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

[Vajrei]

As distasteful as it would be for anyone, there are certainly powers in place, should those involved wish, that would be able to keep them alive or revive them until their sentance could be carried out. After all, in a world that is beginning, at least, to understand the finer mechanics of how souls work, losing those souls and searching for them is something to consider and prevent.

Slap that in the folder for 'SEELE vs. The World, 2017'.

Click to shrink...

This quote paraphrased from "The Dark Knight Rises" seems to fit their situation.

"Only after we are done with you will you have our permission to die".

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Epilogue: Crossroads to Beyond

… and in other news, in the aftermath of the spectacular operation along the 38th Parallel, the secretive world organization SEELE, which many around the world have now come to decry as a death cult, has been put to trial in the historic city of Nuremberg, the highly televised proceedings finishing only 2 days ago. After nearly 25 days of witness testimony, evidence presentation, and dramatic courtroom moments, the 12 members of the leading council of SEELE have been sentenced to death, following which their souls will be contained within a specially designed vessel for storage and oversight in the Massive Threat Containment Agency HERZ's headquarters in the city of Tokyo-3.

Though efforts to root out and bring other members and co-conspirators of SEELE's to justice, spearheaded by HERZ, have officially commenced, some few former conspirators, most notably former NERV Commanders Karl Lutenhahl and Gendo Ikari, along with Deputy-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, have been largely acquitted of the breathtaking number of charges leveled against SEELE, due to impassioned witness testimony and the skilled work of their legal counsel.

- Reuters Report, February 10th, 2017

Matsushiro, Mid-March 2017

Daniel took a deep breath as he took in the view from his vantage point, the wind running invisible fingers through his hair, his beret tucked away so as not to be carried away by the wind.

The air up this high was cold and crisp, and the valleys and hills near HERZ-Matsushiro were laid bare to him. Not that Shinji would be able to feel the air around him like Daniel was able to.

Looking down, he ensured that he was secured to the piece of shoulder armor on what was Unit-01's left side, his feet locked in place by crystals and his left hand against the flat plane of the armor similarly covered.

He looked across the way at Unit-02, similarly arrayed in the afternoon sun, and focused, his eyesight sharpening as he pushed his senses up the Second Peak.

Finally, he spotted Misato, similarly stuck to a piece of shoulder armor with crystals of ice. How she held her beret in place on her head, he wasn't entirely sure, but it stayed regardless, her hair waving quite dramatically in the wind from under it.

Linking his soul to hers lightly to ensure he was heard, he felt a wry smile tugging at his lips. "I've gotta say, Misato," he began, chuckling softly as she looked over towards him with some amount of confusion for a moment before her eyes focused on him, "you picked a few real high notes to go out on."

Misato grinned. "Oh, come on, Daniel. You know just as well as I that we've both had plenty here. Honestly, this one belongs to Shinji and Asuka more than me. We just get to do the talking after they show the flag by escorting the kids home."

Daniel nodded, his focus returning to the object the two Evangelions were standing between and a little behind, and the reason they were standing out there. Atlas Destroyer stood tall and proud, gleaming orange and blue and red in the high sun, and he didn't need to connect his soul to that of the conn pod's occupants to feel their excitement for finally, finally, going home.

Now that they had taken care of the end of the world hanging over their heads, finding Boy, Mei, and the Travis' Echo of origin had been a relatively simple task, if not somewhat time-consuming. After sending a message across what Pan-Pacific Defense Corps channels Loa, Atlas Destroyer's terribly helpful AI, could give them, they now waited as the rest of the Science Division, working as quickly they could, prepared to open up a portal to what Izalith had narrowed down to an area just outside of Tokyo.

"I don't know," Daniel said, shrugging as best he could. "I mean, the Commander of HERZ coming all this way just to make sure we don't spook the locals seems like a pretty high note to me. After all, who knows where talks are going to go."

"If we don't end up getting blown up." Misato chuckled with a wry grin.

"We'll see," Daniel replied, equally wry as he reached out to Eleanor's soul. "Darling, what's the status of the portal?"

It was a moment before Eleanor spoke. "It'll be up and running in about 2 minutes," she replied.

Daniel smiled slightly. "I'll be sure to let the kids know so they can tell our wayward mech. Thank you, dear."

"Of course." was Eleanor's bemused reply before he linked his soul to Shinji and Asuka, passing along the relevant details before huddling in and waiting.

The space in front of them, at a point situated between two thin, almost wiry pillars, flickered for a moment. Then, a flash of light and a deep tearing sound echoing through the valley accompanied a small hole, within which was a space filled with light that shifted colors, beginning to grow larger and larger. Soon, the shifting colors snapped into a picture of a landscape, what was likely Tokyo stretching out before them from the vantage point of Mount Fuji. Already, they could see dozens of helicopters circling the area, and several Jaegers of various makes marching towards them.

Daniel braced himself as he watched Atlas Destroyer begin to move, one ponderous foot in front of the other, the Evas following in turn as they slowly passed through the portal. As they stepped within its bounds, Daniel felt a change in the wind, a hint of ocean air reaching him as he breathed deeply.

Then, they were through, and Daniel looked out at the Jaegers arrayed before them. All were unfamiliar to him, at least what knowledge he had of the world that they were native to. To his trained eye, however, all were showing signs of wear and tear. Patchwork armor plates, twitching actuators, scorch marks or scratches, or holes not patched over. These mechs had seen action and a lot of it.

"It looks like they've been told to escort us to the… Tokyo Shatterdome?" Shinji said as they began to move again.

Daniel could feel Asuka rolling her eyes. "Who did they put in charge of naming things here, and how old were they?" she asked, sardonicism dripping from her words.

"Now, now, Jünger." Daniel chided. "No need to antagonize them. After all, we picked up a penchant for German in our naming conventions, didn't we?"

"Point taken," Asuka grumbled in good nature.

