Chapter 30 - Leliel
Misato crept quietly along the tunnel, gun drawn but pointing downward with her index finger resting on the trigger guard. Her heeled shoes were somewhere back along the tunnel, abandoned in favour of stealth. The not-really-just-a-shadow ahead of her stopped in front of a panel next to a pair of massive metal doors, large enough to fit an Evangelion riding on the shoulders of another Evangelion.
As her target fiddled with the panel Misato sneaked up behind them, halting just out of lunging range, and brought up her handgun to point it at their back. They stiffened as she loudly toggled the safety.
"Perhaps I should have tried to get you to drink some more," remarked her target without moving. "You certainly seem overly chipper today."
"Wouldn't have worked," replied Misato. "I'd have just been suspicious as to why you were so eager for me to reenact our college benders, Kaji."
The scruffy man turned around and shrugged diplomatically. "Ah well, it was worth a shot."
"So what are you doing down here?" she asked, keeping her gun aimed at his centre of mass. "And if you try to say you got lost on your way to the bathroom I might just have to shoot you out of sheer principle."
"Come now, I'd like to think I have a bit more imagination than that," Kaji drawled with a chuckle.
Despite their history, Kaji was far too relaxed for a man being held at gunpoint for Misato's liking. "How about you just tell me why you're really down here? And while you're at it, you can also tell me who you're really working for. You're certainly not down here on NERV business. Even I don't really have clearance to be down here."
Humour twinkled in Kaji's eyes. "Oooh, naughty naughty, Miss Major! But you're correct. Only three people can be down here, and neither of us are among them."
Misato growled, her trigger finger clenching slightly on the guard.
Kaji relented. "Alright, alright. Look, I'm sorry for not being open with you about my... second job, but it's not exactly something we can chat about by the water cooler."
"We've had plenty of chances to talk in private," she argued, before glancing around at the walls and spotting a noticeable absence of something important.
"Ah, you've noticed it too, huh?" said Kaji, drawing her attention back to him. "No security cameras down here; the people monitoring them might see something they're not supposed to and have to be... replaced."
"So you futzed about with the systems covering the entrance to this area in order to sneak a peek for yourself, then?"
"Not just for myself. The Japanese Department of Home Affairs would likely be very interested in what's behind door number one, if my theory is correct."
Misato raised an eyebrow. "And what theory is that?"
Kaji grinned disarmingly, before reaching behind him and pressing a button on the panel. "Let's see if I'm right together, shall we?"
Warning lights turned the tunnel red as the titanic doors slid ponderously yet almost silently open. Misato shifted her aim to cover the entrance, but what she soon saw as the doors fully opened resulted in her arms dropping to hang slack by her sides. The space beyond was truly gargantuan; likely it could have contained all of Tokyo-3 with room to spare. But it was what was in the middle of the emptiness that caught Misato's eye.
A portly white humanoid figure, seemingly larger than even an Evangelion, was hanging from a just-as-large red cross by hands impaled by giant metal bolts. Its legs appeared to have been removed, with only some small strange growths in their place. A purple mask embedded into its face decorated with seven eyes served to top off the weirdness of the creature.
"What... the hell is this?!" Misato quietly gasped.
Kaji let out a low whistle. "Guess I was right after all." He slowly stepped in front of Misato and raised a hand as if to present the white giant to her. "Katsuragi, may I introduce to you... the cause of Second Impact and everything that unfolded afterwards: Adam."
"Adam?!" Misato spluttered in outrage as memories of being at ground zero for Second Impact flashed through her mind. "Why is NERV hiding this down here?!"
"I don't know," Kaji admitted, his face finally as serious as the situation warranted. "But I intend to find out."
XXX
It started as a minuscule blip in the sky; only somebody who both knew exactly where to look and could fly would have had the slightest chance of spotting it, and even then might have dismissed it as a figment of their imagination. The scanning systems of Tokyo-3, on the other hand, had no imagination; they were immediately convinced that something was in the sky above the city, flashing the words 'BLOOD TYPE: ORANGE' on the giant holographic screen in the NERV command centre.
"Is it invisible?" Shigeru wondered out loud as the bridge officers looked up at the screen.
"Scans are showing nothing," said Makoto. "Not getting anything with radar, laser or thermal sensors."
"A glitch in the system?" Misato asked, turning to face Ritsuko. Just as her friend opened her mouth, she hurriedly added. "I mean with the scanners, not the MAGI. I know they don't glitch."
Mollified, Ritsuko turned her gaze to the screen, just in time to see a large flock of birds sedately fly into view. They made it about two thirds of the way across the screen before the entire flock seemed to panic and spread out, as if to dodge a predator that had appeared in their midst.
"Not a glitch then," said Ritsuko, tapping her chin. "Those birds obviously sensed something. Focus on the area they avoided."
The view panned slightly left and then zoomed in, the birds soon disappearing from sight.
"Nothing yet," reported Makoto.
"Keep going then," Ritsuko ordered. "Sweep that spot with everything and have the MAGI sift through every byte of data we get back."
"Think we're looking at an Angel?" Misato asked after a couple of minutes of staring at the screen. She closed her eyes and huffed. "Oh wait. This is NERV. Of course it's going to be a damn Angel."
"Time to call in the pilots?" Ritsuko suggested.
"Can't hurt," Misato replied. "If it turns out to be nothing, we can just give them a sync test or some simulator training."
Ritsuko folded her arms, tapping a hand against an elbow. "I think I'd be perfectly happy with a false alarm, even if I have to rush people off their feet to get a sync test ready." She glanced at Maya. "Send the call."
"Gonna put money down now," Shigeru remarked. "It ain't a false alarm."
"Ever the optimist," Misato replied with a smirk.
XXX
By the time the Children arrived at the command centre, suited up and ready for anything, the anomaly had mutated. There was now a single tiny black dot in the centre of the screen that could have been mistaken for a dead pixel, had it not been for the fact that every camera trained on the spot saw the same thing.
"So the good news is we can finally see it," said Misato. "Bad news is we still have no idea what it is or what it's doing."
"What about sending one of us out?" Kensuke suggested. "We could do some close recon and send the data back."
Ritsuko hummed in thought, staring over Maya's shoulder at the lieutenant's monitor. According to the MAGI the anomaly was steadily growing at an almost unnoticeable rate. Initial predictions established that it would grow and cover all of the main Tokyo-3 area in approximately a month.
"Send me 'n Shinji!" Asuka blurted out, frantically waving a hand to catch the attention of the adults. "We're the most experienced pilots, after all!"
"Well, somebody's enthusiastic about this completely unknown thing," Ritsuko remarked. She glanced at Misato, and a silent conversation seemed to take place between them for the next few seconds. Eventually, they both shrugged.
