Oh my gosh, you guys would not believe how tired I am. My head hurts! My grandmother is in the hospital! And I've barely slept because I've been trying to get this chapter out! Ugh! I'm like... ded, yo. So... lmfao, I hate to say this buuuuuuuut… I'm probs gonna skip review responses again. I am so tired, you would not believe it! AND I STILL NEED TO TYPE UP THE CHAPTER PREVIEW!

Oh, and uh, happy Halloween! Don't throw away your candy corn! Give it to me instead!

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Text Guide

Standard Wording

"Spoken Dialogue/Speech"

'Internal Dialogue/Thoughts'

(Flashbacks)

/

[Slash denotes scene transition for the moment; this may be changed in the future so as to become more visible.]

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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit off of Neon Genesis Evangelion, End Of Evangelion, or the Rebuilds of Evangelion. I do not own Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Sohryu, or any of the other characters/ideas from the Evangelion intellectual property collective. All licenses remain with the proper license holders. If asked to, I will formally remove this story from the hosting website.

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*Cruel Angel's Thesis and Eva intro starts playing*


Neon Genesis Evangelion

A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love

Chapter 25

Starry Eyed and Falling Stars

.

:Approximately 0200 Hours Coordinated Universal Time:

:Approximately 1100 Hours Japan Standard Time:

:Approximately ∇ 2:51 Lunar Standard Time:

:Location - Earth's Moon, 8.5°N, 31.4°E, Mare Tranquillitatis, 7th Branch of NERV, Base Tabgha:

.

"So, this is where the… other ones are built?" Fuyutsuki asked with audible distaste as he glared out the window of the space craft he shared with Gendo.

"Indeed," Gendo said in an uninterested tone.

"I would have expected an order of self proclaimed prophets to surround themselves with the fruits of man's enlightenment. And, I suppose they have in a way. But, even for how advanced it is, Tabgha still seems so rudimentary."

"Even so, I'm sure they still have passable climate control and running water." Gendo mumbled as he looked over some information on a holographic touchscreen.

"Do I even want to ask how much it costs to ship water up here? And clean water at that!," Fuyutsuki asked in disbelief as he gazed at the planet in the distance that used to be blue a decade and a half ago.

"Seele… has their ways," was all Gendo said in reply.

"It's hard to accept that's our mother earth… It breaks my heart to even look at it," Fuyutsuki mumbled sadly as he refused to take his eyes off the massive red cross that stood tall at the southernmost pole of his home planet. Even two hundred thousand miles from Earth, the remnants of second impact could still be seen as clearly a looking through polished glass.

"It's even worse knowing that there are other human beings that wanted this outcome; to see the extinction of their own species in order to cleanse the Earth of original sin."

"I prefer the living chaos of man instead of that barren wasteland of death," Fuyutsuki mourned out loud as has finally took his eyes off Earth.

"Chaos is merely a human construct. The world only knows it's own natural law of harmony and order."

"So, you're saying it's the human heart that throws the world into confusion?"

"Precisely. Without man, the world would not know strife. At least not the way it does now."

Fuyutsuki sighed as he looked back out the window of the space craft.

"Perhaps you're right. Here we are, not even a hundred feet over Tabgha Moon Base, and yet they still won't allow us to land. Seele can be nasty when they want to."

Gendo removed his gaze from the datapad he was holding and now too looked out over the piercing white landscape surrounding Tabgha.

"They're clearly using a new method of construction for Mark.06 and for the other seven as well. Just confirming that is enough," Gendo said

"Until today, I didn't realize there were any more plans for construction after Unit-05."

"For all we know, there could be further undisclosed Apocrypha. Seele is intent to follow the scripture of the Dead Sea Scrolls. And that could mean that they are working on even more than just these thirteen behind our backs."

"But Seele can't be oblivious to our plans. They must be aware of… your goals."

"They most certainly are," Gendo said as sure as ever, "But we can't allow that to alter the course of our path, even if that ultimately means acting against the word of God."

Gendo then returned to his seat on the shuttle and resumed looking over the infopad he'd left behind a few moments earlier.

Fuyutsuki paused to think, wondering just how he and everyone else at NERV was supposed to survive the coming days. The three Evangelions that Japan possessed were already powerhouses individually. Though only one of them was an actual production model, any and all of them could flatten an entire city if turned against a human adversary. But sometimes, even the three of them with their combined might had a hard time fending off even one angel.

Of course, if worse came to worse and if time permitted, Japan could always call on one of the other branches of NERV to supplement their arsenal of Evangelions, though Japan couldn't issue orders to any Units besides 00 through 02 as per the Vatican Treaty's stipulations that attempted to maintain a balance of power between each country owning an Evangelion by limiting their operational capacity to no more than three active units at a time.

Perhaps it seemed nonsensical to impose such a limit when one was at war with alien monstrosities. But humans are wont to turn their greatest weapons on each other and it would be foolish to assume that each country would dismantle their Evangelions after all the angels had come and gone.

No, each country would obviously have wanted to keep their godlike super weapons. And so, humans would prove once more that they themselves are their own greatest enemy.

And even if humans weren't fated to turn on each other, Japan was the only country on Earth to possess and maintain a full triumvirate of Evas. What support could Japan realistically call for in the event that they did need more than the three Evas they had?

The United States possessed two Evas. Unit-03, which was a production model not unlike Unit-02, and therefore boasted similar combat capabilities, functionality, and technological compatibility. But, it was the U.S.'s second Eva that had remained frightening and a mystery during the past few months.

Rumors had begun to blow through that Evangelion Mark.04 was a Next-Gen Testbed that would usher in the next line of production models in the Eva Series and that it ran off a new experimental power source referred to as a Super Solenoid Engine which was supposedly reverse engineered, if not straight up adapted and retrofitted, from the core of the Fourth Angel.

All of that was fine and dandy. This new power source was capable, in many reports, of eliminating the need for an internal rechargeable battery or an umbilical cable. But, the advancements also came with their own host of problems. And, the word on the street and in the halls of NERV HQ was that Mark.04 was terribly unstable and barely fit for testing, much less active combat and sorties, which ultimately restricted the U.S. to only one Eva that was combat ready and one that was… unreliable in the best of situations.

If it was dangerous to activate and sync up with a normal Eva, it was a nightmarish minefield to even turn on and start booting up Mark.04.

And what made the rumors of Mark.04's development even more frightful was that Provisional Unit-05 had apparently detonated above Bethany Base in Acheron with the mysterious circumstances of the event remaining shrouded after certain higher ups stepped in to preform their own investigation. Gendo and a very few others knew it was actually Seele coming in to cover up what had happened, obviously trying to sweep the catastrophe under the rug, and that no investigation was ever actually commenced.

Up until recently, Bethany Base had supposedly been a research and development facility somewhere in the Arctic Ocean run jointly by the 3rd branch of NERV in Germany and the fledgling Russian NERV branch. But, after Provisional Unit-05's detonation and the subsequent near total destruction of Base Bethany, it was obvious that R&D was not on the top of their list of things to do with so many repairs to be done, assuming the facility was even salvageable after such an event.

Nothing was known for sure about what exactly had happened at Bethany Base. But, thanks to Kaji and his previous deployment at NERV-3, Gendo and subsequently, Fuyutsuki, were aware that Provisional Unit-05 was undergoing testing for several different kinds of alternative power supply methods. One such method being a set of charged rails that delivered electricity to the Eva when it came in contact with them.

But, Gendo wasn't concerned with that. The method that really caught Gendo's eye was a mysterious new sort of energy supply resembling a red sphere that was implanted into the Eva and allowed it to function indefinitely. And, if Kaji's information was right, this was indeed Seele's second attempt at creating what was effectively an infinite source of energy, the core of an angel; a super solenoid engine. Though, obviously, an artificial man-made one.

If that proved to be true, it wasn't surprising it could have caused Provisional Unit-05 to self destruct unintentionally. It was obviously new technology, and very foreign and unstable new technology at that. And if the presumably less powerful synthetic version of the Super Solenoid Engine was that unstable… it was no wonder the U.S. was wary of activating Evangelion Mark.04 if its own energy source was indeed the excised core of the fourth angel. With such an unstable object being the wellspring of it's output, there was no telling what could happen if the Eva's energy consumption suddenly fluctuated or if the Eva was hit or jostled the wrong way. It too could detonate… or worse.

At the end of the day, there wasn't much back up for Japan if they ever needed more than three Eva Units. NERV HQ already possessed three Evas, and so the facility in Matsushiro couldn't house their own, and instead acted as nothing more than a logistical and support base with their own set of Magi computers and only two Eva hangars complete with a third one under construction now that Unit-02 resided in Japan.

NERV-1, NERV-2 and the U.S., despite putting a lot of faith in military might, also put a lot of faith in having the best and above the bar military might. And, as a consequence, now had a highly advanced, but also highly problematic machine in the form of Mark.04 and a rather average, if not a still intimidating, Evangelion in Unit-03.

Germany on the other hand, despite being one of the few countries that had the means to work with and command Evangelions, had none. Unit-02, which had been shipped to Japan, was their first and Provisional Unit-05 was their last and had effectively been destroyed as a result of the unclear timeline of events that had occurred in Acheron, Cocytus, and the rest of Bethany Base.

And the other branches of NERV weren't much better off than NERV-3 in Germany. China, Russia, and Australia, despite having connections to NERV, had no Evangelions to call their own.

Japan, and it's three Evas, were, in practicality, their own first and last line of defense.

But, for Fuyutsuki, all these answers and facts only unraveled a yarn of new questions that only grew longer with every reason, motive, justification, and action that provided a new answer.

As he gazed out the window over the surface of the moon, before him was a line of massive and unretrofitted Evangelions.

Mark.06, the one closest to the space craft he was in, had gargantuan blue and yellow plates of armor hanging over it as well as a menacing and angular headpiece looming in front of its face.

