[Into the Spotlight, the Players Step]

NERV-HQ, Geofront

Daniel Theisman stepped into the Evangelion cages. It was an off period, so the next maintenance shifts wouldn't come for at least another hour. He had the bay all to himself, as he stared up at the massive face of Unit-01.

It was close. Even if only by sheer dint of mathematical probability, Arael would arrive soon. Daniel could read the pattern, even if Zeruel threw it off by coming so early. They were ready. Hopefully.

So, now, he was paying a few visits. After all, it was only polite to check on the mothers of the Children, see if they were doing well.

He focused, and the view of Unit-01 blurred into a background, pierced only by a single light far below him. He took care not to physically move forward as he mentally moved towards the gleaming soul. It wouldn't do to take an unplanned dip into the LCL, after all.

As he slowed to what seemed like right in front of Yui Ikari, he took a moment to marvel at the wonders of a soul, before connecting, seeing her surprise at being stirred in such a fashion. "Mrs. Ikari?"

There was suspicion and no small amount of caution evident in her next words. "Who are you? You aren't Shinji, obviously."

Daniel proceeded with a calming tone. "My name is Daniel Theisman, Mrs. Ikari. I'm the head of engineering for the Evangelion."

"Daniel…" Yui said slowly. "Are you the Daniel that Shinji's talked about with me?"

Daniel made affirmation as apparent as he could. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Strange though the circumstances may be."

Relief was the first thing to blossom from Yui's soul, followed by happiness and gratitude. "So I have you to thank for ensuring my son's safety. Thank you. He cares deeply for you, I can tell."

Happiness of Daniel's own bloomed, as halcyon days began to replay in his mind. "Yes. I had the pleasure of getting to know him when he was young and growing up. I… I like to think I helped raise him, somewhat. To make up for your unexpected absence."

A pause. "He needed someone who loved him. And I'm thankful to have been there for him."

"And I'm thankful you were too, Mr. Theisman." Yui said. "I knew my absence in his life would have been hard on him. But… I'm glad I've at least gotten to see him again. That I've been able to protect him this last year. But… I should have been there for him."

She paused. "Gendo should have been there for him."

Daniel sighed quietly. "Gendo, is…" he paused, unsure of what to say. "Gendo Ikari is a broken man without you. His heart is cold, even as it seems focused solely on getting you back. He's craved the warmth you gave him, sought it out from others. And from Rei. Your… your daughter, in a sense." he finally said.

"I know. Shinji's told me some about what Gendo has done since I've gone. I…" an impression of a sigh. "I wish it weren't the case. I know who Gendo can be. I know there's a better man somewhere in there."

A moment of silence prevailed. "If only I knew how much he depended on me. Maybe I could have found another way…"

"Mrs. Ikari," Daniel said, "the past is the past. As much as I would love to change it, I can't. No one truly can."

"Perhaps." Yui said. "And it hurts me to think of Gendo now. Especially because of how much of him I see in Shinji. Brave and strong and compassionate."

Another sigh. "I don't know." an impression of a slight scoff. "Here I am, a leading scientist, and… I just don't know."

"Few do. Especially in these sorts of times." Daniel said solemnly.

It was silent again. Then, curiosity stirred in the depths of Yui's soul. "Mr. Theisman?" she said. "Is it… possible for me to give Gendo a message? Through you?"

Daniel blinked physically. "That… that is something that is… well, perilous is almost not strong enough a word for it."

"Even still. If he could hear my voice again, know what I want him to know… it would make a difference. I'm sure."

Daniel contemplated all of this for a moment. What could happen? What would happen? It was an intriguing thing, this request. If he accepted it…

"Well," Daniel said after a moment, seeing the anticipation thrum through Yui's soul, "give me a moment before you start."

He created a Frame for an Expression, a simple thing, really, to just capture Yui Ikari's voice and emotions. It was done in a moment, and the Frame glowed as he energized it, activating the Expression. "Alright." he said. "Just speak to him. I'll be able to capture it."

An impression of a deep breath, as a storm of emotions briefly flurried to life before being stilled by a practiced calm.

"Gendo. It's me. Yui. I know you haven't heard my voice in… years. You've looked at the core of Unit-01, and wondered what I thought. What I've been thinking."

A pause. "There's… so much to say. About what's happened, about what's going to happen, about Shinji. About… the daughter I never knew I had. Rei."

"Before everything else, know that, even after all that you've done… I still love you. I don't know if you don't expect that. But I do. I know that the man I love couldn't just disappear. Not after everything we did together."

"But even still…" an undercurrent of anger presaged and flowed with her next words. "I can't help but be… so, so angry at you for what you've done to Shinji. To our son. I left those pictures for him, for you, to remember me by, for a reason. I'd wanted you to continue on and remember my love, for the both of you. I wanted you to be there for Shinji. To help explain to him why I did what I did. And you abandoned him."

Yui's anger grew steadily as she continued. "You left our son, your son, confused and hurt and alone. Alone, Gendo! I thought when he finally reconnected with me in the Entry Plug, I would be working with a Shinji who was excited to work with you. I thought, messed up though we were, we could be a family again. But you've hurt him. You've nearly broken our boy! Left him with nothing but resentment and guilt and loneliness for the people he should love most! I… I hate that! I hate what you've done to Shinji!"

The anger wordlessly reached its peak, then ebbed into melancholy. "But… you're broken too, Gendo. Aren't you? I… I broke you. By entering the core. I had my reasons then. SEELE would kill me for the knowledge that you now seem to possess. I was sure of it. It was the only way to escape, then. And I'm sorry I never told you that. I'm sorry, Gendo." sadness overcame her for a moment.

"Above all else," she said after a moment of silence, as a forlorn happiness began to infuse itself into her speech, "Know that I… I miss you. The old you. The one who loved deeply and passionately, who looked at our baby boy with the most wondrous look in his eyes, like he'd beheld a miracle. I would give anything in the world to know that that's who's waiting for me on the other side of this core."

"I wish I could be so optimistic as to think a single message could change you so completely as I hope to. But… at least it's a start."

As Yui Ikari finished her message, satisfaction was evident on Daniel's soul as he deactivated the Expression. "Done, Mrs. Ikari. I'll make sure it gets to him."

"Wait." Yui said, as Daniel prepared to leave, curiosity making her glow like a main sequence star. "How… how are you doing all this? How are you talking to me?"

Daniel sent the impression of a small, knowing smile. "You're a Metaphysical Biologist, correct?"

"Yes, I am. I studied under the pioneer in the field, Professor Fuyutsuki. Why?" a wave of excitement swept over her. "Has there been a breakthrough? Can people now communicate soul to soul?"

Daniel chuckled softly. "I'll just go ahead and say that Reality is far bigger than was once thought. Ask Shinji about it when you next talk. He'll be excited to tell you more."

Thoughtfulness washed over Yui's soul. "Can you… facilitate a communication between me and Gendo?"

Daniel blinked physically. "Yes, actually, I can. Would you like to add that to the end of your message?"

"Yes. Yes, please."

The Expression glowed again. "Alright. Go ahead."

That practiced calm returned. "If you want to talk to me again, come and see Unit-01 after the next Angel attacks. Those who can help make this happen will be there waiting for you. Gendo… I love you."

The Expression faded again. "Alright. I'll make sure this gets to him."

