Apotheosis Echo: Beyond the Gates of Heaven [NGE/Worldsea OC]

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 1: The End of the Tunnel's Light
You know… I still don't entirely know how we got here. There was a climactic battle, there was a victory, and now… we're here. The future. For all I've put on a brave face about the future for Asuka… I have no idea.

We've spent years, multiple now, defending the world from the Angels, as Evangelion pilots. As the Children of NERV. Now, the Angels have been defeated. Now, one of the biggest threats to humanity, one that we came to learn about in an… intimate? Intimate way, was, if not defeated, then at least repulsed. And so, now, I can't help but ask myself… where do we go from here? What happens next?

- Personal journal of Shinji Ikari

United Nations Building, New York City, New York, Early June 2016

Acting Commander Misato Katsuragi suppressed a quiet, tired sigh as the meeting dragged into its fourth hour. On its fourth day. The meeting room was awash with argument, ineffectually punctuated by the banging of a gavel that was lost on the chatter, almost all of it centered around NERV. And, ultimately, around her. Around the Children. Her Children.

She was tired. So, so, so tired. From the mountain of paperwork that came from the Battle of Tokyo-3. From meeting with and consoling the weeping families that had made their way back to the city, looking for fathers, sons, and brothers that had been killed in the fighting. From the jet lag of her and Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko and Daniel and the Children being dragged to New York to be placed in front of the circus that was the Judiciary Assembly of the United Nations.

And she was now especially tired of the circus itself. Of the roundabout point and counterpoint argument, that ground on her will and patience like she had put her head to a belt sander that wore away at her at an infinitesimally slow pace. They had, in painstaking detail, gone over seemingly everything from the beginning. The Katsuragi Expedition. The events of Second Impact. The formation of GEHIRN, then NERV. The creation and nature of the Evangelion. The battles with all the Angels. The Battle of Tokyo-3.

She tried not to rub her eyes live on camera as the gavel finally seemed to do what it was supposed to do, and the chamber fell silent. "Acting Commander Katsuragi," the presiding member of the Assembly said, "we have gone over, in no small amount of detail, the many, many transgressions of the Special Agency known as NERV. Now, we reach perhaps the most damning portion of this meeting. Something that is not only legally questionable but morally so as well."

Misato suppressed a scoff. 'As if something that SEELE had a hand in couldn't be considered morally questionable. But you got real quiet once Ritsuko mentioned that, for all intents and purposes, you were as much a puppet of them as we were, didn't you?'

She focused as the presiding member continued. "We speak of the case of the Children of NERV. The pilots of the Evangelions." she paused for a moment. "Thus, we call the six Children of NERV, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu-Langley, Shinji Ikari, Hikari Horaki, Toji Suzuhara, and Kaworu Nagisa, to the stand."

If it were anytime before now, she would have had an expression of annoyance flash across her face, despite her best attempts at control. Now, however, she could only stifle a sigh of resignation. She had concluded that they wanted to talk to them directly long ago. Why else would they drag them all the way out here, and set up the extra seats at the long table?

And now, she looked over to her right and saw them marching in single file, the boys dressed in suits and ties, the girls in dresses. As they walked to the table and took their seats, she could see their faces. She didn't even have to peer into their souls, a skill that she had learned… Christ, was that really only 6 months ago? To see what they felt.

Shinji was anxious, as much as his face didn't show it. Hell, anyone would be, after four days of not being told what was going on. Asuka put on a brave face, as she always had, but years of living with her had trained Misato's eye to see the tiredness that she hid behind them. Rei was stoic, years of training at keeping a blank face serving her well. But again, Misato could see behind the mask. She was almost as tired, if not more so than Asuka. The others were more apparent in their apprehension. Toji visibly gulped as he held Hikari's hand under the table, something all the Children did for those that they loved.

And now, they had to face the world that they had saved, and the condemnation and judgment that awaited them from it.

"We'll begin with our first question." the head of the Assembly said. "Ms. Kamau."

The representative of the African Union had a light come on over her head, and Misato hid a wince as she recalled the members of SEELE having much the same sort of lighting. The representative spoke in Swahili, and a translator carried her words to them. "To all of the Children, but specifically to Shinji Ikari," a voice other than hers said, "many questions are surrounding your connections to those in the leadership of NERV, specifically as it relates to the late Commander Gendo Ikari."

Misato spared a glance at Shinji, and just managed to catch his jaw unclenching. Gendo Ikari wasn't dead. Well, he was dead, but Shinji now had his soul tucked away somewhere while he decided what to do with it. But, really, the Judiciary Assembly didn't need to know that.

Ms. Kamau continued, and the translator spoke again. "Many would accuse him, and by extension, you, of nepotism and coercion. But, as a mother of children your age…" both she and the translator trailed off, as the light above Ms. Kamau's head showed those who had sharp enough eyes to see the tears that ran down her face glistening. "I can feel nothing but sympathy for you. For all of you. So, in the end, I suppose my question is… why? Why go at all, knowing what you might go through?"

It was silent for a moment as the Children processed this question. Finally, Shinji seemed to gather the courage to speak. "That is a complicated question, ma'am." he said, in English that was only slightly halting. "There are many facets of why I, specifically, decided to go back. The greatest of them was…" he trailed off as he sighed quietly. "An attempt to secure the love and affection of my father. Something that I had wished for since I was a toddler. I cannot speak for all of us, but the day I stepped off the train to Tokyo-3, that was perhaps my greatest goal. Time changed that dramatically, but then, that was perhaps the greatest reason."

He shook his head slightly as he paused, then looked to his friends. "As for the rest of us, for some, it is all that we have ever known, literally in some cases. And for some, it was done out of a sense of duty, of willingness to sacrifice whatever was necessary for the survival of humanity. For all of us, really, we simply wanted, by the end, to ensure that we would be able to have a home that we recognized. That is why we did what we did. Because, due to the nature of the Evangelion, due to the nature of them being partially powered by the souls of our mothers, we were the only ones able to do what we did, quite literally. I can say with certainty that no one else could have done what we did."

He looked over the representative, who nodded slightly as her light winked out. The head of the assembly spoke. "Next question. Ms. Naaji."

The assembly member of the Arabic States, a relatively young woman with a severe look in her bright green eyes, began to speak as the light turned on over her head. "The Children should not, absolutely should not, be put into combat. To send children to battle such as NERV has is a dereliction of our duties as adults. As their protectors. What steps are being made to ensure that the Children can return to, nominally at least, a normal life?"

Misato nodded. "We are currently in the process of finding alternatives to the Evangelion system for use against any threats that may come as a result of SEELE." she said simply.

Scattered murmurs, their low words now far too familiar to Misato, rippled through the hall. Words of skepticism and doubt. It had taken far too much to even begin to disabuse them of the possibility that SEELE was no longer a threat, with the spectacular display of the Russian Chairman of Defense Arkhip Kovalchuk, and his death, doing little to help matters.

Even after the retreat that they had presented at the Battle of Tokyo-3, and the disappearance of the Human Instrumentality Committee from what seemed like the face of the Earth, Misato was still cautious. There were still six of the Mass-Production Evangelion able to function. That didn't even account for whatever else the decades-old conspiracy could have hiding up their proverbial sleeves.

"Even still, currently the Evangelion is the first, best line of defense against SEELE." Ritsuko said. "To have it deactivated, even for as short a time as we hope it will take in finding an alternative, would leave us, and consequently the world, in an extremely vulnerable position. But rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure that the Children no longer have to put their lives on the line."

Ms. Naaji's hands became fists for a moment, but she nodded, and the light went out above her head.

. . .

The meeting continued for a time like this, question and answer going back and forth, even as some of the assembly members argued their points with NERV members and each other. Some questions seemed to stretch into forever.

The head of the assembly spoke again. "Next question, Mr. Johannessen."

Another light blinked on, above the representative of the Nordic Confederation. He was a stout man, with a squared jaw and dirty blond hair, whose blue eyes seemed to pierce through whomever he looked at.

"My question is one concerning the current state of the Evangelion." he said in only slightly accented English. "With the defeat of SEELE, will the Evangelion continue to remain active? And to whom will they owe their allegiance?"

Misato opened her mouth to speak, but Mr. Johannesen continued. "And what about the anomalous Evangelion that appeared in the middle of the Battle of Tokyo-3? Are we to feel safe with a completely random variable such as that? Where did it come from? How was it built in such secrecy? How-"

He was cut off by the gavel ringing out twice. "That will be quite enough, Mr. Representative."

Mr. Johannesen closed his mouth with a slightly audible click, then leaned back in his chair after a moment to realize that he had leaned forward.

It was silent again for a moment before Misato began to speak. "Mr. Representative, NERV, as an organization, has always been about saving humanity, in one way or another. While perhaps that meant causing Instrumentality for SEELE and, once, for Commander Ikari, I and the Children are dedicated to resolving the threat of SEELE permanently. We are dedicated to keeping this world safe from those who would harm it."

It was blessedly silent for a moment before Johannesen responded. "Even still, there is at least one Evangelion unaccounted for. What of the Night Sky Evangelion?"

A popular nickname, Misato noted, after footage from the battle, or at least what wasn't classified to hell and back, had leaked from the Magi. She still had to ask Ritsuko's mother about that.

Before she could continue, she heard a sigh from beside her. She looked to her right and saw Daniel, his head lowered slightly, and the look she saw in the corner of his eye could best be described as resignation, mixed with determination.

He looked up at the Assembly. "I can offer an explanation as to the existence of the Night Sky Evangelion." he paused as a murmur rippled through the gathered dozens of the Assembly. "Many of you, I am sure, have heard rumors of fantastical forces at work during the Battle of Tokyo-3, far beyond the scope and known powers of an AT Field."

The murmurs only grew as he stretched out his hand, palm up. Then, the room fell completely silent, as a constellation of stars appeared above his hand, then floated towards the assembly. "These rumors are true." Daniel said simply, as the rest of the room was entranced by the tiny spectacle, those in the back leaning forward to get a better look at it.

After a moment, Daniel released the Expression, the power manifested by his soul, and leaned back as he closed his hand. "We have conclusively answered the question of 'are we alone in the universe'. That answer is 'no'. And now, I present you with another question. Are we, the universe, alone? And the answer… is no. Because I am not from this universe."

It was silent in the room for a moment. Then, heedless of the head of the assembly, the Judiciary Assembly exploded into a wall of noise that seemed to slam into the bench that the members of NERV sat upon with physical force as the Assembly hurled its questions towards Daniel.

Misato could not stop herself from sighing. It was going to be a long, long week.

- - -

The Children of NERV trudged into their hotel penthouse, a lavish affair that Misato touted as compensation for dragging them away from their homes, with more than a few weary sighs of relief. It had been hours more after Daniel's demonstration, and now it was night. Not that they could entirely tell from within the penthouse, behind closed curtains as they were.

Shinji sighed quietly. He felt a great weight on his shoulders. They all did to some extent, but he felt it especially heavily. Crowds had never been something that he had taken pleasure in, even on the best of days, but now, with cameras seemingly shoved in their faces wherever they went in public, especially now that they had come to New York, he felt as though the whole world was looking at him right now. Which, in a sense, it was.

Shinji turned to Asuka, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Asuka… can I…"

Asuka's grip on his hand tightened for a moment, and Shinji could plainly see the conflict in her eyes, but she nodded slowly nevertheless.

Shinji took a deep breath and smiled at Asuka softly. "Thank you." he said, just as softly, before letting go of her hand and retreating to their room, the curtains for it, and all the penthouse, drawn shut to prevent giving a view to the now seemingly ubiquitous consumer drones that the paparazzi seemed to have gotten ahold of.

The door to their room closed with a quiet click, as it had for the past near week that they had been here, and Asuka let out an explosive, exasperated sigh. "Damn it." she said, slipping into Japanese almost without thinking. "I hate seeing him like this."

She turned on her heel, marching towards the couch and collapsing on it, the seat making a dull thump at her impact. "I mean, he didn't even get to bring his cello!" she exclaimed. She blinked after a moment of silence and chuckled as she realized how silly that all sounded. "I'd appreciate hearing that cello right now. I'm sure he would too. I… I hate just leaving him… alone."

It was silent for a moment as her friends, her family, silently walked over to sit around her on the couch, Rei and Hikari sitting next to her as Kaworu and Toji sat next to them.

Rei and Hikari enveloped Asuka in a silent hug as she struggled to hold in the tears she felt welling up in her eyes. It was a silly thing to do now, really. Her promise to her mother that day so long ago not to cry rang hollow now that she could talk to her again, now that there was a better than good chance that she might even see her again. But old habits died hard, she had found.

It was silent for a few minutes as they took in each other's companionship. Then Rei shook her head slightly, the action rubbing her hair across Asuka's face lightly. "Why did Daniel do that?" she said quietly. "If the world did not fully know of Interfacing, of the power of the soul, it cannot help but notice now."

"And so, this world might yet follow the same path of the First Ancestral Race." Kaworu nearly whispered, concern evident in his voice and his expression. "A century of growth, of wonder, then an inevitable end as they… as we consume ourselves. All of humanity, gone. And the cycle would repeat."

The silence was solemn as they took that in. Then, Toji shook his head. "Nah." he said with surety, and the other looked over to him as he continued to shake his head. "They didn't have what we have. We've got someone who can help us when we screw up. Someone who's done it and seen it before. We've got a teacher on our side. Two of them, even. The only teachers I've ever really paid attention to, at least."

"Daniel and Eleanor." Asuka said softly, and a small smile glowed dimly on her face for what felt like the first time in days. "That's right. At least we have them."

"Exactly." Toji said. "And, I mean, they got you, Kaworu. And Rei, too. Someone who can tell people what the cost of screwing around with this sort of stuff can be."

It was silent again for a moment, then Hikari spoke up. "Well, if they have to be up to the task of teaching, not just us, but all of humanity to responsibly use Interfacing, then…" she shook her head slowly. "I don't envy them."

Asuka bobbed her head from side to side slightly, as much as she could in the embrace of her two friends. "Well, yeah, teaching an entire planet is going to be kind of a hard ask for anyone, really. But they're not alone. They have us."

"They have children who are really only experienced in using Interfacing in combat. Likely, that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what it could do." Hikari said. "I hate to be a pessimist here, but... I mean, look at the First Ancestral Race."

She looked over at Kaworu. "What could they do with Interfacing? The Soul Arts, as I recall you called them?"

Kaworu looked over at Hikari for a moment, then dipped his head slightly as a pondering expression settled on his face. "Well, beyond creating the Super Solenoid Organ, they could reshape their bodies and minds, and…" he paused as his mind delved deep into the past, tapping into the memories imprinted on his soul by the scientist who would become Adam. "There are mentions in the scientist's memories of things that are likely Spirits, at least as Daniel and Eleanor have described them, and of something called the Mind-plane. Perhaps an exploration into the Mental Realm?" he shook his head for a moment. "And the scientist's memories contain only a mention of a thousand other disciplines that stem from the Soul Arts."

"Wow." a quiet voice said from behind them, causing them to jump slightly as they turned to look at Shinji, who had emerged from his room and now held his phone by his side, likely having been listening to music.

Asuka extracted herself from the embrace and stood, walking around the couch and giving Shinji a hug and a quick, surprisingly deep kiss.

After a moment of appreciating each other, Asuka pulled back from the kiss. "Better?" she said softly.

Shinji smiled slightly. "Yes, Liebling." he said, and Asuka was thrilled to hear that, as she was every time she heard it before. "I am."

"Good. I should expect nothing less." Asuka said, smiling broadly and projecting an air of confidence and swagger that never failed to make Shinji chuckle softly as he did now. "You missed…" she deflated slightly, and her smile dimmed. "Well, you missed us talking about Daniel's little stunt and what it's going to mean going forward."

Shinji shook his head as Asuka led him to the couch, she and the others filling him in on the brief conversation they had had.

Shinji nodded after a moment. "I mean, I guess we can help." he said, uncertainty evident in his voice. "But, like you said, Hikari… that's a big responsibility. Bigger than even being pilots."

Asuka scoffed slightly as she smirked. "Who'd've thought? We might not have to worry about being..." she trailed off as realization seemed to hit her like a brick to the head. "Pilots… anymore." she whispered, and a somber look crossed her face.

Kaworu shook his head. "No. As long as the Mass-Production Evas are still out there, as long as SEELE is still out there, the world will need the Evangelion. They will need us as their pilots."

"But for how long?" Hikari said quietly.

The room went silent, as the Children pondered the futures that lay before them.

- - -

Daniel peered out from behind the edge of a closed curtain and stared at the gleaming form of the Empire State Building. It was almost a miracle that it had survived Second Impact and the threats that the Impact Wars had in store. Now, it dominated a portion of his vision as old memories spooled through his head like a reel of film. Memories of old gods in new places. Of their children, and the quests that they undertook. Of ancient monsters and men in a modern world, hidden as if by mist.

"You're looking at it again." a voice said softly, and he let the curtain fall back in place as he looked over at Eleanor, who sat on her bed and regarded him with a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. I've looked at it about as much as you have." he said, as a small, wry smile quirked his lips at hearing Eleanor chuckle softly.

He sighed quietly. "I remember when defending that building was the most important thing in the world. I remember Percy and Annabeth, and the rest of both camps. The gods. The madman who wanted to seek godhood there."

His voice quieted. "I remember how that man got there. The Pollux. Pyxis VII." he shook his head slowly.

Eleanor stood, making her way over to Daniel's side. "Daniel. You can't…" she sighed. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that. You blame yourself for too much, already."

Daniel sat up, his elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands. "If I had been just a second quicker…" he began.

A light finger on his lips stopped him from going any further. "Then you wouldn't be here. And… I don't know what I would do."

It was silent for a moment as they pondered the past that they had come from.

Eleanor finally shook her head. "I saw the little stunt you pulled. As did the rest of the world, I assume."

Daniel chuckled dryly. "It would be ridiculous of me to assume that you didn't."

Eleanor looked at Daniel, almost glared at him. "What were you thinking? Now, we have to worry about the whole world, about SEELE, getting a hold of Interfacing. I'm sure you don't want to think about SEELE enhancing… just about anything that they have with Interfacing as much as I don't."

Daniel sighed as he nodded. "Yes. You're right. But think about it. They're the only ones who can even come close to matching what we have. If we keep defeating them, there's a better than good chance that they'll go to the wind, possibly even find a way into the Worldsea. And then they'll come back."

It was silent again for a moment as they processed this. "So," Daniel continued, "we need to even the playing field. Especially if…"

"They come back." Eleanor said, and neither of them needed to expound on who they feared might return.

After a moment, Daniel shook his head. "We need others. We need those who have traveled the path that this Echo has just started on."

"The League?" Eleanor said.

"Yeah." Daniel replied with a nod. "The League."

Eleanor nodded after a moment. "I'm sure Tel would like some say in what happens as well."

Daniel snorted softly. "Tel has always wanted more sway with the League. That's the way it was when we joined, and I doubt that's changed much. Even after the Unity War."

Eleanor nodded. "Even still, if we got a delegation from the Worldstrider Corps, it could mean a world of difference."

It was silent for a moment, then Daniel looked up at Eleanor with a small smile. "You'd probably have to contact Rachna, then."

Eleanor smiled back as she snorted softly. "Who do you think made my mission to find you official after I'd left? She was almost as worried for you as I was, being one of her star pupils and all."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. We just got lucky and you know it."

Eleanor punched Daniel lightly on the shoulder. "Pessimist."

"Teacher's pet." Daniel shot back.

They looked at each other for a moment before a burst of laughter lightened the mood in the room for a moment.

As the laughter subsided, Daniel looked back at Eleanor. "So, are you able to contact her?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yeah. I've actually needed to contact her for a little while now. I'm sure she'll appreciate the update. And I'm sure she can pull together a delegation that's ready and willing to help."

Daniel nodded in turn. "Good. Good." he smiled for a brief moment, then the smile dimmed. "Tell her to contact the League too. They'll hear about this, I'm sure. They'd be putting together a delegation in a heartbeat."

Eleanor nodded. "I'm sure Rachna won't need to do much. The League's been desperate for members since…"

It was silent again. That had become depressingly often in the past few weeks. "Yeah." Daniel said quietly. "Since the war wiped out many of them."

Eleanor nodded wordlessly. "So," she said, obviously trying to change the subject, "I'll get on that when we get back to Tokyo-3. And I'm sure that she'll want to see you again if only to berate you for not getting in contact with her."

Daniel chuckled slightly. "Ah, yes. One of her legendary beratings." he stooped over slightly, tenting his fingers with tips touching, and began to speak in a subtle, but noticeable Indian accent. "Oh, Daniel, after all the care and time that I've put into you, you finally turn up out of the blue without so much as a warning? Without so much as telling me about what you've been doing, that I've had to send poor Eleanor to go searching high and low for you? I shouldn't expect any less, really."

Eleanor chuckled as Daniel gave his eerily accurate impression of Worldstrider Sovereign Rachna Chandra. "Something to that effect, I'm sure."

Daniel smiled, then sighed as he stood, taking a step towards Eleanor before embracing her. "I'm not sure how long I've needed that." he said with a slight chuckle.

"I know." she said softly. "And there's something else I'm sure all of us have needed."

Daniel's brow rose slightly. "And what might that be, love?"

Eleanor simply smiled as a previously unnoticed music player clicked to life, and a brassy, old-time song began to play. A song from home. From before even the Worldsea.

Daniel looked at Eleanor with no small amount of bemusement. "This seems a little on the nose for a first dance after so long, dear."

Eleanor smiled back. "I don't care. Dance with me."

"Of course, Eleanor." Daniel said, and they swayed to the beat and the words of a longsuffering lover.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 2: Gemütlichkeit
I've got to admit it, really. If not to Shinji, then to this. I… I'm scared. More scared that it feels like I've been in my life. Not about going in front of the United Nations. That was expected really. I'm afraid… of what comes next. What will they do with us? Will the world decide to take my mama away from me? Tell me that I should be a "normal" girl now that all this is "over"?

No. No, I won't let them take mama away from me. Not if either of us can help it. And… I'll never be a normal girl. That normal girl died in a hospital in Germany long ago. Right beside her mama.

- Personal journal of Asuka Soryu-Langley

Tokyo-3, 2 Days Later, June 2016

Asuka and Shinji opened the door to the apartment that they had lived in, slept together in, for the last year, and sighed wearily as they stepped in from the night. "We're home." Shinji said, equally as wearily, and Asuka could only muster the strength to nod at the pronouncement as Kaji came into view, and Misato came up behind them.

Kaji gave a lopsided smile as he walked up to them, Misato slightly pushing past the two kids as she embraced Kaji, enveloping him in a long, languid kiss.

It was a moment before Kaji pulled away from the kiss, stepping back and regarding Shinji and Asuka as Misato shifted to hugging his side, resting her head on his shoulder with a contented look on her face. "So," he said, "how was New York?"

"We didn't even get to do anything fun there, Kaji." Asuka said. "All of New York, and we get stuck in a fancy hotel room and the UN assembly hall because every rag trying to make a quick buck wants a picture of our faces." she scoffed. "You wouldn't believe what some of them said about… well, all of us."

Misato's expression became sympathetic. "Well, Asuka, that's the price of fame for you. Some idiots are going to blow it out of proportion."

Asuka sighed as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess." she said with an exasperated look.

She looked over at Shinji, putting an arm around him and pulling him into a side hug. "Shinji, think you have the energy to make us some dinner?"

Shinji nodded after a moment. "Yeah. I think I might be able to do that."

Asuka smiled wearily. "Oh, good. I'm not sure I could make it with Misato's cooking."

Misato rolled her eyes. "Har, har. Very funny."

They walked into their home, and couldn't help but feel peace for a moment.

. . .

Kaworu and Rei walked back into the empty apartment and made a beeline for the television. Daniel and Eleanor would be back later, having to pick up Ichigo and all, but for now, it was just them and whatever movie they wished to watch.

As they sat down with the frankly massive disk case of movies and flipped through the pages, Rei could not help but look around and wonder. How long would this last? This quiet in the middle of the storm? With a pang of despair, she realized that… it couldn't. Not for very long, at least.

"That is our lot for now, it seems." Kaworu said, and Rei jumped slightly before she remembered that their souls were still connected.

"But," he continued as Rei looked over at him, "we can at least make the most of this moment."

He smiled slightly, and after a moment, Rei smiled back. "We should have at least enough time for one movie tonight." Kaworu said.

Rei chuckled softly. "Yes. At least one."

She looked down, and spotted one that she hadn't watched with Kaworu yet, a rare achievement. "Perhaps this one."

Kaworu picked out the disk from its casing, studying the title. "Hmm. Interesting. Then we'll watch this tonight."

As Kaworu stood to put the disk in the player, Rei smiled a little more widely. Yes, perhaps there would be trials ahead of them. But, she thought as she threw her arm around Kaworu's shoulder, they had this moment, at least.

. . .

Daniel and Eleanor pulled up to the apartment where Ichigo had been staying. Toji rode with them, anxious to finally be home. They had already dropped off Hikari, and now, they would finally, finally be done driving after this.

They got out of the car, ascending the elevator to the fourth floor, eventually finding themselves in front of a door.

Toji rang the doorbell, and after a moment, the door opened to reveal Sakura Suzuhara, looking up at them with bright, excited brown eyes. "Toji!" she said, flinging her arms around her beloved brother as he chuckled and hugged her back.

"How was America?" she said, stepping back as she looked up at him, then looked down at her shirt, splattered with paint stains of various colors, rubbing at some of them to ensure that they were dry.

Toji rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know. Kinda boring. We didn't get to do anything much really."

"Aww." Sakura said with no small amount of sympathy. "That's no fun."

Toji shook his head. "No, it certainly wasn't."

Sakura looked up at Daniel and Eleanor. "Thank you for bringing Toji home, Mr. Daniel, Mrs. Eleanor."

Daniel smiled. "Of course, Ms. Sakura."

Sakura looked behind her as Mr. Suzuhara appeared in the doorway, hugging his son.

Naoto Suzuhara was a slight, almost mousey man, with a mop of brown hair and black eyes that held pensive energy behind them even as love shone through them. "It's good to see you home, Toji."

"Good to see you too, dad." Toji said, his voice muffled in his dad's chest.

After a moment, Naoto looked up at Daniel and Eleanor. "Mr. Theisman, Mrs. Theisman. Please, come in." he stepped to the side. "Ichigo has been wonderful to have over."

Eleanor chuckled as they stepped in. "That's good to hear."

As they conversed quietly, walking down the entry hall, they turned into the living room, and Daniel and Eleanor beheld a painter's studio, pots and brushes on the coffee table and end tables as three easels took up the center of the room. Elsewhere, in the connected dining room, they saw messes of clay on the table and countertops, baked into various shapes and painted in bright colors.

Ichigo looked up at Daniel and Eleanor as they entered, wearing an apron splattered in paint of a dozen different hues. Normally as reserved as Rei once was, her eyes now gleamed with an inner light. "Hello, Daniel. Hello, Eleanor."

"Hello, Ichigo." Daniel said, chuckling slightly as he took the sight of the living room in. "I didn't quite place you as the painterly type, I must admit."

Ichigo smiled slightly as Naoto cleared his throat behind them. As they turned, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, seeming to look for glasses to push up its slope. "Well, that's mostly my fault. She wanted to look for something to do with Sakura, and I introduced her to some artistic options. She seemed to take to painting the most."

Ichigo stood. "It is a fascinating process, turning a collection of colors into an image. I find it… liberating, somehow."

She beckoned Daniel and Eleanor over to observe her work, Sakura bouncing along behind them with a beaming smile as they all beheld a painting of a white and red flower in a white vase, mirroring the one that sat on the coffee table. It was a rough approximation, but it showed a remarkable amount of detail.

Eleanor nodded. "That's impressive, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded in turn. "It was difficult, at first, to imprint the image from my mind onto the canvas. But as we had all week to work on it, I feel my efforts during that time have paid off."

Sakura nodded. "Yes indeed." she said sagely. "She soaked up how to paint like a sponge. It was a lot of fun." she said, as another smile split her face.

Daniel chuckled softly. "That's good." he looked over at Ichigo. "Is it dry yet? We can take it home if it is."

Ichigo tapped a portion of the painting lightly, inspecting the tip of her finger. "Yes," she said, nodding, "it is dry."

"If you need," Naoto said, speaking up from behind them, "don't be afraid to talk to us if you need anything more for painting. I don't use enough of my paint anyway. Most of my work just remains sketches or inks."

After a moment more conversation as they prepared the painting for transport, they said their goodbyes, and Daniel and Eleanor began to drive home for the last time in the night.

. . .

As they drove home, Ichigo Ayanami's mind whirled with possibility. She saw inspiration in every streetlight, in the nighttime skyline of Tokyo-3. There was a world that had been opened up to her. And she silently reveled in it.

As they came close to home, her thoughts, as they had often done in the past few weeks after her… awakening, it could be called, turned to that day, deep in Terminal Dogma.

She had believed, with all the might of her soul, that she was Rei Ayanami. In an instant, in the death of a god, that had been stripped away from her. It was a vast, dark void that she had faced then, one that had echoed with a single question. 'Who am I?'

That question had been set aside for a time as she helped her… sister? She was still somewhat unsure of what to think of Rei Ayanami. As she helped save the world that she had been so willing to end only a few moments before.

She still hardly knew who she was. Even with a new name, even with a new color of hair, those had only been shallow distinctions, covering a far deeper pit.

The Children had been… so, so accepting of her. Shinji had nearly wept tears of joy when he concluded that he had another sister. Another part of his own family. She enjoyed his cooking. Asuka had taken the time, what little she had before they went to New York, to show her a variety of video games. Some had sparked her interest, but most were not what she had felt were… her.

Rei and Kaworu were slightly more complex, she thought, as they entered the doorway to their apartment. She had begun to live with them, a spare closet becoming her bedroom, right across from Rei's room.

As they rounded the corner, Rei and Kaworu stood up, pausing their movie as they did so. As Ichigo's sight rested on Kaworu for the briefest of moments, she could not fully control the love, the jealousy, the guilt, that all welled up inside her chest. Why did she still feel these things for him? Why did she still feel those things about her? It wasn't fair to any of them.

Those thoughts were swept away as Rei came to regard the painting that Ichigo had made with wide eyes. "Wow…" she said, and Ichigo thrilled slightly at the look of wonder that her… her sister gave her. "This is a beautiful painting, Ichigo."

Ichigo smiled slightly. "Thank you, Rei."

Kaworu nodded. "Yes. It is very well done."

"Thank you as well, Kaworu." even as Ichigo said this she felt something… raw. It hurt. She didn't like it. Her memories from Rei told her that what she felt was… loneliness. How? She didn't fully know.

"Well," Daniel said, drawing all the children's attention to him, "I know that at least two of you have something to do tomorrow with Shinji and Asuka."

Rei and Kaworu nodded. They finally had access to the Infinity Box once again, and Asuka had wanted something, anything to do to blow off the pressure that had been building in all of them since they had left for New York.

Rei looked over at Ichigo. "Would you like to come and learn some more of how Interfacing works? I'm sure that the others would be more than accommodating."

Ichigo shook her head after a moment. "Not yet. As fascinating as learning Interfacing sounds, I would like to establish somewhat more of my identity before starting."

The others nodded in understanding, and the storm of anxiety within Ichigo abated somewhat. Learning Interfacing was interesting, yes. But… there was still a part of her that remembered the pain, the discomfiture, the… the wrongness of what had been done to make her what she had been. She had started to have nightmares about those days, shrouded in what felt like a distant memory.

"Very well." Kaworu said, nodding in understanding. "The offer stands for whenever you wish to join us."

"Thank you." Ichigo said, and it was quiet for a moment.

"Well, we should still have enough time to finish our movie." Rei said. She looked over to Ichigo. "Would you like to join us? We are not far from the beginning."

Ichigo pondered silently for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. Thank you for your offer."

"Of course, Ichigo." Kaworu said. "But first, we should perhaps put your work in a place of honor."

Ichigo blushed slightly. "My first work…" she began.

"Deserves appreciation." Rei said, with a seeming air of authority on the subject that Ichigo could not deny. "Kaworu's drawings are appreciated by all who see and receive them. There is no reason yours should be any different."

It was silent for a moment. "Thank you." Ichigo whispered.

"Of course, sister." Rei said. She picked up the painting reverently, Ichigo relinquishing her grip on it reluctantly. "So," she said, "let's go find a good spot."

. . .

