Chapter 17: Forgefire

Zeruel was a forge for NERV, the greatest test it, and its pilots, had ever seen. And the Children proved their worth, once again. But… there are some things you can't defend against by hopping into a giant robot. Not without some hassle, at least. The Children needed to be able to defend themselves beyond just being in their Evas. It just took exactly the wrong sort of motivation to start.

NERV Medical Center, 5 Hours Later

Hikari Horaki, the Fourth Child, slowly opened her eyes in the darkened hospital room. She had… passed out after a moment. She was in an Entry Plug when it happened, she remembered that much. In an Entry Plug with… she tried her best to conceal the blush that was coming to her cheeks.

She raised her head and looked around the room. Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were there, all three of them dozing off quietly to her right, Rei wrapped in a few bandages, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Theisman, who sat quietly reading books they had brought with them. And as she looked beside her to her left, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Toji, right at her bedside, slumped over in his chair, his hand in hers.

Daniel stood, nodding at Hikari. "Welcome back to the real world, Ms. Horaki."

Hikari nodded. "Thank you, Daniel."

Their words caused everyone else to stir, and Toji shook his head after a moment. He looked over at her, his eyes widening. After a second of taking in the fact that she was actually in front of him, he nearly crushed her in a bear hug, and Hikari winced as she returned the hug.

Shinji, Asuka, and Rei stood, and after a moment of ensuring that no one else was in the room, Shinji and Asuka quietly grabbed each other's hands, squeezing gently as they smiled.

After a quiet moment, Hikari gently patted Toji's back, and the boy slowly released his hug, his face revealing tears of joy streaming down it. "Hikari…" he said, and grabbed her hand again.

"Toji…" Hikari smiled as she took him in, the simple fact that the two of them could hold each other sending both of them over the moon.

She scanned the room again, and her eyes fell on Shinji and Asuka holding hands. She… didn't entirely know how she knew what she knew. Everything from her time in the core, from her time with her mother, was… fuzzy right now. She recalled a look into their… their souls? She settled on what she saw being their souls, and what was contained within. A light show of… of emotions that she somehow knew what looked like. Love and lust and joy and anxiety and courage. And, somehow… even a little peace. She saw the memories of times that they treasured, and how far they had gone as a couple, a couple. It was entrancing as much as it was rather embarrassing. She would treasure that memory for the rest of her life.

Asuka let go of Shinji's hand and stepped forward. "So, Hikari," she said, a slight smirk on her face, "how was piloting with Shinji and me?"

Hikari shook her head in wonder. "It was… wonderful. But… it wasn't just you there."

As Toji's head tilted in confusion, Daniel walked over to a wall, and quietly created an Expression to ensure that whatever was said next could not be heard. Or recorded.

Asuka nodded somberly. "Yeah. That's right."

Toji looked between the three of them, confusion evident in his eyes. "What's going on? What haven't I been told?"

Asuka and Shinji both sighed, and a small, sad expression came across the Theisman's faces. "Yeah, Toji." Shinji said, turning to face his friend with a serious expression. "Before I start, you have to not let anyone, anyone, else know about what we're about to talk about. Not Kensuke, not any of your other friends at school, not anyone else at NERV, not anyone."

Shinji's expression softened as he took in the look on the tall boy's face. "Please. Even us knowing this is… well, it's…"

Asuka shook her head slightly. "What he's trying to say is it's out of our usual pay grade to know about this, so don't go blabbing. Alright?"

Toji nodded after a moment. "Alright then. So, what's the secret?"

Shinji sighed. "The Evas… they require two people in order to operate. One of them is the pilot…" Shinji paused as the jock continued to look at him in utter confusion. His next words were barely above a whisper. "And the other is the souls of our mothers."

It was dead silent in the room as Toji's face morphed from confusion to shock to anger then back to shock. "Mom… how's that even possible? She… she died when I wasn't even 10! Sakura was barely more than a toddler! How is my mom's soul…"

Toji went quiet for a moment. Then he looked at Hikari, then back at Shinji and Asuka. "I watched the footage of you guys kicking that Angel's ass. If I'm the pilot of Unit-04, and my mother's soul is in there and needs me to help run the Eva… then how…"

"It's because of me."

Toji's head whipped around as he stared at Daniel. Daniel nodded as he stepped forward. "And before you ask, the answer to the question is long, complicated, and requires someplace more fitting than a hospital room for an explanation. But… it was an honor to work with your mother."

Silence filled the room again as Daniel continued. "She wanted me to pass a message on to you. She said that she'll be there for you whenever you pilot. And that she's proud of the man that you've become"

All was still as Toji processed this, then looked at Daniel and nodded. "Th… thank you, Mr. Theisman."

A small smile crossed Daniel's face. "Of course, Mr. Suzuhara."

Toji shook his head. "Please, just call me Toji."

Daniel nodded slowly. "Alright then, Toji." he turned to Hikari. "Ms. Horaki…"

Hikari raised a hand. "Like he said, if you helped us like that… just call me Hikari."

Daniel chuckled quietly. "Alright then. Hikari, when you're released, and the both of you have questions about what happened- and believe me, I'm sure you do- you know where to find me. I'll be able to answer them."

Hikari nodded. "Thank you, Daniel."

Daniel nodded. "Of course." he swept his gaze around the room. "Shinji, Asuka, Rei, I think that we should give them time to themselves, don't you think?"

