]+ ELECTRONIC TRANSCENDENCE PRODUCTIONS +[
presents

]+ NEON EPOCH +[
]+ E V A N G E L I O N +[

]+ EPISODE 26: CRUEL THESIS +[

By Eliot "Lostfactor" Lefebvre

Based off of "Shin Seiki Evangelion" by GAINAX

]++[

Blessed and holy are those that have part in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of
God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
- REVELATIONS 20:6

]++[

[ 2006 ]

Naoko Akagi was surveying the boy in front of her with a critical
stare, a fact that didn't quite seem to be lost on him as he looked
back and forth between the goliath outside the window and his father.
"This really isn't the place for children," she said, her voice firm,
eyes flashing as she turned towards the boy's father herself. "We
still aren't certain of what's going to happen out there. I'd prefer
it if he was kept -"

"Oh, let him be, Dr. Akagi," replied Gendou Ikari, a smile on his lips
as he watched his son look around the room with enthusiasm. His face
was almost frighteningly gaunt, his chin coming to what looked like a
dangerous point, but there was genuine joy in his features. "It's a
big day for his mother - for all of us. He's got as much of a right as
anyone else to observe."

"Don't say I didn't -warn- you," replied Naoko firmly, provoking a
broader smile on Gendou's face. He still felt some vague guilt for
everything that had been done to her, but he also felt justified. Even
though the teal-gray paint still seemed to be drying on the metallic
bulkheads of Gehirn's headquarters, it felt finished, only waiting for
the successful activation of their first experiment to be free of any
failures.

And there was nothing that -could- go wrong. He winced slightly as he
remembered his flight from the Katsuragi expedition site, knowing full
well what was going to happen, wondering why SEELE had only informed
him in enough time to flee. The guilt had been nearly unbearable at
the time, but he had come to understand what needed to be done, and as
he walked towards the window to stand beside Shinji, he knew that he
had done the right thing.

"You remember what I told you about that?" he asked the boy, dropping
to his knees as he watched the technicians finishing up their final
preparations. "That's what your mother and I have been working on
here - the artificial life form Evangelion."

Shinji stared at it for a moment, then looked towards his father
reluctantly. "It looks scary," he replied, eyes wide. "Isn't it
supposed to be friendly?"

"It's scary, but it's friendly anyways. It's -our- monster." The
words sounded oxymoronic to Gendou, but he ignored the thought and
stood once again, his white lab coat shifting around him as he stood.
"We're using it to keep the bad monsters away, your mother and I. One
day, we're going to need it to save us all."

"Dr. Ikari?" The tone of Kozou Fuyutsuki's voice was ever so slightly
accusatory, as if Gendou was still his unruly student that had to be
reminded of his assigments. Another day, Gendou would have been
irritated by the tone, but he was too filled with enthusiasm to even
let it bother him. "Yui's all suited up, and the technicians are
preparing to withdraw. As soon as you're ready, we can begin the
activation."

Gendou adjusted his glasses, then turned on his heel, stepped towards
the gray computer console that Fuyutsuki was standing behind, and
flipped on the microphone. "Dr. Yui Ikari?" he asked with mock
seriousness. "We're prepared for the experiment. If you would enter
the launch chamber?"

"Of course," replied the woman, her voice accompanied by the whir and
hiss of the doors of the hangar opening. Yui stepped in quickly, her
short brown hair bobbing along with her, the long white lab coat
covering her blue and white test suit. "We just finished running tests
on the new plug suit. All of the receptors are working perfectly. We
should be able to achieve synchronization with the machine."

"Spectacular. The entry plug is being lowered now. Once you're in,
we'll begin the experiment in earnest." He leaned back from the
microphone, turning towards Dr. Fuyutsuki. "Have the technicians
prepare for the system activation on my cue. The generators should
already be up and running."

Yui's form slowly climbed into the white cylinder of the entry plug,
and Gendou couldn't help but watch, almost wanting to rush over to the
microphone and cry out that he loved her. It was inappropriate, but
somehow it seemed as though it could be excused under the
circumstances. Still, he forced himself to remain in place, watching
the hatch close, the automated arms lifting the entry plug as Yui's
voice came through the radio once again. "Shinji's watching, isn't he?"

"He is. You're going to make all of us proud." The man smiled one
last time, then turned towards Fuyutsuki, receiving a nod of approval.
Taking a few quick steps across the smooth floor towards the wide class
observation window, he clasped his arms behind his back, then cleared
his throat. "Activate EVA-01! Full power to docking systems!"

"Full power engaged!" came the reply, the technician's voice one that
he didn't recognize. He was only listening in the most peripheral
sense - it was far more important to him to watch as the back of the
Eva split open to receive the entry plug, all of the machinery moving
in smooth concert to allow the vessel entry. "Entry plug received
normally! All interlocks engaging, prepared for second phase of
activation!"

"Engage internal cameras!" shouted Gendou, feeling an almost giddy rush
as the purple goliath sealed its back once again. He'd almost not
believed that it would work, and it was moving like clockwork.
"Prepare flood of LCL and power up the synchronization grid! All life
support systems should be at full operational status!"

A slight flash seemed to move across the pure white eyes of the Eva,
something Gendou took as a sign that it was working correctly.
"Cameras engaged! LCL is being flooded, synchronization grid is
perpared! Pilot's life signs are normal, aside from a slight peak in
blood pressure!"

Gendou smiled even more broadly, and forcing his hands not to trembled
he adjusted his glasses, amazed at the sight of the machine in front of
him. "Engage synchronization systems!" he shouted, a rush of
adrenaline flooding his bloodstream as he leaned towards the window.
"How are you feeling, Yui?"

"I'm fine. The LCL tastes a little funny, but I'm not having any
trouble breathing it." Her voice was light and optimistic, a tone that
Gendou couldn't help but feel burned into his memory. "I'm starting to
feel the Eva's presence - this must be what synchronization will feel
like. It's a bit painful - and it almost sounds as if -"

Yui's voice suddenly fell silent, and Gendou had only a second to frown
in bewilderment before he saw the eyes of the Eva flash a bright
green. There were no pupils, but he felt as though it was looking at
him directly, and in shock he stepped backwards, almost certain that
there was something malfunctioning. "Something's going wrong,"
Fuyutsuki said loudly, trying to draw Gendou's attention. "There's a
synchronization spike already. She shouldn't have this level of
connection, not yet."

Then Yui's voice came back over the speakers, a howling scream of agony
that sent Shinji running away from the window in shock. Gendou's eyes
flew back towards the Eva, and in his horror he could see the machine
straining against its restraints. "Yui!" he shouted, lunging towards
the window once again. "Eject the entry plug! Something's gone wrong!"

"Ejection systems are not responding!" the technicians shouted back.
"Pilot's heart seems to have stopped! Her body mass is down by 20%!
Something seems to be eating her alive in there!"

"No!" shouted Gendou, watching the Eva rip its arms away from the
walls, eyes glowing a brilliant green, the metal jaw tearing itself
open and letting out a roar. He could distantly see Shinji still
cowering in the corner, rocking on his heels in terror, but his
thoughts rested with Yui's voice, still screaming chokingly through the
speakers. "Disengage the power! Scale back the synch ratio! Abort!
Abort!"

"Power has been cut!" shouted the technicians, accompanied by a louder
roar from EVA-01 as Yui's scream grew more strangled. "The ejection
system still isn't working! Pilot's skeletal structure is undergoing
severe decalcification!"

"YUI!" Turning, Gendou rushed towards the door that he knew led into
the hangar, his mind on his wife as he felt Dr. Fuyutsuki's grip
restrain him. "Let me -go-, damn it! She's trapped inside that
thing! I've got to get her out!"

"There's nothing you can do," replied Fuyutsuki, staring grimly at the
Eva as it continued to break away from its restraints, roaring at
nothing, Yui's voice choking away to nothing. "Gendou, that thing will
destroy you if you go out there. Until we shut it down, you've got to
stay inside!"

"I don't care if it kills me! I have to save her!" The younger man
struggled against his former teacher's arms, his frenzy growing as his
beloved's voice grew quieter and quieter. "Yui! YUI! Don't give up!
I'm coming! I'll save you, I promise! Let me go! -YUI-!"

Gendou couldn't remember how long it had taken before the whole thing
was over. He couldn't see anything but EVA-01 raging, its massive and
jagged mouth mocking his efforts. He only knew that Shinji had
screamed and cried, that Naoko had tried to recover control of the
monster, that Fuyutsuki had held him in place as Yui slipped from his
fingers. It wasn't until he stood in front of the deactivated goliath
that he truly began to comprehend the world around him again.

Kozou Fuyutsuki went to console him, something he began to realize as
if through a haze. "Naoko is piecing together plans for recovering
Yui's soul. There's enough carbon and water in the LCL to allow for
her body - if we can reconstruct it, we might be able to bring her out
of the Eva again. It's risky, but possible."

It was a long time before Gendou turned to look at Fuyutsuki, his eyes
wide and filled with pain. "They claimed that we would be protected.
You remember that, don't you?" He laughed bitterly, feeling something
close off in his chest. "I thought that everything we'd done was worth
it. All the sacrifices made in the name of humanity. But now... now
something like -this- happens."

"She's not gone," replied Kozou, sounding halfway between apologetic
and uncertain. "We'll find a way to get her back, I'm certain of it."

"Perhaps we will. But..." He paused, then shook his head and sighed.
"This is not the way. This is not a path to ascension. This is us
following some arbitrary higher power's dictates." An idea was forming
in his head, and as he turned towards Fuyutsuki the light caught his
glasses just right, reflecting off the lenses as if they were mirrors.
"If this is the upshot of their experiment, do you really want any part
in it?"

"You were the one who convinced me to help them," replied Kozou,
sounding somewhat reluctant. "Remember? You approached me after the
Second Impact, told me that I was needed elsewhere. You and Yui both."

"But if I had known then," replied Gendou, letting himself trail off as
he turned up to stare at EVA-01 once again. He could remember looking
up at it with Yui not more than three hours before, talking with her
and smiling. "I still believe what I said, Kozou. But I don't know if
SEELE really knows what it would mean to save humanity. I don't know
if their God even leads to salvation."

Both men remained silent for a moment, looking at the goliath before
them, both fully aware of what lay beneath the purple armor. "You
think that there might be another way?"

"After what I saw today, I don't think that I can sign over the fate of
humanity to those old men." He smiled bitterly, then looked Kozou in
the eye. "We will have to make more sacrifices, of course. It won't
be easy to save everyone from themselves and from what SEELE has
envisioned." A cold air overtook his voice, his chest tightening as he
spoke. "You may leave if you wish. We will be forced to save this
world through our own means."

Kozou didn't reply immediately, his eyes locked on the half-open maw of
the beast that loomed above them. "For Yui," he said weakly, turning
his eyes halfway towards Gendou. "If you haven't gone completely
insane, I can't imagine that I'd deny you."

"Thank you." A thin sliver of pain was resting in Gendou's chest, but
he ignored it, focusing instead on the barest foundations of a plan
slowly coming to focus in his head. "We will bring her back. One way
or another, I swear that we will bring her back."

]++[

[ 2016 ]

For the first time that he could remember, Gendou Ikari was eschewing
his desk in the meeting room. He stood, his face unmasked, simply
waiting for the holographic monoliths to come into existence around him
as he knew they would. It had been two hours since they had requested
the meeting, and the wear of lost sleep was painfully grating on him,
but it was worth it for the culmination of ten years' planning.
"Whenever you're ready," he whispered into the darkness.

Almost on cue, the black slabs of SEELE began to shimmer into existence
around him. "The final seal has been broken," intoned the dark voice
of Keel Lorenz, rippling out through the darkness from the slab
directly in front of Gendou. "Your project has been successful, Gendou
Ikari. The Chamber of Gaf is open, and humanity stands prepared on the
horizon of eternity."

"We lack the Evangelion units necessary for construction of the Ark,"
offered another voice, this one indistinct to Gendou's ears. The age
and feebleness of the tone angered Gendou in ways that he couldn't
explain, but he forced himself to remain calm. "EVA-02 and EVA-03 have
both been destroyed. More units must be constructed to replace them."

