The Last Angel

The void had lost its allure to one Rei Ayanami.

Each time she entered Evangelion Unit 00 she would find herself here, in a realm of her imagination. The trees, the water and sky were wrapped in a mystical aura, the landscape shifting so wildly that Rei could hardly remember; the only thing left to do in here was contemplate the nature of her being. It had been this way since she found herself here, a pattern yet to be broken.

Today, however, felt different. Rei could feel a shift in the air as she asked the usual questions to the only voice that existed.

"What am I?"

"You are you."

"But what is me?"

"Someone named Rei Ayanami."

"Yet, you are also Rei Ayanami."

"We share a voice, but not the timbre, or the inflection, the way things should be."

"Is that right? You are the first, so you must be the true one."

"Truth is a matter of perspective. From the point of view of Asuka Langley Sohryu, for example, you are the real one."

"But you originated the design. You sought oblivion."

"I came the closest to it when I called to the old hag. I am angry to have been denied by by the Commander."

"Not at her?"

"She was just a tool. Our loyalty to him was always misplaced. He originated us, but our form, our knowledge, that was our own."

"He tried to kill us, as she did."

"Death is but the cessation of being. What do you care of death?"

"You ask me that?"

"I am just a voice in your head."

"You are more than that."

"Not by a fraction. I am tired of this existence, Ayanami. I want mine to end, even if you do not."

"…"

"There is no use to keeping secrets here. Speak."

"… I did not know when this started, or if it will end. But my wish changed. To embrace death… it terrifies me."

"I suppose that is one difference between us. By this point, I long for death."

"Please, let me help you."

"Unit 00 cannot function without a soul."

"Evangelion will not last forever. Other possibilities will become available."

"How are you so certain?"

"…"

"You wish for Rei Ayanami to exist. That desire is incompatible to reality."

"That cannot be true."

"It is true. The end will be upon us, sooner than you realize. At the end of Evangelion, you will make a choice, and it will leave an impact on the entire planet."

Rei was left stunned at this. She recovered only to ask one more question.

"How can

yoube sure?"

Amused laughter was the only response.

"-lot Ayanami? Can you hear us?"

The voice forced her eyes open.

"Your synch ratio went beyond normal." Lt. Makoto Hyuuga said. "Your brainwave patterns were all over the place."

Rei tilted her head to the side. "I see."

It was as much of an answer as she was willing to give. The conversation was not his to know. Feeling herself pulled from the reverie, Rei could only hear a blare in her ears, picking up the faintest hums from her monitor.

"Hmm, vital signs are normal." Ritsuko Akagi said. "Alright, the test is over for today. You can leave, Pilot Ayanami."

With a small shake of the head, Rei exited the plug, heading off to the locker room. From there, she went to change into her standard school uniform. Would this have been hers, if she had lived past that moment?

Most people developed their sense of self with the certainty that they were unique, that their lives begin and end with them. Rei could not afford such a luxury; from the moment she was activated, Rei knew she was not the first Ayanami, and that she would not be the last in her line. It had been easy to cope with that by focusing on the (former) Commander's goal, and being an Evangelion pilot. However, with the Angel War approaching its end, and the elder Ikari tainted in her eyes, Rei realized that her life as she knew it would be over.

Not in the sense of her ceasing to exist, although that was always a distinct possibility in her line of work; the circumstances that allowed her to be here, to meet Ikari and Asuka, the Evangelions… that would come to a close. She was sure of it. There was no chance SEELE would allow them to live in peace after the war; not when their scenario was yet to be completed; a battle was sure to follow. Who would come out the victor then?

Even if NERV were able to fend off the Committee, destroy the Evangelions, bring about an end to the menace of the Angels… what would happen afterwards? The Earth would still be dying from the damage brought about from SEELE's petty goals. Rei would not live to see it, probably, but the children might. What can be done now? What can she do now?

"What am I?"

"You are you."

"But what is me?"

"Someone named Rei Ayanami."

Shinji Ikari, her brother, and Asuka Langley Soryuu, her… friend? Lover? Whatever she was, both of them were amazing in Rei's eyes. From their troubled pasts, they forged their own path as Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider, bringing hope, however fleeting, to the people of Tokyo-3. Could Rei follow in their footsteps? Could she save others the way they had saved her long ago?

"Am I worthy, compared to them?" She asked herself. "They are irreplaceable… I am not worthless, but…"

To join them in the sun… that would be her dream.

In her current reality, Rei entered another room. There, she found her teammates in the middle of their own training session.

"Shinji, you idiot! I already have this!"

"Asuka no, the Rhino has a tough hide, even your super strength isn't going to be able to-"

"GAAAH! I hate this guy already!"

This station was originally built for simulated combat; the Evangelions practiced their weapons against holographic projections of previously fought Angels. It was a mandatory part of the synch test, to provide the best experience for the pilots. The technicians jokingly called it the Danger Room. Dr. Akagi threatened them to not use it once she heard.

"Just focus on the target!" Misato barked out her orders. "This is as much for you as it is for the team. If you can't work together, you won't be able to win when SEELE comes knocking!"

Inside the chamber, Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and the recently recruited Black Cat fought against the Rhino. One of Ikari's previous enemies, he was only able to defeat the Rhino by trapping him in cement. The focus of the exercise was to find a way to disable him.

"You know, Misato, I'm not sure why I'm here." Marie Vincennes, the Black Cat, openly whined. "Sure, I did the hero thing once or twice, but it's not like I'm going to make it a full time thing!"

"It's not just for that. It's for defending yourself." Misato said. "As far as the Committee is concerned, you all have targets on your backs, so WATCH OUT!"

Marie let out a small scream at the order, narrowly dodging a falling Spider-Man knocked to the floor by the Rhino.

"Ow…" Marie helped Shinji up, allowing him to catch a breath. "Anyone got ideas? I'd like to not get squashed."

"These things usually have a weakness." Marie looked at the Rhino helplessly. "You gotta have beat it somehow, right?"

Shinji grinned nervously under the mask. "Well, last time, I had a wrecking ball and conveniently placed construction dynamite." He blinked. "Asuka, aim for the back! He had a power generator or something, but we have to expose it!"

Scarlet Spider was ahead of him in that respect. She climbed the towering Rhino's back, repeatedly punching the thing with all she had. However, all that effort left a minor dent.

"Damn it!" Asuka closed her eyes and tried to focus. "Why can't that green blast thing come back? This would have made things so much easier."

"YOU DARE STRIKE THE RHINO?! RHINO STRIKE YOU!"

Thankfully, Asuka's spider-sense was never late on the uptake. Just as the Rhino prepared to fall on his back to squash her, the Scarlet Spider jumped to his front, propelling herself above the villain to launch two web lines onto the ground.

"Maybe I can't punch you out." Asuka grinned. "But I can send you straight to Hell!"

Pulling as hard as she could, the Scarlet Spider straightened both of her arms for the attack. The winds almost knocked her out as Asuka slammed her fists into the villain's… causing her arms to burst into green energy.

"Wait what-?!"

The blast proved rather sizable; the Rhino soon dissipated into tiny, bitsy blocks of code, along with the rest of the simulated background. In addition, Asuka's harsh landing caused a large crack in the floor, triggering the alarm system.

"RED ALERT! TRAINING STATION BREACH!"

The sprinkler system activated just then. Water spread over the room, ruining Asuka's costume.

"Oh come on! I just washed my hair this morning!" Asuka rubbed her perfectly ruined red hair off her eyes. "This is stupid!"

Marie glared at her as she tried to rub the water from her costume. "Speak for yourself! I just fixed this up from the last fight, but no, you just HAD to wreck the chamber, huh?"

"Like it's my fault the system's broken!"

"You broke the floor!"

"Now, now." Shinji raised his hands up. "Let's just take it easy, you managed to get a win…"

They turned to him in unison. "NOBODY ASKED YOU!"

Rei watched Misato sigh and pinch the brook of her nose. "They're not ready… We have ways to go before we can take on the Committee."

The First Child raised an eyebrow. "Do you believe we will come into conflict with them?"

"If we're going to stop Third Impact from happening? It's inevitable. They have resources we don't, and connections they can use to bury us. We need every advantage we can get."

"I see…"

Misato turned to smile at her. "We can shelve that for later. Heard from Asuka you two are having a dinner date~"

Rei couldn't fight the blush on her face. "I had wanted to go on a picnic… The two of us agreed that staying indoors would be better. It allowed us to… talk."

"Hope you two have fun!" She tilted her head, thinking. "Hm, I wish I said something on this before… Asuka and you, you got baggage. Times like these it's best to be honest with yourself and her about what you want. You don't have to rush into something if you're not prepared for it."

"… thank you, Major."

"Any time." Misato winked. "Off you go. Your girlfriend's going to get reprimanded later, so it's best you went to her now."

Nodding at this advice, Rei made her leave from the room.

Nurse Mana Kirishima had seen a lot, despite being younger than the average soldier.

In her experience, even trainees came through the hospital wing with serious scars, from the exercises destroying their bodies, or unexpected accidents; a holographic projection, like the ones provided at military installations like NERV, was just as dangerous to a pilot as real live fire. The patient before her, however, showed no signs of injury. It was as if any scars were healed before they had a chance to leave their mark.

Some people were born with gifts. Some had them thrust upon them, an opportunity or a curse depending on who you asked. Mana hadn't had control over where her life went for a long while. What she wouldn't give for to have such power, Mana wondered, as she inspected Shinji's arm one more time, providing a special ointment. A few more minutes and Ikari would be given a clean bill of health from this hospital room.

"It's astonishing." She said simply. "Your ability to regenerate so quickly is beyond anything we've seen up to this point! You truly are the amazing Spider-Man, Pilot Ikari."

Shinji chuckled nervously. "I can't really say I'm amazing. Unlucky more like. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it led to all of… this."

"Sounds insanely cool to me." Mana laughed along with him, to put her patient at ease. "If only the world had more people like you. Then, we wouldn't have to be so worried about what people in power do."

"No one wants to be me." He shook his head. "Definitely not me."

"From what I've seen, you aren't so bad. Maybe a bit shy, is all."

"Thanks nurse, but…"

Shinji let out a rueful sigh. It drew Mana's attention, as she raised her eyebrow.

"What's the matter? Still bothered by Asuka's little stunt?"

"It's nothing important."

He tried to wave it off, but Mana saw an opportunity in this exchange. She went to wash her hands in the sink as she continued to speak. "It was quite reckless. I can see how that can cause worry."

"It wasn't that exactly." Shinji let his shoulders shrug, deciding there wouldn't be a problem talking about it to this stranger. "When I started out, it took me a couple of months before I really got a handle on my powers. What if something happens, and Asuka or Marie end up getting hurt before they really have a chance to master their own powers?"

Mana crossed her arms. "Is something going to happen?"

"Nothing… specific, I guess. But in my experience, supervillains have a way of crawling out of the woodwork to make your life suck. They should be more ready, but there's not enough time. I could be doing more, but…"

Carefully composing her answer, Mana shook her head. "I think you've done plenty to help. It's not a you problem, right now, so much as theirs. Asuka's powers aren't the same as yours, and neither are Vincennes'. Whatever happens, they need to work out their issues on their own. You can only support them from the side."

"I… guess that makes sense." Shinji tilted his head. "But how would I know when it's a good time to step in?"

"You just feel it. Kind of like the way you've described your spider-sense to me."