As the children went to hang up Ichigo's painting, Daniel looked over at Eleanor, the quiet joy in his expression replaced by seriousness. "Alright." he said. "We should probably do this now, seeing as we have the time. Get it out of the way."

Eleanor took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright. Let's go talk with Adam."

It was a quiet walk into the Infinity Box, its cool blue stone walls an almost welcoming, almost foreboding thing.

They emerged into the central room of the Box, a bare space, as a ripple of energy, more felt than seen, signaled Daniel lifting them out of time.

The floor in the center rippled like water, and a pedestal emerged from it, holding a mechanical sphere the size of a basketball, black as shadow save for the ripples of rainbow color that played across its surface, reminding Daniel and Eleanor both of Leliel, who was incidentally among the souls kept within the machine, linked to Adam's soul as it was.

Daniel stepped forward, then stopped as he chuckled. "What is it this time, dear?" Eleanor said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

Daniel looked back at Eleanor. "Adam is yet another ghost in the machine, now. We seem to be collecting a few of those here, is all."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Very funny. Let's get this show on the road."

Daniel shrugged slightly as a stool rippled into existence in front of him. He turned and sat down, closing his eyes and reaching with his soul behind him, towards the mass of lines and glowing cores that made up Adam's being.

He 'saw' the cores, rippling with colors both possible and impossible, rippling more as he brushed by them, spare memories flashing through his mind if he stayed in contact for long enough. However, he had a task in mind as he grew and spun Frames of his own, creating barriers of inert Metos, the substance of the soul, surrounding all the cores but one.

It was that core, older than the rest, that Daniel brushed up against, seeing the depth of memories, the tenuous connection to what was probably Kaworu's soul. Then, he sent a Frame towards the surface of the core, an intricate pattern at the end of it, designed for a specific purpose, springing into existence like growing ice.

Daniel steeled himself for a moment as the Frame finished growing, then connected the Frame to the core, energizing it.

In the outside world, Eleanor watched as Daniel's eyes opened again. But they were not his eyes. They were black as night, the only thing to break through the blackness was a swirling dot of red and white where the iris and pupil would be.

Daniel, or Adam, raised his arms, seeming to inspect them with no small amount of wonder. "Ah…" he said, his voice reverberating slightly. "This must be… the councilwoman's creations."

Adam looked down at Daniel's hands as his brow furrowed. "What was her name?" he said, and Eleanor could hear the guilt even through the echo of Adam's voice.

Eleanor took a quiet, deep breath as she squared her shoulders. "Adam." she said, clear and calm.

Adam looked up at Eleanor, and though his inhuman eyes were difficult to read, Daniel's face betrayed his emotions as his brow furrowed in confusion. "Adam? Is that what I am known by here?"

He looked down again, a finger tapping Daniel's chin in obvious contemplation. "I'm no linguist, but that sounds as if it were related to something usually found in the…" Adam's eyes widened slightly as he trailed off.

"We have some questions for you." Eleanor said. "Daniel offered himself up to be… a sort of mouthpiece and translator for your soul."

"As a…" Adam said, then Daniel's body stood. "The Soul Arts have been rediscovered?"

"Not exactly. Daniel, if you could?" Eleanor said.

"Certainly, dear." Daniel himself said, and Adam's expression became confused for a moment. Then, Daniel's face slackened and Adam's eyes went wide. "By the Warrior and the Maiden…" Adam said as Daniel's body sat back down again. A shocked, amazed laugh barked past Daniel's lips. "If Tahzuranel could have seen this…"

Eleanor smiled lightly. "As I said, we have some questions. Particularly concerning the souls in your stewardship. Or, at least, the ones that should be in your stewardship."

"Yes. Yes." Adam said, composing himself. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, for starters," Eleanor said, "one of the souls you have carried, who now goes by the name Kaworu Nagisa, tells us that there is another soul that falls under your stewardship out there. One claimed by a force known as SEELE."

Daniel's face scrunched up in disgust. "Them." Adam nearly spat. "I recall them, rousing me from sleep, stripping me of most all of the souls in my stewardship. Many of them were scattered to the stars, and are lost forever. I cannot feel them now. Others were taken from me, mixed with the councilwoman's creation to create the child you now call Kaworu."

Eleanor nodded. "And the Angels."

Daniel's head nodded. "Yes," Adam said, "my children. Who you call the Angels. I sent them out, looking for me. Or, at least, what I had become. Many of them felt the presence and Call of…" the look of disgust faltered for a moment. "The councilwoman."

Daniel's head shook. "They found her, and apparently me, after a while, until…"

The disgust disappeared from Daniel's face as Adam trailed off. "The soul of light returned to me after being vanquished in battle against you. And I saw…"

"Rei and Kaworu's memories of the past." Eleanor said quietly.

"Yes." Adam said, equally quietly. "I remember now." Adam said after a moment, looking intently at Eleanor. "Her name was… is… Suriel." he paused. "Yes. That's it." and now, even the inhuman nature of his eyes could not disguise the wonder and excitement held within them.

Adam blinked after a moment, Daniel's head began to shake slowly. "So, the Forbidden Union has been achieved."

Eleanor nodded. "Yes." she said quietly. "But we can discuss that later, should you so choose." she said after a moment of silence. "For now, there is at least one more of your children's souls out there. One that SEELE has torn to pieces to power mighty war machines called the Evangelion."

"My question is, can you locate the pieces of that soul? You are connected to Kaworu, so it stands to reason, to me at least, that you might be able to locate your other child the same way."

Adam's eyes narrowed as he considered the question. "Well… you are correct." Adam said, cupping Daniel's chin in deep thought. "However… I cannot feel their presence as of yet. Something is… blocking me."

Eleanor blinked, then started after a moment. "Oh," she said, "excuse me. I have us lifted out of time. Just a moment."

Adam's eyes widened as the ripple of force that signified their reinsertion into the flow of time pulsed through them. "A control of time itself…"

Eleanor smiled slightly. "Not control of time. Time itself is a difficult, finicky thing to handle, even at the best of times. This is simply a control of our position within it." she paused for a moment. "Can you feel for the soul now?"

Adam's eyes darted back and forth, up and down as if he were physically looking for the scattered pieces of the soul. "I can… see them…"

"Can you show us where they're located?" Eleanor said hopefully.

Daniel's head shook, then Daniel himself spoke up. "Hang on. Allow me."

In between Adam and Eleanor, stars began to wink into existence one by one, until they became connected by lines of light to form the outline of the world as a globe that began to slowly spin. "Feed me the locations," Daniel continued, "and I will highlight them."

Daniel's head nodded. "Thank you." Adam's voice echoed.

It was silent for a moment as Adam concentrated. Soon, a cluster of bright white stars, three in total, lit up, shifting around within the borders of the Indian subcontinent. "There are three parts of the soul there. They are dim, all of them. I cannot see where they are exactly."

Again it was quiet, then three more white stars lit up, dancing around Australia. "And the other three are there, somewhere." Adam said.

Eleanor nodded, and the globe of stars slowly winked out. "Thank you, Adam."

Daniel's head nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course."

It was silent again, then Daniel's head shook. "The Warrior and the Maiden…" Adam whispered.

"What about them?" Eleanor asked.

"You two." Adam said, looking up at Eleanor. "You two must be the Warrior and the Maiden. You two made my plan work. You two helped make it so that our… our children, Kaworu Nagisa and… Rei Ayanami could come together, and safely achieve the union." Adam scoffed slightly. "And all it took was divine intervention." Adam said quietly.

"We are no gods, Adam." Eleanor said. "We… we just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Adam stared at Eleanor, then sighed quietly. "I see." it was silent again for a moment. "Well," Adam continued, "I suppose that concludes our business together."

"For now." Eleanor said. "We'll come back from time to time. Ask questions. Answer them."

Daniel's head nodded. "Very well. I suppose I shall see you again another time." he paused. "I have… a lot to think about."

"I'm sure you do. Thank you, Adam." Eleanor said quietly.

"Please," Adam said, "call me Kadmonel. It is my real name, after all."

Eleanor nodded. "Very well. Farewell, Kadmonel."

Daniel's head nodded one more time as his eyes closed. When they opened again, Daniel's blue eyes looked at Eleanor with weary amazement as he stood slowly, the stool sinking back into the floor as the pedestal that Adam's soul machine sat on sank with it.

Daniel took a deep breath. "Well, that was informative." he said, walking towards Eleanor. "But I need sleep right now."

Eleanor nodded as she stifled a yawn. "Agreed." she said. "We'll tell the others in the morning."

"Perfect." Daniel said quietly, as they headed up the stairs of the Infinity Box towards blessed rest.

. . .

Ritsuko Akagi walked in the door of her apartment and took a deep breath, smiling slightly as Maya stood from the couch, dressed in loose nightclothes. She had moved in recently. Simply a cost-saving measure, as she had told most others who had asked.

Of course, anyone who really knew them knew different. "Hello, Ritsuko!" she said with a smile of her own, walking over quickly to embrace her, taking her into a quiet kiss that still thrilled Ritsuko every single time.

As the kiss broke, Ritsuko smiled softly at Maya. "Hello, Maya. How were things here?"

Maya bobbed her head from side to side as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, about as calm as one might expect. Hyuga kept a good lid on things while you were gone. It was almost like business as usual."

"Oh, good." Ritsuko said as the embrace broke at last. "Hyuga has needed some room to grow as a leader, now that Misato's Acting Commander and he's more than likely going to be Operations Director."

Maya nodded, taking Ritsuko's hand and leading her to the couch, where they sat down as Maya leaned into Ritsuko, and the couple cuddled for a silent moment.

"How is mother doing?" Ritsuko said quietly.

Maya sighed. "Well, she's about as snarky and witty as I guess we've come to expect. She kept it from being boring while we continued to study the Plasm we've got." she paused for a moment. "Was she always like this when she was… alive?"

It was quiet again as Ritsuko pondered. She'd interacted with her less and less as time went on and she grew older. "Honestly… I don't remember fully." she said. "She was always more… distant in my mind, growing up. More calm and reserved." she chuckled slightly. "So, I guess her present attitude is… a more recent development."

Maya chuckled as well, then the small smile that came with it dimmed. "She has been getting more… quiet, lately. Something must be on her mind, I guess."

"Perhaps." Ritsuko said. Then she chuckled slightly, looking over at Maya as she looked at her with a questioning glance. "We're all going to have a lot more on our minds, after what Daniel pulled at the assembly."

Maya's brow rose fractionally. "Oh? What did Daniel do?"

After a quick explanation, Maya's eyes widened. "Oh, my…" she slowly nodded. "Yeah. We are going to have a lot to worry about." she smiled slightly. "But we can make it work. After all, we're talking about one of the smartest scientists in the world, and her lovely assistant, of course."

Ritsuko chuckled. After everything that she had been through in New York, the condemnations, from others and herself, and guilt as she faced the stupidest moments of her career, nay, her life, she had needed that.

She squeezed Maya in a side hug. "Oh, Maya." she said quietly. "You think too highly of me."

"No." Maya said simply. "I don't. I think exactly as high of you as you need."

Ritsuko smiled silently and wondered once again how she had gotten so lucky.

. . .

The Next Day

Daniel tried not to be too anxious as Eleanor set up the transmitter in their living room.

It was a wonder of objective Interfacing, physically innocuous, being only a pod on the end of a pole. However, on the Pneumaic level, it was an intricate Framework, pulsing with the energy that its Metos Siphons drew in from the environment.

Eleanor finished the setup and pressed gently on one part of the pod, and a thin portion popped out with a click. Eleanor took the control panel, a black screen that lit up as she touched its surface, and began to type a well-worn series of commands with a speed that could only come with years of practice.

Before she pressed the final button, Eleanor took a deep breath and turned to look at Daniel. "You ready?" she said quietly.

Daniel shrugged. "About as ready as anyone could be, really."

Eleanor nodded, then pressed a button. The only indication of the device's activation was a pulsing red light on the top of it, blinking silently as it reached out into the Worldsea.

After a moment, an image of a woman, dressed in a smart, almost militaristic grey uniform, her skin the color of wet clay even as a few lines ran through a sharp, defined face, rippled into existence, and considered Eleanor with sharp green eyes that darted over to Daniel even as she opened her mouth. After a moment to consider Daniel, she sighed quietly as she ran a hand through black hair that held a few choice streaks of grey, then began to speak quietly.

"Finally. Fucking finally. Of all the times to have the gall, the sheer gall, to disappear dramatically after the end of a climactic battle, it just had to be that one, didn't it, Daniel?"

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as Rachna Chandra continued, an irate look in her eyes and her tone.

"Do you know how hard it is to be pestered by the fact that Eleanor arrived on a world you had just so happened to save, just to miss you leaving? It's like you knew she would be coming, and decided to just continue cultivating that mysterious aura about you that disappearing in the first place got you. It's damnably infuriating."

Daniel waited silently and patiently for Chandra to continue, which she did.

"And don't even get me started on how many other people I had to hold back from trying to find you and kill you. Oh, there were at least a few who were concerned after you, but most everyone else just wanted to make sure you couldn't even get a physical body again, much less plead your case before me and the rest of the Sovereign Council."

She grabbed at the air as though she could reach out and shake Daniel physically. Which, granted, she could if she wanted to, through the Interfacing that made the transmission work. After a moment, however, her hands dropped to her sides as she closed her eyes and her expression became weary.

After a moment of silence, Chandra opened her eyes, and concern was evident within them. "How are you, Daniel?" she said quietly.

Daniel looked up at Chandra with a small smile. "Better, Rachna. Not my best, but better."

Rachna sighed quietly. "At least I can work with that."

She looked over at Eleanor. "And I'm guessing that this will be the end of your status reports, now that you've found your darling husband?"

Eleanor sighed quietly. "I wish. The thing is, as I'm sure you've gathered, ma'am, Daniel has picked up a stubborn habit of saving worlds. So, right now, we're in the middle of saving this one. Which is part of why we're calling you."

Rachna arched a singular eyebrow. "Go on."

Daniel stood. "I found a splinter faction of the Scions, hidden with a perfectly fine Unitist mission. We had words, and a few fists every once in a while, and they went running."

Rachna closed her eyes. "Wonderful." she said, voice overflowing with exasperation. "Just what we needed." she opened her eyes again. "And you're sure that they're a danger?"

Daniel nodded. "If they're left alone long enough, absolutely."

Rachna shook her head. "And therein lies the problem. We already have enough going on in Tel proper, what with putting the halves of the Fourth Plate back together, and I've got at least part of the Sovereign Council that wants to decrease the spending and manpower available to us now that the Unity War is over, due to 'wishing to appear as much as peacekeepers as we can'."

She threw up her hands. "Frankly," she said, "I don't have much better than a few willing hands that are already out there looking for you to send to you at this point. I've already got precious little to work with as is, trying to keep the Exclusion Zones we have from being too understaffed to mean anything."

"That's alright." Daniel said. "What we really need right now isn't military support. It's a diplomatic delegation."

Rachna blinked, then blinked again. "A diplomatic delegation? Why?"

Eleanor sighed. "This Echo knows about Interfacing, and the Worldsea, to a limited degree, at least. We've both concluded that the League of Independent Echoes would be interested in having them join. And we're also sure that Tel would like to have some say in the matter."

Rachna snorted quietly. "That would be putting it lightly. Some of the Sovereigns have been champing at the bit for a chance to tie us a little tighter with the League. As if we weren't tight enough already, what with the war and all. And really, with what you've been doing, Daniel, you've been nothing but a boon for League Echo membership, much to the annoyance of said Sovereigns." she said with a slight smile that spoke volumes.

It was silent for a moment as Rachna considered things. A determined nod presaged her looking back up to regard Daniel and Eleanor. "Alright. I'll see what strings I can pull. A lot of my power has been shuffled elsewhere since the war ended, but at least I had the sense to make sure that sort of power went towards someone I at least tolerate."

She looked intently at Daniel with a small smile. "There are a few people who I'll submit as candidates for the delegation. People who have nothing but praise for you and your work."

Daniel's eyebrow arched, and Rachna chuckled. "Of, course, I won't spoil the surprise now. That comes when they actually get there."

Rachna's smile faded slightly. "So, I'm going to go ahead and get the part where I nearly beat my head against a wall convincing people out of the way now, and get those people sent to you as soon as I can, the delegation and Worldstrider support both."

Eleanor nodded. "Thank you, ma'am. We look forward to seeing them arrive."

"I'm sure you do. I'll talk to you later." Rachna said, and her image rippled out of existence.

Daniel took a deep breath as Eleanor got to work breaking down the transmitter. "So it begins." he said quietly.

"So it begins." Eleanor repeated as she finished stowing away the transmitter.

"Do you think that they'll be ready?" Daniel said.

Eleanor turned to look at Daniel. "Frankly, dear, I don't think anyone is truly ready for this sort of thing."

Daniel nodded slowly. "Fair point."

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 3: Shattering Mirror
There were many different things that I found in the brief moment that I searched the Animist Aaminata's soul in the aftermath of the attack on Christmas Eve. Many of those things would help lead us to drive off the Scions. Many were… private, and I have made an effort to forget them. Such is the nature of the sin of searching so deeply into one's soul.

There were also things there that left more questions than answers. Mention, more than once, of 'a fallback position', beyond this Echo. Its location was vague, but I have at least decent reason to believe that it is across the Divide. We are close to it, after all. The designs of the Evangelions, as well as some of the things that Kaji told me about the code name SEELE had given Adam, 'The Key of Nebuchadnezzar', give much away in that regard.

I cannot help when I am alone but sometimes wonder what is happening to them. What they plan to do over in a world so similar, yet so different, from this one.

- Personal journal of Daniel Theisman

Geofront, Tokyo-3, Another World, December 2015

The Geofront shook as the Main Access Shaft exploded above their heads. Colonel Misato Katsuragi watched on a screen in the elevator that she had taken down, the shaft now red as the alarms went off. She marveled at the power of the 10th Angel, who had pierced through all the armor layers that had protected the Geofront with contemptuous ease.

Everything that they had thrown at it so far was useless. They needed the Evangelions.

A flash of annoyance ran through her mind. 'Damn it, Shinji. Of all the times to quit…'

She couldn't quite blame him, though. She had seen the records of the 9th Angel's attack. What Shinji had done. Or, more accurately, what he hadn't been able to do.

An ember of anger flared within her chest, its heat directed towards one Commander Gendo Ikari. 'There had to be a better way…'

Misato shook her head as she picked up an old-school corded phone from the wall mount it sat on, connected directly to Central Dogma. "What's the status of the internal defenses?" she said, all business.

"Coming online right now, ma'am." First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga said as a conveyor belt of massive rounds began to travel the opposite direction from Misato.

"Well, get them up quickly! We need every weapon we have firing at this thing!" Misato snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Hyuga said, and Misato nodded.

Then, she felt the rumble of something massive going up the tracks opposite of her. As she turned, she caught the giant red form of Unit-02 going past her and became confused.

Her confusion only deepened as she put the phone back to her ear. "They're launching Unit-02?" she said incredulously.

"Operations hasn't authorized its launch, ma'am!" Hyuga said, and Misato's mind began to whirl.

Rei wouldn't be on the surface just yet with the damage to Unit-00, and Shinji was gone. That left… the new Child.

. . .

Deep within the Geofront's reinforced safe rooms, Tavis Farhaven wiped the sweat from his brow, intent grey eyes straining slightly to find the others of the Revival that were with him in the dark, red lights.

He sighed quietly. This universe was a tumultuous one, wasn't it? There were many surprises here in this new Echo that he really should have taken into account. New Angels. A different NERV. Other powers in the world, and beyond it, so it seemed.

It made getting into NERV itself an interesting task. Now, however, they were within the organization that they had tried to sneak into what felt like so long ago. 'And no meddling heretic to stop us this time.' he thought, and, as he often did when he thought such a thing, a slight smile came to his face.

After a moment, he found Ymris, looking calm and composed compared to those technicians that surrounded her at the corner of the room. He made his way over to her sitting form and sat beside her. "So," Tavis said in a whisper, as Ymris glanced over at him, "care to hook me in?"

Ymris, or as her tag said, Esmeralda, nodded silently, and Tavis's vision blurred, then cleared, as he saw the Geofront, bright and clear, as the buildings that hung from its ceiling began to fall. He hoped that they wouldn't land on some of the other Seer Marbles, as Ymris called them, that were scattered about.

He felt the rumble as they impacted, seemingly heard in the distance the murmurs of the people he shared the room with. He saw Unit-02 emerge to the surface, clenching and unclenching his fists. It felt… somewhat strange, watching through these lenses as the 10th Angel descended like a fluttering pile of rags from the hole it had created. Like watching a muted Receptor archive.

That feeling became dispelled as he felt the buzzing rumble of the twin Pallet Rifles in Unit-02's hands begin to fire even deep in the earth as he was, the shells exploding harmlessly off the Angel's AT Field.

As the Angel descended towards Unit-02, the flickering shield of its AT Field extended towards the Evangelion, looking like a soundwave as it pressed in on the red Unit.

After a moment, the Evangelion threw its weapons aside, and a weapons crate next to it opened, the Unit stamping on one end to throw what seemed like another rifle into the air, catching it as the stock extended.

It charged at the Angel, and Tavis and Ymris's perspective shifted as they watched the charge from a side view. The weapon in the Evangelion's hands surprised Tavis slightly by extending a blade that glowed with a hot purple light, as the Unit jumped into the air, coming down on the Angel with a mighty crash as the Angel's AT Field once again flared to life around it.

As Unit-02 balanced precariously on top of the Angel's field, it flashed like a dying lightbulb, and Unit-02 was thrown to the side, propelled by the Angel's AT Field pushing it along. After a moment, the Unit stood, jumping out of the way as the Angle used its AT Field to crush the area it had occupied only seconds before.

As the 10th Angel unfurled the rest of the cloth-like appendages surrounding its skeletal, crustacean-like body, the crimson Evangelion stood silent for a moment.

Tavis could not help his brows shooting up as he watched the Unit twitch slightly, its pylons shattering as tubular pylons began to emerge from the body. "I didn't know it could do that." he said to Ymris through their soul-link, as the Evangelion went down on all fours like a beast, physically warping and stretching, spasming in pain as it did so.

"Neither did I." Ymris said as they both watched a jaw filled with needle-like teeth gape open in a guttural roar, and charged at the Angel as its umbilical cable ejected with a bang, flipping through the air in stark defiance of the laws of physics.

"The pilot must have connected her soul completely with both the souls held within." Ymris said. "A dangerous task, considering the inhuman nature of one of those souls."

Tavis stifled a nod that would have looked odd to anyone observing them. The attack of the 9th Angel had affected far more than just the Unit that it had possessed, and its pilot. After Unit-01's spectacular dismemberment of Unit-03, the part of the soul of the Angel that had taken it had wandered. Apparently, it had found another home.

These thoughts coursed through Tavis's mind as he watched the bestial Unit-02 shatter the AT Fields the 10th Angel threw between them like glass, the Unit tearing and pounding at them as it continued to roar and growl.

The Angel then apparently decided that enough was enough, as two of the cloth-like arms rolled up, forming two thick cylinders which it aimed at Unit-02, and fired, the lances it had created shooting forward like released springs as they impaled the Evangelion in its torso and shoulder.

As Unit-02 went flying backward, its left arm flew off, splashing into the lake and sending up a massive plume of water.

It stood back up as the Angel's arms retracted to a ready position once again, and charged at it again with another roar.

Unit-02 did not even make it halfway to the Angel before its arm springs fired again, sending the Evangelion flying back again. This time, it did not rise again from the plume of dust that its impact had made.

"A shame, really." Ymris said, sympathy echoing through her soul. "Whoever was piloting Unit-02 had to be quite impressive to keep all their souls from clashing. To tame an Angel…"

"Was apparently not enough." Tavis said. "And if that was not enough…" he continued as Unit-00, orange and white armor stripped away in some places and replaced by bandages, emerged onto the surface of the Geofront, carrying a massive N2 missile in its arms. "Then that will not be enough either."

Unit-00 charged with heavy footfalls that shuddered any Seer Marbles it passed by, slamming the missile into the 10th Angel's AT Field like a massive spear as it turned to face her, the missile's engines kicking on and going to full burn as Unit-00's AT Field blossomed into existence, forming a cone around the tip of the missile.

New layers to the Angel's AT Field sprang into existence as Unit-00 struggled to push the missile through, its tip crumpling under the pressure. It wouldn't get through. Not alone.

Luckily for it, it wasn't alone, as Unit-02, having crawled forward unseen until now, tore away at the AT Field with its mouth, a layer or two succumbing to each great bite it took.

It caught the last AT Field between the N2 missile and the Angel itself, its head whipping back and forth like a dog's as it tugged at it. Finally, the barrier came down, and the missile surged forward unimpeded.

But just before it hit, the Angel's rib-like cage that surrounded its core snapped shut, the missile slamming uselessly against it.

A blinding flash of light caused Tavis to tear away from the connection to the Seer Marble, as the room around him shook and rumbled with the explosion, the people with them shouting and covering their heads as dust and tiny bits of debris began to rain down from the ceiling.

After a moment, the rumbling stopped. "Is everyone alright?" the deep, loud voice of Kauri, their resident Stone Interfacer and engineer, boomed over the aftershocks. A chorus of affirmatives answered back, Tavis and Yrmis's among them.

After a moment, Tavis looked back over at Ymris. "How many of your Seer Marbles are left?"

"More than you might expect." Ymris replied, and Tavis almost missed the slight smile that Ymris gave him.

That smile died as she apparently reconnected to one of the Marbles. "Oh…" she said, a somber note permeating her end of the link.

"What is it?" Tavis said, and Ymris showed him.

It was a dark wasteland now, the mirrors that reflected sunlight into the Geofront shattered by the blast. Dust filled the air, leaving many of the buildings in the distance in shadow. The silence now seemed oppressive. Dead, save for the smoldering form of Unit-00 and the massive 10th Angel that seemed to emerge from the dust like it was parting a great veil. Unit-02 was nowhere to be found, having apparently been flung away by the blast.

"By the Guides…" Tavis said as the 10th Angel opened the jaw of its mask-like face, and a massive mouth slowly emerged from somewhere within the Angel's body. It engulfed the charred Unit-00, and its mouth retracted back into its body, leaving the lower legs of the Evangelion to spout a bit of blood into the air as it chewed, then spat the empty helmet out.

Then, they watched with mounting horror as the bottom of the Angel began to bloat and expand, a pair of cloth-like limbs becoming human-like arms as the rapidly expanding bottom became a torso, legs, and breasts. It fell to the ground on its newfound hands and knees and stayed there for a moment.

"Tavis…" Ymris said as it stood on its legs. "I think this world is done for." she said, her words quiet and somber.

"No." Tavis said. "Find Shinji Ikari. If there's anyone who will solve this, it's him."

The view switched after a moment to the image of a slight, white-shirted young boy, running through the desolation. He seemed so small compared to the giants that he had to conquer.

A flash of purple light drew their attention, and their view switched again as they saw the beam attack of the 10th Angel flay apart the NERV Pyramid, feeling the rumble above their heads as they saw the wreckage cool. Hundreds had likely died in an instant as the Angel now moved to the final shaft. Towards Lilith. Towards them.

A Marble began to track the Angel as it descended, and Tavis began to hear the alarms as they called for an evacuation of all non-combatants.

He heard the shouts around them. "We gotta go!" one technician shouted. "Where?" another asked incredulously. "If the Angel is this close, then there's no use running."

Tavis and Ymris stayed silent, Tavis reaching out towards Aaminata, their resident Animist, who was secured in a level higher than they were. "Aaminata," he said as he watched the Angel crash through the screen of Central Dogma, "how are you holding up?"

"We're doing just fine, all things considered." Aaminata answered. "I have a few of my children working invisibly to keep things calm."

Tavis suppressed another nod. Aaminata's Spirits would be useful here, as the argument continued to escalate. They could hear the Angel's deep growl now, even as far from Terminal Dogma as they were.

Then, the wall opposite of the Seer Marble burst apart, and the purple form of Unit-01 crashed into the Angel, a punch smashing across its face.

The world around them began to shake more and more as the Evangelion and the Angel fought, as Tavis watched them crash through walls, a stray beam taking off Unit-01's left arm as they eventually came to the launch platforms. Unit-01 slammed the Angel against the rails of the launcher, then slammed a button next to it, the two combatants disappearing in a flash.

Tavis's view changed to another Marble the instant that Unit-01 and the Angel flew up into the air of the surface of the Geofront, crashing down and throwing up a massive plume of dust and ash as Unit-01 punched and tore at the Angel, gripping the flap that covered the core of the Angel as its AT Field flashed and flickered.

Then, Unit-01 slumped, seemingly out of power, and the Angel took its chance, stretching out its pale arms as they became ribbons that flowed back into a familiar cylinder pattern.

Unit-01 launched into the air, propelled by the impalement it had been given by the Angel.

They watched in stunned silence as the Angel threw the Evangelion into the remains of the pyramid, then turned over and stood, its pale arms reappearing.

Unit-01 lay silent for a moment. Then, it slowly began to rise, and Tavis and Ymris suppressed a shudder at the red, nearly demonic glow in its eyes as the lime green parts of its armor became a deep, glowing crimson. "Ymris…" Tavis said, his worry evident in his words as they watched Unit-01 open its mouth and roar. "I think it's time to get out of here."

"Agreed." Ymris said, only slightly taken aback by Tavis's sudden fear and want to leave.

Tavis broke the connection and stood. "Kauri." he said, nearly having to shout over the noise of the now dying argument, striding over to the man. "We need to get out of here."

Other words, unspoken, passed in an instant between the two of them. "Let Aaminata know to get her people moving. We'll meet up outside, away from all this."

Kauri nodded. "Alright." he rumbled. Then he turned to sweep his gaze across the room. "Everyone, follow us. We can guarantee you'll live."

"And how can you do that, when the world is falling apart around us?" one of the technicians, a woman with the name 'Tomomi Takeshi' above her breast asked incredulously.

As she finished her question, the room shuddered violently, throwing many, including Takeshi, to the floor. Cracks began to spread across the concrete ceiling, and a massive piece became dislodged and began to fall, right where Takeshi had landed.

In an instant, she screamed, then the scream died as wisps of mist shot out, spreading across the surface of the falling rubble across the room, slowing and stopping the falling ceiling.

Takeshi, along with many others, looked up in amazement, muttering to each other as they looked around at the sight, then at Tavis, his hand outstretched, mist pouring from it like water from a fountain. His forehead glowed with a sigil that lit the dim, darkening space. A sigil that showed two hands held together, cupping the air below three lines that twisted together. "Like that." he said.

"Now," he continued, lifting the rocks with the mist and depositing them in an empty space, "follow us."

. . .

NERV HQ continued to shudder as the Angel and the awoken Evangelion battled. Tavis held Ymris's hand, guiding her somewhat as she kept an eye on things outside. Her eyes were wide as they got to a functioning elevator, and began to go up. "Tavis…" Ymris said through their soul-link, right as they felt a wave of… something wash over all of them. It felt… cold, and Tavis could swear that his heart had actually skipped a beat.

"Yes, Ymris?" Tavis said, startled at the sheer terror that he found on her end of the soul-link.

She said nothing, simply linking him into her view from the Seer Marble outside.

Tavis could not help but share in Ymris's terror as he saw what he did. The Angel was… transformed, its shattered remains becoming a crimson giant bearing the image of Rei Ayanami. Unit-01 took the visage in an almost tender embrace, as red rings swirled in the sky around the pair, pieces of rubble swirling around them as the Geofront peeled apart, the rings spreading into the sky above, into Tokyo-3… over Japan… as Unit-01 absorbed the crimson giant, trails of light spreading from its now exposed core to form… wings.

"Tavis…" Ymris whispered through their link. "The world is ending."

The elevator dinged as it opened, and Tavis tore himself from the sight as his Sight caught the flickers of souls flying past them, up out of the Geofront. Up out of Terminal Dogma.

He followed their path as he shepherded the other groups past him, and saw that they led towards a brilliant point of light, swirling around it. 'Is it taking souls from Lilith? How?'

That didn't matter right now, as Aaminata and her group of people met up with them. "What's going on?" She said, her words amplified by a slight connection to Tavis's soul. "I've had to recall my children to ensure that they don't get sucked up into that… thing up there."

"Aami…" Tavis said. "The world is ending. Third Impact is happening."

Aaminata's eyes widened. "By the Firelight…"

Tavis nodded. "Exactly." he said, jerking his head towards the very clearly marked exit to the surface. "We need to go. Now."

Aaminata nodded, motioning to those that followed. "Alright, come on! The exit is this way!"