It was a rather short ride to the Shatterdome, an appropriate name for the massive hemisphere situated a few kilometers away from their emergence point, as Daniel simply enjoyed the view. As they watched Atlas Destroyer, escorted by its peers, into the depths of the massive hangar complex, Asuka connected her soul to all three of her compatriots. "They're saying they don't have any room for us, Misato," she said, amusement dripping from her voice.

"They will in a minute," Misato replied. "Go ahead and step in anyways, and let them know that you're carrying your commanding officers on a first contact mission. Once we're off your shoulders, deactivate and land the plugs."

"Got it," Asuka replied, and all was still for a moment as they waited in front of the still open doors.

Then, Daniel smiled as they began to step forward, Unit-01 taking the lead as they entered the cavernous hangar bay, the two brilliant titans standing side by side again in somewhat closer confines as he looked over at Misato. "Ready to float down?" he asked.

Misato looked down as best she could for a moment, then took a deep breath as she looked at the emptying conn pod of one of the Jaegers. "I guess I'm going to have to be," she replied with no small amount of apprehension.

Daniel chuckled softly as he detached himself from Unit-01, standing freely on its shoulder. "Then we'll just take it nice and slow. Give the crowd a show. How about it?"

Misato smiled, a slightly unsteady thing. "Sound's good to me."

"Then let's go."

With that, Daniel stepped into the open air, Misato following his lead as delicate, crystalline wings and harnesses appeared on both of their shoulders and across their bodies, Daniel's vibrant with colors while Misato's were gleaming with refracted light.

As they gently floated to the floor, the already awestruck crowd gasped as the Evangelions became so much brilliant blue Synthetic LCL, the liquid flowing back into the Frame Plugs as the two Interfacers, almost regal in their descent, touched the ground, their wings disappearing as they regarded the men and women in front of them.

The crowd stared at them silently, intensely, for a moment before Daniel stepped forward. "Hello, everyone. I have an idea of what you're thinking. No, we're not angels, so you don't need to expect any 'be ye not afraid' nonsense."

He paused for a moment. "My name is Major Daniel Theisman of the Massive Threat Containment Agency HERZ. This is my commanding officer, Commander Misato Katsuragi."

"You're the people who sent the message."

Daniel blinked as he saw two people begin to press their way through the crowd. One was a taller man, with brown hair, a well-kept beard, and blue eyes wide with wonder and no small amount of relief. The woman beside him, while sharing the man's blue eyes, was somewhat shorter than her partner, with blonde hair.

Daniel's brow furrowed for a moment before his eyes widened slightly and he nodded slowly. "You would be the Travis', correct?"

Ford Travis nodded, and Daniel stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Just as it's been a pleasure to get to know your children. I'm deeply grateful we could bring them back to you safely." he said calmly.

Brina Travis took a deep breath as she looked up at Atlas Destroyer. "We're just glad they ended up… well, wherever you come from. We feared the worst when we watched their Jaeger disappear."

Misato stepped forward with a sympathetic expression. "I know how that feels. The pilots that we rode in with…" she paused for a moment. "Well, they're basically my kids, too."

Ford took a step forward as well, extending a hand which both of them shook. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you," he said, tears welling in his eyes.

"Now," Daniel said as he also shook Brina's hand, "is there a commanding officer that we can speak to? Someone-"

"Mom! Dad!"

A path was cleared as Trevor and Hayley, tears in their eyes, rushed towards their parents, the two turning and wrapping their two children in a heartfelt hug as a cheer went up among the collected technicians.

Daniel and Misato looked on in calm appreciation as Shinji and Asuka, trailing a small crowd of their own, joined their side.

"Always real cute to see," Asuka said as she deactivated her Plugsuit, revealing her uniform. "I mean, look at us. Not much difference, right?"

Misato glanced over towards Asuka with a gleam in her eye. "Maybe. But we're on the clock right now, Captain." she chuckled.

Asuka straightened to attention, an overly serious look on her face. Before she could reply, however, a shout went up somewhere in the crowd. "Silver hair! Silver hair!"

There was a great commotion as people in the back of the crowd backed away, Daniel looking down the open corridor of people as Mai interposed herself in front of Boy, guns drawn and pointed at several men who had drawn their own pistols and pointed them at the small child.

Trevor and Hayley looked back, Hayley reaching out toward the duo. "Don't hurt them! Boy's friendly!"

Her cry went unheeded as one man, then another two began to inch forward, their aim darting between Boy and Mai.

Finally, Daniel stepped forward, reaching out a hand, palm turned downwards as a dome of interconnected stars formed on its surface, a similar cage springing up surrounding Mai and Boy. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen," he said firmly over the shocked gasps that followed, "I may not be an angel, but I am still tasked with defending the innocent."

Trevor and Hayley, somewhat hesitantly, pulled away from their parents' embrace to run over to their friends, their parents following behind them, Daniel last in line as he glanced around him at anyone who might dare make a move against anyone present.

As the two children came to a stop in front of the cage, one of the men pointing a gun at Boy stepped forward. "Be careful. It's an infiltrator. Those things have killed millions of people before." he said with no small amount of venom.

"But I haven't!" Boy said, drawing whispers again as he spoke. "I just want to help Trevor and Hayley."

The elder Travis' came to a stop behind their children, putting hands on their shoulders. "He's not entirely wrong, though," Ford said quietly. "Infiltrators a lot like him have done a lot of damage."

"Infiltrator units that happen to have highly developmentally hindered brains, I assume," Daniel interjected, the Travis' turning to face him as he stared down the armed men, only stopping once they lowered their guns. "Where we came from, we were able to restart the development of what I can assume was already a remarkably well-developed brain, at least compared to his peers."

"And how, exactly, can you do that?" someone in the crowd said incredulously.

"By going through the soul to influence the body," Misato replied as she came to a stop by Daniel's side, her proclamation sending murmurs through the crowd. "Using the same principles that allowed us to perform the near-magical feat that many of you witnessed Major Theisman and I create, and what you are seeing right now, our scientists ensured that the boy's brain would be no different from that of any other child's."

