Chapter 19: Lay to Rest
The next subject the Committee accepted, #1477, showcases the refinements that we made based on our experience with 1265. While 1265 cannot naturally function in public without drawing attention, 1477 is far more able to work without notice. However, due to an idiosyncrasy in the soul that went unaccounted for during the operation, the subject's psychological state, especially pertaining to sociability, was severely stunted. Significant progress has been made in remedying the problem, but as of the writing of this report, we cannot recommend the subject operate in large groups beyond 2 or 3 dozen.
- Confidential Report on the Theory and Application of Long-term AT-Field Manipulation, Section 4, "The AT-Edit System and Its Successes"
Akagi's Current Residence, Tokyo-2, 2120 Hours
Daniel sighed quietly as he walked into the hotel room, looking around at the small space for a moment before his gaze settled on the people in the dining room sitting at the table. It wasn't quite what it should be. What was, anymore?
Ritsuko and Maya both looked back at him expectantly, Hikari sitting across from them. The one person he didn't quite expect to be there was Misato, who looked back at him from the last seat at the table as Penpen looked over from beside her seat.
"Well, hello, Daniel." Misato said quietly. "Hope you don't mind me butting in. A commander has to keep tabs on things after all."
"Not at all." Daniel replied with a slight smile. "The only thing I might begrudge you is taking the last seat at the table."
The four of them looked at each other for a moment, then chuckled as they stood. "Well, then," Ritsuko said, "let's move to the living room. There's a little more seating space there."
As the group began to move, an annoyed, somewhat grumbled "wark" snaked into the air from a seemingly comfortably seated Penpen.
"Oh, come on." Misato said. "You can even sit on the couch next to me if you move."
Penpen tilted his head from side to side for a moment, then hopped up to his feet as he joined the others in waddling towards the living room.
As they settled in, Daniel started with little preamble. "The kids we retrieved from SEELE have had their souls altered."
Everyone's eyes went wide. "SEELE can do that?" Misato said incredulously.
"Honestly, the saddest part is that I'm not even surprised." Ritsuko said with a sigh of resignation. She looked at Daniel for a moment before continuing. "How hard is it going to be to undo?"
"Honestly…" Daniel began with a sigh. "It's going to be tough. Especially without prior experience, like Eleanor has. Getting the Flux caps off of their edited Frames will be easy enough, but fostering their regrowth… that's another matter entirely."
Hikari nodded. "Well… what do you think she would suggest, then?"
Daniel pondered for a moment, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Right now, we focus on getting the Flux caps off. If we can get them off outside of taking them aboard one of the Seabreakers, we do that. If not, oh well, we'll have the tools on hand anyways. After that…" he shrugged. "We get to be there for them while the process goes. Help them through the shock of relearning memories, mannerisms, maybe even family, friends, and temperament for someone as bad as Mana has it."
It was quiet as Daniel laid out the plan. "Wow…" Maya said after a moment.
Daniel nodded. "That's about right." he said simply. "If you and Hikari want to get started by talking to Izalith and Rastaff of the League delegation-"
"But what about our parents?"
All eyes turned to Hikari. She took a deep breath, her expression of determination evident even as she held back tears.
"Are we going to try and bring them back, now that SEELE has been dealt with for the most part? And how, now that Tokyo-3 is… is gone?"
Daniel nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in concentration and deliberation. "Well…" he sighed quietly. "I have someone I can contact. It's been a while, but… I might still be able to engage his services."
"Who is 'he'?" Misato asked. "And how long will it take for him to get here, if he isn't here already?"
"He's a Spirit." Daniel replied. "Someone with experience in recreating physical bodies for wandering souls. And someone who is willing to work on just about anyone, for a sufficient price."
"What kind of price?" Maya said slowly, her eyes narrowed.
Daniel shrugged. "It depends on the job. But he always has his theme. I'll have to contact him and talk to him, lay out the details before he'll tell me for sure."
Hikari took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, I suppose it's better than nothing."
"That it is." Daniel replied with a quiet sigh.
"Well," Maya said as she stood, "I'm going to go start contacting people, gathering the necessary supplies to get that started. Hikari, would you like to come with me?"
