Chapter 46 - Instrumentality Awaits

Misato stared up at the ceiling, absorbing everything she had just been told.

She hadn't realised just how stupid it was to quit drinking cold turkey, especially after a lifetime of trying to destroy her liver. She certainly hadn't expected hallucinations to be part of it. Only now, a few days after her disastrous journey into the depths of NERV,was she being allowed visitors.

"So," she said after an indeterminate amount of time. "We're going to be attacked again, sometime soon, by forces we don't know anything about yet."

"That's about the size of it," replied Asuka. Shinji had one arm around her shoulders; apparently he was still suffering the effects of the Sixteenth Angel's attack. Still, if the current situation wasn't so dire Misato would have gently ribbed them, before finally getting around to congratulating the new couple. Though they didn't seem to be... synchronised or whatever at the moment, they were still shifting and fidgeting much the same way, although Asuka did occasionally bring a hand up to her necklace.

"My father certainly seemed to take it seriously," said Shinji. "He didn't tell us anything besides to be ready at a moment's notice, though."

"No, but he would have a better idea what to expect," said Misato. "He's probably preparing whatever he can to try and counter the attack. And this time, it won't be an Angel."

"How are you so sure?" asked Asuka.

"Because-" Misato cut herself off, her eyes flicking to a corner of the ceiling where a camera sat, before deciding it didn't matter at this point. "I got my hands on some information that was hidden deep in NERV's systems. If that data is accurate, there are only supposed to be seventeen Angels. One that was at the South Pole, the one sitting below us, and the fifteen that were killed over the past several months."

"What?" the teenagers said together. Asuka continued alone. "The Angels are all defeated? Already?!"

Misato shrugged as best as she could while handcuffed to the bed. "I'm honestly as surprised about that as you are, Asuka."

"This has to be a joke or something!" Asuka fumed. She looked about ready to start stomping her feet. "I didn't spend a decade training to be an Eva pilot just to be rendered useless in a fraction of that time!"

"...You do realise that when the Angels are gone, humanity's going to start arguing with itself again, don't you?" Misato quietly asked, grimly reminded of how little it took for that to happen. And with a weapon like the Evangelion...

"We will not fight other people," Shinji resolutely stated.

"What he said," added Asuka. "Even if it means I won't be an Eva pilot, I'm not going to kill people just because some rich fat asshole got his feelings hurt by some other rich fat asshole."

Misato smirked. "I'd expect nothing less from you two. Not like your Evas will accept anyone else anyway." She turned serious. "Someone might try and force you though. Kidnap someone like a family member, make you do their bidding that way."

Shinji and Asuka glanced at each other. An entire conversation seemed to play out just in their eye contact. Eventually they both turned back to Misato.

"We'll deal with that when and if it happens," said Asuka.

"There's no point worrying right now," Shinji added. "We still need to get through the next few days first."

"Understandable, you've got enough on your plate right now." Misato shifted around on the bed as best as she could, wondering when the handcuffs would finally get removed. Regardless of everything else, NERV would clearly need its tactical operations officer soon. "Anyway, apart from the imminent attack by an ancient and secret organisation... how have things been?"

They looked at each other again.

"Oh it's been going just fine," said Asuka with a roll of her eyes. "With no television or games, or even school to occupy us when we're not training, we're bored out of our skulls. Doctor Akagi suggested looking at paperwork when we asked if there was anything to read."

"This place is too much of a maze to go for a walk, too," Shinji added. "Well... a stumble for me since I still can't walk properly. For whatever reason there's no physical therapists available either, so I can't even begin rehabilitation."

"You have excess energy and no outlet," said Misato, understanding them perfectly. "Why not go out to the cavern area? Plenty of space to get away from things while still being close in case of an emergency. Just tell Ritsuko or one of the bridge officers, get a Section Two car assigned, and keep your phones with you." She rattled the handcuffs. "As you can see, I can't really be in charge of you right now."

"I guess that works," Asuka said with a shrug. "Alright then, we'll be back later." A corner of her mouth curved upwards. "Don't go anywhere."

Misato snorted and waved them off, staring at their backs as the door closed. Not even a minute later, the door opened again and she was about to ask what the kids had forgotten, only they were joined by somebody else.

"Hello Misato," said Ritsuko, hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "How are you feeling?"

Misato cast a wary eye over her friend before responding. "Physically? Not too bad, although I'd really prefer to go to the bathroom properly instead of through a tube."

"Well then good news." One of Ritsuko's hands came out into the open, holding a key. "Commander Ikari ordered you be released, considering the situation."