"It is a matter of little time," replied Keel firmly. "All of the
preparations are in place for humanity's judgement." There was a
pause, then Gendou could almost feel the weight of the ancient man's
attention being placed upon him. "Ikari. Your final task is to use
the Father's body to impale Lillith once more, to bring God from His
chamber to seal those worthy of ascension."

Gendou, at last, allowed himself a smile. He had never smiled before
the old men, not once, knowing that even when he could not see them
that they could see him. But now he let himself relax his guard at
long last, a sense of heady triumph flooding his body. He waited for a
few moments, letting the others mull over the smile, and then spoke a
single defiant word:

"No."

Silence was followed swiftly by a clamor of protest, hushed firmly by
Keel as Gendou stood without movement. "You overstep your bounds,
Ikari," the leader said firmly, his voice more angry than usual. "God
will be brought -"

"I agree. God will most certainly be brought from His chamber." The
smile had not faded, a confident expression brought on from certainty
in victory. "But there will be no judgement, not as you envision it.
I have not worked so hard to save humanity to witness its damnation."

"Don't be a fool, Ikari," replied Keel firmly, obviously trying to keep
his fear in check. It was slightly amusing, to hear someone that had
so long been assured of his own inviolability having the rug pulled out
from beneath them. "This is as it is and as it was always intended to
be. You possess no means of perverting the course of justice."

"Justice?" Ire was growing within Gendou's mind, and it was taking
immense concentration to maintain collected. "You know nothing of
justice. The death of humanity is no ascension, and staking our
existence on scripture and spiritual ascension is a fool's bargain. I
will have no part in it, and I have the means to ensure -true-
salvation." He paused, giving himself a moment to restore his calm.
"EVA-08 has been completed."

Another cacophony of voices filled the chamber, and Gendou couldn't
help but take a perverse pleasure in the knowledge of how thoroughly he
was frustrating the old men. "That's impossible," shouted one of the
voices. "Our reports have shown us -"

"Your reports have been doctored. EVA-08 has been completed and
transported to Tokyo-3. The orders were confirmed about two hours ago,
enough time for the transit to be completed." His smile widened.
"There is nothing that you can do. By the time that you could motivate
any kind of military force, the Eva will have already been activated."

"This is blasphemy," spat another voice, its sound like that of
fingernails scraping a blackboard. "God does not bow to suit your
whims, Ikari."

"Nor yours," replied the man, adjusting his glasses and turning towards
where he knew the door lay. He had antagonized the old men long
enough, and he knew that despite the futility of their actions he could
not simply goad them without expecting retaliation. "Despite what you
wish, I will save this world. I thank you for helping me to that goal."

More shouts came from the monoliths, but Gendou ignored them, stepping
into the hallway to see Fuyutsuki and Rei waiting for him. The girl
had already donned her white plugsuit, an almost disturbingly familiar
sight. "How did they take it?" asked Fuyutsuki, his face drawn,
expression concerned but resolute.

"As could be expected," Gendou replied, turning on his heel and
beginning to stride towards the elevator. "Contact all branches of
NERV, all major governments, and notify them that we believe an Angel
has infiltrated the computer networks of the world. If necessary,
release the reports about the Eleventh Angel to serve as confirmation.
Any orders coming to them to destroy our branch should be seen as
suspect."

"It will not last," replied Fuyutsuki. He looked older under the dim
light of Terminal Dogma's corridors, his brown uniform almost making
him appear monastic. "SEELE can't be held off forever, and they can
release information about the Seventeenth as well. As soon as it's
made clear all of the Angels are destroyed, they will be coming for us."

"By the time that would happen, Dr. Fuyutsuki, there will no longer be
any need to worry." He smiled, receiving a reluctant nod of acceptance
from his elder. "Good. Prepare the Gathering. I will oversee the
initial preparation of EVA-08."

The doctor turned and began striding down another corridor, while
Gendou and Rei continued towards the elevator, the red light seeming to
mingle with the girl's eyes. It was stunning how closely she resembled
Yui in body, and yet every time that he looked at her Gendou could feel
the distance between the two in personality. "Are you ready?" he asked
her, trying to push the thoughts from his head, knowing that he had to
remain completely focused.

"Of course," replied the girl, pressing the button to call the elevator
as she and Gendou came to a halt. "This is my purpose in life."

"Correct." The man adjusted his glasses, taking a deep breath and
forcing himself to relax. "Humanity's fate rests with you, Rei." He
stole one last glance at the girl's short blue hair, then turned his
gaze towards the elevator, feeling his anticipation growing steadily.
It was the same as the day that he had first activated EVA-01 - the
culmination of so many years of planning and work. Yet he was certain,
this time, that there would be no failures.

]++[

Nieve was almost reluctant to let herself wake up, nestled in the bliss
of the first genuine sleep she'd gotten since the Sixteenth Angel's
attack. She wanted to spend time with Neil again, to let things return
to normal, but as she stretched her arms above her and let her entire
body extend itself she couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be just
as good to spend the whole day in bed with her lover. A lazy smile
spread across her face, and she rolled over, expecting to see Neil
beside her.

She was alone, and as her hand reached out halfheartedly to touch the
space where Neil should have been she felt a chill move through her
body. It must have been a dream, having him beside her again, and as
she pulled the covers closer against her she felt the cold seep through
her skin and down to her bones. "At least that means the Seventeenth
isn't destroyed, I suppose," she muttered. Exhaustion was overtaking
her, and her memories of the prior day's events seemed unbearably
spotty. "So I might still -"

A loud crash echoed through the house, followed by a light but
masculine voice cursing. Nieve's entire body perked into attention,
and she threw off the blankets, rolling herself out of bed, feeling an
inherent distaste of her body. Grabbing a nightshirt off the floor,
she slipped the light blue fabric over her body and stepped out of her
room, glancing around for the source of the exclamation.

Neil's door was open, and Nieve hesitantly stepped towards it to see
the boy sitting on his bed and rubbing his toes vigorously. There were
boxes piled around him, most in an orderly fashion, one sitting just in
front of him as if it had been dropped there. "Neil?" she asked
quietly, her feet cold against the floor.

The boy's eyes flicked quickly towards her, then towards the boxes with
a sigh. "Nieve," he replied. "I'm sorry. I was trying not to wake
you - Misato had told me how much trouble you had been having sleeping,
and you looked so peaceful that I... I..." He shook his head. "No,
that's not it."

"You were packing," replied Nieve, saying the words without malice as
she stepped over to his bed, surprised at how much he'd been able to
accomplish. Shafts of light pierced the room from his window, falling
on his bed and seeming to cast both Children in a sort of halo as she
sat beside him. "It's all right. I just... I just was worried, when I
woke up alone, that..."

"I wouldn't do that to you," replied Neil, shaking his head
enthusiastically. "I... I just wanted to get this done before you woke
up, so that we could spend our time together. I'm sorry that I woke
you up - my hands slipped, and I -"

"Shh." The girl leaned towards Neil, resting her head on his shoulder,
letting the thin red strands trace across his clothing. Her eyes
fluttered closed, and after a moment he placed his hand on her head,
slowly rubbing it affectionately, bringing a thin smile to her lips.
"I'm just glad that I wasn't dreaming."

Neil made a small choking noise, then his arms wrapped around the
girl's body tightly, drawing her closer to him with a loving ferocity.
It at once excited and scared her, and as he released her he knew that
he wouldn't be telling her good news. "Nieve..." He paused, turning
his face away from her reluctantly. "We're going to all be leaving
soon, you know. You, Niobe, and I... we're all going back to where we
came from, now that the Angels are gone."

Nieve nodded, the statement hitting her somewhat unprepared. She had
known, of course, but hearing the boy say it made her feel something
entirely different. "It's going to change everything," she said,
trying to maintain her calm. "I... I don't know how we'll manage to
maintain a relationship over that kind of distance, but -"

"I don't think that we -should-," replied Neil firmly, his eyes
snapping shut as tears began to well in the corners. Nieve's eyes went
wide, and she recoiled from the boy out of shock as he slowly tried to
make out another sentence. "I think - that is, I know - it might be
for the best that we're going to be so far apart, that we need to bring
our relationship to a close." His words seemed fraught with pain, and
Nieve couldn't tell whether to answer that pain or her own first.

"What did I do?" she asked at length, her voice trembling. "Neil, I
understand that I was too possessive, but please, don't leave just for
that. I can - I -will- change, if that's what it takes. I just want
you to be happy, to love me, to -"

"Don't think that," replied Neil, bowing his head and nestling his eyes
in this hands. "It's not you. It's me. It's... I see how I keep
hurting you, Nieve, and I -hate- myself for it. And the worst part is
that it just keeps happening, that we just keep going back and forth
like this." With a raspy sigh, he leaned back and looked the girl in
the eye, tears brimming to overflowing about his emerald irises. "I
feel the same way about you, Nieve. I want you not to hurt. But
that's something that I don't seem to be able to provide for you."

A clenching sensation flooded the girls chest, and she slowly lifted
her body away from Neil. "So... what do we do, then?" she asked
halfheartedly, edging away from the boy as if she was worried he would
bite. "Just not talk to one another until we get sent away?"

"I was going to try and get sent away early," replied Neil. "I came
back because I didn't want you to think that I had just left you
without any warning, as if it was on a whim." He sighed, forcing
himself to his feet. "I'm sorry, Nieve. I just don't think that we
can work, not with the way that we've been so far. We'll just keep
hurting each other."

Part of Nieve wanted to scream at him that he was hurting her even
without staying with her, but she maintained control over her
disposition. "All right," she whispered, hating the words. "I...
guess it's for the best, after all. It would be problematic,
maintaining a relationship from Ireland. Better to find someone closer
to home."

"Yes," replied Neil, his head bent forward, tears splashing gently
against the floor. He was looking away from Nieve, denying her the
opportunity to see his pain, as though he was trying to prevent her
from feeling sorry for him. "Nieve... I will miss you."

"Then don't give up," replied Nieve, feeling a harsh determination burn
itself into her chest. She could feel the old flames licking at the
backs of her eyes once again, as though awakened from a long slumber.
She had fought to keep him from the Angels, from Eiko, from himself,
from every possible source of opposition - she certainly hadn't gone to
that much trouble to let him go -now-. "I'm going to keep holding on,
Neil, whether you like it or not. Even if it -kills- me."

The boy's head snapped back upright, but Nieve was already out the
door, a blur of motion, her eyes burning with determination as she
strode towards her room. Her hair tickled against the back of her neck
as she went, and she almost felt as if the color was moving back into
it. "I'm not giving up my handle on this now," she whispered to
herself. "This is just beginning."

]++[

Niobe took her steps with confidence now, her hands hovering slightly
above the twin metal bars that she was intended to use for support.
Her feet didn't move swiftly, but they moved with assurance, fueled by
self-hatred and a determination to be able to walk once again. With
gritted teeth, she reached the end of the path and turned around,
cursing herself under her breath as she strode back in the opposite
direction. "Got to get something right," she muttered.

She had been informed that the Seventeenth Angel had been destroyed
almost as an afterthought by one of the nurses, a sniveling Japanese
woman that Niobe would have loved to have met on equal footing. It had
been all Niobe could think about since then, enough to spurn her into
spending nearly her entire day practicing the art of walking once
again. Academically, she had known that there was little chance of her
being brought out of the painfully white hospital and into the entry
plug once again, but as long as the Angels remained there was a thin
glimmer of hope still dancing in her mind. Now...

"You're doing much better," said Ryo calmly, drawing Niobe's gaze and
forcing her off-balance. She stumbled for a moment, then her hands
firmly gripped the rails and kept her upright, arm muscles refusing to
let her fall. He stood in the doorway, dressed in the same school
uniform that he always seemed to wear, his hands jammed in his pockets,
blue hair dissheveled and red eyes weak. "The last time I saw you, you
could barely make it halfway, and now -"

"Too little, too late," replied Niobe with a sigh, releasing the
handlebars and walking once again. "You were probably there when the
Seventeenth was destroyed - you know as well as I do that the Children
are no longer useful. I'll be kicked out and sent back home within a
matter of days."

"I wasn't there," replied Ryo weakly, stepping into the room with slow
motions, his eyes flicking about the room cautiously. "It was only
Neil. Didn't they tell you anything about the battle other than the
fact that -"

"Not a word. Just the fact that the Angels were defeated." She
reached the end of her path and turned once again, noting distantly
that she had taken to interrupting Ryo on a regular basis. "And the
whole time I was down here, lying in my bed and feeling sorry for
myself. My entire purpose was coming to a head, and I didn't even lift
a finger to do anything."