Just that one Eva would have been enough to horrify any man. But, there were an additional set of them laid out in front of him for what seemed like several miles. And, he couldn't possibly understand why, even with the threat of the angels, NERV needed so many Evas. Three, despite pushing the limit occasionally, had proven sufficient for now.

But, even more than that, if only a few countries could actually support the heavy economic and military responsibilities of an Eva, and each country permitted to own one could only own three at most, why were there enough Evas for almost several entire countries being built? And why were they all on a rock in the middle of space that was only a fraction the size of Earth?

If three Evas had been enough to stave off the angels so far… what on Earth or in the vast universe could prompt NERV to construct so many additional ones in secret?

"Ikari… what could they… possibly intend to use all these for?! Surely these aren't replacements! And, if they are, the Vatican Treaty can't be so strict as to prevent us from building them on Earth? If it is, we really must find some way to have it revised."

"I have several rough ideas for what they potentially could be used for. But, to be honest, I don't know."

"But…" Fuyutsuki said before trailing off and sighing defeatedly.

Before long, he found himself starring out the window again. But, as the spacecraft drifted closer to Mark.06, he noticed something peculiar on the Eva's finger tip.

"Ikari?"

"Yes?"

"I think you should see this."

"What is it?" Commander Ikari groaned as he once more got out of his seat and looked out the window. His jaw dropped, but only slightly, even though it was still enough for Fuyutsuki to notice out of the corner of his eye.

"A person?" Fuyutsuki asked in disbelief, "Surely not!"

Gendo could find no words to express himself. But a seething scowl grew out of his lips as he saw a shirtless boy in black pants with silver hair sitting casually on the finger of Mark.06. And he squinted in anger as the boy turned to look at him, mouthing something indiscernible and unhearable in the airless space between Mark.06's hand and the spacecraft Gendo and Fuyutsuki were in.

/

-Unyielding as The Earth-

/

:Several Days Earlier:

:1200 Hours Japan Standard Time:

:Location - Japan, 35.19°N, 139.02°E, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo-3, Rooftop of Tokyo-3 General Graduates Academy:

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"I still can't believe you didn't know how to make a double decker ultra bacon protector before this morning!" Asuka snorted as she opened her lunchbox, starving and ready to eat the lunch Shinji had prepared for her this morning.

"Asuka! I've never even heard of a double decker ultra bacon protector before! How'd you expect me to know how to make it!?" Shinji asked submissively while pulling out some succulent stir fried beef for himself.

"Well, you're the premier cook, even if I did win our cooking contest!" Asuka huffed as she got in Shinji's face.

"Oh, shi- I been meaning to tell you, Sohryu! You didn't win that contest!" Toji said, his mouth full with his roast beef sandwich

"I DIDN'T!? I DID TOO! HOW DARE YOU! YOU EVEN VOTED FOR ME, SUZUHARA!"

"Ey, Shinji, what's she going on about this super mountain bacon tower something or other?" Toji asked Shinji while entirely disregarding Asuka.

"Uh, It's just some breakfast sandwich thing she wanted me to make for her this morning."

"JUST SOME BREAKFAST SANDWICH!?" Asuka asked in offended disbelief, "It's not just some breakfast sandwich. It's THE breakfast sandwich! Its an entire omelet with with whole black peppercorns, mellow but very smokey cheddar cheese, pepper-crusted turkey, onions, tomatoes, Serrano peppers-"

"Okay, that's a lot of things that aren't bacon for a sandwich called the Bacon Smoke Detector," Toji stated in confusion!

"IT'S THE DOUBLE DECKER ULTRA BACON PROTECTOR! ALL THE OTHER STUFF IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE BACON, WHICH IS WHY IT'S CALLED THE BACON PROTECTOR AND NOT THE PROTECTOR MADE OF BACON, YOU IDIOT, SUZUHARA! AND I WAS GETTING TO THE BACON! But, yeah, bacon. Lots of bacon! And all of it is in the omelet and you just put the omelet on some toasted ciabatta bread and it's just so perfect and amazing!"

"Geez, it sounds like it must be if you're willing to scream about it this much!" Toji mumbled as he unplugged his fingers from his ears.

"It is! And Shinji here didn't know how to cook it until I told him how!"

"Hey, I tried my best, okay!" Shinji said in an attempt to defend himself.

"Yeah, I guess you did. And it turned out pretty good for your first time. But… you still forgot the turkey."

"I didn't forget! I already told you! We just didn't have any!"

"Then why didn't you go buy any!?" Asuka asked as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"We had to go to school!"

Asuka had a smug looking smirk on her face as she shrugged and shook her head back and forth in disappointment.

"Shame… It really is a shame. If you'd put turkey in it, it would have been so good, even Ayanami would have said wow if she tasted it."

"You're wrong." Rei mumbled quietly into her cup of red miso soup.

Suddenly, Asuka seemed ticked off as she squinted her annoyed and angry eyes.

"What was that!?" Asuka growled quietly.

"I do not consume meat."

"See!? SEE, SHINJI!? This is why I'm not okay with you dating her! This is why I don't want her coming to our house!"

"Ey, what's it matter to you who he dates!?" Toji asked accusingly.

"Uh, Toji! Maybe we just shouldn't-" Kensuke hissed under his breath as a suggestion.

"It matters to me because WHOEVER HE DATES IS SOMEONE I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH since he LIVES WITH ME!" Asuka snapped back at Toji!

"Yeah, but Asuka, she barely even comes over. Why even make a big deal over it?" Shinji said mopingly.

"You have been spending time at my residence. But, you are not required to if you do not wish to," Rei also added in.

Asuka couldn't tell if Rei was insulting her, taunting her, or just stating a fact, but whatever it was, it was starting to infuriate her.

"Look! Just- Just- Just don't- Urgh!" Asuka fumed before simply stomping off.

"Asuka! Hey! Wait!" Shinji called out to her as he started to get up and chase after her.

Toji quickly put his hand on Shinji's shoulder and pulled him back down though.

"Just let her go, man. You can't make everyone happy. Especially not people like her."

Shinji relented and remained seated, but he still couldn't help thinking of Asuka.

'Asuka...'

/

:Present Day:

:Approximately 0900 Hours Japan Standard Time:

:Location - Japan, 35.24°N, 138.99°E, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo-3, NERV HQ, War Room of the Geofront:

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"So..." Ritsuko said simply as she entered the war room which Misato was currently planning in, though it seemed more like the woman was sulking or brooding rather than strategizing.

"So..." Misato said back in a more serious tone than was usually fitting for her.

"Well, this dredges up a few memories..."

"Like?"

"Operation Yashima… Which I still think you should have gotten a promotion for by the way," Ritsuko said as she handed Misato a steaming cup of coffee, "It's funny though. Because I heard some of the higher ups saying that… maybe a promotion was in order. Colonel if I heard right. Which is weird if I'm being honest. You'd basically be skipping over Major and Lieutenant Colonel. Usually, that's not allowed. But, you have done some pretty extraordinary things..."

Misato looked down at the mug of coffee, grimacing seeing that it was black and not cremed.

It was obviously straight from the Geofront's infamous and sometimes too rowdy rec room, hence why some had taken to calling it the Wreck Room instead of the recreational room since the place was often times left in a riotously disheveled state after almost every victory NERV sealed over the angels. But, miraculously, the top of the line coffee machine had never once been broken or damaged despite the over-the-top activities that often times occurred dangerously near it. And that was truly a blessing.

If the whispers were true, it was a custom coffee machine designed specifically by NERV. That would make it no mere kitchen appliance but a true, and likely expensive, scientific endeavor.

But no amount of advanced culinary hardware could make Misato look forward to drinking black coffee, even if God was in his heaven and all was right with the world.

'God is in his heaven and all is right with the world… Why'd they pick that motto for their tag line? Especially for a place like NERV, where nothing ever seems to go right?' Misato wondered as she examined the information that had been collected on the war room table regarding the most recent angel that had shown up not even an hour ago.

"So, since no one's promoted me yet, you thought you'd bring me some coffee, huh?"

"And some intel," Ritsuko said as she casually tossed a couple more files down on the illuminated war room table.

"Anything new?" Misato grumbled as she picked up the file

"The Magi have predicted it will make landfall somewhere in or around Tokyo-3, just as we suspected. But, it appears it can alter its trajectory, so it's hard to know exactly where. On top of that, its AT field is immensely powerful going by our most recent measurements. N2 Mines or Cruise Missiles can't even touch it. There's just no way they'll be able to get through its AT Field. I'm really worried actually. The underground shelters won't be enough if this thing decides to plow into the ground at the velocity it's going. ...Should we evacuate the city?"

"I don't think there's enough time. We'd never be able to get everyone out by the time we had to deploy the Evas. And I don't want a bunch of civilians making it hard for the pilots to do their jobs. ...the kids are on their way, right?"

"Someone from Section-2 picked them up awhile ago. They're headed here now."

"Good," Misato sighed.

"So… what're we gonna do, Colonel?"

"You're not gonna like it."

"Oh, great," Ritsuko groaned as she rolled her eyes, "I believe you. But, maybe try spitting it out before making my mind up for me?"

"We… are going to capture it."

"Capture it?" Ritsuko asked, obviously taken aback, "Capture it how? And for what reason? Is there some reason we're capturing it instead of killing it?"

"No! I mean, we are going to kill it! But, we're going to capture it first!"

"I'm… really not following you."

"I mean like we're gonna catch it! Like, before it hits the ground!"

Ritsuko gave Misato a look conveying that she didn't believe she could possibly be serious.

"Okay… Catch it… How!? With what!?"

"With the Evas."

"Misato… What!?" Ritsuko asked still not understanding exactly what the woman was suggesting.

"I am going to have the pilots positioned at several locations so that they can try to intercept it wherever it could possibly land. Once they're under it, they'll spread their AT fields and stop it from hitting the ground."

"Misato… That's going to do nothing at all! That's just going to get our pilots killed and the angel is going to break into the Geofront anyways if it doesn't crash into it in the first place! This plan sounds like something a four year old would come up with! No! This is to desperate to even call a plan!"

