Chapter 8: March of Angels (Front Lines)

Next was Sandalphon. The Angel in the caldera. We still haven't figured out whether it was there simply by coincidence, or if it had laid a trap for us. If it did try and trap us, it almost worked. After all, who wouldn't want to study these things at a "seemingly young" stage? Even still, there are choice nightmares I have about what could have gone wrong.

Tokyo-3, August 2015

It was a bright summer afternoon that graced Tokyo-3, as Shinji and Asuka gloomily watched the vapor trail of a passenger plane drift into the open sky. On it, a school trip flew, along with Hikari, Kensuke, and Toji. Of course, the pilots had to stay behind and tend to their duties. And, for some of them, their homework.

Not that it stopped them from trying to have fun. Which is how Shinji, Asuka, and Rei all ended up at the school pool, strictly off the books, of course.

Asuka and Rei swam laps, while Shinji contented himself with studying some particularly vexing homework. Shinji focused intently on his task, barely noticing the footsteps coming towards him before their owner announced herself. "So, what are you doing instead of enjoying the pool?"

Shinji seemed to barely note Asuka's question before answering. "I'm working on homework for physics."

Asuka rolled her eyes at him. "A summer off of school, and you choose to do homework instead of swim. How exhilarating."

Shinji rolled his own eyes. "Say what you will, but I've needed to crack down and study anyway. So..." he finally looked up at Asuka, and his eyes grew wide.

Asuka stood before him in a striped two-piece suit and goggles, far more risqué than any of the school swimsuits. "So," she said, leaning over the computer he studied at, "what problems are you facing?"

As she puzzled out the equation set before them, Shinji blushed as he wondered if some twist of fate had condemned him to have his face uncomfortably close to women's chests.

"And done! That was terribly easy." Asuka said with a confident nod, the equation solved in mere minutes.

Shinji became confused after thinking for a moment. "Wait a minute, if this is so easy for you, how are you flunking so hard in our classes?"

Asuka finally stood straight, and Shinji almost breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I couldn't read what was on the test sheets. That tends to make things a little difficult." she said, her brows slightly furrowed in frustration.

Shinji tilted his head slightly in confusion. "You mean... you can't read Japanese?"

Asuka nodded. "I mean, I haven't learned all the kanji yet, but I'm getting there. I didn't really study it that much before I graduated college last year."

Shinji's eyes widened. "College? And how old are you?"

Asuka's brow furrowed still deeper in annoyance. "I'm 15, same as you! Don't be ridiculous."

She glanced at the screen again. "So, what does your next problem say?"

Shinji glanced back at the computer. "Well, it's on thermal expansion."

Asuka scoffed. "Come on, that's such a basic concept! Here's the quick and simple explanation: Things expand when they heat up, and shrink as they cool down."

She looked down at herself with a sly look that she then threw at Shinji. "I wonder if I could apply some thermal expansion to myself. I'm sure there are a few areas you wouldn't complain about being bigger."

Shinji clamped his mouth shut as blood rushed into far too many different places. Asuka rolled her eyes as she saw this display of outright embarrassment. "Ok, look," she said in exasperation, "if I help you with your homework, will you please just cut loose and take a dip?"

Shinji looked at her with confusion. "Uh… what? Why? I mean," he said hastily as she leered at him, "why would you want to help me with my schoolwork?"

Asuka sighed. "Well, for one, I can help you to focus more on our training for the Eva and you can help me stay sharp mentally, and for another, I'm already helping you to not be a dunce when it comes to piloting, so why not make sure you're not a dunce at studying?"

Asuka crossed her arms, appearing sure of her argument. "So? Are you throwing on a pair of trunks or not?"

Shinji thought for a moment. "Well… okay, I guess. It's been a while, though."

Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Really? How long have you not gone swimming for?"

Shinji puffed out his cheeks as he thought. "Well… since I was about 12 when Daniel left for Germany. And for you, I guess."

Asuka looked into the middle distance as happy memories came to her. "Man," she said after a moment, "we've both been lucky to have Daniel in our lives, haven't we?"

Shinji nodded, as memories of his own started to replay in his mind. "Yeah. I'm not entirely sure what I would be without Daniel there. I think… Well, I wouldn't be here right now."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah…" she replied quietly.

She shook her head after a moment. "Alright, enough daydreaming, Shinji, get a suit on and come join Wondergirl and me in the pool already!"

Shinji jumped a little at the sudden change of tone, then nodded. "Oh... okay." He got up, and the laptop sat forgotten for a little while as Shinji simply had fun.

Deep in the Geofront, Fuyutsuki, Aoba, Ritsuko, and Maya intently studied a far different kind of pool. Mt. Asama, a local volcano that had been dormant for decades, was now quite a bit more active. Geologists had found… something in there during their studies. It showed as a dark blotch amongst the bright orange of the lava.

"Whatever's in there, we can barely make it out." Fuyutsuki said after a long moment of silence.

"But I still concur with the Mt. Asama Research Institute," Aoba replied. "There's something about this shadow that bothers me."

