Chapter 6: Convergence
Of course, though many events are mutable, and can have their outcomes changed, some things are a constant, regardless of the Echo one chooses to travel to. This is one such event, and it will always signify great change for this universe. Whether for good or ill, well, that would always remain to be seen.
Trans-Siberian Railway, June 2015
A massive train trundled down the tracks of the equally massive railway, slowly snaking its way towards the Bering Strait. In one, massive car, the form of Unit-02 was curled into a fetal position, closed off from all the world.
In the several cars ahead of it, its Pilot, her guardian, and its chief mechanic, along with a goodly amount of her maintenance and support staff traveled along with her, in passenger cars that, while not the lap of luxury by any means, were more than adequate for the task of conveying their cargo across the dry, green and beige landscapes of a Russia coming into summer.
They did, however, lack the support for any video game consoles, a fact which Asuka lamented to both Kaji and Daniel at least once a day.
What occupied her currently, however, was a tablet, on which she watched the previous battles of Unit-01 against the Angels as she sat in the room she, Kaji, and Daniel shared. They had received the mostly raw capture footage of the battles from an uplink during one of their fuel stops early on, and Asuka was engrossed. She studied the Angels intently, scrutinizing every piece of footage that showed two of the otherworldly beings, now code-named "Sachiel" and "Shamshel", respectively. "Ramiel", while an interesting Angel, did not merit such scrutiny as its forebears did.
She was impressed in the Angel's capabilities with their AT Fields and often postulated how similar effects might be achieved by an Evangelion and their weaponry, bouncing ideas off of Daniel for possible pieces of equipment for the Evas.
She was less impressed by Unit-01's performance in said battles.
"Oh come on," she groaned as the image of Unit-01 flew gracelessly, once again, into a hillside after being thrown by Shamshel, "what was he thinking? First, he drunkenly stumbles along with Sachiel and gets the stuffing beaten out of him, then Shamshel here comes along and shows that he has absolutely no trigger discipline. How long did they have this guy before stuffing him into an Entry Plug?"
Daniel looked up from his book with a pained look in his eyes as Kaji, half asleep, nodded and murmured in agreement.
"The way that Shinji tells it," Daniel said after a moment, "he had just gotten to the bay holding Unit-01 before Sachiel attacked. So…"
Daniel did some mental math in his head. "About half an hour?"
Both Asuka and Kaji looked at Daniel incredulously. "You've got to be kidding," they said, almost simultaneously. Daniel's silent stare said that he really didn't. Asuka and Kaji's mouths hung open in utter shock.
Asuka fumed. "You really aren't kidding? It took me months before I could even get to the equivalent of making the Eva walk! What did they expect when they put someone as green as him in?"
Kaji nodded, now fully awake. "Yeah. Asuka's put years of training into this sort of thing, and they just throw this poor boy into the deep end? It's a miracle he's even still alive."
Daniel nodded in return. "Shinji has gotten pretty lucky. Unfortunately, he says that his training thus far has been rather lackluster as well. Though he is getting better after a surprisingly good start, synch-wise."
Asuka nodded dismissively. "Yeah? How high is his synch score? If he's as fresh as you say he is, it can't be that high."
Daniel thought for a moment. "He said after his first battle that the scientists read his synch score as somewhere in the mid-40s."
Asuka's jaw dropped again, while Kaji's brow rose.
"No training and a synch score that high? That's insane!" Asuka's eyes seemed as big as dinner plates as she gaped in amazement. "Even my score is only in the mid-60s right now."
Kaji nudged her as she continued to ponder silently with wide eyes. "You might be able to offer him some tips then, Asuka. I'm sure he would appreciate them from a pro like you."
Asuka nodded as he said this, seeming to take this into serious consideration. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Even though I clearly am the best pilot that's going to be there, if there's anything I've learned playing games with you, Daniel, it always helps to have some competition to keep one sharp."
Daniel smiled, turning back to his book. "We still have the better part of a week before we even reach the docks at the Bering Strait, and we made our last stop on this ride yesterday. As great of an idea as it is, unfortunately, it's going to have to wait."
Asuka pouted but nodded as she recognized the truth of Daniel's words. That didn't mean she had to be particularly happy about that fact, however. Eventually, though, she returned to the tablet screen, examining Unit-01's actions with new eyes, as the train sped onward towards the far end of Asia.
As promised, they soon reached the now verdant coast of Siberia, made a breadbasket for Russia and the world around it after Second Impact melted the ice of Antarctica and raised temperatures around the world. The coastal city of Magadan, the destination of Unit-02 and her crew, had transformed from a small port town to a bustling trade hub for the Pacific Ocean, carrying far more out, and receiving still more, than simply foodstuffs made on the now fertile land it acted as the gatekeeper to.
It was here that the United Nations Task Fleet made harbor as it awaited its precious cargo. It was a grand patchwork of ships, mostly composed of American, Russian, and Japanese ships, each with a long, venerated history.
But the pride of the fleet by far was its newest vessel. The Iris-class Supercarrier Over the Rainbow floated in the water with a sense of regality and undeniable strength, a fortress and palace all in one.
It was perhaps one of the largest waterborne vessels mankind had ever constructed, featuring two massive flight decks stacked atop one another, with a beam almost half again as tall as the Evangelion, and catamaran hulls that stretched the length of its nearly 650 meters.
It truly was a sight to behold from the view that the massive air carrier for the Evangelion provided, as Daniel, Asuka, and Kaji all peered out the window at what would be their home for a brief time. Slowly but surely, the secured unit, its container loosely wrapped in a massive protective cloth like some gargantuan gift box, touched down on the deck, centered as the guiding crews could make it.
The trio would have to board using a separate aircraft, as the Eva carrier was simply too massive to touch down alongside its cargo simultaneously. As they stepped onto the floating island of metal and tarmac, they were greeted by a boarding party of several crewmates, capped off at the end by who appeared to be the ship's captain and executive officer.
"I'll go ahead and take the lead for this one," Daniel said as the doors opened and the boarding party snapped to attention, the ancient whistle of the bosun's pipes piercing the air, "seeing as I'm the highest ranking one here."
They crossed the space between their craft and the captain, and Daniel came to attention and saluted before the captain. "Permission to come aboard?"
The captain saluted back with a small grin. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard the Over the Rainbow." He offered his hand for Daniel to shake. "I'm Vice Admiral Bollinger, commander of the Task Fleet, and this is my flag captain, Captain Boswell of the Over the Rainbow herself."
Daniel took each of their hands in a firm shake. "Thank you for having us aboard, sir. And thank you for your patience in being what essentially amounts to a delivery service."
Bollinger nodded. "Well, it's not for any great length of time, and besides, it gives us a chance to stretch our legs in somewhat new places. Many of the Russian ships with us haven't docked here in the Motherland for quite some time."
