just went to sleep, I don't know how I could have 
slept at a time like that, but I did.  I was still blindfolded when I woke up, 
and I remember feeling myself being lifted, and placed on a shallow, narrow bed, 
they sat me up, and cut the rope on my hands.  I uh, tried to struggle free, but 
then at least three men grabbed my arms, and strapped them onto the bed. When I 
started moving I could tell that I was on a stretcher, and I was being rolled 
into a building.  I then heard a faint snipping, then fingers on my leg and 
uh... air, like a uh, draft.  I realised that they were cutting off my clothes. 
They did, however cover me with a sheet as they, uh cut.  I then finally heard 
their voices.  They said that we were to be given plug suits, and prepare for 
Eva entry.  I felt the plug suit put on my lap.  Just then they finally took off 
the blindfold, I was in what looked like a hospital, white lights, white walls, 
white everything, even the men pushing the stretcher wore surgeons masks.  They 
took me to a dark passage beyond the white lit area."

"Did you know where you were, geographically?" asked Ritsuko

"No I never saw any windows, never saw the outside.  I'm sorry."

"Please proceed."

"Well, when I was dragged into the darkness, eventually, I was taken to an 
elevator, and brought down 7 stories underground.  When I reached the bottom of 
the elevator shaft, some men were waiting for me.  They all wore masks, They all 
had guns.  They escorted me to a tall metal door. They opened it to a short 
hallway, which had an identical door at the end.  They placed me in the hallway 
and, guns aimed at me, undid the straps.  When they had walked out, the steel 
door closed me inside.  Trapped, but then the intercom came on and instructed me 
to put on the plug suit.  I recall screaming, just for some answers, just for 
the sake of screaming.  The intercom came in and said that The German Pilot is 
inside the cell, just beyond the other door, and that I could either put on the 
plug suit or go in naked.  I uh, decided to put on the suit.  Just then the door 
opened and I walked in, the door closed behind me, and I could hear them 
removing the stretcher."

"Was the pilot of Unit-02 inside?"

"She was, she just sat there in the corner and said, oh uh I forget something 
like 'way to go idiot', I just sat down in the other corner and uh, apologized.  
I asked Asuka where Rei was, and It turned out she was the first one that they 
had taken."

"Taken?"

"Yes, uh, they apparently were doing experiments after all."

"And since you are the only three children, you were their only target."

"Yes sir, Asuka and I passed the time as best as we could, she would frequently 
get up and make threats to the door, mostly in German.  About two hours later 
Rei came in, and uh then it was my turn.  I was again walked down a corridor, 
leading to a large room.  In this room were two testing entry plugs, lying side 
by side.  I was told by intercom to get into the right plug..."

"Can you describe these plugs?" asked Ritsuko

"Uh...they were like, honey comb shaped, they looked just like our standard test 
plugs, but they were mounted on, something like rollers, platforms, whatever it 
was it looked like it would move around. I went and just checked to see if it 
was bolted down in any way..."

Shinji was suddenly hit by the one fact that had eluded him for so long, the key 
to everything.  In almost total joy, he leapt from his seat.

"I saw their insignia!  The plug had a symbol on it, when I went to check if it 
was bolted down, on the lower-side identification panel, under the bars of the 
platform, I saw the emblem!" 

"Could you draw the symbol?" asked Misato

"Yes, I think so"

"Come here then, Pilot Ikari."

Shinji got up and approached the desk, in the radiating glow of the desk lamp he 
drew the symbol as best as he could remember, it was rather simple really, all 
the figures involved were quite commonplace.  As he wrote, Misato leaned forward 
towards him.  Even here, surrounded by NERV personnel and on duty as major of 
operations, Shinji's guardian was still present.

"Hang in there, stick with it for me."

Shinji rotated the paper, nodded to Misato, and headed back to his chair.  When 
Misato looked down at what Shinji had written, a gasp over took her, as she 
turned her head, looking to the shadows.

"Please continue." Said Ritsuko

"After I noticed the symbol, I quickly turned around and entered the entry plug, 
hoping that none noticed.  When the plug was activated, I could tell that I was 
not connected to an Eva, The plug did not even feel like a simulation Eva."

"How so?" asked Fuyutsuki

"An Eva is huge, even when only simulated in the test plug it can feel like a 
massive beast.  Inside this plug though, it felt light as a feather, yet oddly 
enough I felt like I was synching with something, but it could be no larger than 
a human, frail and delicate by comparison."

"The other plug?"

"That was my first thought as well.  I heard the technician order me to enter 
third stage synch, that's when I asked who was in the other plug...next thing I 
remember...they gave me an electric shock.  They then repeated the order, and I 
didn't ask about anything anymore, I just tried to bide my time, trying to make 
it through... Mostly from then on I tried to synch inside the plug.  This thing 
in the other plug was definitely not anything like an Eva.  It was communicating 
with me, and Evas don't communicate, they just obey.  It was the oddest feeling.  
Like trying to work something out in your head, one voice inside you asks the 
questions and another answers.  That is not exactly what was going on, but 
that's just how it felt.  For two hours I synched with the other plug, moving 
adjusting, taking borderline tests, and communicating with the 'Eva'.  Then they 
brought me out, and placed me back with Rei.  I was with Rei for no longer than 
30 minutes, when the door opened, and uh two Doctors were sent in with armed 
guard.  They ordered us to roll over on our backs, Rei and I both complied, and 
they gave us a shot, a tranquilizer.  I was out in less than a minute, and when 
I came to, I was in a small shed just outside of Tokyo-2.  Rei and Asuka were 
both with me.  I found my cellular phone, with a new battery, and phoned up 
headquarters.  I guess that is the full story"

From the shadows came an echoing dark voice

"Very well, this preliminary testimony has been recorded, be prepared for 
further questioning on this matter" spoke Gendo

"Fath-..."