Gratitude swelled up in Yui's soul. "Thank you, Mr. Theisman. For this. For Shinji. For… everything you do."

Daniel smiled slightly. "Of course, Mrs. Ikari. And thank you, for keeping us, the world, safe."

He pulled back from the connection, and the view of Unit-01 sharpened in Daniel's field of vision again.

He looked around to ensure that he was alone, then cupped his hands as a small gemstone, a deep purple amethyst, grew in his hands as he intertwined the recording of Yui with it. Alongside it, he weaved in an Expression of compulsion for Gendo, to ensure that he would pick this gem up, and focus on it enough for the Expression to begin relaying the message to him.

It took only a moment, but Daniel smiled as he pocketed the gem, then looked back up at Unit-01's face and sighed. "Yui Ikari… Gendo doesn't deserve you."

He was silent for a moment, then chuckled as he began to walk away. "But really, what do I know about deserving?"

. . .

Daniel found himself in front of the Little Red Devil, Unit-02, and took a moment to remember. There were a lot of good things to remember that were now attached to this crimson giant, and especially its pilot.

He only took a moment to do so, then began to make his way towards Kyoko Zeppelin-Soryu's soul. He saw the twisted part of her soul, and effortlessly erected the barrier that he had taught Asuka how to make. "Mrs. Soryu?"

Interest and surprise bloomed in the goodly part of Kyoko's soul. "And am I out of line to assume that you would be Daniel, the Bruder that Asuka's told me so much about?"

Daniel chuckled. "Yes, that would be me, Mrs. Soryu."

An impression of a small smile as a chuckle echoed from Kyoko's soul. "Please, just call me Kyoko. You're already a part of the family according to Asuka."

Daniel chuckled slightly himself. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, Kyoko. And I'm glad that she regards me as such."

"Well, the right place at the right time seems to have made all the difference in the world, it seems." Kyoko said. Then, a moment of quiet. "The… the part of me on the other side did… horrible things to my liebling. I wish… I wish I knew what would happen."

Another pause. "We just wanted to follow in Yui's footsteps. Who could have guessed…"

"Kyoko." Daniel said patiently. "Like I told Mrs. Ikari, the past is the past."

Surprise. "You've talked to Yui? Come to think of it, how are you talking to me, right now? How did you make the barrier that separates the two parts of my soul? How did you teach her to do that?"

Daniel smiled knowingly. "I would expect no less of an inquisition from a scientist of your caliber." Daniel went quiet as he pondered what to say next. "Reality is far more expansive than you could have imagined before. When one connects to it, the soul of it, one can do amazing things. Like speaking to the soul of an Evangelion. Or accomplishing things that were once considered magical."

Wonder and excitement sparkled across Kyoko's soul. "Wow…" she was silent for a moment as curiosity and thoughtfulness arced around her soul, considering the implications of what Daniel had just said. "Could you… heal me, then?" she said pensively. "Find a way to stitch my soul back together?"

Daniel was silent for a moment. It was a tall order, and he said as such. "My wife would be a little more versed in that area. I'll speak to her, see what she can do."

Gratitude. "Thank you, Daniel." she was quiet again. "Thank you… for being there for Asuka. For being her Bruder. I wish I could have been there for her… but I'm here now." determination flared to life. "And I will protect her as best I can. I should do nothing less as her mother."

Daniel smiled again. "And I wouldn't expect anything less. It was good to meet you, Kyoko. I'll give Jünger your regards."

"Jünger?" a laugh. "I never would have guessed she'd have a pet name. Shows how much she likes you. And do tell her I love her. She hasn't heard it enough from me."

"Of course. Take care." Daniel pulled back from the connection, and Unit-02's crimson and orange face met his gaze once again.

Daniel shook his head slightly. 'I seem to be collecting favors today.' he scoffed slightly. 'It's not as though they don't deserve it, though. After all they've been through.'

. . .

Unit-03 was next. Mrs. Horaki was an unknown to him, unlike the other pilot's mothers. Hikari had described her as a kind, gentle sort. Even still, with the current pilot still being Kaworu, she had to be… confused, more than anything.

He focused, and Fujiko Horaki's soul came into view. As he connected, he saw a flash of fear blaze across Fujiko's soul. "Who is it now? Where's Hikari?"

"Mrs. Horaki, it's okay." Daniel said with as much reassurance as he could project. "My name is Daniel Theisman. I'm the head of engineering for the Evangelions. I'm a friend of Hikari's."

Fear faded into caution. "Really? How are… how are you doing this, then?"

Daniel sighed quietly. "That would take… a lot of explaining. Explaining that I'm sure Hikari would be more than happy to do."

Fujiko's caution began to ebb slightly. "Very well. Where is Hikari? Why is she not here anymore? The only ones who have connected with me since… that thing, the Angel, whatever, were Hikari's friends, Shinji and Asuka, and… the boy. The thing."

"Kaworu?" Daniel said, concern evident in his voice. He still wasn't quite clear on how kaworu synched with Unit-03. Perhaps Mrs. Horaki could shed some light.

There was a distinct impression of a shudder. "Yes. Him. Whatever he is. That boy isn't human. He has this… presence that simply overwhelms me whenever I wake up. I can't seem to do anything. Everything moves outside of my control, like I'm a prisoner in my own body. I.. I hate it."

Daniel sighed quietly. "Kaworu… I would not be surprised if Kaworu has come to dislike what he is able to do as much as you do. It may be a part of his very nature, but…" Daniel trailed off. What else could he say?

"Whatever he does," Fujiko said, "I'd rather it be for as short a time as possible. I want my daughter back."

"And we're trying to make that possible as soon as we can." Daniel said. "After the Angel attack, the head doctor of NERV wanted to ensure that something didn't happen to her, so she's on leave for now. But she'll be back soon. I promise."

"Good." Fujiko said. "I miss her." she went quiet for a moment. "I've missed my daughter. She's grown so much since…" she trailed off.

"Well, Mrs. Horaki," Daniel said, "it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll give your love to your daughter when next I see her, if that's alright with you."

"Yes, please. Thank you, Mr. Theisman. It was… interesting to meet you."

Daniel nodded, and pulled away from the connection, sighing quietly. 'I wish there was something more I could do, but I'm not in charge of deployments. Especially this one. When Hikari gets back to Unit-03 is Ritsuko's call.'

Daniel nodded, then smirked slightly. He had one last visit to make, short though it may be.

. . .

Daniel linked himself to Chizue... no, Hayase Suzuhara's soul, and the distinct impression of a smirk was the first thing he felt. "Well, hello again, Daniel." Hayase said. "It's been a little while."

"Hello, Chizue. Or, should I say, Hayase." Daniel said, a smile slowly growing on his own face. "There's not much need for me to be jumping into the Evangelion like I did for Zeruel, so visits like this are unfortunately rare."

"I can imagine." Hayase said. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "Hold on. Why can't I see you? Where are you?"

Daniel chuckled softly. "I'm just looking in. I have to be within the core itself in order to properly see you."

Hayase gave an impression of a slow nod. "Makes sense, I guess. From what I've learned about what you've been teaching my Toji, it's the least you can do."

Daniel chuckled again. "Yes. Toji has been a joy to teach. He learns quickly when he wants to. It helps that his girlfriend is there to help move things along."