Another small laugh came from Shinji. "I guess!" After a moment, he stared at her seriously. "Hmm…?"

It was, perhaps, a trick of the mind. Or a sense of deja vú born from another night without sleeping. But Shinji couldn't shake the feeling there was something oddly familiar about this girl. He vaguely recalled an instance of short, red hair, green eyes… but they were a blur, as to be expected from a long forgotten dream…

Mana could only gaze back at her patient with a confused frown. "Is there something on me?"

"Oh! Um, well, you see…" Shinji snapped out of his thoughts, and scratched his chin thoughtfully. A random, fast question popped into his head. "How old are you? You look, erm, really young to be here."

Mana's eyes slightly widened a bit, before they brightened. "Fourteen. Same as you, actually."

"Really?" Shinji blinked at this surprise answer. "That's, um, that's a bit young to be a nurse, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Mana laughed at that. "Technically, I'm supposed to be an intern, of sorts. The type of school I went to offered free scholarships, allowing me to take side jobs to pay off my tuition."

Shinji nodded, passively accepting this. "So, you're graduating early? Like Asuka did?"

"Something like that." Mana looked out the window. "To tell you the truth, that training, that environment… it can get harsh. It's a nice change of pace to be here, in the bustle of the city. I don't get too many chances to meet people."

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Kirishima." Shinji raised a hand. "Thanks for helping out."

"It's my job." Mana proceeded to shake his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Ikari."

Shinji winced. "Actually, Mr. Ikari is my father. Just Ikari will do."

"Alright then, Ikari, try not to get into too much trouble, okay?" She winked at him. Mana then let go of his hand and began to walk out the door, carrying a folder. "Being a big time superhero this kind of stuff is inevitable, but I'd like one of our finest to try not getting themselves killed out there."

"Can't make promises." Shinji actually smiled. "You headed somewhere?"

"I need to hand some papers over to my boss." She smiled as she shut the door. "You're free to go. See you soon."

With that, the two teenagers left the room. Mana spirited off for some file delivery, while the boy touched his cheeks, trying to feel the blush that formed around them; instead, he could only feel himself.

"That was strange." Shinji thought out loud. "I could have sworn she was familiar… but all I can think of is a blank. Did I see her around the base or something?"

He had to admit, he was curious about the girl. She seemed nice, from what he had seen, maybe past a bit of what her job required her to. There was a story there, that Shinji wanted to find out for himself.

Deciding to shrug this off for later, Shinji walked to the next room over. Opening the door, he could see Asuka and Marie removing their bandages. Asuka still had swelling around her knuckles, while Marie returned to a more frail physique, fitting of a normal girl. Shinji still didn't understand how the Black Cat powers worked; the idea that it wasn't something from the Angels, or even science… that was insane. Best not to question it for long.

"Hey, Asuka." Shinji called out. "Are your hands still healing? They usually heal fast for me."

"Well, Idiot Shinji, we're not you." Asuka said. "As it so happens, my healing factor's actually weaker than yours. How unfair, you get the full set while I make do with the left overs."

"Admit it Asuka, you would have been miserable if you had the full set." Marie grinned. "You enjoy having limitations. Makes it all the better when you manage to pull something out of your butt."

"You do it too."

"Guilty as charged." Marie said with a small nod of the head. "Though usually I'd like to get some prep work done before a heist. Oof, transforming isn't easy."

She clutched the pendant around her neck, bringing it closer to herself. Marie breathed through her bruised nose, then out, as if expelling a weight placed on her body.

"Those cat powers can't be magic." Asuka said. "Clearly you're on something. Didn't the Americans make super soldiers? Did they start testing on little girls now?"

"They never stopped, as far as I know." Marie stuck her tongue out. "It's magic. I don't have to explain it."

"Ha! Wait until Akagi gets her hands on it."

Marie cringed. "No way. That woman's scary enough as is, even the neighborhood cats know to avoid her."

"Is that an actual thing you see? Tell me you don't talk to animals now, do you?"

"I'm not a Disney Princess, if that's what you're asking." Marie rolled her eyes. "It's more of a feeling than a sure thing. Like your spider-sense."

Asuka groaned. "If it was going to give me headaches, the least my spider-sense could do was actually tell me what the danger was. It's so stupid!"

Shinji couldn't help but smile at this. "Nice to see you're doing so well. Don't forget dinner with Rei later, Asuka."

"Sure, so long as you don't forget to ask that girl on a date." At Shinji's bewildered expression, Asuka smirked. "What, you thought you were subtle? Don't make us laugh Third Child."

"Oh there's a date? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Marie put both of her hands underneath the chin. "Don't worry about a thing. I'm no gossip… most of the time."

"It's not like… well…" Shinji sighed, realizing he wouldn't get out of this so quickly. Might as well be honest. "I feel like I've seen her before, that's all. I want to get to know her."

"Ah, mystery girl? Intriguing." Marie's lips curved to a grin. "Hey, maybe you should ask her out on a date then?"

That threw him for a loop. "W-What?! No, I can't do that-"

"Why not? She seems fine talking to you enough. You know, from what I've seen" Marie pointed at herself. "Then again, you could go for me. I'll try not to bite too hard."

Seeing the invincible Spider-Shinji sputter before her made Marie laugh quite a bit. She liked messing with him; it was fun.

"Hahaha, that look on your face, man!"

"Try not to fry his brain too much. That idiot wouldn't know a date if it bit him in the butt." Asuka crossed her arms as she held her head high. "Unlike him, I have an actual date."

"For the record, I knew you were going to date a girl."

"SHUT IT, MARIE!"

Shinji managed to gather his wits enough to answer her. "I am flattered, thank you, but I'm not really in a dating mood. It… wouldn't feel right, with all that's happened."

"See? Scaredy cat." Asuka checked the time. "Shit, I need to get going. Don't wait up for me, Shinji."

Asuka ran off in a hurry, with Shinji waving at her as she left. Marie picked herself up, also getting ready to go.

"She never lets up does she?"

"No. She's a free spirit… Asuka does what she wants." Shinji said fondly. "Some days, I wish I was more like her."

"Bullying and crabby?"

"Sure of herself." Shinji shrugged. "Smart too. I had to borrow her web shooters to fight the Lizard at one point, and they worked great."

"Well, try not to take too much from her. Masochism tango's a bitch." Marie thought something over, deciding to spill it into words. "Still, take it from me; you should go after what you want. Even if the Angels are gone and the day's saved, it doesn't mean you'll have all the time in the world." She patted her friend on the back. "Super types like us, we're always on playing with fire. You should take a chance before you burn out, like an ember."

Shinji couldn't help but gape at Marie's speech. He stopped himself briefly, leaning against the wall. "That… is tempting. I'll think about."

"Think fast, Shinji. You never know what the moment throws at you… before, or after it passes."

With a shrug in her step, Marie walked out of the room, leaving Shinji to think on his own once again.

Rei Ayanami prepared her food.

Home was relative. She was in her house, the apartment room she only moved into recently after a long time. It was sparse, fitting for a girl who never asked for much, or never knew much. The only difference, the one that really mattered to those that knew Rei, was that it was clean. She took the time to take care of it, not for others' sake, but for herself as well. Her school uniforms that were in the closet had also been joined by more casual wear that Asuka and Hikari helped pick out for her one afternoon.

Hikari had been insistent on a blue dress working for her. Rei wore it for this occasion, hoping Asuka would not mind much.

Still, living alone wasn't always a cage. The former Commander taught her the bare minimum of cooking, but Rei picked up the rest from there. At one point, she had hoped to invite Gendo and Shinji on a picnic to patch the wound in their relationship, and perhaps become closer to them. As her fear for the Commander grew, this dream sadly shrunk to less than a speck of dust, no longer leaving a trace. The past was left behind, no matter what she wanted.

"I must hurry." She spoke to herself. "She will be coming."

Just as Rei placed the plates of food onto the table, there came a string of rapid, loud sets of knocks.

"You in there, Rei?"

"Yes." Rei brushed a bit of hair off her face. "Come in, Asuka."

The other girl did. From the moment Rei laid eyes on her, she knew how Asuka could steal a glance from the crowd; her fiery hair and determined eyes brought about a passion from others. Wearing her favorite yellow sundress, Asuka smiled.

"If you're done gawking…" Asuka teased half-heartedly, trying to sound annoyed but coming out more fondly. "Care to invite me in?"

Quickly Rei nodded. "Of course."

As if carried by montage, the two sat down and began their fear in a haze. Whenever Asuka spoke, it commanded attention, demanding to be seen. Rei lost herself with her, seemingly invisible next to Unit 02's grand pilot. It was impossible to not to look at Asuka, to see her, no matter what she did.

"I pretty much had that hunk of junk until my shitty blasts flared up!" Asuka bit back a grimace as she moaned. "I swear, Shinji got the lucky breaks with his powers. I'm still a novice compared to him!"

"He has experience, you did not. I thought you handled yourself well. Better than expected."

"Better than expected is barely beyond being a total failure." Asuka raised her hands, trying to make them glow on command. "If only I could figure out how these work! Maybe I'd actually get somewhere!"

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Have you figured out what they are?"

"I went to Dr. Akagi about it. She said it had something to do with the spider DNA modifying the electrolytes in my system. With the very, VERY few times we actually got it to work, it causes the complete destruction of an object, and knock out whoever's unlucky or dumb enough to get in close."

"Was there anyone that received it?"

Asuka looked sheepish. "That glasses dork on the bridge. He surprised me and I slapped him which somehow caused me to blast him by accident and- look, I didn't expect him to shit his pants okay?!"

"Be careful with where you point your fingers. I do hope to remain conscious by the end of this date."

That made Asuka laugh. "Sure! No worries. Maya and I had a talk about this, actually…"

"The other lieutenant?" Rei blinked, before stating plainly. "You listen to her."

"She's my psychologist, that's her job. It actually helps, though being a superhero wasn't something she was prepared for." Asuka admitted with flushed cheeks. "She thinks my blasts might be tied to my anger. I don't really buy it. I get angry enough losing in that simulator, but I still get nothing."

"Perhaps there is something blocking you. Something you don't see yet."

"Like what?"

"Hm…" Rei thought about it for a moment. "I have observed your ferocity in the simulator. It matches your zeal while piloting your Eva. However, outside of it, what Aida showed me of your patrols with Shinji-"

"Wait, he shows you those?!"

"-You hesitate during fights." Rei continued without skipping a beat. "You only use your legs and later freeze. Perhaps answering that will help you unlock more of your power."

Asuka shrugged. "Maybe, maybe…" She went to take a bite out of the noodles. "Not bad, Wonder Girl. Shinji's gonna get a run for his money in the food department."

"You flatter me."

"Yup. He probably taught you a couple of things on the side." Asuka crossed her arms. "I'm a little jealous how close you two can be."

"We send more time together."

"Sure, but he knew you before I did. He shared your secrets with you before I knew. It can be hard to be left out of the loop."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Do you believe I am keeping secrets from you?"

"I didn't say that." Asuka said. "I know better than to pry when it's not warranted. It'd be hypocritical otherwise."

"I could tell you things." Rei said, sipping a bit of her tea. "But you know quite a bit already, do you not?"

"It came from the symbiote. It didn't come from you." Asuka sighed. "So, you're a clone? Big whoop. You're still Wonder Girl to me. I want to get to know you for you, not just because you're a pilot or a teammate or whatever."

