Evangelion : International Chapter 10: Seine Solution, an evangelion fanfic

Evangelion: International

By Red Guard

Ver 2.0

Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Evangelion or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. Studio GAINAX owns the characters and events appearing in this work.

Author's Notes: This is my first piece of fiction involving Evangelion characters. Hope that I will not do too badly. This fiction begins after the Ninth Angel attack and diverges pretty wildly from there. You have been warned.

Chapter 7: Seine Solution

************************************************************************

Kensuke took several furtive glances at his female companion. She had not spoken a word since they had left Shinji's house. He reflected on that simple observation. When he first met Rei, he had assumed that she was one of the silent types. A few months after that, he was on the verge of dismissing her as an emotionless doll. Who could blame him? Rei had given him, or anyone for that matter, no reason to believe otherwise.

That all changed in the space of a few tumultuous weeks. After their first meeting, Kensuke found himself spending more and more time with Rei. In fact, he found it hard to remember a day that was spent without her being around in one way or another. It was a strange way to develop a friendship, but Kensuke had to admit that he was glad to have gained it.

It had taken some effort, but Kensuke had become quite adept at deciphering Rei's moods. While her face did not usually betray much of her feelings, he realized that if he looked hard enough, it was possible to read her emotions. He cast another quick glance at her, and sighed softly. It was blatantly obvious. She was in a state of abject depression. And he knew that he had to do something about it.

'Rei?' He whispered.

'Yes, Kensuke?' In spite of all her efforts to sound nonchalant, her voice began to tremble slightly.

'Is there something wrong?' He asked; his voice filled with concern.

'There is nothing amiss.' She replied softly. 'Do not be overly worried about me.'

'Are you sure? You don't seem to be yourself.'

'Yes. I am perfectly well.' She looked up and let a small sigh of relief escape. 'It seems that I am home.'

Kensuke nodded. 'Do you want me to accompany you to your room?'

'No. I do not wish to trouble you.'

'Alright.' Kensuke knew that it was impossible to force Rei to change her mind. 'I will see you tomorrow.'

'That is acceptable.' She whispered in reply. 'Tomorrow then.'

Kensuke watched her slowly walk towards her apartment building. He could almost feel the sadness emanating from her. He wanted to help her, but he was unable to think of anything that he could do. In the end, he decided that it would be best for him to wait till the morning. Maybe then, he would have thought of something.

'Shinji.' He looked up at the evening sky and muttered. 'Why?'

************************************************************************

'Well, gentlemen?' General Andrew Holmes directed the question towards the digitized projections of his subordinates. 'We don't have much time.'

'It does make sense if you think about it.' Admiral Vladimir Pietro mused. 'If the large sphere was a mere projection, it would explain why we never managed to hit it.'

'The more I think about it, the more obvious it gets.' Admiral Paolo Toricelli interjected. 'All the evidence pointed towards that conclusion.'

'Are these… Angels, capable of projecting such a large illusion?' Field Marshal Hans Der Vant questioned.

'Shigeru?' Director Ryouji Kaji prodded.

Shigeru Aoba spent a moment to gather his thoughts. 'The previous Angels did not seem to possess such a capability, but it is entirely plausible that an Angel can have it.'

'Good. Now since that is settled, what do we shoot?'

'Hans, calm down.' Pietro soothed. 'We need to think this through before we do anything rash.'

'He does make a good point though.' Toricelli pondered aloud. 'We still need to stop it before it causes any more damage.'

'We need to get Asuka out too.' Kaji whispered softly, his eyes downcast.

'Without a doubt.' Holmes agreed. 'So, what is our new target? Where is the actual Angel?'

'The long-range scanners have not picked up any Angel activity. Aside from the sphere.' Shigeru announced.

'Could it be in the upper atmosphere?'

'In space?'

'How about underground?'

'I have analyzed everything. But the results are still the same.' Shigeru shook his head slowly. 'The MAGI are unable to offer a conclusive response. We do not have sufficient data.'

'But the damn thing is still present.' Holmes spat. 'Something must be out there.'

'Are they jamming our sensors?' Pietro asked.

'No, the sensors are working perfectly fine.' Shigeru replied quickly. 'I checked them several times.'

'Wait a minute.' Kaji raised his voice. 'Something just occurred to me. We seem to be forgetting something.'

'Yes, Director?' Holmes craned his head.

'Initially, we assumed that the sphere was the Angel and the shadow was the projection.' Kaji rattled off quickly. 'But now, we have near definite proof that the sphere is the projection, therefore…'

'The shadow is the Angel?' Holmes was incredulous. 'Is that even possible?'

'Shigeru?' Kaji turned towards the NERV technician.

'Interesting…' Shigeru scanned through the dozens of articles that filled his screen.

'Care to explain?' Holmes tried his best to control his growing frustration.

