Note from Gob Hobblin: I admit that it's been a long time since I worked with kids within the age group that the Three Children are occupying now, and it has occurred to me that the characterization is off. Mostly, it's because I have either worked with an older age group, or extremely young one (like my nephew). Essentially, six-year-olds are more mentally developed than what I've had in mind, while being both less and more mature - trying to be independent, but not knowing how to do it. Expect a re-submittal to 'This is an Animal' in the not too far future, and a different characterization of Asuka coming up.

June 20, 2024 - Evangelion Center, Tokyo-3, Japan: The Day Before Contact Day

The Battle for Paris had been the water-cooler discussion for the past month. A lot of it was still murky, being filtered and run again and again through the talking heads, but Gendo had developed a talent for reading between the lines.

There were questions concerning French military preparedness, in face of the southern containment line's collapse, and a lot of criticism leveled that had reached downright nasty jibes. No one had, of course, taken into account that the majority of French units were overseas assisting other countries with their containments, and he wondered how well any nation would behave if a flux opened in their own national capital. He had admired the actions of French President Marcel Piaf, and felt a sincere note of regret that the only thing he would get out of this mess was the retention of his Presidency. The French image had been hurt tremendously in the EU, and the need for assistance from the Germans had only bolstered that country's standing.

That wasn't the best news of the day, he thought dourly. It had given Kihl's 'N2 Policy' extra legs, and serious talks were being made to place the Nerv Pact's N2 weaponry into Nerv and Gehirn hands. And on top of that, he was still trying to make heads or tails of the three weapons he did have under thumb.

He studied the technical load-outs on his computer, flicking between the thre. Unit-00 was essentially a prototype, grown from a sample of Rei and Lilith, a sort of in-between step of something more Lilith than not. It was smaller than the other two units, the first to begin and complete growth. As vastly superior as it was supposed to be compared to other conventional weaponry, improvements on the design were being made before it had been completed. Unit-01 was the result of those designs, a sample of Yui and Lilith and called the 'Big Sister' by the project team. It was bigger, much more brutal in its appearance, and designed specifically for combat. Still, more improvements could be made, and Kyoko was the one to do that. The result of that effort was Unit-o2, the final Eva they had the budget and capacity to create. This was the first Lilith-patterned creation that had not used Yui's DNA, instead being made from a sample of Kyoko's tissues. Unlike the others, it had a more radical direction its design, a true combat device. It was a four-eyed beast, sleeker and more compact than Unit-01 while still maintaining the same height and mass, and was the only one to maintain true on board weaponry. So impressive was its arsenal, retro-designs were being created to upgrade Unit-o1.

And yet…they were all useless at the moment. They had yet to be test piloted, and there were serious concerns as to what would happen when the actual tests occurred.

Which was why Yui was storming into his office now. He had expected it, but cringed at the thought. He hated fighting with his wife.

"What the hell?" she snapped.

"I'm not comfortable with this," he said, refusing to budge. "I refuse to let you be the test pilot for the initial run."

"That is not your choice to make," she snapped, "The Eva Project is mine, under my direction and—"

"It is exactly my choice," he said coolly, "The Project is yours, but the Group oversight is mine, and there is simply too much risk."

"Don't you dare hold that over my head," she yelled. Two people passing in the hallway stopped and balked. Gendo stood up quickly and went to the door, closing it. "Those are my creations, my designs, the frigging Plug suit has already been made with my dimensions! If anybody should be at risk because of them, I'll take the risk!"

"They aren't your designs. They're Lilith's," he said quietly. Yui froze, and a sound of strangled frustration rose in her throat. She balled up both hands and pushed hard at Gendo's chest, too angry to speak. He rocked back slightly, and caught her elbows in his palms as her arms dropped. "Yui," he said quietly, "We don't know what will happen. There's things in the readouts I don't understand, talk about…sympathetic connections, bonding…Naoko said that the on-board operating systems on the Eva's will act as a mediator between the pilot and the Eva but…" He gripped her arms a bit tighter than he intended. "Yui, we don't know what will happen."

"We don't," she hissed, still livid but a bit more in control. "And I don't want anybody to take the heat for something I made. I couldn't live with myself if someone was hurt because of that."

"And Shinji? Rei? Should I list all the other girls?" She closed her eyes, and shook her head.

"That's not fair. Don't you dare bring them into—"

"You love them very much, and I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt them," he said, "but if something happens, you would be hurting them." She leaned into him, like a popped balloon. She sighed, and he waited for her to gather her thoughts. Both of them were stubborn people, and he knew she hadn't given up on her stance.

"There is no one in the world more qualified to handle what will happen in the Plug," she said, referring to the pod that had been designed to contain the pilot. "An expert needs to be there. I am the expert. This is the safest course of action."

"Yui, it's…" he began, but she gently laid a finger on his lips.

"Gendo," she said quietly, "The cells in Unit-o1 are mine. I…if anyone is going to interact with it, there's a greater chance of a sympathetic connection that is harmless if I do it. The only other way for a more guaranteed connection would be Rei." Hearing that made Gendo queasy, and he closed his eyes.

"Yui," he murmured, and she nuzzled her head under his chin.

"Please, Gendo," she said quietly, "I know you're scared, and I am, too, but this is the best route we have. Please let me take it."

He sighed. "If anything…anything…happens…"

"It's my fault, then," she snapped, "Not yours. Not yours, okay?" Gendo nodded, but he couldn't make himself accept those words.

Yui sat in the locker room, fiddling with the Plug suit. It was a deep rosy red, with neural connections and plastic padding designed to enhance the connection between Pilot and Eva. Between those and the hair clips that would establish a link through her scalp, she should be able to essentially 'take over' the Eva. 'Should,' of course, had a lot of leeway for success and failure. She mulled over that when she heard a cough, and turned to see Kyoko standing nearby.

"So it's set?" Kyoko asked, quietly. Yui nodded. "And you? Are you set?"

"No," Yui confessed. "I put up a brave face for Gendo, but…" she shrugged. "I'm scared silly."

Kyoko nodded. "Well…all we can do is wait and be ready. Go home, and play with your kids. You'll feel better after that," Kyoko said. Yui said noting, and put the Plug suit away.

"I'm staying here," she said. Kyoko blinked, and Yui continued. "If I go see the kids, I'll lose my nerve. I'm saying here, and…I'll see them after." She forced a smile. "It'll get me through, you know?"

Kyoko didn't know what to say to that. She leaned against a locker, trying to understand what was going through her friend's mind right now, but that was a mystery even to Yui.