"Come," he said, waving as he advanced towards the back of the ship, "let's get you to your quarters. The entrance is over here by Rotors." They then began to make their way towards the section of the flight deck that seemed to be reserved for helicopters and similar aircraft.
As they made their way down the tarmac, towards the sleek, rather low profile command tower, Daniel pondered as Kaji, Asuka, and the commanders of the Over the Rainbow conversed. The Vice-Admiral seemed a lot more chipper about this than Daniel remembered his counterpart being, even with the Evangelion on a separate boat in that instance. Then again, they weren't going to be subject to a month-long cruise around Africa to get their precious cargo to Japan this time.
And, Daniel thought as his gaze turned towards the deceptively normal-looking suitcase that Kaji now carried with him, Unit-02 wasn't the only "precious cargo" headed to Tokyo-3.
They went below decks, winding through several corridors to reach a series of cabins, usually reserved for visiting authorities, the Vice Admiral said. It was rather spacious for a military vessel, though as with the train, they would all be bunking together. After a brief moments conversation, Bollinger glanced at his watch.
"Well," he said, "I have business in the command tower that I have to take care of. We're at the tail end of resupplying, so we won't be leaving for about 2 days. If you have any questions, Captain Boswell can answer them. Again, welcome aboard." Both men then walked away to administer their duties.
"Well, he seems awfully chipper about all this," Asuka said, unknowingly echoing Daniel's previous rumination.
Kaji scratched his chin. "He does, doesn't he?"
Kaji shrugged. "Ah, well. Like he said, we're here for two days before we put out to sea. So," he said, dramatically setting himself onto one of the futons with a sigh, "We can just sit back and relax. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
Daniel arched an eyebrow. He knew exactly what "the worst" would be.
Tokyo-3, Japan, 1 Week Later
Shinji Ikari adjusted his bag again as he glanced back towards his still somewhat new friends as they got themselves ready to board the large, boxy transport helicopter, several machines loading a large rolled-up umbilical cable for Unit-02. They were an odd pairing, to say the least, but they were the closest thing that he had to school friends here in Tokyo-3.
Toji, tall and in his usual tracksuit and sporting a striped cap he wore backward, stood with his hands in his pockets and a disinterested look. He was really only going along to support the rest of his friends. He was probably best classified as "the jock", but Shinji knew he had his soft side, especially when it came to his family and his little sister. It helped that he was quite patient with those that he considered his friends.
Kensuke, on the other hand, was practically jumping with excitement. An ardent military enthusiast, he wore his usual wide, circular glasses, along with an orange shirt and khaki sleeveless fishing vest with his cargo shorts, and carried with him his prized camcorder, scanning the helicopter, the loading machines, Toji and Shinji, all while going on about how cool it was to ride on whatever model of aircraft this was.
After a moment, Misato and another woman exited from the building adjacent to the helicopter pad. Shinji recognized the woman accompanying Misato as the head of engineering for the Evangelion here at Tokyo-3. He didn't really interact with her much, but at least Misato spoke positively of her, and she enjoyed the dinners that she received when she sometimes visited.
She was of a fair height and complexion, with long strawberry blonde hair and discerning green eyes framed by a scattering of freckles on her cheeks. Toji and Kensuke turned and noticed both Misato and the newcomer, Toji straightening up and lifting his cap to slick back his hair before replacing the cap.
"Hello, boys," Misato said with a smile and a cheerful wave, "are you ready for an exciting day out?"
Kensuke beat them all to the punch. "A ride on a Mi-55d transport chopper out to the UN Task Fleet isn't something you just turn down, Ms. Misato!" Kensuke seemed to glow with anticipation.
Toji was less impressed. "Okay, so we get to ride on a big old box out to a bunch of boats. So what?"
Misato looked at her partner as both chuckled. "Think of it this way, Toji," she said with a smile, "we're going on a vacation date to a luxury cruise."
Toji looked down as he blushed under the supposed implication. "Well, when you put it like that…"
Kensuke, in a rare moment without his eye to the lens of his camera, then decided to speak up. "Who's your partner there, Ms. Misato?"
Before she could answer, Shinji did so for her. "She's the head of engineering for Rei and I's Evangelions. She joined up just before the first Angel came to Tokyo-3, and she makes sure that everything is in working order before we go out to battle any Angels."
He turned to her and smiled. "Good to see you're coming along, Ms. Eleanor."
Eleanor smiled. "It's good to be coming along, Shinji."
Shinji, Misato, and company flew across the bright blue view of the Pacific in the afternoon. Deep below the surface lay the ruins of cities, tectonically sheared off from the mainland and buried under the crushing depths during the environmental chaos of Second Impact. They also held a hidden threat, one that now began to make itself ready.
But these things were far from the minds of most everyone on the chopper, as the majestic sight of the UN Task Fleet came into view, the Over the Rainbow glinting in the formation's core like the centerpiece gem of a prized necklace.
Kensuke could hardly take his eyes off of the sight. Or at least, his camera. "Woah..." he said, his visible eye wide with wonder. "Five carriers, four battleships, and all their appropriate escort and screening elements! Man, it is good to have friends with connections, isn't it, Shinji?"
Shinji, unsure of how to answer his friend, simply nodded. "Uh-huh."
Toji rolled his eyes. "It's a bunch of old boats around a bigger, newer boat. So what?"
Kensuke whipped around with a look of shock and disbelief in his eyes. "Toji, my friend. 'A bigger, newer boat'? You do the Iris class a monumental disservice! We're talking about a carrier with a beam of-"
As Kensuke launched into a spirited defense of how cool the Over the Rainbow was to a completely disinterested Toji, Shinji turned to Eleanor, who had been quiet the whole flight. "Are you excited to get to see the new Eva?"
She blinked as if exiting a deep thought and turned to Shinji, a slight smile on her face. "Of course I am, Shinji. It's always exciting to see something so beautifully complex go into action. It's even cooler to work on it and see how it does what it does."
Misato turned back towards them as the chopper made its final approach. "Ever the gearhead, Eleanor. It's like you were made for this job."
Eleanor rolled her eyes as she smirked. "Not the paperwork of it. Just let me get my hands dirty, damn it!"
Misato chuckled, and they touched down. "Well, as the resident engineer, you'll be the one making sure we'll be able to get Unit-02 where it needs to go." She paused for a moment as the door opened. "Besides, it'll be good to see Asuka and Daniel again, too."
Misato, Shinji, and the others got out of the helicopter first, missing Eleanor's wide-eyed expression of shock. Daniel was here?
Daniel, Asuka, and Kaji waited as the time passed by before Misato was supposed to arrive. Asuka had put on a stylish yellow sundress with a white pair of high-top canvas sneakers, which she was sure would "blow the pants off Misato and the rookie."
