Disclaimer: I own nothing but a few concepts and the story itself. The rest belongs to their respective copyright holders. ---NERV, Terminal Dogma. --- A figure stalked the corridors and unlit passages of Terminal Dogma; his shapeless form distinct only by the gray case at his side. Ranma Saotome, Major of Tactical Espionage and Covert Hagiography, the latter dealing with the elimination of Angelic materials from unauthorized countries, entered the final level of the base and proceeded with caution. As commander of the TECH department he was well-versed in spiritual texts and Aramaic prophecy, subjects that interested him after Second Impact. Kihl had given him explicit instructions to observe the supreme commander of NERV and alert the committee to any bizarre behavior. Now, as the lighting dwindled and the corridor ended, he would have his first encounter with the Supreme Commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari, in fifteen years. He had read the biography and case history of the man, knew about his early involvement in Project E, and how he lost his wife. The profile little matched his own remembrance of Gendo from when they first met in Antarctica, he remembered an intense man but not as distant and cold as his file would lead one to believe. The suitcase was dropped to the floor as a looming black metal door faced him from the end of the hall. Smiling at the high security, Ranma withdrew a red passcard from his jacket, a beige parka designed for arctic conditions, perfect for the high-level cold rooms beneath NERV headquarters. Gloves pulled out his NERV card from the reader, a faint beeping indicating he was cleared, and why shouldn't he have been? After all, he did have Alpha level clearance, given to him personally by Chairman Kihl. The frozen doors opening, he brushed his way into the artifact room. It was a misty environment, intense cold more than likely to freeze bodily fluids instantaneously, his boots clanging against the grated floor. A hazy shape shimmered towards the back of the room, the only distinguishing feature his glasses sparkling with frost. Gendo Ikari stood with a rigid imperialistic stance, his gloved hands shoved into the deep lined pockets of his own jacket. As Ranma came closer to the man, he spoke out. "Do you have it?" There was no sense of familiarity, no emotion in that voice, only a cold, calculating, analytical mind. In response, he placed the case on a nearby desk, the gray durasteel shaving a layer of ice off. The thin shavings were crushed under Gendo's feet as he walked up to the contents. Inside were thick layers of Bakelite surrounding a rectangular stasis box, inside lay the embryonic form of an Angel. Gendo pulled off a gloved hand, running it over the grotesque creature lovingly. "It's already regenerating, even through the Bakelite." A pause. "This is the one right?" His clothes were freezing over as the refrigeration began to compensate for the lost cold. His eyes darted to the spectacled man. The room grew dark, a stray beam of light causing Gendo's glasses to go white. He smirked beneath the mirrored surface of his tinted lenses. "Yes. The first Angel and father of humanity... "ADAM." ---Title--- Evangelical History: Chapter 2 A Ranma/Evangelion fusion By Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton ---NERV Cafeteria, 28th floor--- Ritsuko and Maya arrived through the laboratory emergency doors, their frantic gasps eliciting glances from the personnel on break. Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Misato and Kaji were over at a roundtable drinking coffee watching the monorail pass along overhead, the older couple in the middle of a heated disagreement yet again. "There's no way I'm leaving a teenage girl in your custody! It would be a disaster if you _did_ something to the girl and it leaked to the papers! Besides, it's just unseemly." Misato chugged a can of beer in-between outbursts, the amber fluid dribbling down her chin. "And anyway the Commander makes the final decision, you can't just request a Child for your custody, they're not like dogs or rabbits you know." "Hey! Calm down Misato-chan, I was just saying, I mean you have Shinji..." He trailed off letting her imagine the rest. He was a licentious looking man with a short ponytail and a days worth of stubble on his jaw, he seemed the type to be a covert spy or something, but no one really thought he had the guts. "That's right, _I_ have Shinji, which means they think _I'm_ a good role model for the pilots! And stop calling me Misato-chan! We broke up over six months ago!" She drank the rest of her beer, grimacing at how little was left. "Damnitt!" "If you keep drinking like that you're going to get a gut." "Why you!" Misato crumpled the can of Yebisu in her fist and cocked her arm back to give Kaji a mouthful of metal when Ritsu coolly walked behind and snatched the offending object away. With the weapon hidden in the voluminous folds of her sterile lab coat, she and her assistant sat down. "Do you know what the best workout for your beergut is, Misato? It's not called 'let's wallop a dummy,' but 'exercise.' I told you to stop drinking last year as well!" Already horny as all hell from Ranma's last 'test,' she wasn't in the mood for Misato's verbal warfare. "Hey! I do not have a gut!" She pulled up her shirt as proof, exposing her red lace bra to the workers sitting at the next table. As the hooting and hollering continued, Misato's icy glare silenced the room. "And I do too exercise! I run a lot." She crossed her shapely legs. Maya giggled at the captain's plight, then nudged Ritsu for another scathing reply. "There's not an ounce of muscle in your upper body Misato and we all know it," she replied smugly, "unless you call those," she pointed at her breasts, "muscles. However, I think we all know a certain muscle