Asuka nodded. "Yeah. Give the couple some time together after all this time and worry."

Shinji and Rei nodded, and as the Children and the Theismans turned to leave, Toji raised a hand. "Okay, okay, wait a minute." as they turned to look, Toji pointed at Asuka and Shinji. "Now, I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy, but... did I see you two holding hands while I was hugging Hikari?"

Shinji and Asuka looked slowly at each other, trying hard not to blush, as Daniel chuckled behind them. "You know," Daniel said with a wry grin, "she's probably going to tell him anyway."

Asuka sighed, and Shinji sighed only slightly more quietly. "Alright," Asuka said with a furrowed brow and no small amount of annoyance, "first things first, the same thing applies to what we're about to say as what we said about our moms. No one outside this room gets told, or I will be looking for you. Got it?"

Toji looked back and forth at Shinji and Asuka with no small amount of shock in his expression, his gaze finally settling on Shinji. "This is serious? You two really are…" the rest of the question went unsaid.

Shinji nodded almost sheepishly. "Yeah, Toji. It's been going on for a while, now. And… it's the best thing to ever happen to me."

Toji leaned back, running a hand through his short hair as he exhaled slowly. "Well, shit." he said after a moment. "Now I've heard everything."

Hikari shook her head. "Language, Mr. Suzuhara." The smile on her face took away any bite the words once held.

Toji blushed as he looked back down at her. "Sorry." he began to smile himself, after a moment.

Daniel gave a satisfied nod. "Alright then," he said, putting a hand on Shinji and Asuka's shoulders, "let's give the two of them the space they need."

As they left, Toji and Hikari didn't notice, as they began to talk softly to each other.

. . .

It had been a good night. There was flirting, there was passion, even ecstasy, and now, she simply lay in bed, staring into the eyes of someone who loved her, simply for being her, as they woke up the next morning, the alarm clock… wait… the alarm clock didn't sound like that...

Ritsuko peeled open her eyes slowly and heard the rhythmic beeping of the EKG. 'I really hope that this doesn't become a habit.' she thought wearily, as she tried to recall what had happened to have her back in here.

She had been in Central Dogma, and the Angel had breached the Geofront. She had watched Unit-01, taken into the Angel's arms, swung above its head, then a rumble of thunder as it struck the ground, then… she was here, dreaming of a better time.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes with her free hand, feeling that the other was held by something somewhat tightly, feeling the familiar gauze of the bandage on her head. She looked around the room, seeing the people there, and noting the absence of one particular person.

Misato sat patiently in the corner of the room, leafing through a magazine. And as she looked by her bedside, she saw Maya, dozed off in the chair next to her, and saw that she was the one holding her hand.

A small smile came to Ritsuko's face. "Oh, Maya…" she said softly, and she turned as she heard the rustle of a magazine, looking at the somewhat bemused face of Misato.

"So, Ritsky…" Misato said as she stood. "Decided that a student is better than a commanding officer?"

Ritsuko looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened as she blushed. The fact that she only tightened her grip on Maya's hand did not escape Misato's notice. "No!" she said heatedly. "It's not like that, Misato. It's just…" she looked back at the stirring young lady, a sad look entering her eyes. "Even after I'd alienated everyone else after I'd driven you away… she was the only one who cared enough to…" she trailed off, and Misato nodded in understanding.

"Alright." she sighed. "Even still, you two have something special. Don't… don't let that slip by you. Not like…" she left the rest unspoken, and Ritsuko knew exactly what she meant.

Ritsuko shook her head as Maya finally woke up, looking at Ritsuko, then down at her hand, as she pulled it away from holding Ritsuko's with a blush. "Senpai… you're awake! I was so worried, with how big that chunk of ceiling that hit your head was."

Ritsuko unconsciously rubbed the back of the hand that held Maya's as she regarded her concerned, caring pupil. Those were the eyes staring back at her in the dream. She was certain of it. But... She took a deep breath. "How long have I been out of it this time?"

Maya shook her head. "It's only been a few hours, Senpai. I'm kind of amazed, honestly. With how big that chunk of the ceiling was that hit you, I expected you to be out for a few days like you were last time."

As Ritsuko and Maya marveled at the seemingly miraculous recovery time, Misato stayed silent. Eleanor was more than happy to extend her services as a Mender. She didn't even want any compensation. 'How I stumbled into some of these friends, I'll never know…'

After a moment of quiet conversation, a grim look crossed over Ritsuko's face. "And I can assume that Gendo is elsewhere."

Misato nodded. "Yes. He's 'overseeing' recovery efforts. But he's just been staring at Unit-01's core all day. Since he got notified that Hikari had appeared from Unit-03's core, he hasn't moved an inch." the disgust in her tone was obvious.

Ritsuko nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Before she could continue, Ritsuko's phone buzzed on the nightstand beside her, and all three of them looked over at it as Ritsuko reached for it.

As she opened it, a tempest of different emotions began to swirl in her as she saw that it was her mother. 'Ritsuko, I hope that you're okay. That hit on the head looked particularly nasty from what I saw. Get well soon.'

Ritsuko shook her head. "It's mother." she said simply, then sighed quietly. "I still don't entirely know how to react to this… to my own mother being able to ask about me again..."

Misato nodded. She knew that their past was a rocky one, to say the least. Maya nodded as well. "Well, Senpai," she said, "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. At least at some point."

Ritsuko sighed quietly as she looked at Maya once again. "Thank you for your confidence."