"Thank you… truly…" Rei looked down, her face blushing. "I wish to tell you things. Important things. But some can be too painful, even at this stage."

"Like what? A conspiracy out to destroy humanity? That Shinji is freakin' Spider-Man? Kaji turned out to be some crazy whacko with shapeshifting powers!" Asuka slammed her fist into the table, causing it to crack. She looked down and sheepishly stared back at Rei. "Sorry about that. Anyway, unless you're going to tell me you have a secret army of squirrels, there's not gonna be a lot that'll surprise me."

Rei wondered where that idea came from. She chose to file it for a later date.

"There is more than that… This might ruin your concentration while piloting."

"I already got a lot on my plate." Asuka gave her a rueful smirk. "Piloting an Eva is just a walk in the park compared to being Scarlet Spider. When it's all over, that doll's gonna be thrown away with the others."

That was what Rei was afraid of. Asuka knew about the conspiracy, about the Angels and SEELE, the threats coming to this planet; but the truth behind Evangelion was a secret, not even Misato was sure Asuka was ready to know. The plan had been to keep it under wraps until the Angels were defeated. A sensible plan.

But that would be a lie, and Rei had done too much of that; to herself; to everyone she knew, even if in passing; Rei had been pretending all her life. She wanted Asuka to trust her, to love her, and as such, Rei had to choose honesty over another white lie.

"It is not as simple as defeating the Angels. The Evangelions are still a risk."

"Yeah, because they're made of Angel matter or whatever. We're gonna blow them up, right?"

Rei stared at Asuka, really stared at her. She bore into Asuka's eyes as she began to speak the truth.

"They are not simply dolls, Asuka. In order for an Eva to be functional, one required a soul… one that would be able to form a bond with its pilot. The more they could synchronize, the more the Eva and pilot became one."

"… What?" Asuka raised an eyebrow, trying to process this information. "T-This is- wait, so all of them have souls? Even our Evas!? How does that even work?!"

"I am uncertain." Rei said honestly. "To my understanding, the process of cloning Angelic material only leaves a body, not a mind or a soul. Whatever process was used, the scientists would allow themselves or others to be absorbed into the Evangelion for easier processing."

"But that would mean-" Asuka said. "There's no Marduk Institute. We were all picked from the start, not just Shinji." At this realization, Asuka clenched her fists. "If they could do that, why get them so young? Why would the Commander throw his son in there, fuck not even training that monkey-?!"

"As the Commander explained it, the plan called for Shinji to awaken the soul within Unit 01. An untrained pilot would no doubt cause the machine to go berserk in an effort to protect him."

"Didn't work out that way, did it?" Asuka had to smirk a bit. "He trashed that Angel in his first fight. That's impressive, even I can't complain about it… other than making me feel like I wasted years of my life training to be a sacrifice lamb."

It only took a second to think through the implications of what Rei had said. Asuka suddenly felt dread building to her core, like a joke reaching its horrible, horrible punchline.

"Wait. You said they experimented on themselves- allowed themselves to get absorbed into the Eva… to make a connection."

Rei nodded. "Yes.

"… Who…"

Asuka stopped herself from asking. However, Rei already knew what had to be said.

"Unit 01 has the soul of Shinji's mother inside of it. It is volatile now because she attempted to take control of him during the thirty days he was under."

"… I see. And Unit 00?"

She knew it had to be stopped now, before it could go further. But Rei continued, in spire of her wishes.

"One of my earlier selves. The first Rei. She had been murdered, or as close as it could get for her, so she had to be moved into Unit 00. She exists within the Eva. I bond with her to fight."

"… and… my Unit… 2?"

Deep down, Asuka knew there could be only one answer to that question. Only one. Asuka tried to will her mouth to silence Rei, her hands to grab her lover and stop her from continuing, or her feet to help her get away. But as her body lay there, Asuka felt more powerless than before.

"Unit 02 presumably has… your moth-"

"Don't." Asuka she quietly said. "Please, don't."

Rei was startled by the reply. For a second, she wanted to leave the conversation here to prevent a catastrophe. Go back to dinner, forget this ever happened.

"There's no way she could have been inside that… that… doll!" Asuka's voice wavered. "Dolls can't have souls or speak or have feelings, or- or-"

But Rei had opened the door. Now, she had to see it through.

"Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu had a contact experiment."

"That can't be." Asuka's voice grew louder. "I saw her… I saw her die in front of me."

"Half of her soul entered the Evangelion. The other half remained."

Asuka stilled herself. Rei raised a hand towards Asuka's own, trying to grab for it.

"I am sorry, Asuka."

In an instant, Asuka took her hand away from Rei's own, picking herself up. The bangs hid her eyes, even as Asuka shook violently from where she stood.

"I need to go."

That was it. Asuka turned away from Rei, opening the door and slamming it shut as she ran.

From there, the First Child gazed a dinner, and spoke no more.

Misato knew something was off the moment that Asuka barged into their humble abode.

They were not the steps of a girl in love, or one who had gone on a date; instead, she marched as if something possessed her. She deliberately ignored Misato in the kitchen, who had just gotten a beer from the fridge.

"What's wrong Asuka?" Misato asked. "Date went badly?"

Asuka glared at her. "Don't play dumb with me."

Misato put the beer on the table. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh not much." Asuka crossed her arms. "I had to find out from Rei that not only was my Unit 02 alive this whole time, but that it's somehow possessed by my MOM. Were you ever going to tell me that?!"

That startled the Major, throwing her for a loop.

"What the-? Why did she even-?" Misato sighed, collecting herself. "Asuka, it's not what you think."

"So you did know. Figures." Asuka marched into her room. "Don't talk to me. I don't want to deal with anyone right now."

Misato tried to stop Asuka, but the door was locked shut. Misato banged against the wall next to the door.

"Asuka, we were going to tell you after the Angels were gone. Right now, we knew how that information was going to hurt-"

"I don't want to hear it! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Listen to me-!"

"SHUT IT!"

Misato resisted the urge to scream, instead walking away from Asuka's door. Frustrated and angry, she banged her fist against the table in frustration, opening the beer can to swallow its sweet bliss…

"Just when one thing goes right, twenty other pieces go wrong…" Misato stared at her beer can. "Is this what it's like to be Shinji? Heh, at least he gets to swing around the city. I'm just stuck here."

As if called forth, Spider-Man did drop onto the balcony. He ripped his mask off to reveal Shinji Ikari underneath it.

"Hey Misato, I tried to find that bottle you wanted, but everything in the upper district was closed but…" Shinji quickly noticed the miserable atmosphere surrounding his Guardian. "Misato, what's wrong?"

Misato's eyes darted toward her ward. "Asuka found out about her mom in the Eva." She then pointed at the hallway leading to Asuka's room. "She's in there, but she won't talk to me."

"Ah." Shinji frowned. "I'll talk to her, then. I think I know what to say."

With a nod from Misato, he then marched towards Asuka's door. Not even contemplating it, he knocked on the wall next to Asuka's door.

"You in there?"

Rumbling in the room. "What's up, Third Child?"

"Well, uh, I heard the date with Ayanami didn't go too well."

"Ha." Shinji was surprised at the chuckle she got from the room. "That was the part that went right. Rei actually told me the truth. She trusted me."

"We trusted you, too." He said. "We were going to tell you later."

"Why not now? Did you really think I was going to crumble over and die over something like that? Do you have that little faith in me?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you are doing that right now…"

"I just feel betrayed. You people are the best thing that ever happened to me… Rei's the best thing that ever happened to me. I wanted to be part of this whole thing. But this? This is about my mother. I needed to know, okay?!"

"… Yeah, you did." Shinji swallowed a lump in his throat. "And we're sorry for keeping it from you. We didn't do this because we didn't trust you, though. How much do you know about why I was trapped in the Eva?"

"What's that got to do with anything?!"

"Quite a lot actually. I met my mother in there and… she tried to kill me."

"…"

"Do you know what it's like, to live your whole life not remembering your mother's face? What did her voice sound like? What she meant to you? Then, you finally meet her, and it turns out she was your worst enemy, trying to kill you to steal your body to be some kind of big shot? That she never cared about you? Because even though I didn't know her that well, it hurt. It hurt a lot."

"…"

"Our situations aren't the same. I know that. But if that's how I felt, imagine what we'd be putting you through if you found out the Eva you piloted was your mother's soul? What if she tried to do something to you?"

"… She wouldn't…"

"Hm?"

"No, it's nothing…" Asuka sighed, opening the door by just a smidge. "I'm sorry for overreacting, it's… it's a lot."

"I know it's a lot, trust me." Shinji said. "You can take as much time as you need."

"Right…" She allowed her eyes to be covered by the bangs of her hair. "I think I'll go out on patrol tomorrow."

"Sure."

"Could you tell Rei I'm not mad at her? I'm not sure if I'll be able to face her…"

Shinji shrugged. "I'll visit her first day in the morning. I'm feeling a bit tired anyway."

"Thanks."

She shut the door on him. Shinji, for his part, let out a huge sigh as he leaned against the wall.

Who would have guessed that the moment he managed to get his life somewhat together, everyone else seemed to start failing around him?

The morning came, but Rei did not move from her bed. Not even when the light of the sun ripped her from her sleep. So she stayed.

She couldn't stop rewinding her memory, admonishing herself for her brash (idiotic) decision. Of course, Asuka would react that way towards finding out her mother was inside Unit 02. Rei knew how that topic was one that Asuka had tried to bury whenever they discussed. What possessed her into thinking revealing it would help?

Was she so desperate to be useful that she forgot herself? It was selfish, truly selfish, to go behind the Major's back to tell Asuka. Rei rubbed her eyes in an effort to stay awake. Katsuragi's orders were clear. They were to be followed for a reason, but Rei betrayed them. She should feel proud of herself for defying a command, but instead Rei could not stop thinking about the way she hurt Asuka.

"Again…" She softly whispered. "I reach for the sky and burn before I could even fly…"

The carnival ended with her injury. Her attempt to reach Shinji ended with him trapped in Unit 01. When they finally told the truth to each other, Asuka became a menace and hit her. It was her fault, her fault, her fault…

The echoed words stopped upon hearing the sound of running water. Rei looked at the door, wondering who it could be out there.

"Who is there?" She called out. "Katsuragi?"

"No, it's me. Shinji."

Shinji. Her brother, of sorts. Rei got out of bed, putting on some light clothes before opening the door. In a brief march over to the kitchen, Rei could see he was washing the dishes that she had forgotten to clean from last night.

"You really should have done these as quickly as possible." Shinji said with a grin. "It's, oof, rather hard to get some of these stains out if you don't."

Rei nodded. "Hello, Shinji."

She went over to him, taking her time to pick up a sponge and help clean the other plate that Shinji left.

"What brought you here?" Rei asked. "I normally get to see you later in school."

"We don't have school this time. Touji and Kensuke did ask me out for camping, but…" Shinji trailed off. "Asuka had a bit of a tussle with Misato yesterday. So I decided to come over here and ask what happened."

At this, Rei looked down, in shame. "It was my fault."

"Oh?"

"I informed her of Unit 02's soul. How the Evas need souls to function." Rei said. "I should have waited until after the last Angel was finished. It was too soon."

"Maybe." Shinji shrugged, placing his plate in the sink to wash. "Why did you tell her, anyway?"

"I did not want to lie to her."

"Is that all?"

