A Brighter Future

by Blessed Are The Sick

Yui Ikari makes an unplanned reappearance after the Contact Experiment with EVA Unit-01. But all the best plans have their quirks, and even the most amateur player knows when to re-evaluate and re-adjust. With Yui to temper the worst impulses of NERV's staff, the future seems brighter than before, but how far will she go to protect her interests: namely, one Shinji Ikari?

6. Chapter 5: The Beast

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TRAINING ROOM, NERV HQ

JULY 22ND, 2014

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Rei threw a kick, the attack almost connecting with Misato's stomach.

Winking at Rei, Misato stopped the kick with a block, then grabbed her leg and threw the girl off-balance. Rei stumbled a bit, but regained her balance fast. She followed up with a feint to Misato's right and an attempt at an uppercut at Misato's lower rib; Misato saw through the deception easily, deflecting the blow with her left, then connecting with a right cross on Rei's cheek.

Rei reeled back. Misato hadn't put her full weight into the punch, but it still rocked the lithe girl backwards. By the look on Rei's face, the punch had hurt, but the blow to her pride had stung worse.

"It's alright, Rei." Misato wiped a bead of sweat off her own cheek. "You're going to be at a disadvantage against an adult, and the fact you don't weigh that much doesn't help."

Sweat dripped onto Rei's face onto her navy-blue sports tank-top; sparring wasn't the girl's forte, but she was learning quickly. Rei didn't exactly have a social life, so she had plenty of time to train without it interrupting her studies. And, most interestingly to Misato, this was one of the few activities where Rei actually got frustrated. Misato didn't know the girl even possessed that particular emotion.

"I do not understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"I have not been able to land a single successful blow on you. Several of my attacks should have connected, but they did not."

"I have about ten years of experience on you," Misato said. "you're progressing fast, but a lot of it is pure instinct. It's going to take time to develop."

Rei bit on her tongue, gently. It was a habit she picked up from Miss Yui, that meant she was annoyed. "I must assume that if I am forced into a fight, it will most likely be against an adult. Likely an adult male. If I will be at a disadvantage against most opponents I fight, then what is the purpose of this?"

"A disadvantage doesn't mean a guaranteed loss. It's better to know these skills than not." A grin spread across Misato's face. "And everyone has weak points. Especially men."

A blank expression was Rei's response to Misato's comment. Right. Even if Rei wasn't somewhat emotionally stunted, the girl wasn't old enough to grasp her humor. Misato often thought about introducing the girl to a friend, perhaps even a boy, but Miss Yui didn't seem to want the girl to socialize too much.

They sparred for another hour, Misato calling their session to an end when it was clear that Rei's stamina was giving out. The blue-haired girl still hadn't landed a proper blow at the end of their session, but she had gotten close, and that was good enough in Misato's estimation.

Sitting on a bench near the exit, Rei leaned forward and tried to catch her breath, a sweat-soaked towel wrapped around her delicate neck. Misato handed Rei an ice-cold bottled water from the nearby refrigerator, the girl taking the bottle and drinking as if she were about to die of thirst.

Again, Misato couldn't hide her amusement at Rei's sudden displays of emotion. Apparently, if you pressed the girl hard enough, she would actually show you a smile or a scowl.

"You did good today," Misato said, as she sat beside the girl. "you've still got a ways to go, but you're progressing fast."

"Thank you." Rei looked up, not meeting Misato's eyes. "What is he like? Doctor Ikari's son?"

"He's a nice boy, apparently. Kind of shy and quiet according to Miss Yui, but with a real talent for music." Misato shrugged, drinking from her own water bottle. "I don't know what kind of pilot Miss Yui expects him to be, but the decision's already been made, I guess."

"Did Doctor Ikari tell him about me?"

"I doubt it. Having a viable clone of yourself doesn't seem like the sort of thing you just drop on someone, you know?"

"I see."

"I can show you a picture, if you'd like." Misato pulled out her cell phone, navigating to her gallery, and pulling up a picture of the young Shinji Ikari. "Here. He doesn't look half-bad, right?"

"He looks like me."

"You are practically his sister, in a weird way. There's bound to be some family resemblance."

"Doctor Ikari talks about him often. But, if he is so important to her, why am I here and he is not?"

"I'm not sure." Misato pursed her lips together. That was a good question. "I would think his parents would want him here, to prep him to pilot EVA if nothing else. But the Commander and Miss Yui have their reasons, I'm sure."

"Are they estranged?"

"Shinji and the Commander are. He's certainly not to Miss Yui, though. The way she talks about Shinji, you would think he hung the moon in the sky."

"I see." Rei's gaze grew more pensive. "I will do my best to protect him, when he comes. It would be cruel to deprive the world of someone who Doctor Ikari loves so deeply."

"You can't just live for someone else, Rei. You've got to figure out who you are, and what you want."

"I…I do not know how to figure out who I am."

Misato gave a wistful sigh.

"I don't think anyone else knows how to either, kid."

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Chapter Five

"The Beast"

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"She's awake."

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NERV MEDICAL WARD, NERV HQ

AUGUST 14TH, 2015

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Misato was almost certain the schematic Miss Yui was showing her was, essentially, a giant rail-gun.

"We're going to take apart one of the launch bays," Miss Yui was saying. "and have all the spare parts brought to the staging point. It will take some doing, but we should have the weapon functional before the Angel breaks through the final plate."

In the makeshift lab outside of the trauma bay, Miss Yui was laying out the general outline of how NERV was going to defeat the Angel. Both Akagis were there, as well as the top three technicians from the bridge crew – Maya Ibuki, Shigeru Aoba, and Makoto Hyuga. And connected through Miss Yui's phone, on speaker, was one Asuka Langley Soryu.

On a dry-erase board filled with diagrams, hastily drawn equations, and printouts, Miss Yui pointed towards each individual component of the setup for the rail-gun as she went through her plan.

Ritsuko shifted uneasily. "Unless you're planning for this weapon to extend from here to Hokkaido, I don't know if it will generate enough force to punch through the Angel's AT Field."

"That's correct," Miss Yui said. "the AT Field will need to be weakened before we can successfully breach it. And the Evangelions can't get close without sustaining significant damage."

"I'm assuming you have an answer to our problem?" Naoko asked, the intrigue apparent on her face. "If you're about a pull a rabbit out of your hat, Yui, then let's hear it."

"Well, as it turns out, we already have something capable for breaching the AT Field. About ten or eleven blocks away from the Angel."

The entire room, sans Yui, exchanged glances with each other. It was Maya Ibuki who came up with the answer Miss Yui was looking for.

"You want to use the other Angel, to attack this Angel."

"That's right."

"Doctor," Ritsuko said. "the Fourth Angel is dead."

"Not quite."

Miss Yui pulled out a decent-sized tablet, showing a video feed of a team surveying the Fourth Angel's supposed corpse - along with graphs of its vitals, internal scans, and all the works. Misato was hardly a scientist, but even she could tell the Fourth Angel was regenerating, and regenerating fast.

"As you can all see, the Fourth Angel is still very much alive." A smirk crossed Miss Yui's lips. "I can't exactly take credit for this little venture, though. Asuka, would you like to explain, dear? Since it was your idea, after all."

"Well, it's more of my mother's theory, but the Angels don't exactly adhere to a design that conforms to the Earth's gravity and atmospheric makeup. They would all collapse under their own weight, normally, and that's where the Angel's core comes in."

Naoko Akagi hummed to herself. "How does this explain the Angel's re-emergence, though?"

"That's the thing. The core allows the Angels to cheat – evolutionarily speaking – and sustain themselves on this planet even when they shouldn't be able to. I think the Fifth Angel did kill the Angel outright, through sheer trauma alone, but since the core wasn't destroyed…"

"The Angel resurrected itself," Misato said, rubbing her chin. "I mean, we always knew the core was important, but we didn't know how."

"And to think," Miss Yui said, with a mischievous grin. "we wouldn't even have gone down this line of thought, if Miss Soryu wasn't trying to get in contact with Shinji."

"M-Miss Yui, I-I told you it wasn't like that!" Asuka gave a sharp sigh. "Anyway, the Angel's core is intrinsically tied to its biological makeup. So, if the core had been destroyed, the Angel should have undergone rapid cellular degeneration and dissolved mostly into blood, with perhaps some organic matter sticking around. So, in the event that you do destroy the Angel, you'll need to be ready with your clean-up crews. I don't want to stepping into any residual pools of blood with my expensive shoes."

Misato wrinkled her nose at last Asuka's comment. "Don't worry, Asuka, I'm sure Shinji will throw his coat over them for you. He's a perfect gentleman, after all."

"Misato, y-you too?"

Ritsuko crossed her arms. "So, you're proposing we use the Fourth Angel to attack the Fifth Angel, and while the Fifth's AT Field is weakened, the railgun will deliver the final blow."

"Yes. It's more Doctor Ikari's plan, but theoretically it should work, if we can get everything to line up."

"Any idea why the Fifth Angel waited until now to attack?" Naoko said, rubbing her chin. "The timing is uncanny, and with the strange behavior of the Third Angel, it seems there's a pattern developing here."

"I'm not sure. The Angels are, for all intents and purposes, completely alien to Earth. We just don't know enough about them to make an accurate assessment at this time, and to judge them based on the standards of an Earth-based lifeform would be irresponsible of us."

"However," Yui said. "their DNA is ninety-nine percent similar to human DNA. And, as far as the Third Angel, perhaps it could sense – "

Yui stopped herself before she went too far. "We'll know more as we see more of the Angels. It's just the nature of the beast, unfortunately."

"So, the idea is to shatter the AT Field and the Angel's core in one blow," Naoko said. "it's a good plan, but I'm more worried about the aftermath."

"Aftermath?" Miss Yui asked. "Are you talking about the clean-up, or the committee?"

"The latter. What are they going to say when they find out we've been using their funds to help one of the Angels, even if it is for one final suicide mission? I can't imagine they'll be pleased."

