2 – Unexpected Complications – Getting One's Bearings

If there had actually been air within the darkness of the SEELE council chamber, it would have been charged with avid anticipation.

"We are certain of this, then?" SEELE-05 asked, suspicion plainly evident in his voice. "The attack will not fail?"

SEELE-02 responded in a reassuring tone. "NERV has no chance to resist us. We know its external defenses inside and out, and they have nothing that will resist a protracted assault."

"Nothing?" SEELE-09 interjected. "It seems to me that you've made one rather startling omission in that assessment, Number Two."

As he listened to the exchange, Keel pushed the imaging visor up onto his forehead and rubbed his sightless eyes with a sigh. Their triumph was now truly at hand. This bickering was pointless. Had the members of the council no faith at all?

Still, he considered as he replaced the visor, as their victory was assured, there was no harm in allowing the doubters to maintain their skepticism. They would see the truth in the end and would recognize the rightness of his – of the council's – actions.

"Even if Evangelion Unit-01 is deployed, we have the Mass Produced EVAs on our side," SEELE-02 continued in a soothing tone. "NERV has no defenses that will resist our attack. Nothing short of an act of God will stop us now."

This seemed to satisfy the dissenters, as neither spoke up again. The silence hung over the chamber like a shroud for a minute before SEELE-10 chuckled and said, "So, after everything we've come through, we're finally ready to begin." He paused, considering, before amending his statement, "Or perhaps, ready to finish? To reach the end of this road we've traveled?"

"Indeed," Keel spoke at last. "It has been years since we first set out on this path, and within a few hours we will reach its end. Ikari had hoped to defeat us, but we hold more power than he can imagine. And soon," he said, his voice rising as if delivering a sermon, "he will know his failure. He will be the first of our foes to truly know our wrath."

There were murmurs of agreement from the circle. Keel smiled.

"Today, Ikari… Today the gates of Hell will be opened unto you. Today you die."

( >)

"What do you mean, we're under attack?" Shinji demanded, incredulous. "I thought Kaoru was the last one!"

"The attack isn't coming from an Angel, Shinji," Misato tried to explain. "They're humans."

This brought Shinji up short. "What…" His mind reeled momentarily, trying to reconcile what he'd just heard with what he knew. "That's… but… I mean…" Words failed him; the utter nonsensicality of the situation, of humanity repaying its own saviors with destruction, made every possible question seem ultimately meaningless. When at last he had recovered sufficiently to express a complete thought, it took the form of one word, the only one that made sense: "Why?"

His guardian sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know, Shinji. I don't understand much of this myself. Somebody out there is afraid of us; apparently, they think we're going to use the EVAs to dominate the world. I don't know where they found the support, but the United Nations and the SDF are working together. And they're coming here with tanks and VTOLs." The look in her eyes wavered somewhere between resolve and regret as she regarded him. "I'm sorry, Shinji."

"You're…" Shinji blinked, uncomprehending. "You're… sorry?" Abruptly the meaning behind Misato's words sank in; still struggling to recover from the initial shock, he was taken off-guard once again. This… this couldn't be right. He was done. The Angels were all dead. He wasn't supposed to have to hurt people any more!

His anger flared as he remembered his rude awakening earlier that morning. At 5 AM, Misato had literally pulled him out of bed and thrown a set of clothes at him, saying that they had to leave. No longer even attempting to maintain the cheery façade she'd tried to hold all through the previous day, her manner had become at once cold and businesslike. "Your father wants you at headquarters immediately," had been her curt reply when Shinji had asked what was going on.

Predictably, his father hadn't even acknowledged his presence upon their arrival at the bridge. Shinji had been told to stay at the entrance to Central Dogma while Misato spoke to the Commander. He'd done as ordered; after all, it would save him from having to look at his father.

But after all that, this was why they'd brought him here? So that he could go out in the EVA again and kill people? This was insane. It was a bad joke. It had to be. It…

No, he thought. This entire situation is ridiculous. I don't know why you people think you can just move me around like a piece on a chessboard, but I'm sick of playing your game for you. Just watch me; this is over…

His outraged response died in his throat as his eyes focused on Misato's face. The set of her mouth was grim; to that extent, at least, she was acting as his superior, as NERV's Operations Director issuing orders to a pilot. Her teeth weren't clenched, her hands were relaxed… she looked to be giving the instructions with a commander's cool detachment.

That wasn't what interested Shinji.

His eyes met Misato's, and, in that split second, more was communicated between them than had been exchanged verbally all morning.

He revised his earlier analysis: the look in her eyes wasn't regret.

It was heartbreak.

I'm sorry, Shinji… believe me, please; don't hate me for this…she seemed to say, half convinced that, in the face of this betrayal of trust, nothing she said would prevent him from doing so.

In that moment, his mind was made up.

He cocked his head and looked at her for a moment before speaking, an odd smile beginning to cross his face. "I guess I should go suit up, huh?"

"Shinji, I know how you…" Misato trailed off, then did a double take as she realized that Shinji hadn't refused. "You… what?"

Shinji lowered his voice until he was sure that nobody else in the command center could hear him. "There's no real point in trying to fight it," he told her, "my father already has a way to shame me into it. After all, there's still people living up there, right?" Misato nodded. Shinji shrugged his helplessness. "Can't just leave them to die, can I? Since there's nothing either of us can do, we may as well just… go with it."

It seemed that Misato was unsure whether to laugh or cry over Shinji's analysis of their situation, and instead settled for looking slightly dazed. Shinji could sympathize with that; things were changing too quickly for his mind to keep up with them. There would be time to think later; for now the only option was to go with the flow and keep moving. "Will Ayanami be using Asuka's EVA?" he asked her at last.

"The First Child will not be participating in this battle." His father's voice carried down to them from the dais. Surprised, Shinji looked up at him. Gendo Ikari's gaze was fixed directly ahead; apart from his answer to Shinji's question, he still gave no indication that he realized his son was in the room.

Another day Shinji would have asked for an explanation (and would have been reprimanded by his father in response); today he merely nodded, as though he'd expected this answer from the beginning. "I'll get ready, then." With that, he turned and headed for the locker rooms, leaving the bridge behind him.

( >)

Kaoru awoke with a start. Something was wrong.

He and his three companions had fallen asleep in the same alley where they had taken shelter the previous night, and now the buildings that had originally hidden them from rain served to hide them from the sun, shrouding the alleyway in shadow. Blinking, Kaoru looked to the street. The previous night's rain clouds had blown over, and sunlight now glinted off of glass windows and polished steel. Judging by the length of the shadows, it was somewhere between seven and eight o'clock in the morning. He hadn't overslept – at least, not significantly.

Kaoru turned his gaze back to the alley, noting the huddled forms of the three others. The old man's snores reached his ears, and Kaoru smiled as he scanned the rest of their refuge. Just the four of them; nobody had wandered off in the night, and nobody had arrived undetected. That wasn't the problem, either.

With a concerned frown, he closed his eyes and focused his thoughts inward. Adam? he speculated. If, for some reason, the First Angel were to call him once again, he would be hard pressed to resist. After a few tense seconds, Kaoru relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. There was nothing. Adam had no hold over this body.

Abruptly his eyes shot open in shock. There was another sound, a different one.

Unlike the soft, mournful melodies of Adam and Lilith, this sound was unchanging: a dull, rumbling hum. It slowly rose in volume and intensity; as it did so, Kaoru felt the rumbling vibration rise from the ground, sending an uncomfortable tingling through his body.

At once, he jumped to his feet. Could it be?

His heart pounding, Kaoru ran to the street and looked.

It was like watching a swarm of locusts. He recognized the dull sound now. They were engines. A horde of engines, a wall of VTOLs and tanks that were even now beginning to work their way over the outskirts of the city.

As Kaoru watched, another sound reached his ears – a rhythmic rattling that came and went in intermittent bursts. Machine-gun fire. After a moment, he heard the sound of fireworks. Even at this distance, he could see accompanying clouds of flame and dust. A third sound came to him, high-pitched and ghastly.

Human screams. They were shelling the buildings in which the citizens had camped.

"No," he breathed.

They were attacking? Now? They were coming to kill them. To kill him.

"No," he said again, his tone carrying a note of determination.

No. Not yet.

Kaoru whirled and dashed back into the alley, to his sleeping companions. "Wake up!" he shouted. Grabbing the younger man by the arms, he shook him violently until he stirred, then moved on to the woman. "Get up, we have to leave! Now!"

By the time Kaoru reached the old man, he'd already opened his eyes and was climbing to his feet, looking at Kaoru in bewilderment. "What? What's going on?" he asked.

"It's the UN," Kaoru informed him. "They're trying to occupy the city." When the others didn't seem to grasp his meaning he urgently added, "They're killing the people. We need to move immediately."

"W…why?" the younger man asked. "Why are they doing this?"

"Because…" Kaoru began, but caught himself. Feigning helplessness, he instead responded with a simple lie. "I don't know." Without waiting for a reply from the others, he strode quickly to the street. He knew that, until they grasped the reality of the situation, the others would stand and ask questions until the soldiers overwhelmed them. "We can talk while we move. Come on!"

The VTOLs had begun to fan out over the city, ensuring that the local threats would be neutralized before the tanks arrived. Some of the aircraft were now close enough that Kaoru could see the UN logos emblazoned on their sides. That's too close, Kaoru realized. "Run!" he yelled desperately.

Even as the others came to their senses and began running, a lone VTOL broke formation and began to approach at high speed.

"Head for the next alley!" Kaoru called. "We can move through to the next block from there!"

Kaoru ran, and out of the corner of his eye he could see the others alongside him. But… He risked a look back and came to a dead stop at what he saw.

The woman had stopped at the mouth of their shelter and was now staring, wide-eyed, at the approaching VTOL. Almost as if the situation had been scripted for drama, the VTOL in turn slowed and rotated to face her.

By now the men had looked back and realized what was going on. "Chisato!" the younger one screamed helplessly.

Kaoru was already running as the machine gun fire began. The woman at least had the presence of mind to duck back into the alleyway where they'd slept, evading the initial burst of fire. Even now, though, the VTOL was realigning itself, correcting its aim to face down the alley. Anyone inside would have no chance… and Kaoru still had ten meters to go.

"Run! Get out of there!" he screamed as he closed the distance.

Her eyes wild with fear, the woman named Chisato did as instructed; she stepped back into the street just as Kaoru reached her. He tackled her at full speed, knocking her from her feet. Locking his arms around her, Kaoru rolled to the side, away from the alley and the VTOL's line of sight. He heard the engine's thrumming rise in pitch as the craft rotated once again to draw a bead on its target.

Knowing that the enemy would open fire again at any second, Kaoru scrambled to his feet. Grabbing Chisato's hand, he pulled urgently, trying to get her to start running again. "Hurry, get up!" he entreated.

The woman seemed dazed by her brush with death, and evidently didn't hear him. Unwilling to wait for her, Kaoru gathered her into his arms and began running. She didn't protest, holding onto his neck as if her life depended on it.

He didn't get far, though. A powerful blast of air sent them tumbling once again. Kaoru struck the ground face-first and half-skidded, half-rolled to a halt. Through a red haze he could see the VTOL hovering only a few feet off the ground, the exhaust from its vertical jets creating a miniature hurricane around it. Satisfied that its target had been temporarily incapacitated, the craft lifted off and backed up to a location further up the street.

"Keep moving!" somebody yelled. With an effort Kaoru turned his head and saw his other companions running back to them. They were in the middle of the street, unprotected.

He realized what the VTOL crew was going to do a second before the plane began to move. As he watched, it angled its nose downward and began picking up speed towards them like a charging bull, its cannons spraying the ground across the ever-decreasing distance between them. It was going to strafe them, picking them all off while they were in the open.

It can't end yet, he thought. If he died now, what would have been accomplished? He had fled the Host, angered many of them, possibly even angered the Creator, and for what? So that he could be killed by the very people he'd been trying to contain?

Kaoru's brief moment of self-reproach was shattered by a high-pitched electronic tone. At first he stared in mild confusion at the tiny clouds of dust, bullet impacts, that were walking inexorably closer. A moment later, as the tone repeated, he realized what it was. Amazingly, his face broke into a smile, even as he watched the approaching gunfire.

In a sudden burst of energy, Kaoru jumped to his feet. To the consternation of his companions, he ignored the VTOL completely, turning to face the length of the street.

With a whoosh, a section of pavement not fifty feet from where Kaoru was standing slid open, and a pair of metal launch rails shot into position.

The gunfire stopped abruptly.

One moment there was nothing there, and in the next Evangelion Unit-01 had materialized before them in a purple blur of motion.

The VTOL sailed over their heads, its braking jets howling in a desperate effort to avert its impending collision with the obstacle in its path. Events seemed to shift into slow motion as the aircraft drew closer and closer, finally twisting as its pilots belatedly realized they could circle around the EVA…

…and then the VTOL struck EVA-01's chest plating with a sharp clang, bouncing harmlessly off the armor. After a brief battle to remain airborne, the craft stabilized, hanging motionless, as if stunned, before the newcomer.

The old man cackled. "Ha! Bet those flyboys are pissing themselves now!"

Kaoru faced the others, the smile still on his face and widening by the second. "Let's give our friend a little room, shall we?" They needed no further convincing after the chaos of the past minute.

As their footfalls bore them down the street, away from EVA-01 and their tormentor, Kaoru gave one final look back. He wasn't concerned that the VTOL might resume chase. Instead, he was simply savoring all he could of a sight he once thought he'd never see again.

Good luck, Shinji.

( >)

Why am I here? I've asked this question before. I never have an answer. Not one that's good enough, at least. Always, the reason is too thin, too shallow to matter. Or it's simply an excuse for me not to resist piloting. I hate this machine, and yet I keep coming back to it.

So, why am I here? What's my excuse this time?

Shinji watched the VTOL hovering before him, his mind distanced from his present situation. He was here to pilot the EVA. He was here to fight. He was here to kill people, people like those before him now.

Why?

His eyes fell on the four tiny figures running frantically down the street, away from the battle that they knew was coming.

I fight to protect them. That's what I told Misato. That's good enough, isn't it?

He reached out and plucked the craft from the air with one massive hand. He raised it to his eyes, regarding it for a moment as though it were a curious toy.

That's a good excuse. For now.

With that, Shinji nodded grimly and tore the VTOL's tail from its fuselage. Stretching, he placed the crippled aircraft on the roof a nearby building. There, he thought. That should keep you from following them.

His first opponent defeated, Shinji turned to face the body of the assault force. The VTOLs began to circle around him, like hunters warily closing in on a wounded lion.

But how long can this excuse survive?

In unison they opened fire. Shinji instinctively raised his AT field, and the surrounding air was dotted with tiny orange hexagonal patterns as the bullets were deflected. Paying the continuing gunfire no heed, Shinji strode past the aircraft, towards the approaching wall of tanks. He was aware of continued gunfire at his back; the VTOLs were pursuing him rather than hunting for civilians.

It has to survive. If I'm not in this thing to save lives, then what am I here for?

Uh-huh. Just keep telling yourself that, Shinji. We'll see who runs out of steam first.

He switched to the external voicelink. "I know you can hear my voice," he shouted. "I want… You must…" He trailed off, realizing that he didn't know what he wanted, or why the UN had to leave. What was he going to say? Finally he resumed, assuming a slightly different course. "Killing our people will not be tolerated. You will leave immediately, and you won't be hurt. I can't guarantee your safety if you remain."

The tanks responded with a volley of cannon fire. These shells, too, detonated harmlessly against his AT field without causing damage.

"You can't hurt me!" he shouted at them. "This is pointless! Leave!" The barrage of shells continued.