"That's something at least," Misato muttered, rubbing her wrists once they were free of the cuffs. Spotting Asuka out of the corner of her eye, and remembering what she had just said, Misato stuck her tongue out at the girl.

"You're still staying here though," Ritsuko continued, shattering Misato's victorious expression, "but at least when the attack happens you don't have to wait for someone to come along and let you out."

Asuka stuck her tongue out at Misato before the two kids left again.

"Should I ask?" said Ritsuko.

"Just the kids being kids for once." Misato sighed. "They're going to have to kill people soon, aren't they?"

Ritsuko nodded slowly. "That's the most likely outcome."

"But if they don't, then the bastards coming for us are going to murder everyone in the Geofront."

"Almost certainly."

"Tell me NERV has been working on how to fight back."

"We are. NERV is on yellow alert, but things aren't too great for us. Our funding has been cut several times over the last few months, and we only have some of the topside defenses back online after the hammering they took from the Fourteenth."

Misato frowned. "Any assault force will know exactly where they are along with the sensor outposts, so we can't rely on them for very long. Best we can do is seal all the entrances."

"Even that wouldn't last long enough," Ritsuko countered. "They'll just cut or blast their way in."

"Well then let's go over what we can do."

XXX

Nobody questioned the three pilots on their decision to requisition a Section Two car and escort, not even when the agents saw where they were going. That suited Shinji and Asuka just fine. If times were quieter, though, they would have chosen to simply tell somebody where they were going and walk out here on their own. As it was, it would have taken far too long for him to make it here with his body being so uncooperative, even with Asuka's help.

There didn't seem to be anything the doctors could do to help. Apart from the veins still standing out all over his body, nothing actually appeared to be wrong with him according to them. The best they could say was that he might fully recover.

Rei got out of the car first and headed towards the patch of watermelons. She stared at the slowly growing plants, trying to fix in her mind that she had been the one that had helped. That she had been the one to hold the seeds in her hand and place them in the ground. Most of her memories of her past life had firmly seated themselves, but along with them came doubt.

One of the biggest issues facing her was that her fate was fast approaching. Even this new body was living on borrowed time. Regardless of what she chose to do when the time soon arrived, Rei Ayanami would eventually perish. And now, with her backups gone, it would be her final death.

Commander Ikari wanted to be reunited with his wife, the woman that half of Rei's DNA came from. For that to happen, she would have to join with Lilith. Rei Ayanami would cease to exist, instead being consumed by her greater part. Perhaps Lilith would retain her memories, but they would be a speck of sand on a beach.

Should Rei Ayanami return to Lilith and initiate Instrumentality, saving humanity as a whole from the machinations of SEELE, even if it meant the end of her friends? Or should she instead refuse that fate, letting humanity -and her friends- live as individuals, along with being able to live as herself for a while longer, but with SEELE still looming, threatening to destroy everything?

"You alright, Wondergirl?"

Rei jumped at the sudden intrusion on her thoughts. She turned to see Shinji and Asuka, garden implements in hand, looking concernedly at her. It interested her that despite Shinji's condition, he still insisted on helping. "I am fine," she said. "Simply... thinking about the future, so to speak."

They nodded, remaining silent for a moment. Rei wasn't sure if they were currently synchronised with each other, but soon Asuka said, "It's something to do with that Lilith creature, isn't it?"

"Yes," Rei confirmed. "That, and SEELE's goals. But please, let us not think of them at the moment. We have a more pleasant task to perform here, after all."

This time, the silence was much more melancholy as the teenagers set to work. Without Kaji to help they didn't have much of an idea for what to do beyond watering and weeding, or what to expect with the actual plants. It had only been a few weeks since the seeds were planted so there was still no sign of the fruit itself, just the leaves and what may have been the start of a flower here and there.

Somewhat unfortunately, the job was over far too soon. Asuka and Shinji put the tools back in the shed while Rei brushed dirt from her hands and clothing, scanning the garden one last time for anything that may have been missed. Her thoughts drifted as she pondered whether the plants would survive if Instrumentality went ahead. Would they end up choked to death by weeds? Or would they perhaps spread throughout the cavern?

Asuka and Shinji suddenly appeared in Rei's peripheral vision, startling her slightly.

"It's time for us to go back," said Asuka. "Besides, I just realised Shinji and I should be getting in some tests and training if we're going to be fighting soon."

"We can come out here again another time," Shinji added.

"Will you be alright in the Eva with your current condition?" asked Rei, looking him over and taking in the state of his body.

