Hmmph. Well, it's over. I hope all of you are happy. I'd consider removing it due to all the negative reviews in the first two chapters, but an author must learn to take the good with the bad.

Besides, if it annoys some of you, all the better for me. I'm going to get the last laugh on this one. Hopefully, this won't affect any of my future stories.

There. My rant is finished. Now then, on to notes and anything else I didn't explain clearly enough:

Chris: If you want more details on Chris, e-mail me. I'm not talking here for some very good reasons.

The Dervish: A few of you have guessed that the Dervish is mechanical. And yes, it does fly. The reason is this: story-wise, Chris' "Benefactors" don't have access to the type of technology NERV does. And what's more, god in man's image is just plain stupid. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go watch episode 21. It's in there. Of course, that's the subtitled version. And in all honesty, I'm a little paranoid about being in a giant robot that's as alive as I am. I'd feel less guilt destroying an EVA sized hunk of metal. Wouldn't you?

The Dervish's Power: The Dervish doesn't need an umbilical to supply power. It carries an on-board fusion reactor prototype. It provides the power needed without needing an umbilical to supply power and therefore shorten range. The reactor runs on deuterium hydrogen, found in water, so filling the tank between fights isn't a problem. However, when running, the reactor is a fuel hog. If it engages it's jets, the fuel consumption jumps tenfold. The backup batteries are a little stronger than the ones in the EVAs. However, the jets and any modular attachments (Sound Energy System, Meson cannon) are without power and will not work.

Coming out of nowhere: The only real way to explain it is Stealth Camo, ala Metal Gear Solid. It will bend any light and radar waves around the Dervish. It doesn't block heat signatures, so NERV HQ could still pick it up in infrared. But the truth is this is my playing on a tendency in some mecha anime of reinforcements showing up when most needed for the heros.

Hiding: The Tokyo-3 warehouse district. In the middle of the whole thing is where Chris and the Dervish operate out of. For two reasons: NERV's probably going to be looking downtown/what little land is left in Japan. But right under their own noses is the last place anybody expects things to be.

Chris attitude: Three guesses as to who Chris is. Yup. That's right, me. His attitude is my own. I don't believe in the American way. By the time and circumstances of Evangelion, there probably is no American way. In my minds eye, I envision it being a bunch of smaller warring states. The US in my timeline was shattered, leaving a number of balkanized states in it's wake. Chris in the story hails from the Cascadian Free State. Chris' attitude mirrors my own-he doesn't rely on anything but himself and his friends, is very blunt and to the point, and doesn't enjoy having to make people see the truth.

Oh, and Hyperion? Shinji isn't gay. He's pathetic. Constantly in a state of self-pity or berserk fury. I look at Shinji and see a lot of an attitude I used to have. And as of the time I'm writing this (12 November 2002), I have yet to finish the story. I have no clue as to wether Chris and Asuka will wind up together. Hell, I probably won't decide that until the last minute, and even then with a coin flip.

Why I wrote this:

I wrote this because I got tired of feeling like I'd never make a difference in real life, so I decided to go derail Evangelion. Besides, Gendo Ikari and SEELE are just creepy, and evil and heinous. So I decided to go have some fun.

Besides, I would've had more problems trying to do this sort of thing with Robotech.

My response to negative reviews:

Anyone who writes probably wants to do this to a negative review. All together now! [Raises middle finger] There! See, that wasn't so hard.

Why I respond that way:

I hate people who don't write but review. I really hate people who don't write and have the gall to review like some of the ones I've gotten. Hate to say it folks, but the only person who I dare let criticize me that badly is my own dad, and he teaches creative writing class at a college in Michigan. Folks, my e-mail address is on my profile. If your review is a quarter of a page in length, just send it directly.

Consider my ranting done for now.

-SilverThorn-2000, 12.11.02