Misato Katsuragi sat behind her desk in her quarters, dangling the key Kaji gave her off her fingers. She stared at it, letting the implications the key represented run over and over again in her head.

"His life in my hands again," she then said.

"It's not just you alone this time," Misato shifted her eyes over to Ritsuko, who was fishing out her key from around her neck. "Dr. Hood has the third one."

"So there has to be unanimous consent among the three of us to-"

"I must remind you that it can also be used to disengage all safety systems as well," Ritsuko interrupted her. "I see no problem with the setup as it is."

"Very well," Misato said, "but I suppose ruminating on this is not why you came to see me."

"Correct Captain," Ritsuko replied. "We are presently on a course due south and our ETA will be in about sixteen hours."

"What about our ability to get there?" Misato then asked.

"We completed the calculations. It's going to get a little rough, but we'll be able to transfer from Earth's gravity well to the moon's in one piece," Ritsuko replied.

"Good," Misato said. "The only remaining problem is that we are going in blind. We might be in trouble once we're in the moon's influence."

"That's never stopped us before," Ritsuko said. "You know what they say is the best way to deal with potential traps."

"Walk right into them," Misato finished her friend's saying. "We can at least take some comfort in the fact that we can have this ship and four Evas."

"Especially Shinji and Unit 10," Ritsuko said.

"I know that," Misato said as she stood up, "but I get the feeling that we shouldn't be relying on him. It's not that I don't trust him or anything like that, it's just that I feel over relying on him was what got us into this mess into an extent."

"With Shinji as he was fifteen years ago, I would have to agree," Ritsuko replied. "But now, I'm not so sure."

"At the very least, we have to make sure he can rely on us just as much." Misato put the key back in her pocket.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Shinji found himself flying over the water like a bird just a few feet from the surface. He didn't know why he was flying, but it felt natural to him. He was also able to discern was that he was heading south. Below him, he saw fish, plants, and other sea life that he had seen either on TV or at that reclamation center Kaji took him and his friends to all those years ago. He looked above and saw the blue sky with no clouds.

Shinji then felt as if he were now flying faster as if he was being pulled somewhere. He no longer saw anything under the surface of the water as he was now moving too fast. He looked ahead to discover a long black strip at the horizon line, which grew in size the closer he got to it, his speed increasing, and the black looming ever larger above him.

He looked ahead and saw that the water fell over the edge like some people thought the edge of the world was like centuries ago. Within seconds, he flew past the edge and into open space. The blackness unveiled itself to reveal a starscape as colorful as anything he'd seen before. He flew past the stars at such a speed that they began to streak, turning into a rainbow sheet around him, the speed ever increasing.

Shinji woke up with a start, giving a massive fright to Sakura, who was trying to wake him, causing her to fall off the bed and onto the floor of his cabin. It took a couple of seconds for him to remember where he was, how he had come in from being on watch and going straight to bed without changing into his sleepwear.

"Are you all right?" he asked Sakura as he jumped off the bed to help her up.

"I'm fine, it's okay," she said as Shinji helped her up. "I came by a couple of times already, but you were sleeping so soundly. I tried to wake you up this time as I think you need to go back on watch in five hours."

"Oh, thanks," Shinji replied. "I can't believe I slept that long, and I was having-" he stopped speaking for a couple of seconds.

"The dream!" he rushed over to the flimsy desk that was provided for him and brought out his journal. He began writing in it.

"Is it one of those dreams?" Sakura looked over his shoulder to see what he was writing.

"I think so," Shinji answered. "I don't think we're going to be attacked, but I feel it's something important." He finished writing and closed the book. "I should talk to Ayanami as well."

"Well, that's good." She then looked at Shinji's hair with great interest. "You really need a haircut." She wrapped her index finger around a strand of his messy hair. "Where's your comb?"

"In that bag over there." Shinji pointed to where it was. "Why do you ask?"

"I'll fix your hair for you," she said as she got it from the bag and walked back to him.

"I can comb my own hair," he said, blushing a little.

