Chapter 8

Okay, folks, you know the drill: I don't own Evangelion or anything associated with it. Reviews are welcome, but please...no flamers!

A nearly ten-minute walk later, Rei and I were stopped outside the door to the Eva cages by two security guards.

"You can't go in there, there's a priority experiment about to start," one of them said.

"I know that," I replied, "We're here to help."

Rei, I thought to her, We have to be in the cage. Out here, we're not close enough for me to make full contact. Unit-01's defenses are too high. She knows that they're trying something and she doesn't want to let Shinji go.

Does Ikari wish to leave? Rei asked.

I can't tell from here, I replied, But the last time I scanned them, as an empath, Shinji was happy where he was.

"You can't go in there," the guard said again. I knew that I'd never be able to convince him to let us in. He was too well-trained and conditioned. I'd have to use my powers in a way that I'd been hesitant to try.

We can go in, I thought, telepathically taking over his mind, Dr. Akagi requested that the other Eva pilots be present during the experiment. My thoughts are yours, my will is yours…

Despite the necessity of my actions, the course I was taking (forcing my will upon the thoughts of another) was making me sick to my stomach. I made myself a promise that after we got Shinji back, I would never again use my telepathic powers to forcibly change someone's mind or alter their memories. The temptations would arise, I was sure, but I knew that my will would be able to override the urge.

"Go on in," the guard said in a dull voice, "I forgot that Dr. Akagi wanted the Eva pilots there for this. I'm sorry to have held you up."

"Quite alright," I replied, smiling at the man, "You're just doing your job."

Just like I'm about to do mine, I thought to myself.

You altered his thoughts, Rei said through our rapport.

Yes, I answered, and I will never do so again; to anyone. The action sickens me. A person's thoughts must be inviolate. No one has the right to force their will upon the thoughts or actions of another. To do so is a violation of nature, and should be punished by death or worse.

Rei nodded quietly. The two of us walked to the end of the catwalk and looked up at Unit-01. Its armor had been repaired and replaced, but I could still sense that the beast within the Eva could easily break free at any moment.

"Take my hand, Rei," I said, "It's time to begin."

Rei's light, delicate hand reached out and gently grasped mine. Her skin was soft and warm. I guarded my thoughts closely, lest they run amok and give away the feelings I was having at that particular instant. I pushed down the desire to pull Rei into my arms and embrace her closely, only to have my thoughts invaded by images of Rei pressing her body against mine of her own volition. I could already feel her body, lithe and strong, pressed flush against my front. I quickly shook my head and cleared my thoughts.

Are you unwell? Rei asked, sensing the void of my thoughts across our link, You are hiding your feelings from me.

I'm fine, I replied, I'm just a little…nervous, I guess.

You are lying, said Rei astutely, Do you wish to confide in me further?

Not right now, I thought, feeling a little irritated, And I wasn't lying. I'm nervous as hell about what we're about to do. We could get lost in there!

We will not, said Rei.

How can you be so sure?

You will be guiding us, said Rei, I have confidence in you.

I felt a swelling of pride. As new as I was with my powers, Rei still had confidence in my ability to guide us through the consciousness of another, unknown being. Knowing that made my own confidence grow.

"It's nearly time," I said, "We're going in."

I concentrated all of my strength on entering Unit-01's consciousness, and felt Rei do the same. We entered a space in between minds. As we floated, hand-in-hand, through a sea of black mist and clouds, I felt Rei's thoughts. She was afraid and exhilarated all at the same time. I looked over at her and saw her astral form. She was nude, but the glowing, ambient light that she was giving off obscured her body's features. The only part of her that I could clearly see was her face. She looked radiant. I became aware of my own nudity, but was not ashamed of it. Light hid my own features, as well.

Rei, how do you feel?

I am…apprehensive, she replied, We have come to a place that has never been seen before. Do you…know where we are?

I don't have an exact idea, no, I replied, But were I to make a guess, I'd say that we were somewhere on the Astral Plane of conscious reality. On this Plane, all minds may make contact with each other, if they so choose. This dark place is the strand that binds all of humanity together. However, if we become separated, we can get lost from each other, so please Rei, don't let go of my hand.

I will not, Rei reassured me, I am…comforted…by the contact that we share.

Yes, you are, said I, I can feel your thoughts and feelings much more acutely here on the Astral Plane, as there is no physical body to obscure them.

Several eternities seemed to pass as Rei and I continued to float in the darkness. We knew not whether we were floating toward anything, or just floating stationary in the blackness. All we knew was that our presence with each other was the only thing shielding us from madness brought on by the immense emptiness that surrounded us.

Your method of speech has changed since we first became acquainted, said Rei after such a long silence.

How do you mean? I asked, not comprehending.

Your dialogue has become more formal than before, Rei explained, You also seem to have an immense understanding of your powers as well as this place. How is that possible?

