Chapter 34: Tearing Down the Dollhouse

I've spent countless hours in the nights since my discovery trying to decipher this scrap of vellum that I've found. The language on this seems to be a root of dozens of different languages, and yet… it is nearly inscrutable. The closest I have gotten to translating it is by using a hodge-podge of ancient Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic. But, from what little I can infer, it seems to be some kind of manifest, detailing the contents of one of the caves on the far side of our search. The closest I can translate what it says the content is is "scripts of holy danger".

It… compels me. After we are done searching tomorrow, I will go to where this cave is at night. Myself. Something there must be valuable if this scrap places such importance on what it contains.

- From the personal journals of Lorenz Kihl, June 21st, 1920

JNV Seikaku, Another World, Early 2021

Colonel Misato Katsuragi regarded the small group around her table, and wondered at what had gotten Ritsuko so… worked up.

Of course, anyone who looked at her now, sitting calmly with Captain Ibuki and glancing down at her tablet every once in a while, would be hard-pressed to say that she was anything but totally in control of her emotions. But she had known her since college. Her little tics, the tapping on the arm of her chair when she didn't have a cigarette handy, her hand holding Ms. Ibuki's, were evident to her that whatever Ritsuko had called them together to see, it was going to be… interesting.

As she squeezed Makoto's hand under the table, however, she did appreciate the comfort of something so simple as what was going on across the table from her. Hell, she'd appreciated all the comfort he'd been able to give since…

No. Now was the time to focus, as Ritsuko cleared her throat and got everyone's attention. "I've received a message for all of us." she began. "But especially for…" she looked over at Misato. "Captain Katsuragi."

Misato's eyebrow arched as whispers rose up between Chief of Security Beifong and Chief Medical Officer Aanderson, while Chief Engineer Tennison and Rear Admiral Alst, their fleet commander, simply exchanged glances.

"And who would be contacting me? Is it someone at NERV?" she asked.

Ritsuko shook her head. "No. At least, not so far as I can tell. We received the message from a…" she glanced down at her tablet again. "Commander Tabris of WILLE."

Eyebrows rose around the table as Misato's brow furled. "And is it only addressed to me?"

Ritsuko shook a head that now sported close-cropped hair. "No. It's addressed to everyone in the fleet."

She looked back down at the tablet and began to read. "To Captain Katsuragi and the other members of the former U.N. Task Fleet. Congratulations. Your will and mine have come to align themselves in opposition against NERV and its desire to prematurely end the world. Thus, I offer you the chance to act in a far more decisive manner than you have been currently operating, by joining WILLE as it begins operations against NERV to end the threat of the Evangelions and of Instrumentality."

"I understand that you would perhaps be hesitant to join a cause that has contacted you with seemingly no great reason. Therefore, attached are the currently tentative patrol routes of the Mark.04A squadrons that NERV has begun to produce."

She tapped on the screen one more time, then slid it towards Misato, who spun it to peer at the world map, Makoto leaning slightly to peer with her.

The lines that crisscrossed the world were… almost overwhelming. "There's no way we'll be able to outrun them for long if that's what they plan to do." Makoto said, a hard edge to his voice.

"Any numbers to go along with them?" Misato asked as she slid the tablet over to Tennison.

"Thousands." Ritsuko said quietly as quiet gasps went up one by one as the tablet made its round. "Possibly even hundreds of thousands. This Tabris fellow doesn't seem to have concrete details yet."

She took the tablet again as Ibuki passed it back to her. "But, Tabris does offer a solution. A way to stymie the production of the piloting systems necessary for the Marks to function."

"Really?" Beifong said as she leaned forward. "That feels… convenient."

Ritsuko shrugged. "Perhaps. But if we do find what Tabris calls a 'Dummy Plug Plant' in the Shanghai area, then that convenience will work to our benefit."

"And what's to keep Commander Ikari from noticing this attack?" Rear Admiral Alst interjected. "For something as important as this seems to be, wouldn't he have surveillance on this location 24/7?"

