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Apotheosis Echo: Re[verb/it]erations

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As far as I can tell, there is no concrete name for LCL. This is merely one of the possible permutations. Another possiblity was 'Lilith Catalyst Liquid, as named by Lorenz Kihl in the Prime Echo in one of his epigraphs (Chapter 42's).
 
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Chapter 33: Ingratiating
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    • Chapter 33: Ingratiating

    Unit-02 has been a study of patience over these last few days. I've heard more than a few of the workers that have been around us equating it to 3-D printing an Eva. They aren't entirely wrong.

    I'd love to tell them more, especially the more excitable ones among those formerly of the Revival, but with what we've started to do in unraveling the Revival here, I can't help but keep things close to the chest. As excited as they are, there are any number of ways that they can spill secrets, even with Juro's help keeping an eye on things.

    I have to trust that our 'field agents' are capable of doing what we hope they can do. And with their track record, for now, that's more than enough.

    - From the personal journal of Eleanor Theisman

    New Pacifica Agri-Station 052, Outskirts of Burbank

    Aang looked at the frankly massive building that looked over the dozens of farm fields and orchards, all of them stretching out into the distance, and couldn't help but be impressed with how far humanity here had come. He could feel the pull and flow of the water around him through his bending, all of it flowing from a river that found its source at the top of a mountain a few miles away.

    "I'm guessing you can feel it too," Katara said as they approached the building. "How pure it all is."

    Aang nodded, walking into the building and past dozens of farmers, technicians, and logisticians. "Yeah. But there's… something else."

    His brow furrowed as his voice became quiet, and Katara followed his lead. "What? Scions?"

    "Possibly."

    They paused by a window looking out over a vast field of corn. If Aang focused… allowed his sight to slip beyond the physical…

    There. Walking amongst the fields, ignored and out of sight of the farmhands working them, strode dozens of spirits in a dizzying array of forms, some pausing and tending to crops in ways that those farmers that had their backs turned to them would have found wondrous, if not miraculous.

    And a few of them, close by to the building, might have glanced at him with whatever passed for eyes.

    "Yeah. There are spirits in those fields. And based off of one of the people we're tracking…"

    Katara nodded. "Well, let's just start by finding Ms. Macey."

    Aang nodded, and they began to walk towards the 'command center' of the building as it were, both of them reflecting on what they'd been told about their target.

    "Her name is Ms. Maia Macey." Mr. Watanabe had told them when they had first gathered. "She's the current manager of the main agricultural station here. She's one of the two main KREDIT employees that shows up to this meeting point. She's rather social, and seems to be the ringleader, as it were, of the little group of KREDIT workers. Easy mark."

    Aang and Katara still felt somewhat out of their depth as they asked for directions to Maia, soon walking into what was labeled a control center that was a wide open space, several screens on the left and right walls flanking a massive window on the far wall that looked out over the many fields.

    Standing in the middle of it all, a tanned woman with shoulder-length blonde hair tied up into a smart, severe bun regarded a tablet, directing the people around her with relaxed ease.

    Aang still felt uneasy about this whole thing as they approached her. He may have emerged from the Spirit Realm a new person, but he still hated the idea of lying so casually. But Mr. Watanabe had accounted for that, it seemed.

    "Kid, there's plenty of top-class spies like you that I've worked with. For them, it isn't a matter of lying. Not at all. You're still becoming their friend, and I think you have a knack for that. It's simply a matter of paying attention and taking note of things that they say."

    Even as old and as used to keeping focus as he was, it was still difficult sometimes to make that work. Making friends… that was easy, though.

    "Excuse me," he said, causing Ms. Macey to turn around, "are you Director Macey?"

    The woman scoffed slightly even as she smiled. "I can tell we haven't met before. Please, just call me Maia."

    Katara nodded, returning the smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maia. I'm Kiana Aanderson. This is my husband Alan."

    Aang nodded as he shook a proffered hand. "We're here at dock for the next month or so, and we just wanted to see where we could help out. Keep ourselves busy and all that."

    Maia glanced at the armbands that they wore and nodded. "I got it. WILLE. We always appreciate the extra help. What can you two do for us?"

    "I'm in logistics right now." Aang nodded over to Katara. "And my lovely wife is head of medical aboard the Wunder."

    Maia smiled broadly. "Perfect! We could always use more people with both of your skill sets. Here, give me a second, and I can show you two around."

    She turned and walked over to who was presumably a subordinate, and Aang looked over at Katara. "So far, so good," he said quietly.

    Katara simply nodded, then her smile returned as she walked to Maia's side. "So, you look like you get out in the sun a lot. Are you out in the fields, or does that tan come from playing as much as working?"

    Aang let Katara take the lead and found himself profoundly grateful that he wasn't assigned to the other person that they had to befriend.

    . . .

    Tyler Pressley, it was immediately apparent to Korra, nearly lived in this gym.

    She was no stranger to such a familiarity, what with her experiences training not just to be the Avatar, but also in her early quest to become a pro sports player in the bending arena. From how he interacted with the staff, to the ease with which he flowed through his workout routine, he went from place to place with an ease that belied his importance to her and her company.

    "Are you sure we should be disturbing him here?" Suki asked from beside her. "If Sokka's any indication, getting in the way of a man's workout isn't the greatest idea in the world."

    "I mean, come on. Interrupting someone's set is the least disruptive thing we've done to save the world." Sokka said it flippantly, but Korra could see the uncertainty even in his eyes. There had to be an opening somewhere…

    Then, she noticed the sparring square at the far end of the gym. And she recalled what Mr. Watanabe had told them about the man. "He's a martial artist. And he's been complaining about not having a sparring partner for the last few days, it looks like."

    "Don't worry, guys," Korra said as they finished checking in. "I have a plan."

    She strode off towards the ring and Pressly, heedless of whatever stifled objections were behind her. It took some time to cross the length of the gym, and she was sure there were at least a few stares that she caught out of the corner of her eye. Not that she'd care, either way.

    She stopped in front of the square, a few feet away from Pressley, then looked over at him. "Looking for a sparring partner?" she said as she climbed through the strange ropes, leaning against them as she appraised the man, somewhat wiry but strong with a carefully maintained braid of long brown hair.

    Pressley regarded her with somewhat shocked gray eyes that then glittered with interest as he climbed in, the rest of the gym beginning to pause for a second as they regarded what was about to happen for a moment. "You must have read my mind. What do you practice?"

    "A little bit of everything. Been doing it since I can walk." Korra tucked the fact that most of her stances and moves usually carried a spicing of elemental power behind the technicality of the truth.

    "Oh, good. Maybe I can learn a little something, then. What's your name?"

    "Karra. What's yours?"

    "Tyler. So, what kind of rules do you want to set?"

    "First to three points. Putting the other person on the floor means one point. And… nothing too dirty to start."

    Tyler smiled slightly. "Sounds good to me."

    They squared off, and Korra found herself in that most wonderful of mindsets; that of the contest. Her mind flashed with possibilities as she started by probing his defenses, perhaps a little more aggressively than he was expecting, and she carefully restrained her might as she blocked his questing jabs and kicks. This was bare-knuckle, barely any protection between either of them. He liked to live dangerously, it seemed. It was a sentiment that they shared.

    "You go, Karra! Kick his butt!" she heard Sokka call out from the edge of her perception, and she decided to oblige him by surging forward, water tribe and fire nation forms blending together into a flowing strike that surged through his defenses and took him off his feet, sending him sprawling.

    "Alright," Tyler said as he caught his breath. "You're pretty good. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Call it loser's consolation."

    Korra shrugged. "Country girl. Grew up wanting to fight the good fight, decided to join NERV to do it. Then I joined WILLE after everything went to hell. I'm in security now."

    "Wow. Are you on the Wunder then?" Tyler got to his feet, walking over to a bottle he'd set on the edge of the ring and drinking from it as he finished speaking.

    "That I am. I work security. It's a decent enough job."

    Tyler nodded, and Korra grinned. "Though that's more than a little. I might tell you more if you let me beat you."

    "We'll see about that." Tyler grinned as they fell back into position again, the spar returning as the man took the initiative this time, looking to pry apart her defenses. Her training in earth style was good, but he was persistent, chipping away until he finally got a chance to grab her arm, pulling her into an expert throw that came from a martial art she remembered was called judo here. Wherever it came from, it planted her on her back, driving the air from her lungs.

    "So, I guess it's my turn," Tyler said as he waited for her to catch her breath and sit back up. "I'm native to here, missed the boat with NERV and all that. After Near-Third, I went into KREDIT to use my skills and help out. Seemed like the right thing to do and all that."

    Korra looked at her friends and asked for a water bottle that she took a deep drink from. "So what do you do?"

    "I'm a mechanic. Mainly heavy duty equipment."

    'How convenient.' Korra might have been brash, but she wasn't dumb. At least all the time. She knew that rather bland statements like that could conceal something just a little more vital to what they needed to do. "What kind of heavy-duty equipment?"

    "Big rig trucks, cranes for shipyards and… other stuff."

    "Oh?" she stood, setting the bottle down and standing. "What kind of other equipment?"

    "I'm…" she had him flustered. For as suave as he at least pretended to be, his concern was rather evident on his face. "Not exactly at liberty to tell right now."

    'Then you might be exactly what we're looking for.' she mused.

    "Well, I'll find out soon enough. After all, I'm enjoying this."

    "Enough to keep doing it without padding?"

    "Now, I didn't say I wasn't in the business of being beaten up all the time."

    Tyler nodded. "Fair enough. I don't know if you brought pads, but I still have mine at home with how long it's been."

    "Alright. Enough talking. Tiebreaker time." Korra said with a smile.

    Tyler nodded, and the dance began again. They were both now somewhat cognizant of the abilities of their opponent. Now, it became a dance, seconds stretching into minutes as patience and technique began to supersede pure speed and surprise. A jab there, a kick there. Round and round they stepped, Korra daring to try for a combo that, if Tyler hadn't interrupted it, would have left him in an armlock with his chest on the floor.

    "So," she began as she batted away a series of jabs that would have left her heaving for breath otherwise, "sparring with anyone else?"

    "Not right now," Tyler replied as she pressed the attack. "They're all at the Island of Change gym that opened up a few years ago."

    "Really? Why not join them?"

    "Ah, I've just been going to this one for ages. Loyalty and all that, you know? But the manager there treats everyone that goes through those doors like family. All he cares about while he's there is making sure everyone's getting the most out of their time there. He's a big guy, Polynesian if I'd have to guess. Seems like a pretty decent dude anyways."

    He shrugged, and she surged forward, trying her former strategy again as she stepped to another side, the one that Tyler seemed to not favor. Now, she had the results she desired, as Tyler ended the match. For as much as she enjoyed the spar, Korra had actually had some fun being a spy. What little she'd talked to Toph and Mako about was, hopefully, paying off.

    "Well, not bad," Korra said as she released Tyler, helping him back to his feet. "We should keep doing this. I haven't sparred like that in a minute, and it's hard to find the time on the Wunder."

    Tyler nodded. "Sure. Whenever my wife's not here with me, we can go a few rounds."

    Korra arched a brow as she nodded. "I see. Well, just to keep things simple so no one's confused, I'll bring my wife along too. Maybe they'll hit it off while we're hitting each other."

    Tyler chuckled. "Well, with moves like that, she must have been really good to catch you."

    Korra grinned even as she blushed slightly. "What a charmer you are. Must be part of how you caught yours. Catch you later."

    Tyler laughed as he exited the ring, going towards a fridge at the front of the gym.

    Korra watched him for a moment, leaning on the ropes as she saw him get situated on some machine or another, and looked down at her friends. "So, any of you want to go a round or two with me? That was a nice warm-up for us, but I figure I want to make the most of my time here."

    "Sure," Suki said as she climbed into the ring. "So, what do you think of what he said?"

    "Interesting," Korra replied as she took a sip of water. "There's more, obviously, but I don't know how long it's going to take to make any progress with him. We need time."

    "And spirits know we don't have that much of that." Suki grimaced, even as she and Korra began to exchange blows.

    . . .

    Back on the Wunder, Eleanor looked intently at a report from the rest of the engineering teams that were getting ready to work on Unit-02 and Unit-08 and sighed quietly as she looked at a weary Ymris sitting across from her at the table in their empty mess hall. Granted, sitting was a rather strong word, her upper half nearly draped across the table as she peered at a similar report at arm's length with narrowed, tired eyes. It was a feeling that Eleanor shared, even if she didn't show it so obviously.

    The refitting of Unit-08 was going to be easy enough; simply switch out the armor plates, run some checks, and like that, it would be in its Gamma-type configuration, as many of the techs were calling it.

    Unit-02, on the other hand… there was a headache for all of them.

    It quite simply came down to a matter of manpower. They only had so many people who were Interfaced and able to manipulate the LCL that came into contact with Unit-02's now nearly complete torso. Even working on a limb, the arm in question now just about halfway done, had taken them the better part of four days. And that was before poor Mayumi nearly passed out from working so hard.

    "I can guess what you're thinking about," Ymris said, tiredness flattening her voice to a deadpan tone.

    "However did you know I was thinking about Unit-02?" Eleanor replied, her voice only a little more expressive.

    "Because I can read minds." this time, the words came with a small, tired grin. "How's Ms. Yamagishi doing?"

    "She's doing better now. Mana's been doting on her like an overly concerned older sister. It's kind of cute to see. So, how about we think really hard at each other about our little spy ring?"

    Ymris sat up and put her elbows on the table, likely grateful for the change in subject. "Things are doing alright, for such an early start. From what Zuko and I can tell, no one's noticed my spy marbles. Mai and Suki have been champions at scouting and placing marbles in new locations, and we've got eyes on at least two more meeting sites."

    "Any appearances by Kauri and Aaminata yet?"

    Ymris shook her head. "Not yet. They're probably cycling between meeting sites."

    A rueful smile appeared on Ymris. "If Kauri isn't so concerned with his gym. He always had a soft spot for giving those around him the chance to better themselves physically. Even if it did come from deadlifting some of us and chiding us for not eating enough to make it a challenge. Made for a good laugh every now and again."

    It was silent for a moment, the two of them contemplating much the same thing; the humanity of those that acted against them.

    Then, Eleanor's phone began to ring, and she quickly picked it up as she saw Captain Katsuragi's contact. "Yes, ma'am."

    "I'd like you and Ms. Tennison to meet me in my quarters. Ritsuko and I are brainstorming things, and we'd like your input."

    That woke them up a little, the two women sitting up straighter to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the person. "We'll be right there, ma'am."

    The line dropped, and the two women stood and began the walk toward the captain's quarters. It was a mostly empty ship right now, everyone either out working on the external Eva gantries, or enjoying their shore leave. It gave them space to talk without being overheard.

    "So," Ymris said, "have you got any ideas on what they might want to talk to us about?"

    "I do." Eleanor was silent for a moment as she thought back to the films. "They might want to start planning out what's going to become Operation Yamato. It wouldn't surprise me if what little satellite coverage there is left up there caught the Black Moon — or whatever it's become — doing something. To say nothing of the other vessels like this one."

    "And here I was enjoying spying on my old friends, almost forgetting about the other end-of-the-world scenario we're trying to stop," Ymris said sardonically.

    "Well, whatever else," she continued as they paused in front of the captain's quarters, "we'll find out soon enough."

    Eleanor nodded as she pressed the doorbell, the door opening only a moment after. "Come in," Katsuragi said.

    They wasted no time entering, the door sliding shut behind them as they took a seat in front of Ritsuko and Misato. Ryoji sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, and regarding the desk in front of him intently.

    "How can we help, Captain?" Eleanor asked as she settled in.

    "We've caught movement from the three NERV ships that have us worried." Ritsuko began. "They're converging on South America. Not only that, but they're going slow. As if they're aware we can't catch them."

    "Well, with the beating we took during Fourth Impact," Ymris said, "I'm not surprised they're taking their sweet time. Anything on the Black Moon, or whatever it's become?"

    "Makinami is keeping us apprised through Fuyutsuki," Ryoji spoke up with a slight grin. "It's nice actually, having an inside source that I can count on to be mostly accurate. I guess that's what guilt can do to you in old age."

    "And where would the Black Moon be?" Eleanor prodded gently.

    "Right now, slowly making its way over the Pacific Ocean. More slowly than the vessels, but still pointed in the general direction of South America. More likely than not, they're going to try something."

    "With what, though?" Ritsuko cupped her chin. "The only viable Evangelion that they have not acting as the master of a Vessel is Unit-13. Mr. … Commander Nagisa is dead, and as far as we can tell, there aren't any more cloning facilities in place anywhere, even in South America. And I doubt that the Commander or Fuyutsuki are exactly in any state to get into the Entry Plug."

    She paused as they all shuddered at that all-too-disturbing image of either of the old men in Plugsuits. Then, she shook her head slightly. "So, we simply have to confiscate the deactivated Unit-13 and kill the Commander. Then, it's done."

    Eleanor raised a finger. "Well, there are two problems with your statement, Doctor. First, there's another Shikinami in the base."

    Ritsuko's brow furled slightly. "I was under the impression that Asuka was the last of the Shikinami line."

    "So was I, until Daniel introduced me to Shikinami-Bradley. Apparently, she's been in deep storage under Commander Ikari's orders as a backup pilot for Unit-02."

    Misato and Ritsuko's eyes both went wide and they, as one, leaned back and took a deep breath. "Then… she has a sister…" Misato nearly whispered.

    "Not only that," Ritsuko said ruefully, "but the incident with Unit-03 and the 9th Angel wasn't even enough for him to unveil Bradley's existence. What would have constituted such an emergency as to wake her up?"

    "Likely needing a pilot to initiate an Impact," Ymris said darkly. "Anything else would have been an inconvenience to him."

    "It figures he'd be proud enough to do that," Ritsuko replied, equally darkly. "But where would he get his second pilot? Unless a corpse can synchronize with Bradley…"

    "Consider this for a moment." Eleanor piped up. "He's likely not fully human anymore. Daniel told me he could create his own AT Field."

    "His own AT Field?" Misato sat straight, then looked over at Ryoji. "Tell me she's over-exaggerating."

    "I wish I could, Misato," Ryoji said, a hard tone almost covering up the unsettled look in his eyes. "But he used the Key of Nebuchadnezzar. Something I stole from Bethany Base when I transferred to Tokyo-3 at Ikari's insistence. If I'd known what it was before I used it to stop Third Impact…"

    "What…" Ritsuko was hesitant looking over at the haunted expression that had draped itself across Ryoji's face. "What is the Key of Nebuchadnezzar?"

    "It contained a piece of Adam's soul." Ryoji's words were barely a whisper, Misato's hitching breath easily heard after them. "That thing, those things, that caused Second Impact all those years ago. It… Christ, it tried to eat me. If I wasn't fighting it, I probably wouldn't even have a soul for Commander Nagisa to pull me back with."

    It was silent in the cabin, an unsettled thing that grated on each of the room's occupants as they comprehended the idea of it.

    Then, Misato shook her head slightly. "Alright. We need to stop Ikari from doing whatever he's planning to do. Which means our lynchpin is going to be Unit-13, even more than it was a minute ago. If we don't stop it from activating, we're finished, it looks like."

    "To say nothing of these Scion people that could get in our way." Ritsuko cautioned, and Eleanor clenched her jaw at forgetting, even briefly, their other enemy in all this.

    "We'll worry about them in a moment," Misato said firmly. "One problem at a time. First things first, can we beat them to the punch, and force a shutdown signal into one of the Entry Plug areas?"

    "Too risky," Ritsuko replied. "It would waste precious time to turn it over and try to eject a Plug that might be in there already. The most likely way we could do that would be a direct plugin to the core of the Evangelion. That would require some considerable upgrades to the standard Override Signal Plug."

    "Do we have any Plugs like that here in Burbank?" Ymris asked. "It might be difficult to sneak into what's now a massive spaceship to try and maybe grab the one that went into Unit-00."

    "We have several here in the NERV storehouse that we can work with, actually," Ritsuko replied. "But that's where the challenge comes in."

    "Actually making one that works like we need it to," Ymris said with a quiet sigh. "On top of also finishing the work on Unit-02."

    "Do you think your engineers can pull it off?" Ritsuko asked. "I'll be spending most of my time over the next few days setting down a viable redesign, after which we have until whenever Commander Ikari tries something again to build it."

    Ymris mulled the question over mostly silently, a few quiet hums escaping before she sighed quietly. "Unit-08's teams should be done within the next few days. I'll have them tasked with your project, ma'am."

    "We'll see where the Unit-02 restoration project goes as well," Eleanor interjected. "If I'm available, I'll be able to assist with any mechanical portion of the job."

    "If you can make what we saw in Paris work, then this is going to go extremely quickly," Ritsuko said, a still slightly wondrous gleam in her eyes.

    Misato nodded. "And how is the project progressing?"

    "We should have Unit-02 at least fully reformed and installed with the required plugs in the next one and a half to two weeks, as a generous estimate. Re-armoring it shouldn't take even half as many people as it needs now, which should make the project go much quicker."

    "Misato nodded. "Alright. It's a start, at least. Anything else we should be aware of? Especially if it has to do with these Scions."

    Eleanor and Ymris looked at each other silently for a moment. "We're currently starting information-gathering efforts," Ymris began. "If something comes of it, we'll let you know."

    "See that you do," Misato said firmly. "The last thing I want is the sort of surprise we got back in Paris. Or worse."

    "You and me both, ma'am," Eleanor replied.
     
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    • Now we see more of the spying being done. I'm amazed Aang was able to perform as adequately as he did. Korra seemed to be in her element. What Misato and co discussed about Gendo's movements sounds worring.
     
    Chapter 34: Stealing Away With Eternity
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    • Chapter 34: Stealing Away With Eternity


    Things are getting close. Call it a feeling, having been to so many worlds I'm familiar with.

    The village has been good to everyone here. Better than good. I like to think that we helped out with that a lot. But now, the storm clouds are starting to gather. Eleanor filled me in on the movement of Ikari's little fleet, along with the Shutdown Plug they've started building. We'll be seeing them soon enough.

    But where's Tavis? Where is the Hollow Saint of War?

    And where could we even stand against him without losing?

    I don't know. And I don't know how much longer I have to think about it.

    - From the personal journal of Daniel Theisman

    Village-3, April 18th, 2028

    Young Shinji Ikari walked alone today. All too often before, that fact would have been accompanied by a quiet, yet gnawing sense of loneliness, even amongst the bustling populace of Tokyo-3.

    Now, though, it was a somewhat comfortable, if not still conscientious, ease with which he made his way through the village away from Kensuke's house, answering waves and greeting with a slight smile and wave of his own. It was still somewhat nerve-wracking, and he sometimes stumbled over his words. But that, he felt, was a fair step above where he had been back in Tokyo-3.

    Was that all there was to it? 'No, not really', he mused as he paused for a moment. There was Daniel, of course. There was Asuka, to some extent. And then there was Gendo Ikari.

    The man who looked like his father, and yet felt so different from the man he was familiar with, was stuck in Shinji's mind. Somehow, this Gendo felt almost… right. Like a look into the sort of man that his father could have been. It made his heart ache, thinking of the things that he'd done with, or at least alongside, this man.

    He still remembered the little private concert that they'd put on three days ago as if it had just happened. It was still a small thing, really, confined to the rather large backyard that was connected to Nozomi's house. There were relatively few people, and he was, for lack of a better term, 'on stage' with the same people that had been there before.

    The biggest difference was his audience. Not that there were more of them, at least to start, but in who was there. And Gendo and Yui, the people who were his father and mother in another world, were front and center, watching him attentively.

    "Alright," Daniel had said, "let's try to not get interrupted by anything trying to kill us this time."

    A few people in the audience chuckled, mainly the other versions of him and his friends along with Mr. Takao, while most simply looked confused. That must have been how soldiers were, he decided. If making a joke about nearly dying was better than agonizing over the event for them… there wasn't much he could do about that.

    "Alright, Shinji," Daniel said, drawing his attention fully to the man. "Thanatos, right? We'll play what you ask."

    Shinji nodded after a moment to consider the fact that Daniel trusted him to lead out. "Yeah."

    Daniel looked at Midori and this world's Maya, nodding. "Alright, on Shinji's go."

    Shinji took a deep breath, put bow to strings, and played the first note. And the others came in like they'd never fallen out of practice.

    For a few bars, he focused on making sure he got the notes that they'd practiced right, then, as the music continued, he began to relax, the music taking him as it filled the air. His eyes slowly drifted shut as he focused as his fingers danced up and down the bridge of his cello, the idea of the music, bittersweet, speaking to him on a level that none of his father's songs ever had.

    Then, suddenly, it was over, and he opened his eyes to clapping. A lot of clapping. More than there should have been…

    He looked around and found that there were people on top of the fences watching them as well. There were probably a few people behind the fences as well. The thought of so many people watching him, even if they enjoyed him, made Shinji want to shrink into his chair, hide behind the body of his cello…

    Then he saw his father and mother, and at that moment they truly were that, nearly beaming. It was such a small thing compared to the rest of the congratulations that were being heaped on him, but it was a shining jewel of a gesture.

    "Well, Shinji," Daniel said, breaking the boy's reverie, "I guess we attracted a larger audience than we bargained for, didn't we?"

    "I guess we did," Shinji replied bashfully.

    "Don't worry about playing any more than you want to," Daniel said with a smile. "Unless you want to follow up Thanatos with something else?"

    Shinji thought about it for a moment, then shook his head slightly as he stood. "Thank you, Daniel, but I'm good."

    "Good job, Shinji!" Midori said, her smile almost infectious as she gave him a thumbs up. "That was beautiful!"

    Shinji looked over at Maya, sitting behind her keyboard as she smiled and nodded. "Yes. You did well, Shinji."

    Shinji picked up his cello, put it away in his case, and walked away as Daniel spoke again. "So, Mrs. Akagi, want to try a piano duel with yourself?"

    He pulled himself from his thoughts as he came to a stop in front of the door of the house where the other world's Gendo and Yui Ikari resided, along with most of the other adults that had come with Daniel. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

    "Come in!" an older woman's voice, one that sounded almost familiar, called out.

    He opened the door and stepped in, taking off his shoes in the entryway before he looked up and realized how big the space he was in actually was. It defied all physics. But then again, breaking the laws of reality was just another science for these people, wasn't it?

    "Hello, Shinji," Gendo called, drawing Shinji's eye to a bank of what he assumed were computers where he and Yui sat. "What brings you around here?"

    "A couple of things," he said as he scanned the room. There were the Akagis, along with the Fuyutsukis (a concept he was still struggling to get his head around), sitting around a long table with Athena, another woman he'd never seen before sitting beside her. In a corner that was a lot farther away than the outside walls made it to be, Daniel sat with a book and what he assumed was a cup of tea. "What are you doing?"

    "Oh, one of several things, really," Yui replied as she fully turned to face him, Shinji catching a glimpse of the translucent red core material.

    Before she continued, Yui hesitated for a moment. "We'd be willing to explain, but only if you'd like to listen. It's rather technical research, even with a simplified explanation."

    Shinji thought for a moment. He could hear his parents, however distant the relationship actually was, talk to him about something that interested them. Like so many things surrounding these two, it felt like the opportunity of a lifetime. "Sure."

    He walked over to their bench, looking down at the core material that had several different nodules attached to it. "What are you working on with this?"

    The way their eyes lit up as they began was nothing short of wondrous. "Well, Shinji," Gendo began, "what we're studying is the transformative properties of core material. Where we're from, it's known as Corite. Somewhat on the nose, I know, but that's Ms. Katsuragi for you."

    "Anyway," Yui interjected, "what we're trying to find right now is the point at which a formation of crystal grows most reliably. The only way we've seen it done so far is in the wake of an Impact event, which we have no desire of fully replicating."

    "Okay…" Shinji saw what looked like pockmarks and bulges on the surface of the crystal. "Have you been making it disappear?"

    "That seems to be the easier of the ways to manipulate it," Gendo replied. "Even still, the Pneumaic architecture, the frequency if you will, is such that the ACC Pillars can use it. We might not be hitting our desired goal, but even this will help clear out land around the pillars instead of simply acting like a barrier."

    "There is the matter of the Corite that we haven't sampled being active, dear," Yui interjected. "We'll have to take that into consideration."

    "A fair point." Gendo conceded.

    "So what is your desired goal, then?" Shinji asked.

    "Well, we're trying to find the point at which Corite transforms into another element." Gendo began. "As easy as it is to not make the connection with how it flash-forms, Corite is simply the solid form of LCL. As such, it can, theoretically at least, transform into any inorganic material."

    Gendo paused for a moment as Shinji took in the implications, then Yui picked up where Gendo left off. "Right now, the most prominent use would be transforming into the armor plating for the Frame Titans, GEIST's Evangelions, saving a significant amount of time and energy that they could then use. Right now, we have to go through the much more tedious process of turning synthetic LCL into Corite, then into the armor plates. Cutting out the middle-man, as it were, would be a monumental leap forward. To say nothing of the countless other potential applications in places like the civilian sector."

    It was silent for a moment as Shinji took in not only the information presented to him but the fact that Gendo and Yui were so excited to take a moment and teach him about it. He wondered if his own mother would be like this Yui.

    "Now," Gendo said, shaking Shinji out of his reverie, "I doubt you came all the way out here just to talk to us about our little science experiments. What brings you to our little lab?"

    "A couple of things, really," Shinji replied as he looked back at Athena, who had several translucent patches on her arms, neck, and head, with a white-haired Rei (the Akagis' daughter Kyu, from what he'd been told), Doctor Akagi, and Maya looking down at clear pads while prodding at her with strange tools.

    He walked over to them, crossing around to come into Athena's field of view. "Hey, Athena."

    Before he could continue, he saw her eyes light up, and a smile that almost felt too big for her face stretched across it as she waved in an entirely too girlish manner for her. "Hello, Shinji!" she said with more giddiness than he thought he'd ever heard from any version of Rei. "I am currently undergoing calibrations of my Framework so that I can have a standard range of emotions! It's quite the experience, being this happy!"

    Shinji blinked rather owlishly, then waved back slowly. "I see. Is this just… how it is now?"

    "Her Frames pertaining to this particular emotion are slightly overtuned," Kyu replied. "Here, Doctor Mother. Help me adjust the sensitivity down."

    Athena nodded, her smile shrinking to something at least somewhat within the realms of sanity. "Yes. It's been a rather… fascinating process, feeling all these emotions so strongly."

    "I can only imagine," Shinji replied. "I, uh… hate to think of what it's going to feel like when you get to the more negative emotions."

    "We made sure to get those out of the way first." the older woman whose voice he'd heard call him in replied. "No sense in letting her stew in those after we get done."

    Shinji looked over to the woman, who sat next to a young Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki, and furrowed his brow slightly as he remembered who this woman was. "I would assume that you're Mrs. Fuyutsuki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

    Mrs. Fuyutsuki smiled as she glanced over at him for a moment, an unexpectedly warm thing. "It's nice to meet this version of you properly too, Shinji. I'm Naoko. Ritsuko's mother."

    Shinji nodded, quickly realizing the family resemblance. "I see."

    Then he looked over at the other woman who sat across from Athena. She could have been from somewhere like India, with skin the color of wet clay and eyes that were a shade of green he wasn't sure was entirely natural. On her left ear was a rather intricate piece of wire-worked metal, a small circular purple jewel laying over her earlobe as four smaller clear crystals in the shape of diamonds went up the outer helix.

    A loose bright blue shirt that left her arms mostly bare betrayed a well-muscled physique, and she had a somewhat alert posture about her even as she appeared mostly relaxed. "I don't think I've ever seen you before, ma'am," Shinji asked. "Who are you?"

    The woman smiled, somewhat full lips turning up slightly within a sharply defined almond-shaped face. "My name is Nynrya, young man. I am currently a soul residing in Daniel's Grip. We're… old acquaintances, one might say."

    Shinji glanced over at Daniel, and all too briefly caught the dark look in his eyes before they disappeared behind the teacup.

    His focus returned to Nynrya, who regarded him intently. "So are you… waiting for a body, then? It wouldn't surprise me if they can make that happen."

    "For the moment. The time for me to return to my physical form, much to Daniel's chagrin, I'm sure, hasn't come yet. But by my ancestors, it's close. I can feel it."

    Shinji nodded slightly. "I see. Do you want to… stay here for right now? Because I kind of need Daniel and Ms. Kyu for something."

    Before Nynrya could reply, Daniel perked up, draining the last of his tea and setting the cup aside as he stood. "I see. Thank you, Shinji. Yes, I do need to get to that."

    Daniel walked over to Nyrya's side. "I can ensure that you can stay and continue to regale the others with your stories if you want."

    "You know," Nynrya said with a warm smile, "I've actually enjoyed talking about my people. It honors their memories and their souls."