It was silent for a moment, Daniel finally dropping the cage around Boy and Mei as people began to holster their pistols.

"You make bold claims, Commander Katsuragi."

All eyes were drawn to the right as a figure emerged from a large doorway, all of the people in her way clearing a path as they came to attention. She was about Daniel's height, with dark hair in a high and tight cut and deep brown eyes that scanned the group in front of her intently. The left side of her face and neck played host to burn scars that seemed, for the most part, healed.

Misato nodded to the woman. "And who would you be?" she asked.

"I am Secretary-General Mako Mori," she replied. "And I would like to have a conversation with the both of you."

. . .

Within the spacious office at the peak of the Shatterdome, Mako leaned back in her chair as she sighed quietly, taking in what Daniel and Misato had told her. "I must admit…" she paused as she shook her head. "Of all the things I was expecting to see in my lifetime, this was quite far down the list. If at all on it."

Misato offered a wan smile. "If it's any comfort, Secretary-General, I know the feeling."

Mako nodded. "For that, I'm glad, in a sense. Because…"

She sighed again, leaning forward. "I am in the unenviable position of having to ask for your help when I barely know you."

"What is the situation?" Misato asked, her slight smile disappearing.

"We're on the brink of collapse, frankly." Mako began. "The Jaegers you see within our hangars are the ones that we have assigned to cover the East Asian Engagement Zone of Japan, Eastern China, and a decent chunk of what's left of Oceania. Most of their pilots aren't much older than yours are now. And with breaches appearing all over the planet at an accelerating rate, Kaiju growing more and more common… ours is one of the better situations."

"With your advanced weaponry and…" Mako puffed her cheeks for a moment. "Well, I'll be frank and call it magic, if we could get your help in getting this planet back from the Kaiju, we would be forever grateful."

Daniel looked over at Misato for a moment before looking back at Mako. "The last thing we want to do is take advantage of you, however unintentionally. We'd be more than willing to help, militarily and in terms of potential reconstruction. But our world is hardly a unified one. With the dissolution of our United Nations only a few months ago, there's no guarantee that one nation or another won't stiff you in some way. Not that there is a great chance of it, but…" he trailed off with a slight shrug.

A smile twitched a corner of Mako's mouth. "It's not like the situation here is much different. If anything, it'll be par for the course, even with the UN still extant here," she said with a slight scoff.

Misato and Daniel both grimaced slightly as they all heard a door open behind the HERZ members. As they looked back, they saw a tall, fit man walk in, the uniform he wore bearing no small amount of medals and commendations. He looked at them with bright blue eyes that glittered with an almost innate focus from underneath a short, clean head of blond hair. "Pardon me, Mako. Didn't mean to interrupt anything," he said in a somewhat rough voice with an accent they couldn't quite place.

Mako simply rolled her eyes. "I somehow doubt that, Raleigh," she said with a quiet sigh and a slight smile as he walked over to come to a stop by her side. "Major, Commander, this is Major Raleigh Becket, my head of Jaeger operations and my former co-pilot of Gypsy Danger."

Raleigh studied Daniel and Misato for a moment. "Hell of an entrance you and yours made, I have to admit," he said, at least somewhat impressed. "I've got to say, having debriefed the kids you brought home, and talked to the ones you brought with you…" he shook his head. "You've all had a hell of a ride."

Misato scoffed softly. "There's the understatement of the century," she said sardonically.

"Now, Raleigh," Mako interjected, patience in her tone, "what is it you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, it mostly has to do with our visitors, unsurprisingly," Raleigh replied. "Doctor Gottleib is nearly frothing at the mouth to study both the Frame Plugs and the kids that pilot them. Ms. Soryu-Langley told him no in… well, no uncertain terms, they had a very heated discussion in German, and then she and her copilot went back to being one of the centers of attention."

"And this is before he made a study of the first sapient, living, willing infiltrator Kaiju?" she asked archly.

"Surprisingly, yes," Raleigh admitted with a shrug. "He started the first study just an hour ago. I'm sure he'll have a lot to say when he gets to you that doesn't come from a television show."

"Your world has the anime that features us, I presume?" Misato asked with a somewhat weary sigh.

Mako nodded slightly. "Many of our pilots have grown up watching the media you are tied to," she admitted. "Now, to see the characters that inspired some of them to join the Corps in the first place… it's a somewhat confronting experience for many."

"Well…" Misato said, a small, sure smile growing on her face. "I, at least, would be delighted to have the pilots that we have get the chance to surprise your pilots when they go out on combat missions together. We'll let you know about the rest of our world."

- - -

HERZ-Matsushiro, 2 Weeks Later

It was a grand display that they had made in front of one of the massive Evangelion hangers, a collected crowd of thousands gathered in front of the open bay that showed the shining form of the original Unit-01. Screens on the podium in front of it showed views further along the valley, of the open bays of Unit-02, the recovered and restored Unit-03 and Unit-04, and Unit-05, Unit-06, and Unit-07. A lowered portion of the stage in its center held a simple lectern that still stood somewhat above the audience.

Along the back of the stage, Misato sat front and center, on the first of three rows of seats that seated most all of the command staff of HERZ. On the two rows behind them, mingled together, were the Children, both numbered and Numberless, sitting with those who were interned in the cores of their respective Evangelions, from Yui Ikari all the way to the still somewhat uncomfortable Hotaru Yamagishi.

Few could blame her for her discomfort, as beyond the crowd of the bridge crew, scientists, technicians, and engineers that had gathered here from HERZ and the former NERV, more than a few cameras were broadcasting the proceedings all over the world.

Finally, the time came, and, making sure that the lav mic she wore was connected, Misato stood and walked to the lectern, the crowd falling silent in an instant as the cameras focused on her.

She gathered herself for a moment, scanning the crowd of well over one and a half thousand people arrayed before her before she began the speech she'd been preparing for weeks.

