That put's a whole new spin on the Addams Family. Or should I say...ADAM's Family?
/featuring ADAM as Gomez
//LILITH as Morticia
///Zeruel as Lurch
////Tabris as Pugsley
/////Arael as Wednesday
//////Shamshel as Cousin Itt
///////Bardiel as Thing
////////Iruel as Uncle Fester
I love how people always picture the Adamite Angels as a family. They're not. They're 15 different possibilities of a race of beings to supplant the Lilim. They're 15 competitors trying to reach Adam for The Prize. Only one of them can actually succeed and have their life-template take over the world.
Stryp already voiced his opinion on the Angels-as-a-family but this idea hit me before I got to that post, so I'm going to inflict it all on you anyway.
Arael pokes through Rei's memories, and Kawarou's, and decides that Rei has been bad for hurting Little Brother Tabris. And decides to fix things.
Option 1: eliminate Rei.
Option 2: adjust Rei ("WHAT? SHE LIKE YOU NOW! WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO PUT HER BACK THE WAY SHE WAS?"
How To Care For A Sad Nephilim (Or Two): By Asuka Langley Soryu
"Step 1: Lay out a blanket," Asuka chirped. She pulled a bundled up blanket from behind her and swooshed it, letting it flutter a little before laying it down on the floor.
"Step 2: Pick up sad Nephilim. If you have multiple sad Nephilim, it is best to have an assistant to help you. I have two sad Nephilim, so Shinji will be my assistant." There was a bit of a long silence. "That's your cue, baka!"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Shinji appeared and scooped up Rei, cradling her close while Asuka did the same to Kaworu.
"Step 3: Place sad Nephilim on the blanket. We're being economical and putting both of ours on the same one!" Gently, the couple laid their respective charges onto the blanket, side by side.
"Step 4: Roll them like Sushi!" Expertly, Asuka took one end of the blanket and began rolling the two up. As she tightened it, Rei and Kaworu were pushed together, huddled into the blanket.
"Step 5: Place said roll on a bed or a sofa or something – as long as it's soft and comfy!" Delicately, Asuka took one end of the roll – Shinji taking the other – and together they lifted it up and carried it over to the nearby bed.
"Step 6: Hug that roll close! If you have several rolls, be sure to have enough people close enough to hand to make sure they all get hugged!" Clambering onto the bed as well, they both wrapped arms around the Nephilim roll and snuggled up close and tight. Under the blanket, the arms of Kaworu and Rei slowly began to creep around each other.
"Step 7: Put on your Nephilim's favourite films!" Asuka's hand extricated long enough to find the remote, hitting play. The TV in front of the bed began playing Spirited Away.
"Step 8: Feed your sad Nephilim snacks!" There was a brief intermission while the two who weren't bound into a blanket roll took some snacks off the side to feed to Rei and Kaworu. Mostly crisps, chocolate and ice creams. "Although not too much! You don't want to make your Nephilim sick!"
"Step 9: Keep your Nephilim hydrated; tears dehydrate them!"
"I don't think that's how it works, Asu-"
"Silence, baka!"
"Sorr-" he fell silent at her glare.
"Aaa~aaanyway… make sure they have enough to drink!" LCL-Tea was held up to both Rei and Kaworu's lips – they drank greedily. Both looked much, much happier now. Colour had returned to their cheeks – although they were still pale, as usual.
Willingly? It was her job. Her whole purpose was to find a planet and put us on it. Whether it's her fault she picked the planet Adam was already on is a matter for debate in some circles.
That put's a whole new spin on the Addams Family. Or should I say...ADAM's Family?
/featuring ADAM as Gomez
//LILITH as Morticia
///Zeruel as Lurch
////Tabris as Pugsley
/////Arael as Wednesday
//////Shamshel as Cousin Itt
///////Bardiel as Thing
////////Iruel as Uncle Fester
Asuka: Rei, Shinji and I love you and we know the RainbowTrout makes you happy.
Shinji: He's welcome in our home. We also realize that when you choose a partner, you pick them, and their family comes as a package deal. Asuka has to deal with my father.
Asuka: Exactly. But I there's something we wanted to say...
Shinji: We hate your in-laws.
How To Care For A Sad Nephilim (Or Two): By Asuka Langley Soryu
"Step 1: Lay out a blanket," Asuka chirped. She pulled a bundled up blanket from behind her and swooshed it, letting it flutter a little before laying it down on the floor.
"Step 2: Pick up sad Nephilim. If you have multiple sad Nephilim, it is best to have an assistant to help you. I have two sad Nephilim, so Shinji will be my assistant." There was a bit of a long silence. "That's your cue, baka!"
"Oh, right. Sorry." Shinji appeared and scooped up Rei, cradling her close while Asuka did the same to Kaworu.
"Step 3: Place sad Nephilim on the blanket. We're being economical and putting both of ours on the same one!" Gently, the couple laid their respective charges onto the blanket, side by side.
"Step 4: Roll them like Sushi!" Expertly, Asuka took one end of the blanket and began rolling the two up. As she tightened it, Rei and Kaworu were pushed together, huddled into the blanket.
"Step 5: Place said roll on a bed or a sofa or something – as long as it's soft and comfy!" Delicately, Asuka took one end of the roll – Shinji taking the other – and together they lifted it up and carried it over to the nearby bed.
"Step 6: Hug that roll close! If you have several rolls, be sure to have enough people close enough to hand to make sure they all get hugged!" Clambering onto the bed as well, they both wrapped arms around the Nephilim roll and snuggled up close and tight. Under the blanket, the arms of Kaworu and Rei slowly began to creep around each other.
"Step 7: Put on your Nephilim's favourite films!" Asuka's hand extricated long enough to find the remote, hitting play. The TV in front of the bed began playing Spirited Away.
"Step 8: Feed your sad Nephilim snacks!" There was a brief intermission while the two who weren't bound into a blanket roll took some snacks off the side to feed to Rei and Kaworu. Mostly crisps, chocolate and ice creams. "Although not too much! You don't want to make your Nephilim sick!"
"Step 9: Keep your Nephilim hydrated; tears dehydrate them!"
"I don't think that's how it works, Asu-"
"Silence, baka!"
"Sorr-" he fell silent at her glare.
"Aaa~aaanyway… make sure they have enough to drink!" LCL-Tea was held up to both Rei and Kaworu's lips – they drank greedily. Both looked much, much happier now. Colour had returned to their cheeks – although they were still pale, as usual.
"Step 3: Place sad Nephilim on the blanket. We're being economical and putting both of ours on the same one!" Gently, the couple laid their respective charges onto the blanket, side by side.