"Apparently, because Ikari and Fuyutsuki are going to be away in the Middle East for the next several weeks." Ritsuko shrugged. "Due to that, apparently they won't be paying attention to their sensor nets."

Ibuki shook her head. "That feels… suspect to me. Surely, we shouldn't believe it's just the two of them. And how does this Tabris character have such information in the first place?"

"Honestly…" Misato paused as all eyes turned to her. "How they know doesn't matter. We finally have the opportunity to actually do something to stop the Commander. Or at least set him back more than shooting down one or two flights of Mark.04As every few weeks."

"And you do understand that we'll be throwing in our lot with this WILLE, and essentially be a part of the organization if we do this?" Ritsuko asked.

"It's better than running around trying to just survive. Now, we can actually put up a fight."

Misato nodded to Alst. "How long will it take to get to Shanghai from where we are?"

Alst sighed quietly as he ran a hand through close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair. "Given our position in the Atlantic? About a week if we want to be quick and loud."

"We can afford it. I'll make sure the pilots know."

. . .

Toph Beifong and Kiana Aanderson found a quiet part of the ship and shut the door behind them as they took a seat in what was Aoba's preferred compartment for card games.

Toph sighed. "Man, Katara. We got in over our heads with this one. And that's saying something, coming from me."

Katara nodded. "Maybe. But we made it this far, and through several other worlds as well. We're close to finding Kin. I'm sure."

Toph nodded in turn, a skeptical look on her face. "I mean, I've said it before, but I think Kin can do just fine on his own. Do we really need to find him?"

"If these Scions are as bad as we've been told they are, and they're here like you think they are, then Kin's going to need all the help he can get."

"Yeah." Toph glanced around. "But…" she sighed and shook her head as her mouth quirked into something that was almost a scowl. "These damn kids. Almost as much in over their heads as we are. You guys and your big, bleeding hearts…"

Katara nodded wearily. "There's… not much I can do for them right now. Not without blowing our cover as non-benders, at least. And even still, things here are…" she shook her head. "I hope the others are doing alright, scattered among the fleet as we are."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine." Toph scoffed. "Aang's trying to meditate while Korra and Zuko almost get into another playful fistfight while their wives try to pull them back. Sokka and Bolin are trying to entertain themselves in my division, and Suki and Mako are rolling their eyes at their antics."

Toph pulled out a smartphone from her pants pocket. "And we have these, remember? We could call them and know what I'm saying is right."

Katara blinked, then blushed slightly. "Look, the last time either of us saw a phone, it came in two parts and had a wire, remember? This is the first "modern"," she said with big air quotes, "world we've been to and stayed on."

Toph shrugged as she pocketed the phone. "Speaking of the modern world… have you been able to find out what that Angel thing in Asuka's head is doing?"

Katara shook her head. "No. Not yet. But… it's wearing her down. I'm sure of it. Whether it's the fact that she hasn't slept for the past year, or whether it's something else, she's… changed from when we were at NERV."

Katara paused. "And what about your 'person of interest'?"

Toph fully grimaced now. "Whoever she actually is…" she paused for a moment, glancing towards the door. "She's not simply Esmeralda Tennison. Whether she's with NERV still, or someone like us, she won't say. And she's made it remarkably difficult to ask her since I first talked to her."

Katara sighed, then glanced down at a watch. "Well, back to our duty stations."

"And to Shanghai."

"The first normal-sounding place I've heard in a while."

"Yeah, actually."

. . .

1 Week Later

The door to the mostly empty room opened, and Asuka looked up at Misato, the light from beyond the doorway shadowing her.

"Alright. We're here. You'll be sortying out in 20 minutes. The Dummy Plug plant isn't more than a 10-minute stroll for you guys. All you'll apparently have to worry about is lighting the place up when we get there and going home. Any questions?"

"Uh, yes, actually." Mari Makinami raised her hand. "Mrs. Doctor said that she was doing something with S2 Engines to our Evas? Is that done, or…"

"Yes. It's done." Misato sighed quietly. "We had to go through who knows how many of those buzzards, but you no longer need an external power source."

