JUNE 11th, 2015

NERV HQ

3:59pm:

Ritsuko's high heels clacked resonantly throughout the halls. Rei's appointment was to begin shortly, and Ritsuko still had to think of some way to convince to her that Shinji was not someone she should be around. Whether it would prove effective or not made no difference to her. Shinji was being sent back home anyway, and she doubted Rei would ever be able to visit him at his uncle's with the war still raging on.

The scientist had been especially stressed out lately, with nothing but more difficult orders coming her way from the Commander. She was beginning to doubt whether there was any possible way to change Rei's mind about Shinji, since she seemed adamant on wanting to be with him.

But when Gendo wanted something, he wanted it. And she could never, nor would she ever say no.

'At this point I'm just an errand girl.'

Her office wasn't too far ahead now, so when she looked up to see Rei waiting by the door she hadn't expected to be greeted by an unusual sight; the usually-stoic girl sitting on the floor with her head down, instead of the robotic stance and expression she usually carried.

'Christ...' Ritsuko thought bitterly.

She unlocked the door without even looking towards Rei, who didn't look up at her either.

"Get up." The blonde ordered. "You and I are going to talk. Let's make this quick, please."

Rei did as she was told, which only depressed her even more. She thought she had found an escape from a life of taking of taking nothing but orders. After what happened that day, she felt doomed to a life as a slave.

The two entered Ritsuko's office and followed the usual drill. Rei sat down on a chair while Ritsuko pulled out a syringe and an elastic band.

The big difference this time was the tension that was so obviously present. It had been there for a little more than a month now, but it was at its highest today. They hadn't ever been the biggest talkers around each other, but even before Rei started changing, there was never such a heavy atmosphere between the two.

"Hold out your arm." Said Ritsuko.

Rei did so, allowing the doctor to tighten the band around her arm. The injection was made as soon as the vein was visible. Rei still looked down depressingly, despite the sting in her arm making her feel uncomfortable.

'Funny...' Thought Ritsuko. 'She looks more like her old self when she's down in the dumps.'

Once she was done injecting Rei with her treatment, she handed her a bandage and threw out the used syringe. Now came the issue of trying to talk some sense into the girl, which used to be no problem for either Ritsuko or the Commander. She still refused to look Rei in the eyes as she faced the complete opposite direction.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain to you what you've been doing wrong." Ritsuko began. "You're well aware of your actions, Rei. Which is why forcing the Commander and I to repeat ourselves to you only makes this worse on you."

Rei was only half-present in the mental sense until Ritsuko began the conversation. She too was tired of these sit-downs and having to hear about how disobedient she had been in the past month. It was all beginning to sound the same to her.

Ritsuko shared this sentiment.

"I'll cut to straight the chase; it's not healthy for you to be around Shinji." She said, finally turning around to face Rei. "Being around him has brought you nothing but pain. All these feelings you're experiencing have done nothing but cloud your mind, you've even begun to let go of your responsibilities. And from what I've heard from Commander Ikari is that you've taken to acting like a petulant child as well. This all started with Shinji."

And still, not a word came from Rei. But now she was looking up at Ritsuko.

"Am I even getting through to you at all? You look absolutely dazed! This is exactly what I'm talking about!"

Now, Ritsuko wasn't sure if this would work either, but she was just trying a little game of psychology. She thought that by linking her current emotional stress and troubling thoughts to the connection she had established with Shinji, it could possibly implant the idea that the boy was not doing any good to her mental health. That he was the reason for her unhappiness.

"My point is, you opened up your heart to him. Now look what's happened to you..." She added, trying to up the ante. "You're a shadow of your past self, all because of Shinji's negative influences. Staying away from him is what's best for you, do you understand?"

Still nothing from Rei.

"Say something!" Ritsuko frustratingly demanded.

The teen had never seen the renowned Dr. Akagi this impatient before. And while she had been seeing this side of her more often, today she was especially more fired up. Even before she started acting up, Rei had been well aware of the bitterness Ritsuko held towards her.