Shinji was that "rookie", and Asuka was looking forward to being a stern teacher in the ways of piloting the Evangelion. The time drew near, and Asuka stood from the table that the tablet sat on. "Well, I'm off to dazzle the rookie and Misato. Will you guys be up soon?"
Daniel nodded. "We'll be up soon enough. Go blow their minds."
A proud smile and a nod presaged Asuka disappearing from the doorway as Daniel and Kaji chuckled.
Kaji shook his head. "Poor kid won't know what hit him."
Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I doubt Shinji's too terribly ready for the regimen he's about to be a part of." Asuka had spent the last 3 days of their voyage crafting a training regimen for the finer details of piloting of such an intensity, it would probably make a drill instructor blush.
Daniel stood, and made his way to the hatch. "Will you be coming along, Kaji?"
Kaji nodded. "In a little bit. There's still some things I got to do to be ready."
Daniel looked back and glanced at the suitcase beside Kaji. When he looked back at Kaji, an unspoken understanding passed between them. Whatever was in there, they were both at least somewhat skittish about it.
Daniel finally nodded." Alright then. I'll see you topside." Kaji nodded back, and Daniel left the cabin.
As he emerged out into the open air, he saw the boxy helicopter that had landed beside the container for Unit-02, Asuka proudly standing before the exiting group of Misato, Shinji, and what appeared to be two of his friends, Toji and Kensuke, who Shinji had talked about sometimes. He distantly noted another figure going towards the Eva container, but his focus was on Shinji and Misato.
The taller one in the tracksuit, who he knew was Toji, lost his hat in an errant gust of wind. As the boy started running after it, Daniel knew where this was going, and he braced for the impacts.
Ahead of him, Toji finally got to his hat, which he found under a white-shod foot. Misato looked at where Toji now found himself and smiled. "Asuka! You've certainly grown taller."
Asuka stood proud, hands on her hips. "Kind of you to notice, Misato. I've grown in a lot of other ways, too."
Misato then spoke to the boys. "Gentlemen, this is Asuka Soryu-Langley, pilot of Unit-02, and the Second Child."
At that moment, the wind changed directions, blowing up the hem of Asuka's sundress. Daniel rolled his eyes as he closed them. The boys' fate had been sealed, it seemed.
Three smacks pierced the air and nearly seemed to pierce Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke's cheeks, a bright handprint evident on each of them.
Toji stumbled back, rubbing his cheek. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"
Asuka narrowed her eyes as he said this. "That was the viewing fee, and a rather light one for voyeurs such as yourself." she nodded as Misato rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face.
No such smile was on Toji's face as he glowered at Asuka. "Oh, yeah? Well, it's an eye for an eye in this world, so I'll show you.." he said as he grabbed for his pants.
Kensuke, in yet another rare moment when his eye wasn't on the lens of his camera, made the, in his mind, dangerous move of trying to restrain Toji. "Dude, wait a minute," he shouted as he grabbed Toji's arms as best he could, "there's no need to make an even greater fool of yourself than you already have! Please!"
Toji struggled against Kensuke's grip. "Will you knock it off, Ken? I've gotta show her a piece of my mind, and a sight she'll-"
He was cut off as yet another smack graced his other cheek, narrowly missing Kensuke's face. "And that is for trying to shock a girl you've barely met," Asuka said, as Toji let go of his pants to massage his other cheek.
As she walked past the duo, she came to a stop in front of Shinji and Misato, looking at Shinji intently. "So," she said after a moment of scrutiny, "you're the rookie Daniel likes to talk to."
Shinji was taken aback, as Misato chuckled at Asuka's choice of words.
"R-rookie?" he finally said after a moment of closing and opening his mouth like a gaping fish. Misato began to fully laugh now.
The fire in Asuka's eyes only seemed to grow brighter. "Exactly, rookie! You may have been lucky enough to stumble through the first three Angels, but I won't accept simply lucky from someone who I'll be fighting alongside!"
Daniel finally made his way to Asuka's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What she means," Daniel began as Shinji's eyes, and smile, grew wide at the sight of him, "is that you should get ready for her to teach you the finer points of piloting."
Shinji took a moment to look at Daniel and how he had changed over the three years he had been gone. "Daniel! It's so good to see you again!"
Daniel put his other hand on Shinji's shoulder, a warm smile on his face. "And it is good to see you too Shinji. Really, it's amazing to see you alive after what you've been through."
Shinji nodded. "It feels like that sometimes for me, too."
Daniel chuckled softly and turned to Misato. "It's good to see you after so long, Misato. How's Tokyo-3 treating you?"
Misato shook her head. "About as well as 3 Angel attacks in as many months can treat you." she said with a tired smile.
Asuka looked at Misato. "And you have some things to do too, like make sure that Daniel knows where everything is to make sure he can keep Unit-02 in peak condition."
Misato nodded. "Oh, Eleanor can help with that." she said offhandedly.
The rest of the world seemed to fall away from Daniel's sight as she said this. "Eleanor?" he said quietly as his eyes widened. "She's here?"
Misato nodded. "Yeah. Last I saw she was heading toward the container for Unit-02. Do you know her?"
Daniel didn't answer as he made his way to the massive, coffin-like container, drawing confused stares from everyone in the group. Did he know her? And how?
. . .
As Daniel made his way into the container, he looked around the space. Light strips along the top edges of the container glowed, throwing a pale light on the curled-up form of Unit-02.
It lay half-submerged in a pool of LCL, wires connecting it to various diagnostic devices. A row of pontoon platforms connected the entrance of the container to access the Unit itself.
On the last platform before the Eva stood a form that he had not seen in an age. Trepidation filled his voice as he dared to break the silence. "Eleanor?"
She turned at the sound of his voice. She looked like a mirror image of the last time he saw her. When he left her. Look of shock and all.
"Daniel?" Hesitation filled her voice as much as it did Daniel's. And as she spoke, two searching souls intertwined and felt each other's presence for the first time in what seemed like lifetimes.
Which was how Eleanor knew the shock, the hope, the guilt, roiling behind a partly downturned face that approached her across the pontoon bridge. As they stood a platform apart, Daniel finally looked up, and they looked into each other's eyes deeply.
After almost unbearable moments of silence, Daniel spoke again, tears welling in his eyes. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."
A choked chuckle escaped Eleanor as she looked up for a moment, tears in her own eyes. "You and your references," she said, looking back into Daniel's eyes, "you never stopped did you?"
Daniel paused for a moment. "Never." Then he took a step forward.
And then he immediately stepped back, as Eleanor delivered a powerful smack across his face, her expression the definition of indignation.
Daniel rubbed his cheek, already showing a growing red welt. "I deserved that one, really."
Eleanor pointed an accusatory finger in Daniel's face. "That one was for leaving us. For leaving me. Don't you ever, ever do that again!"
Then she stepped forward and hugged him tightly, even fiercely, the platform they were now both on wobbling slightly. "Please." she whispered into his ear.
