Disclaimer: see part 1

Chain of Command

Part 4

Reveal

By Random1377

"Mommy… Mooommmmieeee…"

Misato forced her eyes open, "Mmmm… what is it, honey?" she mumbled, "Mommy's sleepy…" she let her eyes drift closed again, hoping her daughter would decide that it wasn't worth the effort. Yesterday had been a long, frustrating day… and she wasn't in the mood to deal with the rambunctious youth just yet.

"Daddy left," Reiko replied, shaking her to make sure she didn't go back to sleep, "he said since you were gonna be home, he was gonna go workin' early."

"He did?" the purple-haired woman said, yawning and rubbing her eyes, "And he left you all alone without waking me up?" -God,- she thought, sitting up tiredly, -could my husband be more careless?-

"I'm a big girl!" Reiko exclaimed proudly, "Daddy said so."

"You are a big girl," Misato replied, pulling the covers back, "but you're not big enough to be awake all by yourself."

Reiko, tiring of the conversation, said, "I want pizza."

Misato blinked. "For breakfast?" she said, "I think not."

"Daddy lets me…" the girl pouted.

"Daddy's not here now, is he?" her mother replied, swinging her legs out of bed, "How about some eggies?"

Reiko instantly brightened, "With pokey-yolks?" she asked hopefully.

Misato made a horrified face, "Ewww!!" she exclaimed with mock-disgust, "Yucky! But if that's what you want…"

"They're the bestest," Reiko said with a broad grin, "you can have some of mine."

"No thanks!" Misato exclaimed, struggling to hide her smile, "I might turn into a chicken."

"Nuh-uh!" the young girl shook her head emphatically.

Her mother looked at her thoughtfully, "I think you're turning into a chicken," she said, "your nose looks kinda like a beak…"

"It does?" Reiko said wonderingly, feeling her nose with wide eyes.

"Yup," Misato confirmed, "and your butt has feathers on it."

The girl turned to look at her pajama-clad backside, then whirled around, her face breaking into a large smile, "Momiee!!!" she shouted.

The Operations Director grinned. –Yet another tactical victory for the great Misato Kaji,- she thought. She held her arms out, "Gimme hug…"

Reiko jumped into her arms, squeezing her tightly. "You're a chicken," she giggled gleefully.

Misato laughed, "Come on… let's see about those eggies… chicken…"

"You are!" Reiko laughed, releasing her mother and scampering off towards the kitchen.

The purple-haired woman followed, yawning expansively. –Four days…- she thought glumly as she recalled the reason she had been able to sleep as long as she had, - Rei's right, though… it'll be nice to spend some time at home…-

As her mother got out a pan, Reiko regaled her with the details of the movie she and Aunt Nozomi had watched. A fine (in her mind, anyway) story about two high school students and their trials and tribulations in becoming a couple. She couldn't pretend to understand the romance aspects of the show, but it had been filled with amusing one-liners and bright colors… which was all Reiko really cared about at that point in her life.

"Daddy says you can't cook…" the little girl observed, changing the topic without so much as a 'Hey, by the way.'

Misato glowered, "What else does Daddy say?" she muttered.

"That he's the luckiest man alive, cuz he's a loser and you're so pretty," Reiko replied without hesitation.

Misato nearly dropped the pan. "When did he say that?" she asked wonderingly.

Her daughter beamed proudly, "He said I should say that if you ever said, 'What does Daddy say about me?'"

Misato stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, then let out a short laugh. "Figures…" she said, shaking her head and smiling as she set the pan on the stove.

"He also said he loves you lots," the girl said, opening the fridge to retrieve the eggs, "and that he wishes he got to see you more."

"Did he tell you to say that too?" her mother asked dubiously.

"No," Reiko replied, "he said that when he was on the phone."

Misato blinked, "Who was he talking to?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Kaji rarely talked about personal matters on the phone.

The little girl tilted her head, thinking it over for a moment, "Someone named Commander," she said finally, "he was on the phone for a long time yesterday."

Misato just stared at her daughter. –Why would he talk to Rei from here?- she thought, baffled, -And why would they be talking about me?-

The fact that Reiko hadn't known who was on the phone didn't surprise Misato. The girl knew Rei, and heard Misato talking about 'The Commander' all the time. However, when the blue-haired girl was around, she was always just Rei (Misato insisted on this), so there was no way her young mind could have made the connection.

