The car now comes to rest on a large platform shuttle, the deck of which can rotate 360 degrees in a circle. Slowly the shuttle pulls out from the loading platform, driven by an internal program. It slowly spins the deck so that car is facing forward and now moves into a darken tunnel. The tunnel begins level but soon starts a 45 degrees descent. The platform however rotates to keep the car at a level attitude. Low watt lighting on the walls of the tunnel give the sensation of very fast travel. A descent into hell of the center of the Earth, Shinji thinks.

"From what I understand your meeting could be a big shock." says Misato.

Getting no reply to her statement, Misato looks over to see what Shinji is doing. Shinji fell asleep. Her expression softens and she smiles. Seems that all the excitement has worn down Shinji. Perhaps he's been a little hyper though able to hide it, being that this meeting with his father is a big event for him. She decides to be quiet for the remainder of the tube journey.

Ahead in the twilight of the tube is a growing spit of white light; the tube exit. The light filtering in is a broad spectrum so that the effect is to mimic the surface world. Like the glow of morning light, Shinji's face is illuminated. As the car comes closer to the exit portal the light grows stronger in intensity. A few seconds before the car exits the tube, Shinji is aroused from his nap by the light. At first he is startled, but adjusts quickly.

As in the old story of the journey to the center of the Earth, Shinji has arrived at another center, the fortress to preserve the human species. The car exits the portal in excess of 200 km/hr. Magically, the sense of velocity disappears due to the immensity of the cavity carved in the Earth's crust. For a moment the sensation is one of floating in weightlessness.

"What is this place?" asks Shinji.


Even for Misato the sensation of entering a "closed world" has never changed.

"Wow!" says Shinji in amazement. "This is the GeoFront!"

The GeoFront is a hemispheric shell several kilometers in radius.

"So it is." says Misato. "This is where my friends and I work; the main instillation of the secret base, NERV."

"A world reconstructed ..." says Shinji.

Within the GeoFront a surface world, close world, representation of Earth has been reconstructed. The effect is very convincing and meant to be so. Given the enormous security apparatus surrounding NERV most of the workers will spent their tour of duty in NERV without leaving. Therefore to minimize psychological stress, a close replication of Earth's surface was achieved. The major difference is the armor buildings that hang from the roof when not in combat configuration.

"This place has become humanities fortress." says Misato.

Downward they spiral around the periphery of the hemisphere. At ground center of the GeoFront in the headquarters of NERV; a pyramid fashioned like the ones of Egypt.

CORRIDOR INSIDE NERV LEADING TO MEDICAL EMERGENCY CENTER.

Two Evac Medics are running along side a stretcher bed. The bags of plasma and blood jostly. An auto respirator and blood transfusion pump with remote control and monitor capability attempt to keep the victum alive. But psychological trauma is a given at this point.

"The EVA mindlink actuator completely malfunctioned!" says Medic 1.

"The pilot is seriously injured." informs Medic 2. "A ruptured spleen is likely."

NERV CONTROL ROOM

Under Director Fuyuzuki Kouzou.

"Is the UN Secretariat behind this also ..." says Fuyuzuki.