Daniel held her just as fiercely. "As you wish." he whispered back.
She released herself, and cupped Daniel's face in her hands, before kissing him deeply. They remained there, drinking in each other in the shadow of a sleeping giant.
They separated for a moment, and Eleanor looked at Daniel more seriously. "Did you keep the ring?"
Hearing this, Daniel dug around in his pockets for a moment, before digging out a black band, inlaid with a single jewel that swirled with a rainbow of colors. "Of course I did. I may not have been completely ready for this moment," he said, slipping the ring on, "but I will never not accept it."
Eleanor marveled at the ring, then looked into Daniel's eyes again. She then drew him into another deep kiss, each of them feeling the other's love, their hope, and most of all, their relief. Finally, they had found each other. And they were whole again.
. . .
After a long, long-awaited kiss, they walked back out into the open air, hand in hand, a crowd of Misato, Shinji, Asuka, Toji, and Kensuke waiting only a short distance away from the container. It seemed, Daniel thought, they had an audience. He felt Eleanor's amusement at such a thought before coming to a stop in front of them.
Daniel spoke after a moment. "Asuka, Misato, Shinji, and others," he said, "this is Eleanor Theisman. My wife."
Silence reigned as the group blinked. Then blinked again. Then a collective "What!" took the silence and shredded it. Thus, Daniel and Eleanor were mobbed by the now terribly excited, terribly confused group of their friends.
Misato was the first in the mob able to comprehensibly speak. "This is who you were talking about in Germany all that time ago?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes, Misato, it was. I just wasn't ready then. Hell, I can't say that I'm entirely ready now. But it is what it is. And I'm glad for it."
Asuka spoke up next, a sardonic tone to her question. 'So, does this mean I have a sister-in-law now?"
More than one pair of eyes turned to Asuka in absolute shock at having heard what she said. Eleanor simply looked at her wonderingly as Daniel looked at her. "I'll explain later," he said, giving her a general idea of things through their link.
Eleanor nodded. "Okay. Sounds good. Shouldn't we head to the bridge to make sure that we can coordinate the transfer of the Unit?"
Silence briefly made its presence known again, then Misato nodded. "Yeah, we probably should. We'll have a reunion back at our apartment when everything's done!" A chorus of agreements followed, and the group began making its way towards the command tower.
Daniel was somewhat confused for a moment before Eleanor let him know through their link that they lived just next door to Misato. A quiet "Ah" escaped from Daniel as they went after the group.
They all filed into the command tower's bridge, a large room dominated by a long table lit from above by a holographic projector that showed the whole sea and what was under it in stunning detail. Other stations around the bridge broke down and processed the information presented in full here. Kensuke was positively drooling as he captured this all on video. In the meantime, the rest of the group made their way over to Vice Admiral Bollinger and Captain Boswell.
They turned, nodding as both Daniel and Misato saluted, and they saluted back. "I hope you'll pardon the fact that we didn't have a side party ready for you, Captain," Admiral Bollinger said to Misato, "But the truth is, we're about ready to make for the high seas again. We'd like to get this delivery done as quickly as possible."
Misato nodded. "And we'd like to help you as much as we can in that regard. Thank you for your patience and cooperation."
Bollinger chuckled. "No, no, the pleasure's mine. We're just doing our part to keep Earth safe from these Angel… things. And besides," he said as he glanced over at Kensuke, "at least we have one enthusiastic supporter."
"Of course," Misato said as she chuckled.
"Should the need arise," Misato continued as she dug a few papers out of the manila folder she had in her hands, handing them to the Admiral, "here are the schematics for the emergency umbilical cable. I prefer to think of it as something to use in case of any... unforeseen emergencies."
The Admiral studied it with a critical eye. "Ma'am, I must say, even though I am installing this on my ship, I pray to God that we never have to use this."
"You're not the only ones, I promise," Misato replied.
"I must say," Boswell said offhandedly, "This is probably the largest escort I've ever seen for a single weapon, regardless of its size."
Bollinger nodded. "You're not the only one, Captain. All this, the whole Task Fleet, is a lot to have going for the delivery of what essentially equates to a massive puppet."
Daniel put a restraining hand on Asuka's shoulder as she nearly charged at the Admiral, shaking his head as she looked up at him with a barely constrained righteous indignation in her eyes. So as she stopped, she settled for grumbling. "Call my Unit-02 a puppet, will you? We'll see about that." she muttered.
Misato, ignoring this, handed them another piece of paper. "Now, if you'll go ahead and sign off the Evangelion to us, we can go ahead and get it off your hands."
Bollinger accepted the paper. "I'll go ahead and sign it off to you." As Misato prepared to speak again, he cut her off. "After we ensure that it's delivered safely into your custody. We are still technically in international waters and in our jurisdiction. And until we can ensure that nothing that happens, happens under our watch, I'd rather it stayed a part of our jurisdiction for now."
Misato nodded. "I can understand that line of thinking. Very well. You know where to send it when it's ready. But do keep in mind that should any emergency occur, the Unit will be under our jurisdiction for the duration."
Bollinger nodded. Then another voice came from the hatch leading into the room. "You're still just as composed as ever, I see." All eyes turned towards the voice, which revealed itself to be that of Kaji, in his deceivingly slovenly dress.
Asuka waved at him from across the room "Hello, Kaji! Good to see you out of the room!"
Kaji waved back. "And hello to you, too."
"Mr. Kaji," Bollinger said, his brow slightly furrowed in annoyance, "I don't seem to recall inviting you to the bridge as well."
Kaji dipped his head. "My apologies, sir. I'll call ahead next time."
As this exchange occurred, Misato looked almost horrified, then her expression changed to that of readily apparent anxiety before she seemed to school her face into a calm expression once again. She saluted the Admiral and the Captain. "If you'll excuse us," she said as she began to walk away, studiously ignoring Kaji as she did, "we'll be getting ready to take the Eva off your hands. Come on, Shinji. Asuka." Somewhat tentatively they, along with Toji and an unwilling Kensuke, followed, leaving Daniel, Eleanor, and Kaji on the bridge with the naval officers.
"And we're pinning the fate of the whole world on those Children," Bollinger said with a tinge of regret in his voice. "Another sin of us old men who've gone to war for this world. What a waste. And so young, too. They could be my grandkids."
Eleanor spoke up for the first time. "It may be a sin, sir, but it is what it is now. And now we have to make sure that they can do their job safely." Kaji and Daniel nodded sagely in agreement.
Far in the depths, hidden from sensors by manipulation of its AT Field, a massive Angel slowly slid out from the building it was hiding under and swam towards the Call. Dim and muffled though it may have been, it still sang out. And the Angel, Gaghiel, would answer.
However, the threat of an Angel attack was not the most pressing thing on Misato's mind. What was right now was how damnably cramped this stupid elevator they had all gotten into was. She glanced in annoyance at Kaji, who had somehow joined them at the last minute. "And just what are you doing here?"
