MAY 10th, 2015

NERV HQ, EMERGENCY PORT

1:31am:

The medivac carrying Shinji and Rei landed on its designated pad, its doors opening as soon as the vehicle had properly settled. They had gained immediate access to the Geo Front through a car train, which transported each medivac spinner from the surface to NERV's Emergency Port.

The Emergency Port was designed to keep things running smoothly; wounded troops were rushed in, and the spinners were sent back out.

It was a vast indoor landing port, with multiple docks and teams of medics and stationed troops. In a strange way, the metallic grey color scheme of the industrial station reminded Rei of her own home. Minus the chaos inside, of course.

A medical team tended to the aircraft, helping every one of its occupants in need. Shinji's stretcher was carried out, and Rei followed with her hand still clinging onto his. She struggled to keep up with them, as the medical team were speed walking quite fast for her. She felt the aching of her wound worsen as she tried to keep up, the pain beginning to overwhelm her at this point.

But she didn't stop walking. Her physical pain was nothing compared to the unpleasant emotions she was feeling inside, of which she didn't even fully understand yet. Shinji was passed out cold at this point, and her worrying shot up to an all-time high. She couldn't leave his side, not now.

The Emergency Port, though mostly well-organized, was an overwhelming amount of chaos to the outside eye. Loads of yelling, vast amounts of people running everywhere, and an overall unpleasant place to be in.

So it was a breath of fresh air once they reached the hallways that lead them to the Medical Center. As they continued to walk, one of the medics turned to Rei.

"Excuse me Miss, we're gonna have to take him in. We have special orders from Dr. Akagi to let her handle him, so we'll need you to let go." The medic explained politely. "We'll have you transported to a separate room and get your injury treated."

Rei felt an anguish inside her upon the medic's words, but didn't want to hinder Shinji's recovery. She had to let go of his hand for now.

"Yes sir." She replied.

She let them take him away, her hands finally letting go of his. This felt wrong. Nothing about this felt right to her anymore. She felt like something had just been ripped away from inside her.

She was hurting.

"Come on, Miss-" A female medic said, looking for her uniform's name tag. "-Ayanami. We'll get you fixed up."

Rei didn't answer as she followed the medic to her room.

SAI-KURU BASE, MATSUYAMA

5:13am:

The sun finally rose into view, an unfitting opening to the new day after the horrific battle the base had underwent in the previous night. Most troops didn't bother going to sleep, as there were still bodies to be found and damaged facilities that had to be repaired as soon as possible.

The fires had been put out by then, but smoke still loomed the area. The damage all around the camp was extreme. Numerous blast holes covered the grounds within the camp, accompanied by debris and shrapnel.

A strange sight for the supposed 'most secure sector in Matsuyama'.

Asuka sat on a large bulletproof tire that had come off a land vehicle that had been destroyed, pinching her forehead in frustration. Battles were often stressful, but last night's attack was something else. It was the first time she truly felt like her unit had been cornered.

That, and she was angry at both Shinji and Rei for disobeying her orders without regard.

"Asuka?" Hikari asked.

"What is it?" Asuka replied.

"Everyone's almost finished pushing the loose dirt back into the blast holes. What are our next orders?" She asked again.

"No clue, that's up to the head of the camp for now." Stated Asuka. "Has everyone eaten yet?"

"All except Suzuhara and Aida, I think. They've been acting... off." Hikari said as she sat herself down next to Asuka.

"They're probably worried about the idiot." Theorized Asuka. "I guess I can't blame them for that. But they oughta eat up already, I can't have those dorks lacking in the battlefield. That is, if we're even leaving this shithole..."

"Well, you seem awfully grumpy." Hikari said. 'Again...'

"Hell yeah I am! It's Ikari and that doll Ayanami, thinking they can just go around and disobey their C.O like that. Seriously, I was hoping stupid Shinji would finally learn to be a useful ground troop and all. But that was just cocky! What an idiot... And it doesn't help that those two have some weird infatuation with each other. Bleh, it makes me sick!" Vented Asuka.

"I can forgive Ayanami for what she did, she was just worried. But not Ikari. I told you we should've court martialed him after he atta-"

"Also, when did he suddenly grow a pair? Getting up all in my face like that... The fuck was that about? That doll must think he's sooo cool, what a joke!" Asuka interrupted, continuing her vent on the two.