Suddenly, the unwarranted anger the woman held for her reminded Rei of a certain German girl.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked.

"What?"

"What have I done for you to dislike me?" She elaborated.

Ritsuko was a little surprised by the fact that Rei actually knew what she thought of her. She had never previously mentioned anything about it, even when things weren't as bad between the two as they were now. But when she remembered that Rei was a lot more docile at the time, it made more sense.

But that she knew this fact was still a surprise. Ritsuko had underestimated the girl's observation skills.

"I don't- this has nothing to do with what I'm talking about." She said. Rei had figuratively cornered her. "Just stay away from Shinji. Section 2 will keep a close eye on you, so don't bother going to look for him, understood? Just stay away."

It had occurred to Rei that she had made Ritsuko somewhat uncomfortable. And with the way things had gone for her that day, she decided she didn't want to stop. Rei felt like she had a shovel, and wanted to keep digging.

"Have I ever mistreated you?"

"This isn't about me... don't be a brat." Said Ritsuko, trying to keep her cool. She began to fidget with the elastic band she tied around Rei's arm.

The day was utterly devastating for Rei. After waiting all this time in hopes of Shinji's survival and finally becoming hopeful once more, Gendo essentially undid everything. She just wanted to explore her romantic feelings for Shinji, and to make him happy. But now Rei felt as if she had nothing to lose, and just kept pushing.

"You only give me medical attention because the Commander orders you to do so. I have always known this."

"You want to play this game?" Ritsuko said, finally losing any ounce of patience she had left. "Alright then, I'll just let Commander Ikari know that you're no longer of any use to us. How's that? You want that?"

And then another fact that Rei was always somewhat aware of came to mind.

"Is he the reason you dislike me?" She suggested. "Is that it, then? Do you hold romantic feelings for the Commander? Just as I do for Sh-?"

Ritsuko turned and lunged at Rei violently, a strange fiery feeling inside her fully dictating the scientist's actions now. She wrapped the elastic band around Rei's neck and pulled tightly, instantly suffocating her.

"G-hh!" Rei let out in a panic, the attack having happened so quickly and out of nowhere that she barely had any time to react.

With her eyes having closed in the struggle, she couldn't see the look in Ritsuko's eyes. The woman looked down at Rei with a look of intense hate, pulling on the band even tighter now.

'Fuck you... fuck you... FUCK you!' She thought in a rage.

"Hhk!"

It was only when Rei's combat instincts kicked in as her arms flailed forward in self-defense that Ritsuko came to her senses. The hateful stare was gone, and in its place a look of shock and disgust took over. She couldn't believe what she had just done.

Rei dropped to the floor and gasped for as much air as possible once Ritsuko had dropped the band. She backed up in horror at herself. The short fit of coughs was followed by silence, the most terrifying quietness both had ever experienced.

Ritsuko was especially mortified.

"I-" She tried saying as her hands shook violently. "I-I'm sorry! It was just- I was joking! I didn't mean to do it that hard! I-"

Rei looked up in shock, fearful for her own life at this point. She couldn't muster a word, and her breaths with still a little stifled. She backed up away from Ritsuko like a weak prey. There was no telling what this woman could even do to her now.

"I've- I've been so busy! I'm sorry... I-"

Ritsuko quit the fake apologies. There was no way the girl could ever believe any of what she was saying. She had already been so rude to Rei that she had exposed a side of herself she didn't even know she had. The thought that ate at her brain right now was that of being ratted out to the Commander.

She couldn't let that happen.

"W-Watch your mouth, alright?" Ritsuko said in a half-stern, half-shaky voice. "I keep your body alive... d-don't be ungrateful, you got that?!"

She could still hear the uneven breaths Rei was taking. If she let her out without some kind of warning, Ritsuko feared she could be charged with assault. As much as she felt inhuman for threatening the girl, she didn't want to be put behind bars.

"You... keep quiet about this. I am in control of your body, after all. Remember that..."

Rei nodded fearfully. Sweat ran down her face, which looked more pale than ever, more so than it normally was. To Ritsuko, her skin tone resembled that of a corpse.