Then Shinji happened to glance down a side street.

There was blood. Dead bodies. People who had already been killed in the fighting. Their faces were all too small to be seen, but Shinji could feel their eyes on him, begging him for support…

Well, I guess you were right. You do need to protect the people. Too bad you're too slow to do the job right.

Begging for help…

I can't save them all… I know that.

Begging for retribution.

Don't I?

Do you?

Shinji would remember what happened next, but would remember no purpose behind his action.

Absently, almost lazily, he waved a hand. The AT field unfolded, spreading outward at high speed and with near-unstoppable force. Tanks and aircraft alike were sent flying hundreds of meters. Glass windows shattered; VTOLs fell to earth in fiery streaks, sending columns of billowing smoke into the air.

Everything seemed to stop at that moment. The remaining tanks, the VTOLS, and the Evangelion all remained in place. It was as though the god of war had called a time-out.

As one, the surviving attackers turned and fled the city, abandoning the territory they had already captured.

Well, I guess you are good for something.

Yes. I'm good at destroying things. My talent.

Too bad you hate it so much.

Movement in the streets below pulled his attention downward, where he once again saw a group of running civilians. This time, however, they were running towards him, waving and shouting something.

The pounding of his pulse in his ears subsided and he gradually became aware of the sounds around him for the first time since launch. They swirled about him: the howling of the wind, the crackling of fires, and the dim sound of Misato's voice on the commlink asking "Shinji? Shinji, are you there?" Above them rose another sound.

Voices cheering. Human voices, shouting "Yeah!" and "All right, EVA! Kick their asses!"

At least somebody understands what you do.

Leave me alone, Shinji snapped at the nagging voice.

Suit yourself.

( >)

"Shinji? Shinji, are you there?" Major Katsuragi's voice carried a note of intense worry that infected all on the bridge with her, except one.

Gendo Ikari watched the readouts as the short-lived battle drew to a close. Most had gasped with shock as the digital tags identifying the individual SDF units were blasted backwards, away from EVA-01. That was followed by nervous silence, as the crew strained for any response from the Evangelion's pilot. Had something gone wrong? they must have been wondering. Had the EVA somehow been destroyed and the readouts weren't functioning correctly? The unspoken questions were written on the anxious faces of everyone present, except for that of Gendo Ikari.

Ikari knew there was no need for concern. His plan had been revised slightly, it was true, but all possible complications had been anticipated. It was time.

"Soon, Yui," he spoke to the embryonic form of Adam, grafted onto his right hand. "Very soon."

Katsuragi turned to Makie Akiyama, Maya's replacement on the bridge. "What's Shinji's status?"

Akiyama responded without looking up, her eyes glued to the screen. "All vital signs are stable. Sync ratio is holding at 81 percent."

"Damn it," the Major muttered. "Shinji!" she called again. "Shinji, answer me! Shinji?"

Tense silence. Then, finally, came the sound of Shinji's voice, the sound of perfect composure: "I'm here, Misato. It's alright. The enemies are retreating. Mission accomplished."

A collective sigh of relief rose from the bridge crew. A confident half-smile crossed Gendo's face, unseen by the others. The Third Child's performance had exceeded even his own high expectations.

Well, there was no sense in wasting the lull in the action. Gendo rose to his feet. "The enemy forces may be regrouping for another assault," he told Katsuragi. "Instruct the Third Child to remain on guard against further attacks." As the Major relayed the order, Gendo spoke to Fuyutsuki in a low voice. "It's time, Kozo. You have the con."

Without waiting for Fuyutsuki's response, he strode from the bridge, leaving the battle behind him.

Soon.

( >)

"Evangelion Unit-01 has launched. All units close and terminate."

"Fire!"

"What the hell… this is useless, nothing can hit that thing!"

"What's it doing? What the…"

"Oh my god…"

"Forty percent of the assault force has been incapacitated. All units retreat. Fall back to the outer perimeter."

"Target has reached the surface; attack phase one complete. Initiating phase two."

"Carrier wing, assume delta formation and prepare to deploy payload."

( >)

Gendo strode quickly through the darkened hallways, effortlessly navigating the maze of corridors that honeycombed the Geofront. His plan allowed for some wasted time, but there was no sense in taking chances. Not now. Not when Instrumentality was within his grasp.

We will be reunited, you and I, he thought, a faint smile playing about his mouth. He remembered Yui as vividly as always. Her face, her warm smile, her soft, caring eyes… Eleven years ago he'd made a lover's promise. Now was the time to fulfill it.

This was your dream, Yui. SEELE's arrogance made you see its necessity, and now it falls to me to make that dream a reality. Yes, we'll be reunited, and together we'll have the world once more. We'll reclaim the future they stole from us.

Gendo took a lift to the lowest level of NERV HQ, and stepped out into Terminal Dogma. The hallways here were dark, with lights only every fifty feet or so. Terminal Dogma was his cave, a dark haven to which Gendo would retreat when the world outside proved too taxing.

See what I have fallen to without you? Gendo thought with wry amusement.

Heaven's Door loomed out of the darkness ahead. Rei would meet him here, and his goal would be realized at last.

Gendo stopped short not twenty feet from the door.

There was a man waiting for him.

( >)

"Approaching drop zone. ETA: 15 seconds."

The wedge-shaped EVA carriers thundered through the sky over the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Their pilots could see Evangelion Unit-01 far below, looking like a child's plastic mecha toy in a model city. Had they looked closer, they would have seen EVA-01 crane its neck upwards, watching them with the same mixture of distrust and fascination that they themselves felt.

"Drop zone reached. Carrier wing, begin deployment of 05-Series EVAs on my mark. Three… Two… One… Mark."

From below, the Mass Produced Evangelions were visible as white figures clinging to their hosts like gigantic parasites. One of them now began to move independently of its carrier, pulling its oversized head free from the plane's inner recesses and freefalling towards the city, a double-bladed sword in its hand.

"MP-EVA-01 is away."

The next one followed suit, joining its brother in plummeting to the earth.

"MP-EVA-02 is away."

As the others followed, those that were already airborne began to spread their wings and fly, wheeling lower and lower, drawing ever closer to the city below.

"…EVA-05 is away. MP-EVA-06 is away."

The growing flock of EVAs began circling, vulture-like, above the head of EVA-01, looking like a choir of twisted angels in the sunlight. Still they continued to descend.

"…07 is away. MP-EVA-08 is away."

There was a pause.

"…MP-EVA-09 is not responding. Re-inputting activation signal…"

( >)

Shinji watched the white Evangelions with something akin to dread. It wasn't simply the way their approach put one in mind of circling carrion birds. No, what bothered Shinji was a vague sense of déjà vu. Awaiting the arrival of the enemy, waiting to get a look at it, and suddenly coming to the horrifying realization that it was, in fact…

"Misato," he asked, "what are they?"

There was a brief hesitation on the other side, and then Misato informed him in a shaky voice, "They're the Evangelions of the Mass Production Series, Shinji. The 05-Series. The UN has been working on them for over a year now." Shinji finally looked at Misato's face on the display; she wouldn't look him in the eye. "They're… the enemy, Shinji." Evidently she had just recalled the same unpleasant memory as him.

So, how far are you willing to go, Shinji? We've been here before. We remember what happened last time, don't we? Poor, poor Touji…

I… I can't do this again. I won't do this another person.

You said that last time, too. Look where it got you.

No! I'll kill myself first!

Roll over and die. Brilliant strategy. You'll save a lot of people that way, I'm sure.

The eight Evangelions landed heavily around him, blocking the streets and his avenue of escape. They wore identical leering grins, mocking him for his weakness.

What can I do… what can I do…?

One of the EVAs raised its blade and purposefully strode forward.

Unexpectedly, Subcommander Fuyutsuki's face materialized on the HUD. "Shinji, there are no pilots in those EVAs!"

"Don't expect me to believe that!" Shinji snapped angrily. "How else are they moving?"

"Shinji, they're all being run by a machine! They're dummy plugs, like when you… like when the 13th Angel was destroyed," he finished. "Shinji, you have to fight back. Do not let them defeat you! That's an order!"

"Dummy plugs…" Shinji whispered, his eyes fixed on the enemy.

"Just trust me. It is imperative that you not be defeated. Fight!"

The attacking EVA broke into a run, bringing its sword down in a vertical chop at Shinji's head as it passed.

The blade met only air. At the last second Shinji had sidestepped the blow. Now, as the white opponent skidded to a halt and brought itself about for another pass, Shinji quickly closed the distance and grabbed its elongated head near the base, where its neck would have been. He regarded the eyeless face for a second; the hideous smile parted slightly and a rumbling groan emerged. It didn't look even remotely human.

A dummy plug.

With that silent acknowledgement, Shinji drew back his fist and drove it into the leering mouth with all his might. He felt a faint crunching sensation under the EVA's knuckles, and as he withdrew his fist he saw that it was stained blue, blue with the ichor that was now dripping from the MP-EVA's mouth. He punched it again, and the flow of blood increased. A third time, and he saw the thing's teeth break loose. When Shinji released the monster, it staggered back, swaying drunkenly for a second before toppling over.

He heard plodding footfalls from behind, and spun about just in time to activate his AT field, deflecting a strike from another enemy. The MP-EVA tensed for another swing, but Shinji was already closing the gap. In one fluid motion he drew the progressive knife and swung it in a diagonal arc. Instantly blood gouted from the EVA's chest; it tottered briefly, opening its mouth as if to speak, and fell to the ground.

"Shinji?" Misato asked, her voice still a little shaky, but once again carrying the sound of authority. "We're sending up some more weapons. Check armories D21, D17, and E24."

"Understood," Shinji answered. He picked up the blade of one of the fallen foes and threw it, slicing off the arm of a third opponent. As it stared at its lost limb, mouth agape, Shinji began to run past it and towards the nearest armory.

( >)

With the minimal lighting provided in Terminal Dogma, Gendo couldn't clearly see the face of the man in his path. The intruder leaned against the gate to the LCL plant, arms folded across his chest, as though waiting for somebody.

This was not expected.

The NERV commander cleared his throat. "You do not have the clearance to be in this area," he spoke, his voice coming strong and confident, even in the face of this surprise. "The facility is under attack. I suggest that you move to a designated shelter immediately." His left hand strayed to his jacket, the fingertips lightly brushing against the pistol hidden within.

The figure didn't move. "I would have thought that NERV's most secure areas would provide the safest shelter." His speech conveyed… amusement? Unusual, for one in this situation. "As for not having clearance," the clear voice continued, "recent events suggest that the law here is not a matter of what one is allowed to do, but rather what one can get away with."

This was a waste of time. Gendo pulled the pistol from its holster and leveled it at the man. "You have reached the limit of what you can get away with," Gendo informed him, "so I will give one more chance. Leave this area at once and proceed to a designated shelter."

He heard soft laughter. It sounded… simply amused, not malicious. "Dear me. I come here to prevent you from making a mistake, and instead you immediately try to make a different one. I will not leave, Gendo Ikari, not yet."

Gendo pulled the trigger without another word. The deafening report reverberated through the halls of Terminal Dogma, but was overshadowed immediately by another sound, a high-pitched whine.

He gave an uncharacteristic gasp when he realized what the sound was. The gun slipped from nerveless fingers and clattered to the metal floor. He stared, unable to quite believe his eyes.

Between Gendo and the intruder was an all-too-familiar pattern of concentric orange hexagons. The pattern flickered and vanished; the sound faded with it, and a moment later Gendo heard the soft tink of the bullet dropping harmlessly to the floor.

"Who…?" Gendo began to ask.

"Please allow me to introduce myself…" the man laughed as he stepped away from the door. He raised a hand and the room was bathed in white radiance, lighting the corridor as bright as day. The Commander at last saw the intruder's face, taking in every detail in an instant: the flawless complexion, the perfect white smile, the golden hair, the azure eyes.

Inexplicably, he felt a faint twinge of recognition as the intruder added, "…I'm a man of wealth and taste."

( >)

As the bridge crew watched Shinji strike down a fifth MP-EVA, the already tense atmosphere in the room was ratcheted up still another notch by the sudden activation of an alarm. Misato tore her gaze away from the battle that was still unfolding on the display. "What's going on?" she demanded. Jesus, what now?

Hyuga checked the readouts. Misato watched as his expression changed from surprise to wide-eyed horror. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before any sound came out. "It's… it's an AT field. A new one." The technician looked at his superior, his eyes begging her to tell him that this was a joke. "It's coming from… from inside NERV!"

"What?" Misato whispered. Quickly recovering composure, she asked another question. "Where inside the base?"

Hyuga checked the screen again. "Terminal Dogma. It's just outside of the LCL plant."

"A…" Misato shut her mouth quickly before she could finish saying "Adam". Hyuga and Aoba looked at each other nervously. She had to do something, or they would suspect that something was up – not that there was much chance of them not suspecting anything by now. What's going on here? she wondered. "Send a security team to investigate," she instructed.

"Yes, sir." Aoba reached for the intercom.

"Belay that order."

Surprised, Misato looked back at the Subcommander. Fuyutsuki's expression gave little away, but his eyes were narrowed. What was he thinking? "Sir?" Misato asked, confused.

"It's most likely a reaction from the LCL processing equipment. With the presence of so many AT fields above, it's begun to resonate with them. Don't allow it to distract us from the problem at hand." He caught Misato's gaze briefly and shook his head before turning his attention back to the display.

He knows I've seen Adam, Misato realized. But he doesn't care. You know what's going on, don't you, sir? Why won't you tell us?

Her questions would go unanswered for the time being.

Rei Ayanami stopped walking fifty feet from Heaven's Door and stared at the surprising sight that greeted her.

There was nobody here. The Commander's orders had been short and explicit: proceed directly to the LCL plant, where he would be waiting for her. There, she would fulfill her purpose at last. Only there was nobody there, which was completely unexpected. The Commander always placed great stock in punctuality.

Rei checked her watch. Eight-fifteen. She was on schedule, but where was the Commander? For him to be even one minute late was unheard of. Anxiety began to creep up on the First Child as she looked back the way she had come, expecting to see his approach, to hear his measured footsteps on the floor.

Why is he not here? If the Commander does not meet me, then I will be unable to serve my function.

Why does that thought bother me? Rei wondered briefly, but pushed the thought away in favor of more urgent concerns. Perhaps it is my error, she considered, worry rising within her for what was possibly the first time in her life. I do not wish to fail him.

She tensed, briefly, then took a deep breath and called out – another first. "Commander? Sir, are you there?"

Silence answered her.

Is it possible that I misunderstood his instructions? Rei considered this possibility. It is the only logical scenario, she concluded. I spoke to him earlier this morning. He must still be somewhere within headquarters. Accepting this reasoning, she began to retrace her steps. The Subcommander will know where he is.

It never occurred to Rei that she might have done everything correctly. It was possible that Gendo Ikari's plan had a flaw, that there was some eventuality that NERV's commander had not foreseen. However, Rei Ayanami never considered the possibility.

Commander Ikari and the unexpected intruder watched as Rei vanished into the gloom.

"Rei!" Ikari shouted, the slightest hint of desperation creeping into his voice. When the First Child didn't acknowledge his summons, he whirled on the intruder. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.

The golden-haired man shrugged. "Nothing," he answered. "She could neither see nor hear us, it is true, but young Rei Ayanami remains in perfect health."

Seething, Gendo turned on his heel to follow Rei, but before he was able to take three steps he met some sort of barrier. Gritting his teeth, the Commander placed both hands against the obstruction and pushed, but it remained solid, unyielding, and completely invisible.

