The buzzer awoke Misato, who had finally drifted into some sort of half-sleep. Snarling to herself, she reached for the comm, missing once, twice, hitting it the third time and sending it skittering across the table. Cursing, she fell out of her bunk and scrabbled for the comm as a tinny voice began asking if she was there.

"What!?" she snapped, grabbing the comm. What time was it?

"Ma'am, this Maj. Lugo with Security," the voice said, professional and courteous. "You instructed us to contact you with any aberrations concerning your Pilot."

"…What?"

"I'm contacting you to let you know that she just slipped her security team."

"…What?!"

"We're currently in the process of tracking her down, but considering her state of intoxication when she did disappear, we imagine it shouldn't be long before she turns up." There was a shuffling of papers in the background. "Now, I have on record that this will be the seventh time that Lt. Makinami has created an incident concerning her security team, so…." He was starting to ramp up into some sort of spiel about new protocols or something like that when her comm buzzed a second incoming transmission. Still on hands and knees, Misato clicked away from the Major as he continued speaking.

"What is it?" she mumbled, reclining onto her calves and brushing her hair away from her face.

"Have I reached the quarters of Capt. Katsuragi?"

"Yes, you have."

"Am I speaking with—"

"Yes, you are, what do you want?"

"This is Comm. Ovachesky, acting watch officer for Shore Patrol. We have something here that we believe requires your attention…."

Misato stared down at the figure sprawled on the bunk and snoring. She sighed. Unbidden, words jumped into her brain: Behold, humanity, thy deliverer and savior! The drinking had built up over time, but this was the first incident that had led to a Shore Patrol cell. As for the slips from her detachment, Mari rarely got into trouble. She was usually found soon after, either by surrendering herself or being tracked down. No, this was a new phase in the process, and one Misato was not eager to see through to it's logical conclusion.

"Why is she manacled to the bunk?" she asked.

"Didn't want to take chances, ma'am," the Shore Patrol NCO said.

"She's unconscious," Misato observed, blandly.

"…Didn't want to take chances, ma'am," the man replied again, slowly and as if speaking to a child. Misato gave him a withering glare, and the Shore Patrolman immediately regretted his tone. "Ma'am, with all due respect, I have three Patrolmen out on sick leave because of her. Injuries sustained in the acquisition and detainment of this individual. She fought when we arrested her, fought when we processed her, fought when we brought her in here. Hell, she bit me," he held up his arm, gesturing to a bandage, "three times. I'd say she was gnawing, but that would imply something gentle. I think she was trying to eat me in self-defense." He pointed at the sleeping form. "We dragged her in here, manacled her to the bunk. She spent the next hour singing 'All Along the Watchtower' and shouting 'Attica!' before going to sleep."

"Attica," Misato mumbled in a bemused tone. "All right, cut her loose."

"But—"

"It wasn't a request, it was an order."

The NCO made a face, and turned to look at the four Shore Patrolmen flanking them. They glanced at each other, and then entered the cell. They began undoing the manacles as the prisoner began grumbling. They undid the last one when she finally roused herself and began kicking and swinging. She fell heavily off the bunk as the Patrolmen backed away.

"On your feet!" Misato snapped. The girl responded immediately, snapping upright…then wobbling, and falling back on the bunk, slouching and disoriented. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings, then locked her blue eyes on Misato.

"Oh," she said. Mari Illustrious Makinami smiled weakly. "Hello, Cap'n."

"Everyone out," Misato snapped, and the Shore Patrolmen filed out of the cell and marched down the corridor, leaving Mari and Misato alone. "Have you any clue what time it is?"

"Nope," Mari admitted, smirking slightly.

"Don't play innocent," Misato retorted. "How much did you drink tonight?"

"Kind of lost track," Mari replied, rubbing one eye. The motion pushed her glasses up onto her forehead, where they stayed when she dropped her arm. "Was I in a fight?"

"A bit of one."

"Did I win?"

"Does it look like you won?" Misato asked. Mari glanced around, taking it in.

"…Um…a draw, then?"

"Get up." Misato pointed down the corridor. "March." Mari blinked for a moment, then stood on shaky legs. As she passed Misato, she shuddered for a moment, as though the air around the Captain was somehow cooler. The walk down the corridor was no warmer, nor was the walk through the Shore Patrol offices. Two Security men from the Wunder's complement were waiting at the front with Comm. Ovachesky, wearing body armor and sidearms but otherwise relaxed. As Mari passed between them, they turned and followed her out of the building. Misato stopped at the entrance, and turned to the Commander.

"Thank you again for contacting me on this," she said coolly. She was lost to the command self, and there was no courtesy or manners beyond that. The shorter man recognized the tone well.