"Step 4: Roll them like Sushi!" Expertly, Asuka took one end of the blanket and began rolling the two up. As she tightened it, Rei and Kaworu were pushed together, huddled into the blanket.
Willingly? It was her job. Her whole purpose was to find a planet and put us on it. Whether it's her fault she picked the planet Adam was already on is a matter for debate in some circles.
We did. Lilith's job was to create the LCL we sprang out of. She's a production plant for it. From there, life would slowly evolve and change and grow until a sentient species developed civilization.
It's like ADAM's thing, only instead of 'race to Daddy', we had 'race to sentience'. Lilith's sole job is to be a primordial soup kitchen.
Technically, this is the update for last Friday, thanks to @Olipasti.
Well... this went way out of control. Brace yourselves for 8500 words of the Angel of Birds. There is blood, and screaming, and pain, and fear. There is memory. There is defiance. Secrets are revealed and barriers are broken.
A special thanks to @Matt R, whose excellent omake, Star Crossed is so good, I had to make it canon herein. Added with his permission.
Misato whirled to Shinji and Asuka, jabbing a finger at the door. "You two, get to your Evas and prepare to scramble as soon as you can!" She spun back to the control consoles as the Second and Third Children turned in perfect unison and bolted out the door in step. "Chief Tanaka!"
The senior Tech one console over from Maya stiffened to attention. "Ma'am!"
"Get Unit-00 and Unit-03 moved to the launchers immediately! Ritsuko, Lieutenant Ibuki! You two with me! We have to get to Central Dogma now!" Misato was already pulling her phone out and dialing even as she shot for the door without looking back to make sure her orders were being followed.
The phone rang for barely a half-second before Lieutenant Hyuga answered. "NERV Cen-"
Misato rolled right over him. "What have we got?"
"Satellites picked up a Pattern Blue 83.4 kilometers up and 34 kilometers south of Tokyo-3. We're retracting the city and powering up the defenses. Where are you?"
"Leaving the Pribnow Box right now! I've got Rits and Ibuki in tow. Get whoever's on the Systems console to override the MAGI and get our elevator to Central Dogma in less than a fucking century. Shinji and Asuka are in one headed for the Cages, get them moving too!"
"Right! Takamori! Get Elevators G-14 and G-15 set to emergency speed as soon as they close!" Makoto's voice was almost as loud as he shouted the orders away from the phone.
"We're en route, ETA 5 minutes. Get Unit-00 and Unit-03 launched and prepared for long range combat as soon as they're in the launchers!"
"Roger!"
+++
Misato skidded into Central Dogma with Maya and Ritsuko close on her heels. Maya nearly dove into her usual seat, Lieutenant Takamori barely getting out of the way in time.
"Angel visually confirmed," Aoba reported. "Max magnification, on screen."
The big screen lit up, showing the Angel. It looked like the electrified skeleton of a bird, glued together by someone who had no idea how the bones were supposed to fit. It had two wings that split into four, but had irregular spikes and shards poking off its whole outline. Even with all the strangeness they'd seen so far, the spiky monster looked subtly wrong to Misato.
"It's not moving from its satellite orbit," said Hyuga.
"It's maintaining a set distance from our location," Aoba confirmed.
Ritsuko held on to the back of Maya's chair and tried to catch her breath. She was not nearly in as good shape as Misato, who for all her slobby ways off duty, still somehow maintained her military fitness. "That's... that's fricking impossible. It can't maintain position like that in an orbit so low. It has to be using it's AT-Field to hover there," she said between pants.
Misato stared hard at the glowing, birdlike form on the main display. "Which means it's waiting for a chance to descend and close in, or it can attack us from there without the need to do so."
"We can't make a careless move, at this rate, can we?" Hyuga asked.
Misato didn't even look at him. "Either way, we can't do anything about it unless the target moves within our firing range. The Evas aren't capable of attacking something in orbit."
The Fourth Child ran in from the back access stairway. "Major Katsuragi! I'm here! I..." She stopped next to Misato, breathing hard. "W-what can I do?" She looked up at Misato, nervous.
"Nothing right now, I'm afraid. Stay here and stand by for now." Misato turned to the main screen. "Alright, launch Unit-00 and Unit-03, prepare for extreme long-range firing. Unit-01 and Unit-02 will remain on ready-launch hold."
"Misato! Launch us!" Asuka demanded over the comms.
Misato shook her head. "Negative, Asuka. We've only got the two Positron Cannons. There's nothing you can do for now. Standby."
In the comm window on the side of the big screen, Asuka slammed a hand on the control yoke. "We can still... cover Rei and the new kid with our AT-Fields or something! Grrrrr!" She turned her head slightly, aiming her glare at another window in her Entry Plug. "Oi! Du Setzling, kümmer dich gefälligst um sie! Eva-Piloten sind füreinander da!" [New fish! Take care of her! Eva Pilots look out for each other!]"
Kaworu gave her a slight smile. "Jawohl."
"Units-00 and -03 ready, Major Katsuragi!" Lieutenant Hyuga announced.
Misato nodded. "Evas, launch!"
+++
Rei hoisted the Improved Positron Rifle Mk III to her Eva's shoulder and began configuring the long range firing controls. She did not look aside as Nagisa's face appeared in a new comm window. "It is... good to be with you in my first battle like this, Pilot Ayanami."
His smile was a bit less irritating than it had been. Rei focused on the controls. "We will do our duty. We fight to protect all mankind. This is our bond." 'Get that message, stupid fish. We cannot show anything to Commander Ikari.'
A strange, unreadable look passed over his eyes. "Our bond. Of course. I'm sure we will perform our duty well." His window closed. Evidently he had gotten the message in her blank face and tone.
Rei pressed the last button and the targeting array rose from the back of the seat over her head and settled in front of her eyes. The sky was a dark grey wall of rainclouds pouring down on them like the sky was sobbing it's heart out, impenetrable to the naked eye. But MAGI-assisted NERV sights made the storm no barrier at all.
She quickly sighted in on the mark the display showed. It was close enough to staring right at the position of the sun Rei couldn't make anything out. She trusted the computer was keeping her on target. She squinted, trying to center the faint spot that was the Angel...
'Hurry up and get over here already. Talk about irritating...'
+++
"Target still holding position," Aoba reported. "MAGI estimates it's at extreme range now. They have designated this as the 15th Angel, Arael."
"The Angel of Birds, hm? Fits." Misato stared at the image of the vaguely bird-like Angel on the big screen. "If it's just going to sit there, let's test that. Rei, Kaworu, are you ready to fire?"
"Yes."
"Charge complete in 38 seconds, Major."
