"The Vice Commander is pretty angry. You'll almost certainly be demoted if you embarrass him again," Ritsuko said over the comically large pile of papers on the desk.

The fight against the angel in the shore had gone so embarrassingly wrong, it wasn't even funny. Asuka pounced on her own, completely absorbed in her endeavor to outdo Shinji at everything. She and her Eva then proceeded to destroy tens of millions of yen worth of infrastructure just beyond the Tokyo-3 UN-insured area before discovering that the angel was not only able to survive a clean split through the middle, but to grow another half-body from each part, essentially becoming a pair of angels. From then on, Unit-01 and 02 got absolutely dominated in record time and ended up embedded inside a hill and under the sea not unlike a bullied kid left upside down inside a trash can. Only the power of N2 bombardment was able to stop the angel momentarily, and then it would be more or less a week before it was be able to reconstitute itself. This left Misato with her career on the line and the biggest mountain of paperwork she'd ever seen.

"At least Commander Ikari wasn't here," Misato whined and deflated in her seat momentarily before recovering.

"If he'd been here, you'd have been fired before he ever saw these."

'Jeez, way to rub it in,' Misato thought. But surely Ritsuko didn't come here just to make fun of her. "So, have you brought me an idea to help save my job?" Misato asked with eyes glinting with hope.

"Just one." She produced a tape.

"I thank you, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi." She said only half-jokingly. "It's good to have a friend one can count on." An unusually cheesy line that, given the context of the past few weeks, genuinely reached Ritsuko. The doctor smiled.

"I'm flattered. However, I'm not the one who'll be saving you... This is Kaji's idea."

"Kaji? I thought he was... busy," Misato murmured.

"He is. He sent this through a contact after leaning of your predicament. Not much else, though."

Misato nodded. She'd prefer if he was already back, that much she could at least admit to herself by now. She shook her head, settling for a potential solution to one of her two big problems.

"Well, I'll let you know how it goes after I get through as many of these as I can." She slumped over the papers, some of which had fallen off the pile and swayed back and forth before landing on the floor. "I bet whatever that idiot is doing is more fun than this."

The sudden lights were hot on his face. Between the dizziness, the dry mouth and the lack of circulation on his wrists, Kaji did not know where to rank this latest sensation in the scale of suck. His knees felt a cool and firm surface, probably stone tile.

"Gentlemen, please," he yelped in German. His mouth felt so dry, yet he swallowed out of reflex, followed by a wince of pain. "I thought you wanted to do this the good way."

"This is the good way, Mr. Kaji," A voice responded in the same language. "We are done with the UN asking for favors while abandoning us to our cursed luck. And now you parade around our sacred places expecting impunity? Enough."

'He thinks I'm UN?' Kaji thought. That might be useful for later. He blinked a few times and his eyes finally adjusted. It was a small room with a metal door guarded by two armed men and a single window with black bars. Fortunately, it was still night time. His partner was nowhere to be seen, but they had a plan.

"It's been difficult for all of us," Kaji said, looking hesitantly at his captor for the first time. The man had a leathery face marred by war and punctuated by two piercing olive-green eyes. "Haven't you heard the news? the angels have returned, they–"

The man pressed something hard against Kaji's neck with a trembling hand.

"I don't give a fuck about the aliens!" The man spat. "And you dare use that holy name to refer to them in my presence?"

"Listen, that was my bad. I understand you're upset but, I don't think you should get rid of me. It just seems counterproductive for your aims, no?"

"Oh, I'm well aware. But as soon you started with your excuses we realized that you'd come empty handed. So unless you can prove otherwise right now, we'll just have to return you in a bag. Maybe that will be motivation enough to send something a little bit more tangible, something we can take for ourselves. We have the means and, at this point, it's clear this is the only language you globalists understand."

Kaji frantically stared at the floor, trying to parse the information into something useful and desperately thinking about what to do next, when he saw a familiar glow outside.

The guard near the window told something to his partner in a language Kaji did not understand, and then asked something to the leader who in turn replied angrily and sent both men outside. A confused yell was followed by bursts of gunfire, then another flash of light and a very loud thud against the side of the room that shook some debris off the ceiling.

The man narrowed his eyes, he then turned to Kaji and had just placed his finger on the trigger when a blast sent the metal door crashing against him, and then against the wall behind Kaji. The gun clattered and slid against the floor elsewhere. A pool of blood started to seep out form under the crumpled metal, and only the man's mangled foot and twisted face could be seen peeking out. Kaji swallowed dryly once more. The noises died out and gave way to approaching steps on gravel.