"What else did they talk about?" the purple-haired woman inquired.

Reiko frowned, "Daddy said I'm not supposed to listen to him when he talks on the phone…" she said reluctantly.

"It's ok," Misato said gently, the eggs forgotten, "you can tell me… just this once…"

"He talked about messigers," the girl said with a shrug, "and some girl who knows stuff but won't talk to him."

"Messigers…" the Operations Director repeated, trying to puzzle out what her daughter was trying to say. Frowning, she said, "Messengers?"

"Yeah!!" Reiko exclaimed, "That's what he said. He said he didn't think it would be long before they came looking for her."

"Her who?" Misato asked, confused.

The little girl shrugged. "I dunno… can I have my eggies now?"

"In a minute," her mother replied, "did he say who the messengers wanted to find?" she pressed.

Reiko shook her head, "Uh-uh… but I think it was the girl that won't talk… he kept saying that if she would talk more, they could figure out how to make the messigers stop looking." Her lip turned down, "Mommy… I'm hungry…"

Misato nodded, realizing she had gotten all that she could from the child, "Of course, honey…" she said, turning back to the stove. –What the hell is going on?- she thought, cracking two eggs into the skillet, -I'm going to have to talk to him…-

She frowned, thinking of Rei's words, 'You are not to report for duty for four days,'

"Guess I just won't report…" she mumbled, picking up a spatula.

She sighed, wondering if Nozomi would mind coming over for a few hours…

**

Maya sat back in her chair and sighed.

"You always made it look so easy…" she said wistfully.

"Hard day?"

Maya smiled as a pair of strong arms came around her shoulders. "Yeah…" she admitted, closing her eyes and leaning back, "Sempai always did things so much faster than me… and you would not believe how much work is involved when the EVAs are damaged…"

Shigeru Ibuki kissed the side of his wife's neck gently. "No one does it better than you, honey…" he whispered against her ear, "and there's something to be said for taking your time…"

Maya shivered, "Mmmmm…" she hummed, "pervert…" She tilted her head and kissed him briefly, "Don't whisper in my ear when you know I have work to do…" she admonished.

He grinned, "How can I help it?" he whispered… in her ear, "When you look so sexy."

"Stop now," she breathed, flushing slightly, "or I'm going to make you suffer for it later…"

"Sounds promising," he said gently, "how much more do you have to do, honey?"

"Another hour or two," she said, reluctantly opening her eyes and leaning away from him, "Unit 08 is a total loss… the angel's spikes punctured its core, brainpan, and several other vital organs. Its way past the Henfleck limit…"

"What about the pilot?" he inquired, staying close to her.

They had been married for only a year, after a rather fast courtship. It had taken four and a half years for Shigeru to get close enough to her to actually broach the subject of dating with her… but he considered it time well spent. The decision to take her last name had been an easy one to make – after all, he was the one getting the better end of the deal as far as lineage was concerned.

Of course, he still signed checks Shigeru Aoba from time to time.

"Xiang's… in bad shape," Maya said reluctantly, "one of the spikes…" she trailed off.

"Sorry," he said quietly, holding her tighter, "I didn't mean to make you unhappy."

"You didn't," she said, allowing herself to lean into him again, "you never do, honey…"

"Let's talk about something more pleasant…" he whispered, kissing the side of her neck again, "let's talk about what you're wearing under that uniform, Misses Ibuki…"

"You're bad…" she whispered, feeling her pulse jump, "you know I have-"

He turned her to face him and pressed his lips against hers, silencing her protest. He broke away after a moment, smiling as he whispered, "When you work a fourteen hour shift, you are allowed some breaks, right? I think you're about due…" he leaned in again, kissing her deeply.

She moaned softly as he began undoing the buttons on her uniform shirt, tilting her head back to allow him better access to her lips.

As their kisses became more intense, she broke away, her voice low and hoarse.

"Lock the door…"

**

As Rei made her way through the deep maze of Terminal Dogma, her mind began to go over the day's events.

-It was premature to say I would be able to come here in the morning,- she thought, -I should have known I would not be able to escape my duties…-

Not that she had a great desire to visit the secret room, deep in the heart of NERV… but she disliked creating a timetable, only to have it thrown off by inconveniences such as duty and obligation.