As the technicians, scientists and engineers streamed into the exit tunnel, Kauri at their head to clear the way of any blockages, Tavis looked down, then back up.

Lilith had lit up like one of the estates in the mist from his old life, as thousands, millions of soul cores flew away from her towards what could only be Unit-01.

This was madness. He knew the world could end. Any one of them that he visited held that potential. But this…

As the last NERV employees made their way past him into the exit tunnel, he blinked as the flow of souls… stopped.

He looked back up at Unit-01 with his Sight, and the bright, brilliant beacon was extinguished.

He looked at Ymris, who looked back at him incredulously, with no small amount of relief in her eyes.

Tavis didn't even need to ask as Ymris linked him in with her view from the Seer Marble. Now, Unit-01's glow began to dim as it slowly fell, its spectral arm fading out of existence, a massive spear impaled in its chest as another Evangelion floated down from the sky, a pale pink halo above its head.

It was over. The end of the world had been averted. And yet…

Tavis's mind whirled as he considered what had happened. What would happen now. The world would likely collapse, even with something as massive as Instrumentality averted. The world would need to be rebuilt. The world would need leaders. He would lead those that followed the Guides. And there would be many that would follow him and the rest of the Revival, that was now certain. As for those that didn't…

He looked over at Ymris. "I'm about to ask something big of you." he stated with little in the way of preamble.

Ymris's eyebrow rose slightly. "And what would that be?"

Tavis sighed quietly after a moment of silence. "Follow Colonel Katsuragi. If there's anyone who's going to try and make something out of this mess, it's her. I and the others will keep an eye on the… well, the now-former NERV employees we've rescued. We'll probably have more than a few Initiates by the time the day is out, and they'll need someone to guide them."

It was silent again for a moment. Not even the alarms broke that silence, their power gone now.

Ymris nodded. "Alright, then." she nearly whispered. Then, Ymris chuckled quietly. "Then you better stay out of trouble as best you can. I won't be around to pull you out."

Tavis snorted softly. "That you won't. Thank you. We'll keep in touch."

"Good." Ymris said with a ghost of a smile. "I'd hate to not hear about your successes. Or tell you mine. I think… we'll both need that for a while."

"We've needed that for a while anyways." Tavis said.

After a moment of silence, they embraced each other for a quick moment. "Thank you, Ymris." Tavis said. "I'll see you around."

"And I'll see you." Ymris said.

They parted from the embrace, and Ymris began to walk back towards the elevator. "Good luck, Travis." she said, calling him by the name on his uniform jacket.

"You too, Esmeralda." Tavis said, and could not help but smile slightly as she rolled her eyes.

"Still think there were better names than that." She said through their soul-link. Then, it was severed, and Ymris disappeared from sight.

. . .

Tavis exited the evacuation tunnel into a blasted hellscape. Ash fell from the sky, a sight that took him back to before his time as a Scion, and buildings everywhere were in various states of ruin. The sky was dark, a full moon the only real source of light in the skyline.

The group before him was huddled and scared, emergency flashlights and blankets scattered throughout the huddled mass as they whispered amongst one another. Kauri and Aaminata walked amongst them, crouching down at one point or another to speak quietly to someone, reassuring them or asking questions about them.

As he came to a stop before them, they all turned to look at him, the whispers and mutterings slowly stopping.

"I'm sure all of you are wondering what just happened. How I, and others, were able to do what we did." he said clearly.

He paused for a moment, then the sigil floating over his brow glowed again. "We are…" he sighed quietly. "As ridiculous as it sounds, we are not from this universe."

He paused, and even in the moonlight, he could see the wonder, the incredulity, and shock in all of their eyes.

"I know that sounds ridiculous," he continued, "but after what happened today, could it really be?"

Whispers in the group picked up again for a moment, then a man shouted from the back. "Alright then," he said, standing up, and Tavis enhanced his senses enough to pick up the name on his tag, 'Kaito Wada', as he continued.

"So if you aren't from around here, where are you from then?" Wada continued, the tone in his voice clearly showing his skepticism.

"We are from a place called the Worldsea." Tavis replied. "A place of infinite worlds. Of power like ours. A power that can be used to mend this world."

Wada's brow rose fractionally. "Fix this world?" he said, a hint of incredulity in his voice. "How could your powers fix…" he swept his arm across the scene that lay before them. "This?"

Tavis shook his head. "Obviously, I cannot fix this alone." he said. "I will need help. Your help. Others help. But this world can be restored. The people who died needlessly brought back. The environment made clean and beautiful again. This much I promise."

"And…" a scientist said, not bothering to stand as she asked her question. "What about NERV?"

Tavis sighed. "NERV is broken. They were meant to keep the world safe. From the Angels. From another Impact. And… they failed. We cannot rely on them anymore."

More whispers and mutters rose up in the group for a moment before Tavis raised a hand to quiet them. "And even if NERV were not broken, their mission, our mission, would have failed. Not by any fault of our own, but due to forces who wish for something like this to occur."

The whispers became murmurs, and the murmurs intensified. "And how do you know all this? How can we be sure that you're even telling the truth, and not just conning us?" Wada said as he scoffed.

Tavis waited patiently for the murmurs to quiet before he continued. "Because I, and others, have seen these events before, as they have played out on other worlds like this one."

Tavis shook his head after a moment. "Look, I understand that you are confused, scared, and wondering what all is going on. We will explain in time, I promise. But right now, we need to get to someplace that is safe, find others who have been displaced so that they get the help that they need."

Nods of agreement followed the murmurs this time, and even Wada seemed like he was becoming more convinced.

"Alright. I promise, by the Guides that give me my power, that will give you such power as well, that we will keep you safe. That you will learn and grow from this." he proclaimed. "One of the first lessons that I learned is that suffering is the first part of growth. And we have all suffered greatly. So let's not waste it. Let us take that suffering and let it make us greater than we were before. Let it make us great enough to return this world to what it should be."

He paused as he finished his proclamation. The faces of those that watched him were… tired. Weary. But there was hope beginning to flicker in some of those eyes now.

Tavis sighed quietly and nodded as he stepped forward. "Is there anywhere that anyone knows will be… maybe not untouched, but at least somewhat intact after all this?"

"Well…" Takeshi said, uncertainty in her voice clashing with the rising hope in her eyes. "We could try Matsushiro. They have backup facilities that should have everything we need." she paused, and the light in her eyes dimmed. "It's a long drive though, let alone walking to it."

Tavis nodded. "We can find some vehicles to requisition, I'm sure."

Takeshi nodded, then another technician spoke up. "What about everyone else in the Geofront? Like the command staff?"

Tavis closed his eyes for a moment. "Depending on who survived, they should be able to pull something together for the rest of those we couldn't get to."

He opened his eyes as he scanned the small crowd. "For right now, though, let's make sure we're safe, and that you all are up to speed."

He looked over at Kauri. "Take a few people and spread out, find some vehicles and fuel. Aaminata, take another group and search for food and water. I and the rest of the group will find a place to stay for the night until we head to Matsushiro."

Kauri and Aaminata nodded and swept their gazes across the group, pointing out a person and calling them out.

After organizing themselves for a moment, the two groups left, leaving Tavis with about two dozen people. "Alright." he said, trying to project reassurance. "Let's go ahead and get to looking for a good place to sleep."

The group nodded, and they headed into the deathly quiet night.

As they walked, staying close as people began to slowly gather into groups to discuss things as they searched, Tavis was surprised to find himself with Takeshi next to him, and there was an almost eager light in her eyes. "So," she said, "Tell me more about where you come from. You mentioned the Guides. What are they?"

Tavis, taken aback for only a moment, rejoiced internally. "Well, that takes a little explaining, as I said." Tavis began slowly. "But, I can give you the basics on the Guides."

Takeshi shrugged. "Alright. Who are they?"

"Well…" Tavis began. "The Guides are… well, they aren't gods, for one, even as much as we venerate them." he paused for a moment. "They are powerful, however. They exist beyond what we can regularly perceive. And they offer power. Power like mine, and Kauri's and Aaminata's. The power to access the soul, and do wonders with it."

Takeshi's eyes widened. "Really? I can learn to do… what you do? Magic?" she whispered in wonder.

Tavis nodded. "That's right. Though it isn't magic, per se. We call it Interfacing. The power to manifest the soul of a thing in the physical world. And they help, well, guide us to getting and mastering that power." he replied. "All they ask is that we try to unify those around us. Become perfected as we unify our bodies, minds, and souls. To do the things that will save this world and its people."

'And when this world and its people are saved and perfected,' Tavis thought silently as Takeshi nodded, her eyes wide, 'you will serve them without question. But really, that's getting ahead of things.'

StriderInCosmos threw 2 6-faced dice. Total: 7

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 4: The Coming Dawn
Those were heady days, leading up to Contact Day. I remember the excitement, the tensions, as a world collectively held its breath for what came next, even as I watched from within the digital realm. Even as it seemed to be coming apart, the world would be unified like never before. At least, that was the hope.

So much has changed since I died. So much will change while I am still here, within the Magi that I created, and my daughter finished. But now… I find this digital solitude… lacking. I find that, rare as it was, I miss my daughter's embrace.

But there is still much I need to do within here, for the time being. So many secrets that I must unravel. So many plans I am in a prime position to help stop, to ensure that the world I recognize does not disappear in a tide of LCL. And yet...

- Personal journal of Naoko Akagi

Katsuragi Residence, Tokyo-3, Late June 2016

Acting Commander Misato Katsuragi stared at the piece of paper in her hand as she sat at the kitchen table. It had the symbol of the United Nations at the top, a symbol that she had come to be rather tired of over the last few weeks, above a few scant words in English and Japanese.

She scanned the document with narrowed eyes. Eyes which closed with a quiet sigh as she finished reading.

Kaji, who sat across from her, looked up from his breakfast. "What's up?" he asked, a slightly concerned look carefully hidden behind his usual comfortably blase expression.

"Well…" she answered, trailing off as Shinji and Asuka looked intently at her as well. "It's official. I'm now Commander Katsuragi."

It was silent for a moment as the group processed the announcement. Then, Shinji chuckled softly.

As all eyes turned to him, he cleared his throat as he blushed slightly. "Well, Misato," he began, "maybe we need to find Kensuke again, so he can throw you another party."

A chuckle rippled around the rest of the table as they remembered the party the slight, bespectacled young man had thrown for Misato when she became a Major.

"How is Kensuke, by the way?" Misato asked quietly as her smile faded, looking at both Shinji and Asuka in turn. "Have you kept up with him at all?"

Shinji and Asuka's faces fell. Misato couldn't blame them. JSSDF Lieutenant Colonel Hidetsu Aida was among the casualties of the Battle of Tokyo-3. Misato remembered that visit the most clearly out of all of the ones that she had made in those days. How gutted the poor boy was at the news. She'd hugged him. He was the only one that she felt comfortable doing that with, for how close he'd become with Shinji. And, by some tenuous extension, her.

"Yeah." Shinji said quietly. "I've talked to him a few times since then. Whenever I could catch him."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "He's… grieving, still. He said he'll get back with us at least by the time school starts back up again."

Misato nodded slowly. What an odd thing to think about, school for the Children. Something… normal, amidst all… this.

"Maybe…" Asuka spoke up with a somber look that seemed out of place on her usually cheery face. "Maybe we can have him throw you another party. He seemed to really enjoy putting on the party for your last promotion."

Misato nodded slowly. "Let him know about it." A slight smile quirked her lips. "He needs something to cheer him up."

Shinji gave Misato a forlorn smile of his own. "Will do." he nearly whispered.

It was silent around the table for a moment, then Misato shook her head. "Alright. Before that, however," she said, "Daniel and Eleanor wanted to talk to all of the AIC. They have some pretty big news, it seems." Her brow furrowed in annoyance. "And he won't tell anyone what it is exactly. Only that we'd enjoy it." She tsked softly at the thought.

"I wonder what makes them want to talk to all of us." Asuka said, an excited grin beginning to spread across her face as she contemplated the possibilities. "Maybe they found those MP-Eva cowards, and we can go and beat them up."

A small smile crossed Shinji's face for a moment. "I won't lie, that does sound surprisingly refreshing to do, after all the pointless talking we've been doing the past few weeks."

Kaji's brow rose fractionally as Shinji said this. "Man, if Shinji's finding something violent exciting, that tells me a lot about how boring the U.N. is."

"You have no idea, Ryoji." Misato said with a meaningful glance as a chuckle passed round the table.

- - -

The Infinity Box, 2 Hours Later

Daniel sat at the head of a table, looking at the gathered meeting as they got comfortable and took in their new surroundings. Most of the Anti Instrumentality Committee was here. The only exceptions were Gendo, who could be reasonably excused due to being physically dead, and Adira Faez. Makoto Hyuga had shown up alone today, saying that Faez was 'figuring things out'. Whatever that may have meant, downcast as the poor man seemed to be.

Daniel idly remembered the time that he had spent after Asuka and Misato's particular insistence, putting in some effort into what the meeting room looked and felt like.

Now, instead of a table of cool blue stone, they sat at a table of dark stained wood, and instead of simple chairs of a similar blue hue, they sat in rather plush leather chairs with tall backs. The walls were now decorated in a two-tone red wallpaper, one tone somewhat darker than the other, and trimmed with wood similar in color to the table. Behind him, a large fireplace crackled, actually warming the room. It was a far more comfortable place than before, and such was noted vocally by at least one person.

"I've gotta say, Daniel," Asuka said as she nodded approvingly, "this is quite the upgrade. I feel like I'm in a country estate or something!"

Daniel gave Asuka a slight smile. "You and Misato weren't the only ones complaining about this, I promise," he said. He shrugged slightly. "Besides, it was something I needed to get done anyway."

Asuka nodded slowly. "Right." she said, slowly and sardonically. "And I'm terribly sure you would have gotten to it quickly whether we told you or not, right?"

Daniel chuckled softly. "Well, Asuka, Eleanor was one of the ones that were on my case." he replied.

Shinji, quiet up until this point, nodded. "Ah," he said quietly, "that explains everything."

A good-natured chuckle went around the room, and Daniel could not help but look over at Eleanor, who sat beside him with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

"All ribbing aside," Daniel said, sweeping his gaze across the table as he took in who was there as the chuckle quieted down, "we have some important news concerning… well, a whole lot of things."

As Daniel finished speaking, a globe of interconnected stars forming an image of the world appeared in the center of the table, and all at the table gazed at the sight with wonder in their eyes.

Three dots of white light each appeared on two separate continents, three in Australia, three in India.

"Daniel…" Asuka said, an almost hungry look in her eyes. "Are those what I think they are?"

Daniel's smile nearly matched Asuka's. "Yes. These are the at least somewhat current positions of the Mass-Production Evangelion."

All of the Children looked at each other with a gleam in their eyes. Even the usually stern and controlled Hikari could not keep it out. They were ready to finish what they had started.

"And how did you come across such information?" Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki asked, an arched eyebrow the only thing that betrayed his puzzlement.

"Well…" Eleanor began. "We had a conversation with the soul of Adam. Or Kadmonel, as it turns out he is called."

All eyes turned to Daniel and Eleanor, silent and wide.

After a moment, Kaworu blinked. "I wondered what I felt last night." He said quietly.

As everyone's attention turned to him, he nodded. "At some point, it felt like Adam's gaze passed over me. It seems that, in addition to being connected to me, Adam, or Kadmonel as the case may be, is connected to all the souls under his stewardship."

After a moment of silence, Ritsuko shrugged. "I can see that making sense, with what we know of how souls seem to work."

She cupped her chin in thought as she looked at Rei. "It's the same case between you and Lilith correct?"

Rei nodded as a thoughtful look crossed her face. "It stands to reason."

Asuka nodded. "I guess it would." she said, looking over at Rei and Kaworu both with a wondering look in her eyes.

After a quick moment, she shook her head as she looked over at Misato. "So," she said, the gleam coming back to her eyes, "when do we get to go beat up the MP-Evas?"

Misato opened her mouth to answer before Kaworu raised a hand. "I don't believe it's as simple as that, Asuka."

Asuka looked over to the pale boy with a look of slight annoyance. "And why would that be, Kritzeln?"

Kaworu's serious expression, a far cry from his usual placid, happy expression, caused Asuka to blink. "Because there is still at least one pilot unaccounted for. One pilot who seems to be trained explicitly to counter us."

"Mariah Marlowe." Misato said quietly, and a hush fell over the table at the mention of the mysterious Child.

Misato looked over at Ritsuko and Maya. "Did your mother ever find any mention of her in SEELE's databases?" she asked Ritsuko.

Ritsuko shook her head, a concerned look on her face. "If it's there, then it's buried deep enough that mother can't find it. And if SEELE just has this pilot hidden away somewhere, and an Evangelion for her, then we have to take her into account for any strategies that concern the future."

It was silent again for a moment as they processed the threat this Child posed.

Eleanor looked around the table as the globe of stars disappeared. "Speaking of the future, there's also one more piece of business we want to make sure you're all aware of."

All eyes were drawn back to the couple, and Eleanor took a deep breath. "So," she began, "we've gotten in contact with the head of the Worldstrider Corps, Sovereign Rachna Chandra."

Brows rose as she continued. "Both Tel, along with a coalition of Echoes known as the League of Independent Echoes, will be sending a diplomatic delegation to this world sometime within the next few weeks. We have that much time to get ready."

The rest of the table's jaws went slack in utter amazement. Even Aoba, normally the most stoic among them, couldn't help but be shocked at the news.

"You mean…" Fuyutsuki finally managed to say. "We'll be making first contact with… fully sentient species?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. Several, in fact." He replied with a serious look in his eyes. "They'll most likely be a major delegation from the League and a smaller one from Tel itself. After all," he said, spreading his hands, "it is the League that this world will ultimately decide whether or not to join."

Misato shook her head slightly. "And you said that they're coming in a few weeks?" she said, slightly incredulously. "Do you have anything more accurate than that?"

Daniel looked at Eleanor for a moment as she shook her head slightly, then back to Misato. "That's a good point. We'll talk to Sovereign Chandra, see if we can get a more exact timeframe."

"In the meantime, though," Eleanor piped up, "that means we'll likely need to get together a greeting party and delegation for our world in preparation for negotiations. Both from the U.N. and from NERV's branches."

"Well…" Kaji said, pausing for a moment as the others regarded him. "That might be a bit of an oversimplification for the part that isn't NERV."

He paused again. "Minister of the Interior Okamura's gotten word, good word too, that the U.S., Russia, Germany and China are planning on withdrawing from the United Nations soon. She's also pretty confident that Japan will follow their lead. As to when that's going to happen…" he shrugged, palms up. "It's likely going to be sooner rather than later."

Daniel nodded slowly. "That does complicate things, doesn't it?"

It was quiet as Daniel pondered the implications of such a thing. "Even still," he continued, "we have far more control over the delegation from NERV." He finally said. "That'll probably be up to you mostly, Misato, seeing as you are Acting Commander of NERV HQ."

Misato smiled coyly as she leaned against the table. "Actually, Daniel, that's just Commander of NERV HQ now."

Daniel blinked, and his eyebrows shot up along with most of the rest of the table's, Kaji, Shinji, and Asuka sporting almost smug smirks.

"Finally!" Toji exclaimed. "Someone in command who actually cares about us! It's a miracle."

The rest of the table broke into a bout of quiet laughter that lasted for a moment.

"So," she said, her face becoming serious surprisingly quickly, "I'm going to need an Operations Director."

Her gaze snapped to Hyuga, who regarded her with no small amount of shock. "Captain Hyuga, can I count on you to lead Operations?"

Hyuga gulped audibly, then nodded after a moment to gather his courage. "Yes, ma'am." he said with a face matching Misato's seriousness. "I won't let you down."

Misato smiled slightly. "Good. I don't think you will."

She looked back at Daniel. "So, I guess I'll go ahead and…" She shook her head and sighed quietly. "Talk to all the other commanders at the NERV branches and let them know about this. They'll be there, I'll make sure of it."

She scoffed quietly. "After all, aliens seem to be our specialty, don't they?"

Kaji nodded slowly. "And I'll get on the line with Minister Okamura, see what she can get pulled together."

Daniel nodded in turn. "I'll let you all get to that then." He replied, standing up as he did so. "In the meantime, we all have a lot to get ready for, I'm sure."

The others around the table stood as well, and the meeting ended, Aoba and Maya surrounding Hyuga to quietly congratulate him on his rather sudden promotion, the Children offering their own congratulations as they came to a stop near them.

As people began to file out of the room, Ritsuko made her way over to Daniel and Eleanor with a pensive look on her face that was mixed with no small amount of excitement. "So, Daniel," she said as she joined their walk over towards Hyuga, "I have a… suggestion."

Daniel's eyebrow arched slightly. "And what might that be?" he asked as they began to walk slowly.

"Well…" she said slowly, tapping Maya on the shoulder to get her attention as they stopped over by her and the other two bridge members, along with the Children.

"The Night Sky Eva." She said, as the others began to look over to her. "Would it be possible to… replicate it, somehow?"

Daniel cupped his chin in thought as all eyes turned to Daniel. "Well…" he replied. "It's certainly possible. Even probable." He said slowly. "It's just a matter of fine-tuning it enough to be easy to call on. I'm not going to lie, even with Commander Ikari's soul helping me out, I was wrung out for a good while after with how much Flux I still had to deal with."

"But it's still possible." Maya said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, certainly." Daniel replied, nodding. "It's just a matter of… refining what I made off the cuff. I'm sure it could even get to the point where we only need one soul to make and pilot it."

Daniel's brow furrowed slightly. "The Control Surface for it would probably have to be about the size of an Entry Plug in order to make sure there are enough Vent Frames and such for the pilot not to suffer Flux Crush. Even the Surface I made was pushing it in terms of being able to control the Eva."

"Wait a minute. Flux Crush?" Asuka chimed in, an incredulous, somewhat startled look on her face. "And what, exactly, is that?"

Eleanor looked at Asuka with a serious expression. "Well, you've been worried mostly about Flux Daze, what happens to the body and mind when the soul processes a very sudden intake of Flux. Flux Crush is what happens when there's too much Flux that's built up without venting, either suddenly or over time. The Flux, well, crushes the Frames of a soul, which can often result in trapping the core inside the body."

It was silent for a moment as all present processed the grim reminder of the cost their powers could have.

"However," Daniel started, "that's something that can be circumvented with proper planning and preparation. As long as you know what you're doing, and how many Vent Frames you need to balance out the Expression you want to make, you don't have to worry too much about it."

Slowly, heads began to nod, confused looks following them from those that weren't yet up to speed with the whole Interfacing business.

"Wait a minute," Maya said, "you said an Eva-size…" she trailed off as she snapped her fingers. "Expression," she said after a moment, "needed a Control Surface the size of an Entry Plug? They can get that big?"

"Well," Eleanor started, pausing for a moment to say goodbye to Aoba and Hyuga as they took their leave, "Control Surfaces are just conduits between you and the world around you, allowing any Expression you make to transition from within you to the outside world. They can be as large or as small as the Expression one makes needs them to be."

Maya and Ritsuko nodded slowly as the group slowly made their way towards the exit of the Infinity Box. "I see." Ritsuko said. "Well, get in touch with me when you can. The sooner we can come up with an alternative to the Evangelion, the sooner we can phase them out."

"And the sooner we can see our mothers again." Shinji said quietly.

The group, the last to leave, stopped at the doorway. Now, instead of standing in front of one door, they stood in front of many, all leading to different homes.

"Yes, Shinji." Daniel said quietly. "We'll do that as quickly as we can."

He looked at Ritsuko. "Expect to hear from me in the next day or two. We'll get this done as soon as we can."

Ritsuko nodded. "I'll see you then."

With that, Ritsuko and Maya turned and walked through the door that led to their apartment, the door fading away as they closed it behind them.

Shinji took a deep breath, then looked at the rest of the Children. "Do you guys have anything you need to do with me today?"

As the others shook their heads, Shinji's expression became pensive. "Okay. I'm… I'm going to talk to my parents. They should know about this. It feels like it's been too long since I talked to them, anyway."

Asuka, Toji and Hikari nodded. "You know," Asuka said, "that's not a bad idea. Homework can wait a little bit anyways."

"Yeah." Toji said quietly. "I'll go ahead and come along, too." He scoffed quietly after a moment. "Mom's gonna jump for joy when she hears about the whole… Eva replacement thing."

A slight chuckle rippled through the group as they imagined the massive form of the Evangelion hopping up and down in excitement.

"Well, then," Rei said, taking Kaworu's hand, "I shall see you all later, then." She paused for a moment. "I do hope you enjoy talking to your mothers." she said quietly.

"And I as well." Kaworu said, nodding in support.

The Children said their goodbyes, exchanging hugs before stepping through the doors. After a moment, Daniel and Eleanor stood alone, quiet for a moment.

Daniel took a deep breath. "Eleanor…" he said quietly. "I'm… afraid."

He felt the soothing presence of his wife's soul encircle his own. "Daniel…" Eleanor whispered as she embraced him. "So am I." She admitted. "But, really, we've faced the end of the world together. Multiple times. And when we're together…"

"Not even that can stand in our way." Daniel finished with a silent chuckle.

- - -

Evangelion Cages, Geofront

Shinji sat down in front of the massive form of Unit-01 on a bridge across the deep, dark LCL that engulfed all but its head, and could not help but think back to all those months ago.

This face had been terrifying, once. It still was, really, but Shinji had come to know more since then. About who was trapped inside. About who waited for him every time he stepped into the Entry Plug.

He took a deep breath and activated his Sight. The world around him blurred slightly, but the outlines of souls, of the intricate patterns that they made, began to glow like Christmas trees as their owners walked around.

He directed his gaze downwards, towards the depths of the LCL which held Unit-01's form, and found in the center of the Unit's chest another bright light, smaller than most others that he had seen, but no less wonderful to him.

His hand brushed his pocket, and he felt… more conflicting emotions, as he pulled the stone that contained his father's soul out and studied it as it shifted from color to color within the gem.

He still wasn't entirely sure of what to do. He could drop the stone into the pool of LCL and walk away, never again seeing the man who had abandoned him, who had forced him to pilot the giant in front of him, who had never seemed to care for anyone.

And yet, he thought, he would also never see the man who had told him how he'd met his mother. Who had shown up to his last birthday party, who had tried to change after speaking with the woman he loved for the first time in years.

He looked at the stone that held his father for a long moment, then he made his choice.

He reached out with a Frame, connecting to his father's soul, unconsciously holding his breath.

"Shinji?" Gendo Ikari said.

"Hello, father." Shinji replied, and he felt, almost saw, the relief and… excitement in his father's soul.

"It's good to talk to you again, son." Gendo said. "I… I should apologize for my actions in Terminal Dogma. You probably heard what happened."

"Yes, father. I did." Shinji said, a guarded tone in his words. "I buried your body. Everyone who doesn't know about this thinks that you're dead."

"I see." Gendo said after a moment, his words laced with surprise for a moment that faded into resignation. "Perhaps… This is my punishment. Only able to speak with you. Never able to… to see you or Yui or anyone else again."

The sound of a scoff echoed from Gendo's soul. "It's fitting, really."

Shinji was silent for a moment as he extended another Frame, out towards the soul within the Evangelion. "Maybe it is." Shinji said, his words quiet and contemplative. "But… I figured you might appreciate what's about to happen next."

Gendo was silent in his confusion as Shinji strengthened his connection. That confusion became elation as they both heard a voice that they cherished more than seemingly anything else. "Shinji? Gendo?" Yui Ikari said, her voice echoing with wonder.

"Mother." Shinji said. "Yui." Gendo said alongside him, their voices filled with wonder and joy.

"Oh, you two…" Yui Ikari said, and Shinji basked in the joy that he felt from his mother. "I've wanted to talk with both of you together for so long."

So, they talked. They talked about all the things that had happened since the Battle of Tokyo-3, Yui wondrous at the notion that Gendo had experienced what he had, even tinged with sadness as her soul was at the thought of Gendo dying.

They talked of the future. Of what was coming. Or, perhaps more accurately, of who was coming.

"So, humanity will meet other alien species." Gendo said, and Shinji marveled silently at the wonder he felt from his father. "And we will gain the secrets of… all reality."

"Oh, Gendo." Yui said, and Shinji felt the distinct impression of her rolling her eyes. "There's no need to be that melodramatic." She paused for a moment. "Though I must say that the scientific possibilities of studying the soul… are going to be amazing. All the new discoveries that we can make!"

Shinji could not help but smile. That smile faded as he remembered what could very well be coming. "And all this," he said quietly, "in addition to worrying about SEELE, and another Child coming after us."

Shinji saw the sudden spikes of anger, felt an almost physical heat at the mention of the name. "They have another Child?" Yui said, her words almost a growl.

"Yeah." Shinji replied. "And her name, which is about all we have, is Mariah Marlowe."

"Marlowe…" Gendo said, his words underlined with questioning. "Why does that sound familiar?"

It was quiet for a moment. Then, Yui spoke up, her words laced with a combination of apprehension and fear. "Mari…"

. . .

Their conversation continued after Yui's postulation. Shinji and Gendo both were shocked, but even still, it slowly started to make sense.

However, there was time to think about it later. "Mother, it's been good to talk to you, but… I'll have to get going."

"Of course, Shinji. I hope I'll be able to talk to you later. Both of you." She said, her attention shifting to Gendo.

"I will be there as often as Shinji permits it." Gendo said, completely serious.

Then, he surprised Shinji with a slight chuckle. "So, really, my life is in his hands in more ways than one."

Exasperated happiness glowed from Yui's soul as Shinji groaned inwardly at the attempt at a joke. "It certainly seems that way. I love you, Shinji. I love you, Gendo."

"I love you, Yui." Gendo said. "Goodbye."

"I will see you both again." Yui said. And Shinji knew that her certainty was completely genuine.

Shinji severed the link to Yui's soul.

"Shinji." Gendo said as Shinji prepared to sever his connection with his father.

"Yes, father?" Shinji asked, a guarded tone in his words.

"Tell…" Gendo trailed off, embarrassment making his soul nearly incandescent. "Tell Commander Katsuragi… I have complete confidence in her. That… that she will certainly make a better leader of NERV than I probably ever was."

Shinji physically blinked at this display of outright, genuine humility from his father. "Okay." He said. "I… can't guarantee that she'll quite accept that."

"I offer it regardless." Gendo said, his words weary and resigned. "Too much evil has been done by NERV while it was under my control. Perhaps… NERV can become something new, now that I am gone."

"Shinji…" Gendo said after a moment of contemplative silence between the two. "I… I love you." He paused. "I know it probably feels like too little, too late, but… I do. And I should have seen that before I died."

"Thank you, father." Shinji said. He paused. "But… I don't know if I can say that to you. If I can ever really do that."

"I understand." Gendo said, resignation heavy in his words. "And… I'm sorry."

It was a quiet moment before Gendo spoke again. "Thank you, Shinji."

"You're welcome, father." Shinji said, and severed the connection with his father, as the world came back into focus.

He regarded the gem that his father's soul glowed from for a moment before he put it in his pocket. He hadn't made his decision. But he was close, now. Very close.

- - -

New London, England

Mariah Marlowe tapped her finger on her desk as she tapped her foot in rhythm. It was supposed to help her focus on the schoolwork in front of her. But it was so dreadfully dull. There were better things she could be doing. Or, at least, more interesting things. Like going shooting with father and his old SAS friends. Or some sparring to keep her martial arts up to snuff. Or...

Beside her, her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up as she looked over at it.

Taking the phone, a small spark lit up inside her chest as she looked at the contact and only grew as she read the message that they gave. The Thrill, dad called it. That thing that helped her focus more than any medication ever could and made her the very best at what she loved to do.

It was Commander Townsend of NERV-5. The message was short and simple. 'Prepare to move. You are going to Australia. The Committee wants Unit-05 ready to go. You have a mission. Will explain more at New Caldicot Harbor.'

She had a mission. An honest-to-goodness mission! Her mind whirled with the possibilities. All returned to the fact that she would get to pilot her Unit-05, for the first time. No simulations. No testing, just the purest expression of the Thrill she would ever have.

"Dad!" she said, standing up and running to the living room, her homework forgotten. "I have a mission!"

. . .

New Caldicot Harbor

The car slowed to a stop, and Julius Marlowe looked beside him to his daughter. 'Oh, Mari,' he thought, 'she's so excited. I wish you were here to see it. Though, in a sense...'

"Mariah," he said aloud as he tapped her on the shoulder, and his daughter looked over at him, tearing her attention away from the video she was watching as she took out her headphones.

