Misato was halfway to Rei's home when her phone rang again. She glanced at it to see it was Ritsuko.

"Yeah, Ritz?"

"What's this about Rei crying in class today?" Misato felt an odd, creeping feeling at the question.

"And how would you know that?" Misato asked.

"Word just got to me. You didn't think that Rei could have a public meltdown and I wouldn't hear about it," Ritsuko said. "Where are you taking her?"

"I'm driving her home right now," Misato answered. How did you know I was taking her anywhere? The timing and the nature of the call sounded an alarm bell in Misato's mind. She glanced over at Rei, who was gazing silently at the dashboard in front of her.

"Bring her to the GeoFront," Ritsuko said. "We need to find out what happened. If this sort of thing could happen on a mission."

"I think it would be better for her to go home and get some rest," Misato countered.

"You're not qualified to make a decision in this matter," Ritsuko said patiently. "Please bring her to the GeoFront." She hung up, and Misato blinked. She had to pull the car to the side of the road, lest she drift onto a sidewalk in her shock. She stared at the phone in her hand.

"Is something wrong?" Misato looked at Rei, who gazed back serenely.

"Nothing," Misato lied, "Nothing at all. They just want me to take you back to the GeoFront, is all." The girl's expression didn't change, but she visibly deflated. Misato put the phone in a cup-holder and cleared her throat. "What do you want, Rei?"

"What…do I…" Rei seemed confused by the question.

"Would you like me to take you back to your apartment instead?" Rei looked back blankly.

"They said to take me to the GeoFront," she answered dumbly.

"Yes, but…do you want me to take you there, or to your apartment?" Misato pressed.

"I…was…they said to take me to the GeoFront," Rei insisted. Misato shook her head.

"Do you want to go to the GeoFront?"

"It's irrelevant," Rei answered. Misato felt trapped in that moment, but nodded and pulled back onto the road. The rest of the drive was silent, save for the brief check through security. Misato didn't have to drive far: Ritsuko was waiting at the entrance of the parking garage with a pair of Section 2 men. Misato stopped the car in the middle of the road and exited.

"Two guys for one little girl, Ritz?" she asked, a sudden venom in her voice. Ritsuko gave her an odd look, and opened the door.

"Let's go, Rei," she said, and the girl obeyed. She got out, fell in between the two burly men, and exited the garage. Ritsuko lingered a moment. "Is something wrong, Misato?" she asked.

"You know," Misato said, tensely, "It would be a real friend who puts a bug in someone's phone." Ritsuko's expression did not change.

"That is an absurd thing to say," she replied after a moment, but Misato leaned over the car and glared with such vehemence that Ritsuko had to step back.

"What's going to happen when I get to my office, take my phone apart, and find a bug?"

"Isn't it possible that Section 2 could have done it on the Commander's orders if you do find one?" Ritsuko said, "Or that maybe he's bugging all of us? You're being paranoid, Misato. I'm going to pretend this conversation didn't happen, as a friend. Get your head in order."

"Do not…ever…do that again. Because I will know," Misato snapped. Ritsuko made to ask 'Don't do what again,' but there was no point. There was only so many ways she could bend the truth in one day, and Misato was not normal personnel. She knew things, and she knew people. Ritsuko turned and walked away without another word, and Misato stared after her. As she stared, a truck pulled up behind her car, unable to move past. When it was clear she wasn't going to move, it honked it's horn. One look from her, though, and the truck began to back up and find another entrance.

It was then the phone rang in the cup-holder. She slid into the seat, and answered it with an angry, "What!?"

"C…Captain?" It was Maya Ibuki.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"We…ma'am, we have an Angel."

The command bridge was tense as the video imagery played across the big board. The creature was roughly humanoid, with two legs and two arms. No head to speak of, it seemed. The video in question showed it hoisting a British Royal Naval missile cruiser in the air and cut it in half with an almost invisible burst from it's AT Field.

"A British coming in for an allied resupply encountered it as it attempted landfall, and then it retreated back to the water," Ibuki was saying. "No reason why."

"It's behavior since then has been erratic," Hyuga added. "We've been tracking it with sonar and satellite imagery. It went out for two hours, and then it started pacing."

"Pacing?"

"Yeah. Just back and forth, back and forth. Advanced back towards us for about an hour, stopped…and there it is now." He tapped a few keys, and a satellite image came on screen. The satellite was directly over the position of the Angel when the image was captured, and it's great, dark mass could be just perceived beneath the water.

"It destroyed a missile cruiser and two frigates," Ennis mumbled next to her. "Casualty reports are still coming in."