Hikari nodded, standing as well. "Yes. I think I will." she looked over at Daniel with a serious, earnest gleam in her eyes. "Please, work as hard as you can to get our mothers back. We will do the same to help these Children."
"I will." Daniel replied, equally serious before his gaze softened slightly. "Good luck."
With that, and a quick kiss goodbye between Ritsuko and Maya, the pair was out the door, leaving Misato, Ritsuko, and Daniel to regard each other silently for a moment.
"So," Daniel said softly as he looked over at Misato, "what did you want to talk about now?"
"I want to talk about the future." Misato said quietly. "Of NERV. Of the Evas and the Titans."
Ritsuko sighed quietly. "I wondered. Especially after all… this."
"With the Geofront gone, with HQ and our LCL production and our Frame Titan production gone, it bears more thinking than I usually care to do." Misato continued. "For example, with NERV-HQ reduced to so much core material…"
She trailed off and looked at Ritsuko. "Do we actually have a name for that stuff?"
Ritsuko thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, actually. And core material is… well, a bit of a misnomer now, having spread to the environment as it has."
"Well…" Misato said, trailing off as she pondered, then shook her head. "We'll work on it later. Like I was saying, with the HQ gone, NERV-2 isn't likely to last the end of the week. NERV will be gone by the end of the month."
"And…" Misato trailed off for a moment before sighing. "Maybe NERV should die here. Maybe we need a fresh start."
"As what, though?" Daniel said, unknowingly crystalizing the question on everyone's minds.
"We'll need to think about that more." Misato said frankly as she shrugged. "But as Commander of NERV as a whole, I can read the writing on the wall. I can also understand that if we're going to keep up on replacing the Evas, we're going to need a lot of resources. Especially that LCL which we no longer have access to."
"We have LCL reserves at Matsushiro." Daniel piped up.
"Maybe." Ritsuko interjected. "But only enough to fill the Entry Plugs a few times. Nowhere near enough to make a new Frame Titan."
"Izalith would likely be able to help us synthesize something from a sample. Or at least point us to contacting someone who would be able to." Daniel finished.
The others nodded slowly. "Yes, that would be useful, wouldn't it?" Ritsuko mused. "We'll have to get on that tomorrow morning. Especially if we want to go ahead and extract Mrs. Ikari from Unit-01."
"A Unit that we need to transfer back over to the U.N." Misato interjected. "In working order." she said darkly. "Now, how do we get around that?"
"For now, I'll have to take a look at them. As Head of Engineering, I'll likely find more than a few things that need immediate repairs." Daniel said with a slight smile. "Repairs that are, unfortunately, going to take far more time than the UN has graciously given us."
Miasto chuckled grimly. "Well, as the Commander, I have to take your reports very seriously. I'll try and make sure that the UN does as well."
Daniel nodded as he stood. "Sounds good. Well, I'm going to admit, I still need sleep after the battle. I'm going to head to bed. Good night, you three."
The others nodded. "Good night, Daniel. Before you leave," Ritsuko said, standing and going to the kitchen, "I have something you asked for."
"Ah, yes. The pills." Daniel replied as Ritsuko emerged with a paper bag that rattled softly as she handed it over to him.
"Indeed. It seems I still have a little pull with one of my former classmates. Even after the UN affair." Ritsuko replied. "If she needs any more, just let me know."
"Will do. See you all tomorrow." Daniel said. And with that, he made his exit, leaving only Misato, Ritsuko, and Penpen to regard each other for a moment.
"So, Misato," Ritsuko began, "how is having Penpen back with you going?"
Misato chuckled softly. "It's been good. He misses his freezer, I think, but he's doing alright with his beers."
Ritsuko nodded slowly. She would have said something about giving alcohol to a penguin, but Misato had always insisted every time she'd brought it up. And, the one medical checkup she had been able to do while Misato was out cold had come back clean, only hours after the bird had guzzled down its third beer. To say Penpen was a mystery was almost an understatement.
"Come to think of it," Ritsuko pondered, "have you thought about using your Interfacing to help him function without a freezer? Maybe… attaching something to his collar?"
Misato opened her mouth, then closed it silently after a moment. "I'll admit, the thought had crossed my mind once, a while back. But…" she trailed off, looking at Penpen with a guilty gleam in her eyes.