'If the shadow is indeed the Angel, the MAGI has concluded that the only possible explanation would be that it has inverted its AT field.' Shigeru squinted as he continued reading. 'This would create a Sea of Dirac…'

'A what?' Holmes balked, unable to comprehend the incredibility of the situation.

'A Sea of Dirac, General.' Shigeru explained. 'The presence of the inverted AT field will explain all the phenomena that we have been witnessing.'

'An inverted AT field?' Kaji echoed disbelievingly. 'I have never heard of that before.'

Shigeru consulted his terminal. 'No one has ever encountered the Sea of Dirac before, so all the MAGI can provide us with are theories. However, according to them, an inverted AT field would create a pocket dimension, or a subspace. If anything came into contact with this inverted field, it would be drawn in and trapped within the subspace.' Shigeru continued. 'The MAGI conclude that this is the most probable scenario. We are facing the Sea of Dirac.'

'Excellent work.' Holmes smiled thinly. 'Now since that is settled, what do we do about it?'

Shigeru spent a few more minutes staring at his console. 'The MAGI are unable to offer a convulsive solution. It seems that our lack of an Evangelion Unit has severely hampered out operational capability.

'I don't need a machine to tell me that. A pocket dimension. What do we do now?' Holmes wondered aloud.

Kaji clenched his teeth. 'Can we even defeat it?'

************************************************************************

She sat on her bed and cast her eyes towards the floor. The torrent of emotion tore through her psyche, threatening to overwhelm her. The memory of the last few hours was too painful to recollect, but somehow it kept replaying itself in her mind. She saw Shinji. She heard Shinji. She saw Kensuke. She heard Kensuke. She saw herself. She heard herself.

She remembered the conversation. She remembered Shinji telling her to stay away. She tried to speak with him, tried to talk with him, tried to reason with him. She tried to tell him that everyone was worrying about him, that she was concerned about him. But he refused to listen. He refused her help. He told her to leave him and let him be.

Rationally, she knew that she should have done nothing. Treating depressed pilots was not her job. Hers was to pilot, and to pilot well. But still, for some reason, she worried about him. She tried to approach him. She tried asking Kensuke to approach him. And then, when she finally had a chance to talk to him, he rejected her. He told her to leave. He told her to stay away.

She remembered the exuberant young boy that she had met so many months ago. She remembered that young boy trying to make her smile. But that young boy was no more and that saddened her to no end. She wondered what saddened her more. The fact that Shinji was still in such a mess, the fact that she could not help him or the fact that he rejected her help.

Her mind was in total disarray. She never felt so useless before. She never felt such bleakness before, and it hurt. It hurt a lot. 'Why?' She heard her own voice whisper.

'What should I do now?'

'Where should I go?'

'Which road should I take?'

The questions were rhetorical, but still she ached for the answers. She tried asking herself the questions again, but the answers still eluded her. She searched, she bored, she sought but to no avail. For the first time in her life, she realized that she could not alleviate her own pain. For the first time in her life, she realized that she needed someone to help her, someone to tell her what to do, someone to soothe the ache.

Shinji would have filled that role. Around him, she always felt a measure of peace. But she couldn't go to him now. Not in his current state. She thought of approaching Commander Ikari, but she knew that he would just laugh it off. Major Katsuragi would be little help. So too would Doctor Akagi. Ibuki, Hyuuga, Suzahara, Class Representative Hikari. She ran through the list of people that she knew and soon realized that she could relate to none of them.

Then, it hit her. There was someone that she could ask; someone that would not mind listening to her, someone who would bother enough to talk to her. He always managed to put her mind at ease. He always managed to aid her in her time of need.

Now, she hoped that he would do it once again.

She hated it. She hated depending on other people. She hated feeling helpless.

But the notion of sharing her innermost thoughts with him gave her an odd sense of comfort. And that, in itself, comforted her even more.

************************************************************************

'An inverted AT field…' Holmes muttered. 'Since we are unable to scratch it from this side of the dimension, we will have to hit it from within.'

'We don't have any weapons capable of scratching it.' Pietro reminded the General. 'The Evangelion Unit is not only stuck in the middle of that subspace, but it is also without power.'

Kaji could only sigh in frustration. 'If we were only able to contact her…'

'Why don't we use the orbital satellite?' Toricelli suggested. 'If we aimed it properly, the beam could pass straight through the shadow and obliterate it from within.'

'No!' Kaji growled. 'That would put Asuka in too much danger. What would happen if the beam struck her Unit?'

'This is not the time for hesitation, Director!' Der Vant shot back. 'She could be dead for all we know and…'

'Calm down. I will not sanction the use of the satellite beam.' Holmes cut into the argument. 'The target is moving too unpredictably for the satellite to obtain a proper lock. Furthermore, we cannot risk blasting the city of Paris into pieces.'

'Could we overload the vacuum?' Pietro mused. 'If we throw enough mass into it, would it burst from within? Like a balloon?'

