Ria paced at the edge of the line between the two cities, her feet stomping the warped pavement as she stared at the fortress buildings.
This was more than likely the result of that universe's Zeruel. They rebuilt this way because they feared them.
She turned away from the sight, staring at her left hand. She had regrown it, but it looked off; there were no crease lines in the palm yet and her fingerprints were jagged and strange. That might cause her complications.
She tentatively flexed it a few times. At least it moved normally.
"So... your grandmother is... a bit of an asshole," Ria turned to see Koda approaching.
"She's not my grandmother," Ria declared. "Not anymore, anyways," she added more quietly.
Seeing this alternate version of Kodama gave her considerably mixed feelings. She reminded Ria so much of the better days with Okito. And yet, he had hurt her so much she was scared to trust Koda. And then there was the Zeruel of her universe, someone who was seemingly just as bad as Ramiel if not worse. That ate at Ria.
"So, I'm curious. Who else did Leliel drag here?" Koda asked in a clear attempt to shift topics.
"Well, there's younger Shinji and Asuka. They're either from the past or a functionally identical alternate. Then there's Ayanami, who's from a similar but different universe. Plus their Evas," Ria answered.
Kodama nodded. "Ahh. Besides your Gaghiel we also got our own younger Asuka and Shinji. Though without the Evangelions. Well, I mean technically they do have them, but their EVAs were just personal weapons shaped by their own will. Which they used to fight people possessed by Angels while also attending a Catholic School where Misato taught."
Ria raised an eyebrow.
"I know, I know," Koda shrugged. "It's weird but they were pretty good at fighting Angels on the ground. And probably understand this whole Multiverse thing better than I do. Though that left me as the only one who could actually fight the others when they transformed. I mean Kyoko can help when they attacked near the ocean but otherwise she's kind of a sitting target. All she can do full-size on land is flop around."
"Yeah I haven't really fought at that level," Ria replied. "So far I've just beaten up Shamshel and got into two fights with Okito."
"So..." Koda said awkwardly, "Is Okito still alive?"
Ria nodded. "He's alive. Though he's being held by WILLE and he's missing most of his limbs."
"And the Kodama of this universe is…"
"Absolutely miserable and hates my guts with a passion now," Ria explained with a sad twist of her lips.
"Ahh," Kodama muttered. "That really sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. Took my parents quite a while to come around and Okito's still wary of me. You, well, the alternate you were awesome, though. I seriously don't know what I would have done without you."
Ria nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean. Without my parents and my girlfriend, I don't know what I'd do."
"Huh," Koda muttered, looking slightly confused.
"Does it bug you?" Ria asked. "That the Sachiel of this universe did something so horrible?"
"Well, yeah," Koda said. "But It's not like it was me. I didn't go and start a war. I fought to stop it."
"But it still kind of was you. I mean Okito has the same soul as you."
"Ohhh, I get it," Kodama started nodding "You're upset because by the fact that Zeruel in our world is evil, even if he isn't a Ria."
Ria clenched her new hand as she stared at Kodama. "I was the Might of God. His unwavering might. My loyalty to him was beyond question. He gave up on the war, he allowed them to win. I don't understand how any version of my soul could betray him like that."
Kodama smiled sympathetically. "Just out of curiosity. How much do you think you inherited, personality wise, from your past self?"
Ria considered carefully. "My anger, my loyalty, my honor and a tendency to be a sadist when I'm fighting."
She was trying to work on that last one.
"And tell me. Do you still want to be a writer and try to flirt with nearly every girl you see in this universe?" Koda asked with a smirk.
"Well, not so much the latter since me and Mari started getting serious, but yeah," Ria agreed.