Ritsuko nodded slowly as she sat down beside Misato. "It's the memories of Antarctica, isn't it? What happened there?" she said softly.
Misato nodded silently.
Ritsuko sighed quietly. "I'd say I understand, but I really don't. But… you have these powers now. You can use them for good. Hell, you have used them for good. You saved the world with them. I know it's not much, but, maybe… you can try thinking about the good you can do with it to balance out the bad memories?" she finished uncertainly.
After a moment, she shook her head in frustration. "Oh, what am I saying? It's not like a few good thoughts are going to turn all that trauma around." she growled softly.
"Maybe." Misato replied, her voice only a little more than a whisper as he looked over at Ritsuko. "But it's better than nothing, Ritsky." she said with a slight smile. "Thanks."
Ritsuko looked back at Misato for a moment, then began to smile as well. "You're welcome, Misato."
. . .
Horaki Residence, Several Hours Earlier
Shinji and Kaworu sat across from Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, and Ichigo in Hikari's living room, sipping drinks and occasionally taking snacks prepared by Kodama. It looked like, to all the world, a regular meet-up between high school friends. What they talked about could even, with some loose interpretation, be something high schoolers talked about, a science fiction series or video game.
But the business of helping the Numberless Children was no game. "So, do you think you can help, then?" Shinji said as he looked intently at Ichigo. "I know you're still trying to figure things out yourself, but I think having someone there going through some of the same things they are will really help."
Ichigo pondered this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes. To help them feels… right, somehow. More than simply morally so."
"I'm glad that's the case." Kaworu said. "Perhaps especially when it comes to Ms. Kirishima. She seems most affected by what has been done to them."
Ichigo nodded slowly, then looked over at Kensuke. "Would you be willing to accompany me when we visit them? I feel like your expertise in helping people such as myself will be useful as well."
"Uh… well…" Kensuke replied, clearly uncertain. "I don't quite know that I'm going to be the best at helping them like I've helped you. I just… showed you some hobbies, is all."
"And yet, that has made far more of a difference than you might think." Ichigo said. "Please, let it have the chance to make a difference to these Children."
It was silent for a moment, then Kensuke nodded. "Alright. If you're certain I can actually help."
Ichigo smiled slightly. "I am." she said simply.
It was quiet for a moment before Toji cleared his throat. "I, uh, hate to interrupt the cute moment going on here, but… I've been thinking."
As all eyes turned to him, Toji continued. "We've left Lilith and the Evas out where Tokyo-3… was. Left Eleanor and Rei in Lilith. Shouldn't we be busting on getting out there and getting them back?"
"Toji…" Shinji said quietly. "It hasn't even been a day."
Toji blinked as he looked over at Shinji, his eyes widening for a moment before closing with a sigh as he found Hikari's hand. "It really doesn't feel like that." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"No." Shinji replied as he nodded. "But Misato and Daniel wouldn't just leave them behind. Not if they weren't planning on going back for them. They'll come up with something I'm sure of it."
After a moment, Toji nodded. "Yeah. Doesn't mean I won't talk their ears off until we start planning it."
"You'll have to beat Kaworu and me to it." Shinji replied with a slight smile. "We're already planning on talking to him once he gets done meeting with Ritsuko and Hikari tonight."
Hikari nodded. "And I'll make sure to bring up our mothers as well. They've probably got quite a few more things on their mind at the moment, but a well-timed reminder should help put them back on course."
A quiet chuckle went up around the room as Kodama popped back in for a moment to replenish the supply of snacks.
As she made some small talk, Kodama looked at Shinji silently for a moment. "Where's Asuka? I'm somewhat surprised she isn't here, with how friendly all you pilots seem to be."
"Well, Ms. Kodama," Shinji replied, "she's resting right now. Piloting the Evangelion like she did overextended her, so she's currently on Daniel's ship hooked up to some machines that will help her recover."
Kodama blinked. "A ship. Like a… spaceship?"
Shinji smiled slightly as he nodded. "Of a sort. I'm sure it's able to function like one, seeing as they parked in the… what was it? Oh yeah, the Oort Cloud. Though they might have moved it closed since this business with the League all began."
Kodama nodded slowly as she hummed. "Well, then. I might have to ask him about a tour sometime. Maybe a look at the specifications, if he has them on hand. A spaceship like that's a once in a lifetime thing for an engineering student, after all."