Shigeru shook his head slowly. 'The subspace created by an inverted AT field is rather large. Furthermore, it can compress matter, so in order for the subspace to be overloaded and the field torn apart, we need to provide it with an inordinate amount of matter. In short, there is no way we can come up with so much material in such a short amount of time.'

'Wait.' Der Vant replied, a strange glint in his eye. 'What would happen if the material provided is both abundant and incompressible?'

'Then the plan could work.'

Kaji stared at the Field Marshal, realization slowly dawning upon him. 'You can't be serious. Asuka would drown.'

'But I am, Director. Submerging the Evangelion Unit is a far better choice than blasting it with the cannon. And I am extremely sure that that hunk of armor is waterproof. If I remember correctly, it participated in underwater combat, did it not?'

'An excellent proposition, but how will you obtain such a large amount of water?' Holmes questioned. 'We will need thousands of gallons of it.'

'The River.' Der Vant smiled triumphantly.

'The River?'

'The River Seine. We just need to lure the Angel there and let the river handle the rest.'

'But how in the world will we do that?' Holmes asked in disbelief.

'Well…' The Marshal closed his eyes, deep in thought.

Kaji cleared his throat. 'General?'

'Yes, Director?'

'Instead of brining the Angel to the river, why don't we bring the river to the Angel.'

'What? Have you gone insane?' Holmes yelled incredulously.

'No.' Kaji pursed his lips into a thin smile. 'We will use the satellite cannon to scorch a large trench into the ground, essentially changing the direction of the River and flooding the city. And the Angel with it.'

'That is so ridiculous that it might well work.' Pietro said. 'That is the best plan we have heard to far. I say we go for it. There is not much time left.'

Shigeru checked his screens. 'Indeed. Asuka's life support won't last much longer.'

Holmes sighed loudly. 'The Council will have my head. But, are we all in favor?'

It was not surprising that they were.

************************************************************************

He had spent what seemed like an eternity. Rei's image continued to haunt him even after they parted some time before. No, he corrected himself. It was not her face, but the image of her melancholic expression was stuck in his mind. And he knew why that picture bothered him so.

He always knew that Rei managed to keep almost all her emotions to herself. Her impassive expression was one of the things that made her so unique, and Kensuke found it extremely hard to picture her without it.

But what he saw moments ago was despair etched on her face. Someone else wouldn't have noticed anything, but he was not someone else. After spending so much time with her, he knew that her expression was not normal. For her to show so much, and for her to deny it so vehemently, meant that the anguish that she was experiencing was extreme.

He watched the clouds pass, obscuring the full moon and plunging his room into darkness. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he never bothered to turn the lights on. He laughed at himself silently. He tried telling himself that Rei could take care of herself. He tried telling himself that Rei would find the strength within herself. Rei was a strong woman. He would wake up the next day, and see Rei back to her old self.

He hated lying to himself. He hated it even more when he knew that he was lying to himself. Why did Shinji do such a thing? Rei spent so much time trying to cheer him up. She was so concerned about him. She spent almost all her time thinking about how to drag him out of the mess that Shinji got himself in.

And in return, he rejected her. Kensuke almost heard Rei's heart shatter, but he quickly realized that Shinji was too far gone to even notice her. The pain of rejection is terrible, especially to one who cared so much. Kensuke had felt like knocking some sense into him, the poor young boy who was too caught up in his troubles to even bother about his closest friend. Shinji was a good friend, and as a friend, he should have tried to lighten her burden.

But wait. Wasn't he doing the same thing? Shinji may not have been able to see through the veil of grief, but he had no such problems. He saw Rei's despair. He saw Rei's pain. And he chose to ignore it, in the vain hope that Rei had the ability to settle all her problems by herself. Was he too caught up reflecting on what had happened to even bother about Rei? He had left her to her grief. He had left her alone with her burden, using the lame excuse that Rei did not like company. And he considered himself a friend. What a joke.

Light shone in through the window. He covered his eyes, slightly blinded by the sudden appearance of the moonlight. Then as he stared at the moon, a thought struck him. Evening had barely arrived in Tokyo-3. There was still time. Even if she refused his help, he would gain comfort in the fact that he bothered to try.

He was out on the street by the time the door creaked to a close.

************************************************************************

'I wonder how we are going to explain this to the French.' Holmes muttered.

'General, I don't think this is the time for humor.' Kaji glanced at his superior. 'Our victory is still not assured.'

'Director.' Holmes smiled ruefully. 'The age where warriors do nothing but wage wars has been over for many centuries. We do not rest even after the battle is over. The politicians will want us to answer for the decisions that we make on the battlefield. It is a sad state of affairs, but there is little we can do. As a member of NERV, I am sure that you understand.'

Kaji turned back to the screens. 'I apologize. It is just that…'

'However, you have a good point.' Holmes added quickly. 'We should not presume too much, too early.'