Fuyutsuki nodded, moving around the display table to look at it from another angle. "We can't dismiss this out of hand, of course." he looked up at Ritsuko with a questioning look.

She looked to Maya in response. "What's the Magi's thoughts on the matter?"

Maya shrugged. "It's split down the middle, with Casper flipping back and forth. Either there's something there we have to worry about, or it's simply a perfectly normal spot of geologic activity."

Fuyutsuki nodded slowly as he looked over at Aoba. "Do we have anyone on site right now?"

Aoba nodded in turn. "Captain Katsuragi and Lieutenant Hyuga are there right now, working with the Theisman's and the Research Institute to send a probe down."

"Very well," Fuyutsuki replied with a quiet sigh. "Let's see what they find."

Mt. Asama Research Center

Misato, Daniel, and Eleanor all huddled around a single monitor manned by First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga, which gave a visual display, heavily shielded of course, of the intensely hostile environment the probe they'd sent down traversed. Everyone in the Center was silent as the depth display ticked up, slowly but surely, and the probe got ever closer to the anomaly. 660… 665…

A tech spoke up. "We're at the probe's limit, ma'am!"

Misato glanced at the technician for only a moment. "We can't let up yet. Give us 500 more meters."

The tech gulped as he looked back at his screen, and Daniel glanced at Misato. "We can't go much farther without compromising what data we can collect." he said warningly.

Eleanor nodded. "At this rate, we might have to get someone with an AT Field to go down there for something reliable." she mused. Misato said nothing as she continued to stare at the monitor with a surprising intensity.

As they talked, the probe descended still further. 1150… 1175…

Another technician spoke up after a moment as a tone began to sound. "Cracks in the casing showing at 1200 meters."

The technician leaned out again. "Ma'am, we have to pull it out or we'll lose it!" he said, not bothering to mask his desperation.

Misato didn't even turn to look this time. "If it breaks, then NERV will be happy to reimburse you. Just 200 meters more."

The technician growled, but turned back and complied, sending the probe still further. After just a moment more of tense silence, Hyuga spoke up as the monitor sounded a clear tone. "We have a reading on the sensors!"

Misato nodded. "Start analysis."

Hyuga nodded, starting to scan through various spectrums. As he did so, an alarm sounded and the view on the screens became snow. "The probe has been crushed by the pressure. No more signal." one of the technicians wearily stated.

Misato leaned on the back of Hyuga's chair. "Did you get anything?" she nearly whispered.

After a moment, Hyuga nodded. "Got it just before the probe imploded. It's a Pattern Blue." he replied quietly.

Misato's eyes narrowed in determination. "And now we know for sure. It's an Angel."

She stood and turned to address the room. "Alright. We have confirmed that we are now dealing with a potential Angel threat. This facility now falls under NERV jurisdiction and will be secured as such! No one, and I mean NO ONE, goes in or out! Any and all data gathered in the last 6 hours has now been classified as top secret!"

As Center staff began to get up and get active, she turned to the other NERV staff. "Daniel, get on the line with the Geofront. It looks like we will be sending in something with an AT Field after all. Hyuga, I want you to go over what we got with a fine-toothed comb. If there is anything we can find out about that Angel, I need to know it now."

The others nodded and scattered to fulfill their separate duties. Misato turned back to look at the embryonic form of what was, most likely, an Angel. "In the meantime, I have a call to make."

Deep in the Geofront, in a darkened room, the Council of the Human Instrumentality Committee convened. They had since been briefed about what had been discovered in Mt. Asama, and Commander Gendo Ikari had shocked them with his request. "You want to use Protocol A-17 and actually go on the offensive?" the French representative bathed in yellow light exclaimed.

Gendo nodded. "Yes." he said simply, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"It's too dangerous, Ikari." the African representative, draped in a green light, said. "We haven't forgotten what happened 15 years ago. We're sure you haven't either."

Gendo gave no signs of reaction from behind the orange-tinted glasses or tented hands that covered his face. "This is a golden opportunity to finally go on the offensive."

Chairman Lorenz Kihl, in white light, leaned against the table. "The risk is simply too great, Ikari." he said in a low voice, gravelly with age.

"This offers us the rare chance to actually capture a live Angel specimen for study. I don't believe I have to stress the significance of such a thing." As Gendo said this, the Committee looked around at each other, various glints of concern, interest, and outright skepticism passing between them. Kihl sat silent, his eyes hidden behind the visor that helped him to even only see.

After a moment, Kihl nodded. "Very well, Ikari. Your request is granted." he said, the resignation that Gendo picked up on expertly hidden behind a neutral tone.

As one, the images of the other members of the Committee vanished, Kihl staying behind and glaring at Gendo.

"This is not the path that has been laid out for us to follow, Ikari." he said simply.

Gendo leaned back in his chair, staring directly into the Chairman's visor. "Perhaps. But sometimes, we must defy destiny to obtain what is rightfully ours."

Silence reigned in the conference room for a small eternity. "Perhaps." Kihl finally said, vanishing as well, leaving Gendo and Fuyutsuki alone in the darkness.