"That's fine, Kaworu, yours is slower to charge but a bit more powerful per shot. Alright. Rei, take a shot as soon as you have lock."
+++
Rei nodded. "Understood. Aiming."
She stared hard at the blip on her targeting screen. She tried to will the triangle and crosshairs to line up. Almost... almost... there.
The computer sang a clear tone, and she pulled the trigger. An azure bolt of charged antimatter shot from her weapon and blasted up through the clouds, a brief gap opening up around it.
+++
Everyone held their breath as Rei's shot arced up, up, up... dead on target.
The shot shattered into a blaze of blue sparks and light against a familiar impenetrable orange octagon.
"No good! Negligible change to the Angel's AT-Field, ma'am!" Lieutenant Aoba reported. "Shot had no effect. The range is too far!"
"Damn it," Misato cursed. "Kaworu, prepare to fire in synch with Rei's next shot. Maybe together you'll have enough power."
"Roger. Eleven seconds to charge."
"Ready for command," Rei added.
+++
Rei gritted her teeth a little more. That shot had been perfect, but the Angel was too far away to even try degrading its defenses. She was...
Her AT-field prickled. "It... it is looking at me."
+++
Misato looked at Rei's comm window, puzzled. "What was that, Rei?"
+++
The Angel sparkled in her reticule...
And the light of Heaven fell down on Rei Ayanami.
+++
The Angel's beam shone down on Unit-00 like God's own spotlight. The storm-dark street around her lit up like a summer festival had broken out.
Rei screamed.
Every alarm in Central Dogma began to light up.
Misato forced herself back into focus. "Is it a direct energy weapon?"
Lieutenant Aoba shook his head, his hands flying over his control board. "Negative, I'm not getting any thermal energy readings!"
Maya looked in alarm at her readouts. "Her psychograph readings are agitated! Mental contamination beginning!"
Ritsuko blanched. "The Angel is launching a psychological attack? It's trying to comprehend the mind of a human being?"
+++
"NGGGKK! AAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rei's hands flew to her head, trying to stop the painthepainthepainthePAIN!
Responding to her desperate impulse, Unit-00 raised the Improved Positron Cannon Mk III again and fired, fired, fired before Unit-00's hands began to wobble. The last shot impacted on the hill above the lake south of her, taking a chunk out of the peak. Unit-00 likewise tried to grab it's head, the giant rifle falling to the street with a smash.
"STAY.... OUT.... STAYYYYY OUUUUUUT!" Rei snarled through teeth locked together so hard her jaw creaked.
FLASH
"NNNO....NNGGNSGSKSEGDH!" Blood began to trickle from her nose.
FLASH
"STAY.....OUT!"
+++
"Analysis of the ray of light?" Misato demanded, her knuckles white on the back of Lieutenant Hyuga's chair.
Hyuga was hammering at his keyboard. "It's an energy wave within the visible spectrum. It's similar to an AT-Field, but the details are unknown! The MAGI are unable to analyze it!" UNKNOWN FIELD, RECALCULATING. POSSIBLE SIMILARITY WITH AT-FIELD flashed on his screen.
Ritsuko was looking at the displays on Maya's console in horror. "What about Rei?"
Maya looked grim. "She's in danger! The mental contamination has entered Y! Her psychograph is at the critical point!"
Ritsuko's eyes snapped back and forth as she analyzed Rei's readouts herself. "Her mental circuits are being ripped to pieces! Further overload will be too dangerous!"
"Rei, retreat!" Misato ordered.
On the screen, Unit-00 was hunching in on itself, holding its head like it was about to fly away.
"Rei! REI! Can you hear me?" Misato yelled.
"STAY OUT!" was all they got in reply.
+++
"GGRRKK! GN....AAAAAAAA!" Her eyes were no longer tracking together, and the pupils were different sizes. The blood dripping from her nose was a steady flow now.
FLASH
"STAY...NNNNOOO!"
FLASH
And it was in her. It was inside her. She could feel it wriggling through her mind, like a fat, bloated worm of alien presence. It did not belong. It did not belong.
She could feel it rifling through her mind, her memories, her self.
+++
Waking up in a tube. He was there. She was there. They stared at her. He ordered her to stand. "You are Rei Ayanami. You will follow my orders," he said, voice cold and flat.
"I am Rei Ayanami. I will follow your orders," she echoed without thought.
He nodded.
+++
"Stupid doll!" Ritsuko threw the notepad at her. It bounced off Rei's head. "Staring at me like that! Stop it! Face the wall!"
Rei obediently turned. Her head... hurt? No, the feeling was barely there. She was comfortably numb. The wall was familiar.
+++
"GET....OUT OF... MGRPH.... ME!"
PAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN
"OUT! NO!"
+++
Her arm was broken again. In at least three places, from the way it folded. The pain bled through the drugs a bit.
"Disappointing. Alright, reset the simulator," Commander Ikari said, no change in his voice. "Rei, Doctor Akagi will splint your arm while they reset it, and you will try again. Do better."
"Yes, sir," she said tonelessly. She was not upset. She felt nothing at all.
+++
"You... you're an ANGEL?!" Asuka recoiled in shock. She backed up until she bumped into Shinji, who stared at Rei with a look of utter horror and betrayal on his face.
"N-no! It's not like that! Don't leave me!" Rei pleaded, hands outstretched.
"Stay away from her!" Shinji yelled angrily, placing himself between Rei and Asuka. "Don't come near us, you.. you traitor! We trusted you! We loved you! And all along you lied to us?!"
"Don't you ever touch me again!" Asuka screeched at her. "You disgust me!"
"No! Please!" Rei tried not to shake. She failed. "I love you both!"
"We don't love Angels! We kill them!"
+++
"Come on, come on!" Kaworu chanted over and over. Rei's screams were like knives in his ears. The Angel was killing her, and his weapon was too slow! "Come on! Charge!"
"Accelerator, start synchronization," the lead weapon tech ordered in his ear.
"Voltage increasing. Approaching the pressure range," his second responded. "Aim correction for gravity and planetary rotation is zero point zero three."
"Superconductive guidance system is active. Pressure in the chamber is at maximum. Releasing final safety lock. You may fire when ready, Pilo-"
Kaworu didn't even wait for him to finish. The splash from the muzzle blew cars into the air in the street around him, and even the multi-thousand ton weight of Unit-03 rocked back from the building he'd rested the upgraded Positron Cannon on. The power feed was now just the Geofront's massive nuclear reactors and not the entire power grid of Japan, but he still had more power on hand than Rei's weapon.
The beam from his gun shot skyward, spearing straight for the Angel. His aim was perfect, dead center.