"I'm Asuka's guardian. I believe I replaced you when you left for here." Kaji said matter of factly.
Misato rolled her eyes. "It really figures, doesn't it? I really should have seen this coming."
Silence descended on the stuffed elevator again. Then both Asuka and Misato shouted. "Enough of you getting handsy!" they shouted at Toji and Kaji, respectively.
"Will you lay off?" Toji started. "It's not like we're trying to or anything!" Kaji finished.
Kensuke and Shinji, thoroughly done with this elevator already, groaned as they descended.
Everyone sighed in relief as the elevator gave a blessed tone, and disgorged them into what appeared to be a cafeteria area. They all sat at one of the long tables, glasses of various drinks soon at hand. Kaji smiled slightly as he played footsie with Misato under the table, and while Misato looked away in apparent disgust, she did nothing to stop it.
"So, Misato," Kaji started after a moment, "you seeing anyone right now?"
Misato finally looked at him in annoyance. "And why should that concern you?"
Kaji shrugged. "I just figured I'd ask, see how you were doing cause I care."
Misato rolled her eyes as he said this. Kaji figured that any attempts at further conversation with her would be going nowhere, so he looked down the table at Shinji who was staring somewhat at the both of them, a calm, but curious look on his face. "So, Shinji," he began after a moment, an eyebrow quirked, "You're living with our dear Captain Katsuragi, are you?"
Shinji nodded, the curiosity in his look becoming uncertainty. "Uh, yes, I am."
One of the corners of Kaji's mouth quirked upward as he said what he did next. "So, does she still sometimes make a fool of herself when she's trying to sleep off a few too many beers?"
The rest of the table reacted in what could best be described as shock that Kaji would be so brazen on such a potentially raunchy subject in front of those so young, while Shinji simply tilted his head thoughtfully.
Misato's face went from sheet white to beet red as her shock turned slowly into anger. "Why don't you keep your mouth shut?" she shouted nearly into his ear as she slammed the table, "Why should they know about anything like that right now?"
Kaji simply smiled slightly as he continued to look at Shinji. "She really hasn't changed, hasn't she, Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji shook his head as he looked back at Kaji. "No, I guess. Sometimes she mentions you, but not always."
As he said this, Misato and Kaji glanced at each other for a moment, then studiously tried their best not to. Both their faces slowly lost either their anger or their playfulness, replacing it with a neutral expression. Misato was the first to speak. "I have some things I have to oversee," she said, forcing a smile that she directed at the rest of the table, "I'll get back to you guys when I can." She turned and left the room.
Kaji nodded. "I have some things I need to get prepped myself. See you all around." He left with a slight smile and a wave back, going in the opposite direction of Misato, leaving a very confused room for Daniel and Eleanor to finally arrive in, having just had a much more comfortable elevator ride than its previous occupants had.
Eleanor was the first to speak, her look of confusion joining the others. "We saw Misato walking away. What happened?"
Shinji shook his head. "I don't know. I just mentioned that Ms. Misato talks about Mr. Kaji in her sleep sometimes. Did I do something wrong?" he asked with a puzzled look in his eyes.
Daniel nodded in understanding and sighed as he and Eleanor replaced Kaji and Misato at the table. "No, Shinji, you didn't do anything wrong. You just bought something up that they probably aren't ready to face quite yet."
Shinji nodded uncertainly. "Okay, I guess." After a moment of silence, another question presented itself to him. "Wait a minute, how did he know my name?"
Daniel chuckled. "Well, he's lived alongside me long enough that he would have heard it. But you've also become something of a minor celebrity in the NERV community."
Asuka grumbled as he said this. 'Yeah, famous for stumbling around without any training." she said under her breath.
Shinji chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Come on Daniel. That was more luck than anything."
Daniel chuckled as well. "I find that luck and ability are closely tied together, Shinji. You have a gift, unrefined as it is right now." Shinji blushed as he said this.
After some more conversation, everyone went their separate ways, and Asuka grabbed Shinji's arm before he could join Toji and Kensuke. "Hold on, rookie," she said, in a voice that brooked no complaint, "you're coming with me right now. Follow me."
She led him, slightly stammering and slightly blushing, all the way to the container of Unit-02. As they entered, Shinji's blush faded away as he instead focused on the massive form. "Oh, wow. It has quite the color scheme."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "That's not the only unique thing about my Unit-02. Come on."
She led him across the pontoon bridge until she stood next to the Evangelion, and Shinji stood a platform away. She placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest with a look of pride on her face.
"Units 00 and 01 are the developmental and test type Evangelion. You've probably had to tune up and make adjustments to them every time they've stepped off the platform. But mine, mine has had all those adjustments built into it from the ground up. This Production Unit has been ready to go since she finished assembly. It's as close to an official Eva as you can get!"
Shinji nodded, trying not to focus on the fact that when she wasn't bored or annoyed, she was actually kind of cute. Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud, easily remembering the retribution visited on him because of an inopportune gust of wind.
Before she could go on, a rumble shook the air, and gently rocked the ship, causing Shinji and Asuka to sway a bit to keep their footing. As it stopped, Shinji looked out at the opening to the container. "What was that?" he said, shock filling his voice.
"An underwater shockwave," Asuka replied, "and a close one at that. Come on!"
. . .
They ran to near the edge of the tarmac, several flight deck technicians and Daniel and Eleanor joining them there. As they peered out, they saw one of the destroyers, wrecked and smoking, explode from underneath, and begin sinking at a rapid rate.
They watched as a massive spray of water moved away from the sinking ship, and Shinji made a prescient guess as to their assailant. "That's an Angel! All the way out here?" he said with more than a little shock.
In contrast, there was a wonder in Asuka's voice. "So that's an Angel out there, huh?"
Shinji nodded. "We should get back to Ms. Misato. She'll know what to do."
A hand on both of their shoulders informed them that Daniel had come up behind them. "What you need to do," he said, all business in the face of an Angel, "is to get ready to sortie out. Asuka, get to Unit-02 and get it ready to be plugged in. Shinji…"
Before he could continue, Asuka cut him off. "Put him in the Eva with me!"
Daniel and Shinji both looked at her with confusion and more than a little shock, as klaxons began to blare across the fleet, and Captain Boswell began to speak over the tannoy. "He's going to be in the safest place in the world in Unit-02," she said, her look daring them to disagree, "and he'll get front row seats to see what real piloting is."
Daniel remained silent for a moment, then let go of their shoulders and nodded. "Okay. Suit up. We'll monitor you from the command tower." He nodded to Eleanor. "Darling, let's make sure they don't get themselves killed."
Eleanor nodded back. "With pleasure." They then ran towards the command tower, sure of what needed to happen.