"Members of HERZ, former members of NERV, people of the world. I thank you for joining us here and… well, I cannot say we can fully celebrate the Evangelions themselves. Their origin is too dark, their true purpose in the hands of the organization once known as SEELE nearly too evil, to allow for such outright admiration of the war machines in question. But we can celebrate their accomplishments, their necessity in the defense of this world against those threats that sought to end it, and the people that stood upon it."

"More than that, we can celebrate the bravery and resilience of those most directly linked to the Evangelions: their pilots, and the people that they loved, who they worked together with in a way that, at the time, was impossible to grasp anywhere else. These pilots, these people, more than anything, are what have made these machines so utterly special to me. To have worked with them, helped them to fulfill their duty to the best of their abilities even with the struggles of trying to reconcile their terrible duty with a somewhat regular life is a privilege that I will treasure for the rest of my life."

"Now, though, we have turned a new page in the story of the world. Not only in that we have made the world safer from SEELE's depredations, not only in that we have learned truths about our world and the reality that it resides in, but also in how we defend this world as well. Though I have also had the privilege of seeing these pilots reunited with their families, in extracting them from within the Evangelions, through that, I have also seen these Children grow beyond the need to depend upon them."

"Through the efforts and dedication of all of you present today, we have all grown up, in a sense, to be able to leave these instruments of defense behind and turn to the new-type Evangelion. Through your efforts, we take the burden of combat off of the shoulders of some of those who were pressed into such service."

"Thus, we thank you for your service, continued or not, in freeing the mothers and sisters of those who pilot the Evangelion." she paused for a moment. "But, especially, we must thank the pilots and those souls that were within the cores of the Evangelion, for putting their lives at risk in a way that so few hopefully ever will."

She turned away from the lectern to face the Children, stepping back up to the main stage as her eyes scanned them one by one. "With such thanks must come also a deep, profound apology. In our need, our desire to ensure that the Evangelions could be used, we have stolen the chance for you to grow up as normal children, for you to experience the parts of life that are afforded as a matter of course to your peers. There is no excuse that will ever fully make up for that loss."

Her focus turned to the former coreward souls. "For those of you who were entombed in the cores of the Evangelions, we must also apologize deeply. Most all of you are the mothers of these children, and all of you are their family in one way or another. Our need prevented you from seeing your children, your sister, grow up, and forced you to connect with them only in the direst of circumstances. The time you have made with your families in the aftermath of your emergence is far too little a repayment for your sacrifice."

"Again," she said as she gestured to the command staff members, Daniel, Eleanor, Ritsuko, Maya, Makoto, Shigeru, and Adira making their way to Misato's side, "for your sacrifice…"

As one, the adults bowed deeply. "We can only ever be grateful," Misato said quietly.

"Now, though," she said as she straightened herself and returned to the lectern, the other adults returning to their seats, "we can only move on, take what the world has given us and put it to the best use that we can, remember it to ensure that such tragedy can never occur again. Thus, the cores of the Evangelions will be removed today, and the bodies of the Evangelions broken down into LCL to be used elsewhere. Today, we say farewell to all of the old Evangelions."

Misato took in the applause as she took a deep quiet breath. Now, the rest of the ceremony could commence.

. . .

Six hours later, Commander Misato Katsuragi stood behind her desk in the spacious Commander's office, Major Makoto Hyuga and Captain Adira Faez in front of her and Deputy-Commander Ritsuko at her side. Such would not be the case for long.

"Major," she said, holding in her hands a bundle of cloth, atop which sat a black beret with a red stripe encircling the lower part, "I hope you're aware this has been a long time coming."

Makoto gulped slightly as Misato continued with a slight smile. "With your time in command of the Operations division of HERZ, you have proved yourself, possessing a quick wit in situations where the need is greatest. Moreover, you have shown trust in your subordinates and in the pilots you lead, in their intellect and imagination, and have a skill in taking the best ideas of those around you and making them into what is needed to win the day."

Misato raised the bundle in her arms, Ritsuko raising a similar one to Adira. "I trust that you are ready for the duty that we entrust to you."

Makoto and Adira took the bundles, and Misato and Ritsuko stepped around the desk to take the berets from their heads, replaced them with the ones on the bundles, and took the jackets to allow Makoto and Adira to take theirs off and replace them. Then, quite intentionally, Misato removed the beret from her head. "Commander Hyuga, you have command," she said calmly.

"Aye, ma'am." Commander Makoto Hyuga replied after a deep breath. "I have command."

Misato, in turn, took a deep breath. "Well… that settles it, I guess."

Makoto nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."

Misato rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm no longer your commanding officer. Just call me Misato now."

Makoto nodded, smiling slightly. "Alright then… Mrs. Kaji."

Misato sighed quietly as Ritsuko put a hand to her mouth. "That is not until this weekend. And I know you have your invitations, so I'd better see you both there."

"We'll make a point of it," Adira replied.

Makoto nodded. "Now, all I have to worry about is getting the hang of all this." he chuckled.

"Now that, you'll have me around for, at least for a little while," Misato replied. "After all, I know what it's like to be left high and dry. I'd hate to leave you like that, too."

Makoto nodded, extending a hand. "Thank you, Misato."

It was a moment before Misato stepped past the proffered hand, enveloping the rather surprised Makoto in a quick hug. "Don't mention it, Makoto," she said quietly before stepping back.

After a moment's silence, slightly shocked, Misato looked around the room. "Well, we'll leave you two to get used to the office, start planning on how you want it decorated."

With that, she and Ritsuko both walked towards the doors. As they reached them, Ritsuko opening one, Misato looked back at the two new commanding officers of HERZ with an almost tender look in her eyes. "Take care of the place for me, okay?" she asked softly.

With a silent nod from the both of them, Misato smiled slightly, then walked out the door for what was likely the last time.