A wry chuckle. "I can imagine. Having someone as sweet but stern as Toji says Hikari is seems like the perfect motivator." a pause, then a sigh. "He has a girlfriend. And I may never see them. I may…"

"Hayase." Daniel said seriously. "We'll find a way to get you out when this is all over. I can promise that much. You will see your son again in the flesh. You all will."

Shock and surprise jolted through Hayase's soul as he said this. "You… you can do that?"

"Yes." Daniel said, with the utmost certainty. "We can make it happen. It might be a little while. But we can do it."

A happiness almost eclipsing everything else Hayase thought or felt shone like a mid-day sun. "Thank you." she said simply. "Thank you."

"Of course, Hayase." Daniel said, simply taking in the resplendent, radiant amount of joy that Hayase expressed. "I don't have much more time, so I'll have to be going. It was good to talk to you again."

"And to you too, Daniel. See you around." Hayase said.

Daniel pulled away from the connection, and looked up at the giant in chrome.

He briefly thought about visiting Unit-00, but dispelled it nearly as quickly. There was no conversation to be had there right now. Nor, really, would there ever be.

As he walked away, he pulled out his phone, dialling a particular number. As it picked up, he spoke promptly. "Ritsuko, I'm about to ask for a big favor."

Commander's Office, The Next Day

Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki stepped into the office and suppressed weary sighs. Only Gendo succeeded.

The Committee was dissatisfied with the amount of progress that had come from the S2 Organ research conducted by Doctor Akagi. They were always dissatisfied, one way or another.

As Gendo sat at his table in seemingly the only place he seemed to belong anymore, with Fuyutsuki by his side, his gaze was drawn to a simple gemstone, seemingly cut into a small tube with points at the ends.

Gendo stared at it for a long moment. "Sensei," Gendo said, "do you know who left this for me?"

Fuyutsuki shook his head as Gendo slowly reached for the gem, leaning to examine it. "No, Gendo. I don't. It's quite a catching stone."

Gendo was silent as he seemed to peer into the depths of the stone. Fuyutsuki waited for Gendo, and his eyes widened as he saw the seemingly impossible.

A single tear rolled down the side of Gendo's slack jawed face, and a single word escaped his lips in a strangled whisper. "Yui…"

Fuyutsuki's eyes widened still further as Gendo stood suddenly. "Gendo?" Fuyutsuki said, concern furrowing his brow as Gendo rounded his desk. "What about Yui?"

Gendo said nothing as he began to walk faster towards the door of his office.

"Gendo? Gendo!" Fuyutsuki shouted. But his questions went unheard, as the door shut behind a Gendo that almost seemed to be running.

Fuyutsuki stared at the closed door for a moment more. 'What is going on?'

Central Dogma, NERV-HQ

Misato stared at the central screen as she stood on the command deck, alarms screaming around her. On the monitor, a glowing, almost bird-like Angel hung in the night sky, seemingly cobbled together into its present shape, with spikes seeming to jut out at almost, but not quite wrong angles as they formed the 'wings' of the Angel.

Arael. That was what Daniel had called this. They knew what it could do. What it was supposed to do. And… they had to let it do it. Misato hated that fact. But there were other factors in play here, she thought, as her mind wandered back to the planning sessions they had had.

"Alright." she had said, when Daniel first proposed his plan. "I'm just going to come out and say it right now. That is the worst thing I have ever heard in my life." her brow had been furrowed in concern. "I need to put my pilots in harm's way, and keep them there, to make sure that you can do what you need to do?"

Daniel had sighed. "Yes. I wish that there were any other way. But it's that, or face the potential for the Scions to gain a weapon of similar power and type to Arael's. One that they can use repeatedly."

The room had fallen silent then. "So," Daniel said as the silence began to stretch on, "we need to consider deployments. Knowing Commander Ikari, he'll want Shinji and Unit-01 out of the way, possibly even waiting on standby in the gantry."

Shinji had rolled his eyes at that. "It figures. Put my friends into danger, and leave me to watch." he said, with no small amount of bitterness.

Daniel nodded. "It's going to be rough. But, more than likely, Rei, Kaworu, and Toji will be up there. As for you, Asuka… I'm unsure. He might put you on the surface, he might not."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Great. I might get to miss taking potshots at the Angel. That bites."

Daniel was silent for a moment as a pained look entered his eyes. He had blinked. Asuka's look of annoyance became realization, then Daniel continued. "Either way," he had said, "we can't expect much in the way of direct combat. You'll have to rely on your AT Fields, and the protection I've been able to give you."

Misato blinked as Captain Hyuga came to her side, shaking her from her thoughts. "Major," he said, "it seems to be holding a geostationary orbit right above us. However…"

Maya turned to look at them from her console. "Its position is far too low to maintain such an orbit. And yet…"

Ritsuko, who stood by Maya, grimaced. "More than likely, it's using its AT FIeld to maintain its position."

All eyes turned back to look at the Commander.

But the chair that he sat in was empty, a flustered Fuyutsuki by its side as always. No one had seen Commander Ikari in days. And right now, the only person that had an idea of why he might be gone was Ritsuko. And she was studiously not saying anything.

Misato, for the first time in what seemed like ages, was… in command of an operation. It was rather refreshing really. So, there had been some changes in deployment.

Now, in addition to Rei and Kaworu hefting two copies of the Portable Positron Cannon, and Toji hefting a massive rocket launcher that was built for firing ICBMs, Asuka waited in the gantry to deploy, and Shinji stood back, ready and waiting to deploy his AT Field should the need arise.

Misato looked back at the deployment and smirked. Finally, they could use everything that they had.

Hikari made her way to the bridge alongside Eleanor as they came to a stop beside Misato. Hikari looked at the screen that held Unit-03 within it. "I hope everyone will be… okay." she said quietly.

Eleanor looked at Hikari, and even without the Sight, she could tell that there was worry, not just for the pilots, but for her mother as well. She put a hand on Hikari's shoulder as Hikari looked up at her. "Don't worry. It's going to be rough. But they'll make it."

Hikari nodded, then looked back at the screen. The Angel seemed to stare at them all without any eyes. It was more than a little unnerving.

Up on an abandoned street, Daniel walked along, holding an umbrella to protect him from a sky that rained like it seemed to know what was about to happen, listening to the wails of the Angel alarms. He toyed with a ring, a simple thing with a bright yellow gemstone, that seemed to weigh slightly more than it should. It was his protection from the Angel, stronger than the protection he had embedded in the Children's A10 clips. Granted, he did not have an Eva-scale AT Field to attenuate the Angel's attack, which necessitated some adjustments in his own shielding.

He breathed deeply as he stopped in front of the first building that housed whatever the Scions were using to capture Arael's light. 'Showtime.'

. . .

Rei shifted the grip of her Positron Canon in her hands, and tried not to feel… something. She couldn't quite put a single word to the mixture of anxiety and seeming helplessness that she felt, knowing the weapon she held was mostly useless. They needed the Lance. Daniel knew that. They all knew that now. But with Commander Ikari absent… they needed another way to retrieve the Lance from Terminal Dogma.

"The Lance will be the only thing in our arsenal, as it were," Daniel had said, "that can break the AT Field of Arael. We know that. Commander Ikari will come to that conclusion. But even still, we need to show that we need the Lance. That means, well, showing how ineffective the rest of the arsenal is."

