Evangelion Fan Fiction

The Difference of a Life

By Kraven Ergeist

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."

May 6th, 2016

A phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"It's me."

"Ah. That was faster than expected."

"Our enemies don't like to waste time. How soon can you be ready?"

"On your signal. Our…mutual friend has been kind enough to give me safe haven."

"I expected nothing less. Oh, there is one thing I should make sure of before we get started."

"What's that?"

A smirk.

"Can you fly a plane?"

xxxxx

Shinji sat over Rei's still body as she lay in the hospital bed. He and his fellow pilots seemed to be spending more time here than in their own suite. Kensuke was eternally bedridden, and Mana hadn't left his side, though she had taken her first few steps without crutches. Hikari would be released in a few days, and Toji had been wheeling in and out of her hospital room day in and day out. Mayumi wasn't injured, but she hadn't been by the suite either, or so he heard. She had been strangely aloof lately. Asuka was restless and anxious, partly because of how poorly she had faired in that last Angel battle, and partly because Kaworu had left his hospital bed without alerting anyone, and had been nowhere to be found for the past twenty-four hours.

Shinji would have been concerned. Despite their differences in the past, Kaworu had proven himself to be a friend. He owed him a lot, particularly because without his training, Shinji was sure Rei would have died in that last battle. It was nothing short of a miracle that any of them survived that fight.

Rei's heart monitors blipped steadily, and she breathed easily. There was nothing wrong with her physically. Something had happened to her in that Angel battle though, some inner conflict that he couldn't see. Whatever demons or hardships she faced, she would have to face them herself. All he could do was remain by her side, her silent companion, to be there when she woke.

Her eyes opened the barest fraction.

"Shinji…?"

His hands closed over hers.

"I'm here Rei…"

Before he could voice more than that, the gunfire started.

xxxxx

Ryota Soryu had resigned himself to menial desk duty for the past several months. His salary hadn't been changed by a single cent, and being the Assistant Vice-Commander, a title that was nothing more than that – a title – allowed him to save face amongst his peers while bearing practically none of the same responsibilities that his previous job had required of him.

A part of him felt like he had gone into early retirement. While the trivialities of managing the onrush of meetings with members of the UN and the German government on behalf of NERV were boring compared to commanding the military and scientific assets at his company's disposal, it did keep him occupied enough not to feel laid off or useless. But still, he craved the excitement and feeling of duty that his previous job had instilled in him.

Which is why he remained motionless for a minute and a half when he received an electronic phone call, informing him that, effective immediately, his title as Commander of the First Branch of NERV was hereby restored, with all the rights and privileged thereto.

When he got over the initial shock and excitement about getting his old job back, his brain started to kick back in.

This was too convenient. This kind of thing didn't just happen. What exactly was going on behind the scenes?

Or perhaps the better question to ask was, what had Gendo done?

He pushed in his chair and pulled on his coat, yanking his phone out of his pocket as he marched towards the office door.

"Honey?" he said into the receiver after his wife picked up. "Cancel your dinner plans…"

xxxxx

The hospital wing had been barricaded, the pilots, some of whom had been wheeled out in their beds, and the medical staff all gathered in the lobby as Section Two officers stood at the ready to protect the pilots from whatever it was that was going on outside.

"What's going on?" Toji was asking, Hikari clinging to his arm.

"Why can't we leave the medical wing?" Mana was demanding, standing over Kensuke's prone form.

Rei was getting shakily to her feet – her bed had been wheeled out along with Hikari and Kensuke's. "Where is the Commander?"

Shinji cast a concerned glance to the nurse who had been assigned to Rei.

"I wasn't told anything," the nurse shrugged, looking to one of the guards.

The guard simply shook his head and peered back out the barred window.

The other pilots were locked in a state of nervous disquiet. Shinji remained by Rei's side. Toji and Mana stood (or sat) by the beds of their loved ones. The only ones unaccounted for was Kaworu, Mayumi, and…

"Let me go!" came a voice.

And Asuka.

The doors came open and all the guards tensed, and then relaxed as two more Section Two officers dragged Asuka by the wrists into the hospital lobby.

"What's the big idea?" Asuka demanded in heated German after being roughly shoved into one of the waiting room chairs. "You can't keep me here! I demand an explanation!"

"It's for your own protection," one of the officers replied in bland Japanese. "Armed insurgents have infiltrated NERV, and there is no time to get you to any of the shelters."

Asuka's eyes widened, but she did not lose her furious look.

"Asuka…" Shinji called out gently.

Only then did Asuka seem to realize that everyone had been gathered in the lobby, even the pilots confined to their beds. She watched as the Section Two guards relocked the main doors, and the two guards who had brought Asuka in joined the ranks of armed men at arms.

She wandered over to Rei's bedside to speak in hushed tones with Shinji.

"NERV is in total lockdown," she said morbidly, eying the bared windows. "When I heard the gunfire, I tried to get in touch with my parents, but Section Two intercepted me before I could get to them."

Shinji nodded gravely. "So you don't know who's after us?"

Asuka wrinkled her nose. "Who's after us? Are you dense? They've already caught us!"

Shinji had half a second to think 'what?' before the windows and doors all smashed in simultaneously. Canisters of smoking gas spewed in by the dozens as Section Two began shouting and firing at random. Shinji threw himself over Rei to protect her from the stray fire, and he thought he saw Toji and Mana doing the same with their respective charges. In the smoke, he also thought he saw Major Katsuragi, two of the NERV techs and… Father?

His mind didn't have time to process this thought, as a Section Two guard came into view through the haze of smoke, coughing and choking. Shinji stood up, standing in front of both Rei and Asuka.

"What's going on!" he demanded, growing tired of being kept in the dark.

The officer leveled his semi-automatic at the three pilots, speaking into his walkie-talkie.

"We've been compromised. Unable to capture alive. Do we have a kill order?"

Blood drained from Shinji's face. Behind him, Asuka tensed. Rei was sitting up in her bed, reaching to take Shinji's hand in hers. "Shinji…"

It finally clicked. He finally realized the conclusion that Asuka had already reached. They weren't being kept secured in the hospital for their safety – they were being kept prisoner!

Their world was spinning. The very organization that had been sworn to protect them was about to end their lives. Shinji squeezed Rei's hand in his. With his other, he pushed Asuka behind him.

He would take the first bullet. Maybe buy Asuka enough time to escape. She was a fighter; maybe she would make it out of this alive. With any luck, she'd be able to get Rei to safety. It was a long shot. But it was all he had left.

He stared down the cold muzzle of the guard's semi-automatic. Then, with a loud CRACK, the gun flew out of his hands.

"Wha-?" he gasped with incomprehension as Kaworu – Kaworu? – hit the Section Two officer with the heel of his hand that shattered the guard's nose.

With a thud, the guard fell backwards, blood draining from his facemask.

Through the clearing smoke, other figures became visible. Mayumi practically danced through the air in a dazzling aerial ballet of back flips, cartwheels and flying kicks that weaved around the guards' erratic bullet fire and knocked them all cleanly onto their backs. Hyuga and Shigeru were dragging bodies out of the entryway as Major Katsuragi and Commander Ikari stood by the door, eying the hallways outside, each armed with one of Section Two's semi-automatics.

"Come one!" Kaworu shouted, seizing Asuka by the hand. Shinji hadn't even noticed she had pushed past him to get an explanation from the pale-faced boy.

"Kaworu!" Shinji blurted through coughs and tears from the fading gas. The other pilots were voicing similar exclamations. "Father! What the hell is going on!"

"We've been betrayed," his father said calmly as he peered out the door, rifle readied in his hands. Hyuga and Shigeru orderly wheeled the two bedridden pilots two either side of the main doors, each pilot's companion deftly following at their sides. "All of NERV has turned against us. I've been relieved of my command, and all of us are to be placed under arrest under pain of death." He turned and fixed each of the pilots with an ironic smile. "If this is a fate you wish to avoid, I suggest you come with us."

Asuka looked like she was smiling, though she was still coughing. "Hmph…at least we can still trust someone!" She then rapped Kaworu on the temple with a sardonic glare. "And where have you been for the past day?"

Kaworu gave her one of his trademark smiles. "I've been quite busy. I apologize for not keeping you informed, but I promise…" he gave Asuka a quick peck on the lips. "All will be answered soon."

Asuka blinked rapidly, her prepared tirade against the boy effectively halted in its tracks. She began to blush, and opened her mouth to offer some kind of complaint, but found her voice uncooperative.

