Disclaimer: I do (not) own the rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion (the anime OR the manga), nor do I own the rights to the Rebuild series, the rights are the property of Gainax, Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Studio Khara.

A/N: Yeah, I'm using Rebuild and (horror of horrors!) UK English. So shoot me, or Soryuken me. :P

"This is for speech."

'This is for thoughts.'

The footsteps of the grey-haired, wrinkled Sub-Commander, Kozo Fuyutsuki, echoed as he crossed the elaborately designed floor of the vast mausoleum that was the office of Commander Gendo Ikari, whose tinted spectacles shone in the light. He positioned his hands in front of his bearded face in anticipation of the 70cm-by-50cm-by-30cm cardboard box carried in the hands of his former university professor. His gloved fingers locked into each other as Fuyutsuki set the box down on Gendo's cluttered desk.

"Let's get this over with…" sighed Gendo's elder, removing the box's lid and dumping out the slips of paper.

"I hate the suggestion box," remarked Gendo coldly, his eyebrows moving slightly to form a frown.

"Well, Ikari, a valued workforce is a hard-working workforce."

"And one which costs a lot to maintain." The duo set to work, examining the weekly supply of submissions.

"Aoba wants a Guitar Hero arcade machine added to the recreational facility," noted Fuyutsuki.

Gendo grunted in response. "Surely that long-haired layabout has access to a games console and the game in question?"

"Perhaps he would, if he had enough free time."

"Perhaps he would have free time when we get rid of those damned Angels. Or would he preferred to be laid off?"

Fuyutsuki duly moved onto the next suggestion. "Kamui Aida wants an improved security system for the normal PCs, i.e. the ones which are not connected to the MAGI system."

"The security of his computer is his matter, not NERV's." Fuyutsuki could take a hint, and Aida's suggestion was dismissed.

"Ibuki wants…" Fuyutsuki's voice trailed off, as he knew that the short-haired bridge bunny would have nothing sensible to add, unless more revealing or figure-flattering outfits for Dr. Ritsuko Akagi were a matter of utmost importance to the organisation which was meant to defend humanity from the enigmatic Angels.

"I know full well what that girl wants, Sub-Commander. Next suggestion."

"Hyuga wants the arcade machines updated with the latest editions."

"Is that because the Second has already beaten his records?"

"I suspect that is the case."

"Request denied."

Fuyutsuki's face then contorted in disgust. "Watanabe, the janitor, wants cameras installed in the changing rooms of the First and Second Children."

"Didn't I fire him already?"

"I believe you've re-hired him for the seventeenth time, Ikari. Mainly because only he would work for such measly wages."

"Janitors are extremely expendable. Whereas a Pilot may be a elaborately tailored suit, a janitor is but a button from a cheap shirt." Gendo's eyes opened by a millimetre or two. "I think I've just undermined my own argument for hiring Watanabe."

There was a faint smell of beer from the next suggestion. Fuyutsuki began reading. "'Dear Commander, considering the success of our mission against the Eighth Angel, in which we utilised all three Pilots at our disposal, I felt that they should get to know each other better. Therefore, I'm suggesting that they have sleepover this Saturday at my apartment…' I'm not sure if that's an exclamation mark or a full stop," recognised Fuyutsuki. He continued. "'Yours sincerely, Col. Misato Katsuargi.'"

"That was actually the first non-half-assed suggestion I've received in a long time," noted Gendo. "Get Katsuargi here ASAP." Fuyutsuki duly departed, and Gendo glanced over the remaining suggestions. 'Someone should tell Makinami that because she's not a proper Pilot, that she doesn't get to suggest anything - namely, Dr. Pepper-flavoured LCL…' he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door of his office creaking open, and the clacking of heels against the floor. Enter Misato Katsuargi, dressed in a black dress which showed more than enough leg and her red bomber jacket.

'No seats?' groaned Misato to herself. 'I heard the Commander was a cheap bastard, but come on!"