Hikari wasn't surprised. Asuka often disregarded others' words to talk or (and usually this was the case) complain about something. But she didn't mind, she knew why she was like this. They had been friends long enough that things like this didn't matter to Hikari. She had grown all the more used to it throughout their friendship, and even helped Asuka handle some situations with more ease.

But whenever she vented, it was a constant flow of whining and insults.

"-And then he has the GALL to act like a douche when I order him to stand down! A SECOND time! Asshole... I mean he was such a little prick about it! Whatever... He's just a wuss anyway. Pff, mocking me for trying to f-" She stopped. Hikari looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to what?" She asked, clueless as to what she was talking about.

"Nothing, it's not important..." Asuka said, hiding her face as she did. Before Hikari was even able to further question her on the subject, a voice was heard calling from the distance.

"Hey! We got a call from Major Katsuragi! It's for the Lieutenant!" A fellow Unit-01 troop called out.

"Be there in just a second!" Replied Asuka.

"A call? Can't she just communicate to us through our earpieces?" Hikari asked.

"She's probably not at the Command Center right now." The Lieutenant explained. "Anyway, I'll be back."

"For sure."

As Asuka got up and left, Hikari spotted Toji and Kensuke chatting in the distance. They looked tense, which she had noticed before when seeing them. Toji looked really worried, while Kensuke seemed the calmest about whatever they were talking about.

Still though, he didn't look very calm at all.

She decided she would go to them to see if everything was okay. She figured it really was just them worrying for Shinji, but something didn't look right about it. They didn't just look scared, or bummed out.

They looked stressed.

"Hey guys." She greeted. "What's going on?"

They both looked at her, unsure of what to say. Kensuke decided to handle it on his own, since he was a better talker than Toji was.

"We're just... really worried about Shinji." He said, with a tinge of sadness to his voice.

Shinji's life was what mattered to them most in the situation, but the added stress of potentially being caught for drug possession was messing with their heads. Even if he were to die, his blood tests would still reveal traces of BR-ZRK. It would most certainly get Toji in trouble with the law.

"I can tell. I'm sorry you guys are going through this, I know you guys are close to him. Just know that I'm here for you guys if anything happens, alright?" Hikari kindly stated. She noticed Toji's eyes were elsewhere, and that he wasn't just being rude.

He was scared, and probably dissociating at that very moment.

"Toji." She said, catching his attention. "I'm here for you, okay?"

He nodded ever so slightly, genuinely appreciating Hikari's support.

Kensuke's attention turned to Asuka, who was approaching all of them. He froze in place, wondering if maybe she had gotten a call about a blood test regarding Shinji. But something looked off about her. Her mood looked different.

Hikari turned around when she heard her friend's footsteps behind her.

"So what did the Major want?" She asked.

"Pack your shit, we're going back home." Asuka said with almost no readable emotion in her voice.

"We are?" Hikari asked excitedly. "About time..."

"Yeah, right..." Toji stated flatly. Hikari noticed the atmosphere was heavy, even with Asuka now. She knew something was wrong.

"What's up, Asuka? You don't look too good." Hikari commented, concerned by her friend's gloomy mood. Asuka sighed.

"There's uh, something else." Said the usually-feisty redhead.

"What is it?"

NERV HQ, MEDICAL CENTER, SHINJI'S HOSPITAL ROOM

7:04am:

Misato wondered how long she had been staring mindlessly at him like this. It was painful. She had never been so attached to one of her troops before, not like this. There were no words that could properly describe this level of grief she was experiencing, she hadn't dealt with it in a long while. This was all too much. Shinji was in his hospital bed, still alive.

In a coma.

Hooked up to a machine, not even knowing what was happening around him. Almost as if he were not there at all.

Misato was angry.

Angry at Ritsuko, for showing almost no signs of genuine care for the boy. Angry at the Commander, who not only neglected his own son, but never showed any concern or love for him. And yet, she was also angry at herself.

She didn't even know why, there wasn't anything she could do about it. Her duty as Unit-01's C.O was just that, a duty. One she had to abide to. She just wished she could've actually done something for him, or even helped him out more. Been around the house more to check on him emotionally.

'He didn't deserve any of this.' She mused. 'And just having to stand there, watching him suffer through it all... I can't take it anymore.'

The door opened, and in entered Dr. Akagi herself, coming in with more reports.

"Any new developments?" Misato asked hollowly.