Shinji glanced down at his arms, a finger tracing the lines his veins made standing out against his skin. "My body may not be in the best shape, but then that doesn't really matter when it comes to an Eva, right?" he replied with a weak smile that quickly faded. "I still remember the condition you were in when we first met in Unit-01's cage all those months ago. Barely able to move, and yet you were still expected to pilot the Eva if I didn't."

Another memory from a previous life. Her body almost completely shattered, yet that could not be allowed to impede her duty. Even if she had died defeating the Third Angel, another would be along soon to take her place. Of course, that was no longer an option now, and there was no Evangelion for her to pilot anyway. Part of her, the part that resisted the thought of Instrumentality and her final death, resented her inability to help her friends fight.

"Just like then, it is a matter of necessity," Rei said out loud.

Shinji and Asuka both nodded. "At a time like this, it doesn't really matter how injured you are," said Asuka. "When your very existence is on the line, when someone is threatening to destroy you and everyone you care for, you pick up a weapon and damn well fight."

That rebellious part started to get louder in the face of Asuka's declaration. Rei opened her mouth to reply, but swiftly snapped it shut as she sensed something familiar suddenly appear nearby.

"Good day, you three."

All three teenagers turned to see a flame-haired woman in a business suit leaning against the shack.

"Bwynvienne," Asuka and Shinji greeted together. Asuka continued alone. "I don't suppose you've come to lend a hand to us unfortunate mortals in the near future, have you?"

Bwynvienne pushed herself off the wall and began walking towards them, only to stop as she realised she was about to step on one of the plants. Rather than simply walk around, she disappeared and reappeared directly in front of them in the blink of an eye. She stared curiously at Rei for a moment before speaking.

"I'm afraid I come with some bad news," she announced. "And it's not just that I cannot help. The heads of the Infernal Administration have issued an embargo for Earth, meaning no agents will be allowed to come here for the foreseeable future."

"An embargo?" Shinji repeated. "Does the Administration know something about what's going to happen here?"

"I don't know what's supposedly about to happen," Bwynvienne exasperatedly replied. "These orders come down from very far above me. I'm just one cog in an incredibly large and complicated machine."

"Ah yes," said Asuka with a knowing nod. "'This is need-to-know and you don't need to know, just do what we say'."

Bwynvienne flicked a hand upward in frustrated acknowledgement. "Exactly. All I know is that that agents are being recalled, and once all relevant clients have been notified, travel to Earth will be disallowed for any reason until the heads say otherwise. Which... could very well be never depending on whatever they know."

Asuka's eyes darted sideways to Shinji. "So that would potentially mean that, if they decide to write us off, the contract between us will be permanent?"

"Afraid so," Bwynvienne confirmed. "With agents prevented from coming here, negotiations cannot proceed, and new contracts cannot be drafted. That five year limit on yours will pass, you'll be eligible for a new contract... but there won't be anyone to assist you."

Shinji and Asuka's hands jumped towards each other as if magnetised. They looked at each other for a long moment before Shinji said, "Well, we've made it this far with our contract. It hasn't been easy in some cases, but in others-"

"-it helped save our lives," Asuka finished. "I would have died months ago if I didn't have Shinji's soul."

"It's given us some weird memories too," Shinji continued, a small smile appearing on his face. "Remember that spider Angel?"

Matarael. The Angel that had appeared when the entirety of Tokyo-3 had lost power. It had managed to sneak up on them their friends, and had stared closely at the pilots as if unable to believe what it was seeing. Of course, then it had sensed the soul lurking within Rei's body and had decided to make a tactical retreat.

Asuka was chuckling at the memory. "It was like watching a guy realise he was about to pick a fight with a giant and try to play it off like he was just walking away for a completely different reason."

"It has certainly been interesting to observe you when I could," said Bwynvienne, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "You two have also given the Administration quite a few headaches with your escapades, and no doubt there will soon be some adjustments being made."

She gave a deep bow; Shinji and Asuka returned the bow, and Rei found herself doing the same. As she straightened back up she noticed Bwynvienne's eyes staring unnervingly at her despite her attention staying on the other two. "It has been a joy to be your agent, Mister Ikari and Ms Soryu. If it happens that the embargo is permanent, I will be genuinely sad to never see you again. I sincerely hope that does not happen and that I will be able to assist you when your contract expires. Goodbye, all of you, and I hope to see you again someday."