And useless. The beam shattered into a fan of lesser pieces off the Angel's AT-Field again, continuing on past it in a scattered fan.
"No effect!" Aoba shouted. "AT-Field already regenerating damage! There's not enough energy to break through the AT Field from this distance!"
"Output power is already at maximum!" Hyuga said. "We can't draw anymore or the lines will melt!"
"Unit-00's psychograph is very weak," Ibuki added. "Her mental signal is decreasing sharply."
"What about the mind barrier from the LCL?" Ritsuko suggested.
The younger woman shook her head. "No effect. It's not even working as a catalyst."
"Give top priority to life support," Ritsuko ordered. "Shut out any feedback from the Eva."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ritsuko looked up at the still weakly thrashing movements of the Eva on the big screen. 'It's scanning her mental wavelength... is it trying to search her mind?'
+++
Something in Rei's mind broke open under the assault. Driven back, driven down, she retreated deeper into her self than she'd ever dare before. She fled ahead of the invader, deeper, deeper, past the edges of Rei Ayanami and down into her greater self.
Memories buried for billions of years exploded into awareness...
+++
How had it come to this?
Combining their ultimate power source with their own biology had been her race's crowning achievement. This "Fruit of Life" -- the crimson crystal of immortality -- promised to free them from the ravages of time and disease, from the scramble to outrun entropy, even from conflict itself. By alleviating the need to compete for resources, it was supposed to free them from the last motivations for strife, and usher in an endless golden age.
"Such fools we were..."
The rational need may have been alleviated, but their psychology -- evolved in a world of scarcity -- had not changed. Too many were still driven by the will to achieve power over others, and the limitless energy of the Fruit had only granted them even more terrible strength with which to pursue dominance. The next generation had been even worse: having been all but immortal from birth, never knowing vulnerability, far too many of them never developed notions of empathy or restraint, or found them far too late.
The ensuing conflicts spiraled cataclysmically out of control, cracking even the foundations of the planet itself. It ended not with victory for any party, but with only the peace of exhaustion. There was literally nothing left worth fighting for.
And thus was the first race in the galaxy to achieve sapience left as a bare handful of survivors on a collapsing world, surrounded by the lingering souls of some twenty billion dead.
----------
It was his optimism, in retrospect, that first drew her to him, his hope.
Even in the twilight of their race, at what seemed to be the end of all things, he held his head high and spoke of his hope for the future. He was the one who had conceived of their final plan. Among the survivors, those who volunteered would be transformed, taking on bodies suitable for solitary journeys that could last untold eons. They would gather the souls of their lost race to themselves, and set out for fresh new worlds. They would seed these barren worlds with life, and the salvaged souls of the Firstborn would jump-start the evolution of sapience on these new worlds. The essence of who they were would not be lost from the universe. What they represented would live on.
His smile as he described the project was radiant; it made his hope contagious.
She had fallen in love with that smile.
But she was desperately afraid to tell him. And was there even a point anymore, if she could?
----------
She could not bear to see his smile waver.
It seemed as though the Fruit of Life had one last conflict left to bestow upon her people. The argument threatened to tear the group apart.
"Abandon the Fruit? Have you gone mad?"
"Look around you! You see what it did to us! Would you truly visit such ruin upon our descendants?"
"Even so, after all that we devoted to its creation, you would see the Fruit vanish from this universe, lost forever in the sea of time? The dream of immortality, the hope of freedom from the ravages of entropy... can you really throw them away so casually?"
"What's the point, if it only repeats a cycle of destruction?"
He watched the argument rage again. It was not the first time the matter had come up for discussion in their circle, but it had never before been so heated.
She watched his smile grow dimmer, and dimmer, as it slowly drowned in his growing look of concern. They needed everyone who was left, if this was to work. They had very little time remaining; they could not afford an impasse.
The project -- his hope -- was dying at the debate table.
Suddenly, she had an answer. Hesitantly, she spoke up.
"T-Two kinds!"
"What?"
It was the first time she had spoken up at these meetings. It was, in fact, the first time many of them had heard her speak.
"We can s-send out t-two types of Seeds. One will create life based on what we- what we were before. Before the Fruit."
They were listening. She continued, with more confidence.
"We will take steps to ensure they land on planets that lack significant levels of the necessary elements for miniaturizing the S2 for incorporation into living tissue. Even if our descendants develop the theory, they will need to cross the stars to acquire the materials they need to take the same final step we did. With luck, that will give them time to become wiser than we were."
"The other type of Seed will create a very different sort of life -- one based on the Fruit and its potential from the start, but with a lower form of consciousness. Without the same sort of drives as characterize the consciousness that evolves in mortals, it should be safer for them to possess the Fruit -- they will be more innocent, in a way, without the need or drive to overachieve that was our doom. These beings will guard the Fruit from the ravages of time, preserving it for the future. Neither part of what we are will be lost. Perhaps someday, some of our descendants will be wise enough to bring them together again safely."
There was some grumbling, but she was surprised at how quickly everyone agreed, and got to work on the details.
"Of course, we will need some sort of system to guard against premature recombination of the Seeds. And it will need to have autonomous functionality..."
She no longer heard the debate; something else had entirely distracted her.
He was smiling again.
He was smiling at her.
She smiled back.
But she still could not take the next step.
----------
The end was upon them. The planet itself was beginning its collapse. Their star was not far behind.
Her transformation had been successful. She barely recognized herself as... herself. She had become a towering, robust being, with tremendous power beyond even what the Fruit normally granted -- something that could survive the gulf between worlds for as long as necessary. Her mind, too, had changed; she felt more abstract, diffuse. Removed from the world, as if it was a lazy, waking dream. It was necessary for the journey -- any ordinary mind would have gone mad.
She had chosen this. Even if she could not be with him, she could aid his dream. She would bear the "Fruit of Knowledge," as some were now calling it, to a new world.
He, himself, had volunteered as well -- to bear the Fruit of Life.
They simply weren't meant to be, she told herself.
Two more of their group, who had not yet given up their physical forms to join the rest of the souls for the journey, made the final checks. She idly listened to their banter as she waited for the inevitable.
"I thought for sure those two would get together."
Who?
"You saw how she looked at him!"
"He looked right back, when her back was turned."
Did they mean...?
"And you saw that smile he gave her when she basically saved the project with that suggestion. I was sure that would finally break the ice."
No...
"No kidding. I suppose, in the end, he was just as shy as she was, at least when it came to that sort of thing. Funny, considering how he gushed about the Project."
He felt...? They could have had... even for a short while...or found some way to...?
And it was too late?
No...
No, no, no...