    "I thoroughly agree," Fuyutsuki said, several pads of paper surrounding him. "It's been fascinating to hear tell of a human culture so divorced from our world as Ms. Nynrya's is, and I'm honored to help her people's memory persist. My sociology minor seems to be bearing yet more unexpected fruit."

    Daniel chuckled. "Alright. Kyu, give me a moment and we can both go to Ms. Nozomi's house and get things straightened out."

    Kyu nodded, setting her tools aside. "Very well. Mothers, do you think you can finish your work today without me?"

    "Certainly." Maya Akagi replied. "Go and help Daniel and the Horakis."

    Shinji regarded Daniel as he took out what must have been his Grip, a crystalline handle, and held out a hand, a small purple and blue gem forming in it that flashed with light before softly glowing, Nynrya's form fuzzing for a moment in time with the gem. Daniel set it down on the table, and his Grip vanished.

    "I'll see you around, Shinji," Daniel said with a smile as he and Kyu went out the door.

    Shinji looked after them for a moment before looking over to the Akagis. "So, what are Daniel and Kyu doing?"

    "That's a good question, Shinji." Athena, of all people, replied, her brow deeply furrowed in thought as she cupped her chin. "There's clearly some operation that we haven't been informed of. One that likely has to do with the elder Horaki sister. How are they going to get to Matsushiro? What will be her reaction to the news? And how will it work next to the operation to retrieve a soul for me?"

    Shinji blinked again. "Wait a minute. I thought you already had a soul. You couldn't pilot an Eva otherwise, right?"

    "Normally you'd be correct." Naoko began. "However, Athena here, who needs that curiosity tuned down a little more, technically only has a simulacrum of a soul. Useful, but still finite. Before we caught her, she was on the verge of disintegrating entirely."

    Shinji felt a pinprick of fear at the thought. "So… how does getting her a new soul even work? Was it one of Daniel's ideas?"

    "No, actually." Doctor Akagi replied. "It was Kyu's idea. Take a seat, and we'll explain."

    . . .

    Daniel, Kyu at his side, walked into Nozomi's house, the gathered Horakis waiting for him in the small living room. "Alright, then," he said, a serious look on his face as he sat down on one of the free seats. "Let's finish laying this out."

    He looked over at Kyu, who took a seat next to him. "Ready with the map?"

    Kyu simply nodded as she pulled out her clear pad, tapping on its screen for a few seconds before she set it on the coffee table they surrounded. In a moment, a disk of land, surrounded by massive spires of slate-gray stone that rose up like incisors from the ground, bloomed into existence above the tabletop, expanding to show a town that was bustling within the ruins of Matsushiro.

    "Here's what little we know about Kodama Horaki's movements." Kyu began as she zoomed into a portion that contained a small cluster of buildings. "These are the architecture and engineering headquarters of the town. Kodama seems to be in a position of authority, likely in charge of efforts to expand the town's infrastructure and vehicle production capabilities."

    Hikari nodded. "She'd likely be putting her mechanical engineering major to work, then," she said quietly.

    Kyu nodded in turn. "Based on our observations, she is among the first to enter these buildings in the morning and is the last to leave when evening falls. She is dedicated to her work."

    "She always was trying to take care of us like that when she was home," Nozomi said with a soft chuckle as she looked over at Hikari. "Drove you insane, didn't it?"

    Hikari smiled slightly, noticing Natsumi hanging silently on their every word about her mother. "Yeah. I'll admit, it kind of did."

    "It'll be about a day and a half's drive across the country to get there if we're following the roads." Daniel began. "After we reach the edge of the settlement, and I'll remind you all when we get there, no letting go of each other's hands, and we proceed through in as straight a line as we can possibly make it."

    Hikari nodded slightly as she returned her focus to Daniel. "So, when do you actually want to go to her once we get through?"

    "Sometime in the evening." Daniel began. "After everyone else has gone home for the night. It might be a tight window, so we'll have to act quickly."

    He paused for a moment as he sighed. "I have to warn you… your sister has spent nearly a decade and a half around Tavis and his teachings. She might… be resistant to the idea of coming to Village-3."

    "That's why I'm coming," Natsumi said firmly. "If she won't leave for her own daughter, then I don't even want her here."

    Daniel nodded slowly. "Alright."

    "And we're getting out with that necklace you're making, right?" Hikari asked.

    She spoke of one of Daniel's more recent projects that was still in the works. "Yes. It should cut through the core material's interference using the Errant's scanners and teleport anyone within its radius safely home. I still need a few more days to get it fully tuned and ready for us to use."

    Daniel glanced over at Kyu. "We'll be ready to go then, right after I do something else today."

    "What would that be?" Nozomi said as the display of Matsushiro disappeared.

    "I have asked Daniel and the other pilots to assist myself and the other scientists in keeping Athena from disintegrating," Kyu said simply as Daniel sat back, tenting his fingers and furrowing his brow. "We have a potential solution to attempt."

    "And I'll admit, I have my reservations," Daniel said frankly.

    "What kind of solution is it?" Natsumi asked, concern for her friend evident in her expression.

    "Well, the least dicey part of the whole thing is us going up to Hokkaido and trashing the NERV Eva production plant that they have up there." Daniel began. "We're experienced enough to make even an army of Evas a breeze. It's what comes after we retrieve the blank soul that's apparently there that has me worried."

    "A blank soul?" Hikari asked. "What's the difference between that and a… regular soul, I guess?"

    Kyu leaned forward slightly. "In our universe, Lilith, the creator of all life on earth, was host to several souls that sacrificed everything, even their personality and memories, in order to provide what could be equated to greater processing power as in that of computers. These kinds of souls are what mine first was before it escaped and took up residence in a clone body of Rei Ayanami's."

    Daniel could see the cogs turning in the Horaki's minds as they did their best to wrap their heads around the subject. At least in Hikari's case, he could almost hear the dial-up tone as she failed to do so.

    "Disregarding the universe-shaking truths we just put in your laps as a matter of course," Kyu continued, "these sorts of blank souls are often used as templates for the Frame Knots, the simulacrum that is driving Athena. We've deduced that at least one such soul resides somewhere in the Evangelion production plant in Hokkaido."

    "Even still," Daniel interjected pointedly, "the blank soul is just that: blank. You made your memories after waking up and haven't tried to add anything else to that. What you're proposing is a transplant of a Frame Knot's memories and personality onto a blank soul. And while I'm not saying it's impossible — hell, I've seen enough of Reality to know not to do that — I am saying that it's probably going to be extremely difficult. Something that Eleanor would probably agree with."

    "I believe that the potential risks are acceptable," Kyu said surely. "For Athena's sake, we have to at least try."

    "On that, we can agree," Daniel said as he stood. He paused for a moment before chuckling. "I'll give you this, Kyu. You pull this off, and it'll be the talk of medical journals across Reality for months to come."

    "Well, it's not as though we're not accustomed to doing the rather insane," Kyu said with a slight smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if we get several requests to speak in the immediate aftermath."

    "Well, they'll have to wait until after we stop the end of the world," Daniel said flippantly. "Anyway, I'll see you all later today, after our trip to Hokkaido."

    "Good luck to you all," Hikari said as Kyu rose with him and they prepared to leave.

    "Heaven knows we'll need it," Daniel said quietly as they went out the door.

    . . .

    Daniel waited patiently at the Suzuhara residence, empty for now as the heads of the household went about their day helping around the village, as the Ikari-Soryus and Nagisas made their way in, carrying their shoes. "So," Asuka began as they stood in the living room, "what's this about a day trip to Hokkaido?"

    "We're going to be going out and doing two things," Daniel said, smiling slightly. "Both of which I'm sure you're going to enjoy. But first off…"

    He pulled out his clear pad, and tapped out a familiar contact, waiting for the Spirit on the other end to pick up.

    He did not have to wait long at all. "Well," a deep, clearly spoken voice answered, "I must say it's been some time since you've called on me."

    Daniel's smile grew. "It has been a while hasn't it, Percival? I've got 5 to board at the call's location."

    "One moment." Percival went silent as he likely locked onto them. "Got you all. Prepare to board."

    Daniel ended the call, managing to slip the phone into his pocket as the world around them disappeared, replaced with the warmly lit, slate-gray walls of the Errant.

    "Ah," Kaworu said as he, like the others, began to put his shoes back on. "As always, it seems, your oddities are wisdom, Daniel."

    Daniel chuckled softly. "That's awfully generous of you, Kaworu."

    "Welcome aboard the Errant, ladies and gentlemen." Percival's deep voice came from the walls of the transporter room. "In this case, I should say welcome back aboard, Daniel. Your presence, and your singing voice, have been missed aboard."

    "This is Eleanor's vessel," Rei said as they began to walk out of the transport room. "I suppose it makes sense that it would welcome you back aboard."

    "Well, it's been Ellie's vessel for the last while," Daniel replied, looking around the vessel's halls with a nostalgic gleam in his eyes. "But before the war… it was ours. Our first, actually."

    The last words came out quietly, and the rest of their walk was taken largely in silence.

    They came to what was likely a central command room, a wide teardrop-shaped thing that tapered as it stretched away from them. In the center was a massive display sitting on a slightly raised platform, a hologram of the form of the ship itself currently displayed there.

    It was a striking design, a long body that, much like the room they stood in, tapered as it got toward what the Children likely presumed was the front, two wide wings emerging from the front of the ship and sweeping back across a flat bottom that played host to a curving dome of a hull.

    Daniel stepped up onto the platform, making his way to a central console and beginning to type on it. "Percival?"

    A luminous human appeared, dressed smartly in what likely passed for a suit wherever the person originated from, his features mostly sharp with an out-of-place button nose from over which solid gray eyes regarded Daniel. "Yes, sir?"

    "Have you managed to get a scan of Hokkaido's Eva production facility?"

    "One moment," Percival replied as the ship disappeared, the Children stepping up to the platform as a top-down, satellite view of a mass of buildings that were a slate grey, square and rectangular industrial construction connected with scaffolding and pipes surrounding a massive dome with Neo-NERV's nonsensical logo emblazoned on it.

    "I will have to warn you, there are examples of what are likely heavily armed defensive emplacements at these locations," Percival said as he flashed up to the platform opposite of the Children, sweeping his arm out as several dozen diamonds outlined towers with spheres atop them.

    "In addition," he continued as several rectangular buildings flashed with highlights, many of them tightly packed around the dome almost like spokes on a gear, "these buildings are most likely 'garrisons' for the Evangelions that Eleanor had me designate as Mark.06H. The likely strength of this garrison is around 150."

    "Well," Asuka said, "I guess Commander Ikari learned his lesson from when Shikinami and Mari went and trashed Shanghai," Asuka said, her brow arched.

    "That's… a lot for us to fight through," Shinji said, his gaze sweeping across the defenses. "I don't think we're going to be able to approach it safely from… any direction on the ground."

    His gaze landed on Daniel. "Which is why I'm assuming you brought us up here."

    "Among other things." Daniel nodded. "It's a heavy defense. But the point isn't to destroy it. At least, not outright at the moment."

    He glanced over at Percival again. "Do you have a scan for any souls located within the facility?"

    "There are six souls within this central dome," Percival replied. His expression became serious. "I will warn you, readings do indicate that 5 of the six souls are contained within bodies."

    Rei's hands clenched into fists; the others, Daniel included, regarded Percival with no small amount of shock. "Commander Ikari's likely not even bothered to separate them from their bodies for use in templating the Frame Knots. If they are in any sort of pain…"

    "What about the sixth soul?" Kaworu asked. "What is it currently being used for?"

    "As far as I can tell, Mr. Nagisa," Percival replied, "it is acting as the equivalent of a central processing unit, acting in tandem with two highly advanced virtual intelligences."

    "They made a cute little copy of the Magi," Asuka said, her mouth twisted into a sneer. "Man, I want to knee Ikari in the balls."

    "Yeah," Shinji said as he took Asuka's hand, his own expression hard. "You'll probably have to get in line."

    It was silent for a moment before Kaworu nodded slightly, looking over at Daniel. "So, what is our plan to free these souls?"

    Daniel smiled slightly. It looked like Athena might have some sisters soon enough. "The towers, the visible ones at least, we can deal with in orbit with some missile strikes. If we deploy outside the base afterward though, the garrison will likely have time to deploy and group up wherever we are. And there's every chance that they're hardened structures as well, which would make an orbital strike too questionable in its effectiveness to make me comfortable."

    "So we need to deal with the garrisons before they can deploy." Asuka hummed as she leaned on the railing that separated them from the hologram. "But I imagine we can't risk damage to the dome by just blowing up the buildings closest to it from up here as well."

    "So we need a way to get into the base from a direction that they aren't expecting and strike these outlying garrison buildings first in order to keep the number of Evas we're fighting at a minimum," Shinji said, cupping his chin as he regarded the base.

    Daniel regarded the base before them equally intently, humming quietly. "Well… the timing on destroying the towers would have to be precise in order to make it work… but…"

    The Children looked at Daniel as his eyes glittered with excitement, and he began to grin. "So…" Asuka began. "What are you thinking?"

    Daniel leaned back from the railing, grabbing it to keep himself from falling back as his grin widened. "We're going to pull off an Adama maneuver," he said, his voice bubbling with barely contained excitement as he chuckled. "I've been wanting to do one of these for ages."

    The Children exchanged glances with each other before noticing Percival's confusion turn into wide-eyed shock. "Oh, dear."

    "Daniel…" Shinji asked. "What is an Adama maneuver?"

    . . .

    Shinji got his answer soon enough as he sat in Unit=01, hanging on desperately to one of the wings of the Errant, Asuka by his side and facing the back of the ship in Unit=02, Rei and Kaworu on the other wing as Daniel rode atop the main hull of the ship. Shinji did not like how it felt as his stomach leaped into his throat with the ship accelerating into the atmosphere, right on top of the base. It was not a graceful dive down, simply a drop with the ship perfectly level with the ground that made the edges of the wings and the ship glow, then flare as their ship tore through the rapidly thickening air.

    "Daniel!" Asuka shouted, no small amount of fear in her voice as she saw the flames springing into existence around the edges of the ship as the plating glowed prismatically. "I've come to the conclusion that you're officially more insane than Misato!"

    "Oh, come on!" Daniel was positively giddy, and Shinji could have sworn that he heard a giggle escape him. "You and I both know that Misato could come up with something like this easily."

    "Yeah, but you're mad enough to actually do it!" Asuka shot back.

    "Focus up!" Daniel's smile didn't disappear, but his tone was still far more serious than it was before. "We'll be in the tower's sensor envelopes in… 10 seconds. Percival!"

    "Missiles firing up… now," Percival said, his calmness a somewhat assuring thing even as the last word was punctuated by several cross-shaped explosions beginning to go off around them.

    With that, the missiles that they'd left in orbit, keyed to the towers' positions, kicked on their engines, and passed the speed of sound in an instant.

    "As nice as it is that we won't deal with the towers on the ground," Kaworu said, anxiety readily evident on his face on the comm screen, "I don't quite appreciate our role as bait."

    "It'll pass," Daniel assured them. "Once the missiles destroy the towers, get ready."

    Shinji's muscles tensed slightly as he dared try and look over the side, spinning up an AT Field around Unit=01's face in order to protect it from the flames licking up over the edge of the wing. Looking past it made the edges of his AT Field sprout flames of their own, but he still managed to maintain a clear view of the rapidly approaching complex, the 35 towers reminding him of flashbulbs from the seemingly distant past after their first time preventing the end of the world. At least those flashes were only trying to capture their image then, instead of trying to kill them. 'Well… this ought to be different.'

    In a brilliant flash, 35 towers were obliterated as swirling pillars of baleful light consumed them, then dissipated as they left the space around the sites in shambles, where the towers had stood little more than blackened, smoking craters.

    "Alright, kids!" Daniel said as he stood from laying flat into a crouch. "Prepare to jump clear on my mark!"

    Shinji's muscles, relaxed somewhat from the still turbulent ride, clenched again as his Eva got ready, holding onto the edge of the wing, finely shaped AT Fields protecting fingers from the heat. Seconds now seemed to stretch into minutes as he waited for the signal.

    "Jump!"

    With that, he propelled himself forward, watching as Rei and Daniel flew forward with him, then glanced down Unit=01's body as a Dip Drive portal tore open under the Errant, the ship disappearing into it in seconds before the portal closed, leaving them alone as they fell towards the base.

    Looking down at it now as he engaged his AT Field to act as a parachute, he could see several of the garrison buildings spitting out their troops, arming themselves with Pallet Rifles that had the pink-white glow of Prog-bayonets. If nothing else, they were going to be busy.

    "Alright," Daniel said, a shield of clear crystal springing up beneath Unit=00 as Pallet Rifle rounds began to spray up towards them as he floated away from Shinji, "we have our sections. Make sure that the garrison buildings are completely locked down, not even a chance of reinforcements from them."

    Shinji's AT Field shifted down to act like a shield as Daniel spoke, his descent speeding up as he found himself about to land on a gathering squad of 06.Hs. "Got it," he said, hearing his words echo thrice over as the others prepared to land.

    His AT Field slammed into the combined AT Fields of four 06.Hs, leaving him standing on top of his Field. Looking down as a rifle of solid prismatic flames formed in Unit=01's hands, he wove an Expression that saw four pinpricks of flame appear above the Mark's heads, guttering for the briefest of seconds before a thin beam of flame lanced down into the cores of the off-guard, unshielded Evas, their AT Fields flickering out as he landed deftly on the ground, sighting a garrison building that was several dozen meters away through the nearly Eva-hight jungle of scaffolding and pipes.

    He made his way quickly towards it, cutting through whatever was in his way with a cutter torch-like jet of flame from the end of his weapon. The pipes spilled LCL more often than not, making the ground beneath Shinji's feet slick as he continued towards the garrison, watching one Mark after another step out of the building, going to a nearby weapon's building, drum-like with a rotating magazine of rifles for their weapons.

    On instinct, his rifle snapped up as he sent several shots downrange, slamming into a rifle that one of the Marks was picking up and cooking off the ammunition inside, the explosion rippling into the rest of the rifles left in the building and making a massive conflagration that Shinji put up an AT Field for as something hit it and dropped to the ground.

    As the smoke cleared, Shinji scanned the area with his rifle, finding the mangled and charred corpses of the Evas either completely dead or twitching ineffectually as he stepped over a torso that must have been what slammed into his Field and approached the garrison building.

    The blast had wrecked a significant portion of the opening, sending rubble down on where the Marks had been emerging. Aiming his rifle down, he tried something he'd been practicing on a smaller scale as he set up an Expression around his Eva's head, then sent several clicking pulses of sound down through the rubble.

    Shinji smiled slightly as he perceived a faint outline of the facility below. The elevator up to the former entrance was wrecked as well. Nothing would be coming up there any time soon. He saw that the ductwork surrounding the elevator led to something that looked like another one and got to work.

    "Was that explosion you, Shinji?" Rei asked as Shinji aimed down at the pile of rubble, a cone of white-hot flames melting it into a single solid lump.

    "Yeah," Shinji replied as he sent a wall of sound into the building's wall, causing more rubble to cover the other elevator before proceeding to fuse it into another cap. "It looks like these buildings have at least two surface exits. We'll have to nearly demolish the buildings in order to stop the flow."

    "That should be easy enough," Asuka said confidently as what was likely another armory building exploded in her sector. "We're in Evas, after all."

    "Then again," Kaworu interjected as Shinji saw a squad of Marks bounding towards him, taking cover as they began to shoot, "so are they."

    Shinji cast his AT Field out to smother those of his enemies as he ducked out of cover, snapping off a few shots that he augmented with rippling soundwaves, sending the Marks that he hit stumbling back.

    A beeping sound from his right, the proximity alarm, drew Shinji's attention to the trio of Marks that were charging him, stifling a yelp as his rifle flowed into a bident, swiping away the bayonets that threatened to skewer him, a few brief moments all he needed to overpower the three Marks and either run through their cores or cut them down.

    Shinji looked around, spotting another garrison building as crackles of lighting arced into the air and the sound of shattering glass reached him. "Just another day at work," Shinji said quietly, only partially griping as he advanced towards the garrison building.

    . . .

    Daniel's focus was laser-sharp as he put a shell of gemstone over the entrances of the second to last garrison building in his sector. It still didn't interfere with his satisfaction at how well things had gone to this point. Eleanor was going to hear all about this when they got back, though he wondered what her reaction was going to be to the fact that he'd used their ship as a glorified heat shield.

    Worries for later. All that was left was the garrison building that was right up against the central dome. There were half a dozen Marks drawing a bead on him, a problem that he initially solved by throwing up a barrier of solid sapphire that the rounds slammed into. With the few seconds that it brought him, Daniel created an Expression that he was still testing, a shoulder pad of crystal forming on Unit=00's left shoulder before a pillar of a tube grew down the Eva's back, stopping at the Unit's hip.

    As the Expression finished forming, Daniel grabbed a handle near the top of the newly formed shoulder cannon, pulling it up and out into firing position as an utterly tiny star flashed to life at the back of the barrel.

    With that, Unit=00 stepped out of cover, leveling the cannon at two Marks standing together and firing, the star ripping out at them with a tearing roar. The Marks barely had time to react, just beginning to dodge as the star exploded between them, what hasty AT Fields could be raised torn apart as strands of plasma cut through the Marks like butter.

    The other Marks, quite wisely, dived for cover, Daniel turning his focus to the garrison building and firing three more shots as he approached. The first shot tore the outer structure of the building apart, collapsing the walls and roof on the elevators. The next two mangled the elevator shafts themselves, sealing whatever Marks were left inside.

    "Alright," Daniel said into his comm link to the other pilots, "all the garrisons in my sector are neutralized. I'm going in."

    "I'm on my way to help Shinji mop up," Asuka said. "We should be done soon."

    Daniel turned his focus away for a moment as he approached the wall of the central dome, a semicircle of crystal rising up around his Eva to protect him as he infiltrated. "Sounds good."

    He paused briefly to scan the compound with his sight as he heard 330-millimeter shells slamming into the barrier behind him. The souls, as they had been on the map in orbit, were clustered near the center of the complex. Working as quickly and gently as he could, a slender blade, more of a pick really, formed in Unit=00's hand, the tip of the blade pressed against, then slightly through the wall before it was retracted.

    The crystalline armaments on the Eva disappeared as Daniel began the shutdown process. "I've made a hole, and I'm going in. I'll be on comms, so let me know if anything changes and I need to hurry."

    "Will do," Rei replied as Unit=00 dissolved into SLCL, the teal liquid returning to the reservoirs on the Frame Plug. "We'll ensure you have the time to complete your task."

    "Thank you kindly," Daniel replied with a smile as he brought the Plug, now hovering in the air, to the edge of the hole before lifting the control console off and floating out the hatch on top of the Plug.

    He stepped off the edge of the Plug and onto a ledge newly made from the rubble of the building. The 'little hole', he soon realized, stretched across two or three stories of the building. 'Wow. What a way to remind me about the scale of these things.' he mused as he made his way inside. It was surprisingly easy to forget when it was usually experienced in the pilot's seat.

    Either way, the walls between him and the innermost corridor he could get to from this hole were nonexistent, allowing him to get in and start walking to the right, down a tight corridor he had to crouch in somewhat. It was utterly dark, a tiny star floating off his shoulder flickering to life and providing light as he continued. The sounds of the battle outside faded slowly away until there was only a mechanical near-silence, machinery and pipeworks providing a soft yet omnipresent white noise.

    Daniel's confusion only grew as he ran into pipes he had to duck under or step over, the hallways randomly tightening in every dimension, sometimes enough that even crawling as he now was, he had to stretch the space around him just to get through. 'Whatever designed this place,' he thought, they weren't thinking about regular use by… most humans.'

    "How's it going, Daniel?" Asuka chimed in, and he almost expected her voice to echo slightly. "Need some help?"

    "I'm fine for now," Daniel replied as he emerged from the squeeze of the crawlspace, turning down a hallway that thankfully allowed him to walk at least relatively normally again. "This place just wasn't made for visitors."

    "Turrets? Traps? Perhaps even automated sentries?" Kaworu asked. "It would not surprise me if Commander Ikari put those in place within as well as without."

    "Those would at least be familiar if they were here," Daniel said, his voice echoing in the hallway. He wasn't fully able to shake the sense of unease that had settled over him as he continued further in, and his light got just a little brighter without him fully willing it to. "No, the very architecture of this place is… hostile, almost. Whatever mind made it, it wasn't fully sane. At least, not by most human standards."

    He activated his Sight, scanning around the area and finding the first soul, a body, or at least the Frames for such, surrounding it. "I've found the first soul they're using for template work," Daniel said as he took in the area around him, hoping that the pipes around him weren't carrying anything more dangerous than LCL. "Time for a little creative remodeling."

    Gemstone, like liquid, flowed up his Plugsuit's arms from wrist to elbow, seams forming in them until they split into three broad claws that floated off his arms and forward, stopping just short of passing his hands.

    Daniel wasted no time putting the claws to work, tearing up the floor and tossing the pieces down the hallway, the banging adding to the echoing din as he worked. It was down further than he'd expected, and as enviro-sealed as the suit was, he still found himself hesitant to put his foot into the pool of liquids, chief of which was LCL, that was forming.

    Sealing off the pipes as he went took a little more time, time that allowed his mind to get even more wound up than it already was. Old memories kept stirring, and he looked up from time to time, pausing to stare into the dark in front of and behind him to make sure that his imagination remained just that. He wasn't sure if the scar above his sternum itching was just his mind playing tricks, or if some ephemeral Apostle from the distant past had decided to follow him around in secret. It had happened to Guts, after all…

    He shook his head as he drew close to the soul, hitting what looked like a sealed pod. Before he cut it open, he paused. What was waiting on the other side? Tubes and IV sticks? Missing limbs? Missing flesh? Was there even a body left for him to save in there?

    Either way, he had to find out. He wasn't going to risk leaving behind someone he could save. Carefully as he could, he sliced open the pod, the claws coming back slick with LCL as it flowed out from the cuts. Finally, he lifted the lid and threw it behind him with some stretching of space.

    Looking down, Daniel saw, floating in LCL that was now cascading down the sides of the pod, an Ayanami clone, an intubation tube in her mouth, and not a thread of clothing to cover her. Other than that, she seemed whole.

    Daniel breathed what was at once a sigh of relief and exasperation, as he considered how to get the girl out of this hellhole of a complex.

    After a moment's consideration, and a check of the Ayanami clone's vital functions, he focussed on his comms. "Asuka? Are you guys finished up out there?"

    "You mean you couldn't hear us kicking ass?" Asuka replied.

    "As deep as I am in here… no."

    "Well, yeah, we are. You need help?"

    "I'd appreciate it. This is going to be a lot more involved, and a lot slower going on my own, than I expected. I'll send something out to lead you to me. Come over to the hole I made, and it'll lead you true."

    "Will do."

    "And Asuka?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Be careful in here. But not too careful. We don't need to keep this place standing once we're done."

    "On our way."

    With that, Daniel focused on creating another little star, sending it shooting back from whence he came, trailing behind it a string of starlight that shifted and twisted in a nonexistent breeze. Now, he waited, making sure to keep an eye on the Ayanami clone.

    Time slipped by mostly unnoticed, at least until he heard a series of crunching sounds in the distance, slowly growing closer and closer. Daniel smiled slightly as he got to work, enveloping the floating Ayanami clone in a thin layer of crystal that covered up all but her face before bending down and gently extracting the intubation tube.

    After a few more minutes of waiting, the star turned around the corner, a series of loud crunching and creaking sounds preceding all four Children rounding the corner, Asuka in the lead and sporting an exasperated look on her face, damp as it was with what he dearly hoped with LCL.

    "You weren't wrong, Bruder." Asuka began, exasperation dripping from her voice. "These halls really weren't designed to be walked in."

    The Children took stock of the unconscious Ayanami clone before them, Shinji sighing quietly after a moment. "There's never just one of you in any given universe, is there, Rei?" he said with a tired grin.

    "Of course not." Rei's grin matched Shinji's. "That would make things easy."

    "Alright, loves," Kaworu said gently, "how do we help this Ayanami in particular?"

    "First things first," Daniel began, "I make sure you're here in case plan A doesn't work."

    "Well, that's done and dusted." Asuka said matter-of-factly. "So, what's plan A?"

    "See if the Errant is catching any flak from the Scion fleet, or if our little stunt went unnoticed," Daniel replied as he pulled up the Plugsuits communicator on the inside of his wrist.

    "I'll be impressed if that's the case." Asuka snorted. "We weren't exactly subtle."

    Daniel nodded as he linked up to the Errant, patiently waiting to see if the call would go through. "No. But it's a big solar system, and everyone's pretty spread out if Eleanor's scan with the Errant is any indication. Likely to avoid any advanced detection planetside."

    Daniel went silent as he waited, then let out a small breath he hadn't realized he was holding when Percival answered. "Yes, sir?"

    "I'm going to assume that you don't have any Scion ships hot on your tail," Daniel said with a slight grin.

    "Not at all, sir. I imagine you're asking for my services to teleport those embodied souls aboard?"

    "If the maneuver didn't do any damage that would make it too risky, then I'm all for that."

    "You're in luck then." Percival had a small smile that colored his tone. "Mark the transport target, and I'll scan and have them aboard in a few moments."

    "Have some clothes printed up for them," Daniel said. "Commander Ikari didn't even bother issuing jumpsuits."

    "Will do, sir. Waiting for your mark."

    Daniel retrieved his clear pad, tapping out an application that marked the crystalline 'sleeping bag' that held the Ayanami clone and transmitted the location data to the Errant. "Here's number one."

    In a moment, the clone vanished. "Oh, dear," Percival said. "Daniel, are you absolutely sure that was the only way to extricate them?"

    "I'll crack them out and wake them up once we've got all of them aboard. I'm dropping the call for now. I'll get back in touch when we have our bodiless blank soul. Watch for our other marks."

    "Will do. See you soon."

    Daniel ended the call, scanning around with his sight until he found the next nearest soul. "Asuka, set your Sight on there."

    Asuka followed his gaze, nodding. "I see her."

    Daniel grinned as he stepped aside. "Would you care to lead the way?"

    Asuka grinned in turn. "Oh, you know me too well."

    . . .

    Daniel was completely content to let Asuka forge a destructive path through the base, slow going though it still was sometimes. He could tell how tired of the crawlspaces she was. It was a feeling he shared.

    The first crawlspace all of them encountered, Rei gave Asuka a tap. "Are you," she began with a knowing grin, "absolutely sure you don't want us to relive Matarael for a moment, for nostalgia's sake? I'm sure Shinji would be perfectly fine with being behind you this time."

    Asuka glanced back, her expression unamused as she purposefully widened the crawlspace into something they could walk through. "Another time, maybe."

    The next two Ayanami clones went about as well as one could ask for, Asuka's Interfacing specialty making things much quicker as she peeled the pods open like a can. It was the next pod they went to afterward that made things… interesting.

    It was going more and more quickly now, Asuka having established a pattern to how she cleared away the machinery above the pod before cracking it open, with Daniel and Rei to quickly seal any pipes that her careless digging might burst. As the pod peeled open, it revealed…

    "My god…" Asuka said as she stared down at a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and a terribly familiar face. "I thought Langley and Bradley were the last Shikinamis."

    "As far as I can tell, they were. At least, of the line that was meant to pilot Unit-02." Daniel replied. "These… these are just in the image of you. I can't even tell if having a template based on Shikinami would have done anything remarkably different."

    "Perhaps it explains the more aggressive, melee-prone Marks? The 04As and alike?" Kaworu postulated. "Though I imagine it also would have changed the behavior of some of the 06Hs we fought outside."

    "Whatever the reason is, the list of things I want to do to Commander Ikari just grew by several pages." Asuka bit out. "Go on, Daniel. Let's get her safe."

    This Shikinami clone was teleported away in quick order. As was the other copy of Shikinami.

    At last, they made their way towards the center of the dome, to the processing core that held their ultimate prize. Asuka, Daniel noticed, was putting far more effort into tearing a path through the base than before, each discovery of a Shikinami clone adding a little more ferocity to her methods. He'd probably need to talk to her, and let her get the chance to vent her feelings before she could bottle them up for another time.

    Finally, though, they tore through one last wall into a room that was barely bigger than the rectangular pillar that it housed. Held within the center, a little over head height from them, was their soul. The soul that would, with any luck, soon be Athena's.

    Daniel created a small, bright blue crystal, holding up to the level the soul was at and beginning the extraction process. As he did, he continued to glance back every so often.

    "Something got you scared?" Asuka asked. "As far as I can tell, there isn't anything in the dark here with us. And besides, if there was, we could beat it, easily." she paused as she chuckled softly. "And here to think my big strong Bruder is scared of the dark."

    "Yeah…" Daniel's expression was far less amused than Asuka's. "When you've been around as long as I have, and you go where I have, you learn that some things that hide in the dark, you just can't fight. Sometimes, even the dark itself is alive. Unkillable. Utterly patient. Sometimes, the only option for you to live is to run."