"So, Colonel," said Gendo, his voice echoing off the walls of the massive mausoleum, "I was reading your proposal, and I felt that it was…interesting, to say the least. I want you to explain it to me."

"Well…" began Misato, "I think that getting the Pilots to spend time together would help them to bond."

Gendo grunted in response, before adding, "And why this Saturday in particular?"

"Well, you know, it's October 31st then!"

Gendo blinked. "Of course…you're proposing a Halloween party for the Pilots."

"Exactly!" chirped the purple-haired woman.

"You seem to have forgotten Rei."

Misato's mouth dropped open. She had forgotten to note that Rei was possibly the most socially inept person in all of Tokyo-3. She was a girl who lived in a dingy apartment with no TV, no radio and an AOL dial-up connection. She was a girl who did not smile until after the fight with Ramiel. She was a girl who would tilt her head sideways in confusion when inspecting a PlayStation controller. "Well, I feel that…" Misato's voice trailed off as she struggled to think of something to say. "That…that…she may…benefit…from being in…the presence of Shinji and Asuka?" 'Nice save,' she pondered, 'That deserves an extra can of Yebisu tonight!'

'Well, the Scrolls don't say much about any Angels appearing for perhaps…two weeks or so.' "I approve of your proposal," replied Gendo. Misato's mouth curled upwards in response.

Meanwhile, down in the lobby of the NERV pyramid, Rei Ayanami sat alone at a table in the food court, eating vegetarian sushi and observing the world as it went by. That is, until her phone rang.

'How odd,' mused the blue-haired girl, 'I've never received a phone call without an Angel being detected previously.' "Mushi mushi?" she answered.

"Rei, prepare for a so-called 'sleepover' at the Colonel Katsuargi's apartment with the Second and Third Children."

"Sleep…over?" She tilted her head, confused. Rei had never heard the term "sleepover" before.

"You will be staying at Katsuargi's apartment this Saturday. Do you understand?"

"Yes, commander," she said, as if on cue.

"Make sure to bring a toothbrush and a change of clothes. The Second Child despises sharing any items which are used for personal grooming."

"Yes, commander," she replied before hanging up.

Misato opened the door to her apartment, and was greeted by angry shrieking.

"I'm home," she announced, but no one was listening. "I've brought pizza!" Again, no one replied.

"ANTA BAKA?" roared Asuka Shikinami Langley, thumping Shinji in the arm. "ARE YOU COMPLETELY INCAPABLE OF PLAYING PORTAL 2?" She seized the controller from Shinji's hand. "This is how you OPEN A FUCKING PORTAL, BAKA!"

"Sorry, Asuka…" muttered Shinji Ikari, his eyes averting the redhead's gaze. If looks could kill…

Misato entered her room to remove her dress, and emerged in her cut-off denim shorts and skimpy yellow t-shirt, much like what Asuka was wearing. As she entered the living room-turned-war zone, she mulled over her next action, and chose her words carefully. "How would you two feel if Rei stayed over on Saturday night?" she asked.

The duo paused their game, and looked at Misato. Well, in Asuka's case it was more like glaring.

"Y'know…Halloween…" Misato wiggled her fingers in a poor attempt to spook them out.

"Halloween is for kids," said Asuka. "Only losers dress up for Halloween."

'Damn,' cursed Shinji to himself, "I was hoping to dress up as Simon from Gurren Lagann."

The regularly-angry German interrupted his thoughts. "You're loving this, aren't you, hentai?" she seethed at him. "Don't anime geeks like that stooge Kensuke call it 'yuri'?"

Shinji stared at his short-tempered roommate. "'Yuri'?"

Asuka grunted, annoyed. "Baka-Shinji…" she muttered. The two unpaused their game. Within seconds, Hurricane Langley struck once more. "Ever heard of momentum, baka? You're supposed to jump through the portal AFTER RUNNING!"