The smoke had all cleared away. The orderlies were all cowering behind the main desks. There were Section Two officers, some dead, some unconscious, all lying prone around the lobby. On one side of the door, Kensuke lay prone in one bed, Mana stubbornly waiting at his side, with Hyuga behind him, ready to wheel him out. Hikari, Toji and Shigeru were similarly situated on the right. Commander Ikari and Major Katsuragi stood ready at the door, Kaworu and Mayumi right behind them.

"Where are we going?" Shinji asked, in a tone that offered no objection, but merely puzzlement.

"Away from the First Branch," Gendo answered simply. "Out of Germany. We'll need to secure our ride in the hanger."

"I…" Kensuke's voice sounded before Shinji could prod further. "I'm only going to slow you guys down…"

Mana gaped down at him. "Ken! Don't talk like that!"

The boy slowly shook his head, a difficult task in his neck brace. "Even if you get me out, what good am I to you? I'm paralyzed."

Mana squeezed her eyes shut, crying not for the first time since the battle that had left Kensuke in this state.

"Were that our only concern, we might just take your advice," Kaworu offered wisely, walking to Kensuke's side. "But you're one of our pilots. We need you. And you won't be as great a hindrance as you might think."

Kensuke and Mana looked up at Kaworu, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"

Kaworu gave Mana a reassuring look before placing his hand on Kensuke's forehead. "I take it you're not a religious man, Kensuke? You've never believed in miracles? Like the healing of the sick, the lame, or the blind?"

Kensuke's eyes suddenly squeezed shut as a jolt of pain shot through his entire body. He felt like he'd just stuck his tongue in an electrical socket! Every part of him felt like it was on fire.

"Kensuke!" Mana gasped out as she saw him convulsing in pain, his face tightened in a grimace.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He let out a shout as his whole body jerked, and curled up into a fetal position in response to…

Wait…

Had he just moved his arms and legs!

Opening his eyes, his pain forgotten, he looked up at Mana in wonder.

"Ken!" Mana gasped as Ken sat up in his bed, opening and closing his hands in disbelief. "You're moving!"

He looked down at his once useless body, and found that from his fingers all the way down to his toes, his entire body was once again responding to his brain.

Everyone was staring at Kaworu in amazement. Everyone save Gendo, Rei and Mayumi.

"Kaworu…" Asuka breathed in disbelief. The rational thinker in her mind refused to accept what she was seeing. Had she just witnessed her boyfriend make a cripple whole again?

"You won't be able to walk right away, but your ability to pilot should be unhampered," Kaworu reassured, giving Kensuke's shoulder a reaffirming squeeze.

Mana wanted to seize Kaworu by the collar and press him for answers, but not nearly as much as she wanted to throw her arms around Kensuke's shoulders and cry in joy.

Which she did.

"Kaworu…" Shinji fixed the Fifth Child with an incredulous stare. "How did you…?"

"Come on," Misato shouted, tucking away that little incident into the back of her head, and bringing the present situation back to the forefront. "We can worry about it after we get you to safety!"

xxxxx

Kaji quite honestly loved his job. It had always been fun and exciting, but very few instances had his job ever involved the amount of subterfuge as it had today.

To be fair, his usual affair involved a lot more treachery and backstabbing than search and rescue.

"Are you going to tell us what this is all about?" Kozo Fuyutsuki asked with no small amount of impatience. Despite his skepticism about his current predicament, he was not about to put up a fight, especially since he had just narrowly escaped bullet-fire from his own Section Two guards scant moments before Kaji had whisked him away.

"Simple," Kaji said, smiling in that maddening way that usually meant he was enjoying the fact that he knew something you did not. "We're waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive, and then we leave Section Two with the check."

The two of them, as well as Ritsuko and Maya, sat in the cockpit of one of the massive Eva Carrier Jets that the First Branch had on hand. It was not Kaji's first choice, but it was the only plane that had the space they needed to fit all the passengers. The only other vehicles in the First Branch's hangar were half a dozen VTOL craft lined up neatly on the side opposite the football field sized carrier.

"You might as well give up, Vice Commander," Maya said, eyes closed and arms crossed. "He's not going to tell you until he absolutely has to."

"What Kaji isn't telling you," Ritsuko said from behind tinted glasses, her attention on the laptop on her knees. "Is that Section Two officers all throughout NERV have been given arrest warrants for all three of us, as well as the pilots and the other two technicians." She peered over her glasses at their unshaven benefactor. "Kaji himself has a kill-on-site warrant."

Kaji shrugged, but was saved from having to explain himself as an alarm bell sounded throughout the hangar. Yes, this certainly was a fun job. Although, granted, before today, he had never had nephilim on his side.

"Pardon me, ladies and gentlemen…" he nodded at his passengers lightheartedly as he casually lowered the main cargo ramp just in time to see Misato and Gendo leading the pilots and the rest of NERV's escapees past the unconscious guards Kaji had inauspiciously left just out of direct view of the door and into the airplane hangar.

"Right on time…" he waved casually.

Misato stared in disbelief as she saw Kaji hanging out of the walkway of the carrier. A flare of anger rose up inside her. "You!" She shouted, pointing a finger at the man accusingly. "I should have figured you'd be behind all this!"

Kaji seized her wrist, and with a tug, pulled her close to him, their faces inches apart, giving her a fierce look that made her heart stop.

"You just make sure these pilots get on board safely," Kaji said, no nonsense in his voice. "And then we can start pointing fingers."

Misato stared back at him, wanting to yank her grip away and slap him, but resolved to do so afterward, and simply nodded, waving to Shinji. The boy was helping Rei walk on her frail legs, as they preceded the two bridge bunnies wheeling the hospital beds into the hanger and up the ramp, with Mayumi, Kaworu and Asuka holding up the rear.

"So how exactly did you take out all those guards all by yourselves?" Asuka was asking Kaworu skeptically, as they walked hurriedly towards the carrier.

"The same way you would have, Asuka," Kaworu shrugged. "We've all taken the same combat courses. Clearly, you had an equally brilliant escape plan up your sleeve all along, right?"

Asuka looked away, pouting. "Right. I mean, of course!"

Mayumi just chuckled.

Kaji sat down in the pilot's seat, with Maya sitting beside him, already beginning the preflight startup procedures. "Are Ritsuko and the old man all settled in?"

Maya sniffed indignantly from the forward-most passenger seat. "If by 'old man,' you mean the Vice Commander, then yes, they're strapped in."

Ritsuko was busy tacking away at a laptop behind her, a cigarette dangling loosely from her mouth. "You could always ask 'Ritsuko and the old man' yourself, Mister Kaji…"

Fuyutsuki ignored the prattle as he watched with a certain amount of trepidation as the Commander, the Operations Director, the techs and the pilots all filed on board, sitting themselves into the fold-out passengers seats along the side of the companionway of the carrier. The craft was not designed for passengers, and the techs had to bodily lift the bedridden pilots out of their beds and into the sideways seats.

"Hurry," Ritsuko said distractedly as she typed away a mile a minute, monitoring the MAGI's activity on her miniscule laptop. "Section Two's been alerted to our presence. They'll be here any minute!"

"Are the hanger bay doors open?" Kaji demanded, starting the engines.

"Not for long!" Ritsuko hollered. "Punch it!"

The bottom of the cargo bay ramp screeched along the tarmac before it began to lift back into place as the giant carrier plane slowly wheeled out towards the hanger bay door. They rolled out onto open air moments after the doors began to close shut.

Off in the distance, klaxons were blaring, as VTOL buzzed around in the distance.

"How far out are those fighters?" Misato asked, eying the VTOL precariously.

"Far enough," Kaji mused, turning the carrier towards the runway. "Once we get up to speed…"

His voice fell off as something loomed off in the distance. He squinted his eyes to see the shape coming towards them.

"What in the world…?" Kaji asked absently.

An ice-cold hand suddenly clutched at Misato's heart, and she suddenly grabbed the control yoke and yanked them in the direction away from the approaching object.

"GO! NOW!"

Kaji began to nudge the accelerator forward as Maya flipped on the rear camera.

Everyone in the craft suddenly wished she hadn't.

"What?"

"How?"

"No way!"

Charging at them at full speed was Evangelion Unit 01.

No time to wonder how or why, especially since everything else that had once been under their control was now turning against them. Kaji simply began increasing the accelerator.

"A dummy plug…?" Ritsuko whispered in disbelief.