"Well, at present, NERV is the only organization capable of defeating the Angels." Swatting her hand as if the council were an annoying fly, Yui continued her line of thought. "As long as the operation results in the complete destruction of both Angels, there's only so much they can complain about."

"I know, I'm just…" Naoko turned away. "I know I don't know as much about them as you, or the Commander and Fuyutsuki for that matter. And that's fine. But I just want you to be aware of the dangers, Yui."

"I'm perfectly aware of whom I'm dealing with, Naoko. And, frankly, the committee are a bunch of frail old men with too much power and too little to do. If they can do our job better, they're more than welcome to try."

Finally, Naoko relented. "Alright. I'm assuming if you're presenting this as an option, then you also have a rough time table of when the Fourth Angel will be active again?"

"I can answer that, Doctor Akagi." Asuka cleared her throat, trying to scare the jitters away from her voice. "With the current rate of regeneration, it should be about six hours before the Angel is awake."

"So, in other words," Miss Yui said. "right before our other visitor breaks through the last plate between the surface and Geo-Front."

"We're only going to get one shot," Ritsuko said. "so to speak. And I'm not even talking about if the AT Field isn't weak enough for the slugs to penetrate. From what I understand of this kind of weaponry, the guiding rails can only take so much abuse before they start to warp and splinter."

"Well, it's the only shot we have." Miss Yui met Misato's eyes; they both knew her statement wasn't true, but the Lieutenant-Colonel deferred to her superior for now. "So, let's get started on it. There isn't a minute to waste."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think this one of Katsuragi's plans."

Misato stuck her tongue out at Ritsuko. "Great minds think alike."

"Crazy minds, more like," Ritsuko said, under her breath.

"What was that, Rit-chan?"

"Nothing. We'll get right to work on this."

Before voicing her own concerns with Yui's plan, Misato waited for everyone to clear out of the hallway. She always tried to side with Miss Yui whenever someone had a disagreement, publicly, out of respect to the woman, and to help maintain order as well. As a veteran of the JSSDF, Misato knew the importance of appearing unified, as well as how to take orders that she didn't think well of.

Chain of command wasn't a doctrine easily forgotten, as it turned out.

Miss Yui had already turned back to her own work, but she casted a quick glance at Misato, seemingly surprised the woman was still there. "Was there something else, Misato?"

"Yeah." She walked beside Miss Yui, her boots stomping against the tiled floor. "I understand why you're going this direction, Miss Yui, but we both know there was another way. An easier way."

"Not for me."

"Miss Yui, I can't just close my eyes and pretend that you're not potentially jeopardizing this operation for Shinji. I know he's your son, but for the sake of the world, I think you should call the JSSDF back and accept their offer."

"I've found another way, Misato, and I won't be leveraged and neither will Shinji. Not by the JSSDF or anyone else. Just do as I say and it will all work out fine, alright?"

"But Miss Yui," Misato said. "you're leveraging the fate of the entire human race, all for him. I mean, you know I would do almost anything for Shinji, this is a going too far. Even if you lose Shinji, if he doesn't understand why you did it, he'll still be alive, at least."

The woman met Misato's eyes, her brown pupils unwavering. "Losing Shinji and losing humanity are the same thing to me, Misato. Now, please, do as I ask."

Misato's breath caught in her throat. "You…you don't mean that."

Not even acknowledging Misato, Miss Yui returned to her work and effectively dismissed her. She couldn't have meant that, right? One person, even if it happened to be her son, didn't carry the same weight as all of humanity. And Miss Yui had a tendency to overreact. Perhaps the stress was getting to her, or she didn't realize what she said.

Misato began walking away, Miss Yui's words ringing in her ear as she went to find Rei.

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A quick check with Section Two revealed that Rei had left the firing range; the girl had made her way to a small walkway between two NERV-owned building just outside of HQ. When Misato arrived and made her way up the building, Rei was leaning against the railing of the walkway, her crimson eyes watching the Angel in the distance.

It was a quiet, out of the way place; and a cool breeze wafted through the gap between the buildings. Misato could see how the hideaway could be a nice place to think and reflect on certain events.

"There you are," Misato said, as she approached. "you really shouldn't wander too far off from HQ right now. An Angel attack would be the perfect time for someone to abduct one of our pilots."

Rei didn't avert her gaze from the Angel. "I did not leave the sight of the agents following me. There was no danger."

"Nevertheless, I'd feel better if you were back at HQ."

"Very well."

As a cold wind cut through Misato's thin clothing, she wrapped her arms around herself to generate some much-needed warmth. Deciphering Rei's moods was nearly impossible to the casual passer-by, but Misato had somewhat learned how to tell which way the girl was leaning. Oddly enough, telling the difference had as much to do with the girl's current location and what she was currently doing, as it did with any subtle change in her facial features.

Rei usually didn't venture far outside of school or home, or HQ for sync testing and simulation training. With how far the girl had gone outside of her normal route, Misato felt pretty safe in saying that Rei was feeling some type of way about the events of the past twelve-or-so hours.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Misato asked. "Are you upset about Shinji? The nurses are saying he should wake up any time now."

It took a few moments for Rei to respond; her head drooped a bit as she did.

"Is Doctor Ikari angry?"

"Considering that she told me to check up on you, I'd say no. She's worried about you, and I am too."

"There is nothing to worry about. I am fine."

Sighing, Misato rested her back against the railing beside Rei.

"It's alright to have emotions, Rei. To feel things." Misato looked up at the blue sky, wondering whether she would see it again tomorrow. "That's your problem. You bottle your feelings up inside, try not to feel anything. I trained you personally. I know you can get angry, or frustrated."

"Processing my emotions is difficult," Rei said. "I feel…guilty, I think. Every time I think about him…Ikari, it bubbles up inside me. I promised Doctor Ikari I would protect him, and I did not."

"Rei, you couldn't have possibly known about the Angel's capabilities. If you didn't get Shinji out of there when you did, he might have been hurt even worse. He might be dead, even."

"The feeling is still there."

"I know." Misato gave a small, sad smile. "If anyone should be feeling guilty, it should be me. I got greedy. I should have called for a full retreat when the second Angel showed up. But all I do is move forward, and try to get us out of this mess."

Rei started to press the tips of her fingers together. She still refused to meet Misato's gaze.

"I am also…scared." A small gasp of air escaped Rei's lips. "You…you know what Doctor Ikari created me for?"

Misato didn't respond. She liked Rei, despite her perpetually taciturn nature, and she wasn't keen on thinking about the implications of the girl's existence.

"I am replaceable. I am to protect Ikari, and die to save him, if the need arises." Rei turned her gaze on Misato, finally, and she could see the anxiety in the girl's eyes. "There should never be a scenario where I am alive and Ikari is not."

"Miss Yui can put you into another body though, right?"

Misato didn't mean to sound so flippant about Rei's predicament; she genuinely didn't know how to broach the subject. In her brilliance, Miss Yui might have accidentally pushed the evolution of mankind forward a step, and Misato simply couldn't wrap her head around the concept.

What if there were clones of all the pilots made? Or the Commander and Miss Yui? Or the leaders of the world for that matter? For the first time in human history, true immortality was in arm's reach. The only reason that Rei's existence wasn't a bigger deal, was because of the alien horrors currently trying to end humanity.

"There are others," Rei said. "but I do not know whether my personality and memories will be replicated entirely. I will be myself, but also not. And I would likely have to re-learn quite a few things, as well."

"Well, what do you want, Rei? Do you want to sacrifice yourself like that?"

"I want…" Rei blinked, as if the question hadn't ever occurred to her. "I…I enjoy Ikari's company. I like him, even, but I also like my own life. However, if it is between myself and Ikari dying, the choice is obvious. Ikari must live."

"It's a tough choice." Another biting wind swept through, and Misato felt suddenly empty as the cold hit her. "This is the one thing I will never agree with Miss Yui on, Rei. You're too young to have a burden like that placed on you."

"We are all too young, Lieutenant-Colonel. Ikari, Soryu, and myself. Ikari can play such beautiful music, and Soryu is already a university graduate. We were meant to do things other than this, I feel. Better things."

The pocket on Misato's mini-jacket vibrated. Misato pulled out her phone, flipping the device open with a gesture and holding it to her ear. She listened, nodded to herself, and gave the person on the other end a quick confirmation before pinching her phone closed.

"We need to get to back HQ," Misato said. "Shinji's awake."

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Shinji awoke in a daze. When his vision stopped swirling and the blurriness waned, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. The soft cushion of a bed was underneath him, so comfortable that the boy wanted nothing more than to sink beneath the folds of the mattress and never return. His plugsuit was gone, replaced by a simple hospital gown, but Shinji didn't feel embarrassed this time. He supposed strangers seeing his unconscious, naked body and changing him would become a common occurrence.

Fingers laced between his own. Looking to the side, Shinji saw Mom sitting in a chair beside him, staring at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. Like the first time Shinji woke up in a strange hospital room, Mom lifted a cup of water to his lips for him to drink, the cool liquid nourishing him. But Mom didn't say a word, and Shinji wondered what was wrong with her. He would have asked, but the boy was simply too tired.

So, for a time, they sat in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Mom would run her fingers through his hair, or cup his chin. A doctor was in-and-out of the room at regular intervals, monitoring Shinji's vitals and ensuring sure his recovery was on track. Mom said nothing to the man, letting him continue with his work in peace.

After a while, Shinji heard the room's door open, and a familiar mop of blue hair walked in. Misato followed behind her, throwing Shinji a quick smile and a wave as she stepped into the room.

"I heard you were back with us," Misato said, somewhat loudly. "you're pretty hard to – "

Mom shushed Misato, and in a whisper the woman said 'sorry'.

Shinji noticed Rei looking off to the side, her posture unsteady. She resembled a child who had a broken window in the house, and was about to fess up about the incident to her parents.

"Everything alright, Rei?" Shinji asked, his voice hoarse and weak. "You didn't get hurt, right?"

"No. I am fine, Ikari."

"That's good."

Mom wrapped her hand around Shinji's index and middle finger. "His strength's starting to return. He couldn't even talk when they retrieved him from the tank, but he's getting better."