"So far, nothing. Just documentations of stuff like blood tests, wound scans, vaccination reports..." She said in her usual professional tone. "We're still working on something. But so far, the extent of the damage done to his body is too great for us to help him recover."

Misato began to tear up again, as she had many times before that same day. She hadn't slept one bit in the entire night, and it really showed. Her eyes had heavy bags under them, yet she didn't feel tired. She couldn't have slept if she tried.

"Get some rest, Misato. It's not healthy to stay up all night like you did, take this as an advice from a doctor." Ritsuko said out of concern. "Unit-01's coming back home anyway, so you don't have battles to command."

"I'll... think about it, but thanks anyway Rits." Her friend replied.

Misato sat down on a cushioned chair in the corner of the room, trying to collect her thoughts some more. Some sleep wouldn't do her bad at all, perhaps. Ritsuko opened the door to leave the room, but stopped before she fully exited it.

"One more thing, Misato..." She began. Her friend looked up at her.

"Yeah?"

"There is an experiment I might be able to conduct, one that may be able to save his life..."

REI'S HOSPITAL ROOM

8:27am:

There she lay on her side, the holographic sun of the Geo Front shining in from the window facing her backside. There was a pleasant warmth she felt from it, but it wasn't the warmth she craved. Not the one she felt inside. It wasn't the one she grew to desire more and more.

Inside, she felt a sick-like feeling. She never had this kind of emotional experience before, especially when staying at this hospital. It was her old routine; if she was wounded, she was treated by Dr. Akagi and sent back.

But this time, she couldn't help but hate this room for whatever reason. Nothing about it stuck out to her as flawed, or even unpleasant before. This time, she recognized one thing she had never truly thought about before in her stays at the Medical Center.

It was lonely in there.

No one else to interact with for the most part, just dull waiting. This was no problem before, but now it was eating away at her. She looked at her hand again, like she had many times before that day. A hand she was trained to kill with, but a hand she learned to appreciate with.

She missed him.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The door opened, revealing the purple-haired Major herself.

"Morning, Rei." She greeted kindly.

"Hello, Major." Rei greeted back.

"How are you feeling? Your wound doing any better?" Misato asked rather awkwardly as she approached Rei to sit down next to her.

"I... believe so." She answered as she sat up in her bed.

"Well you don't sound so sure of that, it seems." Stated the Major.

"The wound does not bother me, it is healing normally. There are... other things on my mind right now." Rei explained.

"Tell me about it..." Misato commented. "I'm just checking up on you real quick, wanna make sure all my little troops are okay." She tried saying cheerfully. Although, not even Misato could hide her pain.

Rei looked to her left, spacing out as she looked at the spectacular view of the Geo Front. It all looked so real, yet she knew that the holographic skies and climate of the Geo Front was all fake. It looked beautiful, but it was a fake environment made to look like the real thing. Just a replacement.

And yet, she couldn't help but relate to it somehow.

"Well, it seems you have a lot on your mind right now. I'll leave you to recover, then." Misato said, breaking the silence as she got up to leave.

"Is Shinji alright?" Rei asked out of the blue. "Is he safe?"

Misato winced a little, hating that she had to break the news to her.

"He's-" She began. "-um..."

Rei could already tell that whatever she was going to tell her about him wasn't good, but wanted to hear it nonetheless.

"Tell me." She said. "Please."

Misato sighed, looking down sadly and covering her mouth with her hand.

"He's... comatose." She finally let out.

Rei's eyes widened. It was more serious than she thought, and the reality of the situation began setting in again. She looked down at her hand again, opening and closing her hands as she did.

It broke Misato to see Rei like this, especially because she was usually rather aloof about everything and everyone, save for the Commander. But this was genuine care she saw coming from the blue-haired girl, and that was what hurt most about telling her the news.

"But, there's a solution in the works. Ritsuko is preparing an experiment to fully heal him as we speak." She added. "That pod that was used to code Shinji's military training into him, she thinks she can use it to rebuild certain parts of his body. It's never been tried before, but she says there's a good chance it might just work."

"It must." Rei said. "He is... special to me."

"I've noticed." Misato said with a melancholic smile on her face. "You two have become quite close, haven't you? I'm glad you're opening yourself up to making more friends."

Rei continued to look at her hand.

"He is my only friend."