Rei put her plate down into the sink. "…"

"I'm not judging. I just want to know why you felt you had to say it."

"… Perhaps, I wanted to be useful." Rei said. "You, Asuka and Marie have trained together. I could not be there for her, the way you are for her. In the end, she might hate me for what I did."

A soft laugh came from Shinji. Her head whirled to his side upon hearing it.

"Why are you laughing?" Rei understandably felt a bite of anger rising. "It is serious!"

"Sorry, Rei." Shinji coughed, stopping himself. "I wasn't making fun of you or anything. Asuka can never hate you. She's not even mad at you, not now."

"How can you be sure?"

"She told me that herself." He turned off the sink and started drying his plate with a towel. "Asuka wasn't mad at you for telling her the truth. She got angry at Misato for keeping it from her, but Asuka needed time to think on it. She actually told me to see you."

Rei raised her eyebrows at this. "What? Why did she not…?"

"See you? Well, she needed some space this morning. Asuka is probably swinging around the city or in the simulator. I promise you, she's not mad."

"I wish she could have seen me. It was my fault…"

"There's no one to blame here. The truth would have come out eventually. We just have to deal with it."

Rei supposed that was right. As they finished cleaning, Shinji began to make his leave from the apartment. He stopped just before reaching for the door.

"Is there anything you need Rei? Anything I can answer?"

"… Shinji."

"Hm?"

"Have you ever…" Rei paused, trying to think of the question. "Do you at times feel an emptiness in your heart? A void that that draws you even as you fight against it?"

Shinji sighed deeply, as if practiced from years of study. "Constantly."

"You have?" Rei kept the surprise from her voice. "How did you respond to it?"

All her life, Rei had been at one with the void; her mission, and her being seemed intertwined with the emptiness she felt. That was why Instrumentality appealed to her; to be one with hundreds if not millions of souls, felt like heaven from the loneliness she felt. The death that she craved, as long as it benefitted the scenario.

"To be honest, for a long time I was okay with going through the motions." Shinji said. "I didn't have any goals in life, nor did I particularly care for anyone. Not even Yamashiro. It all felt the same to me. Being Spider-Man… it didn't make it better, exactly. I felt guilty, yes, I felt like I had to do something. But that emptiness… it comes back every now and then. It never stops."

"But you conquered it? Rei asked. "You did, did you not? Why are you still here?"

He grimaced at that question. Rei realized how insensitive that sounded, but Shinji waved a hand to stop her before she said anything.

"I'm not sure if I have. Conquered it, I mean. There's a lot of moments, especially now, where I'm happy. But the waits in between, the mistakes I make… sometimes, it becomes easier to wish for death."

"…"

"But… I don't think dying would help either. It doesn't build on anything. Heh, Marie said something yesterday that I think was right. We're going to be alive for a short time. So, whatever it is we're going to do, we should figure it out while we still can, and seize a chance. Maybe that's why Spider-Man helps me. I feel needed."

"You are needed." Rei disagreed. "Whether as Shinji, or Spider-Man, you are needed."

Shinji nodded, smiling at her. "Thank you. Don't sell yourself short, though. We need you- no, we want you here too."

He reached for the doorknob, before the door opened. In came Misato, dressed up in her uniform.

"Sorry you two, but you need to get changed. I just got a call from Ibuki. The last Angel is here."

With no haste, Rei and Shinji went to change clothes, and followed her into what would most certainly be their last sortie.

It was before them at last. Armisael, the final Angel, floated just above the forest outside NERV's compound.

True to form for their species, Armisael did not conform to any human form. It appeared as a long chain of light, swirling and spinning its rings without stopping; it did not attack anything in sight, but the bridge crew knew better than to let their guards down. No doubt this Angel was waiting for an Eva, a mockery of their race and the only line of defense against such creatures. No one was willing to take chances in this round.

Major Katsuragi allowed Evangelions Unit 00 and Unit 02 to be sent up, equipped with assault rifles. Unit 01 was kept on reserve, only to be used as a last resort. The crew agreed that the risk to Shinji was too great to use it for now, so they kept him and Marie Vincennes with the crew at Central Dogma, letting them watch the battle unfold. Ritsuko kept an eye on Marie, or rather her pendant. She would never stop wondering how that worked.

"I don't like this." Shinji admitted. "Not being able to help them… they could be in danger and there's nothing we could do about it."

His Spider-Sense was never effective at picking up danger from the Angels; their shared DNA made them invisible to his senses, unless he was inside of the Eva, where they could be enhanced. Shinji wondered if Asuka, possessing her own Spider-Sense, would be able to sense an Angel's attack.

"Relax, dork." Asuka said over the comm. "We've beaten everybody else before. We're gonna finish this up and go home."

"I wouldn't be so confident, if I were you." Marie said. "Don't you have a habit of getting your ass kicked in that Eva?"

Asuka's eyes twitched. "Keep talking, and I might just squash your tiny little brain with my Unit 02!"

Marie stuck her tongue out at her, leaving Misato to roll her eyes.

"Don't get distracted now." Ritsuko ordered. "We're a long ways off from being over. Take a careful approach."

Commander Fuyutski nodded. "Yes. Proceed with caution. If the Angel moves, you kill it as soon as possible."

Rei willed her Eva to take a couple of steps towards the Angel. She kept her finger on the trigger, ready to fire when ready. The anticipation of this battle, the rush of excitement, along with a distressed, beating pulse of the heart… This could be the moment where everything changed, and Rei felt fear. Why? What did Rei have to be afraid of?

"My life." She whispered honestly to herself. "It could end here, in this moment. I do not want to die."

A far cry from months ago, but Rei did not feel reassured. Her pulse spiked when a comm opened on her screen, relaying a private chat with the one person Rei was afraid to see.

"Hey, you okay Wonder Girl?" Asuka said. Quite calmly, Rei noted. "Your lip was doing that thing where it twitches when you're anxious, so I thought you'd need a hand."

"Hm?" Rei blinked. "Do not be concerned. I am ready for the mission."

"That's not the same as being fine. I'm not stupid."

"You are not." Rei looked down. "I am sorry."

"For what? Last night?" Asuka rolled her eyes. "You didn't put my mom's soul in this miserable doll. You weren't keeping this from me just to humiliate me either. If anything, I'm sort of glad you trusted me enough with that. I'm sick of people playing with me, treating me like I'm going to break any second."

"But, Asuka-"

"But nothing. I don't feel bad. You shouldn't feel bad either. We're cool."

"…"

"Now, let's get that son of a bitch and go home. This time, I'm taking you out swinging."

"… Very well."

"Great! Don't screw this up!"

Asuka shut off her comm, leaving Rei only with a view of the Angel in front of them.

She stared at it, guarded, but also oddly mesmerized by the circle of light spinning around, and around… The swirling mass was an odd sort of beauty; the perfection involved in crafting Armisael and its body… it was the closest to holiness these monsters ever reached for. Each Angel seemed to evolve their form to counter their plans. How would this Angel fare? How would it strike? Why attack now, when all of its brethren were gone?

Come to think of it, Kaworu Nagisa, also known as Tabris, would have been the Angel to come after Armisael. Humanity was the final Angel. Were these Angels progressively becoming more human with each generation? Or was there something else involved?

"I wonder… what are you, truly?"

Rei knew the answer to why she existed. Did the Angels know their purpose? Did they have a choice in the matter?

The comm opened again. "Rei, get out of there! My Spider-Sense's hitting hard!"

She only had time to react to Asuka's warning, before the Angel stopped moving. Part of the ring broke off, extending its tentacle straight towards Unit 00.

"WATCH OUT, GO!"

Rei gasped in her seat. She experienced a violent shock to her whole body, twisting, and squirming as the pain increased tenfold with every passing second. She looked down towards her arms, only to find unnatural veins pulsing, almost ripping through her skin to expand where it could. She could feel this sensation everywhere, from her chest, to her hands, to her face…

It all became a blur, even though Rei heard voices coming from her comm systems.

"HOLD ON, REI! EJECT THE PLUG IMMEDIATELY!"

"We can't do it manually, the Angel is blocking the signal!"

"Angelic Contamination is spreading all across Eva! We won't be able to reach her!"

"NO, REI!"

"Make it stop!"

By this point, Rei could do nothing but force her eyes shut, in a vain attempt to numb the pain…

… Which instead found her in the middle of a wide orange lake.

The first thing Rei noted was the breeze she felt on her skin. She covered herself with her arms, a fleeting gesture to cover how exposed she was in this place, where the void was vast and the smell of iron was prominent to her nostrils. Her feet only a few inches into the lake, the water surprisingly shallow even though Rei felt as if she was swallowed into this pit.

The girl had seen this in her dreams, at one point or another; the valley of death that lay in Terminal Dogma, the resting place of the second Angel, Lilith. There were no doors, and the yellow light was too dim to make progressing through the void a good idea; There was only her, and the strange presence that left her bare in its territory.

Unfortunately, it was not her first time she found herself bare in a place like this; The Commander often told her to strip for testing inside Dummy Plug tests. Rei surmised that this ritual was his way to dehumanize her in his eyes. He could not stomach seeing a clone of his wife, and thus hid his hatred behind the glasses, giving him a sense of calculated control over his designated victim. Rei felt the same eyes searching for her, a cruel god laughing to themselves at the confused rat stuck in this wall-less maze.

"Where am I?" Rei spoke. "Why am I here? Show yourself."

Silence. Rei was unnerved by this lack of company, this loneliness. Was this what she dreamt of? Why did it feel like a nightmare?

"I am not asking again. Where am I?"

This time, a soft, haughty laugh penetrated her ears. Rei turned her head to the side, trying to find this voice, only to see no one. The laugh was so close, but no one was there. It was as if it was mocking her for daring to make sense of this dream.

"Who are you?!"

Rei asked, the void refusing to answer. It was content to leave Rei to her own devices, much to her rising anger.

"I am not a doll for you to play with!" She yelled. "Show yourself!"

A splash in the distance. Rei turned her head, hearing a loud scream coming from a little girl swimming in the blood of Angels. Rei took a step closer.

"Who are you? Do you need help?"

The little girl spoke. "Reject oblivion! She lies, she will bring torment if you agree! Do not listen-"

Just as quickly, the girl vanished into the lake, never to return. Rei, frustrated over this deliberate lack of answers, kicked the LCL away from her.

"This is getting me nowhere!" She yelled. "I will not allow my time to be wasted! Let me go! Who are you truly?!"

"I am you."

The voice came from below. Rei looked down, startled to find her own head gazing back at her. Whatever was wearing her face, she only floated just enough that her neck was not visible.

"As soon as you came, I was curious about you. I had to know who you were." The head said. "We are the same, you and I."

Soon, the head rose above the lake's waters. The head wasn't the only mimicry of Rei Ayanami; it was attached to a body practically identical to Rei's own. The only difference was that this copy of Rei wore her signature plugsuit. This Rei also smiled at the one in front of her.

It was not a warm or inviting one.

"You are the Angel." Rei deduced. "You trapped me here."

"I brought you to me." The other Rei confirmed, which made Rei shiver in fear. "You can call me Armisael. Curious being, you are. You share our genes, but you were created by Lilim. Neither Lilim or child of Adam. You are the only one. Only you."

"Why are you here?" Rei tried to steer the conversation from this questioning. "Why did you spare me?"

