God

The trial had already begun long ago.

A pair of agents dragged the criminal to the center of the room. They kicked him down, one pointing a gun at the criminal's head if he so much as made a move. There could be no risks taken. Not at WILLE.

Everyone had to survive in the wake of his failure. Misato Katsuragi, Commander of WILLE, lost a lot of her spirit, becoming as cold and sterile as her predecessor. Ritsuko sat next to her, taking notes on the subject. Asuka lost an eye back then. Rei was clad in a black plugsuit, watching curiously.

As for Shinji? He couldn't scratch his neck, due to the bomb collar placed on it. A punishment for his grave sin. High up in the air, on the flying airship called the AAA Wunder, this trial needed to happen.

"Shinji Ikari, formerly known as Spider-Man." Misato said finally. "You stand here because your own selfishness caused the end of the world. Third Impact destroyed everything we had been sworn to protect. Now all we have left are ghosts, fighting each other for territory."

Nobody said anything. No one jumped to Shinji's defense. Why would they, when he betrayed them? He was the cause of all the misery in their lives. They only retrieved him from the Eva so they could punish him for his crimes. Misato continued her speech.

"Your father wanted to take you, did you know that? Use you to pilot his Eva, start a Fourth Impact? However, many to save his goddamn wife? You are a liability now. Any moment he could come in with another Eva, take you, and kill us all."

Shinji sighed. He knew he was guilty. The trial was just a show. He just wanted it all to be over.

"If that's the truth, then just get rid of me already." Shinji said. "I never wanted to pilot Eva. I never asked for my powers. All I wanted was to save Kaworu, but I couldn't even manage that! Just kill me already."

"Look at little Ikari jr, you gonna cry?" Asuka mocked, sneering at her hated rival. "Let me put a bullet into his tiny head. It's the least he deserves."

Just as before, no one stood up for Shinji. The boy sat on his knees, alone in the pain he felt, the pain he inflicted upon others. He gave a brief glance to Rei, who turned away silently. He smiled sadly. It wasn't the Rei he knew, but he wished her well.

"All in favor?" Misato asked. "We can't make decisions without unanimous support."

Everyone raised their hands. Not one disagreement. Everyone wished for his death. Everyone wished him erased from this world. Misato got up from his chair, going over to the criminal. Shinji thought he would receive another reprimand, some words of hatred to compound the moment.

Yet all she did was grab the necklace she had on herself, carefully placing it over Shinji's neck. Misato crouched, moving towards his ear.

"No one should go to the afterlife alone, Shinji." She whispered sadly. "My father was with me in spirit inside this thing. I hope he guides you to a warm place. I only wish I could have given it to you."

His eyes widened in shock at that.

"Farewell, Shinji. You didn't run away when you could have. I truly wish you all the best."

She then left his side, picking up the gun and handed it over to Asuka.

"You got your wish Asuka. Deal with him as you wish."

Asuka grinned. "With pleasure. That idiot never understood what he was doing."

She placed the gun right into his forehead. Her one eye was full of glee towards finally ending the life of the worthless, miserable boy that crashed on her own like a rhino through the park. Ritsuko could have activated the bomb collar at any time, but the council determined he needed to be killed brutally. Asuka alone was the only one that dared to do the deed. None of them wanted blood on their shoulders.

"Say good bye… Third Child."

Suddenly the walls around the room burst. They weren't in the skies where the Wunder took them. They were in a dark void that no one was able to see much beyond their current distance. A lone woman, brown hair in a bob cut, clad in a pink shirt, a long blue skirt, and a white lab coat, stood there. She smiled.

"None of you people are real. Begone."

Suddenly, all except Shinji exploded into an orange liquid. It was as if, by command, they all ceased to be a construct; aside from the necklace Misato gave him, the left over LCL were the only traces they ever existed. For his part, Shinji was understandably confused.

"W-What the hell?!" He screamed. "I don't understand what just happened! I was in here and all of a sudden- they all just- what!?"

A laugh. "Your mind played tricks on you. That's what being in here does to you. It even took me a while to realize I was only living out a fantasy."

Shinji turned to the woman. At first, she didn't seem to be all there, flickering as if her motion was missing frames that captured it. Sometimes his eyes caught her, other times it was Unit 01. Once he blinked, Shinji was able to see a proper form. His shock only increased.

"No… It can't be… you…"

Of course, Shinji recognized her. He had studied her photo since Fuyutski sent it to him. He saw her face on one of his fellow pilots. The reason for his father's madness.

"Hi son…" Yui Ikari smiled for him. "It's been a long time since I held you, hasn't it? Don't worry. I'm here here now."

"So… I gotta be the one to say it, right?"

The Bridge Bunnies talked among themselves. The MAGI haven't detected any abnormalities in the Eva, not since the battle against the Angel. Figuring they could shoot the breeze, First Lt. Makoto Hyuuga hit on a touchy subject among the Crew.

"Don't tell me you're still on that?" Maya Ibuki frowned. "Major Katsuragi doesn't need any of that."

"I mean, do you really think he isn't?" Hyuuga said. "I'm not crazy for thinking Pilot Ikari is totally Spider-Man, am I?"

Shigeru Aoba stayed out of this debate, as he preferred to do. Spider-Man, Evas, Angels, none of that mattered to him so long as he got paid. The soap opera drama was not what he signed up for. He simply watched the screen, waiting for a response.

"We don't have confirmation on the matter, Hyuuga." Maya responded. "The Commander hasn't said a word about it, and the Major has been hostile to anyone that brings it up. We shouldn't fan the flames any further that necessary."

"He freaking webbed that Angel!" Makoto continued. "You telling me that giant spider symbol on the Eva's chest just burst there for no reason? Don't you think that's crazy weird? Or how about the Commander getting a head injury with a window broken on his platform? No one on the base saw, except him and his son!"

"Ikari can't be Spider-Man! He just wouldn't betray anyone like that."

"He nearly started Third Impact 'cause he wanted to save another Angel. I'm not taking chances on what the kid wouldn't do. He's got guts, but he's also insane!"

"Look, until we have something more substantial, we don't have proof." Maya pinched the brook of her nose. "There's nothing but circumstantial evidence right now."

"You're saying that's not weird?"

"It is, but think for a second. If Ikari was Spider-Man, wouldn't the MAGI have been able to detect any physiological changes in his genetic make up? Wouldn't Akagi Senior have reported her findings to NERV, if only to get even with him?"

"Assuming she'd get even by getting her hands on him first."

The argument was going to go on for a bit. Shigeru decided to intervene.

"I saw security cameras picking up Spider-Man swinging around with Nagisa. He dropped him off around the area where Ikari appeared."

Maya and Makoto turned to Shigeru, who just shrugged.

"I don't care if Ikari's Spider-Man." Shigeru explained. "Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't. Right now, we focus on our actual jobs."

Makoto scratched his chin in thought. "Strange. You'd think his spiders would be able to show him a better hiding spot…"

"… what do you mean?" Maya gave him a weird look. "He has never shown abilities like that."

"It was something he told me when we- erm-" Makoto backpedaled. "I mean, I ran into him just outside of NERV, when the mercenaries were being rounded up. He said he had telepathic communication with spiders and a whole network of them!"

Before Makoto could explain it further, a beep came from Maya's computer. She pressed some keys, printing out the results of her research.

"Gotta bring these to Dr. Akagi. Be right back!"

Maya ran quickly towards the upper level. She soon spotted Misato and Ritsuko, who were watching Unit 01 being rebuilt by the crew. Parts of its armor plating were still being strapped in, giving the Eva the appearance of aa mummified corpse. More than one engineer said they went to bed with the fear of God put in them.

Maya herself was never comfortable with the Evas. Seeing it like this just made it worse.

"Sorry for interrupting, Dr Akagi!" Maya interrupted. "We got these readings from the core. There's been a shift in the ego system."

Risuko took the papers, examining them quickly. "Thank you Maya. This will be helpful."

She glanced back at her assistant, frowning upon seeing the bags under Maya's eyes. Ritsuko's expression softened, reaching her hand over to Maya's cheek to caress it.

"You okay?"

"I've seen better days, if I'm being honest." Maya sighed. "I've been up all night working on these readings…"

"That's no good." Ritsuko kissed Maya on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I'll have another engineer work in your place until you're back in shape. You can always work later."

Maya blushed, dumbly nodding along before turning around and leaving with an abrupt haste. Misato whistled.

"She's got you real good if you're going around being affectionate in public.!"

"Maya's made me so happy, Misato. Like you wouldn't believe." Ritsuko looked over the results. "I wish I could describe it."

"Better than the Commander at least. Though I might have to report you for getting involved with an underling."

Ritsuko stuck her tongue out at her, which made Misato chuckle.

"Oh, now who's the immature one?"

"Still you. Anyway, there's a slight change in the core's wavelength. There is the possibility of two human life signatures in the same place."

'Is it what I think it is?"

"It is possible… it could be Yui…" Ritsuko sighed. "That's a can of worms we aren't ready for."

"It's all so strange." Misato leaned against the railing. "Shinji's mother was not only the designer of Unit 01; she was the first test pilot for the Evangelion project. Because of the contact experiment, her soul is now trapped inside of that… that thing!"

"Yes. Like I told you, our Commander started his scenario as much to bring her back from the Eva as it was to scheme against the Committee."

"They can kill each other for all I care." Misato crossed her arms. "Schemers and liars… we've been dancing to their tune the whole time. It's so fucked. What, the Commander brings his wife into this mess and now wants to bring everything back to the way it was?"

Ritsuko shot her a curious glance. "He didn't bring Yui into SEELE. She was the one who scouted him out first."

The two of them digested that information. They didn't like the implications that brought about. In a blink of the eye, she could have sworn Unit 01's eye had moved to greet her own. She shook her head, thinking she imagined it.

"She brought him into SEELE, she got into the Eva…" Misato shook her head. "No, she couldn't have known the risks."

"Maybe not. I'll admit jealousy on my part, but I've always had this feeling for a while that she wasn't entirely innocent in these dealings. I don't have actual proof though."

"Not point going there then. We need to get Shinji out and fast."

There was one topic of conversation that hadn't been mentioned yet. Ritsuko hated playing heel, but it was needed in this case. She swallowed her fear.

"Misato… about Spider-Man…"

"Shinji isn't Spider-Man." Misato frowned. "I've been living with him for months. He's never shown any super powers or- or hiding anything like that from me. There's just no way."