Shinji was just about burst out of his seat to demand an explanation from the Doctor – weren't all the Dummy Plugs in the First Branch supposed to have been destroyed after all? – when Kaji pushed the accelerator a little bit more, sending the carrier at a brisk pace down the runway, causing everyone to hold onto each other for dear life. The seats lining the side of the companionway of the carrier were not intended for regular use, else forward facing seats would have been installed. As it was, everyone not lucky enough to have grabbed one of the four such seats in the cockpit was sandwiched together like a pack of sardines.

The massive carrier couldn't accelerate very quickly from a standstill– if Kaji had simply pushed the thrusters to maximum, they would have gone nowhere fast. Watching the mindless monster of an Evangelion barreling down the runway after them might have panicked any non-military pilot. But Kaji was no amateur. He feared the Eva coming towards them, but he feared the consequences of making a mistake even more. Moreover, he knew that bringing the carrier up to take-off speed the way it was intended to was their best chance of survival.

"Kaji…" Misato urged nervously behind him, her eyes darting from between the runway ahead of them and the screen displaying the enemy controlled Eva getting closer and closer. It looked to be only a few steps away from them – in just a few bounds it would overtake them!

Three steps…

Two steps…

One step…

Kaji pulled back on the flight controls and the carrier suddenly lifted off the ground with a jolt! Everyone jerked suddenly. Maya nearly threw up. Kaji had deliberately delayed the take-off until he had reached well over the speed necessary to do so. The added speed made their climb much more abrupt, and lifted them away from Unit 01 much faster, jumping to an altitude of almost a hundred feet in a matter of moments. Had he taken off any sooner, the carrier would have been climbing a matter of a few feet at a time. As it was, they could practically make out the whites of the Eva's eyes.

The pilots all relaxed in their chairs.

"Why the hell was one of our own Eva's chasing after us?" Toji demanded, adrenaline leaving his system.

"They couldn't have found replacement pilots this quickly…" Kensuke mused.

"They didn't," Shinji said coldly. "They're using a Dummy Plug."

The other pilots looked at him baffled. Before anyone could ask him what he meant by that, Maya suddenly pointed to the receding figure of Unit 01 in their rear view screen. "Hang on! We're not out of this yet…"

Everyone watched in horror as the purple bio-mech, still running along the remainder of the runway below them, threw its head back to let out a primal roar as the armor plating along its back burst open to reveal eight luminescent wings.

With a mighty leap, it took off into the air after the carrier, quickly gaining altitude, closing the distance between them at a startling speed.

"What the…?" Misato gasped at the winged beast. "Since when could Unit 01 do that?"

"A dummy plug has no synchronization limit," Ritsuko said, forebodingly, her attention still on the MAGI readout. "Our pilots have only managed to synch below a hundred percent. My mother always theorized that the Eva's had hidden abilities that would be available at the triple digit level."

"There's no way we can out-fly that thing!" Maya gasped, pointing at the radar, showing the tailing blip gaining on their center dial at an alarming rate. It would be on them in moments!

Kaji chewed on his lip, before questioning the air in front of him. "What do you think? Can you jump us?"

It was not readily obvious whom he was talking to. As no one knew what he meant, no one said a word, waiting for whomever Kaji was addressing to respond.

Then…

"I'll need Rei and Mayumi's help…" Kaworu said.

All the pilots fixed their gaze on Kaworu.

"Alright," Asuka demanded, seated at his right. "What exactly is going on here?"

Kaworu nodded to Mayumi at his left who only nodded in return and closed her eyes. He looked at each of the other pilots in turn, ending with his eyes on Asuka.

"Everyone, I need you all to set aside your questions, your complaints and your suspicions, we have precious little time," he said soberly, before looking directly across from his seat and fixing Rei with the most serious expression she had seen on his face. "Just like what we did to get Shinji out of the Eleventh Angel. I need you to focus."

Rei's brow was furrowed. As many eyes were on her as were on Kaworu. The other pilots were voicing their questions and concerns, the techs were demanding explanations, and the rest of the adults aside from Kaji were staring at Kaworu with utter stupefaction.

Rei nodded.

"Do it!" Kaworu shouted.

Kaji, quite unexpectededly, took the carrier into a nosedive!

Most of the pilots were screaming. The lights in the cabin had turned red from the sudden strain on the hull. Alarms were flashing as everything that wasn't bolted down when flying towards the back of the cabin. In the windshield of the cockpit, the brown and green surface of the Germany landscape was fast approaching. An automated voice was blaring out in German "Alarm! Alarm! Impact in zehn Sekunden!"

Kaji pointed out the windshield at a marking on the terrain below them.

"There. That lakebed should do it."

Misato gripped the back of his chair with all her might.

"Kaji! Why are we crashing?"

"Trust me!" Kaji hollered, his focus on keeping the carrier pointed at the slightly darker blotch on the ground. "I know almost exactly what I'm doing!"

Kaworu's browed was knotted in concentration. His hand was clasped around Asuka's. Her gaze wasn't leaving his face. Shinji was staring somberly at Rei, whose face was locked in an equally rigid expression.

"Impact in fünf Sekunden!" the voice said.

Toji and Hikari had their arms around each other, as did Kensuke and Mana. All were staring out the windshield at the oncoming ground.

"Vier…"

Maya tensed nervously, but jerked suddenly as she felt Ritsuko's hand on her shoulder. She stared back at her over the seat, seeing her smiling face.

"Drei…"

Gendo closed his eyes. He wondered idly if he would see Yui somewhere in the afterlife.

"Zwei…"

Mayumi's hands were clasped together. Had anyone been looking, she, Kaworu and Rei would appear to have been glowing.

"Ein…"

Misato arms tightened around Kaji's chest, and she closed her eyes, burying her face against her shoulder.

Kaji, rigid as a doornail, did not waver.

"HOLD ON!" he shouted.

xxxxx

May 7th, 2016

"Kaji, is that you?" came a female voice over the radio. "You're ahead of schedule!"

It was dark inside the cabin of the carrier. The emergency light had come on and was slowly flashing red to illuminate the tussled and jumbled interior. Most of the pilots had been flung out of their seats. No one had been substantially hurt, though some people were put in more compromising positions than others.

"Whose elbow is that poking me in the back?" Asuka demanded.

"That, umm…isn't my elbow, Asuka…" Kaworu said defensively.

"Eeeeeeeek!" she flailed around, punching somebody in the nose. "Hentai!"

"OWWWW!" Toji exclaimed, clutching his face in pain. "Damnit, Red!"

"I was about to say that it was my knee," Kaworu amended, a little too late.

"Toji, are you alright!" Hikari shouted in a panicked voice, trying feebly to reach him with her hands.

"Ack!" Mana yelped, squirming away. "Hikari! Watch what you're grabbing!"

"Is everyone alright back there?" Misato called back to the pilots, rather pointlessly by this point.

"Do I look alright!" Toji demanded, clutching a bleeding nose.

"We're fine, Misato," Shinji called out, holding a conscious but weak Rei in his arms. "But where are we?"

"Good question…" Shigeru said looking at Kaworu.

Kaworu shrugged, helplessly. "Why don't you ask her?"

Everyone looked to where the Fifth Child was pointing, and saw a cute brunette face on the view screen, talking with their pilot.

"Welcome back to Japan, Mister Kaji," the NERV tech said cheerfully.

"Japan?" Misato exclaimed in disbelief, yelling into Kaji's ear. "How in the world did we make it back to Japan? For that matter, how in the world did we survive that crash?"

Ritsuko put her hand on Misato's shoulder. "I might have a theory about that…"

She leaned in to speak in a hushed voice into Misato's ear.

"Kaede?" Maya blurted, seeing the face on the screen. "Kaede Agano? Is that you!"

Kaede blinked several times. "Wait…you're Maya Ibuki, aren't you? Weren't you in my particle physics class?" Kaede's expression turned sour. "What exactly are you doing with Mister Kaji!"

Maya blinked, unsure of how to answer, when Kaji came to her rescue. "I brought her and the other NERV techs along with the pilots and the leading staff of Project E. We're all wanted by Section Two. Look, I'd love to stay and catch up Kaede-chan, but right now, could you tell us where we are?"

Kaede instantly perked up. "Oh, you're off the coast, just a few clicks from Tokyo-3. A rescue team is already on their way."

Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow. "More Section Two?"

"No, actually," Kaede explained. "The JSSDF. Section Two hasn't been stationed here for the past six months."