Nothing much happened over the remaining days to the sleepover. There were a few synch tests, a few pop quizzes that only Asuka passed (and with flying colours - many felt that her knowledge of German motorsport and Rammstein bordered on obsession) and Misato bought an old 1969 Mazda Cosmo to replace her battered Alpine A310. She did not tell her insurance company that her car was flipped because of Asuka's dramatic landing on Japanese soil, but rather that she had pulled over and then had her car slammed by a Toyota Supra driven by a Keiichi Tsuchiya wannabe (in her words).

Gendo took the duty of chaperoning Rei to Misato's apartment, in his sleek, black (with orange headlamps) Lexus LF-A. Gendo's sense of direction seemed to know no rivals, and neither did his driving prowess as he weaved through traffic.

"Do you have all of the things you need?" he asked, breaking the silence, eyes firmly locked on the highway.

Rei was barely concentrating on Gendo's words, as she inspected the glowing interior of the Lexus. His words took her away from her examination of the impressive machine. "Yes, Commander," she replied automatically. She wasn't lying - she had packed a nightgown, another school uniform, a change of socks and a change of underwear, as well as a toothbrush, all neatly folded and placed into a rucksack which had been raided from the NERV stockpile. Rei was left unmoved as Gendo blasted past a Honda Civic which seemed to have uranium strapped to its underbody, and a spoiler which, as well as serving no aerodynamic benefit, would get snapped off if it tried to enter any of the Geofront-bound tunnels. To add aural injury to visual injury, it was blasting dubstep at levels loud enough to wake up everyone in a 300-metre radius - all the more reason for Gendo to slam the accelerator and drown out what sounded like a reconstruction of angry, hardcore EVA sex. Gendo shuddered slightly at the thought, by a degree so miniscule that only Rei could tell.

"Commander? Is something troubling you?"

"It's nothing that you should worry about."

Rei slipped back into examining the interior of the Lexus again, undisturbed by the G-forces as Gendo veered onto the off-ramp, lifting off the throttle as the beastly LF-A made its way onto Tokyo-3's streets.

The aroma of garlic seasoning wafted through Misato's kitchen. Asuka hated to admit it, but Shinji was a good cook - excellent, even. It was his first time making a pizza from scratch, and as always with his culinary escapades, Shinji rose to the challenge. Asuka's stomach rumbled as she inhaled the ever-spreading scent of pizza. 'Gottverdammt,' she thought."That pizza better be ready soon, baka," she groaned.

"I hope you don't mind a plain cheese pizza."

"What?"

"Sorry, Asuka. Rei's a vegetarian."

"Then make another pizza, with pepperoni! You aren't brain-dead, so surely that thought would enter your hentai porn-infected mind!"

If Shinji had more of a spine, he would have joked that it's Kensuke that likes hentai porn. After all, he is an otaku. Asuka returned to playing Team Fortress 2 on the laptop which Misato "borrowed" from NERV. "Who the hell is 'Illustrious_05'?" she muttered. "She's just going for kamikaze attacks!"

Just then, Misato emerged from her bedroom.

"Is that your Halloween costume, drunkard?" asked Asuka, half looking up from the laptop screen. Misato was wearing a black dress which looked fit to burst in the chest area. Her thighs were gratuitously exposed, and it was a good thing she was wearing panties. She adjusted the top of her dress, making sure that her scar was not exposed.

"No, Asuka," replied the purple-haired woman, "I forgot the witch hat!" A nervous smile crossed her face.

"My mistake, I thought you were going as a prostitute." She looked over at Shinji. 'That's right, baka-hentai…if you look, I'll kick your ass.'

Misato sighed. "It's just a bit of fun…"

"And you're supposed to be our guardian…" moaned Asuka. She was a girl who aced the German Abitur exams at the age of 9½, a girl who preferred flight simulators and iRacing to Pilot Wings Resort and Gran Turismo and a girl who could solve a Rubik's Cube in 30 seconds flat. She had no time for something as childish as Halloween. As Shinji set to preparing the pepperoni pizza, the door bell rang.