"We saw him carry Nagisa to NERV, where he appeared soon after. You saw that transformation-"

"He isn't, end of story."

"Section-2 is performing an investigation. They're going to find something out sooner or later."

"They won't find anything."

That was that. Old friends stood in silence, only being able to watch Unit 01, wondering when their Third Child would return…

Meanwhile, Commander Gendo Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutski sat in the relative privacy of a shattered office.

They were never friends, not really. Their main connection was through Yui, and their shared desire to fulfill her wishes. Or so one thought. There was a score to settle, a matter clear between both men. It had been a long time coming.

"You knew, didn't you?"

Gendo fired the first shot. Fuyutski said nothing in response, returning Gendo's steely gaze with one of his own, one practiced over the decades they spent together.

"I've had my suspicions." Fuyutski explained. "It began when reports of his behavior didn't line up with those of the past several months. There were also the constant disappearances that Section-2 weren't able to keep track of, MAGI being unable to locate Spider-Man with their brainpower, Naoko's strange occupation with both; The key was in your encounter with him at the graveyard. To be able to hold up an adult like that is something no fourteen year old should be capable of. I'll admit, I was rather shocked to find out he was the Spider-Man we had been hunting."

"indeed." Gendo looked down. "I truly knew nothing about my son, did I? We were shadows in each others' lives, dancing to the same drum, yet unable to see each other until the end. I was foolish to not address this sooner."

"Who's to say you would have gotten anywhere with him? You abandoned the boy, against Yui's wishes I might add. She wanted you and her son to be happy."

"He found his happiness alright." Gendo's tone lowered. "Of course, he would find it on his own. Without me, he became his own man. I will never be happy. Not after all I went through. Not without Yui."

Yui, Yui, Yui…

That name echoed in his mind and his heart. They longed for Yui, the one true love of his life. No matter how much rejection he felt from the Eva, Gendo loved her with all his soul. He knew she would hate him for all he had done, yet he also knew how necessary his actions were.

The scenario depended on him being focused. He could not grant that focus towards some facsimile of her, or the Third Child.

To their children.

To their son.

To… her…

Gendo shook his head. No foolishness will creep into his heart now, not with how far he had come. He had questions to resolve. Gendo glared at Fuyutski.

"Yui's Scenario."

Fuyutski raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"That's what you said, down there." Gendo said. "Was it according to your scenario, Yui? Those were your words, were they not Fuyutski?"

The older man glanced around the room. It wasn't nervousness, but more gathering his thoughts.

"… I'm afraid you won't like the answer, Ikari. You might not even deserve to know them-"

Gendo slammed his hands against the table. With a harsh swipe, he took off his glasses to furiously stand up to his old mentor.

"I deserve to know anything regarding my WIFE, Sub-Commander." He spat. "Are you so arrogant to believe only you loved her? That only she admired you? For all your pathetic longing, I was the one she married and had a child with, while you stared from afar and did nothing, just as you do now. Whatever plans you have or had with Yui, I want you to tell me now, before I have the Committee send you down the nearest cliff I can find."

Fuyutski let out a laugh. A bitter, spiteful laugh, one that had been built for years now.

"You accuse me of conspiracy?" He taunted. "There is none. You and Yui had different scenarios. She simply came to me with her own, not trusting you to be able to execute it. It doesn't matter anyway, as you still hold all the cards."

Gendo breathed in. "How long had this been going on?"

"Long before she was absorbed into the Eva. Actually, it was soon after you strong-armed me into this rancid organization, when we were just below a tree near the lake."

The older man smiled, sniffing something in the air.

"On that day… she smelled like strawberries."

Gendo swung a fist at Fuyutski, the force of which sent him to the floor. He wiped the blood from his broken nose.

"With your behavior these past few months, I can see why she left everything to me. You are still the same insecure child you were years ago, trapped by your own desperate desires."

The two had a tense stare-off. Any moment they could lunge at each other, ready to strangle the other in a bizarre death match. Instead, Gendo sat back down to his chair.

"Keep the extraction going. I will be in my office, alone."

Fuyutski sighed, before leaving. Nothing had gone like either wanted, yet Gendo, madman that he was, still held out hope. He only wished he could share that enthusiasm.

'I wonder what the Commander will think when his scenario falls apart? It may be too late to change things, my old student…'

The headaches were pounding so hard.

Shinji didn't trust himself to focus as his head hurt and his ears rang. His body wasn't much better, feeling as if it existed and didn't all at once. Sometimes he would hear familiar voices; other times not. Because of the confusion, he let his mother gently guide him along the path.

"Where are we going?" He asked. "Why does… why does it all hurt?"

He asked, clutching his head again. His mother caressed his shoulder, cooing over him.

"Oh poor baby. Explaining it is going to be tough. Technically, we're going everywhere and nowhere." Yui said. "You've been inside Unit 01 for some time now, so your essence has spread around this reality. The pain you're going through is your mind recollecting itself, so you can regain your true senses."

It made some sense. Shinji had been to a place like this before, Leliel trying to enter his mind through the illusion of a train. What would Yui's reality be like? Wait, about that Angel…?

"Mom, there was a point where I was captured by an Angel… I thought I was about to die in there, but a bright, warm light came to me… It saved me, and Unit 01. Was that you?"

Yui smiled more. "Yes. You were so close to death, I couldn't let you die. I'd do anything to protect my son."

Son. He hadn't heard been called that before. Shinji smiled to himself.

"Thank you… Mother…"

"I did what I had to do. You don't have to worry about pleasing me in that respect." Yui shrugged, continuing to walk. "Right now, your sense of self is still getting adjusted. We're going to find your soul, somewhere inside of this maze. We're walking into my world now."

Shinji blinked. The world came into sharper focus, grass and the sound of birds chirping filling his ears. They were now near a lake, with shadows in the shape of people standing below a tree.

"That wasn't the only time…" Shinji realized. "When Kaworu was in danger, you were there too. Trying to get into my head."

"You were going to get killed!" Yui laughed. "I had to do something to save you! Personally, I found it astonishing you wrestled control of the Eva. You truly have gotten stronger… was it because of being Spider-Man?"

He grimaced at that, which Yui noticed quickly, moving to calm him down.

"Don't worry Shinji. The moment you entered the Eva, I learned everything about what you went through. How much you've lost…"

Shinji felt something stuck in his throat. He choked up, almost ready to cry.

"It's been… so hard… I wanted to do my best." He said. "No matter how hard I try, people just keep dying around me. I let everyone down. I'm so tired…"

Yui nodded, continuing to pat her son on the back. She took him closer to the tree.

"Let me show you something, Shinji."

The shape of the shadows started to take on a more solid physique. Shinji was shocked to find a shadow of his own mother, along with the Sub-Commander and a baby? Yui, holding little. Baby Shinji, who waved his arms to get her attention.

"Men build the Evas in the image and likeness of Gods. Is that our purpose?"

Fuyutski asked her then. Always full of doubt, always second guessing. Yui remembered the only answer that came then.

"Yes." The Shadow Yui said. "Man's only alternative is to live on this planet. Instead, the Evas are able to live forever. They guard the human soul that lies within them. Even 5 billion years from now, when the Earth, Moon and even the Sun have disappeared, they may still survive."

The baby cooed at his mother, raising a hand up. Shadow Yui poked at the hand with her own finger, giggling.

"If even one of them remained alive, although enduring the most atrocious of loneliness…."

"It would be eternal proof of mankind's existence." Shadow Fuyutski finished. "The scenario is truly… incredible… It will be a difficult path, however."

"I think I'll be alright. Though it'll be horrible, anywhere can be heaven…"

"So long as you had the will to live." The real Yui sighed. "That was so long ago. I thought I had forgotten my reasons. There were many things I didn't expect on my journey, Shinji. Never forget your true wish."

Shinji slowly nodded at that. As the shadows disappeared however, he was left confused by the scene.

"The Sub-Commander?" He pointed out. "I thought you would have been with dad or something…"

"Your dad was busy that day. Fuyutski and I have been friends since I graduated from his class in college. Very nice man. Sometimes, I even thought he had a crush on me."

"… I wouldn't like it if my teacher had a crush on me…"

Yui laughed. "Probably not, but I trusted him. Sorry for the reminiscing. Let's keep going."

The scene changed again.

Now, the two were surrounded by a crowd of shadows, music playing in the background. It appeared to be some kind of bar. Shinji was again confused by where they were, until he spotted someone at the table. The stranger, more defined than the other Shadows, looked near identical to him. He was taller, had glasses, and gave a more distant aura, but it still felt a little uncanny. As he sat alone, listening to his SDAT Player, another person, a girl who looked like Rei, sat next to him.

"Is this seat taken?"

The man stared at her, taking off his headphones. "Sit here if you must. I make for poor company."

"That's what I've heard. You really put a number on some of the guys here."

She stared at the player curiously.

"What are you listening to?"

There was a subtle shift in the man's expression. Curiosity, annoyance… most importantly, however, was hope. Shinji couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, the world fading away again.

"That was you… and father, wasn't it?"

Yui nodded sadly at that, clutching her chest at the memory."

"It was us, yes. Your father had a reputation, but he was a quiet boy when I met him. Not so different from you actually. He was so cute as he blushed and stammered his way through our first date. I knew I had to have him. My friends thought he was just a thug considering the fights he got into. Truthfully though? I just don't think he was used to affection."

Not really good at giving any either, said a stray thought from Shinji. The world shifted again, to a scene on a train station. A little boy was left alone, crying towards a man who turned his back on him. Yui frowned again.

"You have to believe me, Shinji, your father truly was a good man at one point, if not the greatest one. I guess in hindsight he was always a little needy, like a dog. He got quite jealous when I had you, but I assumed that with time he would have let that go and we could be together as one."

She sighed. "I just didn't think he'd go as far as to abandon you."

"…"

Shinji didn't know what to think. The man he faced down not too long ago, versus the one his mother talked about. If Gendo was ever a loving man, he was gone by now. After Kaworu had died due to delaying him, that road was closed forever.

"I put a lot of my time, my blood sweat, and tears into Eva." Yui continued. "That was my dream, ever since Second Impact destroyed the world. I put so much of myself into it, to create a brighter future for all involved. I don't think your father ever understood that. There's a lot I kept from him so I could do what I felt was right. It's not something I'm proud of, but you more than anyone should understand what I'm saying, right Spider-Man?"