"Don't worry, I'll have you looking spiffy in just a minute." She began to work, running her fingers through his hair, humming a slight tune as she was doing so. Shinji felt her fingers on his scalp, and a tingle went through his spine as she continued on with her work. After a minute, she was done.

"That looks much better," she said as she handed him a mirror. Shinji looked at his reflection, taking note that what she did made him look more mature.

"We do have a barber on board," she then said. "He's on deck eight, but I'm not sure if you'll have the time to go there before you need to go on watch."

"Thank you," Shinji said as he continued to look in the mirror.

"Besides, it's best that you get something to eat first," she then said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

With his food tray in hand, Shinji with Sakura tagging along, scanned the cafeteria and saw that there were several groups of people sitting at various tables. Shinji saw Joanna sitting at a table, but what surprised him was that Kitakami sitting right across from her, applying polish on the pilot's fingernails. The two were chatting, as if they knew each other for years and they would never run out of things to say.

Both Shinji and Sakura decided to leave the two be and sit somewhere else. As they were looking for a quiet spot to sit it, the two spotted Ayanami at a table in the corner with her sketchbook in hand. She appeared to be sketching the cafeteria and probably the people as well.

"Do you mind if we sit here? Sakura asked her. Ayanami nodded yes. When the couple too their seats, Shinji spoke up.

"I'm glad I ran into you," Shinji said to her.

"Why is that?" she replied.

"Did you have a dream?" Shinji asked before taking a bite of his food. Ayanami nodded and brought out her tablet, flipping to the correct page, and laid it in front of the two. They saw a road stretching out to infinity. Instead of the road being on the earth or on any surface, it was floating in space. On either side of it, stars and even planets were floating above, around, and underneath it.

"In the dream, I was walking down the road," she then said.

"So similar," Shinji said to himself.

"Did you feel like something was bad was going to happen?" Sakura asked her.

"No," Ayanami replied.

"What will you two do about them?" Sakura then asked.

"Well, we have to report these dreams," Shinji replied. "Otherwise nothing will change, I think."

"If that's the case, I can relax just a little," Sakura said as she stood up. "Well, I have to get back on duty. I'll try to see you before you go back on watch." She then leaned towards Shinji and kissed him on his cheek near the corner of his mouth before heading out. Shinji watched her leave the room before noticing that several people at the other table were staring at him, some of them snickering. Blushing, he turned to Ayanami who was staring at him.

"Your hair looks different," she then said after a moment of silence.

"Uh, yeah," Shinji replied. "Sakura fixed it up for me."

"I see," she said.

"You know, it's funny," Shinji continued. "It seems to me that everyone I knew from before has something different about them now. Either it's their looks or in their demeanor is different in some way. I guess people change with the times. I can at least say now that I can join them in that way."

"Does that change the way you think about them?" Ayanami asked.

"At first I thought it would," Shinji answered, "but I think now that it…adds another layer. That's the best way I can put it." Ayanami looked to be in deep thought for some time.

"Do you think I've changed too?" she then asked.

"Not physically, no," he said, "but in other ways you have. Take your art for one thing. You've probably never thought of doing that when you were at Nerv. And you seem more personable, well at least to me."

"I see," she said. "There is one other change I would like to tell you."

"What is that?" Shinji took another bite of his meal.

"Do you remember when you suggested I find a name for myself?"

"Oh that," Shinji said. "I know now that it is not so simple. I was probably putting too much pressure on you." She then flipped in her sketch book to a blank page and wrote something on one corner. She then presented the page to Shinji. He looked down and saw in Japanese ゆめ.

"Yume," he whispered. "Is this the name you have chosen?" She nodded.

"How am I supposed to read this?" he then asked. She took the book back and wrote something else on the page. When she gave it to him, he saw the character 夢.

"Dream," he said in English.

"Since I am having these dreams, I believe it is fitting," she said.

"I can't argue with that." Shinji gave the sketchbook back to her. "When I'm done eating, Let's report our dreams to Misato."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

From his vantage point in Unit 10's entry plug, Shinji could look upon the land and ocean beneath the ship. He could also see how close they were to the moon as the great body towered in front of the him, the red crosses that covered the orb appeared to him as if it was a chain link fence covered in blood. Shinji then heard a chirping sound inside the plug, followed seconds later by Asuka's image popping up on a holographic screen.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Just seeing how you were doing," Asuka replied. "The operation is going to start in an hour."

