AN: God, I feel so young looking back at this story, especially considering it was my first. Since I do feel a bit aged, I say it's about time that this fic also catches up as well. So, without any further delay, here's the latest W! Now, Showtime!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything here.

Episode 14: Skull vs. Gaghiel!?

It's been a couple of weeks since Nihlus's visit and things have returned back to normal, or as normal as things can be with the two detectives. Right now, Shinji's body collapsed as Rei, who was next to him, proceeded to transform into W.

"FANG-JOKER!"

A while ago, when assigned a new case, Shinji and Rei thought it would be a good idea to test W's FangJoker form as they hadn't much time to fully understand the form's strength and weaknesses since Rei managed to finally control Fang. Right now, their case brought them up against a Hopper Dopant.

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!" W said in her dual voice as she pointed at the monster before looking at Shinji's body.

"I'm going to feel that later…" Shinji remarked as W's left eye blinked.

"Now you know how I feel." W replied as she refocused on the Hopper Dopant, who charged at her. He then kicked W in the stomach with his charged-up legs, causing the Rider to fly through the wall nearby and into the building before skidding on the floor for a while.

"Rei, are you okay?" Shinji asked as W got up and dusted herself.

"I guess enhanced durability can go on the list." W answered as if she wasn't just kicked through a wall. Speaking of which, the Hopper Dopant followed her in and charged at her, attempting to claw at the armor while W was dodging the attacks.

While Rei may seem like a bookworm that prefers brains over brawn, she is actually just as physically adept as Shinji and knows how to fight should the event come that NERV or anyone else comes to collect Rei. W then landed a few punches to the monster's gut before kicking him away.

She then touched the horn on the Fang Memory once.

"ARM FANG!"

W's white arm blade appeared on her right arm before studying it.

"Looks like it's part of the armor and there's no GaiaMemory slot for it, not like our other forms." W remarked.

"Shame, we could've used some new Memory Breakers." Shinji added as W noticed the Dopant recovering so she immediately slashed him with her blade. She then followed it up with a series of cuts and slashes before stabbing him. Immediately after, the Dopant flew out of the hole and rolled on the ground for a few moments while groaning in pain.

"This is just sad…" Shinji remarked as W tapped the horn again twice.

"SHOULDER FANG!"

A blade emerged from W's right shoulder and her left side took it before examining it.

"If I recall, we used this as a boomerang, but…." Shinji then made W look at her arm blade and disconnected shoulder blade. "Let me have control for a few minutes, Rei."

The Hopper Dopant got up before he was met with a fury of slashes from both blades before W ended her combo, resulting in the monster getting back on the ground.

"You were right, Shinji. This is just sad…" W remarked as she was given back control of her body before her left eye blinked again.

"So, think we should finish this?"

"Might as well…" W replied as she tapped the horn three times.

"FANG! MAXIMUM DRIVE!"

W dismissed her blades while she summoned her Ankle Fang before jumping up in the air in a flying roundhouse kick position.

"Fang Strizer!"

W began spinning as blue energy appeared around her being. Upon contact, the energy formed into a dinosaur head which bit down on him, resulting in an explosion. W emerged from the explosion unharmed while the explosion faded, revealing an exhausted old man with a broken Grasshopper Memory. W examined the man.

"I knew it was the butler!" W remarked while a mechanical blue kabuto beetle was watching from the sidelines.

(At an unknown location)

Mari was watching the fight that Kaji's Beet Phone was broadcasting through hers.

"What do you think of them?" Kaji remarked.

"Certainly, lives up to the name of Kamen Rider and I do love that current form. Brings back some memories." Mari said with a chuckle following. "Other than that, Shinji and Rei do certainly seem like an interesting pair to have around."

"They're not going to have the same high opinion about you when they meet you…which is going to be soon." Kaji replied as Mari took out the Skull Memory from her pocket.

"That's fine. Nothing's easy." Mari said as she pressed the button.

"SKULL!"

(Play WBX Xtreme by Aya Kamiki and TAKUYA)

[Start of the song] Kamen Rider W watches over the city on the top of the building. Scene slowly shifts to the logo with Shinji and Rei on top of it. Scene changed with Shinji putting on one of his hat and Rei putting her book away.

[W-B-X Crime and the City]

[Mata dareka ga totsuzen Door wo tataku] Scene changes to a mysterious person knocking on the door.

[Jiken no yokan Welcome to Windy City] Scene shift to the figure talking to Shinji.

[Kono machi ni wa namida niawanai ze] Scene changes to Shinji going around town asking questions revolving his case without being caught.

[Yami ni hisomou KEYWORD mitsuke dasou] Shinji accidentally bumps into a person which is revealed to be Asuka and hits him with her slipper. Then the word, "KEYWORD", is written on the board. While Shinji and Asuka are exploring a dark place while Rei is in RevolGarry about to go into the GaiaLibrary.

[Hittori de wa todokanai yume (Kensaku suru mugen no Archive kioku to iu umi e to Dive)] Rei finds the book she needs while Shinji and Asuka are caught and Rei starts reading it.

[Kimi to nara kanaerareru Half & Half (Double Boiled Extreme!)] Scene changes to the six halves of W then Rei and Asuka teasing Shinji and soon W took their place riding on the HardBoiler. Then the 6 halves begin walking towards the screen with Joker, Trigger, and Metal on the left and Cyclone, Luna, and Heat on the right. The scene shows Shinji getting out his Joker memory and Rei getting out her Cyclone Memory. The two makes their henshin position despite being far apart.

[W-B-X! Futari no Body & Soul (Hoka naisa only tsumari ainori) hitotsu ni] The Joker and Cyclone halves form W. Next scene shows Shinji and Rei being told about the case and the next in which the two are trying to avoid NERV.

[W-B-X! Saikou no Partner deau toki] Scene shows various forms of W and then W on the HardBoiler in the RevolGarry, which is starting to close.

[Kiseki Okoru (So we can make it!) W wo sagase!] W rides on the highway on the HardBoiler with RevolGarry behind and behind that is Eva-01 with the same color as W.

As song ends Shinji and Rei stand back-to-back and the camera rotates on them and W. The logo appears again with forms of W and ends with the Cyclone and Joker form performing the famous pose.

(The next day)

Shinji was resting with his hat covering his face but the sounds of the rotors were keeping him awake.

"Haru…"

"Hmmm…" Shinji tried sleeping.

"Haru!"

"…"

SLAP!

Shinji was smacked with the green sleeping, knocking his black fedora off of his face before turning to see Misato who was seated in the co-pilot seat. Shinji and a hooded Rei was in the back. While a bored Shinji was trying to sleep, Rei was mentally within the GaiaLibrary as she was researching the vehicle that they were in; an MIG-55 D transport helicopter.