"… I guess you're right…" Shinji clutched his head. "Ow! It's been getting worse!"

"I wonder if you're just reacting to something." Yui turned around. "I think we're getting closer to where we need to be."

As the two continued onward, Shinji felt a bad feeling sink in. Evangelion was his mother's vision. The Evangelion that could exist years after the world was gone. The Evangelion made from the Angels to counter the Angels. The Evangelion created by the old men for their own Third Impact.

That was his mother's dream.

"I guess you didn't like how it's turned out." Shinji said. "You probably didn't know I was going to end up as a pilot."

"I didn't expect to be absorbed here that day. I don't approve of the old men, or what your Father is doing. It's a waste of effort for everyone involved."

Strange choice of words, but he decided to trust his mother for now. She had been honest with him, up to this point. He clutched the necklace in his hand.

"Okay then. Let's get going."

"He's trapped inside Unit 01?!"

Kensuke Aida and Hikari Horaki still couldn't believe what Touji was saying. They were so worried when Shinji failed to show up the next day. The fact that no one at NERV released an official statement made it worse.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, it's top secret and all, but that Unit 01's a clingy bitch!" Touji explained. "Shinji's been inside that giant purple people eater for days now and barely anyone has a clue on how to get him out!"

"That's awful!" Hikari said. "I knew piloting was dangerous, but this is crazy! I hope Ayanami and Asuka never go through anything like that."

"Nobody knew what could. The most we got is that it happened to some pilot a long time ago. Tamperin' with Evas like that'll be tricky."

"He better get out soon… worse still, people are noticing Spider-Man's disappearance too." Kensuke turned his laptop around, showing his friends the stats. "Crime's been rising. People are worried about why our friendly neighborhood hero isn't showing up."

"Can't you drop it, Kensuke?!" Hikari said. "We're talking about Shinji, not Spider-Man! He's in trouble!"

"Ken's worried about Shinji as much as the rest of us." Touji placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, giving Kensuke a subtle glare to shut him up. "But he's got a point. Shinji and Spider-Man, both of them disappearing, that's pretty bad for us. What if an Angel comes along? We'd be sitting ducks!"

"I'm not sure." Hikari murmured. "It's just so unfair… he saved your life, but we can't do a thing to help."

"I'm sure NERV's got something up their butt!" Kensuke smiled. "They got the super advanced tech that made the Evas! Surely they can get Shinji out some way!"

"Yeah," Touji nodded. "I think that doctor chick's a little freaky, but she's smart. Sakura even said nice things about her. Once she helps get Shinji out, we'll have him make us dinner as punishment for worrying us!"

That raised all their spirits to some extent. Neither he nor Ken could tell Hikari that Shinji is Spider-Man. It wasn't their secret to tell. Touji wasn't sure himself, but after seeing how far Shinji would go, even without powers, he was ready to believe in him.

'He better get his ass out soon. If he makes us cry, I'll beat him up, Spider Powers be damned.'

It was then that he noticed someone was sitting by herself. Rei Ayanami was doing her usual past time, staring out the window, probably contemplating the nature of things or some such bullshit. The unusual part was that she seemed to be ignoring even Asuka, who stomped off in anger after some argument. It had been like this for a while, almost like their first days at school, where Rei ignored them and they ignored her.

But Touji wasn't the same person he was in those days. That's why he stood up.

"Gimme a sec, guys."

He went over to her desk, making sure to tap on it. Rei blinked slightly, turning towards Touji. That was the only hint of surprise he ever gleamed from her.

"Hey Ayanami," Touji said. "Noticed you were all broody and lonesome. Where's the de- I mean, Asuka, you usually hang around her."

That had been the wrong thing to start with. Rei bristled at that, turning back to the window.

"We are not on speaking terms."

"Really? Why is that?"

Rei didn't answer. She just kept watching. Touji shrugged.

"Ah, probably something private. You don't got to say a thing If you don't want to."

"… she called me a doll… I felt… offended… she did not apologize."

Oh. Oh that was bad.

"Ain't that a rotten thing." Touji gripped her hand. "You could sit with us. Sure, we may not know you as well, but a friend of Shinji's a friend of mine. You're more welcome to the Spider-Clan, or whatever shit name Kensuke calls us."

Rei stilled herself, seeming to contemplate the offer. After a second, she nodded.

"Very well."

He took her back to the others, allowing her to sit down with them.

"You don't mind if she's here, right?" Touji asked. "Figured she could use the company."

"Not at all!" Hikari smiled. "I wonder how you're holding up, with Ikari gone and everything. We're all so worried about him."

"I am not." Rei nodded. "I have faith in his return. I worry more about the Eva… it is not a passive creature."

"Glad someone finally noticed!" Touji said. "Those things are freaky monsters, man, how the fuck did we wind up with those things? Why do they look so demonic anyway?"

"If I had to guess, NERV was rebelling against God."

The three others blinked. Then they laughed at what Rei said.

"Now that was funny, Ayanami!"

Rei had a ghost of a smile upon hearing it. The group continued talking among each other as Asuka peered into the room through the door. She grinded her teeth at this sight.

"She abandoned me, like all the others… Fine! Like I need her!"

She harshly whispered to herself as she stomped down the hallway. Rei refused to speak with her for days and now she goes to betray her like this? All because of a stupid comment too?! It wasn't anything bad or anything. Rei is a total doll when it came to the Commander, not her fault Ayanami couldn't accept the truth.

The only way the day could get worse was if Kaworu came back and spoke to her like they were friends. He lied to her for so goddamn long and she's so angry.

"But he's gone…" Asuka stopped herself. "He's gone and there's nothing I can do."

She needed a drink.

Asuka went to a soda machine near the school's cafeteria. She picked out some Yen from her wallet to get something. Anything. She was feeling particularly picky. As she picked out some cash-

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mighty Langley Soryuu!"

That voice…

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Asuka whipped around to find her second most hated person at NERV after Kaworu. "I must be in Hell. What, did they pull your body from the ocean or something?"

A blond hair girl with a black headband smirked at her. Marie Vincennes was much like Asuka herself, confident in every step and haughty to a degree. They knew each other as kids and they did not get along. Nor would they ever, it seemed.

"Glad you see you haven't changed much, Asuka."

"I'm not here to be your friend, Marie." Asuka spat. "Why are you here?"

"Funny story about that," Marie leaned against the wall. "See, they cleared me for duty three weeks ago, so they had me transfer here since there was a pilot vacancy. Gotta tell you, everyone was a bit upset about Kaworu-"

Asuka threw a punch at Marie, who swiftly dodged it, briefly brushing against Asuka's pocket as she stood behind her.

"Whoah, someone's got a temper today. I knew you hated the guy, but he was pretty nice. For an Angel anyway."

"Just shut up!" Asuka said. "You don't understand a thing!"

"No, and I don't think I ever will." Marie bowed. "Figured you might have had some sadness over your fellow pilot dying to save us. Or at least the other guy that got absorbed into his own Eva. Nobody really likes Unit 01 honestly."

"Kaworu and Stupid Shinji can go to hell for all I care! If that bastard was going to get himself killed, that's his business for being a goddamn Angel!"

"Then what's with the crying right now?"

Asuka's eyes widened. She touched tears below her eyes, watching them fall from her fingertips. Fury welled up in her, a bitter hate.

"I don't miss him! I HATE HIM! I HATE EVERYONE IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN SCHOOL! YOU SHOULD ALL DIE ALREADY! You wouldn't know a thing about losing someone if you TRIED!"

Marie frowned as Asuka ran off to some other part of the school. She didn't bother to follow after her. Nothing she said would make a dent.

"Oh Asuka… You don't really meant that. You need all the help you can get."

She tried not to let what Asuka said get to her. She had known Asuka for years; she knew when the other girl was hurting. Even though Marie wanted to deck her in the face for suggesting she didn't know loss, when she lost everyone she knew in Nevada due to their stupid experiment; Even with that, she knew better than to get revenge that way.

Instead, Marie pulled out some yen from the wallet she took. She placed them in the machine to get a soda.

"Wonder when she'll realize what I did. Bet she'll blow a gasket."

She'll hand that back… later. After she was done with her first day in school. Marie snickered as she walked towards her assigned classroom. She would be taking classes with the other Children. Rumor has it that the Third Child was Spider-Man.

It should be an interesting stay, to say the least.

The scenery had shifted again.

Mother and son found themselves in a ruined city. The sky was a bright violet color, the green sun framing the destroyed metropolis in shadow. The architecture was a strange mishmash, buildings seeping into yet not completing the other, streets and lanes, rising and falling with no rhyme or reason.

There were no people here. It was madness, the mind giving way to memories fused together into monstrosity.

Shinji was able to recognize some of the buildings as those from Tokyo-3, but also from Kokoro; The school and Misato's apartment were there, but also Mayonaka Park was visible in the distance, and a dilapidated mansion, one that belonged to the Yamagishis. The mansion looked like it had been set on fire.

'I love you too.'

"MAYUMI!"

It was an unpleasant deja vú, to say the least.

"What happened here, Mother?" Shinji asked. "This whole city… I know some of these places, but why is it so distorted?"

"Your memories are in flux. I've had extensive control of my own self for years now, but you've only been here… hm… time is rather foggy inside the Eva isn't it? Point is, you're in a turbulent state right about now, and it's reflected in the architecture."

They walked into Mayonaka Park. Or a broken copy of it, it seems. They came across a lamppost, where a long since decomposed skeleton was held there by… webbing.

Shinji didn't want to think about what that might mean.

The ground shook around the two then. Nearby telephone lines snapped, and more parts of the street crumbled to dust. The rumbling was getting louder.

"They're here." Yui pointed up. "They're still fighting after this time. Incredible."

Shinji gazed up in horror at a battle forging between Titans of myth and legend. In one corner, the behemoth Evangelion Unit 01 was as feral as ever. There was not the pretense of stoicism, its gaping mouth and mad, glowing eyes making it known it would have no peace. It has an every insatiable desire to rip apart those who stood in its' way, a rampage that would no doubt cost thousands of lives if let loose.

In the other corner, it was Spider-Man.