"Do you guys need anything?" Misato asked. "Maybe I can get you guys some movies or something, so you don't have to just sit in here and stare at each other."

"Yeah, actually. Could you get my Hyperdrive DVDs from your apartment, Miss Misato? It should be in my personal bag that I brought from room."

"Sure, but it will probably be some guys from Section Two bringing them." Misato shrugged, flashing an apologetic smile to Shinji. "We've still got an Angel to defeat, after all. Gotta make sure the preparations are going smoothly."

Shinji glanced at his mother expectantly.

"I'll explain later," Mom said, turning her attention to Misato. "Could you ask one of the nurses to bring us a wheelchair, Misato? I hate to cut the reunion short, but I need to talk with Shinji privately for a bit."

"Yeah, I'll do that now, Miss Yui."

"And Rei?" The girl gasped at Mom's voice, nearly standing at attention like a soldier. "Stop moping. It isn't your fault that Shinji got hurt. Alright?"

"Y-yes, Doctor Ikari."

A little after Misato and Rei said their goodbyes, a nurse brought a wheelchair into the room. Mom put her hand on Shinji's shoulder, offering a comforting smile.

"Are you feeling well enough to move around?" Mom asked. "I need to speak to you about something, and I would rather you move around and get some fresh air while we're talking."

Shinji gulped. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, no, no. Of course not. It's just…" Mom rotated her wrists like she was reeling the words out of her mouth. "…there's something we need to discuss that I've put off for too long. It's nothing to do with anything you've done, Shinji, I would just rather not have people around while I'm talking."

"Um, sure."

The thoughts in Shinji's mind wandered as Mom helped him into the wheelchair, lowering the boy into the contraption with a gentle hand. He hadn't the slightest idea of what Mom wanted to discuss, but that didn't stop his brain from conjuring scenarios of its own. Perhaps he was being sent back home? Maybe something was wrong with his family back in Aise, perhaps they actually had been hurt in the battle, and Mom hadn't the heart to tell him until now.

"I know I'm causing you to worry." Mom grasped the handles on the top of the wheelchair, directing Shinji out of the door, and down the hallway. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I feel like you would be better off without me."

"Don't say that," Shinji said. "I'm glad I'm here with you."

"Even though you've been in NERV's Medical Ward twice now?"

"I'm still alive, and more-or-less well. It's like you said, Rei and I are the only ones in position to pilot EVA right now."

They rounded a corner, rolling into a nearby elevator. Mom tapped some of the buttons on the side of the door as it closed, swiped her badge down a card reader off to the side, and the elevator whirred to life. Shinji had a vague feeling that they were about to go on some sort of journey.

"Shinji," Mom began. "do you know why we left you in Aise? Or rather, why I left you in Aise, after my accident?"

"Not specifically. I mean, Grandma always said she was worried about me living there, that it might be dangerous for me. And that she wanted me to have a 'normal life'."

Mom nodded. "We did want that for you. But, even when we were discussing when and how to move you to Tokyo-3, there were concerns. I had concerns, as well."

"About what? Is something wrong with me?"

"No, Shinji. It's not you." Mom looked off to the side. "It's me. There's something wrong with me."

The elevator doors opened. In the hallway, lights flickered on in a row, one-by-one like destination signs on a highway. A pervasive quiet laid over this place, whatever this place was. The walls were a dull, sterile gray, and there were no doors or directions of any kind. With all the postings, signage, and warnings plastered all over NERV HQ, one could have been forgiven for thinking the elevator had taken them to a difference place entirely.

Apparently, Mom noticed the Shinji's face contorted with confusion. "This is one of the lower levels of HQ. We call the general area Terminal Dogma. Only specific personnel are allowed here, and no one aside from your Father, Professor Fuyutsuki, and I have clearance to access this floor."

"What do you guys have down here, Mom?"

"I'm…we'll talk about it some other time, Shinji. But this is where you're trying to prevent the Angels from reaching, if that gives you any idea as to its importance. The purpose of the EVAs is to help protect this place."

"Oh."

Mom guided Shinji out of the elevator, and down one of the hallways. "You might have noticed that we haven't spent much time alone together, Shinji. Not even in the past ten years, but in the past week that you've been here. It's always been your Father with me, or Misato, or we just haven't seen each other at all."

"I wasn't…I wasn't holding that against you or anything. I thought you were busy."

Mom smiled at that. "I understand, and thank you. But it's important for you to have a full understanding of what happened to me…or what I think happened, rather."

"Mom," Shinji said. "why are you telling me this now? Not that I'm not interested, but…why?"

"Because if Rei had pulled you out of Angel's particle beam about ten seconds later than she did, you would probably be dead, Shinji. Nearly losing you has…well, it's loosened my tongue, suffice to say."

"Oh."

"I don't think I've anyone's ever told you why I disappeared." The hesistation in Mom's voice was palpable. "Do you remember, Shinji? You were there when the accident happened."

"I…" Honestly, Shinji couldn't recall. To him, it was one of the memories lost in the haze of childhood. "Maybe I did before, but when you came back, it didn't seem to matter anymore."

"The day I brought you to the old facility, the Artificial Evolution lab, was to be the first in the series of tests for Unit-01. An activation test, specifically. We were essentially turning Unit-01 on for the first time."

They rounded another corner; there were two steel doors with keycard access on the left side of the hallway, and another door on the right. Mom wheeled Shinji up to one of the doors on the right, sliding her badge through the card reader, and with a pained groan the door opened.

The room, if it could be called such, seemed to be an observation deck of sorts. A pane of glass separated the area from a larger, more well-lit room down below. The space below them possessed a singular table, flipped over on its side, and two cushioned chairs. The entire place was so sterile and lifeless that Shinji could nearly taste it in the air.

Shinji couldn't quite place where, but he swore that he had seen this place before.

"I wanted to bring you here, Shinji, because the things I'm about to tell you can't be heard by anyone else." Shoes clicked against the ground as Mom walked around his wheelchair, moving another seat and placing it beside Shinji before sitting. "This is one of the most secluded places I know of here. It isn't on any of the official maps. Even Misato has no idea about it."

"Alright."

"When I tried activating the EVA that day, I was sucked into the core of Unit-01. I essentially returned to a liquid state. That is, LCL."

"You mean, the stuff I'm breathing while I'm piloting EVA?"

"Yes, that's correct." Mom placed her hand over Shinji's, her fingers resting in the gaps. "Angels aren't the only ones who possess AT Fields, Shinji. Humans have them as well. They're nowhere near strong enough to be perceived, but they keep us apart. They allow us to retain our human form."

"And without the fields, we would return to…LCL?"

"Yes. If you and I decided to shed our AT Fields, we would basically congeal into one being."

"Wow." It didn't take long for Shinji to consider the implications. "It would be crazy if everyone on Earth lost their forms then, huh? We would all be one giant superbeing, I guess."

Mom didn't meet Shinji's eyes, but the features on her face shifted, though the meaning of the change was indecipherable to him.

"Yeah, I suppose that would be pretty wild, right?" She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "First of all, Shinji, my accident…wasn't an accident. It was deliberate."

A silence overtook the room as Mom's words sunk in, though he didn't quite know what they meant. How could it have been deliberate? Mom was the smartest person Shinji knew, but how could she know something like that would happen?

"Do you have any questions about what I just said?" Mom gripped Shinji's hand tighter. "It's okay. I understand if you do, or if you're just upset or don't understand quite yet."

"I…why would you do something like that, Mom? I don't get it. Why would you leave me alone like that?"

"I never intended for your father to leave you, Shinji." Anger cut through Mom's words, but Shinji could tell her ire wasn't directed at himself. "But I should have anticipated it, and that's my fault, and I'm sorry. I never wanted you to be alone."

"But why did you leave me?"

"Because it was the only way I could keep you safe. Professor Fuyutsuki and I, we were in quite a bit of danger at the time. There was a group funding our research who we thought had less than noble plans for the EVA-series. I would have left you one way or the other, Shinji, but at least this way I would have some control over it."

"And Father couldn't protect you?"

Mom shook her head. "These people consider me to be very dangerous. And they have quite a bit of influence. Even if we had all of Section Two looking after me at the time, someone would have slipped through the cracks."

"So…you would have been inside Unit-01, if it hadn't thrown you out?" Shinji couldn't quite wrap his head around the concept. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Well, that's the thing, Shinji. Part of me is still inside Unit-01."

Again, Shinji blinked.

"What part?"

"I don't know. And that's why I haven't let myself be alone around you, until now." Mom shivered, pulling her lab coat close. "When I left the EVA, I couldn't think about anything other than you. I mean that literally. And if I felt something was in the way of me getting to you, I went berserk. I can't explain it any other way."

"I…how could you leave me alone like that, Mom?" Honestly, anything Mom had said after that particular point was a blur now. "I don't understand…"

Within the space of a blink, Mom had knelt down in front of him, both of her hands on his shoulders.

"This is a lot to take in at one time, I understand." Mom's voice almost broke as she tried to explain, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I would do anything for you, Shinji. I love you so much that I can barely stand it at times. I did all of this for you, to protect you. I cannot live in this world without you, and I will not accept a world without you in it. And when I saw the Angel tear through Unit-01 like it did…I thought you would die without knowing how much I loved you."

"Mom…" He gripped Mom's shoulder in return. "You didn't have to bring me down here to say that. I never thought…"

"But I did. You have to know, Shinji, the full depth of it." Mom bowed her head, as if she were ashamed. "I always give Gendo a hard time for being distant with you, but the truth is, I don't know how to be a mother any more than he knows how to be a father. This is the only way I can show you, give empirical proof that I care about you."

A realization hit Shinji. Mom was, essentially, giving him a thesis statement about why she loved him, and was providing examples to prove her original assertation. She was, in the most scientific way possible, showing the boy a body of work about why he should feel loved and how she would continue to protect him. This was her way of showing that she cared.