group you have that gets used a _lot_. At least it used to. I'll give you a hint, it's right below your waist." She smirked as the others shared lecherous grins. "Are you saying I sleep around? Are you?" Ritsu nodded the affirmative, drawing even more nods from the people seated around them. The Children just sat in their seats, listening wide-eyed at the events unfolding before their eyes. "I'll have you know I'm nothing like I was in college!" She protested, blushing down to her toes. "Uh...Shinji? Do they always act this way?" Asuka prodded the young pilot. "No, they've usually thrown a few punches by now. It happened last time, right Rei?" Shinji deferred to his fellow pilot, the enigmatic red-eyed albino Rei Ayanami. "Yes. Captain Katsuragi's eye stopped swelling by Monday." Asuka always thought it was dangerous in Tokyo-3, just never expected it to be _this_ dangerous. The fight continued at the centre table, insults flowing like wine at a Bacchanal, with a cheering section behind for both Misato and Ritsuko, Misato had more admirers though. The group finally managed to appease their purple-haired captain, although getting her to keep her mouth shut was getting to be a problem. Feigning tranquility, Misato waited until Kaji let her go before leaping at Ritsuko again. Nobody ever spread rumors about her, not even her boyfr-er...ex-boyfriend. As it so happened as she left the safety of her seat for the air, a pair of strong hands grabbed her arms, roughly shoving her back to her seat. She was about to shoot off a stinging insult to whoever stopped her from divine vengeance when the commander stepped into view. Gendo had seen Ranma move to intercept his tactical commander and saw how fast he had moved, almost flowing like water. He was keen to view the test results and discover the secret at the heart of his old acquaintance. As it stood now, he needed to speak with the Captain. "Captain Katsuragi. My office." Four words, two sentences, and all color drained from her face, her mouth agape. He turned on a leather heel and strode out. Ranma let the woman go after, seeing she was not a threat. "Ranma! I'm _so_ glad to see you!" Asuka, wasting no time, grabbed the young Saotome in a fierce glomp. Unable to push her away, Ranma simple grinned sheepishly at the crowd. "I have to live with someone Ranma, do you know if I can stay with you?" "Uh...no Asuka, I don't. Can you please let go of me?" She began to nuzzle her face into his chest, eliciting a nervous chuckle from her guardian. "I really need to tell Ritsuko something." Reluctantly, Asuka disengaged. The table stood up for introductions. Ritsuko began. "Allow me to introduce the First Child, Rei Ayanami," "Hiya Rei!" Ranma put out his hand. When nothing rose to greet it, he shrugged and let it fall back down. "The Third Child Shinji Ikari," "Nice to meet you Shinji." They shook hands. "And our wargame coordinator Ryouji Kaji." Ritsuko's voice seemed to lower in reference to her personal feelings about the man. "I'll have to stop by sometime so we can start the pilot's training simulations." Ranma and Kaji laughed a bit, getting off on the right foot. Even as they exchanged badinage, Ranma knew to be weary of the man, his aura showed he hid something, something very important. "That's actually the reason I have to talk to you Ritsuko, as of today I'm taking command of tactical operations." "Really? I guess Misato's out of a job." Ritsu laughed a bit at her own joke, halting when no one understood her jest. "I never thought Commander Ikari would fire her though, her battle plans may be unusual, but always very effective." "Ah yes, I heard about Operation Yashima, brilliant thinking for one so young. I'm kinda sorry I wasn't there myself! Must've been a hell of a light show!" He laid his thick callused hands on his charge's shoulders, pulling her in front of him. Her posterior barely was making contact with the front of his pants, but even in public, even with coworkers nearby, Asuka couldn't help thinking if she'd be in this position again...perhaps naked on a waterbed... Blushing, she knocked that thought away as she drew attention from her fellow pilots. "Well what about Asuka? Where'll she be staying?" Kaji interjected. "Is she going with you, Misato-chan, or me?" "I don't really know, Ikari's gonna talk to the captain about it. I guess we'll know when she gets back." ---Commander Ikari's Office, NERV level 66--- "The Second Child will be put into Major Saotome's care. They will move into your building tomorrow, I'll see to it that Ms. Sohryu is enrolled at school. Is this clear?" The voice was commanding, not asking. Failure to acquiesce risked death. "Understood sir." He leaned forward on his heavy onyx desk, the intricate patterns carved into the metal giving his face an eerie luminosity, almost like a ghost of evils long forgotten. "Major Saotome will also be taking over tactical operations. You will remain on the bridge roster as backup and counsel for him. Is that also clear?" "Yes sir." "Good. Dr. Akagi, Lieutenant Ibuki, Captain Kaji and Pilot Ayanami will also be residing at your housing complex within a few weeks. If any problems arise with this arraignment, you may file a complaint." The door behind her opened with a click, she realized the audience was finished and promptly walked out. As the doors closed with terrifying finality, Fuyutsuki crept from the shadows. "Are you sure giving him command of tactical operations is a good idea Ikari? You know Kihl sent him here to spy on us, why risk giving out more secrets?" Taking his customary seat beside Gendo's desk, Fuyutsuki retrieved a Go hintbook from his jacket and prepared a handicap game. "Kihl has invested his own personal interest in the man. It does not matter in any case if he is a spy or not, Fuyutsuki, I know where Major Saotome's allegiances lie." He