"Fine," said Misato, swiftly raising a hand to cut off Asuka's jubilation. "But you're not going out alone." She paused, glancing between Asuka and Shinji. "Well... you know what I mean. Kensuke, Rei, you two will sortie in Unit-02 and Unit-00 to cover them while they investigate."
Rei nodded once, and Kensuke looked equal parts excited and apprehensive.
"But!" Misato turned a serious look on Asuka and Shinji, reducing the Second Child's enthusiasm. "I want to make this very clear. You are going to do a quick recon, and that is it. If anything happens with the anomaly, you will withdraw, understood? We're not going to have a repeat of Israfel."
The co-pilots of Unit-01 nodded at the same time and said, "Yes, ma'am."
"Well with that I can tell you're both on the same page. Now get to your Evas!"
XXX
This trip up the launch catapults wasn't the intense, pressed-into-the-seat ride of previous deployments; it was slower, more cautious, with someone in the command centre ready to reverse the direction of the catapults at a moment's notice. The target was barely even visible to the naked eye, and nothing about it resembled previous Angel encounters. There was no doubt in Shinji's mind that this was an Angel; nothing else simply fit as a reasonable explanation.
The catapult came to an almost gentle halt on the surface outside of Tokyo-3. Unit-01 stepped out of the cradle as the other two Evangelions joined it. All three shared a nod, before Unit-00 collected its weapon and headed for its designated position behind the hills nearby. Unit-02 brought up its Pallet Rifle to its chest like a soldier standing at attention; Unit-01 merely checked the safety on its own weapon before proceeding into the city.
It felt somewhat strange, sneaking around the city they were supposed to be defending. The two Evangelions crouch-walked through the streets, keeping their heads below the buildings surrounding them. Periodically, Unit-01 would come to a stop and glance down a street towards the anomaly while Unit-02 would cover their rear. Then a purple hand would pat a red shoulder, and they would continue on their way. Eventually, they reached the point where Unit-01 would be going ahead solo.
"Be careful," said Kensuke as Unit-02 gathered up its power cable to keep it from getting tangled up with the other Evangelion's cable, and crouched behind an armoured building, only its head and arm poking out to aim the Pallet Rifle at the anomaly.
"I am careful incarnate," Asuka snarked, earning a chuckle from Shinji sitting in front of her. With no more to be said, they cut the comm and focused on the task in front of them. Even this close physically, the strange object looked like a boring black dot painted on the sky. Behind him, Asuka took a deep breath. "Right," she said. "Let's see what we can do about this thing."
Unit-01 proceeded carefully along the street, weapon constantly trained on the anomaly. Nothing happened as they approached, and nothing continued to happen once they halted only a few dozen meters away.
"Close enough?" Asuka asked of the command centre.
"Fine for our purposes," replied Ritsuko. "Sensor link established, initiating broad spectrum sweep. Hold your position for a couple minutes."
And just like that, the situation felt so much more tense to Shinji. Here they were, practically right underneath the definitely-an-Angel, doing nothing but staring up at it while other people, safe in their underground bunker, poked it with a stick.
"Easy, Shinji," Asuka quietly cautioned, clearly having felt his discomfort through their link.
"S-sorry," he mumbled, glad she couldn't see his face. He began to slowly inhale and exhale; the LCL oxygenated their bodies and eliminated the physiological need to breathe, but there was still a psychological desire, to try and purge the nervousness from his system.
"Okay, we're done," came Ritsuko's voice, almost sending Shinji flying out of his seat in surprise and earning a snort of amusement from his co-pilot. "Not as much new data as I would like, but I'll take what I can get."
"Time to withdraw," Misato ordered.
"Right," Shinji and Asuka said together. He relaxed slightly as Unit-01 turned around, heading back towards Kensuke and Unit-02.
"...Huh," said Asuka. "Is it getting overcast?"
They looked up, just as the comm lit up with shouts of alarm.
"Pattern Blue! It's an Angel!"
"Permission to engage!"
"Get out of there, now!"
All that went ignored by Shinji and Asuka, transfixed as they were on the giant black and white orb floating directly above them.
"MOVE!"
Misato's shout jerked Unit-01's pilots out of their stupor and the Evangelion began to run... only to instantly stop and almost fall over.
"What the hell?!" Shinji exclaimed in shock. "Where did this... tar stuff come from?!"
A veritable lake of inky blackness covered the area around them, nearby buildings starting to sink like it was quicksand. A cascade of German curses flew from Asuka's mouth as she and Shinji struggled to shift Unit-01's feet out of it, but Shinji couldn't even feel his own feet anymore. Ahead of them, Unit-02 stepped out from behind cover and opened fire, emptying the Pallet Rifle's magazine into the Angel. Unit-00 also began shooting, but the bullets merely passed harmlessly through the orb like it wasn't there.
"D-damnit!"
Unit-02 dropped its weapon and charged forward, skidding to a halt as it neared the blackness trapping Unit-01. It grabbed onto its stricken comrade's power cable and began to tug. Unit-01 was now up to its waist and still sinking.
"Don't pull too hard!" Asuka exclaimed. "The socket isn't rated for hauling Evas!"
"Well I'm fresh out of rope to throw for you!" Kensuke angrily retorted as Unit-02 began to back up the street, pulling the cable taut.
Panic started to set in as Shinji felt the tugging on his back. He tried to kick the Evangelion's legs, but with no feeling below his hips, he could barely even tell if his own legs were doing anything.
"Goddamnit, let us go!" Asuka roared. Unit-01 pointed its weapon down at the blackness and fired, to no visible effect. The command centre was still in an uproar, but the comm link was starting to hiss with static.
"We're losing connection with Unit-01! Ejection commands aren't getting through!"
And then Unit-01's power socket cracked apart, the end of the cable flying towards Unit-02. Thinking quickly, Kensuke grabbed the end and threw it back to Unit-01, who latched on with both hands.
"Get us out of here! Please!" Shinji fearfully yelled.
"Calm down Shinji, you're damaging our sync!" Asuka was trying to sound in control, but Shinji could definitely feel her dread. Which only served to increase his own terror as the sensation of nothingness crept up to his armpits.
Unit-00 arrived and quickly gathered up the cable behind Unit-02, wrapping it several times around an arm before leaning backwards, feet digging into the road surface. Both rescuers were slowly being pulled forward towards the blackness, no matter how hard they pulled.
Asuka, seeing that the rescue wasn't working, cursed even more, then shouted, "Just let us go you two, before you get trapped as well!"
At almost the same time, Misato gave what was likely the hardest order she'd ever had to give. "Rei! Kensuke! Retreat now!"
"Are you joking?!"
"They are still trapped!"