'No, that is not what I meant.' Kaji shook his head.

'You are worried about the pilot.'

'I was the one who convinced her to fight. If she does not make it back…' Kaji could not bear to continue.

'Don't worry.' Holmes said, an air of confidence beginning to surround him. 'We will get her back.'

************************************************************************

Kensuke leaned against a wall as he panted heavily. He had never run so fast and so much before in his life, and it showed. His face was flushed crimson, his chest was heaving and his forehead was covered with sweat. He had traversed this route a million times, and he never remembered Rei's house being so far away.

He used the wall to steady himself. Many questions began to surge through his mind. Why was he doing this? Why was he caring so much? Why couldn't it wait? He shook his head to brush them aside. The course of action had already been chosen, there was no point thinking about it now. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the dash that was soon to follow.

'Kensuke?' The small whisper shattered his concentration. He knew that voice. He knew that voice well. He looked to his left. There stood Rei, dressed in her school uniform, her crimson eyes staring at him.

'Rei?' He blurted, still in a state of shock.

And in that instant, he could have sworn that a look of absolute relief passed over her face.

************************************************************************

'General, all ground forces have pulled out of the target area.' Hans Der Vant reported.

'Very good.'

'Aerial reconnaissance sweeps have determined that the target area is free of all military personnel.' Toricelli added.

'Excellent. How goes the status of the target?'

'It is still moving erratically.' Shigeru answered.

'Is it still within the target area?'

'Affirmative.'

'Good, and the satellite?'

Shigeru checked his monitors. 'The satellite particle beam cannon is ready for firing. All it needs now is the targeting data.'

'Maria?' Holmes prodded.

'General, our technicians have completed their calculations. If nothing goes wrong, the target area will be inundated.'

'Alright, Maria please relay the calculations to Shigeru. We will fire as soon as possible.'

'Sir?'

'Yes Maria?'

'May I say that this is the most ridiculous plan I have ever participated in?'

Holmes smiled grimly. 'You took the words right out of my mouth.'

************************************************************************

'Rei? What are you doing here?' Kensuke yelled, still recovering from his shock.

'I was going to see you.'

'What?' Kensuke felt himself enter the state of shock once again. 'Why?'

'I wanted to speak to you.'

'About?'

Rei's voice dropped to a whisper as she looked away from him. 'About today.'

'Rei…' Kensuke could only sigh softly.

'Shinji's state is much more severe than I once thought.' Rei resumed her apathetic manner. 'We must plan our next few steps carefully.'

Kensuke spent what seemed like an eternity looking at Rei. She was able to act so emotionless even after the day's events. If he were her, he would be spending the day lying on his bed, weeping. She was so strong. How could he help someone such as her? Someone who was so much stronger than him?

'Kensuke?' Rei asked quizzically. 'Is there something amiss with my appearance?'

He smiled, finally making a decision. 'Rei? Have you had your dinner yet?'

'No.' She answered, extremely puzzled. 'But what does that have to do with our discussion.'

He reached out and took her hand. 'Let's go eat. We will talk about Shinji afterwards.'

'I don't see how this would…'

'I can't think properly on an empty stomach. And I'm sure that you can't either.' Kensuke interrupted her.

'Actually, I can function perfectly even if I were denied food for several days.' She answered.

Kensuke resisted the temptation to laugh. 'Whatever. Are you coming with me or not?'

Rei opened her mouth to berate her friend. How could a mere meal be more important than speaking about Shinji? But the words would not come out. Questions surged through her mind. What was she really afraid of? What harm would come from accompanying Kensuke for a meal? Did she even mind doing it?

'Rei?' Kensuke pressed.

Wasn't this what she wanted? Didn't she want to speak to him?

'Rei?'

She looked at him, her decision finally made. 'Your proposition is acceptable.'

************************************************************************

'Are we ready?' Holmes called out.

A chorus of affirmatives answered him.

'Director?'

'Ready when you are General.' Kaji nodded.

'Shigeru?'

'Satellite charged and ready, firing coordinates have been successfully loaded.' Shigeru announced. 'When you are ready General.'

Holmes took a deep steadying breath.

'Fire.'

************************************************************************

Darkness.

Unending darkness.

Suffocating darkness.

She curled herself into a ball, hugging herself tightly. The loneliness ate at her. It gnawed at her. She hated it, the empty feeling of being alone. She tried to think of something else, something more positive, something more joyful, but it was no use. The solitude smothered her.

'Alone.'

She jerked upright. Something had spoken, yet it was impossible for anyone to be around.

'Pain.'

She searched the darkness, but found nothing.

'Despair.'

'Who are you?' She yelled into the unending blackness. 'Show yourself!'

'Who are you?' The voice whispered the question. 'What are you?'

'What are you doing to me?' She covered her ears and screamed.