Rei adjusted the aim of her Positron Canon. It was a newer model, able to fire more quickly and with a greater ammo capacity, but it would be weaker. It would have to do, she thought as she pressed a button on her controls, the Magi assisted targeting reticle piercing through the heavy cloud cover like it wasn't even there. Even still, Arael was only a glowing dot in the distance. It would be enough.

"Alright, then." Misato said, as a panel popped up in all of the Children's displays, "We're not taking any chances on this thing. Rei, you, Kaworu, and Toji will be firing a simultaneous salvo to try and break this thing's AT Field. Get ready."

Kaworu and Toji responded with an affirmative. Rei simply nodded. Screens showing Kaworu and Toji appeared on her console to replace Misato. "Pilot Nagisa," she said, all business, "is your weapon prepared to fire?"

Kaworu gave a slight nod. "It will be ready to fire in," his eyes darted away from looking at her, then back, "1 minute, 30 seconds." he smiled slightly. "I can assume that yourself and Toji are ready as well?"

Rei nodded slightly. "You would be correct in your assumption, pilot Nagisa." silently, she admitted to herself that, even as annoying as his mysterious smile could be, it was comforting that someone was confident enough to smile at all.

"Alright, I've got a lock. Ready whenever you two are." Toji said, and his statement coincided with the clear tone of Kaworu's Positron Canon reaching full charge.

"I have a lock as well." Kaworu said.

"Very well." Rei said without inflection. "Fire."

. . .

Shiro and Takana winced slightly as the protective barrier around the rooftop they occupied only slightly muffled the sound of a barrage of fire coming from the Evas. They were new to all this, but they knew what they were told to do, as they hastened their work on the machine that was supposed to do… something with the Angel that was above them. They didn't know what. All they were told was how to set it up, turn it on, and step back and let it do the rest.

As they came close to finishing their work, they heard the door to the rooftop open behind them, turning to see a man emerge from it.

As they reached for their backs, and the weapons holstered in their pants, he raised a hand. "Hold on a moment." he said. "For the Unity, my friends."

Shiro and Takana relaxed. "Oh, good." Shiro said. "We wouldn't have wanted to make any mistakes, now."

The man nodded. "Right." he looked at the machine with a critical eye. "So, this is what we're using, are we? I haven't gotten the chance to see it set up."

Shiro and Takana turned around. "Well, from what we've been told-" Takana started.

He never finished his sentence, as a chain of stars connected by glowing lines wrapped itself around the two men's arms and torsos, snaking down to trap their legs together as they tumbled over in surprise.

Daniel looked over his handiwork, and nodded. "Sorry, gentlemen." he said, stepping towards the machine as another set of stars sprang to life in his hand, and an interconnected circle of stars sprang to life at the base of the machine, the lines that connected them slowly starting to spiral upwards as new stars flickered to life along their length.

Soon, an Expression like a tower of stars in an intricate constellation surrounded the device. "But I can't let your masters have this sort of power." he held the bottom of the tower in miniature in his hand, and held the top of the tower, twisting both ends.

The tower surrounding the device twisted as well, and the sight of the machine was replaced by utter blackness, a void that drew even the light of the stars towards it, before Daniel twisted the tower in his hands again, the void being replaced by empty air as the tower dissolved.

Daniel looked down at the two men he had tied up. "I'll let you two get to shelter. The door's that way, as I'm sure you know." he said nodding behind his back.

The two men nodded. "How the hell did you do that?" Shiro said, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"A lot of practice." Daniel said simply, closing his eyes as he focused on the next location he needed to get to.

As he opened his eyes to begin constructing an Expression to take him there, the sky brightened for a moment, before dimming, as a canopy of translucent energy darkened in response. 'Arael's attacking now. I've got to hurry, make this as short as possible.'

He breathed deeply as a wireframe of stars gleamed at the center of his body and appendages. "One down, three to go." his body disappeared, the constellation flying through the barrier with a ripple.

. . .

Misato watched the feed as three globules of antimatter, followed closely behind by an N2 missile, screamed towards Arael faster than the speed of sound. A tense moment passed as they watched the projectiles exit the atmosphere, then a bright flash of light erupted as the antimatter packets and the N2 mine collided with the Angel's AT Field at nearly the same time.

As the corona of the explosion, a result of the most powerful weapons in the human arsenal to date, Faez turned to look at Misato and Ritsuko. "Negligible effect on the enemy's AT Field. There's too much distance for the positron shots to have any effect."

Misato shook her head. "Of course." she looked at Rei, Kaworu and Toji. "Rei, Kaworu, for your next shots, up the power somewhat on your weapons. That should allow the rounds to have at least some power when they reach the target."

Rei and Kaworu both nodded. "Roger." they said, nearly in unison, as they adjusted the power of their weapons on their consoles.

Rei fought to not have her brow quirk in annoyance. She mostly succeeded. They had gotten Arael's attention. Now…

Rei felt an almost prickling sensation that spread from the back of her eyes to cover her entire body. "It's…" she said, her brow furrowing further. "It's looking at me."

Before anyone could respond, a shaft of brilliant light pierced the clouds, and fell on Unit-00.

Rei felt the weight of Arael's presence like it was something physical, and as she used her Sight, she could see the Frames within the light, grasping like tendrils.

She could feel Daniel's protection at work, the Frames growing and regrowing even as the Angel's attack latched onto them and shattered them, the attack grasping for the rest of her soul even as the defense held firm.

Even still, Rei felt a dull ache bloom at the base of her skull, spreading to encompass her whole head until she squeezed her eyes shut from the vice-like pain.

Within Central Dogma, alarms began to blare as Misato looked over at Maya. "Are we looking at a directed energy weapon here?" she said.

Maya shook her head as she looked at her screen. "No, ma'am. I'm reading no thermal energy output." she looked back at the screen, and her eyes widened. "The psychographs for Unit-00 are beginning to fluctuate wildly!"

Misato turned back to the screen. "Kaworu, Toji, get ready to fire another shot! Rei, can you hear me?"

Rei shook her head. "Barely… lining up… a shot…"

Slowly, as if the Eva itself was in physical pain, it lined up the shot again, and held it for as long as it could.

Kaworu did something entirely unexpected as he waited for the seemingly glacial charge to build up again. He tapped his foot with impatience. Ayanami, his fellow pilot, his friend, was in an increasing amount of physical pain. They needed to do something. Anything. It grated at him to wait with an unexpected intensity, causing him to almost miss Toji confirming that he was ready to fire again.

The tone sounded, and Misato barely had to give the order before another, more powerful barrage flew from the Children's weapons.

Another tense moment passed in silence as the barrage made its way towards the Angel. A groan rose as the barrage shared its forebear's fate, splashing harmlessly against the AT Field of the Angel.

Misato shook her head. "We need something. Anything."

Ritsuko looked on as the shaft of light seemed to intensify in its brightness, as Rei began to clutch her head. "As for the suggestion to get the Lance," Daniel had said, "if it isn't given by Commander Ikari, it'll need to come from you. You're supposedly the most in the know right now. If Commander Ikari is going to agree with anyone, it's going to be you."

Well, now Commander Ikari wasn't here, she thought, as she glanced back at Fuyutsuki. He was far more cautious than the Commander. If he wasn't going to bring up the Lance, then no one else would.

"Get… out of my… head…" Rei said, and those in the know on the bridge felt a small spike of terror. The defences were starting to fail for Rei.