Further banter -- and further thoughts on the matter -- were cut short by a deafening roar that heralded the final collapse of their world. The two technicians abruptly let go, releasing their forms into fluid, and joined the other souls in one of the Rooms of Guf.
As the planet broke apart, each Seed extended their power, crafting a vessel for the ages from their world's remains, and set out for a different point of light. The final explosion of their star propelled them on their journey.
----------
She was awakened from her sad reflection by the sense of an approaching planet. It seemed her navigation and senses had brought her to the world she was to seed.
Something was wrong.
As a Seed bearing the Fruit of Knowledge, she was supposed to land on a planet lacking in key elements of the Fruit of Life. This was not such a world.
And another Seed -- riding a White Moon, bearing the Fruit of Life -- was already making planet fall.
His White Moon.
No...
She realized, with horror, what had happened. Her memories and regrets -- the only things she could think of during the journey -- had actually affected her navigation. Instead of seeking out a new world, she had followed him.
They had explicitly planned to avoid this. Two Seeds could not actively occupy the same world -- one of their Lances would automatically neutralize its bearer. Even this grave error she had blundered into would not bring them together.
She tried to abort the landing, so that she could move on to another world, but it was too late. Instead, now she was going to crash.
What had she done to him? To his dream...
I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
+++
Rei... Lilith... she was no longer sure who she was, who any of her was...
In the Entry Plug, she flopped limply against the back of the seat and stared, her eyes seeing nothing.
+++
"Again!"
"Pilot Nagisa, this is not a good idea. Major Katsuragi has not authori-"
"I SAID CHARGE IT AGAIN!"
+++
"Unit-03 firing again!" Hyuga reported.
Misato tore her look away from over Ritsuko's shoulder. "What?"
+++
His aim was even better. He forced his hands to steady, unfurled his AT-Field just the smallest bit to make his Eva's hands perfectly still... The Cannon roared again, shattering every window for 300 meters. The glowing beam shot into the clouds. The Angel made no move to dodge.
He could hear the discordant sound the Angel's AT-Field made as the beam of positrons rang against it... uselessly.
Useless. He could not be useless. He had to do something, had to help her. He threw the weapon aside, pushing his Evangelion to maximum speed. "This is Pilot Nagisa. Positron Cannon ineffective. I am moving to assist Unit-00."
+++
"REI! REI! Answer me! Gott damn it! Rei!!" Asuka called fruitlessly over her comms. "Misato! Launch us! Launch us now!"
"Let us help her!" Shinji added. "Please!"
+++
"All activity ceased in Unit-00," Aoba said. Red warning flashes began to pepper the side screens of Central Dogma. "Problems developing in the life support system."
Misato tried to shut it all out. Time after time she'd come up with borderline insane plans that save the day. Now she needed another one. 'Can we transport Unit 03 by air? Shoot the target from the sky? No, we can't do that. If the Angel shoots during the approach, we can't protect it.'
"Let us launch! We can protect her!" Shinji demanded. "Please, Misato-san!"
Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki leaned forward. "No. The Angel's attack corrodes the target's psyche."
"Right now we must avoid the corrosion of Unit-01," Gendo said evenly.
"Then it's alright as long as we don't get hit!" Asuka tried.
"Your success is not guaranteed," Gendo said.
"But... but Rei is in danger! If this goes on-" Shinji insisted.
"I don't care. Unit-02, proceed to Terminal Dogma and retrieve a special weapon for use against the Angel."
Beside him, Fuyutsuki stiffened. "The Lance?" he whispered urgently to Gendo. "Ikari, you can't. That is SEELE's..."
Gendo's face was hard and fixed as he stared at the glowing form of the Angel on the big screen, but Fuyutsuki could almost feel the grim satisfaction coming off him. "We cannot affect the target's AT-Field in orbit, and this is the only way to bring it down. Unit-02, move!"
Misato spun around to look at the Commander's platform. "But contact between an Eva and Adam could cause Third Impact! It's too dangerous! Commander Ikari, please do not order this!" she objected.
Gendo just stared at the screen, ignoring her.
Misato's jaw clenched. 'So... another lie. Second Impact wasn't caused by contact with an Angel, was it?' She turned back to the screen. In the smaller display to the left, she could see Asuka's launch cradle shifting downward, moving the Evangelion towards Terminal Dogma as quickly as possible.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Asuka shouted. "Rei's stopped screaming, and that isn't making me feel better!"
Fuyutsuki leaned in close to Gendo again. "Ikari, is this wise? Letting the Second Child see Lilith?"
Gendo gave a microscopic shrug. "In the end, she is expendable, should we need to silence her," he said quietly. "In the meantime, I have a possible solution."
Misato stepped next to Ritsuko. "And what happens when Asuka sees what you've been keeping in the basement, Rits?" she said very quietly, her voice ice cold.
Ristuko shot her a confused look that rapidly melted into wide-eyed horror. "Y-you kn-"
"Yes," Misato hissed dangerously. "I know. I also know that I'm not supposed to know! But what happens when Asuka sees it? That's a secret I'm sure you and the Commander are very interested in keeping, so I'm suddenly very, very interested in why he doesn't seem to care that the Second Child is about to learn something that was too classified for the fourth ranking officer in NERV to know about!" Misato's voice dropped to just above the temperature of liquid helium. "I am not letting something happen to one of my kids."
"How... how did you-" Ritsuko whispered back.
Commander Ikari's voice interrupted. "Doctor Akagi, you have until Unit-02 reaches Terminal Dogma to create a software filter for its visual display to block her from seeing classified material she is not cleared for. She is only there to retrieve the Lance. Nothing else."
Ritsuko's eyes widened a bit more and she dove for the console next to Lieutenant Ibuki's. She logged in with incredible speed and began coding.
+++
"So... this is the moment... I knew this would come. We both did... didn't we, my friend?"
The grey haired boy smiled up at her from where Unit-00's hands had closed around his frail body. "I have to stop you," Rei said. "You know this."
"Of course I do. And I'm glad it was you. You spared him the pain of having to do it himself."
Rei's hands shook, and thus so did the Eva's. "It can't end like this. It can't!"
"You know it has to. Do it."
"I won't!"
His smile got sadder. "Then let me go. And I will fulfill my purpose and wipe this world clean."
"No!"
"Do it. You know it has to be this way."
"Damn you! Damn you!" Rei screamed at him through the tears. "You said you'd fight!"
"I did. I tried. I failed. I was not strong enough. The Call cannot be defeated. And so I am here, as I knew I would be." He paused. "I'm glad it was you."
"No no no no no no!" Rei pleaded.
"Do it. You have to."
"NO!"
"Goodbye... Rei."
It took hours to get the blood off Unit-00's hands.
