Neon Genesis
EVANGELION
Finding Paradise

Chapter 7: Whispering my wish / Angel Burst

Skimming across a desert wasteland, four HIND helicopters race in formation. As they crest a hillside, a beam of light smashes in to the one of the choppers. Before the HIND can Auto rotate it crashes to the ground in a ball of fire.

"Foxtrot! Foxtrot!

One of the male pilots screams out from a HIND, in Russian. A second Hind seen struck by a blade of light this cuts it in two sending both half crashing to the ground. The two HIND's remaining open fire with rockets only to be devastated by blades of light. A roar heard on the other side of the hill. Finally, in view stands a massive Eva sized Monster. It has a long head and arms that have claw like hands. Its true size is hidden as it walks on all fours. It takes hold of something in its long snout like mouth; it gives one pull before a head of an Evangelion Mass Production Model goes flying into the air.

****

In Gendo's office, his red phones rings, he sits next to Fuyutsuki in the middle of a game of Go. He lightly picks up the receiver not saying a word. Even Fuyutsuki raises an eyebrow on how laud the person on the other end is. He finishes his move just as Ikari stands up in shock.

"It's gone.... Is there any chance of recovery? I see, yes this does hurt our plans..."

Sitting back down Gendo can only stare at the playing bored. Unable to continue Gendo stands in frustration. "Evangelion Unit six... and seven... have been wiped off the map..."

Unable to believe his friend Fuyutsuki stands. "How, only an N2 mine or a Minuteman armed with a multiple nuclear yield warheads could penetrate the 5th branch!"

The reports, and eyewitness state it was an Angel..." Gendo utters with a disturbed expression.

"So its here already, the sixteenth Angel."

After some silence, Gendo goes for his phone once more, as Fuyutsuki cleans the game up. "Does SEELE now..." Gendo nods as he begins to talk on the phone. Not liking what is going on Fuyutsuki shakes his head. "This is getting way off course."

Gendo looks up and smiles sarcastically. "Train wreck."

****

"Wake up Rei-chan!" Kadoma yells with all her strength as she stands next to a brand new bed that Rei now calls home. Rei seemingly ignores Kadoma but is negated that chance as her warm blankets are taken from her exposing her to the cool air.

"If you're going to live with us, you got to do your share of things." Kadoma grabs Rei hand and stands her up. Awake, yet still tired Rei finds herself dressed in some of Kadoma's old cloths out side watching Kadoma teach her how to tend and weed the garden.

"Where's Hikari..." Rei whispering voice seems to enthymemes her state of being.

Still in mid direction, Kadoma simply shrugs her shoulders. "She's the class Rep so she's in school doing tutoring for her classmates that need it." Kadoma finishes her directions and stands pulling out an odd looking clothe. "Now I know of your condition, so I went around and found this in my moms old cloths box."

Rei is stunned as Kadoma raps a Headdress around Rei's hair it was long and silvery in color. Kadoma walks around her seeing that it is almost to long but it gave Rei grace she has never shown before. The color was fitting for the fragile girl Rei has become, and its material was silky and layered which comforted her frail skin.

"A bit Muslim like, don't you think..." Kadoma straitens the headdress and smiles. "When my mom was just a little older then you, her family went to Israel, there she got this... even when we were strapped for cash my mom refused to sell it."

Reminded of the conversation Rei had with Hikari the other day, she decided not to rock the boat. Nevertheless, a newfound curiosity to express her self over comes logic.

"Hikari... Hikari said that you didn't have a home once..."

"Really..." Kadoma goes back to working with the flowers. "I'm surprised she remembered... Its not like we talk about it."

"Sorry..." Rei shakes her head as she fools with one end of the long headdress in her hand.

"No its alright Rei-chan..." Kadoma gestures to Rei to join her as she pulls weeds. "She was so young, only six when they died, since then its been me and her."

"You have done so well..." Rei noted looking at the house confused on such a jump in status.

Seeing what Rei means Kadoma nods. "What you see here is a lot of heard work and a lot of pain. After our parents died, we moved in with our uncle on my father's side, in Kyoto. However, he really was not much of an uncle then a drunk... But I promised Hikari that someday we would live a better life." She looks to see she has Rei's full attention.