Gendo smiled at that. The pieces were starting to fall together in his head. He was starting to get a clear picture of what was going on.

"Wait a minute," Hyuga said, pushing his way forward. "How did we get here in the first place? There's no way we made it to Tokyo-3 in the amount of time that's passed!"

"Actually…" Misato called out so that everyone could hear her, "There is."

Before Ritsuko had spoken to her, Misato had looked like she was lost in a storm of chaos. Nothing was as it should have been. But now she wore an expression of confidence.

"I'll debrief you all after our ride gets here. Shake it off, everyone!" she said in a militant tone that demanded obedience. "Get ready to mobilize. We've got more than enough wounded." She turned to look everyone over in the dim lighting. All the pilots were taking this all like troopers. Ritsuko was helping Maya to her feet. The Commander and Vice Commander were both standing, not bothering to supercede her orders, trusting her to lead. The techs were as suspicious and awestruck as the rest of them, but the looks in their eyes told Misato that they would do their duty unquestioningly.

And Kaji was still in the pilot's chair, smiling at her.

She winked back at him. "Kaede-chan, huh?"

Kaji started, looking embarrassed. "Uh…well, about that…"

"Forget it," Misato sighed, shaking her head in amusement. "Are you coming with us or what?"

He regained his composure. "Hey, I got you all this far, didn't I?"

"You did…" Misato nodded, before reaching down and seizing him by the tie, and pulling him towards her for a rough, hungry kiss that took him quite by surprise.

"Mmph!" he vocalized into her mouth, which was otherwise preoccupied with devouring his lips.

Ritsuko snickered a little. Maya cleared her throat uncomfortably.

Misato finally released him, letting Kaji fall back into the pilot's seat with gasp for air.

"Just don't go running off again," Misato smirked down at him with another wink.

Kaji could only blinked up at her in astonishment.

Misato turned back to everyone with a smile. "Alright, people! We made it this far by sticking together. Let's keep it that way!"

A few minutes later, the rescue choppers arrived.

xxxxx

The two VTOL that carried the pilots in one chopper and the other NERV staff in the other back to the Third Branch were the same model and make as the type used by Section Two, but piloted by the Japanese government special defense forces.

"How are you feeling Rei?" Shinji asked the First Child, who sat beside him in the VTOL, a blanket wrapped around her by one of their rescuers.

"Tired," Rei said, smiling back at him reassuringly. "That…jump…took a lot out of me…"

Shinji blinked. "What exactly did you three do, anyway?"

Rei shook her head. "I really don't know, Shinji. All I'm aware of is that one moment, we were hurdling towards the surface of the German countryside, and the next moment, we were floating in the water off the shore of Japan. I can't explain how it happened…just the fact that I was tired afterward. Mayumi and Kaworu both appear to be equally exhausted."

Shinji nodded. He had noticed that the other two were unusually silent.

"This…has something to do with being part-angel, doesn't it?" Shinji asked, rather insensitively. "Kaworu and Mayumi…are they…like you?"

Rei closed her eyes. "I cannot say for certain about that either, Shinji. Just that…the three of us seem to have AT fields of our own."

Shinji bit his lip. He had so many questions, and Kaworu had all but passed out after boarding the VTOL. He stole a glance at Mayumi from across the cabin who was staring out the window.

"Glad to be back?" He asked her, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Oh, yes," the bespectacled girl said, looking embarrassed. "I was just admiring the countryside. It's so much different from Germany…"

She sensed Shinji's eyes still on her, and she sighed.

"I can explain a few things now…" she said, eyes closed. "But as for the whole truth…you're better off seeing with your own eyes when we get to Terminal Dogma."

Shinji thought back to his days of training in Tokyo-3. He was surprised how fuzzy some of those memories were. "What's in Terminal Dogma?"

By now, the other pilots were listening with hushed interest over the hum of the engines outside. Toji, Kensuke and Hikari had all been placed on gurneys, but were still listening intently.

"An end to everything," Mayumi said morbidly, eyes closed. "I can't say more than that."

"Then how did we…jump…back there?" Shinji asked, realizing he wasn't going to get more out of her on that subject.

"The Sea of Dirac," Kaworu chimed in, surprising everyone. "The same sea that almost swallowed you up during the 11th Angel battle, Shinji. It is not a phenomenon limited only to Leliel, but to all Angels. I suspect Dr. Akagi guessed this as well, and that the adults are recieving a similar briefing in the other vehicle."

Asuka was blinking, her brilliant mind putting the pieces together in her head. "But…you're only part Angel. How did you manage to make one?"

"It's for that reason that it required Mayumi, Rei and I together," Kaworu explained. "And even then, it exhausted our strength. We will be substantially weakened for the next day or so."

The other pilots were looking at Kaworu, then Rei, then Mayumi and then back again.

"So wait…" Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "You three…are part Angel?"

Kaworu gave Kensuke a stoic look. "If you were at war with an alien enemy you knew nothing of, but had access to their genetic material, would you not try to replicate that enemy to give your side a greater advantage? You are looking at the outcome of a such an attempt."

Kensuke blinked. As a strategist, that not only put it into perspective, but it also made perfect sense.

Toji looked strangely at Rei, scratching his nose. "Always thought there was something odd about you, Blue. And here we thought you were just an albino."

"Toji!" Hikari pinched his cheek, causing him to grimace in pain. "He doesn't mean that, Rei! We still think you're exactly the same as when we grew up!"

Rei only smiled, barely staying awake.

"Umm…so what is the Sea of Dirac?" Mana asked, looking like the odd man out. "I…must have skipped that day in class."

"There are only theories…" Kensuke held a finger up, eyes closed like he was giving a lecture. "It bears the same properties as an AT field, but upside down, backwards, and inside out. Some have theorized that a quantum singularity lies within. Some have theorized that it leads to a pocket dimension."

"There's some truth to all of that," Mayumi took over the discussion. "It's the medium that connects all dimensions, the link between our world and that of the Angels. The passageway through which all souls come from when they are born, and through which all souls return through when they die. It can be accessed from anywhere in the universe, which allows it to work as a doorway to cross over great distances…" she made a face. "Though, to be frank, relying on it for such trivial tasks is a gross under usage of its capacity."

Kaworu nodded. "Anyone with an AT field should technically be able to enter it, and everyone in the world technically has an AT field. Most simply don't learn to tap into its full potential. Of course, being part Angel gives us a bit of a boost."

He threw Mayumi a sardonic smile.

"Extra training doesn't hurt either."

Mayumi smiled sweetly back at him. "Is it my fault Feng Shui just happens to coincide with the way an AT field manifests?"

Asuka tapped her chin ponderously. "Maybe the Chinese were onto something with that. So wait, does this mean that you three can basically…teleport anywhere at will?"

Kaworu held up his hands. "Oh, no no no no! Not at will! For one thing, someone equally capable with an AT field has to be on the outside to pull me back out! Otherwise, I could get lost inside, or come out to find myself drifting out in space or buried under miles of earth. No, only full angels can navigate the Sea of Dirac. Those of us nephilim who are only part Angel can only make small forays."

Shinji looked at Kaworu suspiciously. "So how long have you had this ability?"

Kaworu shrugged. "Only since very recently."

Shinji would have pressed for more answers, but he suddenly noticed Rei's head hit his shoulder as she began to lightly doze against him, and he tucked the blanket in tighter around her.

"Get your rest while you can," Kaworu smiled paternally at the two of them. "Things are only going to get rough again once we land."

xxxxx

It was mid morning by the time they reached Tokyo-3. They had skipped a day due to the time shift from Munich to Tokyo time zones. As they flew over Tokyo-3, the entire city looked to be in full lock-down, its buildings tucked underground, leaving only missile silos and defense turrets to welcome any foreign visitors.

Whoever was running things in Tokyo-3, they expected a fight.

They were saluted by several more JSSDF officers when they landed and escorted onto NERV premises under armed guard. It felt eerily similar to what Section Two had been doing, but no one tried to make a run for it. The three nephilim all looked perfectly calm, though that may have simply been fatigue. Gendo and Ritsuko also looked unsurprised to see the Third Branch still kept in working order – once the pilots, the Evas and the Angel specimens had been moved out, the complex had become a dummy facility, which NERV had quickly lost interest in. With nothing to repel from its borders, the money that the Japanese government had original budgeted to bolster its defenses began to accumulate, so when the JSSDF high command had offered a substantial amount of that budget to the upkeep of the Geo-Front, NERV had, after months of negotiations, given stewardship of the Third Branch over to the Japanese Government.