The red and blue costume was unmistakable, its white lenses seeming to blare in a way not normally seen in the real world. Its form was more gangly, shoulders angular, crawling on all fours like a tiger or lion. Shinji couldn't believe it, yet it was true. The wall-crawler, in the mindscape of the Evangelion, doing battle with Unit 01.

Unit 01 desperately clawed at the giant Spider-Man's back, trying to graze it, but no blood came. There was nothing to bleed from a hollow being. Spider-Man's own hands grasped Unit 01 by the throat, aiming to choke the monster of its life as they started rolling around the city, destroying countless buildings in their path.

The distorted battle raged on, as Shinji suddenly felt his head pulse in pain once again. He yelled to nothing, trying to keep some sense of self as he felt his body rip apart.

"Make it… stop… Please… make it stop!"

Yui made no move to help him. Shinji was faced with the problem on his own, one eye opening to see the giants continuing to fight

"But… but, why are they fighting?" He had to ask. Shinji felt stupid, but the situation is quite preposterous from his point of view. "I-I'm here, but that is… what?"

"It's your mind, Shinji." Yui tried to explain. "Your inner conscience is in turmoil, struggling for dominance.."

"But… why would I be fighting… Unit 01?"

"Not you. Spider-Man is fighting the Eva. Maybe it's a conflict you've been having. The realm of psychology explained that our mind creates images that carry some symbolic meaning or truth. Perhaps Spider-Man and Unit 01 are fighting because they are. Or maybe it's your values trying to fight against your inner self. Or you feel torn between NERV and your true destiny. For some reason, this fight is happening."

The pain in his head was starting to lessen. Shinji let out a bitter chuckle.

"Neither of them are me… or even like me…. I'm just a tool to NERV when I pilot Eva… When I'm not, I'm Spider-Man, fighting crime and saving as many people as I can. No one knows it's me. It can't be me… When I'm just me, I always seem to fail…"

Pity rising in her, Yui placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. You did the best you could under trying times. Every time, you acted responsibly. That's more than you father or I, any day of the week.

Then, she glanced back at the battle. Yui gave them a subtle glare.

"In truth, I'm a little jealous of you. I put so much of myself into Eva, scraping so many hours to get it right. But Spider-Man seems to have a more immediate effect on people's lives than anything I've ever done. It's crazy really… but it shows much you've grown."

Crazy indeed. Shinji started feeling translucent again, falling to the ground on his knees due to his state.

"AAAGH!" He screamed. "Mother what's going on?!"

"Oh dear, you're losing your corporeal state! Hurry, we need to get going!"

Yui took her son over her shoulder, beginning to walk as the scenery slowly disappeared again.

"We're getting closer to your soul, Shinji." She said. "You'll need to if you want to escape!"

Shinji felt dazed, but nodded. The headaches… he slowly realized something about them. Due to everything going on around him, Shinji realized that there was also a ringing in his ears.

They weren't just headaches. It was his Spider-Sense.

"You're going to get rid of this thing. Right now."

It wasn't a question, but an order. Misato couldn't believe she was watching an Angel twist around inside of a tube, inside their own headquarters! Ritsuko shook her head, as both women watched scientists hard at work analyzing the thing.

"It's out of my hands." She said. "The Committee are sending people to inspect it. We're supposed to analyze the Angel, see what can be used to enhance the Evas. With the failure to capture the Angel inside the volcano, this is a rare opportunity for them."

"That's stupid. They're stupid. Even if we can use an Angel, there's no way we can keep that thing on a leash until it's over. We need to destroy it while we have the chance."

"We should." Ritsuko nodded. "But we can't risk losing it now or they'll put a target on our backs. Besides, we know it's weaknesses by now. Fire is a proven method, but Sonic weaponry also seems to do the trick."

Ritsuko pressed a button on the console. The tube started vibrating, causing the Angel to shriek in despair. She clutched her ears, very quickly turning it off.

"We're safe for now. If the worst comes to worst, we'll kill it."

Misato nodded. "Right then. At least we have insurance."

"Truth be told, I'm not sure if we actually need this. According to the scrolls there are only three more left."

"It's not for them. It's for the future. We should keep our guard up."

"Yes, we should."

Both of them left the lab, Ritsuko making sure to lock the door behind her as they did.

"Great. By the way, you planning on inviting Maya out for drinks? You're holding out on me, Ritsu!"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "She wouldn't hold her liquor against you anyway."

"Not if she doesn't get practice!"

"Not with you!"

"What, you make it sound like I'm gonna put the moves on her."

"Misato, if you so help me, I will kill you if you even tried-"

They bickered more as they walked further away. By the time they were a distance away, neither were around to notice a gloved hand using a lock pick on the door knob.

CLICK!

"Well, well, well…" Marie said. "Time to see what NERV has hiding in here~"

What can she say? She liked to seize on all opportunities, especially when there's a chance of finding something juicy.

Marie opened the door to the lab. Everything was as the adults had left it, the Angel immobile inside the tube, while the rest was tidy and secure. Marie peeked at the tube.

"Oof, no way I'm stupid enough to let an Angel loose out here."

She was an ethical thief, not a loose canon. Instead, Marie searched around the lab for anything interesting.

"Hm, just some notes." Marie shook her head. "I wonder if Dr. Akagi still has those cute cat keychains? Would fit nicely when I finally make my debut-"

"Oh what the hell?!"

Startled by the voice, Marie turned to see find an angry jaguar outside the door. Oh wait, it was only Asuka. Hard to split the difference at times.

"You scared me, Asuka." Marie grinned. "Glad to know my buddy's got my back, never know if strangers started following me around."

"I'm following you because you're a suspicious nutjob!" Asuka pointed at her. "You're not supposed to be here! I'll tell on you if you don't get out!"

"See, that's your problem. You never have fun. Where's your excitement at danger, girl? Never broke a rule?"

"I'll call Misato right now."

Asuka was about to pull up her phone before, Marie stopped her. "Okay fine. I'll go, peace and quiet back to my place. Lock the door behind you, please."

She marched out, clearly mad at having a potential discovery lost. Asuka smirked to herself.

"Serves you right for being careless."

Asuka glanced at the tube. She lightly tapped it, still not seeing the Angel move.

"Look at you, little Angel." she sneered at it. "You may have done a number on us when you possessed the stooge, but I assure you that it definitely won't happen again. If that monkey can shake you off, so can I. You're nothing but toast in there."

Asuka stuck her tongue out, then left. It wasn't much, but with the days passing by, she needed to feel like herself again. She definitely wouldn't get away with that anywhere else.

As she closed the door, the symbiotic Angel slowly moved from its spot. It tapped the glass in Asuka's direction.

Finally.

He searched the tube, searching for an escape…

Man had wondered what their soul would look like.

Some have speculated the soul to be in the shape of the heart, the two going hand in hand among cultures. Others believed the soul to be a spirit, a ghost that inhabits the body of man until it is ready for the next life. More still spun their own web of intrigue, believing souls could be sold and collected like money.

Here, inside Unit 01, Shinji's soul was a bright blue fire, that seemed ready to burn for ages. He needed several minutes to adjust his eyes. It was brimming with life and purpose, pure in a way he had never seen before.

The soul was invaluable and real.

"This is mine?" He said. "It's so… beautiful…"

"Humans have AT Fields to protect this." Yui explained. "Without a soul, your body is just a husk, ready to be dropped on the ground for the flowers to bloom. There would be no you without a soul, or a sense of self without an AT-Field."

His eyes widened. "Really? Is that why my consciousness was scattered?"

"Yeah. To regain your senses, you had to be released from your mental prison and your AT-Field reformed. Now you have found yourself, the soul is here. It is yours."

The light was so good, so wonderful. Shinji held the fire in his hands. It was strange how the soul didn't actually burn him. Instead, it was a soothing sensation, as if everything felt so right in his hands.

"You have to listen to me very carefully, Shinji." Yui said. "The Evangelion is powerful. It will resist any effort to escape the core. So in order to have a chance, you're going to need to snuff the light out yourself."

A pause. Shinji clutched the soul away from his mother.

"Why would I do that?"

"It's the only chance. Unit 01 is… something else." Yui said with a hint of pride. "I found the solution a long time ago, but I couldn't because then the Eva would be inoperable and you couldn't fight the Angels! But you can leave. Just take the soul… squish it… you'll be back out in no time! Trust me on this."

It sounded simple. A pretty good solution. Too good to be true. Shinji needed to ask a question.

"You knew I would fight the Angels then?"

Yui blinked. "No… I mean, I had a feeling! I got inside because I wanted to show you bright the future could be. To protect you."

The headaches came back. Shinji now knew it was his Spider-Sense. His mother was lying to him somehow. He just needed to figure out how.

"… Mother… answer me honestly. When did you regain your sense of self? I was able to sense you before, but why were you knocking me out instead of talking to me like you do now?"

Yui's eyes darted around, looking for an answer.

"I simply didn't remember, it's been years since-" Her eyes widened. "Look, the Eva was strong. There's only so much I can do in here."

"But you were there enough to invade my mind when I fought Zeruel?!"

"It was after months of trying, Shinji. I didn't mean to hurt you but there's-"

"If you knew where my soul was, why didn't you snuff it yourself?"

"I couldn't snuff out your soul for you; you needed to do it yourself."

"Then how did you say you figured out a solution before? You didn't try it on yourself, did you?"

Yui paused at that. Shinji was given more reason to keep going.

"You're lying. All this time it wasn't just headaches. I've been feeling my Spider-Sense going haywire because this isn't safe. Nothing in the Eva is. Not even you."

Shinji put the fire aside, as Yui tried to get closer.

"Look here, we can talk this out, let me explain-"

An orange wall of spiral patterns spawned between her and her son, separating Yui from him. Shinji was plenty surprised himself, since he wasn't trying to create one. He then realized what that could mean.

"The light of your soul… Mother… are you afraid of me?"

In that moment, Yui breathed in… the air around them changed. The blue light from his soul disappeared; instead, a more furious red color filled the void. It came from a crimson, raging fire. The kind that spreads and burns all around it. The light of her soul.

A cold, more calculating gaze appeared upon her features.

"You want me to play this game? Fine. I'll explain myself, Shinji."

Reality flickered again. Shinji and Yui were now in am abandoned movie theater. He was in a front row chair as the reel projected an image of Yui surrounded by the patterns of her AT Field.