. . .

Gendo Ikari stood silently on the platform which had been raised above the prostrate form of Unit-01, the noise and clamor of recovery crews a muffled, distant thing as he gazed into the depths of the cursed gem that held his wife's soul.

'Why? If the Fourth Child can enter a core and return to her physical body afterward, why can't you? Why do you leave me alone like this?'

His mind was still for a moment. 'You're everything to me, Yui. Not even… not even our son means more to me than you do. I'm going to get you back. Even if it means ending the world. I miss you.'

Theisman Residence

Daniel and Eleanor stepped into their home. It was good to be able to do that. They did not do it alone, though. Along with Rei, Shinji and Asuka filed in behind them, tired but happy. Misato wouldn't be home tonight, and such would be the way of it for at least a couple of days as she helped to coordinate the cleanup from the Angel attack. Kaji would be out of town on a 'business trip' for about a week, too. Shinji and Asuka both looked forward to the opportunities such a situation presented them.

As they chatted aimlessly, Daniel fell silent for a moment as he crossed to the couch, setting down on it with a wince, as Eleanor's face became serious. "Alright, tough stuff," Eleanor said, "drop the act and let me tend to you, damn it."

Daniel nodded slowly, then looked at the Children. "What you're probably about to see is pretty bad, so… don't be afraid to look away."

Asuka's head tilted as Daniel's skin began to ripple. "What do you mean?" As the rippling stopped and revealed Daniel's true image as he took off his shirt, Asuka's confusion became horror. "Herr Gott… Daniel… How did this happen to you? Wait..."

Daniel sighed, his body a craggy, burnt mess from the waist up, as Eleanor created a small, slightly glowing globe of water and washed at the wounds, the burns healing quickly as she worked. He shook a head that was now completely hairless. "This is one of the dangers of a synch score. Too low, and you don't do anything at all. Too high, and you don't just feel the wounds an Eva receives, you share them. And, being in Unit-04's core like I was…"

Shinji shook his head. "Man…" he said weakly, "and here I was feeling bad about how low my synch score was…"

Daniel chuckled before the globe reached his head, expanding to cover it as the Children gave Eleanor an anxious look. She looked back at them as his skin became smooth and whole again, hair beginning to grow. "It's okay," she said with a chuckle, "he can breathe in it. And besides, I don't linger on the head for long." her voice dropped to a whisper. "He can grow his own hair out anyway."

As she said this, she moved to another part of his body, and Daniel shook a head now adorned with a tight buzzcut of hair. "I heard that." The Children chuckled slightly, and Eleanor stepped back, dismissing the globe of water with a flourish, as Daniel stood, healed of his injuries.

He turned to look at them as he grabbed the shirt and pulled it on. "Alright, then. I'm sorry for the rather macabre show. You all should go and rest. It has been far too long and dangerous a day to not do so."

Asuka nodded, turning to Shinji. "Yeah. You have quite the victory feast to cook up for the three of us, Shinji. I look forward to it."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah." He turned to Daniel and Eleanor. "You should be a part of our celebration tonight. You helped us pilots more than anyone else who wasn't."

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, Daniel. After what you did, you might as well be an honorary pilot."

Daniel looked at Eleanor, then back to the Children. "Thank you, Shinji. We'd be glad to join you guys."

The dinner that Shinji made was divine, which was to say, in usual form for the young chef. After a hearty meal was finished and the table sat in silence for a moment, Daniel turned to Shinji and Asuka with a sly look. "So, I can't help but notice how excited you two seem for both Misato and Kaji to be gone for the next little while."

Asuka and Shinji blushed, as Asuka sighed and lightly punched Daniel's arm. "You know us too well for your own good, you know that?"

Daniel chuckled. "It's what a big brother does, Asuka." He leaned on the table a little. "Now, I can't help but sympathize with your previous predicament, and, really, Misato and Kaji have been rather… passionate lately, as I'm sure you can tell. So…"

He reached into his pocket and produced two small rods that glittered silver. The Children leaned slightly closer to look at them. "So…" Asuka said, eyes slightly narrowed. "What do those do?"

Daniel grinned, standing up. "Well, they can be demonstrated thusly. Follow me."

The rest of the table stood, following him into Misato's room. He lifted up one of the rods for the Children to look at again. "In Interfacing, not only is one able to create temporary Frames for Expressions, we can make Frames that can be activated again and again, or remain active for long periods of time, and stuff them into objects that don't have to worry too much about things like eating, sleeping or other biological necessities. Case in point…"

He stuck the rod to a corner of the room and tapped it, a muffled 'whmph' following a hazy shockwave as it emanated from the device, covering the room. Daniel turned to the Children, an unmistakable pride in his eyes. "Now, there isn't a sound in the world that will escape this room."

As the Children considered this, Rei nodded. "As someone who sleeps lightly, this is a rather necessary development."

Asuka turned to Rei with an incredulous look in her eyes. "You can hear them an apartment over?"

Rei looked at them seriously. "Yes. I can usually hear you two as well."

It was silent for a moment as Shinji and Asuka both blushed, and a small smile came to Rei's face. Shinji turned to look at Daniel as the moment passed. "And I'm guessing you made these?" he said, in a desperate attempt to find something to think about other than their friend hearing their night lives.

Daniel nodded. "Yes, actually, I did. When you're alone on the Worldsea for as long as I was, you get handy in a wide variety of things."