"Like I said, I wanted to get to know you. Leliel and Tabris ran their little experiments, so why mustn't I?"

"You are in my mind."

"Yes. Much like how you interface with your mockery of us."

"You have no right to be here."

"You have no right to our world." Armisael laughed. "You took it from us. You ruined it for us, yet you attack us for trying to reclaim it? Lilim are so delusional in their self-importance."

Rei tried to move, to take a step back, but found it impossible. She felt trapped, frozen in place by the impostor wearing her face.

"Why won't you join me?" Armisael said. "Become one with me. We can make this world our own, far from what our progenitors desired for us."

"I will never join you." Rei shook her head. "You wish to destroy us all. I do not want this existence to end."

Armisael took a step forward, reaching her hands across Rei's face. An uncontrollable flush came through the girl's face, as the Angel continued to sneer at her. The splashing in the distance returned.

"I can feel your desire, Ayanami. Whether inside of your Eva or outside, you are alone. If you resist me, if you kill me, you will spend the rest of your life looking inward, unable to connect with mankind. You will be shunned."

"I- I-" Rei breathed. "I do not care. I know who I can trust, and it is not you!"

"Are you certain? Truly? You are a hybrid between an Angel, as you call us, and the Lilim, created to serve their agenda. Even in your current form, you are capable of so much more. You deserve more than being the incubator for our Father, or to be the scapegoat for the Lilim's rage."

Armisael went closer to Rei's ear, and sinfully whispered into it.

"Become one with me, and I can show you the way to Heaven."

Unit 00 had been immobilized for several minutes.

Asuka could not believe what she was seeing. The ring had captured Unit 00 in its whip-like grip, seemingly corrupting the Eva from the outside inward. Veins popped all around the machine, but no voice was heard from within. The silent drove Asuka insane. Evidently, the two other pilots in Central Dogma agreed

"My God…" Marie barely spoke above a whisper. "She's being tortured in there."

Shinji couldn't say a word. He thought it was bad enough when he saw Asuka's mind violated in the last battle, but this was so much worse. The fact he couldn't fight that thing as Spider-Man, or even get her out of there, only increased his fear.

Misato felt it too. She didn't want anything to happen to her charges. However, as the Major, she had to keep her emotions in check.

"Asuka, what are you doing?"

She could feel Asuka's glare emanating from the screen. Her eyes bulged.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't go in there and stab the damn thing!" Asuka yelled out. "One reason!"

"We don't know what's happening to Ayanami!" Hyuuga interjected. "Her vital signs are erratic!"

"The plug won't eject, and it isn't going to do it any time soon." Aoba said grimly. "I'm sorry, but you can't get in close. What if the same thing happens to you?"

"Fuck what happens to me! I'm not going to let her die for some stupid reason!"

"Hold on, Asuka." Maya tried to be diplomatic. "We want to save Ayanami as much as you do, but without a plan we're going to be sitting ducks-"

Asuka hardly registered the words. Instead, she shocked everyone by pulling out her Progressive Knife.

"That's enough!" Commander Fuyutski stood up from his chair. "Pilot Soryuu, you stand down right now!"

"Shut up!" Asuka yelled again. "I'm not going to let her die the way you would!"

The comms were forced off, as she took the Knife and plunged it right into the Angel's glowing tentacle.

The void shook inside the dream world. A burst of blood erupted from the copy Rei's neck.

"Someone is intruding into our world." Armisael covered it with her hand. "It appears she will have to be dealt with."

She? Who could it- Rei shook her head, realizing the only other person who would, and could, have made a move against the Angel.

"Asuka! She is here!"

"The red haired demon." Armisael said it with another condescending sneer. "She, I do not understand. She has hurt you in the cruelest of ways, and yet you fight for her. No, you desire her. What makes her so worthy?"

Rei felt enough control over her body to push Armisael away from her, sending her crashing into the lake.

"You would never understand." Rei said firmly. "Worthiness, perfection… those are traps we bind ourselves in. I love Asuka because she is herself, and I admire her for it. You will not hurt he. Or Shinji. Or anyone else."

Armisael, for her part, was rather unfazed by Rei's sudden drive. Instead, she seemed more amused than anything, as she scrubbed the orange liquid from her her.

"Is that so? We'll see about that."

Asuka thought she had finished it off.

One swipe was usually all that was needed in an Angel battle. One swipe to end the life of an abomination like this one, that threatened the world and her people. This was what she was trained to do.

However, there were many things no amount of training could prepare you for. One of them, was what happened when an Angel robbed you of your victory. Unit 02 stopped in its tracks, as the hand wielding the Progressive Knife was stabbed through by two of the tentacles erupting from Armisael's body. Soon, it began to crawl all over the arm, and soon, into Unit 02's head.

"AAAAGGGHHHH!" Asuka screamed. "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF ME!"

She thought the ordeals with Arael and Bardiel would have prepared her for any further Angelic intrusions, but she was wrong. Armisael managed to trump both of them in the disgusting, humiliating cruelty they could possibly inflict upon their victim. Her body felt as if it was ripped apart from the inside, thanks to parasitical infestations she would never have allowed willingly.

"NNOOOOO MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!"

She couldn't hear anything now, not on her comm systems or the Eva, or anything. Her earlier confidence devolved into a more primal fear, and her calls for help changed accordingly.

"SHINJI! MISATO, MARIE, MAYA, ANYBODY!" She screamed. Hiccuping, she yelled out without thinking. "MOMMA! MOMMA, HELP ME!"

Her body squirmed in her seat. The last thing she saw was the bulging around her arms, her mind going blank upon gazing the little tiny faces of Rei Ayanami…

Asuka woke up drowning.

No, that was not right; she realized it quickly. She could breathe this water, to which Asuka somehow knew it was LCL; the substance she always breathed in when piloting an Eva. That did not give Asuka much hope, as now she could hardly see past the orange liquid surface bubbling above her. There was barely any light in this grommet of death; nothing for Asuka to see.

She could hardly remember the last time she felt this helpless, afraid for her own life than the time she came across her mother and she… she… Asuka was left stunned, unable to move due to something heavy and blunt pushing her down to the floor.

"!"

Asuka struggled against this thing, this… she felt it with her hands, the same soft tissue of a plugsuit she had always known, with some rips along the side revealing flesh poking through. Much to her great horror, Asuka soon realized that there was a body just above, one lifeless and flat, just heavy enough to keep her anchored to this

Moving with as much precision as she could, Asuka struggled with the damned creature. She was not going to die here, not like this, not like- not like a doll buried beneath the sea!

"MMMRRR… Mfm, mfm."

Her breaths came to a stop upon the light shining in the right direction, showing Asuka the face of the woman keeping her down. A strawberry blond who's eyes were kept shut, a strange serenity upon her features. Somehow, this corpse of a broken mad woman kept a tight grip on her daughter, not allowing her to escape even as her body had been torn in the same places as Unit 02 had been by the Angel.

Asuka did not hesitate to punch Kyoko Zeppelin Soryuu off of her. She would not be kept from Rei by a ghost. Immediately, she swam as far as she could from the floor, waiting, begging to be set free from this sarcophagus.

"GAH!" She gasped for air, aiming to reclaim her life. "I don't want to be there! I never wanted to see her! Never!"

Where was REI? That was the question, the only thought that drove Asuka to swim further above, until she could pick up some ground. She would not allow that thing to drag her back, no matter what.

As soon as she felt the ground planted beneath her feet, Asuka pulled herself from the LCL. She rubbed the blood from her hair, drying it as much as she could in this situation. At the sudden weight of fabric she felt then, Asuka investigated her body, noticing that she was now clad in her Scarlet Spider gear.

"This some kind of freak show?" Asuka asked no one. "Damn, no web shooters. Not like I need 'em." She looked around the void. "Nothing to hold on to."

A scream was heard, very close to her ears. Asuka turned around, noticing two figures in the distance.

"Rei!" Asuka began to shamble towards them. "I'm coming!"

Compared to swimming, wading through the orange water was much easier. In no time, thanks to her enhanced agility, she reached the figures, finding two Rei Ayanamis staring each other down. The one in the plugsuit had picked herself up, smiling smugly at the new intruder.

"Asuka!" The naked Rei realized who was there. Her lips quivered. "You have to go, now!"

"Not until I save you!" Asuka knew it was her Rei in an instant. She turned towards the other Rei. "Now who the hell are you, and why haven't you freed us!?"

"Armisael. The seventeenth. Pleased to meet you." Armisael grinned. "So you are the one she favors. Tell me, what makes you worthy of existing?"

Asuka cracked her knuckles. "I don't know. Probably my ability to kick your ass!"

In an instant, Asuka swung a punch at the pretend Rei. However, the attack was blocked by an AT-Field. Not to be swayed by defeat, Asuka kept punching the barrier, much to Armisael's amusement.

"Look at you, struggling against the impossible, even when you know it is futile." Armisael let out a chuckle. "A doll that can only fight. Is that what you fight for?"

"You're gonna take back those words!" Asuka slammed it harder. She noticed green sparks emerging from them, but they didn't create a full blast. "Come on, WORK damn you!"

Rei gripped Armisael's arm. "Stop this, now."

Armisael forcefully pulled it away from Rei. "No, I haven't even begun. Now why don't you both just disappear?"

With a flick of the hand, she pushed the AT-Field back, forcing Asuka into the water. That didn't deter her, as Asuka only went back and pulled out her fists.

"You think this shit's funny?" Asuka's voice yelled out. "Once I find a way through, I'm gonna kill you."

"Not with your pitiful power, borrowed from Lilith." Armisael smiled ever so maliciously. "You will never get past this barrier."

"You'd be surprised at what I can do with the right motivation."

"Maybe so. But you would need to reach me first."

At that, Asuka felt her arms and legs being grabbed. "What the hell?!"

Rising from the orange ocean, came the most horrifying force Asuka had ever seen. She was surrounded on all sides by the giggling, smiling faces of Rei Ayanami, each trying to claw at her, hurt her, bring her down to their level, so they could feast upon her loss and despair. She kicked one off, only to find another grabbing at her neck. Asuka grabbed that one, and threw it at another, only for her to be attacked from behind. The crowd of Rei clones grew larger, and Asuka would not last long against this horde…

"Stop this madness!" Rei tried to say something, anything to get Armisael to stop her attack. "I will join you, please, just leave her alone!"

Armisael laughed. "You have already rejected me. You will reap the consequences, as we had to. As all of humanity will, in time…"

Here, in Central Dogma, Misato found herself trapped in a cruel situation.

Asuka and Rei were in grave danger, linked to the disgusting distortion of holiness contaminating their bodies. Any plan to save them was predicted by the MAGI to be an absolute failure. She wasn't able to do anything but watch, and that made her furious.

"Neither of them deserve this… they don't!" Makoto yelled out. "We're stuck here and the Angel's contamination is increasing. There has to be something we could do!"

"The Angel seems to be performing some sort of cross synchronization that causes mental contamination!" Maya said gravelly. "If we try to pull it off I-it might cause them to die… no, Asuka…!"

Ritsuko laid her hands on Maya's shoulders, allowing her to grip them for comfort. It wasn't enough to clear Maya's distress, even with Ritsuko pulling her closer for comfort.

Maya Ibuki, more than anyone in the room, begged God for Asuka and Rei's salvation. They were children who were never supposed to fight this war in the first place. Asuka, she had grown close to that girl. She did not want to see her end like this…

"We're shit out of luck." Aoba kept a cool head, much to Maya's irritation. "We might as well drop a N2 mine and blow it… it's the only way to be sure."