Leaving Tokita Shiro effectively in charge of the Geo-Front.

The man was tall, business-like, an aspiring Commander. He had once envisioned a nuclear powered, un-manned replacement for the Evangelions, but the project had never received the financial support it had needed to get off the ground. Now, he enjoyed a seat of great responsibility over a facility that could mean the difference in Japan's survival in any and all upcoming wars, for like every ranking officer in the JSSDF, Tokita Shiro loved his country first and foremost, and everything, his career, his honor, his life, everything was devoted to protecting Japan.

"Welcome to the Geo-Front, Commander Ikari, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, gentlemen, ladies," Tokita said, not saluting for he was still the ranking officer here and he was determined to keep it that way, but standing up straight and respectful nevertheless. "We've been expecting you, but not quite so early."

They were in Central Dogma now, welcomed by the Commander and the resident staff. The Command Center looked the same as they had left it, but it had an alien feel to it having spent so much time at the First Branch. After Kaede, Aoi and Satsuki stopped swooning over Kaji, the three of them immediately began discussing the latest changes with Maya, Huyga and Shigeru, the latter of the two looking very keenly interested in getting to know their new coworkers. The pilots, several still wrapped in blankets, most over paltry hospital gowns, simply stood at attention, looking drained, lacking the energy to voice any questions or even proper greetings to the new staff.

Gendo and Fuyutsuki looked unsure of how to handle the new Commander of their old facility, whether or not they should supercede his authority now that they were back, or politely bow their heads and follow along. It was Ritsuko who broke protocol first, as no matter who ran the show she was still in charge of Project E.

"Commander," she stepped forward. "With respect, there's something I need to investigate down in Terminal Dogma as soon as possible."

Shiro blinked in surprise. Terminal Dogma was supposed to be under total lockdown. Not even he had the credentials to get down there!

"If you can get past the security checkpoints the brass put in place around there, then you're welcome to go wherever you like," Tokita shrugged.

Ritsuko turned on her heel and made straight for the elevator. Commander Ikari looked like he was about to march afterward, but paused long enough to step in front of the pilots and fix them with an unreadable expression. "Pilots, you've done well to make it this far. Get some rest. We don't know when to expect a retaliation, from NERV or otherwise. Do not forget, there is still one last Angel to face. We must assume it will strike us here. Major Katsuragi, I'm leaving things in your hands."

Misato saluted as Gendo deftly followed Ritsuko down the hall, Fuyutsuki by his side.

"Pilots," she said, facing the nine Eva pilots. "Under the circumstances, I cannot permit any of you to leave the Geo-Front. You all know where the lodgings are. I'll see to it that food and clothing is brought over to the dorms. It's not the most appetizing fare, but it's the best we've got."

"Shouldn't be much worse than your cooking, Katsuragi," Kaji offered with a wink.

Asuka suppressed a snort. Shinji just cringed. Misato didn't respond to the barb, though she did exhale just a little.

"You heard the Commander," she crossed her arms. "Get some rest. But be on alert. We may need you at a moment's notice."

"What for, Major?" Kensuke blurted out. "We don't have our Evas!"

Major Katsuragi gave him a terse look. "Pilot, what is your duty?"

Kensuke stood upright. "Ma'am! To defeat the Angels, Ma'am!"

Misato nodded. "That's right. And why must we defeat the Angels?"

Everyone looked at each other oddly. No commanding officer had ever asked them that before.

"Because…they're attacking us?" Toji offered.

"Because they're the enemy?" Mana put in.

"Guys…" Shinji sighed. "To protect humanity."

Misato smiled. "That's right. To protect humanity. Your job is to protect humanity - by any means necessary. Right now, you don't have your Evas. That may change. We don't know. Until then, you are to remain ready in case it does, or do whatever you can do instead if it doesn't."

Misato saluted them all.

"Dismissed!"

xxxxx

The NERV dorms were hardly comparable to the pilots' suite at the first Branch, but even if they weren't very spacious, at least there were plenty of them. Two of the pilots hadn't gone directly to the dorms as ordered, however.

"Nii-san!"

Hikari watched in reverent silence as Toji's little sister flung herself into his arms.

"Hey Squirt!" he smiled, wrapping his arms around her from his wheelchair, crushing her tiny body against him. "You been keeping out of trouble?"

"Not a chance!" she laughed, then fixed him with an accusatory look. "What are you doing in that wheelchair? I thought you said you'd be taking care of yourself! Nii-san, you liar!"

She pounded her tiny fists against his head, and he helplessly tried to deflect her vicious assault.

"Ack! Cut it out! Come on, don't worry about me!" he winced helplessly. "I'll be out of this in a week or two! Promise!"

She fixed her gaze on him. "Promise?"

He nodded, smiling. "Promise. Hey, where's Dad?"

"At the shelter," the young Suzuhara explained. "He's waiting for you!"

"Then why don't we all visit together?" Toji threw Hikari a smile. "Maybe Hikari's old man is there with him."

Hikari blinked and blushed. Meeting Toji's father? Toji meeting hers? The concept seemed so harmless, and yet…it felt like such a big step. Even though her father at least knew that there was somebody she liked, he had never met him before now.

"I…I'd like that…" she said quietly.

Toji's sister blinked at the older girl. "Toji…is this the Class Rep you keep talking about in your emails?"

Toji smirked and nodded. Hikari just raised an eyebrow.

"Almost a year going out, and you're still calling me Class Rep to your sister?" she demanded. "I haven't been any sort of 'class rep' since we left Tokyo-3!"

"Oh, don't be like that…" Toji winked as he wheeled his chair along the corridor towards the civilian shelter. "You'll always be Class Rep to me!"

Hikari slowly plodded along weakly beside him. "Idiot…"

They all laughed as they went off to see familiar faces from their past.

xxxxx

"Ummm…Mana?" Kensuke asked, uneasily. "Are you sure we need all this stuff? I mean…half of this equipment doesn't even look legal…"

The 'stuff' that he was referring to was a Springfield MA1A, an Armalite AR-10, and an Ithica M37. Mostly disassembled, the parts laid neatly and orderly on the mattress of the dorm room.

Mana's response was only to smile sweetly, placing a spare cartridge next to two others like it on the bed.

Kensuke stared with no small amount of alarm at the components on the bed. "How did you even get a hold of some of these pieces!"

Mana winked playfully. "Oh…I have a few connections. I grew up in the army after all."

Kensuke held up one the bullets that went into one of the firearms. It was larger than any of his fingers!

"And what exactly are you planning to do with all of these?" he eyed the bullet in his fingertips, twirling it around to inspect it from every angle.

"You heard the Major," Mana said, putting the MA1A together. "Protect humanity by any means necessary. I don't know about you, but my aim is to be prepared for the worse."

Kensuke was sitting on the bed – he could walk, but shakily – looking back and forth between his girlfriend and the high-end weaponry she had on the bed, and shook his head shamefully.

"You're a freak, you know that?" he said jokingly.

"I know," Mana didn't take her eyes off the gun she was cradling in her arms. "Wanna help me put together the Armalite?"

"Could I please?" Kensuke's eyebrows went up, as he greedily latched onto the components with the glee of a small child in a candy store.

Once they had all the equipment installed, they practice targeting. The weapons weren't loaded, but it paid to get a feel for the weight and the heft of a weapon, especially ones as heavy as these.

"So, you hold it like this…" Mana was explaining, as Kensuke fumbled with the heavy assault rifle. For all this enthusiasm, he was a complete novice with the real hardware. "No, no…" Mana corrected his stance, and peered down the sight beside him, and corrected his stance again. She felt him tense the more she spent in such close proximity, though she noticed, with an approving smile, that his eyes were only focused on the gun he was holding, and he was following her instructions as best as he could.

She had never given lessons on any of her skills – she had spent the majority of her life on the receiving end of the majority of such lessons, but for her first 'student' as it were, she had to admit that Kensuke was very serious in his interest, enough not to lose his focus on a pretty girl.

Well, such seriousness deserved a reward…

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who believes in being prepared," she hummed approvingly, standing away from him with her hands on her hips.

"Hmmm?" he asked, his eyes still focused down the barrel of the weapon in his hands.

"What's that, a Smith and Wesson?" Mana nodded to him, a smirk on her face. "That gun in your pocket?"