Kodama sighed. "What we were, it doesn't really define us that much. The Ria I knew is pretty much the same as you, and she's human. We are not Angels in human bodies, we are humans with the souls of Angels. It's an important distinction. Zeruel was an animal, you are so much more. We are beings of nurture far more than anything else. "
That...No, that wasn't right. That couldn't be right. She was Ria first, sure, but she was also Zeruel. The two were interconnected. She could not be one without the other. She was an Angel. But the Ria of her world was almost just like her. If what Koda said was true, the parts of her that were different, particularly her loyalty to Adam, were just childish fantasies.
Kodama winced, not having meant to cause such pain. For a moment she extended her hand, trying to offer her comfort. But after a moment's hesitation, she pulled it back.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…j-just consider what I said," Kodama stuttered.
/
Asuka watched as Kyoko sat in folding chair.
'No...Mia, she wants to be called Mia,' Asuka reminded herself.
Asuka wasn't sure how to feel about her... alternate daughter. She was almost certainly the one who had wounded Ria. Which she would be far more angry about if Ria hadn't basically shrugged it off.
She wasn't her daughter, not exactly. Mia had memories of her, but Asuka had no memories of Mia. Which made this all the more awkward.
The idea of having another kid didn't upset her. Even if it seemed more than likely they would have been an Angel as well. But Shinji is the only person she would have ever had a kid with, and that wasn't an option until recently.
Asuka approached Mia.
Mia turned, looking at her with exhausted eyes.
"I'm not going to pull the whole 'You're not my mom' thing. You're her but not quite. It's just I have a family I need to get back to," Mia explained.
Asuka nodded. "I know."
"It's not that I don't think any of this place. And I know grand…Misato," Mia corrected herself. "Is just using the situation for some sort of gain. But I just don't want to risk myself for this fight. The fight back home is hard enough."
"I'm not asking you to fight," Asuka gently assured her. "You're a kid and you don't have any stake in this."
Sure she could help. But she was a kid longer than Ria. And ultimately it wasn't her fight. Asuka just wished her staying out didn't depend on Misato's obvious attempt at trying to assert some autonomy from the Empress.
"Oh, thanks," Mia said, surprised. "I'll go tell Misato I accept her offer. Unless you want to talk first. "
"I actually do," Asuka admitted. "You're last name is Ikari? So that means Shinji and I in your world are married?"
Mia nodded "Yeah. Is Dad dead here or something?"
"No, no, he's alive," Asuka assured her. "We just never got married and we kind of drifted apart a few years after Ria was born. Though we did get back together recently."
"Huh," Mia said. "Well that explains why I don't exist here."
"Were you happy?" Asuka asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.
"Well, I mean things recently have been a bit awful, but yeah. I mean you and dad were far from perfect, but we had a happy life. You took me being an Angel so well, even after everything that had happened."
Tears welled in Mia's eyes as she laughed slightly.
"Of course the morning after I told everyone. Ria thought it would be hilarious to toss a model battleship at my face," she said.
"Why would she throw..." It took Asuka a moment to understand the implications. "Ohh, I get it."
"So how did it go with Ria?" Mia asked.
"We found out as she and Okito fought. It was challenging at first, but we accepted her. We are her parents, there's nothing else we could have done," Asuka explained.
"Sorry gra- Misato turned out to be a racist," Mia muttered.
Asuka grunted in frustration. Mia edged away slightly
"Right, sorry. Sore subject, got it."
"It's not that." Asuka sighed "It's just...goddamn that woman. If she just pulled her head out of the sand and stopped trying to pick a fight with the one Angel who's trying to help, we would be a lot better off."
Mia nodded.
Asuka tried to think of a way to change the subject. An idea hit her.
"So, I'm almost certain Misato's pardon will not allow you and Ria to live in the same building," she said. "But what would you say to joining the family for a night out next week?"
She wasn't really her daughter. But Asuka still felt some sort of obligation to her. At the very least she should be treated as part of the family as long as she was here.
Mia perked up. "That sounds awesome."
"It would be me, Shinji, and Ria. You can play nice with Ria right?"
Mia sighed in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. I just overreacted. Sorry."
"Just don't let it happen again. Ria's got a temper," Asuka warned her.