    The silence, sober and more than a little frightened, made the sputtering clunking of the soul being extracted a little louder than they expected. And made the silence that came afterward deafening.

    Daniel wasted no time calling up the Errant. "Percival, we have the package. You can extract us now."

    "Give me a moment to lock onto your signals."

    "And I assume that you're overhead again? Can you see us?"

    "In roughly geosynchronous orbit with the facility, yes. I have an eye on the facility."

    "Well, I don't want to see this place anymore. Once we're out, glass it. We don't need it, and I don't want Ikari to restore it."

    "Will do. Prepare to extract."

    . . .

    Village-3

    Kyu Akagi waited patiently outside the little home that she and the rest of the science team now occupied as the sun began to set. She couldn't help but wonder how the operation to retrieve their prize was going.

    She looked over at the door as it opened, Athena stepping out and shutting it behind her. "Hello. How are you feeling, Athena?"

    "I feel…" Athena trailed off, then shook her head as she regarded the sunset. "I feel. That is remarkable in and of itself. This sunset…"

    Before she could continue any further, Kyu heard something in the far-off distance. Muted booms, the drumroll of explosives going off one after another. They kept going. And going. And going. Soon enough, the whole village, usually alive with a quiet noise, fell silent as the sound continued.

    Her mothers, the Ikaris, and the Fuyutsukis soon stepped out the door, puzzlement painted on their faces. "What is going on?" Kozo asked.

    Before anyone could reply, five people appeared in front of them. It was Mr. Theisman and the other Children. All of them had dark expressions on their faces.

    "Mr. Theisman?" Kyu asked. "Do you know what that sound is?"

    "A missile barrage aimed at leveling the plant." Mr. Theisman replied levelly, looking down at his wrist as a clock face sprang to life on it. "It should be done in the next… 20 minutes or so."

    "That seems a bit… extreme," Yui said, her confusion transformed into concern.

    "After what we saw there, Mother…" Shinji said. "No. It isn't."

    Mr. Theisman looked over at Athena, his shadowed expression broken up by a smile. "Congratulations, Athena. In addition to getting your own soul, you now also have 3 other sisters."

    He paused for a moment as Athena's eyes went wide. "And the Shikinami's gain 2."

    "How is that possible?" Ritsuko asked. "If they closed the program after Langley, they'd need a significant amount of tissue samples from either her or… Ms. Bradley."

    "I wouldn't care," Gendo said darkly. "If I didn't have someone to pull me down to earth, then I'd take whatever samples were needed to continue the Shikinami line, whatever ephemeral advantage that might give the Marks."

    Mr. Theisman took a deep, long breath, the darkness dispersing from his face as he stepped forward and presented to Kyu a palm-sized disk of swirling purple and bright blue. "Here it is. Whenever you're ready, you can try your operation."

    Kyu accepted the gemstone, regarding it for a moment before looking back at Athena. "When do you want to attempt this? We've gone over what the operation might entail, but the choice of when to try is yours."

    Athena considered the question for a moment, cupping her chin in thought before she looked back up at Kyu. "I would like to attempt it now if you are ready. And… I would like my friends by my side."

    Kyu smiled slightly as she nodded. "Let's get set up, then."

    . . .

    Daniel watched from a little ways away as Gendo and Kozo lifted a bed into the main living space, Athena walking over and lying down on it as several Pneumaic medical devices surrounded her in short order.

    He stood by young Shinji, Kaworu, Ryoji Jr., and Natsumi, and glanced at the door, wondering if they would arrive.

    Surely enough, the door opened, and Asuka Shikinami-Langley and Bradley stepped through, regarding the sight with somewhat wary eyes as they came to a stop at Daniel's side. "So… what are they doing to her?" young Asuka asked, her tone cautious.

    "They're giving Athena a soul," Daniel replied quietly, smiling slightly as the sisters' eyes widened. "We went to the Mark plant in Hokkaido and got it before we flattened the place."

    "Gotcha," Bradley said with a grin. "So that's the sound we just stopped hearing a few minutes ago."

    "That it is." Daniel paused for a moment, watching as Kyu, Naoko, Ritsuko, and Yui surrounded Athena, lowering a panel that would allow them to see their patient's Frames without needing to waste Flux, however little it might produce, on the Sight.

    His smile turned into a grin of his own. "We also managed to snag you two two more sisters. They're in our ship's medbay for the moment."

    Young Asuka and Bradley both sputtered for a moment. "What?" Asuka said incredulously.

    "Quiet, please," Ritsuko said. "We're about to begin."

    Daniel threw a Frame over to Asuka Langley and Bradley. "I'll explain this way." he began as tools slipped under the screen, a flexible Pneumaic Bridge settling over Athena's chest as Frame Cutters and Weavers followed after it. "Commander Ikari likely took tissue samples from one or both of you and continued the Shikinami line without anyone knowing."

    "Damn. That's what those 'personal checkups' were for?"     Bradley said, her words carrying a low and dangerous tone. "He didn't even trust anyone else with knowing my existence. Just let some machines lower into my tank and take blood and skin. The LCL fixed it right back up afterward."

    "So…"     Asuka Langley began, the tone of her voice hesitant even as she kept an eye on the procedure. She paused as she smiled slightly at the still-conscious Athena, who smiled back. "What happens to them?"

    "Likely, we leave them in your care here in the village once things settle down. We're already juggling enough here as is. With how fast the next big events are likely approaching…"     Daniel trailed off as he watched Kyu gently place the gemstone containing the blank soul on top of the Frame Knot.

    "What do you mean by that? Do you know the future, somehow?" Asuka Langley asked.

    "To a certain extent," Daniel admitted. He went silent for a moment as he focused on the operation. "I'll explain afterward."

    Kyu hooked a Frame Weaver's tendrils, sinking past the physical, under the gemstone, slowly spinning up Frames that connected to the soul, then down towards the Frame Knot. "How do you feel, Athena?" Kyu, thus far silent, asked.

    "I feel… strange," Athena replied, her expression as unsure as her tone of voice. "Almost like my mind is in starting to go somewhere else while still fully conscious. It is not an unfamiliar sensation, with my apparent connection to this world's Rei Ayanami."

    "I see," Kyu replied. "Interesting, that there's a mental connection between Ayanami clones here. But I digress."

    She looked over at her fellow 'surgeons', the four of them silently deliberating something, likely over a soul link before Kyu's focus returned to Athena. "We have two options on where to progress from here. Either we can attempt to 'upload' your memory and personality to the soul core, or we can try to implant it immediately and monitor it for any aberrations. The choice is yours."

    Athena was silent for a moment. "Try to upload my memories to the soul." she finally said.

    "We'll need to be careful," Yui said aloud, "or might run the risk of inducing mental trauma."

    "That is true," Kyu replied. "What would be the best course of action, do you think?"

    "Probably putting her to sleep," Ritsuko said. "From what I've read, there's a significant mitigation of risk if doing anything mental when the brain and mind are in a rest state."

    "Sounds good to me," Naoko said. "Let's not waste any more time. Kyu, if you could?"

    "Take a deep breath, Athena," Kyu said as she placed a hand on Athena's head. "When you wake up, this will be done, and you'll no longer have anything to worry about. I promise."

    Athena took a deep breath, and her eyes slowly closed.

    "Alright," Kyu said as Athena began to take more deep, steady breaths. "Mother, Grandmother, go ahead and set up connections to the brain so we can monitor what memories there are. Mrs. Ikari and I will begin the transfer once you're done."

    It went silent again, and time seemed to at once stretch and fly as all around watched the operation continue. Frames, like scaffolding, stretched up towards Athena's head from Ritsuko and Naoko's weavers. As they finished, the Frames began to glow with energy, data, and memory, Kyu and Yui monitoring things closely. If something was going wrong at any point, or if things were tense, their faces barely showed it, pictures of focus and professionalism.

    Then, the flow of light stopped from the Frames that Ritsuko and Naoko had created, the two doctors cutting the Frames and beginning to guide them toward the soul core. Finally, Kyu grabbed hold of the soul core, bringing it slowly into Athena's body. As she did, the other three began to pick apart the Frame Knot, connecting what they could to the soul as it slowly lowered into place.

    Finally, the soul was in place, and Kyu removed the gemstone that had held it and set it aside on the table as all four women took a deep breath.

    "So, doctors," Daniel said, finally breaking the silence, "what's the prognosis?"

    "As of this moment?" Kyu replied as the doctors began to deactivate machinery and remove it from off of or over Athena. "Her vital signs are holding steady on all levels, and it looks as though she's accepted the transplant."

    "We'll need to keep an eye on her," Naoko replied. "Likely over an extended period of time, to make sure that there aren't any future complications."

    "How long do you think that might take?" Natsumi asked, clearly worried for her friend. "Is she going to need to stay isolated at all?"

    "Not at all," Yui said assuringly. "She'll be able to do everything she's been doing up until now. We'll just need to check up on her every few weeks if symptoms don't pop up. As for how long that's going to last…"

    Yui looked over at Naoko as Kyu woke Athena from her brief sleep. "How long should we keep an eye on her?"

    "I'd probably recommend an extended period. A year, just to be sure, if not more." Naoko replied frankly. "This is, after all, a completely novel operation that we've just pulled off, so I want to be absolutely sure."

    As the adults continued to talk with each other about future treatment plans, Athena walked over to Natsumi and Ryoji Jr., smiling slightly. "So," Natsumi said slowly. "Feel any different?"

    "Well…" Athena replied. "I imagine we'll find out together, shall we?"
     
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    • If that plant they raided is as depraved as I think it is, I would have used an anti-mater bomb to erase it. As for the Ayanami and Shikinami clones they rescued, I wonder what names they will get? For the Shikinami clones, I think at least one of them will be named Asuna. For Evil Gendo, I imagine the torture he will likely go through will be Legendary.
     
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    A Little Heraldry
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    • So, I know that this isn't quite the early story update some might like, but recently, I have taken up learning Inkscape (a popular, free vector-based image creation software), and have been keeping myself busy while doing my online job that largely requires brief pressing of buttons and typing of sentences. Thus, we come to this point.



    Ta-da! Our favorite successor organization of NERV gets the logo it so richly deserves. I'm on a roll and enjoying this so expect, at the very least, WILLE's logo (which is quite different than the one in the canon movies, as I've described it!) to follow.
     
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    • Chapter 35: Fruits and Thorns
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    • Chapter 35: Fruits and Thorns

    I watch the things that these people, my daughter, and her friends, do, and I can't help but sit slack-jawed in amazement at them. I mean, look at it! Magic so advanced and precise, they have it down to a science!

    Of course, the way they say it, it's just a part of science. One that we tapped into to some insignificant degree here. In them, it's complete. Just as complete as Unit-02 is now. A fact I'm sure that the princess will be terribly happy about.

    I see this, and I can't help but think that there's nothing that these people need to be afraid of. Not even death.

    But… with the 'end' seemingly so close, they seem as nervous as the rest. What could scare them this much?

    - From the personal journal of Mari Makinami

    Burbank, New Pacifica, May 1st, 2028

    Aang was perhaps at his most comfortable here. As familiar as he was with the nomadic lifestyle, even with the ride getting far bigger, this state of being, of being of service to those in need, was still at his core. Whatever else had changed in this part of his new life, some of what had made him an Air Nomad still remained.

    He and Katara entered Agri-Station 052, now waving to several of the workers, asking after husbands, wives, children, and parents. Their stories were important, their wonderfully mundane lives precious things. It was part of what drove him forward in the rest of his work.

    'Perhaps if Captain Katsuragi wasn't so busy,' he mused, 'she could come down here and gain some perspective.'

    He knew, however, that the Captain was a complicated woman. Talking with Daniel during their time had revealed much of the why, but there was only so much any of them could do.

    Finally, they reached the control center, Maia conferring with someone as they walked in. She noticed them and waved as her face lit up with what was now an expected wide smile. "Alan! Kiana! Great to have you here. I've got someone who needs some logistics help for a second."

    Aang nodded as they paused in front of Maia and the other woman, who had deep burnt umber skin, intent brown eyes set in a slightly gaunt, mostly rounded face regarding them from under shoulder-length hair arranged in stalks of intricate braids. "Are we helping you today, miss?" Katara asked.

    "I hope so." the woman said, smiling slightly. "I've had more than a few of my regulars call in on this end of things, so everything's in a state of chaos at the moment."

    "This is Ms. Fasoumanti," Maia said. "She's been our best local buyer. She manages the Nourishing Sun Initiative. You've probably heard me talk about it before, several kitchens that serve halfway houses, struggling families, the whole nine yards."

    "Please." Ms. Fasoumanti chuckled. "You flatter me. You can just call me Aaminata. Or Aami if it's simpler."

    "I'm Alan, and this is my wife, Kiana," Aang replied, offering a hand which Aaminata shook firmly. "I work in supply for WILLE, and I'm plying my skills here. I'll see what I can get together for you here. Kiana's head of medical aboard the Wunder too, so she'll probably be seeing your usual help if they're sick."

    Aaminata smiled. "Thank you for your help. There are many people in need who will appreciate it as well."

    Maia nodded as she began to turn away. "Well, I'll let you two get to it. I've got some other things to attend to."

    Aang nodded, steeling himself for whatever might come next. Here she was in the flesh. Their first big target. 'Ymris is going to want to know about this first thing.'

    "So," he said aloud, "I've heard at least a little bit about your charity work here. Maia's probably been one of your biggest cheerleaders."

    He paused as she nodded. "How long have you been in operation here?"

    "A little under 8 years as of right now," Aaminata said as they walked to a window that looked out over the several farming plots in the area. It was an area that was expanding rapidly due to some new developments Doctor Akagi had passed on from Daniel and company, Aang knew.

    "You've got quite the operation going if Maia's to be believed," Katara said. "I'm surprised that you'll find our help useful."

    "Any amount of help, especially if it lifts those struggling to a better place, is a blessing," Aaminata replied. "And besides, we were struggling ourselves before we got in contact with this Agri-Station. Maia and her teams have been instrumental, and I have a dedicated team set up to keep things in order here."

    'That would probably explain the spirits.' Aang surmised. With as many as he'd seen trekking out into the fields on the rare occasion he had to go to a local transport hub, it would have to take dozens of people at least somewhat trained in spirit-bending of some kind to keep them on task.

    "I also appreciate the offer of your help, Ms. Kiana." Aaminata continued. "But my team isn't sick. They're just… busy."

    She said the word with a slight bitterness, and Aang found his curiosity piqued. "What kind of busy are we talking about?" Katara asked. "Or is it a secret?"

    Aaminata nodded with a slight grimace. "Secret, unfortunately. One of my other suppliers needed the help today, and I couldn't turn him down."

    "I see," Aang said, having a few guesses as to who that other supplier might be. "Well… let me think for a moment."

    Ymris wanted to see her, and if the big secret was what he was guessing, she'd need to do it quickly. But he also wanted to help what seemed, by all rights, a decent cause here in the city.

    "I've got a few buddies in the logistics department of WILLE I could talk to, see what they can do to help. And I'm sure there are some people in KREDIT who would be willing to help. And…"

    He made a show of turning and checking his phone. "I've actually got someone you could meet with right now to make a case to in WILLE."

    "Then I'd be happy to meet with them so this can get cleared up."

    "I'll call them right now, actually."

    Aang called Ymris, stepping away for a second and waiting as he hoped this wouldn't be too risky.

    "Hey, Aang," Ymris replied.

    "Hey there. It's Alan."

    "Oh. What can I do for you?"

    "I've got someone here in need of some help with logistics and I figured she'd want to talk to you. A Ms. Aaminata Fasoumanti of the Nourishing Sun Initiative."

    It was silent on the other end of the line for a moment. "I see. Does she want to meet today?"

    "It would help. She needs help with getting supplies to her kitchens in the city."

    "Got it. I'll be on the Wunder. It'll be the most secure place."

    "And you're sure you can't meet her anywhere else?"

    "It'd be too much of a risk meeting in public if it comes to blows. Too much chance of collateral damage and civilian casualties. No, just escort her here, and stay ready."

    "Got it. I'll get her here as soon as I can."

    With that, he hung up, turning to Aaminata and Katara. "Well, Ms. Aami, she'd like to meet you on the Wunder itself, with how busy she is. We'll be able to get you in."

    Aaminata didn't outwardly seem suspicious of that, at the very least. "Well, then. I've wondered what the inside of that ship looks like. It's always amazing to see something like that flying in around here."

    "Let's not waste any time then, shall we?" Katara said.

    . . .

    Ymris sat in silence, steadying herself as she waited for Aang and Katara to come back with Aami. She'd hoped they'd find Kauri first. As fierce as his temper could be if someone stoked it, Aaminata had a focus to her grudges. And the ability to send Spirits to do her dirty work.

    She scanned the hallway outside of the empty mess hall, one of the smaller ones that she'd appropriated and made sure would stay empty, with her Sight. It was hardly the first time she'd done so, and it made her feel more paranoid than she perhaps should have been. She needed to breathe. Focus. This was just a precaution. Just in case. She could see the souls of those that made up the perimeter, placed just so by Eleanor so that they would blend in with the rest of the crew. Even looking for them for a moment, it still took her far longer than she was comfortable admitting to finding them.

    Then, she spotted three souls making their way up the hallway that led to her door and took a deep breath. 'Here's to hoping, whatever Guides there are out there that aren't the Guide of War.'

    Two of the figures went to either side of the door, and the third paused for a moment before opening it. Ymris let her Sight dissipate to fully see the shocked face that looked back at her as the door closed.

    "You," Aaminata said with quiet venom.

    "Yeah," Ymris replied. "Sorry for all the secrecy, Aami. I couldn't risk Tavis catching wind of this."

    "Tavis…" Aaminata looked back at the door. "So, are you trying to kill me, too?"

    "Kill you?" Ymris said incredulously. "Why would I want to do that?"

    "Tomomi told us everything that happened in South Africa," Aaminata said as she approached. "How you sent a hit squad to kill the faithful after seducing away those you could."

    "Is that how she put it?" Ymris said with a sigh as Aaminata paused in front of the table she sat at. "She pulled a gun on us for questioning Tavis' plan. And it was plain as day that she's banging him. Surely, you noticed how biased she'd be?"

    Aaminata stared at her silently for a moment, still tense and ready to fight. "And why would that matter? You're on this ship with the heretic. He could have twisted you long before that."

    "I lost faith in Tavis' plan long before Daniel and his crew arrived, Aami."

    "Stop calling me that."

    Ymris was silent for a moment. "I wouldn't lie to you, Aaminata. I act on the truth that I'm given. You know that as well as I do. I've been upfront with what Tavis told me to tell you."

    She saw Aaminata hesitate. "But… I haven't told you everything. Please, Aaminata. Take a seat. Listen for just a minute."

    Again, it was silent, and Ymris hovered on the edge of readiness. Then, slowly, Aaminata stepped forward and sat down on the bench. "You'd better be damn convincing," Aaminata muttered.

    Ymris took a deep breath. "You know what Tavis wants to do with these Herald Units, right?"

    Aaminata frowned. "Of course. The same thing we tried to do in the last world. Start an Instrumentality event and control it so that it fixes the world. The converts would come in droves afterward."

    "There is no way to contain an Instrumentality event like that, Aaminata. You didn't see the records back on the last Echo, did you?"

    "You and Tavis were the only ones who were daring enough to even try sneaking into Jameson's Receptor archives. Now, it's impossible to even do that."

    Ymris dipped her head and sighed. "An Instrumentality event breaks down all living things into LCL to gather all their souls. Tavis… wants to do that. Not only that, but edit the souls with the godlike power that he'd get on top of being the Hollow Saint like I think he is. You, me, the Children, WILLE, everyone. And then he'd have an army he could throw at the rest of Reality. Or the start of one, at least."

    Aaminata was silent, her shocked expression saying more than words ever could. "But…"

    "I'm sorry, Aaminata. He asked me to keep that knowledge in confidence. He said you'd understand after it was over. At the time, I trusted him to not do to us what he'd planned to do to the rest of the world." Ymris shook her head. "Now, though… I'm not so sure."

    "You… you could still be lying. You spent 14 years here largely apart from us. That sort of time can change anyone." Aaminata seemed remarkably unsure of herself now. It was somewhat unsettling to Ymris, so used to the calm, collected woman that had accompanied her for the last several decades.

    "It can. And it did. Just… not in the way that you're thinking."

    Ymris looked around herself, at a room that had become so familiar to her. "The people that your work feeds," she said after a moment. "Would you want them thrown into war? Fighting and dying over and over again?"

    "No," Aaminata said firmly. "Never."

    "Even if Tavis said it was for the greater good? For the Unity? Can we really starve these people of peace for the sake of one that they might never see?"

    Her words had hit home, she knew, by how Aaminata flinched. They'd talked before about her past. How she'd gotten to be saved by a wandering cleric. 'Come on…' Ymris thought, hoping against hope. 'See reason, please…'

    Aaminata finally sighed. "No. I… I couldn't do that to them." she said quietly.

    She shook her head slightly. "They're… they're family now. The people. The workers. I go out into the streets, you know. Work with my own hands. And it's there I see the Unity."

    Aaminata looked back up at Ymris. "Guides, I can feel it, Ymris. Everyone working for each other's good, with no regard for status or wealth or upbringing. They care. I care. I…"

    She paused, her voice choked with sorrow. "I thought he cared, too. He would have stopped it if he didn't. Right?"

    "Aami…" Ymris put her hand on Aaminata's, her voice quiet. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

    "What…" Aaminata paused as she swallowed. "What do we do now?"

    "I'm still trying to figure that out myself," Ymris admitted after a moment. "Right now, though, we have to make sure that Tavis can't use the Herald Units to start an Impact. Can you do something about that?"

    "I can at least try," Aaminata said. "Half of the core-bound beings are Spirits. The other six that got captured after that last time are souls. They're… well, we think that they're human. They're old enough that they barely make sense anymore. If they ever did in the first place."

    "Well, if we can trip up Tavis with that, then it'll be worth it." Ymris sighed. "I just hope that Daniel has a plan."

    "The heretic?" Aaminata was still somewhat incredulous. "Well, as long as he tries to preserve the people here, then I won't get in his way."

    Ymris chuckled softly. "You haven't talked to him. Maybe, once this is all over, you'll get the chance. He has remarkable insights."

    "You sound like you have a crush on him."

    "If I did, his wife would probably have a few stern words for me."

    "His wife?"

    "Ah. You'd probably remember her as the water Interfacer."

    "That's right." Aaminata was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Hell of a wife."

    "I'm sure he'd agree."

    They shared a moment of quiet laughter before Aaminata sighed and shook her head. "I wasn't kidding Alan around when I said I needed help getting supplies out to the Initiative. I don't know how far I'm going to be able to get with my other Spiritweavers not keeping an eye on things."

    "He'll make it work. And I'll put in a good word to some higher-ups, too. See what I can do."

    Aaminata smiled. "Thank you, Ymris. At least we can do that much."

    Aaminata stood to leave, turning before Ymris raised a hand. "Wait. Do you know where Tavis is?"

    Aaminata shook her head. "He's locked himself away in the Black Mesa facility. As far as I can tell, he hasn't come out yet.

    Ymris frowned, then nodded. "Alright. Good to know."

    Aaminata nodded. "Good to see you again, Ymris."

    "You too, Aami. Stay safe."

    "I'll try."

    With that, Aaminata made her way out of the mess hall, leaving Ymris to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. 'Well, I'm glad that went well.'

    She hoped that Kauri would be that easy. Or at least somewhat close to it.

    . . .

    Korra took off the padded helmet, wiping the sweat on her brow as she stared at who was now a consistent sparring partner. "Come on, Tyler," she said.

    "Give me a few more rounds to think about it."

    "C'mon. You said that yesterday."

    Tyler sighed as he leaned against the ropes of the ring. "I did, didn't I?" he mused.

    He shook his head. "You still owe me a couple of drinks from when we did our little competition a week ago, remember?"

    "Yeah. The bruise the speed bag gave me was a good enough reminder, thanks. But… you also never specified what kind of drinks you wanted. I know a few good people who can get you a couple of crates of that energy drink that you kept talking about in that same competition. What was it… Kilo Omega?"

    Tyler choked for a moment on the water he was drinking deeply from, coughing as he set the bottle on the mat to keep it from spilling its contents further. "You're joking." he finally said. "They never made many of those, and they'd need to be in cold storage in order to survive this long. And crates?"

    "My people are very good at their jobs," Korra said with a knowing smile.

    Tyler glared at her suspiciously before he sighed dramatically. "Fine. We'll go to Island of Change and check it out today. But if you can't cough up those KOs, you're footing the bill at my bar when we take our wives there."

    "It's a deal." Korra grinned as they went their separate ways to their own workouts, then prepared to leave.

    As they walked the streets of Burbank, storm clouds in the distance enough to not worry them for the moment, Korra waited until they were alone. "So…" she said slowly. "I haven't seen you at work at the docks recently. You been out on vacation?"

    "I wish." Tyler chuckled. "No, my other work's been taking up most of my time. It's a miracle when I can even get out to the gym sometimes."

    "What could be that important?" Korra asked. "Almost everything heavy equipment related's been working on Unit-02 and Unit-08 down by the docks."

    She paused, a sly grin, one that she hoped was convincing, slowly growing. "Unless you've been tinkering away at a few spare Evas yourself?"

    Tyler's moment of shock, and the silence that followed, all but confirmed her suspicions. "Wait a minute. You can't be serious. Can you?" she said incredulously.

    "Come on," Tyler said defensively. "What would you do if I said yes?"

    It was the worst question to ask her, and Korra took full advantage of that. She was silent as she paused, then put a hand on Tyler's forehead.

    "Uh… what're you doing?" Tyler asked as the hand remained there momentarily, Korra narrowing her eyes in concentration.

    "Checking if you've got a crazy fever delirium whatever you've managed to hide stupidly well, or you're actually telling me something that could be super important."

    "What would it matter?" Tyler said defensively.

    "Tyler, man, I'm part of WILLE! We're working with all of two Evangelions right now. As much as we're gung-ho about the whole 'destroying Evas' thing after we're done, we'd appreciate even one more Eva to have at least as a backup."

    Tyler raised his hands. "Alright. How about another deal? If you promise not to tell your boss, I'll show you what we're working on."

    "Why would I not do that?"

    "Because the Evas I'm working on… they're being used by a third party. Someone who's also interested in saving the world. As hard as it is to believe, and for as short a time as we've known each other, I'm asking you to trust me. Please."

    Korra was silent for a moment. She had him over a barrel, and he didn't even know it as she pretended to deliberate. 'Man. This spy stuff really is cool.' she mused, doing her best to keep her composure.

    Finally, she sighed quietly. "Alright. But if things get too weird, I'm going straight to the Captain."

    "Sure. I'll have to talk with the higher-ups to clear you, and they're likely going to want to talk to you too. I can't promise it isn't going to be weird, but we're trying to help people. Honest."

    Korra nodded slowly, then shrugged. "Well, as long as you're not trying to end the world too, then you can't be too bad in my book."

    "That's the last thing we want to do, I promise." Tyler chuckled. "Now, I believe we were on our way to a gym."

    Korra nodded. "That's right. We'll get this done quickly, and give you time to talk to your people."

    "Sounds good to me. Let's keep going."

    As they continued to walk, Korra gave herself a mental pat on the back. This was probably a pretty lucky break. Not only had she gotten Tyler to admit to working on the Herald Evas, but she'd managed to get Ymris' strange, more than paper-thin surveillance thingy attached to a prime spot. Hopefully, it wouldn't be located too soon.

    But for now, even with this stroke of good luck, her primary objective was finding out about one Kauri Huru'apeki.

    . . .

    The gym looked like most others she'd been in before, and there had been quite a few in her long, but still strangely youthful, lifetime. Granted, there were a lot of exercise machines, most mismatched in their colors and painting a rainbow across what must have originally been a supermarket's floor, and there were a few different mats in one corner or another, but otherwise, it struck her as a large, but mostly ordinary place.

    For Tyler, it seemed at least, it was the closest thing to paradise, the man looking around with wide eyes. "Wow… this really is an island of change, isn't it?"

    "Tempted to jump ship?" Korra asked.

    "I don't know. Maybe. And that's a miracle in and of itself."

    Korra continued to look around, and it wasn't hard to spot the massive, well-built man that approached them, wearing attire that wouldn't look out of place among the rest of the people working out here, long sweatpants and shirt with a zip-up hoodie around it. She had to wonder where he'd gotten it from, for even as fit as he was, she'd seen metal-working kilns as tall and broad as he was.

    The man, his skin well-tanned under black hair and sea-green eyes that creased with the wide smile that grew on his face, approached them. "Welcome to the Island of Change!" he said with a warm chuckle. "I'm Kauri, the owner of this fine establishment. This is your first visit, I'd assume?"

    "Yes, it is," Korra said, shaking a proffered hand that she was fairly certain could have wrapped around her head. "We're just looking around right now."

    "That's entirely understandable." Kauri chuckled. "Still, let me give you a tour of the place, and see if I can convince you to join our little family."

    "I don't know if I'd call it little anymore," Tyler said as he scanned around the gym, bustling with activity. There were few machines, benches, or racks that didn't have someone using them.

    Kauri laughed at the statement. "That's entirely reasonable. Even still, the best way to help someone is to get to know them like family. Follow me, and I'll show you some of our stand-out features."

    Kauri then gave them a brief tour, Korra and Tyler turning down his offer to exercise there for the day to see if they liked the atmosphere. As they went, Korra found herself answering as best she could about herself, her preferred workout, and her family. 'He really does treat someone like they're a cousin or a niece.' she mused as Tyler talked about his wife and their plans.

    "That's a fascinating line of work she's in," Kauri said earnestly as Tyler finished speaking about his wife. "I don't exactly have the sort of mind that biochemistry needs, but I respect the work that people like your wife do to help others."

    He turned his focus once again to Korra. "So, what's your line of work, Ms. Karra?"

    "I'm working security for WILLE," she answered honestly. Quite frankly, with his outgoing attitude, it was hard not to.

    "Ah, I see." Kauri looked genuinely interested. Likely, Korra realized, because he was. "Are you in that massive airship that I've seen flying in and out of here every so often?"

    Korra nodded. "Yep. The Wunder's crazier on the inside if you'd believe it."

    "Well, I wish you and yours the best of luck in keeping us safe," Kauri said. "You do important work, Ms. Karra, and I'd be glad to have you here."

    "Thank you." Korra looked around. He was good at talking at length about things that weren't really quite so important right now. She needed an opening for Ymris to talk to him. But he seemed to almost live in this gym. A part of her wouldn't have been surprised if he actually did.

    Maybe there was something…

    She got an idea. It was a stretch, she knew full well, but it was worth a shot. "I wouldn't mind working out in a place like this. But I kind of like being able to do a lot of my workout on my own. Or at least not feeling like I'm competing for equipment. I don't know how long I'd be able to make it here."

    Kauri nodded. "You're not the first person to tell me that, and I completely understand. I'm actually in the process of scouting out some still abandoned buildings to see if I can expand into them, give those like you the room they need to really get started on further improving themselves."

    "Gotcha," Korra said, thanking whatever was out there for her ridiculously good luck. "Are those buildings far from here?"

    "Most of the abandoned structures are a few blocks away from here on the edge of Sun Valley or in Sun Valley proper. There are a few promising leads out on Glenoaks, mainly an old chapel I think would work really well that I'll be scouting out in the next few days. Used to be used by a Baptist congregation, if I recall correctly. Wherever they are now, I hope they don't mind someone using their building for something else."

    The ACC Pillars had recently cleared out core material there, Korra knew. Something to do with a breakthrough that friends of Daniel had made in Village-3. It wasn't an exact location, but whatever this chapel was, it was probably Ymris' best shot at meeting Kauri alone.

    'I've gotten everything I need to do done. Now, to make my exit.'

    She flinched slightly before taking her phone out of her pocket, making a show of checking it before her eyes went wide. "Oh, shoot."

    She looked at Tyler and Kauri. "I'm sorry, I've got to go. I completely blanked that our security chief set up a meeting tonight. I'll catch you both later."

    "Of course." Kauri chuckled. "Far be it from me to keep you from the business of saving the world. I hope to see you again."

    "See you," Tyler said with a slight grin. "I'll be waiting on those cases of KO."

    "I'll get them to you as soon as I can, I promise!"

    With that, Korra was soon out the door, safe for now. As she walked down the street, checking over her shoulder every once in a while, she soon found herself comfortable enough to pull out her phone and actually use it this time, calling Ymris as quickly as she could.

    "Hello, Korra," Ymris said as the line connected. "You're not who I usually expect to call me. What do you have for me?"

    "Well, I think I just had a better-than-average day doing our work today. Let me fill you in."

    . . .