"I had been a part of SEELE my whole life, through my parents. Mom and Dad taught me all about our glorious purpose, to destroy all of mankind's AT-Field and bring about its next stage of evolution. I believed in that, body and soul. I worked as hard as I needed to to study science, to be able to read the Dead Sea Scrolls, to be of use to SEELE. I thought we could achieve the impossible."

Suddenly the familiar AT-Field patterns began to twist, shaking ever more violently as Yui's voice grew angrier.

"Turns out it was all a joke. Do you know what the Scrolls actually are? Basically a crazy plan by our ancestor alien race to make another one of them. The Celestials, that's what they are, they made both Humanity and the Angels as ingredients to birth another Celestial. Get the population at a high enough number, cause an Impact, bam, new Celestial born. We were never designed to advance or co-exist, but to act as the stepping stones to something greater. The worst part? The upper members of SEELE know. They didn't care, so long as they got power."

Shinji got up from his chair. Suddenly, he felt his clothes get heavier. He looked at his hands. He was in his first costume, down to the hoodie and goggles.

"Why continue to live on this planet, cause so much misery for one another for a life that won't rewarded?" Yui continued. "Why be good in a world without purpose? So I came up with a plan to give us purpose. What if I was able to fulfill all of mankind's desires in one go? Unite humanity in Instrumentality, let them live out their deepest, most depraved fantasies, while I used the Eva to escape Earth's gravity, as a reminder they ever existed at all. Anywhere can be heaven as long as you have the will to live, so I'm fine with being in Unit 01 for all eternity… so long as I was away from them."

At the sound of this… rant… Spider-Man had only one response.

"You're willing to kill everybody just so you could… could… be a big shot! That's insane!"

"Oh brother, why does everyone say that?" Yui rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, with great power comes great responsibility, but don't you understand that it also comes with great opportunity?"

A ground spawned beneath them. Shinji could spot three gravestones slowly rising around him.

"With all of mankind's flaws it would have been easy to let them rot, but I can fix them! If we can't live with each other in peace, we'll just be inside our own bubbles! What kind of villain fixes things so that everyone can be happy?"

Spider-Man walked closer to one of the graves. He dusted one of them, revealing Kaworu Nagisa written on it.

"You could even meet them again in this new world… if you join me, my son…"

He soon realized who the other two gravestones belonged to.

Mayumi Yamagishi.

Takuji Yamashiro.

He turned his attention back to the grave in front of him. The most recent loss, the one that hit the hardest because he was right there but couldn't do a thing. Kaworu deserved better than what he had been given. Shinji was tempted, wanting to apologize to him, to Mayumi for being such an awful friend, to Yamashiro for not being the son he could have been.

Those thoughts came, before he shook his head.

"But that isn't going to be real happiness. That's just… ignorance… we're defined by how we reflect on others. You can't just take that away, we'll lose ourselves if we do. We'd be surrendering our bodies to you. I can't do that. Not even for you, Mother."

Yui sneered at her son from her side of the field. She was disappointed, but perhaps unsurprised by this outcome.

"Hmph. I knew you would be too naive to see this through. Why else was I trying to jumpstart the berserk mode? In times of great danger, I've tried to step in, but you wrestled control from almost every time. Even with Zeruel, even when I nudged you to start Third Impact while I absorbed the S-2 Engine, you somehow overcame me! Before, I was content to let you and Kaworu live happily ever after here blissfully unaware of the surrounding world around you. But I'm done playing nice. If you don't destroy your soul, I will find a way to make you do it. Then I can use your empty body as a vessel for my plans."

Spider-Man stood up quickly, making a fighting pose.

"Sacrifice isn't making others pay for your own mistakes. I'm going to stop you, Mother, right here and now!"

Yui's twitched. She turned around, walking away from her son.

"Suit yourself."

Hands suddenly burst from the ground, grabbing at Spider-Man by the legs! He looked to find creatures resembling those written on the graves crawling at him, biting into him. They were the corpses of the people he failed, infested with worms, without eyes…

They were going to drag him to hell.

"Get off me! AAAGGHHH!" Shinji tried to free himself, but their grip was strong. "What did you do to them?!"

They were biting into him now. Mayumi's teeth were tearing into his arm, Kaworu into his leg, while Yamashiro was on his neck. They were sharp and vicious, clawing out to make sure Shinji felt the pain.

"Nothing you haven't done yourself." Yui grinned. "God is in her heaven, all will be right with the world."

"What do you mean it escaped?!"

Misato was beyond angry. After a dozen assurances that the Angel would be kept in a secure location, somehow it was able to find an opening and left the building. It could be anywhere at NERV and nobody would be the wiser! All her worst fears have been realized.

"I checked everywhere in the lab!" Ritsuko said on her end. "Somebody must have taken it, or something, I don't know. We're having the MAGI run a system sweep, but with the Angel's low AT-Field-"

"Keep trying!"

She hung up, not wanting to deal with her friend right now. She put her hands to her face and shook her head. It had been over a month since Shinji was absorbed, the apartment feeling desolate with his absence. Every time Misato passed by his door, seeing Shinji's lovely suite written on the wall, her heart felt a pang of guilt.

"To make things worse, Asuka's gone again…"

Something changed in her days ago. Before, she was at least lively, even if it was mostly complaining about her cooking or Shinji. Now she doesn't even show up for dinner. Many nights came where Misato sat still at the table, getting too tired to confront her. Asuka just kept slipping away.

What happened that changed things so dramatically? Was it just because Shinji was gone? Or was there a problem that took root long ago that Misato failed to notice? She thought everything was fine, but everything broke down again.

The door opened. Misato supposed she would get her answer now.

Asuka was… different. Instead of her uniform, or one of her colorful sunny dresses, she wore a black shirt, with a white spider-symbol on it, and a leather jacket. Was that mascara around her eyes? It was. She stomped into the room, her usual "enthusiastic" approach now just a bitter ball of resentment.

Misato knew she had to put a stop to it.

"Asuka, where have you been?"

A simple question. Asuka glared at her.

"I was out in the city." She said. "You know, like normal teenagers do. Or is that illegal now?"

"No, but this…" Misato frowned. "You haven't been the same. You're not here a lot of the time…"

"Oh I'm sorry!" Asuka mocked Misato. "I thought since I wasn't as important as the amazing Third Child or the mysterious Wonder Girl, I could get a little peace and quiet! But it looks like I'm wrong. Instead you decide to pay attention."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always gave Shinji your full attention. I'm just a nuisance that lives with you."

Misato took a step back. "That's not true, Asuka. We're all in this together-"

"Stop lying! Stop acting like you give a shit. Everyone's already suffering, but you don't see me crying about it! Stupid Shinji got himself into deep crap and it's his own damn fault-!"

Slap!

It was a spur of the moment decision. Misato hadn't even realized she had done it, until she saw the red mark on Asuka's cheek. For her part, the younger girl seemed to stumble a bit. She recovered quickly, however, and glared at her.

"There we go. That's what you think of me… because I'm not your doll."

Misato crossed her arms. "Go to your room. Wash off that emo look and don't bother coming out, since you're so mature today."

"I can do what I want! No one is going to treat me like a doll again!"

Asuka slammed the door open and shut to get away from it all. Misato sighed heavily, leaning against a wall.

"I don't know how to reach her… we're just a mess…"

Misato glanced back at Shinji's room. Wanting some reprieve from the situation, Misato decided to enter it.

Inside, she found the room to be… well, about as sparse and prepared as she expected from Shinji. There wasn't a TV, or posters of any kind; the uniforms were neat and tidy, folded into the corner of the room. On one side, his bed was still prepared, having not been slept in for some time.

His SDAT Player lying on the sheets. Whether by curiosity, or driven to get some semblance of Shinji back into her life, Misato sat down on the bed, grabbing the device to look at it. She switched through the tracks.

"Hey, I've heard most of these songs…" She said with wonder. "Oh, he's got songs Lilia from Ys? I didn't expect him to be a 90's gaming nerd. I gotta show him some of my stuff when he gets back!"

He really isn't the type to open up, isn't he? Still, Misato felt a little closer to him now than she's had in a month. She selected the last track, 25: Blue Legend.

"Now this one's my favorite! Even if you try to connect the pieces of your tears, I can't see tomorrow, So I will keep praying for your safety, Like a tormenting night!"

Ironic, how that song fit her situation so perfectly.

She sang along with it for a bit. Misato closed her eyes, remembering her own teenage years as she did so. So much of it was spent in a mental hospital, silent, afraid to even speak due to the trauma of Second Impact. The moment she was discharged, Misato became more exuberant and energetic, embracing life the best she could.

The pain she felt never went away, however. Misato didn't meet any close friends until College, with Ritsuko and Kaji. She was glad Shinji lived among friends, who he could share his own feelings with. She wondered what kind of shenanigans they got up to…

From the corner of her eye, she noticed something popping out of the desk.

"Hm?"

She stood up, putting the SDAT Player aside to inspect the desk. Misato pulled out from the drawer a Spider-Man mask. It was scratched, one lens was broken, but it was there.

"This… this doesn't mean anything." She nervously laughed. "Could just be from… Sakura's hospital visit. Yeah! He dressed up as him for that, that would be…"

It was never broken during that visit, however. Why would it be that way? Her heart stopped in an instant when she looked at the trash can. Numerous bloodied bandages hung around there. Very quietly, Misato sat the mask on the desk, working several scenarios in her mind.

"Did he… get into some kind of fight… why would he…?"

Her pocket vibrated. Misato quickly pulled out the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Misato." Ritsuko's voice came from the phone. "We found Shinji's backpack along a vent. There were traces of webbing around the area, as well as a… Spider-Man suit on the inside."

Her hand started violently shaking. Something of a sob escaped her throat.

"Misato?"

"Erase the evidence. Get back to work on extracting Shinji from Unit 01."

"Are you sure-?"

"Just do it."

She hung up the phone, sitting on Shinji's bed to ponder this revelation. How much did she really knew the boy that came into her life months ago? What made him want to live with her? Why did she never see through him?

"Maybe because I was pretty lonely…" She said to herself. "Maybe he was too."

Misato was going to demand answers after this was all over. For now, she needed to cry, just a little bit.

Shinji had never felt so good.

A simple wardrobe change, now he was wearing black and dancing on the streets like it was no tomorrow. He hardly even cared if he caught people staring at him, he was just that at ease. With his headphones plugged in to the beat he never needed to hear an opinion ever again.