And suddenly, everything clicked into place for him. The strange insistence on having his schoolwork recorded by Misato, the over-protectiveness of him not even being able to walk himself to school, and the distance between them this last week. A scientist through-and-through, Mom handled her relationship with Shinji the same as her work, because it was all she knew and the method seemed to have worked for her thus far.

For a fleeting moment, Shinji saw straight through his mother. Perhaps this was truly the only way she knew how to function and communicate: in a language of proofs, experiments, and hard data. The lengths that she went to were – quite frankly – insane, but it was all she knew.

"Mom…what brought you back? From Unit-01?"

"It was…" Mom still didn't meet his eyes. "I used to think the end would justify the means. In whatever consciousness I possessed inside Unit-01, nothing else mattered as long as you were alive, and the men who would do us harm were stopped. I thought I had everything mapped out."

"But you didn't?"

"No. That was complete bullshit." For a second, Mom's mouth formed a hard line. "You can't justify the means if you don't know the ends, Shinji. And no one on this Earth knows how this will all end. I still don't fully realize what happened myself, but I think that's what brought me back. I needed to be here, with you.

"Only, as I said, not all of me came back. I played with a power beyond my understanding, and I paid the price for my hubris."

"Well, I don't think those parts of you are gone forever." Shinji ruffled Mom's hair, and she looked up at him, surprised. "I don't really know anything about this stuff, but it doesn't feel like you're broken forever or something, Mom. Not to me, anyway. You're recovering, and moving on."

Mom smiled at that. "Maybe that's true, dear."

Shinji looked around at his surroundings again. A sense of familiarity struck him once again, stuck in his mind in the same way as a catchy song.

"Mom, what is this place?"

"It's where I lived after I returned from the EVA's core. As I said, I wasn't exactly sound of mind at the time. It was recurring waves of lucidity and blinding rage at not being able to see you."

"Why couldn't they just let me visit or something?"

"Keeping you away was actually for the best." Mom shuddered, obviously thinking of a vivid scenario which didn't come to pass. "If you were in there, Shinji, when I wasn't stable…there's no telling what could have happened. It's entirely possible that I might have hurt you to keep you with me."

"Hurt me?"

"Yes. One of the reasons we kept you away from Tokyo-3 for so long. There was an…incident after I escaped from Unit-01, when I went to Aise to retrieve you. I won't go into it now, but…let's just say the event made your grandmother extremely reluctant to send you away."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, no. Of course not, honey." The shame on Mom's face was enough for Shinji to wish himself lucky he didn't remember the incident. "It was my fault. And your grandmother was entirely within her rights to insist that you stay with her."

"But you weren't well at the time, Mom. You said it yourself."

"Shinji, being mentally unwell isn't an excuse to hurt other people. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

Mom's eyes narrowed a bit. "Why did you ask about this place, anyway?"

"It's just…I remember this place. But you weren't the only one here. There was another woman, with long blonde hair."

"Kyoko," Mom said, her tone rattled. "you're talking about Kyoko. Asuka's mother."

"Yeah. But the strange thing is, I've never met her. And I've never been here before. Who is she?"

"Kyoko was a brilliant woman. We were co-conspirators, of a sort, for the EVA prototypes." A shadow passed over Mom's face. "She died, about a year-and-a-half after I came back. Kyoko was coming to Tokyo-3…or, the foundation of Tokyo-3, to consult and share research with us. But her plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan by the JSSDF."

"What? Why?"

"A training accident, they said." By the look on Mom's face, she didn't buy the explanation for a second. "The JSSDF are a bunch of thugs. Don't ever trust them, Shinji."

"Alright."

"I'm assuming this was a dream you had, after your first battle." Mom shrugged at Shinji's perplexed stare. "You muttered her name in your sleep, among other things. Your father and I couldn't figure out what to make of it, but I suppose that explains things. Somewhat."

"I don't know why I would remember these events, though."

"Possibly some residual memories from the EVA. Like I said, we don't entirely understand the machinery behind the Evangelions. They're a little like Frankenstein's monster."

Shinji fixed his mother with a blank stare.

"Anyway, if we survive, we'll need to talk more about this. Possibly run tests as well." Mom caressed Shinji's face, regarding him with a warm smile. "We should get back. You need to rest, and someone still needs to go over the battle plan we've drawn up with you. If we still want to pilot, that is?"

"I mean, I don't want to." A warm smile crossed Shinji's lips. "But I'll do it for you."

Mom clasped her hands in his, her expression a mixture of pride and love. They didn't say anything else of importance as Mom wheeled Shinji back to his room; to Mom, it seemed a comfortable silence, but Shinji's mind was still racing from everything he had been told.

The boy thought back to the first time he piloted Unit-01, how the machine had probed his mind, calmed his emotions when he awoke from the beating that the Angel had given him. Shinji had written the whole encounter off, attributing the whole ordeal as a fantasy induced by stress, injury, and his overactive imagination. But now he had learned the experience was all too real.

What was inside of Unit-01?

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---

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STAGING POINT #1, TOKYO-3 OUTSKIRTS

AUGUST 14TH, 2015

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The assembly of Yui's weapon – the makeshift railgun – was going well. Watching from a distance, Misato predicted the contraption would be fully built a couple hours before they needed to use it. Enough time for the inevitable kinks in the construction to show themselves, each one delaying its completion by a few minutes or more. It seemed the plan was going smoothly so far, but as a war veteran, Misato knew the best plans had a tendency to fall apart at the worst times.

Though it seemed a mess of steel and wires now, Misato could see the overall shape of the weapon taking form. The railgun was massive; over half a kilometer long, by Misato's best estimate. And even with all the energy that the tungsten slug would carry, when the bullet was finally fired, it still wouldn't be enough to pierce the Angel's core alone.

Misato might have hated the Angels, but she had to respect their design. They were truly frightening beings who possessed the power of God himself.

A few meters away, Ritsuko Akagi plugged away on her tablet, with Maya standing beside her running calculations. When no one was looking, the blonde scientist wrapped her arm around the backside of Maya's waist, prompting a blush and a playful reproach from the girl. Misato often wondered if Ritsuko indulged Maya to get on her mother's nerves, but the woman's affection seemed genuine – for now.

There was a light at the end of the romantic tunnel for someone, at least. Misato figured, if the Angels didn't kill everyone on Earth, that her only company would be Pen-Pen and maybe Shinji before he moved on to become the world-class musician he was destined to be.

"You know fraternization is forbidden, Doctor," Misato said as she walked up to the pair. "you're going to have to ravish Miss Ibuki another time."

Maya seemed about to faint, the poor girl. "L-Lieutenant-Colonel? D-did you…?"

"Ah, it's fine, Maya."

"Misato's simply jealous that she's too intimidating to attract someone for herself." Ritsuko pressed her index and middle fingers together, curling them in rapid succession; Maya's face turned beet red. "Better get used to these two, unless you're willing to lower your standards a little."

"Oh, shut up."

"I hear Kaji's back on the market. Attractive man like that, I bet he doesn't stay single long."

"Why would I date him?"

"He's single, attractive, fairly successful, good with kids. Asuka seems to like him, anyway."

"Asuka always calls him an idiot, which is entirely accurate."

Ritsuko waved Misato's comment away. "You know that's practically a term of endearment for her. If Asuka really didn't like Kaji, she'd knee him in the nuts and send for a new handler."

The woman wasn't wrong. Misato's time spent interacting with Asuka was admittedly limited, but the girl's true feelings about a person or subject usually didn't come from her words.

"It's a shame Asuka's primarily an EVA pilot," Ritsuko said. "she's got quite the mind, especially to be so young. I guess Kyoko really rubbed off on her."

Maya hummed to herself. "I know. It's a shame Shinji didn't inherit any of Doctor Ikari's brilliance. We need all the help we can get on the scientific front."

"I wouldn't say that, Maya. Mathematics and formula aren't the only areas intelligence can shine through. His simply went to a different area." Ritsuko shot a quick smirk towards Misato. "You think those two would hit it off, Katsuragi? Shinji and Asuka? They're the same age, after all."

"I feel like Asuka would chew him up and spit him back out. You know how that girl is"

"I don't know…Asuka's already been calling him, right? And Mama Yui seems to like her."

Misato frowned. "You don't have to call her that, you know."

"What? You've said the same thing yourself."

"I know, but…" The black-haired woman averted her eyes. "she's under a lot of stress right now. And Shinji's already been hurt, and now we're sending him back out there again. It's enough to drive anyone crazy."

"So, you're admitting that she's crazy?"

"Ugh. You're the worst, Ritsuko."

"I don't believe being cognizant of the mental states of my co-workers and direct superiors counts as being 'the worst'." Ritsuko's sharp tone dulled a little; she wasn't trying to start a fight, she was simply trying to state facts. "I respect Yui as a scientist, and her brilliance isn't up for debate, but I can't pretend that her transient moods don't affect me or our work as a whole. She's practically set up a lab in the Medical Ward, for God's sake."

"I think that was Naoko's idea, actually."

"Oh, right. Because Mother's a perfect picture of stability."

"She got Miss Yui back on her feet. That's got to count for something."

"I suppose," Ritsuko said. "I'm just worried, is all. I guess I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Worried about what, Ritz?"

"It's just…you think it's the dumb ones you have to worry about. In our line of work, they might mess up a few things on a limited scale, but usually nothing that can't be cleaned up. But people like Yui and Kyoko only come along once a generation. A woman with her mind and the resources of NERV, she could probably crack the whole fucking world in half if she wanted."

"Like I said, Ritz, Miss Yui's under a lot of stress. Just because she's acting a little…strange doesn't mean she's going to blow up HQ or something."

"If you say so." A sly look was on Ritsuko's face, directed at Maya. "You know, we've got a couple running bets about her in Section One and the bridge crew."

Maya groaned. "Sempai…"

"Oh, it's all in good fun, Maya."

"Running bets?" Misato asked. "You could have invited me to a couple of those, Ritz."

"Please. You're her bodyguard. Do you know how many complaints I would get from the others?"

"Whatever. So, you guys just sit around all day making bets about what color Miss Yui's underwear is?"