Mari pumped her fist. "Nice! The princess and I can really kick ass, then."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess. As long as you don't get in my way, we'll pull this off pretty easily, I think."

"It looks like it." Misato took a step back. "Suit up, pilots. Stay safe."

With that, she shut the door, and Mari bounded up towards her locker, throwing off clothing as she did. Asuka rose more slowly, her mind chewing on the words Misato had said to them. And how they were said. No real emotion, even in the usually hopeful request to stay safe. A request that she had heard so much passion behind less than a decade ago.

"A person wouldn't get that." a darker part of her said. "She only asked that of a tool she doesn't want broken."

'Shut up.'

the words she thought were familiar, worn with use and wasted on what seemed like her darker part's indifference. The thoughts never went away, even though she never dreamed. It never went away. It was always there. Like it promised. What would happen once…

Asuka shook her head slightly as she sealed the new Plugsuit she had gotten, the collar of the suit not even obstructing the now sleek, black DSS Choker that she wore.

She'd noticed Mari had gotten one too, a fair while ago. She still wondered somewhat as to why.

But right now, it didn't matter. All that really mattered was that there was likely a helicopter waiting to get them to the Titanskeep and that Tennison and Ibuki were probably expecting them soon.

So, she walked behind Mari, out the reinforced steel door, shutting it behind her. They had a mission that needed to be done, after all.

. . .

The Judean Desert, Somewhere in Former Jordan

Commander Ikari stared out into the vast desert, intent on finding his destination. They had to be close, now, if what the old men's records were saying was true. His head was wrapped in a turban to cool his head, his eyes shaded as his visor enhanced his sight.

Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki grasped at the reins of the pack mule that accompanied him, wondering somewhat how the desert could remain untouched in the aftermath of the Third Impact. "Ikari," he said as he adjusted his sunglasses, "are we sure that the records that you accessed were accurate?"

"If the old men were keeping them, they would have to be." Ikari replied. "If there was a civilization close to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found…"

There. Out at 10x magnification. A series of dimples in the sand. "Then that is where it would be."

They climbed down from the height they were at slowly, two small sojourners in a land that had seen their kind come and pass through for centuries. But they were unlike most all other wanderers, who usually came seeking after petty water or glittering riches. One did not need the former, and neither had any great desire for the latter. The treasure they sought was far more… fundamental in nature.

The day had stretched on, and the sun had begun to dip towards the horizon as they finally reached the dimples in the sand, now resolved into great furrows stretching nearly kilometers in length. As they traced around the dips, they found an entrance, a hole in the ground that stretched into darkness.

"The flashlights, Sensei." Ikari said as he approached, and Fuyutsuki dug two flashlights out of a pack that he slung on his back, clicking one on as he handed the other to Ikari.

They descended into the dark after posting their mule, beams of light cutting holes to view the walls around them. They were worn, ancient stone things, likely witness to the rise and fall of civilizations. Far more recent were the tarps above their heads. And the logo that they, and a few scattered pieces of equipment, carried.

"The IPEA?" Fuyutsuki wondered as they crossed underneath the insignia of the International Project: Evangelion Agency on one of the tarps, his voice echoing slightly. "What were they doing out here?"

"A good question." Ikari answered. "Likely, they were in the hands of SEELE before their usefulness passed and they were dissolved."

"Much as NERV was, I suppose." Fuyutsuki muttered.

Soon they came to a stop before a door, circular and swirling with patterns on its surface, that had a ceiling hanging over it for a few centimeters.

Fuyutsuki shook his head as his light found the scorch marks of explosives use, the patterns underneath not even marred. "I believe we've reached the end of our expedition, then." he sighed wearily.

"Perhaps not."

Fuyutsuki looked at Ikari somewhat incredulously as he stepped forward. "How do we open the door then?"

Ikari simply placed his hand in the center of the door, and focused. After a moment, a quiet, but nearly bone-rattling hum filled the air around them as Ikari's hand began to emit a familiar prismatic glow that seemed to bleed into the etchings.