'Asuka Sohryu Langley. The Second Child. Pilot of Evangelion Unit 02.'

It was no use. Somehow, even with her ears covered, the voice managed to grow even louder. She yelled once again. 'Stop it!'

'You fought hard. You fought well. Why?'

'Stop!'

'You wanted to be the best, the greatest. Why?'

'Stop!' Asuka yelled until her throat was raw, but still the voice persisted.

'You never did enjoy the fight. But still you fought. Why?'

'Stop it…' She was already close to tears.

'You wanted recognition. You wanted people to see you. You wanted people to know you existed. You were afraid of being left alone. Like the last time.'

A flash broke through the darkness, and along with it came the vivid picture of a scene that she thought that she had finally forgotten. Her mother… and that doll. She screamed as she covered her face with her hands in a desperate attempt to ward the vision off. The memories were too painful, much too painful.

'Remember her? Remember how your family forgot about you? Remember how your mother no longer recognized you?'

'She loved me!' Asuka shrieked.

'Maybe. Maybe not. But you were still alone.'

'So what?' Her reply echoed throughout the darkness.

'You tried to find someone. Remember?'

Portraits of people flashed past her eyes.

'Remember the one you tried to love?'

Kaji. 'I didn't…' But she knew that she was lying.

'But he loved someone else.'

Misato.

'But you tried so hard, didn't you? Then, something happened. Do you remember the one that you actually did want?'

Shinji. 'I don't…'

'Remember your want? Remember your need? Remember that you wanted to be with someone so badly?'

Asuka gave up arguing and began to sob uncontrollably.

'And you rejected them. You rejected him. You left him. Why?'

'I… I don't know.'

'Because you are weak.' The voice grew accusing.

'Me?' She whispered. 'Weak?'

'The Second Child, destroyer of Angels, champion of humanity, cannot accept reality. You know what you want; yet you refuse it even when it is laid before you. You run from anything. You run from everything. And in doing so, you drag everyone down with you.'

Another flash. A vision of Shinji flashed by. The boy was staring at the ground, his face a picture of devastation. In his hands held two neural connectors. Two red neural connectors.

'Shinji…' She said softly.

'Weak. Pathetically weak. You reject yourself. You reject others. So is this how you wish to lead the rest of your life?'

'I…'

'Is that all that you have to say? No defense? No words of retaliation? No pained outburst?'

'I…'

The voice burst out laughing and faded into the distance, leaving a distraught girl weeping.

She almost didn't hear the unearthly silence being broken by the sound of rushing water.

************************************************************************

The Bistro never seemed to change. The quaint setting was highlighted by an astonishing view of the city. Several couples occupied the otherwise empty restaurant, each one obviously enjoying the tender moments provided by a candlelight dinner. Anyone looking at Kensuke and Rei would have assumed that they would be enjoying a romantic evening. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

Kensuke knew that Rei had barely spoken since they began their meal. Her silence was extremely discomforting, and he knew that he had to do something about it, and there was very little time left.

'You want some desert? He asked.

'Tea will be fine.' Came the soft reply.

Nodding, he called for the waiter. 'Two teas, please.'

She turned her head towards the window, glancing at the stars that dotted the night sky, trying her best to forget. But she couldn't, the day's events plagued her mind still. She sighed softly, and continued her mental tug-of-war.

'Rei?' Kensuke watched his companion heave a small sigh. 'Are you alright?'

'I am unharmed.' She replied, her gaze not shifting.

He pursed his lips. Rei had told him that she wanted to speak about Shinji, but every time he broached the subject, she refused to respond. In fact, during their meal together, she barely spoke, preferring to eat in silence. He knew that Rei was not the talkative sort, but she always did speak up whenever Shinji was mentioned. Rei's mood was getting from bad to worse and Kensuke knew that he should do something about it. But what?

The waiter returned with their order. Kensuke picked up his cup and took a quick sip. 'Rei?' He ventured. 'Drink your tea while it's hot.'

The azure-haired girl took a glance at her cup and reached forwards. Then, almost as if she gave up on the idea, she placed her hand back onto the table and resumed her seemingly never-ending contemplation of the night sky.

Kensuke sighed slowly as he placed his cup on the table. He took a small breath and gathered his courage. It was now or never. He had to make her speak up. Kensuke reached over and placed his hands over hers. 'Rei.' He said sternly.

Few things shocked her, but the feel of another's hand upon hers was certainly one of them. She looked at Kensuke, trying her best to hide her surprise. 'Kensuke?'

He stared into her crimson eyes and whispered. 'What is wrong?'

Rei looked to her side. 'Nothing…'

'You are a lousy liar.'

'No, it… I…' She stammered. Why did she keep lying to him? Was she afraid? Of what?

'Rei. I know that we barely know each other.' He spoke softly. 'I know that you prefer to be by yourself. But, if you feel that you need any help, I will always be around.'