He stopped in front of a convenience store, imitating a dumb move from a dancing game, rolling his arms around each other, then raising them high while swinging his hips from side to side.

It felt absolutely perfect. Especially with the cool necklace he got from Misato.

"Raise up, get yourself together, and drive that funky soul!" He started singing, "Get up, get yourself together, and drive your funky soul~"

He didn't remember when he heard this song, let alone understand what it was about. Was this something his Mother showed him years ago? Another hand me down from Father? Shinji didn't care. It was cool to listen to.

Sadly for him, the universe didn't want Shinji to be this blissfully annoying.

He opened his eyes, casually smiling upon finding a dear friend tapping her foot impatiently. He took off his headphones.

"Mayumi!" Shinji said. "What brings you to the neighborhood? Like my new clothes?"

Mayumi simply glared at him. "I don't know what you think you're doing, Shinji, but that was that dumbest I've ever seen you do."

"… Ouch!" Shinji scratched the back of his head. "You didn't have to go hard like that."

He soon swept her off her feet, raising her high before leaning her close to the floor.

"Perhaps you'd like to dig on this?"

Mayumi nervously pushed him off, catching Shinji by some surprise.

"Actually, I was thinking of hanging out with Spider-Man." Mayumi said to him. "Ever since he and Dr. Octopus locked up my father and Yashida, crime has been at an all-time low. They wanted to invite me to dinner."

Wait what?

"Spider-Man?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "But, Mayumi, I'm Spider-Man. You saw me when you…"

She laughed. "You? Being Spider-Man? Sorry Shinji, I love you, but that's the most unbelievable thing you've ever said. Look, there they are right now!"

Shinji looked at the direction Mayumi was pointing at… finding Spider-Man and Naoko traversing the skyscrapers.

"We must hurry, Spider-Man! I heard a train was about to crash!"

"Maybe instead of me slowing, how about you hurry?"

"You're so impatient!"

This wasn't real. Shinji would rather fight an Angel on foot than team up with Naoko any more than necessary. Why were they working together on this?

"Shinji, I think we should break up."

His eyes widened, turning back to Mayumi. "Why?"

"You're a fine boy, Shinji." Mayumi said somewhat sadly. "But compared to Spider-Man, you're… well, just you."

His body froze upon hearing that.

"I'm not… I'm not just me, I'm Spider-Man! I can prove it!"

He went to open his shirt a bit, only to find his costume wasn't hidden under there. Mayumi didn't look too pleased.

"Looks you haven't grown any chest hairs yet. Sorry, but you need to go away now."

She poked his nose, which caused him to take a few steps back. As he did, Shinji started falling.

The street cracked beneath him, as reality flickered again.

Shinji felt the cold hard floor of NERV. He blinked, realizing right away he was in the basement, just around the corner where Lilith was tied to the giant cross. He had been around here before, once to find out Rei's origins; the other when he fought Kaji.

"I don't know what your plan is, Mom, but it won't work! Show yourself!"

Suddenly, bright lights blinded Shinji.

He recognized the sound of guns clicking, his eyes adjusting to find he was surrounded by Section-2 guards. Misato and Kaji were on one side, her holding onto him to avoid looking right at her ward.

Spider-Man was also here, apparently.

"There you have it, people. Shinji Ikari, Pilot of Unit 01, is the thief that tried to steal Adam away from NERV. We're lucky we managed to find him before Kaji could be executed."

"You're pretty smart on the uptake, Spider-Man." Kaji said. "Who knew it was the famous Third Child who was the mastermind?"

"He betrayed us all." Misato cried into his shoulder. "I can't believe it, how he's just a selfish brat who couldn't stand not being the center of attention."

In that moment, Shinji never felt his heart stabbed the way it did now. He knew the moment he confronted his mother he would make her pay. He watched the guards, pulling up his punches for a fight.

"You have the right to remain silent, Third Child."

One reached behind him, but Shinji grabbed the man's arm and flipped him over. More guards ganged up on him, trying to keep him down in a huddle, but the boy used his strength to push them off. Instantly, Shinji launched a web at "Spider-Man."

"How about we go a few rounds, impostor?"

Shinji immediately struck at Spider-Man, who kicked him off and launched his own webs at Shinji, sending him careening into a wall.

"I'm no impostor." Spider-Man said. "I'm just better."

He went to kick Shinji again, who dodged and instead grabbed his wrists to scrap him onto the floor. The two rolled around the floor, unaware of reality flickering again, so they found themselves on grassy terrain.

"I think we're about equal." Shinji punched the impostor. "You're not special."

Spider-Man held his jaw. "God, you pack a punch…"

Shinji didn't stop there, though. He elbowed Spider-Man in the stomach, throwing his own punches to get some licks in. Spider-Man barely reacted, punching Shinji in the eye, which left him reeling a bit, but not enough for Spider-Man to take advantage of a kick, which Shinji blocked and used to flip him over.

"I've been at this long enough to know my weaknesses." Shinji said. "You're not gonna get the better of me."

"Not by himself!"

With his Spider-Sense tingling, Shinji moved just fast enough to avoid sludge being thrown at him. It melted the tree instantly, so Shinji figured out who did it.

"Let me guess. Kotei."

It wasn't just the Scorpion however. He was joined by two others; an unscarred Inumaru, the Lizard, had a black jumpsuit and a collar, with claws ready to strike; the other was a man in a black Spider-Man suit, only the uniform was more militarized. It had pockets and guns just ready to be used.

"We have orders to bring in Ikari." The black-suited impostor said. "He was last seen trying to murder Agent Inumaru, after having Pilot Ayanami and… my sister.. killed."

Touji. Of course she would bring up Touji, even though he actually saved his life.

"Okaayyy…" Shinji let out breathlessly. "I think I'm getting the picture. Go through every mistake I've ever made, twist everything so that if it wasn't for me, Spider-Man would have been able to do better."

"Hey! Don't ignore me, asshole!" Touji yelled, bringing out two pistols. "If it wasn't for Spider-Man, I wouldn't have been able to take control of the symbiote the way I do now! Put 'em up!"

Tentacles emerged from Touji, quickly latching onto Shinji and slamming him across another tree. He immediately opened fire upon him, but Shinji webbed himself above the trees, moving to gain some distance.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE COWARD! I ALWAYS HATED YOU FOR PUTTING MY SISTER IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"Not to worry," Inumaru said. "I can track his scent. He won't get away that easily."

He got on all fours and ran fast, Kotei not too far behind him. Shinji barely had time to think before his Spider-Sense could kick in.

"Oh great, the goon squad are right on my tail. What'd I do to deserve this?"

"Exist."

Spider-Man got the jump on Shinji, kicking him down to the floor. The Lizard swiped at Shinji, clawing his chest, but not getting much wounds in as he webbed Inumaru's mouth shut and kicked him.

"Alright, who's next?" Shinji pulling up his fists again. "Bring it on!"

Kotei lunged at Shinji while Touji aimed to fire, but Shinji jumped to a tree as the Scorpion made his move and then clobbered Touji with a punch. He webbed Touji's gun, chucking it across the forest before the Scorpion attacked him from behind. He caught Shinji in a headlock.

"There we go…" Kotei snarled. "We finally caught ourselves a bug!"

"If he won't let us kill him, he'll get worse." Touji said. "Spider-Man, what do you say?"

Spider-Man had helped Lizard up, ripping the webbing from his mouth. He then took off his mask to reveal…

"I say we throw him into the pit." Yui Ikari grinned. "Our enhanced interrogation techniques won't work on the likes of him. He needs special treatment."

Shinji shook in rage. "You…"

"Yeah. Me." Yui snapped her fingers. "Now deal with it."

He fell again. This time it was as though reality shattered while he did, spotting shards of different visions; Memories. Dreams. Nightmares. A chorus of voices calling for him and his death.

"This… isn't… real…"

Then Shinji, now Spider-Man, fell into a large web. He struggled, but couldn't budge an inch. It was that strong.

"You're quite resistant my son." Yui's voice had a large booming quality that made it seem like she was everywhere at once. "To be able to hold on to your sanity as you have is quite remarkable. Even I took a while to truly master my own sense of self. Oh well, all that means is that we'll need something harder to break you."

"Just, why?" Spider-Man struggled more. "Why do you do this to me, Mother?!"

"It's nothing personal. I need a body, you're going to give it to me. You've spoiled enough of my plans as it is, you might as well be good for something. Why fight the chance for Heaven?"

He stilled himself, taking a deep breath.

"If this is your heaven then I guess I'm the Emissary of Hell! Do your worst!"

"As you wish…"

His Spider-Sense tingled, harder than before. Before he knew it, Shinji saw hundreds if not thousands of spiders racing towards him. They crawled up his body, burrowing themselves into his clothes and seized upon every inch of his flesh. Shinji tried to move, shake himself, do anything to get them off, but the spiders… they hurt…

As his vision was covered he could hear a set of voices.

"Tell me Shinji, do you want to become one with me? To become one in mind and body? It could be very nice…"

"Hey Shinji, Idiot! Don't you want to become one with me? In mind and body? You ought to appreciate your good fortune, come on!"

"Ikari… become one with me. To become one of mind and body. It could be very pleasant.

Misato. Asuka. Rei. They all asked the same question.

"What do you want Shinji?"

He wasn't sure. As the spiders completely consume him, it appears he may never be able to think again.

Gendo Ikari slammed the bottle on top of his desk.

He was drunk. After he finally got Fuyutski to confess the truth, Gendo needed to be. What he learned was a complete betrayal from her.

"She would rather trap herself in Evangelion, abandon everyone on Earth, than bring about our utopia with me… what happened to you…?"

Gendo remembered a time when Yui was all for it. There was never a moment of insincerity around her; they both discussed Instrumentality in detail enough that Gendo knew she had believed in it once. What caused the woman he loved to have turned into such a jaded individual?

Unless… she was always like that, with him none the wiser.

That hurt more. If she was always like this, then she lied to him all these years. Gendo thought he was working towards her goals, but instead he played into a whole different game, one that was never explained to him. One that involved her ascending to the high heavens, with no one else to follow her?

How much did he really know his wife? Did she really betray him since they met all those years ago? Was he truly that blinded? Did she change, without him knowing?

She trusted Fuyutski over him with this plan. She guessed that he wouldn't have gone along with it if he knew.