"Ow…" Shinji let out with an annoyed expression on his face as he rubbed his face and placed back his fedora. He glared at the purple-haired woman, who held the green slipper.

"You're a heavy sleeper." She remarked while Shinji just looked annoyed.

"You know Misato, when you said you wanted to hang out on Sunday…this isn't exactly what I've pictured." He replied, rather being back in his office and waiting for a new case or pursue a new lead on the Instumentality or Museum case.

He remembered being invited by Misato to hang out on Sunday with Rei. Since Sunday has usually been a slow day for the detectives, they thought why not. Next thing they knew, they were boarding a helicopter with Misato and had to use fake IDs with aliases to join in. Haru being Shinji and Yuka for Rei.

"Well I thought you and your partner here might get a bit bored at that office so I thought a little change in scenery might do you good." Misato explained, causing Shinji to slightly scoff.

"Going to Futo for a bit would have made for a bitter trip." Shinji replied, feeling a bit homesick while Rei exited the library and looking at Misato.

"Speaking of which, where are we going?" Rei asked with a curious look.

"We're taking a little jaunt across the Pacific on a gorgeous cruise ship." Misato explained as she looked back to the cockpit window. "Shouldn't take much longer to get there. An hour at most."

"Perfect, in that case, this should a perfect opportunity to relay to you what I've learned…" The red-eyed girl started as she looking at Shinji. "Did you know that…?"

As Rei started listing off useless information about this helicopter, Shinji just took out his SDAT player and plugged his earphones in before tuning out his partner.

'I knew I should've declined the invite…' Shinji thought.

(With Ryubee)

Ryubee was sitting quietly in his office at NERV while he was tuning into a bug that he implanted into Gendo's office when the eldest Sonozaki was given the tour when he first gotten into Tokyo-3.

Ryubee already know Gendo's Intrumentality Project which gives the older man the choice of rushing his own plans or sabotaging Gendo's. While their plans might seem familiar, Ryubee finds Gendo's to be more selfish and monstrous. Sabotaging the plans can have SEELE go forward with his plan. So, today might end up being the latter, sabotage, as he had learned that there's going to be a convoy and the cargo was something crucial to Gendo's plan.

Luckily, for the leader of Museum, he has eyes and ears everywhere. It was time to make good use of them. Ryubee got on his cellphone and made the necessary call. The phone rang for a while before it was picked up.

"Hello? I need a favor from you."

"…"

"Don't worry, I plan to compensate quite well should you perform this job properly." Ryubee replied.

"…"

"The job I have in mind requires discretion within your current workplace. There is a certain representative within your ship carrying certain cargo. I would like you to obtain this cargo and bring it to me."

"…"

"You're free to use whatever methods are necessary. Just be sure I get this box." Ryubee instructed.

"…"

"No, don't worry. You won't be going alone." The old man replied as Kirihiko soon entered the office.

"You've summoned me, Tou-sama?" The younger man asked as he looked at his father-in-law. Ryubee gestured him to wait a couple more minutes as he was focused on the call.

"That's right." Ryubee replied to the call.

"…"

"Just make sure he gets in undetected, steal the box, and bring it to me." Ryubee explained.

"…"

"Yes, that's it. Goodbye." Ryubee said before hanging up. He then looked at Kirihiko with a smile. "To answer your question, yes, I have an errand I need for you to accomplish."

"Errand?"

"Correct." The elder Sonozaki nodded. "You don't mind a small fishing trip, do you?"

"Fishing?"

Ryubee nodded.

"There is a package I need for you and your contact to retrieve…"

(With Shinji and Rei)

Shinji's tape ended right when Rei looked out the window.

"This seems like an adequate fleet."

"Fleet?" Shinji looked out the window next to see the fleet his partner mentioned and did looked impressed. "You're right. Five aircraft carries and four battleships." The young man remarked while Rei looked at a certain battleship.

"That's one of the UN's flagships, 'Over the Rainbow'. A vintage model from before the Second Impact." Rei remarked as it looks like they were heading for that ship while Misato followed suit in looking out the window.

"I'm surprised that an old relic like that can still float." Msiato then looked at Rei. "Didn't know you were so much into boats."

"She isn't." Shinji replied, remembering that Rei researched battleships during an aquamarine case back in their original hometown. "She just likes knowing all kinds of stuff and seeing it for herself."

(Within the bridge)

As the chopper from Tokyo-3 was landing, the captain and first mate of Over the Rainbow were watching them via binoculars.

"Here comes the socket for that kid's toy." The captain remarked.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Unknown to them, a metal device was nearby and was recording everything that's been going on.

(Meanwhile at another part of the ship)

Kirihiko's submarine had just emerged within a sear clearing in the cargo hold of the ship before he climbed up the ladder and used the remote control to send the submarine away to avoid being detected by anyone.

"You're here."

The man turned to see the spy that Ryubee had briefed him on.

"Is everything in place?"

"Yes and no." The spy replied. "I have bugged the place with audio recorders and cameras as ordered. I also know where the package is staying and getting to it may be difficult."

"Then do you have any recommendations?"

"Oh…I can think of quite a few." The spy smiled with a GaiaMemory in hand.

(With Shinji, Rei, and Misato)

Shinji and Rei exited the helicopter first with Misato following suit as everyone else was helping said vehicle settling in.

"Man, I feel so relaxed now…" Shinji remarked as he stretched his limbs while Rei looked out and studied the surrounding fleet before taking a deep breath.

"I never seen so many ships this close before." Rei added while she felt a somewhat strong wind blow past her. Rei instinctively held her hood with one hand to keep her identity concealed. Shinji, however, wasn't so lucky as the wind blew off his fedora.

"Hey! Wait!" Shinji called out as he looked at his flying fedora before chasing after it. As he struggled to get the fedora, Rei met up with Misato and the two just watched the young man continue trying to get to his hat.

"For such a 'hardboiled' detective, he sure can be a real klutz." Misato remarked while Rei just chuckled a little.

"You get used to it." She remarked before Shinji saw a hand catch his fedora. Shinji was about to stop and thank the stranger before finding his face between a pair of breasts, indicating that the stranger, who was kind enough to catch his hat, was a female.

Shinji immediately recognized the position he was in and backed up as he grabbed the hat from the hand. He placed it on as he tried to quickly compose himself and fight off against the hormones that his teenaged body contained.

"S-Sorry, I should have looked where I was going…" Shinji tried to apologize before he felt the girl get closer to him, catching him off-guard. "W-What are you-?"

"I smell a little of LCL on you…that's good enough for me." Mari, in her school uniform and Interface Headset, replied with a smile before she stepped back as Rei and Misato caught up to them.

"Haru, Yuka, I would like you two to meet the Fourth Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit 08. Mari Makinami Illustrious."