Wasn't this what she wanted? Didn't she wish to speak to him about what was troubling her? When did she become such a coward?

'I worry about you.' Kensuke's voice was laced with emotion. 'You are a great friend, and I hate to see you like this. But, if you don't wish to tell me anything, that is fine with me.'

She cast her eyes downward, her mind in turmoil.

Kensuke knew that he had done all he could; now the rest was up to her. If she wanted his help, she would ask for it. He could not find it within him to demand that she tell him everything. Just as he was about to lift his hands off hers, he felt something. Something soft, something smooth, something warm.

She had placed her other hand over his.

************************************************************************

'This is impossible.' Shigeru exclaimed. 'It's already been several hours. The amount of water that has already entered the subspace must be incredible.'

Everyone in the command post was entranced by the visual image that was displayed before them. A whole district of Paris had been submerged by the waters of the River Seine. A thousand and one items were swept towards a gigantic whirlpool. And above that bottomless hole hovered a large sphere. It sat there unmoving, almost as if it was taunting the men who were watching it.

Holmes shook his head slowly. 'I don't think its working.'

'It is the best shot we have.' Kaji reasoned.

'General! Director! I am getting abnormal readings from the target!' Shigeru yelled.

'What?' Holmes looked at the digitized screen and felt his jaw drop. 'What in the world?'

************************************************************************

'Kensuke,' Her voice was barely a whisper. 'I am sorry…'

'Rei?'

'I do not know what to do anymore.' She looked at him, and he gasped. He had never seen Rei's eyes hold so much emotion before.

'What do you mean?' He asked.

'I am unable help him. I betrayed him.' She let out a shuddery breath. 'I feel so useless.'

'Rei. I don't understand a word you're talking about.' Kensuke said, finding himself extremely worried about Rei's current state. 'Is this about Shinji?'

'He helped me so much, but I cannot do the same.' She gushed, the dam that held back her worry had finally burst and a torrent of raw emotion swept forth. 'Did you not see it? I could not help him. I did not even know what to say. He needs help, but I was unable to give it. I am not worthy to be called a friend.'

'Rei…' He knew that she was depressed, but the extent of her despair was way beyond what he expected.

'Kensuke. Tell me what to do. I have no idea how to proceed.' Her quiet voice took on a desperate edge. 'Please! You are the only one I can ask.'

'Rei.' He answered slowly. 'You are not useless.'

'Of course I am! I am unable to aid Shinji. I am unable to aid a friend. Is that not what being useless is? Is that not what failure is?'

'You must have confidence. You must believe in yourself.'

She cast her eyes downward. 'I do not understand. How will that aid Shinji?'

'You can only help someone else if you have faith in your own abilities. If don't trust your own actions, then how can you help others?' He spoke to her softly, hoping that his words would be enough to motivate her. 'Trust me. You are doing more than what a friend should be doing. The amount of effort you put into helping him is tremendous. There is no way anyone can ask you to give anything more.'

'If that is the case, I am really useless. My greatest effort still ends in failure.'

'Rei!' He raised his voice. 'How can you give up so easily? I know that Shinji is in a great deal of emotional trauma right now and I know that our first try did not go so well. But that does not mean that your efforts have gone wasted.'

'How…'

'Look at yourself.' He said harshly. 'You give up just because he asked you to leave? You lose hope? You lose confidence in yourself? Is this the Rei Ayanami that everyone knows?'

'I…'

'Rei Ayanami pilots Evangelions. Rei Ayanami battles Angels. Rei Ayanami fights with things that are not even of this earth. She is strong. She is confident. She is not useless. That is the Rei Ayanami that everyone knows. That is the Rei Ayanami that I know. Where is she now?'

Rei kept silent.

'Rei.' He asked quietly. 'You must be strong. You cannot lose faith in yourself.'

Still she kept silent, her face an impassive mask.

'Rei?'

She finally managed to find her voice. 'I will think on it.'

'That is all that I can ask for.' He said feeling slightly relieved.

'Kensuke?' She said softly.

'Yes?'

'Let us go home.'

He nodded and called for the check.

************************************************************************

'What do you mean you can't find it?' Kaji roared into the microphone. 'Look again! Don't bother to report back until you find the damn thing.'

'Director. Calm down. They do have to wade through waist-high waters.' Holmes soothed.

Kaji could only nod stiffly as he returned his attention to the multitude of reports flooding in.

'So, Shigeru. What is your final analysis?' Holmes asked.

'The Angel has been totally destroyed.' The Japanese man said with a touch of finality.

Holmes took another look at the aftermath of the battle. A sizable portion of city was covered in water, the river Seine still unloading its contents onto the streets of Paris. The battle scarred crimson Evangelion Unit was slumped across several city blocks, crushing whatever was underneath.