I share the essence and being of the Angel whose powers I stole, I answered, Its knowledge is now my knowledge. That is how I know how to use my powers without training, and how I know so much about the Astral Plane. I understand this now; now that we are here in this perfectly peaceful place.

It is bleak here, said Rei.

It is beautiful here, I countered, Man comes here often; in the form of dreams and visions. This beautiful, perfect place of unrestrained thought is where art and music are born from. Men who come to this place and return with an inspiration are the lucky few who may call themselves truly inspired artists. How I envy those men who have been here so many times and have given the world such beauty. They are the true heroes of this world, for they have given it something timeless and incorruptible: they have made the world a more beautiful place.

The way you speak of this place, Rei said, awestruck, it is changing the way…this place appears to me.

And changing it was. As Rei's thoughts became apparent to me, the landscape of the Astral Plane took on a new form. The dark clouds and mist changed to a flat, green field of tall grass. There was a blue sky over our heads and a white star shining down on us. Off in the far distance, I spied a lonely tree jutting up from the flat landscape. The white light from that alien star made every color, every shape, every line seem supernaturally clear and sharp. Rei sighed with contentment.

Do you now see the beauty of this place, Rei? I asked, It is as we see it; however we see it. If we are afraid or are unsure of ourselves, this place can be a void of black mists. But if we are true with ourselves and choose to see the infinite possibility that this place holds, it will become wherever we desire to see ourselves. Now, all that remains is for us to choose our destination, and I pray that you choose quickly, because, remember timing is of the essence. We must contact Shinji and convince him to leave in such time that it appears as though the scientists were successful in their own efforts.

I will be…reluctant to leave this place, Rei admitted, I have never…been here before.

Surely you have, I responded, All humans can enter this place in their dreams.

I do not dream, said Rei, I am…unable.

I thought for a long moment about what she was saying. A person who couldn't dream? It sounded too absurd to be true.

Read my thoughts, Rei said, reading my disbelief, You will find that I am not lying.

Is that your permission to probe your thoughts? I asked.

Yes, said Rei, but only so far as to ascertain for yourself that I am telling you only the truth. Or do you wish to satisfy your curiosity about my inability to dream, as well?

I am rather curious about that, I admitted, then I added, as long as you're willing to let me go that far.

I will permit it, Rei said curtly.

You know, I said, if you really aren't comfortable with the idea of me entering your thoughts, all you have to do is say so.

If it will satisfy your curiosity, I will permit it, replied Rei, My own dislikes are unimportant.

Did I just hear you right? I asked.

You have no record of any hearing impairments, Rei stated. I laughed despite myself. Rei looked over at me with confusion in her eyes.

I know you weren't trying to be funny, I said, answering her unspoken question, but the way you answered my question just made me laugh, that's all. You live such a simple life. Such child-like innocence and naivety; it's absolutely delightful.

Why?

Because you are the very essence of what this place is about, I replied, Innocence and simplicity of thought. You have a gift for seeing things as they are; unimpaired by the illusions of the world of men. I pray that you never lose that innocence. Now, we really must get going. As pleasant as this place is to linger in, we do have a job to do.

Yes.

Rei and I started to glide over the field. Rei was confused about how we could be defying the laws of physics. I chuckled good-naturedly.

This is not the physical world, I said, The laws of physics have no presence here. The only law that matters here is the law of the supernatural: Your will determines your reality; if you believe it can happen, it will happen.

Rei nodded. Still hand-in-hand, we continued to float towards the distant tree. I could sense that whatever we were searching for, it was under that tree.

Rei and I arrived a short time later to our destination. What we found was confusing and yet, at the same time, rather touching. We found Shinji, lying on the ground in the shade of the tree, his head cradled in a woman's lap. The woman was very pretty. She had long, dark, chocolate-brown hair and dark brown eyes.

Shinji, I said, coming to rest on the ground near the pair, aren't you going to introduce us to your mother?

Huh? Shinji yawned. Then, he looked up and saw me and Rei standing overtop of him and sat up quickly.

How did you two get here? Were you absorbed by your Evas, too? he asked.

No, Ikari, we were not, Rei answered, Andrew has the power to bring us here to the Astral Plane.

We came to bring you home, Shinji, I added.

I am home, the boy said, I'm right here with my mom; where I'm loved and accepted. It's where I belong.

Shinji, do you honestly believe that you aren't loved back in Tokyo-3? I asked, I know for a fact that there are at least two women who dearly love you and are missing you terribly. I know that you think the world is a cruel and painful place. And maybe it is, but by avoiding it, you're causing pain to people who care for you. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty about your choice, Shinji. I'm just trying to make you see things for the way they truly are; not just the way you would wish them to be.

What's wrong with wishing for things to be better? Shinji demanded, What's wrong with running away from reality if it sucks?!

Why do you want to take my son away from me? the woman asked, Can't you see how happy he is here with me? Why would you want to take him back to a world where all he has is a cold, aloof man who masquerades as a father and a girl who is just a pale copy of me?