At last Gendo gave a sigh and turned back to the other. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, forcing calmness into his voice with a little effort. "For that matter, who are you? Is this one of SEELE's games?"

The man laughed good-naturedly. "You and the Throne of Souls are well beyond playing simple games with each other, Ikari. But no, I am not their agent. I am not like the Fifth Child." He smiled secretively as he said the last sentence. "Who I am is not important, at the moment. In the days to come, perhaps you will learn my identity for yourself."

"Stop toying with me," Gendo hissed. "If you are not with SEELE, then who? The UN? The Americans? What do you want?"

The other stroked his chin as though pondering his question. "What do any of us want in these troubled times?" he mused. "So many of us claim to want something. So few of us understand what we truly desire." His expression grew stern as he drew himself up and pointed at Gendo. "Take yourself, for example. I know what you desire. It is a noble enough goal, in itself. It is the path you take to attain that goal that leaves something to be desired. You never stop to consider the price others pay for your dream, do you? You never allow yourself to." The angelic figure sighed regretfully. "Can such rashness be allowed when the stakes for your people are so high? Can you answer that question, Gendo Ikari?"

"High stakes?" Even in his predicament, Gendo managed a harsh laugh. "We have nothing to lose! We will be saved. Instrumentality is the greatest gift humanity has ever been given."

His strange opponent raised an eyebrow. "And you, of course, will be the one to give it to them? I'm afraid that was the wrong answer."

"What, then?" Gendo spat through clenched teeth. "You would have me do something else? Turn humanity's fate over to your masters, no doubt?"

"Those you mentioned previously are no more qualified to make such a decision than you," the man retorted easily. "No," he went on, "I will tell you nothing more. That is not how this game is played. You wish to know who I am, Gendo Ikari? You must learn that for yourself. You hoard far too much power for my liking, Ikari… and so I believe it is time that the playing field was leveled somewhat."

The Commander found his gaze riveted to the intruder's perfect blue eyes. As he stared helplessly, unable even to turn his head or blink, he was possessed by a terrible sense of disorientation, a sensation so strong in bordered on vertigo. The man's eyes were like pits, tunnels traveling endlessly inward towards the tiniest flicker of light. Gendo felt himself drawn forward, almost against his will, yet the closer he drew to falling, the farther into the distance the light seemed to recede.

"Perhaps you will know better one day," the man said, stretching a faintly glowing hand out to the Commander, "and perhaps you will not."

The luminous fingertips brushed lightly against Gendo's chest; at once his right hand exploded with searing pain. His mouth opened in a soundless cry of pain as his eyes locked upon those of his tormentor. The man regarded him coolly as the pain intensified. Through the rushing of blood in his eardrums Gendo heard him whisper, "The rules have changed. The second phase of the game begins now." The light in the room grew brighter; the man's face faded to an indistinct silhouette against the glare, then vanished from sight entirely. Even as the vision faded, Gendo's memory of the event began to grow vague as well. He struggled to concentrate, to retain some fragment of information that would help him piece together what had just happened… but at that moment the pain assaulted his senses with renewed force and consciousness slipped away.

( >)

A seventh Mass Produced EVA collapsed to the ground as if in slow-motion, blood spraying from its nearly severed neck. EVA-01 raised the axe and brought it down with a crash, then straightened, leaving the weapon buried in its foe's chest.

Shinji panted with the exertion of the past few minutes. You must be getting out of shape, the cynical voice in his head chuckled. He didn't bother to acknowledge the comment, mentally or otherwise.

It was strange. The 05-Series EVAs were supposed to be controlled by dummy plugs, yet none of them fought with anything approaching the ferocity that Shinji remembered so well. Their movements had been sluggish and unresponsive, their tactics predictable, their AT fields more easily torn than paper. The entire fight was going too easily for this to be all that the enemy had to offer.

Never mind that, he thought, there's only one of these things left, and then I'm done. I'll never have to get into this thing again. Shinji felt a flicker of dark amusement at that last thought, but the more sarcastic of his inner selves remained silent. Just let me believe that, okay? For now?

The last of Shinji's targets stepped into view, and Shinji forced his inner conflict into the back of his mind. "This is it," he whispered aloud. "Ready, set…" He planted a foot against his most recent victim and tugged sharply on the axe. With a wet squelch, it reluctantly slid free. Shinji shook the blood from his weapon and, thus armed, began to advance.

"…Go."

The last MP-EVA raised its blade in one hand, preparing to strike when the Third Child came in range. Shinji didn't slow his approach, but kept a wary eye on the sword nevertheless.

Fuyutsuki's face appeared on the HUD without warning. "Shinji, be careful." His voice was strained with the tension of the situation.

"I am being careful," Shinji responded. The warning was hardly necessary; after all, it was his life on the line. They didn't have to worry about their EVA coming to any harm while he was trapped inside of it…

A dozen silent alarms went off in Shinji's mind. He froze, then took a wary step back when he realized what it was.

The sword had begun to change. Under Shinji's shocked gaze, the twin blades began to lose definition. The metal melted away, collapsing in on itself, and as it did so the air was filled with a faint humming, like the sound of a choir holding one unbroken note.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji could have sworn that he saw the EVA's smile widen slightly. It might have been his imagination, though.

The sword finished its transformation; in its place was a spear of some kind. It looked to be made of two separate strands, twisting about each other in a tight double helix. The strands came apart at one end, causing the spear to terminate in a pair of sharpened prongs. It didn't take much imagination for Shinji to guess that that end was meant to go into the target.

Shinji was no longer watching the faces of the bridge crew, but heard Fuyutsuki's sharp intake of breath all the same. "Shinji," he warned, "do not let the lance strike you. Is that understood?" Shinji didn't acknowledge the common-sense advice. His eyes locked on the spear, he began slowly to circle around the target, axe held at the ready.

The MP-EVA rotated to keep Shinji in front of it, but made no move to attack. The pilot continued his slow, creeping walk about the circle, tensed for the strike that he knew must be coming.

One circuit was completed… two… two and a half… three… three and a quarter… three and a half… three and five-eights…

Shinji's already overworked nerves were screaming at a fevered pitch. Why wasn't it moving? Was it… he dared to wonder… afraid?

Well, if it wasn't going to move, he would!

Shinji began to raise the blade; as he did so, he found his eyes drawn once more to the EVA's face. The smile seemed wider and more mocking than ever. What are you laughing at? Shinji wondered. What do you have up your sleeve?

Abruptly he realized that the spear had begun to move. Not the EVA; it remained motionless. No, the spear itself was moving, writhing like a coiled serpent. The double strands were coiling together, twisting in more tightly to form a single, unbroken shaft. The humming Shinji had heard before resumed, the pitch rising steadily as the EVA drew its arm back, preparing to throw. Everything seemed to slow to a near-standstill; the city faded away, leaving only the two antagonists poised to kill each other.

The spear began to move forward…

"Shinji, dodge!" Misato shouted.

…and suddenly the world snapped back into real-time. Before Shinji realized what was happening, he had already thrown himself to the side. There was a sudden, sharp sting in his left shoulder, but he shook off the pain and jump back to his feet. His mouth opening in a scream of rage, he lifted the axe high above his head and brought it down with all his might.

Everything dissolved into a red haze. When his vision cleared, Shinji saw the EVA lying on its back, its head neatly bisected by Shinji's weapon.

"Targets eliminated," he heard himself say. "Objective accomplished."

As he listened to Misato's relieved response, Shinji looked back at the UN force. The tanks and aircraft seemed content to hold their distance. Maybe, he reflected, they didn't dare attack again after seeing what had happened to the Mass Produced EVAs.

Shinji took a step forward. Instantly pain lanced through him from his shoulder. Looking down at EVA-01's body, he could see the spear protruding from the purple armor. Some blood had flowed from the wound, although not as much as Shinji might have expected.

Strange, he wondered, I had my AT field up. Why wasn't it blocked?

He was about to pull the spear out when some kind of cloud passed before his face. Smoke, he assumed. Shinji waved the EVA's arm to clear the substance away.

He was vaguely surprised when his hand went past the cloud without disturbing it. He tried again. Rather than being dispersed, the cloud began to grow thicker. More of the substances was rising, wisps of it drifting up from… where?

The bothersome pain returned. Annoyed, Shinji looked to his shoulder – his, not the EVA's, and gave a start.

There was a hole in his shoulder, exactly where the spear had struck. Blood was seeping out into the LCL, drifting upward in tiny wisps towards…

His shoulder exploded in agony. Shinji's knees went weak; he had to fight to contain a sudden urge to vomit. This was impossible. That wasn't his shoulder. How could the EVA's damage transfer over to… to him?

Gingerly he reached for the spear and closed his fingers around it. Gritting his teeth, he gave a sharp tug. The spear didn't budge, but the resulting pain was almost enough to bring him to his knees. Shaking his head angrily, Shinji clenched his jaw and pulled again. A few meters of the shaft tore free, and Shinji was rewarded with a fresh cloud of blood from the wound. This time he did fall to his knees.

With an effort, Shinji raised his head. He had to get this spear out. Well, maybe the bridge crew would be able to recommend something, but still…

He thought he saw something move, but as he tried to stand and get a better look, a fresh wave of pain sent him back to the ground. Shinji clenched his teeth against the agony stemming from his shoulder and forced himself up to his knees.

Something was definitely moving. When he saw what it was, he almost fell again.

The MP-EVA was getting back up. Looking a bit like a broken marionette, it staggered awkwardly to its feet. The axe was still buried in its head; paying it no heed, the EVA turned to Shinji and grinned, its smile now widening both vertically and horizontally.

Get up, he thought. And so he did, lurching painfully back to a standing position. He could still win this. The EVA was still unarmed; all he had to do was grab the axe and rip it out. This time he'd cut its limbs off and make sure it couldn't get up.

Then another one stepped into view. Blood dripped from the stump of its severed arm, yet it advanced purposefully toward Shinji, another spear held high, ready to throw.

( >)

Far above the continuing battle, the ninth EVA carrier came by for its fifth pass over the city.

"Attempt number four failed; MP-EVA-09 remains inactive. Standing by for activation attempt number five."

"Report from deployed forces: Evangelion Unit-01 has defeated all currently-deployed MP-EVAs. Phase Two complete. Initiating Phase Three…"

"Carrier Nine, Command suggests that you initialize the EVA without using the dummy plug."

"Understood, Command. Commencing attempt number five in five… four… three… two… one…"

"S2 core has activated, Command. All power signals are green. Energy to muscles: green. Energy to nerve connections: green. Preparing to activate dummy plug…"

"What the… Command, MP-EVA-09 is receiving a control signal. It's not coming from the dummy plug. I can't pinpoint the source!"

"Shutting down S2 core… attempting shutdown…"

"Negative! It's not responding!"

"Carrier Nine, Dummy Plug 09 has just gone online. Attempt to re-establish synchronization between the plug and the EVA."

"Roger. Attempting re-synchronization… no good, Command. The EVA won't accept… huh?"

"What the hell? Plug 09 is receiving commands from the EVA! The instructions are flowing in reverse!"

"Carrier Nine, terminate Plug 09 now!"

"It won't respond! What… oh god. Plug 09 is sending instructions to the other eight dummy plugs!"

"We're losing control of the deployed EVAs! They're all operating on their own!"

"MP-EVA-09 is moving! What is it…"

"Carrier Nine, change course. Remove MP-EVA-09 from the city as quickly as possible."

"…"

"Carrier Nine? Carrier Nine, this is Command. Please respond."

"…"

( >)

Like two leaves falling to the ground, the torn wings of the ninth EVA carrier spiraled slowly to the city below, flames spurting from the severed fuel lines like glowing streamers.

MP-EVA-09 raised its sword above its head and gave a roar of victory. The consciousness that gave it life may still have been young, but at an age of one minute this child had already claimed its first kill.

With the instinctive thrill of the slaughter past it, though, the EVA began to wonder at its newfound vitality. How had it come to be here, suspended in the air above this strange place? Why had it come it be here? What was it meant to do?

There was a gulf somewhere within itself. A biting pain gnawed patiently, yet persistently at the edges of its being. Something was missing. The EVA was… incomplete.

Rage rose within it, white-hot and all-consuming. It had been created badly, and yet it was expected to live in this imperfect state? It would prove its power, prove its strength. It would establish itself as a being greater than any of the little ants running about the earth below, those pathetic creatures that would whimper and flee at its approach. It would subjugate them. It would destroy them utterly.

With a thought, the double-bladed sword in its hand melted away, leaving the two-pronged spear that was its true form. The lance tugged downward, towards the city. Something below was calling to it. The spear longed to strike at it, to pierce its heart and release its soul…

But first…

There were… others. There were others like it: beings born from borrowed fragments of another's soul. The rage the Evangelion felt turned cold; its thoughts became calculating and vengeful. It was the rightful owner of the fragments that they possessed! They were thieves! The EVA would take back what rightfully belonged to it!

With that thought, MP-EVA-09 let out a thundering battle cry and streaked downward towards the city, intent on butchering the eight white pretenders who even now were having very similar thoughts of their own.

( >)

When the approaching MP-EVA drew back its arm to release the spear, Shinji knew that he was going to die.

In some of his darker moments, even before he'd become a pilot, Shinji had wondered what he would do in this situation. If he were to see his own death coming and could do nothing to escape, how would he respond? He'd come up with numerous theories on the subject, few of them flattering. As it happened, none of them were true.

As Shinji watched the white EVA's muscles tense, time once again slowed down to a standstill. All he was able to do was stare, but he felt strangely… empty. There was no fear. No satisfaction. The only thing he felt was the vaguest understanding that, when the EVA threw its arm forward, he – Shinji Ikari – would be… over. For some reason, the prospect neither terrified nor relieved him; there was only acceptance.

I wonder what will happen to the others once I'm gone? he thought.

Well, at least you didn't run away this time. Don't suppose I can find fault with your behavior.

Now you decide to be supportive? Thanks so much for your timely arrival.

You're being supportive of yourself, but it's so much easier to hate yourself that you're afraid of trying. Whatever. So anyway… this is it, huh? Wonder what your dad will say. Probably nothing, miserable bastard that he is. Or maybe "He served his purpose well." Hell, why bother thinking about him now? That's just depressing.

Right. Then there's Misato. She'll cry at first, but soon she'll get used to not having me around again. She'll be happier not having to worry about me.

I'll bet.

Ayanami… well, she won't say anything. Father wouldn't have her support me even if she'd wanted to. She'll probably just accept that EVA-01's loss wasn't her fault and go on with her "life." Unless the EVA can be salvaged, in which case she probably won't even notice anything's different.

Do you enjoy thinking like this?

Then there's Asuka. If she wakes up, she'll be glad I'm gone. After what happened to her because of me, I doubt she ever wants to see me again.

And then what?

And then… it won't matter anymore. I'll be gone.

Yeah, well… what happens in the next attack? You'll be gone, but they'll need another pilot. That's one more sweet-faced kid whose life will be turned into a living hell. But hey, I guess that's not our problem.

So what you're saying is that I'm trying to run away again.

Of course. You don't want that, do you?

I don't know why I listen to you…

You'll figure it out.

I'm good as dead anyway; I don't see what good this will do.

Then start praying.

I never liked praying.

I know we didn't. Can't hurt to try, though, can it?

As Shinji's awareness crashed back into the present, he gave an almost involuntary cry and flung himself to the side. He felt the pavement buckling beneath his body; as he tried to clumsily roll out of the way, the spear in his shoulder twisted within the wound, sending electric jolts of pain through his side once more. Doing his best to ignore them, he stumbled to his feet and started to run… and stopped, staring.