+++
The Eva transport system had taken her as low as it could, but the deepest shafts into Terminal Dogma were deeper still. The titanic cable and foothold for the Evangelion could have been used to anchor a full-sized suspension bridge, and was dropping her down with terrific speed. At any other time Asuka might have been impressed with the engineering feat. Right now, she just wanted it to move faster.
"Come on come on come on! This is taking too long!"
"Asuka, we're already 10% past the safety limits on the cable gear!" Hyuga told her.
"You were willing to dip me a few hundred extra meters in that fucking volcano past the 'safety limits'! Get me down there now so I can get this mystery weapon and save my friend!" Asuka snarled back.
"We can't let it break, we need it to haul you back up!"
"Fuck! This!" Asuka kicked Unit-02's foot loose from the footstrap and jumped free. "Unit-02, coming down!"
She free-fell the last 120 meters, slamming into the floor at the bottom of the shaft at speeds that should have shattered all bones and armor in Unit-02's legs. Instead, she bounced right up off her landing crouch and began sprinting down the hallway in front of her, aiming for the immense doors at the far end.
"I'm coming, Rei! Hang on!"
+++
'So Third Impact won't happen... at least, not because of this. So then what caused Second Impact?' Misato puzzled.
"Unit-03 is about to reach Unit-00!" Hyuga interrupted her thoughts.
+++
Unit-03 tore around the last corner between his starting position and Unit-00's. He could see down the wide road to where Unit-00 lay slumped against a weapons building, not moving. "Rei!"
The Angel's beam still poured down on the Evangelion from the skies, lighting up the whole road better than full noon sunlight. In Kaworu's eyes, it burned even brighter, but... so wrong.
The beam was... tearing at Ayanami's Light, ripping at it like it was trying to shred open a blanket covering something it wanted. The greater Light put out by an active Evangelion was covering it from direct harm, but was all but flickered out. Her very self was about to be exposed to the Angel's onslaught.
'No!'
He bolted forward, raising Unit-03's AT-Field to maximum strength, trying to place it in the path of the beam. "Ayanami! Are you there?"
He slid up next to Unit-00, his AT-Field finally directly covering her. "Rei! Rei! Answer me! I'm here!"
"Nngggh? Kwnger? Blugh..." Rei said indistinctly over the comms. In the window one of her eyes opened, the pupil dilated until it almost swallowed the iris. It drifted around until it locked in his general direction. Rei began to thrash, like she was trying to get away from him, but her limbs wouldn't coordinate. "Nnnno... sshhhtay 'way! I'll kill wou! Kill you! Kill youuuu!"
"Rei, it's alright! I'm here to-"
The Angel's light snapped off.
Kaworu's head rose and he looked at the sky. "Wha..."
+++
"Major, something's happening with the Angel!" Hyuga pointed at the screen. "It's... changing?"
+++
In space, the Angel's Four wings folded, branched, and split again. The now eight-fold array shifted slightly, adjusting its aim. Then, once again, it sang.
+++
Kaworu had almost no warning. His AT-Field prickled a fraction of a second before the Light of the Angel smashed into his mind.
+++
The tube was his home. The tube was his prison. The tube was mother, and father, and his world.
He knew nothing else.
The old man with the visor was back. He came to stare sometimes. His arrival always heralded by the whine of the electronics in his body and wheelchair, and the wheeze of his breath.
"You are Tabris. You are the key to our salvation. You will bring us all to the glory of the end," the old man told him.
Kaworu was open, but confused. "How?"
"Through death."
+++
"Unit-03! Pilot Nagisa! Can you hear me?" Misato threw a desperate look over Ritsuko's shoulder. Unit-03's psychographs had begun to wobble badly, just as Rei's had. "Nagisa, respond!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"
+++
He was alone. This was normal. He had only ever seen four people in his life, and only two had had actual conversations with him. At least Kihl's assistant had introduced him to music, as a way to occupy his time. The piano was easy. The violin was a little harder, but he enjoyed it more.
The notes echoed so well in the empty concrete room they placed him in.
He had the Call to comfort him. It was burning, constant... but also soothing. The promise of an end to pain, an end to loneliness... a promise of completion. He felt it in his bones, that following the Call, seeking his source would end with pure bliss.
That it would wipe the planet clean of the Lilim was slightly sad. They made such lovely music.
And... there were the visions. He had not spoken of them, since no one had asked. He had been given the files for Shinji Ikari and the other Children when he managed to ask who he would encounter when he was sent on his mission. He glanced at the others, but it was the Third Child that he wanted to learn about.
So pure... so alone. Kaworu fell in love, as much as he could grasp the concept. A Lilim like him. Alone, doomed, searching for meaning... Someone who would be his friend, even briefly, the visions told him.
And who would be the instrument of his death.
He so looked forward to meeting him.
+++
"Can we deploy any of the shield plates to cover either of them?" Misato demanded.
"Negative, they're out of position for any!" Aoba replied.
Misato ground her teeth in frustration. "Get some of the VTOLs in the air! I don't care about the storm, we need to see if we can get anything in the path of that beam!" She looked at the big screen again. "Nagisa! Hang on!"
+++
"Come on come on come on.... YES!" Ritsuko shouted in triumph as the MAGI reported no further errors in the code she'd slammed together in record time. She stabbed a finger at the comm button, throwing open a channel to Unit-02. "Pilot Soryu, prepare for a code update! Sending now!"
+++
"'Code update'? Was zur Hölle quasselst du da, du verrückte Hexe? [What the Hell are you babbling about, you crazy witch?]" Asuka's complaint was overridden by a beep from Unit-02 and a new comm window full of fast-scrolling code popping up. "What is this? It better be helping me out or I'm going to be pissed you're interrupting to update the video drivers or something!"
Doctor Akagi ignored the German rant. "That's exactly what I'm doing, Pilot Soryu. There's classified things in the next chamber, and this is a false-visual filter that will block out what you're not supposed to see. Just grab the weapon and leave."
"Can I at least see the verfickt weapon I'm supposed to grab, or am I supposed to wander around playing Blind Man's Bluff while my friend needs help?!" Asuka snarled.
"The weapon will be highlighted. Opening Heaven's Door now."
"'Heaven's Door'? Was zur Hölle...Ack!" As the immense doors that dwarfed even her Evangelion began to swing open, Asuka's vision of the world abruptly became grey and flat. Her crystal clear view of the outside suddenly became bland, basic geometric shapes with wire frames, like bad computer graphics from the early '90s. "How am I supposed to navigate like this?!"
"Just... move forward, Pilot. The weapon is just 400m ahead in a straight line."
"This looks like a video game written by a drunk!"