"Has an analysis been run on it yet, based on the attack?" Misato snapped at Aoba. He shook his head.

"It hasn't given us much to go on, besides it's shape and the fact that it deployed an AT Field," he answered. "Still running projections."

"Where are the Pilots?" Misato asked.

"The Fourth Child is in his room gearing up," Cooper answered.

"The Third Child is on his way here, now. The First Child is in lock-down, and the Second Child is…" Ibuki sat up in her chair, pressing her earbud tighter. "Say again?" Misato glanced at the woman, a slow, creeping dread rising in her. Ibuki cleared her throat, and said, "Confirm that." She turned to Misato. "Second Child is…unknown. The school can't find her, and no one has seen her."

Misato didn't lose her temper, just…sank. "Of course," she mumbled. It would be the sort of thing that would happen today. "Well…she's a red-haired white girl running around Tokyo-3 in a school uniform, how hard can she be to find? We only have…is it still stationary?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"We have an hour plus however long it stays there to find her," Misato sighed. "Contact the local police, put out a picture of her and tell them to bring her right here."

"Technically, her identity is classified. The local police wouldn't-" Aoba began.

"Aoba, do it or I will send you out there to find her yourself," Misato snarled. "Get Section 2 involved, if it'll make you feel better, God damn it!" She rubbed her face, and glanced at Ennis. He was studying her patiently. "Sorry," she said. "I've had one of those days."

"We all get them," he said. "Some more than most."

"Sir," Cooper said, glancing over his shoulder. "Dr. Colin is demanding to speak with you."

"As I was saying," Ennis added with a rueful smile. "Cooper, what the hell is he bothering me for now?"

"I have no clue and do not wish to get involved at this time, sir!" Cooper said in a sharp, parade-ground voice. Ennis bared his teeth and marched over to the console. Misato glanced up to see that Fuyutsuki and the Commander were in the midst of a quiet conference between themselves.

"Commander," she said, and both turned to look at her. "Grendel is ready now, Unit-o1 will be ready shortly. If the Angel moves, we'll have at least an hour before landfall. Your instructions?"

Gendo gazed levelly at the Captain, who stared right back at him. He had overheard the conversation below, and in fact, he and Fuyutsuki had been discussing just that issue. The First Child was…he tasted bile at the thought, and pushed that aside for the moment. Best not to deal with that now.

The Second Child, though…that was odd. Abducted? No, probably not. It was possible, just not probable. Either way, she wasn't here. That left the Third Child and…the American.

"Sir?" Fuyutsuki asked, lending his support to Misato's question.

"Prepare Unit-01," he said, "Grendel will be placed on reserve."

"Maybe we should deploy the American Eva to offer on-field support?" Misato suggested.

"Reserve," he said again, flatly. Misato crossed her arms, looked as though she wanted to say more, but turned towards her staff.

"Grendel on reserve!" she snapped, "Unit-01 will be prepped for launch. Have Third Child suited and in place as soon as he's on site."

Shinji tasted the copper-blood tang of the LCL, gripped the butterfly controls in limp fingers, and gazed out towards the water. He was alone up here, and it was his fault.

"Where's Asuka?" he had asked as he was hustled through the tunnels.

"The Second Child is missing," the technicians had said. He had asked for Rei, but she was out of communication. He asked about Samson, but he was being kept on standby below ground.

He was it, and it was his fault. It was his fault, because Asuka was missing and he knew why.

Rei is weak.

So are you.

If Shinji could hate anything more than himself, he didn't know what it was. Maybe his father…but in that moment…he really hated himself. The hate and the loathing almost overpowered the rising fear that he was alone, up here. Alone and waiting to fight, and probably die at his father's behest.

Rei is weak.

So are you.

He didn't know why he had said that, but it was said and it was done. It was done. It was then his comm channel winked. It was a line from Grendel. He answered it. "Samps?" he asked.

"Hey, brother," came the reply. Samps was in his full-rigging, face hidden beneath the encompassing neural helmet. "You ready to do your thing?" Shinji looked down and away, afraid and embarrassed. "Hey, what's that? You're not scared, are you?"

"I'm…alone…" he mumbled. "I don't know if…"

"Yeah, I heard. The Kraut let you down, didn't she?" Shinji bit his lip, tasting blood. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Second Child let you down. She's not here right now, is she? I don't know why, I'm not gonna judge, but I remember telling you…that when the chips were down…"

"It's my fault!" Shinji yelled, feeling tears in his eyes. "I said something…just…it's my fault! It's my fault, okay?"

"Shinji…brother…" Samson said in a gentle voice, "I didn't mean to push a button. You're a good guy to stick up for her. You were a good guy when you jumped in the fire for her back at the volcano. I just wish she'd be here to back your play."