"No, not just about Yui. There's more bets about the Commander, a couple about the Vice Commander. All of the original GEHIRN staff, really. And there's definitely a bet about how many people you've slept with, Lieutenant-Colonel."

Misato crossed her arms. "And who made this bet?"

"That's classified."

"Shame. I was going to use them for target practice."

"And that's why it's classified, Like I said, Katsuragi, it's all in good fun."

"If I can't join any of them," Misato said. "then why are you telling me this?"

"Well, there's one you might be interested in." Ritsuko began punctuating her words with her index finger, like a school teacher. "Why was Unit-01 painted purple?"

After a moment, Misato shrugged. "Because it's Miss Yui's favorite color? I don't know. She wears purple all the time."

"But why is purple her favorite color?"

"If I'm not allowed to bet because of this kind of shit, Ritz, then you've got nothing to worry about. It's not like Miss Yui really keeps me in the loop."

"I've got a theory, and it's actually not the craziest one. Have you ever heard the phrase 'born in the purple'?"

Whatever interest Misato had in this topic was slowly waning. "Nope."

"It referred to being born in a certain kind of room, the Poryphrya, made out of purple marble. An invention of the Byzantines. Being born in this room gave a royal child a sense of legitimacy, that they were being groomed to rule."

"So, what? Shinji's being groomed to be Emperor of Earth?" Misato couldn't even picture such a thing. Shinji was a good kid, but he was hardly leadership material. "I can't imagine what the other theories are, if you think this one is even close to sane."

"Not necessarily, but I do think Yui is making a claim. Think about it. The Evangelions are the biggest guns on the planet, and Japan has two, soon to be three." Ritsuko raised her eyebrow, as if to say: 'it's a good point, right?' "As you said, Yui wears purple practically all the time. And she gives her son, Shinji, the keys to Unit-01."

"So, the woman who's holed up outside of the trauma bay with enough sticky notes to cover up Unit-01 and half of Unit-00? She's declaring herself Queen, of the whole planet?"

"Essentially. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Yui's going to be walking around with a crown on her head. Yui's subtle, but she could be the secret queen of the world when all's said and done. And what better way to stake your claim than to wear the imperial colors?"

Maya gave Misato a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant-Colonel. I think it's ridiculous, but Sempai likes to spin her theories."

"At least one of you still has a functioning brain." Misato sighed. The hours before battle always made her antsy. "I thought you were a woman of logic, Ritsuko. Now I'm having second thoughts."

"Like I said, it's all good fun. I don't expect Yui to be sitting on the Chrysanthemum Throne anytime soon."

'Losing Shinji and losing humanity are the same thing to me,' Miss Yui had said. Misato couldn't stop herself from thinking about the words. She thought about all the secrecy, all the deepest darks of NERV that she still wasn't privy to. It could be stress, anxiety, perhaps even insanity, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of Misato's mind. And the feeling told her that, for a mere moment, Miss Yui had simply taken off her mask.

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---

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MEDICAL WARD, NERV HQ

AUGUST 14TH, 2015

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As promised, Shinji's boxset of Hyperdrive DVDs were waiting in his hospital room when Mom finally returned him to his room. His head was still swimming from everything Mom had told him, so he didn't know how much enjoyment another rewatch would give him; nevertheless, the boy placed one of the discs into the player, and tried to relax before his next life-threatening excursion in Unit-01.

Watching familiar shows was cathartic for Shinji, especially now, when the future was as uncertain as the weather. His anxiety often threatened to overtake him, and sometimes he needed a window into another world to calm him.

Mom walked back into the room in the middle of the first episode, a curious grin on her face. She went up to Shinji's phone, laying on his nightstand, and flipped through the device. Upon finding whatever it was she had been searching for, she handed the phone back to Shinji; on the screen was an outgoing call, and Shinji could hear ringing through the speaker.

Shinji looked up at his mother, confusion evident on his face.

"Mom, wha -?"

"Just wait for her to answer," Mom said. "I'm going to teach you how to talk to girls."

"Mom, is this really the right time?"

"No time like the present."

The call went through, and a girl's voice answered. On the screen of Shinji's phone was a red-headed girl, and she was beautiful. His heart began beating rapidly against his chest at the sight of her.

"Jo, Soryu hier?"

"Uh, yes, this is Shinji." The boy looked over at his mother, who was telling him to be more confident in whispers. "It's nice to meet you."

"What's with the dumb look on your face? I know I'm gorgeous, but try to keep it together. Is Doctor Ikari there?"

Shinji glanced at his mother again, sitting just out of sight of the camera; she was gesturing 'no' with her hands.

"No, she's not."

"Oh." The girl inhaled. "What kind of idiot are you? You think you're some big shot that can just ignore a girl's calls, huh?"

"I-I didn't know you were a girl when you called."

Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji saw Mom wince.

"What do you mean you didn't know I was a girl, you moron? Do I look like a boy to you?"

Shinji half-hoped to look over at his mother and see her about to throw him a life preserver. Reading Mom's lips, she was telling him to apologize in order to placate her. Though Shinji didn't really feel like he was in the wrong here, he followed his mother's advice anyway.

"No, o-of course not. I'm sorry I didn't pick up."

"Whatever. I was hoping you could keep me entertained. Being out at sea is so boring."

"I can try."

"So, you're Doctor Ikari's son. You don't look like much."

"Well, I'm certainly not at my best right now."

"Yeah, I heard you got hurt really bad in the last engagement. Being an EVA pilot doesn't suit you."

Shinji nodded. "I would agree."

"Anyway, I'm glad you're still alive." Asuka pointed her finger directly at the screen. "You better not get in my way when I get to Tokyo-3, though. I don't want you tripping over your own feet like when you fought that first Angel."

"Yeah…it was my first time."

"You know, I've wondered about that. Why wouldn't they have you undergo training beforehand? You're the only child of the people who founded NERV, after all."

"I'm not sure."

"You're not sure about anything, are you?" Asuka huffed, the air muffling the sound on the call. "You're lucky that blue-haired girl was there to save you, dummy. She's a decent pilot, at least."

"I'll be sure to tell her you said that."

"You better not. I'll strangle you if I do."

"You can't strangle me, you're on a ship."

"Then I'll strange you when I get there. Moron."

"How will you know I even told her?"

"I'll ask."

"I could tell her not to tell you."

"Ugggh. You think you're real funny, don't you?"

"I guess," Shinji said. "what made you call me in the first place, Asuka? Aside from being bored?"

"That idiot Kaji gave me your number. You haven't met him, right? You would probably like him. He thinks he's really cool, but he's really just a giant dork."

Glancing towards his mother, Shinji mouthed 'who's Kaji' with visible confusion. In response, Mom said 'counter-intelligence for NERV', used to date Misato'.

"Oh, he runs counter-intelligence for NERV, right? Spy stuff?"

"Yeah, Kaji's 'counter-intelligent' alright." An explosion went off on the television screen, and Asuka's interest piqued. "What are you watching?"

"Hyperdrive. You heard of it?"

"Yeah, I – "

She stopped, as if to correct herself.

"It's alright, if you like that sort of thing. I like reading novels myself, but something like that is probably more palatable to you."

"I've got the collector's edition, with extra commentary by the cast. We should watch it sometime."

Asuka scoffed. "Are you asking me on a date? Already?"

"N-no, just…when you get to Tokyo-3, we could watch it if you want."

"Good, because I'd have to reserve a slap for you if you were. Even if I wanted to date you, you skipped about five steps you need to do before I would even consider it."

"Uhm, good to know."

"I thought you would be more academic, being Doctor Ikari's son and all. The blue-haired girl knows what she's talking about, to an extent. What happened with you?"

"I picked up a cello, I guess."

"Oh, right. I heard you were the musical type. My mom used to play the piano, but I've never had any talent for that stuff."

"Oh." Shinji thought back to his earlier talk with Mom. "I'm sorry you lost your mom, Asuka."

Asuka's end of the line went dead quiet, and then he heard the girl exhale into the speaker. And, out of the corner of his eye, Shinji saw Mom's eyes widen a bit.

"My mom's not dead. She's missing. Everyone always says Mom's dead, Kaji keeps telling me that I should move on. But I know she's still alive. You probably think I'm delusional now, but I don't care."

Shinji shook his head. "I don't think you're delusional, Asuka."

"You don't?"

"I don't know if she's alive or not, but I also don't think you should give up if you really believe in something. I hope you find her one day."

For a split second, Asuka's near-perpetual smirk softened. "You're sweet. Stupid, but sweet. It's not some 'if you believe it will come true' feeling, though. It isn't a lot, but I have circumstantial evidence. Not enough to prove anything, but…it's a start."

"Oh, okay. I can look at it with you, when you arrive."

"If you want, but I'll give back all of university degrees if you spot anything I haven't."

"You've graduated from university?"

"I have degrees in classical mechanics and mathematical physics. I'm working on metaphysical biology, but with my mother missing, the top two specialists in that field are in Tokyo-3."

"Oh. My mother and…?"

"The Vice Commander. Fuyutsuki. But I'd rather learn from Doctor Ikari, she's much more intelligent than he is. Fuyutsuki was like Doctor Ikari's springboard."

The Vice Commander wasn't someone who Shinji interacted with much, if at all. On the occasions Shinji had seen him, he was at either Father's or Mother's side like a shadow; his gaze seemed cold whenever it lingered on Shinji, as if the boy were insignificant or a nuisance. Perhaps such imaginings were simply a product of Shinji's anxiety.

"I've always felt out of my depth here," Shinji said. "I'm not a scientist or a politician. I'm just a normal kid."

"Fortunately for you, the only thing you need to do is get inside Unit-01 and not trip over your own feet. Don't be stupid. You're doing something that only three people in the entire world can do, and you're saving lives. You think Doctor Ikari would have picked you to pilot Unit-01 if she didn't think you could do it?"

Shinji looked over at Mom, who responded with a smile and a thumb's up.

"That kind of makes me feel better."