Shinji nodded. "Makes sense."

Daniel smirked. "And in case you're wondering, Misato blushed nearly as hard as you two did when I brought it up to her earlier."

Daniel's smirk turned into a smile, and he tossed the other rod to Shinji. "You know how it works. Just stick it in a corner, then tap on it. It'll do the rest." Daniel's smile turned into a smirk. "And hey, you two can finally not worry about disturbing anyone with how loud you two are."

Asuka rolled her eyes as she walked over to Daniel, punching him lightly in the arm again. "And how do we know that you aren't just as bad some nights?"

Daniel shook his head with a chuckle. "You wouldn't. We have the same thing in our room."

Daniel sighed after a moment. "Well, the night is young, but I am… tired. Thank you for the meal, Shinji. It was delicious."

Shinji nodded, and Daniel pulled him and Asuka in for a quick hug. "Have a good night, you two." he said with a quick wink, then turned to Rei. "Alright. Let's go to bed."

Rei nodded, and everyone went to their rest. For some, it was a far less restful night than most. For one... well, she was just glad to finally be able to get a decent night's sleep again.

Daniel stood on a field that stretched into forever. It was a charnel scene, pockmarked with craters that made dips and rises in the churned, desolate earth, and broken up only by spires of fire and ice, of metal and wood, of embodiments of hate and order and chaos and far, far stranger things.

He looked around himself, and saw that everywhere around him, nearly covering the wasteland, were corpses. They came from every period and world, in every state of disassembly and decay. The smell… the smell somehow hit him like a truck, nearly bending him over as he retched.

. . .

Asuka looked around her. She was in a hospital hallway. It was white and sterile, much like any other one was, and the scent of antiseptic seemed to ooze off of every surface. In fact, if she didn't know where she actually was, she'd swear this was real.

She blinked as she realized how much more lucid she was here than in her usual dreams. This one must have been special. She looked around, but could not move. The expression in her eyes went from wondering to horror as she looked at the name on the hospital door that she stood beside.

. . .

Shinji looked around him as he took in the vista of Tokyo-3, his friends right beside him as they stared up at the globular form of Leliel. He had dreamed about this, sometimes. Often they were decent enough. He had gotten back with Asuka, after all. But sometimes… it would be different.

As he looked around again and saw that Unit-02 and Unit-00 were right next to him, he recognized that it was, in fact, a dream. He looked down, and a pit in his stomach opened as he watched the ever-familiar shadow start to spread. However, it stopped just before him, right where Asuka and Rei stood. And he couldn't move.

. . .

Eleanor stood in her battle armor, emblazoned with the World Engine logo of the Worldstriders, and sorrowed at a city in ruins. Ravirah, the Third City Plate, had been reduced to near rubble. Skyscrapers, once glittering and beautiful, now cast deep shadows, as broken by the flames that surrounded them as the buildings themselves had become.

All she knew was that he was coming. Personally. And if there was any place to stand her ground, it was here. It would be the only place she would be able to stop him. Anxiety and fear flared up as she heard the marching feet, the explosions coming closer, flickering brightly into existence before disappearing.

. . .

Rei stood in the cavernous space of Terminal Dogma and looked up at the being that had offered up a part of its soul to give her life. Lilith loomed large over the sea of LCL that she produced, and the coppery smell of drying blood cloyed in her nose.

It was silent, save for the gentle lapping of the waves of LCL hitting an artificial shore. That much was not unexpected. What was, however, was the feeling that she was not alone. That something was behind her. Many somethings. And she slowly, beyond her own power, began to turn.

. . .

Daniel wiped his eyes as he saw the figures approach. Their humanoid forms seemed… disjointed, for lack of a better word, seeming to overlay on the world and 'glitch' every once in a while. As they came closer, the glitching became more pronounced, until at last, they resolved into forms that Daniel had feared to see again.

On the left, a man in a dark grey bodysuit glitched into being, tall and draped in a tan cloak. He was a man used to the desert, an etched, tan face regarding him with hard grey eyes. On the right, the glitch became a woman, clothed in a simple white dress, who regarded him with fearful brown eyes.

And in the center, the glitch became Asuka. She was in her Plugsuit again, and she dripped blood from a dozen wounds, as her right arm lay limp at her side, torn nearly in half from hand to elbow. Her right eye was a dark pit that wept blood. Daniel began to shake.

. . .

As Asuka read the name 'Kyoko Zeppelin-Soryu', the door slowly began to open, and a humanoid form, iridescent and appearing to all the world like a glitched video game model, slowly stepped out of the room, as its head seemed to turn to regard her.

As it regarded her, it began to glitch more and more, until it became the form of a nurse. The nurse's face changed from time to time, from some random face to the whore that had shacked up with her father, to… Daniel? That wasn't possible. She slowly looked down and noticed the thin, but strong rope in one of the nurse's hands, and the pair of scissors in the other.

As she looked back up at the nurse's ever-shifting face, it raised the scissors in front of its slightly smiling mouth, hushing Asuka as she struggled to move, to grab the thing and throttle it, to do anything. Her face, taut with rage, slackened into horror as she heard the ding of an elevator, and the nurse began to walk away.

. . .

Shinji watched with wide eyes as Asuka and Rei began to sink, grabbing at the buildings as they tried to claw their way out. Shinji tried to rush forward and help, but he found himself restrained, as he looked around and saw a great many of the Angels that he had fought before holding him back, forcing him to watch as his friends, as the woman he loved, slowly but surely sank into the abyss.