Julius took a deep breath. "Stay safe. Keep in touch as best you can. But..." He chuckled. "I also understand if you can't. Operational security and all."

Mariah smiled, and Julius couldn't help his heart aching somewhat. "I know. I'll do my best if I can. Though, if I'm going by ship like I think I am…" she shook her head as she sighed quietly. "That's quite the yomp I'm going on."

Julius chuckled. "Yeah. That it is."

He reached over, and gave Mariah a hug as best he could. "I love you." he said quietly.

"Love you too, dad." Mariah replied, equally quiet.

They both heard the buzz of a massive crane and looked out the window to see a massive crate, the one that carried Mariah's Evangelion, slowly setting the crate down in the hold of the cargo ship that was to be its carrier.

"I probably should get going." Mariah said quickly, squeezing another hug out before opening the car door. "Tell mum I said happy birthday!"

Mariah exited the car, and Julius watched her run towards the ship with her bag. His gaze turned to the place where the crate containing her Evangelion had gone. 'Mariah… I wish I could tell you to tell her yourself.'

But the Committee was very particular about what was said. And what wasn't. He was lucky to see this, really. Anyone else with a fraction of what he knew was sure to disappear. But not him. And he still didn't entirely know why.

A spike of fear drove itself into his chest as he considered things for a moment. 'If you're getting deployed like this…' He thought. 'Then some other poor child is going to be on the other end of your training. Of my training. Their training.'

He felt a spike of sad sympathy for the poor sod who would square up with their daughter. 'Oh, my darling miss Illustrious. I wish it wasn't like this. I wish I could hold you right now. That they hadn't taken you from me. That they hadn't taken her from me and sent her off to god knows where. I want you back. I want our daughter back. But…'

He sighed quietly as he drove away from his wife and child and began to drive towards an empty grave, a paper vase of flowers in the back seat. 'Mari… keep our daughter safe.'

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 5: Bridges Once Broken

To see the souls of those around me as they react to the possibilities of the future is a humbling thing. It is something that I saw in all that I interacted with, more and more as time went on and I weaned off the drugs that kept me compliant.

And everyone, from Shinji to Misato, to Doctor Akagi, and even to Commander Ikari, all felt the same things at their cores, beneath all else that they felt. Fear. Confusion. But also hope. And that hope… is what drives them. Drives all of us. It is what connects us.

To see the soul, regardless of the person, do such hoping, watch as the soul's desire becomes thought, then action, is… wondrous. Perhaps even miraculous. I am uncommonly privileged. But not, it seems, for much longer.

- Personal journal of Rei Ayanami

Tokyo-3 Municipal Mall, Early July 2016

Shinji looked around the spacious, quiet mall, one of a few found in Tokyo-3. It was a decent enough place, and he (or, well, mainly Asuka and Rei) had shopped here before. He was away from the others right now, trying to find some normalcy through shopping as they were, and looked for someone in particular.

The mall still bore the scars of the fighting that had taken place only a little over a month ago. Many stores were still simply bombed out, particle boards covering their fronts and often only allowing a peek into the ruined, charred mess inside.

Other stores, far fewer in number, had only a few stray bullet holes and blast marks, easily repaired. Those that managed those stores counted themselves very lucky indeed.

Even still, the sound of his footsteps echoed far louder than he felt was right, as he scanned the signs of the stores that were still open. It was quick work, and he passed by only a scant few other shoppers as he walked.

As he made his way to the second floor of the mall, he found an open store, its flickering sign showing the green words 'Fine Cameras and Recording' next to a picture of a camera that looked like it had come from the 80s. Within the open front store, Shinji's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar young man peering down at a row of camcorders.

Kensuke looked odd in the new, rectangular glasses that now adorned his face, his familiar round lens frames apparently destroyed in the evacuation of Tokyo-2 just before the Battle of Tokyo-3 began.

As Shinji walked into the store, the middle-aged owner nodding at him as he passed her, Kensuke looked up, his eyes widening as a small smile grew on his face. "Shinji," he said, obviously surprised, "I didn't figure you'd come around to this store."

He paused as he looked around him. "To be honest, I was afraid it got blown up during the battle."

His smile faded, and Shinji could not help the spike of sympathy that he felt as he watched the light leave his friend's eyes somewhat.

Kensuke shook his head after a moment. "Good thing it survived, though. Cause…" he trailed off as he chuckled. "Well, my camcorder didn't. And..."

He trailed off again, and his smile disappeared. "Well, dad… left money in the will so that, if the need ever arose, I could get a new one." he said softly.

A soft scoff escaped Kensuke. "He was always thoughtful like that." he nearly whispered.

Shinji was somewhat unsure of what to say next. Or, rather, he knew what to say, but not how to say it.

Finally, he settled on just telling Kensuke about the news straightforward. "So… Misato's Commander of NERV now." he said quietly.

Kensuke's brow arched slightly as he looked at Shinji. "Oh, really?" he said.

After a moment, he nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. Seeing as your father died, too."

Shinji nodded silently. "Well," he continued after a moment, "Misato says if you want to throw another party for her like last time, she'd enjoy it." he paused. "I guess it wouldn't be a surprise, but…"

Kensuke chuckled softly. "Well, I'll see what I can do." He said. "Can't promise anything spectacular, though. My money's going to be… pretty tight for a little while after I get the camcorder I want."

Shinji nodded. "Alright. I'll let her know."

It was quiet again as Kensuke picked up a camcorder, showing a patient Shinji the many features of the device, Shinji smiling slightly as he watched at least a little part of his friend's old excitement return to him.

"So, I'm guessing that's going to make taking pictures of the battleships and military vehicles you come across that much better, then?" Shinji asked as Kensuke finished showcasing one of the camcorders.

He was somewhat taken aback as Kensuke shook his head. "Nah. I've taken enough pictures of those to last a long, long time. I'm… well, I'm still thinking about what I would want to take pictures of instead."

Shinji blinked for a moment, then understanding bloomed within his mind. After how he lost his father… he couldn't blame him for his sudden shift in interest.

"So…" Shinji said slowly as Kensuke compared two camcorders. "What's next, then?"

"Good question." Kensuke said, putting down one of the camcorders and picking up another. "Technically, I'm a ward of the state here in Tokyo-3. So, I'll be staying here."

"Okay." Shinji said. Then, a flash of memory came to him. "What about the two girls that you were dating? Sayaka and Kyoko?"

Shinji heard Kensuke's breath hitch. "Well," he said quietly, "their families moved them to Tokyo-2. Permanently. Which means I probably won't see them again for… a long time."

Kensuke chuckled softly at the sad look in Shinji's eyes. "It's a bummer, I know. We actually had a pretty good thing going there for a while."

It was silent as Kensuke regarded the camcorders in front of him, then shook his head. "Anyway, back on topic. Like I said, I'm a ward of the state here in Tokyo-3. That means the most obvious choice is to probably go to one of the orphanages that recently opened up. It's either that, or I accept an offer from Doctor Akagi for an internship at NERV." Kensuke continued, and Shinji's eyes grew wide.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Kensuke said. "I have been dabbling in coding, along with some mechanical work, for most of my school life. I'm pretty decent at it too. I guess that's why Doctor Akagi approached me in the first place."

He finally seemed to decide on a camcorder, picking it up as he faced Shinji fully. "I mean, if I accept the internship offer, I get an apartment, a paycheck, and I get to work with you guys. It's a win-win, really, even if I have to 'learn an experimental coding language'. Whatever First Lieutenant Ibuki meant when she said that."

Shinji said nothing, having a pretty good guess at what exactly Miss Ibuki meant.

Kensuke opened his mouth to continue, then his jaw went slack as he looked past Shinji.

"Shinji, man..." he asked quietly after a moment. "Am I seeing things?"

Shinji's expression was puzzled as he turned around, then he smiled slightly as he caught sight of Rei, Kaworu, and Ichigo walking by. Rei caught sight of him as he waved, and she spoke quietly to the others as they stopped and made their way into the shop.

"Hello, Kensuke." Rei said, a serene smile on her face as she took in Kensuke's apparent astonishment.

"Hi, Rei." Kensuke said numbly. "Long time, no see."

He looked over to Ichigo, who studied him intently. "Is this, uh… is this your sister?"

Rei looked over at Ichigo. "Yes, actually. Her story is… complicated."

Ichigo nodded her head. "Rei is correct. My name is Ichigo."

"Hi." Kensuke said almost bashfully, and Shinji could swear that he was blushing slightly. "I'm Kensuke. I'm Shinji and Rei's friend."

Kensuke extended a hand, and Ichigo regarded it for a moment before slowly taking it, giving a single shake.

"Good to meet you." Ichigo said quietly.

"Same." Kensuke said.

He paused for a moment. "So, wait a minute. How come I've never seen you around then? Were you, like, homeschooled or something?"

Ichigo looked to Rei and Kaworu, then to Shinji, the whole group silent for a moment.

"Uh… guys?" Kensuke said, looking around at the rest of the group. "What do you know that I don't? Cause I'm seeing a lot of glances at each other right now."

"Well…" Shinji began. "First things first, are you going to accept the NERV internship?"

"Well…" Kensuke replied slowly. "Yeah, honestly. I'm guessing that it has to do with some classified information?"

"That would be putting it mildly." Kaworu finally said, and Kensuke regarded Kaworu properly.

"You transferred in recently, didn't you?" Kensuke asked. As Kaworu nodded, Kensuke did the same. "Figures. I wouldn't really have noticed. I was with… Sayaka and Kyoko." The pause was minute, but it was noticeable.

"Indeed." Kaworu said. "But," he continued after a moment, "there are other matters to discuss."

"Alright. Let me go ahead and get this camcorder." Kensuke said. Already, his mind was whirling. What could they possibly tell him? Was it about the Evangelions? Where Rei came from? Where Ichigo had apparently been all this time?

Well, there was only one way to find out, Kensuke thought, as he steeled himself for whatever might come next.

. . .

Kensuke exited the mall in a daze, as what he had learned in the past… was it really an hour and a half? spun around in his head like a mad carnival ride.

His mother's soul was safe somewhere? NERV had narrowly averted the apocalypse, multiple times? Rei, and by extension, Ichigo, were clones composed of an alien being deep within the Geofront?

That didn't even touch the parts that concerned things from outside of the universe or the magic that they called Interfacing.

Kensuke's whole… well, everything had turned upside down. Now, he lagged a little behind his friends, behind Shinji and Toji and their girlfriends (as weird as it was thinking about Shinji and Asuka, of all people, hooking up), behind Rei and Kaworu and Ichigo, as they walked back home, looking down at his feet. How could he measure up to his friends now? They were… so far out of his league that trying to catch up to them somehow seemed laughable. They were heroes, practically sorcerers. What was he, besides some guy with glasses and a camera?

"Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Kensuke jumped slightly as he looked to his side, and found Ichigo there, looking at him intently with her deep red eyes.

It was silent for a moment as they regarded each other. "No, no." Kensuke said quickly. "It's fine."

They walked together for a little while in a silence that could be called companionable. Then, Ichigo looked over at Kensuke, who had once again cast his gaze to the ground. "I know that look." she said quietly.

Kensuke blinked. "What do you mean?" he said, looking back up at Ichigo with no small amount of suspicion.

"Your entire world, everything that you know to be true, is either gone or seriously in question. Or was never there in the first place. You're confused, somewhat scared, and…" Ichigo trailed off for a moment as she looked ahead to the others. "You're not sure what to think of the people you were sure you knew more than anything in the world."

Kensuke looked over at Ichigo with wide eyes. "How do you…" he whispered, trailing off.

Ichigo's expression was veiled in a slight sadness. "Because, up until the Battle of Tokyo-3, I believed myself to be Rei Ayanami. I was given her memories, in an edited form. Then…" she trailed off as she went silent for a moment. "The truth was presented to me." she nearly whispered. "And I had no idea what to do."

It was silent again for a long moment as Kensuke processed this. "How…" he trailed off as he tried to find what he wanted to ask. "How do you get out of that?" he finally settled on. "Do you know?"

Ichigo looked into the middle distance as she pondered the question. "Well," she finally said, "I decided to find out who I could be. If I was no longer Rei Ayanami, then what could I, as Ichigo, do? It has been… fascinating, exploring what interests I might have."

"What have you done so far?" Kensuke asked, his eyes beginning to gleam with an old, almost forgotten light.

"Well," Ichigo said, pushing a strand of her green hair out of the way, "I have mostly explored what I can do creatively to distinguish myself. So far, I have mostly explored artistic avenues, especially painting and pottery."

Kensuke nodded. Not really his forte, but interesting nonetheless. Ichigo continued as she looked over at him. "What do you do?"

"Well," Kensuke said as he cupped his chin in thought, "I do photography, obviously." he said as he almost unconsciously wiggled the bag that he carried slightly. "I make models, and I tinker with small mechanics as well. Mostly robotics and firearms that my father allowed me to work with."

"Could you…" Ichigo said, trailing off as Kensuke looked back at her. "Tell me more? Perhaps show me some of these things?"

A smile began to grow as Kensuke nodded. "Sure!" he said, and a small smile appeared on Ichigo's face.

"I mean, most of my stuff from my apartment here survived, miraculously." Kensuke continued. "I just have to get it out of storage first. But let me start by explaining things."

He looked over at Ichigo with an excited expression. "So, first off, here's the basic deal with model building…"

Up ahead, Rei could not help but smile as she glanced back. Kensuke had needed what Ichigo had to offer, just as Ichigo would benefit from a new friend who was less… connected than they all were to each other.

She looked back ahead. It was good to see the light in Kensuke's eyes when he talked about his passions again. Just like it was good to see that light beginning to reflect in Ichigo's eyes as well.

- - -

Ritsuko's Lab, NERV HQ, Geofront

Ritsuko looked intently at the screen of her computer as she listened to Maya type on her own computer a few feet away from her. 'Daniel and Eleanor should be here any minute now.'

As she waited, she remembered what Maya had told her about her mother the evening she returned from New York. She looked over at Maya, who continued to look, frankly, adorable as her expression edged on pouting as she concentrated on the baseline plans for the Evangelion Platform Replication Project. 'Well… I should have time for at least a quick talk.'

"Maya." She said, and Maya blinked as she looked over. "I'm going to have a private chat with mother. If Daniel and Eleanor get here before I'm done, just set up and get me up to speed when I get back."

Maya nodded in understanding. "Alright. Will do."

Ritsuko stood and went into an adjacent room, the door sliding shut behind her with a quiet hiss. It was where the main computer bank was stored, a backup in case the Magi ever failed. The fact that the Magi resided in it anyways spoke to the system's importance and pervasiveness.

As Ritsuko came to a stop in front of one of the monitors, she took a deep breath as she sat in the chair facing it. After a moment to prepare herself, she typed out a message in a specialized chat room, only readable by her, Maya, and her mother. 'Mother? Are you there?'

As she pressed send, she waited for a moment. Then, she blinked, managing not to jump too much as the face of Naoko Akagi appeared on the screen before her.

It had been so long since she had actually seen the face of her mother. Most of her pictures were elsewhere, either tucked away out of sight or destroyed. She'd forgotten how much she looked like her, save for the bleached blonde hair that Ritsuko had used to distinguish herself.

"Hello, dear." Naoko said, her expression serious. "It's been a while."

"That it has." Ritsuko said wearily.

"How was New York?" Naoko asked, her expression softening slightly.

Ritsuko sighed explosively as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "About as well as it could have, reliving many of my worst mistakes for all the world to see. The worst part is how long it took, really."

"Ah." Naoko said, her image on the screen nodding sagely. "The UN are still ever the masters of thoroughness, I see."

Ritsuko chuckled darkly. "Indeed." she paused for a moment to consider what to say next. "How were things here?"

"Oh, just peachy." Naoko said, a slight smile coming to her face. "Your girlfriend is a real sweetheart, as I'm sure you know quite well."

Ritsuko smiled. "That I do. She remarked on you keeping life interesting around here."

A cocksure smile crossed Naoko's face. "Well, when I've got little more to do besides managing the most powerful computer in the world?" she said assuredly. "I have to find something to keep myself sane."

It was quiet for a moment afterward as Naoko's smile faded. "I…" Naoko said, trailing off.

She sighed quietly. "I've missed you, Ritsuko." she said simply.

It was silent again. "I…" Ritsuko said, trailing off as well. How did she respond to that? How did she respond to hearing that from the woman who had been perhaps the most absent in her life up until only a few months ago?

"You know…" Ritsuko finally said. "I don't know how long I've waited to hear that from you."

"I mean," she continued, "my whole life I've respected you as a scientist, as a woman with depths of knowledge. But…" she grasped at the air as she trailed off.

"I've hardly been a competent mother." Naoko said quietly.

"That's almost putting it lightly." Ritsuko said. She didn't know why she was standing now. She instinctively reached for her cigarettes, then stopped. Neither Maya or her mother would quite appreciate the smoke getting into the machines. Her hand twitched.

"I mean, all the time you gave to GEHIRN, to the Magi, to… to Gendo," she continued, her voice beginning to rise, "and barely a single second could be spared for your own daughter."

It was all coming out now, years of confusion, of anger and jealousy and guilt, and Ritsuko barely cared to stop it.

"And in order to feel like I could even be anywhere near you, get even a shred of your praise, I had to do all this, be burdened by the sins that GEHIRN would take part of, that NERV would take part of, just so every once in a while I could hear you say 'Good job, Ritsuko'!"

"But no. All your focus was on the Magi, your new child. All your focus was on Gendo, who played the both of us like we were cheaply made slide whistles! And where was I? Being a perfectly serviceable lab assistant, just like you needed from me."

Ritsuko finally paused for a moment to catch her now heaving breath before she continued. "And then, when you died, I finally just… just… had it. If I couldn't connect with you, why would I ever be like you?"

Ritsuko paused again as she seemed to deflate. "And yet… I turned out to be just like you there, for a while. Even with my dyed hair, even with everything I did to make sure I could never see you when I looked at myself in the mirror…" She chuckled softly. "I still became you. All the same wants. All the same jealousies…"

Ritsuko walked slowly back to the chair in front of the monitor, sinking back into it with a sigh. "It was like you never left." Ritsuko whispered.

The silence in the air pressed down almost oppressively now as a silent tear ran down Ritsuko's face before she blinked. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head and wiping her eyes, "that… kind of came out of nowhere."

"No, it didn't." Naoko said. "You are far smarter than me, and it shows. You saw what was happening, even if it took time. I never did."

Naoko paused for a moment and chuckled grimly. "At least, not while I was alive."

Naoko shook her head. "But now," she continued, "we have a fresh start. You have a fresh start in Maya. And I…" she chuckled again with a sad smile. "I had mine here in the Magi."

Naoko's smile faded. "But… As wondrous as this all is, I can't help but miss being able to… to hug you. To hold you in my arms and wonder at how amazing you could be."

Ritsuko looked up at the image of her mother. "You want to have a body again." She said simply.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it?" Naoko admitted. "To be able to experience that again."

Naoko sighed. "But right now, I still have work to do in here. Looking for SEELE, for this Marlowe Child, making sure that there isn't another digital attack… Right now, popping into another body is a luxury it seems I don't have the time for."

Ritsuko pondered on her mother's words silently for a moment. "Well…" she said. "I have some ideas on that. I'll think about it and get back to you."

Naoko's eyes widened slightly. "Oh." she said softly.

It was silent again for a moment. Now, though, the silence was one of contemplation. "Thank you."

Ritsuko smiled slightly. "Of course, mother."

. . .

Ritsuko and Naoko talked for a little while longer, then Ritsuko said her goodbyes as she got out a notepad and began to scribble down her ideas.

As she passed through the door back into the main lab, she looked up to see that Daniel and Eleanor had arrived and that Maya was assisting them in moving a few pieces of small machinery, which mainly consisted of two small pillar-like pedestals, and two larger, rectangular slabs. Each had a smooth, black surface with little in the way to outwardly indicate their function.

Maya looked back at Ritsuko and smiled, waving after she set one of the pedestals in place. "Hello! Did your chat go well?"

Ritsuko looked at Maya and could see the concern that she hid behind her chipper expression. In response, she gave a wan smile. "Somewhat exhausting. Informative. A little soul-searching. All in all, par for the course."

The concern she saw behind Maya's eyes disappeared as her smile widened, and Ritsuko couldn't help but smile a little wider herself.

She scanned the new additions to the lab's space with a raised eyebrow. "And what new implements of science would I be looking at?" she said, aiming her gaze at Daniel as she came to a stop by one of the waist-high pedestals.

"Well," Daniel said, looking over at Eleanor, "I think that Eleanor could give a far better explanation than I could."

Ritsuko's gaze turned to Eleanor, and her eyebrow arched slightly.

"So," Eleanor said, setting down the slab that she and Daniel carried and placing her hands on her hips, "these are databanks that allow for the display, viewing, and manipulation of data related to Metos and other elements on the Pneumaic level."

"And these," she said, gesturing to one of the pedestals, "act as both monitors and tool storage."

Ritsuko nodded appreciatively as she approached one of the databanks, noting a glowing green rune that pulsed intermittently. She tapped it, and a line of white light went across the top of the slab before lifting up into the air, dragging a long, wide screen with it until it stopped, hanging in the air a few inches above the device.

Ritsuko and Maya looked at the sight with wide eyes, wondering at the windows that began to display on the screen. "Wow…" Maya said quietly. "It's like the holographic tables onboard some of the newer American naval vessels."

Ritsuko merely nodded silently as she intently studied a display of what was labeled as a typical Vent Frame, which looked almost like a branch filled with leaves, each one precise in its geometry.

"And the kicker," Eleanor said, drawing the two scientists' attention as she activated the display of the second databank and walked over to them, "is this."

She grabbed the display with one hand, and pulled it off the screen, carrying it to the center of the circle that the machines had now made, and released it to float in midair as Ritsuko and Maya watched with wide eyes. "You can take the displays you're working on anywhere you want within this area." she said, unmistakably proud of herself.

"Where did you get these?" Maya said as she ogled at the databank's displays.

"Well," Eleanor said, "I made them with the help of my ship the Errant's fabricators." She paused for a moment. "Assembly took more than a little time with just Daniel and me, but we used the Infinity Box to get around most of that."

"I see." Ritsuko said, walking over to one of the pedestals. "And what do these contain?"

Eleanor walked over to the pedestal Ritsuko was studying and tapped one of the sides. An outline of light pulsed, and a compartment opened, containing a rack of what appeared to be handheld devices and visors, along with two sleek, yet geometric pods, all of which seemed a little much to fit into the seemingly small space that it emerged from. "The whole pedestal contains different tools that we'll be using over the course of the project. Right now…"

Eleanor picked up one of the visors and one of the tools. "These will help us get started with the first part of this project. That being, scanning one of the Evangelions."

"Scanning them?" Maya said, walking over to Ritsuko's side as Eleanor handed the visor and the tool to Ritsuko and picked up one of the pods.

"Yep." Eleanor said. "In order to replicate an Evangelion using Interfacing, we're going to need to know what they look like on the Pneumaic level. These drones will need to scan one of them from top to bottom to ensure we have the best possible start."

"So…" Ritsuko said as a gleam began to glow in her eyes. "Let's get started, then."

- - -

Off the Coast of Egypt, 7 Days Later

Mariah leaned against the railing of the ship as she peered at the coasts of Africa with wide eyes, taking in everything at once. It was a good day for her, even with all the traveling. She could focus on things now without having to rely too heavily on the Thrill, which even still glowed like an ember within her chest.

Even still, her gaze jumped from place to place, drinking in the sights of the Egyptian coast almost as much as she drank the water she held to stave off the heat.

It had been a somewhat interesting lead-up to coming here, getting to see some of the sights of the Mediterranean as she passed through it. But afterward, it was going to be a long, boring blue ocean that waited for her.

She finished her drink as she pouted at the tragedy of the moment. Then, she straightened up and turned away from the view as they passed through into the Suez Channel proper, the canal built decades ago now turned into a far more massive causeway by the melting of the Antarctic ice at Second Impact.

As she went down into the ship, tossing her drink into a trashcan in passing, she got out her phone and forced herself to look over the briefing packet that Commander Townsend had given her one more time, just to make sure that she knew everything about what she was getting into.

She skimmed the parts that she knew she had memorized. The mission was about retrieving some Lance or another and making sure that they got a hold of some big white thing called Lilith, she'd be accompanied by some Mass-Production Evangelions who'd take things from there, and should expect at least 4 enemy Evangelions, with the possibility of there being up to six, blah, blah, blah. That was basically ancient history by now.

She slowed as she got to the part of the briefing document that still interested her. She would be going into battle not just with the automated MP-Evas, but with two other manned Evangelions as well.

She had wondered at first if the ashen-haired boy would be one of them when Townsend told her about that. Kaworu was a nice enough puppy, once you got past the weird eyes and slightly creepy smile. She'd trained him for a little while as she was finishing with getting her feet under her in the simulators, and, she had to admit, he was actually pretty good.

But no, sadly, she thought as her pout began to return. It disappeared as she considered the names, faces, and most excitingly, the Evangelions, of her two (two!) wingmates. Now, they… they could be fun. Or at the very least interesting.

- - -

Uluru Blacksite, Australian Outback

A phone rang in the pocket of a suit jacket, and its owner pulled it out to answer it.

As the phone beeped, its owner steeled himself for the inevitable.

"Major Howard." The deep, rough voice of former Chairman Lorenz Kihl said simply.

"Yes, sir. Speaking." Major Terrence Howard said, fighting for a moment to not run a hand through his chestnut brown hair to straighten it out.

"Are Beta Child and Cephus Child prepared to sortie?" Kihl asked.

"Yes sir. At a moment's notice." Major Howard replied.

"No need for such alacrity, Major. Alpha Child will be arriving at your location in approximately 25 days. Then, the operation will commence."

"Very well, sir." He paused for a moment as he caught himself before saying the names of the Children under his command. "I'll make sure they're up to speed and ready when Alpha Child arrives."

"Good. You and the Children who will be under your command will not fail us." There was no questioning, only a command, an order to be carried out to the fullest to ensure the salvation of all mankind.

The line went dead without another word, and Major Howard kept the concern he felt from showing in his hazel eyes. 'Mana… Mayumi… I hope you're ready. Hell, I hope I'm ready.'

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 6: A Touch from Beyond the Sky

I almost didn't catch how much time passed between getting started on the Evangelion Platform Replacement Project and Contact Day. I know, my work can consume me at times, but… the urgency of this was like a black hole. One that needed Maya to pull me out of it more than a few times. So much depends on a replacement for the Evangelions coming quickly. The lives of the Children are only a portion of that, large as it is.

As for Contact Day itself, I still can't fully explain how… normal it all felt. One moment, we stood waiting for the world to change, and the next… it did. Irrevocably.

The world continues to change so quickly. I'm not sure I can keep up with it all. And I have to keep up. To make sure that the world can still change after all is said and done.

- Personal journal of Ritsuko Akagi

Commander's Office, NERV HQ, Geofront, Mid-July 2016

Misato sighed heavily as she regarded her computer screen, studiously avoiding looking at the piles of paperwork that sat next to it.

Gendo's office was absolutely terrible, even sitting behind the desk that she had once stood in front of. She'd made a conscious effort to get databanks, shelving, screens, anything that could take away from the dark, empty, oppressive feel of the room. And it worked. Mostly.

'I swear, we're going to find a way to remodel this. I mean, who even really noticed these ridiculous looking diagrams anyway? What did he get out of them besides some vague symbolism?'

She shook her head, resigning herself to never fully knowing the answer to those questions as she focused back on the screen, and the reports it held on it.

She had heard back from almost all of the commanders of the other NERV branches. Lutenhahl and her had a nice conversation over text, even. He would be coming personally to what was now being called 'Contact Day'. The other commanders were either coming or would be sending representatives in their place for what was going to be the biggest day in Earth's history. A day that was now only about three weeks away at the beginning of August, as far as Daniel had said.

Even still, it was debatable whether some of those branches would even exist soon. On one panel, a news site was pulled up, the words 'MAJOR NATIONS SECEDE FROM UN, WORLD STAGE IN CHAOS' splashed across the top of the panel.

The UN was changing with the departure of so many powerful nations. The world was changing. And NERV was changing too. But could it keep up?

Or, Misato thought as a familiar coal of paranoia smoldered within her, was all of NERV really changing? How many of the commanders could she really trust? How many still were in the pocket of SEELE, ready to turn against her at a moment's notice?

She didn't know. And she really didn't like not knowing.

Regardless, she thought as she exited out of the panel, there would be other matters to worry about. Like the Evangelion's replacement program that Ritsuko had started. And the doubtless impending attack by SEELE using another Child.

Finally, she just stood up, turning off the display on her computer. She needed to get out of this room or she'd go nuts. It happened most days that she finally just had enough of the office after spending enough time in it. She needed to take a walk.

Her steps across the office echoed less, but they still echoed all the same. Finally, she reached the door and opened it to find Hyuga standing there, papers and a tablet in hand.

"Hello, Commander." he said professionally, and Misato nodded. "I have some reports that I'm sure you'll be interested in."

Misato shrugged. "Well, if it's less boring than what's on my desk right now, I'll take it."

The look Hyuga gave her as she said that worried her slightly as they began to walk towards Central Dogma.

What he said next worried her even more. "So, here's a report on what our budget is supposed to look like in the next year, courtesy of the Japanese government." he said as he leafed through the papers in his hands, pulling a packet out and handing it to her.

As they reached an elevator, she read silently, and her eyes grew steadily wider. "This… is insane." she finally said as the paper's edges crumpled slightly in her grip. "They expect us to run effectively with nearly half of our budget slashed? How much do they think goes into just systems upkeep and salaries? Those numbers alone almost gave me a stroke, and that doesn't even touch the Evangelions."

Hyuga sighed quietly. "That's not even the worst part, ma'am." he said. "We're one of the few who even has a budget. NERV-6 in Beijing has already shut down completely, and most of the other NERV branches look like they'll be closing down within the next 6 months."

Misato's eyes widened as she looked over at Hyuga. "Which ones won't?"

Hyuga grimaced. "Well… only NERV-2 in Germany and NERV-5 in Britain look like they'll run for longer than that. And even then, not by much."

Misato grimaced as well. "Anything else?" she said, daring to hope.

Hyuga's own grimace as he pulled out another, single piece of paper dashed those hopes as he handed it to her. "Well… there's this."

Misato grabbed the piece of paper, and read it, her eyes narrowing as she saw the UN logo, then widening before they closed. Of all the things that they could do...

Misato sighed quietly as the doors to the elevator opened with a ding. "The lights are going out." she said quietly as she and Hyuga stepped out of the elevator onto the command deck of Central Dogma, a quiet buzz of activity greeting them as they entered.

"Ma'am?" Hyuga said as they made their way towards a familiar desk situated above everything else, Misato taking a seat with a sigh.

"NERV is growing less and less powerful by the day. After a while, I wouldn't be surprised if we even shut down. And with what's out there right now..." she trailed off, and Hyuga didn't need her to finish her sentence to know exactly what she was thinking.

Misato scanned Central Dogma, her gaze eventually settling down on the back of Faez as she worked at her station seemingly intent on the contents of her screen.

"How is Faez doing?" Misato said conversationally, her tone quiet to ensure that Hyuga alone heard her words.

"Ma'am?" Hyuga replied, shock evident in his expression.

Misato looked up at Hyuga. "Makoto." she said, her face the picture of serious concern. "How is Adira?"

It was silent for a moment as Hyuga processed what Misato asked. "Well…" he finally replied in a hesitant tone. "I mean, I haven't been able to talk to her for… a couple of days now. I figure I'll give her her space, and talk to her after she's processed whatever she's processing."

Misato nodded as she looked back at Central Dogma. "Smart." she said, pausing for a moment afterward. "But don't let that hang too long. Be there for her."

Another pause. "Don't do what Kaji and I did." she said quietly.

Hyuga considered his commander's, his friend's words. "Yes, ma'am," he said quietly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Misato smiled slightly. "Good." she said quietly. "Good."

- - -

Infinity Box, 1 Week Later

The Children of NERV sat in the center of the large, blue room, bare save for benches along the edges of the walls and the stools that they sat on, and regarded each other.

They had been coming here far more frequently now since they had gotten back from New York. Since Daniel's powers, and by extension, their powers, had been revealed.

Usually, when they came here together, they sparred, creating weapons and brainstorming tactics to fend off the threat of the Revenants that the Scions had unleashed on them. Or, if it came to it, to defeat the I-Breaker, as ludicrous as it sometimes sounded.