"I know," Shinji said. "Why did you call me about that?"

"Well to be honest, part of it was that I really don't want to hear Mari and her singing," she said.

"She's not that bad," Shinji then said.

"You haven't been with her all these years," she countered. "Besides, there another reason I want to talk to you."

"What is it?" he then asked.

"Well, you know, this is probably going to be the final battle, right?"

"I suppose."

"Well, I figured that there is a high chance that we could be meeting Commander Ikari again." Shinji had never thought about that.

"I was wondering how you feel about seeing him again?" she then asked. Shinji thought about it for a few seconds before he answered.

"I'm not exactly sure. I mean, he's technically not my father, but he was someone I wanted to connect to when I thought he was. Now…he's just a man."

"Okay then," Asuka said after a moment taking in his answer. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Thank you for doing so," Shinji then said.

"For the record, I was just checking your ability to go into combat," she then said. Is that the excuse she's going with, he wondered.

"Anyway, I'll be joining you topside in fifteen minutes," Asuka said. "The other two will join us shortly." The screen went out, leaving Shinji with the realization that he was lucky that he ever got to know her.

"Never change, Asuka," he said with a chuckle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

The moon covered every inch of the ship's monitor as the crew watched in silence was the body grew in front of them.

"Approaching the target," Aoba said. "Two minutes before start of operation."

"No signs of enemy movement," Kitakami reported

"Main engines are standing by," Kohji said.

"All Eva Units deployed on the top deck," Hyuga added. "A little crowded, but they're making it work."

"Very well." Misato said. As the crew were working at their posts, they could hear Mari singing over the coms.

Poets often use many words to say a simple thing.

It takes thought and time and rhyme to make a poem sing.

With music and words, I've been playing,

For you, I have written a song.

To be sure that you know what I am saying,

I'll translate as I go along.

Mari continued her song as Ritsuko turned to Misato.

"We need to match the moon's rate of rotation for several sections as we pierce the AT Field surrounding it," she said.

"Okay," Misato replied. "We don't know what's going to happen once we're there, so we need to be on guard.

"Understood, but I should note both Shinji and Ayanami haven't predicted an attack." Misato looked at her colleague with both surprise and confusion.

"A scientist like you, believing in premonitions, what will happen next?" Ritsuko hadn't heard her use sarcasm in many years.

"There's a pattern to the ones we know of," she then said. "I believe there's a scientific basis to that, even if it hasn't been determined what it is."

"Noted," Misato then said. "However, it should also be noted that these dreams could only be applied to them, not to the rest of us." She ended those words with a smile.

"Ten seconds to mission start," Aoba then declared. "Five seconds...three, two one. Beginning operation.

"Firing main engines," Kohji said. The ship's speed increased as Nagara maneuvered the ship at a steep angle, while at the same time, the Wunder began to shake with a violent fervor as both the gravity of the Earth as well as the Moon each pulled on the vessel.

"Reaching Earth escape velocity," Kohji added.

"Twenty seconds to planetary AT Field," Aoba then said.

"What about the Eva Units?" Ritsuko asked.

"They're still up top," Hyuga replied. "Barely holding on, but they are up there." The ship continued to shake as it it made its ascent, and then for a brief few seconds, the crew felt weightless in their chairs. Many of them were thankful that they were strapped in their seats.

On the Wunder's top deck, the four Eva Units struggled to maintain their balance, each clinging to a piece of the ship to keep from falling off. The ship then hit the AT Field, which knocked them onto the deck.

"Deploy forward AT Field to maximum," Shinji heard Misato say over the coms. "Punch through." The ship began to tilt at a steeper angle as increased speed met increased resistance. The two Fields scraped past each other as the ship sped along, the friction producing a myriad of colors that showered both the Wunder and the Evas. Joanna in Unit 11 slipped and slid down, only to be caught by Unit 08 before the Eva fell off the ship.