NERV HQ, GENETICS POD LABORATORY

9:10pm:

Misato tapped her foot impatiently. It had been almost a whole day since Shinji was critically injured, and the experiment still hadn't gone underway. It wasn't without reason, since Ritsuko and the rest of the research team had been busy all day studying the theories of the elder Akagi on what L.C.L manipulation was capable of. That, and running multiple theories and procedures through the MAGI System.

The pod itself was ready, booted up for the experiment. The only thing left to do now, was to place Shinji inside.

Luckily, the life support he was hooked to wasn't for his breathing. This meant his body could breathe on its own, and that his body just needed drugs to keep his heart pumping adequately. The only challenge, was that they had to start the experiment as soon as he was placed inside. They had no time to waste.

Shinji was brought into the room in a stretcher, still hooked up to a machine that discharged the drugs he needed to be kept alive.

"Alright, pay close attention-" Ritsuko began speaking on the intercom to the workers taking Shinji to the pod. "As soon as you unplug him from the machine, sit him down inside the pod as fast as you can. Understand? We can't keep him off life support for too long."

Both the medical team and NERV personnel nodded.

"Right, ready yourselves." She instructed.

The medical team had their hands on the cables that connected to the patient, ready to remove them and to bandage the entry points. The personnel had a grip on his limbs, prepared to carry him off the stretcher and to place him in the pod as quick as possible.

"Begin." Ritsuko ordered.

Just like that, the team's movement was like clockwork. Super fast and efficient; Shinji was unplugged from the machine and carried by the NERV team. Misato watched nervously from the control room above the pool of L.C.L the pod was connected to.

"You're sure this will work?" She asked nervously.

"According to the procedures Maya and I have ran through the MAGI, it should be possible. It's just never been done before, and it has to be done with precision." Ritsuko explained.

"What is it that you'll do to him, exactly?" Misato further inquired.

"It isn't too dissimilar to what we did to him when we coded his training into him, we'll weaken his molecular structure and go on from there. Only difference is, we're not coding his body to be physically and mentally fit for the battlefield this time, instead we'll try to reverse the damage done to his chest and speed up the recovery rate." The doctor detailed.

Misato continued to listen.

"Again, it's never been done before. But if the Magi's calculations are correct -and mind you, they usually are- then we should have Shinji healed in about 4 hours time." Finished Ritsuko.

"The patient has been placed inside, Dr. Akagi." Maya chimed, running the experiment with the other personnel working in the control room.

"Secure the pod hatch." Ritsuko ordered.

"Pod hatch secured." Maya confirmed.

"Release the L.C.L and check for synchronization rates."

Inside the pod, the enclosed space was flooded with the orange liquid. Shinji's breathing remained, though some choking was heard by the pod's interior mics. Misato looked at Ritsuko worryingly.

"He's choking! Ritsu-"

"Remember, this stuff is breathable. He's struggling with it now, but he's still able to breathe on his own. He'll be fine." Her friend explained.

Misato nodded, and calmed herself down. She couldn't help it, she just wanted Shinji to be okay. Though it seemed no matter how much things truly were under control, she always had a parental-like instinct to protect him.

That, and she wanted Rei to rest well knowing Shinji was okay.

"Synchronization picked up; steadying at 37% and rising." Said Maya.

'Huh, that's peculiar.' Ritsuko mused. 'More than 35% in just under 2 minutes... Not even Rei achieved this much of a sync rate at this level.'

"Right, we should be good to weaken his molecular structure at around 75%. Remember, we do this as fast as possible. Once we press that button, it'll halt the increase of synchronization." She said.

"Roger." Maya complied.

But something kept concerning Ritsuko throughout the whole process. His sync rate kept rising, at one point slowing down yet still going at a fast pace.

"Doctor, the sync rate is almost up to 60%!" Maya said in amazement. Though this was nothing to be excited about for Ritsuko, since she knew that if the sync rate were to get too high, it would potentially derail the whole experiment.

"It's reached 75%! Begin the molecular process now!" Maya ordered.

The button was pressed, and sure enough the sync rate stopped at 75%. Ritsuko sat herself down on the desk alongside Maya and began her work on the healing process. It didn't last long, as just seconds in the sync rate unexpectedly began rising again, and fast. Alarms went off in every computer screen.

"What's going on?" Misato asked frantically.

"Doctor, the sync rate is shooting up above 100%!" Maya alerted Ritsuko.