Now, however, an entirely different kind of brainstorming was going on. Now, they were figuring out ways that they could apply their Interfacing in non-combat situations. The list was surprisingly long now, with many of the ideas finding their start in Shinji and Kaworu of all people.

It had gone on for quite some time now, a reprieve and a haven from the impending schoolwork of the coming semester. Now, though, some, or at least one, in particular, were getting a little bored of it.

Asuka stood up, stretching with a yawn. "Alright. As much as I enjoy talking with all of you, I need something to get my blood pumping or I'm going to fall asleep."

She looked around the group as they nodded in agreement. After a moment, she pointed at Kaworu. "Kritzeln. I know you've been focusing mainly on the artistic side of your Interfacing, but what do you say to a little sparing?"

Kaworu shrugged. "I suppose that some exercise would do us all some good." he said as he stood, his stool disappearing.

The others stood as well, the rest of the stools sinking into the floor as they walked over to the benches and sat down, conversing quietly with each other as they sat down. After a moment, Hikari stood up and stretched out her hand, a dot of light flickering to life in her hand as lines of light appeared on the floor and created a large square, about 25 feet long and wide, with the two combatants in the middle.

Asuka and Kaworu looked over at Hikari as she approached one side of the square. "I figure since this is a spar, you'd appreciate a referee, just to make sure this goes smoothly." she smiled slightly. "I even studied some texts on different kinds of dueling, so we can make this a proper game."

Asuka and Kaworu looked at each other quizzically, then shrugged. "Very well, then." Kaworu said. "What are the rules of this duel?"

Hikari put her hands on her hips. "First rule, physical enhancements should be kept to a minimum, no more than, say, 15 or 20 percent of an improvement. Second, you'll have to choose one form for your weapon and can't change that form until the next round or after 5 minutes. If you step out or are forced out of the boundary, a point goes to your opponent. If you land a killing blow, that's a point for you. First to 5 points wins."

Asuka nodded slowly at Hikari, who displayed an unmistakable air of pride in her work. "Wow. You've put some thought into this."

Hikari shrugged. "Rules come easy to me. It's what made me class representative, after all."

"Yeah, and don't we know it." Toji grumbled softly, earning a slight elbow from Shinji and a chuckle from the rest of the group.

Asuka and Kaworu faced off against each other as they considered their strategies for a moment, their Grips appearing in their hands.

After a moment, a dull grey metal seemed to flow from the end of Asuka's Grip, becoming a long two-handed sword which she held in a low ready position. "Alright, Kaworu. Ready whenever you are."

Kaworu nodded as twin streams of dark, iridescent ink flowed from both ends of his own Grip, becoming a spear with a large, broad head. The butt of the spear seemed to split, swirling in a helix before ending in a smaller blade.

Asuka nodded appreciatively. "That's a new one. Good to see you exercising your creativity, Kritzeln."

Kaworu examined the spear. "Yes. But it also feels… familiar."

"Familiar?" Asuka said, tilting her head slightly as the tip of her blade dipped from the ready stance. "You just made it."

Kaworu didn't hear her. Instead, he saw the spear in crimson, massive yet still seemingly small against the backdrop of the stars, of the Earth above him. Was he… on the moon? And what was the massive form beside the spear, wrapped in a white cloth, wearing a mask...

"Kaworu?"

He blinked, and the vision was gone, and he stood in the square of light, holding a dark copy of the spear in his hands. A copy of the Spear of Cassius. Was that its name?

Kaworu shook his head. "Pardon me," he replied, settling into a high stance, the blade seeming to arc down over his head like a scorpion's stinger, "I was lost in thought for a moment."

Asuka nodded slowly, and the tip of her blade rose again as she adjusted her stance. "Alright. Don't get too distracted. I'd hate to kill you by accident."

"I'd hate to die. It seems rather tedious." Kaworu said with a slight smile.

Asuka sniffed softly as Hikari raised her hand. "Begin!" she shouted, chopping her hand down and stepping back, as the two combatants stepped towards each other.

They were cautious, shifting their grips on their weapons along with shifting their stances, sizing each other up as they circled.

After a moment, Asuka stepped forward as she jabbed her sword at his chest, Kaworu parrying the strike as he stepped forward as well.

Kaworu slashed and jabbed at Asuka, who sidestepped and parried with no small amount of effort. Then, Asuka stepped within the reach of Kaworu's spear, grabbing the blade of her sword in one hand as she swung the tip of a crossguard at Kaworu's face, stopping only inches away.

Hikari's left hand rose to her side as a steady red light appeared above it, flashing once. "Point to Asuka. Good round." she said, a small smile on her face for seeing such effort made by both her friends.

Toji, on the other hand, was less enthused. "Oh, come on," he said incredulously, an open hand pointed at Asuka as she retreated to a corner of the square, "you can do that?"

"Of course, jock." Asuka replied with a cocksure smile. "It's called half-swording. You'd know if you looked into historical combat manuals."

Toji scoffed in righteous indignation. "I have better things to do than study combat manuals, Asuka! You and I both know that!" he shouted, and a chuckle rippled through the room.

Asuka rolled her eyes as she looked back at Kaworu. "Nice hustle."

She blinked as Kaworu tilted his head in confusion. "I'm… not entirely sure what that means."

"Oh." Asuka said. "It, uh… it means I see that you made a good effort."

"Ah." Kaworu said, smiling slightly as he dropped into another ready stance, the tip of the spear pointing up as he held it in front of him. "Thank you."

. . .

As the duel continued, Asuka and Kaworu soon became tied with three points each, with Asuka wielding a polearm now as they stepped around each other in the current round. As they circled, Shinji watched and wondered silently.

After a moment, Rei, who sat next to him, looked over with concern as she noted Shinji's pensive, somewhat sad look. "What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly.

Shinji blinked, then looked over at Rei and sighed quietly. "This… this is normal for us now. And…" Shinji trailed off. "I don't like it all that much, really."

"Why?" Rei asked, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"I miss when the worst I had to worry about was piloting a giant robot against giant monsters." Shinji said ruefully. He chuckled after a moment as he noticed Rei's eyes widen. "I almost don't believe it myself, really."

Shinji paused as he gathered his thoughts. "I miss thinking things would go at least somewhat back to normal when the Angels were defeated. I miss thinking that I could go on a date with Asuka somewhere at, like… a restaurant or a park. Now, our dates are duels, here in a cold, lonely blue box."

Shinji sighed again as he shook his head. "I miss… normalcy. Quiet. Now, we get to be a part of opening up this universe to a whole new part of reality, making sure it's kept safe."

Shinji ripped his face with one hand as Toji looked over at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Man, Shinji…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Toji blinked and opened his mouth to speak before being rudely interrupted by a shout of "Verdammt!" from the square. Or, more accurately, from somewhat beyond it, as Asuka fell on her back, her body halfway out of the square as her weapon clattered to the ground beside her.

Hikari's right hand rose, and a bright white light flickered four times. "Point goes to Kaworu. That's four points for him compared to your three, Asuka."

"Yeah, yeah. No need to remind me." Asuka grumbled, grabbing her Grip as it changed into a sword with a blade about three and a half feet long, taking the Grip in both hands as she got settled into another stance.

As the next round began, Toji shook his head. "I was saying something, give me a second." he said, and Rei and Shinji looked at him as he furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Aha." he said after a moment, looking back over at Shinji. "What about a group date away from the city? Got any ideas there? I'm sure that there's somewhere that we can just have a nice, quiet group date without a bunch of reporters breathing down our necks."

Shinji pondered on Toji's words for a second. "Actually…" Shinji said, a quiet light growing in his eyes. "There is one place."

"Where would it be?" Rei asked, a slight smile on her face.

"There's a hot spring close to Mount Asama. It's fairly out of the way, and very relaxing." Shinji said, a smile starting to grow on his face. "Maybe we can go there."

"Sounds like just the thing we need after New York and all the other stress that's been piling on top of us." Toji said.

Shinji nodded, his smile growing slightly as Asuka batted aside Kaworu's spear, aiming a thrust directly at the boy's heart and stopping short.

Hikari's left hand rose again, a red light flashing four times before blinking out. "And that's the fourth point to you, Asuka. The next round decides the duel."

. . .

Kaworu's focus was entirely on Asuka as he marshaled his breathing, forcing himself to breathe deep and slow as he held the spear out in front of him.

"Begin!" he heard out of the corner of his vision, and he stepped forward, jabbing to probe at Asuka's defense. It was, surprisingly, still strong, even as the tip of her blade dipped slightly every once in a while.

He stepped forward, slashing and stabbing at Asuka, who parried and blocked many of the strikes. But not all of them. Some of them glanced off her arms or her shoulder. The blades were dulled, so no cuts were made, but it showed Asuka's flagging strength.

'What I need,' he realized, 'is to get behind her.'

So, Kaworu began to retreat slowly, allowing Asuka to advance on him, allowing the space between her and the edge of the square to open further and further as Asuka gained a hungry, driven look in her eyes, her swings becoming stronger, quicker, as Kaworu began to struggle to keep up.

'Soon… soon… now!'

As Asuka aimed another thrust at him, he surprised her by stepping to the side, dashing behind her and sweeping her legs, stepping back as she fell on her back with a thump on the thankfully far more padded floor.

He took his spear in both hands, raising it up to thrust down at her chest when he blinked.

In a moment, he hung above the air, watching an Evangelion, his Evangelion, armored in deep blue and orange, hurl the crimson Spear of Cassius down from the heavens, down towards the center of a massive disk of black and red rings.

As the Eva descended, and the rings dispersed, Kaworu saw its target as it floated down from the air, Unit-01's baleful light fading as it dropped, an arm seemingly composed of an AT Field disappearing as the accents of bright red on Unit-01 became green again as it touched the ground.

Kaworu watched as his Evangelion, Mark.06, touched down, gently scooping the Evangelion up and…

"Kaworu? Are you okay?"

Kaworu blinked, and the vision was, again, gone, as was the copy of the Spear of Cassius that he wielded. Now, he was surrounded by his friends, Shinji, Rei, and Asuka studying him intently as he stood in place, the square that they had dueled in gone now.

Kaworu shook his head slightly. "I… I saw something."

"Saw something?" Shinji asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Kaworu replied. "It is hard to explain fully. I am… connected, somehow, to other versions of reality. Or, at least, this reality."

"So, you're able to see other versions of your life?" Asuka said, her head tilted slightly.

"Essentially." Kaworu said, nodding. "I believe… I saw something related to another Echo. Another version of my life. I saw the Spear of Cassius. The spear I copied and used throughout the duel. And I watched as my Evangelion took it and…"

Kaworu tilted his head slightly. "Attacked? I'm not entirely sure what I did, but it looked like it stopped something that Unit-01 was doing."

The Children all looked at each other. "If it's something Unit-01 was doing…" Shinji said, trailing off. "Would it have anything to do with what we've already seen?"

"Perhaps." Kaworu replied. After a moment's consideration, he nodded. "But we can talk about that after I've considered the visions more thoroughly. In the meantime, I'm ready to go back to the outside world. Or more ready, at least."

The others nodded appreciatively, the feeling of the Infinity Box reintegrating into the flow of time a familiar one as they walked towards the exit.

Asuka walked by Kaowru as Shinji, Hikari, Toji, and Rei all talked about Kensuke moving in soon, as well as the potential date at the hot springs. "I gave you the point." she said conversationally.

Kaworu blinked. "What?" he asked, a slightly baffled expression creasing his face.

"You were going to get it anyway if it wasn't for your stupid vision." Asuka said, her own brow creasing slightly as she put her hands on her hips. "I know I can be a real blowhard when it comes to competition, but let it never be said that I'm not fair."

Kaworu nodded slowly as a smile grew on his face. "I'll keep that in mind."

- - -

Geofront Access Train, 1 Week Later

Second Lieutenant Kensuke Aida looked down at his badge one more time to make sure it was still there and that this wasn't all a dream.

And it wasn't. Not the moving into the same apartment that almost all his friends seemed to live in, not the uniform that he now wore. And now, not coming down here, and seeing the Geofront in all its majesty for the first time.

It was magical to see it laid out before him. Even though it did sadden him to see some of the rubble still strewn about, or the hasty metal patch over the wound that the glass pyramid had sustained during the battle. And now, he would get to learn how it all worked. Experimental coding language and all.

As he drank it all in, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he pulled it out, looking at the message that he had received.

It was from Ichigo. The picture she had sent was one of a model kit, the first model kit she had ever done, given to her by him. It was what every model kit builder's first one should be, really. The RX-78-2 Gundam.

The Gundam was completed now, and it looked like Ichigo had gone the extra mile and painted it, too, the color scheme making it appear to be made of dark baked clay, with vibrant green, yellow and bright blue accents.

Kensuke smiled slightly as he read the words that went along with it. 'I think it came out well enough. Thank you again for showing me this new creativity, Aida.'

Kensuke had seen her eyes light up as he showed her his projects as he moved in a floor below her and the others, and a slight smile on her face as he presented the model kit that she had been building. She was… something else. Like Rei, but… not, in a way that he couldn't fully put his finger on. It felt good to share things with her, expand her world from what it had been.

His train of thought was stopped at the same moment the passenger tram he was on did, and the doors opened to usher him into the Geofront proper.

He followed the instructions given to him as he made his way towards the research labs, helped along by directions to handy shortcuts given by some of the passing personnel. In time, he reached the door, and stood in front of it for a moment, taking a deep breath to prepare himself for what lay within.

After a moment to steel himself for whatever technical wonders lay within, he swiped his badge across the scanner, and the doors opened.

As he stepped through, his jaw went slack as he took in the vision in front of him. In the center of a circle of devices, holograms that blew whatever he had seen on the Over the Rainbow out of the water floated freely in the air, as Doctor Akagi and Lieutenant Ibuki held and manipulated them, diagrams of… something causing his gaze to jump from one thing to the next, barely noticing the Theismans as he walked forward and studied what appeared to be an intricate outline of some sort, making up the figure of an Evangelion…

"Welcome to our little shop of wonders, Mr. Aida."

Kensuke jumped slightly as he looked up at Mr. Theisman. "Oh. Hello, sir."

Mr. Theisman chuckled as he extended a hand. "Please, call me Daniel. It's been a while since the Over the Rainbow. I look forward to getting to know you better."

Kensuke shook Daniel's hand slowly, then his eyes widened as he remembered. "Oh, yeah… you and Mrs. Theisman found each other, and then Shinji and Asuka fought that fish Angel. I remember now."

Daniel smiled. "Good." he looked around as he let go of Kensuke's hand. "I hope this doesn't come as too much of a shock to you. Things have… changed recently."

"Oh, no, Mr…. Daniel. The others… the others filled me in on things." Kensuke said quietly.

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Again, good."

He took a deep breath. "You'll be learning at least the basics of Interfacing while assisting us in the Evangelion Platform Replacement Project." he shook his head and chuckled slightly, then looked over at Doctor Akagi. "We need a shorter name for this, Ritsuko, I'm telling you."

"Ha!" Lieutenant Ibuki cried out triumphantly. "I told you. I'm not the only one!"

Doctor Akagi rolled her eyes as she held a tangle of glowing lines in her hands. "Alright, alright. We can brainstorm some names in a little while." she said, manipulating the lines to make up a pattern that she called Mrs. Theisman over to study.

Daniel took Kensuke aside as the trio of the Doctor, the Lieutenant, and Mrs. Theisman talked in low voices. "So," Daniel said, "first thoughts? Questions? I'll be able to help get you started at least."

Kensuke shook his head slowly. "The others did a pretty good job of explaining what it looks like and what it does. You did pretty good teaching them."

He paused for a moment before looking up at Daniel. "What does it feel like?" he asked quietly.

Daniel was silent for a moment as he pondered the question. "Well," he finally said, "I asked that question myself, a long, long time ago. And… it's different for everyone. What it feels like to you, will differ from what it feels like to me, which will differ from how Shinji and Asuka and the others feel it. It is your soul energizing the Frames that you create, after all. But as for me…"

Daniel smiled slightly. "It's like a little part of me is floating in space, watching the night sky filled with stars, and knowing that all of it could be mine. Knowing that I'm free to take it into my hands and direct it as I see fit."

"That is the one thing that is common across all such feelings." Daniel continued. "Freedom. It's a heady feeling, one that should be kept under control, so that it doesn't lead you to try something you're entirely unprepared for."

It was silent again as they thought about what had been said together. 'Freedom…'

The silence was broken as Doctor Akagi noticed them. "Alright, Daniel," she said with a slight air of longsuffering, "If Second Lieutenant Aida is ready, we can connect him and get him at least acclimated to what Interfacing feels like."

Daniel nodded as they both stood. "Certainly." he looked down at a watch on his arm. "But Eleanor will have to do it without me. Commander Katsuragi invited me to a meeting with NERV-2's Commander Lutenhahl. He's here in preparation for Contact Day and wanted to touch base."

"So, you, Misato, and the Commander are going out and catching up?" Ritsuko said with an arched eyebrow.

Daniel threw up his hands. "Your words, not mine." he said as he backed towards the door.

As he reached the door, he paused as he looked over at Kensuke with a slight smile. "Good luck. And have fun with it. It's a whole new world."

With that, he exited the room, the door swishing shut behind him.

Kensuke looked back as Mrs. Theisman rolled her eyes. "So dramatic." she said with a smirk.

"Anyways," she said, looking at Kensuke, "let's get you started."

. . .

As Kensuke shook off the weirdness of the Plugin, as Mrs. Theisman called it, and went through making his first Frames, he marveled at the sight of everything as filtered through what Doctor Akagi called "Pneumaic Vision".

The Sight, as Mrs. Theisman had shortened it to, was nothing short of miraculous. Daniel was right. There was a certain freedom that came with experiencing this.

"Alright, Aida," Doctor Akagi said, snapping him out of his brief reverie, "let's get to work. I'll go ahead and get you up to speed."

Kensuke nodded and walked over to the large grey slab with a screen floating above it to where Doctor Akagi had beckoned him over to.

"I'll keep this as brief as I can make it." Doctor Akagi said, tapping on an ethereal keyboard that had appeared in front of her. "If you have questions, and I'm sure you will, keep them in mind for after the explanation."

As she finished speaking, a panel flashed into existence, footage from what could only be the Battle of Tokyo-3 beginning to play as it showed a view from high up in the Geofront, looking down on Unit-01 and Unit-02 as they found themselves surrounded by white Evangelions. The Mass-Production Evangelions, the others had called them. White devils, Asuka had particularly named them. He was inclined to agree with her assessment.

"During the Battle of Tokyo-3," Doctor Akagi began, "we witnessed something extraordinary that Daniel did in order to swing the battle of Tokyo-3 in our favor."

Kensuke already knew what she was talking about. Shinji and Asuka had told him what it had been like to see an entirely new Evangelion appear out of the ground and stand right beside them.

Now, though, he watched as a mass of what looked like the night sky seemed to float into existence, shaping itself into the form of an Evangelion, its head sporting four horns that seemed to arc away like deer antlers.

"Daniel basically created an entire Evangelion, with the assistance of the soul of Gendo Ikari, essentially out of whole cloth. That is what we're trying to replicate." Doctor Akagi said as the image paused on the form of the Night Sky Evangelion.

She turned to look at him with a critical eye. "Any questions?"

Kensuke looked at the Doctor, then back at the screen. "Where are we at?" he said after a moment.

Doctor Akagi sighed quietly. "Frankly, not as far along as we would like to be." she turned and looked over at the Frame of the Evangelion that floated above a slim pedestal. "We've mapped out what an Evangelion looks like on the level of the soul. Now, we're trying to catch the lightning that Daniel made in a bottle, as it were."

She paused for a moment, then continued. "Our biggest challenges are finding out an easy way to make a Frame become a physical Evangelion itself, and have it not take more than a single soul to do so."

"And what's stopping a Frame from becoming an Eva?" Kensuke asked, studying the figure that stood before him.

"Simply put, LCL." Mrs. Theisman said, causing Kensuke to look back at her. "Daniel had to submerge himself in a massive amount of LCL in order to make the Frame create a physical body around it. Lugging around a skyscraper-sized vat of the stuff any time we want to make one of these things is almost more prohibitive than just using what we already have."

Kensuke turned his attention back to the wireframe construction that was the Frame of what looked like Unit-03 or 04. "Well…" he said, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

"We're open to whatever ideas you have, Aida. At this rate, nothing's really getting discounted out of hand." Lieutenant Ibuki said, and Kensuke nodded slowly as something that his friends had told him about started to bubble to the surface.

"Mrs. Theisman," he said, turning to look at her, "you have a room that's able to stretch and shrink its dimensions according to the need, correct?"

Mrs. Theisman nodded. "Yes. The Infinity Box."

"Right." Kensuke replied. "What if we used something like that to contain the LCL needed to make the Eva Frame a body? If it can be bigger on the inside than on the outside, then we could fit it onto something that the pilots could ride in, kind of like an Entry Plug."

The adults in the room looked at each other. "Well…" Mrs. Theisman said slowly. "Daniel did say that the Control Surface would have to be about the size of an Entry Plug. We could just make an Entry Plug-like vehicle that works as one."

Doctor Akagi nodded. "That's a start. We'll still need to find a way to make sure that it doesn't take more than one soul, but still, a start."

She turned to look over at Kensuke, and he gulped quietly. "Good job, Mr. Aida. You've proved that you can solve problems creatively."

The look that she gave him next sent a shiver down his spine. "Now, you get to demonstrate that you can apply that creativity. I understand that you're new to all of this and that you'll be learning on the job, but I do expect you to keep up."

Doctor Akagi smiled slightly. "We are in the business of saving the world, after all."

- - -

New National Diet Building, Tokyo-2, August 5th, 2016

Misato Katsuragi took a deep breath. Today was the day. An advance message from both delegations put them only an hour away from its transmission. Now, that hour had almost passed.

She stood ready in her NERV uniform as she waited, Ritsuko, Daniel, and Eleanor at her sides. Commander Lutenhahl stood a little ways away from them on her left, and the other NERV delegations, mostly second-in-commands, stood clustered with him.

On her right, the delegation from the UN, plus the nations that had seceded from it, stood by. They chatted quietly amongst themselves, but other than that, the main meeting hall of the Diet building was silent.

And behind her, the Children stood, sharply dressed in tailored NERV uniforms, a surprise gift from her to them. They looked positively dashing in them.

But right now, she thought as she looked at the clock on the wall edging closer and closer to 3 o'clock, she had to watch for the delegations as they arrived. 'How are they going to get in here? I guess they could just teleport. Seems a little… anticlimactic, really.'

And yet, as the clock struck three, and she blinked again, the meeting room erupted into murmurs as the space in front of them was filled with… others.

They were a varied group, few of them human. It seemed designed to shock the gathering that had waited for them in order to acclimate them. There were only a dozen of them, four standing apart in one group from the other eight.

Each in the eight wore wildly different clothing, unified by the presence of a single crest of eight circles linked to each other, one that was prominent on one of the eight's robes as he stepped forward, seemingly human, save for the crest of bone that seemed to wrap around the sides and back of his head, a mark or tattoo of blue running from the top of his head to the bone crest at the back of his head.

"I am Rastaff, representative of the Interstellar Alliance, and head of this diplomatic envoy of the League of Independent Echoes. I greet you all on our behalf, and hope to work with you in the spirit of trust and understanding." he said in a baritone voice and, to Misato's amazement, in perfectly fluent Japanese.

"Universal translator, in case you're wondering." Misato heard Daniel say, his voice echoing through a quick link that was established between their souls.

She could hear Daniel's smile, and feel his encouragement, in what he said next. "Alright. You're up. You've got this."

Misato took a deep breath as she stepped forward. "My name is Commander Misato Katsuagi of NERV. On behalf of Earth, I welcome you, and hope to share in that spirit of trust and understanding that you offer."

Rastaff nodded approvingly at Misato, and she stepped back as the UN representative gave her greeting with a quiet sigh of relief. She hadn't screwed up first contact. She had that much going for her today.

. . .

As the meeting and greeting progressed and the envoys mingled together, Daniel took in the sight of it all as the League and, as important, the envoy from Tel, seemed to settle naturally into talking and enacting the intricate, arcane rituals of diplomacy. It was beyond him, really.

What wasn't was the familiar visage of the tall, pale-skinned woman who seemed to draw people towards her like moths to a flame, and Daniel smiled as Izalith noticed him.

Her golden eyes were warm with happiness as she politely excused herself from her present company, and walked over to Daniel. She wore far more modern clothing than Daniel had expected, a deep crimson vest and jacket over a black shirt completed by a long black skirt that swayed as she came to a stop in front of Daniel.

"So, I'm guessing you're Rachna's surprise?" Daniel said with a soft chuckle.

"In so many words." Izalith replied. "It is well to see you continuing to do good, Daniel."

"That it is." Daniel said. "How are the Daughters?"

Izalith's smile widened slightly. "Doing well. A few of them wished to come along. You'll probably see them soon enough."

"Really?" Daniel said, his brow rising. "That's good to hear. And what conspired to bring you here?"

"Besides the favor of your mentor?" Izalith said thoughtfully. "I have made quite a study of the soul in my time in Tel, as have my daughters."

She shook her head slowly. "In chambers freed from the grasp of time, the soul, the workings of Pneumaics, were made clear to us." she said with no small amount of astonishment. "Even now, I still wonder over what I know."

She paused for a moment. "Thus, I am the lead scientist for the Tellan envoy."

Daniel nodded. "We could use a few Pneumaists in our work. I should introduce you to Doctor Akagi. We're in the middle of a project that… well, to say it is of the utmost importance is almost underselling it."

"I see." Izalith said quietly. "And where would she be?"

"She's quite blonde, and wearing a white lab coat." Daniel said, scanning the crowd for Ritsuko.

"Ah. I likely see her speaking with Solace, then." Izalith said, and Daniel followed her gaze until he too found her, having an animated conversation with what looked like a humanoid robot.

"Solace fascinates me." Izalith said, her eyes wide in wonder. "An artificial form, a body made up entirely of metal, and yet he still bears a soul. Remarkable."

Before Izalith could continue, an awed gasp arose, and Daniel and Izalith looked behind them to see Asuka looking up at Izalith with wide eyes.

"You're…" Asuka said with no small amount of amazement. "You're Izalith."

Izalith, for her part, arched her eyebrow before Daniel cleared his throat. "I've told her, and a select few others, a portion of your story." he said.

Izalith ahhed. "I see." she said, understanding in her tone.

"I have a few questions." Asuka said, then paused as she blushed slightly. "If… you have the time for it."

Izalith chuckled, a deep, resonant sound. "Yes, certainly."

She looked over at Daniel. "I'll go ahead and take my leave, then. It is good to see you again, Daniel."

"And you as well, Izalith." Daniel replied, smiling slightly as Asuka led Izalith away towards the other Children, her questions lost in the chatter of the room.

Daniel stood and watched them go for a moment. It felt odd to see someone from outside this world friendly to him. Especially someone whom he had a hand in saving. And yet... Daniel couldn't help but feel grateful that he had the chance.

"I must say," a voice behind him said, interrupting his thoughts, "you look familiar."

Daniel blinked as he turned around, and looked at a woman, part of the League delegation, by the symbol that stood out on her clothing. She was a shorter woman, only slightly shorter than Daniel himself, with brown hair that framed a fair-skinned face, as the round-rimmed glasses she wore framed her grey eyes.

Daniel's brow furrowed as he tried to place the actually familiar-looking face. His eyes widened after a moment, and a smile grew on his face as he nodded slowly. "President Moon." he said. "It's good to see you here."

His smile began to become a smirk as he continued. "How is Varrick doing?"

President Zhu Li Moon rolled her eyes. "As well as he could be tinkering with all the new advances that our brand new League membership gets us."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "He must be having a field day then." he said with a slight chuckle.

"That he is." President Moon replied with a quiet sigh.

They moved towards a part of the room that was quieter, then looked back at the delegations mingling together. "How is the Avatar?" Daniel asked after a moment of contemplation.

President Moon sighed quietly. "Gone. She and her friends left for the Worldsea. As did the previous Avatar and his friends."

As Daniel looked at her with no small amount of astonishment, President Moon shook her head. "Before she left, Korra… I'm not even sure how to explain it. She… gave up the mantle and power of the Avatar to a young earthbender that she trusted."

"She can do that?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"That's what I asked." President Moon chuckled softly. "And yet… the guy is the new Avatar. Miss Jinora helped him out with being an emissary of the Spirit World, and it appears he's doing just fine learning the different styles of bending. But…"

She shook her head slowly. "While the new Avatar was training with Jinora… Avatar Aang appeared from the Spirit World. As did many of his friends that helped end the Hundred Year War. They decided that they wanted to go look for 'Kin', a friend of theirs. And Korra and a few of her friends decided to help them find Kin."

She glanced sideways at Daniel. "Who I'm told looks quite like you. I also recall Kin being present for many of the events that happened before I became President of the United Republic."

Daniel sighed quietly and smiled as he held his hands up. "I've gone by many names, Mrs. Moon. That was one of them."

President Moon nodded slowly. "I see. I haven't been able to contact them recently. They must have entered another Echo. But they seem intent on finding you and catching up with you."

Daniel nodded. "I see."

It was quiet again. "So," Daniel said after a moment, "how recently did your Echo join the League?"

"We're one of the latest." President Moon said. "So I'm the most junior member of the delegation. That means I've had to do a lot of catching up."

She smiled slightly. "But, as Rastaff is fond of telling me, 'youth is a blessing that frees one from the cynicism that so often prevents meaningful change'."

"Wise words." Daniel said as he spotted the Minbari speaking to members of the UN delegation. "He seems suited for this sort of work."

"That he is. I can hardly think of a person who's better at this." President Moon admitted.

It was quiet again for a moment as they both gathered their thoughts. "So, with your background," Daniel asked, "are you one of the scientists of this envoy?"

President Moon shook her head. "Oh, no. That would be Representative Vinis." she said, pointing to a humanoid with a tall, flat face that was white and green in color, two horn-like protrusions growing above its oval, black eyes that looked intently as it conversed with Ritsuko and Solace, shifting its balance from time to time on almost dog-like legs. "He's the head researcher. But I've studied enough to be knowledgeable."

"Have you studied this world, specifically?" Daniel asked.

A concerned expression passed over President Moon's face as she nodded. "Yes. And this planet is an absolute mess!" she said. "Knocked all out of balance by the fact that it's shifted its axis only a few degrees, the oceans an absolute mess, and… a whole host of other issues that do not even begin to touch on the human element. On the lives that have been affected by everything in this 'Second Impact's' wake."

She shook her head. "Vinis sees it as a puzzle to be solved. A grand puzzle that, when completed, will satisfy him and those that live here." she sighed. "But I think he loses sight of the needs of the people here. This is their home, after all, that he's puzzling over."

Daniel nodded. "Indeed. There's more than a few people who might not want things to go back to the way they were."

President Moon sighed quietly. "I'm sure." she replied, equally quiet. "But Rastaff will be able to sort it all out, I'm sure. He's served for decades in this position, apparently. I've heard from the others that he ranks among the best diplomats that they've served with. I guess I'll get to see for myself soon enough."

It was quiet again as President Moon took a deep breath. "Well, I should probably go out and talk to other people. Good to see you again."

"And you as well." Daniel said as President Moon walked back into the gathering.

Daniel leaned against the wall as he observed the crowd, blinking as he spotted an Aeldari among the League delegation's number. He would have to talk to her later.

It was a quiet thing, this dawn of a new world. But, Daniel thought, it wouldn't be quiet for long.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 7: Fragments

It is odd, trying to focus on what other worlds have in store for me. It has always been in the back of my mind, this link to other versions of me. I have learned much of what this world had in store for me when I arrived in it, much as that information became somewhat moot for me. But I have also seen other lives. Distant lives. Impossible lives.

Even now, I wonder at this world where I must hurt Shinji in order to save him, seemingly less so than in most other lives I have witnessed the scattered pieces of, but still, I hurt him regardless. Even watching from afar, it wounds my soul.

But I know I only see so much.

- Personal journal of Kaworu Nagisa

Geofront, Another World, Late December 2015

Ymris stepped out of the only working elevator she could find, making her way to the ruins of the Geofront surface, and swore that she could see at least one of the Hells reflected back from the sight as a shiver went down her spine once again against her will.

It was a dark, desolate view, shrouded in dust and ash, the only light attempting to pierce through it from above being that of the distant moon. Rubble was strewn everywhere, cloaked in shadow the further into the distance it went. But most of all, it was silent, now. There were no cries of torment, no shouts for help. Simply a deathly peace, draped over everything much like the fog draped over the landscape.