Gripping the rails again, Niobe leaned her head forward, closing her
eyes and wishing that she could still have the comfort of her long dark
hair shielding her face. It barely covered anything now, something she
was painfully aware of. "Some pilot I turned out to be," she muttered,
resisting the urge to cry.

Ryo's hand rested gently on the girl's shoulder, and she started
slightly, remembering the heat from the boy's lips during his last
visit. "You aren't..." His voice choked, and Niobe forced herself to
open her eyes, looking towards Ryo through the fine strands of her own
hair. "You aren't the only one who's been discarded, Niobe. I know
how you feel."

Niobe felt a sudden awkwardness grip her, and she drew herself to her
full height, looking Ryo in the eye, suddenly fully aware of his body.
She remembered the horrible picture of him within the Angel, remembered
the perfect curve of his body, and wondered if it hadn't simply been a
flight of fancy. "Nobody's discarded you, Ryo," she said softly.
"You're cared for. You're important. You're -needed-."

"I -was-," replied Ryo, shaking his head gently. "But... I failed Dr.
Ikari, by failing in my routines. I know it. He's always taught me
that I should follow the routine, that I was different than others, and
then I... I threw it away. He stopped testing me."

Extending a hand from the rail, Niobe slowly leaned her body weight
against Ryo for support, an added burden that he didn't seem to mind.
"What do you mean by that?" she whispered, somehow afraid to speak in
anything but hushed tones. "You've stopped having synch testing with
the others?"

"No. This was different, always." The boy's red eyes squeezed shut,
one pale had clenching hard against Niobe's chocolate skin. "He said
that he was using me to find out more about what gave us the ability to
pilot the Evas, but... I knew that it was more. I didn't know exactly
what, but I could feel something in my soul, as if they were peering
inside me." He sighed. "He told me never to talk about it to anyone.
I shouldn't be saying this."

"You're not doing anything wrong," replied Niobe, stumbling slightly as
he moved away from her. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move
towards him once again, stepping out from between the rails, her steps
uneasy but certain. "Ryo, you're not under any obligation to do what
he tells you."

The boy shook his head once more, eyes still squeezed shut even as
Niobe's took his hands in her own. "You don't understand, Niobe. I...
I don't even think that I always understood." He sighed. "I'm not
like you. I'm not a normal boy. I'm barely even a boy at all." A
word seemed to catch in his throat as he started once again, and he
fell silent.

"Don't talk like that. You're just like anyone else, Ryo. I believe
that, truly." She took a hesitant step towards him once again. "I
wish that I could have met you in a different time, really. I would
have liked to have known your parents, your -"

"I don't... have any parents," Ryo interjected, voice faltering, tears
brimming at the corners of his eyes. "I know that. Commander Ikari
told me. I was born... unlike others. I was supposed to be different
from the beginning." He stammered for a moment, brow furrowed, breath
coming quickly and shallowly. "I was Ikari's tool. I was his path
into the Eva unit."

Niobe's eyes went wide, and she jerked her gaze up to meet Ryo's eyes.
"There was more to it, I'm certain. But... that was why he needed me.
That was why I was his favorite." The boy's tears began to fall
gently, his hands tightening and forcing blood out of Niobe's skin.
"Once he couldn't use me as a tool any longer, he discarded me. I...
I'm no better than a tool. I'm just something for people to use when
it's convenient."

"That..." Niobe felt a rush of guilt at her own selfishness, a deep
red flush blossoming upon her cheeks. "Ryo, you're just like anyone
else. You're not -"

"It's not as though you're different," replied the boy bitterly. "You
used me just like the others. I was your basis of comparison,
something for you to strive to beat. All the while I hated piloting
the Eva, you were trying to model yourself..." He coughed, shaking his
head. "I'm sorry. I'm only making things worse."

Jerking away from Niobe, Ryo began to leave, and Niobe felt herself
lean forward to stop him. Then she felt a momentary rush of
weightlessness, and in horror she realized that she'd leaned too far
and that she was going to fall. A choked noise escaped her throat, and
Ryo froze and turned towards her just in time to catch her full weight
as she fell, her body pushing close against his as he staggered
backwards to receive her.

After a moment, Niobe's concentration returned, and she became
painfully aware of the closeness of the boy's body, the soft touch of
his arms around her. Her pulse began to race, and her hands clutched
at the collar of his shirt, drawing herself up to face him as her chest
began heaving gently. "This was what I wanted," she muttered. "You.
I... I thought if I... you didn't notice because..."

Both Children were moving fumblingly towards a kiss, their lips
trembling as Niobe struggled to keep herself upright, blue eyes wide
and excited. Then the hiss and whir of the opening doors threw off
their rythym, and in shock the two staggered apart before they even
looked towards the door, Niobe forcing herself to regain her footing.
The sensuality slowly fading from her mind, she turned her attention
towards the door, her blush of shame deepening.

Two NERV Intelligence agents stood in the doorway, thick black
sunglasses obscuring their eyes, a rather devious smile seemingly
shared between them. "The First and the Sixth at once. What luck."
One of the agents stepped forward, flexing his hands casually. "You're
both coming with us. Commander Ikari has need of your presence."

Ryo frowned, as if something was tickling at the back of his mind not
quite formed. Then, without further prompting, he moved like a dart
towards the door, obviously hoping that his small size would make him
an impossible target for the larger agents. His optimism proved
unfounded as the silent agent drove a quick fist into his side, sending
Ryo sprawling on the floor. Niobe felt herself jump slightly,
wondering what it was Ryo had figured out even as her eyes slowly
leveled towards the agents once again.

"Contact Ikari. Tell him that we have these two under control." The
silent agent nodded and removed a cellular phone from his pocket while
the other agent took a step towards Niobe. "Now, are you going to be
more cooperative?"

]++[

Neil and Vash had only been alone together a handful of times, and
there hadn't been a single one that was entirely pleasant. The deep
shadows of the now-abandoned terrace seemed to accent that fact more
than necessary, making it painfully clear that the two were not
behaving according to their normal patterns. "Thanks for meeting me,"
Neil said at length, casting his eyes towards the ruffling leaves above
him. "I didn't think you'd want to cooperate with me after everything
that's happened."

Vash shrugged. The black windbreaker that he wore over his clothes had
been zipped up tight to chase off the light chill of the dark day - it
had grown cloudy only a few hours into the day, and mingled with the
dearth of people in the city it made the day feel like a funeral
march. "I don't hate you, Neil. You ought to know that by now."

"Yeah. Nieve told me that you came over the night that I..." He
sighed, then shook his head, looking towards the gray stones that would
have had the light dancing across them any other day. "You know."
There was a momentary silence between the boys, then Neil coughed and
began again. "I told Nieve this morning that I was breaking it off
with her."

Eyes wide, Vash let his eyes focus on Neil, half-expecting the other
boy to be weeping. Neil was perfectly composed, however, as if nothing
new had happened. "Are... are you sure that was a good idea?" he
asked. "I mean, you seemed to miss her so much, and -"

"I -did-. I miss her already." With weak motions, Neil flopped on the
nearest bench, letting his arms and legs go limp. A soft breeze blew
his hair into quick flurries of motion, something that the boy didn't
even seem to notice. "It just wasn't right. I knew that we would just
keep going through the same thing otherwise, unless something changed.
You probably know what that's like." He flicked his eyes towards Vash,
studying him.

Vash ran a quick finger through his hair, feeling the comfortable
spikes slowly returning. He was letting the dye bleed itself out, but
he had returned to his old hairstyle - the closest compromise that he
could think of under the circumstances. "I suppose so. It's not as
though Eiko and I had been doing that well when things hit the fan."
He sat down beside Neil, looking his fellow pilot in the eye with
resolute intensity. "Thanks about that, actually. You shouldn't have
had to get involved."

"I was involved from the moment I was here. That was the first brave
thing I'd done." Neil sighed again, leaning forward and sinking his
head towards the ground, his back bent and shoulders slumped forward.
"Pathetic, isn't it? I've made one huge mess of everything I could
have had here."

"Not everything." Vash's tone seemed almost reverent, and Neil turned
towards the other boy in surprise even as Vash tried to puzzle out what
was going on. "You defeated more of the Angels by yourself than anyone
else. And you did it all without regard for yourself. And..." Vash
choked on the words for a moment, then forced them out, his body
seeming to rock with the effort. "And you made me open my eyes."

"Come on. I nearly crushed you to death." Neil's hands tightened into
fists involuntarily. "I can still feel it, seeing you standing there,
and knowing..."

"Yeah, you nearly killed me. But you didn't, regardless of
intention." The boy's lips curled into a smile despite himself. "It
made me take a hard look at myself, and I'd like to think I'm a better
person for it. Would have preferred it didn't involve getting nearly
crushed inside of an entry plug, but I suppose we can't always choose
these things."

"Glad it worked out." Neil hardly sounded convinced. "You're lucky,
you know. Once this is all over, you stay here with Eiko. Me, I just
go back home as if nothing ever happened."

Vash hesitated for a moment, then clapped the other boy heartily on the
back, hoping that the gesture was at least slightly reassuring. Neil
started slightly, but he seemed to be keeping his emotions guarded.
"Come on, Neil. -Everything- happened because of -you-." He paused
again, still struggling with the words. "Look, if you hadn't made the
choices you did, none of us would be here. You... you're a good guy,
Neil. Someday you'll be a great man, I'm certain."

"Maybe," replied Neil, still sounding as if he didn't believe Vash.
With a heavy sigh, he forced himself into a standing position, letting
the wind whip through his hair once again. "Maybe not. Maybe NERV had
the right idea in the first place - use Angels to kill Angels. Maybe
it says more about me that I am the sort of pilot who -"

"Stop." Vash's words were hard, and he rose as well, forcing the
blonde boy's attention in his direction. "Look, Neil, I'm not
brilliant. But I know that you did something good in your time here.
And I'd like to think that's enough to make you at least a -decent-
person, whatever you believe."

Neil simply stared into Vash's eyes for a moment, and Vash could feel
his eyes widen again at the sight. There was something lingering
beyond the emerald surface of the Third Child's eyes, something he'd
never noticed before, but something he recognized from his own life, a
sort of tortured pain. It threw the boy into a new light, and Vash
suddenly didn't know exactly what to think even as Neil turned and
began to walk away.

"I wish I could believe you, Vash," he whispered, words nearly torn
away by the wind that caressed the dark green surface of the leaves
above them. "But I know that you'll take good care of Eiko." He
paused. "Goodbye."

His shoulders slumped gently, Neil moved resolutely into the distance,
leaving Vash behind to stand alone in the terrace. Shaking his head,
Vash turned slowly, ready to go back to Eiko's house, still feeling
oddly conflicted. He'd expected something more dramatic and final...
the idea that their last exchange was so low-key seemed to cheapen the
whole thing. "I guess you can't always have the dramatic ending," he
muttered, scuffing his feet against the ground as he walked.

Then he realized that Eiko was standing in front of him, and his eyes
widened as he saw the large black-suited agent standing behind the
girl, the thick black sunglasses telling Vash everything he needed to
know in an instant. Behind Eiko's agent were three others, all
virtually indistinguishable from one another. "She told us where you
were, Fourth," spat one of them, stepping ahead of the others. "Come
on. Let's just all get in the car and have a nice little ride."

Vash frowned, flicking his eyes between the trio of agents and Eiko,
scanning their faces for some cue of what to do. The girl's eyes
trembled slightly, and something seemed to snap inside of Vash as he
took a casual step back away from the scene. "Sure," he said calmly,
letting a smile spread and replace the frown. "Just catch me first."

With that, he whirled on his heel and started running, hearing the
angry thunder of the agents behind him, his mind racing at the thought
of what had happened. They were from NERV, he knew that, but something
in his gut told him not to trust them, that their methods were all
off. Ducking back into the terrace, he took a quick glance at the
group, then flung open the door into the school and let it slam behind
him. It was one of the entrances he commonly used, leading only to a
stairwell that wove itself upwards, exactly what he needed.