"I wouldn't have…" Gendo drank. "Because she would have left me."

Yet he still loved her, in spite of everything she put him through. She left her son and everyone else behind for her goal. Well, that only meant he would drag her back to him, one way or another.

The intercom turned on.

"Sir, we're going to begin the extraction process in a couple of hours."

Oh. There was the matter of that.

"I'll be there just…" Gendo clutched his head. "Give me a minute."

He can mope to himself later. For now, the Commander of NERV was needed for an appearance.

Shinji sat alone in a white board.

Warm.

White.

Peaceful.

And so very quiet. He liked it here, wherever this is. The spiders hurt. They hurt too much. A nightmare that brought him to heel. Now he was free. Free from pain. Free the spiders. Free from man.

Free from-

From-

Shinji didn't remember. He had a headache just trying to think about it. It was too late now. He will stay in the white, where he belongs.

"Shinji?"

He looked up. A boy with white hair, and red eyes, stretched out his hand.

"Can you hear me? Do you remember me, Shinji?"

Shinji? Shinji Ikari? That was his name, yes he remembered. He knew. He knew him. Kaworu. But it isn't him. It couldn't be.

"You can't be here… you're dead…"

"I am. You remember." Kaworu smiled. "Trust in your instincts. Do not listen to any of the lies your mother spins. You are not a failure."

He then exploded into LCL. He died, yet again.

Quiet again. Kaworu, Mayumi, Yamashiro, Asuka, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, Misato… Misato…

He was done.

No life.

He wasn't sure what he was. A coward? Dishonest? Sneaky? Weak? Those things were true, but more importantly than any of those things-

He ran away.

The time was now. The day of Extraction.

30 days had passed since Shinji was trapped inside Unit 01. With both the Commander and Sub-Commander attending, Ritsuko felt confident to begin the procedure. The bridge crew agreed.

"It's been a lot of nights…" Misato said. "Let's get started."

They all nodded. The crew had worked day and night to find a way to get him out. Unit 01 was now equipped with the Salvage Equipment. The final preparations were in place for the operation.

"All of the probes had been inserted." Maya explained to Ritsuko, who leaned in closer to watch the results. "Ego border pulse connection is complete."

"Roger, start the Salvage Operation."

They sent a signal into Unit 01, waiting for a response. There was a tense silence throughout the moment, the crew waiting for any life signs. No one wanted it to fail.

After about an hour, a beep was heard.

"Okay, we picked up something!"

"So far so good." Ritsuko let out a sigh of relief. "Let's head into stage two."

Maya pressed more keys into the console. The computer focused its targeting mechanism on the signal they had uncovered. However, Maya realized a complication.

"Dr. Akagi, I'm getting two signals instead of one!"

Ritsuko, and to the surprise of everyone Gendo, were visibly shocked at this declaration.

"Let me see that." Ritsuko glanced at the screen. Her eyes widened. "Incredible… Yui may not have disappeared from this world yet. Are we able to get both of them out?"

Gendo leaned in, watching Ritsuko and Maya more closely. Fuyutski started sweating. Their whole plan could be jeopardized if they were able to get Yui out early.

"Is there some way…" Gendo growled. "Tell me!"

"Negative." Maya shook her head. "I've been trying to, but the system can only extract one at a time."

"Figures that'd be a problem." Misato said. "Okay, then keep the focus on Shinji, just as planned."

Ritsuko stared at her friend. "Are you certain?"

"I'm not heartless, but we need Shinji to pilot the Eva. We can't risk everything on this one. Sorry."

"… save the other one…"

Those words caught the room's attention. The crew stared at Gendo, who glowered in something resembling madness.

"The Third Child is irrelevant. We need to bring out the other signal now."

As the landscape became submerged in water, Yui Ikari was triumphant this day.

She had won this battle before it even began. As soon as she dragged her son into Unit 01 and broke through his defenses, she had complete domination over his mind. She lead him carefully as a lamb, until such was the right time to throw him to the wolves.

In this new, proper state of mind, Shinji will accept the truth she had given him. Her gospel. At last, Spider-Man stood still as she made her way to him, holding his soul in her hands. The only remnant of his old personality was that illusionary necklace the fake Misato gave him. Why he still had it was unclear. Sentimentality perhaps? Trying to keep to who he is?

"Doesn't matter now. You're mine now, Shinji."

The boy rejected the man, now favoring the spider. By breaking Shinji's sense of self, she will find it much easier to take his physical form. As long as he considered himself worthless, that all he had was Spider-Man, Yui could pose as Shinji, gain the trust of his friends, and fully activate Third Impact when the time was right.

"At last you see the light, my son." Yui said. "Together, we'll be able to show how bright the future can be!"

Spider-Man said nothing. Yui smiled harder.

"You finally see how worthless you are without your symbol. Humanity is a collection of disease and death. We glamorize ourselves through the Idea of Man. Just as I let myself be consumed by Eva to become a symbol of humanity, Spider-Man touches on others' lives in the same way. You have at least become the ideal."

She handed his soul back to him. Gently, Yui took his hands and caressed them.

"Go ahead Spider. Snuff out the light of your worthless human heart. Let the idea of Spider-Man remain in this consciousness of humanity as I take the reins. You never have to think again."

Spider-Man stared at the soul for a good, long time.

The light was so beautiful… Shinji wasn't worthy of it. He was a coward. Dishonest. Sneaky. Weak.

Perhaps it is time he faced the facts and accepted his destiny.

Makoto was the first to speak up against what the Commander had said.

"You're joking right? We can't just leave Pilot Ikari out to dry, that'd be terrible!"

"That is an order, Lieutenant!" Gendo yelled. "Retrieve the other signal, or so help me I'll come down there and take that console away from you."

"That's a stupid order!" Maya got up from her chair. "We can't put your interests above NERV's! We need to stop the Angels and save the pilot's life."

"You defy me, Ibuki? Perhaps I'll have you all incarcerated for your mutiny."

Ritsuko stepped in front of Maya, blocking Gendo's view. "Sir, we can't compromise on the mission to save her. We need to focus our efforts on Shinji, who still has a chance-"

"Oh please. You were always jealous of my wife, Ritsuko. You don't get to talk about what constitutes the greater good."

Ritsuko's face fell, but only for a second before she frowned.

"Whether you like it or not, Shinji is our best hope. We need him."

Fuyutski had to chime in. "Misato, Ritsuko, keep working on the extraction. The Commander is losing his sanity by the second."

"You just want the scenario to go in your favor!" Gendo yelled at the Sub-Commander. "I am the Commander of NERV. People must obey me."

"They're not your puppets, Gendo." Fuyutski said. "If you don't calm down, we're going to have to restrain you."

But Gendo had had enough of his words. He proceeded to slam Fuyutski to the ground, rushing towards the controls before Misato grabbed his wrists.

"You're not getting anywhere near them!" Misato yelled. "Ritsuko kept at it!"

The struggle continued, as Ritsuko and Maya focused on capturing the target. Once the computer locked in, Maya pressed the button.

"Almost there…" Maya breathed out. "I just hope Shinji gets the signal."

SHINJI! SHINJI! SHINJI! SHINJI! SHINJI! SHINJI!

SHINJI! SHINJI! SHINJI!

SHINJI!

Spider-Man tilted his head. He heard the name, but it was so unfamiliar… Shinji… He glanced at the soul in his possession, as if searching it for an answer.

"Well?" Yui spoke again. "Aren't you going to fulfill your destiny?"

He stood frozen. The name continued to ring in his head, reminding him of some distant memory… he turned his gaze from the soul towards the cross on his necklace. He grabbed the cross and stared at it, trying to remember where it came from. Yui tilted her head in curiosity, wondering what was going on in his head. She took a step closer.

"Spider-Man?"

Spider-Man glanced from the necklace towards Yui. His head seemed to shake, trying to put the pieces together in his mind.

"Remember the soul? You're supposed to snuff it out, Spider-Man. Remember the deal-"

He slammed his fist into her, sending her to the floor. Her face started cracking, like a mirror. The soul floated inside of Spider-Man, completing his existence. Now all that was left was the raging red light of Yui's soul, who couldn't believe what had happened.

"It's impossible!" Yui screamed. "I broke you! You're supposed to be a husk right now!"

He grabbed his own costume, proceeding to tear it off piece by piece. Shinji was now in his boxers, bubbles bursting from his mouth and his hair floating to the water. He was furious.

"I am… me…" Shinji breathed. "I am… MYSELF!

He immediately went to punch Yui, who had enough time to create an AT Field to save herself. However, Shinji kept punching the Field, cracking it little by little, much to Yui's fear.

"The spider was a coffin! I'm free now! I'LL GET YOU MOTHER! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU PUT ME THROUGH!"

He understood now. He was Shinji ikari. That's all he was. That's all he will ever be. Yui tried to murder the mask, but she couldn't murder the man underneath it.

Eventually, one of Shinji's punches broke the AT Field. Not fast enough to get a lick in, but enough that he was able to grab the edges of the field before it closed upon itself. With as much effort as he could muster, Shinji began to rip it apart.

"My God!" Yui gazed in wonder and horror. "What are you?!"

Once the field was gone, Shinji grabbed his mother by the helm of her shirt and held her up.

"I'm supposed to be a lot of things." He simply said. "Right now? I'm not dead."

Suddenly a light shined on the pair. Shinji started rising from the ocean floor, but Yui tried to cling on.

"You're ruining everything!" She yelled again. "I wanted to bring humanity the gift of Paradise! Freedom from our miserable bodies, our worthless battles, to live eternally as part of me!"

"No." Shinji gazed down at his mother. "You wanted to be proof of humanity's existence. Get away from me!"

Yui tried to grab at Shinji in an attempt to strangle him, but he avoided it and kicked her. She was still keeping a vice-like grip on him as the two were being raised, Yui trying to drag Shinji down to her level. He was not budging, however. He got a lucky shot in, which made Yui fall so she could only grab onto his leg.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Yui screamed at him. "YOU BELONG TO ME!"

By now, half of her face had fallen off. From the shattered remains of the mask Yui wore was Unit 01's own face buried beneath the flesh, a sight that disturbed Shinji.

"You're so consumed by your creation…" Shinji let out. "I won't be like you."

She flailed so desperately, trying to keep her son here with her.

"PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Suddenly, Yui felt unfamiliar hands on her, dragging her down.