"I went to school and worked all night. By high school, I was at the top of the class and Class Rep. Whenever me and Hikari had time I taught her everything I knew. Then I received a grant to go into med school here in Tokyo 3, Hikari, and me left, by this time, she was ten and we moved here. And since then, we just never talked about it, four years of not saying a word."

With the story, finished Kadoma stands and rubs Rei's shoulder. "Now if you get hot there's some sunscreen over in side and remember to drink water."

Rei takes notice on how well she's informed on her condition, she is a 4th year med student so it is possible that she read about it. Rei smiles at all the kind gestures as Kadoma goes and begins to walk to the train station for work.

**** Shinji stands out side of the school, bags in hand. Not really wanting to go to a tutoring class but his objective was to see Hikari. To someone else's the plan looked clever, using his need for help in school to see the girl he likes.

"Even if this is Kensuka's idea, it still sucks."

Questioning the expert in military, expertises in girls seem to have worked before. The night before, he Touji and Kensuka went to the movies; this is when the "Three Stooges" enlighten each other, with which girl they liked. Aida seemed that he hand some confidence left over from his last plan, subsequently he gave both Shinji and Touji a new one.

Shinji is having second thoughts on the idea given to him now. Even with the feeling of failure, Shinji walks into his classroom to see Hikari alone sleeping at her desk. She lays on an open book and beside that was her laptop. To Shinji it was the cutest thing he has ever seen it even rivaled the sleeping kiss he gave Asuka. He silently walked in and sat next to Hikari as she slept.

"It has been a tough couple of weeks."

Shinji smiles as he reaches out to her, to gently brush her hair to the side. He has never felt this way about anyone, for the past week all he could do was stare at Hikari in class, he already knew of the rumors spreading, yet he did not care. For the first time Shinji was proud to be in the center of attention.

'Even in sleep you couldn't see the pain that Eva brings.'

Shinji, Asuka, and even Rei all felt the pain of Eva and showed it in there own ways, yet Hikari could apparently just leave Eva with her Eva. With the plan a technical failure, Shinji could only smile knowing that at least in his eyes it couldn't get any better, as he watched her sleep in peace.

****

Touji however finds himself standing at the street across from Hikari's house. Even less confident in the plan given to him, he stands taking a deep breath trying to decide on what to do.

"Come on Touji, you're a man for crying out laud..."

His verbal push to take action, only delays him, even more from going on, but when he is tugged on his pants he looks down.

"Touji!" Mari stands with two crutches supporting her. As she pouts, she does her best to hide some of the pain in her body, yet because her big brother has spaced out she feels she must take charge. "I want to meet Rei!"

Unwilling to challenge the brash kindergartener, which is recovering from a heart transplant and multiple burns, Touji closes his eyes and takes a step across the street. He stops as if he was the first man to touch the surface of the moon.

"Err! Touji!"

Mari strikes the back of Touji's leg with one of her crutches as she goes across. Mari now brings Touji back to reality as he panics seeing his sister going across the street.

"Mari!" Touji runs up next to her. "Your not aloud to cross the street by your self."

Once across Touji again becomes week in the knees. 'I've never had this problem before.' Touji thinks to him self. "Why am I so nervous."

Not realizing he stated it aloud Mari rolls her eyes at her big brother. She away acted big for her age, she had to before the accident, before Tokyo 3 became a battlefield it was just Mari, Touji, there father, and grandfather. Both of which never liked Mari, for which they blame her for the death of Yukari Suzahara, Touji, and Mari's mother. She almost died giving birth to Touji, and when she tempted fortune with Mari, she died soon after. Touji's father demanded to have her aborted; yet, Yukari defied him. Which brewed in to their separation, and her disowning by her family? Mari lived and quickly became the dominant female, she had to act grown up, because everyday her presents remind her father that she killed is wife. She would always order Touji around and kick him in the shins if he lost a soccer game of got bad grades, which was often when it came to grades.

All of that was in the past now, Mari was even stronger before, and less demeaning about her personality. Touji was by her side nearly night and day; he would never let her feel lonely. He was also the only one in there family to even visit her. Touji has always down played on how her sister was treated. She has also become Touji help when he first developed feeling for Hikari and then Rei.