The moment the last word left her mouth, the strange woman was gone. Asuka and Shinji stared at where she had been standing for a long moment before Asuka put Shinji's arm over her shoulders and began the slow trek back to the Section Two car. The agents had seemingly completely missed the presence of a tall woman with burning hair, possibly because they were looking towards the lake.

Rei felt the mental equivalent of a tap on the shoulder, and realised that the strange sensation Bwynvienne carried with her had not actually vanished yet. She glanced behind her, and caught a glimpse of flames disappearing behind the shack. Her eyes flicked back to her friends for a moment, and then she headed towards the shack, out of sight of her friends and the agents.

"You know what will happen, don't you?" she immediately asked of Bwynvienne, who was leaning against the wall.

"I can certainly hazard a guess," Bwynvienne replied. "The Administration doesn't just decide to embargo an entire planet on a whim. Every other time it's happened has been because of some kind of worldwide catastrophe that they don't want leaking through."

Rei didn't understand much about Bwynvienne or the Infernal Administration, but she did not believe that they were lying. If they were preparing to leave Earth completely, then there was seemingly no hope of averting Instrumentality completely. Either she would be the one to initiate it, or SEELE would win and bring about their twisted version with them as the ones in charge. In which case, she could no longer waste time thinking about whether or not to continue with Commander Ikari's scenario. At least then, humanity would not be under the thumb of a group of megalomaniacs.

"Is everything alright, Miss Ayanami?" Bwynvienne asked concernedly.

Rei blinked several times, realising her gaze had dropped to the ground, and returned her focus to Bwynvienne. "I am alright," she replied, "but may I ask a favour of you?"

Bwynvienne pushed herself off the shack wall and folded her arms. "I'm going to assume you mean a personal favour, since we've already established that no Administration business can take place now."

"Yes. It is nothing major, I would just like you to carry a message for me."

A flaming eyebrow rose. "You believe that the embargo will eventually be lifted and I'll be allowed to return to actually deliver it. Well, I suppose I can at least try to carry your message. What is it?"

Rei told her. Bwynvienne stood there, committing it all to memory, not once asking if she was sure. At the end, she approached Rei and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Rei closed her eyes; when she opened them again, she could no longer detect the sensation Bwynvienne gave off. She walked back around the shack, and immediately noticed that Shinji and Asuka were still slowly making their way to the car.

She caught up to them, but could not bring herself to look them in the eyes just yet. Despite all they had been through, she could not be sure how they would react to what was to come.

All she could do was hope that they could forgive her for what she had to do.

XXX

"What is the reason for the delays? We were supposed to begin the final phase tomorrow."

"We discovered critical manufacturing errors in some parts from the latest shipment from Russia. As a precaution we double-checked the parts from the previous shipment and found the same flaws. Now we have to wait for replacements."

"Hrm... make it quick. We cannot let something like equipment failure prevent us from achieving our ultimate goal. What is the current status of the Mass Production Series?"

"The final three are awaiting said parts, the rest have completed construction and testing."

"Inform us the moment those three are complete."

"Should we not attack now with what we have?"

"There has been too much deviation from the original Scenario. Nothing can be left to chance. Ikari has obviously chosen to see what we do before beginning his own endgame, instead of proceeding immediately. Whatever he has planned clearly does not have a time limit."

"It doesn't matter what Ikari's plan is. He will fall, and the path to Complementation will finally be swept clean of obstructions. Instrumentality awaits."

XXX

One thing Shinji really didn't like about being confined to the Geofront was that he couldn't enjoy the food he ate. His condition meant that everything tasted the same to him unless Asuka was the cook. Unfortunately, she didn't have access to the kitchen.

He was curious if food grown by Asuka would count, such as the watermelons, but unfortunately Bwynvienne was no longer around to ask. It would at least be something to experiment with at a later date... provided they made it through the coming attack.

"Trust me, Shinji, you're not really missing much," Asuka remarked as the three pilots picked at their meals. "This stuff isn't bad, but it's not going to win a Michelin star any time soon."

"It is acceptable," said Rei.

Asuka pointed her fork at her and nodded. "Acceptable. Exactly. It'll fill you up and that's what the staff here are going for. If you want fancy, go to that restaurant hanging from the top of the Geofront."

Shinji glanced in the vague direction of the Geofront ceiling. He wanted to ask why the Geofront needed a city up there, but this was the same NERV that somehow moved a military ship several kilometres underground and into a lake. And now that he thought about it, wasn't there another one in Terminal Dogma where they had seen Lilith? Their decision-making process was strange.