"He must return to the world. To his friends."

"Shinji deserves happiness, away from your legacy."

"You've been a horrible mother. You're not going anywhere near him."

Mayumi.

Kaworu.

Yamashiro.

It was them, as Shinji remembered them. Their true selves, or as close he came to see them, dragging Yui back to the depths of Unit 01. Shinji blinked away some tears, waving bye at them as he floated upwards. Each one of these people had helped Shinji in some way. Even now, they are still there, in his memories.

"I'll see you all again, some day." Shinji said as he was about to reach the surface of the water. "I hope I can make you all proud."

Shinji had never been so glad to wake up to this ceiling.

He hated the hospital wing. Always had, always would. But after the nightmare he went through, the white room felt like a reassuring old friend, a reminder that he had returned to reality. Shinji rustled the sheets as he tried to get a feel for his surroundings.

"Hey, you're awake. That's pretty cool."

He blinked. Shinji saw a nurse by the bed side. Surprisingly, she was a girl, no older than he was. She had kindly blue eyes and a bright smile that lit up the room, a refreshing sight from the doctors that came around here. Especially Naoko.

Still, Shinji couldn't help but feel her short red hair felt familiar.

"Hi…" Shinji smiled. "Sorry, I don't think I've seen you before."

"Nah, I'm new." She smiled back. "I actually took over for another nurse just last week. Name's Kirishima. You gave us all a scare for thirty days."

"Thirty days?!" Shinji tried to get up, but he was stuck in the bed. "I need to get out of here, there's so many people I have to talk to!"

"You will, but you need plenty of rest. The Major's gonna come in soon, and she's bound to ask you questions."

He was uncertain if he should stay still. Then again, Misato would probably throw a fit if the first thing he did after getting up was walk around and injure himself. Again. As much as he wanted to see Rei, or Touji, or any of his other friends, Shinji needed to be patient.

"Fine." He reluctantly said. "There was something I needed to talk about with her anyway."

Shinji looked at the camera. He immediately realized a problem.

"Those cameras don't work, do they?"

"They're just for show. Or so I heard." She shrugged. "Well, I need to head back out to work. I'll be seeing you around, Ikari."

With that, Nurse Kirishima opened the door and left. Shinji took a deep breath.

Now more than ever, he knew he couldn't dwaddle on the truth. Shinji had always been reluctant to reveal his secret willingly. His friends and enemies alike tended to figure out he was Spider-Man by themselves. Even Rei by now definitely knows, and it's hurting her. After seeing what his mother had become, Shinji had to expand his circle of trust. Which is why he needed to tell the truth to Misato.

She is probably going to be heartbroken, maybe to some degree bitter. She would have every reason to be after he lied to her. But Shinji knew Misato wouldn't throw him out the street. If he couldn't trust her, who could he trust?

He reached an agreement in his mind as the door opened. Misato finally entered the room. She looked exhausted, her jacket unkempt, and her hair a little messy. But it was still her.

"Shinji…"

She spoke her name with such longing. Even though they were silent. they knew someone had to speak. Shinji realized it was now or never. He had to say it now, or he would lose his nerve.

"Misato, I…"

Her eyes opened slightly. "Yes, Shinji?"

"… There's something I have to…"

"Tell me?" Misato blinked. "Oh yeah, the nurse said something about that. There's so much we have to go over, I got a lot to get off my chest. But yeah. You first."

Shinji thought about the best way to say it. He then decided on another idea.

"No… Let me show you…"

He raised his hand, giving one last look at the camera. Closing his eyes, he launched a web out to the wall. When he opened them again, Shinji saw Misato gaze at him in shock.

"We need to talk, Misato."

There he said it. Now all he had to do was wait for her reaction.

Several emotions came through her face. Shock turned to fear, then disgust… before becoming deeply resigned.

"You have to start with a bombshell like that? Alright, Shinji."

She brought something from her jacket. Shinji immediately paled at the sight of his mask as she threw it to his bed.

"Let's talk. Not here though. At home, where we can do it privately."

Author's Notes:

I should probably start with the original direction with this story. I didn't want to put Venom initially, partly because I always felt like he was a villain that worked better in a later stage of Spider-Man's career, but also because I wanted to make Unit 01 a sort of Venom proxy; The story would have Shinji becoming more aggressive inside the Eva, slowly losing his powers and giving himself to the machine until this chapter arrived. Yui would even dress as Unit 01 itself for a battle.

However, as the story was written those plans didn't quite come the way I wanted to. Aside from from exceptions like Sachiel or Zeruel, most of Eva's fights are more strategic and cerebral, so there wasn't many opportunities to foreshadow Shinji's behavior the way I wanted. I brought in Venom and Black Cat as I realized they could serve a role in the story that could still advance character arcs. Either way though, I am still proud of how this all turned out and I hope you enjoyed Marie's introduction and the potential new arc for the symbiote and Asuka.

The most interesting part of this chapter and the last one was comparing Shinji and Kaworu to Gendo and Yui. Kaworu and Gendo are fixated on their love interests, sacrificing a lot to help them even if they don't seem to notice or appreciate the true extent of their feelings. The primary difference is that for all his warts, Kaworu genuinely wants Shinji to be happy, and when Shinji does realize, he offers to help Kaworu and give him resolution. Gendo can't live without Yui and hurts many others to bring her back. He is unable to see Yui in a lens other than his own, an image partly created by Yui herself to string him along for the ride. They are unwilling or incapable of being honest with each other, something that Shinji and Kaworu are capable of overcoming.

Time to answer reviews:

Nostalgia Fiction: I wish I could tell you how much reviews like this make me so happy. Thank you so much for this lovely message, I hope you continue to enjoy the fic!

FlightLight: Don't worry, it's a fair question. Basically, the Angels exist across universes and are able to feel them all at once. Most of them don't notice, but some like Leliel and Kaworu are able to actually experience those universes themselves. Leliel is able to understand it because of her nature as a Dirac Sea, while Kaworu first experiences the other universes as dreams until he can concentrate enough to put himself into another Kaworu's shoes. I hope it makes sense. As for Gendo and Fuyutski, the Impact was definitely not a part of their plans. Everybody is operating under OG EVA Rules, even with some added Rebuild characters like Mari.

Author0fntent: Yeah… heart to heart… heheheheheheh…

K-C32: I hope I didn't disappoint on that front.

Next Chapter, we have the end of Act 2 with: The Talk

Omake:

"The Truth Revealed" By Johnny Freeman and GainaxVel3o

Spider-Man had returned from another long day of web swinging.

He snuck inside his apartment through the window, hoping to have a well deserved nap. However, due to drowsiness, Shinji didn't bother to check to see if the room was secure. He jumped right in, taking off his clothes, unaware of the woman inside.

"Shinji?!"

He immediately turned to the source, finding a tall, green Misato putting ice on her head. Her uniform looks like it had seen better days as it had been shredded from a fight. Misato was absolutely stunned.

"YOU'RE SPIDER-MAN?!"

"I'm not! I really am not!" He screamed out as he put on a white shirt stained with sweat and boxer shorts. "I'm not Spider-Man!"

"AND WHAT IS THAT THEN!?"

"It's a..." Shinji's eyes looked from right to left. "A Halloween Costume! Yeah, I was, uh, wearing that."

"Halloween Costume… IN THE MIDDLE OF APRIL?!" Misato had to dope slap herself upon hearing that. "If you're gonna bullshit me at least be better at it!"

"What the fuck? The idiot's spider-man?"

Misato and Shinji turned to the filtered voice as a girl in a red and gold metal suit stood by the entrance of the apartment. The helmet opened up to reveal Asuka.

"Wait not only is that loser Spider-Man, you're She-Hulk, Misato?!"

Misato got up in indignation. "YOU'RE THE IRON WOMAN!"

"Iron MAIDEN…" Though Asuka seemed to ponder that. "But Iron Woman's got a nice ring to it."

"WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THE METAL SUIT FROM!" Misato shouted.

"Uhhh… It's a family heirloom?"

"Your family heirloom is a combat suit?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "What kind of family leaves a weapon of mass destruction as an inheritance?"

"W-well what's your excuse, you dork!" Asuka shouted, "Did your parents genetically engineer spiders to give you super powers?"

The attention was turned back to Shinji, feeling like the target to the argument. He had to turn this situation around.

"What about you, Misato! Why are you green?!"

"It's uhh… a hereditary skin condition?"

Nobody bought that. Asuka's excuse seemed more reasonable by comparison.

"You have a skin condition that turns you green and strong?" Asuka said. "Yeah. Totally believable."

"Okay fine!" Misato, crossing her arms. "Second Impact messed up my genes with Gamma whatever and I have a raging alter ego! Happy?!"

A window slid open, The three turned to see a Rei in a green Bomber Jacket trying to enter through the kitchen. Tippytoe chittered next to her ear, with Rei shaking her head to the squirrel.

"I need to give Private Ikari his music player back. He entered my room before, it seems fair that I need to do the sa-"

Rei stopped as her eerie red eyes starred back at the green Misato. She also noticed her fellow pilots were in their own bizarre get ups.

"Oh dear…" Rei muttered

"I KNEW I WASN'T IMAGINING THINGS!"

Asuka did a little dance as Misato and Shinji frowned.

"What do you mean 'you knew', Asuka?" Misato raised her eyebrow. "Nobody could have seen that coming."

"You knew that Rei was Squirrel Girl?"

The four stood there in the confusion, uncertain on how to process this new set of information. Before Shinji could even open his mouth again, the apartment door slid open. Deadpool casually allowed herself in, clad in her mask with Mari Makinami's pilot uniform, and held up a little toothbrush.

"Hey Misato! Sorry about borrowing your toothbrush! I promise I've-"

Mari stopped as she noticed the four superheroes standing there, looking at Mari with the utmost confusion.

"OH FUCK ME, ARE WE DOING SECRET IDENTITY REVEALS ALREADY?!" Marie exclaimed, tossing the toothbrush to the ground. "I COULD'VE USED A COURTESY CALL BEFORE YOU GUYS DID THIS!"

Shinji what the hell Mari was even talking about but she cut him off.

"Give me a minute, I'll go into costume and I'll reveal myself." Mari turned around and ran for the door. "I won't take long, I promise!"

She slammed the entrance door shut, her footsteps trailing off to her own apartment.

"Um… What was that all about?"

"… I don't like this already."