'An AT Field…'

Fuyutsuki's eyes were wide with shock. 'What has he become? An Angel? Or something more terrible?'

The door spiraled open from under Ikari's hand, and pillars of light exposed a smooth, almost untouched hallway that stretched before them.

"The way is clear." Ikari said simply. "Let us continue."

As they progressed through the empty hallway, their footsteps and the clatter of Fuyutsuki's pack echoing in the otherwise silent space, Ikari spoke after long minutes. "Sensei."

"Yes, Ikari?"

"Why do you still work with me?"

Fuyutsuki blinked at the question. "What do you mean by that?"

"We both know that NERV is now a ghost of its former self, for all the Evangelions it produces. All that remains for our cause are the old men and SEELE's boy. The rest are either dead, have deserted us, or actively seek to stop us. And yet, you remain. Why?"

Fuyutsuki pondered on the question for a moment. His memories flashed back to happier times. Times where he could see the eyes of the man in front of him. Alive and intent and not stuck behind some barrier or another. Times where he could see… her eyes. His best student. The daughter he'd never had. And perhaps…

"Because our goals are still aligned, Ikari, regardless of your current status." Fuyutsuki replied. "Because if we go through with this, there's a chance that… perhaps I can get both of you back."

"Perhaps."

That word, singular even as its echoes drifted through the corridor, seemed to weigh heavily on Kozo Fuyutsuki as he sighed quietly.

. . .

Shanghai Region, Former China

Unit-02 plodded along, marching through the somewhat mountainous crystalline wasteland as Unit-08, an eye-aching pink and white sight she still wasn't entirely used to, seemed to skip along with her.

As they marched, Asuka idly wondered why the Chinese government of old hadn't decided to add anything when they decided to rename Nanchang in honor of the now sunken city due east of them that they'd sailed over. A last grasp at tradition and familiarity? National pride? Simple ease?

Who could tell now, really? Almost everyone who was able to was dead, after all.

"500 meters to the target." Captain Hyuga's voice said through their link to the fleet. "Any signs of Mark.04As?"

"Nope!" Mari chirped. "It looks like it's clear skies for us thus far. Not a vapor trail or ear-piercing scream to be seen or heard."

"Any idea if we have to worry about automated defenses?" Asuka asked.

"We're hooking up to one of the derelict satellites in orbit." Ritsuko replied. "We'll have eyes on your target in… 1 minute."

Asuka nodded, shifting her grip on the Pallet Rifle in her hands. This was her rifle, now. Mari had hers, they had their Prog Knives, and… that was about it. Anything else was locked under the core material. And once she emptied the clip, it was going to be a while before she fired it again.

"2 minutes to contact. Get ready."

Asuka took a deep breath and glanced over at the screen that showed Mari. "You ready?"

"Born ready and living the dream, princess!" Mari said, a grin on her face.

Asuka sighed and shook her head, the ghost of a smile tugging at a corner of her mouth as they crested the peak they were climbing… and there it was, a low, mostly flat series of buildings, dominated in the center by a dome that had the NERV logo prominently sprayed across its face.

'Might as well have painted a target on it.' Asuka mentally snarked as she sighted her Pallet Rifle.

"Hold for a moment, Asuka." Ritsuko said. "We're scanning the facility for any defenses that might be waiting for you."

Asuka tapped her foot as best she could as she waited for the techs to work their magic. "Alright." Ritsuko said again. "No defenses here. You're clear to fire."

So, Asuka and Mari pulled the triggers, unleashing twin streams of 330mm shells that drew lines of carnage where the Evas pointed them.

A minute passed. Then another. Finally, the rifles clicked empty, and the pilots released their grips on the triggers, lowering the rifles to observe their handiwork.

The facility had been reduced to ruins in the span of seconds. Flames licked up from scattered patches of rubble, and the barrage had almost guaranteed nothing above perhaps a meter or two was left standing.

They watched for a moment, then Mari shrugged. "Alright. Job's done, life's easier. Let's go home!"