While their teammates gave the expected cries of disapproval, Shinji turned a betrayed look on Asuka. "What are you saying?!" he asked in horror.
"It's no good if all of us get stuck in here." Asuka grimly replied. "Fall back and work on a plan to rescue us. We'll be fine, no Angel's gonna digest us without a fight!"
Unit-00 stopped hauling on the cable as Rei hit them with a serious look through the staticky comm window. "We will come for you," she stated with such surety that Shinji was positive Rei would leap into the void if that was what it took to rescue them.
"Heh, I know you will, Wondergirl," Asuka darkly laughed. She held out a fist, thumb pointing upwards.
Unit-01 mimicked the gesture as it sank into the abyss.
XXX
Feeling returned to Shinji's body as suddenly as a slammed door, but that didn't make him feel any better. He groaned, and heard a mirrored groan from behind him.
"Well we're still alive," Asuka remarked as he shifted in his seat to face her. "Although I wonder how long we have until we get... digested or whatever."
She brought up a holographic keyboard and screen, and began to rapidly type commands into it. "Wherever we are, there's no oxygen outside the Eva so we're stuck in here. Speaking of which... better shut down everything non-essential."
Background noises that Shinji had instinctively tuned out over months of piloting were suddenly too loud in their absence. "So... how long do we have?" he nervously asked.
Asuka thought for a moment, fingers still tapping away at the keyboard. "Well if nothing happens, at full power the entry plugs are rated for sixteen hours of life support with everything else shut down. We did lose the power cable a bit beforehand so we might... have... less what the fuck?!"
Shinji shied away from her sudden anger. "What? What is it?"
Asuka ignored him for a moment as she practically slammed her fingers on the keyboard, her scowl deepening as the seconds ticked by. Finally, she balled a hand into a fist and smacked it into the side of the entry plug. "Scheiße! Wir haben nur acht Stunden Lebenserhaltung, nicht sechzehn, zum Teufel! Was soll der Scheiß!?"
In his surprise at the outburst, it took Shinji a moment to mentally translate, but then the surprise turned into fear. "W-what?! Only half the life support we're supposed to have? Is it... because there's two of us in one plug?"
Asuka took a deep breath, running a gloved hand down her face. "It can't be just that. NERV would surely have upgraded the life support system when building the dual sync plug." She blinked, eyes widening and hand covering her mouth as her head turned towards Shinji. "...Right?"
Her voice was almost pleading now.
"...Right?!"
TIME REMAINING: 07:46:12
XXX
"Damnit!"
Rei glanced over at Aida as the boy smacked a fist against the corridor wall, leaving a smear of LCL behind. The two of them had just returned from their disastrous mission, and had been asked to immediately report to Major Katsuragi in the command centre. There was no time to waste on rest and cleanup; a plan had to be formulated as soon as possible.
"Why did she make us retreat like that?!" he demanded. "We could have still saved them!"
"That is incorrect," Rei replied. "Whatever was pulling Unit-01 in had seemingly infinite force behind it. The strength of our two Evangelions was not enough to even slow it down. If we had continued to attempt a rescue, we would have been captured as well."
Aida hissed in anger. "How can you be so nonchalant?" he asked. "Our friends are trapped... or they might even be dead!"
Rei frowned. There was no doubt in Rei's mind that Shinji and Asuka were still alive, but she could not understand just how she was so sure. "Do not mistake my calmness for disregard," she reproachfully said. "I am most upset that Shinji and Asuka are currently trapped, but getting angry and hitting things will not solve the problem."
Taking a deep breath, Aida closed his eyes and exhaled. His other hand, carrying his glasses, came up to put them on his face. "Okay, yeah, you're right," he muttered. "And a soldier shouldn't get mad about things out of his control."
Rei's head tilted forward in a slight nod of approval.
The Angel had been truly different from its predecessors. One moment it had been an almost insignificant blip in her sights, and the next it had expanded to darken an entire block of Tokyo-3 directly above Unit-01. Every shot fired had passed through it as if it wasn't even there with not so much as a ripple across its surface, and the void it had opened up swallowed everything in its radius without distinction.
"None of our training could have possibly prepared us for this," said Rei.
"Yeah." Aida gave a humourless chuckle. "It's like preparing for a sword fight your whole life, and on the day your opponent shows up with a Gatling gun."
The command centre was full of grim faces, but none of them could hold a candle to Misato's sullen demeanour.
"No contact with the shelter underneath the Angel?" she asked as Rei and Aida walked in.
"None, I'm afraid," replied Lieutenant Hyuga. "But the thickness of the Angel is only three nanometers. The ground underneath it still seems intact from what we can make out, so all we can do is hope the same is true for the shelter."
"Wait, thickness of the Angel?" asked Aida.
Misato turned to greet them. "Ah, you're here. As it turns out, that thing-" she pointed at the floating orb on the main viewscreen, "-is not actually the Angel itself. There's some really weird physics stuff going on, but basically the sphere is just the shadow that the Angel, which is actually the void underneath it, casts in our dimension."
Aida paused to take this all in."So... Shinji and Asuka were pulled into another dimension? Not... eaten or whatever?"
"Yes," said Doctor Akagi. "But that's all we currently know, since despite having a six-hundred eighty meter hole to look into, we can't get any readings out of it."
"Could you not lower a probe in, like at Mount Asama?" suggested Rei, staring up at the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, Aida gave her a look of slight puzzlement, reminding her that he hadn't been brought into NERV at that point. Perhaps later, once all this was over and her friends were safe, she would bring him up to speed on the previous Angel attacks.
Doctor Akagi sighed in exasperation. "I'd absolutely love to try that. But we don't have any, and it would take more time than we have to build one from scratch."
"We are working against a time limit then?"
"Correct. If they were smart and immediately shut down everything but life support, Shinji and Asuka should have around sixteen hours before..." Doctor Akagi looked away.
"Before all we'd get back is a couple of cold bodies," Misato darkly finished, clenching a fist at her side.
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 07:42:33
Shinji and Asuka were slumped in their seats, still stunned at the revelation. Even after double- and triple-checking the readouts, the truth was clear: whatever error had been made had left them with only half the rated survival time that they were supposed to have.
The holographic computer had been deactivated, leaving the entry plug almost completely dark. Only the dimmest of red emergency lighting gave the shadows some definition.
Shinji's mind whirled chaotically, madcap plans to break Unit-01 out intermingling with thoughts of their friends attempting the same, in between pessimistic predictions about their chances of survival.
"I'm... going to adjust a couple things," Asuka quietly stated. "See if I can buy us more time."
The entry plug lit up again as the holographic computer returned. "...Like what?" asked Shinji.