The spear hadn't been thrown. It was still clutched tightly in the MP-EVA's hand… which in turn was clutched tightly against its head. Shinji watched his enemy fall to its knees, its disgusting mouth opened wide in what looked like a scream of unimaginable pain. The sound hit him a split second later; he dropped the controls and covered his ears with both hands, but nothing Shinji did could completely block out the high-pitched shrieking. It sent a horrible tingling sensation down his spine, and his skin erupted into pins and needles. Got to shut that thing up, it's going to drive me crazy…

Then, mercifully, it was over.

Shinji blinked his eyes repeatedly, trying to get the city back into focus. When it finally did, he was stunned to see the MP-EVA still active, the spear still clutched in its hand. He began to back away, instinctively casting about for something he could use as a weapon. He'd dropped the progressive knife in the heat of the battle, so his best bet would be the axe. If he could retrieve it quickly enough, he might be able to throw it before another spear came his way. Shinji had no desire to be hit by one of them again, least of all while one was still impaled in his shoulder.

Then the MP-EVA turned away, as if disinterested. Shinji couldn't believe his eyes. Was this some kind of trick? But no, the monster showed no sign that it even knew he was there. It looked about, sized up the buildings around it, and then spied its own reflection on the glass buildings around it. The EVA stared at itself as if curious, or confused. What was wrong with it?

Suddenly it snapped its head to the side as if surprised, turning its face back towards Shinji. At first he thought it'd finally remembered him, but even as the apprehension began to rise, Shinji discovered that he was once again mistaken.

With almost deliberate slowness, another member of the 05-Series stepped out of a side street, directly between them. It, too, held one of the strange spears. Like the other one, it ignored Shinji completely, turning instead to face its companion.

So many surprises had already come to Shinji today that what happened next didn't immediately register. When he recalled the fight later, though, he would remember with vivid clarity what the MP-EVAs did at that moment. They didn't communicate. They didn't turn around and attack him. They didn't walk away.

Their lips curled back in what was unmistakably a look of utter loathing. The hatred in the air was palpable. Of course the situation was ridiculous; a tiny rational portion of Shinji's mind pointed out that they were controlled by dummy plugs, by machines; machines couldn't have such human emotions towards each other, could they?

So preoccupied was Shinji with this dilemma that the fight was already well underway by the time he realized it. In unison both EVAs had let out a howl and lunged for each other's throats. One impaled the other through the chest with its spear, then withdrew it and struck again; its foe shrieked with pain, but nevertheless raised its own lance high above its head and brought it down upon the first EVA's shoulder.

Why were they fighting each other? Shinji didn't know, but he realized one thing: if they were doing him the service of killing each other, there was no sense in being caught in the crossfire. With that conclusion, Shinji discreetly slipped away from the scene, noting as he did so that the Evangelion with the axe lodged in its face was nowhere to be seen.

When he was sure there were no enemies in sight, Shinji finally relaxed enough to turn his attention back to the viewscreen. "Misato, what's going on?"

Misato's face and voice were drawn with worry. "We have no idea, Shinji. The UN forces finally launched the ninth unit of the 05-Series. The next thing we knew, they were attacking each other." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shinji, but that's all we know. The good news is that they seem focused on each other, rather than attacking you or the city. If we're lucky, they might finish each other off for us, so just keep your head down until you don't have any choice." Misato leaned close to the monitor. "How are you doing, Shinji?" she asked softly.

"I…" For a moment Shinji considered telling her about the dead innocents in the streets, about the reason he'd driven back the UN assault so fiercely, but as the pain of the memories came back, he changed his mind and tried to think of something else. "My shoulder…" he finally managed, "one of them hit me with a spear… somehow the damage transferred over to me."

Misato paled. "To you…" Her eyes flashed with anger as she turned away from the monitor. "You knew about this, didn't you? Why didn't you tell him?"

A moment later Fuyutsuki's face reappeared on the HUD. "Shinji, I thought that explaining to you what would happen would only impair your judgment at the time. I'm sorry." The old man's regret appeared genuine; the Third Child was surprised to feel himself relax at the sound of his voice. "How serious is the wound?"

Shinji looked. The flow of blood was slow, but showed no immediate sign of stopping. "It won't stop bleeding…" he reported; he saw Misato bury her face in her hands and hastily added, "but it doesn't look serious. I could probably treat it myself with the first-aid kit, but I haven't had time to take care of it. If none of them take an interest in me, I should be able to do something."

He heard Aoba say something to Misato from offscreen; he couldn't make out the words. A look of mingled pain and anger crossed her face and she snapped back "Well, what can he do, then?" Her eyes widened at Aoba's reply; she looked back at the Subcommander as if requesting permission. When her superior nodded, she turned back to Shinji, her eyes hard. "Shinji, you can't bandage the wound while the spear is still in it; otherwise, you'll aggravate the bleeding further every time you try to move. It has to come out."

Shinji winced. "Is there anything I can do about the pain?"

"Yes." Misato sounded relieved that she wouldn't have to tell him otherwise. "We're going to disconnect some of the nerves to the left side of your body. It might not eliminate the sensation completely, but it should dampen the pain enough for you to get the spear out. While you're doing it, your movement will be impaired on that side, so work quickly; I don't want you getting attacked when you're in the middle of this. Are you ready?"

He doubted he would be mentally ready anytime soon, but nevertheless he checked the surrounding area. No enemies were in sight. Howls and shrieks of pain echoed from other parts of the city, but none sounded too close. When he was satisfied that he wouldn't be interrupted, Shinji nodded. "Yes."

Misato looked to the bridge crew. "Do it."

A faint tingling sensation crept into his left arm and leg. It felt as though dozens of pins and needles were being driven into his flesh, with more being added with each passing second. The slightly painful feeling crept up his limbs and into his shoulder and side, growing more unpleasant all the while. As it grew stronger in his side, the tingling began to fade at his extremities, leaving instead an equally uncomfortable numbness. Experimentally, Shinji raised his left arm. It responded, but sluggishly, as if made of lead. He noticed that the Evangelion didn't raise its own arm in response. Now was as good a time as any.

Shinji steeled himself, wrapping the fingers of his right hand about the shaft near where it entered his shoulder. He took a deep breath, then jerked the spear outward with all his might. The shaft pulled out as far as he could reach; bright crimson blood dripped freely from the deeper red of the lance. There was still pain, enough to bring tears to his eyes and tear a ragged gasp from his lips, but it was nothing like what he'd experienced before. With a shaking hand Shinji renewed his grip and pulled again. More of the shaft slid free. The LCL was beginning to get a little cloudy with the renewed blood flow from his aggravated wound. Quickly, he grabbed the spear a third time and ripped it free. The point twisted apart into the two distinct strands the moment it left Shinji's body.

Weakly he whispered, "It's done."

Misato smiled, relief and sympathy clearly etched on her face. "Restore the connections," she instructed the bridge crew, with out taking her eyes off him.

In seconds, his left side burned with icy heat as the feeling returned to it. He flexed his arm gingerly; once again the Evangelion responded actively to his movement. "I… I'll just bandage this up, then…" Shinji said, his voice still shaky.

He groped beneath the seat for the medkit. That was all there was to it, then. Patch himself up, then keep his head down until the MP-EVAs killed each other off. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?

Before he could stop it, his mind wandered back to the civilians in the streets. How would they fare through this without him? What if they were caught in the crossfire because Shinji didn't step forward to fight the enemy himself? What if they were caught in the crossfire when he stepped forward?

It was strangely fortunate when the axe smashed into the street before him, for the shock of the impact forced the thoughts from his mind, saving Shinji from yet another onset of depression. The pain of his shoulder momentarily forgotten, he jumped back and looked about wildly for the enemy, the spear at the ready. Seeing none, he looked back at the axe, and came to a sudden realization: it had come from above.

Shinji's gaze traveled slowly to the sky; he raised the spear to impale any enemy who tried to swoop down upon him. When he saw what was actually happening, he almost dropped the spear in surprise.

All nine Mass Produced Evangelions had taken to the sky, and although they continued to periodically attack each other, they were moving steadily towards the west… away from the city.

It seemed impossible, but… they were leaving.

"Misato?" he asked, unwilling to believe his eyes. "They… they're leaving the city." He saw that Misato's expression mirrored the disbelief in his own. "Aren't they?" he pressed, uncertain.

Misato stared at the displays for a second before answering. "It… it looks that way." Her tone became hard and official once more. "The 05-Series are departing Tokyo-3 to the west, sir," she informed Fuyutsuki.

"And the remaining UN forces?"

"They continue to hold their position at the city's northern perimeter."

Fuyutsuki was silent for a moment. "The Third Child must remain on alert while their forces remain."

Shinji bristled. "I won't go kill more people."

"Then you must remain on the surface as a deterrent. Ensure that no enemy forces linger within the city. Is that understood?" The Subcommander seemed unsurprised by his sudden outburst.

"Yes, sir." Without further complaint Shinji reached for the medical kit. He found it easily this time and pulled out the porous plastic bandages that (the label claimed) would function in LCL as well as in air. As he began awkwardly wrapping his shoulder, Shinji couldn't stop his eyes from straying to the sides, to the alleyways and side streets. His muscles remained tense, ready to spring back into action if need be.

The entire thing had seemed too easy.

( >)

Jason jolted into wakefulness, still partially in the grip of whatever nightmare had disturbed his sleep. He was strapped to a chair of some kind; at first he thought he was still dreaming, but the deep bass rumble of the massive jet's engines finally reminded him of where he was. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Jason tried in vain to recall what he'd been dreaming about. When he couldn't summon anything more than vague images, he gave up. All things considered, he should have been thankful he couldn't remember.

He checked his watch; it was a little before nine. There was still an hour to go before his arrival.

With nothing else to do, he finally took Captain Dillinger's advice and opened the folder he'd been given before boarding. Inside, Dillinger had said, were the profiles of the major NERV employees that he'd be working with. If Jason was going to be living around these people, he might as well learn a thing or two.

The photograph on the first file showed a stern-looking man with black hair and beard. He glared at the camera through orange-tinted glasses, giving the distinct impression that the photo shoot was a serious inconvenience. Jason scanned the rest of the profile; the man was Gendo Ikari, NERV's commander. There was a personal history given, but much of it concerned groups and organizations that Jason knew nothing of. He married one Yui Ikari in 1998. Yui gave birth to a son, Shinji, in 2001. In 2004 Yui was killed. The cause of her death was classified. In the same year care of Shinji Ikari transferred from Gendo to Yui's brother in the country.

Affixed to the file was a Post-It note written in Dillinger's miniscule script. Jason squinted to read it: I've only met the man once, so this is based on what I've heard. Gendo Ikari is a very cold person, but you won't be reporting directly to him very much, so don't worry. Supposedly he has a very high tolerance for bullshit, but he expects results in return for that lenience. That was fine; Jason wasn't sure what kind of "bullshit" he was in a position to give the Commander, anyway.

The next file was on an older gray-haired man. His expression was neutral; the eyes gave the impression of a tired man who had seen too much in his life. According to the profile, he was Kozo Fuyutsuki, the Subcommander and Ikari's direct subordinate. His history, like Ikari's, largely concerned groups that Jason didn't know about. He did notice that the man had been a professor, and that both Gendo and Yui Ikari had been Fuyutsuki's students. There was another Post-It attached to the page: He's come over here a few times on official business. A good guy, but a little hard to approach. If he hears something, Commander Ikari is likely to hear it shortly thereafter; read my note on Ikari's file before you start making weird jokes, just in case. Jason laughed. "Yes, sir…" he muttered, grinning despite himself before continuing.

The next two were paper-clipped together. The photo on one sheet was of a blond woman, probably in her mid-thirties. Her eyes, like Fuyutsuki's, seemed tired; unlike those of the Subcommander, hers seemed… well, tired. Drawn. Like she had too much to do and no time left to take care of it. In contrast, the other file's photo showed a pretty young brunette who smiled brightly at the camera. The blond woman was Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, the head of the Evangelion Project. The brunette was Lieutenant Maya Ibuki. As he checked over both, Jason noted that Ritsuko was the daughter of Naoko Akagi, the architect of the MAGI computer system that NERV-Japan relied upon. Naoko died in 2005, an apparent suicide… and when Ritsuko joined, she occupied the position that likely would have been her mother's. Maya was Ritsuko's assistant, in addition to being a member of the NERV bridge crew. Maya seemed to have led a fairly normal early life, and then threw herself into studies when she entered college, earning grades high enough to catch NERV's attention. Ritsuko knows everything about how the Evangelions work, Dillinger's note read. If you have an afternoon off and are curious, you might ask her about it… but I wouldn't recommend it. She'll talk your ear off about it if you let her.

There was a second Post-It on Dr. Akagi's file, this one of a different color. Recently there's been some kind of reordering in the NERV power structure. Dr. Akagi's status has been suspended indefinitely; Lt. Ibuki is now the head of the Evangelion Project. Unsure what to make of this, Jason moved to the next employee.

The fifth profile was of a beautiful woman with long, dark hair who smiled at Jason from the photograph. He checked the name. Major Misato Katsuragi, Operations Director, NERV-Japan. She was the Japanese equivalent of Captain Dillinger. He looked through the rest of the file. Father, Dr. Masaru Katsuragi, died in 1999, cause of death: classified. Jason blinked. 1999… maybe he'd been killed in the Second Impact. Why that would be classified, he didn't know; there were certainly plenty of others who'd died the same way. Mother, Chiharu Katsuragi, died 2008, cause of death: ovarian cancer. Major Katsuragi enrolled in the same German academy as Dr. Akagi. Her test scores were high – so high, in fact, that the school administration had requested that she take the test again to prove she hadn't cheated. Her second set of scores had been higher than the first, quickly earning her a position at NERV. Katsuragi became the legal guardian of Shinji Ikari a little over a year ago, then became the guardian of Asuka Langley Soryu three months later.

Jason did a double take. Shinji Ikari? He flipped back to Commander Ikari's file. One son: Shinji. It seemed an unlikely coincidence. But if Shinji was in Tokyo-3, why wasn't he living with his father? Jason couldn't think of a reason.

Dillinger had left a note on Major Katsuragi's file as well. You'll be taking your orders from Misato. I don't want to spoil the surprise too much, but I think you two will get along fine. Don't let her personality fool you; you're working under the best officer in the business. Jason squinted suspiciously at the photograph. She looked pretty normal to him… but if there was something important he had to know, wouldn't Dillinger have told him?

He was about to move on to the sixth profile, that of a pale blue-haired girl, when the copilot stuck his head in. "Pilot Lee, we're on final, so keep yourself strapped in until we land."

Jason nodded. "Sure thing."

As he leaned back and closed his eyes, Jason felt a faint thrill of excitement. He was really here, on the threshold of a new part of his life. Something told him he should have been apprehensive, or afraid. Instead, he simply felt anticipation.

After ten minutes the copilot came back. "There's a slight change of plans; we've been diverted to a different airstrip, so we'll have to change course. Sit tight; this could get a little bumpy."

Jason searched the man's face for some hint of what he really meant. His jaw was set, but his eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses. Finally Jason decided to ask him straight out. "What's happening?"

The copilot hesitated for a moment before answering. "The city's under siege." Without waiting to hear Jason's reply, he returned to his seat.

Jason let out a slow breath. Under siege? Was it an Angel? Now? He remembered hearing that the Second Child had been attacked while en route to NERV. It could happen again.

Something nagged at the back of his mind, a question from the conference the day before. …recent buildup of UN troops…If the UN were to attack…

Jason didn't like what that suggested.