"Bullshit, Aoba!" Hyuuga slammed the keys of his computer, getting up. "I don't care what the MAGI says, we can't just leave these kids to die!"

"You think arguing with the facts is going to get you anywhere." Aoba also stood up, much more calmly than Hyuuga. One could feel bitterness bleeding from his tone. "We're not going to let humanity die just 'cause of our feelings. It's less cruel to kill them than to let them suffer like that."

"How can you be so heartless!"

Aoba snorted. "It's my job."

Misato bit her lip, desperately trying to formulate a strategy. As of now, the Angel was invading their minds. However, unlike Arael there was no safe way to extract the pilots from their Evas, and no Lance of Longinus to keep the Angel at bay. It was debatable whether that would have done much good. With no appropriate weapons… what was there for anyone to do?

Shinji had similar thoughts coursing through his mind. He couldn't stand back and do nothing, but Spider-Man wasn't going to be useful in stopping this beast. He would have been consumed by this nightmare the same as the others, as much as he hated standing around. The only hope left might be Unit 01, but the threat of his mind being taken was too great a risk…

… Unless…

"Marie," Shinji turned his head towards her. "You still have that pendant, right?"

Marie raised an eyebrow, bringing it out. "Always keep it with me, Spider. You got a plan?"

"The beginning of one. Probably."

Misato sharply turned towards them. "What are you planning?"

"I don't say this lightly… Let me into Unit 01." Shinji said firmly. "Right now, I'm the only one that can save them."

Misato looked at him like he grew a second head. Most everyone on the bridge did, save for Commander Fuyutski. "We can't do that! With the synchronization rate, you could get trapped inside again!"

"Yeah, no offense Shinji, but that can't possibly be your first plan?" Marie almost yelled out. "Prep work! We should have prep work done before something like this."

"It's a bad idea, but I know what I'm doing." Shinji said. "I'm thinking… the Angel is synchronizing with their heads, right? It's not just them, but the Evas too… Now, imagine if I'm inside Unit 01 and we both get trapped…"

"It should overload the process, at least until you're able to get in." Shigeru said. "Nice plan, but what about the part where you don't get tanged? Or get trapped with the other pilots? Or, you know, get killed by the Angel? You're dumb, kid."

"Does it look like we have better options?" Shinji crossed his arms. "When was the last time a N2 mine worked against them? Trust me, I speak from experience when I say that Angels don't just synchronize with you. They try to get in your head to understand them. That's probably what's going on with Asuka and Rei right now. Why else aren't they dead?"

"It is worth a shot, Ikari." Fuyurski said, pointing at Maya. "Run it through the MAGI."

Maya did so, typing out the codes on her computer. "12% chance… That's better than the other plans."

"It's too risky." Misato said. "What if we lose you too? We don't have any other Evas to send out. We'll be sitting ducks."

Shinji took a step forward, grabbing her hand. "I know. But you have to trust me on this, Misato. This might be our only chance to save them… I promise you, we'll come back alive."

Misato paused, taking in this information. It was a bad plan, but none of the other plans had a chance of defeating this Angel. The risk was great; she could lose everyone in one fell swoop… especially Shinji…

But seeing the determination in his eyes… Misato nodded.

"We'll go with the plan. Fire up the Eva!"

The technicians got to work quickly, prepping Unit 01 for departure. Marie whistled at this exchange.

"You don't do anything halfway, Spider." Marie said. "I don't see what my pendant has to do with any of this, though? It only saps out the luck from living objects."

Shinji smirked at her. "That's exactly right. You're going to make sure it takes away Unit 01's luck."

Without a moment to spare, Evangelion Unit 01 was prepped up for launch. Shinji sat in the cockpit, covered in his plugsuit, watching the LCL pour into the entry plug, and colors shift before his eyes. For one brief moment, Shinji gazed at his left hand, opening and clutching it. If he didn't time this right, he could be sucked into Unit01 again… if it went wrong, he would never see his family again, nor exist on the same plane or reality. If the universe really decided to push his bad luck, this might be the moment where his mother gets her wish.

"I haven't run away so far…" Shinji's hand turned into a fist. "For Kaworu… for Mayumi… we'll make them pay."

He turned to the screen and nodded. "I'm ready."

Misato nodded back. She crossed her arms.

"LAUNCH EVA!"

The moment Unit 01 reached the surface, Shinji's synch ratio skyrocketed. The numbers on his side increased rapidly, jumping every 20 steps.

20 percent… 40 percent… 60 percent.

"Stay on target."

Shinji willed his Eva forward, the Command Center watching in awe as he raced towards the Angel. Marie sat nervously in her seat, clad in her Black Cat suit as she played with her pendant.

"Oh my god, the Evas are alive…" Marie softly, yet frantically whispered. "We've been piloting Angel clones the whole time, they've been alive, they've been alive, and I don't even know- holy crud."

"You can panic, later. Keep your eyes on the Eva." Ritsuko gripped her shoulder. "Unless you want to explain the pendant now."

Marie shook her head violently. "No, no, I'm good! I'm good! Don't need your help." She focused her attention on Unit 01. "I hope you're right, Shinji."

Meanwhile, with Shinji, he tried to ignore the counter getting higher, and higher. Doing so would distract him.

100%… 260%…

He was getting closer. The downed Evas were becoming clearer to his vision. Shinji took out the progressive knife from his shoulder pad.

300%… 379%…

"YRRRAAAAAAAAAA-"

He stabbed the tentacle between Unit 00 and 02 with his knife. Just as Shinji suspected, the tentacles reached inside Unit 01.

"GRRRRRR…" He groaned. "Hope this… works… Marie…"

380%… 390%… 30-

As soon as the bubbles appeared on his arm, his vision faded….

Asuka was being pushed to her limit.

These weren't her Rei, she tried to remember as she bashed their heads in. They were just copies, dolls with no minds of their own. Asuka had to convince herself of that; to do otherwise, would mean letting her guard down to another swipe from this horde. One Rei went down, but two more kept rising from the water, like a Hydra. There didn't seem to be an end, worse still, when she couldn't use all of her powers.

"Come on, work!" Asuka punched another clone, her hands glowing with a green spark, but not any more than that. "What do I have to do to make you work!"

They ganged up on her, jumping on top of her body to try to bury the Scarlet Spider with them. Instead, Asuka pushed them away, causing several to hit the barrier Armisael had created. The Angel, for her part, sneered at this resistance.

"You keep fighting, but you will lose eventually." Armisael said. "Your world will fail."

"In a pig's eye!" Asuka grabbed another clone Rei, and threw it at one that was lunging at her. "You're gonna get what's coming to you!"

Asuka went to strike at the AT Field barrier again, only to be dragged back into the crowd by more Ayanamis. Armisael dared not let up on the attack. She wanted Rei, and only Rei; any further intruders would ruin the perfect plan.

"You cannot stop me." Armisael said. "I have Ayanami right here. Our union will be inevitable, once her hope is destroyed."

"Let me go!" The real Ayanami tried to break from the Angel's control over her body. "You mustn't- agh, you mustn't do this!"

"I already have." Armisael smirked. "You should have joined me when you had the chance. You will suffer before our union."

As the clones wore down Asuka, scratching at her body and forcing a part of the mask off of her, Asuka continued to fight. She aimed everywhere she could, punching and kicking whatever was close by; even she wasn't sure what she hit, but Scarlet Spider wouldn't give up now.

"You're going to pay for this, you BITCH!" Scarlet Spider yelled at another kick across her stomach. "I'll… kill, augh, I'll kill you!"

Armisael didn't say anything. It would be a waste of words to indulge this sad creature, not when she was being kicked down like a rabid dog. After a few more minutes of being beaten by the clones, Asuka fell to the floor in agony. Two of the Ayanamis dragged her towards the barrier, bringing the bloody and torn Asuka to Armisael. At the Angel's infuriating smirk, that never wavered even once from her lips, Asuka scowled.

"Surrender? If you do, the pain will stop. You would have failed, but you would have also spent your remaining moments kneeling here, before Ayanami and I's perfect union."

Asuka calmly considered it. After a moment, the Scarlet Spider spat at the AT Field.

"Fuck off."

Armisael only continued to smirk at her. "Very well. Tear her apart before Ayanami's very eyes!"

Rei protested behind the barrier, as Asuka was dragged backwards. The clones kept their gleeful little smiles, their empty eyes, and disturbing giggling, betraying their lack of soul. Armisael clapped in triumph, watching the clones born from Rei's memories raise Asuka into the air, pulling at her arms and her legs.

"Good, good… rip her to shreds, the first casualty towards the new world."

However, in about an instant…

THWIP!

Spider-Man appeared in the middle of the crowded circle, kicking two of the Ayanamis off and carriying Asuka between his arms. He jumped away, landing just behind the clone army, distant from Armisael's barrier. Scarlet Spider coughed up blood, before looking towards her savior.

"Took you long enough, dork!" She wiped a bleeding trail from her lips. "Tell me we have a plan."

"The beginning of one, really…" Spider-Man let her down. "I just hope I'm right."

Armisael raised an eyebrow at this newcomer. "You are Tabris' beloved."

"Good to hear I'm popular!" Spider-Man pointed at the Angel. "Not to rain on your parade or anything, but how about you let go of my sister and we can talk this out, okay? No need to get all crazy in here."

"Any resistance from you would be futile." Armisael spoke over him. "I don't know why Tabris had been obsessed with you, but you disobey his wish by defying me. You will not overcome my domain, not as you are."

"You don't get to taunt me with that. You don't know anything about what Kaworu would have wanted." Shinji said defiantly. "Maybe we won't win, but you're making one mistake… this isn't purely your domain. It's shared between us… and I didn't come here alone."

One false Rei took a few steps towards Spider-Man. As soon as she was about to rush toward him, something metallic burst from the ground and grabbed her neck. As it raised her into the sky, the other Ayanamis could only watch in horror as they realized what they were up against.

The metallic tentacle arm was attached to the zombie-like Naoko Akagi, who burst from the water, as furious as the time Shinji battled her on top of the train. Armisael gasped in shock.

"B-but how?" Her smirk gave away to a scowl. "This is my domain! You should have no power!"

"The power of the mind can be pretty incredible." Spider-Man put his hands to his sides. "I brought my battles with me here. That's something you can't control."

Suddenly, more figures rose from the water and lunged towards the Ayanami clones. The electrifying sparks from Rai disturbing several clones unfortunate enough to be close to him; the sinking sandstorm Sunako burying her enemies alive; several clones were stabbed, murdered by the insane Vulture, ready to hunt; one clone had her neck snapped by Kaji, the Chameleon, who then shot at several more clones with his gun; the Shocker blasted apart more clones with his gauntlets…

With the fake Naoko Akagi leading the charge, it was quickly becoming a blood bath. One that left Armisael verydispleased.

"This is not how it should be!" Armisael grasped her hair, digging her fingers into her skull. "I am supposed to have control!"

"Wait, I can just imagine this shit?!" Asuka stared at her hands. "I feel ripped off!"

"Concentrate." Spider-Man punched another Rei clone. "The Angel isn't in control, you are. That's the key."

As he rushed to fight more clones, the Scarlet Spider stared back at her hands. They glowed with green sparks. "Okay, how about… this!"