He could barely hear Misato and Ritsuko nearly screaming at him to do something, anything, as he looked up and watched the form of Leliel bubble and twist into the form of the Angel they had just fought. With a flash of its eyes, the ground in front of him opened, and the grasps that held him back pushed him, sending him tumbling into the Geofront.

. . .

Eleanor watched the glitch come closer, and become the Hollow Saint of War. He was clad in the armor of her nightmares, and his face was Daniel's, but… empty. Devoid of any emotion. She looked down and noticed that he was carrying someone by the neck, the limp body dragging behind him. As Eleanor focused, she saw a string of clay beads dangle from his neck, a small shell dangling from the center of the beads.

Percy was… dead. No. No, that wasn't how it was supposed to happen, she thought as the Hollow Saint simply let go, Percy's body thumping to the ground. Then, she looked at the Hollow Saint with her Perception. There was… nothing. He wasn't even trying to hide anything from her. Daniel… was gone.

. . .

Rei finished turning, and she watched as three figures became Shinji, Asuka, and Misato. They all began to back away from her slowly. Misato's hand flashed down to her side, and she aimed the pistol she always carried at her. Asuka's face was the picture of anger, of betrayal, as she seemed ready to fight. And Shinji… Shinji was perhaps the most terrified of them all, a look of horror on his face as he fell trying to back away from her.

They knew. They knew, and Rei watched as they reacted in the way she most feared would. She raised her hands towards them in an attempt to placate them, but her friends, her family, would not listen. She was an Angel. She needed to be destroyed.

. . .

The woman in the plain white dress finally spoke to Daniel. "How much of you enjoyed what you did to me to prove yourself?"

Daniel shook his head, desperately trying to get himself under control. "None of it. They forced me to kill you, to show that I was ready. I was broken. I'm sorry."

The woman's face hardened. "A part of you isn't."

The man in the bodysuit stepped up. "You ran." he said in a baritone voice. "You were the last man standing. You had a duty to your liege. To Paul. And you decided to run. I died in your place."

Daniel looked at the man. "Duncan… there would be too many questions. And Paul was safe."

It seemed impossible for Duncan's look to get any harder, and yet it did. "Excuses. That's all they are."

. . .

Asuka screamed and shouted, but she found her voice was consumed by silence, as she heard an ecstatic little girl begin to run down the hall. "Mama, mama!" Dread filled every fiber of Asuka's being as she knew what was about to come next.

Her eyes widened as she heard a sickening crack beside her, and knew intrinsically what it was. Who it was. Was she really that close to seeing Mama do that? Then she heard another crack. What?

. . .

Shinji crashed into the ground of the Geofront, throwing dirt and trees into the air with his impact. He struggled, but couldn't move, as he watched the Angel float down into the Geofront behind him as he lay on his back.

His comms were a mess of noise, Misato desperately shouting at him to get up, to stand against the Angel. Shinji felt the disapproval from his father ooze through the comms link as he came to the realization that he was… useless.

. . .

Eleanor looked desperately at the Hollow Saint. "Daniel… please. Please wake up. Please be in there."

The Hollow Saint said nothing as he continued to approach her, a sword of crystal slowly coalescing in his hand.

"Daniel, fight back! Please! I need you!" Eleanor nearly shouted as the Saint slowed and came to a stop in front of her.

After a tense moment, the glow left Daniel's eyes, and she saw… recognition. He was still there. Eleanor reached out slowly towards his face.

And her eyes widened as she felt a lance of pain tear through her stomach as Daniel plunged his sword into her.

. . .

Rei looked down at her arms. They had become even more pale, seeming to now be as white as Lilith behind her. She waved her arms, tears coming to her eyes.

And she watched in horror as her family was torn apart and blown away from her. They were dead. And it was her fault. Her mind spiraled into darkness as she finally seemed to be allowed to sink to her knees.

She looked up, her eyes widening, as she felt something behind her. Something that wasn't part of this.

. . .

Finally, Asuka spoke to him. "Why are you saving her? Why didn't you come and save me?"

Daniel felt tears well in his eyes. "I was broken then, too. We were all broken."

Acid etched every word of Asuka's next sentence. "But you could have fixed us."

As she finished speaking, the world shook as the body of Unit-02 fell to the earth behind them, sending dirt and water and bodies flying into the air. Then shadows passed over them, as the Mass-Production Evas came swooping down on Unit-02. They tore into Unit-02, ripping it apart in geysers of blood and viscera.

And the three figures in front of him began to tear apart with it. And Daniel wished for nothing more in the world than to be able to close his eyes.

. . .

Asuka shook her head, trying to shut her eyes and failing as the little girl with the fiery hair ran down the hallway towards her. This wasn't real. This wasn't real. This wasn't real. This was just a dream.

And yet, as the door opened beside her, and she looked, she didn't just see her mother there. Where the doll had been, Shinji now hung. And Asuka's voice came back to her, as her scream joined her past self's in stereo.

. . .

Eleanor lay on the ground, shock and confusion and pain playing across her face as the Hollow Saint, as Daniel, crouched down and looked her in the eye as her vision began to fade. "Eleanor." Daniel said. "I've finally found the truth. All I needed to do was get rid of what was holding me back. All I needed to do… was get rid of you."

He stood, and Eleanor weakly reached out after him, before her hand fell to the ground, and the oncoming darkness rushed to take her.