"Who is it?" called out Misato. "Trick-or-treaters?"

There was no answer until she opened the door.

"Trick or treat," said Gendo emotionlessly. His face remained perfectly still as he stood next to Rei, dressed in her school uniform, and clutching her rucksack with both hands.

"Good evening, Colonel Katsuargi," she said in a very formal tone.

"It's OK if you just call me Misato," replied Misato, struggling to keep a straight face after Gendo's first words.

"I will be unavailable to escort you back to your apartment tomorrow, Rei," said Gendo.

"Yes, commander." Rei stood outside until Misato gave her a hint to come inside. Well, by hint, I mean she told her explicitly to come inside. Rei went to the kitchen.

"Good evening, Ikari-kun." She then looked over at Asuka. "Good evening, Pilot Shikinami."

Asuka grunted in response.

"Uh…good evening, Rei," replied Shinji, his voice wavering. Out of the corner of Rei's eye, she saw Asuka gag slightly.

She inhaled through her nose. "What are you cooking?"

"Uh…pizza," he answered.

"It…smells…better than edible."

"Delicious?" suggested Shinji.

"Is that the word I should use for food that is satisfying to the part of my brain which processes taste?"

Shinji's mouth opened slightly, as he processed Rei's words, and then nodded afterwards.

Misato entered the living room. "Any questions, Rei?"

"There is the matter of where I'm supposed to sleep."

"You can sleep in my bed-" suggested Shinji, before getting cut off by Asuka.

"YOU PERVERT!" roared Asuka.

"Sorry, sorry," said Shinji, begging for mercy, "I meant that she can sleep in my bed while I sleep on the couch!" Asuka calmed down, and returned to her game.

"Right, kids," called out Misato, leaving the room and entering the hallway, "I'm off, I've got a Halloween party to go to. Enjoy yourselves, and try not to give yourselves a bad fright!" She began cackling like a B-movie villain, much to Asuka's chagrin.

"So, baka, any ideas for tonight? Other than hentai porn?" There was a hint of smugness in Asuka's voice.

"Well, I heard that there was a horror movie marathon on one of the satellite channels…" suggested Shinji.

Asuka scoffed. "Those movies are more cringe-worthy than scary. Only little kids get scared by horror movies, and they're written by film college drop-outs who wait tables and flip burgers for a living. I could tell a better horror story by myself!"

There was a "ting!" from the oven. "The first pizza's ready," announced Shinji nonchalantly. Asuka couldn't resist having a sniff or two. It was mouth-wateringly delicious. Even the air in the kitchen tasted great.

"Pilot Shikinami…if you feel that you can tell a good horror story, perhaps I can tell one too?"

"Pfft…yeah, Wondergirl, like you," she pointed at the blue-haired girl, as she walked towards the fridge to get a can of Red Bull, "can create an atmosphere that would make poor little baka-Shinji wet himself."

"I believe that those caffeinated beverages are not very healthy, Pilot Shikinami. And, although I do not desire to traumatise Ikari-kun to the extent where he will urinate in his pants, I believe that I can tell a story which may be deemed to induce fear."

Shinji's mouth dropped open again. 'Damned Rei and her use of really complicated words…'

"You're on, Wondergirl!"

"Fine. We'll tell our stories after finishing Ikari-kun's pizzas. I do not desire to give anyone an upset stomach."

"Baka-Shinji!"

"Yes, Asuka?" he asked in response.

"Go find a flashlight," she ordered.

For maximum dramatic effect, the lights were switched off. The curtains were closed. The room was lit solely by a dim lamp, placed on the table in the middle of the room. After cleaning the dishes, Shinji returned to the table. "So, who's going first?" he asked.

"Perhaps Pilot Shikinami should tell her story first? This activity is her idea."

"Ever heard of saving the best 'til last, Wondergirl?" said Asuka with a smirk. "We'll go by alphabetical order."

"But…Asuka…" said Shinji, quivering slightly, "You'll be first, right? You just called Rei's story the best before you even heard any of it."