Gritting his teeth, the boy climbed a few steps up the stairwell, his
eyes watching the small window in the blue door, waiting for the agents
to stand outside it. Taking a deep breath, he flung himself forward
off the stairwell, kicking the door open forcefully, hearing the
decisive crack of the door hitting one of the agents in the chin.
Trying to remember what he'd learned inside of the Eva, he tucked and
rolled, barely slipping out of the grasp of the other agents,
adrenaline pulsing through his body like a drug.

"Little punk," snarled one of the agents, extending a meaty hand
towards the boy. A quick motion from Vash sent him to one side of the
agent's reach, and with a cry he slammed his elbow into the agent's
side, hoping to at least manage to crack a rib. The man let out a
grunt of pain, and with a expression of triumph Vash moved back once
again, certain that he wouldn't be taken by the men, that he would be
able to find out for himself what was going on.

Then stars exploded across his vision as a thick blow hit the back of
his head, and Vash whirled drunkenly to see another one of the agents
standing behind him. "Insolent," snapped the man, driving a fist
absently into Vash's gut and doubling the boy over, then grabbing the
collar of the windbreaker dismissively. "Something about the boys,
they just won't be taken peacefully."

"Maybe they got tipped off." The agent that had been hit by the door
seemed none the worse for wear from what little Vash could see. "I'll
give the Commander a call. It's just the last two now."

]++[

Neil opened the door to Misato's apartment hesitantly, as if he was
afraid of what might lie within. Part of him wanted to run away again,
to not have to face Nieve for another instant, but he didn't entertain
the notion for more than a few scant seconds before pushing the door
open completely and stepping inside. "I'm back," he announced, kicking
off his shoes and stepping up from the small depressed area,
remembering the first time that he'd ever entered the apartment.

"Heard," replied Nieve, her voice coming not from the den but from
Neil's room. Curious, the boy frowned and stepped lightly over to the
door, hesitating for only a moment before opening it completely and
taking a deep breath. Nieve stood over a half-filled box, the slim
black form of DVD cases piled beside her. "You didn't have these
organized in any particular way in the boxes, did you?"

"Um... no," replied Neil, stepping over and reluctantly touching
Nieve's hand. She trembled slightly, but let the cases lie on the bed,
releasing her grip on them as she turned her eyes towards Neil. "I...
I thought you said that you weren't going to give me up that easily.
And now... now you're packing for me?"

The girl bit her lip for a second, then sighed heavily, tilting her
head forward and letting the bright strands of her hair fall across her
eyes. "I did say that, yeah," she muttered. "But I was thinking about
things after you left, and, well..." Closing her eyes for an instant,
she flipped her head back upright, sending her hair arcing back to
where it should be in one graceful motion. "You were saying goodbye to
Eiko, weren't you?"

"Vash," he replied, a red flush blossoming on his cheeks. "But... I'd
half-expected Eiko to be there, yes. Is that so bad? Saying goodbye
to the people I've -"

"Who do you love?" Nieve's words seemed harsh, almost masculine, her
eyes flashing with anger and sorrow at the same time. "Eiko or me?"
She took a step forward, placing one hand firmly on Neil's chest, her
fingers splayed and her palm resting directly above his heart. "Just
be honest, Neil. Please. I won't be angry, I promise."

Neil sincerely doubted the truth of Nieve's statement, and in
frustration he turned his head away, casting his eyes down towards the
drab brown of the half-filled boxes. "I... that isn't a fair
question." He sighed. "I'm not even sure of the answer myself. It...
it's too complicated."

"Try me," replied Nieve, moving her body closer to the boy, obviously
trying to make him give a very specific answer. "Please, Neil, just...
tell me. Is it me, or is it... her?"

"I..." A deep stabbing sensation lodged in his chest, and he forced
his eyes shut. "I can't deny the way that I feel about Eiko, even
though I want to." He felt the pressure on the girl's hand relax
slightly, and inside he wished that he could find some way to express
how horrible it made him feel to even think that, that he would change
himself if he could. "But that doesn't change the way I feel about
you, Nieve. It's... it isn't as cut and dry as one or the other."

"You won't even say it," whispered Nieve, moving closer to Neil once
again, resting her head gently against his chest, her ear pressed
against his heart. Neil started slightly, but the girl remained
unmoved, one hand pressed to his chest, the other hanging limply by her
side. "Can you even say it? Can you tell me that you love me?"

Of course he could. He looked down at the girl resting on his chest,
the thin strands like liquid sunlight flowing from her head, the
delicate features of her face, the perfect sculpt of her body that she
denied. In just one glance he could see all of her strength and her
frailty, condensed into one crystalline moment, and as his mouth opened
he intended to tell her as much, to say the three simple words that he
knew would restore her confidence. "I..." He stopped, faltering for
reasons he couldn't explain. "I... I do."

"For the love of God, Neil, don't you think I -know- that?" replied
Nieve, her eyes suddenly flashing as she pushed him backwards. She had
enough strength to send him staggering backwards, his back hitting the
wall roughly as she stood with fists clenched. "I don't need to know
it, I need for you to -say- it." She bit her lower lip, eyes trembling
as her lids closed. "But you can't tell me that you love me. You
can't give me that one little thing -"

"And what about you?" replied Neil, stepping towards the girl gently,
hating himself for what he'd done even as he reminded himself that it
was ultimately the best thing to do. It would only continue like this,
and it was best to end it as fast as possible. "Can you say it to me?
Can you tell me that you love me?"

Nieve's eyes opened, brimming with tears, and her eyes traced slowly
towards his, one set of emerald eyes meeting with another. "No," she
replied at length, casting her eyes towards the floor and shuddering
slightly. "I want to say it, but... something stops me. I just can't
bring myself to... to..."

"Shh." The dagger was twisting in the boy's heart, deepening the wound
that he'd inflicted upon himself as he gently lay his hand upon Nieve's
shoulder. "I know. That's why I couldn't." He coughed, wishing that
he could simply dissolve into the air around them. "You deserve so
much better than this, Nieve, and we can't keep going like this. One
of us had to say it, sooner or later."

The girl said nothing, simply shrugged his shoulder off weakly and
headed for the door, her eyes downcast, her entire form slumped as if
in defeat. "You're right," she whispered, her hand resting on the
doorframe, head tilting forward and pulling the delicate hair along
with it. "Maybe we were lying to ourselves the whole time. Maybe we
just didn't want it to hurt this badly."

"Maybe that's it," replied Neil as the door shut behind the girl,
flopping backwards onto the bed, his fists clenching for what seemed
like the millionth time, thin shafts of sunlight piercing the darkness
of the room in momentary instants. He wanted to rush out and comfort
Nieve, tell her that he must have been crazy, that he wanted her back,
that he would never leave her, but despite it all he stayed in place.
It was for the best, a fact he kept repeating in his mind to nobody.
It was all for the best, and that made all of it worthwhile.

]++[

Misato's eyes flicked like sparks between the small screen of her
laptop and the doorway, her back pressed hard against the cool metal of
the computer housings. Her legs were positioned to balance the small
computer, one hand typing away while the other pointed her handgun
towards the door, ready to fire at a single sign of motion from the
entryway. Around her hummed the fans that kept the components of
NERV's network system from overheating, wafting heated air through the
room in an effort to keep the more delicate machinery cooled and safe.

Sweat beaded lightly on her brow, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes
flicking back and forth as she kept working at the computer, her teeth
set resolutely. "Come on," she muttered, watching another rejection
message pop up on the screen, closing it and trying another tactic.
Her computer issued a small beep, and Misato leaned forward ever so
slightly to see the wires trailing out from behind, assuring herself
that she was, in fact, connected directly to the central database.

With a few quick keystrokes, the computer tried once more to penetrate
the elaborate security measures that Gendou had cloaked his files in,
cursing Kaji for what seemed like the hundreth time for leaving her
only the most cursory information to work with. "You tell me what
you've found, tell me only the basics of this program, and then you
expect me to finish penetrating NERV's buried secrets." She sighed,
removing her hand from the computer for just a moment to wipe the sweat
gently from her brow. "Idiot."

Another beeping acknowledgement came from the laptop, and Misato
quickly turned her attention back towards it, striking a few keys in
quick succession, smiling broadly as the inner recesses of Gendou's
computer were proudly displayed for her investigation. "All right,
Ikari," she whispered, leaning closer to the screen, still keeping her
eyes in motion. "What are you really planning?"

Her fingers moved with swift assurance, passing through information
that she'd already uncovered on her own, glossing huge chunks that she
simply didn't have the time to read. It was only once he began
discussing Ryo and Rei that she began to read with more ferocity once
again, knowing full well that it had been one of the few secrets she
hadn't managed to penetrate earlier. "Rei should not have been the
Seventh," she muttered, speaking aloud almost unintentionally as her
eyes scanned. "It was supposed to be -"

The name on the page caused her eyes to widen, and she fell silent, her
eyes still flipping through the information, now taking it in with
greater speed, the whole situation beginning to grow painfully clear.
"Of course," she hissed through gritted teeth. "They're not supposed
to be normal Children. They're his tools." Her eyes narrowed, brow
furrowed and fists tightening. "Good God. He's trying to -"

Even through the sound of the fans, Misato could hear the door sliding
open, and without hesitation she kicked herself into a crouching
position, aiming her pistol and firing as soon as she recognized the
silhouette of an Intel agent. The shot hit the man square in the
chest, but she forced herself to remain calm, firing again as the
second and then third agent tried to step inside. "Neil and Nieve,"
she hissed, thrusting herself to her feet. "They've got to get out of
here."

Rushing forward, Misato stepped lightly through the maze of cords on
the floor with her heels, edging past the trio of agents and glancing
quickly back and forth down the hall. She knew her ammo was limited,
but as she saw the path to her left open she made a dash for the end of
the hall, knowing more agents would come after her in moments. One
hand held tight to her gun as she ran, the other jammed itself into the
pocket of her red jacket, searching for the small cell phone.

The sound of angry footsteps echoed in the hall behind her, and
gritting her teeth she continued forward, her fingers closing around
the phone as her eyes fell upon the nearby elevator. Whipping out the
phone, she flipped it open just as she reached the elevator, hitting
the button and waving her gun back at the hallway she had come from.
She could see a pair of agents, and gritting her teeth she fired once,
sending one sprawling to the floor and freezing the other in panic.

With a ding, the elevator's doors hissed open, and Misato spared a
quick glance inside to ensure that it was empty. "Sorry," she smiled,
taking a quick shot at the remaining agent before ducking into the
elevator and hitting the highest number that she could find. The doors
slid closed before she could check on her last target, but she had
other concerns, and with fumbling hands she keyed in her number,
feeling the elevator lurch into motion.

A ring came and went, then another, then another. Panic rose into
Misato's throat before the telltale click of reception came on the
other end. "Hello?" asked Neil's voice, sounding weak and exhausted.

"Neil!" Misato pressed her back against the back of the elevator,
pointing her gun out the front, not doubting that there would be
someone posted at the top. "Listen to me. You and Nieve have to go
down to the airfield where you first came into Tokyo-3 right now. Tell
the pilot there that Commander Ikari has ordered your immediate
departure for America."

"Misato?" Neil's voice had lost the exhausted hint to it, as if he was
grasping the situation despite himself. "What's going on? Are you -"

"I don't have time to explain, Neil!" she shouted, silencing him simply
by the force of her voice. "You and Nieve have to get out of the
country right away. I don't know if the other Children are already
here or not, but we can't let him have you." She paused. "Commander
Ikari - he's trying to -"

The elevator wrenched itself to a stop, and Misato gasped slightly
before dropping the phone, holding her gun with both hands, realizing
that she must not have killed the last agent. Her jaw was set as the
doors opened, and to her horror she saw what seemed like a small army
of agents standing outside waiting for her.

Gunshots pierced the air immediately, felling the most immediate agents
and sending the others ducking for cover before her gun clicked an
angry and empty noise. Cursing, the woman rushed forward, throwing the
gun ineffectually down the hallway, seeing the agents readying
themselves to grab at her once again. If she could just make it down
to a research area, she might be able to -

Her thoughts were cut short as a shoulder slammed hard into her,
shoving her back towards the elevator forcefully, leaving her to
stumble back through the doorway as another agent shoved her back
against the wall. "We've got her now," announced one happily,
motioning for the other agents to enter the room. "Get in touch with
Ikari. Find out what he wants us to do with her."