"It was nothing at all, ma'am," he replied, snapping a salute. Misato returned it, and exited the structure. Paperwork would be sent to her office for signing: the only document she had put her signature on tonight was a release form that had been prepped and waiting for her. She was grateful for that, but she didn't feel like letting Shore Patrol know that. As she stepped out into the cool morning, she stared at the back of the teenage-shaped individual in front of her, the hair in a loose ponytail bobbing as the woman walked.

It was easy to think of Mari as a child, because physically...she still was. That didn't change the fact she was twenty-four. As she slid into the back compartment of Misato's groundcar, the Captain tried to soften her irritation. Mari's behavior had steadily deteriorated, and that was certainly part of it: being trapped physically at an age that meant many people still didn't take her seriously. All the while being tasked with doing tasks no one else in the world was capable of doing. Exhaustion, combined with hopelessness. A powerful combination.

"Scoot over," Misato said, feeling inclined to inconvenience Mari a bit. The younger woman obliged, and Misato sat next to her. Regardless of how she acted up, Mari was still an adult. More to the point, she was an officer of Wille.

"What the hell, Mari?" Misato said. "Seriously, what the hell?"

"Just a couple of drinks, ma'am," Mari purred, trying to get comfortable and fall asleep. As the Security men got in the front, Misato raised the privacy screen. She turned back to Mari.

"A couple of drinks in a body that can't process alcohol," Misato snapped. Mari shrugged, and turned away a little more. "And getting in fights. And hurting uniformed personnel. This too much, Mari."

"You've become a bore since you went all teetotaler," Mari mused, waving a hand indifferently in Misato's direction. In the space of a breath, Misato swung and struck Mari hard in the head with an open-palmed smack. It knocked Mari's glasses off, and they bounced off the privacy screen. The girl's head ducked forward and to the side under the blow, and rebounded off the window. She whirled towards Misato, her face twisting in anger. Misato's expression was calm, but a single eyebrow cocked up. The expression was clear: What do you think you're gonna do about that?

Mari continued to glare, but relaxed. "Effective immediately, your leave is ended," Misato said.

"I think that's clear," Mari said, but there was no tone to the words.

"Things have changed more than you getting thrown into a drunk tank."

"How?" The tone meant to sound indifferent, but the look in Mari's eyes was somewhere between nervousness and gleeful anticipation.

"Yukon Pixie returned," Misato said.

"…And?"

"Mission success."

"No kidding?" She leaned back, nibbling on a knuckle. "Huh. When did they get back?"

"Four days ago, roughly."

"You've been sitting on that for four days? And you didn't tell me?" Mari laughed. "Still trying to get Sleeping Beauty oriented, I see?" Misato leaned forward, and picked up Mari's glasses.

"Capt. Shikinami…well, Lt. Shikinami, once we get her processed…has not been returned to us." She handed the glasses back to Mari. The girl accepted them, squinting.

"You'll have to explain that to me."

"She's been rendered into LCL and absorbed into a core. Something of Nerv's that we've never seen before. We're trying to figure out a way to…coax her out."

"I see…." Mari placed the glasses onto her nose. "Why not bring me back immediately?"

"You needed the rest," Misato said. "Of course, if I knew you were going to spend it like you did…though I really shouldn't be surprised, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You get a lot of leeway being the only Pilot we have, and I know that also means a lot of pressure. It's why I've been so lax on the issue for so long. I've tried a lot of carrots." Misato crossed her arms, watching the moving landscape outside. "I have no problem using a stick."

Mari said nothing, watching the world outside drift by the groundcar. For a long time, the cabin was silent. "Is Operation US a go, then?" Mari asked.

"Maybe," Misato mumbled. "We don't know if Lt. Shikinami will be in any condition to do…anything. Or if it will be a human we get out on the other end."

"You don't think she's contaminated, do you?" Mari asked.

"I don't know. If she is, then she is not an asset." Misato turned shockingly hard eyes toward Mari. "We won't take any chances if that's the case."

"That's kind of harsh, isn't it? She didn't ask to be infected, or… 'absorbed,' or any of it," Mari pondered.

"What she wants and what is are two completely different topics." Misato rubbed at her eyes. There was no going back to sleep tonight. "We haven't had an Angel attack since Near Third Impact, and I don't plan on waking up what could be an Angel...what with Nerv doing whatever they're doing, and Seele making movements..."

"Is this the sort of thing you've been pondering with Operation US?" Mari asked.

"Never you mind," Misato whispered.