    Two Days Later

    Ymris waited patiently in what she believed was now a rather disused chapel room, turned over pews scattered throughout the dark space, and pondered on what sort of life used to permeate these walls. The faith that ran through this building, however slight it might have been for some of its regulars, couldn't help but leave her contemplative. How many people had fled to this place of refuge when Near-Third Impact happened, desperately pleading for the help of a god which did not seem to answer them?

    She could not tell. Any such signs were gone, now likely so much long-evaporated LCL staining the coarse carpet beneath her feet.

    She looked up at a fallen cross on a raised section of the floor. Did the Angels know how much power the mere angles of their attacks so often held to the humans that they killed in their mission? Or had humanity simply assigned such value to these creatures? After all, it was NERV and SEELE that had named the Angels, not themselves. Though, with what tales Daniel and his company aboard the Wunder had told her, maybe they were more aware than she had first given them credit…

    She heard one of the doors opening somewhere and turned towards a set of doors that led into the room that she stood in. She heard his footsteps, thumping and echoing through the space, pausing as he likely went from room to room. They were getting closer, now. She had to keep herself from tensing up, appearing like she was preparing for a fight. Still closer…

    Then, he stepped through the doorway, ducking slightly as he often had to do, and paused as he saw her.

    She expected an outward reaction from him. Relief, sadness, rage, something. But the frigid anger that rested behind a mask as hard as the stone Kauri shaped scared Ymris far more than anything she could have imagined.

    "Ymris," Kauri said calmly, the calm of a thunderhead approaching, Kauri's steps forward no less menacing. "So, you put one of the security guards you work with up to find me. Of all the people I would think would stoop so low, I didn't think it could be you."

    "Hello, Kauri," Ymris said as Kauri paused not much more than ten meters in front of her. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this. The last thing I want to do is have this spill over."

    "Really?" Kauri said, stepping through a row of the pews and into the central aisle between them. "Or were you just concerned with not having Tavis find out you were trying to stab us in the back as well?"

    "Kauri, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. Any of you."

    "Then why did you turn your back on us?" Kauri paused as he scoffed and shook his head. "You were my big sister. You helped me after I lost my first family, almost more than anything else. Does that mean nothing to you now? Does anything we've been trying to do?"

    "Of course not." Ymris' brow furled as she stood a little taller. "You're one of my first friends, Kauri. And I want nothing more than to keep everyone safe. If anything, working on the Wunder has only strengthened that."

    "Then why try and lead your little brothers and sisters away, huh?" Kauri swept his arm around. "Why simply try to put a bandaid on this place, all its suffering and grief, when we could solve everything by following Tavis' plan?"

    "That's where everything goes wrong, Kauri," Ymris said. "I don't know how much Tavis has told you, but I've kept some terrible truths from you and the others. I was the only one he had confidence with then, and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to even have the courage to tell you about it."

    "What could you possibly say that could make up for how you've left us?"

    "That these people won't be family. We won't get to know them as they are. Tavis is going to use Instrumentality to turn them into soldiers. We're not going to be big brothers and sisters, we're going to be commanding officers."

    Kauri was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed, before he shook his finger at her. "Tavis won't do that. He knows how bad it can get. He knows how these people have suffered because he's suffered alongside them. It's the entire reason we're using the Herald Evas to fix this world."

    "Kauri, have you even seen Tavis recently?" Ymris shot back. "After Fourth Impact, I haven't been able to find him anywhere, and you know how I like to keep an eye on things. Have you?"

    Kauri's eyes narrowed, and Ymris cursed her temper for letting something like that slip. Finally, however, he shook his head. "He's been out of contact for nearly a month. The last thing he told us was that he was preparing for something. Something that would give us the chance we'd need to truly get started."

    "Then…" Ymris looked down. "I don't know if Tavis is even in control of himself anymore."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The Guide of War is here. It's been here for months, years even if Daniel's to be believed. And it was at Fourth Impact. Choosing someone to possess. And if it chose Tavis like I think it did…"

    She shook her head. Damn it all, she actually felt sadness for the man, still. After everything he planned to do. But even that was after everything that they'd done together. For each other. "Tavis might be locked up in his own body. And the Guide of War is a far different being than Tavis is."

    It was silent, a somber, sober thing that stretched between them and almost seemed to stretch the very space between where they stood as well. Kauri seemed so distant to Ymris, now. Was she wrong about him?

    Kauri finally shook his head slowly as he turned. "I need to think about this when I'm not holding myself back from hitting you with one of these pews. Go."

    Ymris nodded, walking past the still form of Kauri. She reached the door, pausing for a moment before looking back. "Have you visited Aami's kitchens?"

    It was a long silence before Kauri answered, still not looking at her. "I have. Point anyone down on their luck there."

    "I visited for the first time yesterday. She does good work, looking out for those in need."

    "She always has."

    "Yeah. Thank you, Kauri. I'll see you later, hopefully."

    With that, she exited, hoping that Kauri would find in this building what he was looking for.

    . . .

    Aboard the Wunder

    Eleanor was on a call with Amaya, pacing alone in an empty mess hall. "And any movement from the Scion fleet? Has Percival given you anything yet?"

    "No movement thus far from any vessels there, at least from our somewhat suboptimal position, and Percival seems somewhat busy with repairs at the moment," Amaya replied, her calm voice a small relief to Eleanor's terribly busy schedule.

    Eleanor was taken aback for a moment, brow furrowing in slight confusion. "What happened?"

    "Percival said that Daniel and the previous Echo's Children that remained with him boarded the Errant. As to what happened next, he said it was for Daniel to say. He only mentioned that it was quite… daring."

    Eleanor's lips pursed as she stifled a quiet sigh. Percival was a being given to understatement, and Daniel doing something being described as such was a small, but still significant departure from his usual style of doing things. She'd need to have a talk with him about her ship. Even if it used to be theirs jointly.

    "Alright. Keep an eye on things over Antarctica. You're the closest we have to satellite surveillance over the area, and I'm betting we'll need all the intel we can get when Commander Ikari makes his move."

    "Understood." Amaya paused. "I will admit, I do miss Mr. Aida being the 'captain' of the ship. He brings a certain… excitement to the vessel that fills the space. As you all did in our voyage here."

    "Well," Eleanor said with a slight grin, "as much as he loves piloting the vessel, I think he's far happier being with his wives here. Besides, we can get back to you at a moment's notice if you're lonely."

    "I hardly need such attention with Vordt being with me, but I appreciate the sentiment," Amaya said. "Be safe down there. I'm sure that things are about to get interesting."

    "You and me both. Later."

    With that, Eleanor ended the call, the clear pad only dropping to her side before it began to ring again. Looking down at the contact calling her, she saw that it was Doctor Akagi, picking it up quickly. "You have good timing, Vice-Captain. How can I help you?"

    "I have something I want to discuss with you concerning Ms. Marlowe's Interfacing abilities. Could you bring her to meet up with me and the Captain in her quarters?"

    "What do you have in mind?" Eleanor said as she exited the mess hall, sending a quick message to Mariah after linking to her soul briefly. Mariah's wordless interest and slight confusion mirrored her own.

    There was a somewhat longer pause than Eleanor expected before Doctor Akagi sighed. "I'll let the Captain explain it. In the meantime, has there been any update on NERV's movement?"

    "Not yet, ma'am. The other Vessels are still in the process of converging on the Black Moon. There's still one ship, the Erlösung, that hasn't formed up with the 'Black Moon' fleet if you want to call it that. It looks like we won't see any more movement until then."

    "Good. That should give us some time, still, to do what the Captain wants us to do."

    "I'm almost there. I'll talk to you face to face."

    With that, Eleanor hung up, coming to a stop in front of the captain's quarters and looking up the hall as Mariah jogged over to her. "So, what's up? A broad feeling of needing to meet you at the captain's quarters is awful… well, broad."

    "Your guess is as good as mine, Mariah," Eleanor replied. "All I know is the Captain wants to run something by us."

    "Ah." Mariah nodded sagely, a gleam in her eyes carefully hidden in an all too serious expression. "Does it have anything to do with that Signal Override Plug I've been helping out with?"

    Eleanor shrugged. Mariah had been instrumental in making the 'core interface', as Doctor Akagi had so artfully called the two massive needles, that had been composed of a tungsten-carbide not dissimilar to the material used to reinforce the Geofront.

    "Well, let's step in and find out, shall we?" Eleanor said with a slight smile as she keyed the door, waiting for Misato to open it and allow them in.

    They didn't have to wait long, the doors opening to show Misato and Ritsuko waiting for them.

    "Hello, Ms. Theisman. Ms. Marlowe." Misato said levelly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly for a moment at Mariah, who grinned in knowing amusement as the door shut behind the pair. "Take a seat. I have an Idea."

    Eleanor knew that tone of voice, sitting down on a folded chair beside Mariah. "So, what nigh-impossibility would you like us to pull off today?"

    Misato paused, looking over at Ritsuko as they shared a quick, quiet chuckle. "I guess I underestimated how well you know us," Misato said quietly.

    She paused before shaking her head. "Anyways, you know as well as we do how half-baked this ship is. We stole it out of the shipyard, and have been patching it up as best we can in the year since. But with your contingent…"

    "I'm sure us ghosts can whip something up for you," Mariah said with a cheeky grin. "To what end do you wish to use GEIST's services?"

    "With your powers, we're hoping that you would be able to… coat the exposed portions of the ship in some sort of armor plating. From what I can tell, the S2 Engines should be able to make an AT Field strong enough to lift us anyway."

    It was silent for a moment before Mariah looked over at Eleanor. "That's it? I kind of expected more, really."

    Eleanor's brow furled slightly as she regarded Misato. "That's still something of a tall order, Captain. That sort of plating process would tack on at least a month's more work, even with the rest of us working to support her. And I'm sure that you both want to get underway tomorrow as much as anyone else."

    "That's where our current location comes in," Ritsuko interjected. "From what you've told me, your Evangelions use LCL to create different substances, including the armored portions of your Units."

    "That's true…" Eleanor said slowly, connecting the dots. But as it clicked into place, Mariah preempted her with a wide-eyed "Ah."

    "I see. You want us to take a dip in the bay to use what's there." Mariah said with a slow nod.

    "I'll fully admit," Ritsuko said, "there isn't much actually in the ocean, perhaps one part LCL to every 2.5 or 2 parts water. But I imagine that you can make that work."

    Mariah rolled her eyes. "Of course, Doc. Got a preference for what kind of armor plating you want?"

    "We have a… choice?" Misato asked slowly.

    "Due to my dear commanding officer," Mariah said, "I've been exposed to a variety of different metals, including the stuff that makes up the Spears. We call it Lancium, by the way. And there's a lot of metals out there that I think we could consider."

    Mariah paused, putting a finger to her chin and tapping once, twice, three times. "But… I think that going with Lancium for the whole ship's going to take a fair amount of time and effort. I'd hate to be wrung out in case you need me at a moment's notice."

    "What is your… preference?" Ritsuko asked, seeming somewhat cautious in her questioning.

    "The first place I'd start with is vibranium," Mariah said frankly, a somewhat excited gleam flickering to life in her eyes. "It's able to absorb and reroute kinetic energy, and with the right power connections, which I wouldn't be surprised if our dear Ms. Ayanami can help establish, you can direct that energy into more useful, explosive ends."

    "A kinetic energy weapon…" Ritsuko cupped her chin. "That sounds remarkably effective."

    "Yeah." Mariah's excitement was dimmed somewhat by the pout that appeared on her face. "However, as I've come to find out, it breaks down pretty badly once you go decently past its heat capacity for any extended period of time. Even if those sorts of temps are usually ridiculously high, who knows what kind of weapons the Scions might throw at us, to say nothing of the cannons on the other Heaven's Key vessels?"

    Mariah shook her head slightly. "No, we'll need to include… well, maybe… however…"

    She shook her head more vigorously after a moment's silence. "I'll put some workshopping into a suitable alloy for our purposes, put my head together with Toph and Korra, seeing as they're pretty handy with metal themselves. I shouldn't be more than a few hours, and I'll let you know when I can jump into the project."

    Misato and Ritsuko looked at each other with no small amount of wonderment, then Misato nodded as she returned her gaze to Mariah. "Well, we'll take whatever you can come up with."

    Mariah smiled widely as she nodded. "Will do, Mon Captain. Anything else you need us for?"

    "We'll let you get to your… experimenting," Ritsuko said.

    Mariah wasted no time rising, waving goodbye to Eleanor, and making her way out the door.

    "Is she about to create a new metal?" Ritsuko asked quietly.

    "So it would seem," Eleanor said nonchalantly. "When you get to the sort of powers we have, it's somewhat normal to say."

    "I… almost feel sorry for the poor souls who have to categorize all this," Misato said.

    Ritsuko groaned. "We've already got our heads spinning just finding out what research is going on in Village-3. How does an organization with, from what you've told us, an infinite number of worlds, keep anything straight?"

    "Well, at the end of the day, from what little I've looked into it, the scientists on Tel categorize things by their Pneumaic properties," Eleanor replied. "After all, there's any number of things that share the same properties with vibranium, all due to having the same section of Framework that makes such a thing possible."

    "And I'm assuming you have access to a database of such things?" Misato asked.

    Eleanor nodded. "Yes. And with how creative Mariah is, whatever she makes is going to be all her own."

    . . .

    Mariah Marlowe always relished the chance to be in the pilot's seat. The very act of stepping into the Frame Plug, a somewhat dramatic sunset framing her as she dropped down into it, was almost like going through the wardrobe into Narnia for her, a place where the restraints of reality loosened enough for her to stand beside the heroes of her favorite stories.

    'But, for every Darkseid and Doomsday,' she mused as she began the activation process atop the hull of the Wunder, 'there's the Justice League helping after a natural disaster or shoring up a city.'

    But those moments, humble though they may have been, were no less heroic, were they?

    She shook her head slightly as she looked down at a lump of metal with a dull, silvery gleam that she'd carried in with her. She hadn't been this introspective since she'd first gotten her own mother out. 'Maybe you're just able to do that, old mum.' she thought with a grin. 'Now, let's make you proud, shall we?'

    However proud her mom might be, she was proud of the work she was able to do in making the Marlonium (the name of the thing was still under consideration, but it would do for now), and shaping it to best fit their situation. She took a deep breath, psyching herself up as she connected to the other Interfacers aboard the ship before opening a channel to the bridge.

    "Alright, ladies and gentlemen," she said to Captain Katsuragi, Commander Kaji, Doctor Akagi, and Eleanor. "Strap in and make sure everything's sealed up nice and tight. I'd hate to leave anyone's belongings soggy."

    "The ship is sealed and everyone is standing by." the Captain said as the Wunder, having departed from drydock and gone a way out into the bay, began to slowly sink back toward the ocean.

    As Unit=08 finished forming, Mariah looked over the edge of the 'nose' of the ship, the crimson waves quickly approaching before slowing, the ship gently landing in the water with a splash sending small waves out from the form of the ship.

    "Alright." Mariah took a deep breath. "Here we go."

    With that, she took a somewhat over-dramatic step over the edge, sinking down into the depth for a few moments before gently unfurling her AT Field like the world's most mystical floaties, gently bobbing for a moment before she floated in place within the murky depths. "Alright, I'm pretty sure I'm in position. Bring her down to my level, and we'll go ahead and get started."

    "Descending now." a voice called out, one that she could have sworn was Hyuga's.

    Mariah waited as patiently as she could, fidgeting slightly in the dark as she saw the shadows of buildings in the distance, ruined and skeletal. Then, the ship slowly came down in front of her, Unit=08 drifting away slightly to make sure that the behemoth of a ship got the room that it needed as she waved at the command gondola that passed by her.

    "Alright," that voice called out again, "we're completely submerged."

    "Time to get to work then," Mariah replied, her brow furrowing as she focused on channeling the power not only of her Eva, but of her friends as well.

    As she focused, she placed Unit=08's hands on the nose of the ship, bare and bone-like along with a fair amount of the rest of the body. For the briefest of moments, she hesitated. She'd tried to keep her new metal as easy to create as possible, but doing it and spreading it across an entire ship's length was… daunting, to say the least.

    'Oh, come on!' she chided herself as she reached out and metaphysically grabbed the LCL around her. 'You've saved the world, you daft bint! Not only that, and not only do you have the scarily literal power of friendship on your side, but all this possibility around you! Use it!'

    She took hold of that power that surrounded her, and with the strength of her soul, the world around her lit up as she did her own little miracle.

    It was still a somewhat slow process, one that made Mariah quite grateful that the Eva didn't have to really breathe (a terrifying thought that she tucked away for later). She could feel the ship as it slowly grew around her in her Sight, her metal spreading further and further, the steel that her metal touched transforming as it continued to flow. She had to maintain her focus and make sure that the doors that her metal transformed weren't sealed shut completely, but with her friends' help, it was a rather more easy notion to not lock the ship up like a drum.

    Finally, she made it past the crew section, the metal jumping from each skeletal rib further and further back until, at last, the entire vessel was covered in her armor.

    'Now,' Mariah thought as a grin slowly spread across her face, 'let's pretty you up, shall we?'

    She focused again, this time on the surface of the metal. Before her Sight and laid out to her senses was the surface of the whole ship. "Could I get some help from all of you?" she asked those with whom she was connected to. "I need a design team real quick so that we can give this old boat some style."

    She didn't miss the slight grin from Eleanor that the others on the bridge seemingly did as, faster than thought, they got to work, Mariah letting a somewhat smug grin appear at the others' satisfaction at her choice of color palette. This ship was going to be a beauty.

    "Is the process finished?" Captain Katsuragi said, breaking Mariah's concentration for a moment as she put the finishing touches on what was the last in a long line of color.

    "Almost. One second more…" she replied slowly.

    There was still something missing. Something like…

    Right there, on the side of the right pylon. That would be perfect. Even if it wasn't going to be a perfect representation.

    "Alright. Done." Mariah said, finally letting the metal go, as it were, while Unit=08 climbed on top of the nose once again. "You can take her up now. I'll even give you a preview of what she looks like."

    "Alright. Ascending now." Hyuga said, and Mariah braced herself as the ship once again began to rise, the world around Mariah growing brighter and brighter until, at last, they broke free of the ocean's grasp, a great crash splitting the air as the LCL-tinged water cascaded off the sides of the vessel.

    Mariah, twitching her AT Field into a pair of wings, lifted off and began to circle the ship, now colored a striking white and sky blue, tasteful accents of purple streaking across the wings and body of the vessel. It truly was a grand sight, wasn't it?

    "I see you've decided to give our ship a makeover." Commander Kaji said drolly. "I suppose it doesn't look too bad."

    "Well, it's better camouflage than the slapdash thing that we were floating around in before," Mariah said only somewhat haughtily. "Even if the logo on the side messes things up a little."


    "We have a logo." Doctor Akagi said with a flat voice.

    "I did know that beforehand, yes." Mariah nodded as she came to a stop in front of the logo in question. "But that was too complex to put into the metal, so I decided to go with something a little more easy to read and simple."

    Doctor Akagi looked like she wanted to say more, but silence was all she gave further.

    "Alright," Commander Kaji said, "I'd say we've got about another day to pack up the Evas and head out with the KREDIT shipment to Village-3. Let's get back to port."

    . . .

    The Next Day

    Ymris looked down at her phone, and couldn't fully stifle the unease that was beginning to sprout in her breast.

    'We want to talk, Kauri and I. Meet us at the Reunion Street meeting hall. Something's changed, and you must be made aware of it.'

    It was from Aami. She never texted like that, if she texted at all.

    "I think," Juro said rather helpfully, "that this might be a trap."

    "It might be," Ymris replied. "But I still want to make sure that they're safe. That Tavis hasn't done anything to them yet."

    She paused, looking over at Juro from the screen. "Any luck on contacting Jameson?"

    What she was talking about was a shot in the dark. She had no idea if the Receptorist would answer them or not, or even if the contact info that she'd held onto was still useful at all. But for what she was starting to think of, he was the only resource that they could turn to that might have any idea of whether or not their idea was viable.

    Juro shook his head. "Nothing yet. But the most important part is that whatever signal we're sending out, it's getting through. It's just… stopping at the endpoint."

    "After what we did to betray his trust, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he isn't picking up after all this time." Ymris paused for a moment. "I'm going to go meet with them, briefly. After all, I've got the reasonable excuse that we're getting underway later today. Then… I'll try contacting Jameson myself. Maybe he'll be willing to listen if he hears me apologize."

    She gathered her things, clearly aware of Juro's look of disapproval. "You shouldn't go alone. At least let me go with you."

    "I appreciate your offer, but no," Ymris replied. "You're too valuable to lose. Not just to me, but to all the others who followed us away from Tavis."

    She paused as she stepped through the doorway, looking back at Juro. "Thank you. For everything you've done."

    Juro's disapproval became unease even as he nodded. "Of course."

    Ymris nodded in turn, and turned the corner, moving quickly for one of the hatches. The checks for Unit-02 were going to take a few hours. Enough time for her to go meet them, then dash back. It would be easy. Hopefully.

    The city was a blur around her as she looked down at her phone, the glass display showing a rather different image than most things she used the device for.

    It showed an interior view of the meeting hall, the first one she'd put up a spy marble in. The space was cleared of tables and chairs, and Aami and Kauri were standing in the middle of the room. They didn't talk, they didn't fidget, they didn't even move. Something was wrong. And that fear, rooted in her chest, bloomed into terror. If he'd finally shown himself…

    She did her best to clear the fear from her mind as she paused in front of the alleyway, taking a deep breath before she walked down it, hopefully prepared for whatever might happen. It felt like the blink of an eye was all that it took to reach the door, her heart pounding as she slowly opened it into the lit-up space.

    Kauri and Aami regarded her with level expressions, and Ymris blinked on her Sight as she regarded them. "What's going on?" she asked cautiously. "I've got to leave with the Wunder, or else things are going to get complicated."

    "We have seen the truth," Aami said, her voice without inflection even as she smiled slightly.

    "He has shown us the path to Unity." Kauri rejoined, stepping forward with his arms starting to spread. "And it has all become clear to us."

    'Oh, no…'

    Ymris saw their souls. And the golden Frames, the bindings that bit into her friend's cores, roiling with color and emotion that she couldn't quite make out. She stepped forward cautiously, sending a Frame of her own cautiously toward the golden Frames. "I don't think either of you is in your right mind," she said softly. "Please. Let me help you two."

    "Your help is no longer required."

    The voice, echoing slightly as a slightly growling undertone accompanied it, made her stop cold, her Frame only just touching the one that surrounded Kauri's as she slowly turned to face the man whose voice she hadn't heard in months.

    Tavis Farhaven stepped from golden mists that cascaded down a wall near the door, slowly, deliberately. His face was equally level, his brow, above which hung a golden, shifting form of a sword, furrowed ever so slightly being the only thing that marred the expression.

    "Hello, Ymris," Tavis said, and Ymris could almost hear her heart pounding in her ears as he continued.

    "You have done many things to harm our cause. The cause which this vessel Tavis has striven so diligently to bring about. For that, you must be corrected."

    Tavis paused, his brow creasing more as he slowly shook his head. "Tavis wishes to kill you. A just punishment for your crimes, for the heresy of so deliberately going astray. However, there is use for you."

    Tavis, the Guide, whoever was speaking was silent again, Ymris turning back towards her friends as she tried to pry the golden Frames from Kauri's soul. "You will join us, and find peace in the embrace of Unity with your friends," Tavis said.

    "No. I've seen what you'll do. I've seen what you did with Daniel."

    A flicker of anger flashed behind Tavis' eyes at the mention of the name. "The broken Vessel cannot stop my united form. He knows this. And soon, you will be assured as well."

    Ymris backed away, glancing back as Kauri flinched. "I…" he said weakly.

    Tavis sighed quietly. "You try even now to lead my Scions astray. I will not allow it."

    Tavis stepped forward, the mist coalescing around his arms. "It saddens me that I must save your soul this way. But you have made it so."

    Before Ymris could even begin to form a thought, let alone form any sort of defense, the door shattered, golden strands flashing out behind Tavis to protect him from the splinters. And the flowing streams of water that tried to break through after them.

    "Ymris!" Eleanor shouted, and Ymris looked over Tavis' shoulder to see her frozen, a look of utter terror on her face as Tavis turned to face her.

    "Ah," Tavis said. "I remember you. You were responsible for the greatest defeat in my former vessel. At least, you had a great part to play in it. We should have killed you and saved your soul, to continue the cause of Unity together."

    "Go to whatever hell's waiting for you!" Eleanor spat as she raised a rifle of sea glass and metal mechanisms, firing shot after powerful shot at the man in front of her.

    The weapon seemed useless, however, as each round disappeared into a blooming mist, the first one that reappeared from the floor that now was blanketed in glowing fog catching Eleanor off guard before she began to dodge out of the way, the shots that came after, seemingly becoming guided by her will, having little better effect.

    Ymris looked over at her friends, who stood watching the spectacle. Would they not go to their leader's defense? 'He doesn't need them to.' she realized. 'He's going to kill her himself.'

    And yet, she could only bring herself, terrified and wanting to flee, to continue trying to break Kauri free. 'If I can just get him…'

    It seemed to be working, Tavis focusing on an increasingly desperate Eleanor, who now had to fend off seemingly light attacks from her opponent, sending her own into a defense that seemed implacable. "There is still time to save you," Tavis said quietly as he deftly disarmed her, binding her arms and legs together and lifting her off the ground without a struggle. Whatever Expression Eleanor tried to use to escape was stymied by a glowing net of golden strands that flashed to life whenever she struggled, which happened more and more as he approached. "Let us work together…"

    "No!"

    Ymris found herself shocked that the voice came from Kauri. Had she finished working on the Frames? She couldn't recall. They seemed so deeply tied to the man's soul.

    And yet, the man still resisted anyway, sending an Expression, a spike of jagged stone, lancing toward Tavis from the floor.

    It was easily blocked as Tavis turned away, only taking a step back as the massive Kauri slammed into a barrier of golden mist, swinging his fists desperately at the man as he tried to land a blow.

    The floor beneath Tavis' feet shattered, making the man stumble forward for a moment as a blow finally connected, a punch across Tavis' face that left him with a glowing wound for the briefest of moments before it sealed up again.

    "Kauri!" Ymris shouted as she connected to his soul, feeling the mighty struggle within him as he resisted whatever Expression of control Tavis had placed on him.

    "Go!"

    "But-

    "GO!"

    Ymris dared to hesitate for a moment. Surely she could save him somehow…

    But she couldn't waste this chance. She dashed by the pair, Tavis' focus seemingly singularly on Kauri as a gentle tap on the man's chest sent him flying across the room.

    She came to a stop in front of Eleanor, the golden net fading slightly. She decided to help it along as a hazy, transparent blade of ghostly glass appeared in her hand, cutting at the Frames that she wanted to be severed with an almost feverish hurry to her motions. As she made progress, Eleanor beginning to help, she dared glance back at Kauri as he began to stand again, stumbling forward from the crater he'd made in the far wall.

    And her heart nearly stopped as a hammerhead of golden mist formed above him, slamming into the top of the man, driving him to his knees. Then again. Then again, this time driving him to the floor. The hammer continued to strike Kauri again and again and again and it wasn't stopping…

    Then, she jumped as she felt Eleanor grab her arm, and saw the Expression she crafted, flowing water beginning to travel up her arm.

    She looked back at the broken body of Kauri, his soul caressed by the Frames that Tavis sent out to it. 'No. No!'

    In the split second before she disappeared, she sent one more Frame flying to the core of Kauri's soul, latched onto it, and pulled.

    Then, they were gone, and she stumbled back into the wall of what she realized was her cabin, blessedly empty save for her and Eleanor. She slid down, and pulled in on herself, squeezing her knees to her chest tightly as she sobbed.

    They were gone. Kauri was dead and Aami was enslaved and Tavis… why did she still even care about the bastard? Hadn't he done this to himself?

    She felt Eleanor wrap her arms around her, holding Ymris tightly to her chest. Ymris could feel how badly Eleanor was shaking, the tears that wetted her head, and realized that this embrace was not simply one of comfort. It too was something born of fear. Its expression only differed from her own in its silence.

    There they sat together, trembling in the now-distant power of what was now, unequivocally, a god.

    . . .

    Terminal Dogma, The Black Moon

    Ikari floated down to the great lake of blood and souls, following the god within his heart. They were almost in readiness now, the parts of the whole almost fully brought together as they made their way to His first resting place.

    So much had fallen away from this shell's concern, now that Instrumentality, at least its physical ideation, had failed. But Adam, that First of Fathers, knew of the place where they could find the concept of His opposite. All they had to do was travel to His tomb and throw open the gates of Imagination to the space that His people had only started to explore.

    What had happened, its details at least had been mostly lost from the ancestral memory of the Father. All that He remembered was that they had to expand, or die. And this world was His.

    A part of Ikari, now so tiny against the shred of intellect that the Father possessed, still had its reservations. There were other things that he wanted to do. As Adam had long before becoming the Father, he longed to unite with someone.

    That chance for Adam was gone now, Ikari mused as he touched down at the pitted, scarred shore before the lake of souls, the space that should have held Her now empty of her body as it had been made empty of Her soul.

    Beyond the limiting scales that surrounded this frail body's eyes, He could see the swirling of the lights within, each broken free from the frail cage of their bodies. There was such power within them if they only had the forms to employ it.

    Adam, Ikari, a distinction that was rapidly becoming meaningless, could feel the rest of His soul approaching, the last part that was contained in the Vessels that had kept His soul separate, the refined, but still crude constructs that these things Ikari came from deigned to call a prison or a channel.

    Even for their crudeness, they'd only constrained Him so much from sweeping this world clean. Now, they were united again, and they would allow Him to begin His final work on this world, what Ikari's mind deemed the Final Impact.

    'Now, as we approach the end,' He mused, 'let these souls be clothed in power, that they may be made My children.'

    Ikari's arms rose, and He poured his power into the lake of souls.

    It was still for the briefest of moments before the massive cavern became bathed in light from the lake, the bodies that formed for each soul reaching out half-formed arms, the Water of Life flowing over those limbs and making them whole.

    The Evangelion, He knew Ikari called these forms that had stemmed from His first prisons, from the vessel of the Mother. And as the first began to stream out of the lake of souls, more and more following after them, they would suffice for His ends, and the ritual that He had to carry out.
     
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    • From what it looks, Tavis has truly gone mad with power. He is indeed the greatest threat in this story.
     
    Chapter 36: The Ties That Bind Across Time
  • Threadmarks

    • Chapter 36: The Ties That Bind Across Time

    I've never seen Daniel quite this anxious.

    Maybe it's just what he allows himself to show us. Or maybe it's something he doesn't even realize he's showing. He's older than our universe, after all. How much of the man do we really know of?

    It's a question that I've thought of more than a few times as I've experienced him utilizing the seemingly bottomless depths of wisdom and knowledge that he's gained over so much living. But I think, however recent his current personality might be, we know what's most important. We know he cares for us. We know he cares for this world, and keeping it safe. And we know that whatever else, he's got his whole soul into defending this world.

    But even with SEELE and Azazel, utterly foreign things to him, he was utterly calm. Perhaps familiarity brings a fear all its own.

    - From the personal journal of Shinji Ikari-Soryu

    Village-3, May 5th, 2028

    Daniel Theisman sat down in front of the Ikari-Soryus and the Nagisas in the quiet solitude of the Suzuhara household, empty of its owners for the moment in the early afternoon after lunch. "Alright," he began, his voice level and serious, "with what's going on, and the battlefield that we're going to be tumbling into, I think I should give you some pointers about non-Physical Realm combat."

    "In the Minus Space, right?" Shinji said. "Fighting there seems… challenging."

    "You're too kind, Shinji," Asuka interjected, a slight derision in her tone. "From what we saw, fighting someone effectively boils down to having a particularly harsh argument."

    She regarded Daniel silently for a moment. "But I'm guessing that having a few witty retorts ready isn't what your advice is going to be," she said somewhat slowly.

    Daniel nodded. "You're not wrong. Simply throwing a punch isn't going to do much of anything in the Minus Space. It's probably what the Worldstriders like to call an Interstitial Realm; a place that acts as a bridge between the Physical and the Mental. Trying to simply damage a body enough to kill someone won't work because, more likely than not, you can just think back to a point before they got wounded, and have it happen at the speed of thought."

    "Then the assumption would be to use Frameworks and Expressions to directly attack the soul?" Rei asked.

    "Got it in one." Daniel smiled slightly. "Compared to anyone else who goes in there, we, and anyone who goes against us with similar capabilities, have the edge with Interfacing."

    That smile disappeared. "However, there are other concerns in a Mental battlespace. Soulscars are all too easy to collect, and those soulscars can be a far more crippling matter. And, if we don't have a connection to the outside world, it becomes amazingly difficult to make our way back to the world we're supposed to inhabit."

    It was silent for a sober moment, and no one missed Asuka's hand going up to her chest.