"And you guys better beat the Angel too. Both of them. Doctor Ikari and I made a fool-proof plan, so airtight that even you couldn't mess it up.

"I don't really have a choice but to beat the Angel, Asuka."

"I suppose not. But if you don't, I'll be kicking your ass into the gates of Heaven and past God's throne too." Asuka pressed her face closer to the camera, to accentuate her point. "You hear me, Shinji Ikari?"

Mom cocked her to the side and looked away, as if to say: 'she's certainly a firecracker'. More bemused than threatened, Shinji nodded his head.

"Loud and clear, Asuka."

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---

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For about three hours, Shinji and Asuka watched Hyperdrive together, making light commentary on the events taking place on screen. Mom pretended to enter the room for the first time, after a while, because Shinji needed to catch up on his rest. The boy wouldn't be in the best shape when he re-entered Unit-01, but it was a situation Shinji would simply have to soldier through.

Asuka seemed a nice enough girl, if a bit abrasive. And she was beautiful, though Shinji figured his chances with her were about the same as Father showing up at Misato's apartment door with presents and a smile on his face. He wasn't a university graduate, and he certainly wasn't any sort of scientist.

When Shinji's eyes opened again, he heard muffled chatter through the door. Mom and Misato were talking in the hallway; not a heated discussion, Shinji could tell, but a very intense one. Doctor Akagi, the younger one, was standing with them as well. He wondered what they were talking about, but he set aside any hope of being told the whole truth. All adults did was downplay and sugarcoat, in his experience. He wasn't as naïve as they believed.

Part of him still couldn't believe Mom had been sucked into Unit-01 willingly, nor could he believe Mom's mind was in such tatters afterwards that she might have seriously considered hurting him. Shinji had an image of his mother as always comforting, and always knowing what to do. In his mind's eyes, no matter how hard he tried to stop it, Shinji could see cracks forming on the perfect image of his mother. He was far from okay with her actions, but like his involvement in the next operation, there was nothing to be done.

He imagined a world where Mother wasn't here in Tokyo-3, and shuddered. Father might have been even colder, Rei might not even exist, and Shinji would essentially be alone. The weight of the world on his shoulders would crush the boy.

After a fashion, the three women walked further down the hallway. About thirty minutes later, Shinji saw a familiar blue bob of hair walk into view; the door opened, and Rei walked in, dressed in a sporty t-shirt and shorts. It was almost jarring, as Shinji hadn't ever seen the girl wear anything other than a school uniform or a plugsuit.

"It will be time soon," Rei said, walking up the bed. "I will escort you to the staging point."

The girl dropped a set of clothes onto the bed, wrapped in tight plastic.

"We will change into our plugsuits at the staging point, but those should suffice for now."

Shinji shuffled out of bed. His strength wasn't quite there, stumbling as he took his first steps; in the blink of an eye, Rei interposed herself and helped him regain his balance.

"Thanks." He began unclothing, assuming that Rei would leave the room. She did not. "Uhm, could I get a little privacy?"

"Oh. I am sorry." And she turned around.

Not exactly what he meant, but Shinji shrugged and began changing clothes. He wondered if everyone in Tokyo-3 possessed strange ideas about privacy; his roommate, Misato, seemed to have no problem changing in the middle of her apartment. And Rei didn't seem to view nudity as anything to get worked up over.

Though Shinji's strength had recovered enough from him to walk, he still needed Rei to support him as they walked down the hallways of NERV HQ. A pair of Section Two agents were waiting for them when they arrived at the base of the car train; one of them spoke out loud about their arrival, speaking to a person on the other end of his ear-piece, Shinji assumed. After a few minutes, the agents were driving them away from NERV and towards the staging point.

The agents were obviously prudent about avoiding the Angel's attention, taking roads which led around the city rather than through the streets. Shinji couldn't imagine the Angel viewing one unarmed vehicle as a threat, but he also didn't possess the mind of an Angel. The first Angel that Shinji encountered almost appeared to gun for him, specifically, and he didn't even know such creatures existed when he woke up that morning.

The EVAs, the Angels, and Mom's experiment. A world of closed doors and opaque mirrors; of knowing nothing about some things, and not enough about others.

He glanced at Rei. The blue-haired girl was focused on the world outside the car window; Shinji wondered why Mom created a person in her own image. To pilot, obviously, but somehow Shinji didn't think the girl's purpose ended there.

"Rei?" Shinji asked. "Why did my mother create you? I mean, no offense, I'm glad you're here. But why?"

"Successful cloning has been the dream of many biologists for some time, though it has been pre-emptively banned in most countries."

Shinji followed Rei's line of thought to the obvious conclusion. "…including Japan?"

"Yes."

"So, by creating you, Mom broke the law?"

"Yes. Though NERV enjoys certain extra-legal protections, and I do not know if the government particularly wishes to fight over this point."

"I guess it's good that Mom only created one of you, right?"

Rei said nothing.

"Is there more than one of you, Rei?"

Again, Rei said nothing.

"There's more than one of you?"

"I did not confirm or deny that, Ikari."

"But you confirmed it by not saying anything."

A soft sigh escaped Rei's lips. "They are not alive like I am. They are dolls, essentially, waiting to be filled."

"'Waiting to be filled'?"

"In the event of this body no longer being usable, I could be transferred to one of the unfilled vessels. Though, how much of myself will be retained remains to be seen."

"Is that why they put you in charge of 'protecting' me? Because you can be replaced?"

"Yes."

"It's not fair," Shinji said. "I don't know what the plan is for fighting this Angel, but I think I should take point. You shouldn't have to risk your life for me."

Rei's head whirled around, her piercing red eyes meeting Shinji's.

"That is not possible."

"But if I – "

"No!"

The Section Two agents up front tilted their heads towards the backseat at Rei's outburst, before going back to pretending like they weren't listening. Admittedly, such an exclamation coming from Rei's timid voice was hardly going to burst any eardrums, but the girl so rarely raised her voice that her rejection carried the full effect.

"You cannot die, Ikari," Rei explained. "above all else, you cannot die."

"You can't just do what my mother tells you to, Rei. Your life is worth as much as mine."

"It is, quite literally, not. I can come back, you cannot. If you die, there are no more Shinji Ikaris in waiting." Rei's expression softened, her mouth loosening. "Please do not think ill of Doctor Ikari for trying to keep you safe. You might not understand why, Ikari, but she only wants the best for you."

"I just…" Shinji shook his head in frustration. "I almost wish I didn't know now."

"Well, you should not ask questions that you do not want the answers to."

.

---

.

When Shinji and Rei arrived, the EVAs were already brought to the surface via a launching point outside of Tokyo-3. According to Misato, they were right outside of the threat range which had been ascertained by the probing attacks done while Shinji was unconscious. The Angel's particle weapon was more than capable of hitting them all from here, if the creature felt so inclined, but it didn't see them as a viable threat for now.

In the day's twilight, a network of floodlights illuminated the staging point, technicians running back and forth between their assigned stations. Shinji was amazed at how fast the whole operation was put together; yesterday, sitting in his apartment with Misato and Rei, he wouldn't have ever imagined being in the middle of a massive undertaking like this. The capability of NERV to reshape itself around a singular goal was unparalleled.

There was a massive weapon built now – called a 'railgun' by Misato, and she didn't even try to hide her glee at having one - and the area around had been shaped and worked to accommodate the beast. To Shinji's eye, the railgun was staggeringly large; though, having not ever seen one before, he supposed there was no frame of reference for him to work from.

It was an ugly beast, though Shinji supposed the aesthetics didn't matter as long as it worked. It resembled a rather long box, with a mess of generators at the end. And it was long, perhaps a little lengthier than Tokyo-3 on its widest side.

Misato brought the two pilots to the familiar trio of the two Akagis, and Mom. Ritsuko Akagi's three underlings were off to the side, furiously reviewing freshly incoming data. Mom flashed Shinji a comforting smile as they walked up, and he tried to return the favor, but he couldn't keep the uneasiness from his face. And Mom had noticed, as her brows wrinkled with worry.

"There's our pilots," Ritsuko Akagi said as they approached. "you ready to go over the order of operations, Katsuragi?"

"Sure." Misato whirled to face the pilots. "The first phase is going to consist of you two sitting in the Evangelions, on stand-by, while we wait for this Angel to wake up. We can't afford to waste even one second when it wakes up, so we need you two to be on alert. Alright?"

"Ma'am," Shinji and Rei said in unison.

"When the Angel wakes up, you'll both go to your assigned roles. Shinji, you'll be loading one of the shells into the railgun on my command." Misato must have noticed the perplexed expression on Shinji's face, as she backtracked to explain. "The shell is larger than you are, Shinji. Probably about three times larger, in fact. You'll see."

"Oh, alright."

"Rei, you'll be on defense, for when the Angel decides to retaliate. We managed to requisition some abandoned spacecraft from the Americans. You'll be holding the heat shield from one of them to protect Shinji and the railgun. Hopefully, we can kill the Angel in one shot, but it never helps to be prepared."

"If the shell doesn't hit its mark," Ritsuko said. "then our secret weapon will be irrelevant."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Besides, it will hit," Mom said. "that's the advantage we have in this situation: the Angel doesn't move. We simply need to make sure the AT Field has eroded enough when we fire."

"Uhm." Shinji raised his hand as if he were in school. "If we fire when the beam is still going, won't the shell get destroyed?"

Ritsuko chuckled to herself. "With the amount of force behind the projectile, it won't be subject to the particle weapon long enough for that to matter. If the shell breaks through the AT Field, it will likely be half-way across the Pacific Ocean before you can blink."

"And to be clear," Misato said. "we only have two or three shots with this thing. The rails just aren't strong enough to handle any more. Shinji, Rei, any questions before we start?"

The two pilots met eyes for a split-second, then shook their heads.

"Good. Let's get started."

Everyone began to disperse, aside from Naoko Akagi and Mom. Naoko cocked her head to the side, inspecting Shinji.

"You feeling alright, dear?" Naoko asked. "I know you're not fully recovered yet."