Within the fog, however, two forms glowed with a brilliant light. Unit-01's green light, slowly fading, showed its limp form in the arms of the new Evangelion. Its body and parts of its arms glowed a bright orange, and it handled the fallen Unit-01, with the massive spear lanced through its back and out its stomach, with almost tender care as it floated into the air, taking Unit-01 with it.

After a moment, both Evangelions were out of sight. 'Who was that?' Ymris thought with no small amount of amazement. 'There's no Evangelion I know of that's like that.'

She once again cursed their lack of Receptor archives. They could have found the ones that at least partially matched this Echo, and known about this madness in advance. But those were in the custody of Receptorist Jameson, who had been very cautious about allowing access to them. Now, they didn't even have that. They would have to find those elsewhere in the Worldsea after they got off this Echo. 'If we ever do manage to leave.'

She shook her head as she began to look around. Tavis was excited at the prospect of adding to the Revival, replenishing what was lost many times over, from the sound of his tone regarding the survivors he and the others were marshaling along. He was hopeful. It was good to see him be that way.

But she wouldn't see that. At least, not for a while. For now, she would have to find Major Katsuragi and direct her towards helping anyone else trapped in the HQ. And from there… well, she'd see what happened.

The fight with the 10th Angel had trapped many inside the massive complex, as her Sight showed her many souls, like clusters of stars, huddled together in the distance at varying depths within the earth.

She brought her gaze up, scanning the world around her. Nothing. Nothing…

There! Only somewhat in the distance, a small group of souls, no more than a half a dozen, clumped together as they stood their ground. Ymris closed off the Sight and began to make her way over to them.

After a few minutes of picking her way across and over the rubble with a grace that belied her true elven ancestry, the group came into sight.

It was the command staff, with a wide-eyed Colonel Katsuragi sitting down in the center, knees hugged to her chest, her gaze fixed on the point where both Evangelions had disappeared from sight.

She walked slowly over to the group, First Lieutenant… Hyuga, that's who he was, looking over as she appeared from the fog.

He crouched down, speaking to Colonel Katsuragi with muttered words as the others in the group noticed her. She did nothing, continuing to only stare at the open night sky.

A woman in a white lab coat, Doctor Akagi if she remembered correctly, walked over to her as she stopped. "Technician…" she began, trailing off as she looked at her tattered name patch.

Ymris snapped a salute. "Technician Tennison." she lowered the salute as she stepped forward. "There's a lot of people still trapped down in HQ, ma'am. I was sent to find the command staff, see what we can get together to get them out."

Doctor Akagi nodded. "Well, we'll see what we can do to get things sorted. But right now…" she trailed off, looking back at Major Katsuragi with a worried look. "We're sorting some of our own things out right now."

Ymris walked over to Colonel Katsuragi, crouching down as First Lieutenant Ibuki examined her, and saw that her gaze was… empty.

She activated her Sight and looked at Katsuragi's soul. Guilt, anger, sorrow, fear, all those and more swirled within her like a mighty tempest, shocking her to silence.

Ymris sighed quietly and stood, looking over at Doctor Akagi. "If you could spare…" she looked around the small group. "Perhaps Lieutenant's Aoba and Hyuga, I can go back down and start getting people up here."

Doctor Akagi looked at her and nodded. "That sounds... about as good as we can do right now." she sighed.

Ymris nodded as the Lieutenants in question walked over to her, and began to walk away from the group.

"Asuka."

Ymris blinked as a quiet gasp rippled through the group, as she turned to look at Colonel Katsuragi, who now stared at her, a desperate look in her eyes.

"Find Asuka." she said again, her voice shaking slightly. "We… we can't lose her… too."

With that, Colonel Katsuragi looked back up at the sky. But now, a longing filled the empty space in her eyes.

. . .

As the three left to go back into the HQ, Ritsuko looked back at Misato, and couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her. After all this, to lose the young Mr. Ikari… it must have been quite a blow for her.

She kneeled next to her as Lieutenant Ibuki stood from her examination. "Misato…" she said quietly. "Are you able to keep going?"

It was silent for a moment as Ritsuko waited for her answer. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Misato?"

"How did you know?" It was only a whisper.

Ritsuko blinked even as she felt a dagger of fear sink into her chest. "What?"

"How. Did. You. Know?" Misato enunciated, and she looked over at Ritsuko.

Ritsuko's heart nearly stopped when she saw the look that Misato gave her. She looked like the commander on his days when he was unamused by her advances, full of cold condemnation and utter contempt.

"Because… because..." Ritsuko said, stammering slightly. She wasn't ready for this. Of all the times for this to happen, why now? Why here? Her breath began to quicken slightly.

Misato now turned her body to face Ritsuko fully, and slowly gripped her lab coat. "You knew exactly what was going to happen. I saw the look on your face as you watched me tell Shinji it was okay to end the world. So how? How did you know Unit-01 could do that? How did you know that Shinji could do something like that?"

Her eyes were on fire now. Ritsuko felt that if they burned any hotter, she'd be turned into ash herself, floating away to join the rest of the stuff floating in the air. "Why is Shinji gone? Where is he going?"

"I… I don't know where he went, Misato." Ritsuko said, desperately trying to get herself under control. "All I know…"

"Are the secrets that Commander Ikari told you, right?"

All eyes turned to look at Inspector Kaji, who stood back with a sad look on his face. "It seems we've all been keeping secrets." Kaji said sadly.

He made his way over to Misato, crouching down and putting his hand on her cheek. "Misato." he said quietly, his expression unexpectedly serious.

Misato looked over at him, and after a moment, the fire in her eyes died. Tears welled up in its place. "Kaji…" she whispered. "I… I lost him."

Kaji was silent as he pulled Misato into a hug, and she sobbed into his chest. The sobbing was the only thing that broke the dead silence for a few moments.

Kaji looked over at Ritsuko, who sat back with an exhausted, stunned expression on her face. "We'll need to talk." he whispered, and Ritsuko choppily nodded.

Kaji sighed quietly as Misato's sobbing came to an end, deep breaths presaging Misato looking up at Kaji, then at Ritsuko.

"I'm…" she took another deep breath. "I'm sorry." she said, composing herself as she stood, Kaji and Ritsuko standing with her. "We need to find the rest of the staff. We'll need to relocate, find Commander Ikari."

Kaji put up his hand. "I probably wouldn't advise that. After what we've seen, and what I'm about to tell you…"

Misato stared at Kaji silently for a moment. "You mean… he knew about this, too?"

Kaji was silent as a thoughtful look came to him. After a moment, he finally seemed to come to a decision. "Yes." he said with a serious expression. "In fact, he was probably betting on something like this happening. Not this early, but…"

Misato's eyes widened. "This… this was what NERV's mission was? Destroy the Angels, and end the world?"

Kaji nodded. "Yes. Why? I don't entirely know. I was still digging through a lot of stuff. Both the Commander's and Ritsky's."

He put up his hands as he shrugged at Ritsuko's shocked glare. "Sorry, Rits. The Japanese government and SEELE ask for a lot." he paused as he put his hands down. "Well, I don't know if either of them will care much anymore."

"SEELE?" Misato asked, her eyes narrowed. "What's that?"

Kaji sighed. "That… is going to take a lot of explaining."

. . .

As Ymris picked up and moved the last piece of rubble blocking the doorway in front of her, she wiped the sweat from her brow as Hyuga and Aoba walked into the room, calling out for anyone who was trapped inside, she looked around, shining her flashlight into the dark hallway that stretched into the distance.

She looked for an indication of what floor they were on and eventually found a hall number a few dozen feet away from her, the half-ruined sign still reading 'Hall 72, Level 4'.

'Well, we've made quicker progress than I might have thought.' she wondered. Even still, it was more than likely that the moon was setting. It would be a new day soon.

And there were still many people they needed to get to soon, she thought, as Hyuga and Aoba made their way to her side. They had a long way to go before they reached the floor with the Medical Center that Asuka was in. And that was on top of getting everyone freed and sent up to the surface that was on the way there.

"Alright," Hyuga said as he walked back to the other's side, "that's everyone on this level we can reach."

There were others that they couldn't get to, even with the subtle application of Ymris's Interfacing. They did their best. And right now, that was all that really mattered. "Let's move on." Hyuga continued after sighing quietly.

As they found an elevator shaft and pried the dead doors open, they began to descend down the emergency ladder, and Ymris blinked as she felt the singular earring she wore vibrate slightly. It was a long-range connector, allowing for someone to link to her soul even from miles away.

"Good morning." Tavis said through the link.

"Is it really morning?" Ymris replied, a slight grimace on her face as she processed the image of the sun rising over the ruins of Tokyo-3 that Tavis sent. "Got it. Descending a ladder over a very deep elevator shaft. Put a pin in the pictures for a little bit."

"Sorry." Tavis said, a guilty tone to the word. "Anyways, we found someplace for the survivors who are with us for the night. There's a lot who just want to go back and find some of the others, unsurprisingly. But there are a few who are actually genuinely interested in the faith. I'll keep working with them while we're on the way to Matsushiro."

"You're going all the way out there?" Ymris asked in surprise as they got off on the next level.

"It's out of the way, it should have all the supplies we need, and we should be able to start a new mission there, nice and quiet for the moment."

Ymris gave a mental shrug as she unclipped her flashlight from the chest strap it hung from, and began to scan around for blocked doors. "Well, if you can convince enough people to start a mission, then at least I'll have someplace to come back to."

"That you will. But right now, keep close to the Colonel. I'd rather have someone I trust close to her if she tries to do something."

"Sounds like a wise course of action." Ymris replied. "I'm in the process of retrieving Asuka. We're probably getting close. We'll talk later."

"Sound's good. Good luck." Tavis said.

"You too." Ymris replied, and the link was severed. She took a deep breath, and almost ran into Hyuga as he suddenly stopped and took his phone out.

"Wait a minute." he said, pulling up a map of the HQ as Aoba and Ymris came around to peer over his shoulder.

"We can use the vent maintenance system here to make our way down to the Medical level quickly. There's even a way back up to the 1st level, winding though it may be. I'm not sure if it's clear though."

Aoba looked over at Hyuga with a deadpan expression. "And you didn't think of this before we ran the risk of falling down several elevator shafts?"

Hyuga raised his hands defensively. "Look, the world just nearly ended. I'm still a little frazzled, okay?"

It was silent for a moment as a somber look crossed all their faces. "Yeah." Aoba said after a moment, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess I can't really blame you for that. Let's get everybody here safe, then let's check out to the Medical Center."

The others nodded and got to work.

. . .

Misato held her head in her hands, silently processing everything Kaji and Ritsuko had told them as she felt more than saw the first rays of the morning sun. Other NERV employees had begun to trickle their way to the surface with Tennison, Aoba, and Hyuga coming back only recently, and Ibuki sat with them in between going out and directing them towards what was left of the command structure as far as they knew.

Was this it? Was it going to come to this, regardless of whether or not they beat all the Angels? Had they even done that with this last one?

All those questions and more spun around in her head like a cyclone, drawing all thoughts towards them.

After a moment's more contemplation, Misato took a deep breath, then looked up at who she was with. "So, what's next, then?" she said quietly, looking intently at Kaji.

Kaji puffed his cheeks for a moment. "Well… I think we'll probably need to go check on Asuka. If she's still in quarantine, then Ritsuko will probably need to vet her before we move her."

Ritsuko nodded as she stood. "Hopefully, there's still power down there. Hopefully, the backup generators down there didn't get damaged."

The others nodded silently as they stood as well. "Alright. Let's go. I have a lot I need to chew on before I make a decision."

. . .

As they descended back into the ruins of the HQ, entering the path that Hyuga had sent them single file, Misato's mind whirled. Could she trust NERV anymore?

No. That was an obvious answer to a stupid question. NERV had been made into puppets. By Commander Ikari, and his apparent masters within SEELE. NERV's mission, to save humanity from the Angels, was, if not a lie, then a convenient half-truth, designed to strip humanity of its free will.

'Well,' Misato thought as she descended through the dark maintenance halls, 'they'll find that my will is a little tougher than they think.'

Misato blinked as she felt the cool breeze of an air conditioning system hit her skin, chilling the sweat that had become part and parcel of going what was essentially underground.

"Oh, good." Ritsuko said ahead of them. "That AC probably means that the backup generators are still online."

"That'll keep the process of getting Asuka nice and simple." Ibuki said behind her, and Misato nodded.

"Good. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible." Misato said as they finally emerged into the Medical Center.

It was a clean, mostly white room with doors leading to different rooms for patients, most small and only used for examinations. Ritsuko ignored these doors, Ibuki joining her side as they came to a stop in front of a door that was clearly marked 'No Access Without Prior Authorization'.

The lights left overhead flickered as Ritsuko swiped her ID across the scanner, and the door hissed open.

As the group walked into the room, Ritsuko walked over to the diagnostic panels, while Misato made her way to the observation window, looking down on the wide, spacious room that held the sarcophagus-like quarantine chamber that Asuka rested in. It glowed red, as did the seven strange pillars that were marked with small symbols.

It looked far too similar to a tomb. Misato could not shake the thought as she stared, dimly feeling Kaji join her at her side in looking down at the sight. Finally, she took her gaze from the sight and looked over at Ritsuko and Ibuki as they studied their screens intently.

"So, what's Asuka's status?" Misato asked.

"So far so good…" Ritsuko said, trailing off as she focused, her brow furrowing. "We'll go ahead and start lifting her out of stasis."

As she finished speaking, an alarm sounded on the monitor, drawing all eyes to Ritsuko as her eyes widened. "That's… that's impossible!" she said, her jaw slack in shock.

"What is it?" Misato asked, walking over to the monitor, slowing to a stop as her own jaw dropped.

A patch of red, small compared to the wireframe of Asuka's body, flashed red in the area around and over her right eye on the monitor.

"Is that…" Misato asked, not daring to complete the question.

"Angelic corruption." Ritsuko said, her calm voice only betraying a hint of fear.

Misato looked over at Ritsuko. "How's that possible? Didn't she go in there with no physical contamination?"

Ritsuko shook her head slightly. "That's what I'm asking. There should be no way that physical Angelic corruption could seep into the quarantine chamber when she only went in with a chance at psychological damage. Unless…"

"Unless?" Misato asked with an arched eyebrow. "Unless what?"

Ritsuko shook her head again as her lips became a thin line. "I have several theories. Wild guesses, really, but I want to be sure. So we can't wake Asuka up yet. I'll need to study her, to ensure that the corruption won't spread when we do wake her up."

Ritsuko looked over at Misato with a serious look in her eyes. "And we will wake her up, Misato. I promise."

Misato said nothing, only sighing as she looked back up at the screen. "Can we move the quarantine unit itself?"

Ritsuko looked at her with a puzzled expression. "I mean… it's possible." she said slowly.

"Good. Then let's get some technicians back in here, get it extracted." she sighed quietly as she looked over at Kaji. "You and I have some planning to do, and some calls to make. If we can."

Kaji nodded. "If you're thinking what I think you are… Then I think we can make it work. Maybe."

- - -

Classified Location

Images flashed through Asuka Shikinami-Langley's mind. Ones she could not fully understand. Pieces of memories that weren't hers. College classes taught by professors she had never met, yet cared for deeply. Demonstrations of impossible feats, gone as quickly as they came. Was this a dream?

No, she thought, as she came upon a scene she recognized. It was a nightmare.

Unit-01 lay beneath her as she choked it. No. No! Shinji may have been an idiot, but he didn't deserve this! Stop it. Stop it!

Then, Unit-01's eyes turned red, and its mouth opened in a low growl. Its strength seemed to return to it as it threw off the hands that pinned its arms, its hands around her neck in a second.

It hurt. Why did it still hurt?

Unit-01 threw her onto the hillside, and she impacted with a force that would have driven the air out of her lungs. Why didn't it?

Then, Unit-01 began to tear her apart. What was Shinji doing? Why? Stop! Stop! Please!

But Shinji didn't hear, as he raised his hands above his head, and brought them down in a hammer blow to her face.

It felt like the world exploded into fire and darkness. Then, she slowly began to open her eyes, dull pain in her head causing her to groan softly as she began to shift.

As she finished opening her eyes, she found that one of them was bandaged up, blocking her sight of a medical room filled with diagnostic devices that bobbed up and down slowly. She felt a strange weight around her neck, edges of something poking into her collarbone.

As she reached for the bandages covering her eye, a voice from behind them spoke up. "Don't take those off."

Asuka blinked. That voice was familiar. It took her a moment to place it, but she realized it as Doctor Akagi came around to the side without the bandage. "Those are important."

"Why?" Asuka asked groggily as the doctor pulled out a phone and stepped away for a moment, speaking quiet words she couldn't hear before pocketing it. "Why shouldn't I take these off? Where am I?"

Doctor Akagi turned to face her, and Asuka couldn't quite suppress the shiver she felt as the doctor looked at her. "You currently have traces of Angelic contamination in and around the right zygomatic area."

Asuka's blood turned to ice. "How?" she asked in a whisper.

Doctor Akagi sighed as she shook her head. "Right now, we still don't entirely know that. All I know is that, after the battle with the 9th Angel, you were badly damaged when Unit-01 crushed Unit-03's Entry Plug. You didn't have any physical Angelic contamination when we put you into quarantine. But you somehow gained it at some point in the time before we extracted you from the quarantine unit. So now, we have to monitor it."

Asuka's hand brushed over her neck, feeling the two boxes that sat on either side of it.

"And is this the monitor?" she asked, looking at the door behind Doctor Akagi as it opened, Misato and Kaji stepping through with concerned and relieved looks on their faces.

Doctor Akagi nodded. "Yes, actually. What you're wearing is supposed to run diagnostics on the contamination, as well as work in tandem with the specially prepared bandages in containing it."

Asuka nodded slowly as she finally sat up in the medial bed. "And does this thing have a name?" she asked, looking intently at Doctor Akagi.

"It's called the DSS Choker." Doctor Akagi said. "It's a prototype right now, so don't expect to wear that version of it forever. I'm still doing some fine-tuning of the design."

Asuka nodded, as she looked at Misato and Kaji. "Where's that idiot Shinji? I'd think that he'd want to bow and scrape in apologizing, being the way he is." she paused for a moment. "And why are we floating?"

It was silent for a moment as a look of sadness flashed across Misato's face. "Shinji… isn't here." Misato finally said as she stepped forward. "And to answer your question on why we're floating, we're currently somewhere off the coast of Africa."

"What?" Asuka said incredulously as she processed what she'd just heard. "Why?" It was a question for all of what she had heard.

"Shinji…" Misato started, then paused as she took a deep breath. "Shinji is missing in action after the battle with the 10th Angel. After-"

"After what?" Asuka asked, fighting the tightness in her chest and too proud to admit that she was failing. "Misato, how long has it been since I went into quarantine or whatever?"

It was silent for a moment. "Misato, answer me." Asuka said.

"It's been two and a half years, Asuka."

Misato's words hit Asuka like a brick to the head, and Asuka laid back down on the bed as she processed the time that had passed. "And… what about the idiot?" she asked numbly.

"During the battle with the 10th Angel, Unit-01 awakened after Unit-00 was consumed by the Angel." Doctor Akagi said, stepping forward.

"Figures he'd get angry over the doll." Asuka muttered as Doctor Akagi continued.

"As Unit-01 defeated the Angel in its awakened state, it caused what we've termed 'Near Third Impact'. Tokyo-3 was leveled, and the event caused the rest of the world to spiral into chaos. We've started recording the growth of materiel similar to what the cores of the Evangelions are made up of growing out from Tokyo-3."

Doctor Akagi paused to let Asuka take it all in. "Before Third Impact could fully take effect, an unknown Evangelion stopped the process with a lance-like weapon, then carried Unit-01 away. What remaining satellites we have working show that Unit-01 is currently entombed in orbit."

It was silent again as Asuka processed this.

"That idiot." she whispered.

. . .

Misato sat in her quarters and pondered on the device in her hand.

It was a bulky handle, not unlike the control stick of an aircraft, with a small monitor on the back, and a trigger where her index finger now lightly rested.

It made her so angry, treating Asuka like this and not telling her. She thought back again to the discussion, as she often had in the weeks since Ritsuko had presented the control for the DSS to her.

"You're telling me that you've strapped a bomb to Asuka's neck?" she had said incredulously. "No. You're going to take it off. Now."

"We can't risk that, Misato." Ritsuko had said. "If the Angelic corruption spreads, if Asuka develops an AT Field, what's going to stop her?"

"She's a child, Ritsuko!" she had shouted. "You don't seriously think Asuka could… could turn into an Angel? Do you?"

"That's the thing, Misato. We don't know." Ritsuko had replied, voice as hard as steel. "And until we can definitively prove that she's either completely clean of Angelic corruption or that she won't try to end the world after what's inside of her has taken over, we can't afford the risk. Period."

It had been silent then, as she contemplated what Ritsuko had said.

"You know I'm right."

And the worst part was… she did.

She took her finger off the trigger, and lightly pressed the remote to her forehead. "Asuka… I'm sorry."

. . .

Ymris, or as she was now called, Chief Engineer Tennison, leaned against the railing of the cruiser that carried many of the NERV personnel on it and looked off into the distance at the cargo ship that carried the quiet, bestial form of Unit-02 over the crimson waters of a quiet ocean.

It had been surprisingly simple to get it out. The UN, or at least what was left of it, pulled an obscure part of the Vatican Treaty out of the document, stating that an Evangelion had to be repaired as quickly as possible in facilities that were ready for it, to reduce upkeep costs. As NERV-HQ was in ruins, the next best place was NERV-2 in Germany.

After that, with Unit-02 and its original core secure, all they had to do was... vanish. And vanish they did after Misato and Ritsuko told the now-former UN rear admiral what was going on.

She could have gone back to the rest of the Revival. Said that her task was done for the most part. Tavis would disagree, but she could whip up some Seer Marbles, keep an eye on things without leaving the new Matsushiro Mission, the area now wreathed in a protective mist that surrounded the mission for miles, along with a maze of jutting spires of rock where spectral spirits, courtesy of Aaminata, prowled and turned unwanted visitors away.

And yet, she stayed. Why? What kept her here? Who kept her here?

She felt the earring she wore pulse as someone, most likely Tavis, reached out to her.

"So," he said with a chipper tone, "how are things going for the new head of Engineering?"

"Well enough." Ymris replied with a slight smile on her face. "Still think I'm not the most qualified for the position, but… I'm all they have left, really."

"Excellent." Tavis said, no small amount of satisfaction evident in his words. "I'm starting the mid-day sermon if you're free."

Ymris smiled slightly. "I'm just staring at the open ocean alone right now, so I can catch at least the beginning of it if nothing else."

"Alright. I'll patch you in, then." Tavis said, and the bond between their souls became slightly stronger.

Soon, her vision blurred, and as she focused, she saw through Tavis's eyes, as he entered the doors of the mission's chapel. Two simple doors were flanked by two large, open windows that allowed light into the stone building.

Within was the congregation. It was a small thing, comparatively, only about 30 or 40 souls. But compared to when they had come, it was a massive improvement. Most were those that had joined Tavis and the others on their trek to Matsushiro, though there were some in the group that had joined from the countryside after being offered clean food, water, and shelter, valuable commodities in the post Near Impact world.

Tavis walked in and talked with many of them, catching up on births and birthdays of children, how the harvest of one of the now newly interfaced farmer's crops was coming along, and offering guidance and advice, at least as best he could, on a variety of questions and concerns. More and more, Tavis was becoming more than just the initiate she had met digging into the history of the Unity. He was coming into his own as a Voice of the Guides.

Finally, Tavis made his way to the raised stone podium, and the congregation took their seats in the somewhat more comfortable padded chairs.

"My friends, my brothers and sisters in the Unity, it's good to hear you're all doing so well. Congratulations especially to the Maeda's on the birth of their twins." Tavis said, and Ymris felt a slight smile on his face.

"Today, I want to speak on perseverance. I have no need to remind you of the hardships that we've faced over these past few years. But I can say with no small amount of certainty that these trials, however much of a burden they may have been, have ended with us becoming closer."

"There is little doubt that we face even greater trials in our future. Whether personal in scale, such as the birth of a child, or a challenging harvest, or something grand, such as the Near Third Impact over two years ago. But we are strong. Especially together."

"With the direction that the Guides have given us, their wisdom has helped to make us a stronger people, a more united people. And the Guides still speak to us today. They still speak to those who will bring true Unity to pass."

He paused for a moment as a quiet murmur passed through the congregation, and Ymris couldn't help but share in their questioning. What was Tavis waiting for?

"I have heard the voice of the Guides. I have spoken with them. And they have given me a direction for us to take."

A gasp went through the crowd, and Ymris felt their shock along with her own, and Tavis's satisfaction at the reaction. She had never heard of anyone in recent memory who had direct contact with the Guides. What had Tavis done to get their attention? Or did he seek them out?

Regardless, Tavis continued. "They ask us to prepare to remake this world, to restore it to the beauty and peace that once reigned on it. They direct us to find and harness powerful tools in order to do so. These tools, the Mass-Production Evangelion, may be familiar to some of you, depending on your position in what was NERV."

Another murmur rippled through the congregation, and Ymris's wondering became deeper.

"I know that the task ahead seems large. It is. I'll not sell it short. But I have faith in us. Especially as we come together. Because it will be our hands that make this world whole again. It will be our efforts, small though they may be alone, that restore things to the way that they should be. And the Guides know this. They know that we have been prepared to take on the challenge. Together."

"Thus, this thing will require my attention. I will appoint a director to oversee this mission while I, and a chosen few, are away seeing to this task. I will speak to some of you more in-depth as we formulate a plan."

"Have faith. We will succeed. Even though we may be asked to do things that we feel may be impossible. Have faith that the Guides will show us the way. For the Unity."

"For the Unity." came the reply from the congregation, and Ymris had to stop herself from echoing the words as well. It was a bold move, no doubt about it. But if the Guides willed it… they had to act. There was no question. They would not waste their first words to others in years on a trifle. They would always act to unite others under their care. Always.

"I have to go, now." Ymris said as the sermon concluded, and Tavis stepped off the podium. 'Good sermon, if you could call it that. Nice and short."

"That's all that's needed. After all, there's work to be done, now." Tavis replied. "Good luck where you are."

"Thanks." Ymris said, her words quiet, and the connection faded, then disappeared. And Ymris looked at the scarlet ocean and the ships that floated on it.

Ymris took a deep breath. So, it would begin.

"So."

Ymris jumped slightly. She looked over and saw Asuka Shikinami-Langley, the right side of her face bandaged in white gauze bearing strange markings as she looked intently at her with her remaining piercing blue eye.

"You're the new engineer for my Unit-02, are you?" she said, a serious look on her face.

Ymris nodded and looked over to the cargo ship with a quiet sigh. "Yes. Technically, I'm going to be in charge of any Evangelions that we pick up."

Asuka's visible eyebrow rose. "Evangelions, plural? You mean that we're getting more?"

Ymris nodded. "Yep. We'll be picking up Unit-08 for Ms. Makinami while we're repairing Unit-02."

Asuka's raised eyebrow became a frown. "Repairing? What happened to my Unit-02, Tennison?"

Ymris's mouth became a thin line. "Well… while you were out of action, the 10th Angel attacked."

Asuka nodded as a grimace crossed her face. "Yeah. Heard about that. And about what that idiot Shinji did."

Ymris blinked, and the Sight refocused her view to the realm of the soul. She could see the anger in her soul at the boy, that much was expected. But there was also… guilt? That was interesting. But that wasn't her current concern.

"Yeah." Ymris continued. "Pilot Makinami took Unit-02 out to face the Angel, and… well, Unit-02 lost an arm to the Angel."

A flame lit up in Asuka's eye. "So this other pilot stole my Eva and got an arm taken off for her troubles? How much of an idiot is she?"

"Well, actually not much of one." Ymris replied. "She held her own for quite a while and even assisted Ayanami in Unit-00 with getting the N2 missile to impact the Angel after it took off the Unit's arm. She's tenacious if nothing else."

"Maybe. But that's my Unit-02 that she's gotten banged up. And it looks like we don't even have the repair facilities at NERV HQ to get it patched up." She pouted.

"That it is." Ymris replied with a level expression. "And… like you said, we don't have top-of-the-line facilities where we're going. We'll likely have to replace Unit-02's arm cybernetically."

Asuka opened and closed her mouth wordlessly for a moment, her visible eye wide with shock and anger. "I… I…"

Then, she sighed explosively. "Fine. I guess it'll have to do for now."

"It may have to do forever, depending on the circumstances." Ymris said sympathetically.

"Yeah, yeah." Asuka replied, rolling her one eye. "Now, do you know where this Makinami girl is? I'm going to have words with her concerning my Eva."

"She's somewhere on the ship, I'm sure." Ymris said with a shrug. "You'll have a lot of time for words, too. We won't be stopping until we reach NERV-2."

Asuka nodded. "Alright. Thanks." she said absentmindedly.

And with that, she stalked away, seeming intent on finding Pilot Makinami as she scanned the deck of the cruiser.

'Yes.' Ymris thought as she watched the angry, bitter young woman disappear from sight. 'It truly has begun, hasn't it?'

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 8: Elucidation in Firelight

These past few weeks have been like drinking through a firehose. There's so much to take in, and I'm not sure I can take it all in. Honest to goodness aliens, political talks about changing the very Earth itself, Interfacing…

I still haven't touched my Interfacing since the battle. Too many memories there. Him... But I'm getting away from things.

There's been a lot of things that not only impact me, and NERV, but the Children. Asuka, in particular… No. I don't want to think about it, and I barely even want to write about it. There's an entire world waiting for us now. One that looks… wonderful.

But it's a world that more than a few can see more danger in it than wonder. And the ones who see that… well, they're going to be trouble. There's no doubt about that.

- Personal journal of Misato Katsuragi

Faez Residence, Tokyo-3, Early August 2016.

It was a long, dark hall that Adira Faez found herself in tonight. She looked around, hearing a low growl at the end of the hall, seemingly muttering in what sounded like Portuguese.

Then, her blood ran cold as she heard one scream, that of a woman. Then another, a man screaming only seconds afterward.

Adira raced down the hall without another thought, and as she passed through a doorway, the space opening up into what appeared to be a cavernous room as her blood ran cold at the sight that greeted her.

A massive monster, seemed to fill the room with its body that seemed covered in deep green, thick leaves and writhing vine-like tentacles, its massive mouth like a crocodile's gaping wide and filled with teeth. It was like a jungle come to life.

From its mouth, two other tentacles emerged, wrapped around the legs of two people that it slowly dragged towards the maw, and certain death.

One of them was Makoto, his brown eyes wide with fear as he clawed uselessly at the ground.

And the other was a woman with short, blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a combat uniform as she reached out desperately to Adira. Anna.

Both were too far apart to save both of them at once. She had a choice. And though her mind screamed at her, she made it in an instant.

She ran over to Makoto, grabbing his arms and pulling with all her might. After a moment, the grasping tentacle that held Makoto's legs gave way, spurring black blood as it retreated into the maw of the creature.

As she looked over at Anna, she could tell that there was no time to save her as well. Her legs were already within the monster's mouth, and she pressed on the lower half of the monster's jaw to keep from going in.

As Anna looked over at her, Adira could see the hurt, the confusion in her eyes. And just before she disappeared fully into the monster's mouth, she reached out with one hand and shouted a single word. "Adira!"

Then the mouth snapped shut, and Anna was gone.

Adira woke up with a quiet gasp, chilled by the sweat that drenched her and the sheets and pillow of her bed.

The world spun madly, and she tried to ground herself as she breathed deeply, shutting out the world as she squeezed her eyes shut. But the image of the monster, of Anna's expression of utter betrayal, forced her eyes open again as she sat up at the edge of her bed.

She looked over at the clock on her nightstand. 3 in the morning. 'Good thing it's my day off… today, I guess.'

She shook her head, trying not to think about the nightmare. That would lead to other thoughts. Other memories. She needed… something.

She considered the whiskey sitting in her fridge. No. The last thing she needed to be was plastered right now. And besides, that had been a birthday present from Makoto. That was its own can of worms to open up.

She grabbed her phone and checked to see if there were any notifications. There was one, a text message. It was from Makoto. 'Hey. Hope you're doing alright. I'm here to talk whenever you want to.'

She couldn't help but smile slightly. She knew that he meant it. He was terribly earnest if nothing else. It was kind of cute actually.