"We're using surnames, baka. So Wondergirl goes first. Then we have sit through your crap. And then, I'll unleash my masterpiece!" she proclaimed, proudly crossing her arms.

Shinji sighed. His idea was, quite honestly, crap - it was based on the music video for "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.

"So, Wondergirl, do you have anything to spare us from whatever disasterpiece baka-Shinji wishes to put us through? It's probably something terrible with zombies."

Shinji's shoulders slumped. To Asuka's surprise, Rei replied, "Yes, I do. Forgive me if you feel a horror story using Evangelions is unoriginal, but…I feel it's the best I could do with such time constraints, and forgive me also for using Units 01 and 02."

"What are you planning, Wondergirl?" The annoyance was evident in Asuka's voice.

"You should not worry about being humiliated, I'll use original characters." Her mind whirred into action. She had the plot. All she needed were the character names…and she started thinking about Japanese warships from World War II.

The Geofront was exposed to the skies above. Despite the best efforts of the Japanese Strategic Self Defence Forces, Unit 02 was still standing. The VTOLs failed. The assault rifles failed. The tanks failed. The battleship in the Geofront lake failed. The N² missiles failed.

Which is why they, The Committee for Human Souls, sent in 9 beasts to destroy it.

"Uh…what?"

"You have great faith in Unit-02, correct? Why should you feel anxious about these nine beasts?" Rei continued with her story.

Above the gaping crater where Tokyo-3 once stood, nine supersonic bombers flew overhead. They were as black as the night sky. But their payload was much more sinister. The entry plugs spun into the backs of the nine beasts. They were white, with black stripes, no eyes and blood-red lips, barely hiding white, sharp teeth. The beasts grabbed a hold of their weapons, and their eerily beautiful wings spread outwards as they detached from the bombers. They flew in formation, gliding gracefully downwards towards Unit-02. In contrast to their aerobatics, they crashed down to Earth, landing on their feet. Their wings retracted into their backs. As if they were looking up, their faces were split by wide, psychotic smiles. The nine surrounded EVA-02.

Inside the plug of the red EVA, Pilot Yuko Soryu watched the clock count down, the cable connecting her Unit to any external power supplies had been severed.

"I have to destroy them all? Is she forgetting she's talking to a convalescent? Nine units in three and a half minutes... that works out to only 20 seconds apiece!" She willed her EVA to sprint towards the closest monster.

"What the hell? What sort of name is Soryu?" argued Asuka, beating Shinji to the punch.

"You are not one to judge, Pilot Shikinami. I believe that both Soryu and Shikinami were the names of two Japanese warships from the Second World War. I am also in no position to judge, as I also share my name with a Japanese warship from the aforementioned war." Rei resumed her story.

Meanwhile, within the Geofront, Major…

Rei paused as she tried to think of a name.

…Major Miyu Kato pinned young Shin Ogata against the wall. She handed him a blood-stained cross necklace. Tears streamed from their eyes while blood flowed from the wound in her abdomen. She put her lips against his, and kissed him passionately.

"That is an adult kiss. We'll do the rest when you get back…" she muttered weakly as she moved her lips away from his. With her last ounce of strength Kats…Kato shoved Ogata-kun inside the elevator to the EVA cages. She sank to the floor. The blood loss had done its work. Her vision began to blur. Her body was going numb. Deprived of oxygen because of the loss of blood, Kato's brain began to shut down.

With her dying breaths, she muttered, "If I knew it would end this way...I would've done like Yuko said...and changed the carpet...right, Pen-Pen? Kobayashi...did I do all right?" She looked up, and she saw a ghostly, pale adolescent girl.

"Wait…Pen-Pen's in this?"

Shinji, who felt some tears well up in his eyes, was actually surprised that Misato's pet was given a role, and Rei ignored Asuka's remark and moved on.