"What kind of last name is Illustrious?"

"What kind of covers is Haru and Yuka?" Mari replied back, immediately getting the two detectives tense. "I know you two are…First and Third. Relax, I don't plan on outing you out or at least, not yet."

"Alright, how do you know who we are?" Shinji asked while Mari's smile just went a little wider.

"How I know doesn't really matter. What matters is that you know who I truly am." Mari replied, confusing Shinji and Rei before pulling out a certain GaiaMemory.

"No way…" Rei remarked with a shocked expression while Shinji's face went from shock to plain pissed considering the last user of that Memory.

"Where did you get that!?" Shinji asked as he then tried to snatch it, only for the girl to easily dodge his arm.

"Oh no, you don't." Mari said with a cheeky smile as she backed up. "First of all, you have to report to the captain."

"Misato can go ahead of us." Rei said, slightly surprising Misato. Rei then turned to the older purple-haired woman. "We're not NERV personnel, you are. So, it's best that you go talk to the captain of this vessel while we deal with her." Rei said, looking at Shinji who was still doing his best to grab the Skull Memory from Mari.

"Wouldn't she have to be with me at the bridge?" Misato asked.

"Trust me, I can go where I please." Mari remarked as she now sported an amused smirked while Shinji still tried to grab the Memory to no end.

"Okay…good luck." Misato said as she made her way to the bridge. Meanwhile, the three teens managed to find a spot inside where no one else was around.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked.

"You heard her earlier ago. I'm Mari Makinami Illustrious, Fourth Child and EVA pilot-."

"Not that, how did you get that Memory? The last person that held it literally took it with him to the grave." Shinji pointed out as he remembered his mentor's untimely demise.

"I'm not just gonna spill the beans just like that."

"Rei, go into the GaiaLibrary and try to learn more about this girl." Shinji said in a calm yet demanding voice.

Rei just nodded and closed her eyes as her mind entered the library.

"You're not going to find what you're looking for~." Mari said in a mocking tone.

"She's right." Rei said as she opened her eyes. "Mari and the Skull Memory are too broad in the results. I need more keywords to keep looking as to how she obtained the memory."

Shinji the pinched the bridge of his nose as he was doing his best to calm down. He then looked at the girl.

"Then answer me this, how do you know about us?" Shinji asked and Mari smiled.

"That I can answer now." Mari said as she pulled out her Beet Phone and a GaiaMemory before pressing it.

"BEETLE!"

Mari placed it in the phone and it transformed into a mechanical beetle.

"We've had this little guy follow and monitor your actions in Tokyo-3 and Futo for a long time." Mari explained as Shinji and Rei noticed something in that sentence of hers.

"One, how do you know we were in those cities to begin with?" Rei asked, wondering how long Mari was watching her and Shinji operate.

"Two, how did you get a Memory Gagdget?" Shinji asked next as he knew that it would require special connections to get one like Boss had. "And finally, who's 'we'?"

"Oh, you'll meet him soon enough." Mari said as the three then heard footsteps coming. They turned to see an anxious-looking Misato, who had just finished meeting up with the captain and first mate.

"Hey guys…" She said while Rei studied her face.

"Misato…I've recognized this facial expression when I was studying human emotion back when I started out as Shinji's partner. That's the facial expression of social anxiety as indicated of fear, awkwardness, and embarrassment." Rei remarked.

"What would you be anxious about anyways?" Shinji asked.

"That would be me." Kaji said as he appeared behind Misato before noticing the Beet Phone out in its robotic insect mode. "Mari, I see that you've already introduced yourself properly."

"Only way to greet them." She replied, while the two detectives looked at Misato and then at Kaji. They looked back and forth at the two before connecting the dots.

"Oh…" The two let out while Rei had a big smirk on her face.

"Fascinating! This exceeds all my expectations! To think that Misato would have a former lover! I've always calculated her chances of finding a suitable mate to be 1 to 1000." Rei remarked, instantly turning Misato's face of anxiety to a face of rage.

"What!?"

Shinji then shrugged.

"I'm gonna be honest, I am honestly not surprised by those odds." He added, agreeing with is partner's conclusion.

"You're taking her side!?" Misato let out with a shocked face.

"I've seen your place and you're lucky that I can't stand messy places like that whenever I come over!" Shinji argued, causing the purple-haired woman to reel back as she remembered all the times Shinji came over for a bite or chat, only for him to end up cleaning the place. He was a real stickler when it comes to cleanliness. There was no way she can win that argument.

"Oh? I see you still haven't changed much." Kaji remarked while Misato kept her arms crossed as she tried to look away from the adult. "So tell me…" He said, looking at Shinji and Rei. "Does she still toss and turn in bed?"

Misato blushed with an extremely shocked face while Mari had a very lewd smile while the pair just shrugged.

"You'd have to ask Asuka that. We only live next door to them." Shinji said while Rei nodded at that statement.

"This has got to be a joke. No, a nightmare." An embarrassed Misato whispered to herself. Kaji then chuckled as he looked back at Shinji and Rei.

"As for you, Kamen Rider W. I am impressed how well you've done, trying to fill in for the old man's shoes." Kaji remarked, getting Shinji's attention.

"You know Boss?"

"A couple times." Kaji explained. "And you two, the famous Kamen Rider who is the protector of Futo and Tokyo-3. A high sync rate without formal training for EVA piloting. Must be destiny."

"Fate has no control over me." Shinji replied, trying to look cool. "A hardboiled detective chooses his own ending."

"A halfboiled detective gets the silly end." Rei joked, immediately getting on her partner's nerves.

"HARDBOILED! It's hardboiled!" Shinji emphasized, getting Kaji and Mari to laugh a bit. And Misato even chuckled a little, starting to cheer up. But just then…

BOOM!

This caught everyone's attention as they looked down the hall.

"Where was that!?" Misato questioned.

"Sounded like the quarters…" Kaji's eyes then widened as he rushed past them, much to Misato's surprise.

"Come on, let's see what it was!" Shinji said as he and Rei followed, with the other two girls right behind them.

(With Kirihiko)

Kirihiko, as the Nazca Dopant, was standing guard while the spy, as the Shark Dopant, looked through Kaji's belongings.

"Did you find it?" The Nazca Dopant asked, wondering if anyone noticed the sound they've made when trying to "open" the door.

It was a humanoid is a dark blue bodysuit, sharp claws, and the head of shark. He came out with a giant dark case with a nuclear symbol on it.

"I think this is what we're looking for." The Shark Dopant gave the case to the Nazca Dopant, who then opened it up. When he did, he felt shocked and a little disgusted.

"W-What is this?" The Nazca Dopant said before…

"Hey!"

The blue monster closed the case and turned to see Shinji, Rei, and the others.