When their meal was over, Asuka looked around at the cafeteria, empty of all but the pilots and the staff, and then stared hard at Rei. "Got a couple questions for you, Wondergirl," she said in a low voice.

Rei held the stare for several seconds before nodding. "Ask, and I will answer what I can. With what the two of you now know there is little point in withholding information."

Shinji and Asuka's eyes flicked towards each other for a brief moment. "Okay. So." Asuka waved a hand for a moment, trying to get her words in the right order. "You are basically Lilith. The big giant alien in the basement."

Rei nodded. "This body contains her soul, yes."

"What about her memories?" asked Shinji. "Do you remember... wherever Lilith came from?"

Somewhat uncertainly, Rei replied, "I cannot accurately answer that. I certainly have memories that are not my own, but her mind is simply too alien to comprehend. As if..." She faltered, seemingly unsure of an appropriate analogy.

"It would be like trying to put a disk in a cassette player," Asuka offered. "Even if you could force it in there, the player just isn't built to read it."

As Rei nodded, Shinji had a brief thought about his SDAT, last seen somewhere in his bedroom, and realised it had been a while since he'd last used it. Just before the arrival of Arael, in fact. An event that felt like it had happened half a year ago at least. Not that it mattered anyway, since he couldn't return to the apartment to grab it.

"What else did you wish to know?" asked Rei, bringing him back to the present.

Asuka tapped a finger against her chin, but it was Shinji who spoke. "Are you able to control that body on the cross?"

"No," said Rei, causing Asuka to slump slightly. "My control is limited to this body. It would require either my death, with my soul being allowed to return to Lilith, or I would have to physically merge with her."

"Which would kill you anyway, in a sense. Damn."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was hoping you could use Lilith to help us against SEELE," said Asuka, sighing and leaning back in her seat. "If all the ominous crap we've heard is real, we'll need every advantage we can get."

Rei was silent for a moment, and the look on her face was somewhat disconcerting. "Even if it were possible to wake Lilith, she would have no interest in helping. In fact, she would only make things worse."

"...Worse?" Shinji and Asuka both echoed. "Worse how?"

"Lilith must be kept dormant, or else she will initiate an Impact event," said Rei. "And that is not something we could convince her not to do. She would be compelled to do so, a biological imperative. It would be like asking a person to not breath or think." She gave the two of them a look. "You do have advantages already, though."

"Sure, we have the synchronisation, but I don't have an AT-Field," Shinji countered. "Whatever's coming, we're going to need both our Evas to defend against it, and that means Asuka will have to constantly watch out for me."

"Sure, we've been doing sim training in separate Evas for a little while now," Asuka added. "But simulations are no substitute for real combat."

"Hang on," said Shinji, suddenly recalling something. "What about the- what were they called? Mass something?"

"The Mass Production Series Evas?" Asuka suggested. She then blinked several times in realisation. "Hey, yeah! What about- oh wait..."

"Yeah, that's it," said Shinji. "Doctor Akagi mentioned them a while ago, but said they weren't going to be ready for a while."

Asuka nodded pointedly. "Yeah, which means we're on our own for this." She suddenly stood up. "Come on, we really need to go get some simulator time in."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Despite his confusion, Shinji wasted no time in getting out of his seat. The moment he was standing, Asuka put one of his arms around her shoulders and not-quite-dragged him out of the cafeteria without a word of protest. Perhaps their mothers would know something that could help them with the looming situation. At the very least, they could do some catching up, preferably without the mental nudging and winking whenever their fellow pilot came up in conversation.

Rei got up and followed them. Even though Shinji was still as blank to her sight as a wall, something about his relationship with Asuka made him... glow, when they were synchronised, as if Asuka was sharing a piece of her soul with Shinji.

A stark contrast from her own situation.

While they were on their way, Asuka got on the phone to Doctor Akagi and asked to use the simulators. Since she was busy with other things, she designated the bridge crew as overseers for the training and gave them permission to throw whatever they could at the pilots.

Shinji was already starting to get flashbacks to his training week of hell.

XXX

"Thinly slice these, dicethat, and just cut the ends off those," said Hikari.

"Yeah... I think I got it this time," said Toji.

"Are you sure? I could repeat it a third time if you like."

"No no, I'll be fine!"

A knock at the door drew the couple's attention away from their work in the kitchen. A second later, Toji was shouting at Hisae not to run as she ran to answer the door, without even looking around. Despite his best efforts as well as Hikari's, his little sister was just far too happy to be able to move under her own power.

Feeling that Toji could finally be trusted with the task she gave him, Hikari headed for the front door as well.