"Go home. Now."

Rei left just as ordered and closed the door behind her. Ritsuko found herself alone with her thoughts now.

"Wh-Wha-" She uttered to herself. Her face was buried in her hands. 'What did I just do...'

She could only think of her mother now. Her violent reaction to such a petty disagreement was too much of a painful reminder of the past. Ritsuko couldn't believe she had just done such a thing.

"Just... like her..." She said, still thinking of her mother. "Just like her..."

4:47pm:

The car ride was painfully quiet. Shinji hadn't said a word to Misato, who accompanied him on his way to the train station. It was his third escort that day, again provided by NERV. It was likely also his last.

He had already said his goodbyes to Kaji, and an attempt was made to do the same for Asuka. She didn't bother open her door for him.

On any other day, Shinji would be distraught by yet another sudden and extreme change made to his life without his own choosing. But after the violent outburst in his father's office, his mind had seemingly numbed out after the fact. He completely shut off.

Misato sighed.

"It's stopped raining... thank god." She said, wanting to get any sort of talk going with him. "Guess you won't be needing your umbrella, then."

Shinji continued to stare vacantly at nothing. His head wasn't even turned towards the window, as he absentmindedly observed the dull color of the back of the driver's seat.

At this point, Misato caught a glimpse of the Shinji she had first met; a distant, sometimes rude boy that rejected the world around him. Even though he struggled greatly with battle fatigue, she saw a personal growth in him progress throughout his time there. That was all gone now, his personality having reverted to what it was before.

The station came into view, and Misato knew their time was basically up.

She felt as if she had failed him somehow. All she was was his guardian, after all. But Shinji's struggle with the abandonment caused by his father reflected her own struggles as a child. She saw a bit of herself in him, and wanted to help him out the way she would've liked being helped. It was why Misato had welcomed him into her home, which she now thought of as his own.

The car stopped right in front of the station, the agent in the passenger seat turning his head to Shinji to nod. It was time to go now.

Holding back all emotion, Misato was sure he wasn't in the mood for any kind of intimate goodbye. When he gave Kaji his farewell, it was as cold as ice. Maybe it was because he just didn't know the man very well. But the absence of a conversation between the two on the way there gave her the impression that he just wanted to leave Tokyo-3 and get this all over with.

"I hate that things wound up this way, Shinji." She told him before he opened his door. "I'd ask you to visit, but I know the Commander exiled you from the city limits."

Shinji wasn't too happy hearing information that had been relayed to him just hours ago. But he wasn't going to complain about it to her, since he could tell Misato was having a hard time with this.

"It's fine, Misato. I brought this onto myself. I have no one other than myself to blame." He told her as he opened the car door to step out.

Just as he settled on foot down on the still-wet sidewalk, he hesitated for just a second.

"Thanks... for everything. You were family when no one else was."

That was enough to get Misato to drop the act. When she looked at Shinji, he was already up on the sidewalk and set to go. She had to talk to him before he left.

"Can you give us a few minutes?" She asked the driver.

He looked back at her, at first unsure if he even had a say in that matter. He figured a few minutes wouldn't hurt. After all, the kid's train wouldn't come for another 40 minutes, so she had more than enough time to converse with him. The driver allowed it.

She too opened her door and exited the vehicle in a rush, worried that Shinji might've already walked up to the platform. But he was still there, looking at and waiting for her. He likely heard her ask the driver to wait.

She approached him to have a little more privacy, causing Shinji to unconsciously take a step back.

"I... I'm sorry, Shinji." She said, puzzling him.

"What for?"

Misato stood silent, wondering herself why she was even apologizing to him.

"I'm- honestly I'm not really sure." She admitted. "I guess... I just wanted you to live the happiest life during these crazy times. Everything you've gone through in your life so far, I understand what that's like. At least to an extent..."

Shinji didn't react, but listened attentively.

