Chapter 23: Father (Or: The Dichotomy of Gendo Ikari)

Of course, if the course of history is to be believed, and the present is any indication, these outsiders will begin by presenting themselves as agents of peace and stability, a force of uplifting us from our base, nay, savage ways. They will offer us seemingly wondrous gifts, and we, in our blindness, will take them, unaware of the hidden strings these gifts tie to us. Perhaps most insidious of these gifts is that of so called 'Interfacing'...

- "To Stand Apart", Post 4

Infinity Box, September 11th, 2030 Hours

Shinji Ikari, at this particular moment, was excited. Almost unbearably so. There were a great many reasons to be, of course. For one, the retrieval mission had gone off almost without a hitch, and Rei was back. With the retrieval of the other Units forming a temporary bulwark, plans were being made to extract Mother from the core of Unit-01.

And now, he thought as he and Asuka stepped into the Infinity Box hand in hand, he would get to meet Mrs. Soryu. That was… a little terrifying, still, meeting one of her parents, but experiencing Asuka's excitement had suffused him with a portion of it, and his brief conversation when they had arrived in Tokyo-2 had been anything but dull.

And now, as they approached the cave that had become Dhamadren's abode, a rather tall woman wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans turned around, her blonde hair whipping past brilliant blue eyes that were wide and full of utter joy.

Asuka let go of his hand, taking a step forward and pausing. A silent moment passed, then another. "Mama…" Asuka whispered.

"Liebling." Kyoko Zeppelin-Soryu replied, stepping forward and raising her arms.

With that singular word, Asuka charged into the hug, squeezing tight as she sobbed. "Mama. Mama. I love you. I've wanted to say that to you in the flesh for so, so long." she wept into Kyoko's shoulder.

"I know, Asuka." Kyoko replied quietly. "I love you too. I'm sorry for making you wait so long for that."

Then they simply took each other's company in silently, wrapped in an embrace that had been years coming.

After long, loving minutes, they finally pulled back from the embrace, and Kyoko stood straight as she regarded Shinji with eyes glittering in amusement. "Well, hello, Shinji." she said, taking a step forward. "How is Yui doing?"

Shinji's breath hitched for a moment before he replied. "She's doing fine. We'll be getting her out of the core of Unit-01 soon."

"Ah." Kyoko said as she nodded slowly. "Good to hear."

Then she paused for a moment before sighing. "Shinji… thank you. For being here for Asuka when I couldn't. I owe very nearly the world to you. But this will have to do."

Kyoko stepped forward, and enveloped Shinji in a hug as well. "Thank you." she repeated, her voice quiet and slightly choked with tears.

"You're welcome, Mrs. Soryu." Shinji replied as they parted.

He looked over at Dhamadren, who had begun on another thin stick figure of rippling light. "Who are you working on now, Mr. Dhamadren?" he asked as he stepped forward.

Dhamadren hummed as he paused his work for a moment before resuming. "This is a male soul." he replied. "The only one in this batch."

Shinji's eyes widened. "Father…"

. . .

Gendo Ikari had much time given for him to simply think. It was a unique circumstance, to say the least, having died in the Battle of Tokyo-3 and had his soul interned within a gemstone before… whatever was happening to him now was going on.

There was no way to hide from anything that he thought within him now. No chance to turn to drink or drug that could numb his thoughts, no carnal pleasures to pursue to put off the moment of truth. No, it was just him and his sins.

'Is this what it might have been like in Instrumentality before the illusions?' he mused. He preferred not to know the answer for this reality. He'd seen more than enough when he'd watched that infernal television show that Daniel Theisman had produced from the records of his world. 'I know what it was like for Shinji, though. At least in some aspect.'

'Shinji…'

He thought back to the apartment in Tokyo-2. Thinking of those days, so soon after the Contact Experiment, drove a thorn into his heart more than anything else could ever have. It had been dark most days, physically as well as mentally. The lights were rarely turned on unless it was by a young Shinji. And whenever he looked at Shinji, as he smiled, seemingly almost oblivious to what had happened… all he saw was her. Her face. Her smile. All of it, all of her, gone.

The pain of it had driven him to madness. He remembered when he decided to make that pain go away. Down to the very day. It was November 12th, 2003. On that day, his heart… stopped. Whether he had somehow made it stop himself or it had just finally collapsed under the strain didn't matter much to him then. All that mattered was getting her back now. But he needed to focus. He could afford no distractions. He knew what he needed to do.