Bollinger and Boswell, on the other hand, had no idea what to do. Bollinger scanned the holographic map, his brow furrowed in utter frustration. "Damn it all, what is this thing? And where is it?" Captain Boswell seemed unable to answer.
Misato entered, standing in the doorway, a serious look on her face. "Gentlemen, I have good reason to believe what we're facing is an Angel. We'll have to sortie the Evangelion to deal with it." She walked into the room as Daniel and Eleanor, laptops in their arms, made their way to an open table, opening them and speaking rapidly back and forth to each other as they connected to Unit-02.
Daniel glanced up at the holographic map as Kensuke and Toji were escorted in. Wherever it was, this Angel seemed to be adept at hiding itself from sonar. That was going to be a problem. Then again, at this point the Angel wasn't particularly careful at hiding itself right now, he noted, as another ship exploded outside.
"They're never going to punch through an AT Field," Misato said, coming to stand next to Daniel and Eleanor as the fleet opened up on the Angel with depth charges and torpedoes, "not with anything like that."
Misato went quiet for a moment. "Why would an Angel attack here? Is it after Unit-02?" Daniel and Eleanor said nothing, exchanging knowing looks as they took each other's hands.
Meanwhile, in the container of Unit-02, Asuka and Shinji were having difficulties in changing into the deep red Plugsuits that were on hand. Both had their backs turned, a "You better not be peeking!" echoing every once in a while from Asuka as Shinji's face flushed a little deeper each time. Eventually, though, they turned to each other, then began the climb up to the Entry Pug.
They entered, Shinji still blushing from the rushed and uncomfortable changing session. As they climbed in, Asuka spoke over her shoulder. "Like I said, rookie, you get a front-row seat to actual piloting. Don't waste it by getting in my way!" Shinji nodded dumbly as the Plug closed above them.
Asuka began the start-up sequence in German. [Flooding LCL. Preliminary motor links established. Activating nerve connection. Plug Suit link stabilized. Synchronization starting.] The Plug flashed through the colors of the rainbow as it usually did. As it continued though, the Plug went black, and a red, flashing "FEHLER" pulsed all around them.
Asuka turned to Shinji with nothing but annoyance on her face. "Thought noise, rookie. It happens when there are too many people in a Plug. You don't know any German, do you?"
Shinji desperately tried to recall the scant few German words that he had learned during Daniel's time in Germany. "...Um… Baumkuchen…" Shinji mumbled at last.
Rolling her eyes, she turned back around. "Fine. I'll have to bend over backward for you so that we can at least walk. Set cognitive linguistics to Japanese."
The error disappeared, and the area of the container finally showed itself in their cockpit. An audio display, saying "Daniel", appeared, and the man in question began to speak in German.
[Asuka, this is Daniel. You and Shinji ready to go?]
Asuka sighed. "Speak Japanese. The poor rookie here can't speak any German, uncultured as he is."
The line went silent on the other end for a moment. "Will do. Go ahead and stand up. The emergency plug will be beside you. Plug in and get ready."
Asuka nodded. "Will do." She turned once again to Shinji. "Just let me do my thing, and cheer me on, okay?" she didn't wait for a response as she concentrated, and the Unit slowly moved to stand, wires and cables breaking away from it as it did so.
The tarp overhead impeded their progress, but only for as long as it took for Unit-02 to take out its Progressive Knife from its shoulder pylon, which slid open like a box cutter as it slashed at the sides and center of the tarp.
Eventually, the tarp fluttered free, and Unit-02 stood in all its glory, plugging itself in with all due haste, just in time for them to see the massive Angel physically jump over the top of one of the ships beside them, gliding like a flying fish back into the water.
The next time it appeared, it loomed over them as it jumped onto the deck of the Over the Rainbow, and landed nearly on top of Unit-02, swaying the ship as it landed, sending aircraft on the top deck plunging into the sea.
Unit-02 slashed at the massive body of the beast, which seemed to ignore the comparatively shallow cuts it received. Then the Eva stumbled as the Angel flopped towards it, its foot landing exactly on one of the elevators between the flight decks.
It went crashing down, causing the Unit to lose its footing, sending Asuka and Shinji into the ocean with a shout, clutching onto the Angel as it went with them, and began to dive down quickly.
. . .
Daniel looked up at the holographic map in alarm as the pulsing green dot marked "Unit-02", intertwined with the steady red dot marked "Angel", plunged into the depths until Asuka finally let go of the beast. It swam a distance away from them, then turned to line up a straight shot at Unit-02.
"They won't be effective in Type-B gear here in the middle of the ocean!" Misato said with increasing alarm.
Daniel connected to Unit-02 again as the Angel finally seemed ready to charge at them, moving with amazing speed. "Asuka, Shinji, brace for impact!" The Children knew exactly what he meant as the Angel came at them with breathtaking speed. Both made no attempt not to scream as the Angel plowed into them.
On the deck of the Over the Rainbow, the umbilical cable began to whir madly as it unspooled, jerking from side to side as the Angel zigzagged through the underwater ruins, Unit-02 in tow. "How much cable do we have left?" Misato shouted.
A crewmate looked at the display linked to the cable. "We're reading 1200 meters left!" she shouted.
"Brace for impact!" Boswell shouted, as the cable finally reached its limit with a powerful twang, jerking the Unit off of the nose of the Angel as it sped away from them. Onboard the ship, it rocked as the cable stopped, causing many on the bridge to tumble to the floor, Daniel and Eleanor desperately trying to save their diagnostic links to the Evangelion from meeting the same fate. Eventually, the ship stilled and some semblance of order returned.
Kensuke steadied himself and his camera, scanning the ruined deck of the ship until he saw one of the elevators rising, a prepped, though dented, aircraft on its surface. Of course, Kensuke knew exactly what kind of aircraft it was, shouting out "Whoa, a V-22 Osprey!" as it spun up its rotors.
Misato looked out at it as the radio beside her clicked, and Kaji's voice came through. "Hey, Misato. Hate to leave the party, but I have a delivery to make. See you around."
As the Osprey lifted off and made its way to the coast, Misato couldn't help but feel somewhat irked at him. The nerve, to come and try and sweep her off her feet then just leave! But then she looked back at Daniel and Eleanor as they continued to hold each other's hands, and she nearly succeeded in quashing the envy that she had at the sight.
. . .
Far from the ocean's surface, however, things were not nearly so calm, as the Angel slowly circled them with all the patience of an apex predator. Daniel's voice cut through the tense silence in the Entry Plug. "It's on approach now. Get ready!"
Asuka's eyes glinted with determination. "I'll get it this time around. I'm sure of it." Shinji's eyes, in comparison, were filled with uncertainty as the Angel continued its approach. He felt the comparison between Unit-02 and a fishing lure was perhaps a little too apt to be stated right now.
As the Evangelion continued to drift calmly in the water, Asuka blinked. "We're barely moving!" she shouted in frustration.