Misato's mind was racing, but only for a second as her hands balled
themselves into fists. Letting out a slight cry, she lashed out with
her foot towards the nearest agent's crotch, burying the sharp tip of
her heel in just the right spot to double over her opponent. She swung
angrily at the next agent barring her path, but he seemed unconcerned,
catching her hands casually in his own, forcing her back against the
wall once again. "You've got guts, Major Katsuragi," he hissed,
obviously not someone that she wanted anywhere near her. "Don't think
that we won't hurt you to get you to -"

"Commander Ikari wants her alive and unharmed," insisted another agent,
apparently the one that had followed the orders of his more unfortunate
partner. "She's to be brought to the same room as the Children, at
least for now. Just grab her and let's get going."

"Hold on." The agent gripping her hands shoved her casually against
the nearest wall, his eyes falling towards the small cell phone still
obviously active as he drew his gun. "Should have noticed this
beforehand." He fired, scattering the phone into small pieces of
plastic and wire, then returned the gun the small shoulder holster
within his jacket. "All right. -Now- let's grab her."

]++[

For all its monstrous features, Ritsuko couldn't help but seem
something angelic in the massive form of EVA-08. The shimmering gold
form of the machine was at the center of her vision, vague hints of
sparkling white drawing her attention as the light shifter around it,
its firm-set jaw and elongated head looking almost noble compared to
the similar profile of EVA-06. "All neural interfaces check out," she
announced, turning her attention towards the computer terminal beneath
her. "Check the nutrient levels."

A response came from the holding bay, but Ritsuko's focus had shifted
back to the golem standing just outside the observation room, watching
as it waited for the preparations to be complete. In the back of her
mind, she couldn't help but wonder if the experience was similar to
what her mother had felt on the day of EVA-01's activation, the
culmination of so much effort. "The savior of the human race," she
whispered out loud, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned forward
unconsciously.

"Only part of it." The voice startled Ritsuko, and she spun around in
terror before her eyes rested on Kozou standing in the doorway, a thin
and humorless smile on his lips. "It wouldn't be saving anything
without Rei and Ryo. And the only promise of true salvation is -"

"I know," replied Ritsuko, holding up a hand and turning back towards
the Eva. Something about Kozou made her distantly uncomfortable,
knowing that he held a secret over her head that she could only grasp
at and fumble with. "But Rei and Ryo would save nothing without EVA-
08. It's just... odd, to think that it's so close to one of the
Angels."

Kozou said nothing, simply stepped up to Ritsuko softly, remaining only
a few steps behind her as he watched the technicians himself. "That is
ironic, isn't it? Something that nearly destroyed our world, and we're
now using it as a savior."

"No other way to do it." Ritsuko folded her arms across her chest,
unconsciously drawing the white lab coat closer around her. "Isn't
this what SEELE claims was written in the Scrolls, anyways? 'God's
destroyers become the harbingers of a new order' or something to that
effect?"

"Yes," replied Kozou, stepping closer to the blonde woman. "But we
shouldn't be quoting the scrolls any longer. We're not following their
scriptures any longer."

Something in Kozou's voice gave Ritsuko pause, but before she could say
anything the crackling voice of the technicians cut through the air.
"Nutrient levels are optimal. There do appear to be some minor stress
fractures along the intake vents from transport."

Blushing slightly, Ritsuko stepped back to the console, leaning towards
the microphone even as her eyes flicked back towards Kozou. "Repair
the fractures as best you can, but stay on schedule. EVA-08 must be
ready by 1700 hours." She ignored the reply to the statement, staring
dead at Fuyutsuki, her brow furrowed, blue-gray eyes curious. "Do you
know something that I don't?"

"Ritsuko..." There was something awkward and young in Kozou's tone, as
if he was old prematurely and was struggling to recapture himself.
"You do know that the Gathering is going on, correct?"

"Of course. We have to ensure that the Children are all accounted
for. I still stand by retrieving the Children without Evas, but -"

A deep shadow passed across the elder man's face, stilling Ritsuko's
tongue. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" he asked quietly, shaking
his head. "These aren't adults, you know. They're not even old enough
to remember what the Second Impact was like. We're supposed to be
making the world a better place for them."

"And we -are-," replied Ritsuko, an awkward tightness growing in her
chest. She had always respected the vice-commander of NERV, but it
seemed obvious to her that something was going seriously wrong with
him. "Sometimes, to protect people, you have to steer them in the
right direction whether they like it or not. You wouldn't dream of
letting a small child loose with construction equipment, would you?"

"That's arguing semantics. Ritsuko, just think about whether or not
what you're doing is -right-." Sighing, Fuyutsuki turned towards the
golden Eva outside the window, watching the technicians swarm over it,
his head slightly bowed. "What gives us the right to decide whether or
not the world needs to be saved?"

Ritsuko took a hesitant step towards Kozou, painfully conscious of the
flickering light about them, the distinct scent of LCL slowly seeping
into the room as the tecnicians worked over the golem. "It was decided
before we did anything," she replied awkwardly. "Everything can't
remain the same, not any longer. Either we change, or the Angels
destroy us." She began to open her mouth again, then froze, unsure of
herself.

"We're not infallible. We're not following a script that tells us how
to save the world." The elder man slowly turned to face Ritsuko, a
deep sorrow etched across the lines of his face. "This is all based
off our own judgement, Ritsuko, not that of whatever God we believe
in. How do we know that we're not just paving another way to
destruction with our actions?"

Forcing her fears into a hard ball within her gut, Ritsuko took a
decisive step forward, focusing on the humming of the fluorescent
lights above them, letting it grow loud enough to drown out every other
noise. "I think that you should go now, Dr. Fuyutsuki," she said
firmly. "We will save the world, no matter what it might think of us.
The righteous always appear monstrous to the damned."

"Do they? Or is that just what the monstrous tell themselves?" With
quick steps, the old men drew himself directly in front of Ritsuko,
looking down at her with penetrating eyes. "For the love of mercy,
think about what you're doing. Abducting children, strapping them into
machines that torture and nearly kill them, deceiving the -world- about
what you're trying to do - I wouldn't trust the fate of the world to
your judgement."

Ritsuko's hand moved without thinking, striking the old man's cheek
harshly and forcing him to recoil slightly. "Major Katsuragi has
already been restrained, doctor," she said calmly, daggers of ice
rushing past her lips with each word. "If I talk with Commander Ikari,
I have no doubt that he will not hesitate to have you -"

"Theatening me too, now," whispered the old man, struggling to regain
his composure. "You're like your mother in more ways than you'll
admit. She could never bear to hear it, either." He started towards
the door, then stopped, his eyes falling on Ritsuko once again. "The
truth is right in front of you, Dr. Akagi. If you would just open your
eyes -"

"Get out," she snapped, turning her eyes firmly towards the Eva outside
of the observation booth, not even bothering to watch the elder man
stalk out of the room. It was only after he had left that she allowed
herself to breathe again, her chest heaving in and out, her entire body
seeming to slump forward.

He was right, she knew. They were relying wholly on their own
judgement, their own moral bases, the one thing that they were supposed
to be divorced from. Ritsuko's knees seemed to give out beneath her,
and she slowly lowered herself to the floor, kneeling weakly, her hands
trembling. "Was Misato right?" she whispered. "Perhaps... perhaps
I've let myself be..."

"Doctor Akagi?" Again, the technician's voice seemed to come just at
the right instant. "The fractures have been repaired. What do you
want done next?"

Flicking her eyes towards the window, Ritsuko caught a glimpse of
herself, blonde hair short around her head, makeup elegantly applied,
kneeling weakly on the teal-gray floor of the observation booth. "I'm
not my mother," she hissed through gritted teeth, forcing herself to
her feet on trembling legs. "Misato's just a silly, sentimental little
girl." Another harsh breath forced its way into her lungs, and she
turned on her heel, walking with brisk steps over to the computer
console, mentally refreshing her list of what needed to be done before
EVA-08 could rise to meet its destiny.

]++[

"You're certain about this?" shouted Nieve over the squeal of the car's
tires, her fingers gripping the steering wheel with what seemed like
bone-crushing force. Around them blurred the scenery of Tokyo-3,
indistinct shapes and patches of color lost to the car's velocity.

"Absolutely," replied Neil, his own hands gripping the seat with the
same intensity that Nieve held the wheel. It was just slightly padded,
more or less identical to the interior of every other car in Japan, and
while Neil distantly knew that holding it would do him no good if they
crashed it reassured him slightly as he felt the wheels tear along
beneath him.

Nieve didn't respond to Neil immediately, instead leaning her body as
she sent the car skidding into a turn down another street. The
spedometer briefly dipped, then ascended once again as the car's small
engine forced it forward with all the force it could muster. "Misato
calls, sounding panicked, and tells you to go to America with me?"

"Then I hear thumping noises, angry voices, and the whole thing ends
with a gunshot," replied Neil. "Something very definitely is going on
at Central Dogma."

"So instead of doing what she told us to and getting the hell out of
the country, we do the exact opposite and race straight towards the one
place she probably wants us to go away from?"

"That would be the essence of the plan, yes," replied Neil weakly,
straining to make out something resembling the NERV logo as the world
around them raced past. He didn't like the idea of outright ignoring
what Misato had told him to do, but he liked the idea of leaving her to
bleed to death even less. For all that he'd inflicted on her, he owed
her at least some concern over whether she lived or died. "If I hadn't
suggested it, wouldn't you have?"

"Probably," replied Nieve, her foot easing off the gas and slamming on
the brakes in one smooth motion. Neil's eyes went wide as the car's
wheels suddenly locked into position, and the entire vehicle began
spinning down the street, gyrating around its center as the stench of
burning rubber filled the interior. It was like a momentary burst of
madness, the shrieking squeal of the tires coupled with the spinning
scenery, and Neil squeezed his eyes shut, struggling not to vomit.

It took him a few minutes to realize that the car had finally screeched
to a halt, and his breathing was slow as he cracked open his eyes. He
could see the large metal gates that led into the Geo-Front sitting in
front of him, the car only a few inches short. "We're here," announced
Nieve, tapping him on the shoulder gently. "Are we going to go in, or
not?"

Giving a slow nod, Neil opened his door and stepped out, glancing at
the doors for a second before looking back at the red-haired girl with
him. "You're not working through some of your personal irritations
with this, are you?" he asked, sounding distantly accusatory.

"Shut up," she replied, her voice not in the least amused. Her eyes
flicked quickly towards the overcast skies before she walked swiftly
over to the card reader, removing her ID card and swiping it through
decisively. "Let's just get inside and find out what's going on.
Misato's not going to be happy with us for not listening to her."

Both Children looked towards the door, waiting to hear the typical
grinding of it opening. It was a moment before Nieve angrily swiped
her card through again, letting out a small grunt of anger as the doors
remained stationary. "Did we lose power -again-?" she growled, her
head sinking into her hands. "God, I don't need this today of -all-
days, I just want to get this -over- with..."

"The power's still on," replied Neil, cautiously stepping towards the
card reader while he retrieved his own ID card. "See? The little
confirmation light is still on. Something else is wrong."

Motioning for Nieve to step aside, Neil ran his card through the
reader, watching the small yellow indicator light as it flashed off and
then returned with a red color. "Yeah. The power's on. We're just
not being given access to the Geo-Front."

"What?" Nieve asked, exasperated, throwing her card to the ground as
she removed her head from her hands. "That's ridiculous! They
wouldn't revoke our entry just because we've finished destroying the
Angels!" She paused, a look of slow concern coming over her face as
her emerald eyes flicked back towards the door. "Right? I mean...
we're the ones that are really important to NERV, right? They wouldn't
discard us..."

"No. Misato told me that we were going to be expected for the next few
days, and that would require us to be able to get into the base.
There's something else going on." He frowned at the door for a moment,
relieved to have something to focus on other than his relationship with
Nieve for just a moment. "Maybe... she mentioned something about
Commander Ikari. He could have locked us out."

Sighing, Nieve nodded, as if she already knew what was going on. "But
why would he do that? What could possibly be going on that we couldn't
be allowed in for?"

Closing his eyes, Neil tried to think, trying to piece together what
few fragments of information he knew about the situation at hand.
"Maybe he's not trying to keep us out," he whispered after a moment.
"Maybe... maybe he's trying to keep something else -in-. They're
keeping the Second Angel alive down there, for some reason."