"All I can really do is adjust the temperature," she admitted. "I don't have access to much in the way of higher order commands or I could try and do more; maybe even arrange to render us unconscious to extend the life support by quite a bit. The heating is going to give out eventually, in fact it tends to be the first thing to fail so that life support can go as long as possible, but if I turn it down a bit now it should last a little longer. I can cope if I knock the temperature down a couple degrees, what about you?"
Shinji quietly exhaled. "Do what you have to, Asuka. I'll manage."
"...Okay."
A slight prickling of Shinji's skin a minute later told him that Asuka had made the change, and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around his torso. He said he would manage, and he was not about to look like a weakling in front of Asuka. Especially since he could feel her trying her best to remain calm and rational.
And that in itself was a worrying thought. The two of them weren't supposed to spend too long in an entry plug together for fear of their minds melding too much. But Unit-01 was powered down, and he was still getting flickers of emotion from Asuka.
Still, he wouldn't wish a prison like this on anybody who was trapped by themselves. He would gladly risk whatever mental contamination could occur if it meant Asuka didn't suffer alone.
XXX
"So what's the plan then?" asked Kensuke. "Surely you have something we can at least attempt."
"Nothing yet," replied Doctor Akagi. "But it's been less than an hour. If either of you have any ideas at all, by all means let us know. We're open to almost anything."
"In the meantime," said Misato. "Go freshen up, and have something to eat. Maybe have a quick nap if possible; there's bunkrooms near the cages. You're both on standby for the foreseeable future."
"Yes ma'am," said the two teenagers; not quite in sync like Shinji and Asuka could manage, but relatively close. Aida also threw in a salute for good measure.
Misato nodded at them and turned her attention back to the viewscreen as they left the command centre.
Outside in the corridor, Kensuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't suppose you've got a brilliant, foolproof plan to rescue our friends yet, do you? Because I'm fresh out."
Rei slowly shook her head. "I have been attempting to think of a plan ever since they were taken. Nothing has yet become solid." What she didn't mention was how most of her thoughts kept getting interrupted by the memory of Shinji's face, frozen in an expression of abject fear. She sharply exhaled, attempting once more to banish the mental image, and headed off for the female change room while Aida headed for the male side.
She then proceeded to remove her plugsuit and take the longest shower she had ever had.
Twelve minutes later she emerged from a cloud of steam, wrapped in a towel. The staff had done their usual swift and discreet job, leaving a fresh plastic-wrapped plugsuit sitting on a bench in the main area of the changing room. Rei donned the plugsuit, discarding the towel in the hamper, and walked out into the corridor. The faint sound of water from next door told her that Aida was still showering, so she headed off to the cafeteria alone.
There, the head chef greeted her in the dining area with a serious nod. "Major Katsuragi called ahead. Told us to give you something to last for a while. We're preparing something right now, it'll just be a few more minutes."
Rei nodded. "Thank you," was her simple reply.
The chef returned the nod, and went back to the kitchen, while Rei sat at a table and waited patiently. Aida soon showed up, face still red from the shower, and sat across from her. Just as the head chef said, their meals soon arrived, and they dug in.
Once their plates were empty, the head chef returned carrying a small plastic bag. "I've also got some energy bars in case you get hungry while on standby," he said, showing them one of the bars in question.
"That is appreciated, but unnecessary," said Rei.
"Ayanami," Aida cut in, giving her a serious look. "It's always a good idea to accept extra food. You never know when supply lines will be cut."
Puzzlement crossed Rei's face. They weren't even going to be outside of Tokyo-3. "...I hardly think that will be a problem in this situation."
"Perhaps, but I like to be prepared for every eventuality." Aida looked up at the chef. "Thank you very much," he said as he accepted the bag. The chef gave a smile and an airy farewell wave as he walked back to the kitchen with their plates.
"Let me guess," said Rei once they left the cafeteria. "We should try to get some sleep now, because 'you never know'?"
The sides of Kensuke's mouth turned upwards. "Heh, you read my mind, Ayanami. Just like food, rest can sometimes be hard to come by, so grab what you can."
"Very well."
With that said, the two pilots headed off to the bunkrooms. Just like the change rooms, they were split up for male and female personnel. Aida bid Rei goodnight, despite it being the middle of the day, and walked into the male room.
In the female room, Rei laid down and waited for sleep to come. To her mild surprise, she wasn't able to fall asleep as quickly as usual. Normally, she could practically will herself to sleep; a useful trait when constantly stuck in hospital. But this time, sleep was eluding her, and she had a reasonably good guess as to why.
Shinji and Asuka, still trapped within the Angel. And despite Doctor Akagi claiming that they would be alright for sixteen hours, Rei felt a strange sense of urgency, as if they should be doing everything possible right now. She couldn't work out if it was something that had been overlooked, or if she was just desperate to do something besides waiting.
It was strange just what two people had managed to do to her worldview. Before Shinji and Asuka had arrived in her life, Rei had been content to simply coast along, waiting for the time when the Commander would need her to perform the task she had been created for. There had been little point in interacting with people at school, where she had heard the whispers behind her back such as the 'Ice Queen' nickname somebody had seen fit to give her.
But then Shinji and Asuka had decided to greet her at school, and that was where things had taken a turn for the odd; perhaps also for the better. Rei had noticed Shinji's lack of light when they had met in Unit-01's cage, but she hadn't been in any position to do anything about what could have been a hallucination. This time, however, she could act against what she had initially taken to be a SEELE agent, and only Asuka's presence had prevented her from immediately unfurling her AT-Field and smearing Shinji across the grass.
Those few seconds of hesitation had saved Shinji's life. Or perhaps it was Asuka demanding her attention, and her strangeness, that had kept him alive. They had taken an interest in her ability to see people's light, but had simply accepted it instead of ostracising her as she had been worried about for a brief moment. And in turn, she had accepted their unique circumstances.
In the darkness of the bunkroom, Rei gave a quiet huff as she rolled over on the bed. Thinking of Shinji and Asuka in a better time seemed to be easing her mind. Perhaps now she could finally fall asl-
"Wake up! We've got a problem!"
Rei sat bolt upright, blinking in confusion. She hadn't actually fallen asleep yet, had she? She looked around to see that Misato was standing in the doorway to the bunkroom, Aida just behind her, and she quickly hopped out of bed. "What is the matter, Major?" she asked.
Frustration was etched into Misato's face. She gave a short growl before replying. "Ritsuko discovered that some idiot technician didn't dispose of the prototype dual sync plug, it's been mislabelled as the latest model and got put into Unit-01 today. Among other things Shinji and Asuka aren't running with an upgraded life support system."
Thinking quickly about the standard entry plug specifications, Rei came to the obvious conclusion. "So both of them are using a normal entry plug's life support system, which is not rated for two people and therefore only has half the capacity."