"Gotcha Ms. Frizzle," Mari said over the com. In Unit 10, Shinji could hear the bridge crew speaking to each other.

"We can't break through," he heard Aoba say.

"Keep trying," Misato replied. "We have to make it." An idea flashed in his mind.

"I'll do it," Shinji then yelled. "I'll breach the AT Field!"

"It's too dangerous," Ritsuko replied. "If something should go wrong, we can't risk losing you."

"Please," Shinji said. "I know I can do it."

"I hate to say it, but he's right," Asuka then chimed in. A few tense seconds past before Shinji hear Misato's voice.

"Do it," she said.

"Roger." Unit 10 then began to climb up the Wunder's top deck to the ship's aft section where he then spread out his AT Field. Shinji added Unit 10's AT Field to the Wunders, increasing the force. A small hole began to form in the Moon's AT Field. Shinji increased his output, and the hole increased in size. Before anyone realized it, the hole was large enough so that the Wunder shot through, knocking the Evas on the top deck once again. Everyone could then see that they were hurdling towards the lunar surface at full speed.

"Full reverse," Misato shouted. "Pull up!"

"Aye," Nagara replied. The ship was seconds away from the surface when it broke its dive and leveled out.

"Report," Misato said.

"We've made it through," Hyuga replied. "No damage to the ship. We also don't have any deaths or injuries among the crew."

"And what about the Evas?" she then asked. "Is everyone all right up there?"

"We're all alive," Asuka replied through the coms. "Hell of a ride though."

"Copy that," Misato then said. "And Shinji, thank you for getting us here."

"Roger," Shinji replied.

"You do realize that we'll have to do that again when we leave," Mari then said.

"Damn it four-eyes," was all Asuka said to her while Joanna just groaned. Shinji had to chuckle despite how exhausted he was. He looked up and saw the northeast part of North America was coming into view above him. He then looked below and saw what he thought was the Tycho crater.

"Whoa…" he said to himself. It hit him then that he was on an alien world.

"I know." Asuka managed to overhear him. "This is the first time I've ever been here too." The four Evas looked around at the lunar surface which looked desolate, but at the same time, fascinating to them.

"Huh, we have atmosphere," Joanna said as she looked at some readings she was getting in her entry plug. "It's a lot like what's on Earth, except that it seems less dense. Does that mean its like being up on a mountain or something?"

"Correct," Ritsuko replied through the com, "though I can't see any reason to leave the ship." She then addressed all the pilots.

"Listen up. Keep a lookout for any potential enemies."

"Roger," all of them replied.

"Set course for the Neo Nerv Headquarters by way of the Tabgha base at the Archimedes crater."

"Aye Captain," Nagara replied.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

The Wunder made its way along through the highlands, entering the Mare Nubium. When Shinji looked down, he saw that there was water on the surface, making the area live up to its name. He had to magnify the image to confirm he wasn't seeing things.

"Water?" he said. "How is that-"

"The moon's magnetic field absorbed some of Earth's atmosphere, thus creating its own water cycle," Ritsuko answered him over the com. "That's the simple version. The depth is not more than a meter in some spots."

"Really," Shinji said. "It's kind of ironic. Hundreds of years ago, when people first began to look at the moon with telescopes, they actually thought that there was water on the surface. They referred to these areas as seas."

"I didn't realize you knew about that subject," Ritsuko then said.

"It always been a hobby of mine," Shinji replied. "Are all the seas like that?"

"No," she said. "There are many that are still in their original state."

The ship continued in its trek over the water. Within hours, the Wunder arrived at the Tabgha base, the four pilots staring down at the ruins of the facility.

"What's that?" Joanna asked as she had Unit 11 point to what she was looking at. They magnified to show a set of coffins in a row on a bloodstained line across the surface.

"Oh, that," Asuka said. Shinji thought her voice sounded resigned, like she didn't want to talk about it. "That's where they kept the various copies of that boy."

"Boy?" Shinji said. "Do you mean-"

"That's right, him," Asuka said. "That was where they were. He was sort of like the Ayanamis." Shinji looked again at the coffins and saw that all the lids were opened.