Nieve's eyes went wide with realization, her gaze slowly turning back
towards Neil. "And EVA-01 is the First. They could have resurrected
themselves somehow. If it just takes those two Angels coming in to
contact with one another to cause the Second Impact... they could be
able to do it again."

"Everything's there for Third Impact," whispered Neil, shaking his head
in disbelief, only distantly wondering how long Nieve had known the
whole story while he'd been kept in the dark. "Good God. Both of them
might never have been dead at all. They were just waiting for us to
shut down our defenses and leave them alone, and now everything's in
place." He paused, casting his eyes away from Nieve's, unable to
endure the girl's stare. "But why would Gendou seal off the base?"

"Armor," replied Nieve, beginning to pace in agitation, her right hand
firmly grasping her chin, left arm wrapped around her chest. "The Geo-
Front was designed with enough armor to withstand the blast of multiple
N2 mines, to keep out the Angels. And there's a stockpile of N2
weaponry within the base." She gasped. "That's why Misato was trying
to get us to leave. He's going to destroy the city to stop the Angels."

"Unless we're able to destroy them first." His heart racing, Neil took
a step towards Nieve. "We were able to get into the Geo-Front once
before when the power was down. Maybe we can get in there and prevent
them from coming into contact with one another."

A thin smile traced across Nieve's face, and she turned towards Neil
fully, her arms folded across her chest. "We might die trying," she
replied softly.

Taking a deep breath, Neil closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back
to his time in Tokyo-3. He could feel Nieve standing painfully close
to him, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and
hold her tight, to pretend at least for a moment that they could still
have a future together. But in the back of his mind, he could see the
whole situation from a distance, knew that this was the reason he had
come to the city in the first place. There was no question as he
opened his eyes. "I'm not afraid of that," he whispered, the monstrous
green eye of EVA-01 seeming to loom in his mind.

Nieve continued staring at the boy and smiling for a moment, then
lunged forward and took him in her arms, pressing her lips against his,
forcing her tongue into his mouth, her eyes fluttering closed as Neil
simply stared in shock. His arms gently brushed against her back, and
then she was gone again, standing a few inches away, wiping her lips
with the back of her hand and breathing quickly. "I wanted to do that
one more time," she whispered. "Let's go."

Fierce adrenaline flooded Neil's bloodstream, and glancing about he
started jogging towards the side of the hill in which the entrance was
set, his eyes flashing. "There was a high-speed entrance here the last
time we had to do this," he shouted, glancing about for the same
irregular patch of grass as before. "It'll bring us close to the
hangars - close enough."

"Got it," shouted Nieve, dashing towards a spot on the hill as Neil
followed, falling to her knees and quickly clearing the grass away.
Her fingers slipped beneath the metal plate with practiced speed, and
planting her feet firmly against the thick greenery of the hill she
pulled with all her might. Neil jammed his own hands beneath the plate
and pulled as well, his arms beginning to ache as the plate resisted
their attempts to open it.

Finally, the entrance swung open with a creak, and Neil felt a thick
drop of moisture fall along the back of his neck. His hand flew to the
spot, and he glanced up at the sky as more drops began to fall, the
small orbs of water streaking through the sky as if they were souls
fallen from heaven. "Raining," he muttered. "Perfect."

Turning his eyes back towards Nieve, he saw that she was already
throwing herself down the passage, and gritting his teeth he followed
her, his body hitting the slick metal surface as a few droplets of
water followed him. Beneath him he could see Nieve already racing
along the tube, distant for only a moment before the force of gravity
took over and started him on his path towards Central Dogma.

Closing his eyes, Neil let himself be simply thrown along by the
passage, feeling the cool metal guide him towards his destination,
breath coming slowly but regularly. The reality of the situation was
only hitting him slowly, but he still didn't feel afraid. "A monster
dead by other monsters," he whispered, too quietly for even his own
ears to catch it. "It's only right."

The fall ended before he knew it, dropping him onto the same soft
landing area as it had his first time through. Nieve had already
moved, and shaking his head he forced himself to his feet, opening his
eyes and glancing around, taking in the teal-gray walls as almost a
reassurance. "Nieve?" he said, still feeling slightly dizzy from the
fall.

"Right here," she replied, drawing Neil's gaze. She stood only a few
feet away, but seemed lost in thought, her red hair swinging behind her
as her head moved back and forth. "They haven't activated the internal
alarm. Everything's quiet." She paused. "It might not be the Angels."

"Or maybe nobody's had the time to be activating the alarm in the midst
of trying to stop them," replied Neil, a gentle urgency in his voice as
he moved around Nieve, striding resolutely down the corridor. "I
remember this from when the power had been deactivated. At the end of
the corridor to the right are the locker rooms, so if we go left..."

"The hangars. Right." Something in Nieve's voice brought Neil to a
stop, and he slowly turned to face the girl as she followed behind
him. There was the thinnest film of liquid over her eyes, as if she
was just sad enough to contemplate crying. "Neil? You're not afraid
of dying... with me?"

"I don't plan on you dying," replied Neil, closing his eyes for a
moment. He wanted not to think about anything but the necessity of the
situation, to prevent himself from having second thoughts, and Nieve
was making that impossible. "Look, we can't accomplish anything
standing out here. If we're the only two Children in here, we're the
only ones that can try to stop the Angels. So let's get moving and do
what we can."

Waiting only a moment for a nod from the girl, Neil set off once again,
this time moving faster, his eyes focused on the end of the narrow
corridor, the rest of the world blurring together. His feet moved
faster unconsciously, and he hurtled around the corner, quickly
changing directions and jogging towards the door into the hangars.
Closing his eyes as he approached the doors, he could all but feel the
LCL around him, the tickling presence of EVA-01 at the back of his
mind...

The doors in front of him hissed and whirred open, and Neil spared a
quick glance behind himself to see Nieve following close on his heels.
Nodding, he ran into the hangar, hearing the thin metal clang of his
feet against the metal lattice. His eyes registered the lack of
nutrient bath within the hangar an instant before he realized that
there was an Eva in the hangar, and by the time that he'd glanced
towards it the catwalk had already started moving.

Caught off-guard, Neil almost tumbled forward to his death, but his
hands reached out and grabbed the lattice before he went too far
forward, falling on the catwalk but simply staring down towards the
bottom instead of rushing to greet it. He could see the outline of two
golden feet beneath him, and as he returned to his feet he looked up to
see an unfamiliar Eva, gold and shimmering white, its bearing almost
regal as it stared down at himself and Nieve hatefully. "EVA-08?" he
whispered, the first words to come to mind.

"Once again, Third Child, you are correct," announced the voice of
Gendou Ikari, drawing Neil's eyes to the skybox above the hangar. "And
once again, you have delivered yourself directly to me. I must thank
you."

Neil's mouth opened to respond, but he was cut short as a door he
hadn't noticed at one end of the catwalk opened, causing Nieve to jump
back slightly in surprise. Three intelligence agents stood in the
doorway, and as Neil's eyes flicked to their hands he could see that
they were armed. "Should have listened to Misato," he whispered, his
heart sinking at the revelation. "Should have left when I had the
chance."

There was nowhere to go, and Neil distantly thought that he noticed EVA-
08 moving towards him, as if to even deny him the option of suicide.
"The Gathering is complete," announced Ikari, seemingly numb to the
Children outside. "Rei, once the Second and Third are taken, you will
be ejected from the machine. I will meet with you in the Confessional."

]++[

Gendou stood in the doorway to the darkened room, his eyes focusing
slowly in the dimmed light. A few steps behind him stood Rei, still
wearing her white plugsuit, like a ghost waiting to be directed back to
her grave. "I hope you all understand that this is for the greater
good," he said, not bothering to make his voice even distantly
sympathetic. "I simply couldn't risk any interference with my plan."

"Fuck you," snarled Misato, struggling against her restraints, trying
to lunge forward. Her body was suspended like that of the Children
against the far wall, her arms head straight out to her sides, legs
clamped down beneath her, her entire body fixed almost in the shape of
a cross. The restraints themselves were fused to the wall, tight
enough that the woman could only move a few inches towards Gendou
before she was jerked to a stop.

A thin smile curled at the edge of Gendou's lips, and he held up a hand
to Rei as he stepped into the dim room, feet echoing in the overlarge
room and onto the pale diagram projected by the lights above. "I
suppose I deserve that," he replied, glancing around at the Children,
all hanging limply on the wall with Misato. Only Rei stood free,
silent and unconcerned. "But one has to make sacrifices to achieve
good. You understand that, don't you? All of you?"

"Doctor Ikari..." Eiko's voice was halting, confused, her head hanging
forward and her black hair framing her face. There was the distant
sound of moisture hitting the metallic floor, though Gendou couldn't be
certain of its origin. "How could you do this? We're all working
together to save the world, aren't we?"

"No," spat Misato, her eyes burning balefully at Gendou, still
struggling against her restraints, obviously unwilling to surrender
herself. "Why don't you tell them, you lying bastard? Explain to them
what you're really after?" She tried once again to force herself
forward, meeting no more success than before. "Why don't you explain
that you're trying to instigate the Third Impact!"

Rage flared momentarily in Gendou, but he forced himself to ignore it,
letting the smile on his face vanish as he adjusted his glasses.
"Correct. I am attempting to bring about Third Impact. That is the
true purpose of NERV, Project Evangelion, all of the research we have
been doing - the Human Complementation Project." He paused, staring
dead at Misato, focusing his own buried emotion into the glare. "Do
you even understand what the Third Impact is?"

"Contact between the Angels," Neil offered weakly, his body held
upright but his eyes half-dead. "That was what caused the Second.
It's what Kaworu was trying to achieve with Lillith."

"Wrong." Gendou smiled thinly, letting his arms fall to his sides,
taking a step forward with one foot and casting his eyes towards the
ceiling. The light was dim enough that he could clearly make out the
etched pattern above, an intricate linked series of circles and lines.
"Each Impact is not simply a cataclysm. It is the arrival of part of
the Divine on Earth. First Humans, then Angels... and now God."

A flush of triumph came over the doctor, and he felt the wave carrying
him along, the moment of culmination finally spilling everything out.
"We knew that the Second Impact was going to happen long before it did,
but the date was too far forward. So we accelerated it. With Adam
unearthed by the Katsuragi Expedition, Lillith was drawn to this world
to complete her mission - and with her arrival, half of the world was
shattered. It was the only way we could be ready to retrieve the First
and Second Angels reliably - the safest way to ensure that the Impact
did not catch us off-guard."

"You evil bastard," muttered Misato, beginning to divert her efforts to
finding a way out of the restraints, her eyes still flicking towards
Gendou every few seconds. "You killed half of the world. You killed
my -father-. You -"

"Please, Major Katsuragi. Some of us are trying to learn something."
The man's smile widened slightly, his gaze turning down towards the
Children once again. "Third Impact is the arrival of God on Earth to
judge humanity. If humanity is pure enough to mingle with Angels - if
some of its number can defeat His servants - then there would be hope
for us yet. If not, we have been weighed and found wanting. Third
Impact would come sooner or later. It was either us or the Angels."

Clearing his throat, Gendou turned his back on the Children, letting
his eyes rest on Rei's thin frame, her piercing red eyes and thin blue
hair. "It was only after Yui was taken by the Eva that I realized I
was being a fool to believe that nonsense. Human beings do not need to
be judged. Humans need to be saved." He sighed gently. "We are weak
and fragile. Our only hope is to be made pure once again, to truly rid
ourselves of these frailties."

"Why don't you unlock these, Commander?" Vash sneered, his entire body
seemingly tensed like a spring. "Then we'll see who's so fragile after
all."

"None of you understand. This is the only way to save the world." He
paused, then turned to face the Children, his arms spread slightly.
"What keeps us divided from one another? Why do we hate one another?
Because we believe it's possible to judge one another. Because we have
a moral basis embedded in our minds from the day that we're born. Our
only hope of freeing ourselves from hatred and death is to eliminate
those morals."

"You're insane." Neil's voice was still quiet, but there was the
slightest edge behind it. Gendou glanced towards the boy, momentarily
tempted to explain his role in the whole affair, but decided against it
as he strode towards the center of the room.