"Nothings working." Toji said as he growled in frustration. "Why can't we hit this thing and be done with it?"

Kaworu, whose image rhythmically bobbed up and down as he tapped his foot, suddenly stilled as he laid the Positron Rifle aside. "I'm going in to bolster Ayanami's defences." Unit-03 stood, and began to run towards Unit-00.

"Kaworu…" Rei said after a moment. "Don't…"

. . .

Daniel sped through the light of the Angel, his own light, and his protections of speed and the ring, keeping away the worst of Arael's degradations. Already, he had taken care of the next 2 devices. Now, there was just one more. One more, then he could stop worrying. At least as much.

The barrier he was headed for rippled as he passed through it, his body becoming flesh and bone once again as he stepped forward, then stopped.

In front of him, Tavis Farhaven, along with the other woman who broke into the Geofront, stood between him and the machine that was his goal. Daniel sighed quietly. "Mr. Farhaven."

Tavis stepped forward. "We wondered if you would interfere, fallen one. It seems our suspicions were confirmed."

Daniel sighed a little louder this time. "You know, if we're going to do battle with words as much as with weapons, the least you could do is call me by my actual name. I'm Daniel."

Tavis blinked, then stepped forward again, as a Grip of semi-solid mist materialized in his hand. "We cannot allow you to upset our plans, f- Daniel. The Great Cause must continue. With or without you."

Daniel nodded as he stepped forward, his own Grip appearing in his hand. "Tavis, the Great Cause has caused nothing but suffering. What point is there to unity if it's built off the back of sorrow?"

Tavis shook his head as he continued to approach, the Grip forming a sword blade of luminescent mist. "Suffering. What do you know of it? You haven't been a skaa, toiling in a field of ash trying to get the crop done quickly so you don't fear your royal master's lash. Suffering is necessary to growth. That is the first lesson of life." he said, coming to a stop a few meters away as the woman backed away towards the device.

Daniel was silent for a moment, as his Grip became a swordspear seemingly composed of many different gems that flowed into one another, and began to hum. "Necessary?" he said quietly. "You think this," he said, sweeping his weapon towards the somewhat hazy scene of Unit-00, crouched nearby and shuddering in pain, "is necessary?" he shouted.

Daniel shook his head as he took the swordspear in both hands. "And I know far more of suffering than you think. What do you think goes into making a Hollow Saint of me, a strident member of the Worldstrider Corps?"

"They broke me, Tavis. Body, mind, and soul." he said in disgust. "Turned me into a weapon that they unleashed on any world that incurred their displeasure at the head of their largest armies."

Tavis and the woman's eyes widened as he said this, and they were shocked into a moment of silence.

Tavis shook his head, his eyes hardening as he settled into a stance. "You lie. No man becomes a Hollow Saint, a being of the closest Proximity, without willingly stepping into their position. You have truly fallen if you act such as you do."

Daniel shook his head as he entered a ready stance. 'A true believer. I don't have time for this.'

"Tavis, stand aside, and you two will live. I can promise that much." he said.

"No." Tavis said simply.

"Very well." Daniel said, just as simply.

Stillness became motion, and the shell of a god and the god's disciple clashed under the glare of an uncaring, hostile heaven.

. . .

Rei fought Arael's attacks as best she could, using her own Interfacing to shore up the defences that Daniel had put in place. It was pressing in, and she felt… pain. Everywhere. It seemed to suffuse itself with her very being, driving out almost all thought. Except, of course, registering that Kaworu was coming to her defence. "Kaworu…" she said weakly. "Don't…"

And yet, Unit-03 was by Unit-00's side, as an AT Field unfurled above them, the pain lessening as the Field strengthened.

Rei shook her head to try and clear it, only somewhat succeeding. "Pilot Nagisa," she said, no small amount of annoyance evident in her pained expression, "this is unwise. We are unsure of how it… will…"

The presence, the weight of the Angel, lifted, and Rei and Kaworu blinked in confusion. "Why is it… stopping?" Kaworu said

In Central Dogma, Misato and Ritsuko's eyes widened with shock and horror as Arael seemed to… bloom, for lack of a better word, smaller, more delicate spikes sprouting from its 'wings'. "Rei, Kaworu!" Misato shouted. "Get-"

She could not finish her statement before the light burst through the clouds once again, brighter than before.

Kaworu's AT Field shattered, and the defenses that Daniel put in place for both of them were swept aside.

It was there. It was inside of them. Thoughts, memories, all were laid bare before the harsh, inhuman glare of Arael. And Rei and Kaworu screamed.

. . .

Daniel and Tavis clashed, then again, stepping back from each other as Daniel's weapon sang in his hand as he swung it and struck Tavis's sword. Tavis drove forward, as the woman launched shards of glass at Daniel which he batted aside easily, launching motes of starlight at Tavis, at the woman, and at the now thrumming machine.

Daniel's reach was simply too great, his skill in the swordspear going unmatched by Tavis's swordplay as he sliced and jabbed, driving Tavis slowly back towards the machine. Tavis stepped inside of Daniel's reach unexpectedly, causing him to backstep, his blade becoming a short rifle which he shouldered to begin firing at Tavis.

Tavis now began to backpedal, throwing up a sheet of mist that surrounded his body to block the oncoming barrage. As it stopped for a moment, tendrils of mist emerged from the sheet that surrounded Tavis's body, as Daniel's rifle became a two-handed sword, slicing at the grasping tentacles.

As the mist fell from Tavis's body, the sky dimmed. The woman was the first to notice this. "Tavis?" she said, looking up as she ceased her barrage.

Tavis shook his head. "What, Ymris?"

Daniel looked up as well, and his weapon dipped as he looked at the sky, then at Unit-03 by Unit-00. Then his eyes widened as he turned back to look at the two Scions. "Run!" he said, as the light of Arael came back, stronger than before, causing the protective shield of their heads to darken further as it began to bubble and warp.

Ymris shook her head. "Tavis… he's right. If we get hit by that…"

Tavis looked at Daniel, then the light. Then he growled in frustration. "Alright." he said, backing up towards Ymris. "We'll leave for now." he looked over at Daniel. "But we're not done yet."

Daniel simply looked at them as Ymris caused two glass figures to appear in her hand, crushing them and shattering the image of them into thousands of pieces. Then he got to work, his Grip disappearing as he began to summon the Expression once again. He would need to act quickly, dispose of the tower in front of him before the barrier broke.

He pushed the Expression as fast as he could, and after what felt like far too long, the tower vanished in a flash of darkness.

Daniel sighed. It was done. Now, it was-

His train of thought was interrupted by a hollow crack, and as he looked up, the protective barrier shattered, bathing him in Arael's light.

He was driven to his knees by the sudden pain, his defenses struggling to keep up for a moment until they were swept aside.

Then, he was surrounded again, as old memories replayed, the eyes and the voices making a great babble, a part of which sang a familiar chorus. The noise only barely edged out Daniel's screams of pain as he clutched his head.

. . .

Shinji stepped forward in Unit-01. "Misato!" he shouted. "Let me go help!"

"Not yet, Shinji!" Misato shouted in turn. "We need… something!" she said helplessly, as Rei and Kaworu continued to scream. They had started to bleed from their noses, and Misato could almost catch a teardrop of blood getting ready to roll down Rei's cheek. "Rei, Kaworu! Can you hear me?"