"I, for one, will be happy to see that Ikari kid again. He was easy to rile up," Mari said. "He had that panicked look, you know, when you—" Misato gave Mari the most serene look, and raised on arm to point at the woman. Her eyes were hollow, empty, and cold. Mari dropped the subject, and the rest of the ride was in silence.

"Key code line 75, 76, 77…no, 79…yeah, that makes sense," Hamish was murmuring. Sakura nibbled on her thumbnail, watching the technician as he scribbled on a notepad. At the moment, they were the only two in the suite, and the clock said 0312. It was constant work, and Hamish hadn't slept in 24 hours. Sakura couldn't do much with the coding of the pod, but she could make sure Hamish didn't collapse into a nerveless heap on the floor.

"Do you talk to yourself a lot when you work?" she asked.

"Only when there's someone else in the room," the Brit said. "Strange, huh?"

"A little. I guess I can understand not liking the silence. When do you plan to sleep?"

"When I finish this. I can't ever sleep more than four hours at a time or so." He leaned back and rubbed his face. "Never liked sleeping. I used to have fears I wouldn't wake up."

"You might not, if you keep pushing yourself. Is there anyone that can pick up from here? Give you a chance to rest?"

"Nope," he said. "I'd have to teach them the system, and I'm still figuring it out. While we're on the topic, why aren't you sleeping, Ensign?"

"This thing is keeping me up," she mumbled, approaching the pod.

"Why's that?"

"No reason," Sakura said quietly. She didn't feel inclined to talk too much about it. She suspected it had something to do with Toji and his friends. She closed her eyes, trying to capture the face in her mind's eye once again. She searched her pockets, and produced her wallet. Tucked into the band was a picture of him, grinning like a doofus and holding a basketball in the air. Sometimes it bothered her that she couldn't remember what he looked like without pulling out a picture. Right now, however, it was pale in comparison to the strangeness of the pod.

Looking at the black steel finish of the device was like looking into…a mouth. A big, gaping mouth waiting for a meal, for a tidbit to go drifting carelessly in to be reduced down into corruption. With mild nervousness, she reached out and touched the device. It felt like it looked: cold and hateful.

"How do these things get built?" Sakura mumbled.

"Say again?"

"This thing. It's so…wicked. How does something like this take shape in a person's brain?" She turned to the tech. "Who takes the time to build it?"

"Ensign, if you can answer that, you need to write a book, because it will solve everything that is wrong with humanity right now," the Brit mumbled. "What is this," he sighed, "Key code…93? That doesn't make…no, no…okay, 94, that looks better." Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"I'm going to make some coffee," she sighed.

"Will you bring me a cup?"

"Didn't even have to ask."

"You're a gem, ma'am," Hamish said, putting aside the pad and crawling into the access hatch to get a better look at a piece of hardware. "A real diamond in the rough."

"Stop it, you'll make me blush," Sakura laughed, exiting the research suite. The two guards on duty stiffened as she passed. "At ease," she said as she continued into the corridor. She made it about five steps before the lights noticeably dimmed, and there was a great hum as power conduits in the wall labored. She stood motionless, and turned in place. The lights continued to flicker, and then returned to brightness. Slowly, then with increasing speed, she hurried back down the corridor and towards the research suite. The guards were still looking at the ceiling, their instinct to danger having been awoken. She pushed between them and into the lab. Hamish was no longer at the pod, but at another console on the other side of the room, typing furiously. He turned as she marched towards him.

"I did not do it," he said, holding up his hands.

"Do what?" she snapped.

"There was a sudden power spike in the pod's consumption." He scratched his head. "Huh…how about that?"

"How about what?"

"I think Sleeping Beauty woke up."

"Woke…huh?"

"The CPU in the pod is working on overdrive now. Before, I had to go sifting for information, but there's now output. And beyond what was already there." He stepped back. "It's like…you know how you look at a person in a coma, maybe they have very placid brainwaves. They aren't vegetative, but they aren't active."

"Go on." Sakura turned back towards the pod, studying it intently.

"Well, they dream or wake up, the brainwaves kick into overdrive," Hamish said. "I think our probing around in this thing has…activated the occupant somehow. Maybe this will make it easier to contact her, I don't know."

"…Stop with trying to contact her, and start a backtrace on what you could have done to elicit this reaction," Sakura said. "We don't want to do something that might crack the pod and kill the occupant."

"Got it. What'll you do?" Hamish asked, returning to the datapad by the pod.

"I'm getting the Commander," Sakura said, marching smartly out of the suite.

On the other side of the world, in the ruins of what was once a human city...machinery moved. Something stirred, a great shudder as though the world had sighed. And then there was silence again in the lands of the dead.