He had seen it with his very eyes, but he still couldn't believe it. He remembered seeing the water flow into the endless shadow. He remembered thinking, after an hour's wait, that their plan wasn't working and they flooded the city for nothing. But then, he remembered seeing what he once thought impossible – an Angel's death.

He remembered it all in vivid detail. The large ball had begun to deform. It grew larger, and larger still. Then, as everyone stared at it, transfixed by the sight, it exploded. The force of the explosion was tremendous. The powerless Evangelion was hurled several hundred meters away and thousands of gallons of water were spewed across the city. Windows were smashed, roofs were caved in and walls were torn down. An entire district was leveled in an instant. He would not be forgetting that picture anytime soon.

Holmes sighed heavily. The battle was won, but they had lost. He looked at the Director, and wondered whether anyone could deal with the immense pain that he must be feeling.

'You are all useless! It is there!' Kaji roared. 'That damn plug is gigantic! How in the world can you not find it? That's it I'm going there myself.'

Holmes watched Kaji stand up and storm out of the command post, yelling for someone to get him a chopper.

'General?' An aide hazarded.

'Yes?'

'The Director wants…'

'Give him what he wants.' Holmes answered softly. 'That is the best we can do for him.'

************************************************************************

For the second time in a few hours, Kensuke found himself looking at the building that was Rei's home. But this time, so much was different. He glanced at his female companion. 'Rei. Do you want me to follow you to your room?'

'That is unnecessary. I can manage by myself.' Rei replied.

'Good night then.' Kensuke tried his best to continue comforting her. 'I hope that you will feel better in the morning.'

'Kensuke?' She whispered.

'Yes?'

'Thank you.'

'Anything for a friend.' He smiled. 'Especially you.'

************************************************************************

'Is that all?'

'Yes.'

'Excellent work.' Gendo Ikari commented. 'While the loss of the pilot is regrettable, I am very impressed at how your team managed to improvise under the circumstances. I am also pleased that you managed to recover the Unit. Losing that would prove very troublesome.'

Kaji felt the bile rise in his throat. It was difficult to imagine any person who would treat lives more callously than the Supreme Commander. But then, what more could be expected of Gendo Ikari?

'I suppose that you will require a replacement pilot.' Ikari stated.

Kaji swallowed. Now was not the time to let his emotions run wild. 'Yes.'

'I will make the arrangements. Is there anything else that you require?'

'The Evangelion Unit is severely damaged. The London base is not equipped to repair it. I need to procure equipment and manpower from one of NERV's factory plants.'

'I will see what I can do. Is that all?'

'Yes.' Kaji nodded, wanting the conversation to end quickly.

'Good. Now, I will make some demands of you.' Ikari added. 'I expect them to be carried out immediately.'

Kaji bit back a curse. What did Ikari want now? 'Of course, sir.'

'There will be no mention of this incident to the media. But I am sure you knew that already.'

He did. 'Yes, sir.'

'Excellent. You will do a thorough investigation into both incidents – the one that occurred in England, and the one that occurred in France. If you require any additional resources to fulfill this objective, make them known to me and I will supply you with anything that you need. Is that clear?'

'But,' Kaji asked, 'what about defending the continent against the Angels?'

'That is the point of your investigation, to prove that they are indeed Angels. The protection of Europe is your secondary objective. Nothing should interfere with your investigation.'

'I don't understand. Why should the investigation be more important than the continent's protection?'

'You do not need to understand the reason. You only need to understand the order.' Ikari said sharply. 'Well?'

Kaji grit his teeth. 'I do.'

'Good. Then our conversation is over.' Gendo Ikari's smirking face winked out of existence and Kaji found himself staring at a blank screen.

He slammed his fist onto his desk, totally incensed at the man. Then, his anger suddenly faded. He slumped back into his chair and closed his eyes, thinking of the tragedy that occurred. Try as he might, he could not forget it. He could not forget her face, her smile. He could not accept the fact that he would never see her again.

He had failed her. No matter what the others told him, no matter how they consoled him, he knew that he was the one that killed her. Perhaps investigating the scene of the battle would dredge up something. Something that would prove that he was not at fault. Something that would alleviate the gnawing pain. But still…

Why her?

Why now?

Why?

************************************************************************

'So, Professor.' Gendo Ikari turned to the Vice-Commander. 'Who do you think we should send?'

'It is a pity that the Fourth Child has still not been found.' Fuyutsuki observed. 'That would have been the best choice.'

'Yes. A pity.' Ikari agreed.

'It would seem that there is little choice in the matter. But it was good fortune that the Unit 02 survived.'

'Irrelevant. The other units are almost completed.' Ikari grinned. 'You are changing the subject, Professor.'

'I have already given you my answer. If the scenario is to be unaffected, we do not have a choice.'

'Indeed.' Gendo Ikari agreed. 'Fate does play cruel games. Send for her. She must be informed.'

