Nobody in this damn city knows what a turn signal is, it seems.

The drive was nice at first, the highway was practically empty for a monday, so she took her time to admire the view of the ocean.

The flooded skyscrapers on its outskirts stood tall like mesas, or bent outwards, like a split rib cage, she noted morbidly on her way there.

There wasn't much time for contemplation during rush hour in Tokyo-03. Every block takes at least half a minute to pass, she resists the urge to bounce her foot on the gas pedal.

All the kid had to do was wait by the train station. Now here she was looking for a fourteen year old boy, the only distinct information on the dossier is that he is brown haired, skinny and, as described by Ritsuko, looks like he's perpetually lost. Sounds like the type of person that easily disappears in the background.

As she expects, none of this stands out at all to Misato as she juggles keeping an eye on the road and scanning for her assignment. That is until she receives a call from him saying that after waiting a while, he circled the block and found a payphone.

So she circles all the way back, waits through the stop lights, banging her head on the steering wheel, wishing that the streets could just be empty.

She stays on the line the whole time and finds him facing the inside of the telephone booth. "I'm in the Renault Alpine, do you see me?"

"What's that?" He looks up.

Misato sighs. "It's a blue car. At your seven o'clock." The boy turns to his right. "Your other seven o'clock. I mean, on your left." He's off by a mile.

She groans and honks the horn three times, he finally locks eyes with her. "Is that you?" He asks. She responds by wordlessly opening the passenger door. After a moment's deliberation, he marches over, hesitating on each cross of the street.

When he gets to a closer eye sight, she pulls out the photo from her phone and levels it beside the boy's face, hoping she was mistaken.

But that was definitely Shinji Ikari. This was the candidate that the Marduk Institute hand picked?

He keeps himself distant from the car as far as he can without stepping back into traffic. Shinji pulls his own picture and levels it next to her, before looking down, his face red evidently from the contents of said photo. Misato leans into the passenger seat. "Need a ride?" He enters the car, flinching from the hot leather cooking under the sun. "Thanks for waiting."

He rests his backpack on his lap. "Sorry. It didn't look like there was anywhere to park, so I tried to give you a heads up."

A pang of guilt hits her, "Don't worry about it." She offers a reassuring smile, but he's already looking back down. "Nice to finally meet you, Shinji." She offers her hand. "Misato Katsuragi."

He offers a limp hand in return.


Chapter Two: Everything in it's Right Place


Misato can't say the same for Shinji, but she feels to be in quite a good mood. She finally had her car restored and detailed. Suddenly, thirty three more loan payments didn't feel that far away. Not to mention the drive over to the Geofront was leisurely, nothing to disturb them.

She turns to him. "Are you hungry? When we're done with meeting the boss, we could get some burgers, if you'd like."

Shinji fidgets but offers a nervous smile. "I've never had fast food before."

She nearly turns the car around, but remembers that they're running late. "Never?"

"I don't really go out that often. Besides, my tutor teaches me recipes. I have to take care of my father, so I do most of the cooking. He's… not well."

"I see. Your father, that's Gendo Ikari, right? You know, I met him once, when I was about your age. I think he was colleagues with the Commander as well." She knows this already from his mostly blacked out dossier, but she feels a need to fill the silence, since there's no distractions.

"I met her once when I was little, I think. Father didn't seem to like her that much. He, um, called her a… nevermind."

"Called her a what? Don't worry, I'm not gonna rat you out."

He fidgets in the seat, eyes darting from side to side before leaning in to whisper to her. "...Old hag. I think. It's hard to tell what he's saying sometimes."

She fights back a snigger. On Misato's first day at NERV, she asked around for any interesting gossip casually and one of the bridge crew, Ibuki, she believes, mentioned word that the Commander and Gendo Ikari had some history.

Other than running a very tight ship, having a sense of sterness and efficiency during work times, she was friendly and sociable after hours. "Really? But she's so nice." Perhaps rumors were just that. "Maybe she's mellowed out since then. But that Sub-Commander, though..." She shudders. "Total ice queen."

"Oh." Shinji looks down. "Is that why I'm being considered for a position at NERV? Because of my Father?"

Misato pouts, "I don't think so, candidates are hand picked and run by well over a hundred companies. So unless your father was friends with all of them, it seems like the job just might suit you."

For the life of her, she had no idea why. He seems considerate, but perhaps not the sharpest blade in the drawer, she thinks without any malintent. He was certainly no Asuka. "Do you play any sports? You look like a football kind of guy."

He rubs his arm. "I play cello? And chess with Father sometimes too." So not picked for his athletic prowess either. And Misato strongly doubted that piloting EVA's had anything to do with instruments. Shinji turns to her, a glint of determination in his dull eyes. "Whatever the job is, I'll take it. So long as it can cover my fathers treatment."

"Well, NERV certainly takes care of their own." Misato says. Shinji nods and looks away, off to the view of the ocean. "You know, for such a spry young guy, you're quite the old soul."

"Thanks, you're pretty lively yourself." Shinji chuckles nervously, Misato squints at him and smiles. "Wait-"

She swerves wildly left and right as she enters the tunnel. "Whoah-woah! I can't control it, we're gonna crash!" Shinji grips the arm rest and hangs on for dear life. She evens out the car and laughs. Misato shifts back to the left lane. "I'm kidding!" Shinji relaxes. Suddenly, a motorcycle comes zooming towards them in the empty tunnel. "I know this car like the back of my hand."

"Uhh, Ms. Misato?"

"See?" Misato lets go of the steering wheel and turns to him, "Practically drives itself-"

"Ms. Misato!" Shinji yelps and points to the approaching bike.

She swerves out of the way. Misato pokes her head out the window and looks back. "Jerk!" She shakes her head, "I swear, reckless drivers…"


They exit the car lift and wander around the derelict, metallic maze of the Geofront.

"Hey Shinji, do you still have that orientation package?" Misato asks. He rummages through his backpack, pulling out the thick envelope and hands it to her.

Attached to his ID papers is a very long, finely hand written letter that smells of strong perfume. She flips through the dense, wordy health policies, NDA's, and evacuation procedures to finally find the maps. It was almost as though the package was designed to be glossed over.

Shinji peers over her shoulder, "Don't you work here?"

"I'm new, okay!?" She spins around a few times, then points. "The elevators over there."


"Ritsuko, dear? Would you be so kind as to fetch our guests? It seems as though our new Captain is lost." A voice calls from the overhead PA.

Underneath a pool of LCL, a woman in a scuba suit emerges. "Copy."

After going through the decontamination process, she pulls off her diver cap to reveal a bob of mahogany brown hair. "Never change, Misato..." Ritsuko Akagi says to no one as she grabs a lab coat to cover herself.


The digital clock in the elevator slowly drags to their desired floor, twenty eight.

Misato eagerly awaits with anticipation, it was difficult for her to find topics to discuss with her companion that had nothing to do with the reason for him being here. At first she wondered why the Commander didn't simply include the actual job title he was being invited for in her letter. But as she talked to the anxious boy and attempted to pick his brain, she understood. He would panic instantly and refuse, but why delay the inevitable? Unless she has an ace under her sleeve, but even then, he couldn't be that valuable as a candidate, could he?

The door slides open, Ritsuko waits on the other side. Underneath her lab coat, is a swimsuit and a pair of flip flops. Misato gulps at the sight of her intense poker face. "Ah... Ritsuko! Fancy seeing you here."

She steps backwards, motioning for them to follow. Shinji looks up from the orientation package and follows the two women. "It's been nearly two weeks, Misato. I'm surprised you don't at least memorize the route to your job."

Her face turns red. "It's a work in progress." They step on an escalator that slowly leads them upward, the lighting is a dim purple.

It's so cold, you can almost see your breath.

Ritsuko shakes her head and sizes up the boy behind her. "So this is him." Shinji perks up.

Misato nods. "Yep. The one hand picked by the Marduk Institute." She taps Shinji's shoulder and points to their brown haired companion.

Strangely enough, her hair color doesn't suit her at all. "This is an old friend of mine. Ristuko Akagi. She's assistant to the Chief Scientist."

Shinji reaches out and offers a limp hand. Ritsuko shakes it. "And assistant to the Sub-Commander as well, might I add." She says, taking a moment to scan his face. "He really does look like his father." He blushes and looks back down at the orientation package.

"He looks like what I've seen in the pictures, yeah." Misato says with a chuckle. "And from what I heard, he has his old man's charm as well."

Ritsuko groans with exasperation. "Don't even get started, I hear that well enough."

"From who?"

The brunette shakes her head. "Nevermind." She turns to Shinji. "Are you enjoying the tour so far?" Alongside the escalator, lit by purple liquid it resides in, is a massive crimson hand.

Shinji looks up, glancing casually at the hand. "Oh, it's been good, I just don't understand-" He does a double take at the hand and recoils, nearly falling backwards off the escalator. Misato catches him by the scruff of his shirt. "What the heck is that!?"

Ritsuko looks up at the hand, unphased. She looks at Misato, "You haven't told him yet?" She shakes her head. Ritsuko turns to Shinji. "That, Shinji, is an Evangelion. Unit-02 to be specific. A biomechanical huma-"

"It's a robot?"

She sighs, "Sure. It's a robot." Ritsuko takes in the sight, admiring her handiwork. She turns back to Shinji who is flipping through his orientation package for a reference. "You won't find any record of it. It's the ultimate man-made multipurpose combat weapon system."

Shinji's breathing begins to slow, "I see. And the job I'm a candidate for, the one I've been handpicked for, I mean. It's..." Ritsuko raises an eyebrow, evidently surprised at his intuition. "...to be an assistant of some sort, running errands?" The two women stare, "Or… one of the maintenance crew, right?" They glance at each other, not responding to the boy. "...R-right?"

Misato runs her hand through her hair, remembering her specific orders to let the Commander break the news. Thankfully, she finds a distraction in the adjacent escalator. "Oh, Rits-" She points to the other escalator, which has two figures riding it. "It's your boss, that Chief Scientist."

"And Sub-Commander." Ritsuko replies.

Shinji peers at the Deputy in question. She wears a long black overcoat. Despite being a relatively short individual, the strawberry blonde cuts a rather imposing image just by her posture alone.