"Get… out…" Kaworu grated through a jaw clamped shut by pain.

Rei opened her eyes, and the bloody tear slid down the side of her face. Her pupils were different sizes now, and her eyes began to drift apart. "My… my… head…"

"Hold on!" Misato said, her eyes wide in shock and desperation. She turned to Ritsuko, missing Eleanor putting a hand to her head and starting to shudder slightly. "Ritsuko, please, tell me we have something that can reach the Angel." she said, nearly pleadingly.

Ritsuko was silent for a moment, then a look of determination crossed her gaze. "We do have something. The Lance."

Misato's eyes seemed to widen still further. "The Lance?" she said, as Fuyutsuki's eyes widened.

Ritsuko nodded. "Yes. The Lance of Longinus." she turned to look a shocked Fuyutsuki in the eye. "Sir, permission to send a Unit to retrieve the Lance of Longinus from Terminal Dogma."

. . .

Rei struggled to focus, to even think, as Arael continued to drive into her memories like a luminous drill. It had gotten back to before the beginning, when Lilith first left the world of the First Ancestral Race, and began her journey to Earth.

She struggled to peel open her eyes, and looked over as best she could at Kaworu. He looked like he was in almost as much pain as she was. Perhaps more. 'Kaworu…'

. . .

Kaworu's mind was a riot of light and thought and pain.

He saw a cold, empty room. The only things that occupied it were himself, a bed, and a violin case on a stand. His clothes, his meals, and his tasks were brought to him by people with uncaring gazes.

It was better than the tube that had been his entire world beforehand. Now, he simply waited as he played the violin, the notes singing over, but not quite covering, the Call that had gnawed at him since his inception. He pondered on the first words he had heard, from a man who was as much machine as flesh and bone.

"You are Tabris." the gravelly voice had said simply. "You will bring the joy of salvation through unity."

"And how will I do that?" he said, unsure of how he knew the words.

The old man smiled slightly. "Through death."

Tabris, Kaworu, smiled. He had seen this before. He would see it again. In this place, and in others.

Further back the Angel seemed to reach, as it breached a barrier in his mind, nay, his very soul, and showed him… the beginning.

. . .

Daniel's mind was on fire, much like the landscape that seemed to fill his gaze. The city burned, and many of the people along with it. They had not given themselves to Unity, so they would be swept aside, to allow for those more willing to step forward.

It was an Echo much like any other, and all had blurred together for the renewed Hollow Saint. It would not matter what this one was like, in the end. It would burn all the same. Regardless of the giants that had strode across it in its defence.

'I need…' Daniel managed to think before any further legible words were swept away. He needed to get out. He needed to focus, just long enough to create an Expression. But Arael's light seemed to consume… everything, as blood dripped from his eyes and nose.

. . .

Fuyutsuki was frozen in a moment of shock. The Lance? How did she know? Was it Gendo? Those and a thousand other questions raced through his mind in a second. "I…" Fuyutsuki managed to say before trailing off again. If the Lance was deployed here, the old men would be angry. More than angry. It was a vital part of Instrumentality. If they…

"Sir," Misato said, derailing Fuyutsuki's train of thought, "I must ask that we deploy whatever weapon this is. If it can defeat the Angel, we must use it!"

Before Fuyutsuki could protest, Shinji spoke up again. "Misato, whatever you're doing, hurry, please!"

Fuyutsuki's eyes were drawn to look at Shinji. The concern and fear evident in his eyes reminded him of… of her. Of the concern that Yui always shared for others. 'He is his mother's son.'

"Very well," he said after a moment of silence, "send Unit-02 to retrieve the Lance and prepare to use it."

Misato turned to look at Asuka, who nodded. "On it! Just get me down there as soon as you can!" Asuka looked at a panel that seemed to hold Rei and Kaworu's faces. "Rei! Kaworu! Hold on! We're getting something to help!"

They barely responded with more than a twitch now, and Maya looked at the psychographs in alarm. "Rei and Kaworu's psychographs are starting to flatline! Please, hurry!"

. . .

Asuka tapped her foot as she was lowered down into Central Dogma, descending down a massive shaft on a cable and foothold strong enough to hold a full tanker ship. And it was descending quickly. Just not quickly enough. "Come on," she said, "can't these things go any faster?"

Faez's cool, calm voice filtered through the speakers. "The cable is going as fast as it can, even a little faster than it should. Any more, and the cable will snap under the heat."

Asuka shook her head. "Alright, enough of this." she said as she kicked free of the foot strap at the end of the cable. "I'm descending on my own!"

She let go off the cable, and bounced down from wall to wall, leaving massive scrapes where she slid. 'Come on. Just have to get to Terminal Dogma.'

. . .

As Asuka made her descent, Misato turned back to Shinji. "Shinji! Toji! Put your AT Fields between Rei and Kaworu and the Angel! Buy Asuka some time!"

Shinji and Toji didn't need to be told twice, as Toji tossed aside the launcher he held, both boys heading towards Rei and Kaworu as fast as they could.

After what felt like far too long, Unit-01 and Unit-04 came to a stop beside Unit-00 and Unit-03, raising their hands to the sky as the chromatic octagon of their combined AT Fields attenuating the light, the force of its activation shattering windows for kilometers around them.

Maya looked at the life support readouts of Rei and Kaworu with worry evident in her eyes. "I'm barely reading anything on their life support!"

. . .

It was fear now. Deep in Terminal Dogma. Rei held Kaworu's Entry Plug in Unit-00's massive hand, and wept at the smile that was on his face in her comm screen. "You lied!" she said. "You said you could fight it!"

Kaworu gave that damned smile that he always did. "And I did. For as long as I could. Now, you have to end this. You have to stop me."

"Why me?" she said, barely above a whisper.

"Because I know you care enough to do it." Kaworu said, and it hurt more than anything else that he was right.

"Please. Do it for Shinji and Asuka." Kaworu said calmly. "Do it in my memory."

Rei squeezed her eyes shut, a failing defense for the tears that escaped. Then her hand squeezed with it.

It would take hours to clean off the LCL, and the blood mixed in with it.

. . .

Daniel felt the presence of the eyes recede, as he looked across at Shinji and Toji nearby, casting an AT Field into the heavens. One that just so happened to cover him. 'Oh, good.' he numbly thought, then set to creating an Expression to get himself away almost on instinct.

The eyes watched intently as he turned into light, and flew away, out from under the reach of the spotlight. His job was done.

. . .

Asuka stood in front of Heaven's Door, the entrance to Terminal Dogma, and tried not to fidget as it opened slowly. In front of her, in a lake of LCL, stood a cross, upon which hung a white, almost bloated figure, lacking legs and bearing a mask with an upside down triangle and seven eyes. 'Hello, Lilith.' Asuka thought, as her gaze locked on the red bident that pierced Lilith's torso.

She waded into the knee deep pool, and grabbed the bident with both hands. Daniel's words flashed through her mind. "It's probably going to be stuck in there a little more tightly than you expect. Just pull as hard as you can."

Asuka braced herself, and pulled, the Lance eventually sliding out with a wet, sucking sound. Asuka turned, almost missing the legs that grew as quick as lightning as they splashed into the LCL below them. But that didn't matter right now. She had a world to save. Friends to save.

. . .