. . .

Shinji had gone slack as the Angel approached, and it passed him by, coming to regard the NERV pyramid instead. The voices on the comm were white noise now, while he waited for this to end, tears streaming down his face.

After a moment, he heard the sound that went with the Angel's eyes flashing, and the comms were silent. The world was silent. Shinji closed his eyes, uncaring whether the Angel would destroy him or not. He had failed. He was useless.

. . .

Rei found she was able to turn again, and she looked up at the form of Lilith. It had removed itself from the cross that it had hung on, having grown legs where its stumps once were. It bubbled as its form shifted, then, the mask that covered its face sliding off to reveal her own.

Lilith crouched down, reaching out with a giant finger as she spoke. Her voice was a thousand voices becoming one, at once high and deep, and older than anything that lived on Earth would ever know. And as the tip of Lilith's finger touched her forehead, that voice said one word.

"Remember."

And Rei remembered.

. . .

As one, four sets of eyes blinked open, and nearly bolted up in their beds, their clothes and sheets covered in sweat and tears.

Daniel and Eleanor turned to each other, and fiercely embraced, whispering consolations to each other. After a moment, they parted from the embrace, falling silent. "Daniel…" Eleanor said, caressing Daniel's face. "What was that?"

Daniel shook his head. "Revenants. I'm sure of it."

Eleanor's eyes widened. "Those?" she shook her head after a moment. "It makes sense now."

They went silent for a moment, then strained to hear as a quiet mumble came from the direction of… Rei's room.

They bolted out of bed, throwing on clothes as quickly as they could, before nearly sprinting over to the girl's room.

As they opened the door, the various pieces of artwork Rei had become interested in since her weaning off the drugs, presents from them and Asuka and Shinji, faded into the background as their focus narrowed on the shuddering, mumbling form of Rei Ayanami.

Daniel was by her side in an instant, a hand on her forehead. "Rei? Rei, are you there?"

As Daniel leaned closer to try and hear her, he caught some of what she said. "...floating in the dark…"

Daniel looked back up at Eleanor, who joined his side quickly. Rei continued to mutter. "...why is he here… why did I follow…"

Eleanor put her hand on Rei's temple and focused as she lightly linked their souls together. After a moment, her eyes opened, and she turned to Daniel, shock and no small amount of horror in her expression. "She's remembering. From Lilith."

Daniel's own face adopted the shock he looked at, then he nodded after a moment, standing up. "Stay here and help her. I'm going to get the other two, make sure that we can keep them all safe in case the Revenants decide a mental attack is just the beginning."

Eleanor nodded. "Go." Daniel needed no further motivation, as he turned and ran towards the door.

. . .

Asuka and Shinji's eyes snapped open simultaneously, and their embrace tightened considerably as they assured that, yes, both of them were in fact there, together, in their room in Misato's apartment. Tears streamed down Shinji's face, and Asuka fought to not have the ones welling up in her eyes do the same.

After a moment, they looked at each other, and Shinji caressed Asuka's face as she wiped her eyes dry. "That… that wasn't a coincidence."

Asuka shook her head. "No, I don't think it was." she shook her head. "I haven't had a nightmare that bad since we got together, Shinji. And I've never had one that vivid before. Ever."

Shinji nodded. "Same. Something's up, Asuka. But right now… I'm just glad it's over."

Asuka nodded, and their foreheads touched as they took each other in.

The moment didn't last, as they heard the thumping sound of footsteps quickly approaching their room. They stopped outside of the door, and they heard Daniel's voice. "Shinji, Asuka. Get some clothes on, and come over to our apartment. Now." It was a voice that brooked no argument, and the Children gave none as they quickly dressed.

They opened the door and saw Daniel, similarly drenched in sweat as he looked at them, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at Asuka before blinking it away and shaking his head. "Nightmares." It wasn't a question.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. How do you know?"

Daniel sighed. "They weren't regular. We all came under attack. And the Scions are to blame." he didn't wait for a response before he turned. "Follow me. We'll keep you safe. Just in case."

As Shinji and Asuka followed behind in stunned silence, Asuka decided to break it as Daniel opened the door to his apartment. "Wait a minute. What attacked us? Who attacked us?"

Daniel's hands clenched into fists for a moment before relaxing them and directed Shinji and Asuka to sit down on the couch, while he turned on a light in the living room and sat on a chair across from them, sighing heavily as he sat down. "You know about souls. That every living thing has one and can use it for Interfacing."

Shinji and Asuka nodded, and Daniel continued. "Well, there are more than just souls that exist. Simpler constructs, with intelligence and the ability to interface, but not the eternal lifespan, can come into being in the mental and soul realms of Reality. We call them Spirits, and we separate them into Archons and Daemons, based on their tendency towards moral good or evil."

Daniel paused for a moment. "What attacked us are called Revenants. And they are the most sadistic type of Daemon anyone can stuff into a physical form. The Scions gave them bodies and sent them after rear-line Interfacers during the war. They torment their prey, and they prefer to deal the finishing blow to prey that is utterly broken in body, mind, and spirit."

Daniel sighed. "They're here because of me. And you've been caught in the crossfire. I'm sorry."

Asuka shook her head as she got up from the couch and walked over to Daniel, Shinji following close behind. "Hey," she said, putting a hand on Daniel's shoulder, "You seem to have been blindsided by this as all of us. From what little you've told us, I'm guessing that it takes no small amount of insanity to even think about making these Revenant… things."