"I know what it's like to have an absent father. As for the war, I can't say I really know what a combat situation is like. But I lived through the aftermath of the Second Impact... I guess what I'm trying to say is that you reminded me of a past I tried shedding long ago. It pained me to go through that, and I didn't want you to suffer like I did."

Misato crossed her arms and looked down, her eyes watering just slightly. She didn't expect to become this attached to the boy.

"I wanted to help, to be something of a motherly figure... to you and Asuka. I don't know, maybe I was trying to make up for my personal traumas or something like that. I don't know if that's a selfish desire, or just foolish of me. I... I wanted you to be better off than me, because you and all your friends are put through so much more than I ever was, or anyone I've known for that matter."

Her apology didn't go over Shinji's head at all. He knew he should be feeling torn and extremely upset at that moment. He too had unexpectedly gotten attached to her. It was why he had begun thinking of her as family in the past month or so.

But this new path he thought he had finally uncovered was just another diversion. Just like every other happy moment in his life.

"I appreciate that, Misato. I really do." He responded, though still in a flat tone. "But you don't have to worry about me. Things like this just... happen to me. Quite often, too. There isn't much anyone can do to make it better, let alone myself."

Just as Misato thought, these were the words of the Shinji she met months ago.

"You think you're the only one this affects?" She asked him. "What about your friends? What about Rei?"

Misato's words reminded him of what his mother had to say to him in the core.

"And... me? You don't think it hurts me to see you go? I welcomed you to my home, not thinking much of it at first! But after a while, it just made sense! I know I may not be the best roommate, but it made me happy to see you there! It's like you said, you were family when no one else was!"

She stopped to take a deep breath, feeling torn as she did.

"After a while, it wasn't just my home anymore." Misato said weakly. "It was... our home."

"..."

She could see that Shinji had been visibly upset. And knowing the old Shinji, he would likely choose to not face the facts at all. The pain was too great, and hiding from it was his automatic response.

It really was as if he had reverted to his older self.

"Shinji-"

"I'll be fine. I should honestly just get going already." Said Shinji.

He waved one hand as he turned the other way, finally deciding to leave Tokyo-3 once and for all. Misato watched as he left, feeling a tinge of anger inside her as he did. Although there was nothing either of the could do about it, she almost directed her anger towards him. There was something about the sight of his turning his back on her that brought back old emotions. Like her father and Kaji before him (though for the latter it was all in her head), Shinji was leaving her.

'No, that's not right. I don't think he truly wants to leave... he's too attached to everyone and everything here.' She mused, thinking about his close bond with Rei.

To her surprise, Shinji turned to her once more and spoke.

"Goodbye Misato. And thank you."

And then he was gone.

GENDO'S OFFICE, NERV HQ

4:57pm:

The Commander stared at the palm of his right hand after having taken off his glove. The Adam embryo was still forming, and was still some ways from being fully grafted onto his skin. He could already see where its large eye would form, a lump taking its place for now. His day had been very interesting. Not only did Rei blow up at him for the first time, but Shinji lashed out violently and managed to even hurt the Commander.

Things weren't going according to plan at all, which almost never happened for Gendo.

A mind like his could normally found ways to make everything, even the worst case scenarios, work out in his favor. He could still feel the ache in his cheek, where a bruise had already formed.

"Something bothering you, Commander?" Asked Kozo.

He noticed Gendo wasn't in his usual forward-hunch seating position, and instead sat back against his office chair. He was observing the Adam embryo, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. He finally sat up as he reached for the phone to dial a number.

"Dr. Akagi, you are required at my office immediately." Said Gendo coolly.

After hanging up and putting the phone down, he resumed his previous position.

"I saw it, Fuyutsuki. It was there." He said as he felt his cheek once more. "He was there."

"I assume you're referring to the incident with your son today." The older man stated, noticing Gendo touching his bruise. "Yes. After all this time, you unearthed that rage you were digging so deep for. All that abuse did in fact get you exactly what you wanted out of him."

He emphasized that last part to make it clear that although he was going along with Gendo's plans, he hated the torment Shinji was put through because of it.