Shinji shrugged. "I'll let him know, then. Though he probably wouldn't be able to really dive into what makes the ship work. That would be more…"
He trailed off for a moment. "Eleanor's field." he finished quietly.
It was silent in the room for a moment, then Kodama finished setting up the snacks. "Let me know if you need anything else." she said, equally quietly, as she walked out of the room.
The Children all looked at each other, then Shinji nodded. "Yeah. We're getting them back. And… I have a few ideas starting to take form."
"Like… what?" Toji asked.
"Well," Shinji replied, "most all of them take advantage of us being Interfaced. But in order to test them… we'll need to take a trip tomorrow afternoon."
. . .
Within Lilith
Rei looked out into the lonely sky with the setting sun one last time, then sighed as she once again disconnected from Lilith's sight to look back at Eleanor.
They remained inside the mindscape, for now, the field that they stood in now dark as the glass-encased spire only gleamed dully in an impossible light that lit up the dark sky filled with slowly swirling clouds. "There is still no sign of anything notable." Rei said with a quiet sigh. "Only a few flyovers by aircraft, usually single or in small groups."
Eleanor nodded. "I see." she mused. "Whatever's happened out there must have made enough of a mess that they're afraid to send anyone out here. Likely has something to do with the massive field of core material we've landed right in the center of." she trailed off with no small amount of embarrassment.
"Transitory crystals." the mental image of Suriel murmured, and Rei and Eleanor glanced over at the tall woman as her brow furrowed slightly, pausing before she continued. "A bridge for the soul to cross from one place to the next. Into the Vessel."
Rei and Eleanor both looked at Suriel with no small amount of caution. "And what happens if these transitory crystals happen to be active for a great length of time?" Eleanor asked slowly, concern etched in her expression as it laced her voice.
It was silent for a moment as the image of Suriel furrowed her brow still further. "Unknown." she finally replied. "No amount of transitory crystal has been active for longer than is necessary to transfer the souls to their Vessels."
Eleanor nodded as she sighed quietly. Then she looked around at her surroundings. "Well," she finally said after a moment, "let's get out of this mindscape. I've got an idea of something to do to keep occupied, at least for myself."
Rei nodded as she took a look around the space, her gaze settling on the glass encasement she had made. "Yes. I see little point in staying here any longer."
Eleanor took one last look around. "Alright. Link up and follow me."
Eleanor closed her eyes as she connected her soul to Rei's, and Rei followed her lead as she felt a tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach. When she opened her eyes again, Rei found herself floating in that familiar sea with a white sand floor, standing beside Eleanor in front of the pillar that Suriel was entrapped in.
She looked down and realized that she was still wearing a t-shirt and pants, a holdover from the mindscape, only noticing Eleanor's similarly clothed form out of the corner of her vision as she moved towards the pillar unopposed by anything that Suriel might extend towards her.
Eleanor came to a stop beside Suriel's still naked body, gently touching the pillar of deep red crystal as she closed her eyes and concentrated silently. Rei was not going to try and interrupt her, only observing through a link between their souls as she dimly saw what Eleanor saw, rushing lines of Frames, flashes of images or sensations or emotions. She wasn't quite sure what all of it meant, or if some of it even meant anything.
She understood that Eleanor knew, at least somewhat, what she was looking for, and after a moment, Eleanor opened her eyes as she shook her head slightly. "Well, I'll be." she said wonderingly.
"What is it?" Rei asked, an eyebrow slightly raised.
"The system is able to have the resident souls act as passive processors for other illusions. At least I think so." Eleanor replied. Then she closed her eyes and focused again for a moment. "I'm not exactly well-versed in majority Pneumaic vessels like this one, but…" she continued offhandedly.
She shook her head again as she chuckled softly. "Done. Just like that. The systems were already in place. They were just… never activated."
Rei furrowed her brow as she looked over at Suriel's, taking in the sight of her eyes widening as they finally seemed to focus for the first time. "Why?" she asked quietly.
Eleanor shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. We'd honestly have to ask her. Which we can do, once you help me extract her from this device."
Rei and Eleanor stepped forward, and Suriel flinched. "Why?" she asked with a voice rough from disuse. "Why keep me from my penance?"