Shin stared at that blood-stained cross which Kato had handed him. Her final words to him played over and over again in his mind. 'You have to make decisions by yourself - without anyone's help. You hate yourself, right? If you stay here and do nothing, I won't forgive you!' The river of tears became a raging torrent as he slid downwards, sobbing as he tasted her blood in his mouth.

Meanwhile…

Asuka grunted. "You love that word, don't you, Wondergirl?"

"Would you prefer it if I used a similar phrase, Pilot Shikinami?"

"It would be more original, so yeah."

At the same time, Yuko was becoming frustrated. She was told that Shin and Unit-01 were on their way.

"I can't even count on that idiot Shin!" she yelled. But she had no idea that Shin was greeted by the sight of a Bakelite-encased Unit-01 as he exited the elevator. His sobs echoed against the vast chamber.

While Shin was left helpless, Yuko tore through the white beasts. The first fell as she smashed its head purely by the force of her colliding with it. She landed, throwing up tons of dirt, tarmac and plant matter in the process. The beast she had just incapacitated keeled over backwards, still gripping its blade. She grabbed its body, hoisted it above her Unit, and ripped it in two, coating the EVA in its blood. She grabbed another of the beasts, and screaming wildly, tackled it and left it at the bottom of the Geofront's lake. Pinning it down under the waves, she reached for her Progressive Knife, and lodged her progressive knife in the its head. She waded through the waters as fast as possible in an attempt to minimise her time between kills. With a roar as beastly as her opponents, she severed the limbs of the third beast. However, in the process, she had broken her blade. In desperation, the beast grabbed the EVA's head. The EVA pushed itself forward, as if on a treadmill, and wrapped its arm around the neck of Beast #3. With a ferocious struggle, she snapped its neck, just in time to see a fourth beast fly through the air, with its blade in its hands.

"I can't lose! Not with Mama watching me!" she declared. She had opened her heart to the one person she had missed in her life. The one person that she needed in her life.

"Mama? Mother?" Shin asked himself, hearing Yuko's words reverberate from the speakers in the cavernous room. With an immensely powerful landing, the fourth beast knocked Yuko backwards and off her feet. Seizing the blade of one of her fallen foes, she slammed it against her opponent's blade. All the while, her clock continued to count down towards that dreaded operational limit. Both the beast and Unit-02 were blasted backwards, and immediately resumed their fight. Their blades clashed again, and again, until the fourth beast was decapitated. A fifth beast ran up behind her, but its sneak attack failed, and Yuko sliced through its left leg. In an attempt to capitalise, a sixth beast joined the fight, ramming Unit-02 to the ground. As a consequence of her high sync rate, Yuko felt the force of the sixth beast's tackle. Her eyes wide with psychotic rage, Yuko seized her latest assailant by the abdomen, and opened up a compartment which shot spikes through the head of the sixth beast. She rose out of her seat, with a crazy smile on her face. She easily put a seventh monster through a wall, with blood pouring out of the crevasse in the concrete. The wall exploded as she pulled it back out, discarding its carcass as if she were a 10-year-old boy flicking away mucus. The seventh beast collided with its successor. Yuko thrusted her Evangelion's right hand through the seventh beast, and dug into the chest of the eighth beast, still reeling from being body-slammed by its comrade. She squeezed the red sphere inside, releasing the crimson liquid known as blood. With a primal scream, she continued to squeeze the chest of the eighth beast. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a grey, metallic object, thick and long, fly towards her. It was the blade of the ninth beast. Thinking fast, she threw up her AT Field to defend herself. The blade froze in the air. But then…it began to shift form. It twisted, it contorted…into a double-pronged lance. The prongs gradually pierced the AT Field. Yuko's eyes went wide.