"Gendo, I must ask, as always. Are you sure about this?" Fuyutsuki said after a moment.

Gendo simply smiled lightly. "Of course, Sensei."

Shinji, Asuka, and Rei found themselves with Misato, Ritsuko, Maya, and Daniel, staring at the image of the nascent Angel after having been called in. "So, this is really an Angel?" Shinji asked.

Ritsuko nodded. "Yes, it is. The mission is to capture it with as little damage to it as possible."

Asuka spoke up, an almost uncharacteristic seriousness in her tone. "And if that proves to be impossible?"

Ritsuko didn't even blink. "Then you are to destroy it immediately. At the end of the day, it is still an Angel, and still extremely dangerous."

All three of the Children nodded. "Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

Ritsuko nodded. "The pilot who will be attempting this will be-" she started before Asuka raised her hand.

"I'll do it! I've been wanting to go diving for ages now!" Asuka interjected, excitement gleaming in her eyes and voice.

Ritsuko raised a single eyebrow as Daniel turned to look at her with a small grin. "I told you, Ritsuko," Daniel said after a moment, "Asuka is enthusiastic about the things she wants to do. This happened to be one of them, it seems."

Ritsuko tilted her head to the side for a moment. "You are correct, it seems, Mr. Theisman. Asuka, you will carry out this mission using Unit-02."

Asuka pumped her fist once. "Yes, ma'am! This will be a piece of cake!" she said with no small amount of satisfaction.

Rei then spoke up. "What about me, ma'am?"

"Unit-00 doesn't have the ability to interface with the gear necessary to complete this mission safely." Daniel replied sympathetically. "Sorry, Rei."

Ritsuko looked over at Rei. "You will be on standby to assist in case Asuka and Unit-02 require it, Rei."

Rei simply nodded. "Very well."

Asuka leaned over. "Well, that's too bad, Wondergirl. You'll be missing out on the fun after we're done. Such a shame." Rei simply looked ahead, staying silent, as Daniel suppressed a wince. He had almost forgotten how prideful Asuka could be even at the best of times.

"Protocol A-17 is already in effect, and we haven't the slightest clue as to the 'gestation period' of an Angel, so we need to work quickly. Suit up and get to your Evas." Ritsuko said firmly.

"Yes, ma'am." The pilots nodded once again, then went to their separate stations.

. . .

As Asuka depressed the cuff button to form the Plugsuit to her body, she studied herself with no small amount of confusion. "I thought this Plugsuit was supposed to be heat resistant. It just feels… normal right now."

Ritsuko, with a clipboard up to her face, waved a pen in her general direction. "Try the right arm cuff button."

Asuka nodded with a confused look that quickly became one of horror as she depressed the indicated button, then began swelling like a balloon, cold liquids gurgling inside of it. "Hey!" she said as she finally stopped inflating, waving her arms. "What the hell is this?"

She made a valiant effort to reach her right arm again, which paid off after a moment's struggle with a click, and a gurgle was heard over the sound of the suit slowly deflating.

Ritsuko nodded. "Unit-02 has been suited up, too. Follow me."

Asuka, her face red with indignation, followed behind, where she was greeted by the sight of Daniel and Shinji next to what appeared to be Unit-02 in a massive, antiquated diver's suit. She looked at the sight in pure shock. "What is that? What have you bolted to my Unit, Daniel?"

Daniel sighed. "This is the Type-D gear. It's massively armored and rated against everything short of a point-blank nuclear blast."

Daniel looked pointedly at Asuka as she made the connections in her head. "You're going into one of the most hostile environments on the planet Earth short of high orbit. Without this, even with your AT Field, you would cook alive in minutes. We don't want that. I don't want that. I'm sorry, Asuka, but you're going to have to put your pride aside for a moment here."

Asuka stayed silent, simply looking at the face of Unit-02 visible through the clear aperture in the diving helmet.

She sighed heavily. "Man. Nobody said that glory in combat had to come with so much embarrassment attached to it."

She looked over at Shinji, and then slowly began to laugh. Shinji, brow raised in confusion, looked back at her. "What's so funny, Asuka?"

Asuka straightened up from nearly being doubled over. "I was just imagining you and Unit-01 in this ridiculous get-up. That would have made my day!"

Rei, who had walked in during the exchange, raised her hand. "If such a scenario makes you uncomfortable, I can pilot Unit-02 in your place."

Asuka immediately stopped laughing, and annoyance took the place of mirth on her face. "No way, Wondergirl. This is my Unit, and I won't allow anyone else to take my place in the Entry Plug."

Daniel sighed again. "So, are you going to be piloting or not, Asuka? We need a decision."

Asuka's face set itself in determination. "Of course, I'll pilot Unit-02. I'm the only one who should be, after all." She looked back up at Unit-02. "After all, this won't take too long." she said confidently.

Daniel did his best to quash the dread rising in him. Even knowing that things would probably be okay, there was still doubt. Anything could happen in the heart of a volcano, after all.