Kensuke lowered the rifle to blink at her in confusion, before his face suddenly went beet red. "M-M-Mana!" he lowered the rifle even more to hide whatever the NERV starch-washed back-order school uniform pants were revealing about his unconscious blood flow.

Mana sat back on the bed, giggling madly. "Hahahahahaha! At least we know all your 'equipment' is in proper working order now that you're back on your feet."

Kensuke turned away to face the window, face flushing. "I…I thought this was supposed to be a normal firearm lesson…if I'd known you were gonna spend it making fun of me…"

Mana got to her feet and quickly went over to him to throw her arms around his shoulders. "Oh, Ken…you know I only tease you cause I love you, right?"

Kensuke blinked, eyes wide, looking back at her with an expression close to shock. "You…you love me?"

Mana blinked cutely, giving his torso a gentle squeeze. "Of course. Wasn't that obvious?"

Kensuke blushed, looking away. "Well…I guess nothing about girls is ever 'obvious' to me."

Mana pursed her lips in a cute little pout. "What? Don't you love me too?"

He paused for a moment, his face out of site. He waited perhaps a second longer than he needed to, and Mana felt tears well up, when he suddenly turned around, with an enormous smile on his face.

"Of course. Wasn't that obvious?"

Her eyes widened as he stepped over to her and kissed her before she could do or say anything, not minding the Armalite that still hung on a shoulder strap around his neck that let the enormous piece of hardware get sandwiched between their bodies.

Mana broke the kiss off, and grabbed hold of the rifle between them, eyes full of passion. "This thing is getting in the way…"

She lifted the rifle over her head, and slid underneath it without removing it from Kensuke's shoulders. She set it down behind her, allowing the shoulder strap to wrap around the both of them. This didn't quite fit the design parameters of the shoulder strap, and ended up squeezing both their bodies together rather snugly.

"There…that's better…" Mana smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and started kissing him again.

Kensuke was inclined to agree.

xxxxx

There were about a million and a half things for Misato to do now that she was back at the Third Branch. Much had been how she had left it, which meant everything had to updated to whatever knew procedure, programming or setup that she had established after learning from half dozen more Angels battles in that time. Other things had been changed from the way she had left them, which meant there was even more work for her to do, undoing everything that Tokita or one of the techs had done and starting again from scratch.

Finally, Hyuga stopped her in her tracks.

"Major Katsuragi, you've been working round the clock since yesterday morning. Take a break! The other technicians and I have things well in hand, and everything's coming along as smoothly as can be expected. You can afford to take an hour or so to catch your breath and get yourself something to eat."

Misato looked at the clock. By now, it was already late afternoon, and starting to get into evening. She was loathe to leave her post, but Hyuga was right. She hadn't eaten, slept, or even peed since she had woken up in Germany.

"Fine," she sighed, taking a breath. "You have the bridge, lieutenant."

After a quick bathroom break, she found herself in the break room, staring idly at the vending machines. The fare seemed so alien to her, until she realized she had gotten so used to German snack food that she had all but forgotten what she even liked in Japanese vending machines anymore. More importantly, she noted with a forlorn sigh…no beer.

She selected a snack that rang familiarly with her, as she wondered idly where Ritsuko was – and for that matter, where the Commander and Vice Commander were. They had said they were down in Terminal Dogma, which had been strictly off-limits to her in the past. She was playing with the idea of trying to sneak down there, when a six-pack of Yebisu dangled precarious in the air beside her head.

She looked over to see Kaji holding the familiar beverage cans out to her with a smirk. "I come bearing gifts."

She closed her eyes and gratefully accepted the proffered gifts with a smile. "It'll take more than a six pack of beer to get into my pants, Mister."

Kaji chuckled at the old joke, and sat down beside her and helped himself to one of the cans. "You wouldn't be the women I knew if you made it that easy for me."

Misato held the beer can in her hands, not opening it, but feeling its cool surface between her hands, letting it rest between her knees as she sat, thinking.

"Just how long has NERV been planning on betraying us like this?" Misato wondered forlornly. Having the company she had been working in all her life put a warrant out for her and her peers had really yanked the carpet out from under her. Surrounded as she was by familiar scenery, beverages, and old boyfriends only made things harder to deal with.

"Probably from the get-go," Kaji said, matching her expression as he stared at the far wall. "It's like Ritsu says…you were a testing ground. You were the best. Once they figured out what the limits and capabilities of all their resources were, the plan was to get rid of you, sweep it all under the rug, and replace everything with something more controllable – dummy corporations as a source of cash-flow, dummy facilities like this one to draw the public eye, dummy plugs to control the Evas…"

"But why?" Misato said, her mind spinning. "Most of us have devoted our entire lives to NERV and its goals. Most of us would have devoted the rest of our lives to this job. Had all this not happened, we'd still be at our posts back in Germany. Hell, even here, we're filling the exact same roles, doing what's familiar to us, just for a completely different organization."

Kaji still hadn't opened his beer. Neither had Misato.

"Probably because those 'goals' that you mentioned that you and everyone else would so willingly strive for were about to change – if they weren't all a farce to begin with," Kaji offered her a forgiving smile. "It's easy to draw out talented and enthusiastic help with such ideals as 'protecting humanity from the angels,' but would you and everyone you know have signed up so eagerly if the message behind NERV was about, say, dominating the world governments? Or holding dominion over the heart of the world through a massive religious upheaval?"

Misato felt sick. Her entire reason for working at NERV had been revenge on the Angels, but it had also been to prevent anyone else from suffering as she had. She thought she had been doing some real good in the world. To find out that the very organization she had devoted so much time to was…

"Are you telling me that NERV is actually doing something like that?" She asked, eyes hidden behind her hair. Her whole body was shaking, and her teeth were gritted so hard, Kaji worried she might bite her lip.

"I don't have any proof," Kaji said, unreassuringly. "But nothing I've found points to the contrary. They certainly haven't been doing things just for the sake of world peace, that much I can say for sure. But, as I'm sure you're aware, you are not NERV, and NERV is not you."

Misato said nothing for a while, and then swallowed. She looked up at Kaji, a defeated look on her face.

"How long do we have?" she asked, hopelessly. "Before they try to take us back...or take us out?"

Kaji slipped his hand into hers. Neither had opened their beers. Neither seemed inclined to. "By now, they know where we've gone, so…maybe a day. Or two. It depends on how quickly the other MAGI supercomputers can break our firewalls."

She squeezed his hand back. "That's not much time…"

His other arm came around her to pull her into an embrace. She didn't struggle.

"Maybe it'll be enough…" he said, crushing her to him.

In their time together, Kaji had always been passionate, always ferocious, wild, untamed. This was the first time Misato could remember feeling genuine tenderness from her lover though. The embrace he held her in was not that of one who hungered for the other, or even one of reassurance, though that might have been part of it. But what she sensed from him now was a need, not for physical release, but for genuine comfort and reassurance. Kaji was just as afraid as she was that they weren't going to make it out of this.

Somehow this made her feel safer.

xxxxx

It took Asuka the better part of the day before she found Kaworu, standing near the reservoir of the Geo-Front that recycled all their precious fresh water. They had both donned their school uniforms that the JSSDF had so graciously provided, despite the fact that neither went to that particular school anymore, though how they knew her sizes, Asuka could only guess at.

"And where have you been all day?" she asked by way of greeting as she slowed her stride to stand next to him as he leaned against the cement wall that made up the border of the giant inverted pyramid shaped basin next to the right-side-up pyramid that was their headquarters once upon a time, and was now merely a safe haven provided by the JSSDF.

Kaworu was leaning on his elbows on the short cement wall that allowed onlookers to peer out across the still surface of chlorinated water. "As busy as everyone has been these days…" he shrugged noncommittally, smiling as he closed his eyes.

"Doing what exactly?" Asuka raised an eyebrow as she joined him overlooking the water surface.

"Making preparations for the final battle," he opened his eyes to look at her. "As I hope you have been doing."

Asuka sighed. "Look…I really like you, you're a swell guy and all…but this really isn't going to work out unless you start being more honest with me."

"I haven't lied to you once, Asuka," Kaworu said, brushing off the accusation implied by her words.

"You've damned well been keeping the truth from me," Asuka said bluntly, crossing her arms.

"I keep the truth from everyone," Kaworu said, with a hint of sadness. "I have to. If I didn't…I would have been destroyed long ago."

"What does that mean?" Asuka demanded, jutting her chin out. She was growing more and more tired of his word games.