A call to the Azuma's, Yui's in-laws, a ride on the train to Yamanokako, and then, a step back onto the train, tamping down the sound of the familiar voice that cried out behind him. Then, the first step was done.

As he rode home, resolving to get rid of the other distractions, the pictures and the videos and the diaries, he felt a part of him twinge in… something. Something that felt at once familiar and alien. But he crushed it. He could not feel regret or hesitation. Not on this path.

Now, so far removed from that time, Gendo sighed inwardly at himself. His foolishness. 'If I could have gone back like I should have, picked Shinji back up and saw him as the gift he was… if I were better than I was… what would be?'

Then, he remembered the conversation. The first conversation with Yui he'd had in years. All because of Daniel Theisman and… Shinji. She'd railed on him, an angry fire that could rival an erupting volcano's washing over him, threatening to sweep him away with his guilt, his shame and remorse being all that would remain.

And then she'd proved, once again, why he could never have deserved her. She...forgave him. He still wondered at how she could just… do that. So simply. After all he had done to her. To their son. To everyone around him for the past decade.

He remembered her words to him after that anger, seemingly etched into his very soul. "I understand. I can never say I'll agree, but I understand."

She'd paused, and he felt her ponder her next words, marveled at the moment. "You have such a drive when you want something." she'd finally said. "You wanted to excel at your classes after you met me. You wanted my hand in marriage. You wanted to learn about SEELE and Instrumentality. And you wanted to live the miracle of Shinji's birth for the rest of your life."

"So, I have a question, now. What do you want?"

"To try again."

he'd replied, feeling foolish for even only admitting it. "To go back and have you and Shinji again. Our family against the world, and winning."

"That time has passed."

Yui had said, and Gendo mourned the fact."But we might still have a chance for the future. You'll need to build bridges with Shinji again. No small task, considering what you've done."

"Whatever it takes for us to be complete again."

He'd said. "I'll do it. For you."

She'd chuckled softly. "Thank you, Gendo. But don't just do it for me. Do it for Shinji."

"Alright, then, Yui."

he'd said. "I promise."

Now, there was a chance. And for her, for all of them, it would be enough. He would be sure of it.

. . .

Another World, Mid-2020

Commander Ikari had much time given to him to simply think. It was an inevitable symptom of the Near Third Impact destroying the Geofront as it had, the foolish boy trying to save that which could be replaced and beginning Third Impact dramatically ahead of schedule due to a brat's hormones.

It had thrown so much of the Scenario off track, and it had taken very literal years to try and complete what had been started almost 5 years ago as a result.

The process had been… interesting was perhaps the closest word to describe the process of working around the untimely absence of Unit-01. The Mark.06 had served as a decent substitute, but they had had to travel to Antarctica, retrieve what had turned out to be another of the empty Vessels of Adam, and construct it into the Mark.09 in order to truly ensure that the True Third Impact could be commenced.

That was years ago, now. The completion of Third Impact was a far more present matter. With the attempted fusion of a Vessel of Adam, containing a child of Adam, and Lilith, there was a better than good chance that the balance would not be so disjointed as to have a Lilithian will to stand individually nearly overpower the Adamic urge to unify, and make all things right again.

But then, Inspector Kaji stepped back into the picture. He had proved far more trouble than he'd been worth when he'd stolen the Key of Nebuchadnezzar and used it to tap into the power of his soul. With that power, he'd stymied Third Impact's effects by terminating Lilith. A setback of serious proportions, and one that would have to have the Scenario escalate to somewhat ridiculous solutions to rectify.

But then the man had been foolish enough to give those powers up, return them to the Key. He became mortal again, instead of trying to set the Scenario back even further. Which had made the bullet that he'd put into the back of Kaji's skull as effective as he'd needed it to be.

Even that was still the past, however. There was little need to dwell on such a thing overly much. Then he would start thinking about…

'No. No distractions. We just need to complete Instrumentality. Then I can be free. Then I can have her again. Not a moment before.'

So, for now, he turned his focus to the screen on the low wall of the ruined command bridge of Central Dogma, and watched the feed of the first Evangelion Mark.04As, pitiful things compared to true Evangelions, as they sped towards a grey clump of ships.