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. They don't care where they get their suffering from unless they've been given a compulsion as they're bound to their forms. Even still, they can and will break those compulsions without a second thought if the fancy strikes them. We have to deal with them, and quickly."

Asuka shook her head. "Then if what you've said is true… then it isn't your fault. It's those stupid Scions. You can protect us. I'm sure of it."

She pulled him to his feet and into a gentle hug, and Shinji joined her after she gave him a pointed glance. After a moment, Asuka's head tilted up slightly as she caught mumbling at the edges of her hearing. "Daniel…" she said, causing the man in question to look at her. "Where's Rei and Eleanor?"

Daniel stood, a grim look on his face. "Eleanor's with Rei. The mental attack by the Revenants did…" Daniel paused for a moment as he tried to find something to say that wouldn't have him revealing Rei's lineage. "...something to her to make her hallucinate." he finally settled on. "Eleanor's taking care of her, and it looks like she'll make it out physically okay, but..."

Asuka took Shinji's hand and made her way towards Rei's room, Daniel standing to follow them.

They entered and found Eleanor kneeling over an even more pallid than usual, jittery Rei, her eyes only partly open as they darted back and forth sightlessly, her muttered words almost too low to hear.

"Eleanor?" Shinji said, stepping forward as he received no reply. His progress was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look back at Daniel, who shook his head.

"She won't hear you, Shinji. She's linked her soul to Rei's, to try and guide her out of this… whatever."

The three of them looked back and heard Rei's mumbling more clearly. "...My hands… where are my legs… I can't feel…"

. . .

Rei stood on nothing, and she… saw. The past. Lilith's beginning, and how her race had been torn apart by the Super Solenoid. How a brief moment of connection became a regret. How that regret and guilt had made her follow the one she had connected with all the way to Earth. Her discovery by her progeny. Her… her crucifixion.

Now, Rei stood on the floor again, and she found herself in an office. She was… behind herself. This Rei, the first Rei, stood before a woman with dark brunette hair. Naoko Akagi. Her creator. Her mother. At least in part.

They spoke. She was lost and ran into Doctor Akagi. Doctor Akagi offered to help her find her way out. Then…

"No, thank you. I can find my way, hag."

Akagi blinked at that. "What?"

Rei continued without inflection. "I said, I am able to find my own way out, hag."

Akagi's brow furled. "That's rather rude, calling someone that."

The first Rei tilted her head slightly. "But you are one. Aren't you?"

Akagi's face scrunched up in annoyance. "Director Ikari should talk to you. That's no way to talk to someone."

The first Rei continued without inflection. "But he is the one who calls you that."

Akagi blinked, and a strange, concerning look flickered to life in her eyes. "What?" she said, in a far more cool and dangerous voice.

The first Rei did not seem to notice. "He says other things about you too. Like how he does not need you. Or how you are annoying."

Rei's eyes widened as Akagi began to slowly approach the first Rei, her hands looking more like claws.

"Rei."

Rei blinked. Akagi's mouth did not move as she came to stand in front of the Rei in front of her. She was…

"Rei."

As Akagi's hands wrapped around the first Rei's neck, someone stepped in front of her to obstruct the view. Looking up, it was Eleanor, a sympathetic, sad look in her eyes as she put her hands on Rei's shoulders, then pulled her into a hug as she felt the pressure around her neck build. As she found it difficult to even breathe. As Naoko Akagi strangled the life out of the first Rei.

"Rei, it's going to be okay." Eleanor said as she felt the tears running down Rei's face wet her shirt. "Come back with me. We're worried."

After a moment, and as the pressure around her neck finally let up, and Rei breathed in a gasp of air, she nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."

Rei's eyes closed fully, then fluttered open, and she looked around her room and saw the concern on the faces of her family. As she saw Asuka and Shinji, who kneeled next to her, Shinji taking her hand in his.

"Rei," he said, expression filled with worry, "we're glad that you're back. Whatever you were going through, I'm sure it's going to be alright."

Rei shook her head slightly. She didn't want to look at them right now. Not after she… she…

Asuka's head tilted. "Rei? What's going on? Was it something to do with your nightmare?"

Rei began to tremble slightly. What should she do? Should she tell them, and have them not trust her all at once, or withhold, and build that mistrust over time? She couldn't tell them. Then they would fear her. Then they would…

'Tell them.' Rei blinked, then looked up at Eleanor. She nodded silently. 'They will trust you. I'm sure of it.'

The link between them was severed. Eleanor stood and went back to Daniel's side. Daniel looked at Eleanor for a moment, then at all three of them. "We'll be out on the couch discussing something. You three… you three need each other, right now. Spend a little time together. We'll be here when you decide to come on out."

Eleanor and Daniel left, and Rei regarded Shinji and Asuka, her friends, her family, almost like they were bombs primed to explode.

"Yes, Asuka," she said after a moment, her tone slow and seemingly unsure, "it does have something to do with my nightmare."

Asuka nodded. "Okay." there was silence for a moment. "Would you be okay with telling us?"

No, a part of her said immediately. They would find out if you started talking, and then they would be afraid then they would hate you then…

Eleanor's thought-voice came to her again. 'They will trust you.'

After a deep breath, Rei regarded the other two Children. "It involves… you. And others, but mostly you two."

There was silence again for a moment, then Shinji and Asuka nodded. "Alright. What happens?" Shinji asked.