Beside her is a short figure, a girl in a green hoodie and what looks to be a red leotard for leggings. She pulls back her hood and stares at the giant crimson hand, revealing a mop of messy red hair.

Eventually, the girl realizes she's being stared at, her eyes lead towards Shinji and the two lock on to each other for what feels like an eternity. Unable to scan the details of the other person's face, but staring nonetheless.

Misato giggles, "Looks like Shinji found some incentive."

He blushes furiously and looks down, unbeknownst to him, the girl keeps staring.

Their paths diverge.


NERV bridge crew run diagnostic reports, simulations for the coming battle, all based on her notes. The Commander watches from her surveillance cameras as her daughter and the new arrivals wander into the catwalk containing Unit 02.

She turns to Fuyutsuki, "Kozo, would you be a dear and hold the fort? I must attend to our guests and our Sub-Commander is currently indisposed." He holds a stare at her and nods. Naoko smiles. "Good man."

He watches her strut away to the elevator, a skip in her step. Fuyutsuki shakes his head. "Ikari, why didn't you stop your boy… Do you still believe in Yui's plan?"

"Who's plan?" A voice calls out. Fuyutsuki's eyes widen and he slowly turns…

It's only Maya Ibuki. She blushes, "Sorry for eavesdropping, sir." She lifts her hands to reveal a steaming mug. "Your coffee?"

Fuyutsuki blinks and takes the mug in his hands. It's painfully hot, but he squeezes it tightly to calm his nerves. "Right…" He chuckles, his breath ragged, "Forget an old man, Miss Ibuki, there's much work to be done."

She nods, "Aye-aye, sir."


The lights switch on, and Shinji Ikari finds a giant head staring at him, face to face. "Woah!" He leans in closer to inspect it. "So this is from the hand I saw earlier…" He looks from side to side, the room is empty. "Where's the Commander?"

The static from a PA mic crackles, "Sorry about that!" A high pitch feminine laugh echoes below the catwalk. Shinji looks up to see a silhouetted figure stand on top of the observation deck. It appears to be a woman, who is waving.

"Did my letter say to meet at floor twenty eight? Silly me, I meant twenty nine!" Shinji and Misato glance at each other, both equally as confused.. Despite the surprise, the boy feels at ease from the friendliness radiating off the woman through the glass window. "Please, meet me upstairs you two. Ritsuko, dear? I can take it from here. You remember the way to my office, don't you, Misato?"

Misato chuckles nervously and waves back to the Commander. "Yes, of course! we'll see you soon."

The Commander lets out a soft giggle. "Hope you're both hungry, once again, so sorry for the confusion!"

Shinji leans in hesitantly, "It's okay!" He calls out before the mic feed cuts off.


The long, narrow hallway leading to the office was lit with warm orange lights. As opposed to the standard, sterile hospital lights that decorate the NERV Headquarters.

Regardless, the inside of the headquarters is so cold in some parts that you can see your breath, unlike its exterior. It's not wide enough to walk side by side; however, anyone passing through must walk in a single file line, with just enough room to shuffle past the other.

The door from the Commander's office swings open, a moody blue light pierces through the warm orange, but it's not Naoko Akagi who walks out.

Instead it was a young girl, but not the same one from earlier. She strides out of the office. Similarly, she is also wearing a hoodie, a black one. But underneath she has white leotard pants and no shoes.

The almost blurred shape starts to become more defined as their paths cross. Shinji nearly thought she was bald, but in fact, she has blue hair. It was only pulled back tightly, in a small pony tail it seems.

Misato waves at her. "Ah, you must be Rei Ayanami, right?

Rei stops walking, her dull crimson eyes gaze right past her. "Yes." She stays still, as though in a standoff.

Shinji peers past Misato's shoulder, the strange girl doesn't seem to acknowledge his presence. Misato offers a smile, waiting for a response. After a beat she turns to present her charge. "This is Shinji, he's one of the candidates." She turns to him. "This is Rei Ayanami, she's also- ah." She minces her words. "She does the same job that you're applying for."

"Oh." Shinji briefly attempts to make eye contact with her, but her stagnant, bloodied stare is frightening at first. He lifts his eyes from the floor to see that she has not looked away from him yet, as if she was studying him. He lifts his arm and offers a loose handshake. Misato angles her body so he can reach. "Nice to meet you." He says politely.

Rei nods her head. "Yes." She looks at the hand and then back at him, then past his shoulder.

She turns to Misato for answers. "Oh, he's trying to shake your hand."

"Why?" Rei responds, Shinji's hand slowly lowers. "Is this common prepubescent courtship practices?" Shinji's hand flies to his side.

Misato covers her face to suppress a laugh, noticing Shinji's beet red face. "No-no-no. It's just an ordinary greeting. It's a sign of goodwill."

Rei peers at the boy's hand. "Am I being ordered to shake the hand?"

"I mean, it would be rude." She says, Rei stares blankly at her. Misato runs her hand through her hair. "Yep. Yes, that's an order."

"Right away." Rei offers her hand, making Shinji follow suit. Their hands hover briefly before clasping. They continue shaking. "How long must the shaking commence for the goodwill to be established?"

Before Shinji can respond, footsteps clicking from the office entrance catch the girl's attention. She stares at the distant figure briefly before turning away. Rei brushes past Shinji and Misato.

He doesn't take great notice towards the slight hesitation in her gait, rather that the end of her ponytail is rather short, not even reaching her neck.

It must have taken great effort to tie it all together.

Commander Akagi waves to them from the other end of the hall. "Hi! I hope you don't mind. These days, there's so many random appointments that just have to be squeezed in, don't they?" She's wearing a black coat with golden trim, a emerald button on the top pinned to a tight olive turtleneck.

Misato waves back, offering a friendly laugh, "Oh, no worries. I know the feeling." Naoko waits patiently as the two approach, her hands held together. "Good evening, Commander."

Naoko gently pats Misato's upper arm. "Misato, so nice to see you. I hope you two don't mind the cold, anything to get away from this dreaded heat, right?" She gestures to her office, leading her inside. Naoko stands in the frame of the door as Shinji meets her. "And this must be our candidate of the hour! Shinji Ikari, it's been so long. Naoko Akagi. Do you remember me?" She offers her hand.

He loosely shakes back in kind. "I don't think so? Was I little back then?"

"Oh my, so little! We went for ice cream. You must have been this tall!" She points to her upper thigh and laughs, Shinji offers a bashful smile in response. "Well regardless, it's good to see you." Naoko gestures to the door and touches his elbow, to which he flinches "Oh!" She exclaims.

"Sorry-" Shinji chuckles nervously.

"Oh, no-no, don't be sorry! Please, come in!" She says, not moving. Shinji shuffles through the shared door frame. "I do hope she wasn't bothering you." Naoko says, staring at the far end of the hall.

"Rei? No, not at all. I was just introducing her to Shinji." Misato laughs, recalling their memory. "He tried to shake her hand but she got confused."

"Yes, she still has much to learn." Naoko leads them into her vast office, "Tell me, how was your trip over here?" She looks at Shinji.

"It was good, the Geofront is, well, it's amazing!" He turns and gestures to one large, slanted window on the nearest wall, giving a full display of the underground cities and garden climate. Judging by the angle of the windows and the scope of the office, Shinji assumed they were at the peak of the pyramid. The Commander's desk rests far against the wall, the ceiling etched with letterings he didn't understand.

He looks down at the floor in awe. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before." It was a see through glass to where you could observe the entire Geofront.

"There certainly are perks to this job." Naoko says with an earnest smile, looking at the letters. She sighs, "A little tacky in my opinion, but a renovation is low on my list, I'm afraid." She stops by a modest dining table in the centre of the wide space. It's blanketed by a silk tablecloth, three plates are wrapped by tin foil. "Who's hungry?" She pulls away the tin foil on Misato's plate.

The hot air escaping from the seal travels to Misato's nose as it sniffs, she blinks. "Is that… steak?" Her stomach gurgles.

Naoko nods, "Medium rare."

"As God intended." Misato says, Naoko covers her mouth and giggles softly in response.

She takes a seat. "Well, don't just stand there!"

"Don't mind if I do, boss." She motions for Shinji to follow her to the table. " Thank you for the food!" Naoko sits across from him, with Misato on the side.

Shinji mimics Misato's bow. Naoko neatly folds the foil on her plate into a small square and sets it aside. "I'd offer you beer as well, but you're driving after this, right?" Misato nearly coughs out a sliced cube of steak. "Don't worry, Misato, I'm only teasing!"

Misato thumps her chest. "I swear, I keep it outside of work."

"Oh, dear, I wasn't implying. I wouldn't have hired you otherwise." She smiles. "Besides, I personally believe that one must take time off to enjoy themselves after a hard day's work. And make time for the people that matter." Naoko clears her throat. "A concept my predecessors didn't necessarily subscribe to, but anyways," She turns to the boy. "How do you like it, Shinji?"

He takes his time to chew the meal, "I really like the seasoning, did you make it yourself?"

She nods, Misato looks surprised. Naoko turns to her, "You didn't think those amateurs in the cafeteria made this, did you? Maybe I'll teach you the recipe someday."

"I'd like that. But-" Shinji looks down at his meal, suddenly solem. He pokes at the steak. "Normally I can only cook softer foods."

"I see." Naoko nods, "Speaking of, how is your father these days?"

"He's doing well. I've been trying to convince him to learn sign language but- well. He's been…"

She leans in, "Stubborn?"

He hesitates, glancing between the two women. "Yeah... B-but he's in good health. Our doctor recently used tissue from his thigh to help make him a new tongue, so now he can eat on his own."

Naoko covers her mouth. "Oh, poor thing." She turns to Misato, who is shovelling food, half paying attention. "His tongue got bitten off during a seizure and this young man has been looking after his father all by himself."

Misato stops chewing and slowly turns to the quiet boy, unable to muster words of sympathy.

Shinji offers a small smile. "We have a nurse who helps with Father-"

Naoko waves her hand in dismissal, "Of course, I wouldn't want to discredit her. Or is it a he?"

"N-no it's a woman. Ms. Hanako."