'Why Rei...' Was one of the first things he always said to himself after the night she cried in his arms. She was so defenseless, she needed protection she needed help, but the help slowly turned into a bond that he could never shake way. In addition, now he was going to try to express that bond to her.

"Hello..."

Touji knocked at the Horaki's door knowing this was Rei's new home. Stratified with no answer Touji goes to leave only turn and see his sister giving him a lost puppy dog in the city, look. Touji has never been able to turn away from that face, so he concedes and begins to go around to check the back of the house.

Seeing the ground to be a bit too uneven for Mari, he picks her up and buts her above his shoulders. They turn the corner to see the back of a unknown girl in a Muslim headdress trying to catch a butterfly in to her hands. Lastly, she reaches out to far and falls to the ground revealing her face as she lifts her self out of the mulch.

"Rei..." Touji whispers as she slowly stands at the sound of her name. Touji waits as she brushes her self off looking up at Touji. She smiles to see her crush here; she looks above him with caution to see Mari.

"Mari, this is Rei Ayanami, she's the one who got you your heart. Rei this is my little sister Mari."

"Hello..." Rei goes for a traditional greeting but Mari reaches out from Touji's shoulders grabbing hold of Rei. Now forced to hold the girl so she does not fall Rei tightly grips the girl as she leaves Touji.

"Thank you so much Miss Rei!"

Gratitude at the level Rei is receiving, is another new sensation. Rei holds the little girl tightly in response to the girl hugging her as hard as she can. Touji can only stand about five feet away with a huge smile on his face. Rei lets the young girl down and holds her hand as Touji walks up and gives Mari her crutches.

"Hi..."

"Sup..."

Both Touji and Rei stand with Mari in the middle looking up at both of them. With near inches from each other there minds draw blanks as they are paralyzed with each other's stare. Seeing her brother freeze once more Mari decided to take action by slapping Touji in the knee with her crutch, as he trips and falls Rei goes out to catch him. In the struggle to gain balance, Touji falls with Rei on top of her. Face to face, there breathes tingling each other's senses. Both of there mouths dry up and there face becomes red as they hold each other.

****

Back at the school Shinji, physical need has over come judgment as he tempts fate this time with Hikari, as she sleeps he goes to his kneels to be face to face with her. Slowly he closes his eyes and leans in to steal a kiss from his sleeping beauty. Ever so slow does he move, with near inches from his objective his thought is broken as the city sirens begin to blare all over town.

Shinji looks out side to see through the window the tips of the skyscrapers just lower out of sight. He looks back at Hikari to see her eyes wide open, her face is red and her pupils are just tiny dots as she stares inches from Shinji's face. Caught in the act, Shinji jumps back falling over desks and chairs. Hikari stands and turns to look out side as the sirens continue to scream.

****

At Hikari's resident Rei puts her head up and away from Touji's face as the alarm rings. With her duty as an Eva pilot, first and foremost Rei stands up and goes to run off with Touji still on the ground. She stops and turns to him, the two gaze at each other, both worried for what's to come. Touji stands just as Rei runs back into his arms, her action is short lived because as fast as she embraces Touji she steps back and runs off once more.

Touji looks watches as she runs off, Kensuka plan only a partial success and not meeting the standards Touji had hoped, he snaps his fingers.

"Shit..."

His loving sister who looks at him with anger punishes his bad mouth with another crutch to the shin.

"Watch your mouth!"

****

"This is maximum magnification!" Hyuga yells out to Misato in the Commander Center the main hub shows the Angelic being of light floating in orbit of earth.

Everyone is preparing for battle Ritsuko stand behind Maya as they get the Angels readings. "No AT Field detected, color is blue."

Misato begins to formulate her plan. As she thinks of what to do, Asuka vid screen comes up in front of her.

"Misato! I'm ready to roll out put me on a catapult!"

Asuka command is ignored as she awaits in side Unit Two still locked in the cage. She is the first pilot in yet she has not even left the cage. These thought bother Asuka as she feels she needs to fight.

"Misato..."

Misato raises her hand to shut Asuka up. "Asuka stand down..." She turns to Hyuga. "When Unit Three is read launch it, Have Units One and Zero ready the Positronic sniper rifle for a position on the target." She then turns to Asuka's Vid screen. "Asuka, you will be on stand by, I want to keep someone just incase we have another 15th angel incident."