"They're all empty," he said.

"Indeed they are." It was Misato's voice now. "They all have been destroyed." A lump formed in Shinji's throat and disappeared almost as fast. Kawrou said that they would meet again. He never liked to remember that time, but he did remember him saying that. But if he was the last one, why did he say those words? Shinji was taken out of that chain of thoughts by the conversation the other three pilots were having.

"Oh come on," Mari said. "'Breathe in the Air' is a good song."

"No, you're not singing it," Asuka replied.

"What about 'Us and Them'?" Mari then asked. "We're going to the dark side of the moon. I have to sing something form that album."

"You're not singing anything," Asuka then said.

"How about 'Time'?" Joanna offered. "I kind of like that one." A short silence descended until Asuka broke it.

"You're not helping," she then said to her. Shinji thought it best to keep quiet and let them settle things.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

The Wunder proceeded towards the Moon's northern regions, crossing the Mare Frigoris and again into the highlands. Hours later, they passed into what used to be considered the dark side of the Moon. Within hours, the bridge crew could see the inverted pyramid of Nerv Headquarters floating a few meters above the surface.

"Nerv HQ in visual range," Hyuga said.

"Any sign of enemy movement?" Misato then asked.

"Nothing showing up on any scans," Kitakami replied.

"All stop," Misato ordered. "No attacks since we arrived on the Moon, and still nothing even though we're at their front door." Misato tapped her foot on the floor at furious pace. "I don't like it."

"Maybe they didn't expect us to show up do fast," Hyuga said.

"Or they think our coming here or not is irrelevant to their plans," Ritsuko said.

"In any event, we can't put our guard down," Misato said. "I want all Eva Units to form a skirmishing line ahead of us. Send out a UAV out to scan the area. We need more information before we can proceed, and we don't have much time to do it."

"Roger, moving out," Asuka said.

"You got it," Mari added. Seconds later, all four Eva Units jumped down to the lunar surface and took positions half a kilometer ahead of the ship.

"Launching UAV now," Hyuga then said. The small craft launched off the ship and headed towards the pyramid and the surrounding area. After several minutes of the craft circling around, the data started coming back in.

"Well, what is it?" Misato asked as she watched both Ritsuko and Hood analyze the data.

"That is interesting," Hood said as he looked at the data.

"What do you mean?" Misato asked.

"There seems to be some sort of structure or structures underneath the surface," Ritsuko said.

"Structure, what kind of structure?"

"We're still trying to determine that," Hood replied. A few seconds later, a visual image of the area around Nerv HQ appeared on the ship's monitor from the sky. Seconds after that, parts of the surface were shaded in a pale blue denoting the structure.

"That is the extant of its range," he added. "We can't get any further readings than that.

"The structure covers an area of roughly forty square kilometers," Ritsuko picked up where he left off. "The structure also appears to extend several kilometers below the surface. We can't determine if it ends there or it extends past the limit of our sensors."

"Why wasn't this detected before we arrived?" Misato then asked. "Did you know about this when you discovered Nerv's location?"

"We could only confirm its location visually," Hood replied. "There was no way we could detect anything due to the AT Field covering the Moon." Misato then looked at the screen for a few seconds.

"So what do we do from here?" Misato then asked. "No offense, but we can't waste the time figuring this stuff out when we could be attacked at any moment."

"True, but we need to know what this is exactly," Ritsuko replied. "If Nerv has control of this structure, whatever it is, any premature attack could become a suici-"

"Sickbay to bridge." Sakura's voice boomed through the com.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Misato replied.

"Yume is here with me," Sakura said. "She says she wants to leave the ship."

"Yume? Who is that?" Misato asked.

"Oh, my apologies Ma'am," Sakura replied. "That's the name the Ayanami gave herself." Misato gave a quick glance to Ritsuko.

"Leave? Why would she want to do that?"

"She doesn't say," Sakura replied. "All she says is that she needs to leave."

"Outside of her request, is she doing anything or acting in a way that seems unusual?" Ritsuko then asked.

"No Ma'am," Sakura answered. "She just stares out the window."