Colonel Katsuragi and Doctor Akagi had proven to be another annoyance to the Scenario. Having taken the Shikinami-line Second Child and the infiltrator Child, along with their Evangelions, they were a threat that had to be taken care of, and swiftly. Thus, the three advancing Dummy Plug-operated Marks would sink their toy navy, and their Evangelions would be retrieved for use in the Scenario.

The Marks flew low, nearly touching the surface of the water, as they sped across the Indian Ocean towards their first target, a massive container ship with welded-on metal walls. The power sources emanating from the vessel matched the Evangelions to a T. And after all, there was little stopping them from dredging the Units from the sea floor when the operation was done.

However, as the two Evangelions popped up from behind the wall of the container vessel and raised Pallet Rifles, and the fleet began to open fire with cannon shell and missile, it seemed that the attack would not go without challenge.

He and Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki watched silently as the Mark.04As began to juke the oncoming fire, their meager defensive AT Fields swept aside by the two Evangelions efforts, opening them up to the depredations of mere human weaponry. And even the thick armor plating that the Marks carried could only stand up to that for so long.

So the squad of Marks changed targets, even as one went down from the weight of fire finally brought down on them, the last sight its feed showing being a ship of some kind looming in its view, then a flash of fire turning into snow. The other Marks fired their Needle Canons, punching massive holes in cruisers and aircraft carriers and causing them to explode and begin to sink into the crimson sea as the Marks flew past, taking fire as they did.

It was as such for long, silent moments, the Marks swooping in the air as they were propelled by AT Fields. Then, the last of the Mark.04As splashed into the ocean, and the operation was over, a rough list of enemy casualties scrolling past on one side of the screen.

Fuyutsuki sighed quietly. "I see this is going to be harder than expected." he said, glancing over at the stoic commander.

"It was never expected that the Colonel and her followers would lay down arms without some resistance." Commander Ikari replied. "Now, we must see how far they will bend before they will break." he turned his head ever so slightly. "How many more Mark.04As do we have in production?"

Fuyutsuki was silent for a moment. "With our LCL casting capabilities coming fully online, we should have a dozen by month's end. The autonomous Dummy Plug plant in Shanghai is coming online as well, so we should have little need for pilots for any Evangelions of any kind that we wish to produce."

"Good." Commander Ikari replied as he walked back towards his office. "Then they can only break quickly. Our weight of force will either force them to yield, or it will crush them. It is as simple as that."

. . .

Infinity Box, September 12th, 2016

Gendo Ikari marveled at the process that was being used to reconstitute his body. It felt utterly unique, whatever was being done to him. He… he swirled with positive emotion, sometimes suffused by dark motes of fear or doubt. And as he swirled, he felt the swirling beginning to slow more and more as time went on. He could contemplate the feeling for what seemed like forever.

Now, though, his reverie was interrupted by Shinji. Nowadays, he welcomed such interruptions, chances to speak more with his son, air out their grievances, and allow Shinji to vent. With how long he'd been removed, it had taken a while to recognize that Shinji had adopted his intellect along with his mother's temperament. It was a wondrous sight to see.

He had brought Rei with him once and Yui's capacity for forgiveness shone through again, leaving Gendo in stark awe for a moment at how she had come to be this way, even after all he'd done to her.

'That's Shinji again.' he reminded himself. 'Even with your best efforts, you could never take that part of her away from him. Thank god for that.'

It was an amusingly pious outburst of thought, to say the least. But, as Shinji linked their souls together, he focused on the upcoming conversation. "Hello again, Shinji." he said with no small amount of expectation. "It's good to hear from you again."

It was a moment before Shinji replied, wondering and amazement bleeding through the link. "You know, I never thought I'd hear you say that. And I never thought that I'd agree." he replied. "But yes. It's… good to hear from you too."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Gendo said after a moment. "How are the other pilots?"

"Asuka's glad that she's able to hug her mother again."

Shinji began. "I actually met her. She's very nice. Very… excitable."

"Yes."

Gendo chuckled. "She always was a handful to deal with. Her young daughter seemingly more so. You two got along surprisingly well."

"Yes."

Shinji said, a bemused tone in his voice. "Asuka and I did, didn't we?"