( >)

As the 05-Series EVAs departed from Tokyo-3, Azazel huddled in a ditch just outside the city and trembled violently. He was vaguely aware that the MP-EVAs were fighting amongst themselves, as planned. He knew that there was only one more step that had to be completed for his plan to succeed.

He just couldn't remember what it was.

He'd caught the first available flight from Beijing to Tokyo-2. After landing, he'd stolen a car and driven towards his current destination. The UN forces were already massing by the time he arrived, so Azazel had left the car on the road and spent the better part of the morning circling around the city to the southern side, opposite the strikeforce.

There was a problem. Having lost part of his soul the day before, he was still experiencing residual effects. His thoughts would be lucid and clear for an hour; then he would go through a period of incoherence. During these temporary bouts of insanity, Azazel found that he had little control over his own actions, although it seemed that he remained focused on his task throughout. One lapse had come to him while driving; when Azazel recovered, he realized that he'd gone off-road, cutting across a treacherous span of ground that he wouldn't have considered otherwise. Doing so had shaved twenty minutes off his travel time.

What disturbed Azazel was that the lapses were coming more frequently as he drew nearer to Tokyo-3. At first he thought it was due to his proximity to his "children", the newly-awakened MP-EVAs, but now that they were flying away he felt no relief. If anything, the madness became even more pronounced.

He had briefly managed to regain control of his body, which led to where he was now: lying in a ditch. It was only a matter of time until Azazel lost control once more. He needed to put his thoughts into order. Foremost among his concerns was a simple question: why was he still losing control?

The conclusion was obvious. In his weakened state, he was still responding to something within the city. But what? The MP-Evas were gone. Unit-01 was based on Lilith's construction; it should have had no hold on him. Unit-02 was too weak to attract his attention. As for Adam… where was Adam? Azazel couldn't sense him. That wasn't it either, then.

The madness encroached on his mind once again. In desperation, Azazel drove his fist into the pavement before him. He focused on the pain as the crimson blood oozed from his torn knuckles. Once again, the whispering voices retreated, resentfully lurking near the back of his mind.

When they had come upon him this time, he'd felt… angry. Hungry. Like he wanted to kill something. That was… unusual. Azazel didn't know anybody in this city, so what was he reacting so violently to?

Angel. Foolish. Deluded. Enemy, the madness whispered, laughing.

He brought his head up. An angel? But the Seventeenth had already been defeated. It was unlike the Host to deviate from its plans; if they'd planned to send a certain number of messengers, they would send that many. No more, no less.

Angel, the voices insisted.

An angel. That would explain the pull he felt towards the city… but why would one of them be here? This was completely unexpected.

Angel. Confusing. Confused. Strange.

A plan was beginning to form. There was another angel in the city, despite the fact that Heaven had already sent its last agent in this "war". This angel, then, was here in direct contradiction to the Host's plan.

Could it be… him? It seemed unlikely that the same angel would come to Earth twice in such a short time… but there was no other explanation.

Angel. Enemy. But also different.

A grin slowly spread across Azazel's face. This could prove interesting.

He stood and climbed back onto the street, relinquishing control willingly to the madness.

Angel. Enemy. Hated. Different. Strange. Kill. Destroy. Revenge. He will fight us. We must fight him. He is different from us. He is different from them.

He will help us.

( >)

Misato fought the urge to scream, to let out all the anger, fear, and worry of the past few hours. It couldn't hurt, she reasoned. On the other hand, she knew that the rest of the bridge crew wasn't doing much better than her, and it wouldn't help their nerves to see their superior screaming uncontrollably. She sighed heavily. Command always carried responsibilities with it.

Instead she asked for a status report. Misato nodded her head as the crew informed her that EVA-01 was functioning perfectly, despite the damage to his shoulder. The pilot's pulse was returning to normal; his sync ratio was holding steady at 87 percent. After the unexpected departure of the Mass Produced Evangelions, the UN forces had not made any attempt to mount another assault, but showed no sign of leaving, either. They seemed content simply to wait. There was still no explanation as to why the MP-EVAs had begun attacking each other, or why they had fled the city.

Misato half-listened to all of this. None of it really seemed to matter at this point. True, there were enemy forces encamped practically on their doorstep, but intuition told her that today's battle was over. There were more important things to be dealt with now.

"Shinji, how are you doing?" she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time today. She couldn't tell how many of times she'd actually asked the question. Her worry for Shinji was starting to get to her. Still, she had to try. She'd let him be dragged out there again in the machine he hated; she had to prove that she still cared about him, that she saw him as more than just a tool to be used and cast aside. Misato hoped this would be enough, for now. Somewhere inside her, she knew that it wouldn't.

The pain of his injury was evident on his face, but Shinji managed a smile despite it. "I don't know if my medical skill will win me any awards, but I think I did okay. It looks like the bleeding's stopped."

Misato forced a smile of her own. "That's good." That wasn't what she was really worried about; she had a feeling that Shinji knew that. "After that scare you gave them, I don't think you're going to have too much trouble with the enemy forces any more. Just stand up and look manly and impressive, and they'll be paralyzed with awe. Problem solved, right?"

The bridge crew laughed at her weak joke, and Shinji even let out a small chuckle. "If you say so, Misato."

"And tonight, when this is over," she continued, trying to further lighten the atmosphere, "I'll take you out to dinner. Any place you want to go; the sky's the limit." Shinji's smile faded instantly; Misato's breath caught in her throat. God, what did I do? I thought I was getting close… "Shinji?" she pressed, uncertain.

"You remember that ramen stand we went to after the Tenth Angel? You, me, Ayanami, Asuka?"

"Yeah, what about it?" she asked, dreading the answer. From his tone, Misato doubted Shinji had brought it up because he wanted to eat there.

"I saw it today." Shinji realized that some elaboration was needed, so he went on. "It was crushed into pieces. A tank had run over it. There were bodies lying in the same street. Innocent people. The UN troops killed them." He looked Misato in the eye. "The United Nations is supposed to be the good guy. Why are they doing this, Misato?" Misato couldn't tell what he was thinking; his eyes were completely neutral, as though he had carefully removed all emotion from his expression so as to betray nothing. It was a frighteningly calm mask that she had only seen on one other person: the Commander.

As she made this connection, Misato realized that Shinji wasn't asking the question to learn why this was happening. He was asking it to see how she responded. Shinji wanted to see if Misato would tell him the truth.

Why were they under attack? Supposedly NERV posed a threat to the world; that was the only logical reason that the UN would take such drastic measures. But why would they think that? For the past year, the Evangelions had protected humanity; they'd saved the species many times over. What could bring such a drastic change in attitude?

It kept coming back to NERV's secret: the crucified giant in the basement. Somehow, the UN had to have known about Adam. Within NERV HQ was the beast that had caused Second Impact. That simple fact would have been enough to trigger an assault. They simply believed they were trying to protect humanity.

Could she tell Shinji that? In her mind Misato saw that possibility branching apart, leading into any one of a dozen other questions: "Why do we keep it there, then?" "How do you know this, Misato?" and "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Misato couldn't answer any of those questions; the pain would be too great. Instead she lied:

"I don't know, Shinji."

Without breaking eye contact, Shinji sighed and nodded. His face didn't change: there was no anger, no remorse, and no betrayal. There was no need. That simple, unwavering, unemotional stare spoke volumes in and of itself. He knew she was lying. He had known she would lie before he asked the question.

I'm doing this to protect you, Shinji, she thought. Even in her mind the words sounded empty and meaningless, nothing more than a way for her to believe she was doing the right thing. Now Misato knew the truth: it was impossible for her to be close to him, to give him the love and trust that he deserved. Their duty would not allow it. In order to protect Shinji, she had to seek out the hidden facts of their situation; not being able to tell any of them to Shinji was the price she paid for that knowledge.

She wanted to apologize. She wanted to say "I'm sorry, Shinji." She wanted to tell him the truth, to hold him and promise him that she would never lie to him, that it killed her to do so. She wanted to break down crying… again. As weak as the tears seemed, as much as Misato hated herself when they came, there was still something liberating about them; they were the one of the only honest forms of expression that she had left.

But she didn't apologize, or comfort Shinji, or start crying. She simply held Shinji's gaze and wished that she could will him into understanding. Misato became aware of the eyes of the bridge crew on her. They knew something was distinctly wrong with the Major and her ward.

Finally Aoba cleared his throat. "Major, we have a call from the American EVA carrier. They've made the necessary course corrections as requested, and are preparing to land at the auxiliary airstrip at the southwest edge of the city. Estimated time of arrival: five minutes. As of yet, the enemy has made no move to intercept."

Misato gratefully broke eye contact with Shinji. "Have the elevators ready to go when the carrier lands. I want that plane in the sub-hangars before the UN even gets a chance to look at it. Shinji, make for the southeast airstrips. There's a plane coming in to land. Protect it from the enemy at all costs."

Shinji nodded, his face still blank, and cut the link. Misato had just given him the last thing he needed to hear: more orders.

The sadness faded, replaced by a smoldering anger at herself and everybody else who had put Shinji into this situation. Why did the UN have to attack them? Why was Misato too weak to do anything to protect Shinji? Why did the Commander hate his son so much? Why did Fuyutsuki support Commander Ikari in this?

Misato's anger irrationally turned to Rei. She was always hanging on the Commander's every instruction. She could at least pretend to care about somebody else. It was her duty as a pilot to be on the surface, fighting alongside Shinji. She should be up there fighting instead of him!

Sighing, Misato put her back to the console and leaned against it… and nearly fell over in shock when she saw the object of her ire standing near the door, watching her. She knew she wasn't being fair, but the sight of Rei on the bridge caused a resurgence of her anger. How can you just stand there like that? Misato opened her mouth to say something that she knew she would regret later.

Fuyutsuki spared her the embarrassment. "Rei? What are you doing here?"

Without taking her eyes from Misato, the First Child responded, "I have come to find the Commander."

What Misato saw next shook her resolve more than anything else that had happened so far. It was only visible for a split second before Fuyutsuki caught himself and forced his face back to calmness, but it was there long enough for Misato to pick up on it. It was a look of fear.

Now, more than ever before, Misato was certain that more was going on here than just an unexpected attack. Throughout all of the developments on the surface, her superiors had remained composed and in control. And now, after everything that had happened today, this was the first thing that had surprised them. They had known about this attack from the beginning. They had planned all of this.

Until now, evidently. Misato's eyes narrowed as Fuyutsuki hurriedly crossed the room to Rei and spoke to her in hushed tones. What's this, sir? This is too important for my ears? There something you can tell Rei, but not me? Rei answered her superior softly and gave a tiny nod of her head, never breaking eye contact with the Major. Unable to do it herself, Misato simply watched.

She nearly jumped when a phone started ringing. Shigeru Aoba answered it with remarkable calm, considering what was happening. "This is the bridge." That didn't last. "What? Are you sure? Of… of course."

"What is it, Aoba?" Misato asked. What now, she wondered dismally.

Aoba stared at the receiver. "It's one of the security teams, Epsilon-3. They're in the upper levels of Terminal Dogma… they say they've found the commander, and he's been… attacked."

Before Misato could recover from this latest shock, Fuyutsuki crossed the bridge and took the phone. "I'll take that." Ignoring them, he put the receiver to his ear. "This is Fuyutsuki. What's happened… I see. Have you called a medical team? …Well done. Is he conscious? Very well. I'll be there shortly." He hung up and looked at Misato, clearly in command of the situation once again. "I'm going down there. Major, you have the con."

Don't want me to find out what you're up to, do you? "Of course, sir."

As Fuyutsuki walked through the door, Rei moved to follow him. Abruptly he turned and looked down at her. "Rei, stay here. That's an order." Without answering, Rei stepped back into the bridge and resumed her position near the entrance.

There was a crisis on the surface, and a crisis underneath it. What other surprises was today going to bring?

( >)

"I think we're going to be safe, at least for now."

Kaoru told this to the others as they rested in an abandoned grocery store. They'd spent upwards of half an hour running from the enemy, and then had huddled in here, praying that an Evangelion wouldn't step on them in the continuing struggle. Eventually the sounds of battle had faded, but the tense silence had continued for another hour, as though they feared that a single word would bring the enemy down upon them once again. Now, at least, Kaoru felt secure enough in his judgment to speak his assurances aloud. Shinji must have fought well. They were all still here, so clearly the Third Impact had not been initiated. That left a possibility that they would survive the rest of the day. Hopefully he would be able to learn what was going on during that time.

None of the others spoke up in response; they simply looked at him as they finished eating their lunch. He supposed that after a year of constant Angel attacks they had learned not to assume that they were ever free from danger.

He would have to leave them soon. If he was going to investigate the hidden secrets in this city, it wouldn't do to have them asking questions. Kaoru didn't think any of them would understand, anyway. The chances were high that any of them could be hurt, even killed.

On the other hand, if it hadn't been for him, they would probably all have died that morning. Kaoru sighed. Why was dealing with humans never simple?

"I'm going to be leaving you pretty soon," he told them. "There's… somebody I have to find, here in the city. I'm told he's still alive… at least, I think it's a he" They didn't react, but none of them took their eyes from him as he spoke. "I have to learn something about what's going on here. I don't know if you've realized, but nobody out there," he swept his arm in a circle, indicating the world beyond the city, "has any idea of what's really happening. I'm here to find that out."

"You a reporter?" the younger of the two men asked. Kaoru shook his head. "A spy, then?" His tone was neither menacing nor suspicious; he was simply curious.

"No." Kaoru stood and stretched, feeling his joints pop as he did so. "I'm just a concerned individual. I'm usually good at learning things about people, and I've been curious about the people here for a good, long time."

His response had been intentionally vague, and he doubted that his new friends trusted him enough to take him at his word. Still, they voiced no complaint or suspicion. Instead, the woman named Chisato spoke up. "Why do you need to leave us behind?"

Kaoru shrugged. "This is my mission, not yours. There's no need for you three to concern yourselves with my problems."

"We owe you," Chisato said, climbing to her feet. "Well, I do, at least. If you want to find this person, it'll be easier if you have friends on your side. We live here, anyway. I'll bet we know our way around this place much better than you." The others nodded their agreement. "If it weren't for you, we'd probably all be dead right now. Let us pay you back."

Her offer was tempting, he had to admit; the four of them together would be able to cover much more ground than he would alone. Still, he hadn't saved their lives today just to let them get killed on his account. "It's not necessary…" he tried to protest.

"Nonsense," the older man interrupted. "She's right, it's the least we can do."

Kaoru rolled his eyes inwardly. Free will, indeed. Here he was on his first full day as a human, and already his own will was being questioned. He could tell that he was being backed into a corner; if he continued trying to refuse their help, they would be more likely to become suspicious.

Maybe he could use them. If nothing else, it would deflect their suspicions for a while. If it looked like things were becoming too dangerous, he'd just have to find a way to get away from them later. For now, it couldn't hurt to have some friends in the city.

"All right. If you want to help me, that's your decision. I should warn you straight up: it's probably going to be a lot of work without much reward. I don't even know where to start looking for this person."

"Well, how had you been planning to find him?" Chisato asked.

Kaoru spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "My plan was to ask questions of anybody I meet. The one I'm looking for usually has something of an understanding with the people around him. If he hears that somebody's been snooping around, chances are…"

Kaoru stopped suddenly. Confused, the others opened their mouths to ask what was wrong, but Kaoru silenced them with a finger to his lips. Listen, he mouthed. They did, and soon the four of them heard the sound that had made Kaoru stop: the quiet crunching of footsteps on broken glass.

As one they looked to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the grocery store. The store had been closed and abandoned; since the door was locked, they'd had to break a window to get in. Kaoru had surprised them by smashing several others as well, then spreading the shards around the area just outside. Now his actions served their purpose, giving ample warning of an intruder's approach.