"Yeah! Except, when the Eva's max out their AT fields, it should divert most of the angel's uh… force-"

"Kinetic energy! Yes, I know! It could do that. Or, the angel's own AT field could completely neutralize the Evas' AT fields and crush them, our pilots, the Geofront, and make all of Tokyo-3 and the surrounding countryside a part of the Pacific Ocean!"

"Well, what else do you want me to do!? You just want me to let it break into NERV and end the world!? Its AT Field is too strong for the Positron Cannon. And the Evas can't fight very well in aerial environments... We'll just have to make sure the pilots' sync rates are as high as possible. This is my duty! It's my responsibility, Ritsuko!" Misato growled.

"Your- Your responsibility!? You mean your grudge! Don't think you can fool me, Misato. I've known you too long! You're risking everything for this vendetta of yours! This is just vengeance to you and that's all it ever was, no matter how hard you try to hide it from me," Ritsuko spat angrily.

Misato looked back down at the table, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"I don't have any choice!"

"Misato, be realistic! It would take a miracle for this to succeed!"

"I am being realistic! We're going to make our own miracle."

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, COLONEL KATSURAGI!"

"I'm the Operations Director… We're doing this my way."

/

-The Value of a Miracle Is-

/

:September 13th, Year 2000, Common Era:

:Approximately 1000 Hours Greenwich Mean Time:

:Location - Antarctica, 78.75°S, 170.51°E, The Ross Ice Shelf, Approximately 350 Miles West of The Transantarctic Mountains, The Coast of the Austral Ocean:

.

"Misato!? NO, MISATO!" A man yelled.

Misato groaned. There was a pain in her chest and she was barely lucid. She could feel a warm syrupy liquid enveloping her torso, slowly coagulating in the cold antarctic air. Her ears were ringing and her bones felt like glass.

'Cold… So… cold. Hurts. It hurts.'

"Oh my god, Misato! Mis- Misato! I'm so sorry!"

"Fath… er… It hurts," Misato choked out as tears streamed down the side of her face.

"I know. I know, baby," The man said as he stroked her cheek with tears now spilling out of his own eyes as well.

/

:A Few Minutes Earlier:

.

"WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING ME WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" Misato shouted as she ripped her hand free from her father's grip.

"Misato, please, can we talk about this later!? Please!? You need to go!"

"THIS IS WHY MOM DOESN'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE! YOU NEVER TELL ANYONE WHAT'S WRONG! YOU NEVER SAY WHY YOU CAN'T BE WITH US! ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS YOUR WORK!"

"THAT'S NOT- Misato, that's not true!" the man said while trying to calm himself, "Please! Can we please not do this right now!? I'm begging you! Please!"

Misato made a "tch" sound in protest as she scuffed her boot on the icy ground.

A man in a black puff coat approached the pair, trying to shout something over the howling Antarctic winds.

"MAERO! DOCTOR KATSURAGI!" the man said, shouting his throat raw, "SOMETHING IS GOING WRONG WITH THE CONTACT EXPERIMENT! WE NEED YOUR COUNSEL IMMEDIATELY!"

Maero cupped his gloved hands around his mouth and shouted back to the man.

"I'LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!"

"WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE!" The man shouted again, sounding more frantic this time.

Suddenly, a massive, warped, crystalline, cracking sound echoed through the ice, and the portion of ground that Misato and Maero were standing on dropped almost a foot.

Misato fell to her knees, whimpering as her adrenaline started to kick in. Her heart was beating a million times a second and her breathing became shallow as fear started to set in.

"Misato, get up! Run! RUN! WE HAVE TO GET TO THE DOCKS," Misato's father screamed as he leaned down to pull her up before dragging her along with him.

"Dad! DAD, WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" Misato cried.

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"DOCTOR KATSURAGI!? WHERE ARE YOU GOING!? DOCTOR KATSURAGI?!" The man in the black coat screamed as he watched Doctor Katsuragi and his daughter flee.

The man then turned around and looked back at the other members of the research team. He began waving his hands, trying to signal for them to run.

"HEY! HEEEEEEYYY! RUN! GET OUTTA HERE! WE GOTTA GO!"

Though, none of the other researchers could hear him over the keening of the wind and the groaning of the crumpling ice.

One of the expeditionists began running towards the man in order to hear him better. But before they could take more than a few steps, a blinding beam of ethereal light shot out of the ice, enveloping the small group of people and vaporizing them before fading away, leaving a gaping chasm in the ice sheet next to the camp where the research team had previously resided.

"Oh, hell..." The man said as the smell of burnt flesh quickly breached his senses.

A muffled roar could be heard coming out of the ice cavity, though it was loud enough it probably could have been heard even without a hole leading right to whatever was making the sound.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SOUND?" Misato screamed as she held tightly onto her father's hand.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! JUST KEEP RUNNING, MISATO!"

Misato and her father were nearing the make-shift dock. Even though it was relatively new and installed only recently, it still seemed run down and shoddy. And the black metal it was composed of stood in stark contrast to the glistening white hell-scape that was the Ross Dependency.

"Okay! Look! We're almost there!" Maero said as he squeezed Misato's small cold hands, "Now, listen! When we get there, I need you to get in a life pod and I'll make sure you're safe. And no matter what, do not opened the safety hatch until-"

Misato once again tore herself from her father's hand and stopped.

"So… you're not coming with me?"

"Only one person can fit-"

"I'M SMALL ENOUGH! WE COULD BOTH GO TOGETHER!

"Misato… If we did fit, it would only be barely. And it's an airtight seal and the capsule can only hold so much oxygen."

"I DON'T CARE!" Misato cried as she collapsed on the ground, losing her will to move.

"Misato, please! I'll be right behind you. I promise! But, we have to hurry or neither of us are going to make it out of here! So, Misato, please just get up," Maero said as he knelt down in front of his daughter, offering her his hand once more.

Misato slowly placed her tiny hand in his and he pulled her up.

"Mom said… she wanted you to come home with-"

But before Misato could finish, a massive shock-wave erupted from the ice sheet behind the dock, shooting crystal debris hundreds of feet into the air. Flashes of pure, white, hexagonal light flickered in and around the titanic snow cloud. And, the air itself seemed to get heavier by the second. A roar thundered through the crisp arctic air, making the ocean, ice, and metal vibrate.

Before he could realize what was happening, Maero found himself flying through the air. For a split second, he could see his daughter sadly smiling in front of him before the entire world turned into a visual maelstrom of snow and steel.

He had no idea how long he was in the air, but it must have been at least five seconds. And when he finally landed, he began rolling furiously across the metal dock before finally coming to a rough skidding halt that tore his heavily insulated orange jacket wide open.

"Ugh, d- damn it..." The man coughed as blood spurted out of his mouth.

He looked down at his torso, barely able to see anything clearly with how dizzy he was. But, he could at least tell his jacket was completely shredded and the only thing really holding it to him… were several shards of metal impaled deep inside of him.

"Fuck... Fuck! Fuck! That used to be orange… That's a lot of my blood," The man cursed under his breathe.

'Blood… My blood. This is my blood. Misato… Misato! I need to get to her before I… go into hypovolemic shock...'

Maero stumbled to his feet, but he was so dizzy he immediately fell over. And he continued to fall over in each of his next three attempts at standing.

"Mi… MISATO! Ehuh! Ehuhuh!" the man shouted as he coughed up yet more blood.

After a could seconds of searching for the girl, he finally saw her vibrant purple coat and what appeared to be a massive plate of metal protruding from her chest.

"Misato!? NO, MISATO!" the man screamed, fearing the worst; that his own daughter had just passed on.

'Meiko was right to leave me. I don't spend enough time with my family! And now my daughter is dead because of me!'

Maero stumbled towards Misato, almost falling to the ground several times as he was still unbalanced from his combined daze and blood loss. As he drew closer, he could see that a pile of snow was covering half of her face and he quickly brushed it away.

"Oh my god, Misato! Mis- Misato! I'm so sorry!" he choked as sadness caused a lump to form in his throat.

"Fath… er… It hurts," Misato stuttered, her warm breath freezing in the air in front of Doctor Katsuragi.

Maero gasped and a tear fell out of his eyes.

'Ali- SHE'S ALIVE!'

"I know. I know, baby," he said as he gently ran his soft gloved fingers across the girl's face.

"Dad… DAD, I'M DEAD!" Misato began screaming as her hot tears froze on her cheeks.

"No, no, no, no, baby! You're here! You're gonna be okay! But listen, Misato, I need to get this out of you. It doesn't look like it's in too deep."

"G-get what out of me. What are you talking about?"

Maero could feel his jaw trembling, not knowing how to tell his thirteen year old daughter she had a slab of metal lodged in her chest.

"Misato… I..."

The girl finally looked down at her body and saw the metal plate that had cut into her.

She then began crying even harder, realizing what her father was saying.

"DAD, NO! NO, PLEASE DON'T! IT HURTS!" The girl screamed in fearful agony.

"I know! But, I- I have to get this out!"

"NO, DAD, PLEASE! YOU CAN'T!" Misato screamed as she flailed her arms around weakly and hysterically grabbed at the small mounds of snow next to her.

"MISATO, PLEASE! I HAVE TO! I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!" the man yelled, making himself even more dazed.

Despite Misato's protestations, the man pulled his gloves off and wadded them up in his hands so he could grab the metal without injuring himself further than he already was. The last thing he needed right now was even more blood loss.

He grabbed the slab of metal and Misato wrapped her hands around his wrists, weakly trying to get him to stop.

"DAD, NO! I CAN'T DO IT!"

"Don't worry, darling. You don't have to do anything. I'll do it all for you."

"Please don't. I'm dead. I can't be alive. Not after this! Not after this..." Misato whimpered.

"Misato, listen to me! I'm going to pull this out now. And then I'm going to try to close this wound as best I can. It's only going to be a second. But, I need you to take your hands off me. I don't want this to hurt you any more than it has to."