    "One more thing to be aware of." Daniel finally said. "Like you've seen, the world around you is going to be influenced by every memory and thought you have and have ever had. Environments, at the very least, can and must be molded by you if you want to have an upper hand."

    "Daniel," Kaworu said gently. "If… Commander Ikari is there, and this world's Shinji is there to stop them… then who else do you expect to be there?"

    It was a question that all of them knew the answer to. Daniel didn't want to say it. But he knew he had to. "The Hollow Saint, in the body of Tavis," he said grimly. "If he hasn't fully linked with Tavis now, Hamar'ramah will do so by the time that Commander Ikari initiates the next Impact event."

    He swept his gaze across the four somewhat apprehensive faces before him. "I will tell you this outright. You cannot beat him if you face him in this Realm. I cannot beat him here. He's wise to the little trick that Eleanor pulled to free me here in the physical space, so that's right out. Our best shot is to try and separate the two beings in the Minus Space."

    "How?" Asuka asked, far too plaintively for Daniel's comfort.

    Before Daniel could answer, he heard his clear pad ringing, the catchy little ringtone a minimalistic, subdued jingle of 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now'.

    'Eleanor.' Daniel knew who it was from the first few notes of the ringtone, answering the call. "Hey there, Ellie."

    "Daniel."

    From that first word, Daniel could tell that she was utterly exhausted. "What happened?"

    "We're on our way. Unit-02 is done, and we're escorting a supply convoy headed to Village-3. It'll be two more days, maybe three, seeing as we're traveling with the whole fleet as well. We don't want to mess with anything in the cargo shipment, after all."

    Her voice was worn, even as she tried to stay optimistic. "Eleanor," Daniel said somewhat sternly, "what happened?"

    It was silent for a span that made Daniel's skin crawl. "He's back. The Guide is back."

    The whispered words made his skin run cold as the blood drained from his face. "You saw him?"

    "I had to fight him to stop him from killing Ymris." Eleanor paused. "Kauri, one of Ymris' friends, died distracting him to let us get away."

    Her voice quivered on the last two words before she took a deep breath. "Either way, we're on our way, and we can do some more planning. Ymris has a plan. More of an idea, really, but she wants your input and your help. So… I'll see you soon."

    "You too, dear. It'll be good to hold you again."

    Daniel paused before continuing. "I'm going to be busy all day, and I'll be out of contact for a little while. I'll call you and we can talk later tonight. Alright?"

    "Alright. You're going to find Kodama, right?"

    "Yeah. Things are… interesting in the Suzuhara-Horaki household right now. Toji's a little frantic that his wife's going into enemy territory, even if it's with me and Kyu."

    Eleanor chuckled softly. "Well, he's always been a bit of a worrier. But I think they'll be fine with you. Good luck."

    "You too. See you soon."

    With that, the call ended, and Daniel took a deep breath as he regarded the concerned looks on the Children's faces. "Yeah. The Hollow Saint is here, now. And we have to make sure that when we engage him…"

    The words caught in his throat for a moment. "When we engage him, we do it in a place where we have at least a chance."

    He took a deep breath as he stood. "But that's for later. Right now, I have to go get ready for a road trip."

    "Hey," Shinji said quietly. "Good luck."

    Daniel nodded. "Thanks. When I get back, and when the Wunder gets here… get ready."

    With that, he exited the house, stepping onto the porch and finding Toji, Kensuke, the Horakis, and Kyu waiting for him expectantly.

    "So," Daniel said, putting on a warm smile. "Everyone ready to go?"

    Kensuke, clearly nervous, nodded a little more slowly than the others. "I, uh… hope that whatever you do keeps us all protected over the day."

    Daniel reached into a pocket, extracting a nodule that looked like one of the vestigial fins that went on the roofs of some cars. It was the first of two projects for this little excursion. "I think I've got that figured out. You and Toji should be able to make it home safely."

    Hikari, Tsubame in her arms, took a deep breath. "Well, let's not waste any more time then, shall we?"

    They began to walk, the trek taken in a somewhat expectant silence until Daniel looked over at Tsubame. "Are you leaving her with someone?"

    Hikari nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes. Athena volunteered to take care of her while we were gone."

    She looked up from Tsubame to Daniel. "How is her adjustment coming along? She's rather quiet about it right now."

    Daniel's smile became a slight grin. "It's been coming along quite decently. I'm surprised that you haven't seen much. She's become far more… expressive."

    "I'm sure I'll catch her somehow." Hikari chuckled. "She spends so much time at Nozomi's house, I can tell."

    She looked over to Nozomi, narrowing her eyes slightly as her little sister maintained a look of exaggerated innocence, not meeting her sister's eyes for a moment. "What is Athena doing there, exactly?"

    Nozomi looked over at Natsumi, who smothered a grin. "Athena asked us to keep it a secret. But she wants to do well by you."

    Daniel's grin relaxed into a slight smile. Whatever Athena was doing, he was all too interested in seeing the results now.

    They chatted on about village life, the little troubles, the mundane triumphs, the daily nothings that made life, stopping only as they finished their approach to the house that scientists from another world made their home in.

    As if they'd called ahead, Athena, her hair starting to grow out from the chin-length bob that was typical of most Ayanamis, opened the door and stepped out, Kyu following behind her with the second project in a closed hand.

    "Hello, Mrs. Hikari." Athena said with the ghost of a smile. "How is Tsubame?"

    Hikari stopped in front of Athena, Tubame looking over and cooing as she reached out to Athena. "Looking forward to staying with you for a little while." Hikari chuckled as she handed Tubame gently over to the girl. "Take care of her until we come back."

    Daniel couldn't help but wonder at the joy that was now mixed with the curiosity that had always been there in Athena's eyes as she regarded the baby entrusted to her. "Of course, Mrs. Hikari."

    She looked over at Kyu, who smiled slightly at the whole affair. "Good luck on your mission, Kyu. I hope you bring Ms. Kodama back safely."

    Kyu nodded. "I have every reason to think that we will, barring any extenuating circumstances."

    "Is the necklace ready?" Daniel asked Kyu.

    She nodded, raising the rather simple little pendant in her hand, smooth stone with a geometric rune, likely one of Ritsuko's designs, on its face. "Mother just finished the calibrations and handed it to me. It should cut through any Pneumaic interference and link us to the Errant largely without incident."

    "Good." Daniel turned to Kensuke. "Now, you parked your car close to here, right?"

    "Right near the ACC Pillar line."

    "Right, then. Off we go."

    A few more quick goodbyes saw the group, Kyu joining them, on their way, the walk from the house to the car a much quicker affair. Even still, they slowed down somewhat to take in the fruits of the Akagis and Ikaris' work, the core material that had been right at the edge of the Pillar's field like water held back by a dam having receded by several dozen meters.

    "That's still pretty crazy to me," Toji said quietly. "That we can just… push this stuff back."

    Daniel nodded as he walked over to Kensuke's Jimny, putting the nodule in his hand on the rear gate of the car and activating it, the rear seats once again multiplying as a glimmering haze swept over the car. The seats stopped duplicating after reaching five, three in a new 'back' and two between that and the driver's seat.

    Kensuke stared in open admiration. "That's the nicest upgrade anyone could give my car, ever," he whispered as he made his way to the driver's side door.

    Daniel looked at Toji as the group piled into the now far more roomy vehicle. "And you're sure that the village will be okay while you're gone? It's an all-night drive once we're dropped off where we need to be."

    "It'll be okay," Toji reassured him as he got into the back with Hikari. "Komuko and my other nurses will have things well in hand, and everyone that I make my rounds to is up to date and able to bear me being away for the day."

    Daniel nodded, getting into the passenger seat. "Well, let's not leave your patients for longer than we need to, shall we?"

    With that, they were off, rumbling past the walls of their little paradise and into the unknown.

    . . .

    Daniel watched the landscape pass by as they drove, glancing back every once in a while at the people in the back of the car as they got as much sleep as they could.

    His attention was grabbed by a Failure of Infinity as it strode across their path, Kensuke slowing down slightly as they waited for it to pass.

    The silence of the drive gave him time to think. To stew in the fears and memories that swirled in his mind. It was not a state of being he was unfamiliar with. But even that familiarity didn't make it any easier or more enjoyable.

    Was he going to be there? What could they do if he was waiting for them? Kodama might be able to be extracted quickly, but what of the others? What of him? What happened if the Hollow Saint killed him, as he was sure might be the case? Worse still… what would happen if he decided not to?

    He couldn't afford to be bogged down by what might be. Right now, the mission was simple: Go in, get past the defenses, convince Kodama to return to Village-3, and get out. Easy. Hopefully.

    The sun began to set, and Daniel watched it as best he could.

    "So, do you usually think that deeply?"

    Kensuke's words stirred him from his reverie as he regarded the man, who idly flicked the car's headlights on. "I've had plenty of time to become good at it," Daniel said somewhat wryly.

    "Well, it looks like it's made you good at helping people like Shinji out." Kensuke paused as a guilty look settled on his face. "Thanks for helping out Shinji so much. I've been too busy. Haven't checked in on him often enough, like a friend should."

    Daniel sighed quietly. "You've done your best in the circumstances that you had." Daniel paused. "You went fishing recently with Shinji, right?"

    Kensuke smiled and nodded. "As much as I could doing my rounds fixing things up in that sector. He's not too bad. That version of his father isn't too bad at teaching him, at least."

    "He's doing his best to make up for lost time," Daniel said quietly after a meaningful pause.

    It was silent again, and the two men went back to pondering the world around them.

    . . .

    Daniel saw the massive dome of fog about an hour out from their destination. It didn't take much rousing to get the others to see it as well. It was utterly unnatural, like someone had taken a scoop out of television static and set it down on the entire area, wisps that, at this distance, must have been meters wide and many, many meters tall, reaching out into the twilight.

    It was an awed silence that gripped everyone in the car, all the way up to the point where core material gave way to grass and pavement. Finally, they came to a stop in front of the massive wall of fog, stretching out into the distance out of sight to their sides as most of the group exited from the car to regard the swirling, ephemeral wall in front of them.

    Toji took Hikari into a tight embrace, one that she returned with equal ferocity. "Stay safe, dear," Toji said quietly.

    "I will," she said.

    Toji still held her for a tender moment before they parted, slowly getting back into the car. "Keep my family safe, Daniel!" he said, the sternness in his voice tinged with both respect and a little unease.

    "On my life, Toji." Daniel meant it with all the conviction of his soul.

    Toji, at least to some extent, seemed comforted by this, as Kensuke turned the car around, and retreated back into the night.

    Daniel turned and looked at the mist for a moment, a tiny star slowly glowing to life a little over his right shoulder, then looked back at the group. "Like I said before. Everyone's holding each other's hands, we go in the straightest line we can, no one lets go, and I'll be at the lead with the light. Got it?"

    Silent nods were all that were illuminated, Daniel nodding in turn as he offered his right hand to Hikari, who took it quickly. In short order, a small chain, hand in hand, formed. "Kyu," Daniel asked before they stepped into the fogbank, "how thick is this barrier?"

    "From our infiltration," Kyu said, "I believe it is about half of a kilometer in diameter from the outer edge to the inner edge of the dome."

    "Alright." Daniel put on as sure a smile as he could. "Easy enough. We walked that far to get to the car. Just follow me, and we'll be through quickly."

    Again, the mostly silent, still uncertain nods answered him before he looked back at the seemingly impenetrable mist. Then, he stepped through.

    The world went utterly silent, the blanket of fog only parted a few inches in front of Daniel by the light that his little star gave off. He risked a glance back, and could not see Kyu at the back of the line as little more than a hazy shadow, her flashlight a seemingly distant star from his own.

    He turned his gaze back to being in front of him, forging forward in as straight a path as he could. He shivered without meaning to as they passed by a massive, jagged stone pillar, one that he didn't even see until it was less than an arm's length from him. The gasps that came from those behind him as they passed by sounded like they came from a packed closet, so smothering of sound was the mist that surrounded them.

    They continued forward as best they could, doing their best to keep the turns and diversions that they made, either forced by the landscape or by a pillar. And they took their journey in relative silence. That fact, at first, left Daniel somewhat relieved. Then, as time went on, it made him somewhat uneasy.

    "Nynrya," he said after the second time he thought he saw something flit across his vision, "I need you to be ready. We aren't alone. I'm sure of it."

    He felt comforted by both her mere presence with him, and the surety with which she replied wordlessly as she prepared.

    They continued on, Daniel's gaze darting around him as he tried to clear the mist with a brightening of his guiding star. It seemed to do nothing, the mist around the light seeming to thicken before Daniel eased off.

    "We are being watched," Nynrya said, suspicion lacing the tone of her voice, confirming Daniel's unspoken fear. "They are all around us. But they do not move from their place. I am unsure as to why."

    Daniel's unease mixed with confusion, but he remained silent on the matter. The last thing he wanted to do was panic any of the Horakis into fleeing into the mist. "We're almost there." He said aloud instead. "Just a little while longer."

    What compelled these Spirits to remain in place? What had happened to their Spiritweaver? She'd been powerful enough to compel Revenants. What stopped her from maintaining something as simple as a patrol grid?

    Did it, perhaps, have something to do with the Hollow Saint?

    Thoughts for later. Right now, he had to take advantage of the fact that their walk through this place wouldn't become a chase. At least, at the moment.

    The walk continued, and Daniel could feel the tension growing in the party by how tightly Hikari squeezed his hand. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, its pace, though mostly under control, still quickening from time to time as they passed another pillar or through a group of Spirits, standing as still as the pillars that they were likely meant to weave between.

    Finally, though, the mist began to darken, and Daniel dimmed his light in anticipation as he let out a quiet sigh of relief. After a few minutes more, at last, the mist parted from before them, and they stepped out into the town proper, the night sky impossibly in sight all around them as the mist seemed to stop a little over Daniel's head.

    The light went out, and Hikari let go of Daniel's hand, the others following her lead quickly as Kyu hooded the face of her flashlight.

    "Alright," Daniel said quietly. "That was delightfully easy."

    "Now, stay close. I'm going to make us all invisible. The closer you stick to me, the easier it will be for me to keep us hidden. Alright?"

    Hikari nodded. "We're ready whenever you are." she managed to whisper.

    Daniel nodded as the group surrounded him, and he began to weave an Expression, their forms shimmering for a moment as the back of his left hand had a hazy gemstone flow into being on it.

    "Alright," Daniel said as the Expression activated, looking over at Kyu. "Lead the way, Kyu."

    Kyu nodded as she began to walk forward slowly. "Follow me."

    With that, they crept into the town, a place that was still, to some extent, filled with activity, at least after getting past the quiet farms and industry. People still walked around, and there were street lights, clearly Pneumaically made, that though dim, still lit the way for people that were going about life in the evening, shopping and going out and doing those things that a mostly modern town was able to do.

    As they passed by a group of girls eating in a cafe, chatting quietly to each other and giggling, Hikari looked on for a moment before looking around herself. "It's strange here…" she whispered. "It almost reminds me of Tokyo-3, so long ago…"

    "It does, doesn't it?" Daniel said, pausing for a moment as Natsumi stared up at a light fixture for a moment, then swept her gaze down the street, lined with dozens, even hundreds of the things.

    "I've never seen something like this before…" Natsumi said quietly.

    Nozomi put a hand on Natsumi's shoulder. "Come on," she said, equally quietly, and Daniel could not miss the equal amount of wonder in her eyes. "We need to keep moving."

    With that, they continued down the road, Kyu continuing to guide them through what was, even this late, still a decently busy town center, before the town began to become more quiet, and the people returned to their homes.

    Finally, Kyu came to a stop in front of a large, warehouse-like building. Three garages, wide and tall, formed what was likely the ground floor. Atop it, several windows allowed what was likely an office floor to be seen, the space within mostly dark, with a dim light flowing out of one of the windows.

    "We're here," Kyu said quietly, the group moving quickly to what looked like a side door that was past a chain-link gate that gave them no trouble.

    It was a rather plain door, with no advanced locks on the outside at least. That didn't stop Kyu from pulling out her clear pad, scanning the door and the frame around it. "Alright. The door's clear of any mechanical alarms. Daniel, if you would?"

    Daniel nodded as he stepped forward, focusing on the single deadbolt that kept the door physically locked. Flickering on his Sight, he scanned the door frame for any Expressions that might be keeping the place closed as well. He found two tripwire-like Frames stretching across the door from one edge of the frame to the other. "Hold on. Let me work on these alarms."

    He glanced at the entrance they'd taken, making sure that no one was around to see them in this 'industrial park' area. Confident that no one might disturb them, he lifted the cloudy gem from off his hand, his form fuzzing into normal view as he handed control of the Expression to Nynrya, and the gemstone itself to Hikari. "Here, hold this," he said rather nonchalantly.

    Hikari took it with some slight surprise as he got to work, Frameworks snaking out from Daniel's fingers as he placed his fingertips on the top of the door. Gently, gently, the Frameworks enveloped the tripwire, slowly eating away at it without setting it off, no flashes of active Metos tipping Daniel off to the Expression being activated.

    It was quick work to dissolve both Expressions, then shift the deadlock out of the way. He smiled slightly, opening the door as Nynrya dispelled the Expression he'd given her. "Come on in, ladies."

    They filed in, Daniel closing the door behind him, his Sight returning to him as he scanned for people. The entire building was empty. Save for a single soul.

    "Alright," he said quietly. "Follow me."

    It was a silent, tense few moments as they made their way across a garage space, several bays hosting trucks and other vehicles in various states of disrepair, over to a stairway that was locked with another deadbolt, easily circumvented. Up the darkened stairwell they climbed, slowly emerging into an office space, mostly open with tables, desks, computers, and drafting tables scattered across it. To their left, at the far wall, was a line of closed office rooms, one door open with a light on that spilled light into a portion of the space.

    Daniel stood aside, letting the Horakis go first and hanging back with Kyu as they slowly approached the office, the sounds of quiet work on a computer becoming more and more apparent the closer they got.

    As they drew close, they paused as they heard a quiet sigh and a chair scooting back. "Haruno," a somewhat weary voice called as a shadow crossed the light in the doorway, "I understand that your questions are important, but you have a girlfriend to…"

    The shadow grew larger as the voice continued, then stopped as Kodama, and it couldn't be anyone else but her, emerged from the office, stopping as she took in the people before her. She was as all of them knew Kodama, or at least as they imagined her, the only great departure from what they all had known before, that streak of slate-gray stone that covered the upper right quarter of her face, glowing softly in the light of an outline of an eye, and luminous strands of hair.

    They stared silently at each other for what felt like an eternity before Hikari spoke. "Kodama…"

    "Hikari. Nozomi." Kodama shook her head slightly as she took a plaintive step forward. "You're… what are you doing here?"

    "Well…" Nozomi said, a choked chuckle escaping her. "We're here for you."

    Words failed as the three sisters, reunited after so long, stepped into an embrace, holding each other tightly. Natsumi looked on with a longing that made Daniel's heart ache in sympathy before they parted.

    "Kodama…" Nozomi began, her eyes locked on the stone portion of her sister's face, carved to near perfection. "What happened?"

    A hand went up to the seam that made up her cheek. "This? It was… a terrible accident. Something here in the shop got loose while I was under it. I… I died for a few seconds. It was a miracle that Kauri was there."

    "Kauri?" Hikari asked, struggling somewhat with a name that Daniel was terribly familiar with.

    "He made this for me. He saved my life." Kodama paused as a tear welled up in her other eye, the one that was not a glowing iris in a free-floating stone. "I owe everything to him."

    She looked between her sisters for a moment, then scanned the rest of the group. "How did you get here? And who are these people with you?"

    "We got here with Daniel and Kyu's help," Hikari said as she turned to face them.

    Daniel nodded slowly. "I'm Daniel Thiesman, of WILLE. This is Kyu Akagi. And this…"

    He looked over at Natsumi, who stepped forward hesitantly, looking into the confused face of Kodama with an equally hesitant expression. "Hello… Mother."

    Kodama stepped past her sisters slowly, pausing in front of Natsumi, her mouth opening and closing without sound before she seemed to find her voice again. "Natsumi… you do have your father's eyes."

    Even still, there seemed a silent, invisible barrier between them, as if neither could touch the other without awaking from what must have seemed like a dream.

    Then, her gaze returned to Daniel, confusion in her eyes quickly giving way to something else. "Wait a minute…"

    Daniel knew exactly what was about to go wrong. 'Ah, hell.' he thought as he prepared for whatever happened next.

    He could never have expected Kodama Horaki, the rather kind and happy engineering graduate, to march forward and plant a mean right hook across his face, sending him sprawling to the ground more in shock than anything else.

    He looked back up to see Hikari and Nozomi holding their older sister back from further assaulting him, Kyu standing between her and Natsumi. "Let them go!" Kodama shouted. "I won't let you hurt them!"

    "Kodama, settle down!" Hikari said, her voice filled with fear. "He's not going to hurt us."

    "After doing what Kauri's told me he's done?" Kodama spat as she finally relented. "He left an entire other world to suffer by stopping what the Voice of the Guides was trying to do."

    "That's entirely untrue," Kyu said. "Ichigo Ayanami… my sister, was made to try and sweep the world that I come from clean. On your 'Voice' Tavis' orders."

    Kodama's gaze was as hard as the stone that made up a portion of her face. "He would tell you that, wouldn't he? Try and twist the actions of a man looking to relieve suffering into trying to prolong it."

    She looked back at Daniel as he got back to his feet. "I swear, if you've done anything to my father, then I'll…"

    "Father's dead, Kodama." Nozomi's voice was a weary thing, still heavy with grief. "He died last month."

    Kodama was stopped in her tracks as she heard her sister, utter venom in her eyes as she continued to regard Daniel. "You monster," she whispered. "You…"

    "It wasn't him," Hikari interjected. "It was lymphoma. Toji caught it about two years ago, and it was too late to get rid of it. It's a miracle that he lived as long as he did."

    Kodama looked back at her sisters, the venom in her eyes draining in the tears that were running down her cheek. "That's… that's impossible. He was a healthy man. He…"

    She looked back at Daniel. "You… you could have saved him. You stood by and did nothing?"

    "I wanted to save him the moment I found out," Daniel said sorrowfully. "He refused my help. I… I respected his wishes."

    "That shouldn't have mattered." Kodama was choking on her words slightly in her grief. "You… you should have done something. But you screwed up. Just like the Voice and his friends told us you do."

    "Oh, believe me, Kodama," Daniel said softly. "Your father is the least of my sins."

    The words seemed to catch her off guard. "What…"

    She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I can call Kauri back here with this," she said as she pointed to her stone mask. "Once I have a connection…"

    "You'll never get one," Daniel said. "Kauri's dead. He was killed in Burbank after meeting up with Ymris."

    "No." Kodama shook her head as her voice became unsteady. "Who… who could have done that?"

    "The thing that Tavis has been looking for," Daniel said, unable to fully keep the fear out of his voice. "The Guide of War. It fused with him like it fused with me. And it's going to use Tavis like it used me. To get whatever it wants. Regardless of who gets in its way."

    It was silent for a moment, Kodama clearly shaken by Daniel's words as he continued. "I don't know who you think you knew, Kodama… but he's gone. And I don't think he's coming back."

    "If…" Kodama looked dazed now. "If Tavis was seeking it, then why would it kill Kauri? He's… such a kind man."

    "Because he stopped following the path that Ha… the Guide wants everyone to follow. A path that would see you, your sisters, your daughter, and everyone that you know here turned into soldiers to be thrown into war across Reality again and again."

    "It's my life's duty to stop that from happening again," Daniel said, with all the conviction of his soul. "I won't let Tavis do what I did. Not here, not anywhere else."

    Kodama seemed utterly lost, a distant look in her eyes as she looked around the room and almost seemed to not see the people that surrounded her. "He couldn't take all this away," she whispered as her gaze landed on the office that she had emerged from. "I have so much work to do…"

    "Then stay here!"

    The words snapped everyone out of their reverie as they all turned to Natsumi, who regarded her mother with eyes red-rimmed with tears and alight with indignation. "You like this… this fantasyland? Then stay! I don't want a mother who's going to just be chained to this place, who doesn't even seem to care about her own daughter."

    Daniel couldn't see her face, but Kodama stepped back from her daughter. "Natsumi…"

    "At least give your respect at grandfather's grave. Then you can go back here to this stupid job." Natsumi paused as she looked at Daniel. "Daniel will even take you back here."

    Kodama looked back at Daniel with no small amount of numb shock, and Daniel was somewhat shocked himself. "If…" he paused as he sighed. "If it's what you want, then… I can get you back here."

    It was silent for a moment, a tense and somber thing as Kodama slowly turned back to Natsumi, staring at her silently for a moment. "You have his passion, too," she whispered. "It's part of what drew me to Roshi."

    "That was his name?" Natsumi asked quietly, her anger ebbing. "What was he like?"

    "He was going to be a regular office manager. Some sort of insurance firm. It really doesn't matter anymore." Kodama spoke as she walked over to a chair, almost collapsing into it. "But that part of him didn't matter. We met in college when he dragged me and a friend along for a hike. He loved the outdoors. He was a biology major, and he always managed to make any little thing we came across interesting. He loved the world."

    Her gaze fixed on Natsumi, whose anger had fully gone now. "And he loved you with all his soul. Right up to the end when he called me during Near-Third Impact."

    It was silent again. "I… I miss him." she choked out.

    "And we miss you," Hikari said gently. "Kodama… you're all we have now. Please. Come home with us."

    It was silent again, but now the silence was an expectant one. Kodama looked around, and Daniel couldn't blame her for being somewhat hesitant when her gaze landed on him. But, finally, she nodded. "Okay. Okay. Just…"

    She slowly rose from her chair. "Let me get my affairs in order. I need to leave a message."

    Daniel, along with everyone else, breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Okay," Nozomi said. "We can go whenever you're ready."

    Kodama nodded as she walked back to her office, and Daniel remembered something that Ymris had asked of him a few days ago. "Kodama."

    She paused, and he continued. "Do you know a Miyomi Matsumoto?"

    It was silent for a moment. "She's the sister of one of my best workers. Why do you ask?"

    Daniel finally smiled, a slight thing. "Her boyfriend, Juro, wants to make sure she's safe. Honestly, he'd like to see her outside, in Village-3."

    "I'll make sure she knows."

    It was quiet for a moment, Kodama composing what was likely a written note before she emerged again. "Alright," she said with a deep breath. "I'm ready to go."

    Before anyone else could speak, Nynrya spoke up in Daniel's mind, her voice ringing with alarm. "Daniel! Someone just teleported in downstairs!"

    Daniel's gaze flashed down, his Sight flashing on with it as he took in the view below them in the garage. As he saw what, who was calmly approaching the stairwell, his blood seemed to become ice in his heart. Twined souls. Strands of gold. A deluge of memories he had absolutely no time to process at the moment as mist, softly glowing with golden light from within, crawling impossibly up the stairs and spilling into the room.

    "What is that?" Kodama asked anxiously.

    "He's here. It's here." Daniel said, almost without willing it.

    He turned to face the rest of the group. "Kodama, Kyu is going to be taking you and the others back to Village-3. You all need to cluster around her, and she will activate the beacon in that necklace that will take you there."

    The words came with a practiced calm, a stern tone that demanded compliance, getting the results he wanted more slowly than they needed to come.

    "What are you waiting for?" Kyu said as the Horakis began to crowd around her.

    "I can't risk him following you to the village. The Guide knows me, so I'll hold him off and buy you some time. There's no more time to argue."

    As Daniel spoke, the mist in the room began to glow, figures comprised of perfect geometries, almost mimicking the circulatory systems of people but in far too symmetrical a fashion, rising from them and stepping forward.

    In a smooth motion, Daniel turned, raising a left hand that soon had his Grip in a familiar pistol form, putting a small star in the center of each slowly approaching figure that soon exploded, shattering the figures and sending the pieces flying for the briefest of moments before they slowly reformed as if rewinding back to the moment before their destruction.

    "Go."

    "But what about-" Hikari began.

    "Go!"

    Daniel's pistol flowed into a sword as they came ever closer, and Daniel almost felt the buzz of the Errant finding them and teleporting away.

    They were safe. Now, he just had to survive.

    The two figures continued to doggedly press on, soon coming into range of him as their arms turned into blades with an intricate shifting of Frames, blades that they wasted no time deftly slashing and thrusting toward him.

    It was a fraught few seconds, the figures pressing him back toward the office before he dashed into it, seeing the note that Kodama had written on her desk.

    He leaped backward, over the desk, before kicking it into the creatures. Again they shattered, their lower halves giving out from under them as their torsos flopped gracelessly onto the desktop.

    He wasted no time bounding onto the desktop, tumbling through the doorway as the figures slashed at him, reforming even now as they began also to push the desk off of their forms.

    He needed to end this, now. In a moment, the sword vanished, and he held out a hand toward the figures as they sent the desk flying into the other wall, turning to face him.

    In his hand, Daniel manifested an Expression of the purest destruction he could muster, space tearing open in front of his hand and collapsing. The black hole that had formed wasted no time in pulling the seemingly fragile figures apart, pulling each piece into an utterly dark maw. Daniel focused, the black hole becoming larger as the figures tried to resist its pull.

    Then, after tense moments that seemed to stretch into forever, the figures finally disappeared, Daniel breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

    Before he could let the Expression unravel, however, someone decided to end it for him, a cage of ghostly golden strings flashing around the black hole, the thing shrinking and seeming to wither as the Expression was severed from its Control Surface, the image of the hole. In a moment, it was gone.

    Daniel looked back at the stairwell and froze as a figure emerged from the mist that now filled the doorway. It clung to the form of the man for a moment, the gaunt, thin face of Tavis utterly placid, lit up from the shifting form of the bared blade that rested, gilt and glowing, above his brow.

    "Daniel Theisman." Tavis, the Hollow Saint of War, said softly. "How strange, to hear that name said without pain, anger, or alarm."

    "You…" Daniel swallowed as he did his best to ready himself, his Grip returning to him as a pistol. "You made that happen. You'll never hear it any other way that matters."

    "We shall see." The Hollow Saint replied. "You have intruded upon my people's sanctum. Why?"

    "You wouldn't understand." Daniel spat, hating how useless the gun felt in his hand as he desperately tried to keep it from shaking visibly. "The man whose body you took wouldn't fully understand. All this time, he's been trying to reach you."

    He scoffed, a somewhat more high-pitched sound than he meant it to be. "Well, he can have you all he wants. Because I won't let you have this world."

    Tavis' face began to twist slightly. "You are so much more arrogant than you profess yourself to be. Neither young Tavis nor I believe it came from your time when we were joined. Such pride should have been tempered by wisdom by now. You know you cannot stand against the power that you had with our time together. You were fettered by your struggle against it. This disciple embraces me. Our powers are joined fully. This world will be mine."

    The worst part of it was how true so much of it was. He'd done his best to resist, and Hamar'ramah had overridden him anyway, its power taking from his own without regard for his struggles. If their wills were aligned…

    "So, what are you waiting for?" Daniel said, forcing his gun up and taking one shot, then another. Both were as useless as he knew they would be, the shots consumed by lashing tentacles that Daniel found terribly familiar. "Why not end this now?"

    "Because you and I both know the true battle that must be fought." The Hollow Saint said simply. "Should you fall here, your compatriots will fight all the harder at the last battle of this world. Make things more difficult than they already are. I have gazed into the soul of this world, and now my people know when to strike."

    Finally, the neutral expression cracked with a slight, knowing smile. "Yes, Daniel." who Daniel was sure was Tavis said. "We are one, in a way you never could be. And when this is over, and the victory is won, we will decide what to do with your soul. So run, little rebel. It's the only choice you have now. Run… or die."

    Daniel took one step back. Then another. Finally, Daniel vanished from sight, flying from the room as an invisible beam of light. The Hollow Saint watched unerringly until Daniel vanished from Sight, then looked around the room.

    Such disorder. Where Tavis alone would have accepted it as a little fact of life, Hamar'ramah would stand no such chaos in any part of his world. Much as Tavis was still imperfect, the Guide respected the child for his desire to learn, along with his… temerity.

    The mist that surrounded them blanketed the room, golden light in streams coursing through the fog and setting the room in order again, shifting furniture, adjusting stacks of paper or pens on desktops. It was over in less than a second, the mist receding to reveal a room that was as perfect as such fallible forms could be.

    Tavis Farhaven reveled in the power that was at his command. Hamar'ramah was content to keep it that way. It would make what came next easier.

    . . .

    Daniel felt the ground beneath him, charged with Pneumaic interference, dragging him towards it, threatening to pull his Expression, then his body apart.

    But he had to get away. He had to go as far as possible. But was he doing it for the people that he loved? Or simply to save his own skin?

    Finally, he could bear the strain no longer. Something had to give, and he didn't want it to be his body.

    He released the Expression that carried him away from Matsushiro far less gracefully than he usually would have, falling to the earth and rolling roughly to a stop.