The soft crunching grew louder; as they approached, the four of them stepped back, further into the shadows of the store. Kaoru wished he'd looked for a weapon earlier. Well, it was too late now. It was unlikely that it was a soldier, in any case; Shinji should have driven any enemy troops from the city by now.

When the source of the noise stepped into view, his friends visibly sagged with relief. The man was not wearing a uniform; he wasn't a soldier. The old man stepped forward to greet the intruder, his face warm and friendly. "Good to see somebody who's not a soldier. Come on in."

The intruder cocked his head and looked at them uncertainly. Kaoru took this chance to give him a quick once-over: probably in his thirties, about six feet tall, reasonably athletic from the looks of him. Spiky black hair, brown eyes… fair skin. Not Japanese. Maybe Russian? German?

After a moment's pause the man stepped into the store. Despite his apparent calm, Kaoru felt a flicker of apprehension. Something wasn't quite right about the way he moved. His posture was slightly hunched, but it didn't seem to be due to a physical deformity as much as a conscious choice; it was as though he was trying to remain smaller, lower to the ground. He held his arms away from his body in an unnatural position. His manner of walking was awkward as well; he kept rocking slightly from side to side as he moved. On top of that, he still hadn't said anything. Instead he suspiciously eyed those in the store, as if expecting them, daring them to pounce on him at any moment. The eyes seemed like they would be more appropriate for a tiger than a human.

Maybe he was in shock after the attack. That made sense. Hoping to allay his fears, Kaoru stepped forward. "It's all right," he said in a comforting tone. "We won't hurt you. We're hiding from the soldiers too."

At the sound of Kaoru's voice, the intruder's eyes snapped to meet his. The look in them was uncomfortable, to say the least. Under the man's penetrating gaze, Kaoru could almost feel himself being turned inside-out, laid out on a table to be inspected at leisure. Still he said nothing, simply fixing Kaoru with his unnerving stare.

Kaoru tried again. "Are you hurt? Do you have friends who were hurt in the attack? We'll be happy to help you, if you like." It would be best, Kaoru decided, to make friends with the man rather than drive him away. Still, he couldn't shake the nervousness from his mind. What was it about this person that made him so uncomfortable?

He had his answer within a minute.

The moment the intruder heard the word "help," he cocked his head again and looked quizzically had Kaoru. "Help?" he echoed.

"Help," Kaoru confirmed.

"Help…" the intruder said again. He seemed to be testing the word on his tongue. His gaze became momentarily faraway; it looked as though he was trying to remember something he had almost forgotten. Then, as quickly is it had left, the focus returned to his eyes, and his face broke into a grin. "Help," he said, this time with finality.

Kaoru unconsciously took a step back. The man's eyes had been unsettling before; now that he was smiling, they were downright frightening. The smile wasn't one of happiness or relief. It was the look of a feral beast stalking its prey.

The man took a step forward, then another. His strange limping gait smoothed out as he moved. "Yes… help… help us…" His eyes gleamed. "…angel."

The way he said it as he stared into Kaoru's eyes left no room for doubt. This man knew what Kaoru was. But how? What did he want?

"An Angel?" the old man asked, misunderstanding. "Is another Angel attacking the city? Why haven't the sirens sounded yet?" When the intruder didn't answer, he laid a hand on the man's arm. "Tell me what's wrong."

It happened too quickly for Kaoru to follow. The stranger gave a brief, almost careless twitch of his arm; the old man was thrown back, striking against a shelf with a dull thud. The impact sent the shelf teetering backwards; cans and bottles clattered noisily as they fell to the floor. Without even a sideways glance to see what had happened, the intruder dashed forward. One hand vanished briefly into his coat, then flashed back into view and jabbed forward before Kaoru could react…

The look in the man's eyes changed to confusion. Whatever he had been expecting, this was not it. He stepped away from Kaoru, the confusion giving way to sudden, abject fear as he backed quickly away.

Kaoru finally summoned the strength to look down at himself. Something white protruded from his abdomen – the handle of a knife. Kaoru could just make out something inscribed in black before his vision went hazy. The next thing he knew, the world tilted, dropping him to his side on the floor. He heard Chisato's surprised gasp. Somebody called his name.

He was able to focus just long enough to see the last thing the intruder said before running away. The fear was gone now, replaced once again by that look of animal cunning. The pounding of his heartbeat drowned out the words, but the lip movements were unmistakable.

Come get me… if you live through this.

And suddenly everything became clear. The man's sudden, surprising appearance, his decidedly abnormal behavior, calling Kaoru angel, ignoring the others, going straight for him… now it made sense. He'd been planning to investigate the activities of the Fallen; in the end, it hadn't even been necessary for Kaoru to look for his enemy. The enemy had found him – and had struck the first blow. There wouldn't be a second.

"Toshiro, get help!"

Kaoru felt hands lift him from the ground and carry him to a table. He struggled to make out the faces above him. Chisato was there, and the old man. They both looked at him in helpless fear as he tried to stay awake. At least the pain was fading.

For the second time today, Kaoru knew he was a dead man. The others won't be happy, he thought ruefully. Well, at the very least he'd managed to find the enemy. One of the Fallen was in the city; he was armed and prepared to kill. What he was doing was the mystery, and Kaoru would never have the opportunity to find out.

Darkness enveloped him.

( >)

Being careful not to strain his injured shoulder, Shinji walked through the city towards the auxiliary airfield. He tried not to think about his reason for traveling there… but given the events of the day, he had very few pleasant alternatives to think on instead.

He'd caught part of the conversation Misato had held with the bridge crew. The information was fragmentary at best, but what he could piece together was more than enough. The plane he would be protecting wasn't just any aircraft. It was an EVA carrier – which meant that a new Evangelion was being delivered at that moment.

Once that conclusion had been reached, other questions began to pop up like mushrooms, each one less comforting than the last. Shinji answered them as quickly as they arose, but the image they provided was bleak indeed.

A new Evangelion was on the way. There were really only two pilots to speak of any longer: himself and Rei – the new Rei, he hastily corrected. There were already two EVAs available to the pilots. A new unit would provide them with an extra. However, Shinji's father didn't believe in wasting potential, which meant that a new pilot would be quickly forthcoming: another unfortunate child, shanghaied into risking his life inside a titanic monster. Briefly Shinji entertained the idea of destroying the carrier himself, saving the new pilot from the pain. The thought passed; he was surprised and slightly embarrassed to feel regret at letting it go.

He carefully began to step around some people who hadn't gotten out of the street. Something about them made him stop and look more closely. They were trying to get his attention, waving urgently. On the external pickups he heard their cries: "Wait! Help us; we need a doctor!"

It was then that he noticed the wounded man. Barely out of his teens, he was either dead or unconscious already. Shinji increased the magnification; the white handle of a knife protruded from his stomach.

A stabbing? Here? In the middle of an attack? Shinji shook his head. It was ridiculous. Without a word, Shinji bent down and held out his hand. The others, two men and a woman, lifted their injured friend and gently moved him into the EVA's palm.

Shinji reopened the link to Misato. "Where's the nearest medical facility?"

"What are you-"

"I have somebody who's injured. Where?"

He could see his guardian warring briefly with her desire to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing when he had specific orders to follow. It lasted only a split second before she nodded and conferred briefly with one of the technicians.

"There are no operational clinics within easy reach," she reported. "However, we have records of a doctor living only a few blocks away. Supposedly he's still living in the city. If he hasn't been killed yet… I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do."

"Good enough." All business, as usual. Shinji forced himself to focus on his current situation; there would be time to worry about Misato later.

"We'll upload the coordinates to your HUD."

Pushing Misato and his injury to the back of his mind, Shinji began to run as quickly as he dared, hoping that the grip in which he clutched the victim didn't aggravate the knife wound.

The doctor's house was a simple concrete structure, part of a neighborhood of those mass-produced homes that all appeared identical. Through some miracle the combined destruction of the Angels and the UN attack had thus far spared the block. Feeling that, with everything that had happened to this point, his good luck was wearing dangerously thin, Shinji nonetheless knelt before the building and prayed that the doctor was in.

"Is anybody in there?" he yelled. "Please! I need a doctor!"

There was no immediate response, and for a heart-stopping moment Shinji wondered if NERV's information was correct and the man had fled the city. His fears were dispelled somewhat as the door at last swung open and a young woman stepped out in a bathrobe, looking up at him without any sign of concern.

"Please, does the doctor still live here? It's an emergency!"

"I'm the doctor," the woman replied, vague but impersonal irritation in her voice. "What seems to be the problem?"

He didn't give himself time to dwell on his gaffe. "I have someone who's been stabbed, and there's no clinics within easy reach. Can you help him?"

"Let me see him." Shinji complied, lowering his hand to the ground before her and opening his fingers. The doctor looked the man over without comment before giving a curt nod. "I'll see what I can do." Showing more strength than Shinji had expected from her slight frame, she picked the man up in both arms and disappeared into the house.

Shinji stared after her for a moment, trying to figure out what it was that seemed so familiar about the situation. When nothing came to him, he shook his head and resumed his approach to the carrier, firmly pushing the victim's face to the back of his mind. He had done all he could. Why was he so worried?

( >)

The EVA carrier jolted as the wheels hit the tarmac. When he felt the sharp impact run through his body, Jason let out a sigh of relief. Flying was decidedly not his favorite way of traveling from place to place, and it was certainly a weight off his mind to be back on the ground. Now all he had to do was get out of the plane, and he'd be able to feel solid earth beneath his feet again…

He shook himself irritably. No, that really wasn't it at all. The truth, he knew, was that he was simply getting impatient. He was attributing his nerves to the flight when in reality he was anxious about the meetings to come. Although he worked hard to put on a confident face, Jason never adjusted well to new situations, and his arrival in Japan – where he knew nobody – would surely be his most stressful challenge yet.

"I wonder what they're like," he said to nobody in particular as the carrier rolled to a stop. For all his talk at the press conference about "American justice," he honestly wanted to make a good impression on his new hosts. What if he said the wrong thing? What if none of them wanted to talk to him? What if…

He shook his head again, more forcefully this time. "Get ahold of yourself," he muttered. One of Rachel's frequent pieces of advice came to him: Sometimes things go wrong, but if you sit around all day worrying about them, you'll make them go wrong all by yourself. Thinking about her calmed his nerves somewhat, and he nodded. It was sound advice. He'd best start following it by thinking about something else. Jason unbuckled his safety straps and stood up, letting out an appreciative groan as he stretched. That done, he approached the cockpit.

"Pilot Lee," the co-pilot greeted him without turning around. "There's a short delay; we're just waiting for the elevator to arrive."

Elevator? Jason wondered, but held his tongue. "Okay," he said instead, and asked a different question that had been bothering him for the past several minutes. "What did you mean when you said the city was under siege?"

"Military forces," the pilot responded easily. "Looks like the UN." From his apparent lack of concern, the man might as well have said "It's a nice day out, isn't it?"

Jason blinked. "United Nations? But why?"

The pilot shrugged. "Who knows? I'm not in charge of them."

"Don't you think they might try to attack us?"

"Yep." The co-pilot pointed out of the windshield.

Dark specks in the distance were beginning to draw nearer. Jason's breath caught in his throat as the pilot brought up a magnified display, showing them in full detail: VTOL aircraft.

"Uh…" Jason began, not sure how to put his question to the seemingly unflappable men. "Shouldn't we try moving, or something?"

"No good." The co-pilot leaned back in his seat and propped his hands behind his head. "We might be able to outrun them if we were already in the air, although I wouldn't place bets on it – but by the time we got up to speed they'd have taken us out already."

A chill ran down Jason's spine, tempered by a faint whisper of curiosity. "Why are you so calm about this?"

"Because," the man responded, suppressing a yawn as the VTOLs began to launch missiles, "help's already on the way."

"What do you…" Jason began, unable to tear his gaze away from the approaching death."

"Look over to your left."

With an effort Jason did so, turning his eyes to the side of the 270-degree windshield. From between the structures of Tokyo-3 a titanic humanoid figure ran towards them. He looked back at the approaching missiles.

"It's not going to make it!"

"It'll make it."

The figure suddenly transformed into a blur, crossing the distance more quickly than Jason would have dreamed possible. He tried to close his eyes, convinced that if the missiles didn't kill them, the approaching machine would, but his eyelids wouldn't respond…

The sound of the detonations, when coupled by a high-pitched ringing sound, nearly deafened him. He hadn't even seen it happen. One moment the missiles had seemed only seconds away; the next his view was taken up by the giant purple monstrosity as the weapons detonated against some kind of invisible barrier. The VTOLs immediately peeled off, perhaps realizing the futility of their attack.

Jason stared at their savior, who stood with a pallet rifle at the ready, serving as a warning to other would-be attackers, utterly calm and in control. It had moved so quickly… he felt a surge of admiration for the Unit's pilot. He must really be something, he thought inwardly. I wonder if I'll be half as good as he seems to be.

The carrier's pilot leaned forward, a smile finally breaking out on his face. "Thanks for the save, EVA-01. It's good to see you. If you'd stand guard until the elevator gets here, we can be on our way and out of your hair."

"Understood." The boy's voice carried little emotion, but considerable fatigue.

Another voice, a woman's, broke in and interrupted them. "Good work, Shinji. The elevator's here now. We're glad you boys could make it. How's the Sixth doing?"

The co-pilot laughed. "He's right here now, gawking at EVA-01. I think the Third just got a new fan."

"I see." The woman didn't laugh at the joke. For his part, Jason shut his mouth and looked at the pilots, embarrassed. Was he that obvious?

Neither of them paid him any mind as they engaged the throttle and slowly began to roll forward onto the elevator that would lower them into NERV headquarters.

( >)

The Commander of NERV lay on the ground in a fetal position, his eyes staring blankly into space, and whispered to himself too softly for anyone to hear.

"He was like this when we found him, sir," the leader of Epsilon-3 informed Fuyutsuki.

The old man frowned. This didn't make sense. Ikari's destination had been the LCL plant in Terminal Dogma… and yet he'd been found in the upper levels of the base, well away from the target. Even if some intruder had waylaid him en route, this was nowhere near the route he would have taken to the target. Had his attacker gone to all the trouble of dragging him here? Had Ikari wandered up here by himself?

"He's in a state of shock, sir," the captain continued, kneeling next to the stricken man's body. "He reacts to what goes on around him, but… nothing seems to bother him that much." He pulled a penlight from his belt and shone it in Ikari's eyes. The pupils focused and followed the light as it was moved back and forth in front of them. "I'm not exactly an expert on this, but I'd say he just needs some rest."

"Is there any indication of who did this?"

The captain shook his head. "There's no indication that there was even an attack, sir." He looked just as bewildered at Fuyutsuki. "No sign of a struggle, no visible wounds, no damage of any kind that I can see… except for one thing." His brow furrowed as his confusion seemed only to increase. "Take a look at his hand."

The Commander clutched his right hand to his chest as if terrified that someone might try to steal it from him. With an unpleasant lurch Fuyutsuki realized that the younger man was no longer wearing his gloves. He took a look at the security leader, but his face didn't show any sign of suspicion or fear… just confusion. Momentarily Fuyutsuki wondered if he was a SEELE spy. How else could he see Adam and have no reaction? His mind feverishly searching for some plausible explanation, Fuyutsuki gently pulled Ikari's hand away from his body.

It was covered in blood.

"We're already running DNA analyses on the blood – standard procedure, of course, but this is what's really weird. From the preliminary results, it looks like the blood is the Commander's! But there's no injury anywhere on his body!"