"Oh. I see." She saws off a hefty slice of the steak. "Regardless, I find this to be an admirable trait, Shinji. You're devoted. Frankly, it's one of the reasons I think you would make for an excellent candidate."

Shinji looks down, "Is that the only reason I'm being considered?"

She shakes her head, "No, of course not. I personally believe you are very brave." He looks up to her. "Traveling alone to a city you don't know about, for a job interview you don't even know the position for? If that's not brave, I don't know what is."

He blushes, "I-I heard that NERV employees and their families have very good benefits."

"My point exactly."

"But this job, no one's told me about it. What would I be doing exactly?"

"Come now. You're a smart young man." She leans in, "What sort of job do you think you're here for?"

Misato continues eating, observing the conversation unfold.

He hesitates, "An intern? Ah, assistant? I-I can cook and clean too, if that's what..." Naoko smiles at Shinji endearingly.

"...You want me to pilot that robot. Unit 02." He responds, afraid of either answer.

"Oh, no." She responds. Shinji's shoulders slump. " That one is already occupied, I'm afraid. The vacant EVA we had in mind for you was Unit-01." She suppresses a laugh with her hand, as if remembering an old joke. "The old thing's been collecting dust for ages. But for you, I'm sure we could have it operational in no time at all."

Shinji looks at Misato who regards him evenly, he looks back to the Commander. "...You're serious."

"Yes, why wouldn't I be? It's like I told you. I believe you potentially have a very promising career here with us at NERV."

"I… I don't know what to say."

She rests her hand under her chin. "Yes?" Shinji stammers and she softly chuckles. "I'm only teasing. How about instead, you hear me out. I'll describe the job description, responsibilities. The wage, benefits. And afterwards, you can tell me what you think. Sounds good?" Naoko looks down and plays with her food.

He hesitates, looking at Misato, who nods in approval. After a moment, he follows suit.

Naoko clears her throat. "Well, as you can imagine, we did not create seventy metre war machines for show. Humanity is under attack by extra-terrestrial beings called Angels. All we know is that their goal is to wipe us all out. And in particular this Geofront we are sitting in, right now."

Shinji leans to look down at the window, visibly stressed. Naoko shakes her head. "Oh dear, not right now. We're able to predict when the Angels will be arriving. You really didn't think I would bring you here right before the attack and pin you with an ultimatum? That would just be unprofessional-"

"O-oh. Well, I appreciate that-"

"Please, let me finish." Naoko responds, Shinji refrains from an apology. "As I was saying, you'd be well prepared, trained and conditioned for such fights against the Angels well in advance. Our estimates for their arrivals are general within a three day range, so you would be on twenty four hour standby. You would be working with two other pilots that you will shadow until you feel that you're confident enough to handle sorties on your own. This goes without saying, there always is the risk of injury, or heaven forbid, death. But we have precautions to prevent that. And you would be very well compensated. A pilot's earrings are roughly six hundred fifty-nine thousand, five hundred sixty-five yen. Bi-weekly. "

She smiles, "After gross deductions, of course.

Misato slowly gulps down her food and leans to Shinji, "That's double what I make…" She says wistfully.

Naoko looks at Misato, who is miles away, simply enjoying her first decent meal in weeks. "Obviously it would be kept in a trust fund for emergency reasons- Oh, and let's not forget benefits, NERV employees receive top of the line health care, dental, physiotherapy, specialty treatment. It's all there on the orientation package." She gestures to the laminated folders.

Naoko clears her throat. "And regarding living arrangements…" Misato perks up when she realizes the Commander's eyes are on her. "Since we can't have you coming into school and work everyday from Matsudo, I was thinking he could stay with you, Misato. Considering your prior experience. Would you mind? If you don't think it would interfere with your duties, I mean."

Not able to get a full bite into her steak yet without being interrupted, Misato considers with her mouth half full and nods. "Not at all. Does this mean… that maybe Asuka could come back and live with me as well?"

Naoko looks up from her meal, still cutting at the steak. She sets down the utensils and intertwines her fingers. "I don't know how I feel about that. Teenagers their age shouldn't be sharing spaces together."

Misato laughs in disbelief, she shakes her head. "You don't think that Shinji would-"

"We can discuss this later. Look at us," Naoko waves her hand and looks at Shinji, "Here we are talking about your future when you haven't even made a decision yet."

"N-no, it's fine. It's just a lot to take in, that's all."

"You wouldn't have to say yes right away. How about I give you a few days to think about it? Fully read the orientation package, and then call me with your decision."

Misato nods in approval. "That seems fair."

The two women look at Shinji expectantly. He prods at the food and takes a deep breath. "I appreciate the offer, Commander Akagi. I really do. But I think there must have been a mistake. I really don't feel like I'm qualified for this. A-and I need to look after my Father."

"Like I said, you would be well trained before you saw any action. And there's precautions in place. And of course, your father would receive all the benefits that you do. He would be transferred to our facility and receive the utmost set of treatment."

"-I don't know if he'd- The thing is, I came here expecting a… quieter sort of job. I might panic and hurt somebody." He continues, Misato stares, her brow knitted into a frown. "If there's any other sort of job. Any job, I'm more than willing to do what it takes. I can even clean too. I-" Naoko's stare is neutral, her expression unreadable. He bows his head. "-I'm truly sorry for wasting your time."

She takes a slow deliberate chew of her meal. Misato shakes her head. Shinji shamefully avoids her gaze, his chest tight.

Naoko shrugs. "That's okay."

"I-It is?"

"Yes, of course! Why wouldn't it be? I asked you to come here for a job offer, not to conscript you. I wouldn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

"...It's really okay? The other pilots won't need my help?"

Naoko waves her hand dismissively. "Ah, my girls will manage. I'll let you sit on this for a little while before I start going over the next candidates, okay? Misato, could you drive him home after we're done eating, please?"

Misato nods, not looking up from her plate. "Yes, Commander."

Shinji fidgets in his seat. "I not really sure if my answer will be the same, you have the w-wrong-"

She rests her hand on top of Shinji's, snapping him out of his anxiety. "Shinji. All I'm asking you to do is take the time to think it through, weigh out your options. Give it a day or two and I'll accept any answer you give me."

The knot in his stomach loosens, replaced by an uncontrollable flutter in his chest. "Okay. I'll think about it. Thank you for the opportunity, Commander."

She smiles, her hand still on his. "Please, call me Naoko."


Misato's mood during the ride back to the train station is a starkly different one from the drive earlier in the morning. Her eyes scan the road, the grip on the steering wheel tight. She hasn't spoken a word to Shinji since they entered the car.

He fidgets uncomfortably, the orientation package resting on his lap, backpack at his feet. "She seemed nice."

"Mhmm. Really courteous of her to allow you to take time to think about the offer too." Her voice is considerably lower than the more energetic pitch from earlier as well. "You don't normally get that in the real world."

"I'm not going to-" Shinji stops himself, waiting for a reaction. Her eyes remain focused on the road. "The Geofront was incredible, I can't believe you work there-"

"Why didn't you take the job?"

"Sorry?" He says. Misato doesn't respond. She raps her thumbs impatiently on the steering wheel. "B-because I'm not qualified." She sighs slowly. "...Are you mad?" He asks cautiously.

"I'm not mad. Just… disappointed." Misato grimaces, "God, I sound like my father."

She shakes her head. "Do you know how many people would literally kill to have that kind of offer? You weren't just picked on a whim, you know. Though now I'm-" She stops herself, Shinji's head hangs, he turns his body away from her. "And you were just telling me earlier that you would take whatever job that can cover your father's treatment. Why the sudden change? Are you afraid?"

"No! Of course not…"

"They why?"

Shinji hesitates. "I don't know…" He looks out the car window. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I guess."

Misato gives him a once over, she grasps for the right words to possibly motivate him. But nothing seems to internalize. "You're always going to hurt people, even when you don't mean to. That's just adulthood. It's all about…" She sways her hand left and right. "...finding that balance of getting close to someone without hurting them." She turns to face him, "Shinji, running away from your problems doesn't make them go away. They just make it more difficult to deal with in the future when they become unavoidable. Do you understand?"

His eyes dart side to side, he rubs the back of his head. "...Yes." She lifts her hands in defeat and resigns to find a song to occupy the two. Eventually, she settles for an English song called "Everything in its Right Place."

On the approach to the train station, Shinji breaks the silence. "We never did get those burgers…"

"Yep."

"M-maybe we can stop by and grab some?"

"This is your stop, right?" She slows the car to a halt.

Shinji clutches the orientation package to his chest. "Sorry." He wordlessly steps out of the car. Before Misato can press on the gas he leans in. "I-I just wanted to say, thank you for the opportunity again. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Misato."

She offers him a flat, toothless smile and looks at the train station. "Sure. You too, kid." Misato gives him one last glance.

As soon as Shinji closes the car door, she zooms away, becoming a distant blue dot in a matter of seconds. Disappearing into the now empty streets of Tokyo-03.

Everyone appears to be back at work. Suddenly alone in the derelict city, Shinji sighs and slips on his ear buds, preparing for the hour-long train trip back home.


Within Central Dogma, tech specialists Hyuga and Ibuki circle Misato's desk, piling on papers and data pads detailing schematics, strategies and budgetary concerns. She looks to Ritsuko for help, who only points to her own personal mound of paperwork.

Meanwhile, on her personal monitor, Naoko with her chin resting on her fist, flips through surveillance footage. She stops at camera 642-B, which resides in a train station.

She zooms in and focuses on a boy with a backpack. She leans in closer, unaware of the frenzied work environment that she is in. She gnaws on her lip. Fuyutsuki stands off to the side, more of a glorified trophy than the third in command.

Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing her throat snaps her out of her trance. She looks to her right to find her Sub-Commander, Kyoko, gazing at her. Her black framed spectacles do nothing to conceal the dullness in her blue eyes. She rests her hands behind her back. "Akagi."

Naoko smiles, "Kyoko."

"I understand you have a plan, but why allow candidate Ikari to leave so easily? Sachiel will arrive any day now and we will need as many pilots as possible on standby."

The Commander waves a dismissive hand casually, "Don't worry, he'll be back." She says.