"THE LANCE OF LONGINUS?" she screams in disbelief. She had heard of it. It had pierced the Angel which infiltrated her mind, and forced so many horrific memories to resurface. She could only watch as it sliced through her EVA's skull. With her high sync rate, her own skull was pierced. Blood flowed from her eye socket like water from Niagara Falls. And to her horror, the beasts which she had knocked out regenerated. But not before she chanted, "I'll kill you…I'll kill you…" repeatedly, as if possessed. Even as they feasted on the remains of her EVA, she was still alive. She felt every bite, every crunch as she clung onto the hope that Shin would rescue her. She reached towards the blood stained side of her plug, in unison with her EVA…just in time for it to receive a fatal blow, as a second Lance sliced her arm in two. In a true display of overkill, the beasts felt it necessary to throw their Lances into her.

At this point in the story, Asuka stood up. She was woozy. Her mind, which had gotten her into MENSA at the tender age of 7½, was trying to process Rei's story. She was actually trying to process the whole idea of Rei coming up with such an admittedly compelling story. The worst consequence of her thoughts came when she realised that EVA-02 - which was meant to be her EVA - had been eaten alive by a pack of giant beasts. She held her breath as she felt something rising up her oesophagus. Forcing her meal back down, she walked shakily, weakly to her own bedroom. "I feel sick," she muttered.

All this time, Shin had been listening to the battle. The only person who he could even dream of having…was now lost. He kept telling himself it wasn't true. Maybe Unit-02 would reactivate. Maybe A…Yuko would still be alive. "I can't pilot EVA," he said between sobs, "There's nothing I can do…" Suddenly, the hand of his purple EVA rose out of Bakelite, sending pinkish-red debris everywhere. "Mother?" he asked, fighting hard to suspend his disbelief. Rising out of the cages, Unit-01 arrived, much to the horror of the JSSDF soldiers who were still remaining. "IT'S THE DEVIL HIMSELF!" remarked one of the higher-ups in undisguised horror. Shin surveyed the scene…and saw Unit-02's mangled corpse.

"Yuko…" he muttered, his voice breaking. The only person he had really was gone. He had nothing. He had nothing to keep him in this world.

Meanwhile, deep within the NERV pyramid, two figures stood before The Progenitor.

Rei was then stuck for words, trying to pick a name for the Commander. She rose up, and inspected various disc cases for DVDs and PS3 games. Settling on an opened Metal Gear Solid 4 case, she leafed through the pages to find the "Credits" page, before deciding on a name. No names were satisfactory in the top departments. She thought harder, remembering the bespectacled brown-haired boy in her class mentioning someone in an anime about time travel.

Commander Rintaro Ogata stood next to the clone of his wife, Ryoko Hayashibara. They were accompanied by a corpse floating in the sea of LCL - that of Yuriko…

She struggled to search for names again. She tried to find some connection between the name Akagi and something else. And then, it hit her.

…That of Yuriko Akina. Her body floated face-down in the orange liquid. She had been betrayed by the artificial embodiment of her mother. It was meant to be a mother to her, to fight her corner. She learned how wrong she was the hard way. Ryoko felt cold. She was naked, standing before the man who she was meant to call her master.

Rintaro said, "Adam and I are now as one...for this is the only way to be with Megumi again. The forbidden joining of Adam and Lilith."

Suddenly, Ryoko's arm fell off, in the same manner as a poster attached to something only by sticky tack would fall off. Rintaro felt worried. "There's no time... Your AT Field can no longer hold your shape. Let's begin, Ryoko. Release your AT Field, the barrier of your heart. Complement your imperfect heart, leave your useless body...merge all souls into one. And then, take me to Megumi's side." Rintaro removed his gloves. Ryoko gasped as Rintaro plunged his exposed hand, the one which carried Adam, into her chest, merging them.

In her bedroom, Asuka held her doll above her.

"It's alright," squeaked the doll, "It's only a story. It's not like it's real."

Asuka tried assuring herself. 'It's only a story…it's only a story…' But even thinking of Rei's tale was enough to set her stomach churning.

Above ground, Shin roared like an animal. He had no one left. No one to comfort him. No one for him to comfort. No one to love him. No one for him to love. The JSSDF commanders gasped collectively as a red spear descended from the heavens.