"Hold them off!" He said as he tried getting away while Shinji and Rei stepped up.

"Leaving his pal here while he gets away, that doesn't sound fair for you." Shinji said as he got his DoubleDriver and placed it on, causing Rei's to appear.

"Maybe not, but it will all be worth it in the end!" The Shark Dopant said as Shinji and Rei got their Memories out.

"I wouldn't say that with a straight face if I were you." Shinji said. "Ikuze, aibou."

"Hai, Shinji. This should be intriguing." Rei remarked, curious about the case. They pressed the buttons on their Memories.

"CYCLONE!"

"JOKER!"

"Henshin!"

Rei placed her Memory in first before it transported to Shinji's Driver. He pushed it into its proper slot before inserting his in the remaining one. Shinji then followed it up by pushing the slots away.

"CYCLONE-JOKER!"

As Shinji's body transformed into W, Misato ran up to them and caught the collapsing Rei while W flickered his left hand and pointed the Dopant.

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!" W said in his dual voice as he charged. He started with a kick, that slightly pushed back the Dopant.

"That all you got?" The Shark Dopant asked as he dodged a series of punches by the black and green Rider. The Dopant then blocked the next punch before clawing him multiple times, sparks flying off his armor. W was on the ground while Kaji rushed into his room to get something.

"Don't be so cocky! We've only just started!" W said as he got up with two new Memories.

"HEAT!"

"METAL!"

He swapped them.

"HEAT-METAL!"

W changed forms as his staff appeared. He took it out before charging once again and jabbing the Shark Dopant in the chest. The blunt and burning damage was starting to appear on him. W chuckled as he twirled his staff a little.

"Not so smug anymore now, are we?" W asked before they all felt the ship shake a bit while hearing something that sounded like an explosion. "What the!?"

"An undersea shock wave…" Rei analyzed as Kaji came out of the room with a black case and red duffle bag. "Those only occur if there's an explosion nearby."

W then looked at everyone.

"Get outside and see what's going on! I'll care of this-." W turned back to see the Shark Dopant gone. "Dammit!"

W reverted back to Shinji while Rei returned to her body and woke up. She stood and joined Shinji's side before they looked at the group.

"As I've said before, you guys go see what's going on while we go try and find those Dopants and Kaji's case." Shinji said while Kaji passed the case and bag to Mari before approaching Shinji.

"That case is NERV-essential property. Make sure to get it back in one piece and don't look inside. You don't have proper authorization." Kaji explained and Shinji nodded before the two groups separated.

As they were walking down the hall, Shinji looked at Rei.

"You're curious about what's in the case, aren't you?" Shinji asked.

"Aren't you?" Rei replied.

"I won't lie. I am interested in seeing what's inside and if it's crucial for Gendo and SEELE's plan…"

"Are you saying that we should let Museum take it?" Rei said, unsure if that's any better.

"I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that when we get the case, we have to be sure of what we're doing." Shinji replied.

(With Kaji, Misato, and Mari)

The three managed to reach the bridge where they looked out the window to see what was going on.

BOOM!

They've seen a battleship blown to pieces while something big was moving underwater.

"Is that an Angel!? But why is it here!?" Misato wondered before looking at the hugely covered-figure on the deck of another ship. 'Is it attracted to Unit 08?'

Kaji then looked at Mari and the latter smiled as she looked at the older man as if looking for permission. Kaji noticed this and just smiled back.

"Do what you gotta do. Show them what you're made of."

Mari smiled and took off while the captain of the Over the Rainbow was chatting with the other crews via radio.

"All ships take evasive action, but watch the formation!" The first mate advised. "What's the status of the other ships!"

"The Cymbeline's gone silent. Titus Andronicus can't locate the target!"

"Damn it! What in the hell is going on here!?" The captain wondered as Misato approached them.

"Hello, NERV calling." Misato started, much to the two's annoyance. "Interested in info on the unknown enemy and the appropriate countermeasures?"

"This is a combat situation! No non-essential personnel allowed!" The captain waved off.

"This just my opinion, but I'd say this must be an Angel attack." Misato tried to help, only to get ignored.

"All ships, fire at will!"

"This is pointless…"

The Over the Rainbow tried firing torpedoes, only for them to miss while the unknown being destroyed another ship.

"So an AT field can't be penetrated with this kind of firepower." Kaji remarked.

(With Shinji and Rei)

They were in the hallway one floor below from where they originally started before…

BOOM!

The ship rocked again and Rei wobbled a little before falling, only for her partner to catch her.

"I got you!"

"Thanks." Rei said as Shinji helped her regain her balance.

"This has got to be an Angel, right?"

Rei nodded.

"Most likely."

Shinji then looked like he was thinking about something before looking back at Rei.

"Rei, I know we're busy dealing with our own business…but everyone else here is going to be in for a rough time if they don't know what they're dealing with." He said and Rei nodded as she knew what that meant. She closed her eyes before finding herself back at the GaiaLibrary.

"Keyword?"

"Keyword: Angel." Shinji replied as Rei applied that word and got rid of a lot of bookshelves, though there are still a lot left. Shinji then remembered the last Angel they had fought, which was Ramiel the Fifth Angel. "Keyword: Sixth Angel."

Rei applied that phrase into the search and the results came back to a few books.

"One more should do it." Rei stated.

"Keyword: Dead Sea Scrolls." And with that, there came only one book. Rei took it and read the title as Gaghiel. She opened the book and started reading as much as she can. After reading as much as she can, Rei returned herself in the real world. She looked at Shinji with a serious face.

"Judging by the look on your face, I take it that we're dealing a big one, huh?"

"Not just that, Shinji. This one is going to be tough to kill." Rei explained as she got on her STAG phone and called Misato's number.

(With Misato)

As Misato was watching everything that's been happening, she received a phone call from Rei. She stepped into the halls and answered.

"What's up? You found the creeps that took Kaji's package?"

"No, but I have managed to research what you need to know about the Angel you're facing; the Sixth Angel." Rei reported and Misato had a serious face.

"I'm listening."

"The Angel that is currently attacking the ship is named Gaghiel." Rei started. "The appearance and biology of it is close to that of an aquatic shark."

"That does match the M.O." Misato remarked. "You know where the core is?"

"I do…but you're not going to like it. I doubt Mari will too once she gets into combat with Unit 08." Rei replied, making Misato smirk.

"Come on, based on all the other Angels that we've seen, how hard can it be?"

"It's in its mouth."

"Eh…?" Misato got out, wanting to make sure she heard right.

"Gaghiel's core is in its mouth." Rei repeated.

"Uhh…." Misato was trying to come up with a plan before the blue-haired girl started to speak back.

"I'll let you work it out from here.I have to go back and research the schematics of the ship." Rei then ended the call as the older woman continued trying to come up with a plan.