Misato peers up from her paperwork and attempts to eavesdrop, but is interrupted by Hyuga delivering another data pad. Her view of the Commander and her Deputy becomes more and more obscure with each leaflet added to the pile.

"It seems unlikely. He was quite insistent on refusing. If you followed my suggestion to-"

"Emotionally blackmail him? You take things too literally, Kyoko. This is what teenagers do, they rebel at every little thing you throw at them, twisting their arm will only draw out the tantrum. There's much you need to understand about being a mother."

Kyoko's face is blank, as if she didn't register the remark. "Yes, mam."

"Besides, the girls will handle it."

The Sub-Commander's eye twitches ever so slightly. "Pilots Ayanami and Langely are more than capable, yes. But that's beside the point. The UN military have put their trust in us-"

"Which we more than earned."

"...Correct. But if we do not offer results, it is as you say, everyone here is replaceable." Kyoko states. She turns to an approaching Ibuki, who offers a nervous smile and a hot mug of coffee. Kyoko raises an eyebrow. "Do you mind, Lieutenant? We are in the middle of a private conversation."

Naoko smiles, "It's fine, Kyoko." She reaches for the hot mug, her long, slender fingers curl around it. "Ah, thank you…" She pauses and tries to recollect Maya Ibuki's name. "Lieutenant." Maya nods and scurries away from Kyoko's dull, yet piercing gaze.

"Commander... '' Kyoko leans into Naoko's ear to avoid other eavesdroppers. "I have heard word that the JSSDF have been diverting funds into Tokita's project again. And they have nearly completed their Land Cruiser as well."

She looks at Kyoko, and smirks coyly. "I don't see how this is a problem. The more, the merrier, I say. Don't you worry about little Tokita, I have something special in mind for him." She says softly. Her Sub-Commander stares, unamused. "But if you really are worried, I'll put your mind at ease."

"I never worry."

"Of course." Naoko sighs, "I suppose we could send someone along to…" She looks over her shoulder, right at Fuyutsuki. "...Persuade him."


"Stay with me…" Shinji softly hums after he strolls down his neighborhood, sweat glistening off his forehead in the afternoon heat. The straps of his backpack dig into his shoulders.

The cicadas drown out the sound of his earbuds. He looks to see if anyone is in the empty neighborhood and dares to sing slightly louder. "Knocking on midnight's door…. Begging you not to go home…Ohhhh-hoooo!" He sways ever so slightly, basking in his blessed solitude, "That season when I-"

A loud crash breaks through to his ear buds, he slips them off and hears the sound of indistinct shouting and glass breaking coming from his house. Tadeo screeches loudly in the background.

"Mr. Ikari, please let me do that!" A muffled feminine voice echoes from the top floor.

"I ah hoogh eh my shelf!" A guttural voice shouts back, more sounds of stumbling.

Shinji sighs, "Father's been drinking again."

"Fine then. Fine!" The door slams loudly from the top floor. Shinji walks to the front door to find his father's nurse, Hanako Sato storms out, grunting loudly as she slams the door. She stops in front of him and wraps her coat tightly around her. Hanako attempts to side step him.

Shinji blocks her escape, "Ms. Sato, wait-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ikari, but I can't do this anymore! I can't! If your father won't behave, then I suggest that he should be sent to a home."

"Shih-hee…" Gendo Ikari calls out from the top floor, his hands and face pressed against the window.

"See?" Hanako exclaims and points to the window, "He's not even supposed to be out of bed right now."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I don't understand what's gotten him so upset, he was so calm this morning-"

"Shih-hee!" He calls out again. "Egh ugh ere!"

Shinji shakes his head. "Please. We really appreciate your help here, he just doesn't want to admit it." He sighs, "Why don't you take the rest of the night off? Here." He pulls out his wallet and pulls out several bills. "As an apology for his behaviour. He didn't hurt you, right?"

Hanako sighs, she crosses her arms. "No, he wouldn't dare. It's just frightening when he gets like that." She gently takes the bills from his hand. "Well, I do need to get my daughter something for her birthday... " Hanako wags her finger at him. "You tell him if he has another tantrum while I'm trying to help, I'll quit."

He rubs the back of his head. "Yes mam."

"SHIH-HEE!"

She shakes her head and pats him on the arm. "Good luck, hon."

He suppresses a blush and gives her a wave. Shinji takes a deep breath and enters the belly of the beast.

When he crosses through the doorway, he looks up to see his father standing above the staircase with a powerful light shining behind him, masking him in a silhouette similar to the Commander when she was on deck. He leans into a cane with one hand, a bottle of Sake in the other. His pristine lab coat and red sweater exchanged for a stained bathrobe and fuzzy slippers. The once distinguished goatee, now a ragged beard.

Shinji sighs, "Good afternoon, Father." Gendo grunts and takes a generous swig from the bottle. "Ms. Sato is very upset. You really should just let her help you."

He waves a hand. "Bagh."

Gendo's cat, a solid grey tabby named Tadeo, a name which he doesn't respond to for obvious reasons, bolts down the stairs and hisses at Shinji, his tail spiked.

"Easy buddy…" Shinji chuckles nervously, the cranky old cat only likes him during lunch.

"Eeesheee, Ah-eo." Gendo slurs out, and Tadeo miraculously calms down, jumping into his cat house.

Gendo sits on his stairlift and presses the down button with his cane. The machine slowly whirs down the staircase. "Why igh ew ogh ere?" The descent is painfully slow.

"Father, you really should be resting right now…"

"Ohngh ange eh shubegh."

"I'm not trying to change the subject." Shinji shakes his head and presses the reverse button on the stairlift. It sputters and goes backwards. "Father, please…"

"How hare ew!" Gendo protests as the machine ascends. "Ah ahm eur fau-her!"

He follows his father up the staircase. "How about you tell me why you're so upset while I clean up the mess you made, okay?" He points to the scattered beer bottle near Gendo's bed.

Gendo stares at the pile of glass on the floor. "Hrrr." He takes another swig of sake.

Shinji pulls out a broom and dustpan from one of the side closets, the one adjacent to the master bedroom. "So?"

His father hobbles back and forth, his best attempt at pacing. "I ol ew, no ogh ere."

"I had to go there father, I couldn't turn down a job offer." He shakes his head at the half-truth.

"Ighs anherous!"

He stops sweeping. "Dangerous? You know about the robots?"

"Of ourshe I ow a-ou heh EFAs! I iheheghed em!" Gendo attempts another swing and stumbles, "Ahs nogh whaghs anherous." Shinji blinks at him, confused. "Ol hah."

Shinji picks up the dustpan. "What?" He empties it into a nearby bin.

"Ol hagh!"

"Old hag? Ms. Akagi?"

"Yesh."

Shinji groans and sits down. "I dunno, Father. She was very nice to me." Nicer than you. "I think you're just drunk-"

"I ahm noh hrungh!" Gendo gurgles out, he slams the bottle on his desk. He eases himself onto his chair and fishes through the loose papers that litter his dusty desk. He pulls out a pen and attempts to write something. His good hand shakes violently. He grunts and grips it in an attempt to keep it steady, his breathing frantic. The Kanji comes out jagged and illegible. He whimpers, the humiliation boiling into rage as he swipes away at the paper. Gendo clutches his head tightly.

The boy watches the shadow of his once terrifying monolith of a father hunched over, struggling with paper after paper. He sits across from him on the bed. Shinji considers reaching for his shoulder, but hesitates. Despite taking care of him every day, feeding him, helping him get dressed. Even playing chess with him or letting him listen to the Cello, it still felt as though he didn't know the man.

Shinji may as well just be another nurse to his father, as far as he knows.

"Well, you don't have to worry. I refused the job." He says. Gendo stops writing and slightly turns his head to the boy. "They asked me to pilot one of those EVA's, they said that humanity is under attack but… I think they found the wrong person." Gendo reaches for the bottle again and takes a deep chug. "...What should I do, Father?" Shinji asks, leaning in closer.

He swallows the drink, it dribbles down his chin as he scowls. "Leh ih burh."

"...Let it burn?" Shinji asks. Gendo nods, the boy hangs his head. "Should've figured that would be your advice." He doesn't respond. "I'm going to start dinner." Shinji stands up and walks out the door, turning at the frame. "Next time, please be nice to Ms. Hanako." Gendo doesn't look his way, he only nods.

Shinji nods as well, he taps the door frame on his way out. "Good talk."

He goes down to the kitchen, committing to never thinking about NERV, Misato, Rei or EVA's ever again.


The cicadas are relentless tonight. Shinji pulls at the damp shirt clinging to his chest as he lays back in his bed, staring at the ceiling, his music providing no solace or distraction. If he looked at the right spot in the corner of his ceiling, his vision would start to distort and make the spartan room become wider.

Despite his best efforts, the day's events buzz through him, determined to be retold. Receiving those strange letters in the mail. As soon as he opened it, a waft of perfume tickled his nose.

He didn't understand most of the jargon in the invitation, but it was very flattering. A second envelope was there as well, one from Misato with directions where to meet and a rather lewd picture of her. Her cleavage was circled with a sharpie. "Look for these! ;)" was written on the side. It still resided in his orientation package.

Strangely enough, the memory of that overpowering, unidentifiable perfume stuck more to him than the picture of Misato. The alien feeling sat in his stomach, a mix of anxiety and excitement, as if a spell was cast on him upon opening the letter and inhaling its contents.

His heart raced when he entered the Commander's office and realized the perfume belonged to her, despite not finding her all that attractive.

Pretty, but too old.

But it wasn't enough to sway the terror that entered his mind at the idea of piloting a seventy metre tall killing machine. Upon his worst fears being confirmed, all he could think about was how he had the urge to destroy everything in sight. To knock down the skyscrapers like brittle trees. To stomp the Geofront pyramid flat.

Mr. Tsuji once described the feeling as "The call of the void."

It was better this way, the next candidate will surely have a better temperament. And those other pilots, the girls, will have someone they can rely on.

He just hoped this new pilot would be recruited before the next attack.