But her smile faded as she recalled what had woken her up in the first place, and she sighed heavily as she turned the screen off, plunging the room back into darkness.

She was awake now. There was no doubting it. What could she do?

There was something, actually.

. . .

Adira set the paintbrush in the glass filled with paint water as the first rays of the sun began to lance through the curtains of her apartment, leaning back and taking in her work.

It was a rough thing, still only a few shapes and colors. But it was taking form. The form of the creature from her nightmare.

This one would be burned, just like the rest of them before she had come to Tokyo-3. Especially the ones that had related to the nightmares that she had had since she was a child.

And there always were nightmares, regardless of who was in them, or whether she was in the desert or the jungle or a city ruined by combat. There were always nightmares.

But now, she thought as she looked over at another painting, one of a familiar city skyline at night, there might be some she would keep, in the rare moments she didn't use her art to conquer her nightmares. Makoto had seen to that. Makoto had been the first to think that they had any worth beyond that. Or, at least, the first to speak out about it.

But Makoto was a complicated subject, she thought as she stood up and got a glass of water. She sat on her couch, sipping contemplatively as she looked down at the picture of her unit. At Anna.

She had cared so much for her when they had met as somewhat scared 16-year-olds. She probably even loved her before the end. But there had been little time to explore that with the missions that they had constantly been sent on for god and country. Now, all Adira would probably ever have of the woman who was probably the closest friend she had ever had was could-have-beens and what-ifs.

And now, Makoto had entered the picture, and made things… confusing. He'd comforted her, in more ways than one, and she'd come to appreciate his caring, even if he was a little naive and unknowing at times. She liked him. A lot.

She sighed quietly as she took another sip, glancing between the paintings and the picture in front of her. 'How did saving the world become the least complicated thing in my life?'

- - -

Ritsuko's Laboratory, NERV-HQ, Geofront

Ritsuko looked intently at the simulation in front of her and Maya as a wireframe form, the form of the Evangelion, slowly manifested before their eyes, a timer ticking up beside it the only notice that the timing was sped up. LCL became the outline of a skeleton as it flowed from what was, tentatively at least, being called the Frame Plug. Bones formed a cage around the trapezoid shape of the Plug, then muscle obscured it from view, then skin wrapped around it all. Finally, the armor that seemed iconic of the Evas, represented in the clear, hazy iridescence of regular Plasm, began to flow and sculpt itself to the Eva's body

As the armor completed the figure's body, the timer stopped, and Ritsuko and Maya both nodded slowly.

"32 minutes and 19 seconds to completion." Ritsuko said, noting the sound of a pen scratching on paper as Maya noted it down.

"Better than last time, at least." Maya said, looking over at Ritsuko. "We've shaved a whole 20 minutes off of the formation time due to Lieutenant Aida's LCL storage and injection mechanism implemented onto the Plug."

Unseen by the both of them, Kensuke blushed slightly as Daniel patted his shoulder, smiling slightly. The smile dimmed as Ritsuko continued. "Perhaps. But we're talking about a process that took only a few minutes, if not seconds when accomplished by Daniel."

"However," Daniel said, stepping forward as Ritsuko and Maya looked over at him, "it would be somewhat unwise to use a time when I was running on adrenaline and Metos, assisted by the power of at least one other soul, and being immersed completely in LCL, as a baseline. As impressive as it would be to get the body formed completely in about a minute and a half, even getting somewhat close to that would be an accomplishment."

"It's an accomplishment we'll need to make if we need to be able to deploy quickly in order to defend against oncoming threats." Ritsuko replied with a serious look on her face, Maya silently nodding in agreement.

"At this point, I think we've got the physical form down." Maya chimed in. "We're just having trouble with how the Frames translate the Metos into matter."

"Indeed." Daniel replied with a nod. "Which is why I've asked for some help." he looked down at his watch. "She should be here any minute now."

As Daniel finished speaking, the door swished open, and a tall figure stooped through, straightening to her full height as the door closed behind her. Her jet black hair in a ponytail, Izalith smiled slightly as she scanned the room. "It looks like I've arrived just in time." she said as she watched Daniel lower his arm.

Ritsuko nodded, looking between Izalith and Daniel. "I believe I've seen her before, at the Contact Day conferences." she said to Daniel, who nodded in turn.

"Well, it's hard to miss her." Daniel replied with a slight smile. "This is Izalith, formerly of the world of the First Flame, and an accomplished Pneumaist. If there's anyone who can help streamline this, it's her."

"Streamline it?" Kensuke said as he nearly ogled at Izalith approaching and leaning down to observe the Framework of the Evangelion that they were using as a base. "Didn't you take the original scan from an actual Evangelion? What is there to streamline?"

"More than you might think, young man." Izalith said, causing Kensuke to jump slightly as she straightened to her full 9-foot height, holding the Framework in her hands and studying it intently. "Even still, this is an impressive work of Pneumaics. Especially considering the fact that you accomplished it with next to no knowledge of how a soul truly works if I am to believe what I've been told."

She looked over at Ritsuko with an impressed expression. "Tell me, how did you do this?"

Ritsuko tilted her head side to side. "Well, we grew them from a base organism that we call a Progenitor. One of the Units is grown from a creature we call, or called, at least, Lilith, and the others are grown from its opposite, which we called Adam."

Izalith nodded slowly. "I see. So these are made up of natural Frames."

"Natural?" Maya asked, a curious look in her eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Well," Izalith started, "Frames are generally separated into two broad categories, natural and intended. Natural Frames, which are found in most things that simply grow without being shaped by an Interfacer, are dense in their growth, thus a lot of deadends and overly complicated paths with little in the way of Vent Frames are present within something with natural Frames, causing a greater expenditure of active Metos, and subsequently, a greater amount of Flux produced."

"Is that why the Evas could only last about 5 minutes on battery power without an external source?" Kensuke said, looking over at Ritsuko.

She shrugged. "Probably. Even as the head of Project E, there were a lot of things about the Evangelion which I'm sure SEELE didn't tell us about. The most I knew was that the 5-minute limit was a self-imposed limit. The Eva would simply stop functioning. Now, though, I guess I know why."

Izalith cleared her throat quietly, drawing the attention of all, some of it slightly embarrassed, back to her as she continued.

"Intended Frames, on the other hand, are those produced by someone with at least some knowledge of Interfacing." Izalith continued. "They accomplish the same purpose, but they are far more streamlined, with what could be considered a "proper" amount of Vent Frames to allow for greater effects that would take nearly three times as much natural Framing."

Izalith paused, cupping her chin as a thoughtful look entered her golden eyes. "Think of it like… an internal combustion engine. Fascinating, complicated mechanisms, but they can be over-engineered, costing fuel, or in this case Metos when efficiency often calls for simplicity." she nodded, smiling slightly as Ritsuko, Maya, and Kensuke nodded along with her.

"Wait a minute." Maya said with a questioning look. "Active Metos?"

"Yes." Izalith said. "Metos is, and this is still something that I'm wrapping my head around, much like light, in that it has two different states: active and standing. Active Metos flows as energy, rushing through Frames and powering Expressions, and standing Metos is most easily seen in the Frames themselves and, in the physical world, Plasm. Each state requires the other to make the world work, as it were."

"In this case," she continued, holding out the diagram of the Evangelion's Frame, "that balance is more important than most other parts of your current project."

"I can see how that would be the case." Ritsuko said, looking at the Framework of the Eva in Izalith's hand. "It looks like we have our work cut out for us, then."

"You've made a good start already, despite your relative inexperience." Izalith replied, putting the Framework of the Eva back on its pedestal. "But I can certainly assist you in this project. And perhaps begin teaching you some things along the way."

Ritsuko, Maya, and Kensuke's eyes went wide, while a single eyebrow rose on Daniel's face. "That would be excellent." Ritsuko said. "Thank you, miss…"

Izalith chuckled softly. "Just Izalith is fine. It is the only personal name I have ever had, and I prefer to work on a first-name basis."

"Okay then." Ritsuko replied, nodding slowly. "Then let's get started, Izalith."

. . .

Several hours of work and insightful instruction later, the simulation was running again, with a comparison of the old Framework next to a far more trimmed down, sleeker Frame.

The timer started, and the process began. Again, bone and muscle began to develop, then skin covered the body. Finally, the Plasm that stood in for armor began to take shape.

As was expected, the new Frame finished its formation, just as the skin of the previous Frame finished closing around the bone and muscle.

"9 minutes, 22 seconds." Maya said, undoubtedly satisfied.

"A great improvement." Izalith agreed. "It goes even beyond my expectations."

"Perhaps." Ritsuko replied with a serious tone. "But even still, I feel like we can get it faster."

"Maybe." Daniel said. "But that would mean cutting down on what physically manifests. And I'm not personally entirely sure what we could take off."

The assembled group pondered on the form in front of them for a moment.

"What are the shoulder and arm pylons for?" Kensuke said quietly, looking intently at the parts of the Frame in question.

Ritsuko blinked after a moment of silence. "Well, they're designed to help secure the Evangelion in case it goes berserk in the gantry or during synch testing."

"So…" Kensuke said, trailing off. "What if we just took them off? We aren't at risk of having an Eva Frame go berserk on us as a regular Unit would."

"Which means we could replace it with something that takes less time to make." Maya said, an excited look in her eyes. "Like Vent Frames."

"That would also increase the amount of power a given Expression made by an Interfacer pilot, as well." Daniel said, a slight smile on his face as he looked over at Kensuke. "Good thinking."

"If such were to be the case, what would the timing look like?" Maya asked Ritsuko, and she pulled up a keyboard over the databank, typing madly as the nearly iconic shoulder pylons faded from physical matter to glowing energy, not unlike an AT Field's, the less visible restraints on the arms doing the same.

The timer ticked down, soon displaying '00:05:07:54'.

"Just a shade over five minutes." Ritsuko said with a contented grin. "For rapid deployment, I'm not sure how much less I can ask for."

"I'd agree." Daniel replied. "I can talk to Eleanor, see about how long it's going to take to get a prototype up and running."

Daniel looked up at Izalith. "Your ship wouldn't happen to have Frame extrusion fabricators on board, would it?"

"It certainly would." Izalith replied. "As well as a communications array. I can have some engineering-focused Menders out here fairly soon."

"Good, good." Daniel said, an excited look in his eyes. "It'll be interesting working with some other Menders. And getting the rest of the technicians up to speed."

As Izalith nodded, Maya looked over at Daniel with a questioning look. "Speaking of Menders, where is Eleanor? I haven't seen her since we started."

Daniel looked over at Maya as he nodded. "She's been tending to Solace. He had an issue in a few of his appendage motors pop up, and Eleanor volunteered her services."

Ritsuko nodded. "Fascinating sort. Very interesting views on life. And an artificial lifeform, to top it all off! What I'd give to study the machinery he's made up of…"

"I agree." Izalith said quietly, her deep voice almost rumbling. "To be so kind and caring after all that he has experienced… his is truly a fascinating story."

It was silent for a moment as they pondered on the being in question.

"Well," Daniel finally said, breaking the silence as he turned towards the door, "I'll go ahead and let Eleanor know we're ready to start production. Let me know if you make any changes."

"Sounds good." Ritsuko replied, turning back to study the Frames before her intently as she began drawing up actionable schematics.

"And don't work yourself to death, either." Daniel called back. "I'd hate to see you dying for your work, even on something this important."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she continued to construct a rough schematic. "I have Maya to help me with that. No need to worry here."

Daniel chuckled. "Alright. I look forward to seeing how things progress."

Then he turned and left the scientists to their studying and tutelage.

- - -

Theisman Residence, 3 Days Later

Daniel and Eleanor sat down on the chairs in their living room and did something entirely out of place in their usual routine. Right now, instead of the quiet rustle of the turning of pages, the television was on, and the news channel quietly did its duty, a reporter facing the camera with a serious expression.

"And in other news, in the wake of the stunning revelation that not only is there life out in the universe, but that there are other universes beyond our own, more and more popular figures, from actors and business people to politicians and government officials, are throwing their support behind what is calling itself the 'Lone World' movement, dedicated to, in the words of its founder, an online personality known only as "Providence", 'providing a planet Earth that we, the human race who occupies it, know is suited to our needs and desires, without outside interference'. We now go to our correspondent in America with more on the story."

The scene changed to a man standing in front of a wall that had been covered in graffiti that was in the process of being studiously scrubbed off, the reporter's name unimportant, the place 'NERV-4, Boston, Massachusetts'.

"Thank you. Though you wouldn't know by looking at it now, this wall, the front entrance to the former United Nations Special Agency NERV's remaining branch in America, has become one of the most visible signs of the Lone World movement's rising name and fame, and NERV, a group that has become infamous for its relations to the extraterrestrial in not only their hearings, but their ushering in of intelligent outside forces, has become a prime target for their displeasure. Representatives from both the nation of Tel and the League of Independent Echoes recently spoke on this issue, stating that they understand many people's apprehension, and hope to engage with them in making up a solution that satisfies all parties."

The correspondent continued for a moment, then Daniel muted the television with a sigh.

"You seem… perturbed by what you have seen."

Daniel and Eleanor looked over and saw Ichigo standing in the hallway, looking at them with curiosity in her eyes that broke through her usual calm expression.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah." he said softly as he stood, walking over to Ichigo. "There's just a lot going on right now. And now we've got this on top of making essentially a new Evangelion, hosting the diplomatic talks happening in New York in the next few weeks, and just keeping things running."

Daniel sighed quietly. "It's…" he said, trailing off as he struggled somewhat to find the right words.

"A lot?" Ichigo said, an eyebrow slightly raised as Daniel and she made their way to the couch.

"Yeah. A lot." Daniel chuckled as they sat down.

It was silent for a moment as they enjoyed each other's company, the scene marred only by the silent talking heads on the television screen.

Eleanor looked over at Ichigo. "So," she said conversationally, "have you decided a new name for yourself yet? I know that's something that you've been meaning to do."

Ichigo looked down at the floor silently for a moment as a slight blush colored her pale cheeks. "Well…" she said, trailing off for a second. "I've actually decided that I might keep it."

"Oh, really?" Daniel said, a slight smile on his face. "May I ask why?"

"I find that it has more meaning than I first assumed. And… Kensuke said that it was a good name." Ichigo finally said. Her blush deepened slightly.

Daniel's smile widened slightly. "Well, that sounds like as good a reason to keep a name as any."

"Yes. I would agree." Ichigo said, smiling slightly.

After a moment of silence, the tone of the doorbell sounded out, and Daniel looked up. "Hm. I'll go see who it is."

Daniel stood and made his way to the door, and opened it to see who would be waiting for them.

It was a woman a little taller than Daniel was, thin and dressed in dark jeans and a black jacket over a white shirt. Her smooth skin was pale, and her hair was grey, looking to almost be like a body drained of all color. Her eyes, however, black irises on white, were quietly alive, and a small smile creased her lips. "Hello, Daniel." she said, with a voice that seemed used to speaking quietly.

"Hello, Quelaan." Daniel said as a calm smile of his own started growing on his face. "Come in. How are you doing?"

"As well as I can be." Quelaan replied, stepping in and removing her shoes. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything."

"No, no." Daniel said, ushering her in. "In fact, there are a few people who I wouldn't mind you meet. How are the rest of your sisters?"

"Quelaag and Quelana are in the Geofront, assisting mother in beginning the creation of the Frame Plug device. They've taken to engineering, and with no small amount of skill, either." she said with a slight chuckle. "I, on the other hand, had other ideas in mind when I properly began Interfacing. Ideas more… alive than the simple constructs that my sisters seem content with making."

"I'm sure. In fact..." Daniel said as they emerged into the living room, and he lightly connected his soul to Quelaan's, asking silently for a request, which she accepted with no small amount of interest.

Eleanor and Ichigo looked over at Daniel and Quelaan as they entered the living room, and Daniel stepped forward. "Eleanor, Ichigo, this is Quelaan. She's an old friend from the same Echo that Izalith comes from."

Eleanor raised a hand in greeting. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Eleanor stood and walked over, offering her hand, which Quelaan took in a surprisingly firm handshake. "And it's good to meet you. I've heard a small portion of your story."

"I'd imagine." Quelaan said, her slight smile becoming a small grin. "Daniel seems to be fond of telling stories when the mood strikes him."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you probably haven't heard even a portion of what he can go off about. Much as I love it."

The two women shared a knowing chuckle as Daniel scoffed slightly and crossed his arms. "Oh, come on. I'm not that bad, am I?"

The chuckle turned into quiet laughter as Daniel sighed and shook his head.

After a moment, the laughter died and the group sat down. Quelaan looked over at Ichigo with a gentle expression. "And who would you be?"

"My name is Ichigo… Ayanami." Ichigo replied quietly, nodding at Quelaan.

Quelaan's smile grew slightly. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Daniel told me a little of who you are before we sat down. You have quite the eventful life story."

"Yes." Ichigo said quietly. "And, from what I have learned from my friends, you, along with your mother and sisters, have had a life far more eventful than mine."

"Perhaps." Quelaan said. "But you are young, and there is still much in reality to experience."

For a while they talked quietly, Daniel and Quelaan expanding her story as Eleanor and Ichigo listened raptly, the silent television, and the uncertainties that it spoke of, forgotten for a little while.

"So," Daniel began, "I understand that you're an Animist." he said offhandedly.

"Yes." Quelaan said, smiling slightly as Ichigo looked over at her. "I've been working on gaining the trust of a few Spirits over the course of my time away from our old home."

She held out her hands, and a Grip, like a piece of charred firewood, appeared in her hands, and she closed her eyes as she focused.

On the bare coffee table, three small flames flickered to life, emanating little heat as they seemed to grow arms and legs, dots of purple flame taking the place of eyes and mouths as they seemed to yawn, stretching the wisps of flame that constituted their appendages as they stood and walked around, exploring the table.

Ichigo looked at the small figures with wide eyes as one of them noticed her, walking over to look up at her, the other two joining its side.

"These are Spirits, given form." Quelaan said softly. "For all the knowledge that we've studied, my sisters, mother, and I, they are still one of many mysteries within the realm of Interfacing."

She paused for a moment. "Perhaps it is good, to have something so humbling as mystery in something so grand as life, to remind us of how much there still is to know."

After a moment of silence, Quelaan narrowed her gaze slightly. "They seem to be… drawn to you. I am unsure why. They are not usually this… willful."

Ichigo did not reply, simply reaching out to try and touch the flame Spirit closest to her. As her finger approached, the Spirit reached out, grabbing at it like a particularly large tree branch. "It's… warm." she whispered.

Daniel and Eleanor looked intently at the display as it unfolded, then Daniel looked over at Quelaan. "What are the Spirits?"

"Shreds of Humanity." Quelaan whispered, not daring to take her gaze off Ichigo facing her palm up, the Spirit clambering up onto it. "The few that I had left from when Quelaag was keeping me alive."

"Humanity…" Ichigo whispered. "I… I pull them, somehow. I see..."

The room was silent, the only noise that dared intrude upon it the quiet crackle of the flame Spirits as Ichigo took the other two in her other hand.

Finally, Daniel decided to break the silence. "Ichigo," he said, and she cringed slightly as she looked over at him, "go ahead and let Quelaan release her Spirits from their form."

Ichigo blinked, then nodded slowly, setting the Spirits back down on the coffee table, where they flickered out like the blowing of candlelight.

Everyone leaned back in their seats with a quiet sigh, and it was silent again for a moment.

"What did you see?" Quelaan said quietly.

"I saw… memories." Ichigo said quietly. "Pieces of them, at least. I'm… unsure. But it felt… right, somehow."

"If such is the case," Quelaan said, "then you might want more training. If Spirits are drawn to you like mine were, then you'll need to be taught how to control yourself, and them."

She looked over at Daniel and Eleanor. "If you give your permission, of course."

Eleanor shrugged slightly. "Any permission is hers to give." she said simply, and Daniel nodded silently.

Quelaan nodded in turn, and looked back over to Ichigo. "What do you think?" she said quietly.

It was silent as the young woman considered the empty coffee table. Then, she slowly nodded. "Yes." she said quietly. "Yes, I would like to learn this."

"Except…" she said after a moment. "I don't think I'll be learning. I think I'll be… discovering it. Or rediscovering it."

She fell silent after that.

The adults in the room looked over at each other, Quelaan questioning, and Daniel and Eleanor wondering.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo looked over at Quelaan. "Is there anything I should know now?"

"Well," Quelaan said after a moment, taking her Grip in two hands, "the first is that to call upon Spirits, and give them physical form, often requires a Locus. These are often called Grips by the simple, but they have the potential to be powerful relics. Spirits are stored within them, empowering the Locus or emerging from it or its wielder. As for the methods of drawing Spirits to the Locus, that will come later."

Ichigo nodded slowly in understanding. "Very well."

"A word of warning." Daniel said, a serious look in his eyes as his own Grip, a handle of crystal that seemed to change colors every so often, appeared and began to hum an almost pleasant tone.

"Spirits are not the only things that are able to be drawn to the Locus." Daniel said quietly, looking down at the Locus as it continued to hum. "Souls can be drawn into them too. One way… or another."

"How do you know this?" Ichigo said, discomfort in her voice creeping into her expression.

Daniel sighed quietly and closed his eyes for a moment before he responded. "This is Nynrya." he said quietly, lifting the Grip in his hand for a moment. "She seems, or seemed, to enjoy singing. That is all that I have ever found out about her. Other than her eyes. A deep brown, like melted chocolate, before the light went out of them."

He closed his eyes and sighed again as Eleanor put a hand on Daniel's arm. "Another of the long list of my sins."

Daniel took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and looked at Ichigo, seeming to stare into her soul. "If you ever come across a soul, be careful what you do with them. Don't do what I did."

It was silent again for a moment, then Daniel made his Grip vanish, the hum abruptly stopping as he stood. "Well, that's enough of that dour mood." he looked over at Quelaan. "Will you be able to stay for lunch? Rei and Kaworu will be coming back before they go up with some of the other Children on a group date."

Quelaan smiled. "Why yes. I would like to, actually. And I've been wanting to meet the Children since I heard about them. Such strong souls, to go through what they have."

"Yes." Eleanor said quietly, standing and walking over to Daniel's side. "That they are."

- - -

Uluru Blacksite, Australian Outback

Mariah Marlowe gazed out the window of the helicopter as they circled the massive, tree-stump-like rock that was Uluru. She had only seen it in pictures in school before, probably, but she was probably barely feeling the Thrill for something as mundane as schoolwork and look at how big it was! It was so huge!

In a moment, before they descended, she got out her phone, taking a few pictures for later. She would have sent them to dad now, but Commander Townsend had been very clear that dad shouldn't be hearing anything from her, what with "operational secrecy" and all that nonsense.

She'd still managed to sneak a few pictures out to dad, mostly of the Suez Channel and a few pictures she had taken of the sea that interested her. If she remembered, she might send him some pictures of this. She knew he liked them, mostly because mum had liked them too. What would mum have thought of the sight?

It disappeared before she could think of an answer, replaced with the sight of an inset hangar bay, surrounded by catwalks and doors, mostly empty of people save for one who waited on the edge of the pad in a military uniform.

The helicopter touched down, and as she opened the door to bounce down onto the floor, bag in hand, she heard the rumble of the doors overhead closing.

She came to a stop in front of the gentleman, shifting her bag into her other hand as she came to attention and offered a sharp, palm-out salute. "Pilot Mari Marlowe at your service sir!" she said cheerfully.

The man's lips quirked at the right corner as he saluted back to her, allowing them both to drop it as he extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Marlowe. I'm Major Howard, and I'll be your commanding officer during your stay here."

Mariah took the hand and firmly shaked it. "Oh, good. A commanding officer. Exactly what I needed. Seeing as what I'm about to do seems to be rather important."

"That it is." Major Howard replied, letting go of her hand. "Follow me. We'll get your stuff put away, and then I'll introduce you to the other pilots."

"Oh, yay! I've been wondering what they're like since I saw their names and faces." Mariah said, following behind as they passed through the doors and into the base itself. She lowered her voice in a conspiratorial whisper. "If I come off as weird, it's because I haven't had my meds yet. We took off a liiiittle too early for that."

Major Howard nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind."

They talked as they walked to drop her bags off, which mostly consisted, as it usually did for her, doing most of the talking and Major Howard most of the listening, chiming in at a few points.

As they walked away from what was to be her room, Major Howard stopped, turning to Mariah with a serious look in his eyes. "Now, as I'm sure you're aware, you'll be going into battle beside these other young women in an extremely important mission."

Mariah nodded slowly. "Yeah. I've got that."

It was quiet for a moment. "Keep them safe." he finally said, sighing quietly as he did. "They're valuable assets, and the Human Instrumentality Committee would not want to see them wasted."

It was quiet again as they began to walk again. After a moment, Mariah suddenly realized what he was actually saying. "Ohhhhh." she said, gaining a few looks from some technicians that passed by. "You-"

Major Howard suddenly looked over at her with a stern glare, cutting off whatever she would have said next. After a moment, he looked around, ensuring that no one was in the corridor with them.

Seemingly assured that they weren't heard, he looked back at Mariah with a neutral expression. "You're very observant." he said neutrally.

"Thanks. I mean…" she looked around much like Major Howard had, ensuring that no others could hear them. "If you're so concerned, why not send me and a few of those Mass-Production Evangelions ahead, clear things out, and keep them safe? I'm probably more than a match for the other pilots we might be going up against."

It was a long, silent moment before Major Howard replied. "Because the plan has already been laid out quite meticulously by the Committee." he said.

Then, he smiled slightly. "And besides, they're both just as willing as you are to see this through. Even if they don't look like it."

As they turned another corner (their 7th since dropping her bags off, and their 18th since leaving the helicopter, a quiet part of her brain noted) and stopped in front of a door, Major Howard smiled slightly. "Speaking of the other girls…" he said, swiping a card in front of a reader.

The door opened with a swish, revealing a bare conference room, occupied only by a long table and the dome of a projector of some kind.

It was empty, save for two girls who looked about Mariah's age. One was a little taller than her own 5-foot 4-inch frame, wearing military combat fatigues and boots that clacked slightly as she stood up and came to attention, putting up a sharp salute that shrouded her hard blue eyes in a little shadow, the overhead lights instead gleaming dully off of her short brown hair.

The other girl stood more slowly, coming to attention and offering a somewhat more uncertain salute. She was slightly shorter, with long black hair that draped over the back of her own fatigues. She looked at Mariah more than she did at Major Howard, the girl's brown eyes filled with both wondering and hesitation.

"Miss Marlowe," Major Howard said as he stepped forward, "as I'm sure you know, these are your fellow pilots. Mana Kirishima and Mayumi Yamagishi."

Mariah stepped forward, stretching her hand out towards the stoic Mana. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Mariah, but it'll just be Mari between us, good?"

Mana lowered the salute after a moment as Major Howard presumably saluted back, and stared at Mariah with a neutral expression as Mariah kept her hand extended. She glanced behind Mariah after a moment, then slowly took her hand in a firm grip. "Hello, Mari. I am Lieutenant Kirishima." she said levelly.

"Yes, ma'am, so it seems to be." Mariah said. After a moment, she tilted her head slightly. "Are you, by chance… a cyborg?" she said slowly, a suspicious look in her eye.

Mariah heard a quiet intake of breath from behind her as Major Howard began to speak, then didn't. Mana, for her part, simply tilted her head slightly. "No. I am not a cyborg."

Mariah nodded slowly. "Got it. Good to know." she said, just as slowly.

Mariah looked over to the other girl, Mayumi, and again reached out her hand. "And hello to you too."

"Hi." Mayumi said slowly, reaching out and shaking Mariah's hand limply. "It's… nice to meet you, I guess."

Mariah smiled broadly. "Not a social butterfly, eh? That's alright. I do most of the talking, anyway."

Mayumi let go of Mariah's hand, nodding slowly and silently.

Mariah took a step back, looking between the two girls then back towards Major Howard. "Well, then, lovely ladies, looking forward to working with both of them. When do we start?"

"We start with going through some simulations." Major Howard said, his expression fighting to remain cool and controlled. "We're still finishing repairs on the Mass-Production Evangelions in our care, and we're waiting on word that the ones stationed elsewhere will be ready. Until then, you three get to learn how to work together."

"Sounds like a plan!" Mariah said, nodding sharply, then looking back at the other two pilots. "I'm going to have fun seeing what you two can do in an Evangelion." she said with a broad smile.

Major Howard did his best to not openly sigh. The next few weeks were going to be… eventful.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Interlude 1: Hot Springs, Warm Hearts

Hot Springs Onsen, Several Miles from Mt. Asama

Shinji took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air as he stepped out of the van that Daniel had rented, and looked around at the vast, lonely surroundings that framed the singular quiet bathhouse in front of them. It was a familiar place. Larger than he first remembered. Then again, the last time he had come here, he was still coming down from literally submerging himself in lava. He couldn't entirely blame himself for being a little spaced out, really.

Speaking of submerging in lava, he thought as a hand gripped his, he smiled slightly as the person he so happened to save came up from behind him, Asuka squeezing slightly as she came to a stop beside him.

"Well, I must say, Shinji," Asuka said, and Shinji didn't even need to look over to see the smile on her face, "it's good to see this place again."

She sighed dramatically. "Oh, so many good memories." she continued, as the others extricated themselves and made their way over. "Like wondering where your blood went when you heard Misato and I." she said, a smirk on her face as she looked over at Shinji

Shinji reacted much as he did then, blood running to his cheeks and parts unseen as he opened his mouth for a moment, then shut it with an embarrassed look. "Asuka…" he finally managed, slightly sullenly.

"Oh, Shinji." Asuka said, rolling her eyes even as her smirk began to turn into a smile. "You're still almost as easy to tease as you were back then."

Shinji nodded as he looked over at Daniel and waved goodbye, watching for a moment as Daniel got back in the van and started to drive away in order to take his mind off of the embarrassment that burned his face.

After a moment, he smiled slightly as he looked back at Asuka while they all walked in. "Back before you figured out that I'd realize most of what you were saying would be true?"

Asuka opened her mouth, then closed it as she began to blush slightly as well. "Good point." she said quietly.

Shinji smiled slightly and softly chuckled at the rare sight of a flustered Asuka. "Look at that. I guess I can almost give as good as I get, now. Seeing as I've learned from the best."

Asuka harrumphed. "You may be getting better, rookie, but you still have a long way to go before you can take the best of the best." she said with no small amount of confidence and a knowing smirk.

Shinji nodded slowly. "Yes, dear." he said patiently, his smile growing slightly.

Asuka nodded in satisfaction. "Good to hear."

As the Children all signed in, they found, to their delight, that there were three private baths, usually reserved for those who wanted to be alone or for couples. All three were booked for the party with no small amount of satisfaction, and the couples went their separate ways.

. . .

Shinji happened to finish preparing first, easing into the delightfully warm water with a slight wince, then a contented sigh as he sat down on the opposite edge.

He was alone for the moment, with nothing but his thoughts in perhaps one of the most relaxing places on earth. He quietly relished the fleeting moment with his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face.

Such was the state of things for what felt like a little eternity when a not entirely unwelcome voice interrupted his train of thought. "I do hope you're thinking about me with that smile on your face."

Shinji opened his eyes, and for a moment, his breath was gone again, just like it had been so many months before, as Asuka stepped into the water, making her way over to him and sitting down.

Shinji's eyes were still wide with wonder when Asuka gently poked him. "Earth to Shinji. Did my scintillating beauty finally melt your brain fully?" she said with a small smile.

After a moment of processing, Shinji blinked. "A little. I was just wondering how I got so lucky to have someone as beautiful as you love me."

Asuka smiled broadly as she snuggled into Shinji's side. "Of course, my dear rookie. Lucky is putting it lightly."

Her smile dimmed as she paused for a moment. "We're both lucky, really."

Shinji nodded silently, and his thoughts, as much as he tried to stop them, turned to what they had watched in the Infinity Box. He put his arm around Asuka's shoulders and squeezed gently. "That we are." he said quietly.

It was silent for a moment.

. . .

Kaworu and Rei were equally quiet, sitting together and taking in the warmth of the bath.

"This is quite pleasant." Rei finally said after a moment. "I can see why Asuka spoke so highly of this place."

Kaworu nodded. "Indeed. This place seems more…" he trailed off as he searched for the words.

Rei decided to brush against his soul slightly for a moment, causing him to blink as she looked at the concept that Kaworu was trying to codify. "I believe the best word for that would be… connected?" she said slowly.