"I only had 5 minutes! Now quit complaining and move!"
Subsiding to discontented muttering, Asuka refocused and moved forward as fast as she could, shitty graphics be damned. It almost helped: The blocky grey mess made the flashing border around the weapon easy to pick out.
"A... A spear? What?" Asuka shook her head. No time. Whatever, if this was it, she'd use it. Whatever it took to save Rei. She grabbed the shaft of the Eva-scale red spear and turned to leave.
...and then had to turn back. The spear had barely moved when she pulled. "Gott damn it! Come on!" She set herself more firmly and pulled harder. The spear slowly came free from whatever thing it was stuck in... but not fast enough. Asuka braced her foot up on the huge rectangular object the visual filter rendered it as and pushed.
The spear came loose with a bizarre sucking noise and Unit-02 fell on its ass... but the spear was free. Asuka sprang to her feet and started sprinting for the door. She didn't even hear the huge splash behind her.
+++
"Nnng! Get.... off... me..."
Misato's head rose. "Rei?! Are you there?"
"Get... off... chest... hurts..."
Rei's eyes weren't tracking in the window, but it was the most activity she'd shown since she collapsed.
"Hang in there, Rei! Asuka's on her way!" Misato tried to get her attention. It was hard, the comm channel was largely filled with Kaworu's screaming. "Nagisa, you too! She'll be there soon!"
"Misato-san! Launch me! PLEASE!" Shinji begged from Unit-01.
"Denied," Gendo flatly responded.
Misato clenched her left hand into a fist. "Commander, with all due respect, we can't just-"
"Unit-01 will remain where it is. Launching it would achieve nothing but another Unit disabled."
"Father!"
"Shut his comms off," Gendo ordered.
Lieutenant Hyuga jerked. "But sir-"
"Do it. I do not have time to listen to his insubordination."
Lieutenant Hyuga looked wordlessly at Misato. Misato had to suppress the urge to snarl at Commander Ikari. "Mute his mic," she muttered to him quietly. "I'm not cutting him off like that while Rei's in danger."
Hyuga nodded reluctantly, and hit the comm controls. Shinji's voice cut off.
+++
Shinji stared at the 'MUTE ON' banner on his comm window. His expression shifted to rage. "Fine! If that's how you want it!"
He turned inward. 'Mother! Help me!'
Unit-01's hand curled into a fist.
+++
The screams covered the quiet conversation taking place on the Commander's platform. "Ikari, are we not getting ahead of ourselves? I think it's too early to use that."
Gendo's stare did not shift from the screen. "The committee has started the mass production of the Eva series. This is our chance, Fuyutsuki."
"Nonetheless..."
"We can't make the clock move backwards. But, we can make it move forward with our own hands," Gendo continued.
"The old men won't sit still for this," the older man cautioned.
Gendo gave a miniscule shrug. "We must put an end to everything before SEELE takes action. It's not a good idea to lose Unit-00 right now, or the Pilot."
"Or Unit-03?"
Another tiny shrug. "SEELE's pawn matters little either."
"If we use the Lance of Longinus without the permission of SEELE, they will retaliate..."
"If a reason exists, that is enough. Anything beyond that is insignificant."
Fuyutsuki snorted. "Reason? What you're looking for is an excuse, isn't it?"
"Brainwaves for Unit-03's Pilot have become unstable! Pilot of Unit-00 has dropped to zero point zero six!" Lieutenant Ibuki warned.
"That's the critical point for life support," Ritsuko said, fighting for calm.
+++
"Gnablbl! Grrrkkkg.....AAAAAAAH!" Kaworu tried to focus, tried to bolster his AT-Field shielding them both. Blood dripped from his eyes.
Rei's stirring barely registered. The memories and fears still had him.
+++
There were 15 of them, more people than he'd ever seen before. The members of SEELE had come to see him off. They smiled, and told him what a grand destiny awaited him as he was sent on his mission. He knew from the visions he would most likely fail. Complementation or death, either way, at least soon his pain would be over.
They wouldn't let him take his violin. He felt sad about that. It wasn't like he had anything else.
He smiled anyway. This was more people than he'd ever seen before, and they were all so pleased to send him to his eagerly awaited death.
It was nice.
+++
"Unit-02 is ascending! She'll be at the launcher in 90 seconds!" Aoba reported.
"Nagisa! Can you retreat?" Misato tried again.
Only screams and incoherent noises answered her.
+++
"Do it, Rei. Please!"
"I should have let Shinji do this, you traitor. Or Asuka. She'd love to hurt you for what you did to him," the First Child said in a voice utterly empty of warmth.
"I'm sorry! I had no choice!"
"Then you lied to me from the start. You said you did."
"I tried! I'm not strong enough! The Call-"
"Pathetic. I resisted mine. You failure. What did I ever see in you?"
"Just... do it. Finish me. End this."
"Do it yourself, you worthless scum. You killed him. This world can burn," Asuka snarled through her tears. "You killed him... you killed him!"
"I can't stop it! He... he tried to block me!"
"Traitor. Liar. Traitor. Liar. Traitor."
"I'm sorry! Please!"
"Liar."
+++
Unit-01's arm began to curl. The locks on the frame groaned in protest... until they shattered, multi-ton pieces falling off the Eva's arms. The second arm was freed a moment later. He punched at the manual launcher controls.
+++
"Unit-01 is launching?!"
Misato turned towards Aoba. "What?"
"He's activated the manual launch override!"
"What about the locks?"
Aoba typed at his controls. "They're... broken? He's on his way up!"
"Cut his power. Unit-01 is not permitted to reach the surface," Commander Ikari ordered.
+++
Unit-01 screeched to a halt as power to the catapult died. The power to the Evangelion died too. The timer sprang to life in the Entry Plug and the lights shifted red.
Shinji cursed and slammed his fist on the controls. "Fine! Five minutes is plenty! Hang on, Rei, Kaworu-kun!"
He pulled Unit-01 out of the launch cradle and began to climb the side of the shaft.
+++
"Seal the shaft ahead of him. We do not have time for this," Commander Ikari ordered.
Thick steel hatches slid closed in the launch shaft.
An immense purple fist smashed them back open.
+++
Rei blinked, her mind swirling erratically. She was... Entry Plug? Someone was screaming? Her throat felt raw. Was it her?
Her eyes wouldn't focus. Her AT-Field felt like one giant raw nerve. There was... someone else close by?
An Angel!
Enemy
Enemy
Enemy
Kill the threat!
Rei's hands... Lilith's hands? Unit-00's hands shakily rose to her left shoulder fin and extracted her Progressive Knife.
Kill the Enemy...