"Well," Shinji replied, "we are in Type-B configuration." He paused for a moment, considering. "If it were any other day, I'd think about using the AT Field as some sort of jet…"
Asuka rolled her eyes as he trailed off. "Well, as good of an idea as that is, you being here won't make it work, rookie! Keep using that brain of yours to find something useful to us right now!"
All the while, the Angel continued its leisurely approach, though it began to build up speed the closer it came to them. As it loomed in their display, it opened its massive mouth, a long row of teeth framing the Angel's core, gleaming red, deep within its cavernous maw.
Asuka jumped back in her chair as she gazed down the throat of the Angel. "It has a mouth? Is it going to eat us?" she shouted.
Shinji nodded as his eyes narrowed. "The core... how do we hit that?" He said pensively. As it finally slammed into them, shutting its mouth like a great trapdoor and giving the Children whiplash as they flailed in its grip, a belt of pain blooming across the width of their stomachs, the answers to their questions were not currently forthcoming.
Back on the bridge, the wireframe representation of Unit-02 on Daniel's screen lit up as a line of red blazed across its torso, symbolizing the damage where the Angel had bitten them. A cry of "It's been eaten by the Angel!" pierced the bridge. He looked at the holo-map to look at Unit-02 and the Angel speeding around, and then looked at the fleet as it stood silent. He then looked at Misato, who studied the map with similar intensity.
It was at this point that Toji spoke up for the first time in quite a while. "Man, I really wouldn't want to be the bait for that fish like the Eva is right now."
Misato blinked. "Bait... fishing... of course!" she finally exclaimed. "We're about to do some fishing!"
Bollinger and Boswell stared at Misato, sure that she had gone insane, while Daniel spoke up. "Wait a minute," he said, standing from his laptop and walking over to the holo-map, "I think I know what she's talking about."
. . .
As they formulated their plan, the Angel continued to circle around with the Eva in its mouth, the Unit's occupants wracking their minds for a solution to their current predicament. Shinji summarized the situation perfectly. "Well, we've gone and caught it," he said, somewhat sardonically, "now we just have to find a way to reel it in."
"Oh, who asked you for back-talk right now?" Asuka shot back. Then she blinked as she noticed that Shinji had come to take a more commanding role in the pilot's seat as he grabbed the controls. Mainly in her lap. "And will you get off and let me pilot, you creep?" she said, trying to shove him off.
Their tussle was interrupted by Misato's voice cutting through the intercom. "Pilots, whatever you do, don't let go! We have a plan."
"Not like we were planning on it or anything," Asuka grumbled.
"Yeah, right," Shinji mumbled, seemingly at last in agreement with Asuka on something.
"Here's the deal," Misato started, either not hearing them or not caring, "What's going to happen is that you'll have two battleships, evacuated, of course, begin to submerge while moving alongside the umbilical cable. You'll need to get its mouth open in time for the ships to crash in and detonate. They should be on their way soon, so be ready to act as soon as you can! Are you clear on the plan?"
Shinji desperately gripped the controls as Asuka resorted to alternatively smacking his head and giving him a killer noogie. "We'll figure it out," he said, a beleaguered tone dripping from his voice.
"Good. We're counting on both of you." Misato closed the link to Asuka and Shinji, and both unknowingly rolled their eyes at the same time. No pressure, clearly.
Then they felt themselves jerked up as the cable started to retract, sending a fresh wave of tremors through the Evangelion, and a fresh wave of pain through the Pilot's stomachs, as the Angel tried to resist the upward pull and jerk them back towards it.
As they struggled to pry open the thing's mouth, Daniel's voice came back on over the comms. "Those battleships will be reaching you in 70 seconds. Both of you, just focus on opening its mouth."
Shinji, having seemed to have finally lost a little of his cool composure, turned to Asuka as he hung awkwardly off the pilot's seat, his brow furrowed in frustration. "You heard him, we both need to focus on opening this thing's mouth, or we're going to be in the middle of the worst sandwich in the world!"
Asuka blinked for a moment before her own brow furrowed. "Congratulations on stating the obvious, rookie," she said as she put her hands over Shinji's raising the control sticks and unlocking them from the closed loop that they usually were, "so focus on what we need to do!"
As the Angel and the Unit continued their upward descent, and the battleships came ever closer, one word, one similar set of actions, echoed through the pilot's minds. 'Open, open, open, open…' Slowly they pulled back on their joysticks more and more, as the Evangelion found its footing and gripped the top and bottom of its row of massive teeth, struggling to pry it open.
Then as the pilots finally fully synchronized, the Evangelion lifted its head, its helmet opening to allow its four eyes to glint alongside the core, as it finally seemed to find the strength to fully wrench the Angel's mouth open as wide as it could.
And the mouth opened not a moment too soon, as pillars of steel grey passed on each side of Unit-02, shattering teeth as they passed, and Unit-02 let go, rocketing towards the surface.
Misato turned towards the ship's remote controller. "Fire now!"
The forward guns of the venerable battleships let off one last salvo, then detonated as the charges placed around their ammo racks and engines exploded, and the Angel passed into the massive sphere of light they created along with them. On the surface, a massive pillar of water threw itself into the sky, and the bridge of the Over the Rainbow, and doubtless every other ship in the fleet still left, breathed a sigh of relief. Though the risk had been great, and the cost along with it, they had won.
A shadow passed over the deck of the Over the Rainbow as the Evangelion, which had itself been sent flying out of the water, touched down in a perfect three-point landing, and then crumpled to the deck after a moment, unattached to its umbilical cable.
"At least I stuck the landing." Asuka grinned in the dark plug. Shinji, with the benefit of being in the dark and unseen, rolled his eyes heavily. At least they were still alive.
As the remains of the Task Fleet limped into New Yokosuka, and the Evangelion slowly rose into the air, Asuka and Shinji stood on the deck and watched, still in their plugsuits.
As the Unit turned and floated towards land, Asuka turned to Shinji. "I would say that I deserve all the glory for piloting so well when you were hanging around my neck, but then Daniel would probably appear out of nowhere and say that I should remember that this was a team effort, so…"
She paused as she tried to find words that she could say that she thought wouldn't boost the boy's ego. "Congratulations on proving that we can synchronize in the same Plug, I guess." she finally settled on, extending a stiff hand.
Shinji took it uncertainly and shook it. "Uh… thanks?"
Shinji jumped slightly as Asuka tightened her grip, seeming intent on crushing his hand as she pulled him a step closer to her and held a finger under his nose. "Don't think this means that you'll be getting any slack when it comes to your training! I still don't want any deadweight fighting alongside me!"
Shinji nodded quickly. "Okay, okay, I got it! Could you please let go?"