"Because it isn't penance." Eleanor replied. "It's self-condemnation for being… yourself. And, ultimately… its time passed on long ago. Trust me. I know what it's like to support someone who blames themselves like that."
Suriel was silent as Eleanor and Rei got to work. Slowly but surely, the connections from Suriel to the pillar were severed, one by one or in small clumps. First, her arms were freed. Then her legs and lower body. Finally, her head was freed, slumping down as her upper body came free and she fell into Eleanor's arms.
Eleanor gently set the pale woman on the ground, and she curled into herself, hugging her knees. "It's all my fault." she whispered quietly.
"Maybe." Rei replied as she sat down next to her creator. "But some good has come out of it, in the end."
"Really?" Suriel whispered.
"Yes." Rei said simply. "You've seen my memories. I've seen yours. We both know well enough that the Forbidden Union has been achieved peacefully. There need not be any more conflict between our kind and Kadmonel's."
"Kadmonel…" Suriel repeated, and a tinge of sadness crept into her voice. "I messed everything up for him."
"Again, Suriel." Rei said patiently. "It has all worked out in the end. And," she said with a slight smile, "from what I've been told, he still fancies you."
Suriel looked up at Rei as she said this, eyes wide. "How?" it was barely more than a whisper.
Rei looked down at her. "I do not have all of the details. Perhaps it would be better to ask him yourself. When we get out of here."
It was silent again for a moment as Suriel processed this.
"In the meantime, while we wait for someone to come retrieve us," Rei continued after a moment, "why don't you tell me about who you were before the council and Lilith?"
Suriel sat up, still keeping her knees clutched to her chest as Rei blinked, and Suriel was clothed in her robes from before. "I was…" she started before trailing off. "I…"
Suriel's lip began to tremble as her eyes filled with tears. "I don't remember. All these memories, all these dreams and hopes and fears, and none of them are really mine anymore."
She buried her face in her hands. "None of them. None of them." she sobbed.
Eleanor sat next to Suriel, putting a hand on her shoulder as the three of them silently mourned for a past that none truly remembered.
. . .
RAF Cosford Memorial Cemetery, Albrighton, England
Julius Marlowe looked around at the empty, silent, cemetery, built across the rolling hills of an old home of his. A thick fog covered the place, rolling in from the nearby river and leaving the trees as looming specters, driving away most who would come otherwise. It was a rarity these days. But it was a useful one, nonetheless.
He looked down at the grave he stood in front of. Read the words like he had so many times before while setting flowers to lean on or stand beside the tombstone.
Mari Makinami
December 10th, 1967 - March 15th, 2006
Wife, Mother, Friend, Light
He sighed quietly as he scratched at his mutton chops, smoothed out his mustache. The stone was worn by time and the elements. But the person it stood for… nowhere to be found under it.
'Doesn't mean that it's truly empty.' he mused. 'There's something else here. Something I was committed to leaving dead and buried. Someone. But… for Mariah…'
He didn't need to look at his watch while he waited for who he'd called for. He knew they would be on time. He was exact, after all. Just like they were.
'3… 2… 1…'
On 2, he turned around and slightly smiled as he hit 1, watching the three forms appear from the shadows, growing more clear as his men came to a stop in front of him. They were solidly built, their jackets and pants showing little to the world of the passage of time, and the inevitable softening of its touch. One of them held a long bundle under his arm, the others shouldering empty duffel bags.
Their faces were still tanned and bore the few scars that one could only get in wartime. One could almost mistake them at first glance for ordinary veterans of the Impact Wars. But they were far from ordinary.
"Soap. Roach. Ghost. Good to see you all." he said simply.
"Good to be seen, Captain." Soap replied. "You wouldn't call us on the old channel unless shit's really hit the fan. What's the sitrep, sir?"
"My daughter's gone into a combat mission, it seems." he replied, a hard edge to his voice. "I'm sure you all heard the news of what happened in Japan?" Julius asked.
"Who hasn't?" Ghost replied. "It's hard not to find footage online of what was going on. Even in the moment. Someone must have either caught their own drone footage somehow, or someone leaked NERV's."