+++
"Unit-00 is moving! She....she's equipped her Progressive Knife?" Lieutenant Aoba reported, confused.
Misato tried again to get Rei to respond. "Rei, what are you doing? Retreat! There's a recovery hatch 200 meters south!"
"Kill.... Angel... Angel is close..." Rei slurred. "Kill... the... threat..."
Unit-00 began to half-walk, half-crawl towards the thrashing form of Unit-03.
+++
The Enemy was close. She still couldn't focus her eyes or her thoughts, but she could feel it, the angry, buzzing presence of a spawn of Adam nearby... She must protect her loves. She must protect her friends.
She raised the knife.
+++
"Rei! Stop! That's Unit-03!" Misato yelled. The blue Evangelion kept lurching forward, almost within striking distance of Unit-03. The black Evangelion had toppled to the ground while it continued to thrash.
Unit-00 crawled into the spotlight of the Angel's beam, and raised her arm to stab.
The Angel's light shifted to cover Unit-00.
Rei began to scream again.
+++
"Unit-01 has reached the lower boundary of the city! He'll be on the surface in a minute!" Aoba said. "He has 3:32 of power remaining!"
Gendo's glare over his hands did not waver. "Increase the pressure of the LCL in the Entry Plug to maximum.
+++
The pressure around Shinji began to build, pressing in until his head felt like it was going to implode. Then it eased, returning to normal. Shinji shook his head, a weary smile growing on his lips. 'Thank you, mother.'
'My son...'
+++
"LCL pressurization system not responding. System failure! His LCL isn't circulating, but he'll run out of power before it has any effect!" Aoba said. "2:48 of power left. He's reached the surface!"
It was only the virtue of over ten years in the man's company that allowed Fuyutsuki to see the way Gendo's shoulders suddenly locked into utter rigidity.
+++
"REI! KAWORU-KUN! I'M COMING!"
Unit-01 tore up the street as he ran, pushing Unit-01 to impossible speed. He skidded around the last corner, bouncing off a weapon building on the far side of the intersection as he kept moving.
Far ahead, Unit-00 was raising its knife over Unit-03.
+++
"Unit-02 has passed area two! She's coming above ground now!" Hyuga said.
'So that's the Lance of Longinus,' Misato thought. 'Why is that less secret than the Angel down there?'
The huge red Eva rose smoothly on the elevator platform, Lance clenched tightly in its hands. "Shinji, you stupid, stupid hero! Get Rei and get the Hell out of there!"
"KAWORU-KUN TOO!" he roared back.
Unit-01 reached the side of the other two Evas, heedless of the light that still lit up the street like a flare. He raised Unit-01's hands over his head and unfurled the AT-Field that had stopped Sahaquiel cold.
Every window for a kilometer around shattered in harmony.
"GOTT DAMN IT, BAKA! THINK ABOUT YOURSELF TOO!" Asuka hoisted the Lance over her head, taking a firm grip. "Misato, this had better work!"
"The Lance is self-guiding, Pilot. Just throw it as hard as you can once you have target lock," Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki instructed her.
Asuka reared back, and started a short run. "Stop hurting my friend, DU VERFICKTEN HURENSÖHNE!"
Unit-02 threw the Lance into the sky with a throw that made every muscle in the Eva scream with effort. It was a throw that would have made Achilles roar with approval and envy, made Homer compose an ode to its beauty. It was a throw fueled by righteous fury and born of love. The air scorched in its wake.
The Lance rocketed upwards with a roar of its own, the stormclouds exploding away from it in a rapidly expanding ring.
+++
Rei's eyes finally resumed focusing. She stared blankly as Unit-01 gently removed the knife from Unit-00's hand.
'Oh...Shinji is here. Everything is ok, then... Where is Asuka? I want hugs...'
'....my everything hurts.'
Thinking was hard. What was going on?
+++
The Lance accelerated as it rose, breaking Mach 9 before it had traveled even a dozen miles. It slammed into Arael's AT-Field like an artillery shell against a plate glass window.
Arael's death scream was audible even in the vacuum of space, to those with ears to hear.
+++
"Target annihilated," Aoba said with relief.
"Eva Unit-00, -01, and -03 stabilizing. Psychographs returning to within normal limits."
"Any damage to Unit-01?" Commander Ikari asked coldly.
"No sir. Shinji-kun's AT-Field held until the Lance struck the target."
"What about the Lance?" Fuyutsuki asked.
Hyuga consulted his instruments. "It's surpassed escape velocity. It's on course for a rough Lunar orbit."
"That's going to be impossible to recover," Fuyutsuki sighed.
"Yes, sir."
Underneath his folded hands, Gendo cracked a thin smile.
+++
"Oy! Baka! You stupid, stupid.... HERO! Never do that again!" She glared at him with the full power of 'holy fucking shit Shinji you scared me to death don't ever do that I love you!' burning in her stare.
"Sorry, Asuka. I can't." His return look was sure and steady, even if it had a half-apologetic smile along with it.
"....I know." Asuka blew out a deep breath and marched Unit-02 towards the others. "Tell me Rei's alright?"
"Rei?"
"......unnnnngh," came weakly from Unit-00.
"Kaworu-kun? Are you there?"
A marginally stronger groan came from Unit-03's Entry Plug. "I... yes," the Fifth Child said. "I am here, Shinji-kun." He coughed. "Is... Is Ayanami-san alright? I'm sorry I... couldn't do more..."
"She's alive, Kaworu-kun." Shinji looked at the rapidly approaching Unit-02. "We did it, Asuka. They're alive."
Asuka glared at him through the comm window. "Oh, no! Don't you dare think being the so-brave-he's-a-baka hero that saves the team again gets you out of a lecture, Shinji Ikari! I don't care how badass that was, you are still getting a firm talking-to tonight!"
"Asuka, I-" Shinji's comm window closed suddenly, and Unit-01 slumped over, batteries drained at last.
"Oooooh! Baka-Shinji! You aren't getting out of this that easily!" She slumped back in her seat herself, grinning from ear to ear. "Gott damn, I love that guy so much."
Her smile faded as she keyed a new window open. "Rei..." she called softly. "Are you... going to be alright?"
Rei weakly rolled her head around in the window. Asuka hissed in shock as she took in the blood still dripping from Rei's nose, and the mismatched pupils. "....'m 'k, 'Suka... yur here... Shinji here... N'gsa...."
Asuka winced. "Don't... don't try to talk, Rei. We'll get you to," Asuka frowned, "Doctor Akagi soon. Just rest. Angel's dead, we won."
Rei's attempt at a smile was heartbreaking. "'k...luv..." She closed her eyes.
"