The meeting with the heads of Sections Two, Four, and Thirteen had not gone well. There had been much panic and losing of calm, and Rei was surprised that she had managed to keep them from running for the hills.

'We have dealt with this before,' she had said coolly, 'it is why we are here. We are stronger than we have ever been, and we know now that the angels have not given up. We have lost one EVA, but we are still more than adequately staffed. When the next attack occurs… we shall be even more prepared.'

She sighed as she reached her destination, pausing outside the door marked, 'Authorized personnel only – trespassers will be shot on sight!' "We should have been more prepared for this one," she whispered.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and opened the door, stepping into a large room with a vaulted ceiling. In the center of the room was a large tank, affixed to a mobile platform, and ringed with three large canister-shaped devices marked N^2. An excessive precaution, perhaps, but should the tank's occupant ever attempt to free itself, the entire tank would be shot into the stratosphere in less than fifteen seconds, and all three non-nuclear mines would be detonated simultaneously.

NERV took no chances.

"Are you awake… angel…" Rei said quietly.

In the tank, the long, serpentine shape stirred, uncoiling itself like a cat awakening from a nap and turning to face its visitor.

"Hello… Mother…" the creature whispered, its voice holding an unmistakable hint of pleasure.

"I told you not to call me that," Rei replied, forcing down the irrational urge to smile.

The way the creature 'spoke' set Rei's hair on end. It wasn't so much a sound carried through the air, but rather… an enforced vibration in the ear canal – as if the angel were standing directly behind her and whispering softly in her ear… like a lover.

"I call you what you are," the angel replied, "to use another name would be incorrect."

"I am not your mother," Rei answered levelly, "I am human."

"As you say… Mother…" the creature said, sounding more amused.

"You said that we had more time until the others arrived," Rei began, wanting to leave as soon as possible, "yet the ninth attacked yesterday."

"I know," the angel replied, "I felt him pass…"

"Why did it come?" Rei asked softly, "There should be no more angels until you are gone… that is what was written."

"That is what you interpreted," the angel replied, "not what was written."

"What do you mean?" Rei demanded.

"The sacred words say that there are trials that must be passed… and that a messenger shall arrive to initiate each one." The angel paused, it's tone growing soft, "My trial is passed."

"I don't understand," the blue-haired woman answered, "you are not dead – our researchers said that until an angel dies, there can be no more."

"You live, Mother…" the angel said quietly.

"I am human…" Rei said… but her voice lacked conviction. After a pause she said, "If I ask you a question… will you answer it, angel?"

"You are the Mother," the angel replied, seeming to tilt its massive head slightly, "being untruthful with the Mother is forbidden."

"Are there others…" Rei asked softly, "others… like me?"

The angel was silent for a long time. "Mother…" it replied, its tone hesitant for the first time since Rei had first heard it speak, "since I was taken by one of the Chosen and the shadow of the Father, I have learned much." It paused, seeming to gather its thoughts, "I have learned the ways of the Lillim, your other children… I have learned to communicate with them… I have watched the one you called Commander grow obsessed with his quest to find that which was lost to him – even unto his own death…"

"Go on," Rei prompted, feeling a sense of unease wash over her as the angel grew even more hesitant.

"I have learned also… that there are those among you that must not be trusted…"

Rei blinked in confusion, "What are you-"

"Mother," the angel interrupted her, "please do not speak, for your words are not only heard by me…"

The First Child's eyes widened as the implication of the angel's words hit home. After a moment, she nodded.

"Yes, there is another like you," the angel said softly, relaxing slightly, "I do not know where, but he is the final messenger… he bears the soul of the Father within him. And he will not reveal himself until the other tests are passed…"

Rei considered this for a moment, knowing that if this room was monitored (which should have been impossible) that the angel's words were for her alone. She chose her words very carefully, asking, "You… allowed yourself to be captured, didn't you?"

"Yes," the angel replied, "as the shadow of the Father ensnared me, I made the decision to break free… but then… then I felt your presence, watching over the other Chosen one from high above… and I allowed myself to be taken."

"Why?" Rei asked, not understanding.

"Must you ask?" the angel answered, its voice almost a laugh, "I did it to be close to you, Mother. All Messengers must heed the call of the Father's flesh… and I am no exception – but I chose to be close to you instead of seeking Him… for I know that someday, you and He will unite. Then all will be one."