NO matter how Misato could have worded it, it all meant the same to Asuka. Her vid screen goes dead as she stares out into the cage. Her existence has been crushed, her heart races as she sits in her Plug, while Unit's Three Zero and One sortie.

"They don't need me... I'm worthless..."

****

Once on the surface, Evangelion Unit One and Zero ready for a sniper shot, as Unit Four moves out to possible bate the target to come closer. A light drizzle begins to fall over Tokyo 3 soon after an hour of silent waiting the rain becomes a heavy downpour. In the Command Center, Aoba shakes his head and looks over to Misato.

"Still no change on the target status."

His words seem distant to Misato as she studies the Angel. "What are you up to..."

Aoba eyes widen as alarms go off on his control panel. "Shit!" He turns and looks up to Gendo and Fuyutsuki Command deck, where they are positioned as usual. "We're being Hacked same pattern as before!"

Misato looks over to as Hyuga confirms it. "I have it... its... god, its walking right over our defensive programs and..." The main Hub blurs out from its picture of the target and its telemetry to a black screen.

**** In Unit Four a new vid screen pops up as strange child like typing appears on it. Hikari tries to focus on her targeting computer, but she cannot help but look at what the child like typing on the screen says.

'Take flight child of man, fourth of the chosen, take flight if thy wish not to see ones sins, ones heart.'

"Command..." Hikari tries to raise the Command Center with no luck. She then opens up a channel to Unit Zero. "Rei I cant reach base.

"I can not, also..." Rei whispers to her.

Shinji's vid screen pops up. "I lost a connection to what's going on..."

With out warning a beam of light comes burst down onto Unit Four Hikari screams out as the light power physically touches her mind. Hikari defends her self by projecting her ever-powerful AT Field. This causes prism affect ahs the two light waves collide and entangle in a dace of light and color. In addition, as they impact, Unit Three is pushed back dropping its Positronic Rifle.

"Hikari!" Shinji screams out as he focuses all of his sight on his targeting computer that locks on to the target. In unison with his firing of the sniper rifle Shinji screams out. However, it strikes the Angel's know active AT Field reflecting it into deep space. Not deterred Shinji awaits his next shot. In Unit Zero, Rei can only watch with no long ranged weapons open to her.

****

In the Command Center, Misato yells out her orders as they have lost all communication to the surface and the battle at hand.

"I want the hub back up now!"

Maya interrupts Misato to give a status report. "Ma'am, Unit Three can't hold off attack for much longer!

"Damn it!" Misato looks at the blank main screen as her battle staff desperately tires to regain communications with there pilots.

****

On the surface Shinji fires his second shot with the same effect as before. Unit One tosses the rifle to the ground and charges to Unit Four that has strands of light rapping around her Eva. Her AT Field has successfully destroyed nearly two city blocks.

"You will not have me!"

Hikari mutters as she holds her head with one hand and pushes as hard as she can on one of the control sticks with the other hand.

'Fear!'

"No!" Hikari cries as she shakes her head.

'Murderer!'

"No!"

'Lier!'

Hikari looks to see Unit One ready to push her out of the way, not wanting her memories to be shown to anyone Hikari screams out.

"No Shinji!"

Landing on top of a build is Unit One ready to spring at Unit three. Shinji radios Unit Three on why she stopped him.

"Hikari!"

In side Unit Three, the LCL around her begin to warm up as alarms go off alerting her of AT Field penetration. "Shinji!"

'Your fault!'

"No!" Hikari's screams seems to confuse Shinji as he cannot hear or see what Hikari does.

'There all died because of you!'

"That's not true!" Unit Three Roars out in pain as her own AT field begins to rap around the Eva.

"Shinji!" Rei calls out as she tosses him a spear. Unit Zero stands ready to fight but what is the question.

Unit One takes the spear and raises it into the air. Hoping his little knowledge of AT Field Physics is right, Shinji jumps to in front of the beam. His leap is in slow motion to all that witness if flies in to the beam's path spear first.

"No!" Hikari Screams as Unit One is frozen in mid air. Directly in front of her she hears Shinji screams out.