She finally did, as Daniel and Eleanor came up behind them, chuckling at the sight they just witnessed. "You two," Daniel said, "are just too much fun to watch together." Both pilots leered at him as he said this, which simply left him laughing a little harder. "Come on. Let's go get our ride off the ship. I'm sure Misato will be thoroughly surprised when she sees it. And for the record, Asuka," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "You'd be absolutely right." Asuka's eyes went wide as she sputtered but still followed along.
Down on the dock below, as they drove past the scarred hull of one of the massive carriers, Ritsuko and Misato sat in companionable silence. "Well, Misato," Ritsuko finally said as she inspected the damage to one of the vessels that they passed by, "this is quite the mess you've gone and made."
"Blame the Angel for being in the middle of the ocean, of all places," Misato replied. "Who would have thought we'd find one out there? We definitely should have expected underwater combat."
Ritsuko nodded. "I guess I can't begrudge that train of thought, seeing as we got some valuable data out of it. Even still, we both know you'll have a mountain of paperwork waiting for you, courtesy of the UN."
Misato groaned as she said this. "Great, the gatekeepers to my own personal hell. Paperwork."
Ritsuko chuckled as they came to a stop beside Daniel, Eleanor, and the two Pilots, who watched as a slightly damaged crate was lowered to the dock. Misato arched her eyebrow at the crate as it finally touched the harbor ground. Daniel turned and noticed them and spoke up as the crane cable that carried the crate drifted away.
"I needed a ride while I was here in Tokyo-3, and Eleanor tells me that she just carpooled with you to work, so I figured you'd be fine with seeing one of your old favorites again."
As the crate fell open, Misato ogled at her car that she left for Daniel in Germany. "So you bought my 190E all the way to Japan? How sweet of you to think of me in doing that." she said with a slight smile.
Then her eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "So," she said with rising intensity, "you had my car, my ultra-rare sports car, on the Over the Rainbow, in the middle of an Angel attack?"
Daniel raised his hands placatingly as she shouted the last part. "Look, I don't think any of us were expecting an Angel attack at sea! I made it as safe as I could, I promise!"
As Daniel and Misato went back and forth over the care and safety of the car, Eleanor couldn't help but roll her eyes as she sighed. She figured Misato was a car enthusiast, their conversations with each other sometimes divulging into such topics, but all this, for a single car? It must have been pretty valuable, apparently.
Asuka interrupted Daniel and Misato's argument as she jumped up onto the side of the open jeep Misato was in and took advantage of the interruption she caused to ask her question. "So, where'd Mr. Kaji go?"
Misato's face turned down into a scowl as she heard this. "Jerk went ahead during the battle to make some sort of 'delivery'. He's probably at HQ right now lounging around!"
Daniel sighed as the 190E was finally rolled onto the pavement. "Well, we should all probably get home and get some rest, and some of us need a change of clothes. I can take the Children to your apartment while I get settled in with Eleanor. Sounds good?"
Misato nodded. "Sure. Just don't get any LCL stains on the seats. It's a chore to get out of anything!"
Daniel nodded. "Will do, will do. See you around, Misato!" After the requisite towels were placed in the back seat, each party drove to their separate destinations. The Children were going home.
Meanwhile, in the cavernous room that was the office of Commander Gendo Ikari, the room's owner and Inspector Kaji stood around the suitcase. "I've got to say," Kaji started, "this whole 'Key of Nebuchadnezzar' has something about it. We also had quite the voyage getting it here, what with being attacked by an Angel. I wonder if this is what it was looking for?"
Gendo said nothing, simply unlatching the suitcase, opening it to reveal another container, this one plastered with warnings and radiation signs. Gendo wasted no time opening that one as well, bathing himself and Kaji in a stark, white light. Kaji whistled. "So this is what the old men were calling the 'Key of Nebuchadnezzar'."
A block of clear material rested within the case, encasing an embryonic creature, the visible eye massive against its vestigial body. On one corner was an etching, marked 'A-01: ADAM'.
"It's still growing," Kaji continued after a moment, "even encased in solid Bakelite, it's still alive. Amazing. And it's somehow the biggest part of the Instrumentality Project."
"Correct." Gendo finally said. "True to its name, it is the key to everything going forward."
Kaji nodded. "Very well. I'll go ahead and take my leave. I understand you're meeting with Daniel soon?"
Gendo nodded. "You are perceptive as always, Inspector. Captain Theisman will be the Geofront's new head of engineering for the Evangelions." As Kaji turned to leave, Gendo spoke one last time. "Inspector." Kaji turned for a moment. "Thank you." Kaji only nodded as he left.
Daniel and Eleanor entered the quiet apartment and let the comfortable silence continue as the door slid shut behind them. Both were exhausted, and simply held each other's hands as they walked into the sparse living area. Confident they were alone, Eleanor turned to face Daniel. "I know why you're here," she said with complete certainty.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Do you now?" he replied, sure of the answer even as he asked the question.
Eleanor nodded, rolling her eyes. "I've spent the last two years of my life retracing your steps, as you've saved worlds, and then left them behind."
Daniel nodded. "I do have a habit now, of trying to save worlds I would have destroyed once."
Eleanor let go of Daniel's hand and turned away after taking a few steps. "I also know what's supposed to happen here."
Daniel nodded again. "So you've seen one of the records?"
Eleanor turned back to face Daniel again. "I found your ship. Parked in the Oort cloud outside of the system."
Daniel nodded. "You found the Val."
"I found the Val," Eleanor repeated. "and Amaya showed me the show on the ship's database. She sends her regards, by the way."
Daniel felt a guilty look slide onto his face. "I should really get in contact with her again, shouldn't I?" Daniel shook his head. "Even still, you only know part of why I'm here, in this Echo."
Eleanor frowned. "Then why are you here, really? I have my guesses, but..."
She trailed off as Daniel remained silent, the memories he hated most coming to his mind in flashes. Eleanor peered at him as she studied the thoughts. After a moment, her eyes became wide. "Oh, God…"
Daniel had a pained look in his eyes as he spoke next. "They deserve to know what's coming. But… I can't face that right now. They shouldn't have to face that right now."
Eleanor nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "I understand." She sniffled and looked up. "You know, the others are going to be so happy you've been found."
Daniel blinked. "The others?"
Eleanor looked to Daniel, a bemused look in her eyes. "You don't think I was the only one worried about you, did you?" She sat on the couch, spreading her arms towards Daniel. "But right now, they can wait. Right now, I just want you to hold me again."
Daniel nodded, a small smile crossing his face. "I can do that."
He sat beside her, accepting her embrace. And they held each other, blocking out any other distraction that might come between them. The world could wait for a little while longer.
Next Time on Apotheosis Echo...
Daniel settles into the world of maintaining the Evangelions within the Geofront, as Angels continue to make their attacks. Many are familiar, though they have hidden depths in this world. What potentially deadly surprises will NERV be witness to? Next Episodes: March of Angels.