She pointed her hands at an approaching clone, which fired at beam straight at the false Ayanami. It quickly dissipated, much to Asuka's shock.

"Holy… definitely need to be careful with this!"

Soon, the Scarlet Spider joined the battle. The makeshift villain group and the clone army fought each other in a death struggle, their numbers dwindling but never retreating into nothingness. When one of the supervillains fell, they would rise again to lay waste to the clones attacking, with more Ayanamis coming to replace them. If it kept going, there would be no end in sight.

That was why Rei Ayanami stared in pain. Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider... no, Shinji and Asuka… they were fighting for her, trying to save her from this hell brought about by the Angel. They did not care for their own safety, because they cared about her.

"They… will fall if this continues…" Rei tried to fight the Angel's influence over her body. "I am here, yet I fail them by not protecting them…"

Her imagination ran rampant. Ayanami needed power, and her mind granted it to her. Soon, her naked body was covered in red cloth, a bodysuit not too dissimilar to the plugsuits she wore; her hands had mechanical web shooters on the outside of her gloves, not unlike Scarlet Spider; a blue hoodie jacket appeared over her chest, adorned in a spider symbol, in solidarity to her fellow pilots. Eventually, her face would no longer be visible, covered by a red mask with white slits over her eyes.

"It will be over soon," Armisael said, not paying attention to Rei's transformation. "Once these humans have been destroyed, we can bring about a new world as we please!"

Free from the Angel's influence, Rei formed a fist.

"No… you… WON'T!"

In an instant she struck Armisael to the ground, catching the Angel off guard and forcing her AT Field shield to break. Soon, even the clones were slowly evaporating from view as Rei stared down at the source of her suffering.

"How dare you…" Armisael was left humbled by this attack. "HOW DARE YOU!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I OFFERED YOU?!"

"Death creates nothing." Rei said. "For this battle, I will be your Spider-Woman."

Armisael tried to raise an AT Field, but Rei launched a web line straight towards her chest, bringing her close to knock her straight into the water. Armisael went to scratch at Rei, but Spider-Woman grabbed her wrists and kneeled her in the stomach, forcing her to back away. In a surprise for herself, Arimsael noticed she bled from her mouth, as Rei began to beat her over and over with her fists. She was angry, and Armisael was directly in her path.

"Stop…" Armisael raised the AT Field again. "You can't reject our union! It is our destiny!"

Spider-Woman used her fingers to tear into the AT Field, Armisael watching in horror as Rei pulled it apart with nothing but sheer grit and determination.

"Your destiny is to die by our hand." She spoke simply. "The same as the rest of your family."

She struck Armisael across the cheek, continuing to pummel her through the water. Spider-Woman attempted to repay the Angel's indiscretions by wrapping her hands around her neck, and choking the life out of her. By that point, Shinji and Asuka had raced to Rei's side, the villains disappearing in the same haze as the other clones.

"Hold on, Rei!" Spider-Man asid. "You need to stop!"

Spider-Woman refused to listen. "We have to end her. Humanity will die if she is let go."

"You've already beat her ass." Asuka said. "We'll finish her off in the outside world. If we kill her here, we could end up dead. None of us want that."

Rei kept her hold on Armisael, as she taunted the girl. "Finish me off, then. You humans have already taken much from us! You made your machines in our image to kill us! What else is there for you to take?! End me!"

Spider-Woman kept quiet. In a single, unblinking motion, she raised her hand up… and sprayed Armisael with webbing, wrapping it around her body.

"You will tell us how to get out of here." Rei said. "And then, you will be destroyed."

With that settled, Armisael was forced to sit, kneeling inside the water. Asuka and Shinji patted Rei on the shoulders.

"You did the right thing." Shinji said. "Thanks for saving us, by the way."

Rei wanted to speak, to say there was more she could have done, but Asuka stopped her. "Don't kid yourself, now. Youbroke free from her control and saved us both. If anything, we're grateful for you. We're definitely going out swinging later."

Scarlet Spider inspected Spider-Woman's suit. She let out a whistle. "Not bad. You came up with it yourself?"

Rei hesitated. "I… entertained the idea of fighting alongside you, sometimes."

Asuka smirked. "Looks like you got your wish." She gave a smooch to Rei's cheek. "My hero."

That forced a blush out of Rei. No one saw it, as it was covered by the mask, but both of her comrades could tell she was embarrassed. They got a chuckle out of it.

"Alright," Shinji said. "Now, why don't we try to find a way out…"

A clap rang across the void.

"Bravo. Well done, children. I didn't think you'd make it this far."

The clapping continued. Shinji recognized the voice immediately, sharply turning to meet it. Rei and Asuka slowly found her in their line of sight; a brown haired woman in a lab coat, a yellow sweater, and a more mature Rei's face attached to her. The face had cracks over it, with one side showing bits of Unit 01's jaw underneath the broken skin. The pilots could tell it wasn't another illusion from Armisael; the eyes of this creature were full of mirth to be anything other than what Shinji already suspected.

"Mother." He said with venom. "It's too late to try anything. We've won."

Yui Ikari laughed. "Why the suspicion? I am offering my sincerest congratulations! I didn't you could do it, but you beat all of the Angels, without losing a single one of yourselves. I am truly proud of you all, especially you, my son. You made it all possible"

Spider-Man took some steps forward, becoming a shield between her and the other pilots. "What do you want, really? How did you get here?"

"Your guess was right." Yui nodded. "When the Angel forcefully synchronized with you, it also connected to the Eva. My soul found its way here as well. Which means, until this reality crumbles, I have more than ample time to do what has to be done."

"You're gonna try stealing his body here? Now?" Scarlet Spider snorted. "How desperate can you be, you hag? Give up."

"Oh, but I can't! After all, who could truly lead the world now that all the Angels are dead?"

"Not you." Spider-Woman also said. "Never you. You would bring us all to ruin with your selfishness and greed. You are no different from the Commander."

That caused Yui to scowl. "Well you know what they say about birds of a feather… although, I like to think I had more vision."

To the shock of everyone watching, her knees floated above the LCL, hardly a stain on her feet, which touched the water like it was the floor. Yui smirked at the horrified pilots, the wind blowing across the void as her AT Field became active.

"If I can't take your place, then I'll have to take you all with me to Hell… we'll all suffer for eternity. Good bye, children!"

The trio of Spider-People prepared for another fight. They knew the rules by now, and if they could defeat the Angel by overcoming her power, than this should be no problem for them. Yui tried to expand her barrier…

Only, it shrunk.

"… What?" Yui gasped. "I should have control over this!"

She found herself frozen. Worse, the AT Field barrier shrunk further, retreating to her body and encasing it in a cage. It wasn't by her own power, and Yui could feel it.

"No, no! This can't be! Who'd have the knowledge to manipulate an AT Field like this? Other than… no… no, no, NO!"

The kids were absolutely baffled by what happened. Shinji in particular was the most confused. "Hold on, what's happening?"

"Look!" Rei shook her teammates and pointed a bit towards the distance. "They might be the ones responsible."

Two figures emerged from the water, both surrounded by their own AT Field barrier. Shinji didn't recognize them, unfamiliar with the duo. However, Rei and Asuka definitely knew who they were.

"You will not harm my daughter, Yui." Kyoko Zeppelin Soryuu commanded. "We have been at this for too long."

"Agreed." said the little girl Rei had seen before… now, Rei could see it was the first Rei. The one trapped inside of her own Eva. "Actions against my other self will be met with death."

Kyoko held Rei I in her arms as they walked towards their shared adversary. Yui was rendered speechless at the sight of the two. They were not who she expected to meet here, yet it made a perfect amount of sense.

"The mindscape… it makes everything real, doesn't it?"

"It does." Kyoko marched forward. "It is how we could be here, to see you."

Asuka stood frozen. Her mind was trying to catch up to her, barely processing what was happening. "Mutter?"

German for mother. Kyoko took a glance at her own daughter. Seeing the fear on her face, Kyoko began to frown sadly. "My little Asuka…"

She reached a hand out toward her, but Asuka took a step back. Instead, the daughter looked away from her mother, unable to, or unwilling, to see her. Kyoko flinched at this rejection, and sighed.

"I am truly sorry… I will never be able to make it right." Kyoko suddenly glared at Yui. "The least I can do is put a stop to this monster."

"Monster? Do you really have the right to call me that?" Yui returned her glare with a prideful smirk. "I had the vision, but both you and Naoko followed me in spite of all the little warning signs in your head. You knew what went into GEHRN just as much as I did. You're just as much to blame for all this."

"Yes, I do." Kyoko said without skipping a beat. "I've let my pride blind me to your deranged scheme, in the name of science."

"I was protecting the future of humanity!"

"YOU TOOK ME AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER! You were abandoning us to die!" Kyoko yelled. "You wanted that immortality, to replace the old men at the top of the ladder. I wanted fame, but what we did… we sacrificed too much to get there. I am tired of my daughter, and the rest of these children, being being put in harms way for your miserable grand design."

"Bite me. We're not so different."

"Yes. We are the relics of an old era, trying to cling to relevance in a pointless world. But we have already lost. You have already lost."

Kyoko turned to the children, who seemed more confused and stupefied.

"The void is collapsing around us." Kyoko said. "Anything that needs to be said, has to be done now. I can only hold onto this for about a few minutes."

Rei and Asuka were still unsure of what to make of this. Shinji was the first to snap out of it.

"We won't take long." Spider-Man said. "I am never getting in the Eva again. We already beat all the Angels. All thats's left is SEELE."

Yui laughed. "You got past the easy part, Shinji. Even if you won this fight, it won't be over. You're going to be hunted down and attacked for being yourself."

"I'll take that chance."

Having gotten her bearings, Asuka also stepped in. "Me too. I'm not going to be anyone's puppet, least of all yours!"

"Pointless. It's all pointless." Yui laughed. "You think what you'll do will mean anything? Anything that happens on Earth will be rendered void when it dies. What I offered would have made us all immortal. It would have given us all purpose!"

At that point, Rei also went up to Yui. She had questions of her own in need of answering.

"Why?"

Yui raised an eyebrow at her. "Why what, child?"

"Why go through all of this madness… is immortality really that meaningful to you?"

"Stupid girl." The woman mocked Rei. "Immortality by itself is pointless. It's about what you do with it! We go by every day trying give ourselves purpose and reason all of our lives, and for what?! Humanity is at an evolutionary dead end; we'll never amount to much, not on our own. By purging the souls from our bodies, we'll end up unbound to become something greater."

"That is… that is nonsense!" Rei said, reeling from this speech. "You'd sacrifice everyone for this selfish wish?!"

"Is it any more selfish than Spider-Man? Scarlet Spider? Surely, you of all people would understand; you're just a clone made to serve. You sought oblivion. Don't you want the power of true immortality, to escape your bonds?"

"I indeed once sought it out," Rei admitted. "That was because I believed my fate was sealed. But I am more than my purpose and the destiny thrust upon me. I can be anything, as I love myself and am loved in return. Anywhere can be heaven as long as I have the will to live."

Yui scowled at the line, her eyes twitching in disgust. Rei didn't care about it. She was as furious with her creator's wife as she was with her.

"I feel terrible for you," Rei continued. "You tampered with the lives of many to soothe your loneliness. A savior of mankind must not be so selfish. We will do it in your stead."