She turned, and started making her way back down the hill they had climbed, back towards the fleet docked over old Shanghai, humming a jaunty little tune. Before Asuka could turn, however, something apparently caught Makoto's eye.

"Wait a minute, Asuka. Keep an eye on the wreckage. Something moved."

Asuka leaned Unit-02 forward slightly, and a magnification lens sprang to life in Asuka's Plug, slowly zooming in. Asuka's eyes narrowed slightly as the lens scanned the rubble, then her eyes widened.

Out in the distance, something, someone, pushed a piece of rubble off herself, and a bloodied, dust-caked, naked Rei Ayanami stumbled forward once, then twice, then collapsed onto the ground. She did not get back up.

'The doll…' Asuka wondered. 'They started producing her line again…'

"What the hell is going on here?"

Makoto's question seemed to unleash a flood of chatter on the other end of the line, then another voice came on and spoke over them. "Alright," Misato said, "go ahead and come home. We'll straighten things out once you're back, figure out what's going on."

Asuka's darker part whispered, and she spoke what it said to some degree. "Not much to figure out. They were doing something with the girl that helped end the world. And if she had to die again to make sure that didn't happen, then oh well. I'm on my way."

With that, Unit-02 turned away and began to follow Unit-08 back to the fleet.

. . .

Ikari and Fuyutsuki emerged into a vast chamber, vast racks of what appeared to be scrolls lining the walls as a strip of white light shone down on the center of the space, casting what was almost a spotlight on a long raised block of smooth stone.

Fuyutsuki couldn't help but stare at the somewhat anachronistic sight for a moment. "All this technology…" he walked over to a nearby rack, putting on a pair of gloves and gently pulling down a scroll. "And they still kept records on… vellum."

"What materials they kept records on is pointless." Ikari said, marching towards the opposite rack from Fuyutsuki and pulling down an armful of scrolls. "What information might be contained on them is what truly matters. Let's begin searching."

The block became a table as scrolls were quickly piled upon it, durable laptops opened up to access SEELE's translation files for the strange language that was found on the original Dead Sea Scrolls.

Hours passed, scroll after scroll read slowly and set aside. Most were useless to them, either untranslatable or meaningless pedantics. There were a few that mentioned Instrumentality, a far, far smaller pile that had gone into scroll cases for further study at home.

As Ikari pulled another scroll from the now small pile next to him, carefully unfurling it, his head silently twitched between the parchment in front of him and the glowing computer screen, tapping a few keys on it every once in a while. His other hand traced lightly under the lines of text that covered the scroll, before stopping at a series of words. "The Realm of Imagination…"

Fuyutsuki blinked as he looked up from the scroll he was reading. "What is it?"

"This one is the only one so far that has made any reference to Imagination as a place instead of a concept. A place…" he continued reading, silently translating for a moment. "Where all things exist, regardless of their place or status in the physical world."

He continued to read silently, Fuyutsuki's gaze now intently on the scroll before his former student. "It mentions… the Gates of Imagination. Barriers that must be weakened and breached in order to step into the realm. Ones that must be large to bring anything of great size back over."

"Such as a version of Lilith…"

"Yes, Sensei. Exactly."

Though his tone was level, as it had been since he had used the Key of Nebuchadnezzar, Fuyutsuki could almost swear there was a level of… excitement present in Ikari.

"What would it take to breach these Gates, then?"

Ikari's finger began to trace again, reaching the end of the script without saying a word. "It does not say. Perhaps there are more documents here that can be found that will reveal it. Or perhaps the old men have a better idea of what it might mean."

"They are also seeking to start Instrumentality, after all." Fuyutsuki admitted with a restrained sigh. "Perhaps their research went into ensuring such contingencies as well."

"Perhaps. It is, in fact, quite likely that their main database will have an enlightening perspective for us."

"Ikari…"

"Yes, Sensei?"

"What consequences lie in store for the world? No power as mighty as this seems comes without cost."

"They do not say. And it does not matter."