"I have never…truly…trusted anyone, Asuka…" Kaworu breathed, still not making eye contact with her. "Not even my own father…" Especially not my own father, he though grimly. "Please understand, for someone like me-"

"But I don't know what 'someone like you' is! I don't know who you really are!" she grabbed him the shoulders, turning him around to face her. He met her gaze, not mockingly, but passively, seeing what she would do.

Asuka was staring at, for all intents and purposes, the greatest mystery of her life. She knew and understood everything she had ever come across. And everything she couldn't had only been a book or a website away from being understood.

But Kaworu…

"You say you're part Angel, but I don't even really know what that means!" Asuka blurted, not waiting for him to respond before moving onto her next quandary. "Should I think of you as an enemy? Should I think of you as a friend? How much of you is human, and more importantly, how much of what you feel for me is because of that humanity?"

Her eyes began to soften.

"When I look at you, it takes almost all of my willpower to tear my eyes off you. How much of that is because of the Angel inside of you? How much of what I like about you is because of the Angel within you, and how much is because of the human being?"

Kaworu finally moved, his hand coming up to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

"So what are you really asking me, Asuka?"

Asuka felt a single tear trickle down her cheek. "Am I…am I falling in love with a human…or an Angel?"

There. She'd said it. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't deny it any longer. She was in love. God damn it, she was in love, and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.

For a while, Kaworu said nothing. He only stared at her, or maybe he stared past her. Asuka couldn't really tell. His eyes were so deep, it was impossible not to perceive them as boring holes into her at all times.

Kaworu took a breath. "Angels…while they do feel love, the love they feel is that of pathos, of unconditional, heartfelt love. Their love is perfect, holy, unshakable. Like a mother's love for a child."

Kaworu put his hands on Asuka's shoulders.

"Angels, though unique from one another, are not 'individuals' as you think of them, for they each answer to a higher cause. They do not feel a fraction of the emotions that humans feel, for emotions both cloud judgment and split loyalties. Angels do not feel what you would call lust, or desire, or limerence."

He leaned in closer to whisper into her ear.

"So, if nothing else, you can sure that the desire that I feel for you right now Asuka…" his breath tickled her ear. "…is purely human."

Asuka cheeks reddened and she cracked a smile. "…Pervert."

"You asked for honesty," Kaworu admonished. "And if nothing else, know that I think of myself as an individual in a way that no Angel could. That you could harbor such feelings towards me as an individual, and not as some vague paragon or ideal…"

Asuka raised an eyebrow, though she didn't push him away. "Modest, aren't we?"

Kaworu shook his head. "My point is…for you to feel an emotion beyond simple desire for someone like me means that, as a human, you must have come to know me, not as some pretty creature to be admired from afar, but as an individual, with faults and flaws that you've accepted and chosen to love by your own accord."

Asuka's flush deepened as she looked away. "It wasn't a…conscious decision on my part…"

Kaworu shook his head. "It never is. Though I found myself wishing and hoping that I could come to honestly love you as a person and not as some ideal or paragon yourself."

"Flattery gets you nowhere," Asuka shook her finger at him.

"Then how about if I said…" his arms slid around her waist. "That my wish came true?"

Asuka looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she placed one hand behind his head, the other on his chin, and brought his face to hers and kissed him, pressing their faces together, her fingertips curling through his silver hair.

Kaworu obliged her by pressing back, his arms tightening around her waist to draw their bodies closer, their abdomens pressing together as Asuka tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

They parted briefly enough for Asuka to ask one last question.

"Are you done 'making preparations' for the day?"

Kaworu looked unfazed, save for a lack of breath. "Does it matter?"

Asuka smiled. He was learning.

xxxxx

Shinji tried to sleep that night. He tried to calm his nerves and allow his mind to drift off into slumber. One might as well have said that he tried to stop the sun from rising, as his mind refused to grant him repose. Too much had happened, too much had changed. His entire world had been turned upside down – again – and his whole worldview was once again something entirely different than what it had been.

He stood by the window of the pilot's dorms. The view was off the Geo-Front, of the moonlight pouring down from the reflective chambers that filtered natural light into the otherwise lightless abyss that was their safe haven. The buildings suspended on the ceiling half a mile overhead blinked with erratic artificial light whose purpose held no meaning to Shinji.

Behind him, Rei lay sleeping off her weariness in the double bed, the only one in the dorm. These rooms were designed for single patrons, or couples if they were close. Initially, he had thought Major Katsuragi irresponsible, allowing fourteen and fifteen year old pilots to pick and choose their own lodgings. As involved as many of them were with one another, it should have been obvious to Misato that many of them would room together. Not exactly something most adults smiled upon.

The more he thought about it though, after all the training they'd received, the number of battles they'd been in, and amount of other shit they'd all had to deal with, if Misato didn't trust them all as self-responsible pilots, there wasn't a human being capable of living up to any standard that could. There were plenty of rooms to choose from, and they were perfectly capable of making their own decisions. If the pilots decided to sleep alone or with another that night, that was a liberty they had consciously been afforded, and to be fair, it was something each of them had rightly earned. Sure, given the freedom they'd been entrusted with, they all could have easily roomed together and thrown a big party and carried on into the wee hours of the morning.

If they were normal teenagers.

None of them saw any point in doing something like that though. The situation was just too dire, and they were all mature enough to recognize that. The urge to mess around wasn't even there anymore. Even as they each roomed with someone they were close to, and even as many of them were enjoying their privacy together, it was not out of a teenager's experimentation, curiosity, or infatuation.

It was done out of a need to be with one another.

They all might die tomorrow. Each and every one of them knew it, at one level or another. That was a tremulous notion for anyone to try to go to sleep with. They needed each other, if not for someone to reassure them that there was something to hold onto, then at very least for a distraction to keep them from worrying themselves into hysterics and be able to function as was required as pilots as soon as that need arose.

Unfortunately for Shinji, Rei had been so exhausted, both from her part in the jump that brought them all safely to Tokyo-3, and from the Angel battle she had very nearly perished in scarcely a day ago, that she had fallen asleep almost as soon as she had entered the building that morning. She had needed her rest, and Shinji knew it. But his nerves were raw, and he was going crazy with no one to talk to.

"Good evening, Ikari," a low, gentle voice sounded.

Shinji blinked, surprised, and looked around. It hadn't been Rei's voice…

"Out here…" the voice giggled softly.

Shinji slid the window all the way open and peered outside. To his left, the window of the dorm room adjacent to theirs was open, and Mayumi was resting her elbows on the windowsill, looking up at the marvel of the Geo-Front.

"Oh…good evening, Mayumi," Shinji smiled, foolishly. "Can't sleep either?"

She shook her head forlornly. "I should be exhausted after everything that's happened today, but for some reason, by body just doesn't want to sleep."

Shinji nodded, resting his elbows on his sill, mirroring her position. "I thought that you'd be with your parents. Aren't they from around here?"

She shook her head. "They moved back to China after I shipped out to Germany. I haven't heard from them since we escaped from NERV."

Shinji heard a twinge of fear in her voice. "I'm sure they're alright, Mayumi. Have you brought it up with Major Katsuragi, or one of the bridge technicians? I'm sure they'd be able to help you get in touch with them."

She shook her head. "They're all busy enough just trying to bolster the defenses of our headquarters. We're all at far greater risk than my parents are. I'm not worried about them or anything – they're far enough away from here that I don't think they'll come to any harm. They're smart enough to keep a low profile, as I'm sure they've heard the news about us by now."

Shinji smiled wanly. "They taught you everything you know, didn't they?"

Mayumi nodded. "Everything…except where I really came from."

Shinji winced. If Mayumi was like Rei and Kaworu then…

"How long have you known?" he asked, timidly.

"Shortly after we helped you escape the Eleventh Angel," Mayumi said, impassively.

Shinji could tell she was holding back tears. He was at a loss for words – how does one comfort someone who only recently found out that they were adopted?

"You know…I really envy you, Second Child…" he heard he say, her voice cracking a little bit.

"Why?" Shinji asked, honestly unsure of what she could possible be envious. She was a far better pilot then anyone else. She kept a much cooler head on her shoulders, and she had the greatest control of her AT out of the three nephilim of their group.

"It would probably be more accurate to say…" this time he heard real tears in her words. "That I envy Ayanami…at least, I envy what she has."

Shinji blinked dumbly, completely taken aback. He turned to look at her, though her face was poorly illuminated in the dim reflected light of the moon. He saw tears glistening in the fragments of light. But he also saw her smiling.

He swallowed.