"God must come to Earth. If we do not instigate Third Impact, it will
be instigated for us." He stared Neil in the eye, smiling thinly, the
determination of a righteousness visible in his eyes. "But God will
not judge. He will free us all. We will all be free of the chains of
morality, of being taught what is right and wrong. There will be no
hate, because we will not have reason to hate. There will be no lies,
because we will have nothing to be ashamed of. There will be only
peace."

Gesturing towards Rei again, Gendou waited until the girl stood beside
him, then clapped her firmly on the shoulder. "The Second Impact did
more than destroy the ice cap. It shattered the soul of the two Angels
into fragments, mingled and sent across the world. And certain
Children were born with their souls intermingled with those
fragments." He smiled, for once not a thin or sinister gesture but one
of genuine joy. "You all carry part of the Divine within you. That is
what allows you to control the Evas - the fact that you hold part of
their shattered souls."

Turning, Gendou gave Rei a small push on the shoulder, and she
accordingly began to walk towards the door. "Rei is the combination of
all those fragments. She is the apotheosis of what you use to control
the Angels, and at the same time she is unburdened by human morality."
He paused, glancing back at the Children. "Do you begin to understand
what will happen here today?"

"Don't do this," whispered Misato, obviously panicking. "Gendou -
Doctor Ikari - this is crazy. You're going to destroy us all. You're
going to bring on Third Impact after everything that you've done to
stop it -"

"Wrong. Rei and I will save the world." He gave one last smile to the
group, then turned and followed the girl out of the room, tossing his
last few words behind him as the doors slid closed with a hiss. "I
will see you again when you have been cleansed of sin."

]++[

"All of EVA-08's systems are fully engaged." There was a sharp tension
in Maya's voice as her hands moved across the keyboard, the displays
coming up with less than usual speed. "Disengaging all restraints...
opening restraining doors."

Ritsuko gently brushed her hand against the younger woman's shoulder,
producing a slight start before Maya looked up at her. "It's all
right," she said softly, leaning towards Maya with a serene smile on
her face. "You're doing the right thing. I'm proud of you. All
that's left is to just wait for Commander Ikari and Rei to finish their
work."

Maya frowned, biting her lip and turning back to the display, idly
hitting the keys before she noticed something of the corner of her
eye. Her brow furrowed, and she leaned closer, bringing up another
display. "Dr. Akagi! There's a reaction occurring in EVA-01! It's
not fully active, but I'm picking up the beginnings of its systems
engaging - the entry plug is loading itself!"

"You're kidding," snapped Ritsuko, stepping swiftly over to Maya's
console, watching as it displayed a small picture of EVA-01, the hatch
on its back opening to accept the white plug. "We've accounted for all
of the Children. Who's in the plug?"

"Nobody." The answer surprised Maya as much as Ritsuko, and it took
the younger woman a few moments before she seemed satisfied that she
was giving an honest reply. "The plug is empty. It just... loaded the
plug and then shut right back down, as if nothing was happening."

Shadows flitted across Ritsuko's face as she stared at the display for
a moment longer. "Keep an eye on that unit," she said softly, turning
towards Makoto as he eyed her uneasily. "Tighten up the restraints.
Whatever happens, don't allow it to leave the hangar."

"But -" Maya's words failed her, and she forced herself out of her
seat. "There's no pilot inside. It can't possibly go anywhere, not
without one of the -"

"I -said- to keep an eye on it!" snapped Ritsuko, her eyes stunning
Maya into silence for an instant before the younger woman sat back
down. A cold fear began to grow at the back of Maya's throat, and she
found herself staring at the now-inert form of EVA-01, wondering if
there wasn't more that her superior was keeping hidden from all of them.

]++[

The restraints were padded inside, comfortable against the skin, a cold
comfort as Neil's eyes traced out the pattern on the floor. "Nothing,"
he whispered inaudibly, his heart a barren rock, all of the strength
drained from his body, leaning forward in the crucified restraints and
waiting for the end he knew was coming. "I was wrong. I wasn't saving
humanity from monsters... just delivering it to another monster. Even
when I try to do right, I do wrong."

"Misato, there has to be some way out of here!" shouted Nieve,
struggling to tug her arms free of the restraints that held them, her
emerald eyes darting back and forth around the room. "Some sort of
failsafe! An override! We can't just be -stuck- here!"

"We are," replied Misato weakly, her own struggles beginning to weaken
and growing more intermittent. "They disabled every aspect of access I
have to the system here. We might as well be strangers to NERV." She
sighed. "We're not fighting from the inside out any longer. We're on
the outside looking in. There doesn't seem to be a thing that we can
do."

Nieve ignored the woman for a moment, thrashing her body to and fro,
her mouth set in a hard line of determination. "NO!" she shrieked at
length, her entire body arching backwards before falling limp, exerted
beyond what it could take. "No. This can't be. I worked so hard, and
now... and now it's all... all..."

"Evas," said Ryo after a moment, his voice quiet. "That's what Gendou
was denying us access to. We're all imprinted into the Evas,
individually. Locked in here... we can't possibly pilot them to stop
him. That's why he was making sure that we were all accounted for - so
that we couldn't even try to get one of them active."

Something in Ryo's tone drew Neil's attention, and he jerked his head
upwards, a cold and stinging epiphany bursting through his head. "Ryo,
do you know how close we are to the hangars?" he shouted, his hands
trembling within the restraints.

"Close enough," replied Niobe, lying rigid in place, seemingly dead to
the whole situation. "A few minutes of walking, perhaps. Nothing
major. If we were free, we would have more than enough time to stop
him."

"Lovely, Niobe. Make this even -more- infuriating." Nieve let out
another howl of anguish, thrashing her head about in desperation, small
tears flying from her eyes in rage and fear. After a few seconds, she
let herself fall back to limply hanging, her breath now ragged.
"Inches away, and we're powerless. I hope that whatever that demon
unleashes kills -him- first, if nothing else."

The dialogue was only white noise to Neil, his eyes wide, heart
racing. He could see the open eye of EVA-01 all too clearly, could
remember the touch of Yui and the mocking sneer of his other, all
hidden away somewhere within the machine. It was his, he knew, as much
a part of him as his arms or legs. Something in him almost seemed to
reach out to the machine, and for the barest instant he could feel its
monstrous hunger tickling at the back of his mind, begging him to set
it free.

He recoiled from instinct, but the idea had already planted itself in
his head. In his eye he could see every one of the Angels that he had
faced, the effort that he'd put into destroying them. "I thought that
I was doing the right thing," he whispered, his hands clenching into
fists, teeth gritting and eyes narrowing. "But maybe I can undo all my
mistakes... maybe I can still fight against myself..."

With tenative and nervous thoughts, Neil let himself reach out towards
the Eva once again, the rolling red hunger, the demonic impulses that
he knew lay just beneath his own skin. A hot breath seemed to wash
over his body, scented by blood and fire, the touch of icy crystals
somehow caressing his cheeks. "Come to me," he hissed, every muscle in
his body tensing. "Give me the strength to defeat Gendou, to avert
Third Impact. I give up."

Still it danced, just out of reach, and Neil threw his body into
thrashing, his eyes furious, fine hair whipping about his head as he
forced all of his muscles into the effort. "God damn you, come to me!
I give up! I'm a monster, just like you! If that's what it takes to
have your strength, -I- -don't- -care-! Whatever the cost to me, I
will -not- let it end like this!" The monstrous eye drew ever so
slightly closer, and Neil redoubled his efforts once again. "LET ME
SAVE THEM!"

The sound of tearing metal filled the air, but Neil was dead to them,
screaming for the Eva to take him as the others in the room looked
around in fear. He had to be able to get his machine before Gendou
could initiate Third Impact. All thoughts of himself had vanished,
replaced with a burning desire to climb within his Eva once again,
whatever the cost. It had to come. It had to listen. It had to...

A second later, the hand of EVA-01 ripped through the side wall of the
room with a resounding crash.

Neil's eyes shut tight, the room shuddering around him from the impact,
the massive hand seeming almost as if it was grasping in a box for a
particularly desirable trinket. Then the shock of impact faded, and
the boy stared at the grasping hand, trying to lunge forward slightly,
feeling the restraints give way to his strength ever so slightly.
Glancing at the shackles, he realized that they were cracked just
enough to allow him to get free. With a cry of triumph, he pulled his
arms free, forcing his legs out of the restraints as the great hand
withdrew from the room.

Stumbling to his feet, Neil looked out the hole to see the Eva standing
amid the wreckage of what looked like several levels of the base, its
body laced with broken pieces of the thick teal-gray metal. The entry
plug protruded from its back, and with smooth movements it retrieved
the plug and slid it into the room, letting the smooth white cylinder
rest in front of Neil, beckoning and mocking him at once.

"Neil!" Nieve's voice was just sharp enough to prevent him from moving
forward, and he looked towards the girl, feeling a sharp pang of fear
and loss at the look of her emerald eyes. "Help me out. We'll do this
together. All of us."

"No." He shook his head firmly, then strode decisively over to the
plug, flinging the hatch open and staring inside. It was dark within,
the chair only distantly visible, the familiar structure seemingly
cloaked in death. "You... you all have something to live for. I can't
let you die."

"Please, Neil." Nieve struggled against her restraints, trying to
achieve the same freedom as Neil and falling short. "Please. I'm not
afraid to die. Not with you."

"I still don't plan on letting you die," replied Neil, stepping inside
of the cockpit. His eyes flicked towards the Eva, and he could seen
the green glow flashing beneath the white surface of its eyes. It was
waiting for him, and he knew it. The monster was waiting to finally
receive its own.

"Say that you don't plan on dying. Neil, tell me that you don't plan
on dying." Nieve's words were more desperate now, as if she was
pleading with the boy. "We can do this together, all of us. You...
you don't deserve to -"

"Goodbye," whispered the boy, slamming the hatch shut and feeling his
way to the soft cushioning of the seat, tears forming at the corners of
his eyes. He felt the Eva pick him up, could hear the distant
mechanical noise of the hatch opening up once again. Another deep
breath tore into his lungs, and as the LCL began to trickle into the
chamber he felt himself flex his hands against the handrests, the
leering Eva holding tight to the back of his mind.

Then the LCL rushed into his lungs, and he felt the eye rip through the
soft meat of his brain, his entire body arcing in shock, knives of ice
embedding themselves in his skin even as he felt his rage growing. His
mouth was bound by weak metal, and with all the strength he possessed
he reared back, letting his body push aside the metal framework around
him. Another flood of strength, and his jaw was free once again,
letting out a mighty roar to shake the foundations of the building he
stood within, his power growing with every passing moment -

"Control," he hissed, focusing his vision once again, taking stock of
his position. He - no, the Eva - had torn its way through parts of
Central Dogma not meant to accomodate the machines, and he doubted the
fesability of trying to return to the hangar and following Gendou and
Rei down their own path. "I need to beat them to the punch," he
muttered, glancing around quickly. "Need to get down to Terminal Dogma
right now."

A burning fire of energy tore along Neil's arms, and he let out a
scream before coughing blood, forcing the energy down, letting the
force shred through the metal that stood in his way, shattering walls
and barriers and letting him plummet down a makeshift shaft. The power
tore through his body, but he ignored the pain, only letting the energy
dissipate once again when he felt the shifting snows beneath his feet,
his eyes distantly registering the still-impaled form of EVA-07 not far
from him.

"GENDOU!" he screamed, letting the power of his voice send ripples
through the walls, the power of the Eva flooding across his body in
quick and steady bursts. His eyes cast themselves towards the shaft
that he knew the other machine would be coming from, his hands flexing
into fists. "You will -not- reach Lillith! I will not allow it!"

Moments passed in silence like months, the burning green eyes of the
purple Eva fixed on the shaft, the boy within panting as blood trickled
from the corner of his lip. Then, at last, the outline of the golden
EVA-08 appeared, descending with slow purposefulness, its hands cupped
around an unknown cargo, silver and golden wings spread on its back as
it hovered to a landing on the snowfield. Neil felt himself start
slightly, watching the wings fold against the machine's back once
again, a burning blue fire visible in its eyes.

"Neil," announced Gendou from the cupped hands of EVA-08, sounding
disinterested with the boy's presence. "Congratulations. You were
able to call your machine. I doubted that you would have progressed
this far."

"Enough. This ends here." Neil grabbed one of the massive crosses
still embedded in the snow around him, drawing it up and letting the
thin film of ice shake away. "I will not let you reach the Second
Angel, whatever it takes me."