Kaworu nodded after a moment of pondering. "Yes. Connected. With the rest of the world. A world created by Lilith."

Rei nodded. "Yes. And I quite prefer this world." she said, smiling slightly.

"As do I." Kaworu replied with his own slight smile.

They were silent again for a moment, then Kaworu hummed.

Rei looked over at Kaworu, a raised eyebrow the biggest indicator of her puzzlement. "What is it?" she said.

"You are connected to Lilith, am I correct?" Kaworu said, and Rei blinked at the sudden non sequitur.

"Yes…" Rei said slowly. "In some form like you are with Adam. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Kaworu replied. "Have you ever tried talking to her?"

Rei blinked. "No, not as of yet. Why?"

"I…" Kaworu said, trailing off. "Well, seeing as Adam- Kadmonel is currently in the possession of the Theismans, I wondered if I could speak to him as they did."

Rei pondered for a moment. "I do not see why not. I'm sure Daniel and Eleanor would acquiesce to such a request."

"Indeed." Kaworu replied quietly.

After a moment of silence, Kaworu looked over at the pensive Rei. "Would you try talking to Lilith?"

"Perhaps." Rei said quietly. "There are… undoubtedly many souls that I would have to sift through before finding hers within the body we have in Terminal Dogma, but it is possible. Perhaps even probable."

Rei's brow furrowed, and her lips quirked in slight annoyance. "Now, that's enough talking for right now, my scribble. Right now…" she sighed quietly. "I just want some peace."

Kaworu nodded. "Certainly, Rei."

Rei smiled, which caused Kaworu to smile in turn, and it was quiet again.

. . .

Hikari and Toji sat across from each other, a slight blush in their cheeks as they silently regarded the other. The reality of what, exactly, the date had entailed hadn't truly hit them until the exact moment that Asuka booked the three private baths.

"So," Toji finally started haltingly, "how are your sisters?"

"Well, Kodama's doing fine with her school work in the university in Tokyo-2." Hikari replied. "And Nozomi is…" she chuckled softly. "A handful, as I'm sure you're aware."

Toji chuckled. "Yeah, she is. Especially when her and Sakura get together. It's basically an explosion."

The both of them quietly laughed at the image of the two rambunctious younger children, and the memories of only a few of their antics.

After a moment, it fell silent again. "Yeah," Toji said into the silence, "it's too funny."

It was silent again, and now it stretched on for minutes as Hikari and Toji grappled silently with what to say next.

"Hikari…" "Toji…" they said at once, then they blushed slightly and chuckled awkwardly.

"You go ahead." Toji said with a slight stammer.

"No, no, you go first. Please." Hikari insisted.

After a moment with an almost defiant look, Toji sighed quietly, his expression becoming pensive. "Do you ever…" the water splashed quietly as his hands came out of it, and he seemed to grapple with the question as if it were a physical thing in his hands. "Do you ever envy the others? Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Kaworu? How… together they are?"

Hikari pondered the question for a moment. "Well… yes. But… they've been through so much together. They were on the front lines of the Angel war before we ever got involved, and even then, we didn't do much, exactly. They've seen and done things we couldn't have done before now. They're… different."

"Different?" Toji said, indignation creeping into his voice as he sat straight.

"Not in a bad way, Toji." Hikari said, putting her hands up. "Just… they're not entirely like us."

She paused for a moment. "But… that's war, I guess."

She paused again, then scrunched up her face. "Oh, that sounded terribly insensitive, didn't it?"

"Maybe." Toji said with a shrug. "But it's not wrong. And really, we're catching up to them."

Toji paused as he looked down. "For better and worse."

Hikari looked at Toji with growing worry. "Toji… are you okay?"

Toji sighed quietly. "Well, there's upending my entire life in favor of active combat against massive aliens while piloting a giant mech powered by my mom's soul, learning what's basically magic to protect myself against threats I can't squash with said mech, all on top of figuring out what the hell I want to do with my life now that we're dealing with people-sized aliens that don't want to turn us into orange juice."

Toi looked up at Hikari. "Really, at this point, I'm just trying to find what's even par for the course." he said with a rueful smile.

Sympathy was etched on Hikari's face. "Oh, Toji…"

"You help, though." Toji continued, a hand raised towards Hikari. "You and Shinji and the others, and even poor old Ken who we sort of left out once things started to get wild. And honestly… I don't know where I'd be without you."

It was silent for a moment before Hikari smiled slightly. "I'm glad I can help, Toji." she said quietly.

Toji smiled in return. "Yeah. Now, wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah, actually." Hikari replied, pausing for a moment before blushing slightly. "It actually has to do with us changing."

"What do you mean?" Toji said slowly, caution creeping into his expression.

"Nothing bad." Hikari said. "But… I was wondering something."

"Such as…" Toji said slowly.

Hikari looked Toji in the eyes as her blush deepened. "Would you… would you be interested in…"

Her blush deepened even further as her voice became a whisper. "Moving in together soon?"

It was utterly silent, save for the lapping of the water as Toji processed the bombshell that Hikari had just dropped on him. "Uh…" he eloquently said after his brain finally started to function again.

"Toji?" Hikari asked with a worried look on her face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" Toji blurted, then he blushed as he realized how loud he had been.

"No." he said much more quietly. "You didn't, I promise. It's just… I may have been starting to wonder the same thing actually. Maybe not quite as soon as you may have been thinking, but… soon."

"Oh. Okay." Hikari said quietly.

It was silent again for a moment as they regarded each other.

"So…" Hikari started. "How soon were you thinking?"

"Well, that depends, really." Toji replied. "How soon were you thinking?"

"Maybe…" Hikari started, trailing off as she cupped her chin thoughtfully. "A few months from now?"

"A few?" Toji said. "Shoot, with how much of a loving pushover my dad is, we could move in within a week."

"Well, that may be the case." Hikari replied. "But then there's my father."

"Yeah." Toji said quietly. He had met Bunzaemon Horaki early in their relationship. He was a quiet, kind man, but he was also stubborn when he wanted to be. And when it came to his daughters, he could be quite stubborn.

"But, I mean, you can talk to him, right?" Toji asked. "You are kind of his favorite, after all."

"Maybe, but…" Hikari began. "With Kodama off at university, and Nozomi so young, he counts on me to keep things in order around the house. I can't just drop that without a good reason."

"Yeah…" Toji said. "That's fair."

It was quiet again, then Hikari sighed as she stood, Toji trying very hard not to focus on where exactly his blood was going as she walked over to his side and sat back down.

"I'll figure it out." Hikari said as she leaned on Toji's shoulder and closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out."

"Yeah." Toji replied quietly after a moment. "Yeah, we will."

. . .

After a moment of startled attention at Toji's apparent outburst, Asuka and Shinji shook their heads slightly. "Wonder what's on the jock's mind." Asuka pondered.

"I don't know." Shinji replied. "Must be something pretty crazy if he's reacting like that."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah." she said. "Yeah." she repeated, quieter this time.

"Asuka," Shinji said, concern evident in his voice, "what's wrong?"

Asuka sighed after a moment of silence. "I…" she started. "What am I going to be?"

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"I mean, look at what the world is coming to." Asuka said, sitting up and looking over at Shinji. "We have… magic. Interfacing, Expressions, it's all just magic, really. And the Angels, for the most part, are dead. Even with the rest of the MP-Evas and this Marlowe Child, after we win that, and we will win that…"

Asuka shook her head. "What comes after? We don't have a 'normal' life to return to. Hell, we didn't even have a normal life in the first place. So… what's next?"

Asuka's face scrunched up in frustration as she looked at the slightly rippling water at her reflection. "I don't know. I should know. I hate that."

Shinji looked at Asuka sympathetically as he put his arm around her shoulders and pondered quietly for a moment.

"Asuka…" He began, pausing as she looked up at him, still frustrated. "If there's anyone who could figure out what happens after, it's you."

"Really?" Asuka said with an arched eyebrow. "The one whose entire life was dedicated to piloting an Evangelion? A machine that won't work when we get our mother's souls out of them?"

She smiled wanly. "I admire your optimism. Really, I do."

Shinji smiled back. "Well…" he said, pondering on his response for a moment until he happened upon a question that he had been asked long ago.

"Asuka," he said, "why do you pilot the Eva?"

Asuka blinked as she looked up at Shinji with wide, somewhat disbelieving eyes. "What?"

"Why do you pilot the Eva?" Shinji said again patiently. "I'm pretty sure it isn't because you want to be noticed anymore. The press did a good job of that."

Asuka's disbelief became disgust for a moment. "You got that right."

"So, why do you do it?" Shinji asked again.

It was silent for a moment as Asuka pondered. "Well… I do it to protect you." she said softly. "To protect my friends, my family. This world."

"And do you think you could do that without the Eva, should it come to it?" Shinji asked quietly.

"I mean, I think I could. I'm pretty sure I could." Asuka said, equally quiet. "But when it comes down to actually knowing… well, the jury's still out."

It was silent again for a moment. Then Asuka scoffed quietly. "You know, I can't say that I ever expected you to ask me that question. Though I guess turnabout is fair play, in the end."

"I mean, you asking me that question helped me find my reason to pilot, to do what I did. I don't see why it couldn't help you possibly find out what to do." Shinji said with a small smile.

Asuka snorted softly as she smiled. "Well, let it never be said you aren't a clever rookie. And all mine, too." she replied, snuggling against Shinji.

Asuka looked up at a sky that bled orange and red. "Would you look at that?" she said softly. "We have a great view of the sunset. Together, now."

"Yeah." Shinji replied, looking out at the sun as it set, old memories running through his mind. "Together."

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Interlude 2: Sands of Red

Tokyo-3 City Hall

It was a quiet noise that rippled through the air as the government of Tokyo-3 hosted members of the delegation of the League of Independent Echoes. It was a formal dinner party with the mayor, Mr. Konishi and his city council, the heads of NERV-HQ's divisions, and a few members of the delegation, along with a few plus ones.

Daniel sighed quietly as he looked over at Eleanor, swirling the punch in his hand as the group mingled after eating. "Have I ever told you how much I dislike these sorts of things?" he said, equally quietly.

"Many times, dear." Eleanor said with a patient tone. "I know it's been a while, but I remember quite clearly."

Daniel nodded. "Oh, good. I'd hate to belabor the point."

Eleanor sighed quietly, then drained the last of her drink, and took Daniel's hand. "Alright, come on now. Let's get back into the mix."

"If you insist." Daniel said with a sigh, following Eleanor as she walked in amongst the conversations happening.

At a whim, Eleanor stopped next to Ritsuko and Maya, having a conversation with Mashor Vinis, the salarian head scientist of the delegation.

"Hello, there." Eleanor said, looking over at Ritsuko with a slight smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, it's no problem." Ritsuko said. "Mr. Vinis and I were just getting to know each other better."

She gestured to Mashor. "Some of the solutions that he's recently proposed for keeping the Russian breadbasket arable when they get to shifting the axial tilt of the planet back to where it was before Second Impact are simply fascinating."

"Thank you, Ms. Akagi." Mashor said levelly, nodding to Ritsuko. "This world seems in quite the predicament, and it has been a most exciting use of my mental abilities to keep things stable while improvements are being made."

Mashor looked over at Eleanor. "I don't believe that I have made either of your acquaintances yet."

"Well," Eleanor said, "I'm Captain Eleanor Theisman, and this is my husband, Major Daniel Theisman. We're in charge of the engineering branch of NERV."

Maya looked over at Eleanor. "Isn't there a rank you're missing?" she said with a slight smile.

"Well, Maya," Daniel said, "we aren't actively in the role of the Colonels Theisman of the Worldstrider Corps right now. Keeps things simple."

Mashor blinked. "Ah. You are also part of the Worldstrider Corps? How long have you been in this Echo?"

"I got here about 3 months ago, Worldsea time." Eleanor said. "Daniel's been here for a while longer than that."

"I see." Mashor said, looking intently at Daniel now. "So you would have both been involved in the Unity War?"

Daniel nodded. "In some capacity or another." he said simply.

Mashor looked at Daniel for a moment longer, then nodded as he turned to look at Ritsuko. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Doctor, but I'm afraid that there are others whom I wish to speak to tonight. May I set up a correspondence with you?"

"Certainly." Ritsuko replied, opening her purse and digging through it for a moment, pulling out a transparent rectangle the size of a smartphone.

"Pardon me." she said as she activated the device in her hand, the side in her palm becoming frosted as a small holographic display came to life. "I'm still getting these set up for internal use at NERV, so I'll pull up my contact info… now."

Mashor pulled his own device out of a pocket as he smiled. "Not to worry. There is always a period of adjustment to new technologies and ideas. These clear-pads are no exception."

After a moment, Ritsuko and Mashor tapped the top of their clear-pads together, and in an instant, their contact info was shared. "Amazing." Ritsuko murmured, seemingly wondrous at the tiny moment that had just transpired.

Mashor's smile widened for a moment. "Thank you, Doctor. Again, it was a pleasure to meet all of you." he said as he looked at the assembled group. "Good evening."

With that, he walked away, leaving the group standing together.

Ritsuko continued to look at her clear-pad with no small amount of wonder, then looked back up at Daniel and Eleanor. "We just exchanged a massive amount of information with just a tactile meeting between two devices." she said with no small amount of excitement in her eyes.

Daniel and Eleanor chuckled softly. "Think about it, Ritsuko," Daniel said, "you're at least…" he glanced up as he did some mental math. "About a decade ahead of where we originally came from in 2024. We were only really starting to apply the technology to be able to do what you just did."

Maya looked over Ritsuko's shoulder at the pad as Ritsuko played around with it. "Making these from the blueprints we've been delivered and discovering the functions has been… a joy, really."

They chatted idly for a few moments, speaking on the Evangelion Frame project and the Frame Plug prototype that would be almost halfway done by now. Then, Misato and Kaji, smelling slightly of alcohol, made their way over, accompanied by another figure.

He was a tall man, well-toned and wide with muscles that filled out the formal suit that he wore. His tan face was framed by a long mop of black hair, a trimmed beard surrounding an easy smile.

"Oh, hi, Ritsky." Misato said with a broad smile. "How are you guys doing?"

"Doing just fine, Misato, thank you." Ritsuko said patiently. She looked up at the man who accompanied them. "And who might you be, sir?"

"My name is Duncan Idaho." the man said with a smile, reaching out a hand which Ritsuko shook politely.

"Idaho?" Maya asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Isn't that a state in the USA?"

Duncan chuckled slightly. "You know, I've heard that more than a few times. Apparently, it is. My name, in some way at least, is always going to be remembered whenever I travel to Earth. Kind of nice, really."

Duncan's gaze turned to Eleanor, and his eyebrow quirked as his smile widened slightly, offering a hand which Eleanor took. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, madam." he said, gently brushing his lips across her knuckles. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Eleanor Theisman." Eleanor said with a gracious smile. "I'm in charge of engineering at NERV."

"That sounds like quite a task, from what I've seen." Duncan said. "You must be quite capable, to be able to oversee it all."

He paused after a moment. "And Theisman… I've heard that name before."

Duncan looked over at Daniel, and Daniel's heart stopped as a glimmer of recognition shone in Duncan's steel-grey eyes. "Well, then." Duncan said quietly. "It's been a while, Daniel."

"You know Duncan, Daniel?" Misato asked with a smile on her face, looking over at him. Her smile faded as she saw the look in Daniel's eyes. Scared. Ashamed.

"I'll be right back." Daniel nearly mumbled, turning around and heading for the bathrooms, leaving a wondering, concerned group behind him.

Everything was a muted rumble as he pushed past a few people, offering mumbled apologies as he headed towards the men's room. Memories flashed through his mind. Good memories of a lush world, tarnished by terrible foresight, remorseful acceptance, and haunting guilt, old friends one and all.

He finally reached the empty bathroom, pushing a stall door closed and locking it before perching over the toilet, breathing heavily as the green vistas and blue seas in his mind became stark white and tan desert under a harsh blue sky, and the almost overwhelming smell of cinnamon filled his nose.

'Damn it… why now?' he thought silently as the memories became violent. Blood and sand and fire swirled in his mind, threatening to overpower everything. And that face that had smiled at him… slack…

He felt the touch of Eleanor's soul, her confusion becoming sadness as she comforted him silently.

After a long while, the memories began to grow more tolerable, and Daniel heard the bathroom door open, then shut, two sets of steps clacking slightly on the tile.

After a moment, Daniel heard a gentle knock on the door. "Daniel?" Duncan's voice said quietly, and Daniel fought off another wave of memories as he stood slowly, opening the stall door.

Duncan seemed to take up all the view of the cracked door, his face the picture of concern. "What's wrong?" he said quietly. "I've never seen the fear take you like that. Not even on Arrakis."

"No, you probably wouldn't have." Daniel said with a sigh, opening the door further to reveal an equally concerned Kaji behind Duncan.

"Hell of a panic attack?" Kaji said, a serious look in his eyes.

"Yes." Daniel said, nodding. "Interfacing makes it worse. Especially for memories and moments you experience after you become Interfaced. Makes PTSD a far greater monster at times to face with some of the changes that come into effect."

Daniel scoffed softly as he shook his head. "There's whole fields of study dedicated to how the mind and the soul interact. And they still haven't quite figured it out yet what happens to us Interfaced soldiers that get like this."

Daniel took a deep breath and met Duncan's gaze with a weary smile. "I apologize. It's good to see you again, Duncan."

Duncan put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "There's no need to apologize to me for something so out of your control as that."

"The fear takes all at one point or another." Daniel said, echoing words from long ago. "We must simply accept it for a time, then act."

"I see old Gurney still leaves an impression." Duncan said with a chuckle.

"Alright," Duncan said after a moment's quiet laughter between him and Daniel, "let's get back out there. No need to keep the ladies worrying any longer than necessary."

. . .

Misato, Eleanor, Ritsuko, and Maya all stood opposite of the men's room door, all with some level of concern in their expressions as they talked quietly amongst one another when the door opened, and Duncan, Daniel, and Kaji stepped out of it.

The group came back together, questions of concern flowing from Ritsuko, Maya, and Misato, Daniel reassuring them repeatedly. "I'll be fine, I promise." he said again, a slight smile on his face. "It's just going to take me a few more moments. I just… didn't quite expect it, is all."

"Okay. But what happened?" Misato asked, a serious look on her face. "Why did seeing Duncan here cause this?"

"Well…" Daniel said, trailing off as his expression became sorrowful. "Duncan Idaho died in my arms. Then I ran."

It was quiet for a moment, then Duncan slapped Daniel's shoulder. "Well, I got better, clearly." he said, with a smile, and Daniel chuckled at the thought.

"That it seems you did, Duncan." Daniel replied.

Then he looked over at the rest of the group. "Our time together is a fascinating story. One that deserves far more time than standing here at an official dinner party."

"So, how about an unofficial one?" Maya chimed in.

Misato looked over at Maya and nodded. "Yeah, actually. No reason I can't throw something together. Have you two swap some interesting stories for us to hear." Misato smiled. "Maybe even have the kids meet him."

"The kids?" Duncan said with a guffaw, slapping Daniel's back hard. "You didn't tell me you were a family man, Daniel."

"The Children," Daniel replied as he gathered his breath again, "aren't mine by blood. But I do esteem them as my brothers and sisters in arms, terrible though it is that they have faced battle so young."

"Really?" Duncan asked, an eyebrow raised. "How young are they?"

Daniel looked up at Duncan with a sad look in his eyes. "16. Not much older than Paul was when we left for Arrakis."

"Ah. I see." Duncan said gravely. "They must be quite strong of heart to be able to endure such things as I have heard happened here."

Misato smiled wanly. "Maybe they can share some stories of their own. Surprise you with what we've done."

Ritsuko nudged Misato slightly. "With what we can reveal without spilling confidential information, of course." she said with no small amount of reproach.

"Well, Ritsky," Kaji piped up, "I would be surprised if he'd spilled state secrets, even with how little I'd get to know him. I trust my gut on this one."

"The one that has maybe a little too much booze sloshing around in it?" Ritsuko replied with an arched eyebrow. "I hope you'll pardon me if I don't quite share your trust."

"State secrets or not," Eleanor cut in, raising her hands, "he's still certainly welcome to have dinner with us." she looked up at Duncan. "Would this Saturday work?"

"One moment, and let me find out." Duncan replied, pulling out a clear-pad and pulling up what appeared to be a calendar, turning it into a more legible Gregorian form with a few taps. "Yes, actually. I'm free the whole evening." he said with a smile.

"Perfect." Eleanor replied with a small smile. "We'll talk to the Children, let them know. Shinji will probably introduce you to his cooking, too. It's amazing."

"I look forward to it." Duncan said. Then he looked around at the group. "It was a pleasure to meet you all. I'll be going, now."

With that, Duncan Idaho walked away, back towards the party that was beginning to wind down.

"Well, speaking of Shinji's cooking," Misato said with a guilty expression, "I didn't really eat much tonight. I think Kaji and I will go ahead and head home."

She looked over at Kaji with doe-like eyes. "Unless my favorite superspy wants to keep looking for secrets?"

"No, no," Kaji chuckled, "I'll be fine."

"Oh, good." Misato said with a beatific smile. "Well, then, see you all later?"

And thus, the group went their separate ways, into the waiting night.

- - -

Theisman Residence, 3 Days Later

Shinji was in his element as he bounced from task to task, his brow slightly furrowed in concentration as he worked hand in hand with Asuka and Daniel, objects flowing from one hand to the next without even so much as a word.

The kitchen was alive as they prepared to have Duncan Idaho over for dinner. With Duncan being from somewhere beyond Earth, Shinji had taken up the task of preparing as comprehensive a showing of Japanese culinary arts as he could make with a zeal that seemed to eclipse all other drives at that moment. Daniel and Asuka simply went with the flow, setting up ingredients, chopping and slicing and dicing, leaving Shinji, the head chef of the house, to put together the ingredients precisely as he wished.

As the day became night and the time drew near, Shinji stepped back from his work, whipping his brow with the back of his arm as Asuka and Daniel joined him at his side to admire his work.

They had made a sushi bar that would be the envy of any cooking show, along with enough miso soup and rice to satiate all of the Children and friends, the adults who planned to attend, and Duncan's apparently massive appetite, at least, according to Daniel. Alongside it was a collection of summer foods, including yakitori, grilled unagi and ayu, some rei-shabu, and a selection of slightly salted watermelon slices.

Daniel nodded as he patted Shinji's shoulder. "I've got to say, you've really gone and outdone yourself this time." he said with a smile on his face.

"Oh, yeah." Asuka said, her eyes wide and hungry. "My mouth is watering just looking at some of these."

Shinji chuckled. "It's the least I can do for who's coming. I mean, this is Duncan Idaho we're talking about."

Asuka looked over at Shinji with a raised eyebrow. "You already know about this guy?" she said quizzically.

"Well…" Shinji said as he blushed slightly. "I found the Japanese copies of Dune when I was about 13. It was kind of dense, but I understood most of it."

Daniel nodded. "Surprising, how similar your story and Paul's would be, should things have gone on as they had. A young man called to save the world, and eventually save humanity."

"Humanity?" Shinji said, a puzzled look on his face. "From what I remember, Paul saved just the Fremen and became Emperor. Did he really save all of humanity?"

Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it. "Not quite in the way you would think." he said softly after a moment.

Then, Daniel shook his head. "But that's a discussion for another time. Duncan should be on his way soon. Then you'll all have plenty of stories to hear."

. . .

Soon enough, Duncan Idaho swept into the Theisman's home with all the energy of an oncoming storm, and quite the party received him, ready or not.

After no small amount of carefully edging around each other holding plates and trays of food and cups of various drinks, all of the Children, along with Ichigo and Kensuke, sat on one side of the three conjoined tables, one borrowed from Misato's apartment, and another from an empty one, while Misato and Kaji, Ritsuko and Maya, and Daniel and Eleanor sat on the other, while Duncan sat right beside Maya and Daniel.

They enjoyed the night together, Duncan paying rapt attention as Shinji and Asuka told the story of the Angel War, and how they narrowly averted the end of the world.

"I must say," Duncan said quietly after gulping down a piece of takoyaki, "you Children are among the bravest soldiers I've ever seen, to do what you have done and still do."

"Must be the youngest, too." Toji said with a slight smirk. It vanished as Duncan's expression turned somber.

"No, actually." he said quietly. "Not the youngest."

The subject changed, and after a few moments more of chatting that surrounded the general details of the Echo that Duncan had come from, of the Padishah Emperor and the Houses of the Landsraad, of the massive Heighliners and their mysterious Guild Navigators, to the spice melange that made all of it possible, Asuka asked a question. "So, where did you actually come from?"

"Well," Duncan said with a shake of his head, "I was born on the world of Geidi Prime. Home of House Harkonnen."

Harkonnen. That name was an ominous one as it was spoken by both Daniel and Duncan, the name carrying a dark, mysterious air that seemed to chill both of the men who had previously spoken it.

"It was a dark, smoggy, desolate place." Duncan continued. "All smokestacks and industry and slums holding up opulent cities. A gluttonous place. Especially under Baron Vladimir Harkonnen."

Vladimir Harkonnen was a name familiar to Shinji. It called to mind an impossibly massive man, seemingly weighed down by his evils and excesses as much as by his prodigious body fat.

"I spent some of my youth on that world." Duncan said. "However, I soon jumped ship on a Heighliner headed to the world of Ginaz, home of House Ginaz. It was there where I became a Swordmaster, adept with blade and shield and lasgun. It was also there where I learned of House Atreides, and its leader, Leto the Just."

He smiled as he paused. "Once I became Swordmaster, I pledged myself to his service. He was a great man and a good one. Stern, but kind, and giving to his people. As expected, I was one of only a few who pledged themselves to him."

Duncan's smile dimmed. "But before that, Ginaz fell, in a war of assassins. The quietest kind of warfare between houses. I was among the last Swordmasters trained there." he said, and there was a sadness in his voice that felt… old.

He shook his head. "But like I said, after they fell, I pledged myself to Duke Atreides, and became his Swordmaster on the world of Caladan."

"What was Caladan like?" Shinji asked quietly.

The table hushed as all eyes turned to Duncan, who smiled softly. "Beautiful. Green and lush, full of life, with mighty storms that swept over the Icecloud Range as they made their way to Castle Caladan, tempered by the mountain's touch, cooling the nights and making sleep easy. It was… paradise. The closest I think I will ever get."

Those who were not entranced by Duncan's words saw that a similarly dreamy look gleamed in Daniel's eyes.

"It was in that paradise that I witnessed the birth of one Paul Atreides, son of the Duke and one of his concubines, the Lady Jessica." Duncan said after a moment of silent recollection. He smiled, chuckled for a moment. "An intelligent, willful child if ever I've seen one, always finding a way out of Jessica's hands whenever he had the chance."

"Sometime after he was born," he continued, "Leto asked me to teach him in the arts of war. Strategy, hand to hand combat, I was to make sure that he was proficient in them."

Duncan smirked. "It was around that time," he said, casting a sideways glance to Daniel, "when another pledged his service to the Duke."

"And that's when I enter the story." Daniel said, nodding slowly. "I entered the Duke's service when Paul was around 7 or 8. I trained as a soldier, and in time, was assigned by Duke Leto to be Paul's personal guard. Not that he really needed one." he said with a chuckle.

"And to think that he gave it to you after you had bested me in combat." Duncan said with a glint in his eyes.

"Twice." Daniel said with an almost insufferable smile on his face. "Once in armed combat, and once unarmed."

"You only beat me twice, Daniel." Duncan said with a slight smirk.

"Yes, but I beat you, the Swordmaster of House Atreides, twice." Daniel shot back. "No small feat."

"Maybe. But we digress somewhat." Duncan said as he patted Daniel's shoulder, turning his attention back to the Children.

"Paul grew up to be a discerning young man. Still a kid with all the excitement and antics of being young, but wise in the ways of war and combat. I like to think that old Gurney Halleck and I did our jobs decently." he said with a smile and a glint in his eyes.

His smile dimmed only slightly, and the glimmer in his eyes took on a different nature as he continued. "Soon after Paul turned 15, I was sent to the world of Arrakis. Of Dune. I would scout things out there, make sure everything was ready when House Atreides would move over to Dune."

"Far from Caladan as it was," Duncan continued, "the desert held its own severe, dangerous beauty. It was marred by all the hallmarks of Harkonnen rule. Oppression abounded. Most were at least cautiously happy with their exit. Even the Fremen."

"The Fremen?" Hikari asked.

"Yes, the Fremen." Duncan said with a smile. "The desert people, wanderers in the sand. Eaters of the spice, which gave them what they called 'the Eyes of Ibad'. Blue in blue."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "They are… were a severe people, who could be as harsh as the desert around them. Water, a scarce resource on such a world as Dune, was sacred to them, even more so than it was to the city dwellers in Arrakeen. I spent a lot of time among them, learning their ways and gaining their trust before the rest of the House arrived."

"It was a time of transition when the rest of the House arrived, as was expected." Duncan said. He paused as his smile disappeared. "Then we were attacked by the Harkonnens. And the Emperor's elite Sardaukar."

"It was a sudden, bloody attack that killed most of our troops. Those who weren't killed were driven into the desert, into an alliance of necessity with the Fremen. Paul was separated from us, and many of us worried about him." Duncan shook his head. "Those were bloody days, trying to stay alive."

"Then, Paul came back to us. A ray of hope in the conflict." Duncan said with a slight smile. "He had changed then. Become more calculating and cold. I chalked it up to the attack and surviving the desert then. But there was still something different."

Duncan's smile disappeared. "Then, the Sardaukar found us. Daniel and I covered Paul and Lady Jessica's escape, alongside some of the remaining troops of House Atreides and the Fremen soldiers, the Fedaykin."

"It was a bloody, loud battle within the walls of the Fremen's underground community. Banging and the bite of blades and the burning ozone smell of lasgun fire. I killed nineteen of the Sardaukar before… I died."

The table was silent. "You… died?" Rei said quietly. "Then how do you dine with us now?"

Duncan took a deep breath. "Well, though that may have been the end of my story otherwise, I became what is known as a ghola. A copy grown from the dead flesh of my body. I am not technically the original Duncan Idaho. For a time, my name was simply Hayt, and I was a pawn in a scheme to kill the now Emperor Paul Atreides."

Duncan took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, then opened them again with a sure smile. "But, here we are now, and that time is far in the past. And that's enough talk of death and destruction when there's good food to be had."

The dinner continued, and after what felt like far too short a time, the dinner was finished, and dishes were cleared off of the tables.

Duncan stood and stretched slightly. "Well, Daniel, it was a pleasure to meet your friends here. But the hour grows late, and I'll have to get going."

He placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "The best of luck to you." he said.

"And to you, Duncan." Daniel replied. He smiled slightly. "Try not to get into too much trouble around here. I've heard enough of your previous exploits with fair ladies, and I'm sure that the diplomatic staff would like to avoid one of their members making a scandal."

Duncan guffawed. "Oh, come on Daniel. Like you said, I'm on a diplomatic staff now. No great scandals for me anymore. Even still, beauty is universal…"

"And you are but an appreciator." Daniel finished, slowly shaking his head and smiling. "Alright then. Good night, Duncan."

"Good night, Daniel." Duncan said. And, with a few more farewells, Duncan left back into the night.

. . .

With Duncan's departure, others began to take their leave, until Daniel and Eleanor sat in the living room with Misato and Kaji, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei.

It was the quiet of savoring a delicious meal, contended and warm.

But after a moment, Misato looked over at Daniel with a questioning look in her eyes. "Daniel?" she asked quietly.

"Yes?" Daniel replied.

"So, I've been thinking." Misato continued. "With the battle where Duncan died… did you turn that into your Brazil story?" she asked quietly.

It was a silent moment before Daniel nodded. "Yes. I did turn it into a story about Brazil. I had my reasons then. I apologize if-"

"No, no." Misato interrupted. "It's fine. Like you said, you had your reasons for it." she chuckled softly. "I mean, I would have thought you were nuts if you had told me the real story."

"But even still…" Misato said. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You and Duncan seem like good friends."

"We are. Or we were, at least." Daniel said. After a pause, he sighed and shook his head. "People coming back from the dead can make things complicated. Especially when it's as a ghola."

"Why?" Shinji asked.

"Well, because normally, gholas possess none of the memories of the person that they are created from. Duncan changed that, but… you'd have to ask him about that."

Shinji nodded, and it was silent again. Daniel could almost swear that he smelled the faint scent of cinnamon somewhere.

'No. That's just the memories again.' he thought silently. 'Memories of just another of the far too many lives I've lived.'