Misato shook her head back and forth weakly, obviously trying to convey that she wanted to say no. But despite that, she took her hands off her father's wrists and instead used them to cover her face as she cried.

For a second, all she felt was the frozen tears on her face. But then was a yank, and she was lifted off the ground for a moment before a sharp burning sensation overtook her.

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Misato howled in tragic agony as she threw her hands over the grizzly cut in her chest.

"Misato! MISATO! MOVE YOUR HANDS!" Maero cried frantically as he tried to restrain her arms and keep her from clutching her chest.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! IT'S KILLING ME! I'M SORRY!" Misato cried as she bit her index finger gently.

"Oh, darling, don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

Maero removed what was left of his jacket, causing him to bite his lip and groan in pain as it caught on the metal shards inside him. He laid it across Misato before pulling his belt off and trying to tighten it around Misato's chest. She cried out in pain again as he lifted her up to sling the belt under her and the pitiful sound she made broke his heart.

"Misato, if this belt comes loose, you'll need to tighten it, even if it hurts. Make sure to keep pressure on the wound until it stops bleeding. If I'm not with you later, make sure to take the jacket off once you're sure you've stopped bleeding. You don't wanna keep a dirty bandage on the wound. Did you get all that?"

"I- I th- think so," Misato chattered through her teeth as she laid shivering on the cold metal of the dock.

"Now, lets get you out of here," Maero said as he picked up his daughter as gently as he could.

"I don't want to go without you," Misato sniffled.

"I'll be right behind you, I promise!" the man said breathily due to his exhaustion.

Doctor Katsuragi could feel himself losing his strength every time he took a step closer to the safety pod. He honestly couldn't even see straight anymore. But, he had to get Misato to the pod. There was a propulsion system and a GPS unit inside of it. If he could get her there, she at least had a chance of getting away from… whatever was happening.

After finally reaching the pod, Maero set the girl down and she shivered now that she was exposed to the cold air again.

Doctor Katsuragi tried open the hatch to the safety pod, but the fatigue was really starting to get to him.

Misato looked back at ice shelf and the massive cloud of snow that still lingered in the air behind the dock. Occasionally, a white flash of light flickered inside it, almost like lightning inside of a cloud. She could hear a high pitched sound that almost sounded like hundreds of people all screaming or singing together. She wasn't sure if it was the wind or something else, but the sound made her feel dread above all else.

She then looked back at her father, who was still struggling to open the pod. But, something else caught her eye.

"Dad... you're bleeding," Misato cried quietly.

"No, I'm not!" the man groaned, "I'm fine. I just got some of your blood on me!"

"I'M NOT STUPID AND I'M NOT BLIND!" Misato cried, even though it hurt her ribs immensely to do so.

Misato's father finally managed to yank open the hatch, though, it was obvious now, he was having a hard time even standing up.

"You're right. I'm sorry for lying to you. And I'm sorry for… not spending enough time with you… and your mother."

"Dad… what are you saying?" Misato whimpered as a lump formed in her throat.

Maero said nothing and instead kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Dad?!" Misato asked in a shaky voice.

"It's time for you to go now… Misato. Tell Meiko…. Tell your mother that I love her."

"Dad!? DAD, NO!" Misato screamed as her father struggled to pick her up and place her in the capsule, "YOU BASTARD! I ONLY CAME ON THIS TRIP SO I COULD BRING YOU HOME! MOM MISSES YOU! STOP IT! PUT ME DOWN!"

"I'm sorry it ended this way. I love you, Misato," he said while he shoved her into the pod just hard enough to pain her and stop her from getting back up.

"Gah! Urgh!" Misato yelped.

Misato's back hit the hard metal of the pod, making her already rattling bones ache even worse.

"Keep this safe for me," Maero said as he lifted a little cross shaped pendant from his neck and tossed it into Misato's lap.

"Dad! STOP IT! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Misato screamed as she saw him closing the hatch.

She tried to crawl up and out, but she was too weak and her father had already slammed the hatch closed.

Misato leaned into the window on the hatch and saw her father pressing some buttons on a panel on the side of the pod. The pod suddenly lurched forward and began propelling itself away from the dock.

Maero put his hand on the window and sadly looked past his fingers. He could see Misato was screaming, but he couldn't hear anything she was saying. And before long, the pod had drifted beyond his reach.

As his hand slipped off the window, he collapsed on the dock, quiet and still.

"NOOOOO! DAD! GET UP! GET UP! YOU LIAR! YOU SAID YOU'D BE RIGHT BEHIND ME! GAAAAAAHHHHHH! GET UP! DAD! STOP IT! G- Get up… p- please..."

Misato couldn't stop herself from crying even though she felt such hatred toward the man she called her father.

She felt her tears fall onto her hands, and she looked down at her lap, seeing the little ornamental cross pendant. She picked up the necklace and looked at it as it rested in her trembling hands. She then buried her face in her hands and the pendant before crying even louder than before.

A roar echoed through the antarctic atmosphere, causing the safety pod to vibrate.

'What… was that?' Misato wondered in utter terror.

She lifted her face out of her hands and looked back out of the window.

Another shock-wave burst out of the still lingering cloud of snow, finally causing it to dissipate. And as the air cleared, Misato saw a gigantic humanoid creature glowing a brilliant white with a massive red orb in its chest. It roared again, causing Misato's heart skip a beat. The creature then began to lean over the dock; over Misato's father, almost like it was weighing his value.

"Dad, get up, please! Please!" Misato whispered as she looked out the tiny window.

The creature suddenly stood up straight and roared again. Abstract lines of light, hundreds of feet across, began to flicker to life behind the creature, eventually taking the shape of what roughly appeared to be wings. The creature raised its arms high above its head and roared again.

Suddenly, there was a humming sound. Misato barely noticed it at first due to the giant of light roaring. But it was there and it quickly got louder. After another few seconds, Misato saw it. A monumentally sized artifact levitating out of the same pit the giant of light had burst forth from.

It was red and had two prodigiously sized tines protruding from one end of it that then twisted into a long helix-shaped shaft. The strange object vaguely appeared to resemble a bident. And it seemed its purpose was one in the same, as the object then shot forward at astounding speed, running the giant of light through, producing a gory piercing sound that could even be heard inside of the safety pod.

Misato gasped as she saw the spear tips tear through the left shoulder of the monster with such force that it caused the creature to stagger and stumble before falling onto the edge of the pit it was in.

The creature made a pained sound as it tried to stand up and right itself.

Eventually succeeding in regaining it's footing, the creature stood lopsided as the heavy spear remained lodged in it's shoulder. But, as the creature stood up, Misato noticed something different about it now. The light that enveloped the creature was growing brighter. A few seconds later, stunning rays of light began shooting out of the creature and the red orb in it's chest began to pulse.

All Misato could feel was terror as a red aura began to envelop the very air around the monster. Another moment later, and the creature erupted into a massive sphere of light. A sphere so large, it obscured the creature and the ice it had been entrapped in. And before long, the light expanded out even further, slowly beginning to consume the dock.

"NO! DAD, NO!"

Misato screamed and cried in desperation as she watched her father and the rest of the dock slowly fade away into the light.

"DAAAAAAAAAAD!"

The nova of light shuddered before violently detonating. And then all Misato saw was white before feeling a blunt pain in her forehead and passing out.

/

-Torn From the Heavens-

/

:Date – Unknown:

:Year – Unknown, but likely 2000 Common Era:

:Time – Unknown:

:Location – Unknown, but likely somewhere in the Austral Ocean:

.

Misato groaned as she woke up. Her head and chest ached terribly and her back was numb and chilled. It was dark. So dark. The only light she could see was a small monitor in the inside of the pod she was in. And that's when she remembered.

'Dad...'

She wanted to cry, but she was too exhausted to. Even in her sleep, healing her injuries was obviously taking a lot of energy from her.

The girl shivered and she looked at the monitor. She noticed there was a display for the internal temperature of the pod. She then saw a panel with several controls covered by a protective plastic shell. She lifted the cloudy plastic cover up and saw there was a thermostat control among other things.

'So cold.'

Misato turned the thermostat up on and adjusted the temperature to about eighty degrees.

She suddenly felt a draft start blowing through her damp, snow-soaked, purple hair. It was cold at first, but heated up quickly. After locating the vent, she shoved her hands in front of it, trying to warm them.

She then noticed a button on the control panel the read "light."

The girl quickly pressed the button before returning her hand to the vent.

The lights in the pod shot on and a quiet buzzing sound could be heard. For a moment, she was grateful for the illumination, but after looking back at the vent and her hands, she noticed a sticker of sorts on the wall of the capsule. She leaned toward it, trying to read it, and she saw that there was a poem on it.

She recognized the letters as parts of the romantic alphabet, and she could make out the words to be English.

Misato didn't consider herself very good at English, even though she'd taken an English class in middle school. But, she attempted to read it nonetheless.

"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." -Dylan Thomas

A few tears slipped out of Misato's eyes and she stroked her fingers over the poem before abruptly turning her head away as she whimpered and sniffled. She then fumbled to turn the lights off, wanting nothing more than to return to the darkness. The button clicked and the shadows of the night wrapped around her again with nothing but the soft glow of the blue monitor to guide her way.

She then rested her head on the metal wall of the pod, causing it to ache. She ran her fingers across her forehead. She could feel there was a contusion on it and realized she must have hit her head on the hatch when the creature exploded.

She looked out the small window of the pod. She could see the stars twinkling in the sky and knew it was night. But, she could also see an ominous red glow on the horizon. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, squeezing a few tears out as she did. All she wanted now was sleep and warmth. But her mind was tormented and the metal was cold. She could only hope her fatigue would come to her aid and steal her away into the cradle of rest.

/

:Date – Unknown:

:Year – Unknown, but likely 2000 Common Era:

:Time – Unknown:

:Location – Unknown, but likely somewhere in the Austral Ocean:

.

Misato's eyes fluttered open to the sound of knocking. Her ears twitched and she rubbed her eyelids before squinting out of the window of the survival pod. She couldn't tell for sure because her eyes were still adjusting to the intensity of the late morning sun but she thought she saw a man outside.