Gendo's surprise as he silently connected the dots made Shinji chuckle."Yes, we're childhood friends. But anyways, Rei and Kaworu are doing fine since we retrieved them from Lilith. Toji and Hikari are apparently figuring things out with her father. And…"

He paused, and Gendo could feel the excitement, the pure joy, radiating from him. "Now I have someone here to see you. Get ready, father."

Then Gendo found his form shifting slightly, going from what he assumed was prostrate to what he felt might be some approximation of sitting up. The brilliant void which he had long gotten used to being the only thing he'd see during this time began to fade, slowly revealing a familiar blue-stoned room.

As the view cleared, he saw a sight that a part of him had thought he would never truly see again. There was Shinji, of course. But beside him, with tears in her eyes, was the woman that had saved him.

"Yui…" Gendo said, only somewhat surprised that he could physically speak as tears welled up in his own eyes, watching as Yui walked over to him.

"Gendo…" Yui replied quietly, her hand tenderly cupping Gendo's cheek. She said everything else with a long, soft kiss, and Gendo was, after decades having gone so long without, finally content again.

The kiss lasted what seemed a lifetime, then Yui drew back to look at him again. "Oh, Yui." Gendo said quietly. "It's been so long. I'm… I'm sorry."

Yui smiled slightly. "I know." she said softly. "It has been a while. But I just had to see you once I'd gotten out of the core of Unit-01." she smiled slightly. "Even if it is just your head that I'm talking to." she chuckled.

Gendo glanced down and indeed found that the rest of his body was a swirling, cloudlike mass that was generally humanoid. "Ah. I see." Gendo said after a moment, and Yui chuckled again.

He then looked over at Shinji, who stood a little ways away, watching silently. "Shinji." Gendo said calmly, drawing his son's gaze to him. "Come here." he continued. "Let's talk properly together. As a family."

Shinji gasped silently as he slowly walked forward, joining Yui's side as he stared almost disbelievingly into his father's warm eyes.

"Shinji…" Gendo began, then paused as he tried to find the words he knew he needed to say. "Thank you." he settled on. "And I hope that you can forgive me. Even if I've done nothing before this to deserve it."

Shinji stared at his father for a moment, then smiled slightly as he shook his head. "Maybe you don't deserve it. But if there's anything I've learned, it's that deserving and needing aren't necessarily the same."

Gendo's smile widened slightly. "And that would be Daniel Theisman." he surmised.

Shinji nodded. "Yes. It would be." he paused as he studied Gendo's form. "So… what does it feel like, going through that process?"

Yui nodded, that excited look in her eyes that always seemed to set Gendo's soul on fire gleaming. "Yes, actually. This is the first I've ever seen of reconstitution of a physical form using only spiritual — or Pneumaic, I guess — matter. How does that work?"

Gendo chuckled, a warm, deep sound. "Well, I'll go ahead and tell you as best I can…"

. . .

Tokyo-3 Ruins, Another World, Mid-2020

Commander Ikari marveled for a moment at the moon. It was growing closer, now, a symptom of Third impact. It would continue to grow closer as time went on. As for whether it would impact the Earth at some point was an almost pointless debate. Third Impact had thrown the governing rules of reality into utter chaos. What would be was now ever up for debate in a world that was swiftly becoming overgrown by core material.

The old city's only defense, Doctor Akagi's Angel Contamination Containment Pillars, worked surprisingly well in turning away the depredations of the core material, allowing him to stand on a rooftop and look up into the night sky.

He shook his head slightly for a moment, then looked down at the visor in his hands. It was sleek and black, with a red band crossing over top of the portion his eyes would peer out of. It was a similar kind of visor to the one the human form of SEELE-01, the man named Lorenz Kihl, wore.

He regarded the visor for a moment more, what it would help him see, and slowly put it on, the connector points on the sides of his head locking it in place, shrouding the world in darkness for a moment. Then the bootup process began, and the world was revealed to him once again. It was brighter now, the night less shadowed, the night sky more defined.

'Now, where was that crypt again…' he thought offhandedly as he scanned the sky. It would be in an almost geosynchronous orbit above Tokyo-3...

There. Flashing by for the briefest of moments before the visor cut through the visual interference of the atmosphere and zoomed in to catch a clear picture of the tomb that Unit-01 was encased in.

The picture hung in his visor as he dipped his head from the heavens. 'Yui.' he thought silently. 'I hate that our son's foolishness has taken you from me. Left you hanging even further out of reach.'