"What? That's not supposed to- Abort! Abort the experiment now!" She ordered. Maya tried to pull the emergency shutoff lever, but another alarm went off.

"It's rejecting the signal! What the hell's going on?" Maya panicked.

"Sync rate surpassing 230%!" Another scientist shouted.

Then, the interior camera shut off unexpectedly. All static, no signal coming through, and no visual.

"What's going on? What's happening to Shinji?!" Misato yelled.

"325%!"

"Try manually cutting off the pod's main power cable!" Suggested Ritsuko. Maya attempted it, but still nothing worked.

"The pod isn't responding anymore! No signal I send it goes through!" She explained.

"Damn it!" Ritsuko yelled.

"400%!"

Then, it stopped. The rising of the sync rate plateaued, and remained there without going up or down, like it had frozen.

"Is Shinji okay?!" Misato shouted. "Ritsuko where is he?"

"If this is what I think it is..." Ritsuko began. "Then he's been ingested into the core."

"Core? What core?" Misato asked. "What the fuck does that even mean? Where is he, Ritsuko?"

"He's still alive, Misato. And to answer your previous question, this pod is connected to a core. It's what allows us to manipulate the L.C.L, and how we were able to successfully program Shinji's training into his mind, and physical body." Ritsuko explained. "It powers it, and is how we can control it."

"So then what the hell do you mean by 'ingested'?" Questioned Misato, growing more impatient.

"The sync rate is not supposed to reach that level, so instead of Shinji's body becoming malleable by weakening his molecular structure... his body has become the L.C.L." Said Ritsuko.

"Wh-what the-" Misato let out.

"Maya, try restarting the pod's interior camera." Ritsuko ordered.

Maya did as she was told and the static-filled video readjusted itself and began working again. The whole room gasped in shock. All they saw was Shinji's hospital gown floating amidst the liquid, weightlessly.

"He's... completely disappeared!" Said a horrified Misato.

Shinji wasn't just in a coma anymore, where it was like his essence was the only thing about him that was not there. He was actually gone now.

"That's what a 400% sync rate looks like." Ritsuko stated. Misato looked at her friend, puzzled.

"Maya, give me the L.C.L readings." Ordered Ritsuko.

"Yes ma'am, the pod is still picking up an ego boundary and a psyche. He's still there, but his body and mind have become separated." Explained Maya.

"What does all that mean?" Misato asked.

"It means he's still in there. We just can't see him." Ritsuko explained further. "Which also means... Hold on, give me a second."

Ritsuko once again sat down at the desk and worked on her computer, typing multiple codes into her keyboard dizzyingly fast. She accessed the core's readings, and found exactly what she had suspected.

"Yup, his psyche has entered the core." She explained. "Whatever happened to the sync rate, happened for a reason."

"Don't spout bullshit like that, Ritsuko!" Misato said with a raised voice. "Situations like this don't just 'happen for a reason', they happen because of mistakes! And this one is clearly yours to handle!"

"It's... more complicated than that, Misato. What I'm saying is that this wasn't just some error caused by man or computer, the Magi would've called that out before we even began this experiment if that was the case." Ritsuko told Misato. "This, was the will of the core."

Misato lost all her patience.

*SLAP!*

"Well then fucking do something about it!" She yelled. "How can you just stand around and do nothing? You made this machine, god damn it! You figure out the solution, NOW!"

Misato stormed off and exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Ritsuko held the side of her face that had just been impacted harshly, feeling the sting wear off very gradually. Maya looked up at her, concerned for her well being.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" She asked somewhat timidly. Ritsuko sighed.

"I'm... gonna run some more procedures through the MAGI. Make sure the pod is still up and running, this might take days. Whatever you do, make sure that hatch doesn't open." She ordered, disregarding Maya's question. "If that L.C.L is spilled, we lose him to the core. And we can't afford that."

Then Ritsuko left as well, the harsh atmosphere of the two friends' quarrel still lingering in the control room.

GENDO'S OFFICE

10:47pm:

"You're saying the core acted on its own will?" Gendo asked.

"Yes sir, there is no other way such a thing would be possible." Said Ritsuko. "The incident 11 years ago confirmed that. As you know, my mother ran multiple tests after that. There is no way a core should be able to absorb someone through the L.C.L like that, only by close proximity to the core itself."