Suddenly, the hatch opened and Misato was even further blinded by the light.

"Miss, are you part of the Katsuragi expedition?!" The man shouted over the sound of helicopter blades.

Misato didn't say anything, but she nodded.

"Alright! You need to come with us! We're gonna get you to safety! Are you injured?"

Misato pointed to her chest where her father's blood stained jacket was still wrapped around her.

The man jumped into the pod and tried to fasten the girl to his rappel rope harness as carefully as he could.

"Alright! We're going up!" The man shouted.

Misato felt the harness tug on her, causing her to wince as it constricted around her chest. As she was hauled out of the safety pod, the smell of iron assaulted her nostrils. And after her eyes had adjusted to the light, she opened them wide. And what she saw was beyond belief.

Red, everywhere.

She thought she was dead or in hell.

Everything was red. She assumed this had to be somewhere near the antarctic, as there was still snow falling. But, everywhere she looked, was simply red. Was it blood? Was it the ocean? Was it something else entirely?

She said nothing as she was finally brought into the helicopter. All she could do was stare at the infinite expanse of vermilion.

/

:Date – Unknown:

:Year – Unknown, but likely 2000 Common Era:

:Time – Unknown:

:Location – Unknown:

.

White.

A white room.

A white table.

Two white chairs.

A white door.

White… white lights.

The door! It opens! A Man! He enters!

Black

A Black suit.

Black hair.

Black eyes.

More white.

A white styrofoam tray.

"I brought you food. You must be hungry," the man said.

Purple.

Purple hair in front of her crying eyes.

Misato said nothing. She showed no interest in the food, despite the fact she probably hadn't eaten in more than a week.

"So, you're Misato Katsuragi. You know, for a teenage girl who had hairline fractures on seven of her ribs, suffered a concussion, has a blood infection, and hasn't eaten for days, you look remarkable. You're a strong girl."

She looked at the man with sharp observing eyes. But, she still said nothing.

"I know it must be hard for you. But surely you're hungry, aren't you?"

Misato closed her eyes and exhaled deeply before opening them again and reaching for a small, almost insubstantial, slice of lukewarm meat. She looked empty as she put the small piece of mystery meat in her mouth and swallowed it without chewing.

"...Well, that's a start."

Misato exhaled depressingly and made a gesture that almost looked like some kind of shrug.

"Just in case you weren't aware, you're on the South Pole Investigation Vessel. Most of us here just call it the SPIV. And uh, as the name implies, we… are interested in what you know of the… incident that happened a few days ago at the Ross Ice Shelf."

Misato still remained silent.

"Uh… Listen, I know you basically just saw the end of the world. But, if you can tell us anything about Maero… about your father; about what happened in the Ross Dependency, it would be a huge help."

Misato looked down at the table sadly, unable to produce any words for the man as she shook her head.

"Miss, I know it's difficult. But, please. We're facing worldwide food shortages. Many people have died. Tsunamis and flooding have ravaged entire countries. A nuclear war has already broken out between India and Pakistan. More countries are getting embroiled in it by the day! And the very tilt of the Earth has been shifted… Please, we really must know what happened-"

The door to the room opened and another man entered.

"That's enough! I didn't send you in here to harass a thirteen year old girl. If she doesn't want to talk now, she can talk when she's ready. Knowing what happened isn't going to fix the multiple crises we're faced with now."

The man interviewing Misato shivered at the gruff voice.

He turned to face the door and saw a man with a rather angular face, a semi unkempt beard, and a pair of rectangular glasses.

"But, Sir, I-"

"I said enough! Get out!" the man with the glasses growled.

The man who was interviewing Misato quickly got out of the chair, looking at the woman with an unsure expression.

"Ma'am, before I go, your mother… Meiko Katsuragi… she's dead. She died a few days ago. I'm very sorry."

The man then exited the room, leaving Misato with the bearded man.

The man sat down at the table with Misato. He took his glasses off, setting them down gently. He then looked into Misato's empty eyes, seeing she was crying silently with tears quickly running across her face and dripping onto the back of her folded hands.

"I know that sorry must sound empty to someone who's gone through what you have. So, I won't try to apologize. But, I do want to talk to you."

Misato nodded towards the man silently, though he could tell she was probably doing it reactionarily. More than likely, she could hear what he said, but she probably wasn't really listening.

"My name is Gendo Rokubungi. Though, I've taken to calling myself Ikari nowadays. ...I wasn't particularly close to your father. But, I work for the same people he did. And, I know he was an invaluable boon to our cause. Are you familiar with your father's work?"

Misato shook her head, signifying a no as she tried to stop her lips from trembling.

"You father… he developed the super solenoid theory. And… Well, you probably don't want to hear about this right now. But, the point is, we owe you. So, if there is anything we can do for you, feel free to ask. In the meanwhile though-"

Gendo then stood up from his seat and offered his hand to Misato.

"-why don't you have some real food. These government provided meals are disgusting. My wife is cooking tonight. Would you like to have dinner with us?"

Misato refused to make eye contact with Gendo, but she took his hand anyway and he helped her up.

/

"Yui! I'm back," Gendo called out as he opened the door to the room he and his wife were staying in.

"I'm in the kitchen!" the woman called back, "The chicken and sweet rice is done! And the steak is almost done! And I also made some Brussels sprouts with bacon and vinegar too!"

"How were you able to find steak at a time like this!?"

"Uh, lucky, I guess! They just had some sitting in the fridge! I don't think the rest of the crew will miss it!"

"Well, I hope we have enough food. I brought a guest."

"Oh, and who would they happen to be!?"

Gendo walked into the kitchen with Misato in tow and Yui gasped.

"Oh my goodness, you poor thing. You must be... her."

Misato tried her best to seem happy to meet the woman, but all she could really do was sadly smile with a trembling jaw while only barely managing to hide her tears.

"Yui, this is Misato Katsuragi. She's… the only one we've found so far."

"Oh... Oh, darling, I'm so sorry. I'm Yui Ikari. I hope we can be friends," the woman said as she patted the girl's head, her purple locks still frigid from the antarctic air and cold metal corridors of the ship.

Misato nodded in a haunted manner.

"Oh, Gendo, she's freezing. Can you get a bath running for her?"

"Of course," Gendo said as he released the girl's hand and went to the bathroom.

"Why don't you go get warmed up, sweetheart. I'm sure the steak will be ready once you're done and then we-"

Yui paused however, finally noticing there seemed to be a fresh blood stain in the girl's freshly cleaned purple jacket.

Yui carefully reached for the zipper of Misato's jacket and unzipped it, seeing that she was bleeding into the fabric of the torn yellow shirt she wore underneath.

"Oh, darling, you're hurt. This looks terrible. How did you survive all by yourself?"

Misato didn't say anything. She couldn't.

"Gendo!?"

"Yes!?"

"Can you come back in here!?"

"Coming!"

Gendo entered the room and looked at Yui with a questioning expression.

"Can you finish cooking the steak for me? I'm going to bathe her. She doesn't look good and she seems exhausted. I don't want her falling asleep in the bath. And this bandage also looks like it needs to come off. When was the last time this was changed?"

"The nurse changed it earlier today almost as soon as she came aboard. They also said she was starting to get a blood infection and they gave her some medication and washed her jacket and shirt."

"Okay, honey, do you know where your medicine is?" Yui said as she held the girl's shoulders caringly.

Misato reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a bottle of pills while she looked at the floor, trying to hide her tears.

"Okay, come with me and we'll get you cleaned up. Gendo, the steak needs to cook for another ten minutes. If I'm not out by then, help yourself."

Yui walked Misato to the bathroom and locked the door after closing it.

"Okay…" Yui exhaled anxiously, "are you okay with me touching you? I promise I will be so, so, so careful!"

Misato shook her head up and down, indicating her consent as she sniffled and cried while biting her lip.

Yui timidly pulled Misato's purple jacket off of her, further revealing the massive tear in the girl's shirt and the red bloodied bandages underneath.

Misato suddenly started crying harder and Yui froze, fearing she'd harmed the girl.

"Oh, darling, did I hurt you!?" Yui ask frantically.

Misato shook her head no, trying to convey that Yui hadn't hurt her.

"Oh, sweetheart, why are you crying then?" Yui asked she she stroked the girl's arms.

Misato wanted to say that Yui's care and affections had reminded her of her own mother. And, knowing that her mother was dead now only a few days after her father was simply too much for the her to handle. But, Misato couldn't say that. Every time she tried to speak, the words she wanted to say disappeared before she could find the strength to speak them.

Instead, all she could do was shake her head as Yui questioned her.

"I'm going to take your shirt off now, okay? We need to get this bandage off if you have a blood infection."

Misato nodded as her cheeks became flushed, though not from embarrassment but rather the near parallel intimacy she'd felt so many times before.

This was hardly the first time Misato had been undressed in front of someone much older than her. Despite the fact she was a thirteen, almost fourteen, year old girl now, up until recently, she'd still been undressed in front of her mom quite regularly.

Meiko was a lonely woman. And Misato knew this better than anyone. After Misato's father shifted his focus to work and began neglecting Meiko, the woman had started seeking affection from her own daughter in myriad ways, some of which were not acceptable displays of love for a mother and her young daughter.

Despite their inappropriate relationship though, Misato still loved her mother as much as any other child would love their parent. And though everyone would have said it was sick and wrong if she'd ever told them, Misato could only feel it was right because that was the way she was raised; it was the way she was conditioned.

It was the only form of love she knew. And that fact would nearly prove to be her undoing in the future, though she didn't know it now.

Yui pulled the girl's shirt over her head, causing the girl to whine.

"Okay, sweet heart, I'm going to pull the bandage off. Are you okay?"

Misato nodded, still trying and failing not to cry.

Yui oh so gently edged her fingers under the bandage and began peeling it off.

"Carefully now, little one," Yui whispered as the bandage wrapped in between Misato's breasts and over her shoulder finally came loose.