    His breath was heaving in the darkness, and he spent far longer on his back than he wanted to simply staring at the night sky, a place of freedom that now felt like a cage that pressed down on him. He was trapped on this world, with the being that had held him worse than a slave. Worse still, he was at once at war with the being that he'd fled from, and with his mind, fighting the urge to try and run still further.

    Finally, he struggled to his knees, looking down at hands that shook. That wouldn't stop shaking. Feeble. Useless.

    A wordless shout, desperate and indignant and above all afraid, tore itself from his mouth and into an uncaring night. It faded away, leaving a weary, exhausted man with his tears and his sins. The eyes were beginning to open again, and he could swear that a whisper was beginning to carry on the gentle breeze that was blowing through.

    He had to get away. He had to go home. But where was home, really? Where would the eyes and the accusations and the pleas finally just leave him alone?

    . . .

    Shinji Ikari-Soryu stood on the porch of the Suzuhara household, anxious. He hadn't slept all night, Interfacing allowing him to keep his vigil. Asuka stood by his side, holding his hand and sharing his anxiety.

    The Horakis and Kyu had made it back at about midnight, and Shinji had helped them back into the house, him and Asuka giving up their room for Kodama. Their blood had run cold when they'd told those around them about the circumstances that Daniel had told them to flee from. At first, they simply waited in the living room, the Horakis going to bed 30 minutes after. Then, Rei and Kaworu went out to look for him.

    That was nearly 4 hours ago. The sun was rising, and people were beginning to go about their day, seemingly oblivious to the sort of danger that Daniel's absence might have carried. They were silent, communicating with each other without words, only holding each other's hands, the tightness of their grip climbing as time went on. Even a Pneumaic link between them seemed… superfluous when they each knew what the other was thinking already.

    Finally, though, the silence became too much to bear. Shinji reached out to the vestigial link between him and Rei, strengthening it. "Anything yet?" he asked, the worry he felt bleeding into his words.

    "Nothing," Rei replied, her tone tense and somewhat strung out, much like Shinji assumed her body was. "We've gone around the village's perimeter a dozen times already, and he still hasn't gotten past us. Did he perhaps teleport to the old guard, as Mr. Kaji so likes to call it?"

    "Misato would have gotten us if he did, I'm sure,"     Shinji replied. "He'll turn up. He always does."

    He couldn't put the conviction he wanted to behind those last words, and couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty at the fact. Rei's comforting presence, and the squeeze of his hand from Asuka, managed to put him only somewhat at ease. 'Am I really still that obvious?'

    He wondered, for a moment, how his father could appear so stoic. It would have certainly helped at the moment.

    "We're starting another…" Rei began, stumbling over her words as she paused, and Shinji could feel the hope and fear flash to life all at once.

    "What is it?" Shinji asked, roping Asuka into his link with Rei. "Did you find him?"

    Rei said nothing, simply showing him a view of what she must be seeing, along with a general sense of her location. She was, unsurprisingly, at an edge of the settlement, one of the ACC Pillars to her right and Kaworu to her left. She looked out past the Pillar's boundary, several dozen meters of what had once been Corite wasteland now revealed to be a country road. In the distance, only a shadow on the horizon, someone was slowly approaching on foot. There was only one person that it could have been.

    "What are you waiting for?" Asuka said as the vision faded, pulling him off the steps into a run. "We know where they are. Keep up!"

    With that, she must have enhanced her body, peeling away from a somewhat surprised Shinji at a clip that not even an Olympic sprinter could have fully matched. It took him a second to match her speed, then catch up to her.

    They could have teleported there instantly, and been right at Rei and Kaworu's side. But the movement gave them something to do, some way to release the anxiety and the frustration that had been building up inside them all night.

    It still didn't take them long to reach the place, slowing to a stop as they looked out at the figure. He still approached slowly, crossing the boundary line between the Corite wastes and what was reclaimed. At this distance, the horn-like Vent Frames were unmistakable.

    "Daniel!" Asuka said, stepping past the ACC Pillars that bracketed them quickly, almost seeming to pull the others behind her as they followed. "We've been so worried! You could have at least… tried…"

    She slowed to a stop, her expression slack with shock as she saw the look on Daniel's face.

    He didn't even seem to notice them, eyes bloodshot and staring straight ahead, lifeless, almost as if he were little more than a walking corpse. He didn't even slow down, the Children having to part around him to allow him past.

    "Daniel…" Shinji asked as he continued to walk. "What happened?"

    He was silent. More and more they grew concerned for him, following behind.

    "Hey. Bruder." Asuka was openly worried, a rare display of such anxious emotion as she stepped in front of him, putting her hands on his arms. "Hey. What happened?"

    Daniel finally seemed to pause, looking at Asuka with those eyes, utterly intense. "I couldn't… I…"

    Having stopped, the man finally sank to his knees, looking down at the earth. "There is… no escape…"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • From Daniel's reaction, their situation is much worse than expected. That Hollow Saint seems to want absolute order at any cost.
     
    I have a question in regards to the multiverse setting of this series of story's. Would there be a version of Ryoga Hibiki from Ranma 1/2 wandering the multiverse?
     
    Having looked into the character in question, I would certainly imagine so, if his sense of direction is as much of a meme as I suspect.

    New chapter fairly soon, though. This past month has been very hectic with a move across state lines for my family and with me moving ahead of them to try and get a job there. Now that my moving, for the moment at least, is done, chapters should be coming back to their usual regularity.
     
    Chapter 37: At The Port Called Home
  • Threadmarks

    • Chapter 37: At The Port Called Home


    The end comes. I think my counterpart here can feel it as well as I do. Even still, it is a hazy, uncertain feeling. But in matters such as this, the fate of a world like my own, it is an important one to note nonetheless.

    Rei is out with the other farmers that we've worked with, and I believe Athena is showing Hikari the fruits of her labor. It's strange, isn't it? And yet so fulfilling. Every version of Rei we free, give individuality, a name, a purpose beyond mere piloting, is another blow against fate. Such a thought comforts me as we seem to head towards the fate of this world.

    - From the personal journal of First Lieutenant Kaworu Nagisa, HERZ

    Village-3, May 7th, 2028

    It was a new day, and the sun was beginning to rise. Daniel Theisman fully realized this when his alarm clock went off, waking him from a sleep in which he'd been grateful for Eleanor's company. Another nightmare wrapped in memories. Or was it the other way round? He had lived too long for the distinction to fully matter now.

    Either way, he had weathered the night somewhat alone once again. She was close. They would be arriving today.

    He took a deep breath as he prepared himself to face the day ahead. He did so more slowly than usual, and he had to keep from pushing himself too hard, taking himself to task, even with what felt like a deep-seated sense of urgency rooted in his chest.

    Still, he took a deep breath as he walked out the door of the room that had once been Bunzaemon's, remembering the sight of Kodama Horaki paying her respects to her father the day before.

    He had managed to pull himself out of the stupor that had come over him the night before, with no small amount of help from Eleanor, and he had begun to walk. It was the first way he'd learned to grapple with anxiety, then with what came alongside his service in the Worldstriders. He walked the village, the motion helping him surmount his soul's struggle.

    In time, he began to pass by the graveyard, looking up at the hill to see what must have been the Horakis clustered around their father and grandfather's grave. It was good for them to mourn together. Kodama would not only be helpful around the village, but she would get a chance to heal here as well. Something that the place seemed to have a knack for fostering.

    Somewhat unsurprisingly, he saw Ryoji Jr. walking away, down the hill. Their paths would intersect, it seemed. A part of him wanted to turn aside, find another way, and spare the boy any trouble. This pain was not his burden to bear. And yet…

    "Oh. Hello, Mr. Theisman."

    Daniel blinked and found himself walking beside young Ryoji. When had that happened? "Hello, young Ryoji," he replied, somewhat absentmindedly.

    "Are you… okay?"

    It was such a simple question. And yet, Daniel grappled with the answer he might give. "Frankly," he finally said, "no. I'm not okay. It's been… a long time since I could be considered such."

    "Does it have something to do with that thing you saw last night?" Ryoji asked. "Natsumi said that it scared you pretty bad."

    Daniel chuckled softly. "That's putting it lightly. It…"

    The slight smile that had accompanied the chuckle vanished into a sigh. "It's terribly difficult, facing something from your past. Even if it does wear a different face."

    "I think I know the feeling." Ryoji Jr. said quietly.

    "I see. How has your time with the Kajis been going?"

    Ryoji Jr. sighed quietly. "It's… weird. I know they aren't my parents… or, well, they are, but not mine… but it still feels… nice, sometimes. They visited me at work a few days ago. Had me give them a tour of the facility. It was interesting. Mom and Dad were… a lot smarter than I first thought they were."

    Daniel nodded. "Misato and Ryoji, the elder in this case, have depths to them that are far greater than their appearances and mannerisms might suggest. They lived through the Second Impact. It left its scars on them as it did any other person alive at that time. It gave Misato a physical scar to remember her moment in time at its epicenter."

    "She mentioned that." Ryoji Jr. shook his head slightly. "It seems so… distant, now. Almost 30 years ago, and she's managed to make peace with that sorrow."

    "We all have our burdens to bear, Ryoji," Daniel said quietly. "Our different facets and how they interact, the things that make us human."

    "Like you, I guess." Ryoji Jr. paused for a moment. "So, do you feel like helping is a burden, then?"

    Daniel shrugged slightly. "Sometimes, when I am stretched to my limit like I have been, it can be. Then, I must attend to myself. I have to remember the virtues of humility, and being willing to accept service in all its forms."

    Daniel smiled slightly. "For example, our conversation now actually helps. It's good to talk to someone, even for a few moments. It keeps me… grounded. Provides a vital perspective."

    "Really?" Ryoji Jr. looked up at Daniel with some slight shock. "Just talking like this helps?"

    "It helps more than you know."

    And it did, as Daniel mulled over the memory at breakfast, a somewhat hesitant thing now with Kodama getting used to multiple versions of Shinji and Asuka, let alone the Ayanamis or the Shikinamis.

    "The Wunder's coming in today, I believe," Hikari said as they ate. "Toji got the message from the town council to get ready to stock up on medical supplies."

    "I would suppose, then," Kaworu said with a slight smile, "that explains the unusually busy state of the town."

    "Yes." Hikari looked around the room at the gathered guests. "I suppose that means many of you will be going with them, then."

    "That we will be, Hikari," Asuka replied. "Thanks for putting up with how crowded and messy we can make things. It's been nice staying here."

    "I'm glad you could make things a little more lively here," Hikari said with a slight smile. "It helped Father more than I think you might know, and it's going to be a little strange for a while to have the house be as empty as it will be."

    "I'm glad we could help, Hikari," Shinji said with a slight smile. "I have to ask, is there a decent place to watch the ship come in?"

    "There's a place that Kensuke likes to go to in order to film the ships coming in, a hill near the coastline," Hikari replied. "He's probably making his way there now. And it wouldn't surprise me if young Shinji and Asuka were with him, too."

    "Then that's where I've got to be," Daniel replied, finishing his meal quickly before he stood. "I've got to have a quick talk with young Shinji before we watch the ship fly in."

    He paused before smiling slightly. "I hear from my wife that they've fixed the Wunder up. Gave it a new paint job and everything."

    "Oh, now this, I have to see," Asuka said as she joined Daniel's side. "You can point us to this little lookout, right Hikari?"

    After a few amused directions, Daniel and the Children made their way out the door, saying goodbye to the ever-cute Tsubame as Athena held her. Before they could go far out the door, Kodama approached Daniel. "Excuse me, Mr. Theisman…"

    Daniel paused, waving Shinji and the others on. "Yes, Kodama?"

    "I… I'm sorry. I hope that I didn't leave a bad impression when you came to get me."

    "Not at all, Kodama." Daniel chuckled.

    Kodama smiled weakly. "Thank you. And… thank you for bringing me here. I pursued my engineering degree in part due to Father showing me that path. Working here… it's almost like working for him, in a sense. Wherever you go, whatever you're doing next… good luck."

    "You too."

    With that, Daniel hurried slightly to join the others. The town, like Kaworu had heard from within the Suzuhara household, was alive with activity, the rail hub in the center of town clanking alongside empty railcars as people bustled back and forth.

    It was a rather quick walk, all things considered, to the tall hill that Hikari had pointed them to. As they crested it, they saw Kensuke, young Shinji, and Asuka Langley, of course. They didn't expect the bridge crew, Maya Ibuki, the Akagis, and the Kajis to be there as well.

    "Hey, guys," Ryoji said as they all noticed the new arrivals. "I was told that this is going to be a good view."

    "And I'm right," Kensuke said, his eye pressed to his camcorder. "I can just make them out on max zoom. They're coming in this way. Hold on… I see two ships."

    With that, the others began to press forward, trying not to roll down the hill and onto the shore of the inland sea. Young Shinji stayed a little behind, a little apart from the group. Even still, he did his best to get a view of the dots that had now appeared on the red and blue horizon. He wanted to talk to the boy, but there was a sense of… wonder. Of anticipation, if not outright excitement.

    Thus, as much as he wanted to take the boy aside and speak with him face to face, he had to make do with extending a connection to the boy's soul. "Shinji," he began, "can we talk for a moment?"

    Shinji was only somewhat surprised, Daniel could feel. "I guess, yeah. There's something I needed to figure out anyway."

    "And what would that be?"     Daniel asked, already aware of what that something might be.

    "There's a part of me that… wants to go back." Shinji paused for a moment, and Daniel could feel him trying to get his thoughts in order. "Even with the danger, even with the possibility of facing my father, I still want to go and try to pilot Unit-01. There's something about the idea that feels… important."

    "I'm not surprised,"     Daniel replied. "You haven't always had the strength to do so, but you've wanted to do right by those you care for. It's the best part of you. And…"

    Daniel paused, sighing quietly. "I'll go ahead and spoil something for you. So many of these worlds, the ones with the Evangelion, rest on the shoulders of Shinji Ikari. It seems to be that boy's destiny. To save the world, or to destroy it."

    Young Shinji looked over at Daniel. "I'll… I'll trust in your training. Every time I've tried to make a difference before, I was in over my head. I didn't know what I was doing. Now… I think I'm ready."

    "And that will break the cycle,"     Daniel said, pride suffusing his words even as they made Shinji look away in slight embarrassment. "Whatever comes next, you have the strength to overcome a great deal of it. And for what you can't overcome yourself… we're here for you."

    "Thank you,"     Shinji said, his words quiet. "I'm glad that I have so many friends who can help me when I'm piloting. It's going to make things easier than I was expecting, I'm sure."

    Daniel nodded, dropping the connection as he mused on those last words. 'So many… and yet, if the fleet decides to converge on the Impact ritual, we're going to be just as in over our heads as young Shinji will be.'

    He needed a solution. And perhaps, he had one already. He just needed enough lead time to contact Commander Hyuga…

    "What is that other ship?" Kensuke asked, breaking Daniel's reverie as what had been the dots on the horizon became more clear, two ships flying side by side as several cargo vessels floated along underneath them. "I think that one's the Wunder, but… that other one…"

    Misato and Ryoji looked over at Daniel, amusement painting their expressions, and Daniel smothered a grin as best he could as he put out a staying hand. "I know that ship," he said, a proud smile on his face as all others turned to him. "That's the Gwynevere's Valiant Daughter. And she's one of the best ships I've ever had the privilege to live and fight on."

    The overawed looks from the bridge crew alone were enough to satisfy what little in the way of overt showmanship Daniel had.

    It was mostly silent, a few quiet conversations had as they watched the Wunder, along with the cargo ships that she escorted, touch down in the water of the bay and slide into the specialized ports.

    As the docks came to life, Misato looked over at the others. "So," she began, casting a meaningful look at Maya Ibuki, "are the docks open to visitors looking for a reunion?"

    Maya nodded. "Of course, Ca… Misato. Especially when you've got a WILLE member as highly ranked as I am."

    "Well, then I see no reason not to, then. Care to lead the way, Maya?"

    Maya nodded and began leading them away from the lookout. As they began to leave, the elder Shinji saw young Shinji and Asuka still standing where they were. "Are you coming along?" he asked.

    Shinji looked back at the sight that they were leaving behind, then over to Asuka Shikinami, standing by Kensuke. "We'll be along at some point, maybe." he finally said.

    The elder Shinji gave the boy a slightly knowing smile before hurrying back to catch up with the others.

    The walk was not a terribly long one, still giving the group time to talk with building excitement about what they would do when they were back aboard the Wunder. As promised, Maya's clearance got her, and everyone else, through the dock gates. Unsurprisingly, men and women at work were clumped and scattered across the yard, cranes unloading massive shipping crates either onto waiting railcars or to the ground to be opened.

    As they approached one of the Wunder's main offloading ramps, the group saw a rather important cluster of people, Commander Kaji and Captain Katsuragi in the midst of them as Eleanor, Ymris, and several others on the command staff of the Wunder conferring with the village council of Village-3.

    "Maya," Misato said as the group stopped for a moment, "Can I go ahead to meet them? There's something I want to do before we all mingle."

    Maya Ibuki, along with the rest of the group, was rather confused, but nodded anyway, Misato smiling broadly before marching ahead, the others following after her a little more slowly.

    It was a few moments before Captain Katsuragi looked up and saw Misato approaching her, her eyes widening as Misato broke the circle, then planted a dramatic slap across the woman's face, shocking everyone and even stopping the group in its tracks.

    "That," Misato said after a moment, her voice low and rather dangerous, "was for abandoning your son. After what our father did, after what Commander Ikari did, you should have known better. To say nothing about how you treated Shinji and Asuka."

    "That's… you're…" Katsuragi said in a dazed shock as she massaged her cheek.

    "You," Misato said. "Well, me. Us." she sighed quietly as she shook her head. "Man, this is going to be a bit of a headache, isn't it?"

    With that, the rest of the group rejoined Misato, two groups becoming one as greetings and conversations were exchanged.

    Daniel stood in front of Eleanor, taking her in by the light of the afternoon. She regarded him in turn. Both of them were tired, with little sleep shared between them after what had happened in Matsushiro. Finally, they slowly approached, and embraced each other tightly, breathing each other in deeply. "I missed you," Daniel said softly.

    "I missed you," Eleanor replied.

    It was a length of time neither bothered to measure before they parted from the embrace, and Daniel became just slightly worried at the look in Eleanor's eyes. "So," she began in a stern voice, "I talked with Percival."

    Daniel sighed quietly. "I'm sure you did."

    "And I went over the sensor data too."

    It was silent between them for a moment before Daniel spread his arms slightly. "Did it at least look cool?" he asked with a wry grin.

    Eleanor rolled her eyes. "'Cool' isn't exactly the word I'd used for making our ship into a heat shield, Daniel. That was utterly reckless, risked your life as well as the kids, and could have been accomplished in any number of more sensible ways."

    "So… something of a return to form, then?" Daniel arched his brows as he gave her a questioning look.

    Eleanor sighed quietly, chuckling after a moment as she shook her head slowly. "Well, I always knew you knew how to be a showman."

    "Oh, good."

    Ymris walked over to them, extricating herself from a somewhat strange conversation between the Akagis, Vice-Captain Akagi, and Maya Ibuki. "Hello, Daniel. It's… good to see you again."

    Daniel nodded. "You too, Ymris. How long are we going to be here, do you think?"

    "A few days, at least. It's going to take time to unload the cargo one way or another."

    "Alright. We have some accommodations in the village, but I doubt we'll be able to host everyone together without interrupting the science going on here. Are our quarters on the Wunder still open?"

    "As far as I can tell, yes." Ymris looked over at the two Misatos. "I'd say ask the captain, but… I think she's a little busy right now."

    Daniel smiled slightly. "Well, I'll take this kind of busy right now."

    He looked over at Eleanor. "So, should we go get our quarters set up?"

    Eleanor shrugged. "I don't see why not."

    . . .

    Shinji Ikari-Soryu walked onboard the Wunder, and strangely enough, felt like he was coming home again. Not home home, as it were; the apartment building he still resided in was a literal universe away, but the ship that he'd stayed on, even for less than a year, was familiar to him in almost the same way now. The halls, once rather tight, now seemed almost comfortable, and though the outside had gotten quite the makeover, the inside was still largely as he remembered it. A little cluttered, with boxes of personal effects that were being delivered to Village-3, larger objects, and even a bike, of all things, taking up space in the hallway.

    But as he reached his bunk room, seeing the folding table and chairs propped up on the far wall, the bunks just long enough for them to not have to fold themselves up at night too much, he couldn't help but smile a little.

    "Oh, come on, liebling," Asuka said, a wry grin of her own on her face. "Don't tell me you actually missed not sleeping together. The Val is so much better about that anyways."

    "Well, we get what we get." Shinji shrugged as the four of them moved into the room proper. "Besides, with what we've seen, we won't be here for too much longer, I think."

    "Well, well, Puppy."

    Shinji turned, and he smiled as he saw Mariah, hand on her hips, as she stood in the doorway. He saw other familiar faces behind her.

    "You're all finally back from your rustic vacation!" Mariah said with a wide smile as she stepped into the room, Mana, Mayumi, Kensuke, Toji, and Hikari coming in behind her. "Tell me, how was the rural lifestyle?"

    "It was actually kind of exciting, Boudica." Asuka chuckled as Mariah walked over and embraced her, coming to the others in turn. "We got to drop into a NERV facility from orbit riding on top of the Errant."

    Mariah's head whipped around from her embrace of Rei. "Shut up. Really?"

    Asuka grinned. "Yup. Daniel is properly insane. More than Misato, even."

    "Now that's a high bar to clear," Toji said, hands in his uniform's pants pockets. "It certainly sounds like something Misato would do."

    "You say that like she won't somehow consider it still," Hikari said with a meaningful glance at her husband. "Never underestimate Misato's ability to make utterly harebrained plans that somehow work out. Especially now that there are two of them."

    "As wise an injunction as any," Rei said with a slight smile. "Now, I believe Paris was rather exciting for you all as well. How was that?"

    Mariah nearly spun towards Rei from her embrace of Kaworu. "Oh, it was simply marvelous! So romantic too, but what do you expect from the City of Love? Mana and I went up the Champs-Elysee together and everything!"

    "We were charging up the street to protect our objective, Mariah," Mana said with a wry smile.

    "Ah, but it was such a romantic charge, wasn't it?" Mariah, her hands on her heart, said as she leaned back towards Mana, fluttering her lashes.

    "And last I recalled," Mayumi chuckled, "you spent most of your time in the air with Mari Makinami and Unit-08."

    "Ah yes, like a graceful acrobat, twirling through the air." Mariah spread her arms as best she could, those in the way ducking back as deftly as they could manage in the somewhat tight space. "It must have been quite a show for you ground-bound beauties."

    "It was certainly something." Kensuke chuckled. "I got a good look at it from orbit, at least. Saved most of the mission as footage, too, with an observer drone."

    "Well, well." Asuka said with a wry grin. "We have our own cameraman."

    Kensuke shrugged. "You know how I am about recording things. It's for posterity's sake, y'know? Or something like that, at least."

    The pilots shared a quiet chuckle, Toji gently smacking Kensuke's shoulder. "So," Shinji finally said, "we're going to be here for a few days still while the fleet offloads supplies. How about you guys come out to the village and meet some of the people that we've gotten to know?"

    "That would be awesome!" Mariah said with a gleam in her eye. "I've been looking forward to seeing those swords Daniel mentioned that he made!"

    Toji, Hikari, and Kensuke seemed somewhat more apprehensive, sharing glances that were distinctly uneasy. "I gotta admit, though," Toji said after a moment, "it's going to be… weird to see our… our kid."

    Hikari nodded slowly. "Even just watching made us think a little more soberly than we're used to."

    "Join the club, Hikari," Asuka said with a slight smile. "We've all thought about it at least once."

    She paused, her smile widening. "But she's so damn cute anyways."

    . . .

    The Next Day

    Daniel stretched, slowly extricating his arm from under Eleanor's head and smiling slightly. To have their souls connected was a comfort, as it had always been, but there was something about mere physical intimacy, the magic of touch, that simply could not be matched.

    "Good morning," Eleanor mumbled as Daniel sat up.

    "Good morning." Daniel paused for a moment. "I've missed being able to say that."

    "Me too." Eleanor punctuated it with a quiet kiss. "Missed that too."

    Daniel rose and began to prepare for the day. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

    "Well, I was thinking of relaxing a little more at some point today." Eleanor rose and got ready beside him. "Ymris still wants to talk to you about her plan."

    "That's right. What was that all about?" Daniel asked. "You two were kind of cryptic about it yesterday. Have been since you first mentioned it."

    "She needs your help getting in contact with Receptorist Jameson in order to get some information."

    "I suppose that makes some sense," Daniel replied with a shrug. "Being an old soldier, he'd have some intel on the capabilities we might be expecting from the gathered Scion fleet."

    "No." why was Eleanor so hesitant now? "She wants to find out about the Guides. If there are still others. If they're imprisoned. And… how we can free them if that's the case."

    Daniel's face slackened for a moment, then hardened. "No."

    "No?" Eleanor said, somewhat shocked. "Daniel…"

    "I can't allow it." Daniel walked a few steps away for a moment before he turned to Eleanor." We… we already have one Guide to worry about, one thing dedicated to the utter destruction of everything that we hold dear. And you want me to try and get more of them?"

    "Daniel, we can't simply assume that their people are a monolith."

    "How can you be so sure of that? They are Mental beings, Pneumaic ones. They don't have to jump through any of the hoops we have to in order to act as a singular consciousness. Who's to say that they didn't throw their lot in with Hamar'ramah and releasing them plays right into his plans?"

    "We don't know." Eleanor strode over to him, taking hold of an arm. "That's our greatest problem. We don't know what they'll do if they're freed."

    "We know what one of them did to me," Daniel whispered, grabbing Eleanor's arms in return. The grip was desperate. "What one of them did to you and everything we ever loved. Just one of them. I can't allow that to happen again. Ever."

    "And what will you do if we just dismiss this out of hand?" Eleanor glared at Daniel. "Damn it, the only way we could pull him out was because you had fought for so long, left the Guide's grasp on your body and soul so tenuous. We don't have that advantage. If anything, we need every advantage we can get."

    "You're right." Daniel sighed quietly as he released Eleanor. "Which is why I've been collecting various… precautions. For a moment like this."

    "Precautions?"

    Daniel nodded. "Yes. We already have the Spears here, more than just the Lancium that we can create, that can completely destroy Pneumaic objects, but I've gathered things from several different Echos in case we can't use them."

    "How?" Eleanor shook her head slightly. "Everywhere I've followed you, you haven't taken anything from them that they haven't thanked you for."

    "Then you only saw so much of my journey."

    The words were heavy as he shook his head. "Most of them now have been used in various desperate circumstances. A hand-crafted Cylex based on instructions I found on the plane of Dominaria was the latest one. I had to fire it off to hold off an invasion by ancient eldritch gods. A Gallifreyan Chrono-exciser from the Time Lords' darkest weapons programs, used to erase a Pneumaic being composed of the very concept of running out of time. An Aeldari soulstone that I had to throw away after it had become corrupted. On and on and on. Which leaves me with just… one chance. One thing that can rid me of him forever."

    Eleanor stepped back from Daniel. "Do you… think this will all just… resolve itself once the Guide is dead?"

    "No. I've lived long enough to disabuse myself of that notion. But I can finally get justice."

    "By sacrificing potentially innocent lives?"

    Daniel stared at her in shock as Eleanor continued. "You told me that Hamar'ramah said his people reproduce naturally."

    "He could have easily been lying. Trying to stir up-"

    "Daniel. Right now, just shut up and listen." Eleanor waited for a tense moment before continuing. "If that's true, and you kill him, you risk the death of potentially thousands, millions of lives that had nothing to do with the Unity War."

    "Millions?" Daniel whispered. "When Hamar'ramah's death will at least be a piece of closure for the almost literally countless lives that were ended at his bidding?"

    "Maybe it will be, maybe it won't," Eleanor said firmly. "Is this what all your journeying was for? Just, just a… a fetch quest for an arsenal for you to take on Hamar'ramah? Or did your promise actually mean a damn?"

    Daniel opened his mouth, but Eleanor continued on regardless. "You told me and the others here that you made a promise; one world, just one, across countless World Engines, to make up for what had happened. Did you lie to them? To me? To yourself?"

    It was silent for long, almost agonizing moments before Daniel looked away from Eleanor. "No."

    "Then give us the chance to save more lives here, Daniel. Help us."

    Daniel nodded slowly. "Alright." he sighed quietly. "Let's go find out what all this is about."

    . . .

    It was a quick breakfast, the pair walking to the Wunder in relative silence. The silence was somewhat tentative, almost on the verge of breaking, but still remaining. It was not surprising to either of them. But it felt different from any of their past silences after an argument. Both dearly hoped it would break soon.

    Finally, they walked into Ymris' quarters onboard the ship, the woman looking over at them as they took their seats. "Thank you for coming." Ymris began. "I know this probably took a lot of convincing for you Daniel, so I appreciate your help."

    Daniel nodded slightly. "So, tell me about these other Guides that Hamar'ramah has trapped."

    Ymris almost succeeded in hiding a slight frown at the man's surprisingly curt manner. "Well, that's part of the problem. Because Tavis was our go-to for information concerning anything in the old history archives Jameson kept, we know only about what he looked for and deemed important. That's part of why we're trying to contact him."

    "Why wouldn't he have answered?" Daniel frowned slightly. "I'm sure you've explained yourself and your reasons."

    "There's every chance that Jameson suspects, rightly so I think, that my messages are a ruse, a lure designed to bring him and his followers out of wherever they've hidden in order to strike at them. For all he knows, I could be under Tavis' compulsion to try and reach out to him. The harder I try, the more it might look like Tavis is getting desperate."

    "And if I give my word that your actions are genuine," Daniel surmised, "then he'll reach out."

    Ymris nodded, and Daniel sighed quietly. "Why… put time into this when we could be planning on how to stop Tavis permanently?"

    "Because something Jameson said about the time before the war's stuck with me. Like you said, he's an old soldier. Old enough to remember the times well before everything went to hell. He said…"

    Ymris paused, seeming to collect her thoughts. "About the time when the war began, there was some sort of great betrayal. What kind of betrayal he hasn't said beforehand for any of the acolytes who've asked him. I think he was involved. And he doesn't want to talk about his involvement."

    "I understand the feeling," Daniel said quietly.

    It was silent for a moment. "Do you need me to record a message now? With how little time we might have, it would be wise to contact him as soon as possible."

    Ymris nodded, and Eleanor went over to the long-range communications setup that they'd taken with them from the last Echo, tinkering with it for a moment. "Alright," she said. "We're ready for you to speak with him."

    Daniel stood, walking over to the device and pausing in front of it. "Give me a moment to get my thoughts in order," he said quietly. After a moment, he nodded to Eleanor, who activated the machine before stepping away.

    Daniel gave it a moment to establish a connection, diving to the point in Reality where a communications line that crossed untold physical distances would only stretch for a few millimeters. When the indicator flashed green, Daniel took a deep breath, then looked into the camera lens that appeared in front of him.

    "Hello, Receptorist Jameson. As I've come to understand, Ms. Ymris has been trying to contact you, unsuccessfully, regarding information you might have on how to defeat the Guide of War, Hamar'ramah. Her requests are genuine, and I can vouch for her honesty. And, at this point… we're going to need all the help we can get to stop him. Please, as soon as you receive this message, call us. We don't know how much time we have left to save this world."

    Daniel paused. "End message."

    The lights flashed off, and Daniel nodded, looking back at Ymris. "Is there anything else you might need from me?"

    Ymris shook her head. "Not until he gets back to us. Thank you for your help."

    "I give it on one condition."

    Ymris' eyes narrowed slightly as Daniel continued. "Whatever happens, however we might spring these other Guides from their imprisonment, I'm going to go toe to toe with Tavis regardless. If your plan fails or takes too long… I need to know. I can't hold back forever, and I need to be able to destroy him, and potentially the other Guides, without hesitating if that's the case. Can you guarantee that?"

    It was silent for a moment, then Ymris nodded. "Very well. I can't argue with your reasoning. It is part of the nature of war to be so destructive, after all. One way or the other."

    Daniel nodded wearily. "I wish it weren't so. And for what it's worth… I dearly hope your plan works."

    It was, again, mostly silent as Eleanor and Daniel exited Ymris' quarters, the pair walking down hallways that were, for the most part, empty. Finally, however, the silence was broken.

    "Daniel…" Eleanor said, her voice quiet even with their solitude. "I understand. As much as I dislike it and what it's made you do, I understand your fear."

    Daniel shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. My fear… it got the better of me."

    He chuckled softly, a choked thing. "Even after all these years, after thinking I'd dealt with it finally, my want for vengeance came up behind me and smacked me with a wooden board. He was right there. Right in front of me."