"Where are you?" Shinji said bitterly. He regretted it immediately, knowing he said it defensively. For him, and for Asuka. Samson didn't deserve to be on the end of that venom. To his surprise, and mild relief, Samson chuckled, rolling languidly in his wiring.

"I'm right below you. Give the word, and I'll ride."

"…Thanks," Shinji whispered.

"I said I would back, and I'll back you," Samson said. "Blood and sinew, tooth and bone. We're Pilots, right?" In that moment, Shinji found himself very grateful for Samson.

Another channel blinked. He opened it, and Misato was leaning forward. She was all business in that moment, and her look was intimidating. Blood and sinew…tooth and bone…Shinji felt blood rise to his face, and his chest ached. Something burned in him…something much like desire. Ambition.

Rage.

"Shinji? Everything okay up there?" she asked.

"Everything is fine," he said coolly. "Where's the Angel?"

Misato gave him an odd look, and then continued. "It started moving. We have one hour and thirteen minutes before landfall. Uploading the projected coordinates to you. Get ready to move out." Shinji studied the map, and glanced around. Most of the structures of Tokyo-3 were still up, but could be dropped to give him maneuvering room. Give the word, and I'll ride.

"No," he said, and Misato scrunched her eyes.

"Shinji, we do not have time for this," she said. "I don't want to hear you com-"

"I have more room to maneuver here," he said, "Just drop the rest of the city. I can take it here, but I need a place to fight." Misato stared at him in silence, not expecting what he had just said. He stared back, and thought he detected something in her eyes. Was it dread? He couldn't tell, because the emotion slipped by before he could hammer it.

"Okay. All right, fine. We'll issue the general alert and drop the city," she said. "Good luck, Pilot." The line blinked off, and he exhaled. The sound of crickets chirping came to him, and he realized the line with Samson had been open the whole time.

"My man," the boy said in wonder, "That was something, Shinji. Truth be told, you have a better tactical advantage at water's edge, but…yeah…that was some sand. Nicely done." Shinji swallowed, looked back up, and, very carefully, smiled.

Asuka had broken all the bottles she could find, and had decided instead to start pulling plants out by the roots. Her fingers were soon covered in a thick layer of dirt, and the grime pushed up under her fingernails. It hurt, but she didn't stop. She scrabbled at the earth, digging with both hands, just wanting to tear, to rip, to rend. Her thumb caught a rock, and the nail tore, and she ripped both hands back to her. She wound them into her hair, pulling, cutting her scalp with the nails and mingling dirt into her locks. She gritted her teeth so hard she was sure they would break.

Rei is weak.

So are you.

She didn't think she was capable of being hurt as badly as those words had cut her in that moment. She didn't know why they hurt, or why it should be Shinji of all people saying it that caused the most pain. But it was there. She hurt. She ached. She raged. She raged, because in the moment he said it, the way he said it, she knew.

It was true. She was weak. She was weak, weak, weak, filthy weak. She openly sobbed at it, hating Shinji, hating herself, hating it. Hating that he made her feel weak, and hating herself for believing it. It was such a simple phrase, but one with such truth she couldn't ignore it. So…are…you.

In time, Asuka ceased her bawling. She snuffled, staring at the muddy cuts in her hand, how thoroughly she had ruined her nails. She glanced around, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "I have no idea where I am," she mumbled to no one in particular. There were trees, and grass, and that was her only point of reference. Standing up, she turned and saw a railing behind her. She was at a park. How she got here, she couldn't say. It had all been a haze of angry, self-loathing and pain on the way over here. She didn't have a watch, didn't even have a phone. It occurred to her that if something happened, no one could contact her. Snuffling, feeling numb, she got to her feet. What if Kaji needed to find her? This was dumb.

Shuffling up to the railing, she followed it downhill until she came to a cut in the trees, and stopped. She heard sirens, and could see Tokyo-3 stretched out before her. The buildings were beginning to drop.

And there stood Shinji.

It was Unit-01, which meant that it was Shinji. Did that mean an Angel was coming? There was a battle coming, and she was here! She should be down there! Asuka got ready to run, but the urge died before she lifted a foot.

She was weak.

Something warred in her chest, the urge to go and the urge to disappear. She felt herself squirm, and she whined in frustration. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do, and she wanted Kaji to tell her.

You always knew what to do! Why can't you decide now!? She took two steps, just up to the edge of a winding path of stairs leading down the hill. She shuffled, she stopped…and she sat down.

Asuka sat and did not move, studying the form of Unit-01 through grimy eyes.