Soon enough, Asuka was ensconced in her Unit, and Units-01 and 02, along with Daniel, Eleanor, and some other support staff, were on NERV transport planes making their way to Mt. Asama with all due haste.

They soon arrived at the volcano, touching down and dropping the two Evangelions at their designated positions. Daniel and Eleanor climbed into the command truck where Misato was currently, taking their places and beginning diagnostics.

"Alright," Misato said as everyone settled in place, "both Units will stand by for further instructions. Expedite laser drill setup and crane prep." Hyuga stated his assent as everyone began to do as ordered.

In time, the massive crane, meant to lower Unit-02 into the waiting hellscape below, was set up. Unit-02, and its pilot, both waited silently for the operation to begin.

. . .

As this happened, A trolley slowly made its way up the mountain, with two occupants enjoying the view. "So," Kaji said to his compatriot, "they put Protocol A-17 into effect here."

She nodded. "An A-17 order? That includes the seizure of all available assets. And why didn't you stop them?"

Kaji shrugged. "Because even though it's going to ruffle feathers in the government, it was issued legitimately. My hands are tied while I'm trying not to be suspicious. Trying to stop the protocol from coming into effect would be a spotlight on me that I can't easily throw off."

"Even still," the woman said, holding the puppy she held to her chest a little tighter, "NERV's failure here will mean the destruction of the world."

Kaji shrugged again. "But of course. That's just par for the course when dealing with the Angels."

. . .

Back at Mt. Asama, Shinji wondered at the glint of a squad of planes flying overhead of Unit-01. "Whose planes are those?" he pondered out loud.

On the ground below, Ritsuko, who had arrived earlier, spoke into the open link. "They're UN forces on standby until the end of the operation. Just in case something goes wrong."

"Like what?" Asuka piped up as Unit-02 underwent the process of being attached to the crane cable.

"Well, in the event that we fail, and the Angel goes out of our control, they're going to incinerate it with an N2 bomb. Which will take us along with it." Ritsuko said matter of factly.

Both pilots felt shock jolt through them as they considered just how far the UN was willing to go. "How could they do that?" Asuka said incredulously.

Shinji nodded. "And who would give such an order?" he said.

Ritsuko's reply was toneless. "Commander Ikari, of course."

A flash of anger began to boil in Shinji's chest. That his father would sacrifice everyone under him, including his own son… was par for the course at this point, Shinji realized with a mounting sense of dread.

As Shinji considered this, the laser drill moved into position, and a powerful whir sounded for all of 2 seconds, as the laser worked at the speed of light to clear a path for Unit-02. "Laser bore complete. Ingress route has been opened." Hyuga stated over the loudspeakers.

Slowly, the laser drill moved out of the way, and Unit-02, bulky and large, carrying a specially designed cage for the Angel, slowly moved into position.

Misato nodded from within the command vehicle. "Alright, Asuka. Are you ready to go?"

Asuka nodded as she hung suspended over the caldera. "Yes, ma'am. As ready as I'll ever be."

Misato nodded again. "Very well. Begin descent!"

Slowly the crane began to lower Unit-02 into the waiting pit of magma. As she descended, Asuka stared wide-eyed into the magma. "Wow. This is a little hotter than I was hoping to dive into."

Maya announced as the Unit closed into the entrance. "The Eva is about to hit the magma entrance."

"Hey, Shinji!" Asuka said as her feet were almost inches away from the magma. She flashed a pose while she began to sink into the magma, or at least as much of a pose as one can achieve in a bulky diver's suit. "I'm going in with style!"

She began to sink slowly past the entrance into the magma as Shinji rolled his eyes, a small smile coming to his face without him noticing.

Asuka descended through a sea of red, orange, and white. "Speed of descent is at 20, current depth 170. All systems functional. Visibility is near zero. I can't see a thing out here!"

Daniel chimed in on the connection to the Eva. "Don't worry too much about visibility. We've got sensors guiding you to the target. And besides, you'll know it when you see it."

Asuka nodded, but still felt unsure. "Alright. Switching to CT feed."

The view before her expanded, but only so far. "Man, I still only have visibility out to 120 meters." The feeling of unease remained as she continued her slow descent.

In the command truck, all inside stared intently at the display showing Unit-02's view of the descent. Silence reigned in all too brief dynasties and was only deposed by the sound of Maya's voice marking Asuka's passage. "Depth is 450… 500… 550… 600… 650…"

Shinji watched wordlessly as the cable continued its slow unspooling into the hellish depths, tension mounting within him like a tightening cello string. Asuka herself felt that same tension within her own chest, even with all the cushioning and cooling elements around her as Maya continued to call out her depth. "850… 900… 950… 1,000… 1,020… We're exceeding the design depth of the gear." Asuka gained sure confirmation of this fact as she started to hear the pops and groans of buckling metal.

"1300 meters." Maya finally said after tense moments. "We are now in the predicted general location of the target."

Misato continued to gaze into the depths of the caldera shown on her screen as the image was enhanced with Unit-02's telemetry data. "Asuka, do you see anything around you?"