    "Like he was for me in Burbank," Eleanor whispered.

    It was silent again. "We'll stop him," Eleanor said after a moment. "Whatever else, however this works out, we're going to end this. Once and for all."

    "Yes," Daniel said quietly as they emerged into the light of day. "One way or another."

    . . .

    The Next Day

    Ritsuko Akagi was a woman who was, even still, getting used to the strangeness of Reality. It was fascinating, really, exploring all its facets and intricacies. For now, though, she explored the reality of Village-3, walking through the humble, rather quaint town.

    Even with all that, it still hadn't fully prepared her for walking next to her double, her wife, and her wife's double next to them. She still couldn't fully believe that Vice-Captain Akagi, of her own will, would cut her hair so close. It transcended mere boyishness and became something of a statement on its own.

    'Still,' she mused, 'I suppose that there's a functionality to it, even if it makes so little sense to me.'

    From the corner of her eye, she caught Maya Ibuki, once again, looking at her. More specifically, at her hair. "Still not used to the natural color?" She asked with a slight grin.

    Ibuki blushed slightly as Akagi looked back at her. "Well… yeah, kind of. Even with as long as I've known Senpai, I could have never guessed that she, you, dyed your hair. I guess I just missed it."

    "It is just…" Akagi began.

    "A stylistic choice," Ritsuko said, their voices echoing almost perfectly, contrasting Ritsuko's amusement with Akagi's look of slight befuddlement.

    "I didn't think you'd be okay with having that hair again," Akagi said, her tone cautious as she seemed to try at being cryptic. "Not after what happened."

    Ritsuko looked out at their destination, her home for these past few weeks, and paused as they reached the door. "Before we go in, I want you to… prepare yourself," she said to Akagi. "You're going to be seeing a lot of things that you're going to need to accept as part of our world."

    "We've both gone through the near end of the world multiple times," Akagi said. "I think we can handle whatever's behind that door."

    Ritsuko looked over at both Mayas. One was resigned to what she knew was going to happen, while the other looked clearly somewhat bemused. This was going to be… interesting. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

    With that, she opened the door, stepping into the abode of both herself and the science she helped conduct. "Hello?" a familiar voice called out. "Is that you, sakura bloom?"

    Ritsuko continued into the house, turning back to see both Mayas following her… and Akagi frozen in utter shock. "What…" she whispered. "How?"

    "Come ask her and find out," Ritsuko said as she turned and walked into the massive main room.

    The Fuyutsukis (another concept she was still trying to get her head around fully) were there, and Nynrya, once again apart from Daniel, was sitting across from Kozo, who continued to write down the stories that she rather excitedly told him with equal gusto. Mother was over by the Ikaris supervising some experiment or another, and Kyu was paying rapt attention to what Nynrya was saying. At least, she was before Nynrya paused and looked at them.

    "Hello, Mother," Kyu said, standing from her seat and walking over to Ritsuko, hugging her for a moment. "How is the unloading process going so far?"

    "As far as I can tell," Ritsuko replied, "we're going to be lifting off tonight, if not tomorrow morning."

    "Good. I'm looking forward to being a part of… well, whatever solution we might be coming up with to save this world."

    Kyu stepped back and looked past Ritsuko to the woman that stood almost ramrod straight, looking at her with wide eyes. "You're my… daughter?"

    "An adopted daughter, born from one of the blank souls of Lilith escaping into a clone body of Rei Ayanami. I'm Kyu Akagi."

    Kyu walked past Ritsuko to come to a stop in front of Akagi, holding out her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

    Akagi slowly took the proffered hand, shaking once before she walked forward slowly into the room, looking at the woman, so familiar, who stood behind the Ikaris. "M… mother?"

    Naoko Akagi turned, a surprised, then sympathetic look on her face. "Oh. Hello, Ritsuko. I'm sorry. This must all be such a shock to you."

    "How are you alive? You died after the Magi system was completed."

    "In my case, at least? My soul was trapped in the machine after my… death. After an attack by a digital Angel, Iruel, my soul was able to gain some form of consciousness. If that were the case here… then I suspect that the years have not treated my soul kindly, if it hasn't already moved on to wherever it may go here. I'm sorry."

    Akagi walked, almost stumbled over to the chair Kyu had been sitting in, almost collapsing in it as she took a deep, long breath. "So, with that little revelation out of the way, I assume that there's a reason you brought me here?" she asked Ritsuko.

    "Yes," Ritsuko replied. "Your ship is built around an artificial Spear, correct?"

    Akagi nodded. "Yes. We have no idea how NERV managed to do that, but the Wunder, along with the other ships of the Heaven's Key-class, have the capability to do everything the Spear of Longinus can do, at least in theory. We don't know what use multiple Spears would even have, when one is enough to start an Impact Event."

    "We've wondered the same thing since we received that information."

    Akagi looked behind herself, doing a double-take. "De… Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki? You're so…"

    "Young?" Kozo said with a slight grin. "Indeed I am. I find with the sort of excitement the company I keep gets into, it's wise to keep in good physical condition. One never knows when trouble might come to try and punch you in the face."

    "Your wisdom continues to deepen despite your appearance, Sensei."

    Akagi was still for the briefest of moments, then slowly turned her head to face the two people that now faced her from beside Naoko Akagi, a woman who was, by all rights, supposed to be dead. The beard was completely wrong, and the records she had seen of his partner's face had only been viewed in the distant past. And yet…

    "You, Ritsuko Akagi," Akagi said to Ritsuko, "are trying your hardest to make me have an aneurysm."

    Ritsuko glanced over at Gendo and Yui Ikari, waiting patiently as Akagi and Ibuki did their best to process everything that they'd just seen and heard.

    "I understand any caution you might have in working with me." Gendo began. "More often than not, doing such is remarkably unhealthy. However, I want to give you my assurance, however little it might mean to you, that I am not who I once was, or who you understand Gendo Ikari to be."

    It was silent for a moment, then Kozo cleared his throat. "Now, as I was saying, we've wondered at why multiple Spears might be needed, and we have some theories as to why that is the case."

    Akagi and Ibuki's attention was sufficiently piqued now, and they took seats around the table as the others joined them. "So, what do you think… Professor?" Akagi ventured.

    Kozo nodded, smiling slightly. "Our first thought was that the First Ancestral Race simply decided multiple Adams would be the standard design compared to a singular Lilith. Thus, the need for multiple Spears to neutralize them if necessary. However, that still leaves open the question of why the being that would become Adam would decide that such a layout as that would be optimal."

    Ibuki slowly raised a hand. "Uh… First Ancestral Race?"

    "The beings that created the Black and White Eggs, or Moons in this case, along with Adam and Lilith," Yui said. "In our universe, the being that would become the soul of Adam, Kadmonel, was a leading scientist among the FAR, helping their race's souls to escape from a dying homeworld. But, like Sensei said, it doesn't make much sense for Kadmonel to decide on multiple Adams. That's many, many more points of failure, enough to make even a desperate scientist pause."

    "Perhaps in this universe then," Akagi postulated, "this… Kadmonel wasn't a scientist. Perhaps they were a criminal, and the Adams are the prison for their soul and that of their followers. Perhaps Lilith was meant to act as a jailer, a counterbalance."

    "The possibility does exist," Ritsuko said. "With what we know about this world's history, which is remarkably little with the Receptor records that I and my associates have seen, we have more to speculate on than I'm frankly comfortable with."

    Naoko nodded. "Yes. We should perhaps focus on the more pertinent questions. Such as, why would Adam require artificial Spears if he already has two in his possession? With that, Ikari is all but guaranteed to initiate any typical Instrumentality event."

    "Then maybe what Adam and Commander Ikari want to achieve is not a typical Instrumentality event," Gendo said quietly. "From the Receptor records, it becomes quite obvious when Ikari and company transcend into the 'Minus Space'."

    Akagi looked over at Gendo, her eyes widening. "Wait a minute. You've seen records of our future?"

    "In a sense," Gendo replied. "The actions, thoughts, and words of any given World Engine can drift across Reality, finding refuge in the minds of creative persons. However, I would not trust these records beyond giving a general structure to potential events, with as off course as we've taken things in relation to such works. Not to mention the fact that time is a semi-closed loop in this series of Echoes making them of dubious usefulness."

    "However," Yui said, putting a hand on Gendo's arm, "The most important part of that record, the one that we've been talking around, if not about, is the fact that the artificial Spear that makes up the majority of your vessel can still be worked upon to produce a different effect. If we can prepare to do that so that it's ready right when we need it, we can focus our efforts on counteracting whatever else surprises us."

    Akagi nodded slowly. "Yes. However, I might not be the one to talk to about that. At least not alone." she paused as she looked over at Ritsuko. "We need Rei Ayanami."

    . . .

    It was, at last, time to go. Young Shinji Ikari found the prospect frightening still, even with how he'd mentally prepared himself over these past few days.

    He stood a little apart from the group that gathered on the dock under the Wunder. The Theismans and the older versions of the Children were talking quietly with Hikari and Toji, Tsubame in her mother's arms, as Misato, Kaji, Dr. Akagi, and Ms. Ibuki conversing with their doubles from the other world.

    It was comforting, having a little distance before going back onto the cramped confines of the ship. It was… quite striking now, with the bright blue and white. Was that purple on there in some places?

    "So, do you find it as much of an eyesore as I do?"

    Shinji found himself looking over at Asuka Shikinami, who regarded her with a level eye. "I mean, come on. Teal and white? Who came up with this?"

    "I believe it was Ms. Marlowe. Mari's… daughter."

    "Huh. Well, that makes some sort of sense then."

    Shinji nodded silently, the two standing in silence for a few moments. "So…" he said slowly. "I guess you're excited to get to pilot Unit-02 again, aren't you?"

    Asuka looked down. "Kind of. But… I don't know. It annoys me. I mean, Specs is pretty good, but she hasn't been around me working together like you have." she shrugged. "She'll pick it up. She's pretty good at that."

    It was silent again as Shinji recalled a few notable times when they'd put down their own swords and helped each other. "If… if I could pilot Unit-01, then… I think I would. We work well together."

    Asuka looked back at Shinji, and he could swear that there was a ghost of a smile on her face. "If you getting into it didn't risk ending the world, then… maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Then again, with Unit-01 powering the ship, the Captain would probably be a little miffed anyways."

    Shinji nodded, then noticed three people walking over to them. It was Ryoji Jr., Natsumi, and Athena. The sight of them walking together reminded him of the all too brief time that he, Asuka, and Rei had shared together in Tokyo-3 all those years ago.

    "Hello, Shinji." Ryoji Jr. said. "It's sad to see you go. Both of you. I hope that whatever happens… you decide to come back. I'd like to get to know you more. I think we all do."

    Shinji nodded, then looked back at Misato and Kaji, the ones from his world at least, as they conversed with their doubles. They looked… tense. Somehow, with what must have been coming, it wasn't terribly surprising.

    "Why don't you go and say goodbye to your parents?" Shinji asked. Ryoji, somewhat unsurprisingly to him, looked away, his expression hardening slightly.

    "Well… I already said goodbye to the other Misato and Ryoji," he said quietly. "They've been good to me, however short their stay was."

    "But they aren't your parents, kid," Asuka said meaningfully. "Look, as someone who grew up in a vat… take it from me. Talk to your family. Sometimes, it's the only thing that means a damn that either of you have."

    Ryoji was still for a moment, and Shinji looked over at the group. Most of them were moving on towards the ship now, Daniel and Eleanor conversing with the Captain and Kaji. He looked over at them, gave him a knowing smile, and he and Eleanor began to make their way towards the ship as well. Misato, her jacket undone and her hat and shades missing, looked over at them, then began to walk over to them, Kaji following behind.

    She came to a stop in front of them, Shinji noting Ryoji Jr.'s apparent apprehensiveness and the hand that Natsumi held his with. Shinji, for his part, was more curious than anything else. All the cold distance seemed to have gone out from her, leaving her just… tired.

    "Hello, Ryoshi," Misato said quietly, her posture slightly tense even as she slouched the tiniest bit as if she expected something terrible to happen. "There's so much to say. But I'll start with… I'm sorry."

    She looked over at Shinji and Asuka. "You two go on ahead, but wait for me at the door, Shinji. I have something that I want to say to you as well."

    Shinji nodded, looking over at Asuka briefly as they began to walk away. Whatever Misato said to the boy, it was quiet enough that they couldn't hear it as they began to go up the ramp toward the ship.

    As they approached, they saw Rei, their Rei, turn the corner. Her hair had grown longer from when Ken… the elder Kaworu, as he now knew, had cut it. She smiled slightly at them. "Hello, Shinji. Hello, Asuka."

    "Hello, Rei," Shinji said as they reached the doorway, pausing to look back at Misato, Kaji, and the three kids that remained. "How has life on the ship been going?"

    "It has been eventful," Rei replied simply. "The ship is… getting used to the new armor that surrounds it. Otherwise, being in close contact with the version of Mariah Marlowe that is not interred within Unit-08 has been an interesting experience."

    Both Shinji and Asuka looked over at Rei with wide eyes. "Uh, Rei…" Asuka said, then shook her head. "Alright, we're going to take things in the order that makes the most sense to me. You said the ship itself was getting used to this garish armoring?"

    Rei nodded. "Yes. The ship itself, apart from the Magi Achiral system that makes up the central processing unit of this ship, whether by intention or chance, has become, if not sapient, then at least sentient. I seem to have become a conduit for the ship's interactions with the crew."

    "And no one else is able to do this?" Shinji asked. "I'd be surprised if Doctor Akagi didn't run a few tests."

    "She did," Rei said. "It only seems to be responsive to my thoughts, and I am the only one who can hear the ship's language."

    "So…" Shinji said slowly. "I'm guessing that pretty decisively demonstrates that this ship was built for Ayanami clones."

    Rei nodded. "Indeed." she looked over at Asuka. "What else do you have to ask me?"

    "How did you find out about who was in Unit-08?"

    Rei shrugged slightly. "Mari and Mariah told me. They've told many on the crew now."

    "Fair enough," Asuka said, looking back out at the village that they were going to be leaving. Shinji looked out with her, seeing Misato and Kaji hugging Ryoji Jr. It was silent for a moment.

    "So," Asuka said quietly. "Are you… afraid, Rei?"

    Rei looked down slightly. "I… suppose I am. I am unsure of how I know what it means. My education on matters of emotion was… lacking. And yet I understand what you mean."

    "I wonder if spending time with Mother did anything for that," Shinji said.

    "It is entirely possible," Rei said simply. "From what little I can recall, Yui Ikari was… apart from the other souls gathered in Near-Third Impact."

    They fell silent again as they watched Misato and Kaji turn and walk away from Ryoji Jr., Natsumi, and Athena, walking up the ramp towards them. The children watched them go for a moment, then turned away and began to walk towards the village again.

    After several moments, Misato and Kaji came to a stop in front of them. "Ryoji," Misato said quietly, "could you take Asuka and Rei ahead? I'd like to talk with Shinji alone, please."

    Kaji nodded, walking past them. "Alright, Misato. Come on, girls. What haven't I heard about already?"

    Asuka grinned slightly as she and Rei went on with him. "Well, commander, not only does Rei have several other sisters beyond Athena, I've got a few myself. Have you met Bradley yet?"

    Misato nodded down the hall, opposite where the others were going, and they began to walk as Asuka began to talk, the rest of their conversation unheard as they walked. The ship was largely empty, the halls long and largely silent. It was a silence that, for a while, they added to.

    Finally, Misato sighed quietly. "Shinji… I don't know where to start."

    "Well, at least we still have that in common, I think."

    Misato looked over at Shinji, slightly shocked. "I… okay."

    She paused, taking a deep breath. "I have a lot to make up for. I don't… necessarily think I have the time to do it. So I want to give some things some closure."

    Shinji frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, a flickering fear lighting up in his chest.

    "Shinji… you know as well as I do that trying to stop the end of the world is dangerous enough. The Angels taught us that perfectly well. And now… we have to go and stop your father from doing something even more dramatic and dangerous. To say nothing of the hostile fleet just hanging around our solar system."

    Shinji's eyes went wide as Misato continued. "There's as good a chance as any that one or more of us won't be coming back, Shinji. And it's my job to make sure that the number that goes along with that is as low as possible."

    Misato paused for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry. I don't know how much that counts for anymore, after everything that I've done to you and what happened to you because of me. But… I'm not the woman I once was. And… I should have at least tried to be that person. More than I did."

    Shinji paused in the hallway. "Misato, please, if this is what I think it is…" he said, his voice filled with worry now.

    "It…" Misato paused as she came to a stop in the hallway, turning to face Shinji. "Well, it's just in case I don't come back from this. At least now, I've done my best to make my peace with those I've wronged the most. It's not much, but it's the best I can give."

    It was silent again for a few moments before Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Misato."

    Misato smiled slightly. "You're welcome, Shinji. I've got to go to the bridge now. I'll see you around."

    She turned and began to walk away from him. Shinji was glad that Misato had come so far from the frigid coldness she'd displayed towards him when he'd emerged from Unit-01, but something still felt off. There was a… finality to her words. "Misato!"

    She paused, looking back at him silently. "Don't…" he began. "Please, make sure to do your best to come back."

    The silence, temporary though it was, concerned him further before Misato nodded. "I'll try. But I can't promise anything."

    With that, she continued on her way, Shinji watching her turn a corner before he turned and made his way after Asuka, Rei, and Kaji.
     
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    • So we are now approaching the end game. Because of the circumstances, there is no way of knowing how it will end. What Daniel went through and what he fears, it may very well play a significant part in what's to come. Captain Katsuragi has a lot to atone for. Will she live to the end?
     
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    An Announcement (Or, What's Old Is New Again)
  • Informational


    • Coming soon after I finish this fic, I'll be doing one last revision (more of a rewrite and overhaul) of the original story that started this all. Enough will change and be added that it'll be its own separate thread here and fic elsewhere, and afterward, the story will be as complete as I feel it should be. As for the other entries in the series afterward, their time will come.

    It's amusing, in a way. We've already circled around to a pseudo-Rebuild of Apotheosis Echo. Promise I won't have an outright extinction event halfway through!
     
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  • Informational
    • Chapter 38: Parliament of Dreamers
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    • Chapter 38: Parliament of Dreamers

    The crew are almost amusing to watch sometimes as they process seeing two of every person on this world passing them from time to time. I'd have to say perhaps my favorite comment on the situation came from an American crewmember walking with his compatriots past me and my young double.

    He turned to one of the others and said, 'I knew we were the Autonomous Assault Ark and all, but when did we turn into Noah's Ark?'. My wife was the first to chuckle. After she explained it to me, I followed her soon after. It was a nice little moment of levity before we have to go and save the world again.

    - From the personal journal of Captain Shinji Ikari-Soryu

    AAA Wunder, May 10th, 2028

    It felt somewhat strange to be in the air again, Daniel mused as he awoke in the now far more cramped space of his bunk on the Wunder. But the feeling, he knew, was a passing one, the reaction to any major change. It was tempered by the sense of… duty that was becoming endemic aboard the ship.

    "Hello, dear."

    Daniel looked up, seeing Eleanor peeking over the edge of her top bunk at him, the smile he couldn't see evident in her eyes as he smiled back at her. "You know, we could easily go to the Val, continue actually sleeping in the same bed."

    "There'll be time for that." Eleanor rolled her eyes. "I don't get to do this often enough anymore."

    Daniel chuckled as he rolled off his bunk and began to get dressed for the day, Eleanor following suit soon enough.

    "So," Daniel began, "it's back to Evangelion maintenance if I believe rightly."

    "The crew here could use all the help we can give them." Eleanor shrugged. "Now, though, it's going to be a hell of a lot easier now that we don't need to conceal our powers. We'll be able to do an exponential amount of work in a lot less time."

    "And here I was," Asuka interjected as she parted the curtain between them, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "perfectly ready to kick up my feet and rest up in order to kick some ass."

    "Oh, don't worry," Daniel said with a slight grin. "There'll be plenty of time in the day after we finish getting the Evas ready."

    "Even with our abilities," Rei said as she stepped forward, concern creasing her expression, "I would caution against being so cavalier, as it were. The Scion fleet may well take interest in assisting Tavis in his endeavor to suborn Instrumentality."

    "You're not wrong." Shinji mused. "For as many good Evas as we have, not only do the Scions and NERV's forces outnumber us, but I'm guessing most ships carry a lot more guns than we do."

    "So the question becomes then," Kaworu said, "of how we negate that advantage."

    "Well…" Daniel began.

    He was interrupted by a tapping on the door, one from what sounded like knee height, followed by a somewhat louder knock from above it.

    "It's open," Eleanor said. "And we're decent," she added almost as an afterthought.

    The door slid open, revealing Misato, their Misato, and a somewhat surprising companion who waddled in without waiting for her.

    "Hey, Penpen," Asuka said, her brows raised ever so slightly. "When did you make it onto the ship?"

    "Around while you all were yakking on the dock." the penguin replied somewhat smugly. "Misato here guided me to her quarters while most of the crew was still out doing their jobs and all that. It really was a stunning act of infiltration."

    "Yeah, yeah." Misato chuckled. "Are you guys ready to do some sitting down and talking? Because if I'm right about the Captain, and I think I mostly am, I've probably got some ideas already."

    "How astute," Daniel said with a wry grin. "We've probably got a few more things to be worrying about before then. Captain Katsuragi planned to release the gene and seed banks into orbit to keep them safe, just in case. More likely than not, we'll be planning things from orbit."

    "Well, at least that's something that's going to look interesting," Penpen said, turning and beginning to waddle out of the bunk room. "I didn't catch the view coming in. Still getting used to really big heights, y'know?"

    Daniel looked at the others as Misato followed her penguin out the door, an amused look on his face as he followed her out, the rest of the room following suit.

    "So," he said with an air of exaggerated innocence, "have you tried the bridge yet? It's got plenty of windows, several at Penpen's height."

    "Not yet," Misato admitted. "We've mostly been focused on settling in."

    She shook her head slightly. "These are tight quarters. And I have to wonder why the partitions for the bathrooms look like the crew put them up as an afterthought. It feels so… slapdash, in some places."

    "That's because it is, and they did," Eleanor said, pausing to look back at Rei as Misato regarded her for a moment.

    "This ship was built to be crewed by hundreds of copies, possibly thousands, of the Ayanami line," Rei said simply.

    Misato's eyes went wide. "That's… a lot of you, Rei."

    "Yes, it is." Rei paused as they walked further. "I believe we're approaching the bridge now."

    "If we get there soon," Daniel said, "we should be able to watch the transition from atmosphere to vacuum. That's a sight that never gets old."

    It was silent for a moment before Daniel looked down at Penpen, a gleam in his eye beginning to twinkle. "Say, you haven't run into Captain Katsuragi yet, have you?"

    "Nope," Penpen replied. "She's probably been busy corralling this crew, and I've been trying to avoid those big white monsters. Nasty-looking things, even with all that paint."

    Daniel and Misato looked at each other with slowly growing conspiratorial grins. "Well, let's hope she's there," Misato said. "I'm sure she's missed having you around."

    . . .

    Ymris waited in her quarters expectantly, Eleanor's device set up and waiting for them as she prepared herself for what was to come.

    Finally, the door opened, and Daniel and Eleanor walked in. As they took their seats, Ymris couldn't help but study their faces for a moment. Their eyes were rimmed with drying tears, and their lips twitched upward every few seconds.

    "Hello," she said slowly. "Am I to expect that I… missed something?"

    Daniel and Eleanor both grinned as they looked at each other, then looked at her. "Y'know what?" Daniel said. "We'll just show you."

    Ymris blinked, and she was walking onto the bridge, watching through Daniel's eyes as he and several others, their world's Misato among them, entered the familiar space. She could feel from Daniel a sense of… expectation. Daniel glanced down, and she caught sight of a penguin, like the kind that now populated the warm waters of Village-3.

    "Mr. Theisman." Captain Katsuragi said from above them. "I assume there's a reason for bringing so many people onto the bridge."

    "Just looking to watch the view when we break through the atmosphere," Daniel replied. "Most of us toil down in the depths of the ship after all, and don't get to see such a sight, after all."

    Katsuragi nodded slightly, her eyes, like the rest of the bridge, which included Commander Kaji, slowly coming to rest on the penguin that waddled up to the lowest window possible and watched the sky fade from blue to black. "I wasn't aware one of the penguins followed you onboard," Katsuragi said sternly. "We'll need to keep it out of the way so that we can work effectively."

    Then, the moment of truth, as the penguin turned around and looked up at the Captain.

    "Aw, come on now. You'd really do that to your old buddy? Life really has been tough on ya, huh?"

    The look on the Captain's face, unique in its shock even as the rest of the bridge fell silent, was only compounded when Misato spoke up. "Oh, come on, Penpen. Be nice," she said with a slight smile. "It's been a while since she saw you specifically, I'm sure."

    The memory faded, and Ymris saw Daniel and Eleanor chuckling again even as she smiled, the pair leaning up against each other almost drunkenly. "It's probably the funniest thing we've ever seen in this world," Eleanor said. "And with how depressing everything's been, we'll take what we can get."

    It took the couple a few moments to get themselves under control again, Daniel breathing deeply as he wiped his eyes clean again. "So, now that we've shared that happy little memory with you, I can assume why you called us here."

    Ymris nodded, her smile fading. "Yes. I managed to get in contact with Receptorist Jameson. He's ready to talk to us now."

    Daniel looked over at the comms device. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road."

    He stood, walked over to the machine, and activated it before stepping back and sitting down again. After a moment, the image of Receptorist Jameson, his head bald and his beard longer as his gray eyes swept over them in turn. "It is a pleasure to see you all again, outside of such trying circumstances as our last meeting."

    "It's good to see you too," Ymris replied. "Have you given some thought to my questions?"

    Jameson nodded. "I have. It's a part of my past I have little desire to relive. But if young Farhaven has truly decided to merge with the Guide of War… then I have little choice in the matter than to go ahead with our plans."

    "Whatever you can give us, we'll take," Daniel said. "If you don't have much to divulge, I understand. That sort of memory weighs on you, regardless of when you think of it."

    Jameson shook his head. "No. You must understand what I've kept secret all these centuries. What I've been trying to accomplish since the Unity War ended."

    It was silent for a moment, then Jameson began. "I was there, at the founding of our first religion dedicated to the Guides. Though, they weren't the Guides then. They call themselves the Marasekari, the Composite in their language. It started largely peacefully. There were few of us at first, the lost looking for a path to follow. The Composite were willing to work with us to find a path, and perhaps find themselves in the process. They were a young race. Still finding themselves."

    "In time, the Composite, who had become our guides, decided that their nature was a strength. A strength that could be shared to bind Reality together against something that the Composite were afraid of. What it might have been, they never divulged. We acted as their representatives, their prophets in a sense, being physical beings where they were Pneumaic. I don't even recall who decided to make our work a religious one. I followed it wholeheartedly, believing in the justness of our cause. That, I think, was our first mistake."

    It was silent for a moment, then he continued. "The Guides, as we came to call them, took worship in stride. Some of them simply acted out the part for our benefit, fully aware that it was little more than a marketing strategy for some. But some… some seemed to take a distinct pleasure in the supplication."

    "So, our beliefs, the idea that the Guides are gods…" Ymris began. "It's all a lie?"

    "Not fully," Jameson said. "These beings are, in their realm, on par with most gods in other worlds. But they cannot manifest much more than a sliver of their power in the physical world. They need us to act on their behalf here. There is some truth to what we teach. The religion we wrapped around them was simply a means to an end."

    "But the fact remains," Jameson continued after a moment, "most all of the Guides were decent beings, who wanted to leave a positive impact on the world. At least, until about 8 years ago."

    Daniel's face fell, and he felt as though he knew exactly what Jameson was going to talk about.

    "I was inducted, well before that time, into a group that called themselves the Literalists. They believed, as most inducted during the war did, that the unity of Reality that the Guides strove for was not simply metaphorical, but an actual gathering of all World Engines, all multiverses, into a single, cohesive Universe. Not only did we have a small, but dedicated cadre of people, we had a prominent Guide on our side. The one that would betray its own kind."

    "Hamar'ramah," Daniel said quietly.

    Jameson nodded. "When the time was right, the Guide that styled himself as the Guide of War, along with several dozen acolytes on both sides of Physicality, sealed the other Guides in a pocket of Pneumaity, channeling their power into himself. It is my greatest mistake that I did not walk away and warn others of what was to come from the sudden silence of their gods."

    "So, if the other Composites, Guides, whatever they wish to call themselves, can be sealed in," Eleanor surmised, "then there's a way to break that seal, I would think."

    "I've spent the years after the war in one Echo or another, gathering like-minded followers and information specifically to attempt it," Jameson said. "We've made some remarkable progress in Reality-based time, but there's always been one component missing; a way to reach Hamar'ramah and break the seal."

    "I would assume he guards it in some capacity?" Ymris asked.

    "In the ritual I participated in, we bound the seal deep within the Framework of the Guide's Spirit core." Jameson shook his head. "It's been the ultimate security, only ever challenged once before now."

    "When I was freed at Tel," Daniel said, his expression distant.

    Jameson nodded. "That was the first chance anyone had. Now that Hamar'ramah's inhabiting Tavis, we are likely as close as we're going to get."

    "So, does that mean you're coming?" Eleanor said.

    "I'm the only one who'd be willing to divulge the secret of how to unravel the seal." Jameson shrugged. "I can't promise a whole fleet, but I have a few friends in the area I can get here relatively soon, enough to tip the scales in our favor if you have enough people on your side, Ymris."

    "You'll need to be ready to potentially contend with a whole Revival fleet." Ymris cautioned. "From what I can tell, there's a sizable amount of ships likely getting ready to descend on the Impact ritual about to happen soon."

    "Unless you yourselves have a fleet in store, that's going to make things exceedingly difficult." Jameson mused.

    "You might not need to worry about them."

    All eyes turned to Daniel, a gleam in his eyes as he sat up a little straighter. "From what we can tell, the majority of the ritual is going to take place in an Interstitial Realm, at least of some sort. You could likely access it using a Dip Drive. Most of the ships are likely going to be focused on the battle occurring Physical-side. You might even be able to remain undetected while you work."

    "It's as good an idea as any we've come up with." Jameson paused. "Indeed, it might even make the difference between victory and defeat."

    Jameson nodded once firmly. "I'll go ahead and make my preparations with all due haste. With this chance that we have, we'll be at your Echo within your next two days, at the very least."

    "You'll need to be not much slower than that," Eleanor warned. "More likely than not, the ritual we mentioned will be occurring within the next several days."

    "We will make it work. The fate of Reality itself dictates that we must." Jameson swept his gaze around the trio once again. "Hopefully, when this ends well, you all can give me an old man's due and show me what you've worked so hard to defend. Good luck."

    With that, his image blurred and then vanished. The trio looked at each other, an expectancy having filled the air of the room. "Of all the feelings I've ever had about facing Hamar'ramah," Daniel said quietly, "this is probably the most novel one."

    . . .

    Daniel looked at the comms transmitter, Ymris having left to go and attend to WILLE's Evas, and pondered the question he was about to ask.

    It was a lot to ask, and he knew it. But it had been a fair amount of time since he'd last been updated on things back home. Who knew who'd be available for what was to come?

    "All set, dear. Makoto should answer almost instantly." Eleanor said, finishing with her tuning of the transmitter and stepping back. "Whatever you've got to say… I'm hoping it's something good."

    "It all hinges on the answer," Daniel said quietly as he began the call.

    It was silent for a few moments, then the head and shoulders of Makoto Hyuga, commander of HERZ, blurred into focus. "Hello, Daniel," Makoto said, smiling slightly. "Good to hear from you after all this time."

    "Feels good to be heard from." Daniel smiled in turn. "How are things at home?"

    "Pretty calm, all things considered. Any Evas that aren't on Rift duty or Kaiju watch are transitioning to assisting in civilian work. Right now, most of them are off on Venus, Luna, or Mars helping to set up colonizing efforts, while the Security Division's been training with the League Outriders."

    "But," Makoto said, his smile dimming slightly, "I doubt that you're just looking for an update."

    "On that, you're right," Daniel admitted with a sigh. "I'm here to ask for help. A lot of it."

    "What kind of help?" Makoto asked.

    "The Hollow Saint is here, and looking to complete what the Scion Revival attempted on our Echo. Not only that but he's backed up by a fleet and this world's version of the MP-Evas. And that's after the small fleet and Evangelions that Commander Ikari here has waiting for us. With that sort of force, even 14 Evangelions seems like it'd be a little lacking."

    "And with an Impact, even coming up a little short could be a recipe for disaster." Makoto grimaced. "How many are you going to need?"

    "As many as you can give me," Daniel replied. "We need the biggest advantage we can get."