What? I asked.

You didn't know? the woman asked, her voice scornful, And here you are, a telepath. The girl who stands to your right is a clone made from my genetic material and the genes of one of the creatures who are the enemy of all mankind. She is like you, young man. She is a hybrid.

I was stunned. If I had done what most people would have done when I first received my powers, I would have pried my way into Rei's mind and read all of her past and secrets. However, the way I was raised prevented me from violating another person's privacy. Combine that with Rei's own mental defenses, and I didn't even get the slightest sense that she was anything like what I was now. A hybrid! One who has the powers of both races. Could that have been where Rei got her empathic abilities? It made me wonder and my mind churn with questions.

Rei's a clone…of you? Shinji asked, looking bewilderedly up at his life-giver.

Yes, his mother replied, When I was absorbed by Evangelion Unit-01 during a contact experiment, my husband, your father, salvaged what of my genetic material that he could and made a little puppet out of it. That puppet is what you see before you now.

I will not deny my past, said Rei, But I will not let you bring disdain upon it, either. I am what I am. I did not choose the way that I came into this world.

No one can, I agreed, I agree with Rei. You cannot place blame on her for what a mad man did to make her.

I suppose not, the woman agreed, But still, you cannot make my little boy go back into that harsh, hateful world.

I know who you are, Yui Ikari, I said, and I know that you were one of the finest scientists of your era. Your work on the Evangelion series has changed the world, and it has changed it for the better. I know that you have been away for quite some time, but I can sense your memories. Your last memories outside of Eva Unit-01 were…a spoken dialogue with someone…

I scanned the memory that Yui tried to hide. As I felt it play out in my mind, I let my mouth form the words that she had spoken, using her own voice.

"I want him to see how bright our future is…"

You twist my words against me, Yui said, narrowing her eyes accusingly.

Oh no, Yui, said I, You've twisted your words against yourself. You've allowed the many years that you've been trapped in this machine to make you bitter and resentful. I do not fault you for feeling this way; anyone would. However, you cannot let those feelings alter the way you feel about your son's future. Just ask yourself: what kind of future would he have if he stayed here with you forever?

Yui was silent. I pressed on.

He must return with us.

I don't want to leave, though, Shinji objected, This is the first time I've ever really seen my mother. Do you know what that's like?

No, Shinji, I don't, I admitted, Even though I barely know my father, because they divorced when I was just a young boy, I know my mother well. But please believe me, you can return to see your mother any time you want when you dream. Here on the Astral Plane, dreams and memories merge into their own reality. I would wish you all of eternity to spend with her, but right now, you must come back with us to the Mortal Plane. Asuka needs you in her life. She's lost without you.

You must be joking, Shinji chuckled, That Red Devil doesn't give a damn about anyone but herself.

She's changed, Shinji, I said, shaking my head, She's opened her mind to her past and come to terms and accepted who she really is. This acceptance has eased her arrogance and dissipated her hatefulness. She can finally accept that she might have feelings and needs for others in her life. I know that she has strong feelings for you, Shinji. If you won't come back for anything else, come back for Asuka. Please?

Shinji stood silently beside Rei and me for a long time. I sensed something in the distance; growing rapidly towards us. Suddenly, a great, black void opened in the ground near the tree. It swirled and howled, threatening to suck all of us into its cold depths.

What the hell is that?! Shinji asked, panicking.

That is the attempt of the Science Division to retrieve you, I said, reading the intention of the hole, To return to the Mortal Plane, all you must do is jump into that hole.

How can you be sure it isn't some portal to hell? Yui asked.

Have you no faith in my abilities? I asked.

Trust Andrew's words, said Rei. I looked over at her and smiled.

The hole began to shrink. Shinji turned around and looked at his mother. I grasped Shinji's shoulders and looked him in the face.

Shinji Ikari, if you are going to return with us to the Mortal Plane, it must be now.

Shinji looked back at his mother again. I sensed great sadness from both of them. I watched tears well up in Yui's dark eyes, but they did not spill over as she nodded to her son. Shinji looked at me and Rei and smiled. Then, he jumped into the black hole. It continued to shrink.

We have to go now, too, Rei, I said, I will help you to unlock your mind so that you may dream. You have my word on that.

Very well, said Rei, Let us return.

Goodbye, said Yui, Please take good care of my son.

I give you my word, I promised, He will have my guidance when he needs it.

Thank you, said the dark-haired woman.

Rei and I jumped into the dark hole and felt ourselves spiraling out of control. An instant later, we tumbled back onto the catwalk in the Eva cage. I blinked my eyes back into focus to see a tearful, joyous Misato cradling a naked, semi-conscious Shinji in her arms.

"We were successful," I heard Rei say softly. I nodded, smiling with quiet happiness at the scene before my eyes. A family had just been reunited, and Rei and I had been instrumental in making it happen.