**** In Unit One's plug the Angels attack is quick and with out waist. Shinji finds him self standing in the rain still in his plug suit as a little girl with mess unwashed hair in pig tails runs right through him and into an abandon building. Shinji grabs himself wondering how the little girl just went through him. She begins to slowly prowl behind the little girl; he goes into the building to see the girl standing over the embers of a fire. She looks so familiar to Shinji yet the ragged cloths and dirty face could not help him on who it was. He watches as she builds the fire back up by using wood and light fluid. With light no resonating in the building Shinji sees two adults and to young girls sleeping around the fire. With the fire, going strong the girl places sets of cloths next to the fire before she goes running off brushing by one of the young girls sleeping.

"Hikari?" Shinji whispers as the other girl gets up just in time to see the younger one leave. "No wait that's not her..." Shinji says as the girl stands up and follows the other one out.

"This is so weird..." Shinji thinks to him self as he wonders what is happening. A flash of light from behind makes Shinji turn to see that the cloths on the ground next to the fire have ignited. Shinji eyes widen at the danger.

"Hey, wake up!" He cries out as the fire slowly engulfs the cloths and closes in on the three sleeping around it. A fireball forces Shinji to shield his eyes. The lighter fluid used to make the fire just went up like napalm Shinji cant help but watch as the three bodies engulfed in flames, put up only a small struggle before falling to the ground. He stand unaffected by the flame, he stands in shock unable to move.

****

Shinji return to reality to see that the Angel is pulling him in to space. Its light holds him still as his Eva rises with only Unit Three and Zero watching in horror.

"Ikari!" Rei shouts

"Shinji!" Hikari cries as she grabs hold of Unit Ones Umbilical cord before it goes tout. "Rei help me!"

"Unit Three tires to pull One back and soon it is given help as Unit One also takes hold of the cord and tires to pull Unit One back in.

****

Unknown that there spectacle is being watched the women from before that stood talking to someone who in many way was Rei but was not, stands looking out at the sight with some pity.

"He wont make it..." Her voice whispers into a head set on the other end Rei can be heard with some static.

"Don't worry, the fourth will save him..."

The woman smiles as she watchers the umbilical cable snap. "If not she will..."

There is a pause as she watches Unit One disappear through the clouds.

"If you want me to intercept..." Rei voice says with some concern before cut off by the women.

"No, Rei..." The half Japanese half European says as she sighs. "Not yet... Lets see what will happen."

"I understand... mother."

**** Defeated Shinji sits in his plug as he is mentally raped by the Angel. Nearing the upper atmosphere Shinji can only look as more stars he has ever thought possible light up the sky. On the other hand, as the Angel defiles his mind and Shinji griped with the horrors of his reality a thought comes to mind that shatters the Angels attack.

"Hikari..."

'Do you love her?'

"Yes..." Shinji smiles in his plug as alarms go off alerting him that he only has a minute of power left. "Her smile, her eyes... how strong she is... how smart she is... how caring she is..."

'What is love?'

Shinji shakes his head as he imagines Hikari when she was sleeping. "Its when, no matter what happens all you can do is, think about her."

**** Maya looks at her monitors to see Unit One has gone silent and shut down. "Unit One has secede activation!"

With the same tone Hyuga turns to Misato. "Unit One has reached a stationary orbit in front of the Angel.

"It's using it as a Shield... Kaji says in the background.

Misato doesn't take notice as she looks over to Aoba. "Can we get anything to the pilot?"

"No ma'am."

**** On the surface Unit Zero looks at Three that sits on its knees. Inside Hikari whimpers as she has just lost another that she loved.

"Hikari..."

The voice goes unheeded as she cries in to her hands. "I hate this!"

"Hikari..."

Hikari looks up her mind cannot believe what she is hearing.

"Hikari..."

"Shinji..." Hikari whispers back. She felt him she felt that he was right next to her but she could not see him.

"Help me..."

Unit Three stands up and stares into the rainy sky the Eva it self clenches its fist and readies it self to leap into the air.

"Hikari, what are you doing?" Rei asks in a frightened tone.

It goes unanswered as Hikari has her head bowed and thoughts are on finding the so-called soul of the Evangelion.

"I believe... I believe... you can help me... please help me..."