Rei's eyes held more than a little trepidation in them as she continued. "A part of me which I have concealed from you thus far was revealed, and… you feared me. You hated me for it. I was alone again." She went silent, and Shinji and Asuka waited for an explanation that was not forthcoming.

After a moment, Asuka shook her head, placing a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei… you know how much we care for you. Shinji loves you. I… I love you. You're like the sister that I never thought I'd have."

Another of Asuka's hands went to Rei's other shoulder. "So, no, Rei. We won't be afraid. We won't hate you. Not even if you said that you're… half-Angel or something."

Silence swept through the room for a moment as Rei gained an incredulous look in her eyes. Then she began to chuckle.

The chuckle slowly turned into a laughing fit, a lilting, surprisingly deeper sound than Shinji and Asuka expected, as Rei collapsed backward from Asuka's grasp. It was an odd thing for them to hear Rei be this… jovial. Frankly, they thought as they looked at each other, it was a little weird.

After a moment more, Rei finally seemed to regain some composure, as she sat up and wiped away tears of mirth. Asuka nodded slowly. "You okay, Wondergirl? I don't think I've ever seen you laugh that hard… ever."

Rei nodded. "I am sorry. I was unprepared for the emotion that came over me." She took a deep breath and nodded. Her expression became serious as she looked intently at Asuka. "You are correct."

Asuka and Shinji blinked. Then they blinked again. "Really? How does that work?" Shinji said with nothing but wonder in his eyes.

Rei looked down and away. "...It's very complicated."

After a moment, Rei continued to look down as she spoke. "I am a clone, first produced in 2005 in the labs of GEHIRN, as supervised by Gendo Ikari. I am a product of three major donors. Doctor Naoko Akagi," she said as Asuka's eyes widened, "Doctor Yui Ikari," she continued, as Shinji's eyes went similarly wide, "... and Lilith, the second Angel."

It was silent. Asuka looked over at Shinji after a moment, but found him staring into a middle distance, his hands shaking. "Shinji?" Asuka said cautiously.

"My father." he said, with all the vitriol of years spent nearly hating the man, causing Asuka and Rei to lean back slightly in shock. "It's always him, isn't it? First my mother, then me, then… then you."

He looked at Rei with barely checked rage, and Rei shied back still farther, jumping as Shinji leaned forward suddenly, squeezing Rei in a tight hug. Rei's eyes went wide as she felt the tears on the side of her face that slid down Shinji's face. "A sister." he said, barely above a whisper. "I have a sister."

They held each other that way for long minutes. Eventually, though, Asuka spoke up. "So wait, what's the Second Angel? Did Shinji beat that one while I was in Germany?"

Shinji and Rei released themselves from the embrace, and Rei looked at Asuka before shaking her head. "No, Asuka. Lilith is… directly below us, in the Geofront."

Asuka regarded Rei for a moment, then shook her head. "All this time, and that's what they're after… what's so special about it?"

Rei looked down again. "It is a very long, complicated explanation. Suffice to say that… you have her to thank for life on Earth as we know it."

Asuka and Shinji's eyebrows rose. Then Asuka sighed. "A part-Angel pilot… you really are our Wondergirl." she smiled slightly, as Rei looked up at both of them with wide eyes that still held some of the fear of what she expected. "Rei, whatever you are, it doesn't matter. You are our friend. Our teammate. You are Rei Ayanami. And that's what counts."

Rei's eyes welled with tears as Asuka and Shinji enveloped her in a hug. She felt… gratitude. Relief. She wrapped her arms around the two greatest friends, the greatest family, she could ever ask for, as the first rays of the dawning sun began to touch Tokyo-3.

Ritsuko's Apartment, Geofront

Ritsuko opened her eyes as she awoke from the dream about Maya's eyes again. She was in her bed this time and reached across to where Maya would have been, disappointed at how cold the other side of her bed was. It was a large bed. Useful for when… when he visited, every once in a blue moon. But now, she thought, as she drew herself up and hugged her legs to her chest, she finally wanted someone else there.

But… was it right? Maya's face may have been getting clearer and clearer in her dreams, but at the end of the day, she was still her student. She didn't want to take advantage of that. Of her. And yet… she would be happy to be there for her. She didn't want her Senpai to be alone.

Ritsuko shook her head as she got out of bed and prepared for the day. This was ridiculous. She was a mature, responsible woman. It took one of those to keep Misato and Kaji focused on doing something other than just dancing into the night with each other.

'Though, come to think of it,' she thought as a small smile crossed her face, 'Maya is probably an absolutely adorable dancer.'

As she shook her head and finished her preparations, she crossed by a particular stand in the living room and looked at a white cat figurine shot through with gold. 'She was there for me that night. She was there for the worst side of me. And even still…' she held her gaze on the figurine. What it meant. 'Maybe… maybe I can do something.'

She and Maya could go out for a drink tonight. Strictly formal, of course, as coworkers that needed to relax after… well, everything that happened yesterday. Was that really only yesterday? Anyway, what would Maya get? She seemed like a more fruity sort of person, not really given to the deep wines or biting gin mixers that she favored. But how could she find that out? Maybe she could ask one of her other coworkers. But what if she surprised her? First impressions could be deceiving…

Her thoughts drifted from one such topic to another, all seeming to connect in one way or another to Maya, as she stepped out of the door, and went towards her work, and her student.

Apotheosis Echo will return after the break.