Fuyutsuki would have agreed that this was strange indeed, but he was no longer listening. His attention was fixed on the palm of the Commander's hand, watching as the fingers clenched spasmodically as though trying to grasp something that was just out of reach.Through the sheen of blood the Vice-Commander could see that the skin was smooth and undamaged, apart from the burn scars that by now were months old.

Adam was gone.

( >)

"Well, Mister whatever-your-name-is, I'll say this for you: you are the most absurdly lucky person I have ever had the dubious pleasure of meeting."

The voice reached through the haze of pain and grabbed ahold of Kaoru's consciousness, pulling it forth into reality like a drowning man towards air. It was a vaguely familiar sound; throughout his period of semi-consciousness it had touched him on occasion, the words always reassuring or, at worst, cheerfully irritable. It had been a small but important comfort to him, constantly reassuring him of one thing: he was still alive.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a young woman in her mid-twenties with close-cropped brown hair. Her green eyes watched him intently, giving Kaoru a sudden urge to blink and break the connection. When he did so she seemed to relax somewhat and backed away from him.

"Welcome back to... to…" She belatedly clapped a hand over her mouth to cover an unexpected yawn, then continued without embarrassment. "…To the living, sir."

He tried to sit up; the movement caused fingers of pain to shoot through his abdomen. He winced slightly and gave it up for the moment.

"What happened?" he asked weakly.

"You got stabbed. I'd think you would have remembered," she responded, her voice completely serious.

"I'm… not really in very good condition for humor, Miss."

The woman snorted. "No such thing. And anyway, my nap was interrupted to take care of you. I don't see why I shouldn't have a little fun."

"S-sorry… for the inconvenience," he managed.

"Whatever," she replied, waving a hand dismissively. "In any case, it was the weirdest house call I've ever had. The purple EVA shows up literally at my door and starts yelling for a doctor." She sighed, stretching as she did so. "There must be better ways to have someone wake you up. I go outside and there it is with you clutched in its fist."

Kaoru smiled in appreciation and, perhaps, a faint sense of irony. He knew all too well what had happened the last time he had been in that position, and he was certain that Shinji remembered it even more vividly. But this time Shinji had saved his life: a tiny step towards personal redemption, perhaps… if only he'd actually known what he'd done. "He brought me here?"

"Yeah, he did. Does he know you?" Kaoru shook his head, unwilling to take the risk of fabricating a plausible explanation. "Well, he seemed pretty worried about you all the same. With good reason, too – a centimeter or so in a different direction and that knife would've put you in the morgue right enough. As it is, it doesn't seem to have hit any internal organs. You've certainly got someone watching out for you."

"Always," he replied, laughing softly.

She paused to look at him, her head cocked as though sizing him up. "It's stupid, really… like we haven't got enough problems as it is without people cutting each other up. I don't know what would drive someone to do something like this…"

"A religious dispute," Kaoru muttered.

The doctor blinked. "Religious dispute?"

Kaoru shook his head again, eliciting another pained wince. "Sorry… I was just thinking to myself. No, some friends and I were squatting in an abandoned grocery store. Somebody came and attacked us. I'm guessing the man just assumed we wouldn't be willing to share. What with all the chaos from the attack today, I can understand him not being able to think too clearly."

"I guess it's easy to forgive the guy, considering that he didn't manage to kill you. Still, those stitches aren't for show; exert yourself too hard and you're back at square one. Think about that before you decide to let him off the hook."

"I stand by the doctor's decision," Kaoru sighed, unwilling to press the issue. He lay back and closed his eyes, but the desire for rest had left him. His strength was returning, despite the lingering pain in his stomach. He needed to get back on his feet; dealing with the Fallen could not wait.

This was reinforced by a light rap on the head. "Don't even think about falling asleep here," the woman warned him. "This is my kitchen table that you're lying on." She extended a hand to help Kaoru up, which he gratefully accepted.

He saw that she was holding something out to him. "What's that?"

"A souvenir, of sorts." She handed it over. "A bit morbid, but what can you do?"

It was the knife, wiped clean of his blood. Kaoru turned it over in his hand, taking in its details: an ivory handle, a three-inch-long blade… but no folding or switching mechanism that he could see. As before, the pattern on the hilt caught his eye again. Able to look more closely now, he saw that it was, of all things, a cross, contained within a Star of David. The words Fallen but not defeated were engraved beneath it; abruptly he realized that the cross was upside down. He gripped the knife experimentally, testing its balance as the doctor looked on in disapproval.

"You haven't listened to a thing I said, have you?"

Kaoru smiled. "I promise not to ruin my stitches." Feeling that this was somehow insufficient, he faced her and bowed. "Thank you for helping me. I don't have any way to repay your kindness, but I am in your debt."

"You can thank me by staying out of trouble."

"I will try my best," he laughed.

He wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but she seemed to relax slightly. "I'll show you to the door."

They walked in silence to the exit. She opened the door for him and waved him through. The sun was considerably lower in the sky than Kaoru remembered, although the weather remained clear. At least a couple of hours must have passed. "It's two in the afternoon," the doctor informed him, as if reading his mind. Several hours, then.

He stepped through the door, then bent down and picked an envelope off the step. "Someone must have tried to give you a message." He turned around and handed it to his host.

She took it, glanced at the address, and did a double take. "Wait a minute… this isn't for me. I have no idea who it's for." She handed it back. Kaoru looked and felt a chill run down his spine.

Tabris, the neat writing on the envelope spelled out.

"Do you know what that is?" she asked.

Kaoru shook his head – yet another lie, but they were becoming much easier to make today. "Do you mind if I open it and look? Maybe there's some clue."

She shrugged. Taking that as a "go ahead," he tore the seal on the envelope. Within was a single sheet of paper, on which was printed a street address: 254 Jinnai. There were no other marks."Nothing," he sighed, handing it back to her.

His head whirling, Kaoru managed a polite good-bye and began to walk away. Obviously the note had been addressed to him. He had a fair guess as to who it had come from, too. Something didn't line up. He'd been helpless for hours; killing him would have been a simple matter. What, then, did this mean? It sounded like an invitation… but an invitation to what?

There would only be one way to find out. It was time to get some answers.

( >)

Jason paced the crew cafeteria, trying to decide whether he was irritated or simply bored.

According to the carrier's pilot, the elevator had taken them into the bottom levels of the Geofront. As the lift was located internally and offered no view of the landscape, he'd had no choice but to believe the man. After finishing their descent, they'd pulled into a hangar easily large enough to contain six such carriers; at that point the pilot and co-pilot had begun their post-flight checks, leaving Jason to his own devices.

Or at least, to such devices as were available. A final message from the woman on the radio had instructed him to wait in the cafeteria used by the aircraft technicians. A few questions had given the Sixth Child an idea of where to go, and that had led him here.

That had been six hours ago.

At first his apprehension had grown. What if they'd forgotten him? What if he'd gone to the wrong place? He'd been concerned about making a good first impression, and it appeared as though his opportunity may have just slipped away. With some difficulty he'd managed to force these thoughts down, remembering Rachel's advice as he did so. Briefly he'd considered calling her, but his cell phone lacked the power to send a signal from underground… and there was no guarantee that she'd even be awake at the time, anyway.

Jason wished he'd brought a backpack with some books or games, but he hadn't thought of it at the time. Without even that option, he was reduced simply to pacing – his nervous habit when required to wait for anything. Apart from a short break for a barely-edible cup of instant noodles from a vending machine, the monotony had continued more or less unabated. He didn't let his worries get the better of him again; there were plenty of people on duty in the hangars, and if NERV needed to find him they were certainly equipped to do so.

He opened Dillinger's folder and flipped through it for the umpteenth time, stopping at the profile of Rei Ayanami. As had happened every other time that he'd turned to the page, a faint tingling, almost electrical, ran through his body.

It was her face. Not the color of the eyes, not the polished whiteness of the skin, not the hair that, no matter how many times he looked at it, was still quite definitely blue… it was the look on her face that did it. It looked artificial. Utterly devoid of expression, Rei Ayanami looked like nothing so much as a porcelain doll.

With an effort Jason tore his eyes away from the picture and looked at the rest of the girl's file. The absence of information was rather more telling than what was written. Her date of birth and parents were classified, and her personal history could be summarized in a single phrase: since birth, Ayanami had lived alone in Tokyo-3. That was it. Other reports were attached: her grades were excellent in spite of a poor attendance record. She had been critically injured in an accident following the activation test of Evangelion Unit-00, her designated machine, but had recovered. The report credited her with three Angel kills and listed her highest synchronization ratio at seventy-four percent. Dillinger, unusually, had no special comments to offer on the First Child.

Asuka Langley Sohryu was Ayanami's polar opposite. With striking blue eyes and fiery hair, her confident grin stood out in marked contrast to her coworker's apparent passivity. Her personal record was no less dynamic. Descended from German, American, and Japanese heritage, she had been moved from place to place and home to home during much of her early life. Her parents had divorced when she was just a small child. Shortly thereafter her mother suffered severe psychological damage during an activation test of Evangelion Unit-02. Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu's subsequent suicide coincided with her four-year-old daughter's selection as the Second Child. Asuka had thrown her life into her education as an EVA pilot, achieving an eighty-seven percent sync ratio and earning her college degree by the time that she was thirteen. Asuka had lived as a "ward of NERV" up until earlier in the year, when Major Misato Katsuragi had become her legal guardian. She was credited with four Angel kills, one achieved singlehandedly.

Dillinger's Post-It note read I'm not sure how you'll get along with Asuka. I only met her once, when she was still living in Germany last year. As you can see by her record, she's an extremely talented individual. Unfortunately, she knows it… and unless she's mellowed in the past year, she won't hesitate to remind you of it at every opportunity. A second note added The Second Child has been on medical leave for several weeks now, presumably due to work-related injuries. Paying her a visit may be a good opening gesture. Jason sighed, simultaneously exasperated and relieved to have the advice.

Shinji Ikari's appearance was unremarkable. He didn't smile at the camera… but his gaze wasn't blank, like Ayanami's, or tired, like that of NERV's higher-ranking personnel. He looked nervous, like he was afraid of offending someone.

The train of thought made Jason laugh, and he thought of his own all-too-recent worries. Do I look like that all the time? he wondered.

Following his mother's death through "classified" means, Shinji's father the Commander sent him to live with an uncle in the countryside. There he lived an utterly normal life for eleven years before being abruptly recalled a year ago to pilot Evangelion Unit-01. Despite having read it already, Jason felt his jaw drop as he scanned the Third Child's combat record. Seven solo kills, three assists, and a maximum sync ratio of… It's classified, he reminded himself. Why would they hide this guy's…

Jason flipped back to the photograph, then read the record again. Was this the right file? He found it difficult to reconcile the timid-looking face with the list of battlefield credits before him… or with the pilot that had defended him from a storm of missiles on the surface. This was the boy they'd hailed as "the single best thing to happen to NERV and humanity?" He looked like… like…

He stopped. Shinji Ikari looked like the kind of kid that got stuffed into trashcans by his classmates back in America. Not like the invincible warrior people were talking about.

In his musings, Jason had almost missed Dillinger's latest note. Surprised? It's all true, you know. This guy jumped into an EVA cold and took out an Angel all by himself. No prior experience whatsoever. I'm afraid I've never met him… but he looks like a nice kid. I bet he's got his hands full living with Major Katsuragi and the Second Child, though.

It was just one more person for Jason to meet, he supposed… as soon as somebody actually came down here to meet him. He checked his watch. Five in the afternoon, local time.

There were only two sheets left, neither of which held much information of interest. Fourth Child Touji Suzuhara was a typical jock, by the look of his school report: merely average academic grades, but high marks across the board in athletics – particularly basketball. His mother had died of breast cancer when he was eight; his father worked as a technician in one of NERV's mechanical divisions. His only surviving relative was a younger sister, Mari. Approximately two and a half months previous, Touji had been placed on indefinite medical leave due to injuries sustained during battle with an Angel. Jason stared at that last line for a long time before moving on to the final sheet.

At first Jason had thought that the form was blank apart from the name: Kaoru Nagisa. But no – each field bore one word. Classified. Age, family, personal history, combat record… it was all hidden. Dillinger's note was terse. This guy arrived at NERV two weeks ago. Only a day later an Angel attacked, and we haven't heard anything about him since. He may be dead.

For some reason this disturbed Jason deeply. Dead… It was hardly as though the concept was a surprise to him. The Children were, in essence, soldiers; it was a soldier's duty to fight and die so that others wouldn't have to.

But this… this was too much to grasp. That somebody could die and immediately cease to be anything more than a name, his life and legacy wiped out and hidden from public view… it felt wrong. It wasn't right to do that to someone – to erase another human being.

"Not even a tombstone…" Jason muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

At the sound of the voice Jason instinctively straightened, slamming the folder closed and tucking it under one arm. A second later he realized he was instinctively trying to hide it and adopted a slightly more casual posture. Wondering if he'd already blown his first impression, he turned around to look at the speaker.

His heart skipped a beat as he noted that Major Misato Katsuragi looked even better in person than she did in her photograph.

"I, er… I'm sorry." He'd simply repeated her last question as a statement; he kept speaking, hoping to find a way out. "I mean… I'm sorry if I confused you." That wasn't much better. "I, uh, I was just talking to myself. You know, I do that sometimes when I'm thinking about… well, I was thinking about my family and…" This was a conversation for another time; instead of making a way out Jason was just digging himself in more deeply. "And… yeah. That's about it."

So much for the first impression, dumbass, Jason thought as he kicked himself. But when he finally looked up from his feet, he saw that the raven-haired woman had her hand to her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Feeling a little self-conscious, Jason looked back down at himself, wondering if there was something wrong with his appearance. No, he concluded, it's just you that she's laughing at. Unless you screwed up your Japanese somehow…

Taking another stab at salvaging the situation, he planted his feet, saluted smartly, and said, "Sixth Child Jason Lee, reporting for duty, sir."

The woman laughed aloud at that. It was actually a nice sound, genuinely amused rather than patronizing. Nonetheless, Jason could feel his face starting to go red as Misato finally regained enough control to speak. "Sorry, sorry! You just reminded me of someone else I know. Several people, actually." Still smiling, she extended a hand. "I'm…"

Jason broke in. "Major Misato Katsuragi, Operations Director of NERV Japan, I know." The moment the words left his mouth he kicked himself again. And don't interrupt her, you idiot! You keep trying to impress her like this, she'll be sick of you in no time.

Contrary to his fears, Misato didn't appear the least bit put out by his unintentional rudeness. "Well, well… I see you've done your homework."

"Er… yes, sir," he responded, accepting her handshake. Wait a minute… is that right? "I mean, yes… ma'am?"

"Misato will do just fine, Jason." The more foolish he started to feel, Jason mused, the bigger her smile got. It was strange.

"Yes, Misato." Jason gave her hand one final shake before letting go. He found that he couldn't look away from the woman's eyes. They were open and welcoming, a very attractive part of a very attractive face… but there was something else there, around the corners. It could just have been stress, perhaps – understandable, considering the circumstances – but it could have been something more serious. The clear friendliness in her gaze could not be denied, though; she looked to be genuinely happy to meet him, and eager to be friendly. Jason found himself quickly warming up to the woman. "Ah… I wasn't waiting in the wrong place, was I?" he asked.

The Major shook her head, a touch of regret diminishing her smile somewhat. "No, you went just where I told you. I'm sorry about the wait, but it's been a hectic day in more ways than you can imagine."

"The siege?"