"Perhaps. But that isn't important right now." Julius said. "Mariah's last known location was in Australia, somewhere near Uluru rock. If there's anyone who's going to know what's happened to my daughter, it's going to be the person she mentioned in the last text she sent me before going off comms. One UN Armed Response Forces Major Terrence Howard."
"So are we looking at interrogation, then?" Roach asked.
"Nothing so ostentatious to start." Julius replied as he nodded at Soap, who set down the bundle, throwing open the blanket to reveal the four shovels that he began to hand out to the others. "Just going over and asking questions nicely. We only go that far if we need to. And that's simply the first step. Our goal is to get Mariah back safely from whoever is currently holding her. Whether that's the UN or NERV or whoever, doesn't matter. We'll do it."
"What if it's someone else?" Soap said as they began to circle the grave. "You mentioned there was a reason you were using the old comms."
Julius paused as the tip of his shovel touched the sod above the coffin. He'd seen a lot of shit in his day. The Impact Wars, publicly, were hell on Earth for the near-decade that they had collectively spanned. Underneath the newsreels, the actions of the soldiers and generals charging at each other… that was a circle apart from the rest of Hell.
It was a circle, Julius mused as he and the others prepared to dig, that called for men beyond the normal capacities of most. To carry out missions that would never see the light of day until a historian might, might find the hard copy in the ruins of whatever place commanded them to be done. And even through all of them, all the terrorist rings and black site projects, there was really only one organization that truly scared him.
Julius shook his head slightly as he stabbed the shovel deep into the earth. "There was. It's just secure. Right now, let's focus on digging."
The men dug quickly, their strength never seeming to fully flag, only slowing down for a moment before picking up again. The piles behind them grew quickly, the men descending deeper into the ground as the sun passed overhead behind the clouds.
As the sun began to set, a shovel finally clanged against hard metal, and the pace slowed, the thrusts becoming more shallow as they uncovered the top of a steel grey lid.
Julius looked over to his mates. "Alright. Two areas to stand on, one on either side. Soap, Roach, you'll lift."
The others nodded as they got to work. The sun set, and the foxhole-like areas had been dug out, the handles for the coffin at shin height as Ghost and Julius climbed out of the pit they made. Soap and Roach crouched down, taking the two handles available to them.
As they did, Roach looked over at Soap with a slight grin. "Try not to slip lifting like you did in Bangladesh."
"Enough about Bangladesh." Soap muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Bloody place doesn't even exist anymore."
"Cut the chatter and get ready to lift." Julius said. "Three. Two. One. Now."
It was a smooth motion, the weight of the casket barely an inconvenience for the two men as they lifted it towards the surface, tilting it back. Julius and Ghost took the handles at the end and pulled, the floor of the coffin scraping across the ground.
As it finally came to rest on the grass and churned up dirt, Soap and Roach climbed out of the pit as Julius regarded the coffin, almost glaring at it, the light of the torch on his head gleaming off the coffin as he moved around to one side.
He got a grip on the lid, then lifted it, prying it off after a moment's effort. What he revealed was far removed from any moldering corpse.
It was a cache, with weapons, armor, burner phones and tablets loaded with info and connections no peacetime could diminish. As the others grabbed at plate carriers and rifles, Julius picked up his armor jacket, bringing an arch-like patch into the light to study it.
It was the only patch on there, no Union Jack to accompany it. No other outstanding marks belonging to any nation or alliance. Simply a sable snake, with yellow eyes and white fangs.
He remembered the name of his unit without even having to note its absence from the patch itself. Blackadder.
'Hello, John Price.' Julius thought with a sigh. 'I hate to disturb your resting place like this, but I wouldn't do it unless it was vital. You know that.'
He slipped on the jacket, and along with it, an invisible mask. A new man, who could do what needed to be done.
As they finished retrieving everything, putting it into a few duffel bags, Soap turned to Julius. "Good to have you back, Bravo 6." he said simply.
Price grimaced. "The feeling isn't quite mutual, Soap. Please. Just call me Price. Or John. Or anything, really."
He nodded back to the now empty coffin. "Let's put this thing back in the ground. We have things to set up." he snorted softly. "One last series for Blackadder." he whispered softly to himself, looking to the tombstone that had been left unsullied. 'To get you and Mariah back. I promise.'