"Hi!" Hisae chirped. "Who're you?"

"Hisae, that's not how you answer the door!" Hikari admonished, before noticing who it was that had knocked. "Oh hello... Natsumi Akera, right?"

The black-haired girl nodded. "Hello Horaki. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I wasn't sure where else to turn."

Hikari's head tilted to the side. "What do you mean?"

Akera looked somewhat nervous as she asked, "Do you happen to know where Kensuke Aida is staying? I wanted to speak to him about something."

Hikari looked at her for a moment before turning to Hisae. "Please go help your brother in the kitchen."

Hisae, either very perceptively or simply already bored, replied, "'Kay!" and, of course, ran off to the kitchen. Hikari stepped out into the hallway and pulled the door to behind her.

"I already get the feeling I'm not going to like the answer," Akera remarked.

"Sadly, you would be entirely correct," replied Hikari. "But... don't you already know about him being a pilot?"

"A what?" Akera blinked several times. "You mean like Ikari, Ayanami and that transfer student? Aida's one as well?"

"Did he not mention it at all?" Hikari asked, puzzled.

"The only times we have spoken, it has been about his photography. That is why I have been looking for him, in fact. So you're telling me he's still in Tokyo-3?

Hikari looked down, briefly fidgeting with a loose thread on her dress. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but there are two pieces of bad news regarding him. The first is that, yes, he's still in Tokyo-3. The second is..." She paused, and Akera immediately cut in.

"Something happened to him, right?"

"Y-yes, how did you know?"

"You wouldn't be hesitating if it wasn't something bad."

Hikari sighed heavily. She hated having to tell a lie, but the truth was just too grim. "The last we heard before leaving Tokyo-3 was that he'd been badly hurt somehow. Ever since then we haven't even been able to get in touch with Aida's father."

"I see." Akera turned around. Without looking back, she added. "Thank you for your time, Horaki. Enjoy the rest of your day."

It may have been her imagination, but Hikari thought she heard a hitch in Akera's voice. She watched her leave, then headed back inside to come face to face with Hisae.

"She likes that boy," the girl said, suddenly looking serious.

Hikari stared at Hisae for a moment. "Perhaps, but that's none of our business," she replied. "There's nothing that can be done about it anyway, since he's still in NERV's hospital."

Toji's voice rang out from the family room. "Uh, Hikari? About that... You gotta come see this."

The television's volume was turned up as they came into the family room, and the first thing Hikari noticed about the news bulletin was the familiar skyline of Tokyo-3.

"-just received word that the head of NERV, Commander Gendo Ikari, is planning to use the Evangelions to create what is being called a Third Impact. The JGSDF, JASDF and JSSDF have been mobilised to assault NERV Headquarters and neutralise the threat by any means necessary."

"What the hell?!" Toji shouted. "The military's attackin' Tokyo-3?!"

Hikari put a hand to her mouth in shock. "Our friends!"

"Are they gonna be okay, big bro?" Hisae asked, grasping Toji's arm.

"Of course they are, sis!" Toji put one hand over Hisae's, and his other hand gently ruffled her hair. "Those guys have taken down Angels. The military ain't got no chance in hell!"

XXX

Around the world, numerous aircraft took to the skies from military bases as well as aircraft carriers. Fuel tankers flew ahead, some of them there merely to refuel other tankers before returning home. Most of the other aircraft were there for what any inquisitive people were told were 'training and surveillance units for experimental aircraft on test flights'. Their true goal was to escort the 'experimentals' as they headed out over the ocean. The escortees, none of them having ever so much as been mentioned in any experimental aircraft documents, began their long flight towards their target.

In Japan itself, dozens of armoured vehicles and hundreds of soldiers were deploying. Several of their own aircraft were also in the sky, but none of them seemed to show the slightest interest in the aircraft heading towards their country. Instead they, just like the incoming forces, were heading towards one specific point: Tokyo-3.

Ahead of both groups, other units were slipping through gaps in the city's sensor net; gaps that had been created by Angel attacks and left open due to budget cuts. The outposts that were still operating were infiltrated and neutralised to blind NERV to what was coming, the people stationed there brutally silenced.

All this served only to delay the inevitable. The MAGI quickly put together that too many red flags were being raised and sounded the alarm. The few remaining outposts locked themselves down, and the invading force changed tactics to focus on the Geofront itself, which had also gone into lockdown.

Deep underground, Misato stared at the screens delivering updates on enemy activity and sighed.

"Looks like the final battle in the Angel War will be human against human."