'All of this is for you. Whether you might accept it or not won't matter once it's done, and we are together in Instrumentality. Then, my world will be complete.'

'I can't afford to think of you long anymore.'

he admitted. 'If I do, I will lose faith in this work. This miracle which will bring us together again.'

'But it seems as far away as you are physically.'

Commander Ikari though with no small amount of discontent. 'Especially now that Lilith is gone. There is no physical interface left with which to begin Instrumentality. What shall I do?'

He stilled his thoughts, seemingly waiting for an answer from the woman that he knew was leagues more intelligent than he could ever hope to be.

'I think… I have an idea, Yui.' he thought after a moment. 'It will take our son. And SEELE's boy. But it might work. But I will have to be sure.'

With that, the picture of the coffin that Unit-01 was interned in disappeared, and Commander Ikari walked back towards the Geofront. He had some questions to ask the old men. After what needed to be done. If he were a more spiritual man, he thought, he would thank Inspector Kaji for his inspiration.

. . .

Infinity Box, September 13th, 2016

There was an air of anticipation as Gendo Ikari waited for the rather unsettling Spirit Dhamadren to finish his work. For all his appearance, after Gendo had reached out to him, he was a surprisingly intellectual conversationalist, something which he stated many of his works were unable to fully grasp.

But the conversation had tapered off as the Spirit's work drew closer and closer to completion. Even now, he began to feel less gaseous, more… solid. Distinct. Whole.

Gendo surmised that that feeling of completion stemmed from far more than simply physical wholeness. It was a mental and, surprisingly, spiritual wholeness as well. The world he would step back into would still hate him, rightfully so. But their opinions, their noise, never really mattered to him anyways. He would have the one thing that mattered more than anything else. His family. His wife, and his son. Whatever came afterward would be what it would be.

"Very well." Dhamadren said, breaking through Gendo's reverie. "I've just about completed the necessary work to fully manifest your body. Are you prepared for this?"

"Yes."

Gendo replied. "I've been waiting far too long for this."

"Then let us begin."

And so, Gendo Ikari felt a weight settle on his chest, that spread to his limbs and head, and felt a distinct tingling sensation as what Dhamadren had assured him was just the nerves of his body test-firing in waves coursed through him. Then a thinner, lighter weight, his clothing, settled on his body, and the brilliant fog that had been his bedding and cage for the last two days began to dissipate.

With a quiet thump, he fell onto the 'operating table', and found himself marveling at the simple process of simply being able to breathe again. It felt… strange after so long going without. Strange and yet utterly satisfying.

"Welcome back to the 'land of the living', as Mr. Theisman is fond of saying to some of my previous work." Dhamadren said. He paused for a moment as he looked to the side. "Or were you going to say that to Mr. Ikari instead?" he asked someone archly.

Gendo sat up, and found at the mouth of the cave Yui, Shinji, and Mr. Theisman, who stood a little ways away with a slight smile on his face. "No," he replied, "I don't think the moment needs it."

As Gendo stood, Yui and Shinji slowly walked towards him. Soon, they were only meters apart, and Gendo looked from Yui to Shinji to Yui again silently. Then, his gaze rested on Shinji as he stepped forward and kneeled, putting his ungloved hands on Shinji's shoulders.

"Shinji…" he said quietly. "Thank you."

He pulled Shinji into a hug, and Shinji gasped at the sudden gesture of love. "I owe everything to you." he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Forgive me, Shinji."

Shinji was stiff as a board for a moment, then his arms slowly raised, and embraced his father. "I… I will. Sometime." was his halting reply.

"Thank you." Gendo repeated, releasing the hug after many minutes. He stood, and embraced his wife, sharing a tender kiss with her before pulling back and gazing into her eyes. "Thank you for keeping our son safe, Yui." he said.

Yui nodded. "Of course, Gendo." she replied. Then she arched an eyebrow. "No beard?"

Gendo stroked a clean-shaven chin. "I figured it was part of a fresh start, so to speak."

Yu chuckled softly. Then she paused for a moment. "Though I am not the only one you should be thanking, you know. There is one more person here who deserves your thanks." she continued, a slight smile on her face as she turned to look over at Daniel.