Misato nodded. "Yeah. And now they only have about five and a half hours left."
Rei glanced at the wall clock next to the door, and was quietly surprised. She had fallen asleep, for about two hours. Two hours that had harshly reduced the time her trapped friends had left.
Seemingly reading her mind, Aida said, "That's time we shouldn't have spent sleeping!"
Misato sighed, turning to head back out into the corridor. "There's nothing we can do about that now. Get freshened up if you need to, then come to the briefing room. We can't afford to waste any more time."
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 5:32:56
In the darkness of the entry plug, the quiet was starting to prey on its occupants' minds. Both Shinji and Asuka had occasionally spoken up, thinking they had heard something neither of them had said or even thought. They needed a distraction, but there weren't many conversation topics available while trapped in a metal tube inside a void. And time was running out.
Shinji's stomach took that perfect moment to grumble. He blushed, putting a hand over his stomach to try and quell it, but his efforts were futile.
"Getting hungry?"
"...Yeah."
Asuka sighed. "Me too. For once I regret not eating before piloting."
Shinji gave a brittle smile. "What are you going to make when we get out of here?"
"Hah!" He felt her slap the back of his seat. "Look at you being all optimistic!"
"Well I'm not exactly eager to die trapped in limbo."
"Yes, but there's nothing we can do from in here. We don't have the power to try and escape, and it's inhospitable outside the Eva."
Shinji brought up a hand to rub at his forehead in frustration. He hated that she was right; all he wanted to do was power up and smash their way out of this ridiculous angel. But all that would happen would be a minute at best of aimless flailing... and then death by oxygen deprivation.
"Well actually, the power-on sequence alone would use up the rest of our power," Asuka helpfully added. "We wouldn't even get a second of flailing."
"I didn't say anything," Shinji retorted, before something struck him. He twisted in his seat to stare at her.
"You did say something!" Asuka huffed, crossing her arms. "You said we'd get a minute of aimless flailing!"
"No, I just thought that!"
"Y-" Asuka froze, her eyes widening. "...Shit. We must've been in here too long. Our minds are starting to bleed together."
"But we're powered down!" Shinji argued. "How could we be synchronising?"
Asuka slumped in her seat, mirroring the hand-on-forehead slouch he had done just a minute ago.
"I... don't know."
XXX
Sparing only a moment to go to the bathroom, Rei rushed to catch up to Aida and Major Katsuragi, rejoining them in the corridor just outside the briefing room. They stepped into the room together, to see that Doctor Akagi as well as Lieutenants Ibuki, Aoba and Hyuga were already present. Papers and electronic devices were strewn about the table, and the ashtray was already half-full of Akagi's cigarette butts.
Rei sat down across from the frazzled doctor, Aida taking the seat next to her. Major Katsuragi remained standing, hovering over Hyuga's shoulder.
"Just gonna get this out there right now," said Aida. "Lowering one of our Evas in, even just for a quick look, is out of the question?"
"Already thought of that," Akagi replied, not looking up from her computer. "Anything that gets caught in the void is sucked in. We almost lost a whole crane to it before the boom snapped off."
"So there is nothing we can do to pull them out," Rei clarified.
"We'd still have to find them first anyway," Misato remarked. "What with the other side of that void being either an entire other dimension or a portal to somewhere else in the universe."
"At the moment I only have half of one plan," said Doctor Akagi. "A last resort sort of thing. Before I say what it is though, understand that I know this is going to sound terrible, to the point that at least one person here is most likely going to get angry at me."
Rei and Aida glanced at each other. "Is... this a scorched earth kind of terrible plan?" the male pilot hesitantly asked.
Akagi nodded dolefully. "Yes. The last resort is to drop every single N2 mine we have into the Angel, all 992 of them, and using your AT-Fields to help focus the blast into the Angel to disrupt it."
"What." Katsuragi's reply was accompanied by her eyes glaring daggers at the side of Akagi's head. "Are you actually suggesting we blow the kids to hell?!"
"Like I've said twice before, Misato," Akagi replied, glaring right back at the woman, "Last. Resort. If we can't get the pilots out intact, we still need to at least try and recover Unit-01. We cannot allow it to remain in the hands of an Angel."
"Wait," Aida interjected. "Wouldn't the mines just obliterate Unit-01?"
"The Evangelions can survive N2 mines," said Aoba. "...The occupants, on the other hands..."
Now Aida was delivering an intense look as well. "So your answer to not getting Shinji and Asuka out safely is to let them die screaming in agony?!"
"No!" Ibuki practically shouted. "We are going to give them as much time as possible, in the hopes that they can escape! We'll only be dropping the N2 mines in after the point where their life support would have given out and they'd be... be..." She trailed off, looking like she was about to cry.
"They'd be dead already by that point," Akagi finished, hesitantly raising a hand over Ibuki's shoulder before lamely letting it flop back down on the table. "I wasn't suggesting we go out right now and drop the bombs, there's still over five hours of life support left for them."
Rei finally spoke. "But there is no feasible way for us to mount a rescue. Any attempt from this end is doomed to failure. We cannot even be sure they are alive now, or that Unit-01 is still intact."
"Afraid so," said Hyuga. "That's the problem with an Angel whose form can only be explained through advanced mathematics."
Rei looked away, staring at nothing. "That is a field neither I nor Pilot Aida can help with. There is no point in us pilots being here if we cannot assist with planning. May we please be excused, Major?"
Katsuragi sighed, covering her face with a hand. "...Yeah, dismissed," she eventually said, waving them off with her other hand. "Your Evas are already up on the surface, so you may as well head up there now too. You don't need to ready up now, just stay near the outpost."
"Yes ma'am," said Aida, giving a crisp salute despite the anxiety he had to be feeling.
The journey to the surface was made in complete silence, although Aida was rather fidgety on the elevator ride. They silently parted ways on the surface after receiving a portable radio each from the NERV personnel stationed there. Aida headed off to their Evangelions, laying flat on the ground nearby, while Rei found herself strangely drawn to a nearby building.
Inside, an open elevator directly opposite the entrance seemed to call to her. With plenty of time left before the last resort, likely the only plan that would be put into action, Rei saw no problem with stepping into the elevator and going all the way to the top floor. There, the roof access door was also wide open as if she was expected to head outside. Ever cautious, Rei scanned the area, and then scanned the area, before slowly ascending the stairs to the doorway and poking her head out for a quick search. There was nothing in sight, but she remained vigilant as she stepped out onto the roof and looked around.
All she could see was the city of Tokyo-3, with the ominous shadow of Leliel off in the middle distance. There was no sign of anything that could have captured her attention, but for the moment Rei felt no desire to return to ground level. Instead she walked over to the edge, staring at Leliel through the chain-link safety fence as the setting sun gradually turned the sky red.