Sub-Commander Keisuke Fukuda, a greying old man, who was yet answerable to Commander Ogata, who was at least 15 years his junior, could scarcely believe the sight. "No! Not…the Lance of Longinus?"

"The blessed time is upon us," declared the Chairman of the Committee of Human Souls. "Their existence has all been for this one moment."

The white beasts crucified Unit-01. They lifted it skywards, and began to open up their S² engines. The ground of the Geofront shook as The Progenitor's Egg rose up through the Earth's crust. It had waited nearly 4 billion years for this moment.

The egg of The Progenitor... the genesis of human life... the Black Moon... We have no desire to return to that empty shell, But even that depends on the will of The Progenitor.

"Ryoko…take me to Megumi's side," commanded Rintaro. He gasped as her abdomen tightened around his hand. She had disobeyed his order. His right arm tore like crepe paper.

"I'm not your doll," she proclaimed, rejecting him. Rejecting his will. Rejecting his aims. "Ogata-kun is calling me." She began ascending towards the white, puffy mass which towered above them. "I'm home," she announced, before being swallowed by The Progenitor. The Progenitor began changing form…into that of Ryoko. She rose up through the floors of the Geofront like a ghost, producing an Anti-AT Field. The staff on the Bridge shrieked in terror as Ryoko passed through them. She rose above the surface, cupping her hands together. Shin's eyes grew wide in terror.

"HAYASHIBARA…? RYOKO…?" He held his head in his hands, peering out between his fingers. "ARRGGGGHHHHH!" He curled into a ball, screaming wildly. "ARRGGGH! YUKO!" In the midst of his meltdown, two arms stretched out…and a voice spoke to him.

"Do you want it to stop?" it asked, the voice warm and inviting. As the Lance of Longinus entered the core of Unit-01, the giant being split into two beings, taking the form of Ryoko and Kenji Nakajima, the only boy who could truly say that he loved Shin. His mind warped, Shin muttered the words which sealed humanity's fate:

"Nobody wants me. So, everyone just die. Nobody cares whether I exist or not. Nothing will change. So, everyone just die."

The world's 3 billion citizens could only watch as one by one, the messengers of The Progenitor made them shed their physical forms…and become one.

"So, Ikari-kun, did you find my story horrifying?" asked Rei.

Shinji did not respond. His eyes were wide with fear. He grabbed his legs and held them close to his chest. His face was caked in sweat. Rei tilted her head to the side. 'Is this fear?' she asked herself. 'Have I frightened Ikari-kun? Have I…traumatised him?' Rei pondered these questions as she went to bed, but not before Asuka stood in the doorway before her.

"Why do you desire to talk to me, Pilot Shikinami?"

"I heard the baka's whimpers." She subsequently sighed. "I can beat you easily at piloting, but I can't beat you at telling scary stories." To Rei's surprise, Asuka extended a hand towards her. "Gottverdammt, Wondergirl, you've beaten me."

The next morning, when she finally got out of bed, Asuka was physically drained. The thought of her precious EVA being ripped to shreds cost her valuable hours of sleep, not that she would tell anyone about that. She inspected the living room, and noticed that Shinji was curled up in a ball. She went around him, and noticed that his eyes were wide open, and his face was frozen.

"It's just a story, baka," she groaned.

Shinji struggled to breathe. "What if it isn't? What if…what if…they were us?" He suddenly grabbed her legs. She responded by smacking him across the head, but he refused to let go. "Hold me…please…" he begged.

Meanwhile, in NERV HQ, the pudgy, wavy-haired Section-2 Agent Anno massaged his wrist. He had just written down a fairly large summary of Rei's story. He chuckled to himself.

"This will be my ticket out of this dump..." he said, looking at his handiwork.

A/N: Yeah, I know, I'm lazy, all I did was get Rebuild-Rei to tell a compressed version of End of Evangelion. You can always send Soryukens through the PM system. :P Try and guess the various video game and anime references that I've left throughout the story. ;)