Yui gasped as she laid eyes on the massive dark red scab with even darker red blood vessels surrounding it.

"Oh… Oh, no. You poor thing. That's definitely infected."

Misato simply sniffled in reply.

"Okay, lets get your pants off and get you in the bath. I'll also make sure to get your clothes in the washing machine."

/

Misato slept quietly on the couch in the VIP room of the South Pole Investigation Vessel where Yui and Gendo were also spending the night before heading back to Japan in the morning. Yui had made sure the girl had taken her second dose of medicine and had a hot meal before going to bed, even though the girl really hadn't eaten much.

"The poor thing, she must be exhausted… Do you think we should take her with us?" Yui asked as she watched the sleeping girl.

"No. Not after what happened to her father… And not with the position we hold."

"Yes… I suppose you're right..."

"I'll leave instructions for her to be cared for in the morning. If there's nowhere else for her to go, I assume she will remain here. Both of her parent are dead and her home is likely destroyed. And, as a member of the Katsuragi expedition, she is our responsibility. Who knows though. Maybe one day, she'll end up working with us."

Yui sighed.

"I hate to leave her here. But… you're right. We shouldn't take her with us. I imagine it would hurt her too much."

/

-Who Makes The Clock Tick By-

/

:Present Day:

:Approximately 0930 Hours Japan Standard Time:

:Location - Japan, 35.24°N, 138.99°E, Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo-3, NERV HQ, The Eva Cages:

.

"WHAAAAAT!? YOU WANT US TO CATCH IT!?"

"Yup! Pretty much!" Misato said teasingly, as though catching an angel were an everyday endeavor.

"AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU WANT US TO DO THAT!?" Asuka shouted at the preposterous idea.

"Oh, it's simple really. Once the angel gets close enough, all you have to do is max out your AT Field and it'll work just like stopping any other attack."

"Uh, Misato… what if that doesn't work? What if it crushes us?" Shinji asked, trying to keep his nerves together.

"I'm sure the three of you will be enough, right? And it's not like we can just call Unit-03 over to help out with our time restraints! We didn't even have time to evacuate because this thing is coming in so fast! So… this has gotta work! Three Evas will definitely be enough!"

"But, I thought you said you were spreading us out because we don't know where it's going to land," Shinji meagerly pointed out.

"YEAH! WHAT THE HELL, MISATO!? HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BACK EACH OTHER UP IF WE'RE MILES APART!?"

"Oh, come on, Asuka! I thought out of everyone, you'd be the most willing to go with my plan! You're not acting like yourself today. I thought you were going to rise to the occasion."

"Ugh!" Asuka huffed before turning to look at Rei, "WONDERGIRL, YOU AGREE WITH US, DON'T YOU!? THIS IS A BAD PLAN! SO, GO ON! TALK SOME SENSE INTO OUR COMMANDING OFFICER!"

"I have my orders," Rei said obediantly.

"SAY WHAT!? YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE ON BOARD WITH THIS PLAN!"

"You are afraid. It is is okay. I will protect you."

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU DOLL! I'M NOT AFRAID!"

"I'm not a doll."

"SHUT UP!"

Misato tried to hide the smile on her face, but she couldn't help it and smiled anyways while giving Asuka finger guns.

"So? What's it gonna be!?" Misato asked in an inappropriately giddy voice.

"Fuck it! FUCK IT! I'll do this whole thing by myself! I don't need Wondergirl's help!"

"Asuka!?" Shinji asked in disbelief, wondering if the girl was secretly suicidal.

"Okay! No ma'am! That is not happening!" Misato said in disciplinary voice as all her joking demeanor evaporated.

"Well, why the hell not!? I've proven I can take an angel on my own!" Asuka growled.

"Because, I'm not about to send you out there to die."

"Pft! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Asuka laughed mockingly, "SAYS THE WOMAN WHO LITERALLY COMES UP WITH A SUICIDE PLAN AND THEN EXPECTS US TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT IN HER PLACE!"

"Asuka, stop it! You know that's not how it is. Just one of you won't be able to handle this."

"Hmph! So that's how little you think of me!" Asuka said as she crossed her arms over her chest in her usual fashion.

"That's not it. I need all three of you to make this miracle happen. There is no way one Eva will be enough to neutralize the angel's AT field without going over a hundred percent sync rate. And, I'm not about to let any one of you go that high. Ritsuko says it's dangerous."

"I bet Doctor Akagi said this plan was dangerous too. But you didn't listen to her then, did you?" Asuka mumbled rudely under her breath.

Misato pretended like she hadn't heard Asuka and continued.

"As well as that, we simply don't know where exactly the angel is going to make landfall. And there's no way only one Eva is going to be enough to cover every possible destination within an acceptable intercept time."

"How do you know where to place us," Rei asked curiously.

"You could say it's Woman's Intuition!" Misato said jokingly.

"Oh, that's reliable!" Asuka huffed, berating the older woman indirectly and sarcastically.

"Uh, Misato, how likely is it that we win?" Shinji asked timidly.

"It's probably best if you don't know that," Misato shrugged, "But, hey. If we do win, I'll take you three out to eat at that steakhouse on the north side."

"That's uh… good..." Shinji said, trying not to let his nervousness show.

"Great. Now, you three go start syncing up!" Misato said as she whirled around and left the kids in the Eva hangar.

"A steak dinner? Really!? The gall of that woman! She thinks steak is proper compensation for us putting our lives on the line!?" Asuka asked incredulously.

"Yeah. You… you kinda have a point..." Shinji mumbled as he twiddled his thumbs.

"And just how the hell is Wondergirl supposed to find something to eat at a steak house for crying out loud!? Great job, Misato! Always the first one to think things through thoroughly and without overlooking anything!" Asuka spat sarcastically.

"I will be fine. Do not worry," Rei mumbled

"Oh, yeah, sure Ayanami! You're always perfectly fine," Asuka groaned.

'She's really not going easy on the sarcasm today, is she?' Shinji thought to himself as the three pilots all began making their way to their Evas.

"And I can't believe she didn't make me the leader! She was just all, Oh, well, we all have to do our own part. I WANNA BE THE ONE TO CATCH THE ANGEL! THAT'S MY PART!"

"Yeah, but you didn't even wanna do this five minutes ago," Shinji said, though perhaps he shouldn't have.

"People can change their minds, you know?" Asuka huffed.

"Captain Katsuragi is correct," Rei said surely, "We cannot have defined roles. We must all be prepared to assume whatever position is required of us."

"Well, I guess that means I'll still be the best Pilot after today, especially since I can do it all!" Asuka said as she stopped at her Eva and began climbing up the ladder to her entry plug.

Shinji smiled at Asuka for some unknown reason before he then looked at Rei. As it turned out, Rei had already been watching Shinji and when he turned to face her, she reached for his hand and pulled him a little closer.

"You don't have to be afraid, Shinji."

The boy leaned closer, pressing his forehead against Rei's.

"I'm actually not scared today… But, I am still a bit nervous," Shinji chuckled lightly.

"There's a difference?"

"Yeah, sure there is. Being nervous is like-"

"HEY, YOU TWO BETTER NOT BE KISSING! AND ESPECIALLY NOT IN FRONT OF MY EVA!" Asuka shouted from the top of her entry plug!

Shinji and Rei both laughed quietly, knowing it probably looked like they were kissing from Asuka's point of view.

"OH MY GOD! YOU ARE! HEY! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! WE'RE ON THE JOB, YOU KNOW!" Asuka shouted at the top of her lungs as she waved her fist in the air wildly, "STOP KISSING RIGHT THIS INSTANT! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!? DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE! Wh- Whoa!"

Shinji and Rei both looked up right as Asuka ended up slipping and falling into her entry plug, abruptly cutting off Asuka's manic shouting with a comedic silence, followed by a metallic thud. Shinji and Rei tried their hardest not to laugh, but there was no preventing it.

"Y- YOU BETTER NOT BE LAUGHING AT ME!" they heard Asuka's muffled voice furiously erupt from the entry plug, which only really caused them to laugh harder.

After Shinji and Rei had caught their breath, Rei pulled the boy in for a quick kiss before leaving him to board her Eva.

'If he is not scared… then what do I feel right now?' Rei wondered as she placed her hand over her chest.

/

"Eva Unit-02 is in position. Now connected to the New Gotenba Substation. Connection online," Shinji heard a NERV tech say over the coms.

"Checking Unit-01 connector link. No abnormalities detected," another one said.

"Commencing final transmission test for Unit-00," a final NERV worker called out.

Suddenly, a holographic window showed up in Shinji's plug that linked to Unit-02.

"So, Shinji! You ready to lose to me!?" Asuka teased.

"Not really since we either all win or all lose. Maybe we could just try getting in the spirit of teamwork?" Shinji said with a smile.

"No way! Teamwork is for weaklings!"

"Behave yourself, Pilot Sohryu. Insubordination is inexcusable and will not be tolerated," Rei asserted as she cut into the coms.

"HEY! DON'T TELL ME TO BEHAVE MYSELF, MISS PRISSY PANTIES! YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF SINCE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ALWAYS WANTS TO FOLLOW ORDERS! I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT SINCE I'M AN INDIVIDUALIST!"

"Hey! HEY! Knock it off, you three! You're bickering over an open mic and clotting up coms! Take it to a private channel," Misato ordered decisively, hoping to avoid any miscommunications.

Asuka huffed as her window closed and then reopened, presumably over a private connection this time, though she didn't end up saying anything. Shinji wasn't entirely sure if the girl wanted to talk or not. Asuka was a difficult person to understand and he never knew exactly what she wanted.

Though, as she hadn't said anything yet, Shinji just let her be and tried to relax given that Misato said she wanted his sync rate to be as high as possible without exceeding eighty percent.

'I… don't like being in the Eva. But… at the same time, this is comforting somehow. It's… weird to think about. It almost feels like my mom. It reminds me of her. Mom...'

Suddenly, Misato's voice sounded out over the coms, tearing Shinji from his thoughts.