Her whispers go unanswered as she continues her search. Silence falls over Tokyo 3 as small waves can be seen around Unit Three. Rei steps her Eva back as the ground begins to shake. Even in the Command Center, they can feel the tremors this also brings silence to the panicky battle staff.

By on the hillside Shrine the young women smiles. "Come on Hikari I know you can do it... I know you can do it..."

Rei stares at amazement as the rain around her and Unit Three stops in mid fall, the sight is was so powerful Rei can hardly look at it. Inside Unit Three Hikari looks up to the target and smiles, as she ejects the Units umbilical cable. With nothing like it ever to grace the air, Unit Three springs into the air with a wave of light behind it. Unit Three takes flight with the octagon shaped lines of her AT Field forming deformed wings that help propel her to her goal.

On the ground next to the shrine the women cheers out laud. "All right Hikari!"

Even the Command Center with out picture can only look at their monitors in shock.

"Unit Three is airborne telemetry is good gimbals are good, she's on a impact course with the target." Maya calls out the play by play. "Thirty seconds till Impact..."

Shinji rests in Zero G awaiting his hate, never has he felt so peaceful, his thought where on only to things his mother and Hikari, the only two good things that ever happened in his life.

"I wish..." Shinji mutters to him self. "I wish I could of said goodbye..."

Shinji Entry Plug rumbles violently as Unit Three flies past Unit One stabbing the spear into the target. Rage in its Eye Unit Three goes to strike again this time hitting the targets AT Field snapping the spear in two. The attack does not end as Unit Three Begins to neutralize the phase space stabbing the spear once more into the wing of the Angel. Hikari grabs hold of the target as Zero G takes effect, forcing Unit Three to pull on the target rather then attack.

The Angel leases a counter attack by stabbing one of its arms of light in to Unit Three. With pressure breached Unit three begins to freeze. Hikari calls out to Shinji.

"Get out of here!"

In Unit one Shinji hears her call over the crackle of emergency equipment. He feels his Eva be free from the Angels grasp.

"No!" Shinji begins to thrust on the control handles. "No I can go I cant leave Hikari!"

Everyone listen onto Shinji's channel even Asuka as he cries out.

"No I forbid it! I will not let her die!" Silence is all he hears as the Eva floats away from Unit Three.

Out of power, Hikari sighs as she puts her hand gently onto the Entry Plug. "Thanks..."

She watches as her main screen goes dead. Her last sight was that of Unit One floating away.

Shinji is not going to give up he repeated tries to activate the Eva to a fruitless end. In tears he curls into a ball. "If you had any heart at all you god forsaking Monster, you would help me save the one I love!"

The sight of the lifeless Unit One spring to life was breath taking only the Angel could witness its glory as Unit One awakens eyes soaked in a blood red glow, her mouth open and fangs ready to strike. Evangelion Unit One bursts back to the Angel taking hold of it from behind. In beast like fashion, Unit One reaches around and bites the Angel on its small head. In side Unit one Shinji finds him self in total darkness. Just as a bright light engulfs him, he sees the image of her mother before nothing.

****

"Impossible!" Ritsuko yells out as she looks over Maya's shoulder. There is One, two, three... No four AT Fields out there!"

Every stares at her as finally the main hub comes back online.

Only distracted by the main hub for a bit Aoba yells out when he sees the impossible. "I just lost the Third child!"

Misato look at him in disbelief. "What!"

"He's not in the entry plug I'm getting no sync!" Maya calls out as the seemingly impossible keep on happening

Ritsuko shakes her head. "But Unit One is still active!"

With there systems at one hundred percent Hyuga goes updates the status if the target and Eva's "Ma'am Unit Three is still in orbit, but Unit One and the target are reentering!"

"Unit One's AT field has a spread of almost a kilometer." Maya states to Ritsuko, who nods back.

Misato looks at the main hub as it shows it trajectory. "Where will it land."

Only give the MAJI a couple of seconds to process the info Hyuga looks back at Misato. "Western Europe... In France."

**** The City of Paris has not changed much since the Second Impact; her streets are brightly lit with a night sky above her. Yet, the peace it has ends as a bright light can be seen over the horizon, Soon Evangelion Unit One and the Angel rocket out of the sky crashing into the center of the city. In a blinding flash millions die, the light of fire is unforgiving as it crushes and burns everything in sight. Nearly 30 square kilometers are wiped off the face of the earth. But in the end at ground zero for this blast stands Evangelion Unit One still eating away at the charred remains of the Angel, unaffected that she just killed so many.