Suddenly, a knock echoes throughout the house. Shinji turns to look at this clock. Ten PM. It couldn't be Ms. Hanako or his tutor, Mr. Tsuji. And no one else ever visits except-

More knocking, a gentle rap on the door. He climbs out of the bed and tiptoes down the stairs, careful not to wake Father.

Shinji opens the doors to find a familiar face.

His face lights up, "Mr. Fuyutsuki!" Fuyutsuki smiles and raises an index finger to his mouth. "S-sorry."

"It's all right. Is your father awake?"

He looks back, surprised."N-no. Do you wanna talk to him?"

Fuyutsuki shakes his head. "It's best if he doesn't see me. Would you join an old man for a walk?"


The boy observes the closest thing he has to a Grandfather's gait as he walks ahead of him through old, familiar routes. Fuyutsuki insists they travel to an old park from Shinji's childhood, one surrounded by bleachers and two strange mounds that are dressed with black pine trees.

He is not nearly as spry as he remembered, more hesitation, his breathing sounds oddly ragged. Mr. Fuyutsuki still keeps his hands behind his back as he walks. An early memory of little Shinji clutching the old man's pant leg to avoid being separated on their walks shoots through his chest like a bullet.

Fuyutsuki smiles at the sight of an old playground. "Ah, there it is." They walk to an old bench, he winces as he sits down. "I used to take you here once a week to play." He points to monkey bars, a look of nostalgia on his face. "Do you remember the girl that liked to climb those? She always wanted to make it to the top. I think you tried to help her once." He chuckles raggedly, "She didn't like that at all."

Shinji rubs the back of his head. "I don't think so."

He sighs. "That's a shame. I always hoped the two of you would get along. You always were avoiding the other children. You preferred making sandcastles if my memory still serves me." The old man suppresses a fit of coughs, Shinji realizes that he was attempting to laugh. "I remember once, you tried to chase after a ball on the road." He wheezes again. "I don't think I ran that fast in fifteen years."

The boy chuckles nervously, "Sorry about that."

Fuyutsuki waves his hand, "Don't be. Silly memories like that-" his expression darkens, "-They help me through the day." He gently grasps Shinji's shoulder and he doesn't flinch. "I missed you, son. I'm sorry we haven't spoken sooner."

Exclusively to this individual, Shinji returns the gesture without discomfort. "It's okay. I've been pretty busy too, I actually had a job interview. At the Geofront! Can you believe it? You know, the one at Tokyo-03?"

He lets go of his shoulder and frowns. "I know. I work there."

Shinji shakes his head in confusion. "Then why didn't you…sorry. You must have been busy." They both stare at the floor. "Were you the one who put in a good word for me?"

Fuyutsuki grimaces in pain, but not from a physical ailment. "No. The truth is..." He looks at the boy. "You are one in a million. You were chosen for your potential alone." He clenches his gnarled hand into a fist.

The boy's enthusiasm sizzles. "Did the Commander send you? Or Ms. Misato? I-I'm sorry, but my answer is still the same."

"No, son. I-" He takes a shallow breath. He turns to Shinji, his innocent eyes gauging him. Fuyutsuki's shaking hand reaches into his coat pocket. "There's something I need to show you." He pulls out one picture and points to a stranger in Shinji's mind, yet also, his first companion. "Do you know who this is?"

Shinji peers at the picture, studying it. A woman holds a baby, another woman on her right, in pink glasses. On the woman's left, his father. He gasps and puts the picture right up to his eye. "That's my mother…"

"Yes." Fuyutsuki confirms solemnly.

He brushes his finger against the photo, a wave of memories and scents crash through him, of her singing, playing the cello. A darker memory trespasses. "Don't look away, baby!"

Shinji shakes his head. "Father said there were no photo's left…"

"We all agreed to leave the past behind us. But, the truth is…" He reaches into his pocket for the other picture, "...I'm a selfish old man."

The boy frowns, "That's not true." He looks at the ID card in Fuyutsuki's hand. "What's that?" The old man hands him the card with a trembling hand. He inspects it. "This is that girl I saw at NERV. The one with blue hair." Fuyutsuki slowly nods. "Wait…" He puts both photos side by side.

Shinji can hear his heart beating through his chest. "Mr. Fuyutsuki… who is this?"

Fuyutsuki stares at the ground. "Isn't it obvious?"

"What are you saying, is she… a relative of Mother's?"

He slowly nods. "She is… of your mother."

"I-I don't understand, who is she to me? A cousin, a sister?" The dread that was sitting in his stomach slowly melts into relief.

The old man shakes his head. "I… don't know. Only you can answer that question." He frowns, his fingernails digging into his palm. Fuyutsuki turns to the lost boy. "All I know is that she's in danger."

His father's warning flies over his head. "From who? D-do you mean from the Angels?"

Fuyutsuki's jaw tightens. "Yes. From the Angels."

"But-" Shinji shoots up from the bench, pacing back and forth. "I can't pilot. I'm not a fighter, I'm…" He slumps back down on the bench. "...I'm a coward. A sneak."

He turns to Shinji, "I can't promise that you won't get hurt. The life of an EVA pilot isn't about being a hero, it's... Many people are going to try to lie to you. To make you say what they want to hear. But don't you ever fool yourself into believing you're weak." He sighs, a look of weary sentiment lining his face. "Your mother would be so proud if she could see you now."

Shinji wrings his hands together. "What should I do?" He asks softly.

"What do you want to do?" Shinji looks up and stares at him quizzically. No one ever asked him that before. Words can't escape the boy's throat. The two remain silent, the cicadas filling the air of tension alongside the foggy night. Fuyutsuki regards him evenly.

He gulps, "I…" Shinji looks down at the picture. "I need to protect her."

Fuyutsuki grabs the boy's shoulder one last time. "Don't ever be afraid of failure, son." He releases him with a gentle pat. "You should get some rest."

Shinji sits up, "I'll walk you to your car."

He waves a hand playfully. "Ah, don't you worry about me. I need… time to think." Fuyutsuki offers a weak smile. "Take care of yourself, young man."

The boy smiles. "Good night, Mr. Fuyutsuki." He disappears in the fog, leaving the weary old man alone on the bench.

The wind blows a rusty swing back and forth. The old playground that once brought him solace is now a grim reminder. It's not a place of joy. It's a graveyard.

"You're wrong, Shinji. You're not the coward…"

Fuyutsuki stares at his wretched hands, as if he could see his own reflection. The warm expression twisting into a sneer.

"I am."


Shinji stares down at the resting figure sleeping on his back. Tadeo is curled comfortably on his chest. Normally, waking up his father in the middle of his deep sleep would cause him to be subjected to an hour of unintelligible beration.

But tonight, he didn't give a damn.

He shakes Gendo's shoulder. "Father. Wake up."

After a few seconds, his father blinks into blurry consciousness. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and stares at him. "...Yooo-ee?"

"No, Father. It's me, Shinji." Gendo groans and turns his back to him, gently cupping Tadeo so he doesn't get smothered. The cat wiggles out of his grip and scurries downstairs. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Noh-ow." He rolls further away into the bed.

Shinji goes around the other side of the bed. Gendo grunts and buries his head into the pillow. Shinji hovers the photo of his mother in front of Gendo's face. After a moment he looks up and gasps, reaching for the picture. "Yoo-ee…"

He snatches it before his father can grab the photo. Gendo snarls and crawls to get closer to grab it. Shinji switches it with the ID card of the mysterious blue haired girl. "Who is this?" Gendo stops, he breathes raggedly. Slowly he turns his palm from a claw and faces it upwards, his way of asking politely. Shinji drops the card in his hand. He stares at the photo for a good minute. The analog clock in his room ticks loudly. "...Father?"

"R-r-" Gendo clutches his throat to force himself to articulate.

"Rei…" He gasps out.

"Oh, Gh-." Gendo clutches his head. "Oh, Ghogh. Nho…" He growls, his voice cracking. "Nho, nho, nho…."

"Is she… my sister?" Shinji asks. Gendo shakes his head. "A relative of mothers?" He shakes his head again, fighting back tears. "Then who?" His father struggles to get out of bed, reaching for his cane which falls over. "Father, wait-" He hobbles on one foot, clutching his nearby desk for support.

Gendo sits down on the desk, clearing space for his pen and paper. He clutches his wrist so tight, Shinji could swear he could hear cracking sounds. He struggles with the Kanji, biting into his lip as he whimpers in frustration.

Shinji looks around his father's spartan room. No paintings, certificates or photo's decorate the thinning walls, only fist sized holes. The only piece of furniture other than his bed and desk is a dusty piano. He sighs. "Never mind, Father. I just wanted to tell you that-"

"Waigh!" Gendo calls out. He smoothens the crumpled paper and presents it to him with trembling hands.

The boy learns to discern the scribbles, it clearly spells…

FAMILY.

Gendo breaks into sobs. Shinji shakes his head. "I thought you said-"

His father clings to Shinji's shirt and convulses into a tearful mess. He stands stiffly, unsure what to do. This is the first time his father ever came close to holding him. Gendo grabs his own throat to force his tongue to articulate. "I'm sorry, Rei…" His father hisses.

Gendo releases the vice grip on his throat and looks up to him. Shinji doesn't make a move to comfort him. "I'm going back." He states. "I'm going to pilot the EVA."

His father shakes his head violently. "Nho. Nho!"

"To protect her."

Gendo releases his grasp on Shinji's shirt and slumps to the floor, his eyes widened in horror. The two stare at each other. His father leans back against the desk. "There's somebody I need to call." Shinji says calmly as he walks out of his fathers room.

He turns back to see his father huddled into a fetal position, muttering to himself incoherently.


"Mhmm…"

Deep within the bowels of her office, Naoko stares wistfully at her computer monitor as she bites her lip.

Her cell phone rings, she answers it. "Hello?"

The voice she hopes for responds. "Commander Akagi?"

She smirks, "Speaking."

"Hello Commander- Naoko. It's Shinji. We had dinner earlier?"

Naoko holds for a pause and yawns. "Oh, yes! That's right. How are you, Shinji? I didn't expect you to call at this hour."

"Oh, d-did I wake you?"

"Yes you did, but how can I help you?"

"O-oh. I'm sorry to disturb you. I'll call you back in the morning-"

"Oh, come now. What did I tell you about being sorry?" She leans back in the chair, her legs stretched. "You can call me anytime."