"It's a shame it only happened now, and under these circumstances. The timing couldn't have been worse." He added.

"Instrumentality will be achieved through other means. Said means, however, will be more of a challenge than previously expected." The Commander replied, narrowing his eyes afterwards. "That is, if Dr. Akagi's talk has failed to change anything."

"Talk? What talk?" Asked Fuyutsuki.

"I ordered Dr. Akagi to have a conversation with Rei during her check-up appointment, in which I specifically instructed her to change Rei's perception of Shinji by whatever means necessary." Gendo explained.

"Well with how badly these 'talks' with Rei have gone so far, this seems like a bit of a long shot." Fuyutsuki chimed in.

"Perhaps. But it is our final resort. If Rei is to keep at it with this rebellious nature, then our plans with her will have to be scrubbed completely."

The Sub-Commander then noticed the skeptic look in Gendo's face, assuming it had something to do with him calling Ritsuko up to his office. He could tell the man was certainly on edge today, which was way more emotion than he had ever seen in him since Yui's death.

"It appears there's something else that's bothering you, sir." Kozo said to him.

"The appointment started nearly an hour ago, yet I have not heard a word from Dr. Akagi." Replied Gendo, to which Fuyutsuki found unlikely from the doctor that was almost always on top of things.

"It's possible she's still talking to Ayanami."

"She would have said otherwise when I summoned her." Gendo explained. "She even failed to report the results to me after finishing, which she never has done before. Something feels... odd about her today."

Fuyutsuki chuckled facetiously.

"That makes three of them."

A few moments later, the two men heard the distinct ring of the elevator as Ritsuko finally arrived at his office. The darkly-lit room provided the perfect cover for her pale face, of which she didn't even realize her skin was toned differently.

"Yes sir?" She asked in a strangely quiet volume.

"Dr. Akagi... I assume you have your reasons for not reporting whether you were able to successfully change Rei's mind about Shinji." Gendo said to her. "Well? How did it turn out?"

Ritsuko had been thinking of a believable answer to give him since the conversation had gone completely wrong. About 20 minutes before she was called up, she thought she had found the perfect lie. But being there, in front of the man himself, the levels of intimidation had effectively frozen her mind and body.

"Sir..." She began, taking a nervous pause. "...Rei wouldn't listen to me, no matter what I would tell her about your son."

"What did you say about him?" Inquired the Commander.

"W-What?"

"I said, what exactly did you say about him?" He asked again.

Ritsuko desperately tried thinking back to what she had actually said to Rei, but could only think of the unspeakable thing she did to the troop. With some quick thinking, she tried making things up for the time being.

"Well, I tried enforcing what you had already tried pushing upon her before... but that didn't go anywhere." She explained, before actually remembering what she said to Rei. "A-And, I tried correlating her emotional instability to her bonding with Shinji... and that it was only clouding her duties at NERV."

Now both Gendo and Fuyutsuki were well-aware that something strange had gone on in Ritsuko's meeting with Rei. Her uneasiness had not completely given her away, but they were suspicious.

"How did she react?" Gendo further questioned.

Images of Rei struggling to breathe had momentarily ran through Ritsuko's mind, before she shut them out again.

"She was rather r-rude." She said calmly, only lying to them partially. "She talked back quite a bit, going as far as trying to push my buttons in retaliation."

There was a moment of silence between the three. Ritsuko was not at all sure if they were buying it, but forced herself to keep that facade of hers.

"Is everything alright, Dr. Akagi?" Fuyutsuki asked unexpectedly.

There undoubtedly was a slight shakiness to her voice, which she had done mostly a good job of hiding. But there were moments were the stress was rather apparent to both men, as her mind was still playing the horrifying image of what she had tried doing to Rei.

"I'm fine. Just had too much coffee, I think." Ritsuko said as an excuse for her jitteriness. "Didn't have too much sleep last night so I thought all the caffeine would help."

Still, Gendo and Fuyutsuki were unsure about this answer but let it slide for now. The Commander resumed his usual seated position.

"So that is it then, Rei is a lost cause?"