Asuka tried valiantly to scan the area using her, and her Eva's, eyes, and only partially succeeded. "I'm not seeing anything yet. Nothing on Unit-02's sensors either."

Ritsuko tsked in frustration. "The convection current must have been stronger than we thought."

Hyuga nodded. "I'm reading a deviation in the target's movement speed. Adjusting calculations."

Misato continued to watch the screen intently. "Alright. The operation is still on. Continue Unit-02's descent immediately." Hyuga glanced at Misato incredulously for a moment, then returned his gaze to his monitor.

As Asuka continued to stew in the heat of the Entry Plug, Maya continued to count up the depth. "Depth is now 1,350… 1,400…" As Maya continued, Asuka began to fidget slightly. Damn it all, when would this thing show itself?

An audible crack interrupted her train of thought as Maya identified its source. "Cracks are appearing in coolant conduit pipe 2."

Daniel turned to Misato, evident concern on his face. "Captain, we can't continue this for much longer. If we don't pull the Unit out, there's a better than good chance there will be irreparable damage to the pilot and the Unit."

Misato didn't even glance at him. "Unacceptable. We keep going until we find the Angel. There's no turning back now."

Daniel shook his head slightly as he growled softly. "Damn it, Misato, if we let our eyes get bigger than our stomachs here, all it's going to do is make the N2 blast that much easier to see. We can afford to go on the defensive. We cannot afford to lose our best pilot and an Eva."

Misato, at last, turned to look at Daniel, a flame of genuine anger in her eyes that made Daniel hesitate. "We cannot afford to lose heart here. We have been given a direct order to capture this Angel, and by God, we will carry it out."

She turned back to Maya, her voice becoming cool as ice. "Keep going."

Maya nodded and turned back to her console. "Depth is now at 1,480. We've exceeded operational depth."

Misato glared at the screen in front of her now. 'We still haven't made contact with the target. Keep going." She opened a channel to Unit-02. "How are you doing, Asuka?"

"I'm still good here, Misato," Asuka said with all the confidence she could project over the creaks and groans that were now becoming constant, "I'm just ready to get this done and get a nice shower."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Misato's mouth. "I know a hot spring close by. We'll go after this is done. Just a little longer now."

A loud series of cracks caused Asuka to jump in alarm. Maya's voice was clear and deceptively calm. "We are now 120 meters past operational depth."

The cracks and snaps continued, and a loud crunch signaled a strap breaking loose, and beginning to gently drift away. "Unit-02's Prog Knife sheath has been compromised. We've lost it." Daniel said, desperately trying to quash the rising fear in his chest as he desperately clutched Eleanor's hand.

An edge of concern began to creep into Maya's voice now. "We're 200 beyond operating depth!"

Hyuga looked up at Misato with alarm. "Captain Katsuragi, Captain Theisman's right! This isn't just an unmanned probe this time!"

Misato didn't even look at him. "I'm in command here. We keep going until we find it and capture it. Keep. Going."

Asuka chimed in over the link, doing her best to sound confident. "Misato's right. I can handle this. I can get this done. Let's keep going."

After a tense moment of silence, a tone sounded, and Maya relayed the data it proclaimed to her. "We're now at 1,780 meters, and in the new estimated area of the target."

After another moment where Asuka would be sweating regardless of the heat, were it not for the LCL, she saw it. "There. I have a visual on the target."

Hyuga nodded. "Confirming the visual. It's the target, alright." Misato nodded. "Very well. Begin the capture process."

Asuka nodded. "Roger that." She slowly maneuvered her Unit into place, readying the wirework frame that she had carried this whole way.

Ritsuko spoke into the commlink. "The convection currents are dragging you opposite ways, so you only have one shot at capturing it. Make it count."

Asuka nodded as she continued to gently glide into position. "Leave it to me."

"T-30 to contact with the target!" Hyuga announced. Asuka provided her own commentary. "Relative velocity is 2.2, trajectories matching. I'm going in."

Finally, the wirework frame surrounded the massive oblong 'egg', activating the containment unit in a flash of orange light. A tone sounded, and Asuka's voice cut through the tension in the command truck like a knife. "Photon screens activated, and all systems are green. I've captured the target."

A sigh of relief passed through much of the command truck. It passed over Daniel and Eleanor, who gripped each other's hands even tighter. They knew that now the mission had just begun in earnest.

Misato spoke up, unaware of their uneasy knowledge. "Nice work, Asuka. Come home."

In the Entry Plug, Asuka sighed herself and began to prepare for their ascent. "Beginning resurfacing now." The crane whirred and clanked as it began reeling in the cables which Unit-02, and now the Angel, were attached to.

As the two in the magma slowly ascended to an acceptable depth, Shinji keyed into Asuka's comms. "So, are you okay, Asuka?"

Asuka scoffed. "Of course, I am, rookie! After all, the fear of danger is often greater than the danger itself. I told you this would be easy, didn't I?" She rolled her eyes. "Though at this rate, this is a sauna suit more than a Plugsuit. I'm really looking forward to those hot springs Misato mentioned."