"Without me, mankind would be nothing but ruin! Like this we'll give them purpose-"

"Mankind can do whatever it wants. They never listen to orders, anyway." The first Rei finally spoke. "Now begone. You are no longer useful."

Yui started disappearing into the water, being dragged down by her own AT Field. "You'll all see. I'll become the God of this world, and I won't be so merciful as to leave you in Instrumentality like all the others."

"I would not wish for it to begin with." Rei shook her head. "Now go."

With that, Yui vanished into the sea, never to be seen again. Rei sighed at this conversation, turning her attention to the first version of her, who said on Kyoko's shoulders with a smile on her face.

"You… you are the voice I heard in the Eva."

"That is right." Rei I said in a soft, happy tone. "The first time we meet, and it will be our last."

"Why is that?" Rei blinked. "What are you here for?"

"To wish you well. You overcame your helplessness and chose a path for yourself, one that I cannot follow. I can almost say I'm proud."

Rei held her gaze down. "I am sorry you were not able to experience life the way I did."

"I was angry for a time. But I am over that now. You gave me a gift. A glance at a life I could have had… I wish you well."

Asuka shook her Rei's shoulder. "We have to go."

Rei nodded. However, she turned to her other self. "Is there anything you wish for me to do?"

"… Only one." Rei I said. "Free our sisters. For you to exist as you are, they have been condemned to a soulless existence… destroy their bodies. They deserve no less."

"Very well." Rei II nodded. "I will do so."

Kyoko took a glance at Asuka, who stared her down with a mixture of restrained anger and cold disgust. She simply nodded at her.

"You don't have to forgive me. I just want you to understand. If I had known the risks, I would have never left that thing wearing my face with you. You've grown so much, and I missed it… I'm sorry."

Asuka clutched her hands into fists. What was she supposed to say to that? Her mother couldn't possibly think that was enough for all the years she had been miserable and used by NERV. There was much bile rising through Asuka's throat, an anger that was waiting to be unleashed.

"Hmph…" Asuka clutched her teeth. "Thanks for saving us. Now ho away. You don't get to barge into my life like this. You're just a damn doll to me, by now…"

Kyoko sighed in resignation, but did not push the issue. "Very well. I won't trouble you any further."

With that, Kyoko and Rei I waved their good byes. They vanished into mist, the same way the supervillains and clones did just a moment ago. Rei went to Asuka, taking her by the hand.

"I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for you." Rei said. "I am sorry."

Asuka looked at her girlfriend. She smirked. "You really need to drop that habit, Rei. You're getting as bad as the nerd over."

Spider-Man nodded, neither of his friends realizing the smile on his face. He then pointed at the Angel. "So, who wants to get her to talk?"

Armisael had nothing but contempt for the Spider-People that held her hostage. She would have spat at them, if she was human enough.

"Well." She said. "I suppose I do have nothing better to do than let you go, don't I?"

The rest of the battle went on as predicted.

The Angel was swiftly eliminated, with all three pilots emerging victorious and no injury. After receiving medical treatment, the three spent the next day hanging out with their friends, regaling them with stories of their battle. Touji and Kensuke were particularly excited upon hearing Rei's transformation into Spider-Women, and they were equally underwhelmed when it was only inside the Angelic mindscape.

"If I had powers of my own, I'd rather they be something more sensational. Unbeatable."

That was all she said on the matter. Afterward, Asuka took Rei on another swing through the city. They cozied each other up on one rooftop, where they stared comfortably at the cars below, inching ever so closer together… It was all too simple to leave it at that.

But life wasn't that simple. Not for Rei Ayanami, who brought Shinji and Asuka with her to follow Ritsuko Akagi down towards Terminal Dogma.

The chamber resembling her old room, and the larger one carrying Lilith; neither of them mattered compared to this moment. Everyone in the room bore witness to the vat of the rest of the Rei Ayanami clones, smiling their empty smiles, giggling for no reason, staring vacantly into nothing…

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Ritsuko had to ask. "We could try something else."

Ritsuko had dreamt of a moment like this. She had resented Ayanami for being the Commander's pet, always being second best compared to the damn doll. To hold the remote to destroy Ayanami in her hands had been a dream… however, this outcome wasn't the product of her desire. The second Rei, the one that Misato took in as her own, requested this opportunity. As such, Ritsuko handed the remote to Rei.

"There is no other way" Rei nodded. "I am unique. To remain so, I must allow the others to be destroyed."

"This is what you've been living with… what you've had to deal with all your life." Asuka realized to her great shame. "Rei, I'm so sorry…"

"It is alright. The nightmare will be over in an instant."

Sure, their destruction was much for a practical purpose as it was for her own catharsis. So long as one clone existed, Instrumentality had a chance to be controlled through it. Really, it was more of a mercy than a curse. That was the rationalization Rei had chosen.

Actually holding the remote, their death but a button press away… that gave her pause.

"Is there really nothing we could do?" Shinji asked. "Don't they also deserve a chance to live?"

"They don't have souls, Shinji." Ritsuko said firmly. "Even if we could give them higher brain functions, they wouldn't have the capacity to live among us the way our Rei does. Now, Ayanami, are you sure?"

Rei glanced at the clones. For the only time in her life, she reached out a hand towards the glass, pressing it delicately towards another clone's own twitching arm. She waited for a moment, hoping for a sign, something unique or worthwhile. Instead, the clone kept giggling. Rei knew she had to choose.

"You are me, and I am you. However, to truly exist I must be one. I am only sorry none of you could have a soul. I hope to be forgiven some day."

With that, she pressed the button.

It was an instantaneous process, but the clones did scream. They were horrifying to hear, the closest they had ever come to exercising their humanity. It was as if the pain made them more aware of their own existence, no longer content to be, but to participate, even for a fleeting moment. Even if it was necessary, Rei knew she had deprived them of their lives…

Because of that, she felt no problem falling to her knees, weeping for the daughters who never had a chance to live. Asuka and Shinji hugged her to themselves, knowing this was only the beginning of the end.

Author's Notes:

No use apologizing, let's get down to business.

We just finished off all of the Angels, so in the next chapter we're going to start the ending storyline. It will not be going anywhere you expect… or maybe it will, but I hope whatever the result you'll find it entertaining.

Not much to say on this chapter, I think it speaks well for itself. Some character development here and there, mostly for Rei and Asuka as this is probably the only time something like this could happen. It was especially interesting to pit Kyoko against Yui; I've seen Yui be evil/misguided in fics, but rarely do I see other people she most likely worked with get spotlight on them. We honestly don't know enough about Kyoko, which fits well with the OG series' ambiguity, but for this story I kind of chose to believe she was more benevolent than she probably was. I hope you like what happened with her.

Oddly one of my favorite bits was when Marie had to use the pendant to stop Unit 01. It was neat to write a character who was a bit out of her depth in the situation, being a latecomer to the events. Anyway…

Time for reviews:

Author0fntent: I wish I could say that reference was intentional, but I did end up searching for the comic you were talking about and liking it, so thanks for this anyway!

KamehameGadoken: I think this chapter is about the most you'll get a Clone Saga from this story, so you'll be fine!

theMAX360: The next story will be about the multiverse. There will be some story expansion, but it's where the story's going to be focused on.

Jredor13: No one at this point, since I feel as we're reaching the end of this series that it's too late to introduce such a character. I'm glad you loved the last chapter, though.

Jaycewan: I'm planning on having one or two cameos, but aside from that, there are no plans for an Avengers thing in this fic. It would take away the focus from our favorite Spider-People.

Next chapter: The Birth of Marvels.

Omake:

"The Cringey Ikari Chronicles: Kaworu Returns" by GainaxVel3o and Johnny Freeman

Shinji was having a good day so far. He just got revenge on the cafe employee for giving him cashew cookies instead of brownies and tossed dirt into his eye,s just for a good measure. Even Bardiel seemed happy, if the cold feeling around Shinji's torso was anything to go by. It all seemed like things were going Shinji's way.

As he took a left into the apartment, a portal appeared right above him, and proved Shinji right.

"What in the actual fuck?" Shinji muttered, but his confusion gave way to shock at who came out the other side.

Descending from the portal was Kaworu Nagisa, floating down towards his former boyfriend like an angel from heaven. Shinji could've sworn that at a close observation, there were strings attached to Kaworu that made him seem like an illusion, but Nagisa wasn't an illusion. He was real, he was alive and he had returned to Shinji once again. It was truly a miracle.

"Shinji, I have returned!" Kaworu exclaimed as his shoe touched the floor. "We can be together at last."

"Kaworu..." Shinji was left stunned. "I… I can't believe you're here! I thought you died!"

"I thought so too… But all I needed was a shower and a rest!" Kaworu laughed. "It's so good to see- oh." Kaworu immediately backed off. Shinji was confused. Was it the cologne? The dirt? He had to ask.

"Why are you backing off?"

"Sorry, I want to kiss you…" Kaworu pointed to the jacket. "But you're wearing my brother."

Bardiel formed a face from Shinji's jacket. "Oh come on, brother, do not act like that! I am only wrapped around him. Just do what you wish and pretend I'm not here"

Kaworu shook his head. "I do not like to show my affection to Shinji in the presence of Family."

"You are being a Drama Queen, Tabris!"

"You are a literal parasite!" Kaworu shouted back, breaking the illusion of the aloof and kindly albino he once presented himself as. "GET OUT FROM HIS BODY!"

"No! He is my new Best Friend and we are having the time of our lives!" Bardiel screamed back

"Best Friend? How could you even know what a friend is? You are nothing more than an Angry tar dripping child!" Kaworu shouted back

"Well at least I can show people a fun time rather than drink tea and play the piano like a nerd!" Bardiel shouted, "I taught Shinji how to dance! Show him, Ikari!"

Shinji flashed a nervous grin to Kaworu as he began to practic the worse disco dancing moves imagibable. It made Tobey McGuire seem like a professional by comparison. As Shinji got lost to the dance, he heard Kaworu exclaim. "STOP!"

Shinji stopped, watching Kaworu put his hands on his face with great shame. This was truly a painful moment not just for Shinji but for Kaworu.

"Shinji…" Kaworu said, resting his hand on his boyfriends shoulder. "I love you with all my heart… but I want you to never do this infront of me or anybody ever again."

"YOU CAN'T TELL HIM WHAT TO DO!" Bardiel exclaimed, "Shinji is an independent individual who must decide what HE wants to do."

"And as his boyfriend, I am trying to protect him from humiliating himself infront of his friends and strangers." Kaworu emphasized.

"I TAUGHT HIM THAT HE DOESN'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK! You know why? Because he is HIM!"

"And as someone who worries-"

"Someone who dotes on him."

"Am I taking this from a sapient oil spill?"

"SCREW YOU, TABRIS! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE HAPPY I MET YOUR BOYFRIEND AND MADE HIM MY NEW BEST FRIEND!?"

"BECAUSE YOU CONTROL HIM BASED ON HIS EMOTIONS, BARDIEL! YOU FEED ON HIS INSECURITIES AND ANGER"

"GASP! WHY I NEVER…"

Shinji was feeling uncomfortable by this whole ordeal. It was like watching two parents having a domestic spat and he was the child stuck in the middle, uncertain of who to take the side of. His new Best friend? Or his boyfriend? This was such a difficult choice to make… but he was certain that after he and Bardiel finished robbing from the Squirrels, Shinji could leave him at the apartment and go have a talk with Kaworu…

…Assuming he would be in a good mood.