This Angel had taken Shinji and Asuka from her. The first two people she could consider as friends. She wanted little more than to throw caution to the wind by ripping the Angel apart with her AT-Field and dragging her friends back into the light. But that would cause far, far more problems than it would solve. After all, the energy required to personally assault the Angel would also tear her own body apart. It was simply not built to sustain an AT-Field as easily as an Evangelion.
However, Commander Ikari would likely disapprove of her throwing away a body like that, even if it did recover Unit-01 as well as the pilots. While she would simply wake up in a new body, too many people would find out about her... other half. There would be far too many witnesses that would have to be dealt with.
Not to mention SEELE.
Rei sighed, her eyes unfocused. No matter what, it seemed, her friends only had a few hours to live. The only consolation was that a death by lack of oxygen would be a quiet one. They would simply fall unconscious in the entry plug and never wake up again. Her chest twinged; Shinji and Asuka didn't deserve such an ignoble death. Not when they were such an incredible example of Instrumentality without needing Instrumentality.
The evening breeze suddenly felt cold on part of her cheek. Rei raised a hand to her face, discovering a line of wetness coming from her eye. She looked down at the residue on her fingers for a moment, before the open hand became a fist.
To hell with it. She would accept whatever punishment Commander Ikari saw fit to mete out, and if she was careful there would be no witnesses anyway; at least not on the surface. She would rather try everything she could, even if it meant her second death, rather than simply stand back and wait for Shinji and Asuka to perish.
Rei turned away from the Angel, heading back to the rooftop access door, only to stop in a hurry. It was that or walk right into somebody that was standing in the way. She took a step back, wondering why her Sight was suddenly acting so strangely. Was she about to be attacked? Was it SEELE making a move, or another Angel?
"Good evening, Miss Ayanami," said the tall, flame-haired woman. "I believe the Infernal Administration can assist with your little problem."
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 2:15:29
"Oh... s-shit."
"W-what is it, Asuka?"
"H-heating's finally g-gone..."
Shinji had been struggling mightily to not show any sign of the gradually dropping temperature for a while now, but Asuka was finally starting to feel it as well. Any longer and he wouldn't have been able to disguise the chattering of his teeth. "A-any id-ideas for g-getting out yet?"
"N-none. If it w-were any other Angel, I'd have ju-just powered up and f-fought it anyway, even if we d-died," replied Asuka. "D-die in battle, you kn-know. But th-there's n-nothing to f-fight here."
"S-so what do we d-do now?" Shinji hunched over in his seat, frantically rubbing his arms. "At th-this rate we'll f-freeze to death before the air r-runs out."
There was silence behind him for an uncomfortably long time; long enough to make Shinji worry that Asuka had fallen unconscious. Just as he was about to call her name, she spoke up.
"S-Shinji. C-come sit wi-with m-me."
"W-w-w-what?!" This time, the stuttering wasn't just due to the cold. Shinji turned around to deliver a shocked expression, only to see the deadly serious look directed back at him.
"We n-need to share body h-heat," said Asuka. "I'm too c-c-cold to complain about anything else, s-so get up here and s-sit in front of m-me. Now."
She was right: survival was far more important than being embarrassed. If they survived, then Asuka could go on about him being a pervert. There was no point insulting a corpse. Mentally bracing himself just in case, Shinji stood and clambered up the plug to Asuka's seat. She silently pushed herself as far back into the seat as possible, leaving space for him to sit down. Gingerly, he took the offered space... and almost jumped out of his own skin when a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him right up against Asuka's chest.
Well, he was already feeling warmer now, even if it was just from a full-body blush. And considering the circumstances, plus their seating arrangement, there would be little to fear from... thermal expansion.
"We... we will get through this," Asuka murmured in his ear.
Despite everything, Shinji found that he truly believed her.
XXX
"Infernal..." Rei echoed, before inhaling sharply. "You are-"
"Yes indeed. I am Bwynvienne. A pleasure to meet you at last." The woman gave a short bow, before straightening up and looking Rei in the eyes. "Lilith."
...This was unexpected, but considering what she already knew of this strange person, Rei should have realised that Bwynvienne could also tell exactly who and what she was.
"If you know who I am," she said aloud, "you know what I am capable of. Please step aside; I must go and save my friends."
"That's actually why I'm here," replied Bwynvienne. "I do know what you're capable of. And I know that with your fractured soul you wouldn't survive the attempt, with the effort that you would have to put in. Do you even know how to enter a different dimension?"
"...No," Rei admitted. She had had no intention of hunting for them, rather she had been planning to shred the Angel and sift through the pieces, so to speak.
The woman smiled widely. "That's where I can help. With my aid, you'll be able to rescue them safely."
"Why?"
"...Why what?"
"Why are you helping?" Rei clarified. "What is in it for you?"
"Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley-Soryu are my clients," explained Bwynvienne, tapping a hand against her collarbone. "And the Infernal Administration has taken something of an interest in their somewhat unique situation. Rather similar to Gendo Ikari's, as a matter of fact, which is another reason why I pop in and out occasionally. Besides..." She looked over Rei's shoulder at the Angel. "Leliel has been... something of an irritation to us for quite a while."
Rei frowned, glancing over her shoulder as well. "Irritation?" she echoed. That was certainly one word to use for this Angel.
"Dimensional travel is strictly regulated," said Bwynvienne. "There is a lot of paperwork and fees to pay for such an undertaking, unless you're an agent like me that's cleared for it. Unfortunately, Leliel just seems to do whatever it wants in regard to dimension hopping, and because of the nature of its existence we can't do a thing about it. How do you arrest a mathematical concept?"
Turning back to the woman, Rei exhaled softly. "What are you proposing?"
Bwynvienne expansively waved a hand. "As an agent of the Infernal Administration, I have been charged to render whatever assistance I can in order to recover my clients and hopefully send a message to Leliel that we do not tolerate its shenanigans. Therefore, I am proposing that I lend you my power to aid in the rescue of your friends."
Rei tilted her head slightly to one side, not quite understanding the offer.
"It would be easier to show you," Bwynvienne continued. "First, though, I need your permission."
Time was running out for Shinji and Asuka. Rei didn't have time to debate the trustworthiness of this strange woman. Worst case, she could... deal with her. "Very well. You have my permission."
The wind began to pick up; Bwynvienne gave Rei a smile as bright as her hair while her form began to shimmer. She raised a hand, index finger outstretched, and seemed to start drawing in the air with the finger. After a minute, she raised her other hand to point at Rei and then-
Rei blinked. Bwynvienne had vanished without a trace. Had she changed her mind?
Of course not, Miss Ayanami. I'm an Infernal of my word.