"Yes, primarily. EVA-01's been chasing small strike units away from the city since you arrived. The UN and JSSDF forces are holding their distance, but they're still waiting out there. I left Maya – that's the head of Project E – in control while I came down here, but I don't want to stay away for too long. If you don't mind…?" She motioned for him to follow as she began to walk. "Stay by my side. It's easy to get lost in here. I'm sorry I don't have time to give you a tour…"

"I'm usually pretty good at finding my way around," Jason said, falling in step with her. "You shouldn't have to worry about me too much."

"That's good to hear."

Jason wondered how he would keep a conversation going with her; she'd already read through his file, and he didn't know enough about her or the current situation to talk about anything. Then he remembered Dillinger's request. "Uh… Captain Dillinger asked me to say hello to you for him."

He felt relief wash over him at the smile that that brought to her face. "Mark said that? I haven't seen him in ages…"

"You two know each other, then? Outside of work, I mean?"

Misato nodded. "We went to school together. I dated him once or twice, but… nothing serious." Jason snuck a look at her face as she said this, but her eyes were clear and untroubled. "We were pretty good friends, though. The last time I saw him was just after we graduated, but that was a few years back. He sent me a letter to let me know that NERV had hired him, a few months after I got my position here. That was about it." She gave Jason a conspiratorial look. "Is he still as much of a slacker as he was in school?"

"Slacker? No… he's always very serious about his duties. Such as they are, anyway – since America doesn't have to deal with Angel attacks, his 'duties' are mostly administrative. He did most of the work in lobbying for funding from private corporations, keeping the support of President Schroeder's administration… you know? Captain Dillinger always complains about the amount of paperwork he has to deal with…" here he saw Misato nod sympathetically, "…but I haven't heard of him getting in trouble over anything, so he must get it done on time." He shrugged. "Certainly not a slacker." A thought crossed his mind and he grinned evilly. "Is this something I can hold over his head when I get back?"

Misato laughed. "I'd say yes, but then he'd probably tell you all sorts of stories about me. I think I'll play it safe."

"Slacker?"

If anything, her smile got even wider. "You're not much on protocol, are you?" she asked, still smiling.

"Ah… sorry. Captain Dillinger was pretty relaxed about it, just so long as it didn't interfere with duties."

"I don't mind. But Rits… Maya may have different opinions on the matter." Jason caught the slip, but wasn't sure what to make of it. "Rits…" That must be Ritsuko Akagi. I wonder if Misato could tell me what that note meant... Thinking about this, he almost missed Misato's next question. "Do you know Mark pretty well?"

"Not at first. It's a bit of a long story, but…"

"We've got time." Jason took Misato at her word; the steel corridors and moving walkways all looked alike to him. She'd been right. If he'd tried to find his way through on his own, he would have been hopelessly lost in short order.

"I'll try to give you the short version, then. My mom had been a technician at NERV for a couple of years, and as part of standard procedure they ran a full battery of tests on all members of her family – which was just me, by that point. I guess that's how I ended up being tapped out as a Child. There was actually a group of candidates – they had us get together, ran more tests, did psych profiling or whatever it is they do… Anyway, we all met Captain Dillinger then. He wasn't really involved in the testing, but one day he came to our class to see what NERV had given him to work with. His words there, not mine. Kinda cold, and we didn't know he was joking at the time, so we were all a little bit afraid of him.

"Well, my mom died in a car crash at about that time, and a day or two later I found out that I'd been selected… making me a ward of NERV. It was pretty scary for me… they took me out of my house and set me up in a one-room apartment actually on the base. I didn't have any friends, really, and… well, Captain Dillinger ended up becoming my friend. Always came by to check up on me, ask what I was doing, and so on. He found out that I liked video games, and from then on we'd deathmatch whenever we were both free. It surprised me at first, since he was so different from that first impression I'd had of him… but we got along really well, and it made things easier when I had to start working with him."

Emotion flashed across Misato's eyes for an instant – was it envy? – but it was gone too quickly to be sure. "Your records said you didn't stay on the base for very long, right?" she asked.

Jason shook his head. "No, after a couple of months Captain Dillinger pulled some strings and got me moved to another house, where I lived with a friend of the family. She's only a couple of years older than me, but she'd been living on her own for a while. She actually volunteered to have her place wired with surveillance stuff so that they'd let her take me." He sighed. "Well, that was it. I lived there for the rest of the year, until yesterday."

"Were you two close?" Misato inquired. "You and this girl… her name's Rachel, right?"

"Yeah," Jason answered. "Well, we weren't real close at first – friendly enough, but… anyway, once we started living together we got to know each other a little better." He smiled at the memory. "We used to argue and fight all the time at first. Originally I hadn't even wanted to live with her. But I got used to it, and we warmed up to each other over time." Again there was that longing in her eyes; what was she thinking? "Anyway, I bet it's the same for you, huh? I mean, the Second and Third Children don't seem like the type to get along too well."

There was an instantaneous tightening around her eyes; his statement had hit a nerve, although Misato tried to cover it with a weak smile. "It was, you know? But… well, there's been some trouble lately, and nobody's in very good shape."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, curious. "Or is this… classified?"

"It's not exactly pleasant. You'll find out the details soon. After all, this is what you're getting into; you may as well be prepared."

Jason thought of the Fifth Child's blank record, and a chill ran down his spine.

( >)

The orange rays of the sun lit the side of the brick structure, their color deepening as the day waned. The light etched strange, vaguely disturbing shadows in the crevices between the bricks, and outlined the raised letters in the building's sign: A Thousand Paths: Gnostic Congregation. Immediately beneath them, in much smaller characters, was the address: 254.

Kaoru felt the corner of his mouth curl up slightly. It was… an interesting place for his Fallen adversary to meet him. Perhaps it was intended to throw him off-balance. Certainly, some of his angelic brethren would never have deigned to enter a place such as this. The angel Tabris, on the other hand, had no such reservations; indeed, he found the ideas practiced within to be intriguing, even refreshing. They were, after all, another extension of free will.

Briefly he wondered if it was wise to simply respond to the invitation as requested. It was obviously a trap; his assailant had set the meeting place in ground that he controlled, and had had all the time in the world to prepare defenses. On the other hand… it was almost too obvious to be a trap. If the enemy was planning to kill him… well, there'd been ample opportunity while he was being treated. For all her spunk, Kaoru doubted that the doctor would have posed much difficulty. Even if the attacker had been worried about civilian casualties – a strange idea, but Kaoru was not prepared to dismiss it when dealing with the Fallen – he had clearly known where Kaoru was. It would have been a simple manner to ambush him en route.

No. His Fallen opponent had led him to this place intentionally… and he was willing to gamble that the intention hadn't been treacherous.

Not too treacherous, at least. Before, Kaoru had been caught off his guard. If he remained on his toes this time, however… something could be gained from this.

Kaoru fingered the knife in his pocket, belatedly wondering if he should have looked for a better weapon. It was too late for that now. With steady hands he grasped the simple wooden doors and pushed them inward.

Instead of pews, the Gnostic church was equipped with ordinary metal folding chairs, a practical choice, able to be easily rearranged when necessary. At the moment they were set up in a circle: a formation intended to promote open conversation between people on an equal footing, with no one participant elevated above the others. The man who had attacked Kaoru in the grocery store reclined in one of the seats, holding a position that must have been extremely uncomfortable, although he showed no sign of it. He grinned as Kaoru stepped into the circle.

"You're late."

Kaoru smiled carefully, doing his best to affect an attitude of pained humor. "It's not easy to make good time with a hole in your stomach."

"Excuses," the other snorted, hopping to his feet. Kaoru took a reflexive step back, but the man didn't make any threatening moves; he merely folded his hands behind him and looked at the angel, head tilted slightly to one side. "I've got to admit," he said, "it was a major surprise to bump into you here."

Kaoru kept up his poker face, but beneath the surface his mind was working overtime. The man who had attacked him had been chaotic, animal-like in his movements… this man, the one that he faced now… seemed normal, articulate in his speech and graceful when he stepped out of the circle and began to walk around it. What was going on?

Keeping the conversation moving along methodically, like a game of chess, he spoke. "There had been… rumors that one of you would be showing up."

"One of us." The other man laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You honestly can't recognize me, can you? I mean, back in that store you didn't even act like there was anything weird. Right up until I stabbed you, at least."

"You are one of the Fallen," Kaoru replied simply.

The man rolled his eyes. "You just figured that out, genius? I'm disappointed. I'd have thought you would have remembered, after all we've been through… Tabris."

Kaoru knew that the enemy had identified him, of course, but in his current form his own perceptions of others were limited. "Enlighten me," he requested, smiling.

"I'm of half a mind not to, just to spite you… but this just got a bit more interesting." The man thought for a moment, then continued. "We met once, on the battlefield. It was during one of the less interesting parts of the wars, which is why I remembered… But I saw you from a distance, at first. Your behavior attracted me. Saraquel commanded you at the time, and you were one of his more effective captains… but your own underlings had trouble serving you. You saw nothing wrong with significantly… revising your orders upon reaching the field if you found it necessary.

"I saw you, then, and I saw the chance to make a great statement. I strode towards you across the field, the banner of Hell above me, and demanded that you step forward. None of your flunkies knew what to make of it when you came out and met me without getting permission from up top. I wanted so bad to laugh at them… but that wouldn't have made the right impression on you, eh?"

"Azazel…" Kaoru breathed, comprehension coming as the other spoke.

"The same. And I made you an offer. Do you remember?"

"I do," Kaoru said truthfully. "I considered it…"

"…and refused," Azazel finished. "It doesn't matter. The offer still stands…" Kaoru was already shaking his head at this, "…but that's not what I'm here for."

"You want to interfere with what's happening here."

Azazel raised a finger and waggled it chidingly at the angel. "Oh, no. I already have interfered."

Kaoru stared. "You attacked me. Was that your plan? To eliminate me somehow? Or…"

Azazel laughed as though amused by a child's prattle. "Oh, you're thinking on far too small a scale. Look beyond your own little sphere for a minute, will you? Give me some credit."

Kaoru racked his brain for possible explanations, but came up with only one: "The attack today…"

The only response was ironic applause. "Bingo. Much as I hate to brag…" Here Kaoru raised an eyebrow, and Azazel laughed. "Alright. I love to brag. But still, I think I'm not demanding too much glory when I say that I saved Tokyo-3 today."

"Saved…?" Kaoru felt a faint twinge of anger, but silenced it at once. "You stopped the attack?"

"Your friend Shinji must have fought well, but I can't really deny that. Still, if the MP-EVAs hadn't been distracted in mid-battle, they would have been too much for even his skill."

"What did you do?"

"I taught them what it was like to be somebody."

Kaoru stared without comprehension for a moment; when it came, he gave an involuntary start. "You gave them souls? Whose?"

Azazel shook his head. "I gave them a soul. And as for its source…" For the first time he looked troubled; at last he raised a finger and tapped it against his own chest.

"You?" Kaoru broke in, incredulous. "You divided your own soul? Are you insane?"

The Fallen's eyes were serious. "I don't believe so, in spite of what many of your kind must think. No, I thought this through quite clearly. I've got to say, it worked better than I expected. You have to admit, those monsters cleared out of here real quick once they all woke up."

"What about the side effects?"

Azazel nodded. "Very unpleasant. It's like listening to a record with a crack in it… you've done that, haven't you?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "Everything sounds fine… but then you suddenly hit this distortion and it's absolutely hideous. Then when it clears up, you find that you're spinning your wheels, unable to move forward. It's hard to work your way around."

"When you attacked me…" Kaoru began.

"I wasn't entirely myself at the time," Azazel admitted. "Still, it was good that you survived. That way I could bring you here."

"Why?"

"It's really not that hard to understand. From the inside, at least. On the outside I'll bet it's pretty incomprehensible. Let me… let… let me put it this way." Sweat broke out on Azazel's brow; he took a deep breath before going on. "I think… think… that we can… tr… trust y..."

Kaoru stepped back in alarm as the Fallen collapsed to his knees, panting for breath. "Azazel? What's wrong?"

"Happ… happening again…" the demon gasped. "Listen… to me… you have… have to…"

He gave a shuddering cry and fell to the ground, where he lay twitching slightly at the circle's periphery. A moment later he leaped to his feet with unexpected energy. Kaoru felt his heart leap into his throat as Azazel regarded him with a distinctly predatory air.

"Have to die," he said.

"Azazel," Kaoru tried, "listen to me. We need to talk about this. I need to…"

"Angel scum!" Azazel roared. "Slaving bastard! Need to die now!" With that, he dropped to a crouch and lunged, his fingers hooking like claws.

It was automatic. The knife appeared in Kaoru's hand… and almost before he realized what he was doing, it was over.

Azazel staggered backwards and sank heavily into a chair, blood beginning to spread from the wound in his chest. He laughed; the sound now had a rasping quality, but the strange fire was gone from his eyes. "I guess you haven't… completely lost your touch," he managed.

"Azazel…"

"Don't bother," Azazel muttered. "It happened a bit sooner than I expected, but… I knew it would come down to this sooner or later. Nothing for you to worry about." He winced. "But… damn. If I'd known it hurt this bad, I wouldn't have done it to you like that…"

"Azazel, why do this?" Kaoru asked again.

"What? Why… let you stab me?" Azazel tapped his chest again. "This… is my trump card. Come over here; even you can probably… feel it."

Cautiously, Kaoru stepped forward. Azazel watched him impatiently, but made no aggressive moves. Kaoru reached out and laid a hand on his chest, just about the protruding knife…

Kill kill kill rend and destroy revenge strength kill devour destroy…

Kaoru tore his hand away with an effort. "You didn't…"

Azazel nodded. "Don't look so surprised, hey? It's… not like you hadn't… done that before yourself. All fifteen of you… all of you did just the same thing."

"But this," Kaoru protested, "this is just… mindless…"

"Less risk this way, right?" Azazel countered. "The core only holds the most primal and aggressive portion of my soul… but it won't be looking for Adam this way."

"But the Evangelions…"

"Should be able to handle it," Azazel finished. "And NERV will have an enemy to fight once again. It'll come together…"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"The offer still stands, remember. You want to make a difference here, right? So… so do we. So… I think you can play this… game… with us."

"What do you mean, 'game'?"

"There's going to be more, Tabris. More of us will be coming. We're going to steer humanity… towards a better way."

Kaoru shook his head violently. "They don't need you to choose a path for them!"

"No? Well, I suppose that's what you're here for… you're the wild card."

"I don't understand."

"Too bad for you," Azazel grunted. With an effort he pulled the knife from his chest. He gagged slightly; blood trickled slowly from his mouth. He held the knife out to Kaoru, who reluctantly took it. "This body… will be gone… before long. You'd better get out of here…"

Kaoru opened his mouth, then shut it again. He found he didn't know what to say. Finally he turned and ran out the door, shutting it behind him.

Azazel relaxed slightly as he left, a faint smile playing across his mouth. "It's good to be fighting the good fight again," he rasped. "Things are getting interesting. But now we'll see if this… Shinji… can hold his own."

Author's Notes

It's been an ungodly long time, and I really don't know if anybody's even going to pay attention to this… but you know something? I find that it doesn't bother me that much.

In any case, here's chapter two (shudder) of Divine Intervention. Some more events, a little more miscommunicated emotion, a new Child (the horror) and hopefully enough promise to keep people waiting for the next installment.

As an aside… I actually named the character Jason Lee without even being aware of the actor of the same name. Shortly thereafter, I "discovered" the real person. God DAMN, but that's embarrassing… Anyway, I'll probably be leaving his name the way it is, nonetheless.

C&C are appreciated. Akodo Tim did a preread on part of this chapter a LONG time ago. That part hasn't changed much since then…

Until next time…