Kaworu looked into eyes that held nothing for him. Red eyes that should have been so much like his. "Ayanami, please. I'm sorry." he wept.

"No, Nagisa. Tabris." Rei said. "I thought we were alike. I thought I could understand you. After what happened to Shinji… what you did to Shinji…"

"It was an accident. I lost control." Kaworu sobbed.

"Control? I have resisted my Call. You said you could too. Liar."

"Please. Just end this already."

"End this? What happened to protecting your friends? Liar. End it yourself. I've stopped caring."

"Please!"

"Liar."

She turned away, and he never saw those eyes again.

. . .

"Just hold on, you two! Asuka will be at the surface in 90 seconds." Misato said, silently willing the lift holding Unit-02 and the Lance to go faster. To just be faster.

Shinji and Toji were sweating. Their defences from Daniel, along with their AT Fields, were providing a solid defense, but they didn't know how much longer it would last, especially if the Angel intensified its efforts again.

After what felt like forever, Asuka, with the red weapon in tow, emerged on a surface that held a torrent of rain. The bident became a spear, more of a rod really, and Asuka regarded it for a moment. "How do I use this damn thing?"

Fuyutsuki spoke up. "Obtain a lock on the Angel, and throw the Lance. It is a self-guided weapon, so it will do the rest."

Asuka nodded, and looked to the sky. The Magi locked onto the Angel after a moment, and Asuka tossed the Lance into the air, catching it in one hand and taking a javelineer's pose. "Alright. Eat this, you damn Angel!" she shouted, and took three bounding steps before she threw the Lance.

The clouds parted over Tokyo-3 as the Lance passed through them in the space of a second, breaking the speed of sound only a moment after as it sped into the atmosphere.

The Lance reached the Angel in seconds, slamming against its AT Field for a moment before the Field bulged, then tore, as the Angel was pierced through the center of its body, becoming a tiny, brilliant star before exploding silently in the sky. Arael was dead.

. . .

Rei blinked as her eyes came back into focus. Thinking was hard right now. Everything hurt. Where was…

She looked over at Unit-01 and Unit-04 by their side, and saw Unit-02 jogging towards them. 'Oh, good. Friends here. Need hugs. Now.'

She looked over at her screen, the one that showed Kaworu, his image slumped over much like she was. He wasn't blinking. Why wasn't he blinking?

"Kaworu…" Rei whispered, then darkness took her as she fell unconscious.

. . .

Misato watched the screen as Unit-02 and Unit-01 helped Unit-00 over to a gantry, Unit-04 doing the same for Unit-03. Eleanor had left the moment the Angel had been pierced by the Lance without a word, leaving a confused and somewhat scared Hikari on the bridge with her.

Misato hoped that Daniel would be okay. He had been out there without any of the protections of the Evangelion. Who knew what he had gone through? 'No. He's Daniel. He's going to be fine.' looking at the Children, she still wasn't so sure of that.

She looked back at Fuyutsuki, who had joined them on the command bridge, and stood next to Faez. "What's the status of the Lance?" he said.

Faez looked back at Fuyutsuki. "It blew past escape velocity as it exited the atmosphere, sir. Tracking puts it in a degrading lunar orbit in the next 3 hours."

Fuyutsuki sighed quietly, then nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant Faez." he looked at Misato. "What's the status of our pilots?" he said, concern edging into his voice.

'Well, at least someone up there cares about them.' she snarked silently before responding. "Shinji, Asuka and Toji are intact. However, Rei and Kaworu…" she looked at Ritsuko and Maya, who now stood by each other. Not too close to betray their budding relationship to others, but close enough.

Ritsuko sighed. "Rei and Kaworu's psychographs are… dangerously unstable right now, and the feedback from the Angel's attack likely caused some physical damage as well. I'll need to do a check-up on them. Really, I should do one on all of the ones that were in the path of the Angel's attack."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "I look forward to hearing the results, and I hope that those results will be positive."

. . .

NERV Medical Center, 3 Hours Later

Eleanor looked at Daniel's still form as the EKG beeped rhythmically, and tried not to let the tears that were in her eyes fall down her face. He was going to be fine. He was going to be fine. Nothing could stop that. Not the fact that he cringed away at her when she first found him in a disused back corner of the Geofront. Not the fact that he had shuddered as he looked sightlessly away from her. Not anything.

But he wasn't healing fully. The attacks made by Arael seemed to resist her Mending, and she needed more strength than she currently had on hand, at least another who could help her.

Her ruminations were interrupted by a rap at the door, and she looked up to see Ritsuko and, oddly enough, Hikari, as they walked in.

"How is he?" Hikari said quietly.

Eleanor sighed. "He'll live. That much is certain." she said, equally as quietly, before shaking her head. "He just… won't heal on his own. And I can't help him get back on his feet in any decent sort of time alone."

She sighed heavily as she sank down into a chair next to Daniel, putting her head into her hands. "I can't… I can't do this alone. But I am." she tried not to sob as hard as she could.

Then, Eleanor jumped slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up to see Hikari looking at her, worry and anxiety and determination locked in combat behind her eyes. "Can… can I help?"

Eleanor blinked, then blinked again, then smiled. "You know what? I should have thought about that earlier. Yes. Yes, you can actually."

Eleanor stood, and her emerald eyes glittered with newfound determination. "I'm about to teach you your first lessons in Mending." she walked around the hospital bed, motioning to a place at Daniel's side. "Stand right there, Hikari."

She looked at Ritsuko before she started. "Will you be able to watch? I know there are other things you'll probably need to do…"

"No, no." Ritsuko said, a gleam in her eyes. "I shouldn't pass up this." she said, as she gathered a small notebook and pen from her lab coat pocket.

Eleanor nodded, then looked back at Hikari. "Alright, Hikari, I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of throwing you into the deep end here. Mending on living things is a more… delicate task than on inanimate objects. Most times, objects are easy to piece back together, as they have a set Frame with fairly easy to intuit connections. Living beings with growing souls, on the other hand… that's a different prospect."

"Use the Sight, and I'll show you." Eleanor said, and all in the room began to look at Daniel's soul. It was a mess, like looking at a shattered glass suspended in resin.

"Now, much of the work here comes from studying the soul. It has a perfect memory of everything that happens to the spirit, mind and body. Find the proper image of how the Frame should look, and its relatively smooth sailing from there. Finding it, though… that's tricky."

Hikari's eyes widened slightly, and Eleanor chuckled. "But I've already done that. Right now, all that you have to worry about is linking up to my soul and channeling a little extra power through me. I'll show you what I'm doing, and then we'll reverse things, have you put some things back together. Sound good?"

Hikari nodded uncertainly, and Eleanor smiled. "That's the spirit. Let's begin."

Eleanor linked her soul to Hikari's, and she watched as Eleanor worked, feeding energy into Daniel's Frame and using Frames of her own to hold the pieces in place as they healed. Eleanor showed how to make the Frames she used to Hikari, then Hikari got to try putting a part of Daniel's Frame back together.

Hikari's brow was furrowed in concentration, as the delicate parts of the Frame she used grasped at the floating pieces,bringing them into line with a hazy outline that Eleanor said was the projection of the way Daniel's Frame should be, according to his soul. With the pieces aligned, Hikari fed the energy that she and Eleanor both had into the Frame.