She gasped, looking sharply around the rooftop, but there was still no sign of the woman.
Come now, you're a clever young lady. Figure it out.
"O-oh..." Rei lamely said, ignoring the fact that the voice seemed amused by her confusion. "You have... joined with me." She placed a hand to her chest, feeling the additional weight added to her fragmented soul.
Yes, temporarily of course. No offence, but it's a right state in here. Not exactly a cosy living space, if you know what I mean, and that's putting it very politely.
Being the one that had to live like this, Rei knew exactly what Bwynvienne meant. It was however a little disturbing that she could visualise the state of her soul. "What happens now?"
Now, we do nothing for the moment. After that transition, we both need to restore our strength a bit. Admit it, you feel a little weak right now, yes? I can take this time to teach you how to get in there.
Indeed, Rei felt strangely fatigued. "Very well, but it will not be long before my friends are declared lost and NERV decides to bombard the Angel to... recover their property." She glanced at the radio in her hand. "Speaking of which, I must contact NERV and let them know we are going to rescue Shinji and Asuka."
If you don't mind, I would prefer to keep my involvement quiet.
"Alright. I am sure Doctor Akagi would be disinclined to believe this, anyway." Rei raised the radio to her mouth. "Pilot Ayanami to NERV HQ. I would like to request a secure line to Doctor Akagi in regards to the Angel."
A minute later, the scientist's voice came through the speaker. "What is it, Rei? We're in the middle of getting the bombers ready to deploy."
"That will not be necessary, Doctor." Rei turned and directed a stony glare at the black-and-white orb in the middle of the city. "I have a plan."
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 0:15:29
Shinji felt his head lolling forward and jerked it back upright, only just remembering in time that there was somebody sitting directly behind him. He carefully tilted his head backwards until it was sitting against the seat.
"Ox'gen's n'rly gone," Asuka mumbled, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Won't be much longer 'fore we fall 'sleep and nev'r wake up 'gain."
"Nuh," Shinji eloquently replied. "W'll be s'ved. Rei pr'm'sed."
He felt Asuka smile at his words. "She's prob'ly tearing th' Angel a new d'mens'nal 'sshole right now."
Shinji snorted in amusement, but didn't have the energy to keep the conversation going. It seemed like blackness was starting to creep in on the edges of his vision, and he was oh-so-tired.
"Tell me something, Shinji. What frightens you more: being rejected, or you or Asuka dying before you can tell her how you feel?"
And just like that, the tiredness vanished. Kaji's words echoed around his mind, bouncing off the inside of his skull.
"S'matter?" Asuka must have felt his full body jolt.
"Uh... n-nothing. Just... trying to stay awake," Shinji awkwardly replied, praying fervently that Asuka wasn't paying attention to his thoughts. Thankfully, either she was too tired or the creepy minds-bleeding-together thing had worn off.
"What frightens you more?"
Shinji squeezed his eyes shut, but the words seemed to be written on the insides of his eyelids.
"Instead of just assuming the worst, look back at the time you've spent with each other. What you've been through together."
Death seemed to be incredibly close, and to Shinji's surprise he found that it wasn't as terrifying as he had expected, all things considered. Perhaps it was because he would apparently just fall asleep forever, or perhaps it was because Asuka was with him.
"'suka?," he slurred, and felt his co-pilot focus on him.
"Wh't?"
"Jus' in case... you know... we don' make it," Shinji nervously began, struggling to summon up the energy. "'s there an'thin' y'feel like sayin'?"
"Mmm..." Asuka hummed in thought for a moment. Her head drifted side to side as she tried to stay awake and alert. "Nah. Had a g'd life. No r'grets. Gl'd we 'came fr'nds. Don' wanna die 'lone."
"...Same." Shinji felt his heart sink. Either this still wasn't enough to get her to say anything concrete, or Asuka simply thought of him as just a friend.
…
To hell with it. If they were going to die together, which was looking increasingly likely as the seconds rushed by, then Shinji wanted to be like Asuka; no regrets.
"'suka."
"Wh't?"
This time she sounded irritated. Shinji summoned up the last of his strength.
"Got... som'thin' myself, jus' 'n case."
"...Yeah?"
"Happy we're... friends too. Don' wan' die 'lone either. 'nd..." He shifted in hi-their seat so that he could look her in the eye without twisting his neck. "And..."
Live or die, Shinji Ikari was going to tell Asuka Langley-Soryu how he felt.
Asuka, with eyes half-closed, opened her mouth. "Wha-"
He leaned forward.
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 0:09:56
"We are running out of time."
We have plenty. Trust me.
"If this does not work-"
I'm an Infernal of my word. We will get them back.
Rei looked skyward at the planes circling overhead like vultures. The Angel was still set to be bombarded as soon as NERV decided that the pilots were unrecoverable. There was only ten minutes left until the first bombs would begin to fall.
Unit-00 and Unit-02 were standing on opposite ends of the Angel, a couple hundred metres away from the edge, for all the good they could do. Rei was only in her Evangelion to try and disguise what she was about to do. It would be far easier to explain things away as something a giant bio-mechanical weapon had accomplished rather than a fourteen year old girl.
A voice came through on a secure comm channel. "Everything's ready on my end, Rei. Do whatever it is you're planning."
"Understood," was her simple reply, before switching off the comm. She drew a deep breath, before closing her eyes and slowly exhaling.
Now that you know how to get in there, we're all set too. I'll be both helping to hold your self together, and acting as a... navigator, I suppose. Ready?
"Yes."
Then let's go.
Rei's vision went white as she felt something akin to her soul fly out of her body. When sight returned, she was floating directly above the black void of Leliel. A glance down at herself showed absolutely nothing; she was essentially invisible. Rei set her jaw and dove in.
A sensation of ice water flooding over her non-existent skin made Rei shiver for a moment, and then her 'eyes' started to feel strange. There was no blackness or whiteness; in fact there was a complete absence of... anything. Perhaps this was what it looked like beyond the event horizon of a black hole.
"How am I supposed to search like this?" asked Rei. "I cannot even be sure I can see anything."
That's what I'm here for. Together we can search this void between dimensions.
"Between... So Shinji and Asuka have not been transported elsewhere in the universe?"
No. Otherwise, no offence, I would be able to find them myself. Now then, this might feel a little funny, but it's necessary.
Rei felt a tap against her soul, and something finally appeared in the void, looking like a shockwave expanding outward from her. Realisation quickly dawned. "You are using me as a sort of sonar."
Sonar? What's that?
"A method of using sound waves underwater for navigation or detection."
There was a sensation that made Rei think of a raised eyebrow. Clever. This is definitely something similar; I'm using your soul to try and detect other souls in the area. It wouldn't work on my own because my soul is fundamentally different to both you and your friends.