(With Mari)

Mari parked her jet ski at the side of the battleship carrying Unit 08. She climbed up and found a stairwell with no one in sight.

"Alright then, time for my debut…" Mari said as she changed out of her school uniform and into her pink pilot suit. She then was about to go to where her Evangelion was being held before remembered the small black case nearby, given to her by Kaji.

The glasses-donned girl placed it on the floor and undid the locks before opening it, revealing a LostDriver. Mari was initially confused before she smirked. She remembered the footage of watching Evangelion Unit 01 face off with the previous Angels while utilizing the power of the GaiaMemories that W had at his disposal at the time. So it stands to reason that if Shinji and Rei can do it, then so can Mari.

She took the red device and placed it on her waist, forming the belt. She took out the Skull Memory in her hand and clenched it.

"Alright, let's do this." Mari said with a wild smile as she was looking forward to piloting in an actual combat mission. She then took off as she tried to find the floor where her Evangelion was being held.

(With Kirihiko)

"This can be troublesome…" The Sonozaki-in-law stated as he was watching the battle between the fleet and Gaghiel. As it was, he couldn't use his Memory or call back the submarine without being attacked by either of the two parties.

Meanwhile the Shark Dopant arrived and approached Kirihiko.

"You're still here!?" The Shark Dopant remarked as he reverted back to his human form. "That damn Kamen Rider is on my heels and it won't be long before he discovers us in this part of the ship!"

"Of that, I have no doubt about, Masao." Kirihiko calmly remarked. "They've always been thorough."

"You know them?"

"I have crossed paths with them on multiple occasions in Fuuto." He replied. "Either way, I can't leave. Not with the fleet firing and that Angel on the loose."

"Dammit!" Masao remarked as he knows he would probably have done the same in Kirihiko's boots. He then looked at the case. "By the way, what's in there?"

"I wish I knew…" Kirihiko replied as he remembered the disgusting contents of the case. "But if Tou-sama wishes for it, then who am I to disappoint him?"

He looked at the only entrance of the deck.

"Just be prepared to hold them off with me." Kirihiko said and Masao nodded.

(With Mari)

Mari entered the room where she saw her EVA Unit, on its stomach. The EVA had a different color though, pink. Almost like Decade's color, but much lighter. From top to bottom, it's mostly pink but there are some differences in the colors. The forearms are white/silver while the hands are a shade a grey with yellow triangular shapes on the back of them, same for the latter color near the shoulders surrounded by black, and the ends of the chest areas. The head is pink with spikes and white, while the face is purple with multiple green eyes and a coal black jaw. And finally, the robot's shoulders are pointed upwards with pink tips. This was Evangelion Unit 08.

"Long time no see, Unit 8! Not how I would've wanted it, but our big debut is going on right now!" Mari said as she opened up Unit 8's back, causing the entry plug to emerge and open. While she didn't have permission to launch, she was not missing out on a hunt like this. "And who are we to disappoint? Especially with the little kickback that Kaji provided me."

She hopped in and gripped the controls before activating it, causing the entry plug to go back in as the back compartment closed again. Mari took a deep breath as LCL started to fill the plug. She looked like she was savoring the feeling of being an entry plug.

"Ah, sweet and fresh LCL! It's been too long! Evangelion Unit 08, activate!" Mari said as she started starting up Unit 8. All green eyes on its element lit up with life as it started moving out of its restraints before it finally broke free.

(With Misato)

Misato was currently thinking of a plan to destroy the Gaghiel's core when it's inside it's mouth. However, her though process was cut short upon hearing a message to the captain.

"Telex from the Othello! Unit 08 is in the process of activation!"

Everyone became surprised at the message as they looked back at the Othello while Misato looked happy as she pressed her face against the glass.

"Nice going, Mari!" Misato said, as planning just became a bit easier with an Evangelion now working on their side.

Soon the captain got on the comms.

"No! Abort the activation sequence! Reset it!" He tried to object, seeing the unit as incapable of fighting especially at this setting.

However, Misato grabbed the mike from him.

"Don't worry about him, Mari! Just launch!"

"What are you saying!?" The captain questioned. "You can't just violate my command authority over the Eva and its pilot!"

"Actually, she isn't." Kaji pointed out, much to the two's surprise. He looked at the captain. "Officially, you have authority over the Eva and its pilot during transport. In this instance, this is an active combat scenario. And due to that, authority is transferred from you and to the highest ranking NERV operative. In this case, Misato."

"B-But…!" The captain tried to come up with something and while Misato would normally refuse help from an ex like him, this is an emergency.

Meanwhile the first mate was examining the rising Evangelion.

"Are you really serious? Unit 08 is still using B-Type equipment!" This caught everyone's attention, except Kaji. He managed to sneak out when no one was looking.

(With Mari)

'I can't afford to end up in the sea with this type of equipment…If that's the case then…' Mari looked at the Skull Memory in her hand before placing it away.

"Mari, launch!"

Mari smiled wickedly as she heard that. Meanwhile, outside Gaghiel was swimming towards the Othello and was about to cut through the ship. Luckily, Unit 08 jumped away right before the Angel managed to cut through the battleship's front.

Unit 08 landed on one of the battleships with its tattered cover still around its body, looking like a cloaked warrior.

"Where are you, Moby Dick?" Mari looked around before noticing that she only has a minute's worth of internal power before Unit 08 will be forced to shut down. She needs an Umbilical Cable now or this isn't going to be a long fight. She noticed the Over the Rainbow not too far away from her. Misato would've brought a portable Umbilical Cable on the helicopter she and the others came with. "Misato, get the external power supply onto the deck."

"Got it!"

Mari then looked around as she studied the formation of the ships.

"Looks like I'm going to have to jump!" Mari said as Unit 08 jumped from one ship to another. The pink Evangelion then did it again and again while removing the tattered cloak.

(At the Over the Rainbow)

The Umbilical Cable and its reactor were properly established while all on-deck crew and personnel retreated inside as everyone braced themselves for Unit 08's landing.

"All hands, prepare for impact!" The first mate said.

"I can't believe we're doing this!" The captain remarked before they all spotted Unit 8 in the air.

"Here I come!" Mari said as she landed, causing the ship to tilt a little, losing most of its' fighter jets. "Switching to external power."

She plugged the device in Unit 08's back, causing the time limit of power left to cease.

"Alright, time take it down!" Mari said as she had Unit 08 withdraw a pistol from its side.

(With Kirihiko and Masao)

"Looks like the beast has gone to a different area. This may be your only chance to escape!" Masao mentioned as Kirihiko placed on his Gaia Driver.

"I will be sure to tell Tou-sama of your cooperation-."

"Not so fast!"

The two men looked to see Shinji and Rei who had just arrived.