"I'm fine, Miss Akagi. Fine enough to sit inside the cockpit and load shells, anyway."

Mom's face remained set with worry. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll live." Shinji looked off to the side uneasily. "Hopefully."

"Naoko, Rei, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Shinji?" Mom flashed an apologetic smile towards the woman. "Won't take but a minute."

"Of course."

When Doctor Akagi and Rei were out of earshot, Mom lowered herself to one knee, placing her hands on both of Shinji's shoulders. Even though Shinji continued to be unsure and upset with his mother, her comforting gestures still felt nice.

"Is everything alright? I mean, aside from the situation we're in?"

"Yeah," Shinji said. "I'm fine, Mom. Just tired."

"Don't lie to me, Shinji. If something's wrong, say it."

Shinji exhaled, unsurprised that his mother was dragging the truth out of him, kicking and screaming. "Did you really create Rei to…give her life, for mine?"

Mom's expression didn't change a bit. "Partially, yes."

"Why?"

"Because I want to keep you alive, Shinji. Do you really need to ask why, after what's happened in the past twenty-four hours?"

"But Rei is important too. It's not right."

"None of this is right, dear," Yui said. "it's not right for us to have fourteen-year-olds risking their lives for us. It's not right to create machines in God's image when we barely know the forces we're messing with. Sometimes you have to do wrong to do right, Shinji."

The right words to respond to Mother's claims wouldn't come to Shinji's lips. His eyes met the ground, and even though he still thought he was in the right, he couldn't have felt more like a child in that moment.

"If Rei's body is injured beyond repair, she can come back. You can't. There's only one of you, Shinji, and I'm not going to just throw your life away."

"I just…it still doesn't feel right, Mom."

"I know." Mom caressed his face. "You're a good person, Shinji. A good, innocent soul. All the wrong things I've done, I did so you wouldn't have to. All this guilt, all the sins you think you're committing, let me carry them for you. Don't let yourself suffer for my mistakes."

"I…" Shinji nodded; there was nothing else to be done. "I hope everything goes according to plan."

"Yes. And if Unit-01 exhibits any strange behavior, please let me know." Mom kissed him on the forehead. "Please be safe. I can't do anything without you, Shinji."

.

---

.

As the kaleidoscope of lights signaled Unit-01's activation, Shinji couldn't help but remember being trapped in here, the LCL boiling around him as his skin peeled off. He kept the flashbacks from his mind, but piloting the EVA again was a bit like getting back on a bike after falling off; he couldn't help wondering when an accident would happen again, and whether it would be worse.

His new plugsuit was snug against his skin, and the sensation of the sanguine liquid around him was refreshing. In his ear, Maya Ibuki asked him a series of questions. Was he comfortable? Did everything feel right? Was he feeling anything strange from the EVA? Shinji answered yes, yes, and no, but the truth was the exact opposite. Perhaps in all the charts and graphs from Central Dogma and the MAGI system, one of them could tell that Shinji was lying.

Why did the questions matter? Shinji had to pilot Unit-01. He couldn't leave Rei to do everything by herself.

Shinji tried to focus as he waited for the signal, telling him the Angel had reawakened. A strange sense of calm, similar to when he fought the Angel outside Aise. What was this machine, and why was a piece of Mom's soul inside? Could he reached out and communicate with it? He felt as if…whatever was inside Unit-01 had attempted to reach out to him before. Perhaps it was time for Shinji to return the favor.

Closing his eyes, Shinji tried reaching out. Asking Unit-01 if it could hear him, whether it wanted to talk or not, and who it was, exactly. Hearing nothing in response, Shinji opened his eyes again. He felt like an idiot for even trying.

Among the numerous graphs and readouts in front of him, one particular line of scrolling text caught the boy's eye: 'NEVER CONFUSE A SINGLE DEFEAT FOR A FINAL DEFEAT.'

"Are you - ?"

"Shinji," Maya said. "did you say something?"

"Uh, no ma'am."

"Just hold tight, okay? Any second now."

"Right."

Shinji looked away, and then back again. The message was still there, so it wasn't a product of stress or a hallucination from fatigue. Unit-01 was talking to him, in its own way.

In the same spot as before, a different message scrolled across: 'I BELIEVE IN ME I CAN SAVE THE WORLD GENDO SAID IT WAS A FOOLS ERRAND BUT I AM SMART ENOUGH TO SAVE THEM ALL I BELIVE IN THE GOODNESS OF PEOPLE WILL YOU HELP WILL YOU HELP WILL YOU HELP'

Mentally, Shinji agreed to Unit-01's request, hoping it could hear him.

'I READ YOUR HEART THE FIRST TIME YOU WERE INSIDE ME YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON BUT THERE IS MUCH PAIN WHERE IS THE OUTSIDE ME WHERE WHERE WHERE'

The 'outside me'? Shinji's brow furrowed in confusion.

'I AM THE ME WHO IS INSIDE OF YOU WHERE IS THE OUTSIDE ME ME ME ME'

Unit-01 must have been talking about Mom. Shinji responded that she was close by, and hoped it was a satisfactory answer.

'HELP YOU BUT DO NOT TELL I MUST WATCH I MUST SEE'

Shinji told the spirit of Unit-01 that he would keep their conversation secret, though he never could keep much from Mom if she asked. His mother had an uncanny sense of when something was bothering him, or when he was hiding something from her. He didn't know this spirit's intentions, aside from it being some part of his mother left behind, but he didn't want to disappoint it either.

In the background, Shinji heard music; a classical piece so familiar to him that he could practically see the notation in his head. The boy felt as if he were at home in Unit-01's cockpit, in a way he didn't quite feel anywhere else. His mind slipped into placidity; for once, the storm of anxiety that usually raged in his mind dispersed, leaving only blue skies and serene calm.

"Shinji?" Maya's voice rang throughout the cockpit, causing Shinji to jump. "We're detecting movement in the Fourth Angel. You should take your position."

Shinji snapped to attention, moving Unit-01 towards the point Misato had picked out with alacrity. A small pile of shells the size of Unit-01's thumb sat aside the back opening of the railgun, where he would deposit one of them when the time came. Not a particularly complicated job, but with Shinji's previous injuries, Mother and the bridge crew were intent on keeping him out of way.

In the distant city, Shinji could see a giant's silhouette stir. Unit-01 automatically switched to some sort of infrared vision; the Angel's head lifted like a cobra's, the creature's energy whips lashing at the air. Even though the creature was up and moving now, Unit-01 still detected massive internal bleeding and injury from the Angel. It healed enough to make a second attack, but not much more.

Judging by the fact that the entirety of Tokyo-3 wasn't awash in blue light, the Fifth Angel hadn't yet taken notice of its resurrected opponent. Shinji figured the development was good news, according to what he had been told, at least.

Mom's voice filtered through the cockpit, though she was addressing the operation at large. "Alright, shut down power to the city and redirect to the weapon. And hurry, we don't have much time now."

Like a black tide rolling over the city, the lights went out from east to west, until the whole of Tokyo-3 was engulfed in darkness. Only the small pinpricks of light from the staging area separated them from the primeval night. Beside him, Shinji heard a multitude of generators whir to life, cracking electricity running currents through the rails of the weapon.

The whole of humanity waited with bated breath to see what the Angels would do. Though Mom had reassured them otherwise, a small chord of fear certainly strummed in the hearts of everyone present, a worry that the two otherworldly creatures would call a truce and decide to work together. Shinji didn't honestly know what would prevent them from doing so, or why Mom was so confident such a scenario wasn't possible; yet another aspect of NERV kept hidden from him, hidden in the dark.

Then, it charged. In no time at all, the Fourth Angel was throwing itself onto the AT Field of its newfound enemy, trying to find an opening to deal a mortal blow. For a moment, the blue rhomboid of a creature didn't react, seemingly content to let its opponent wear itself out.

A spear of blue energy pierced the Fourth Angel. The particle beam shot out across the city, crossing the harbor, and continuing into the horizon. Sparks flew as the Fourth Angel's energy whips collided with the AT Field, drilling through but not yet finding an opening. Shinji wondered how long the creature could hold out against the assault.

Meanwhile, the personnel of Central Dogma were abuzz with hurried readouts and status reports. Among the chatter, Shinji could hear 'weakening', 'almost there', 'not quite'. Every second seemed a minute while waiting for the right time to attack the Angel, if the order ever came. Unit-01 readings on the Fourth Angel were dire; the creature wouldn't last another thirty seconds against the particle weapon.

Misato's face popped up on the right side of Shinji's face. "Shinji, load it now!"

"It's not ready yet," Mom said. "a few more seconds."

"We don't have a few more seconds. Shinji, go."

He picked up one of the slugs in Unit-01's palm; even possessing the strength of a giant, Shinji still felt the weight vicariously through the Evangelion. The boy loaded the shell, and it fired, shooting through the length of the makeshift barrel and out of the other side.

A line of blood streaked across the buildings behind the Fifth Angel, and that was all it took for the whole of Central Dogma to erupt in celebration.

Shinji could see the Angel's shape had changed, the creature's body a sequence of spikes protruding from behind the now exposed core. Everyone was celebrating, but to Shinji, the Angel didn't seem dead. Just…different. What was the creature doing now?

Then, the Angel reformed, a final clanging sound ringing out as the entity shifted back into its original shape.

"What happened?" Ritsuko Akagi asked as the cheers came to an abrupt halt. "Why did it reform itself?"

"High energy reading from within the target!"

"Rei," Misato yelled. "watch out!"

A familiar wave of blue washed over Shinji, and in the moment, he closed his eyes and prepared to die. Feeling heat, but an absence of pain, he opened his eyes ahead. The silhouette of Rei and Unit-00 stood in front of him, holding the heat shield firm against the Angel's assault.

About twenty seconds later, the assault ceased. The immediate area behind Unit-00 stood unharmed, but all around them was destruction and fire. A column of steam rose from the heat shield Unit-00 still held in its hands.

"What's the status of the Fourth Angel?"

"Inactive. Its body is rapidly dissolving into blood."