"I…I'm sorry…" he muttered, turning away helplessly. "I…I wish there was something I could do…"

"Don't," she stopped him mid thought. "You and Ayanami deserve each other, more than anyone."

Shinji bit his lip. He didn't have a response for that either. He felt stupid. He couldn't leave things like this.

"We should both get to sleep…" Mayumi said breaking his thoughts, her face disappearing inside her window, before returning to look back on Shinji. "Since…since tomorrow might be our last days on this Earth…do you mind if I call you Shinji from now on?"

Shinji smiled a little. "Of course you can."

Mayumi nodded, wiping her eyes clean. "Ok then. Goodnight, Shinji."

She closed the window, leaving Shinji to his thoughts.

Shinji closed his own window moments later, and slid into bed next to Rei. He gently wrapped his arms around her sleeping form, and nuzzled his head against her shoulder. What did it matter that she slumbered? He still had more company than Mayumi had. Rei would be with him when they awoke. Asuka would have Kaworu. Toji would have Hikari. Kensuke would have Mana.

Mayumi would be alone.

He nestled in closer to Rei, who stirred sleepily. He kissed her cheek as she slept, her face still beautiful to him in the dim light.

"Goodnight, Rei…"

In the moonlight reflected through the mirrors of the Geo-Front, he thought he saw a ghost of a smile.

xxxxx

May 8th, 2010

It was not even dawn when Misato came pounding at the pilot's doors. They all hurriedly dressed and followed her in an orderly fashion. Questions were met with assurances that all would be answered soon, though for the lack of activity and noise throughout the Geo-Front, it was clear that they were not under attack just yet.

Still, Misato's face was the definition of urgency. And for some reason, she refused to meet Shinji's gaze in particular.

Only when all nine pilots had filed into the elevator did she begin to explain.

"We are about to head into Terminal Dogma," Misato said, typing in a code into the elevator keypad, rendering the internal light a gentle red that no longer burned their sleep-deprived eyes. "What you are about to see is…well, I'll be frank…I didn't even believe myself at first."

"Let me guess…" Asuka said, her mind the sharpest out of all of theirs. "You and Kaji tried to sneak down here yesterday."

Misato inhaled. While the rest of the pilots, save the nephilim, were still probably trying to remember what the term 'Terminal Dogma' even referred to, Asuka had already determined that a Major should not have had the credentials to come down here on her own. The fact that she was now leading them down here meant that the Commander had caught her in the act, and decided that since the cat was out of the bag, and the Major was too valuable to execute, that they might as well reveal everything.

Whatever the pilots expected when they stepped out of the elevator and through security doors massive enough to keep an Eva from entering, they weren't expecting this.

Gendo, Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko were standing together in the middle of a dark expansive room, much like the room Rei's clones had resided in, though the walls and ceiling weren't visible in the gloom. They were all speaking gravely with two other people. As the pilots peered closer, they realized that they recognized who the other two people were.

Professor Naoko Akagi.

And Commander Yui Ikari.

"M…Mom…?"

Time seemed to stop. Shinji all but fell over. It was her! Her hair was a little longer than he remembered it, but it was definitely his mother. Professor Akagi too. Both were wearing their typical lab coats, and speaking calmly, if with a sense of urgency, with the other adults. If his father had been surprised to see Yui still alive, he had gotten it out of his system. He was, however, no longer wearing his glasses, and his expression was, overall, a bit less fearsome. And Fuyutsuki looked practically joyous. Ritsuko even more so.

Shinji kept trying to think 'How?' 'Why?' But all he could really do was war with himself over whether to feel enraged suspicion at this being a trick, or ineffable relief that his mother had somehow returned to him

The adults turned to face the disbelieving faces of the pilots and immediately stopped talking. They watched them as the children slowly stepped closer to the group, exchanging uncomfortable glances. It was Yui who first spread her arms wide to welcome them all.

"Pilots," she addressed them as a group first. "I apologize that I had to keep my existence a secret from you all. It was necessary that SEELE believe me to be dead were I to accomplish what needed to be done." She turned to look directly at Shinji. "For that…you have my deepest apologies."

Shinji took a step forward. His mouth was dry.

"M…M…M-Mom…" he stuttered, tears welling up in his eyes. "Is…is it really…?"

The other pilots had enough tact not to say anything that would ruin the moment as Shinji ran into mothers arms, awash with relief, sadness, pain and love all at once. The look of happiness and relief on her own face was just as palpable, having for so long steeled herself away from such maternal drives, and only now allowing herself to feel them, she gathered her son into her arms and embraced him tightly.

"Oh Shinji…I missed you…" she said, not cooing or condescending, but simply letting her love for him be known.

Shinji sobbed. The images, the heartache, the pain, all of his memories from that fateful day at sea…they all came flooding back, bringing with them the tide of terror and disbelief he had kept barricaded into the oblivion of his soul.

Not even Gendo had the heart to separate the two, despite the urgency of their situation.

As the song went, however, the Angels were in their hearts cruel.

"Children…" a voice echoed throughout Terminal Dogma. "There is very little time…"

The voice was large, powerful, filling them all and shaking them beyond comprehension. All but the nephilim had to take a step to steady themselves, and had it not been for his mother, Shinji would have fallen to his knees.

"Who…?" Rei asked, the least phased yet the least comprehending, stepping over to where Shinji stood in his mother's arms, looking back into the deep darkness beyond where they stood. The way her voice echoed, it was obvious that the room they were in was much, much larger than it looked.

Yui let out a breath. "I kept the room darkened to lessen the initial shock…I figured you would all be plenty surprised to learn that Naoko and I were alive. But even assuming you have accepted this fact, I do not thing there is anything that could lessen the impact of seeing this."

She nodded to Naoko, who simply flipped the dial on a massive switchboard attached to a number of cables that fed off along the ground and into the darkness beyond.

The pilots all started as a light came on from within a giant glass tube filled with LCL that glowed an eerie yellow-orange. It matched the container in which Ayanami had once called home in all but sheer scale, for within drifted the black leathery body of Sachiel, the Third Angel.

The pilots all gaped. Even though only Shinji, Asuka and Rei had been the ones to fight this Angel, they all had gone over the videos of the battle often enough to see this Angel in their sleep.

Asuka's brows knit. "What?"

Beside Sachiel's tube, shortly after, lit another tube of equal size, this one containing the body of Shamsel, the Fourth Angel.

"Son of a-!" Toji bit off a curse, not expecting to see any more of his foes preserved.

A third and fourth tube lit up behind the first two, these two containing the bodies of the diamond shape of Ramiel and the fish-like body of Gaghiel, the Fifth and Sixth Angel. Behind those two, the two faces of Israfel and the wormy body of Sandalphon. And behind them, the spidery body of Matarael and bulbous shape of Sahaquiel. And then the floating nano-machines of Iruel and the spherical shadow of Leliel.

"This is the reason I needed to die," Yui said, forebodingly. "This is the fruit of our labor; The Evangel Project."

Farther back, the the lights came on to reveal the gelatinous black blob of Bardiel and the mighty frame of Zeruel. And farther back still floated the angular wing shape of Arael and the circuitous double helix of Amrisael.

"This is what should have happened fifteen years ago on that fateful night in Antarctica! " Yui went on, pride and awe both overflowing from her voice. "This is what SEELE could never do!"

She spread her arms wide, looking somewhat like a mad scientist, and somewhat like a religious zealot all at once.

"Communion with the Angels!"

Between the two rows of tanks walked two graceful figures. A man and a woman. They stood apart from each other, and yet stepped as one, their bodies somehow catching the light even when they walked through shadow. At first glance, both appeared to resemble Rei and Kaworu, but with an age to them that was impossible to mistake in the pilots. Both were also nude, though nothing about their poise, shape or hue would possibly allow anyone to think they needed to be clothed.

The woman inclined her head towards the children, though it was a nod of acknowledgement, and not a bow. This woman…this Angel…needn't bow to anyone!

"I am glad to see you all have come this far, my children…" her voice was like a pure note that rang eternally throughout the spacious hall.

"You have surpassed That Which Should Be," the man spoke, and his voice was like thunder, a power that couldn't be contained, yet somehow embraced you and enveloped you within itself. "Now we gather at the Heart of the World to see how fate will play out."

Everyone knew at once who they were looking at, but no one wanted to be the first to speak.

"Adam and Lillith," Rei said, breaking the silence that kept everyone imprisoned. "You two…are Adam and Lillith."