"You may leave now, please send in Pilot Soryou"

Shinji mutely stood still, twitching his hand, and speaking with almost 
terrified eyes;

"Sir...uh...what-will you...-...do?"

"It will be taken care of pilot, you may leave now."

Shinji left.  Meanwhile a perplexed Misato stared angrily at the symbol Shinji 
had drawn.  A true terror loomed in this picture drawn by innocent hands, and 
this was only the beginning.

"Major Katsuragi, Let me see that boys fingerpaintings"

"Yes sir." Mistato walked into the darkness, guided only by the thin reflecting 
glass of Gendos' spectacles.  She timidly placed the writing pad on the 
commanders' desk. Lit only with moonlight, Gendo stared at the inverted triangle 
on the paper, and the seven eyes of SEELE gazed back at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue;


The Moon glared down on Shinji the next night.  He was on his futon, listening 
to his Walkman and doing infinite laps of his finger 'round the patterned 
diamond in his rug.  It was about 10:00 PM when he got a knock on the door.

"Hey, Shinji it's Asuka. I got some cards, wanna play chow?"

"Maybe some other time Asuka, it's pretty late."

"Come on you idiot, I have to kill some time... and THIS seems like the best way 
for me to do it"

	Shinji paused, to think something he wouldn't dare say.

"Ok, come on in."

	Asuka and Shinji played chow for a half an hour before the subject 
finally came up.

"Hey Asuka, were you uh, scared at all?" 

"Ohh, that little kidnapping thing, well I'm OK right now, so what is their to 
be worried about.  Besides, thanks to this event, they just upped security so 
something like that can never happen again. Even so, those guys just tried to 
force us to take some stupid synch test. Pair of fours."

"Oh, pass... Say, Asuka, what was it like for you synching with that Eva?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, I didn't synch with it."

"What? But I thought you have the highest synchro-ratio."

"Don't offend me Ikari. It's not that I couldn't synch with it, it's that I 
didn't."

"You mean you chose...But didn't they shock you?"

"About fifteen times, they also lowered LCL temperature, used sonic disrupters, 
lowered Oxygen, and increased pressure.  I fought them every time. Last card."

Shinji paused and looked at his cards.  He knew that Asuka would fight them, but 
he never dreamed that she had such willpower. 

"...Pass..."

"Well, you loose again Shinji care for another round?"

"Well actually Asuka..."

She had already started dealing. The card game penetrated into the next morning, 
occasionally diverting interest into the recent abduction.

1:15

"Geez, Shinji how do you sleep in here, Its freezing."

"Huh? You think so?  I feel just fine."

"Of course you feel fine moron, you have a blanket." she said slightly shivering 
"Let me in there."

"What, but Asuka..."

"Shut up Shinji, 'Ours is not to wonder why, ours is just to do, or you die.'"

"What, What did you just say?" Shinji did not know any English at the time.

"Dunkoff, Idiot, proletariat..."

Shinji still remained silent, even as Asuka crawled under his sheets, totally 
immersing herself within them.  Asuka tightly clenched as much blanket as she 
could, towards he body. She lay adjacent to Shinji, as she stuck her head out 
from the cloth abyss, stared directly at Shinji and finally proclaimed'

"BAKA!"

"Oh"

"Now, don't look at my hand or I'll drop kick you."

1:35

Shinji had been dealing for the last fifteen minutes. Asuka was at his side 
arching herself towards his body coming only an inch from touching feet 
together.  Her strategy had worked she was now very warm.  Actually, she was 
sweating from the heat that was generated, but never left.  Her eyes were now 
two sapphire slits, aimlessly gazing at the cards in front of her.  Shinji on 
the other hand was doing his best at not making the wrong moves.  Like Asuka, he 
too was hot, and sweaty, but unlike Asuka, he had to worry about a swollen 
member of his anatomy, that he was presently laying on causing infinite 
discomfort.  Focusing on his cards seemed to help him the most.  Suddenly 
Asuka's hand fell into view, as her entire Arm went limp.  She had all four of 
the twos.

"I'm tired Shinji, can I sleep here?"

"...........uh.........sure..."

Asuka's mind flashed back to the plug, alone in the freezing cold, combined with 
the horrible noise, crushing pressure, and the electric shock.  How calm she was 
now, warm, silent, relaxed, and no longer alone.  She closed her eyes.

Shinji stared at Asuka, all of a sudden it was that night all over again. Asuka 
was at peace beside him once more.  He had done this once before, but this time 
he felt he could not mess up.  He brought his lips to Asuka's, pressed them 
together as one, and promptly felt Asuka's teeth snatching the intruder.  She 
opened her eyes and looked directly at Shinji.  Staring, staring, staring, 
unblinking and unmoving.  Shinji helplessly stammered at his helpless plight.  
He swallowed and just began to say "I'm sorr...",  when Asuka wrapped her arm 
around him and pulled him close, working her lips ever further into Shinji's.  
Shinji too found his arm at Asuka's back.  The two embraced each other in 
stillness as a plane came into view in the window, it had long left view 
completely when Asuka finally pulled away.  She settled back in the futon. 

"If tell ANYONE, I will kill you!"

"Uh, OK."

Her arm never left Shinji's side, both remained in this embrace as they slowly 
shut their eyes.



To be continued...


Did they go to sleep?  Did they do it?  Did Asuka get up and leave?  These and 
many other questions will NOT be answered in the next episode of the Entry Plug 
Trilogy.  Decide on your own, you've got some imagination, and to all other 
authors please do not sequel this work as a lemon (as a favour to me).

Keep you Eyes peeled for the next volume of the Entry plug trilogy: AT tube