- - -

Meeting Room 12, HERZ-HQ, Geofront, 6 Months Later

Daniel waited patiently for the meeting to commence in the rather spartan room, with only a table and 7 chairs to fill the space, a window to their right looking out over the Geofront's interior. 5 of those chairs were already filled, as he sat next to Eleanor at his right, Makoto taking the head of the table, Misato across from them, and, of all things, Penpen sitting next to Misato.

They chatted idly about Misato's recent honeymoon with Ryoji, Makoto's somewhat anxious ease of settling into command, the Children, and whatever other topic they could think of when someone fuzzed into existence in front of the table.

All eyes were drawn to the figure of Sovereign Rachna Chandra, her grey Worldstriders uniform accentuated with hints of royal blue to denote her rank that highlighted the glittering green eyes that scanned the occupants of the room.

"Well, then," she said as her gaze landed on Penpen. "A penguin. Now, this is a party."

"Too bad there isn't any beer for it," Penpen replied.

Rachna only blinked. "And you even talk. Neat." she took a deep breath as she took a seat next to Daniel. "Now, then, how are my kids?"

Daniel and Eleanor looked back at each other. "Well," Daniel began, "about as well as we can ask for. We're getting ready for a few weddings coming up in the next while."

"How sweet," Rachna replied, and the two Worldstriders were somewhat taken aback at how genuine she sounded. "Your kids, I presume?"

Eleanor opened her mouth, then shut it. "Yes, Rachna. The kids we've been helping here."

"Good." Rachna nodded. "The sort of bond that can forge has the potential to be almost unbreakable. Something you two should know."

As Daniel and Eleanor nodded, Rachna looked over at Misato and Makoto. "And who would you two be?" she asked.

Misato looked over at Makoto, who nodded. "I'm Commander Hyuga of HERZ," he said as he stood and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Charmed," Rachna replied, taking the hand and shaking it firmly. As Makoto sat back down, she looked over at Misato and Penpen. "And you?"

"Former Commander Misato Kaji. I'm here at personal request for my knowledge of the finer points of the structure you'll be working with." Misato replied with an easy smile. "The talking penguin is Penpen."

The two nodded to each other. "I've met a lot of talking things that aren't usually supposed to in my lifetime. I believe you're the first talking penguin I've come across."

"Charmed to be a record-breaker, lady," Penpen replied, and Rachna chuckled.

"He's got some spice to him, too," Rachna said as she looked over at Misato. "That automatically makes him more bearable than most."

A somewhat puzzled look settled over Misato's face. Before she could say anything, however, their second visitor opened the door to the room, letting himself in.

The man that everyone looked at was a tall, somewhat thin man with a lean but rather chiseled face, a head of close-cropped brown hair starting to fade to white on the sides sitting above dark eyes that studied the people within the room with a rather relaxed expression. "Hi. Hope I'm not late." the man said as he took a seat.

"Not at all, Jack," Rachna replied, a wry smile on her face and a peculiar look in her eyes. "I was just keeping them busy, really."

"Yeah," Jack replied, a small grin of his own appearing. "It's hard to forget you have a real knack for that sometimes."

Rachna chuckled. "Well, then, introduce yourself. Don't keep the kids waiting in suspense."

Jack nodded, looking around the table. "Jack O'Neill, commander of the League Outriders, general keeper of the peace, usually…"

He trailed off as his gaze settled on Daniel, and he was silent for a moment. "You look familiar." Jack finally said after a moment, a slight chill settling over everyone else in the room as the man's rather jovial attitude became colder. "Have I insulted you before?"

Daniel had a distant, somewhat sad look in his eyes as he replied after a moment's silence. "Well, with my past…" he said softly. "That's not a bad assumption to make."

Jack studied him for a moment more, then nodded slowly. "Well, if nothing else, you seem to be batting for the right team now, if Rachna trusts you."

"You seem to be far more familiar with her than I think any of us expected," Eleanor said. "Previous history together, I'm assuming?"

Rachna looked over at Eleanor patiently. "I was a Worldstrider for quite a while before I took both of you under my wing, as it were. That he happened to become the leader of our hopeful partners in crime was an unexpected delight."

"Alright," Makoto said, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I'd hate to waste anyone's time, so I'd like to start talking about how best we can work with each other, seeing how important it's going to be."

Jack looked over at Rachna once again. "Real go-getter, huh?" he asked wryly.

"Ah, he's new. Give him a little time." Rachna replied with a shrug.

Jack nodded before turning his gaze over to Makoto. "So… giant robots, for lack of a better term. Real useful in the right situations, from what I've heard. Now, based on what we've got floating around the Worldsea, there's a lot more of those situations than I'm sure you think."

. . .

After long hours, the meeting concluded, and all parties were satisfied. As they rose, Daniel looked over at Rachna. "Could we talk for a moment?" he asked quietly.

Rachna shrugged. "I don't see why not. Let's walk and talk."

She looked over at Jack, who was having a rather intent conversation with Penpen. "Jack, dear, I'm going to talk to Daniel. We'll meet up later, alright?"

Jack glanced over with a slight smile. "Sure thing. See you later."

He promptly got back to his conversation with Penpen as Eleanor went to Daniel's side, the trio making it out the door. "And the whole beer thing. How does that work, exactly?" were the last words they heard from Commander O'Neill before Daniel closed the door behind them and they began to walk down the corridor.

"So, who were you thinking of asking me to approve of?" Rachna said immediately, looking at Daniel with a rather deadpan expression.

Seeing Daniel somewhat taken aback, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please Daniel. I know exactly when we are. Riding high after saving the world with a whole bunch of people you've grown close with because you've saved each other's asses more than once. The last time you asked me about this, we got some of the better people I've had the chance to work with."

She paused for a moment. "So, I'll ask again to make sure that your thinking isn't thrown for a loop anymore. Who?"

It was silent again as they walked down the hallway for a little while longer. "The kids." Daniel finally said. "A few of the adults. Most of them will still be a part of HERZ when I ask them."