Within the command van, Ritsuko turned to Misato. "Well, she gets over nerves quickly."

Misato smirked. "Yeah, that she does."

Ritsuko nodded. "She wasn't the only one with nerves on this mission. You were downright fearful at moments."

Misato shrugged. "A little, perhaps. But this mission is a success. No more need to worry about anything."

She glanced over at Daniel with a slightly smug air. "Isn't that right?" Daniel was silent, only glancing at her for a brief moment before turning back to his monitor and squeezing Eleanor's hand briefly.

Misato's smugness left her, worry replacing it. She knew what that meant. There would be words later. But that was later. Right now, they could simply bask in a job well done.

Ritsuko noticed this. "I can guess what's on his mind. What the stakes were if this mission failed."

Misato nodded. "The loss of Asuka. A second Impact." she said quietly.

Ritsuko slightly nodded. "We don't need any more of those. One was more than enough."

Suddenly, an alarm began to sound, drawing everyone's attention back to the monitors. "What's happening?" Asuka said in alarm, as the nascent Angel began to wail, the egg-like structure shifting and expanding within the cage.

Ritsuko's eyes widened as she saw what was happening. "It's starting to hatch sooner than predicted!"

Misato leaned over Hyuga's chair to look at his screen. "What about the holding cage?"

Hyuga's voice became edged with panic. "It's not going to hold!"

Misato hesitated for a moment. But only for a moment. "Unit-02, drop the cage! Our mission is now to destroy the Angel!"

The holding cage snapped as it broke apart and fell away, the Angel's hand pressing through the wall of light that held its changing form. "Finally! Like music to my ears!" Asuka said with a fire in her eyes.

However, as she reached slowly towards an arm that was now empty, her eyes widened in realization. "Damnit, I forgot I dropped my Prog Knife!" She looked at the ray-like form that had now made a graceful arc and was circling around at her. "Jettisoning ballast!"

Explosive bolts did their duty as the massive weights around the Unit's waist fell away, boosting her up to narrowly miss the charging Angel. Asuka looked back in shock. "Wow! It's fast!"

The Angel glided back out into the fiery depths and then vanished, Asuka growling slightly at its disappearance as she looked around for it. "I've lost the target! I'm practically blind here, and I don't know how much longer this tin can will last."

For a few precious moments, the comm link to Unit-02 was silent. Then Misato's voice rang out again. "Asuka, Shinji's going to throw his Prog Knife down! Get ready to catch it!"

Asuka nodded, "Roger that!"

Then, a tone sounded as the Angel came rushing back into view, dark and large. "Crap. It's coming! Now or never, Shinji, pick one!"

Up above, Shinji tossed the Prog Knife with all his Unit's strength, and it began to sink slowly down into the magma. Hyuga tracked the knife as it made its descent towards Asuka. "Contact with the knife in 40 seconds!"

The Angel was seemingly much faster than that, however, and Asuka desperately reached up. "Damn it, where is it?" After what seemed like a small eternity, the knife fell into the grasper of Unit-02, the blade ejecting its sheath. Then the Angel collided, one of its many arms slamming into the knife, creating a miniature star with the light that the clash threw off. Another arm grasped onto Unit-02's left leg, squeezing to add to the already tremendous pressure.

Soon, the leg armor crumpled. "Jettisoning left leg!" Daniel called out in the command truck. It separated, shooting away into the depths below. Asuka continued to struggle as she maneuvered the bulky arm holding the Prog Knife to try and bash at one of what appeared to be its eyes, to no effect. The Angel then reared up, opening a lamprey-like mouth that almost seemed to engulf the diving helmet of Unit-02.

Maya stared in amazement. "It opened its mouth, all the way down there!"

Ritsuko nodded. "It must be adapted to the heat and high pressure there." her eyes widened. "That means the Prog Knife will be useless!"

Hyuga leaned over. "If that's the case, then how are we going to defeat it?"

Daniel suddenly spoke up. "Wait a minute…" Before he could start, Shinji answered for him. "I got it! Asuka, the science problem!"

Asuka's own eyes widened. "I know exactly what you're talking about!" She lifted the knife from its face and slashed at the coolant line on her arm, a geyser of supercooled liquid streaming out. "Reroute all coolant flow to… coolant tube 3!" she said as she rammed the tube into the Angel's mouth.

Ritsuko looked on, eyes wide in amazement. "Of course, the principles of thermal expansion!"

She turned to Hyuga. "Do it, now!" He nodded, and 5 tanks worth of coolant came streaming through one tube. It gushed like a massive firehose, pushing the Angel back with the sheer pressure of the current.

With a mighty shout, Asuka drove the knife once again into the eye of the Angel. With a warbling cry, it began to disintegrate as she finally pierced its hide. Relief flowed into Asuka as she watched it drift away, crumbling to pieces. That relief was soon replaced by dread as the Angel, in its death throes, slashed nearly completely through the tether pulling Asuka up before it disintegrated completely.