"Right, s-" Shinji stops himself, her smile widens. "I know I said that my answer would be the same, but…"

"But?"

"I thought about it, and… I'll do it." Resolve burns through his voice. Her breathing intensifies. "I'll pilot the EVA. I-If you didn't find someone else yet, I mean. I don't want to impose-"

She sighs. "Not at all! I was frankly worried I'd have to choose someone else, so this is a win-win for me. How about, Misato comes and picks you up at the same spot. Ten AM sharp and we get you all sorted out?"

Shinji stammers on the other end of the line. "A-are you sure? It's not too late?"

"Oh, heavens no." Suddenly, the sterile blue lights of her office blare to a furious red. "You have all the time in the world."


Shinji dreamed of a lightning storm. The cracks of thunder sounding like woeful wails.

Hidden by altocumulus clouds, the sky is stained red as the sun fully rises. Shinji waits outside the train station, half-awake. The city is abandoned, not unlike earlier. Yet something feels… off.

Regardless. For once in his life, he has a mission.

He shakes away the thought as he notices a blue car approaching from the distance. He slips off his ear buds and moves towards the approaching Alpine.

The car door swings open unceremoniously. Shinji peers inside to see Misato staring through the window, not ignoring him like last time, more as though she was staring at something miles away. Her thick, voluminous hair is tied into a messy bun, the bags under her eyes matching her purple hair. She slowly turns to him, her amber eyes dull and weary. "Good morning." Misato finally says.

He offers a small smile and steps inside the car, "Good morning." The car is still running, but she doesn't press on the gas right away after he fastens his seatbelt. She still has that thousand yard stare about her. "Long day?"

Misato shakes her head and presses on the pedal. "You have no idea."

Shinji shifts in his seat. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She surveys the road, "...Not really." There's an awkward silence. "What changed your mind?"

"O-oh. Well…"

"It wasn't because you didn't want to disappoint, right? If that's the case, I don't know if there's much of a point-"

"No... well. I mean-" Misato gives him a once over. "There's somebody I need to protect."

This somewhat softens her from her malaise, "Who?" She squints coyly, "Is it a girl?

A damsel in distress?"

"No! No. I mean, y'know. Everybody." He looks at his feet. "Humanity."

Misato nods slowly, somewhat disappointed. "Saving the world, and all that?" He grunts in affirmation. She sighs, "I guess that's a fair reason."

The uncomfortable silence resumes, Shinji looks up. "So, what happened last night?"

"Hey. Have you eaten yet? How about we try those burgers?" Misato attempts a weak smile, yet Shinji takes it as genuine.

He nods excitingly. "Okay!" She nods, her breath shallow. "What's it like?"

"...Crispy." She makes a sharp turn, startling Shinji as she pulls towards a thrive-thru burger joint. "We gotta make one more pit stop and pick up someone else along the way, so we'll get something for her too."

Shinji lights up, hope in his eyes. "Who? One of the other pilots?"

Misato stops by the drive-thru microphone. "Yeah. One of the pilots."


A massive paper bag rests on Shinji's lap. They slow into a nearby arcade, the neon doors are wide open. He leans in, trying to pick out Rei. "Do you see her?" He asks Misato.

"Oh, she's in there, somewhere…"

A muffled voice echoes out. "That's my fucking plushie! I won 'em fair and square!"

A burly man backs into the door, pulling against a stuffed animal like his life depends on it. The person pulling on the other end is an unnaturally strong girl with her baggy black hoodie pulled over her head. Her stance is wide.

Misato covers her face with her palm. "Yep. That's her alright." She looks at Shinji, who is staring with a mix of awe and confusion.

"Bullshit! I saw you screwing around the claw machine!"

"I used my wits to win it! Now give-" She twists her body, making the man lose his footing. "-It. Here!" He tumbles over to the ground. She wipes her hands, drops the tickets on top of the crumpled man and prances out of the arcade.

Misato honks her horn. The girl spots the car and curses to herself. She gets ready to turn the other way but notices Shinji in the passenger seat. She stomps over menacingly to the car. The girl pulls off her hoodie to reveal a messy mop of red hair, which has odd clumps in it. As if glue was stuck to her hair. Shinji's smile drops. There's a white bandage around her left eye.

Along with the yellow dress underneath her hoodie (An odd choice considering the morning heat) and the mismatched socks, she gives off the impression of someone who wasn't taught how to dress herself properly.

She stops in front of the car and stamps her foot. She glares at Shinji, who is blushing furiously.

There's a tense silence before Shinji clears his throat. "I uh… got you some chicken nuggets." He offers the paper bag and smiles innocently.

The girl glances at Misato, then back at Shinji. She snatches the bag from his hand. "You're in my seat, Numbnuts." She growls.

"Oh, sorry!" Shinji tosses his bag over his shoulder and scrambles into the backseat. She slumps into the passenger seat and crosses her arms. Misato stares at her, which she ignores. Shinji clears his throat. "I-I-I'm Shinji. The new pilot!" He offers his hand.

She gives the hand a backwards glance before turning away from it. "Congratulations." He drops the hand.

Misato frowns, "Where are your manners?"

"Guess someone forgot to teach me." She turns and stares at Misato, who bites back a retort.

Misato turns back to Shinji, "Don't mind her. It's been a rough day." The girl rummages through the bag and eats a handful of the chicken nuggets. "Shinji, this is Asuka. Asuka Langley S-"

"Charmed, huh?" Asuka says, she smacks loudly on the food and leans into Misato's ear.

Shinji smiles, "Asuka." he raises his hand again. The word leaves a buzz inside of his stomach. "It's nice to meet you."

Asuka looks over at Misato, who nods in approval. She grabs the hand with vice grip and shakes violently. "Hnn."


The drive over to the Geofront is quiet, the only sounds to be heard are the chewing of food and meager attempts at small talk, which Asuka quickly shuts down with biting remarks.

Shinji chews politely on his Mozzarella Burger. "Mhmm! Really good, Ms. Misato."

Misato beams, looking like a chipmunk with her own burger, her dour mood somewhat forgotten. "I know, right?"

Asuka looks at her empty box and turns around, staring at Shinji's burger. "Lemme have a bite."

Shinji looks at his half eaten burger and hesitates. He offers it to her so she bite a piece off. His heart flutters as she reaches in…

She rips off a massive chunk with her hand and stuffs it in her face, leaving Shinji with only a small morsel in between his index and thumb. She mimics Shinji mockingly. "Mhmm! Really good, 'Miss Misato'!"

Misato shakes her head. "You shouldn't have snuck off like that. We were really worried, y'know."

"You? Total shocker." Asuka scoffs. "Thought you'd be too drunk to drive by now."

Misato pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs.

Shinji chuckles nervously, "Sounds like you guys have some history." Neither of them respond, both looking away to their respective windows in sync. "Okay then…" The silence changes from tense, to unbearable. Like any sudden movement would cause an explosion. He laughs again, hoping to break the atmosphere.

He shifts in his seat uncomfortably. He looks at the empty paper bag. "You guys think we should've gotten something for the other pilot? A-ayanami, I mean."

Asuka throws her head back, "Ha!"

"Asuka!" Misato warns scoldingly. "You shouldn't make jokes like that. She's still recovering."

"What?" She points to the boy in the backseat. "He's just got good timing, that's all."

Shinji leans in closer to the front seats. "What's she talking about?" Misato glances at him in the rear view mirror before shifting her gaze to the left, out to the ocean along the highway. Asuka turns as well. "I don't..."

Along the shoreline of scattered, flooded skyscrapers, which all bend outwards, the ocean is stained in blood within an epicenter. As if a massacre took place.

"What are you, stupid?"

His eyes meet the charred blue giant floating on its back in the crimson sea, helicopters, VTOLS and scientists in orange hazmat suits circle the gargantuan corpse. Like flies completely covering a corpse in the wild. There's two massive holes in the body, one in its throat, the other in its stomach. The splayed open ribcage blends in among the skyscrapers.

Asuka turns to face Shinji, her single eye sunken and face gaunt.

"Rei Ayanami's dead."


Asuka lets out a long groan as she paces back and forth, sloshing tidal waves around her feet in the flooded metropolis. She carries the umbilical cable in one hand in an effort to avoid tangling it in the sunken debris. She holds a silver spear with a spiraling base in the other, which she rests on her shoulder. Far behind her resting on the shoreline, a long stretch of tanks, ready to open fire.

She stretches out the cable. "Stupid Angel." She stabs at the air with her silver, double pronged spear, aiming at imaginary vitale signs as she pivots in place, causing massive sways in the water. "How do you like…" She twirls the bident and leaps in the air, aiming to crash it down in an arc against a toppled down building, with a pirouette to top it off. "-This!?" The sideway building splits in two, dust bursts out of the fissure, coating Unit-02's red paint in grey. As Asuka lands, she skids into a defensive stance, and kicks the spear up horizontally, the point leveled against her lower two eyes.

Beside her, Unit-00 stands at attention, a pallet rifle cradled in her hands, her finger resting next to the trigger. She is as still as a statue, a blue sentry practically unseen in the blue reflection of the ocean's surface, naught for her single red eye.

Asuka continues practicing her moves, grunting with emphasis. "Pilot Langley, we have not been authorized for horseplay." Rei states, she scans the horizon, Asuka scoffs.

"Ooh, that's alright, girls." The Commander calls into the intercom. Asuka instantly stands at attention, spear at her side. "Practice makes perfect!"

Rei looks down, "Copy." She turns to look at Asuka. "You are clear for horseplay, Langley."

Asuka looks down at the ground and leans against one of the warped skyscrapers, resting her elbow in between the two prongs of the spear like it was an umbrella.

The two silent companions stare out at the rising sun, it being only a thin red line ahead of them. Asuka sniffs, "Is it here yet?"

Misato's voice chimes in through the feed, "After Lunar Base confirmed that the Third Angel landed near Mikurajima, diagnostics reads its swim speed as sixty seven miles per hour. At that rate, it'll be another thirty minutes before it reaches it's ambush point."

Asuka groans loudly and looks at Rei, "Kill me."