"And, when, exactly, were you planning on asking them?" Rachna asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Fairly soon, relatively speaking," Daniel replied. "I want the weddings to have run their course before I ask them."

Rachna pondered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Well, it's going to take some more doing than the last time, seeing as they aren't dead yet. I've got more than a few pencil-pushers who will want to get off on making sure all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed. But…"

She paused somewhat dramatically. "I am the Worldstrider Sovereign, after all. Besides, you've given me enough of a timeframe to twist arms sufficiently."

She nodded. "They'll be under you, unsurprisingly. If they accept. And I'll even put you back on duty to go and do the job you want to do. "

Daniel nodded. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Alright," Rachna said as they reached an elevator. "I'll be going now. Let me know how they answer."

With that, she disappeared, leaving Daniel and Eleanor alone to look at each other.

- - -

15 Months Later, December 22nd, 2018

It was, unsurprisingly, of course, a season of weddings. Daniel was thankful it was happening now. It was happening eventually after all was said and done. From massive gatherings like the unions of the Suzuhara's and the Nagisa's, Toji and Hikari's done in the sakura blooms in traditional Japanese style while Rei and Kaworu opted for a more Western wedding, to events like the rather more discrete, intimate union of Ritsuko and Maya Akagi, and even, through a legal loophole that had not been abolished, the union of all three Aida's, it was a time of joy, of closeness, of tears of happiness and vows made.

What surprised him most, however, was how long Asuka had held off her and Shinji's wedding. She'd been to most all of the weddings that were tied to those she worked with (even, somewhat surprisingly, Ritsuko and Maya's), gathering what she deemed were the best ideas. All to ensure that she would have the best wedding ever, she had said every time.

Much had been completed in secret, even himself being left out of much of the finer details. Eleanor, on the other hand, had been quite closely involved with the planning, and was, to her utter amusement, unwilling to spill her secrets thus far.

The day, however, had come at last. The wedding ceremony had been in keeping with Western tradition, with ring bearers and vows spoken at the altar. Now, with the ceremony well and passed, the reception was in full swing.

Daniel had come wearing a fine suit, a black jacket and pants paired with a royal purple tie, and black cowboy boots, something that drew the attention, and amusement, of all who were involved. Eleanor wore a fine dress of matching purple, a rather modest thing compared to some others, but one that left Daniel breathless nonetheless.

The happy couple of the Ikari-Soryu's, of course, were dressed to the nines as well, Asuka in a bright yellow dress while Shinji wore a similarly yellow tie with a grey suit.

The dance floor, empty for the moment, was now surrounded by guests as they waited for the space to open up. As Asuka came to the middle of the floor, holding a microphone, everyone waited with bated breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I first want to thank you all for coming and celebrating the best day of my life with me. It's been amazing to see your lovely faces and experience your support." she began.

"Now, before we open up the dance floor, I wanted to give Shinji and me one last dance with our families before we had our first."

She took a deep breath. "With Shinji, it's quite easy, of course. He has the lovely Mrs. Ikari as his partner. But…"

She swallowed as she paused. "Besides mom, I don't have anyone related to me to dance with. So…"

She smiled slightly as Daniel finally began to put the dots together. "So instead, I want to invite the man who helped raise me during one of my darkest times, and who has been at my side for as long as I have been here. The man I'm so thankful to call my Bruder. Daniel, get up here already."

He walked forward almost without thinking as everyone clapped, tears in his eyes as he felt Asuka link her soul to his. "Alright, Daniel," she said as he saw Shinji and Yui walking onto the floor. "Just follow my lead, and this'll work out beautifully."

Daniel nodded as they held each other, hands to their sides and reaching out, as the song began to play.

Even with all the dancing that they'd done over the last year and a half, with their souls linked together, they were in perfect sync, swaying to the beat as they circled the dance floor, Yui and Shinji making up the other part of their orbit.

"So, where did you find this one?" Daniel asked about the song as they settled into the rhythm.

"Eleanor suggested it to me," Asuka replied with no small amount of satisfaction. "Said this was one the two of you danced to. I liked it. So did Shinji."

With their souls linked, each could feel the almost radiant joy of the other, the happy memories one thought of instantly shared with the other. Even those memories that, at their moment of making, were a shade embarrassing for one or the other were nearly laughed out loud at.

And foremost among those memories, the memory of a promise made after a restless night all those years ago now. A promise that whatever the odds, whatever the hardships, she would have someone to turn to.

Asuka glanced over at Shinji, anticipation bubbling within her as the song began to reach the halfway mark. "Alright, Daniel," she said, sadness tinging the expectation in her words. "Time to let go."

"So it is," Daniel replied as they began to slow, the two couples growing closer to each other. "Ich liebe dich, Asuka."

They let go, Asuka beginning to turn to Shinji. "Ich liebe dich auch, Daniel." she replied, tears of happiness welling in her eyes as Yui and Daniel drifted away, and she took Shinji's hand and continued the dance.

Daniel went back to standing by Eleanor, a thoroughly tearful Misato and Ryoji by his side as he looked over at his wife and linked their souls together. "Thanks for the song," he said, tender gratitude infusing the words.

Eleanor simply looked over at him and smiled, before giving Daniel a quick kiss. "You're welcome, dear," she replied as the song ended, the crowd clapped, and the dance floor became open to all.

- - -

Theisman Residence, 2 Weeks Later

Now that the honeymoon had come and gone, Daniel waited in anticipation for the last of the people that he'd called to meet with him to arrive. Most all already had by now, the pilots, numbered and Numberless, along with Kensuke and Ichigo, sitting or standing in the living room, Misato and Ryoji waiting with them.

Finally, Ritsuko, Maya and Kyu entered the living room, a wondering look in their eyes that matched all but Daniel and Eleanor's.

"Alright, then." Daniel began. "Thank you all for coming. I hope the honeymoon was a nice break from rift duty, Shinji, Asuka."