"Damn," Misato said. "it might be gone for good this time. Miss Yui, what do we do?"

Shinji didn't hear Mom reply; but, a few moments later, he heard Rei's trembling voice in his ear.

"Ikari, I am sorry."

Unit-00 took the remaining heat shield, and charged towards the Angel.

Central Dogma went into uproar, and Shinji felt his heart leap into his throat. Rei's EVA sped up to a degree Shinji hadn't thought possible, sending cars and objects flying in its wake, the obsidian steel of the shield held out in front of itself. Unit-00 then jump to the side, clearing a few blocks before continuing its mad dash.

She was about three-quarters of the way to the Angel when it opened fire. Since Rei had the forethought to shift the Angel's line of fire away from the staging point, the beam forked as it impacted against the heat shield, obliterating one of the hills surrounding Tokyo-3. Even as the steel melted from Rei's shield, her pace did not slow, charging as a knight would into dragon's breath.

Throwing the shield away mere seconds before impact, Unit-00 pressed both of its hands against the AT Field, a wall of force laden with shimmering octagonal patterns separating her. Rei's bloodcurdling screams echoed through the audio feed; between the screams and the cacophony of Central Dogma, Shinji felt his heart rate rise and his arms being to stiffen.

Even with Unit-01's calming presence, he couldn't fight it.

Not now. Anytime but now.

"The AT Field has almost reached optimal corrosion," Maya Ibuki said. "rapid fluctuations in the heart rate of Unit-01's pilot. He's panicking."

Misato's face came up on the video feed. "Shinji, all you have to do is load the railgun one more time. Fight it."

"I…I…"

Mom's voice broke through next. "Rei will die if you don't push through, and we might not be able to bring her back."

"B-but…"

"Shinji, if you want to save her, then fight through it. Please. For me. And for her."

Shinji looked down at the spot where Unit-01 had previously sent its messages.

'DO NOT GIVE UP DO NOT GIVE UP DO NOT GIVE UP YOU ARE NOT ALONE SHINJI SHINJI SHINJI SHINJI'

He shifted Unit-01 towards the railgun again, picking up one of the slugs; he nearly dropped it onto the weapon, his fingers fumbling, but he managed to deposit the slug correctly. It flew out from the railgun, impacting the same spot as before, mere seconds later.

The Earth itself seemed to stop as the slug pierced the Fifth Angel. The particle beam tapered, a charred and smoking Unit-00 dropping to the ground, demolishing several residential buildings. From the side of the Angel that the slug exited, crystalline spikes out had emerged.

A column of fire shot out from the creature's back, as the Angel plummeted into the city.

Waves of blood washed over the city streets, a sanguine flood spreading out over Tokyo-3. Though it began as a true torrent, as the blood diluted and spread, the streets were covered in merely a knee-deep red sludge.

Misato was the first to speak, though her tone was anything but celebratory.

"We did it. We won."

.

---

.

.

.

UNIT-00 EXTRACTION SITE, TOKYO-3

AUGUST 14TH, 2015

.

.

The Angel's aftermath was horrible, and strangely beautiful in its own way. A large part of their bodies were pooled into the congealed blood at Yui's feet; clean-up would take days, perhaps weeks, but the priority was Unit-00.

If one could compare Unit-00 to a wrecked vehicle, it would be safe to call it 'totaled'. The cobalt armor-plating was scorched and falling apart at the seams, revealing parts of the golem beneath. The Evangelion might have been a building currently undergoing construction for all the cranes and workers around it. Once the entry plug was removed and the pieces of plating that threatened to fall were removed, it would likely take Unit-01 to drag the rest of the EVA's corpse back to HQ.

The mouth of a crane pulled the entry plug from its cavity inside the Unit-00 back, another one grabbing the white capsule and gradually lowering it towards the ground. A wave of pure heat struck Yui as the crane placed the capsule on the ground near her and the assembled personnel around her. At this point, Rei's survival was a coin-toss, but Yui had to be sure.

A pair of men in protective suits stepped towards the entry plug, one of them turning the wheel on the hatch of the plug, while the other held a light to drive the darkness back. The hatch opened, and the man peeked inside. With a few quick curls of his hand, he called the awaiting medical team towards him, four nurses in the same protective gear running towards the plug with a stretcher and a rolling stand of emergency equipment.

Once Rei was pulled from the entry plug, it was immediately apparent to Yui that the girl would need a new body. Her skin was burnt and scarred so badly that Yui hoped the girl was not conscious, though it was possible the boiling LCL had destroyed her nerve endings. Whether her mind could be saved was a different story. If Rei's mind was still fully intact, then switching bodies would theoretically be as easy as changing clothes.

They placed the girl on the stretcher, wheeling her next to Yui for examination. Several floodlights were set up around the makeshift emergency room. Yui, with her gloved hands, pressed down on Rei's bottom eyelid and shined a small light into her retina.

Her pupil followed the light.

"Rei," Yui said, removing her thumb from the girl's face. "blink once if you can understand me."

She blinked.

"Blink once if today is Thursday."

No motion.

"Blink once if today is Friday."

She blinked.

"Blink once if we are on the planet Mars."

Rei's eyes rolled back into her head. At first, Yui thought the girl was being cute, but she was likely loosing whatever consciousness she held onto.

Yui wanted to caress the girl's face, but decided against the gesture to avoid causing any unnecessary pain. An odd mix of guilt and pride swept through Yui. Her children, her creations, had destroyed this creature. For Yui. As the woman brushed her hand over Rei's blue hair, a sense that all was right with the world settled in.

When Yui gave birth to Shinji, she knew the boy would be special. And so, after the lions and tigers of the world revealed themselves to her, Yui created Rei to protect him. She remembered telling a younger, more curious Rei about her son Shinji, about her pride and joy. Carefully building Rei's perception of the boy, planting the seeds that resulted in Rei's actions today.

Her near-sacrifice that saved the world, and more importantly, Shinji.

One of the pockets on Yui's lab coat vibrated. Her dearest husband was calling.

"Hey you." Yui asked, as she held the receiver to her ear. "Are you about finished in Aise?"

"Yes. I should be back in Tokyo-3 in a day or two, if everything goes as planned. I see you're answering your phone now."

"I was busy."

"Hm. Judging by your mood, I assume the Angel has been defeated?"

"It was a near thing, but yes." Yui frowned to herself. "The clean-up is going to take a while, and Rei's going to need a body transfer."

"Her mind can be saved, yes? No need to start from square one."

"Maybe." Wasn't a question Yui could fully answer at this time. "We'll have to see. She seems mostly cognizant, but…I just don't know."

"I wonder why…" Gendo grunted to himself. "She saved us, yes, but…why? Yui, did you – "

Yui walked farther away from the trauma team. No need for any unnecessary information to end up in the wrong ear, after all.

"I talked her into it," Yui said, her lips curling at the thought. "I think Rei was going to…sacrifice herself of her own volition, but couldn't pull the trigger, so to speak. She was scared, so I coaxed her a little."

"Shinji won't like that, based off what you've told me."

"Well, Shinji doesn't have to know, does he?" Yui sighed. Even thinking about her short conversation with Rei made her stomach turn. "Can we just talk about something else? Please?"

"You did what you had to, Yui."

"Gendo."

"As you wish. With our victory over these two Angels, I assume everything is still going according to plan."

"I wouldn't say according to plan," Yui said. "but we're in a decent spot. We can build from here."

"It will only get more difficult from here. The old men grow more and more restless."

"I know, but they'll be dealt with in time. Oh, and Shinji knows. About my…condition."

"Yui…"

"He almost died, Gendo. I…I couldn't hold myself back." She spooled a lock of her hair around her finger, thinking of her son. "I wanted him to know what I did. For him."

"…how did he take it?"

"He was upset, but he accepted it." Another thought occurred to Yui. "He also had a dream, or perhaps a vision, of Kyoko and I speaking together. It was a couple weeks after I returned, remember? Unit-01 might be giving him some residual memories, perhaps."

"That is strange. Does he require monitoring?"

"I was thinking of handing him a dream journal. I'm not sure what to make of these visions at the moment, so I think sitting back and watching will be the best course of action."

"I leave up to your discretion. I hear Kyoko's daughter acquitted herself well."

"Yes, Asuka really came through for us," Yui said. "I've already started pushing Shinji and Asuka together. I planted the idea of them being friends into Kaji Ryoji's head, who in turn planted the idea in Asuka's head, as I hoped. By the time she arrives, my efforts might start bearing fruit."

"Plotting out the life of our child. It's almost cruel, Yui."

"It's an outcome that likely would have occurred naturally, Gendo. Nothing wrong with giving it a little nudge in the right direction."

"The Soryu girl is known to be temperamental."

"I'll handle her. Don't worry." Yui gave a relieved sigh. "She doesn't know it, but Misato really did us a favor on that front, telling Shinji about Rei being my clone."

"Katsuragi's a useful asset. We will have to keep her close."

"As long as she gets to fight the Angels, I don't think Misato will be going anywhere. I think she's grown attached to Shinji as well, which is good."

"So, we'll proceed to the next stage."

"Yes. SEELE, the Government, they're only getting more aggressive. They almost buried us this time." A pang of regret tugged at Yui's heart, but she pressed it down. "I'm not holding back anymore, Gendo. From now on, we have to play for keeps."

.

---

.

A/N: Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy month, and I also was dealing with some pretty bad writer's block and decided to rewrite this whole chapter as well. Still a little hesitant about it, feel like I took a few risks, but I think it reads a lot better than the previous. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Also, 'bakalite' has been changed to 'bakelite' in the previous chapter. Sometime between now and the release of the next chapter, I'll probably make the dream sequence in that chapter a little more clear as well.

When I was planning this story out, I was trying to be careful about not introducing too many elements to the story (at this time). But there should be one more new major character introduced in the next chapter, who has been mentioned indirectly once before. No hints, but with all the characters introduced so far, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out who it is.

Very interested to see what people think of this chapter. :) Might be some mixed feelings about Yui right now. Thanks for the favs/follows/reviews as always.