"What is its range?"
Effectively limitless here, but of course it could potentially take a lot of time for something to bounce back to us if we just sit around. Time is somewhat different in here though; it's barely even been a few seconds outside. That's why I said we have plenty of time.
Rei hesitated. "...But this place could be infinitely large."
True, but your friends shouldn't have been in here long enough to drift beyond what we could reach, so let's start looking.
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 0:07:32
Ritsuko's eyes kept flickering back to the countdown timer. The MAGI had done what they could to predict how much time the pilots of Unit-01 had left, but even they couldn't see into the void. For all they knew, Unit-01 had attempted to fight its way out only to lose power hours ago.
The timer was their best guess, deciding that Shinji and Asuka had recognised that they would need to conserve power, and that nothing had tried to kill them. Pilot Soryu might be a hellcat, wild and unruly, but Ritsuko chose to believe that even the battle-obsessed teenager would see the wisdom of patience in this situation.
"I can't believe we're just sitting here waiting for them to die."
Misato's bitter words cut through Ritsuko's musing. She looked at her friend to see the woman, arms folded and eyebrows furrowed, staring at the screen that currently showed Unit-00. If Misato's eyes were lasers, there would have been a pair of holes bored all the way to the surface of Tokyo-3.
"I'm not going to order the drop until it's absolutely clear that they've perished," said Ritsuko. "Even after losing life support, they might survive for about five minutes until Unit-01 makes it out. Any more than that, though, and we'd be quickly getting into major brain damage issues even if they did escape before suffering brain death."
"...How major?" Misato quietly asked.
There was no point sugar coating it. "Bad enough that they would no longer be able to function normally. Worst case, they might as well be dead."
One of Misato's fingers began tapping rapidly on her arm. "...Add another five minutes to the timer then," she said, her voice a dead monotone.
The growing despair evident on Misato's face made Ritsuko sorely regret what she had to say. "I would, but the timer has already taken that into account. There's actually only a couple minutes before Unit-01 is completely out of power."
The tapping finger's hand clenched into a fist. "Damnit... just... give them back you bastard..."
XXX
TIME REMAINING: 0:04:51
"I do not mean to question you, but..."
I know. We should have found them by now. Logically speaking, it should have only taken a couple minutes in here. Something's gone wrong! We're more than three times as far out as we should have been, and there's still no sign! Frustration was evident in Bwynvienne's ethereal voice. It was perhaps the only thing stopping Rei from believing she had been tricked.
"Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
...No... I'm... I'm sorry. I...
Whether the despair Rei now felt was her own or Bwynvienne's, it did not matter. "Very well," she said. "Let us return. I will do what I should have done to begin with."
...Yeah, okay...
With the Infernal's help, the trek back to their entrance point was made in grim silence as Rei mentally prepared herself for what she would need to do. Her soul was feeling the strain of their extra-dimensional journey; all she could do now was hope that Bwynvienne could hold her together long enough so that she could see the faces of her friends one last time.
TIME REMAINING: 0:04:02
Rei inhaled sharply, her body jolting upon her return. She put a hand to her chest, noting with some satisfaction that the extra weight on her now slightly more ragged soul was still there; Bwynvienne hadn't left yet.
However, despite her burning desire to rescue her friends, Rei didn't want to simply murder this being. Just as she had had no true desire to assist in the deaths of the other Angels; it was simply a matter of survival. There was one last thing for her to try before going in for the kill.
Just like before, Rei closed her eyes and breathed in and out. This time, instead of leaving her body she unfurled her AT-Field in a very particular way, directing it at Leliel. She felt the reaction of the Angel, a sense of unease as she forcefully made contact with it. But her patched-together soul was not intended for this sort of energy expenditure. If she had been driving a car, at this point parts would be dropping off of it. Bwynvienne's presence was simply serving to pick them up and tape them back on.
"Leliel."
The Angel shuddered upon hearing Her voice.
"You know exactly who I am. You have sensed me ever since your arrival. You have something that belongs to me."
Leliel's AT-Field was shaking like a tree in a hurricane. Its shadow above Tokyo-3 rippled, the colours flowing like water. The ground itself was shaking hard enough to be felt through the feet of an Evangelion. Inside Unit-00, the glowing of its occupant's eyes lit up the entire entry plug as Rei's hands clenched hard enough on the controls to crack them.
"This is your only warning. Though I would regret the loss of yet another of our kind, I will not hesitate if you force my hand.
"Give. Them. Back."
The sphere began to violently distort, parts of it appearing to be sucked in towards the centre while other parts bulged outwards. The void underneath roiled like the ocean in a storm, at one point expanding enough to force Unit-02 to back away from it.
"W-what's going on?!" its pilot frantically asked, staring nervously at what was unfolding.
As suddenly as it began, the bizarre scene stopped. The sphere, the shadow of Leliel, turned entirely black, floating down to the ground as the void began to shrink. The moment the sphere touched the ground, the same moment the void disappeared entirely, it shattered like glass, sending fragments scattering through the air and vanishing.
TIME REMAINING: 0:03:46
Rei's head lolled back and forth as the glow in the entry plug faded. A mental tap on the shoulder from her passenger brought her back to alertness, and Unit-00 charged forward towards the prone Evangelion laying in the middle of the street.
With no effort it ripped off the armour covering the entry plug, which automatically ejected and began venting LCL. Unit-00 quickly wrapped a hand around the plug to stop the venting, bringing it up to be cradled against its chest. Unit-00 turned and sprinted through the city towards the nearest Geofront entrance, where it gingerly set its precious cargo down near the vehicles that had just emerged. People began swarming over the plug as Rei lowered the Evangelion to a prone position so that she could eject.
Dropping to the ground hard enough to almost break something, Rei shoved her way through the crowd, practically hurling away people much larger and heavier than her until she reached the now-open plug. She stuck her head through the hatch, ignoring the two people currently standing on either side of the pilot seat doing whatever they were doing with their equipment. She stared at the two people in the seat, blinking and rubbing her eyes to confirm both what she could see, and what she could see.
Her heart...
...
...soared.
Two pairs of eyes slowly opened partway; two heads raised slightly so that they could look at her.
"H-heh... y-you did say... that you would c-come... f-for us."
Rei was so relieved she didn't even care that Shinji and Asuka had spoken at the same time, pauses and all, or that their eyes closed and their breathing evened out. They were alive.
...Well, regardless of how it happened, our bargain is fulfilled. Farewell for now, Miss Ayanami.
The weight left Rei's soul, and with it the last of her strength. She collapsed across Shinji and Asuka, and the last thing she perceived before the blackness overtook her was two differently coloured gloved hands reaching out for her.