placed a glimmering white tile on the grid. "I know him." Taken aback by his compatriot's move and comment, Fuyutsuki frowned and placed a black tile next to Gendo's. "If you know him, can we trust him? I think he's much too valuable, he knows so much. It'd be a pity to kill him." "I have no intention of killing Major Saotome." With one final move, Gendo ended the game. Turning in his seat, he punched up the number of Dr. Akagi's office. Getting an answering machine, he calmly gave his order. "Dr. Akagi. Test Major Saotome for SIN. Report to my office when you have finished." He sat back then, with Fuyutsuki staring with wide eyes at his defeat and pondered the purpose of Ranma Saotome in this world. "Dammit." ---Misato's flat, later that day--- Misato was drinking. This in and of itself was not too spectacular, but the fact that she was actually trying to get drunk was. After the meeting with the commander, she'd been dragged through hell by Ritsuko's ridicule of her demotion. Of course the fact that her replacement was a man only made her more angry than anything else, her appointment to NERV as chief of tactical operations had proved to her that women could do anything a man could do. Chauvinistic attitudes towards her were cleanly nipped in the bud during her first year as captain. Now all her hard work seemed for naught, and it didn't help much that Ranma was far more qualified for the job but it just helped to think of it as a grave injustice. A mitigating factor was of course he had a terrific butt, better than Kaji's actually. As the thoughts entered her mind she swallowed the remainder of her drink then reached for the next, only to discover that was the last can. Grumbling and irritable, she threw on her jacket and stumbled to the door. "I-I'm goin' out Shinji-kun! D-don't wait up for me!" Pausing for confirmation, she still left even when no voice came to answer her. Besides, it was only a block to the nearest bar. That one block soon became a major stumbling block for the intoxicated captain. Weaving and bobbing down the street, she found herself down three alleys before reaching the friendly neighborhood bar. The world was spinning as the dimmed room came into focus for her, the occupants passing a curious eye to the wobbling NERV worker. Finally the spinning overtook her and she crumpled to the floor in a snoring heap. In the end, only one man got up to help her, Major Ranma Saotome. After making sure Asuka was asleep, he had retreated to this small establishment to work out his thoughts on NERV, Japan. Known throughout the NERV circles in Germany for his drinking habits, seeing him consume twelve beers was not an uncommon sight. His enhanced metabolism simply broke down the alcohol faster than normal people. Now he saw Misato stumble into the bar and collapse on the floor. Running over and checking for a fever, all he found was a tell-tale red glow to her face. "Misato? Misato? Can you stand up?" When no answer greeted him save a half-hearted belch he hefted her over his shoulder, paid the bartender, and walked home. He didn't even know where she lived so he simply took her back to him apartment. Indistinct mutterings following him home. Juggling her around to get out his key had been difficult, made even more so when he accidentally squeezed something other than her leg. It was firm but giving. Unlike a certain specter from his past, she didn't lash out violently but moaned slightly in her sleep. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Ranma slipped his key through the reader, kicked off his shoes and put his new assistant to bed. Boxes were everywhere, stacked up high against the walls. Luckily the movers had unloaded their beds first so both of them had something to sleep on for the night. Tonight he was just thankful they had brought up the couch as well. Somehow sensing she was in bed, Misato began unconsciously tugging her clothing off, sprawling all over the bed. He wisely covered her in a sheet before she'd shown him too much skin. Looking at her now, without the angry mask she wore earlier, she was really quite beautiful, in fact, many men might call her radiant. Her long purple hair fell to mid-back, long legs giving a taller appearance that beguiled her true height. Her chest, longed for by many boys at Shinji's school as well as NERV employees, and face filled out the rest. He had laid her down on her side, so if she did throw up during the night she wouldn't drown, then hit the couch. As the thin sheet settled over him, and as Asuka's snores filtered in from her open door, Ranma dreamed. A green glass cylinder slipped from his fingers, shattering on the coffee table. ---SEELE Council Room, location unknown--- SEELE 10: The next Angel, Israfel, has entered our scopes. SEELE 09: It is too early for it to arrive. The scrolls said one every two phases. SEELE 06: The scrolls can be wrong. They were written by nomadic seers thousands of years ago. SEELE 01: Ikari is ready for the attack and our operative has already infiltrated NERV's personnel. The time is drawing near that we shall need an EVA, and our agent will give us one. SEELE 05: It is not wise to squabble as the world nears the end of its time. SEELE 10: Yes, we must focus on more pressing matters. The rest of the EVA series must be completed for our plan to work. SEELE 01: Yes, finish construction. Place out pieces. Then crush NERV when we need it no longer. Do not forget we have a committee meeting next week. All the monoliths vanish leaving Kihl halloed by light. As he returns to his office he whispers a short chant. The Kaddish. ---To be continued--- ---Glossary--- Hagiography: The study and biography of the saints. Here it is applied to the unauthorized study of angelic materials, such as blood. Badinage: Light, playful banter. Dr. Suekeiichi Kaiton Skaiton@netscape.net