"This is a problem we don't need," Misato said. She then noticed Hood appeared to be deep in thought.

"Is there something you would like to add, Dr. Hood?" she asked him.

"There could be," he answered before activating the coms. "Shinji, can you hear me?"

"Read you loud and clear," Shinji replied.

"Do you feel all right?" Hood then asked him.

"Yeah, but…"

"But what?" Hood said.

"Well, it's hard to explain, but ever since we arrived in this area, I've had this feeling that I need to go somewhere. It feels uncomfortable that I'm not doing it, like there's an itch that I can't scratch."

"We've all had that feeling," Hood said. He looked at both Ritsuko and Misato.

"Do you know where this... desire is taking you?" Misato asked. "Does it take you towards Nerv HQ?"

"No. It's coming from over there." On the monitor, everyone could see Unit 10 point away from Nerv.

"Is everything still quiet?" Ritsuko asked.

"Yes Ma'am," Kitakami replied. "All clear."

"It's up to you," Ritsuko then said to Misato. Several seconds passed before she spoke.

"Shinji, head in that direction. We'll follow, but don't get too far ahead."

"Roger," Shinji replied before Unit 10 began walking in the assigned direction.

"Nagara, follow him. Have all other Evas keep close to him, and stay on your toes." She then took a calming breath. Also have Ayanami report to the bridge. I want to speak to her."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

For forty minutes, Unit 10 walked as the Wunder and the other Evas followed behind. During the journey, both Shinji and Yume were questioned about the instinct they were feeling in all its aspects. At the end of those forty minutes, Unit 10 stopped before a large crevice.

"What is it?" Asuka asked.

"We have to go down there." Shinji had Unit 10 point down into the crevice.

"Looks pretty deep," Mari said. "We're going to have to climb down."

"Only Unit 02 will accompany him," they heard Misato say. "Units 08 and 11 will remain where they were to help protect the Wunder. We'll be coming down in a VTOL as well."

"Roger," they all replied. Shinji waited for the VTOL to launch before he and Asuka used their Evas to climb down the rock wall, the VTOL keeping above them as they made their descent. After several minutes, they reached the bottom.

"There's nothing here," Asuka said as she had Unit 02 look over their surroundings. "Are you sure you didn't screw up?" Shinji didn't answer. Instead, Unit 10 began to walk for a couple of minutes before he stopped in front of a sealed door that was a little larger than any door human used on a regular basis.

"Holy shit," Asuka muttered to herself. Unit 10 knelt down and its entry plug came out of its back, she saw that Shinji was leaving the plug and climbing down to the ground. She followed suit with Unit 02.

"What now?" she asked him. Before he could answer, the VTOL landed and Misato, Sakura, and Yume exited, followed by several of the Wunder's marines.

"Okay, what now?" Misato said as Asuka huffed and rolled her her eye out of her sight.

"We have to go through here." Shinji pointed at the door.

"He is correct," Yume added.

"But it's blocked off," Sakura said.

"We should have brought a demolition team as well," Misato said. "There might still be time to do so." Shinji then walked to the doorway and placed his hand on the stone. The facing turned into a multitude of cubes and those cubes rotated and moved around until they formed an opening.

"How to hell did you-" Asuka began.

"I don't know," Shinji interrupted her. Without saying a word, Yume walked through the opening.

"Yume, wait." Shinji and the others ran to catch up with her. The group walked don a long tunnel for what seemed to have no end. When they came out the other end, they discovered that were in the middle of a city that was hewn into the wall. The buildings stretched down as far as they could see, the windows peppered into the rock. The could see balconies and porticoes strated at different levels of the city. In the distance, they could hear the sound of rushing water, as if there was a waterfall somewhere in the virginity. The group spread out on a street, trying to take in everything that was in front of them.

"It's like something out of some fantasy," Misato said.

"Or out of Lovecraft," Asuka countered.

"What happens next?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not sure," Shinji replied, but the feeling is now…like…"

"That we're home," Yume finished for him.

"Yeah," Shinji said. "Home."

"Welcome home," a voice said from behind them. They all turned around to find Fuyutsuki standing there.