****

Still in the cold darkness of space floats Evangelion Unit Three, Lifeless its black out line is all that can be seen. In side unconscious is Hikari, but deeper in to the plug lays Shinji Ikari out cold and curled into a ball his tears floating in the LCL around him. The pain can be felt in the silence they bring. Hikari's grip is still on her control sticks yet her eyes are barely closed.

She slowly opens them feeling the cold LCL strike them like ice. Her vision is unfocused as she lays still. Finally, she lifts her self up to see Shinji down at the bottom of the plug. Her eyes focus on his still body fearing the worst. She gets out of her seat and floats down to the bottom of the plug, cradling Shinji in her arms.

"Shinji..." She kisses him on the forehead and holds him tightly just as he awakes.

"Mother..." Shinji continues to cry. "Why was my mother in that monster..."

Seeing Shinji is confused and upset, Hikari calm him down. "Shhh, everything will be alright... everything will be alright..." She then begins to hum Yasashisa no Yume as she rubs Shinji back letting him cry in her arms.

****

In the Command Center Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko, stand looking over all the data of Unit Three.

"UNSA stated that they can have a Orbital ready for launch in two days..."

Ritsuko's words are not what Misato wants to here. "No, that's not good enough!" Misato's emotions get the better of her as tears from but do not shed.

Kaji shakes his head seeing how tense everything is. "Unit Three is equipped with a Mark Two Entry plug. That gives it nearly three days in minimal life support."

Seeing Kaji is trying to calm Misato down, Ritsuko nods to help ease her grief. "That's correct, unlike when Shinji was trapped in the Sea of Dirac, he was using the Mark One Entry Plug."

"But there's two people in there!" Misato yells as she points to he data on the screen. Her words gather the attention of everyone in the room. "We need to figure out if we can juggle the systems so two people can live in a entry plug for at least three days. Until then, I want Unit Zero sent to Apollo National Space Center in Hawaii to assist the crawler in getting the shuttle to the launch pad. That will cut launch peroration in half."

Everyone sighs, all want to help, but each knows that it will be impossible to do so. With this aside, everyone nods and goes to work on a plan to rescue the pilots.

****

In the Locker Rooms, Rei and Asuka the two pilots left change back into there civilian cloths. Asuka's anger and jealousy is over whelming as she yells to Rei.

"What the hell was she thinking, going after Shinji like that! How stupid can you be!"

Doing her best to ignore Asuka's tantrum is Rei, who finishes putting on her barrowed cloths from Kadoma and taking the head dress in hand.

"He had to be the murder, its what's satisfies his twisted perverted mind..." Asuka stops when she hears Rei slam her locker shut. She turns to see for the second time in her life Rei angry. "I'm sorry wonder girl didn't mean to distract you from you sick little thoughts on Suza..."

With as much force as Rei can muster, she slaps Asuka across the face knocking her to the ground. She stands over her fists clenched anger and hatred in her mind.

"Just shut up! I'm tired of you!" Rei tries to gather the proper words to speak but once more, her new emotion takes away that ability. "Your pathetic... all you do is think of your self... you only want others to praise you..."

Asuka can only lay on the ground in shock.

"Your a arrogant child, the death of your mother haunts you and you run from her like a child."

Rei has known about Asuka's past since she arrived, she never felt the need to express it or let her know about it. It was just another random fact told to her by Gendo.

****

Far from Tokyo 3 in orbiting around the Earth is Unit Three, trapped inside her frozen shell is Hikari and Shinji. Both cold and in pain they stare at each other, Shinji curled on Hikari's lap, and Hikari still unable to speak as Shinji whimpers about his mother.

"She was there..." Shinji whispers between his tears and suffering. "She was with me the entire time... mother."

Hikari sighs as she brushes Shinji's hair. She could not see a thing, as she has even shut off the Emergency lighting to save power. She knows that they will most likely die up here and she will try to make it last as long as possible.

"Its will be okay..." Hikari whispers to Shinji. "We are together..."

To be continued...