"Are you ordering me to euthanize you?" She asks, "That would be unwise to do before the sortie is completed."

"What? No, that's sarcasm, Ayanami. Sarcasm."

"...I see."

The Commander giggles, "You girls are so silly." Naoko leaves the feed on, as she always does. Instant chatter and jargon buzz in the pilot's ears. "You can relax."

"Yes ma'am." The ocean surface trembles as Asuka slides down the skyscraper and sits, her lower half submerged underneath the shallow depths. She turns to Rei, who remains at attention. "Did you hear her? She said you can relax."

After a moment of hesitation, Unit-00's shoulders slouch ever so slightly, "Copy."

"Ugh…" Unit-02 stabs the spear into the ground and washes the dust off her face, the excess water falling off her hands like rapids. She fishes through the water and retrieves a giant, flat slab of concrete. She winds her arm back and flings it. It skips seven times, causing a gradually decreasing shockwave with each jump. "So… did you do anything interesting lately? Other than stare at your wall all day, I mean."

Unit-00 tilts her head. "Are you speaking to me?"

"No, I'm talking to that pigeon over there." Rei turns her head, Asuka groans, "Yes, I'm talking to you, genius."

Rei looks at the rising sun, a thin ray of light reflecting against her single eye. "I met a boy yesterday." From within Unit-02, Asuka perks up. "We shook hands."

"Oh God, please tell me you didn't hitch up with one of those new kids at school." Unit-02 scoots closer to the standing blue EVA, creating tidal waves. "Was it Asari or Strasberg?"

Rei shakes her head. "He is a candidate pilot for Unit-01."

"Wow, so a new-new kid. What's his name?"

Unit-00 slowly squats down beside Unit-02, "...Shinji Ikari." Passing through the labyrinth of Rei's icy consciousness, the boy's name feels… warm. She looks at Asuka.

Underneath her EVA, Asuka blinks. She skips another slab of debris at the water. "Shinji…" The two girls turn to look at the horizon. "That's a dumb name."


Naoko scowls at the video feed. None of the NERV crew had so much of an hour of sleep, as soon as their shifts were over near midnight, they received word from Lunar Base confirming Sachiel's entry into Earth's atmosphere and were called back to be on standby.

Four hours in, Naoko had passed along her preparation material. Weapon schematics, a list of potential abilities Sachiel might possess judging from their simulations, a powerpoint breakdown for the crew and pilots all dropped onto Misato's lap, hoping to gain some well earned beauty sleep.

She stares at her watch. Five AM. All sense of giddiness was overpowered by annoyance. They had five hours to wrap this up before her new project arrived in Tokyo-03.

Misato chugs a steaming mug of black coffee and rubs her eyes. Naoko suspects that after her shift was over, she had her routine nightly beer and is still buzzed as they speak.

This time, she'll let it slide.

Misato leans into her mic, "Okay kids." With a swipe of her hand, a profile of the Angel appears on the overhead display in the commander centre, as well as the EVA's HUD. "See those lances sticking out of either of it's elbows? They're not fixed firmly in place, so we believe they can travel through the Angel's wrist and can be used to exert energy. It doesn't seem intelligent, when we dropped an N2 mine on it upon entry, it regenerated and ignored our fleet ambush. You're best bet will be to go for its-"

Naoko chimes in, "Core, yes. Thank you, Misato. Remember girls, Rei will be on point. Asuka you will observe the fight and look for any other weaknesses. As soon as you have the opening, throw the spear right at the core."

"Roger." Asuka and Rei speak simultaneously.

"Uh… Commander?" Shigeru Aoba calls out, nervously scratching his head.

Naoko turns, "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Well, ah-" He points at the monitor. "The Angel's gone." He transfers his screen to the main display. "There's a… rainbow where it's position was." He peers at the screen. "A square rainbow."

Ritsuko shakes her head, "A hexagon. That's an AT field. But where did-" She stares at the screen, a black dot soars through the sky, increasing in size, no. In proximity. "What on earth…" Another AT field projects underneath and it bounces higher up into the sky.

Maya gasps, "It's using the AT field as a launching point!"

Through the video feed, Rei and Asuka stand up and stare at the flying object. The sound of the Angel leaping off it's AT field echoes like furious chimes in the wind, sending out shockwaves.

Rei instantly opens fire and charges.

The black blur approaches closer, it's back to the sun.

Asuka kicks up the spear in a throwing position. "I got a clear shot!"

"Negative, Asuka! Your orders are to be on standby!" Misato barks into the com. Naoko silently watches.

She widens her stance and goes for a running throw. "Here goes!"

The spear zooms past Sachiel, grazing it's shoulder. An AT field generates on its feet and the Angel takes another leap.

"Dammit, Asuka! I told you to stand down!"

"The sun was in my eye!"

Misato turns to Kyoko, "Initiate recall!"

Kyoko turns to Ritsuko who nods, she enters a command on her keyboard. "Initiating!"

Asuka's hand stretches out, the spear freezes in mid air. It slingshots back into her direction and she prepares to catch it. Metres before it reaches her grasp, it halts again, hovering in the air. "The hell? Ayanami, let it go!"

"That is not me." Rei protests in between rifle bursts, "It is-"

The spear zooms past the two, soaring back to the falling Angel.

With a thud, Sachiel catches it. Its three bony claws wrap tightly around the spiral base as it braces for a landing. "...What the fu-"

Sachiel crashes into the ocean, causing a massive tidal wave that nearly knocks the two pilots over. Nearby skyscrapers come tumbling down.

The NERV crew stare, speechless. Naoko leans over to Kyoko. She clears her throat. "Did you know it could do that?"

"...No."

She scratches her chin. "Well, that's one more to scratch off the list."


"That's so freaking cheap!" Asuka protests. Rei empties her clip at the Angel's core to no effect.

Sachiel slowly looks up, its circular, owl shaped mask made of bone projects a bottomless rage.

"Neither of you move," Misato warns, "As soon as he prepares to throw, dodge it and charge in before it can recall the spear."

Asuka cracks her neck, Rei pulls out her prog knife. "Not yet…" Sachiel pivots, he aims… "Now!"

Right as the spear flies in their direction, the two EVA's somersault to either side and break into a sprint. With a whoosh, the silver spear zooms right past their ears.

Rei jabs her knife in front of Sachiel to get its attention while Asuka slides behind the Angel in an attempt to sweep its leg.

The Angel effortlessly dodges both attacks and grabs their heads with either hand, lifting with tremendous strength as it's arms inflate. It's elbow lances shimmer into a purple light as they travel through Sachiel's wrists, impacting the base of their skulls while they hang limply in place.

"Now!" Naoko shouts, "Full barrage!" The tanks lined up along the shore open fire, a volley of flame traveling to the three fighters.

"Wait, we can't just-" Misato protests.

"They'll be fine."

Upon contact, Sachiel and the EVA pilots disappear in the giant cloud of smoke. Oily fire rests on the surface of the ocean. The smoke clears to reveal Rei and Asuka holding back either of it's arms, its lances pointed away from them. Rei reaches with her free hand and wildly stabs at Sachiel's core with her prog knife.

Another flat AT field projects and Sachiel takes to the sky. The girls look above at the suspended Angel.

It's hollow eyes glow red.


"My god…" Fuyutsuki whispers.

A pillar of light appears where Unit-02 and 00 were standing, ending with cross guards on the top. Rei and Asuka are launched into the air before dropping back down.

They stumble, leaning on each other to get their bearings. Another cross beam, the girls fly into the air again. Rei lands on her feet this time and Asuka crashes into a skyscraper.

Fuyutsuki turns to Naoko. "We need to abort, Commander. Have the pilots evacuate and call in another N2 mine."

Naoko shakes her head woefully, "I wish I could, Kozo. But an N2 mine would simply be ineffective."

"And expensive." Kyoko adds.

Misato's jaw drops. "That's your daughter you're talking about!" Kyoko's eye twitches. "We have to do something."

"I'm afraid Kyoko's right, Misato. We must have faith in our girls."


Rei runs up to a collapsed Asuka, both of their umbilical cables are severed, the five minute timer ticking. She offers her hand. "Are you alright?"

Asuka bats the hand away. Rei reaches to lift her up, "Get off me!" She shouts, standing up on her own. The two look up at the free falling Angel, "How the hell do we kill this thing?"

"Commander!" Ritsuko calls out, "The Angel recalled the spear again!"

The spear flies into Sachiels grip. Gaining momentum, it spins in the air and tosses it right at Asuka.

Asuka extends her arm and narrows her brow in concentration. A light shimmers in front of her. "AT field, full power!" A hexagonal shield appears in front of her. It halts the spear, jammed halfway through the field.

The replicant spear begins to spin in place, emitting steam. Asuka gasps. The AT field shatters. It's aimed right at her eye.

Rei shoves her out of the way. Asuka rolls to the side, colliding into another ruined building. "Asuka-" The spear penetrates Rei's chest cavity.

Asuka shakes her head and looks up to see Rei impaled against a skyscraper, her body convulsing.

"Unit-00's entry plug is compromised! Wounds to the pilots abdominal area-"

"No-no-no-no-" Asuka sprints across the city block to reach Rei. Sachiel lands on the ground and raises its claw, its eyes glowing again. Asuka gasps and somersaults to avoid the cross beam. She narrowly dodges it, but it sends her flying into Rei. Asuka lands on her feet, skidding towards Rei as she lunges for the spear and attempts to pull it out of her.

Rei lets out a muffled scream from her entry plug. "Asuka, wait!" Misato calls out, "The spear grazed her torso, if you dislodge the spear, she'll bleed out!"

Asuka gasps and lets go instantly, "Fuck!" She turns to Sachiel, who is marching slowly towards her. She snarls.

She deploys her two prog knives and charges at the Angel. She lunges low for a feint, which it falls for. Asuka sidesteps and ducks underneath Sachiel's arm and stabs, one knife hitting its armpit, the other slightly denting Sachiel's core.

She attempts to tug the knives out to no avail, Sachiel looks down at her and grabs both of Unit-02's arms. The Angel's arms inflate. It squeezes.