Alarms blared in the command truck as all eyes widened. "Tether has been compromised! We won't be able to pull her up quicker without it snapping!" Daniel shouted.

As he said this, alarms flashed on Daniel and Eleanor's screens. Daniel turned to look at Misato. "The suit has been compromised. We're going to have total failure in less than 10 minutes. We need to get her out of there now!"

"We're going as fast as we can!" Hyuga nearly shouted back at Daniel.

Daniel stared at the monitor. If they didn't do anything, Asuka would die. He needed to do something. Perhaps he could use his powers here. Perhaps he could… then he remembered the last time he lost his inhibitions concerning his power. You may be their creator, but you are not their god.

Eleanor looked at Daniel with wide eyes as she felt the thought through their connection.

As time seemed to slow to a crawl, Daniel wracked his brain as to what needed to be done. Then, he remembered. "Shinji," he said, opening a channel to Unit-01, "you're going to need to go in. Use your AT Field to shield yourself, and grab both the tether and Unit-02. We'll pull you up from there."

Misato whipped her head around, shock and anger in her eyes. "Ignore that, Shinji! We won't risk another Unit! It's too great a loss!"

Daniel stood, and looked Misato in the eye. "This is the only way we'll be able to retrieve Asuka. Your orders put her at risk, and now the only way to save both Shinji and Asuka is to put both in danger. Your risks got us here, and now another risk is the only way out."

Misato's eyes widened, the anger fleeing from them. "No… I… I…"

"I'm going in!" Both turned to the screen that showed Unit-01 now running towards the mouth of the volcano, diving in and disappearing with a sluggish splash.

"Shinji!" Misato said, leaning into the open microphone with a desperate look in her eyes. Silence reigned on the other end.

Misato looked back at Daniel with a glare of warning. "You had better pray that this works."

Daniel looked back at Misato, his eyes filled with determination. "If there's anyone who can make this work, it's him. He has to, now." They both stared back at a display showing a cutaway of the volcano, and the blinking green dot of Unit-01 rushing downwards to meet the steady yellow dot of Unit-02.

As all this transpired, Asuka sat silently in the cacophony of alarms and structural failure that signaled what she understood to be her imminent doom. "Well," she said into the silence, "at least I killed it." She looked up into the vast depths of magma still overhead. "And I'd come so far too…"

As the last shred of tether groaned and stretched, Asuka closed her eyes. "Is this really it? Am I really going to die here?"

She jumped slightly at the snap of the tether finally breaking, her stomach leaping into her throat as she began her descent into the waiting maw of hell.

With a crash, Asuka opened her eyes and looked up in shock, as she saw Unit-01 desperately clinging to both her arm and the tether. "Shinji?" Asuka nearly whispered in shock. Then she smiled. "You idiot. All this just for me…"

In the command truck, a shout of relief and joy went up. "Unit-01 has caught Unit-02! Beginning ascent now!" Hyuga shouted.

Daniel said nothing, standing and walking to the door of the command truck, and exiting into the outside world. Misato stared after him. She knew he would be going to check on the pilots. She knew she should be going with him. So why wasn't she?

Long after the operation had concluded, and Daniel had found the two pilots safe and sound, they, Eleanor, and Misato went to that hot spring Misato had mentioned. It was a calm, quiet place on the side of the mountain, and it was empty now, perfect for a few NERV employees who sought solitude.

So it was to Shinji's great surprise that a delivery truck, asking for NERV employees, came to the door.

With no small amount of confusion, he signed for the package and looked down on it as the delivery man drove away. "It says it's from Mr. Kaji. What could it be?"

As he opened the package, the answer jumped up, Penpen wagging his head in seeming confusion and looking around at where he was as Shinji sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "Hello, Penpen. Our baths are on the left. Follow me."

They entered the bath, men's and women's areas separated by a high bamboo wall. Daniel had already relaxed into the spring before Shinji and noted Penpen's arrival with a bemused look. "Well, Shinji, it seems we have an unexpected guest."

Shinji chuckled as he and Penpen slowly settled into the water. "So it seems. Courtesy of Mr. Kaji."

Daniel chuckled himself, as Penpen settled into his home territory with warbling happiness. The spring's two human occupants settled in with a sigh, enjoying the relaxation in companionable silence.

That silence was soon broken by a "Hey!" that came over from the other side of the wall. Shinji jumped, while Daniel simply rolled his eyes behind closed lids.

"Yes?" Shinji said, after a moment of composing himself.

"We've run out of bath shampoo," Misato said after a moment. "Yeah, could you toss yours over?" Asuka joined in.

Daniel silently rolled his closed eyes again as Shinji got up with the bottle in question, tossing it over the bamboo partition. A soft thunk signaled the bottle's arrival, along with an "ouch!" from a clearly annoyed Asuka. "Watch where you're throwing things, Shinji!"

"Well, come here and let me see where it hit you, then." Misato said.

As Misato and Asuka engaged in antics clearly designed for Shinji's embarrassment, Daniel chuckled. "Come on back, Shinji. Don't pay them any mind."