************************************************************************

Twelve obsidian monoliths blinked into existence. Each one holding the threads of humanity's fate, ready and willing to do whatever it took to achieve their twisted desires.

'These reports are alarming.'

'Europe should have been unaffected.'

'It is impossible to determine anything until Ikari's team has completed its investigation.'

'At least the media blackout is in place.'

'Yes, the blackout has provided us with many opportunities.'

'Have you heard of the Second Child's demise?'

'Yes, it was included in the report.'

'Ikari's choice is intriguing.'

'I agree. If I remember, Ikari decided to alter our initial choice as well.'

'It seems strange, but it appears that Ikari does not wish to send the First to Europe.'

'It probably has something to do with his undisclosed experiments. The First is a rather unique pilot.'

'Ikari is plotting something.'

'Of course he is.'

'We must delve into this matter. If Ikari is going to undermine the scenario, then he must be stopped.'

'Do not worry; our agents are already in place. We will make our move when Ikari makes his.'

'Good. Now we just have to wait and let the pawns give us what we want.'

'As always.'

************************************************************************

'No!' She screamed. 'You're lying! It can't be true!'

'Major, calm down.' Fuyutsuki ordered. 'I know that you are greatly saddened by the news but such an outburst is uncalled for. Especially from a high ranking officer such as yourself.'

'Major Katsuragi.' Gendo Ikari said. 'The Second Child, Asuka Langley Sohryu has been killed in action. Stop trying to deny reality.'

'Why?' Misato brought covered her mouth with hand, trying to control the tears that flowed freely. 'Why someone so young? Why her?'

'Fate does not pick favorites. She is dead.' Gendo watched the Major struggle with her emotions. 'Please grieve elsewhere. You have your orders.'

'How the hell am I supposed to tell Shinji that Asuka is dead and that he will be transferred to the place that killed her?' She screamed at the Commander. 'You have seen the reports, you that what Shinji's state of mind is. Do you have any idea what the news will do to him?'

'It does not matter.' Came the emotionless reply. 'He will follow his orders.'

'Why don't you send Rei instead? I am sure that she will have no objections.'

'Rei is needed here. Shinji Ikari, on the other hand, is not.'

'He is your own son! Your own flesh and blood! How can you do this to him?'

'Major Katsuragi.' Ikari said warningly. 'You are treading on thin ice. I entertained your little demonstration long enough. My patience is not unlimited. You have your orders. Now if you have nothing important to say, leave.'

'Why you…' Misato seethed.

'Misato.' Fuyutsuki walked up to her and led her out of the office. 'Don't make this any harder on yourself.'

************************************************************************

Surprise.

Shock.

Horror.

It felt its other cry out in pain. It felts the other's final death throes. The pain tore it out of its slumber. The other had failed. It had failed to answer the calling. And it had paid the price of failure.

The calling was there once again. Closer than before. So much closer.

It knew that it had to answer the calling.

It shook off the last vestiges of its slumber.

Woe be to all that stands in its way.

************************************************************************

Author's Notes:

Wow! Another chapter in the bag. Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the others but I wanted to end it with a bang, and I think I did.

I know that the 'Angel death' scene was a bit tame, but I've written and re-written that portion many times and that is the best that I've come up with. I tried! Really! I promise to make the next one a bit more exciting. Oh, and I've taken some liberties with the Seine River. I don't know if it really can flood half of Paris, but let us assume it can… heh.

And for those who wish for Shinji to be featured more often, don't worry. He has a major part to play. But I would like to keep him out of the story for the time being, but remember even though he himself is not a main character in the early chapters. His presence affects everyone else.

And about Rei being… more emotional. The series depicted Rei as being socially inept. That is not the same as being without emotions. In my view, Rei can think as much as she like, but as long as she remains handicapped by her less-than-stellar social skills, it is still Rei. And I think I pulled that one off here. She thinks a lot, but displays little of her emotions. Actually, she only spills a handful of emotion-laden sentences (I think she only had 5 sentences with more than 10 words, but I could be wrong), and considering what she is going through, it is entirely within acceptable boundaries.

Yeah, I know. The sap was pretty bad eh? Don't worry, its gonna get worse. Heh heh

I really hope that all of you are enjoying my work. I do listen to the advice and criticisms that have been given to me. If you are disappointed in my efforts, I do apologize and promise that I will work harder. However, one thing that I will not apologize for is my choice of pairings. Especially when you do not know how the plot will turn out in the end. Trust me when I say nothing will be easy for anyone. In my work, the characters must earn their happily ever after. But, enough ranting.

Anyways, see you next chapter

Thanks to Lynx, Daniel Serafimov, Epsilon, Vrag and Psycho Pirate the Nth for pre-reading my work. Their hard work makes this work a million times better.

Special thanks to Epsilon. For a first-time pre-reader he is doing an amazing job.

Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.

Chapter 8 : Austerliz Aftermath