/
"You are many things," Ritsuko said once they were back in her office, "But I've never taken you for that much of a hypocrite."
Misato glared at her, but she couldn't deny her point. Making that deal with Kyoko had sickened her.
'I hate this. I hate what've become,' Misato realized.
"If I did nothing we would have had two Angels aligned with Ria. At very least we've shown we won't let Angels and the misguided run over us," she argued.
Frowning, Ritsuko conceded the point.
Misato went over the situation Leliel had sent them three Evas and now two Angels. They would have never seen this coming without her. Whatever agenda Leliel had, so far it wasn't horrible.
But why did it send the Angels? What could have gained by sending an entire city block and two Angels who had no stake in this fight?
It was a question Misato had no answer to.
"Any results back from the tests?" Misato asked, trying to put her mind on other things.
They'd run dozens of tests on Okito. Something must have stuck out by now.
Ritsuko stared at her emotionlessly. "Nothing conclusive. We've had a few tests that indicated we might be able to develop a way of testing someone to see if they're an Angel or not but it was impossible to tell if the chemical differences we were seeing were just quirk's of Sachiel's biology or indicators of an Angel in general. With the new arrivals, I'll be able to establish a good baseline."
That was good news. If they could actually find a way to detect the angels they could probably send them running.
"Talk with Asuka," Misato said "She might be able to help you get blood samples from the alternate Kodama."
'And Ria,' Misato thought but couldn't say. Ritsuko had been hesitant to do any tests on Ria.
Ritsuko nodded.
"There is something else you should know..." Akagi added. "I believe Sachiel is experiencing some form of mental deterioration. He's talking and screaming at someone who isn't there."
Well, that was concerning. An insane Angel was an even more dangerous Angel.
"Is he spouting out nonsense or is he talking to anyone in particular?" Misato asked
"No one's actually there. We would know if he had some sort of wire on him," Ritsuko said.
"I know that," Misato sighed, "But who does he think he's talking to?"
"Adam."
/
Naturally the news of an entire city block being dumped into the world created quite the buzz among the Angels.
"That wasn't you, was it?" Shamshel asked.
Ramiel shook his masked head "No. That was the desperate flailing of this world's Leliel. We will strike with something far grander," Ramiel assured her.
The mood was shifting. Those previously on the fence seemed to be swayed by promise of power and the knowledge of what Leliel was.
Dimitri was in a panic. This was bad, this was very, very bad. The balance of power had been too badly thrown off. Leliel had brought forth three Evas. If this Leliel could grant the same sort of power to Ramiel, he could easily achieve everything he wanted.
Dimitri, despite his fears, knew he had to do something and soon. Killing Ramiel would be the quickest option, but if he failed he was dead. And there was a reasonable chance he would fail.
"So when are we going to rescue Okito?" Shamshel asked.
"Soon, soon," Ramiel replied.
The answer didn't satisfy Shamshel in the slightest and she left in a huff.
Ramiel turned his attention towards Arael. "So, do I have your support?"
The robed Angel stared at Ramiel. His face neutral. "Conditionally, yes. You have shown us power, but I have seen little to convince me that you will not squander it."
Ramiel nodded, "Fair is fair. Would you be willing to participate in one mission at least?"
"Perhaps," Arael replied. "Tell me more of the mission."
Ramiel gestured him to follow into a nearby room, with some hesitation Arael followed him.
The best option would be to remove this other Leliel from Ramiel's control, Dimitri realized.
It would both remove Ramiel's advantage and thoroughly undermine his credibility. But that Leliel was locked up in some other part of bunker. He would have to find her, and then break her out and somehow get to Zeruel and her family. At the very least that would make it incredibly difficult for Ramiel to reclaim her. Of course the first two parts of the plan would more than likely end in bitter failure. But Dimitri didn't see any other way to stop this.
He had to stop Ramiel, no matter the cost.
Quietly, Dimitri slipped back into his quarters, and furiously began to plan.