After a moment, it flashed briefly, and Hikari retracted her Frame as Eleanor nodded in approval. "Good job, Hikari." she said, causing the young woman to blush slightly.

"I just did as I was told." Hikari said bashfully. "You made it all work."

Eleanor shook her head. "Watching someone with more experience than you and copying them is one of the first things you do when learning something. Don't worry. Once you get better at it, you can start to add your own personal touches."

Hikari nodded after a moment, and Eleanor nodded in turn. "Alright. Let's get back to work."

. . .

Daniel opened his eyes, then blinked as he heard the steady beep of an EKG. Everything hurt. A lot. But not as much as it should have, he thought, as he sat up on the bed, groaning as he did.

He looked around, and saw Eleanor and Hikari standing at the end of the bed, with Ritsuko behind them writing maddly.

Daniel shook his head as he raised a hand to it. "How… how long have I been out?" he said quietly.

"About 5 hours." Eleanor said softly as she went to his side. "How are you feeling?"

Daniel shook his head. "Like I got run over by a steamroller on fire. Other than that, just peachy."

Eleanor chuckled. "I'm not surprised. Arael did a number on you. It was kind of tough putting you back together at first. Then, I got some help." she said, looking back at a slightly blushing Hikari.

Daniel nodded after a moment. "Good job, Hikari." he looked back at Eleanor. "I should be able to piece myself back together on my own now. Go help some of the others." a worried look entered his eyes. "How is Rei? And Kaworu?"

Eleanor nodded. "They're starting to patch themselves back together. Rei more quickly than Kaworu. I'll be going and helping the process along."

Daniel nodded. "Then go and heal, physician of mine. I'll put myself back together, and likely be up and about in about an hour."

Elenaor nodded, leaning in and quickly kissing Daniel. "Alright. See you then." she straightened up and looked at Hikari. "Let's go help out Rei and Kaworu, get you some practice with your new skills."

Hikari nodded, and Eleanor and Hikari exited the room. Daniel watched them leave, then looked at Ritsuko, who stood there for a moment checking over her notes. "Like what you saw?" Daniel said with a wry grin on his face.

Ritsuko looked up from her notes at Daniel as she blinked, then blushed slightly. "If you're talking about the fact that medical science has taken a massive leap forward, then yes, I do like what I saw." she shook her head. "And here I thought your mind was at least more pure than Kaji's." she said with a slight chuckle.

Daniel shook his head as he chuckled in turn. "When you've lived and died as much as I have, you find whatever you can to have a chuckle at."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. "I'm sure. Good luck on your healing, Daniel."

"Thank you, Ritsuko." Daniel said, as Ritsuko exited, leaving him alone under a ceiling that was familiar, and yet unfamiliar.

. . .

Rei sat by the bedside of Kaworu, watching as Eleanor and Hikari got to work Mending Kaworu's soul. Shinji, Asuka and Toji watched on with their Sight, and Rei watched alongside them. It was… miraculous. That was a word, she thought, that could best describe the sights she saw.

Kaworu… she had a lot she wanted to ask him. A lot she wanted to tell him. And, as she watched Eleanor and Hikari stepp back from an at least somewhat repaired Frame, and Kaworu slowly opened his eyes, it seemed she would get her chance.

Kaworu looked around the room slowly. "Friends." he said quietly. "I… hurt."

Asuka scoffed quietly. "I don't doubt it, Kritzeln. You took a hell of a mental beating, it looked like."

Kaworu nodded. "Yes. That seems the most appropriate way to put it."

Rei looked at Kaworu intently, then her gaze swept across the rest of her friends. "I have private matters I would like to speak with Nagisa about."

The room was silent for a moment. "Alone." Rei said.

Heads nodded slowly, and Eleanor flashed a sympathetic smile. "We'll make sure and leave you to it then."

Rei smiled slightly. "Thank you, mother."

As eyebrows rose at Rei's choice of words, Eleanor shepherded the other Children out of the room.

After a moment of using her Sight to ensure that they would not be eavesdropped on, she looked at the boy. "Are you able to stand?"

Kaworu moved his arms and legs for a moment, then nodded as he slowly got to his feet. "It seems that I can."

As they stood in front of each other, Kaworu looked down at his hands. "I feel… differently than I did before."

Rei tilted her head slightly. "How so?"

Kaworu shook his head. "The Call, for one. It feels… muffled, somehow. And… I cannot explain it. It feels like my mind has been opened. Expanded."

Rei's brow furrowed. "Odd." it was quiet for a moment. "May I speak before you continue?"

Kaworu nodded. "You may."

A crack echoed through the small room as Rei slapped Kaworu across the face, her brow set in indignation. "Do not put yourself at risk like that again, Kaworu! That was extremely irresponsible, and led to an unnecessary increase in danger for both myself and the other pilots."

As Kaworu rubbed his face, he looked at Rei with a look of incredulity and wonder. "You called me Kaworu." he said dumbfoundedly.

Rei growled softly, then surprised Kaworu by hugging him tightly. "Yes, I did. And you may call me Rei."

Kaworu, now thoroughly confused, accepted the hug slowly. "Uh… Ay… Rei, may I ask what is going on?"

"You may." she said. "But you will not get an answer at this time. I am still trying to figure things out myself." she stepped back from the hug, and a flash of sadness made its way across Kaworu's face as the contact broke.

"You… you…" Rei said, then trailed off, her embarrassment becoming thoughtfulness as she studied Kaworu's expression. "What did you see?"

Kaworu sighed. "That is a question you will not quite get an answer at this time for, either. I am… still trying to understand what I saw myself."

Rei nodded slowly. "Very well."

Kaworu smiled slightly. "You seem quite flustered around me at this current moment. May I ask why?"

Rei blushed, and silence reigned for a heartbeat. Then another. "Because… I… I…"

Rei sighed. "I like you."

Kaworu blinked after a moment. "I do not fully understand. I thought we were already friendly with each other."

Rei shook her head. "No, no, Kaworu. I… I like you. I understand your struggles, your pain, your loneliness. You…"

Rei went quiet. "You're just like me." she said, barely above a whisper.

Kaworu stood rooted in place for a moment. "I… I like you too, Rei. You have been… nearly vital to helping me understand what it is like to be human. To know what the world is like. I cannot thank you enough for that. And…" it was Kaworu's turn to blush. "You look really cute when you're angry." he nearly squeaked. "Is that the correct word for it?"

Rei's eyes widened as she took in what Kaworu said. Then she sighed and smiled slightly. "Yes. I believe you may be using the word correctly."

Kaworu smiled back. "Oh good." he was quiet for a moment. "You look cute when you smile, too."

Rei blushed. "Thank you."

Kaworu nodded. "You are welcome."

After a moment of regarding each other, Rei blinked. "I wish to go check up on Daniel. He was in the path of Arael's attack as well. I wish to verify his condition myself."

Kaworu nodded. "Very well. May I accompany you?"

Rei nodded in turn. "You may."

Kaworu nodded. "Thank you." he turned, then paused. "I still wish to speak with you about what I saw later."

Rei regarded him seriously. "What did you see?"

Kaworu looked down. "I believe I saw… the beginning. Of Adam. And of Lilith."

Next Time on Apotheosis Echo...

An unexpected reunion occurs, and the beginning is finally explained. But knowledge of what might have been can be a dangerous thing. For what good is a future that could be when the past is irrevocably changed? Next Episode: End of Line.