"I believe so, sir." Answered Ritsuko.

Fuyutsuki was closely eyeing her, noticing a very subtle shake in her hands.

'It could be the coffee.' He pondered. 'But, there's something strange about her demeanor... something's not right.'

"That will be all." Gendo finally said, the words she was hoping he'd say.

She nodded and turned around, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. But just as she turned, Gendo received a call.

"This is Commander Ikari." He said, stopping to listen the caller. "Actually, she is present."

Ritsuko immediately assumed the call was something bad. She figured Rei did in fact tell someone what happened about an hour ago, and the fear overtook her again.

'You have to keep calm.' She mentally coached herself. 'Keep calm, and act like nothing's wrong. They won't know anything's wrong with you...'

"Dr. Akagi-" Gendo called out as he held the phone out to her. "-Lieutenant Ibuki needs to speak with you."

Ritsuko nervously made her way back to him, being very careful as to not show any sings of stress or fear. She took hold of the phone and placed it against her ear.

"Dr. Akagi speaking, what is it?"

"Doctor, the MAGI has picked up some unusual readings under Tokyo-3's foundation." Said Maya.

Then it was Ritsuko's turn to narrow her eyes.

"Like what?"

"The MAGI is reporting shock waves and reading multiple points of high stress within the bedrock surrounding the inner walls of the Geo Front. Upon closer inspection, heat signatures are being picked up from these stress points as well." Maya detailed.

"How many stress points are there, exactly?" Asked Ritsuko.

"Eight, to be exact. If there are more, we haven't been able to pick them up yet."

'Those bastards...' The advanced scientist mused. 'They couldn't possibly be-'

"Alright. Thanks for reaching out to me, Ibuki." She said before hanging up.

Ritsuko took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, now worrying for the safety of the citizens of the Geo Front and for those at NERV HQ. And though this was certainly a possible catastrophe waiting to happen, she was a little relieved at the fact that this came just at the right time to cover up her incident with Rei.

"What is it now, doctor?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Now I'm not 100% certain, but it's possible we have an attack coming right at us." She said.

"An attack?" The old man asked. "Here?"

"Remember those tunnels Inspector Kaji uncovered within the depths of Matsuyama? They might be trying to pull that same move off, but here."

Fuyustuki was now extremely worried. He looked over at Gendo, who remained unfazed by the possibility of a direct attack on HQ. The Commander stood up from his chair and placed his glove back on, hiding the developing embryo once more.

"Right. Summon our most important units at once, and get Captain Katsuragi on the line. They are to be stationed within HQ. Have our self-defense measures enabled in case the Geo Front's walls are breached." He ordered. "Word of this is not to get out to the public or even NERV's very own personnel. The last thing we need right now is a mass panic."

"Yes sir." Ritsuko complied.

"Fuyutsuki, head over to the command center and be on standby. If the MAGI's readings are accurate, you are to instruct the bridge bunnies on what to do."

"Yes, Commander Ikari." The Sub-Commander agreed.

"Both of you, go now." He ordered one last time, sending Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko off on their ways.

He was by himself at his office again, contemplating what to do now. If this attack was to indeed occur, it would be a devastating blow. Not only to the population of Tokyo-3 and the Geo Front, but for NERV's reputation as the Japan's greatest military organization. And if that were to happen, Instrumentality might be nothing but an unobtainable dream.

'I will do this for us, Yui.' Thought Gendo, staring at his gloved right hand, knowing what lay under it.

For a decade now, he had dedicated his entire life to achieving this goal. He was more than determined to win, by whatever means necessary. But right now, he had to focus on keeping the Angels away from Terminal Dogma.

'If they are to attack our home-' He mused. '-and if we survive, then we must fight fire with fire. SEELE HQ, the birthplace of their Angel army, will soon feel our wrath.'

Gendo knew the coming months would be the culmination of all his work. Whether it would go his way or not, he wasn't sure. But if NERV was to go out, they would go out with a bang, not a whimper.

'And all you old men... will die burning in your own home.'