Rei shivered. "That won't happen…" she said as calmly as she could.

"As you say… Mother…" the angel replied, it's voice almost… placating.

"I have another question, angel…" the blue-haired girl said softly, "what was your trial? And how is it complete?"

As the angel known as Sandelphon began to speak in her soft, sibilant voice, Rei's eyes widened… and before it had finished, tears were running down the young Commander's face.

**

"Why do I have to wear a suit, again?" Shinji asked, a look of intense displeasure on his face.

"I told you," Asuka replied absently, straightening his tie, "it's a fancy restaurant… now hold still!"

The Third Child sighed, "It's just a few people, right?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, finishing the knot, "just Hikari, Touji, Angelica, and your little boyfriend."

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Yeah… the lady's man is so into me. Kensuke's working then?"

"Naturally," she replied, "you know he would never leave his little Rei unprotected."

"His Rei?" Shinji asked, confused.

Asuka stared at him blankly. "Geez…" she muttered after a moment, "all men are idiots and I'm dating their king…" She sighed.

"We're getting a ride tonight, right?" Shinji asked as Asuka stepped away.

"Yes, honey…" she said, meeting his eyes levelly, "you won't have to drive."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked after a moment, "What?"

"Shinji…" Asuka began slowly, putting her arms around his waist, "don't… drink tonight, ok?"

He bristled, "What's that supposed to mean?" he mumbled, shrugging his coat on, "You're saying I can't go out without tying one on?"

She said nothing, but her lips compressed into a thin line.

"I don't have a problem!" he snapped, blinking at the vehemence in his voice.

She looked away, "Shinji…" she said quietly, "when was the last time you went a whole day without a drink?"

"I don't need this now," he said angrily, pushing past her to sit on the bed, "not after what happened to Xiang."

She sighed as he began pulling his socks on. "Honey," she said gently, "look at me…"

"What?" he asked sharply, finishing his socks and starting on his shoes, "We have to hurry or we won't be ready when-"

"Please look at me," she cut him off softly.

He took a deep breath, and slowly raised his head.

"Do you love me?" she asked quietly, holding up a hand as he started to frown, "No, wait… wrong question. I know you love me…"

She knelt in front of him, putting her hands on his knees and looking up into his eyes.

"Do you love yourself?" she asked gently, "I know how hard it is, baby… I hated myself for the longest time."

"I don't hate myself," he whispered, "can we please-"

"Shinji," she said gently, "just for tonight, ok?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't have a problem, Asuka…" he said firmly, "if this is the only way to prove that to you – fine, I won't have anything tonight. Happy?"

"Yes…" she whispered, leaning up to kiss him gently, "more than you know, honey…"

He sighed as she rose to her feet, "This is stupid, you know…" he muttered.

"Maybe," she admitted, "but thank you for doing it for me."

He shrugged, "Get ready," he said quietly, "our ride will be here any minute."

She smiled, "I love you…" she said, leaning forward to kiss him again, "thank you for doing this for me."

Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," he said, "you get dressed before everyone thinks I'm dating a hussy."

She stuck her tongue out, "What? You mean you don't want me to go out like this?"

He looked her up and down, "I don't think a garter-belt and a bra counts as 'eveningwear', honey…" he said dryly.

She laughed, "Get the door…"

He chuckled, closing the bedroom door (that still bore the sign 'Shinji's Lovely Suite') and going to the front of the apartment.

"Hey, Shinji…" the Fifth Child smiled softly as the door opened, "Ready to go?"

"Just about…" Shinji said with a sigh, "Asuka needs to finish getting her stuff together."

"Of course," the other replied.

Shinji stepped aside, letting his long-time friend and pilot of Evangelion Unit 05, Kaworu Nagisa into his apartment.

The red-eyed boy entered with a gentle smile. –The time is drawing nigh, Ikari…- he thought with a mixture of sadness and anticipation, -I hope you are prepared…-

Five minutes later, the three friends left the apartment, bound for what would be the last carefree night any of them would know for a long, long time…

Continued…

Author's notes: Yeah, none I can think of… hope you're liking it. ^_^

Thanks again to Ryoma for pre-reading.

Feedback is always welcome at random1377@yahoo.com