The couple nodded gratefully, and the others chuckled softly. "Yeah," Asuka replied, "as much as I love fighting giant monsters in my Eva, getting a break with my darling husband was worth skipping it." she finished with a smile as she planted a kiss on Shinji's cheek, what was left that wasn't covered by a full beard, of course.

"Good," Daniel said softly with a smile. "Good."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "The reason I called you all here is because Eleanor and I are going back out on active duty. We'll be going after the Scions at their fallback position across the Divide."

A quiet, sad groan went up among the gathered crowd. "We're sad to see you go, Daniel," Ryoji said. "We'd come along if we could, but…" he shrugged.

"Well, that's the thing, Ryoji," Daniel said. "I didn't just call you all here to say goodbye."

He smiled slightly as he paused for dramatic effect, relishing the confusion on their faces for a moment before he continued. "I've been empowered by Sovereign Chandra to offer you all commissions in the Worldstrider Corps. If you accept, you'll be coming with me to help stop the Scions."

A surprised gasp rippled through the room as Daniel's smile widened and he put out a staying hand. "Now, I don't want you to think that I'm expecting you all to accept. You've done more than most anyone could ever expect, and you deserve every second of the time you get off from saving the world."

He paused for a moment. "But I know you all have a knack for making the impossible happen. I trust you all by my side as much as any other Worldstrider I could ever think of. Whoever decides to come with me, I'll happily work with you. And whoever decides not to, well, it's not like I'm going to never come back. I've…"

He paused, choked with emotion for a moment. "I've found my home here. And I'll always be happy to come home and see you all again if you decide to stay."

Daniel took a deep breath. "You don't need to make the decision now. I know I've just dropped a lot on you guys to think about. We'll need a few days up on the Val to get things ready to go, so once we're ready, we'll ask what you've decided. And you can be sure that there'll be space for all of you."

The group all looked at each other, then Shinji looked back at Daniel and Eleanor. "Thank you for giving us a little bit to think about it," he said. "We'll be sure to let you know."

Daniel stood, walking over to Shinji and putting his hands on the man's shoulders. "Thank you for considering it. I look forward to all of your answers."

. . .

Daniel and Eleanor stepped off the teleporter pad of the Val, a contemplative look on their faces. "How do you think they'll answer?" she asked Daniel as they walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Good question," Daniel admitted with a shrug. "I meant what I said, though. I'll take whoever accepts and understand anyone who declines. They deserve to live a normal life after all this. Or at least as close as they can get to one."

They came to an intersection, and Daniel paused, Eleanor pausing a few steps later before turning to look at him with a puzzled look on her face. "If you want to get started," Daniel began, "I'll be along to help in a few minutes. There's…"

Daniel took a deep breath. "There's something I've got to start doing real quick."

It was still for a moment, then Eleanor nodded. "I can manage with Vordt and Amaya's help. Go," she said quietly.

Daniel nodded, a small, grateful smile on his face as he went down the other path of the intersection alone.

He emerged into his quarters, looking out the 'window' for a moment. It showed a brilliant view of the planet Earth, far closer now since he'd brought it closer after the Worldstriders and the League arrived. Behind the view, he knew, was HERZ-Luna, commanded by a still rather awestruck Karl Lutenhahl and situated on a rapidly changing moon. If he remembered correctly, the atmosphere was complete now, and gravity generators were being installed to create pockets of Earth-standard gravity.

If he focused enough, past the Seabreakers that traveled to and from Earth, he could see Venus, billows of the more toxic parts of its atmosphere blowing into specially prepared containers as the terraforming process began.

And, as he looked back at Earth, beyond the merely physical transformation, humanity was, in some small part, uniting again. The Commonwealth of Earth Nations, the inheritor of the United Nations' mantle, had only come into being last year, bringing the Evangelions of the world, those not under HERZ's jurisdiction at least, under one Commonwealth command structure.

'So much has changed…'

Daniel blinked away the reverie he'd fallen into as he sat at his desk. After all, there was a reason he was here.

He pulled out his clear-pad, pulling up the voice recorder. He spent more than a few minutes gathering his thoughts, then marshaling his emotions.

Finally, with a deep breath, he hit the record button.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Alex, Ayanna. I… I know it's been a while. I've lost count of how many of these I've made and have just… sitting in here." he said, swallowing back tears.

"Maybe a part of me is counting on fictional bleed to get these to you somehow. If you've seen something like what I have here… well, maybe you've seen me, in some sense. And if that's the case… well, I hope the actor they got to play me does alright."

He chuckled softly for a moment before he continued. "Or maybe I'm just waiting for the right time to just… chuck these through to you guys."

He paused. "I'm not sure what makes me hesitate anymore," he said, barely above a whisper.

It was silent for long moments before he shook his head. "Either way… I've got a lot to tell you about. All sorts of new adventures with characters that might still be familiar to you if you remember me talking about them."

Daniel paused, then blinked. "But before I explain that, I realize I've left out an explanation of where I've gone. Where I've been for… however long it's been for you. So… let me start at the beginning."

Daniel paused the recording, pondering again for a moment before deciding on how he would start and pressing play.

"It is said that there is truth to every story ever told. Few truly realize how correct this is."

. . .

Daniel continued recording even as he helped Eleanor prepare to get the Val shipshape in Bristol fashion. A day had come and gone since he'd started recording, and now, he was into the days of the Angel wars.

"Then… Sahaquiel. The Angel from beyond. An attack now, from a being on high bearing a name of a messenger of God, was quite the capstone to many different revelations to people here."

Before he could continue, a notification of a call coming through popped up on his screen. Seeing the contact, he paused the recording and answered the video call, smiling at the familiar face. "Hey, Misato. Speak of the devil, I was just about to talk about you. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Misato replied with a shrug. "Enjoying the relative peace and quiet of not being in command of having to save the world. It's taken some getting used to, though."

Daniel nodded. "I get that." he paused for a moment. "I can guess what you're calling about," he said quietly.