"There's no turning back now. Pilots, get ready!"

Shinji had his Eva kneel in a sprinting preparation stance and he clenched his jaw.

"Now listen up you three," Misato started to say, "We aren't going to be relying on any of the secondary data. So, from hereon out, all actions will be left to your judgment."

"HAH! IN YOUR FACE, WONDERGIRL!" Asuka gloated obnoxiously over the coms.

"Hush, Asuka!" Misato hissed, "That's doesn't void my previous orders of working together. Everything is riding on the three of you."

"The target is at twenty thousand feet!" Ritsuko barked over the coms, "Misato, if you're gonna do this stupid plan, DO IT NOW!"

"Release Umbilical cable locks! Go!" Misato shouted.

Shinji felt the umbilical cable shoot off the back of the Eva and the battery timer in the entry plug turned red and began counting down.

As Shinji demanded the Eva move forward, he just now began to realize how perfect this whole ordeal had to go.

The Eva lunged forward, causing the ground to shake and knocking over some of the equipment at the Eva's feet.

"Holy shit! That thing is getting bigger really fast!" Asuka shouted as she saw the massive marble like angel seemingly becoming even more massive as it approached the planet's surface.

Shinji looked up as well, and as he did, the angel lit on fire.

"Okay, you guys are gonna have to move faster. It just sped up! It's using it's AT Field to accelerate!" Misato said over the coms, trying to sound calm.

"I TOLD YOU THIS PLAN WAS GOING TO FAIL!" Ritsuko shouted lividly over the static.

"BITCH! YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Misato shouted back over the coms rudely.

"What the hell is it doing now!?" Asuka asked in awe!

"It… looks like it's… unfolding?" Shinji said unsurely as the massive multicolored angel suddenly began unraveling from its spherical form into something that resembled an eye.

"Okay, okay! This is good! It's slowing down now!" Misato said unconvincingly.

"HOW IS THIS ANY BETTER, YOU LUNATIC!" Ritsuko yelled in angry disbelief.

"Would you get off my ass FOR ONE SECOND!?" Misato screamed accusingly.

"Hmph! And she tells me not to bicker over an open mic!" Asuka huffed.

"It appears to be changing its direction," Rei announced.

"Fuck! There's no way I'm gonna make it in time!" Asuka shouted!

"Don't worry! It's coming towards me!" Shinji strained to say over all the bleeping sounds in his plug.

"Ah hell, Misato! I can't believe you've done this!" everyone heard Ritsuko groan through the mic.

"Don't worry, Doctor Akagi! Maybe it's not as bad as it looks!" Maya meagerly said in an attempt to raise Ritsuko's spirits.

"Hey! What do you mean as bad as it looks?! It doesn't look that bad!" Misato shouted defensively.

"Heh! You should try saying that when you're actually under it," Asuka joked.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, ASUKA!"

"Don't you fuckin' yell at me, bitch! I am too helping! I'm the one who's gonna save the day and make your stupid plan work!"

Everyone heard Misato audibly sigh over the mic.

"Can we please stop calling my plan stupid!?"

"If we live through this, I will never let you live this down!" Ritsuko growled.

"Distance six thousand! We only have a couple more seconds!" Lieutenant Hyuga shouted.

"I'M RIGHT UNDER IT!" Shinji screamed.

"SHINJI, SPREAD YOUR AT FIELD!" Misato ordered to the boy.

He closed his eyes. He could feel his adrenaline coursing through his body and his heart was beating so hard it hurt. Shinji took a deep breathe, before opening his eyes and looking right at the angel.

"AT FIELD! MAXIMUM POTENCY!

Eva Unit-01 hunched over and curled it's arms inwards before swinging them out, leaning back, and roaring.

Everything went silent for a moment before a high pitched screaming sound seemed to shoot out of Unit-01. Purple planes of light flickered around it before all the buildings around the Eva were completely flattened under the weight of the aura.

Unit-01 then raised its hands over its head and a hexagonal wall of purple light several miles across flickered to life.

The angel's body came into contact with the veil and the AT field's metallic pinging sound resonated loudly enough that it broke the glass of what few buildings were still standing near Unit-01. And the angel's silver AT Field clashing with Unit-01's purple caused hexagonal waves of white and purple light to ripple outwards from the epicenter in rapid destructive pulses.

"I am almost there, Unit-01! Hold on, Shinji!" Rei shouted.

"I'm… trying!" Shinji groaned while obviously straining himself to hold up the angel.

Shinji looked up at the angel. For the first time, he noticed just how hypnotic it was. He could see all the colors of the rainbow rippling across it.

"Shinji! SHINJI! Your sync rate is dropping!" Misato scolded the boy.

"S- SORRY! I GOT DISTRACTED!"

Misato couldn't see it, but she could almost feel Ritsuko glaring at her through her earpiece right now, which for some reason brought an embarrassed blush onto her face.

Shinji refocused himself, but as soon as his sync ratio had started to rise, a shadowy gargoyle-like figure burst out of the central pupil of the angel, stretching it's body unnaturally to meet Unit-01 face to face.

"REI… ASUKA… I NEED YOU!" Shinji yelled as the creature came closer and closer

"I'm coming, Shinji!" Rei once again confirmed.

"I'M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN!" Asuka screamed in frustration.

The angel reached out, almost like it was trying to hold Unit-01's hands. But, the angel's own hands suddenly transformed into long sharp needles that shot forward, penetrating Unit-01's AT field as well as the palms of its hands.

"GAAAAAHHHHHH! D- DAMN IT!" Shinji wailed as he felt a sharp pain in both of his hands.

"What! Impossible! How did it pierce Unit-01's field!?" Misato gasped as she saw Shinji's sync rate drop down to sixty-two percent.

"It probably concentrated it's own AT field into it's protrusions!" Ritsuko pointed out angrily.

Eva-01's arms were quivering under the pain and fatigue. It's hands slowly began relenting and it's previously planted feet now started to slide out from under it as it roared in pain. But, just as it's legs were about to give out, Unit-00 skidded to a halt next to it.

Pale blue planes of light floated around it before a shockwave shot outwards from Unit-00's body. The Eva then groaned as it placed it's hands next to Unit-01's and began forcing the angel back right as Unit-01 was about to falter.

Rei's blue AT field merged into the purple and white one projected by Shinji and the angel, blue waves of light now gushing out along with the other two colors.

"Rei..." Shinji panted.

"Shin… ji..." Rei groaned as she struggled to lift the angel, even with Unit-01's help.

"Ugh, you two make me sick! Have you neutralized it's AT Field yet!" Asuka shouted, obviously ticked off she was the last one to intercept the angel.

"N- Not… Not yet!" Rei choked out as she struggled to hold the angel aloft.

"GAAAHHHAHAHAHA GAAAH!" Shinji screamed as the angel widened the needle-like protrusions it had pierced Unit-01's hands with and formed them into a spiral.

Shinji swore he could feel the bones in his hands being broken, twisted, and pushed aside as he felt his flesh ripping open. The fabric on the hands of his plugsuit began to glow, indicating a major area of pain in the pilot. Despite the fact his hand was completely whole, the light forming and reshaping to match the wound the Eva had suffered made him feel sick.

Under the pressure the angel had put on Unit-01, the armor restraints on it's arms had now begun to come loose, and the muscles of Unit-01 rippled as blood began spraying out of it's torn muscle fibers.

Shinji could feel his arms tearing apart; the muscles separating from the bone.

"As… uka. Hurry!" Shinji cried.

"Pilot Sohryu, Unit-01 cannot take much more of this!" Rei scolded the girl.

"WOULD YOU BOTH JUST SHUT UP! I DIDN'T GET TO CHOOSE WHERE I WAS SET UP! I'M COMING AS FAST AS I CAN! I'M ALMOST THERE!"

"Unit-02, be prepared to get the core! It's right above Unit-01!" Rei instructed Asuka.

"I KNOW THAT, DAMN IT! AND DON'T YOU DARE GIVE ME ORDERS!" Asuka screamed as she pulled out her prog knife.

The knife began vibrating and Asuka focused her Evangelion's AT field into it, causing it to glow a hot red.

"GGGRRRAAAHHH!" Asuka growled as her Eva bellowed.

She charged forward before jumping at the angel from an angle above Unit-00 and Unit-01. With a clean, glowing, red slice, she cut right through the Angel's own peripheral AT field while leaving Rei and Shinji's in tact.

The core of the angel was now within arm's reach of her Eva. She pulled the knife back for a second thrust. But, right as she stabbed forward, the core moved.

"What... the hell!? I missed? How did I miss!?"

She caught a glimpse of the core as is whirred past her Eva. She tried to stab it again, but with no luck.

"The damn thing is scurrying around!" Asuka shouted while trying to restore her focus.

The angel suddenly began pushing down with more force, causing Unit-01's bones to begin cracking. The purple monstrosity wailed, it's jaw armor bursting open as it screamed and revealed its wide but sharp teeth.

"ASUKA, HURRY!" Shinji screamed along with his Eva.

"I'm- I'M TRYING, DAMN IT!" Asuka screamed as her concentration continued to deteriorate.

Unit-02's hands were shaking with uncertainty. Asuka was too embarrassed to even attempt jabbing at the core again.

"Shinji, I'm sorry! I must help pilot Sohryu," Rei said regretfully to the boy.

"D- DO IT!" Shinji yelled, trying to mentally and physically prepare himself to withstand the angel's full might.

Unit-00 lowered it's AT field and Unit-01 dropped to its knees, unable to stand anymore and hardly able to hold up the angel.

While Asuka had been petrified in embarrassment, the angel had risen it's own AT field once more, and Rei now struggled to tear through it.

Her Eva's fingers began glowing blue as she focused her own AT field into them. The field was beginning to tear and break up. Rei could now reach her fingertips through, and it almost felt like spiderweb had been caught between her fingers.

"ASUKA! THIS IS GONNA CRUSH ME!" Shinji screamed.

"I KNOW, OKAY!"