"How did you find us!?" Masao asked. There were still a dozen places to look for them on this ship. How did they pin the cargo hold?

"Predictability." Rei simply answered.

"I've had my partner here review the schematics of this place. After that, we obviously narrowed down places you would be hiding in. As you can imagine, there are quite a lot." Shinji explained while Rei stepped up next.

"Ironically, the Angel's attack proved to be your undoing. About 90% of the places we've marked also served as suitable safe zones for non-essential personnel to take cover in. The remaining 10% only required odds. Luckily for both of us, I have luck on my side." Rei mentioned, having a cocky smile under her hood.

"Now then, we can do this the easy way where you can give us that case or we do it the hard way where we have to pry off of you." Shinji listed as he adjusted his fedora. "So, what's it going to be?"

"Masao..."

"Right…" The two pulled out their Memories and pressed on them.

"NAZCA!"

"SHARK!"

The two transformed into their respective Dopant forms. Meanwhile Shinji placed on his Driver, immediately summoning Rei's as a response.

"Just for once, I'd like someone to pick the easy way." Shinji admitted while Rei chuckled.

"Always having such delusions…how half-boiled of you." Rei added as she and Shinji took out their Memories.

"LUNA!"

"METAL!"

"Henshin!"

Rei placed in her Memory before it teleported to Shinji's belt. He jammed it into the slot before placing his in the remaining as usual. He pushed the slots away.

"LUNA-METAL!"

Rei collapsed onto the floor as her mind transferred to Shinji's head as his body transformed into W. W then took out his staff before using the Luna aspect of his suit to extend the upper portion of his staff like a whip. It reached out to the case, wrapped itself around it before the yellow and gray Rider reeled it in. As a result, the case flew out of the Nazca Dopant's hands and into W's.

"So what's in here that's so important-Oh my god!" W said as he opened the case as he looked inside before he immediately closed it before his right eye blinked.

"Yes, that should be what Ikari needs!" Rei recognized while the Nazca Dopant seems to note that.

"So…you know what that is, do you?" The Nazca Dopant asked as he soon became curious as to why would anyone need that.

"Yeah and this is better destroyed than ending up in either NERV or Museum's hands!" W declared as he used his whip to smash them away. As the two monsters got up, the Shark Dopant gained an idea by quietly moving to the side, grabbing a cargo box, and throwing at W, making the Rider lose the case. It slid across the floor and bumped into a wall.

As W tried to get up, he saw the Nazca Dopant about to stab him. He grabbed his staff and managed to whip the blue monster away as he noticed the Shark Dopant making a run for the case.

"Oh no, you don't!" W said as he launched the whip again at the Shark Dopant. This time, the whip reached the shark monster's legs before wrapping itself around his legs and tripping him. As he landed on the floor, W ran past him and picked up the case, only to be slashed in the back by the Nazca Dopant. This caused the Rider to drop the case before seeing the Shark Dopant rushing towards the case.

W acted quick by kicking the case away and jumping back.

"Okay, we're going to need some extra firepower here." W admitted before his right eye started blinking.

"I couldn't agree more." Rei said before making W undo his armor, reverting back to Shinji.

"Rei!?"

The Dopants saw this opportunity to attack Shinji, but Rei stood in front of him which caused Fang Memory to appear and deflect the attacks.

"You actually think I would leave you to hang and dry like that?" Rei asked while Shinji scoffed a little. She transformed Fang Memory into its Memory form.

"And I thought I have the flair for the dramatic." Shinji remarked as he took out his Joker Memory.

"Let's go once more, Shinji."

"Right."

"FANG!"

"JOKER!"

"Henshin!"

The two redid their transformation sequence but with Rei as the host now.

"FANG-JOKER!"

Rei transformed into W as Shinji's body collapsed. W got into a thinking pose as she pointed at the Dopants.

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!" W said in her dual voice before charging again.

(With Mari)

Unit 08 was still trying to shoot Gaghiel before it completely ran out of ammo.

"Damn!" Mari said as she had Unit 08 changed ammo clips before seeing Gaghiel shortly emerge from the water, revealing itself.

The Angel seems to be a giant fish with a very large body, matching in size to Iowa-class battleships, and easily overshadowing an Eva. It has very large jaws, filled with sharp serrated teeth, and the skin is tannish in color, with a black outline.

Mari saw Gaghiel getting too close so she had Unit 08 place the pistol away. It readied a prog knife as Gaghiel tried to lunge at it. Unit 08 managed to stop it in its track, which unfortunately resulted in the Angel being a new visitor on the Over the Rainbow. Its massive bodyweight and size were destroying parts of the flight deck and aircrafts that it was inhabiting.

"What is she doing!? The flight deck is now a mess!" The captain wondered as things were going haywire in his point of view.

"The only way to truly kill an Angel is via hand-to-hand combat!" Misato explained.

"Time to gut this fish!" Mari declared as she finally got in a good and steady position for Unit 08 to plunge the knife. However, Unit 08 soon lost its footing from the faulty floor and ending up falling into the water with the Angel.

"They fell!" The captain remarked as everyone looked down at the water.

"No, Mari! It's impossible to fight underwater with the B-Type equipment!"

"Tell that to him!"Mari responded as she and Gaghiel fell into the underwater ruins. Gaghiel wasted no time as it soon started swimming around rapidly in the hopes of damaging Unit 08. However, despite the wild ride, the pink Evangelion was still hanging strong albeit with its Umbilical Cable getting shorter and shorter due to the farther distance those two were reaching.

"Mari, the cable is about to run out! Brace for shock!" Misato warned before…

TUG!

Unit 08 was eventually force to let go due to the limits of the cable being reached. Gaghiel swam in a U-turn, swimmingly rapidly for Unit 08.

"Dammit, can't move much due to the B-Type equipment!" Mari said in frustration before remembering her backup plan. "Well Unit 08, I told you this is going to be our big debut!"

She took out the Memory and pressed on it.

"SKULL!"

Meanwhile outside, Unit 08 sees Gaghiel approaching before it felt a sudden surge and tried to let out a muffled roar before its armor changed into black color with exceptions to the faceplate and lining, which turned white instead.

Unit 08, using its new power, easily swam away onto the roof of a nearby building. Inside the plug, Mari was replaced with Kamen Rider Skull minus the fedora and the helmet lacked the giant S mark while the steel texture was replaced with a clear crystal-like one.

"Come on fishy, round two!" Kamen Rider Skull Crystal said.

(With W)

W was currently blocking the Nazca Dopant's sword with her Arm Fang while using her other arm blocking the Shark Dopant's claw with her Shoulder Fang. Just then the ship started rocking back and forth, getting its original balance before the Eva and Angel were on.