Shinji, clearly blushing as blood rushed to far more places than just his cheeks, turned around and went to sit again. "Well, it's hard to ignore them, when they're talking like that."

As Shinji sat, Daniel, at last, cracked an eye open. "Then it's working."

Shinji sighed. "All too well." he answered with a grumble. Daniel chuckled at that.

After a few more moments, at last, silence reigned once again. Daniel spoke after a moment of appreciation. "You did well today, Shinji. I understand how easy it would be to freeze up in situations like the one you were put in. I've done that myself."

Shinji nodded. "Well, it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? I was the only one capable of doing what was needed at the moment, so I just… did it. Regardless of whether or not it would be against orders."

Daniel thought about what Shinji said. "Shinji, that's not a bad instinct to have. It's what separates heroes from the people they save."

"But," he said after a moment, "you'll need to temper that with caution. Sometimes, orders come from people who know something you don't, and they need to be minded, regardless of how much you care for the one that gives them."

Shinji rolled his eyes but nodded. "I understand all too well."

Daniel nodded. "Good. But even still," he said as he fully opened his eyes, at last, to look at Shinji, then at the setting sun, "don't stop being a hero. You have a knack for it hidden under all that meekness."

A puff of air escaped Shinji's nose. "Even if it does take Asuka riding my back to get me to show it sometimes."

Daniel said nothing, simply smiling as they both appreciated the sunset.

. . .

As Shinji and Daniel conversed, Misato, Asuka, and Eleanor also simply enjoyed the sunset.

While they did, Asuka noticed a large scar, pale and jagged, running from Misato's sternum to just below the middle of her chest. "Where did you get that?"

Misato glanced down, touching an edge of the scar briefly. "I got this at Second Impact." she said simply.

Asuka's eyes widened, while Eleanor simply nodded. "You were there, weren't you, Misato?" Eleanor said softly.

Misato nodded, memories beginning to crawl unwanted into the back of her brain like a growing frost.

Silence reigned again for a moment. Asuka brooded, thinking deeply for a moment. "So, your clearance would let you know about my past, then?"

Misato blinked at the unexpected question. "Yes. I do know about your past. It's my job, after all. But the past is the past. There's no need to let it hang over us."

Asuka looked down, a glum look in her eyes. "Well, that makes one more that I know of, then."

Misato looked over in surprise. "Really? Who else do you know who knows about you?"

Asuka shrugged. "Well, Daniel does. He's the only one I've ever been comfortable talking about my past with. After all," she said as she looked to Misato and Eleanor, "that's what big brothers are there for. Right?"

Eleanor and Misato smiled. "Yeah," Eleanor said after a moment, "that's a pretty big part of it, I think."

Eleanor looked back to the sunset, Asuka and Misato following her lead. She liked who Daniel had become here. There were certainly darker paths that lay before him, after what had happened before. During the war. But she didn't let that trouble her right now. After all, there was no need to let the past hang over her today.

. . .

Eventually, the sunset became night, and everyone prepared to go home. As they all stood at the entrance of the building that stood as a gate to the hot springs, Daniel turned to Eleanor. "Would you care to take the kids ahead? I've got some things I'd like to say to Misato in private."

Eleanor nodded and began to shepherd the Children out the door. As it shut behind them, Misato turned from it to face Daniel. "This is about earlier today, isn't it?" she said with no small amount of guilt in her voice.

Daniel sighed. "Yes, it is. To begin with, I know your past, why you were at Second Impact, and I understand how that might lead to a vendetta against the Angels and wanting to destroy them by any means possible."

Daniel paused as Misato's eyes widened at what he said, then his own eyes hardened. "But if those means put the people who are most important to the mission of destroying the Angels, if those means put the people we love, in danger above what the situation calls for, I swear to God, I will go over your head, and talk to fucking Commander Ikari to make sure it doesn't come to pass. We can afford to stay on the defensive if it means we keep Earth's last, best hope for victory safe for the next battle. So, don't. Do it. Again."

Misato's eyes filled with anger as her cheeks flushed, and a fist clenched and slightly shook. How dare he talk to her like that? How dare he… he… be absolutely correct, she thought, as she seemed to deflate.

"You're right. You're right." she said, quieting as she spoke. "I let so much get in the way. And I would have barely realized it, or even thought hard about it, if you hadn't talked to me."

Daniel's eyes softened. "That's okay. Because now you know. And now you can be ready for the feeling if it ever happens again."

He began to walk to the door, then turned back to look at Misato. "And if you ever need to air out things, you have people to talk to. Me, Eleanor, the Children… Kaji."

Misato leered at Daniel. "And why would I want to talk to Kaji about any part of my past?"

Daniel sighed. "Because he cares. And he will listen. And because he knows about loss more than you might think."

"But that can wait. Right now, let's go home." Daniel walked out the door, leaving Misato to stand in the middle of the lobby.

After a moment she nodded, a thoughtful, distant look in her eyes. "Yes. Let's go home." she said, to no one in particular.

Apotheosis Echo will return in (Center Ranks).