Gendo was reminded of the fateful day he lost Yui to the same core, which they later utilized for the pod they used on Shinji. Fuyutsuki, who was also in the office at the time, could tell the Commander's mind was thinking of that very day. He didn't like thinking back to it himself.

"And you're sure this wasn't just instrumentation error?" He asked.

"Positive, Sub-Commander. We've ran this procedure time after time through the Magi, and even ran virtual simulations of the experiment. My readings show that the irregularities began as soon as the core picked up Shinji's DNA. It's as if it was... awakened."

Gendo knew what this meant. It wasn't something he ever thought would happen, but he fully understood why it was that it happened.

"See about any possible side effects the extraction might cause. My plans for him have yet to go underway." The Commander Stated.

"Yes sir. I'll get on the case immediately." She complied.

"Very well." He said.

As Ritsuko left his office, Gendo leaned back in his chair. For once, he wasn't leaning forward, hunched with his hands twirled together in front of the bottom half of his face. He was contemplating everything, seeing as how this was not at all part of his plan. What could this next series of events bring?

"I see you look rather concerned, Ikari." Fuyutsuki said. "First time in a while I've seen you in such a position."

"This was an unforeseeable event, Sub-Commander. If this truly is the will of the core, like Dr. Akagi has suggested, then that means she's still in there." Gendo explained. "And that she's conscious, at least to some extent."

"And if your son is able to be extracted by the team, would that mean-" Fuyutsuki paused. "-that she too may be extractable?" Gendo looked at the picture frame on his desk.

"We will have to wait and see what Dr. Akagi learns of its properties under the current circumstances. In the present moment, the core has become unpredictable. We can't know for sure." He stated.

"I see..." The Sub-Commander said. "And what of Rei, sir? She's currently injured, though it's nothing life-threatening. Without the main core, we can't heal her fast enough for Unit-01's next deployment."

"That's no problem, Fuyutsuki. We are still waiting on the Marduk Institute to name Unit-01's new recruits, their time off the field should buy us enough time to recover Shinji. They won't be deployed for a little while." Said Gendo.

'For someone who's plans might've just been hindered, you sure like to sound on top of things.' Fuyutsuki thought. 'Maybe it's fake optimism, or maybe he's hiding his uncertainty...'

Gendo continued to stare at his picture frame, thinking about the situation they had just been put it.

'What are you up to, Yui?'

MEDICAL CENTER, REI'S HOSPITAL ROOM

11:29pm:

Rei stood in the room, not wanting to lay down in her hospital bed anymore. She just wanted to leave already, something she was usually very patient for. Now all she could think about was getting out of here, and to see Shinji recover.

Her hand was placed on the window as she looked at the neon city lights of the Geo Front at night time. It was vibrant, colorful, and full of life. Thousands of people lived there safely, while the poorer occupants of Tokyo-3 lived up above, constantly subjected to the never-ending toxic rain.

She yearned for freedom, she was sick of this plain white room.

Commander Ikari had always told her of how the indulgent lifestyle of the Geo Front was nothing but a distraction. She still didn't think much of the city, but the bright colors of the neon lights were more pleasing to look at than the overwhelming snow-white walls of the hospital.

She was growing tired of this cycle of nothingness, but didn't want to speak of it. She had a feeling the Commander wouldn't approve of such thoughts, so she held it in.

'Commander Ikari...'

What did she even think of him anymore? She still had an appreciation for him, having been raised all these years surely had to mean something to her. Any time she felt empty inside, or was feeling lonely, she'd just think of Gendo. He was her comfort blanket.

But now she wasn't thinking of him just as much. All she could think of, was-

"How are you doing, Rei?" Asked a voice entering the room.

Rei turned around, seeing that it was Misato coming in to check on her again.

"Hello again, Major." She greeted.

Misato closed the door behind her and walked in, looking rather unwell. Rei, being a very observant person, knew something was wrong. And she knew it had something to do with Shinji.

"Sit, Rei." Misato told her.

Rei did as she was told and sat herself on her bed, just as Misato sat on the chair next to it. There was a brief pause, no sound coming from anyone's mouth. Rei grew worried, but kept her composure. Inside, though, she grew more anxious.

"I..." Misato began, but stopped again.

The pain was far too great, and the fear had completely overtaken her at this point. She didn't know where she could even begin explaining to Rei what happened, but she knew the young girl would want to know.

"Is... Shinji alright?" Rei asked.

"I-" Misato tried again. "I don't know..."