The three then noticed the case sliding all over before W kicked the Nazca Dopant away and used her Arm Fang to slash the Shark Dopant. She then made a run for the case.

"Gotcha!" W said before Kaji appeared and picked it up. "You…"

Kaji smirked as he looked at the case.

"So…I take it you two saw what's inside?" Kaji asked as if he had seen what had happen in this battle.

"…No." W lied. Right now, neither Shinji nor Rei know whether they should trust Kaji. The Child he is looking after possesses the GaiaMemory used by Shinji's mentor and Kaji knew their secret identities but didn't report it. Something seemed fishy about the guy and until they know more, they can't trust him.

"Oh? I guess I'll take your word for it." Kaji said before noticing the Nazca Dopant up in the air before flying down on them. "Look out!"

The female W saw the oncoming attack and blocked it with her blades while Kaji tried to run with the case to safety. But right before he can get to the exit, the Shark Dopant managed to block him before kicking him down, causing the case to fly out of his hands and slide across the ground once again.

The male NERV agent drew his gun out and attempted to shoot at the Shark Dopant, only to have the bullets bounce off of him, causing him to laugh.

"That tickles!" He mocked as he got close enough to try and stab Kaji. W noticed this and kicked the Nazca Dopant away.

"Look out!" Shinji said as W's left eye blinked before the female Rider tackled the Shark Dopant out of the way. Meanwhile the Nazca Dopant growled as he saw W and the Shark Dopant now duking it out. He was about to join in before noticing that the case was right near him.

The blue monster looked back at the fight and the case before approaching the case and taking it. By the time Kaji recovered, he noticed the Nazca Dopant cutting a hole in the wall.

"Hey!"

W and the Shark Dopant looked to see the escape attempt.

"Masao, Museum thanks you for your corporation today. I will be sure to put in a good word for you." The Nazca Dopant said calmly as he was about to escape.

"Stop!" W shouted as she threw his Shoulder Fang at him. However, the Nazca Dopant summoned his wings and flew out of there before the boomerang can get him. The white sharp projectile flew back to W as she blocked the attack from the Shark Dopant. Meanwhile Kaji tried to walk out of the hole to shoot the flying Nazca Dopant, but the latter was already out of sight.

"So I may have been abandoned but I can still defeat you by myself!" The Shark Dopant angrily declared before he was swept-kicked by the black and white Rider.

"I wouldn't say that!" W replied as she punched the Shark Dopant a few times in the face before throwing him into a pile of cargo. This was a whole lot easier fight now that it's one-on-one. As the Shark Dopant emerged and tried to stand before wobbling a little. W rushed at him before performing a spin kick to the face with her right foot and another on the left. She then jabbed at him with her blades, making him fly for a bit before crashing hard on the ground.

Her left eye then blinked.

"Alright Rei, let's finish him!"

"I'm right there with you!" W said as she tapped the horn of her Memory three times.

"FANG! MAXIMUM DRIVE!"

W dismissed her two blades before summoning her third ankle blade as she readied herself. The Shark Dopant saw what was going on and attempted to flee, but it was inevitable. W jumped up in her roundhouse kick position.

"Fang Strizer!"

W began spinning as she charged with blue energy and flew towards the Dopant. Upon contact, the energy formed into a dinosaur head which bit down on him, resulting in an explosion. An exhausted and knocked out Masao flew with a shattered Shark GaiaMemory in his hand. W stood up and noticed Kaji looking out the hole.

She approached him before her left eye started blinking.

"Sorry about losing your case." Shinji apologized while Rei was still skeptical and untrusting of the older man, but she had to keep that part to herself.

Kaji sighed as he holstered his gun and sighed before looking at W while giving his signature smile.

"Don't sweat it. The case has a built-in tracker. I just have to inform my superior and we can get underway. We can use your help tracking down that case." Kaji proposed as W stared at him before her left eye blinked.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Shinji replied.

"I agree. This is a NERV affair and last time we've checked, we are not part of NERV. W is more of a truce participant." W countered and while she and Shinji want that case away from evil hands, they can't trust NERV with it. Especially with a man like Gendo pulling all the strings.

"I see…well, I suppose there isn't anything to convince you to help me. Is there?"

"None." W replied as she undid her belt, reverting back to the hooded Rei while Shinji returned to his body.

"Rrragh!" The Fang Memory roared as it transformed in Rei's hand. It looked at Rei.

"Yeah, you did a great job today." Rei smiled as Shinji joined them.

"I'm still not used to being the one knocked out." Shinji remarked as the three felt the ship move. "What was that?"

(With Skull)

"Mari! What's your status!?" Misato asked over the comms as Unit 08 was still barely dodging Gaghiel's lunges. She couldn't keep this up for long.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm doing good. Any change you want to give me intel on the guy?" Skull said as she knew she needed a way to turn the fight into her favor.

That was when Misato remembered the weakness Rei told her. She was too caught up in the fight that she forgot to tell Mari what she learned.

"I have been told that the core is in its mouth!" Misato reported, not wanting to drop Rei's name for obvious purposes.

"The mouth?" Skull then saw Gaghiel about to lunge at her again. She allowed Unit 08 to stay there a bit longer to notice a red orb in the way back of its mouth. "Oh, I see it…"

Unit 08 jumped out of the way again as Gaghiel destroyed the building the former was previously on. She soon hid under a bridge while Gaghiel recovered and started searching for her.

Skull then tried thinking of a plan to attack the core. She then smirked as she had formulated a plan under her helmet before making Unit 08 reach for the Umbilical Cable and detaching it, however the power supply was not affected thanks to the influence of the Skull Memory. The black Rider even shut off communications to focus on her plan.

Unit 08 stealthily moved away while the fish-like Angel notice the wire part of the cable floating away. Gaghiel immediately swam over and dove in an attempt to destroy the black Evangelion, only to collide with the ground, breaking it apart.

Meanwhile Unit 08 was on top of a neighboring building and was looking like it was getting ready for something.

"Come on, come on…" Skull muttered to herself before seeing Gaghiel swimming back up to presume the hunt. However, Unit 08 jumped onto its mouth, slightly surprising the monster. "Hi."

Gaghiel let out a muffled roar and attempted to open its mouth in an attempt to eat Unit 08.

"That's right, just open up…" Skull said as the Angel barely opened its mouth before the silver marks on Unit 08's sides started to open up like a ribcage before it emitted a purplish energy. That energy started to materialize within the teeth as a large purple energy skull.

Unit 08 mustered enough energy to swim a good amount of distance away while Gahiel was trying to close its mouth, but the energy skull was too tough. Inside the Eva, Skull took the memory out of primary slot and placed it in her side slot and pressed the button on it.

"SKULL! MAXIMUM DRIVE!"