Gendo let go of his wife, walking over to a man almost 20 centimeters shorter than him with something approaching humility, but just out of reach for the tall, proud Ikari. "I have to thank you for succeeding where I failed." he began. "For helping to make my son into the man he is when that was a responsibility that I shirked."

Daniel sighed quietly. "I accept your thanks." he replied. "Though your efforts to reconnect are not unnoticed. And not unappreciated." he continued, sparing a glance to Shinji and Yui.

"Perhaps." Gendo said. "But that is the present. A hypocrite trying to make up for his previous mistakes, unsure of whether the task is even possible."

Daniel smiled slightly. "An old general in your general position had a saying about hypocrites. Sometimes, they're just people trying to change. And death changes people, does it not?"

Gendo chuckled softly. "A wise sentiment." Gendo concurred. Then his expression dimmed. "But after all I've done…"

"Well, we went to bat for your current character when we got dragged in front of the UN." Daniel said with a shrug and a slight smile. "And… well, there is no more NERV, at this point." he continued, his smile disappearing.

Gendo nodded slowly, a grave look in his eyes. "And what of SEELE? Who shall ensure they are contained or captured?" he asked, an edge of what could generously be called anxiety creeping into his voice.

"We're actually working on that." Shinji interjected, causing the two adults to turn to regard him. "We're just getting the final parts of the plan that'll allow us to actually make sure we can do it."

"And what would that be, Shinji?" Gendo asked.

"A new organization." Shinji replied. "The only problem is we'll have to make sure everyone gets the new Frame Titans in order to ensure that the UN will even listen to us."

Gendo's eyebrow arched. "I see. A bold move on Ms. Katsuragi's part, I presume?"

Shinji nodded as he chuckled softly. "Yeah. It's one of her patented Ideas."

Gendo was silent for a moment. "I can see the reasoning behind it."

Then he shook his head. "But right now, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I have you. And right now… I just want to spend the day with you. Just the three of us."

Gendo looked back at Daniel. "So, we'll take our leave, then."

Daniel nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Enjoy the rest of the day, Ikari's."

Shinji nodded. "We will."

. . .

Commander's Office, Geofront Ruins, Another World

There was an air of anticipation as Commander Ikari waited a moment for the sealed suitcase to unlock. Fuyutsuki stood a ways away, anxiety apparent in his eyes as he watched his former student open the container, a brilliant white light putting the man in stark relief as he reached in.

"I must ask." Fuyutsuki finally said, as Commander Ikari produced from the box the Key of Nebuchadnezzar. "Are you sure this is the correct course of action?"

Commander Ikari did not answer for a moment, studying the strange, almost human-shaped key. "There is no other option." he finally replied. "Lilith has been terminated, and we must find a fitting replacement for it. This is simply the first step."

"Gendo." Fuyutsuki said. "What the Inspector did was foolish, taking the Key's power for a moment, but subsuming it into your being entirely? What will happen to you? What will happen when you lose your humanity?"

Finally, Commander Ikari looked over at Fuyutsuki, and not for the first time, the old professor cursed the moment he'd put that damned mask on. It had become worse than his glasses. At least he could have seen his eyes before if he'd squinted, guessed the intent behind them. Now… there was nothing.

"Sensei," Gendo said after a long, tense silence, "what humanity is there left for me to lose?"

Fuyutsuki, for all his intellect, could not answer.

"Leave, Sensei." Commander Ikari said quietly. "I must do this alone."

It was another long, tense moment before Fuyutsuki finally turned, walking slowly towards the doors, pausing at the threshold, and turning. "Goodbye, Gendo." he said softly as he opened the door. "I will mourn for you."

Then he left, the door shutting behind him and leaving Commander Ikari in solitude. Even still, it was minutes more before Gendo Ikari put the Key to a point just below his sternum, the needles vibrating slightly as the cloth gave way, leaving a circle of bare skin.

'Yui…'

With that, he plunged the Key in to the hilt, driving an involuntary gasp out of him as he sank to his knees in utter pain.

Pain rippled through him like waves of fire coursing through each nerve, and it felt like he might implode on himself. But there was a great source, he could feel, dwelling within the Key. So he drew it to himself, through sheer force of will, the source of a power that could transcend the logic of the world.

It was a long, drawn-out struggle, pained gasps echoing in the vast and empty space as Gendo pulled with all his might.