"I do not doubt that you believe that," replied Gendou as EVA-08 moved
slowly, placing Gendou on a high ledge of the room that Neil couldn't
remember having seen before, a door hissing open with obvious purpose.
"But you still don't possess the strength to stop me, Neil. This Eva
is the pinnacle of everything that the units can be - the strongest and
fastest ever constructed. It is everything you are, and more." The
machine seemed to punctuate the statement by letting its wings spread,
its hands flying towards one of the crosses as well. "Stand down,
Neil. This is for the best."

Fear struck the boy to the bone, but his grip tightened around the
cross in his hand, orienting it to attack his enemy as a thin smile
crossed Gendou's face. "So be it. Rei, you know your duty."

"Yes," replied Rei, and with swift motions she lunged towards Neil,
swinging the massive cross as if it were nothing, the point racing
towards the Eva's face. Panic seized the boy for a moment, and he
jerked backwards, letting the point scrape across his left eye,
shattering the lens and shredding flesh. His grip on the cross
faltered slightly, and he stumbled backwards, shocked by the speed of
the other machine, certain that Gendou was correct.

"Idiot." The voice was his own, but not coming from his lips. "This
is the First Angel. You know that. Whatever fearsome visage it might
take, do you truly believe that anything less can stand against you?"

The pain in his eye subsided to nothing, and Neil could see the green
eye that stared at Rei in his mind. His hands gripped the cross firmly
and swung it back at the golden Eva, deflecting the girl's assault,
matching her speed effortlessly. Letting out a cry, he lunged towards
her, the point of his weapon driving towards the girl's midsection.

Rei's free hand gripped the cross and wrenched it free of Neil's hands,
flinging it across the room and trying to stab him with her own
weapon. Slipping to one side, Neil grabbed the cross and forced it
into the ground, then let his hands snap to Rei's throat, his fingers
pressing hard against the golem's neck, hot breath blasting from his
machine's open mouth. It was a moment before he even noticed the
burning pain in his gut, another moment before he realized that it was
a knife that had broken through his armor.

One hand flying to the prog knife in hopes of extracting it, Neil
caught a glimpse of the girl going for the other knife, and with swift
resources he grabbed the shoulder flange and crushed it with all the
strength he had. Then Rei's feet slammed against his gut, forcing the
knife deeper and sending him tumbling back, her machine rearing up to
its full height as he skidded to a halt. Gritting his teeth, Neil
yanked the knife free, snapping it between his fingers before racing
towards her once again.

A punch aimed at her face was deflected, answered with a swift blow to
the eye, enough to leave Rei unprepared for a blow to the chin. Her
Eva reeled slightly, and Neil took the opportunity, flinging himself
into the air and towards her, his hands reaching for her head. The
silver wings of the Eva snapped in front of him, then flung him
backwards, sending his Eva flying against the wall, shuddering waves of
pain racing along his back. Rei yanked the cross free once again,
rushing at Neil, holding the weapon like a spear.

Neil remained immobile until it seemed to late, then flung himself
aside with the grace of a cat, and Rei embedded her weapon in the wall,
fixing her in place long enough for Neil to fall on her back. The
golden machine struggled as he tried to pry off the hatch that
protected the entry plug, but his strength began to tear free small
bits of the armor, sending EVA-08 into spasms of pain. Before it came
free, however, Rei's leg slammed against Neil's midsection, awkward but
strong enough to give him a moment's pause.

Spinning around, EVA-08 slammed its wings against EVA-01, sending it
sprawling to the ground, great waves of snow kicked up by the sheer
mass of the purple golem. Before Neil could move, Rei was upon him,
her hands reaching towards his head with lethal intent, no trace of
hesitation in her motion. Snarling, he lashed out with his feet at her
midsection, slamming her backwards, one silver wing tearing as it
scraped along the edge of the cross still embedded in the wall.

Red blood spilled from the wound and splattered the snow a deep color,
but Rei seemed unaffected, furling her winds shut and moving towards
Neil even as he scrambled to his feet, his breath coming hard and
angry, hands flying to his shoulder units and retrieving the two knives
stored within. Holding them tightly, he let himself slip to one side
of Rei's charge, then stabbed towards her head with one hand, her heart
with the other.

An almost imperceptible motion of the girl's machine sent one knife out
of his hand and into hers, and she deflected the other blow with
inhuman accuracy. Her eyes met his, and Neil felt a momentary sense of
dislocation, painfully aware of the frail white girl sitting inside the
other Eva. There was an emptiness in the eyes of the Eva, enough to
freeze him in place for a moment, almost reacting too late to the
swinging knife, deflecting the blow with a dulled motion.

EVA-08 showed no trace of Neil's hesitation, and the golden machine
continued to swing vicious blows in his direction, forcing Neil
backwards even as his grip began to weaken slightly. The girl was more
skilled with the weapon than he was, but as he watched the smooth
motion of her arm he got an idea, and as her arm recoiled from the
sharp deflection of her blow Neil's jaws fell open and he lunged for
the girl's arm.

The great metal teeth of EVA-01 sank into the arm of its opponent,
tearing through the flexible armor as if it was paper, provoking the
golden machine to drop the knife even as Neil drove his own weapon deep
into Rei's chest. His face split into an agry grin as he tasted the
other machine's blood on his lips, felt the flesh and metal cracking
beneath his grip. "Nothing can stand against me," he hissed. "I have
all the power of the First Angel."

Something snapped in his mind, and he felt his connection with the Eva
fall slack as he recoiled from the damaged golem before him. The taste
of blood still lingered upon his lips, and he felt his entire body
shake gently at the thought. "I am a monster," he gasped, the meaning
of the words sinking in. "I... I don't want to kill her. I don't -"

Neil realized his mistake too late as a knife drove into his chest,
followed by another dangerously close to the core of his machine. Pain
ripped through his body, and he saw Rei standing over him, apparently
unconcerned by the damage to her machine, her hands gripping a cross
again as blood trickled out of her arm. "It ends, Third Child," she
said softly, raising the cross over her head, the point aimed for his
chest.

Closing his eyes for a second, Neil felt himself sink back into his
Eva's mind, hating himself as the hatred encircled him. "You knew
this," he snarled, and with one swift motion he raised one hand and
blasted the cross to smithereens.

Green light poured from the eyes of the purple machine like water, and
Neil forced himself to his feet as Rei staggered backwards, ignoring
the pain in his body, knowing that it was inconsequential. The golden
Eva hesitated a moment, then rushed towards the boy once more, and he
stood his ground, raising his hands and lashing out once again, letting
the pure white light sear the surface of the other machine, slamming it
backwards against the double doors that led to Lillith. "You're right,
Rei," he said, letting his energy build like a gathering storm. "It
does end now."

The girl raised her good arm, and as Neil lashed out again he could see
his blasts hit the octagonal surface of her AT Field. Growling, he
intensified his efforts, barely noticing the constant mouthfuls of
blood that he was coughing into the LCL, only distantly aware of the
slow red tint flooding the world around him. It was only a matter of
time, he knew. He had more than enough power to tear the Eva's field
to pieces, and then he would destroy himself, save the world from what
he might do. It was for the best, the only way he could -

Pain ripped along the back of the boy's head, a pain that he couldn't
hope to ignore, followed quickly by the sensation of drowning. The
oxygen seemed to choke itself out of the LCL, and Neil clutched at his
throat as the Eva vanished into the distance, his entire body on fire,
spasming and thrashing in a desperate plea for air. The world began
swimming and going black in the instants before the oxygen returned,
and he sucked in a deep breath of LCL, grateful for the first time for
the bloody liquid.

It was only afterwards that he realized that he could no longer feel
his machine around him, that the Eva had vanished into the mists of the
LCL. "No," he whispered, thrusting the handles back and forth,
struggling to activate it once again. "What the hell is going on?
Activate!"

"You forgot a critical fact, Third Child. Whatever connection you
might have to the First Angel, its body is shattered." Even though
Neil could no longer see the world outside of the dark entry plug,
Gendou's harsh voice still sounded through the radio. "It only moves
and interfaces with you through machinery - machinery that I helped
design. Should that machinery cease to interface with the Angel, it no
longer has any connection to you."

Realization spread across Neil, and he felt his body go numb. "I... I
can't..."

"Stop me," finished Gendou. "You put up a righteous effort, but it was
in vain. Take your rest." With that, the radio snapped off, leaving
Neil alone in the dark tomb of blood and metal, his Eva slowly being
coated by the artificial snow around it.

]++[

Gendou Ikari let the massive hands of EVA-08 set him down upon the thin
black walkway that led towards Lillith, his eyes focused on the
crucified form of the Second Angel with a smile. "I've waited so long
for this moment," he whispered, slowly walking towards the massive red
cross, the LCL around him gently lapping against the sides of the
path. "Despite everything, we will be saved after all."

Beside him, the golden goliath brought itself around to face Lillith,
its arms hanging limply by its sides, blood still falling in slow
trickles from its mangled arm. "I am to merge with the Second?" asked
Rei calmly, her Eva's gaze never deviating from a second from the Angel.

Freezing for a moment, Gendou let himself take in the monstrous
profile, the ridged armor, the wings folded with joints that no natural
beast had ever possessed, snow slowly drifting out of the mechanical
joints. "Rei," he said calmly, closing his eyes and taking another
step towards the Second Angel. "Do you think that I did the right
thing? I know that Neil was only working under false pretenses, but..."

"There is no right or wrong," replied Rei, her voice hollow. Gendou
let himself stare at her machine, almost wishing that he could see the
girl in front of him. "Theses are only lies we tell ourselves,
shackles of our own making. Our purpose is to eliminate these
shackles. That is what you have told me from the beginning."

Sighing, Gendou nodded. Adjusting his glasses, he focused on the Angel
upon the crucifix once more. "Merge with the Second Angel using your
wounded arm, Rei. You know what is required of you."

Without another word, Rei raised the bleeding arm of her Eva and
pressed it against the flabby white chest of the Second Angel, letting
the soft white substance react slightly under the pressure of her
hand. Then, with a step forward, her hand passed into the body of
Lillith, the chest parting and absorbing the Eva's arm, armor and all.
Thin white tendrils snaked forth from the place where arm and chest
met, seeking the bleeding wreck that EVA-01's jaws had made, slowly
wrapping about like bandages, tightening and forming a white outline of
the arm.

Lillith's head twitched, then slowly raised to level with Rei's. A
purple mask lay over her face, emblaxoned with SEELE's insignia, and it
seemed to slowly melt off of the giant's face, falling at length into
the LCL with a splash, revealing the featureless blank of a face
beneath. As Rei pressed her hand further into the beast's chest, the
face began to take on an expression, a mouth slowly coming into view,
followed by eyes, the vague semblance of hair, a mouth, a nose, the
body shifting too as if reminded of its true form.

Energy flitted between the Eva and the Angel, and Gendou could see the
glow coming from Rei's S2 organ, flooding the connection with energy,
answering the Angel's output flawlessly. It began to form a brilliant
corona around the two giants, and sparks seemed to fly from it towards
the heavens, small arcs of energy that fell back into the growing force
between the two.

A sound like a trumpet and a voice pierced the air, and a lance of
energy burst upward, melting away the ceiling as if it was nothing,
streaking towards the heavens. The LCL around Gendou was filled with
particles of light, a beautiful ocean of shimmering stars. "The Third
Impact," he breathed, falling on his knees despite himself. "Yui. I'm
coming."

]++[

Outro: Neon Epoch Evangelion is based off of -Shin Seiki Evangelion- by
GAINAX and company. It is not intended to be a straightforward fanfic,
but it is building off the work of others, and as such it is done with
the utmost respect for the original works and their authors.
Basically, even though this is an original work, it's based off the
work of others, and if you read this, you should go to see the original.

Special thanks to all of the real Children - you know who you are.

Extra special thanks to Joe Augulis for his consultation on the
Japanese portions of the story. He might not know much Japanese, but
that's more than I know.

Copyright 2002 Eliot Lefebvre.

NEXT EPISODE:
End.
NEON EPOCH EVANGELION 27: BRING HEAVEN LOW

]++[

We only have a little time in our lives to waste. Make the most of it.
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Producer of, um, stuff for an unspecified time-period.
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