Misato sighed, equally quiet, as she nodded. "Ritsuko, Maya, Kyu, Ryoji, and I have talked about the commissions you offered us. We've made our decision, and talked it over with the other kids."

"And what did you decide?" Daniel asked with a slightly arched brow.

"We're accepting." Misato began. "However… we'd like some time to put some affairs in order. Have some time to live with new developments before we follow you."

Daniel nodded. Of the recent Lilith Reclamation program, Hideaki Katsuragi was among the first to be pulled out. That was… only months ago, now. "I understand. And I'm sure Rachna will understand too, even if she does grumble about it. We'll leave the Errant for you to come and catch up whenever you're ready."

Misato released a deep breath. "Thank you, Daniel. We'll see you before you leave?"

"Count on it." Daniel smiled.

"Alright. See you then."

With that, Misato's face disappeared, and Dani sat back in his chair sighing quietly as he gathered his thoughts.

It was more than a few minutes before he pressed play on the recording and began again.

"Whether or not they acted on those revelations as they came? Well, that depended on the person, of course. Some had the beginnings of a change of heart, while some ran from such a thing for a little while longer."

. . .

"We were truly in the undiscovered country, now. Not even I could predict what we would see next. But, really, that's a story for another time."

Daniel paused and saved the recording, slipping the clear-pad back into his pocket as he sat back at his desk, toying with his Plugsuit bracelet. Now, with multiple years of iteration, what was now designated Unit=00's Frame Plug was housed within a space connected to the bracelet. 'On-call Evangelion, callsign Unit-E-whatever your number is' as Kensuke had so artfully put it.

He stood from his desk, his gaze landing on the resin sheet of shrapnel that had been buried in his back for a moment before he looked out the window, watching a few Seabreakers pass into the Worldsea.

They would be doing the same, soon enough. Preparations were complete, and once they'd taken on their crew complement, they'd be out in the Worldsea as well. 2 months journey, was the estimated travel time Amaya had given them.

He exited his office, Eleanor joining him as they made their way to the teleporter room.

Stepping onto the platform, Daniel looked toward a random point in the ceiling. "Amaya, just right into our living room, please," he said somewhat cheerily.

"2 to beam down, aye," Amaya said, a bemused tone to her voice as they fuzzed out of existence.

Daniel and Eleanor came into being in their living room, much to the delight of those that surrounded them.

"Well hi, everyone," Daniel said with a smile as he went around the room, offering hugs and handshakes to all those that had gathered to see them off.

As he passed Lutenhahl, he came to a stop in front of Commander Hyuga. "Good to see you here. How goes running HERZ?" he asked with a slight, wry smile.

Makoto smiled slightly in return. "It's going well. Captain Vincennes is settling into her new position over the rest of the incoming HERZ pilots. Rift Duty is running like clockwork, and everyone has something to do."

"Good. Good." Daniel said, nodding as he stepped back into the center of the room and set his gaze sweeping across the young adults present.

"So," he said after a moment of silence, "who all should I be saying goodbye to?"

They all looked at each other, then back at Daniel with a rather peculiar gleam in their eyes. "None of us, Daniel. We're all going together with you." Asuka said, almost seeming to dare him to challenge her.

Daniel blinked, his eyes widening slightly in surprise even as they began to grow damp. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Eleanor looked over at Makoto with an arched eyebrow. "And this won't create any… staffing problems, as it were?"

Makoto shook his head. "I've gone ahead and created the Outbound Operations Section, which you two are in charge of. We'll find capable people among your staff to keep your posts while you're away."

Daniel scanned the room, then nodded. "Alright then. Pack what you want to take aboard the Val. It's going to be a long trip, and you're going to want to take your Evas with you."

Daniel smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen… let's finish the fight we started, shall we?"

- - -

The Series Concludes In:
Apotheosis Echo: Re[verb/it]erations

- - -
​

A/N: Well, ladies and gents, just in time for Shinji's birthday, that's a wrap on this entry. Thanks for sticking with Daniel, Eleanor, and the kids thus far. Now, we get to see them as they interact with an already far more bleak world than the one they will leave. I have a lot of exciting ideas for the final chapter of this saga, and I hope you'll join me as I finish the story of these Echoes.

 

[Author0fntent]

Great job. Looking forward to the next adventure.

 

[Vajrei]

That was quite the epilogue. This timeline is pretty much at peace and the marriages were beautiful. I am looking forward to what you have in mind for the Last story. As for Seele's fate, it seems you took my line of them dying only when given permission to heart. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the scene of their condemnation goes something like this.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pBUcXmyRGI

 

[StriderInCosmos]

SEELE's fate was a long time coming. That you happened to call it is commendable. And I'll certainly have to watch the Dark Knight trilogy again.

Now that this fic is done, a rather humourous little bit of trivia: this fic, as it stands, almost did not exist. I always planned to finish the first and have a fic set on the Rebuild Echo after, but many of the important parts of this story, such as the Numberless Children and Azazel (who, for the longest time, was going to be Bael), were, even up until the final chapter of NGE: AE, going to be crammed into about 1 to 200,000 words at the end of AE. Inspiration being what it is, along with the common sense of breaking things off at roughly where the events of End of Evangelion analogously were, 200,000 words ballooned to nearly 420,000 of wonderful ideas that I'm happy to have been able to put on the page.

 

[Vajrei]

Amazing how things can change as you write a story. For Seele's fate, I wouldn't be surprised if after the spend all eternity in isolation unable to die, they stop thinking all together. Care to guess what I just referenced?

 

[StriderInCosmos]

I believe that is the fate one of the vampires of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Season... 3? I have siblings who keep up with it much more than I do.

But in terms of fates... it's certainly not off the table.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Well, ladies and gents, the first chapter of Re[verb/it]erations has arrived! I invite you all to come along, as things promise to get truly wild and spectacular, now that we are within the realm of the Rebuilds.