Unit 08 then stopped as it moved back one of its legs as it lit up with a purple aura, ready to kick while Gaghiel started swimming towards the Eva as it now wanted to ram it seeing that it can't get the energy skull out of its mouth. When they were only centimeters apart, Skull had a smirk under her helmet.

"…Finisher Kick…" Skull declared as Unit 08 kicked the energy skull and it flew down the mouth and struck the core.

Despite being rammed, Unit 08 didn't feel that much damage as it soon saw Gaghiel starting to bloat a little before exploding as a result of the attack.

(With Misato)

Misato was looking out to see what's going on. She tried to communicated with Mari but there was no answer on the comms. Kaji and the two detectives came in a short while ago and were aiding in the visual search for Mari and Unit 08. Just then…

BOOM!

They saw a massive explosion occurring over the water before a figure emerged from it and landed on Over the Rainbow, revealing itself to be Unit 08. However, it soon went from black and silver to its default pink color before falling down limp, no longer having any source of power.

"Nice job, Mari!" Misato praised while the captain still looked shock.

"How come it was black and silver a little while ago?"

Misato didn't pay attention as she was just relieved that the battle was over while Shinji clenched his fists as he knew why as thoughts of aggression and questions flowed through his head. Rei noticed this and held Shinji's clenched fist to calm him down, which worked.

(At New Yokosuka Pier)

Shinji and Rei stealth-fully got off the warship via the HardSplasher before they properly docked since they didn't want to attract any NERV attention. Meanwhile Misato caught up with Ritsuko as personnel were currently airlifting the inactive Unit 08 from the ship and bringing in Masao for questioning.

"My, you certainly went all-out." Ritsuko remarked.

"I didn't anticipate underwater combat." Misato replied. "But it shouldn't matter since we've gotten a whole bunch of data, right?"

"Right." Ritsuko said before noticing something from the readings. "The power levels from Unit 08 during the fight seem to be on par with Unit 01 when W pilots."

"Hm?" That was when Misato remembered seeing Unit 08 in a different color for a brief few moments. This caught Misato's attention as she drew up the conclusion that Mari was in a Kamen Rider form. She looked up top where she saw Mari talking to Kaji.

"So, you lost that important case, did you?"

"Yeah, just as suspected." Kaji replied before looking at Mari. "You did a good job debuting today."

Mari smirked.

"At least it wasn't a total loss in that case." She chuckled as she looked at the rest of the city. "So, this is Japan, huh? Can't wait to show this country what we've got!"

Kaji couldn't say anything but chuckle a little. This certainly will be interesting.

(At the Sonozaki mansion)

Kirihiko brought the case to Ryubee's office where he was greeted by the old man.

"I see you did not let me down."

"No, but Masao had been captured and his Memory is most likely destroyed by the Kamen Rider." Kirihiko reported but it didn't seem to bother Ryubee.

"Sacrifices tend to happen around this business." Ryubee said as Kirhiko placed the case in his desk.

"I think you'll find the contents to be…disturbing." Kirihiko reported as Ryubee undid the locks and opened it. Inside was a smaller red case which held a small grayish fetus with small ridges on the back, four small limbs, and a distinct red eye.

"I wouldn't call it disturbing." Ryubee replied as he took a closer look at the fetus. "Based on what I can still from Ikari's computer, this is a special type of specimen. One to further his own plans."

While Ryubee does know what exactly this creature is, he wanted to keep the full information to himself for safety and confidentiality for his family.

"What are your plans for it?" Kirihiko asked, wondering what kind of plans can be drawn from a creature such as this.

"It would seem that this creature contains a certain type of…essence. I wonder if said essence can be turned into a GaiaMemory."

"Can that actually be done?" Kirihiko asked, skeptical at that kind of potential for such a creature.

"It won't be easy or something that can be done right away. This will be a long and arduous process." Ryubee explained as he attempted to close the case and noticed a red blinker on the top. He took it out and examined it.

"A tracer?" Kirihiko asked. "Should we eliminate it?"

"…No." Ryubee replied with a small chuckle as he placed it back on. "If they want the case back, let them. It'll already be too late."

Kirihiko nodded as Ryubee dismissed him.

(The next day at Double Detectives Agency)

Rei was doing her usual thing of reading her book on the couch while her partner was typing up another memoir, chronicling yesterday's events.

"Just when I thought we closed the book on Boss, a fragment always comes back to haunt me. I don't know who this Mari or Kaji are, but they've certainly raised more questions than answers. I can't say Rei and I trust them, but they appear to want to be helpful as they had not reported our identities. Still, there is something about them that doesn't seem right…"

Shinji was about to continue typing until he and Rei heard knocking on the door.

"I'll get it!" Shinji said before opening the door, revealing it to be Mari with luggage behind her. "What are you doing here!?"

"Oh, I'm moving in."

"WHAT!?" Shinji exclaimed while Rei looked just as surprised. "You can't just move in just like that! Why don't you live with Kaji or Misato!?"

"Boring there." Mari replied. "I wanna be an assistant on your cases."

Rei seemed to be in deep thought about that while Shinji looked pissed.

"No! You have to leave-!"

"Shinji, a word please." Rei requested as she pulled Shinji over before the two huddled.

"What?"

"I think we should let her in."

"No way!"

"Hear me out. As long as we're sure she's not bugged and build up her trust, we can try to learn more about her and Kaji better. That includes learning why she has that Memory and where she got it from."

"You really think she can be trusted?" Shinji was still skeptical towards all of this.

"Well, NERV agents aren't here to contain us." Rei argued, bringing up a good point. So there can be a small degree of trust.

Shinji sighed as he looked back at Mari before looking back at Rei.

"Fine, but I want you to have a contingency plan ready in case this whole thing goes south." Shinji advised and Rei nodded as the two broke up the huddle and looked at Mari.

"After talking about it a bit…we're willing to allow you to rent the guest room here." Shinji decided, making Mari smile wider.

"Thanks! Don't worry, you won't even notice that I'm here!" She said as she hugged both Shinji and Rei in excitement.

(With Kaji)

Kaji was on the top of an abandoned rooftop, smoking a cigarette while waiting.

"Those things are bad for you, you know." A female voice said behind him.

"Hey, you know I get bored sometimes." Kaji replied as he tossed the cigarette off the roof as he looked behind him.

He saw a woman dressed in a black trenchcoat and black hat with sunglasses and a white mask that covered most of her face. The only thing that wasn't really covered was her long hair.

"So you lost the case?"

"Just like you wanted…Shroud." Kaji answered as the two continued talking for the rest of the morning.

AN: And that's it from me today! I wanted to try and get this chapter out earlier, but I had some obligations that were keeping me from doing so. Just glad I got this out before the end of the month!

Anyways, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics. Alright, I'm done; goodnight.