Finally, the AT field of the angel fizzled out as Rei and her Eva broke through.

"Where did you come from!?" Asuka gasped as she saw Unit-00 rise to meet the angel.

Unit-00 looked up at the angel for a moment, seemingly probing it. But, then, without warning, Unit-00 raised it's arm into the air and miraculously caught the core in it's palm. A metallic smack echoed outwards like thunder and a sickening crack was heard as the bones in Unit-00's arm most certainly broke.

Rei rose her Eva's free arm and used it to further restrain the core, trying to anchor it in place with both hands despite the pain she felt.

"PILOT SOHRYU… DESTROY IT... NOW!" Rei growled in such immense pain, it almost frightened Asuka to hear the girl speak with so much emotion.

Asuka simply looked on in awe and disbelief at Unit-00.

"ASUKA!" Shinji cried again, realizing the girl still hadn't moved.

"WOULD YOU BOTH JUST SHUT UP, DAMN YOOOOUUUU!? GRRRRRAAAAHH!" Asuka yelled as she shook herself out of her stupor and furiously embedded the knife into the angel's core.

Asuka then reeled her Eva's arm back and condensed her AT field into her Eva's fist, causing it to begin seething with pure annihilating red light.

"NOW DIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked as she slammed the Eva's fist forward directly into the prog knife, causing the Angel's core to split cleanly in two.

Shinji suddenly felt mild relief as the angel had quit pushing on him. Now, the only thing he was fighting was gravity. The boy passed out and his AT field flickered out of existence.

"Hey! Stupid Shinji! No one said you could rest!" Asuka growled as the angel's corpse suddenly began falling onto her Eva as well as Rei's.

"Shinji?" Rei asked quietly over the coms.

When the boy didn't respond, she became worried.

"Shinji!? Are you okay!?" she questioned again.

"He's fine, Rei," Misato cut in, "he just needs to rest."

Rei suddenly heard a muffled rupturing sound. When she looked the screen of her entry plug, she saw that the angel was starting to disintegrate and become liquefied.

"Well, that's disgusting," Asuka grumbled over the radio, "I assume you're seeing the same thing I am, Wondergirl?"

"Affirmative."

/

Inside NERV HQ, Misato received a call from Gendo.

She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to answer, but she did anyways.

"Uh, Captain Katsuragi here!" Misato said shyly as a massive grey screen that simply said "SOUND ONLY: GENDO IKARI," appeared over the command bridge.

"Yes, Captain. I assume you know why I called?"

"Uh, yes! Yes, of course, Sir. The uh… angel. I… acted a bit recklessly. But… it's dead now."

"I heard as much from Doctor Akagi. Congratulations."

'Ritsuko? She's already told the Commander? I thought she'd have been brooding over how I actually saved everyone with my plan.'

"I uh… assume she also told you about the… uh… We have a lot of damage to the city that's going to need repairing. It's my fault and I take full responsibility!"

"Nonsense. Given the threat we faced, we could consider ourselves fortunate to have only sustained this much damage."

Misato was now utterly confused. She understood she'd pissed of Ritsuko, but she'd figured Commander Ikari also would have been at least slightly upset with her after how many people had told her that her plan was stupid today.

"Uh, of course, Sir. Whatever you say, Sir."

"Captain Katsuragi, would you patch me in to the pilot of Unit-01?"

"Oh!? Y-Yes, right away, Commander!"

/

Shinji was barely conscious. His head was spinning, his arms were burning, and his entire body felt as light as a feather now that he wasn't holding a small planet above his head.

"Shinji," A gruff voice reverberated through Unit-01's plug.

But, even with how exhausted he was, he stood at attention when his father abruptly called out his name.

"Y-Yes!? Father- Uh, Commander!"

"I heard what happened. You did very well Shinji."

"Oh, uh, thank you, Sir!"

/

"Well, that's disgusting. I assume you're seeing the same thing I am, Wondergirl?" Asuka said in a repulsed voice.

"Affirmative."

Asuka then closed off the call with Rei and her face became blank as she stared at the viscous red liquid that encompassed the entirety of her entry plug's screen.

"I… I couldn't do anything..." Asuka whispered to herself as she looked at her still shaking hands.

Asuka pulled her legs in close to her chest, assuming a fetal position.

"I was helpless on my own..."

/

"You come a long way since we first met… Captain Katsuragi," Gendo said as warmly as he could.

"I… I suppose so."

Misato had been invited into Gendo's office shortly after the operation had concluded, which at first was strange to her because she swore he had been out of town. Though, Fuyutsuki has filled her in and explained that they had arrived back earlier this evening.

And boy, could she see that they had been out. Both of the men looked like ghosts; like they hadn't had a proper night's rest for days on end.

It must've been important if they were both in here speaking with her.

"I have something I'd like to give you," Gendo said as he stepped behind his desk and reached into a drawer.

The man then pulled out a small, licorice black box and set it on the table before opening it and pulling a metal item out of it. Gendo then walked back around the desk and approached Misato.

"I think it's about time you have this," Gendo said calmly, and strangely enough, almost proudly.

He held a small metal eagle pin in his hand. Misato inhaled sharply when she saw it. Gendo then reached toward the collar of Misato's turtleneck dress and anchored it to the black fabric.

"Congratulations on your victory, Colonel Katsuragi. I'm sure... Yui would love to see how much you've grown. She would be proud of you. And so am I. You've brought NERV much success. And we salute you."

Both Gendo and Fuyutsuki saluted the woman, and she then saluted them back.

"Thank you, Sir! This means a lot to me."

"Good. Now, you're dismissed."

'Wait a minute! This means I get payed more now! YES! More money for fancy alcohol! And maybe a new apartment too! ...Well, assuming there's any good apartments left standing in the city after today. And… Yui… maybe I should talk to Shinji...'

/

Shinji and Asuka had already been sent home for the day, along with Rei. And, now, both Asuka and Shinji sat boredly in front of Misato's TV, waiting for Misato to get home so that Shinji could start on dinner knowing it wouldn't get cold by the time Misato arrived.

Neither really had an interest in the TV show that was being displayed though. Truth be told, the TV was just ambiance and an attempt to fool both of them that they lived a normal life.

"So… I heard you got a special call from Commander Ikari today..." Asuka mumbled.

"Oh... yeah. Yeah, I did."

They both sat mute on the couch for a second, completely unresponsive to their surroundings.

"Well, aren't you gonna tell me what he said?"

"Oh, well, he said… that he was proud of me… and that I did a good job… No one ever says that to me."

Asuka leaned back further into the couch.

"Well, I guess that explains why you've had that stupid grin on your face ever since you won."

"What do you mean since I won? Don't you mean we?"

"No, Shinji… I mean you…"

Shinji sat up a little straighter and looked at Asuka with concern.

"Asuka, can't you just stop that? We won. We did it together. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

"I guess..."

Shinji turned to face the girl more directly.

"Not every fight is going to go perfectly, Asuka. But, you still contributed."

"Heheh… Funny. I was gonna say the same to you."

The two kids suddenly perked up at the sound of the front door being unlocked.

"Misato!?" Shinji asked excitedly.

"Hey, Misato," Asuka groaned loudly.

"Hey, you two! Shinji, you better get cooking. We're having a guest tonight!" Misato sang out joyfully.

Asuka's spirits suddenly lifted.

"A Guest? Oh my God! Misato, is it Kaji!?" Asuka questioned excitedly as she danced into the kitchen, "Is it Kaji!? Is it Kaji! It is, isn't it-"

Asuka suddenly went quiet, and Shinji glanced into the kitchen.

"YOU! WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE!?" Asuka screamed as she pointed accusingly at a person who was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one indeed.

"Rei's actually going to be living with us from now on. Her apartment was declared to be in an unsafe zone of Tokyo-3 until the safety crews and NERV say otherwise. And NERV can't have their Pilots roaming around dangerous areas. So, Commander Ikari entrusted her to me indefinitely," Misato said with a teasing smile

"In... definitely?" Asuka whispered in terror.

"Rei!?" Shinji called out excitedly as he ran into the kitchen

Shinji grabbed Rei's hands and gently lifted them from her side with a smile on his face.

"NO YOU DON'T! YOU'RE NOT ABOUT TO HAVE A MAKE-OUT SESSION! AND ESPECIALLY NOT IN THE KITCHEN THAT I'M ABOUT TO EAT IN!" Asuka shouted as she put her hands on Shinji and Rei's chests, trying to pry them apart.

Shinji looked at Asuka with a confused look as did Rei.

"Alright, let's lay down some ground rules!" Asuka shouted, "The TV is mine! The bath is mine too! You are not allowed to use the cinnamon vanilla orange scented shampoo; that is mine also! All the food is mine! And because all the food is mine, that also means Shinji is mine. The balcony next to the living room is mine. Oh, the living room is also mine, by the way. And my room is... obviously mine. And uh… don't go in my room… like… ever… because uuuuuuuhhhh… YOU'RE SIPPIN' TEA IN MY HOOD NOW! WHAT THE FUCK IS UP, BITCH!?"

.


*Eva credits roll and Fly Me to the Moon plays*

.

"Well, well, well, that was... maybe unexpected? I'm so happy Rei gets to live with me now! Think about all the cool things we could do together! Oh, I'm so happy my new family is growing. It almost makes up for me loosing both of my parents less than a week apart!

But, enough about that! Lets see what the script for next chapter says! In the next chapter we have... ME! I get to have a little celebration for being promoted to Colonel. Yes, thank you, thank you! I appreciate your applause! But, during the party, I pull Shinji aside and tell him some dark secrets of mine! Ooh! Rei and Asuka act like... Rei and Asuka! Probably Asuka fighting some more. And it appears Kaji is nowhere to be found for a blessing! Will next chapter be the next step in my romance with Shinji? Will Asuka and Rei learn to coexist outside of their entry plugs and the classroom? You'll just have to read the next chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love to find out! Next time: The Coil of the Heart!

And you never know! There may be some delicious fanservice! Mhmmhmmmm!"