    It was silent for a moment, a hand appearing to cup Makoto's chin thoughtfully. "I think Adira, Shigeru, and I can bend a few ears. Most of the pilots here are still quite fond of you, and I can at least get Captain Vincennes and her assigned cohort to you."

    He paused for a moment. "If I can, I'll try and convince the Commonwealth System Military board to send you the pilots on the Abjurant."

    "I didn't know the Commonwealth had a navy now. Whatever the ship, that's a quick turnaround time for a ship of any decent quality."

    "The Commonwealth bought it from the Worldstriders Seabreaker Corps on the condition that no one nation be in control of the ship. So, the nations and the Commonwealth decided that the Commonwealth would be in charge of off-world development and space-based military while the nations would provide colonists, companies, and ground forces to inhabit those worlds."

    "I'm familiar with the concept of the system," Daniel replied.

    "Even still," Eleanor interjected, "depending on the Seabreaker's class, that's going to cost a pretty penny."

    "We got a pretty good deal from Sovereign Chandra." Makoto's smile became somewhat wry. "She bemoaned the state of the Worldstriders most of the time, but she was happy to help us out."

    "What class is it?" Eleanor asked. "Depending on how big it is, it might be worth not having every Eva on deck."

    "It's a cruiser, from what Sovereign Chandra told us. About 650 meters long, with a trainer crew to get us up to speed. I believe it's part of the…"

    Makoto paused, looking down at the clear pad he was calling from as his brow furrowed in concentration. "Saber Gale class."

    Eleanor's brow furrowed in confusion. "They're getting rid of Saber Gales? They only introduced that class just before the war. That's as close to a brand new ship as Tel has in that class."

    "That's part of what Chandra was complaining about," Makoto said. "As far as she can tell, the Worldstrider Corps is being gutted for the sake of maintaining peace. With what we've been dealing with, she figures it's a mistake."

    "I'd agree with her," Daniel said. "I haven't exactly been kept in the loop with things back on Tel; frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if I'm a persona non grata. But what I've heard from her worries me, especially now."

    It was silent for a moment before Makoto shook his head. "Either way, I think something like this impacts us enough to make it so the Abjurant will be there."

    "It'll probably be about on par with most of what we're facing," Daniel replied. "We won't keep you from getting to what you need to do."

    Makoto nodded. "We'll get you whoever we can. I promise. I'll send you the current makeup of our Piloting Division, and let you know who else I can get."

    With that, Makoto fuzzed out of sight, and Daniel sighed as he stood. In a moment, his pocket buzzed, and he pulled out his clear pad to see Makoto's message.

    'Since you all left, we've been pulling national pilots in a rotation. Right now, having permanently gotten Captain Vincennes, we currently have a team of six under her command, with N'kani Okamah-Mordi, Sauli Koskinen, Brynne Cavey, Yasir Sultan, Arantxa Etxebarria, and Floro Rodriguez. They'll be there if nothing else.'

    They were familiar with most of the names on the list, though one stuck out to them in particular. "Is that who the Army Eva Corps chose to replace Marie with?" Eleanor mused as they focused on Mrs. Cavey's name.

    "Maybe so." Daniel shrugged. "Whatever else, we'll take all the help we can get."

    . . .

    Vice-Captain Akagi, her double at her side, moved among the consoles of the massive, white room of one of the Ark Vaults with practiced ease, preparing each specimen for long-term storage and orbit above Village-3.

    Ritsuko moved with her, somewhat slower due to both a relative inexperience with the systems before her and wonderment at the sight around her. "How did all these systems get installed under NERV's nose?" she said quietly, her voice echoing somewhat in the massive space. "And how did such a comprehensive catalog of plant seeds and animal DNA survive the decades?"

    "As far as we can tell," Akagi replied as they finished preparations on the second to last Vault, "these started life as emergency stores constructed by the IPEA. It seems they had at least a scant idea of what Instrumentality might entail. After Near-Third Impact, I suspect Commander Nagisa found and repurposed them into these Vaults before shifting them to the Wunder."

    "An impressive feat for all of two people," Ritsuko said as they rode the platform down to the door. "And they've just been ready to go into orbit all this time?"

    "We put the AT Kite orbital attachments in place as a precaution, just in case we were to ever go into a situation where we absolutely could not guarantee the survival of the ship," Akagi replied as they began to walk. "We could flip and burn for orbit, prep the Vaults quickly, and eject them to keep them safe from whatever happened to us."

    "Like turning the ship into a Spear to help stop the next Impact event." Ritsuko surmised.

    "Just so."

    They continued down the hall, slowing to a stop in front of the door as they found Commander Kaji standing there as well.

    The man looked back at them. "It's never not going to be weird to see a mirror image of you, Ritsuko," he said with a slight grin. "How are preparations going?"

    "This is the last Vault I wanted to prepare," Akagi replied. "I'm sure you've found out why."

    Kaji nodded. "Well, I guess there's no helping it now." he stepped aside from the door. "After you, ladies."

    Akagi wasted no time opening the door, taking a second to adjust to the sterile white glare before she called the platform down to them. Whether she was here or not, they'd need to set up

    "What makes this room stand out?" Ritsuko said quietly, looking up at the descending platform, then past it, her eyes narrowing as she caught a glimpse of something above them. Someone.

    They stepped onto the platform and ascended in relative silence, and the only sound that broke over the hum of the air conditioning was the whir of the platform leading them up, slowly rotating as it did.

    Finally, they slowed to a stop, Ritsuko finally understanding as she saw the two women standing in front of a particular case. That of Citrullus lanatus. The watermelon.

    Both Misatos looked back at the small group, Captain Katsuragi's eyes widening slightly as she saw Kaji with them before she deflated slightly with a sigh. "I wondered how long it was going to take for you to find me here."

    "Hell of a place to get away from things. Barely anyone would disturb you here." Kaji said as he stepped into the large cubby that held the container, standing between both Misatos. "What were you talking about?"

    Katsuragi looked at the container again. "The past. Mistakes. Making up for what you can. Moving on from what you can't. Everything else in between."

    She paused for a moment, looking between Kaji and the container. "I never could have guessed I'd be able to actually talk with myself about it. At least, without feeling like I'm insane."

    Misato smiled slightly. "Just getting it out regardless helps. Doesn't matter if you do it in front of a mirror at first."

    Misato paused, looking back at the container. "It's strange, really. Almost all life on earth, the hope of rebuilding, contained in a little over two and a half thousand containers like this."

    "I wish I could take a few seeds out of this one," Kaji said, looking over at Katsuragi. "Make a little promise to you that when this is over, we could go home to our son, plant a little patch, and grow old and happy together farming."

    Katsuragi smiled slightly. "You're such a dreamer, Ryoji."

    Kaji smiled. "I aim to please." he paused as his smile dropped. "But I think it's time to say goodbye to this little hiding spot before it goes into orbit."

    Katsuragi nodded. "Here's hoping we can get them back."

    "Aren't they at risk of getting intercepted by the Scion fleet?" Ritsuko asked. "I'd hate to see all this hard work just go up in so much smoke."

    "I doubt it," Misato said quietly. "Village-3 is out of the way. Besides, all the action's going to be over Antarctica."

    Katsuragi clenched her hand. "With what's going to happen, I can guarantee it."

    They stepped onto the platform, Akagi beginning her preparations yet again as they began to ascend to the top of the massive Vault. "Well," she said with a wry smile, "I can't say 9 out of 10 Misato Katsuragis know when things are about to go crazy, but 2 for 2 is decent enough, I suppose."

    "And I'm sure that 10 out of 10 Misatos approve of having a crazy Idea of how to win by the skin of our teeth." Kaji rejoined, the room echoing softly with the group's chuckling.

    "What can I say?" Misato shrugged. "It's in our nature."

    She paused, the chuckling dying down as she looked around the room as they slowly began to descend again. "All this space being freed up. I wonder what it was before."

    "All four of these bays were to act as storage for Evangelions," Akagi replied. "The deployment doors underneath us were a natural fit for the Vaults."

    "Oh, good," Misato said nonchalantly. "I have someplace to put my Frame Plug."

    It took a second for Katsuragi, Akagi, and Kaji to fully process what Misato had just said, their eyes widening as they all turned to Misato. "You have… an Evangelion?" Katsuragi asked, her voice barely above a strangled whisper.

    "You always wanted to know what Shinji and the others went through saving the world," Misato answered quietly. "Now, I have a way to keep them safe if they need me to. Seeing as I'm not Commander at NERV or HERZ anymore, I had one commissioned for me when I joined GEIST."

    "But doesn't it require another soul in order to pilot?" Akagi asked. "Or…"

    "Interfacing fixed that problem," Ritsuko replied. "Now, not only can anyone pilot it, we don't have to commit crimes against humanity to build one."

    "Including yours, right Ritsky?" Misato said with a slight grin.

    "Ritsuko nodded. "Indeed." she said as they made it to the floor of the Vault, "When we're likely going to be traveling as we have so far, and with what's out there in the rest of Reality, it never hurts to have a magical giant in your back pocket."

    "Ritsuko…" Kaji said. "I thought you were a scientist, not a soldier."

    "I'm a field scientist these days, Kaji," Ritsuko replied. "Like I said, a little protection goes a long way."

    Akagi shook her head slightly as they finally reached the bottom. "Well, either way, the automated readiness process should start up as soon as we leave the room. We'll be ready to launch all of the Vaults within the hour."

    . . .

    Rei Ayanami was comfortable in the presence of her friends as they chatted with her and each other. She walked down the hallway with them, where to it did not matter particularly much, patiently replying and asking questions about Shinji and Asuka's time in Village-3.

    It seemed like such a peaceful place, open and beautiful compared to the close, mechanical confines of the Wunder. It sounded almost like the beach in Borneo that Shinji had described to her all that time ago.

    It was not the only conversation she was privy to, however. In the back of her mind, the ship itself hummed, speaking to her in a way only she could understand. It understood far more than most could recognize, see through the seemingly invisible eyes of the White Cells. It, like they were, was anxious for what was to come.

    It felt at once strange and completely natural to have such an attunement to a vessel outside of the Eva. The feeling almost made her miss the pairs of Misatos, Ritsuko, and Commander Kaji passing them in the hallway, absorbed in a conversation of their own.

    "The largest concern I still have is our lack of Plugsuits." Vice-Captain Akagi said with a sigh. "Forget what we were going into over Paris, the epicenter of Second Impact is still dangerous to people even decades on. If we lose our AT Field even for a moment, we might lose the entire crew, and whatever plan we might have will have been utterly kneecapped."

    As the two groups passed each other in the hallway, Shinji looked over at Asuka as their group remained silent at the news. "Well, I hope we can keep the ship safe enough that the crew won't risk what Vice-Captain Akagi was talking about."

    "The others should be able to keep that from happening," Asuka said as confidently as she could. "Our job is probably going to be stopping your father."

    Rei was silent as she heard the ship whisper wordlessly to her, understanding filling her mind as she paused in the hallway, the others slowing to a stop around her. "Something up, bluebird?" Mari said, stating clearly the confusion that was on Shinji and Asuka's faces.

    "Excuse me for a moment. I have to speak with the Vice-Captain."

    With that, she turned and walked briskly down the hall after the woman in question. She could hear the others following her after a moment, murmuring between themselves as they tried to figure out what she already knew.

    It took several moments, but the adults came back into sight, the other world's Katsuragi looking back and spotting them, making sure the others noticed her as she slowed to a stop in front of them. "What's up, Rei?" the other Misato asked.

    "I overheard your problem when we passed you in the hallway. I may have a solution for you. Follow me."

    With that, she followed the directions the ship gave her, doing her best to filter out the clearly confused, rather curious conversation behind her as she wove her way through the halls, slowly growing more cognizant of what, exactly, the ship was leading her to.

    They entered the engineering section after a long ride on the spinal tramway, passing both Major Ibuki and Eleanor as they came to a stop in front of a door, one that had collected no small amount of dust.

    "What part of the ship is this, Senpai?" Ibuki asked the Vice-Captain.

    Akagi shook her head slightly. "I don't remember off the top of my head. But we've never really managed to get it working after all this time, so we sealed it off." she paused after a moment. "But I can hear something working in there. What is it?"

    Rei stepped forward, opening the door with no small amount of effort, the door swinging open after a few moments. The muffled hum became an industrial noise, the group making their way in somewhat slowly down a long walkway as machines surrounded them, closed off for the most part, making their operation and their function a mystery to most.

    Rei walked to the back of the room, to a massive cylinder that everything seemed to be flowing into at the top. Rei stepped to the controls, letting the ship guide her hands as the cylinder thrummed to life, and two doors to the sides of the console opened up.

    The gathered group's eyes went wide as racks of hanging Plugsuits, simple gray things with thick orange bars on the shoulders and on the soles of the feet, scrolled past them. The Vice-Captain walked forward, picking up one of the suits and studying the clear red hemisphere on the chest before turning it over and seeing the print on the inside of the collar.

    "Elise Jackson," she said quietly, her brow furrowing before her eyes went wide, handing the suit off absentmindedly to Ritsuko as she picked up another, then another. "They're all made for specific crewmembers. How…"

    "I believe the ship has its ways of ascertaining our measurements and has been doing so since you acquired it." Rei paused as her brow furrowed. "I believe the suits are made through a process of LCL synthesis."

    "Amazing," Ibuki said. "We actually have a uniform."

    "And we're going to implement it quickly." Captain Katsuragi said. "With where we're going, an extra layer of protection is going to be vital."

    . . .

    The mess hall nearest to the bridge was full now, several tables, with the help of Interfacing and bending, brought together to form a long, nearly unbroken stream, along which sat as many people important to planning out what came next as could fit.

    The adults at the table were numerous, the command staff of the Wunder joined by those of GEIST. They sat mostly around each other, Misato and Ryoji on one side and Ritsuko and Maya Akagi sitting next to Hideki and Sumire.

    The children that were there, though smaller in number, were no less important. Shinji Ikari sat next to Captain Katsuragi, Asuka Shikinami-Langley and Bradley next to him. Across from them, Rei Ayanami, Mari Makinami, and Kaworu Nagisa sat with Vice-Captain Akagi. Even Penpen sat next to Misato, standing on his chair and just barely cresting the tabletop with his head.

    The room, for the most part, had fallen silent, expectation filling the room. Finally, Daniel broke the silence, sweeping his gaze around the gathered group. "Well, here we are. A parliament of dreamers, one and all. Double the damn trouble." he smiled slightly for a moment. "And it looks like we're going to need all the trouble we can get."

    "So it seems, Mr. Theisman," Kaji said. "So, first things first, what do you guys know about what comes next?"

    Daniel and Eleanor looked at each other, looking at the other members of GEIST before Eleanor spoke. "I don't think whatever we have to say can cover what's about to come fully. We've deviated so far from the course of things as we've seen them that we can only give you shreds, pieces of events that might come to pass."

    "To say nothing of the fact that we'll be facing far more than whatever media that depicts our situation might have us expect," Akagi said darkly.

    "So, what can you tell us then?" Katsuragi said. "We've got 3 days to plan around whatever might happen at the rate the Black Moon is moving."

    Daniel and Eleanor again looked at each other, silently mulling over what they should reveal. "For one," Daniel began, "we're already ahead in some aspects. For one, Shinji isn't locked up. Which is vitally important."

    "And…" Ibuki said slowly. "Why is that?"

    Daniel grimaced slightly. This was going to be… interesting. "Because in order to stop the final Impact, Shinji Ikari must pilot Unit-01 to stand against his father."

    A gasp went up among most of the WILLE portion of the table, looks of shock, disbelief, and anger flashing across most of the table. Daniel hated most that he watched Shinji Ikari, a look of regret and defeat on his face, begin to hunch in on himself.

    Even Sakura, who had stared down the others who had given the boy sideways glances, started to bow her head. "Surely, there's another way that doesn't involve as much risk?" she said dejectedly.

    "I'm sorry, sis." Toji piped up with a shrug. "We're not exactly in the business of low-risk. We're going to have to trust Shinji on this one."

    "He's nearly ended the world twice before," Akagi said with a hard gaze aimed at Daniel. "You have a cadre of trained pilots. Why not assign one of them to take on Commander Ikari?"

    "Are you putting my training of young Shinji during our time in Village-3 into question, Vice-Captain?" Daniel said coolly, a brow arched. "If Unit-01 and Shinji Ikari are necessary to ensure the safety of the world, do you at least trust that I'm acting in my best judgment?"

    It was silent for long moments, tense and heavy things that came and went with little fanfare, but much presence. Finally, Akagi shook her head. "This is hopeless," she muttered softly, likely to herself.

    But Daniel caught it. "Hopeless, Ritsuko Akagi?" he said softly. His words were almost missed, but in moments, all eyes were on him as he decided to continue.

    "That's an awfully strong word for our situation. I know what hopelessness looks like, and it is far and away from this."

    Katsuragi arched her brow. "And what might that be to you, Mr. Theisman?" she asked quietly.

    Daniel's jaw set for a moment. He always hated thinking about this, let alone describing it. But the members of WILLE needed his perspective.

    "Hopelessness," Daniel began, cold fire in his eyes, "looks like emerging from the depths of hell by the skin of your teeth to find worlds, entire solar systems, penning their suicide notes, the words inked in the blood that would flow on those worlds and phrased with the resignation that whatever came in the days, weeks, months, or decades, their only major choice was on how to die."

    Daniel continued on, even past the memories, past the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "Hopelessness is cursing whatever gods dictate reality that you're the last man alive on your squadron, because at least the lucky dead would not feel their flesh consumed or ripped from their bodies, their carcasses given in obeisance to laughing, inhuman gods."

    A tear, singular in its sorrow, flowed down his cheek as he remembered the eyes that stared back at him from this world, questioning, accusing. "You can't know hopelessness until you've lost everything, buried yourselves under the broken, bleeding bodies of your comrades as you hear one of your soldiers whisper, as loudly as she dared, a prayer to a dying being that your very breathing won't give you away. You can never truly know death until it becomes your life, omnipotent, all-consuming, infinitely patient and creative in the ways it tries to take you."

    It was silent as Daniel wiped his cheek. "That is hopelessness, Ritsuko. Here, there. Is. Hope. There is hope… in Shinji Ikari."

    The silence remained for a moment before Daniel shook his head. "But I digress, heavily. In all frankness, Commander Ikari cannot be stopped by force of arms alone. He must stand before his son and realize the futility of his efforts. Not even himself, or another version of Shinji can make such a thing possible. Only this one can."

    He looked at young Shinji, who sat straight in his chair now. The uncertainty hadn't left his eyes, but his expression was stoic, determined even. "That is the fate of Shinji Ikari in this world, it seems. To stand against the sins of his father and all those that came before him."

    "But that's only one portion of it, right?" young Shinji asked quietly.

    Daniel nodded. "Yes. Your assistance will be needed towards the end of this operation. Once your father has decided to try and take Unit-01 for his own."

    "Does that mean that the Override Plug will fail?" Ibuki said, her eyes wide.

    "From what we've seen, yes," Eleanor said. "As far as we can tell, Commander Ikari is going to consume Unit-02, and Bardiel with it, to fully open the gates to a realm known as the 'Minus Space', what we call an Interstitial Realm, between the physical and the mental. It's there that Instrumentality is decided or not. Our best shot is to have someone there who can wrest the levers of ending the world away from the commander at the right moment. That would be Shinji's task here."

    "That's assuming we let him take Unit-01 in the first place," Kaji said. "After all, the ship kind of needs Unit-01 to function, right?"

    Daniel was silent, turning his gaze to Kensuke, who seemed rather expectant now. "Would you illuminate for our WILLE compatriots what the Val has been picking up from Antarctica?"

    Kensuke nodded, pulling out his clear pad and stretching it out somewhat. "From what we've been able to tell, after Second Impact here, there was a barrier of some kind instituted over the initial area, how we don't know. This is likely what led the area to become a High Metos Density area, with reality in the area becoming… malleable, so to speak. Interfacing will be markedly more effective, and AT Fields will be commensurately stronger, at least until the deployment of an Anti-AT Field."

    "So," Hideki Tama said quietly, somewhat incredulously, "what you're saying is that if we wish hard enough for the ship to stay airborne…"

    "Then it will do so, in a simple manner of understanding," Daniel said assuringly. "Our greatest focus, for the moment, should be on getting the right players into the right positions. Which means, in some fashion, giving Commander Ikari what he wants."

    "Alright," Bradley interjected, leaning on the table. "So what's the catch? I've seen enough tactical and strategic sims to know there's always one of those in that."

    Daniel smiled slightly. "As far as we can tell, Ms. Bradley, in the coming days you will be decanted from your current tube of LCL and called upon to pilot Unit-13. It's a dual-synch system, and with Commander Ikari piloting it somehow, you'll need to complete the circuit, as it were."

    Daniel shifted his gaze to Shikinami Langley. "Which is where you come in. Bradley will be in a unique position to draw you into Unit-13, soul first, as Bardiel is consumed. Once Unit-13 has entered the Minus Space, one of us will be along to pull you out of the Eva."

    "This raises an important consideration." Rei Ayanami said softly. "As far as Commander Ikari may be aware, I am still interred within Unit-01. I will likely need to return to Unit-01's core to maintain the illusion."

    Daniel nodded. "We'll both return you to the core and get you out on the other side. At least, once we've dealt with the Hollow Saint and his forces."

    "Which brings us to the elephant in the room," Misato said. "What are we looking at in terms of enemy strength?"

    "The Hollow Saint is in possession of the 12 Herald Units of this world, roughly analogous to our world's Mass-Production Evas." Ymris began. "Alongside that, he's at least nominally in command of a Seabreaker fleet composed of around 35 vessels, likely of various classes and types. Likely it's composed mainly of military vessels, though it wouldn't surprise me to see converted cargo vessels or Q-ships that managed to go under the radar after the war."

    "That's… a lot of ships to try and deal with," Kaji said, shaking his head slowly. "Somehow, I don't think we're going to get through all that and do whatever we're trying to do with this whole artificial Spear thing."

    "Well," Penpen piped up, still managing to slightly startle the WILLE members, "why not just get more Evas, then? We've got plenty back at home."

    Katsuragi regarded Misato, Eleanor, and Daniel in turn. "You didn't bring all of your Evangelions with you?" she asked incredulously. "What kind of problems are you dealing with at home?"

    "That can be talked about later," Daniel replied. "As it stands, I've already talked with our commander at HERZ. At the very least, I can promise that we'll get one more Seabreaker, a damn fine one at that, and 7 more pilots and their Evas. I can't promise any more than that at the moment."

    "Even still, that seems like so little…" Sumire said.

    "If it can get the ship to where it needs to go," Akagi said, "then it will be enough."

    "And what, exactly, does that mean?" Katsuragi asked.

    "This vessel is built around an artificial Spear." Akagi began. "And as we've come to find out, the Spear is sentient, if not fully sapient. This means that, like the two Spears that were held within Terminal Dogma, it is capable of changing its properties."

    "Interesting," Kaji said, cupping a chin with a trimmed beard in thought. "How extensive is the change? After all, it doesn't seem like the two Spears we've encountered before could do something much different than they already do."

    "I don't know the full extent of it," Akagi admitted. "The fact of the matter is that while this Vessel's Spear is similar to what data we have on the Spears of Longinus and Cassius, there are enough differences in the makeup of the Spear we possess to allow us to enact a rather radical change."

    "A Spear made by human hands." Katsuragi mused. "But how would we use it?"

    "From what we've seen," Eleanor said after a moment of silence, "it would have to be delivered to Shinji, or whoever is within the Minus Space, to be at its most effective."

    "Then we'll need to prepare the ship and be ready to evacuate it at the last possible moment," Kaji said. "As gung-ho as I'm sure we all are about stopping the end of the world, I don't think any of us are going to go so far as to sacrifice ourselves, right?"

    The silence that came afterward, the glances that darted between Daniel and Eleanor, eventually aimed at Katsuragi, spoke volumes.

    "We hope we don't need to get to that point, with the preparations that we're about to make," Daniel said. "Hopefully, barring anything coming at you from the Hollow Saint himself, you should be able to deliver the Spear to Minus Space without much trouble."

    "How much should we be worried about this Hollow Saint's interference?" Akagi asked. "I've heard things here and there from our brief stay in Village-3, but little more than that."

    Daniel's expression hardened. "He is, unequivocally at this point, a god. A nascent one still getting used to his physical shell, but that process is a quick one for the willing. Commander Ikari attempts to end the world as a desperate play to return his wife to him. The Hollow Saint succeeds in snuffing out whole universes as a matter of course."

    It was a dreadful silence that fell over all of them as Daniel continued. "The only people who are going to engage him are myself, Eleanor, and those I pick to go with me. No one else will stand even a shadow of a chance against him. Not even we can for too long."

    "Then how is he going to be stopped?" Ibuki said in obvious, growing alarm. "If you can't kill him, what will?"

    "A plan that I hope will work," Daniel said, looking over at Ymris. "Care to explain?"

    Ymris nodded, sweeping her gaze to the members of WILLE. "The being that has possessed a man by the name of Tavis Farhaven gains its power from a pocket dimension within which resides the rest of its race, feeding the power of their souls to him in order to amplify his might. My… contact has a plan to free these souls and rid the Guide of his powers. There's going to be at least one more ship coming. It may not be much, but it's a little more."

    "That's part of why we're going up against him and everyone else is deploying to stop the fleet or the other Evas. I'm most confident that we can hold the Guide back long enough for Ymris and her compatriots to neutralize that threat." Daniel paused for a moment. "Let's hope we have enough advantages on our side."

    It was silent again before Katsuagi nodded, sweeping her gaze across the table. "Alright. We've got the broad strokes of what we can expect."

    She paused as her gaze landed on Misato. "So let's come up with some Ideas, shall we?"

    . . .

    Daniel sat in his bunk room, back against the wall of his bunk as he tried to relax. It had been somewhat hard to focus after his little… declaration. But what he caught made him confident that they'd at least give the people that were planning to end the world as everyone here knew it a real taste of hell. At least, as confident as he could make himself in the leadup to facing Hamar'ramah.

    The bunk room was otherwise empty, Eleanor having taken the others to get some lunch in order for him to have a moment alone. He was grateful for her consideration, even if she didn't know the scale of what he grappled with yet.

    The door in front of him slid open, and Mariah, of all people, walked in. What surprised him even more was the utterly serious look on her face. "Hey, Daniel," she said quietly. "You doing okay?"

    Daniel opened his mouth, but nothing came to him for long moments. Mariah became somewhat anxious, taking a step back towards the door. "If it's not something you wanna talk about…"

    "No. No. I really should. Thank you, Mariah."

    Mariah nodded, walking over to one of the folding chairs and bringing it over to sit in front of him. "I had…" she began. "I had no idea you'd been that in it. I mean, I saw and talked to the Eldar diplomat that knew of you, but… I guess the reality of it hadn't sunk in yet."

    Daniel sighed. "It's… different when what you first saw as pieces of plastic and metal on a tabletop become your men. Living, breathing people under a terrible system. It took ages for me to even get all of the Ashdrakes to a point of 'doing decent things'. And that was after finding myself promoted through the sudden death of every officer before me."

    "But it worked out, right?" Mariah asked. "I mean, you had an Eldar talking to humans like they were equals. You're on good terms with a goddess. That… means something, right?"

    Daniel nodded slightly. "Well, it certainly got a lot easier once I somehow managed to convince the returned Primarchs of the complete insolubility of the Imperium as a concept. Though I wasn't sure if I was going to be much more than paste on the deck of the battleship we were on by the end of it. I almost was, at the beginning of my little… debate. To say nothing about how ticked off the Ecclesiarchy got when they finally caught wind of it."

    Mariah's eyes went wide. "You're kidding. The Primarchs? Coming back?"

    Daniel nodded, and Mariah leaned back. "I didn't even know they could do that," she said quietly.

    Daniel nodded again, and Mariah leaned forward. "So, who was there? What were they like?"

    "Well, Robute Guilliman was skeptical at first, but I think he appreciated the logic of my arguments, to some extent. He was the first to return and see what things had become. Lion El'Johnson, he was terrifically angry, going down to mullish. He might have run me through if Roboute wasn't there to keep him in check. And Rogal Dorn…"

    Daniel shook his head. "He was stoic. Silent. In the end, he simply nodded and said 'I see'. I wonder about him still, at times."

    Mariah chuckled. "Well, if you managed to pull a universe like theirs out of the gutter, at least somewhat. That's a feat in and of itself. You want to know what I think here? This is going to be downright easy in comparison."

    Daniel smiled slightly. "Thank you, Mariah. Though I can't exactly say I made that Echo all sunshine and roses. I left a galaxy that was still divided. There was hope, yes. A hope for, if not a perfect future, then at least a better one. Humanity was divided again, but with actual allies among the alien species, at least after a while, they had a chance."

    Mariah leaned back again in her chair. "Well, I hope they're doing well, then. Cause that's still miles better than what we both know it usually is."

    As Daniel stood, Mariah stood with him, a slight grin on her face. "Though you also sound like you have some pretty awesome war stories buried under all that."

    Daniel smiled slightly as they made their way out to the rest of the ship. "Oh, I have at least a few that I can tell without making anyone in the vicinity violently sick. At least, I think I do."

    . . .

    Deputy-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki watched the Gebet slowly slide closer to the Black Moon through a piece of the wall that had made itself transparent after he'd idly wished to see the ship on approach, looming over him as he waited patiently in the now uniformly black halls of the megastructure he floated over the Pacific Ocean in.

    A part of him was relieved to be put onto a vessel such as this, away from the commander. Even if it made it somewhat harder to collect information on what his next moves would be, the next stage of things was likely so obvious anyways as to make whatever other information he might have only somewhat useful at best. And there, at least, he could communicate more freely, even call Mari. It had been so long since he'd actually spoken to her, let alone face to face…

    The Gebet finally extended a docking tube, Fuyutsuki standing in front of the opening whose seams appeared as the tube made contact. He waited for the door to open, then blinked as it remained closed. Why would it…

    Then the door opened in front of him, revealing a sight that he was only slightly prepared to see. Looking passively back at him, dressed in a grey, featureless Plugsuit, was Rei Ayanami.

    'I thought that the only Ayanami types that we activated were the pilots of the Vessel Masters.' he mused through his shock.

    "Deputy-Commander," Ayanami said in a level, emotionless tone. "Please accompany me to the bridge."

    The Ayanami unit turned and began to walk away, Fuyutsuki walking quickly after her a moment later. "When…" Fuyutsuki began. "When were you activated?"

    The Ayanami unit was silent. "Do you have a… concept of time?" Fuyutsuki asked.

    "Yes."

    It was all he thought he'd get. 'Perhaps there's something of Ikari still left in that husk.' he wondered. 'He might have decided I needed an adjutant aboard the ship. If she's this quiet, however…'

    The door to the ship proper opened, and Fuyutsuki and Ayanami stepped through to see a group of 4 other Ayanamis walking down the hall towards, then past them.

    Fuyutsuki stood in shock, utter horror plastered across his face. 'I knew it could theoretically come to this. That we could use the Ayanami-type clones as a crew or an army. But to see it actually happen… to see the mirror of the woman Gendo loved replicated over and over, as little more than fodder…'

    "Deputy-Commander, please follow me to the bridge."

    Fuyutsuki followed more on instinct than anything else, watching the number of blue-haired, pale-skinned faces passing him, their red eyes empty of anything approaching emotion as they went about their tasks.

    "How many are on this ship?" Fuyutsuki asked in a daze as they stepped onto the bridge, over half a dozen Ayanami units sitting silently at their stations working.

    "The standard crew complement of the Heaven's Key-class Vessel is 1,582 for optimal operation, though the Vessel Master can assume remote control of the Vessel." the Ayanami unit he followed said.

    "And it's like this for… every ship?"

    "The standard crew complement of-"

    "I'll take that as a yes," Fuyutsuki interjected, putting a hand on the shoulder of the Ayanami unit he'd followed as he tried to gather his reeling thoughts for a moment. "Where… where are the… captain's quarters?"

    The Ayanami unit turned. "Please follow me."

    Fuyutsuki turned and followed the Ayanami Unit, appearing in front of what he assumed were the captain's quarters. "I will be on the bridge, and can be called should I be needed." the Ayanami unit said.

    With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Fuyutsuki to enter the room alone. It felt almost… liberating.

    It was a somewhat larger room than he'd expected, with what felt like a rather anachronistic plaque detailing the ship's keel-laying.

    Fuyutsuki barely noticed any more of it as he walked over to the small twin bed, sat on it, and buried his head in his hands, weeping for all that he'd lost.
     
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    • I think you posted the same chapter twice. As for what happened, the preparations are underway. While Wille has some idea of what will happen, I imagine there will be many differences.
     
    Well, Rebuild Mari does still hold some regard for her old sensei. He might not escape out of this scot-free (he still aided and abetted Gendo in the years up to Near-Third Impact and in the time before his defection), but his good deeds will at least be considered in his sentencing.
     
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