Both humerus' snap with a sickening crunch. Asuka writhes for a moment before the pain registers, she lets out an agonizing shriek.

Sachiel lifts her in the air, her arms bent in a horrific angle as she dangles, kicking her legs. The Angel spins twice before letting go. Asuka floats in the air briefly before slamming against two buildings and crumbles underneath a mound of rubble. Move. Move, you stupid brat. She attempts to prop herself up, but her arms bend the other way. Asuka lands on her face.

She locks eyes with Sachiel before the Angel turns around, giving her a backside glance as it walks towards the Geofront.

"Commander. Orders?" Misato states. Naoko doesn't respond. "Commander!"

"Give her a minute."

Asuka blinks, her vision doubled. Rei regains consciousness and slowly pries the spear out of the building with her feet. The double pronged spearhead remains in her chest. Landing back on the ground, Rei stumbles and falls on one knee. "Stay down." Asuka whimpers as she struggles to get up. "Please, just stay down."

Misato's voice begins to take form. "Rei, the mission is a failure. Fall back with Asuka to the Geofront." Rei shakes her head and stands up, her body swaying. "Rei. Fall. Back. Now." She grabs the base of the spear and snaps it in half with a shout. "Rei!" The prong still impaled in her chest

Asuka's vision focuses back into one. Rei chucks the bottom part of the spear at Sachiel which hits the back of his head.

It slowly turns back to her, it's mask has fallen off, revealing nothing behind it. A new carapace grows in its place. It's eyes glow red as he lifts both hands.

Rei turns to Asuka. They lock eyes.

Asuka hobbles into a sprint, trying to tackle Rei out of the blast zone. A barrage of crossbeams knocks her back. She looks up to see Rei flying limply in the air by the continuous blasts, like a ragdoll. The explosions stop. Rei hovers briefly before plummeting.

Unit-00 lands on its back, lifeless. "Pilot's pulse has flatlined!" Ristuko shouts. "Advise immediate-"

"Belay that. She's fine." Naoko says casually.

"How can you say that!" Misato shouts, "Look at the-"

"Captain Katsuragi." Kyoko says coolly. "I assure you, by the end of this you will find Rei Ayanami unsca-"

Asuka's ears ring. She collapses on her knees as she stares at Rei's floating corpse, half swallowed by the ocean. Sachiel marches towards her slowly, it's head tilted to the side. She attempts to clutch her head with her limp arms, they flop backwards. Her bent back elbows dig at her temple.

Not again…

The sudden sensation of a vice grip muzzle tightening across her face nags at her mind. Her jaws beg to break free.


The NERV crew watch helplessly as Sachiel makes it's advance towards Asuka, it's red eyes charging for a final attack. Naoko watches patiently, her hands resting on her lap.

"Asuka, please." Maya gasps into her mic, "Please, just run away." Ritsuko whispers something indistinct into Naoko's ear, to which she shakes her head.

Misato breathes deeply and walks away from the command center. The Commander glances at her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting Shinji." She states calmly.

Fuyutsuki nods in approval, "I'm going with you."

"That won't be necessary." Naoko responds, equally calm. "Asuka has the situation under control."

Misato points to the doubled over Unit-02, clutching her head, rocking back and forth."You call this under control?" She shakes her head, "I don't care if he's not ready. I'm not letting Asuka die." Misato glares at Kyoko, who is silently watching the screen, hands behind her back. Brow furrowed. "Will you?"

"-Kill you."

The entire room freezes in place, slowly turning to HUD, "I'll kill you." Echoes throughout NERV headquarters.

Unit-02's rocking back and forth intensifies. "-I'll kill you, I'll kill you-"

The cross beam emerges from below her feet, larger than the others. She disappears in the blinding red light. The force of the blast is so powerful, it separates the surrounding water from the ocean floor, sending it to the sky in a shower that smolders the accompanying flames.

Misato leans onto a nearby desk for support as her heart sinks. She covers her mouth with her hand, "Sweetheart…" She whimpers softly. Kyoko watches her wordlessly and she hangs her head.

Underneath the dense haze of smoke, four green eyes glow furiously.

"-Kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you-" The voice hissed repeatedly, as though coming from Unit 02 itself.

She emerges from the smoke, her body twitching violently. Some of the armour is peeled off, revealing a tan layer underneath. Her arms clench and with a vile cracking sound, they realign back into place. "-Kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you-I'll kill you-"

"Arms are fully operational!" Maya calls out.

From the feed, Sachiel observes the encroaching red monstrosity. It cocks its head to the side and extends its arm, yet it's eyes do not glow.

Unit-00's floating remains spasm, the spear hand yanks out of her chest and soars towards Sachiel's grip.

Unit-02's hand catches it midway. Asuka's head thrashes manically, "I'LL KILL YOU."

"She's going berserk!"

Bolts hiss and fly out of Unit-02's jaw. With anguished wail, she brandishes a set of fanged, jagged teeth hidden behind a metal frame.

Sachiel continues it's attempt to call the spear back itself, dragging Asuka's feet. She gives into the pulling force and charges the Angel.

Misato stares, her eyes wide with horror, "Asuka…"

Naoko conceals a smirk, "There she is." She says, unheard.

Sachiels eyes glow, summoning another cross beam. Asuka sprints through the explosion and it flinches. She tackles the Angel to the ground.

Asuka pins the Angels wrists with her knees, it flails wildly, legs kicking the air. She stabs at the core, creating a crack in the red orb. She stabs again, and again, and again. On the fifth hit, it pierces through the core, and one of the prongs break off.

Her fingers dig into the cracking orb as she ferally pants, like a hungry dog.

Sachiels form becomes elastic, wiggling itself from Asuka's grasp and wrapping around her face. The red core begins to glow. "It's attempting to self-destruct!" Ristuko calls out.

Before Naoko can respond, Kyoko pushes on the intercom, "Langley, contain your AT field!"

Asuka obeys instantaneously, a shimmering light blankets her. "No!" Misato yells out.

She implodes.


"We could go to America together. W-we can bring the EVA with us too. I'll practice extra hard every day, I promise…"

The two adults gently pat her head. "Sorry, sweetheart. This isn't a job for kids. We'll come back for you soon. I swear. Ms. Akagi will look after you until then."

The little girl sniffles, "I hate her…"


The lights within the cockpit flicker back to life, Asuka shakes her head, "How long was I out?"

Asuka wades through the ocean of blood and smoke, stumbling with each step. Near the intact, untouched city a swarm of helicopters and VTOL's approach. She turns to the ruins that she resides in. Other than its blood staining the once blue, murky, flooded city, there is no sign of the Angel's corpse. The sharps of the silver spear have sunken to the ocean bed.

Her eyes lead to the floating, charred remains of Unit-00, it's rib cage split open from the spear being pulled from her chest. The core is still intact.

Asuka falls to her knees, her upper body engulfed in the pool of blood. "Rei…"

She hangs her head, a part of Unit-02's frontal face plate falls off, briefly floating on the surface before sinking down. Asuka touches her face, the tan layer of skin is noseless and without eyes.

Asuka feels something shift in her skull, four orbs battle to break through the skin. The skin cracks against the bulges, they peel open…

And in the crimson reflection, four yellow eyes gaze back at her, blinking.


Asuka gasps a breath of sterile air. She surveys her surroundings, she's in a hospital.

She peels off an oxygen mask and pulls out the IV attached to her wrist.

She stares at the ceiling, "...Another-"

"Unfamiliar ceiling?" A shrill voice calls out. Asuka cringes, "Yes, you are fond of saying that." Asuka turns to her right to see Naoko sitting in a chair next to her. She has a romance novel in her lap.

Naoko crosses her legs and smiles at her. Asuka touches the bandage wrapped around her eye. "Oh, that? You had an orbital fracture, banged your head quite badly during the fight. You are always safe in the entry plug, but when you're thrashed around like you were, I suppose you would just be… oh, what's the right word?" She taps her chin, "A pickle in a jar."

Asuka winces upon touching her eyebrow. "Oh…" Naoko coos, she reaches to gently stroke her cheek affectionately. "You poor thing." Asuka is paralyzed by the touch, only able to move after Naoko removes her finger. "I wouldn't take off that bandage if I were you."

"...How long was I out?"

"Only two hours," Naoko sighs, "That was quite a mess. Thankfully, it all worked out." She nods to herself.

Asuka feels a surge of bravery, "What about Ayanami? Did it work out for her?"

Naoko clicks her tongue. "Rei? Oh, she's fine. Her wounds healed up rather quickly. There's hardly a scratch on her."

Asuka turns to look away from her gaze, "I don't believe you." Naoko sits up from her seat and she flinches involuntarily.

"You don't? Why wouldn't you? You've seen it before, she's a tough girl." She says, hands held together. Asuka doesn't respond. She sighs, "Rei, dear? Would you come in here, please?"

Asuka breathes heavily as Rei Ayanami walks through the hospital door, a blank stare on her face. She approaches Naoko, "Yes?"

"Tell Asuka that you're fine."

Rei nods, she stares at Asuka as if she was a stranger. "I am fine."

"I don't think she believes you. Can you lift up your shirt, please?" Naoko asks politely.

She nods again and lifts up her hospital gown, revealing a fresh bandage wrapped around her stomach, a thin red line bleeds into the bandage. Rei turns her head to Naoko who nods, and she releases the gown. Asuka shudders and fights the burning sensation in her eyes as she realizes that Rei's pony tail length is only a short stump.

Naoko gently grasps Rei's shoulders and turns her towards Asuka. "See?"

The Commander smiles, "Good as new."


A/N:

"Fly me to the moon..."

Just kidding, it would be cool though if you could attach music to fics , eh?I guess there's not really much to say about this chapter in terms of context, it's tricky to explain without spoiling things. I feel weird talking after having the Old Hag in brain for a while, sure hope she gets her just deserts.Shout out to my boys SheriffJohnStone and TheLegend27 for helping me with beta reads and feedback, y'all are the best. As well as the discord for their enthusiasm.And more importantly, thank you readers and reviewers for your patience for support. It really means a lot and my writings grown in leaps and bounds because of it. See ya next time in Chapter Three! (Which will probably come out after the next PD) Till then, take care and stay safe!