Then, at last, it was done. The power was within him, his humanity was spent, and he pulled the Key from his chest, taking in massive breaths. First one. Then another. Then another.

Then he stopped breathing. And he stood.

'The First Gate to Imagination has been unbarred.' Commander Ikari thought as his shirt repaired itself, covering the latticework scar. 'Now we must find the other Gates, and reach out to the Imaginary.'

. . .

New Sydney, Australia, Mid-September 2016

John Price was looking for a man. Not that he gave any outward appearance of it, dressed as he was in comfortable, light and loose civilian clothes, a floppy brimmed hat, and aviators. He had only done a few undercover ops during his time in Blackadder, but his memory was sharp on how they worked. And he was sure of the compact holdout pistol in the small of his back, and the holdout knife in his boot, concealed as it was by his jeans, in case things decided to get messy.

He continued walking down the moodily bright, hot street of a city approaching night until he found himself in front of a now-familiar sight. A seaside bar called the New Hook, whatever that meant, had been found to be a gathering spot for off-duty UN workers and Armed Response soldiers. Ghost had been casing the place for about a week now. He now likely had a lot of juicy secrets, that much would be for certain. But bawdy details mattered far less than the fact that every Thursday or so, one Terrence Howard would come as the sun was setting, just before 8, to find a nice, out-of-the-way table. He'd been coming more frequently, apparently, at least according to Ghost asking a nonchalant question to the bartender.

Now, though, he thought as he entered the bar, finding the others and his target easily enough, all he'd need to do was go up and ask some questions.

He ordered a stout from the bar, then went and sat down at the booth where Howard nursed some fruity cocktail or another. "Look like you could use some company, my friend." John said, a light and friendly tone to his voice.

Howard looked blearily at him, the three glasses at his side relatively unnoticed. "No." he finally said after a moment. "No, I don't."

"Oh, I think differently." John replied as he took a sip of his stout. "After all, I've got a question for you."

Howard blinked, and John could see the hints of adrenaline beginning to clear the haze in his eyes. "What d' you mean?" he said, a slur swirling his words.

"Well, actually, I personally don't have a question." John continued. "Nor do my buddies the table over keeping things private."

He had to admire Howard's ability when he only glanced over at the table in question, which held Ghost, Roach, and Soap in similarly casual clothes. "No, my question's from Julius." John continued, his voice becoming a low growl. "Where. Is. My. Daughter?"

Howard's eyes widened slowly at the realization. "Oh… shit… Mar-"

"Keep talking." Price interrupted. "But talk quietly. And concisely."

It took a moment for Howard to gather his thoughts and, apparently, his courage. "Alpha Child was sent on a classified mission to Tokyo-3, along with Ma-Beta Child and Cephus Child, to retrieve two articles from within the NERV-HQ Geofront."

Price snorted. "We saw how well that went." he said, an undertone of anger becoming more and more prominent. "Is she alive?"

Howard slowly nodded. "Yes. She was captured by NERV at the conclusion of the failed operation."

"NERV?" Price said, a raised eyebrow. "I'll admit, there are worse outcomes that I had in mind."

Howard nodded. "Still, the Committee has tasked me with putting together a retrieval team for the purpose of securing the girl- the assets."

Price's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed as he slowly put a hand on Howard's shoulder. "Care to rephrase that?" he said with a deathly calm.

Howard looked at him with a somewhat surprising spark of determination. "We're taking care of the Pilots, Julius. All of them."

Price let go of Howard's shoulder as he leaned back. "Well…" he began trailing off as he scratched at one of his muttonchops. "At least one of them is out of your hands." he said. "As long as you tell me where they are now, I'll be on my way."

It was a quiet moment before Howard replied. "They're in Tokyo-2, last our covert ops heard. In the good graces of NERV."

Price nodded as he polished off the stout, taking long draughts. "Alright, then." he finally said as he set down his glass with a quiet thunk. "We'll be on our way. Thank you for your cooperation."

As he stood, Howard reached out a hand. "Wait."

Price paused. "Yes?"

"Keep Mana and Mayumi safe if you find them." Howards said after a moment, desperation evident in his expression. "Please."

It was silent again as Price considered the plea. "Alright. We'll try." he finally said quietly.

Then, with a nod to the other three, John Price left the bar, and left behind a man who stewed in what he had been ordered to do as he took another drink.