A boy with dusty silvery hair and shimmering red eyes entered. The door frame creaked and curved outwards as flickers of golden-orange light pulsed and contracted to take on his shape, like a second skin, before flickering out of existence.

The man softly gasped the word "Malak" between sobs. Kaworu lifted his hand with an extended index finger and inched it forward, and the door jerked and creaked against the body underneath as if possessed, killing the man instantly.

"Easy now," Kaji said nervously while standing up.

"I just wanted to end his suffering," the boy said quietly but betraying his concern with his face. He pulled a pilfered knife from his back pocket and cut through the rope restraining Kaji's wrists.

"You didn't have to kill him to begin with," Kaji said sternly, doing his best to avoid sounding like he was scolding him.

"There was no time, and he wanted to kill you; I could feel it from where I was being detained."

The rope snapped and fell, and Kaji brought his hands in front of him, experimentally flexing them open and closed for a few seconds. He took the offered knife from Kaworu's hands.

"But, how? You know what, I don't want to know. It's probably more weird angel stuff," He said as he walked toward the stray gun and picked it up.

From under the crumpled door, the radio in the man's breast pocket went off with urgent messages.

"We need to move," Kaji quickly walked outside and Kaworu followed.

The nascent salt marshes reflected the sea of stars high above. The pair walked towards the wilderness to avoid established paths. They were missed by at least two patrols by submerging themselves almost completely in the marshes and staying very still. Kaworu had somehow messed with their flashlights, something Kaji was both relieved and concerned to learn. The heat in the air was stifling, and the warm, brackish water did not help in the matter. The relatively drier patches of ground were still muddy and wet and crawling with insects. Some of the vegetation ran sharply against his dried skin. All in all, the trek took what felt like hours.

Eventually, they reached dry land and the familiar small town, staying on the move until they reached the truck they'd arrived at and so perilously parked. As they approached, Kaji winced at a grim sight: A trail of blood running from the driver's seat down to the nearest street corner, where the UN delegate that accompanied them from Germany lay dead.

"I'm so sorry, Felix." Kaji murmured. He rolled up his sleeves and looked around to see if they were still being followed.

"We're alone, at least for now," Kaworu said with uncanny certainty and got in the truck on the passenger's side. Kaji nodded and jogged towards the corpse. His gun, jacket, and wallet had been taken, and the face was barely recognizable. Enough time had passed that the blood was flakey and dark, and rigor mortis was setting in. Kaji looked up at the nearby street shops and found one with a makeshift awning made with tarp. He produced his new knife and hastily cut a big rectangle out of it to wrap the body with. With the job finished, he hauled the stiff corpse to the back of the truck, making sure it wouldn't move around too much during their upcoming trek.

Kaworu observed keenly but with some trepidation. "He's dead," he said almost to himself while turning from his seat. Kaji wiped the sweat from his brow and looked back at him for a moment, cocking his head to the side. his words had been more interesting than intended.

"So you only know, but haven't learned," Kaji said, but this only confused the boy further. Kaji retrieved a gallon of water from the back of the truck and then got in on the driver's side. He put the seat belt on with a click, removed the bottle cap and drank deeply and messily before handing it to his passenger, wiping his chin with the back of his other hand. "I know he's dead. But he deserves a proper burial, somehow, later."

Kaji turned the ignition key. The boy nodded and timidly put his mouth to the bottle.

As they traversed the rural path, The starry sky was completely cloudless, and the first streaks of grayish blue had just appeared on the horizon. Kaji looked at his phone again and sucked his teeth.

"What's the matter?" Kaworu asked.

"There's still no signal, and I'm almost out of battery. Might have a charger in the back, though."

"We are south-east of Damascus, sixty or seventy kilometers away from our destination."

"And how do you know this?" Kaji's eyes narrowed, he was almost annoyed. Kaworu stuck an arm out the window and pointed up.

"The stars."

"Alright, then. That's good. We have around ten hours before our rendezvous, and we really don't want to miss it." He gripped the wheel tighter and accelerated.

Fuyutsuki sat in the back of the town car. He looked out the window, but his mind had no time to contemplate the various urban landscapes of Tokyo-3's southmost sectors.

When it came to the big picture, Gendo was a monster of organization and planning. But the logistics, the negotiating, the bureaucracy—that's where Fuyutsuki shined. Yet, this iteration of the scenario was by far the most complex, and so he was left with much to accomplish and precious little time.

However, the events of the past week had been a huge distraction from his lofty goals. His patience with the sophomoric captain was running thin, what with the unorthodox strategies she employed and her generally lax management of the pilots. The concept of saving Tokyo-3—and by extension Japan—from the ravages of the post-Impact world felt almost unattainable when one considered the already striking consequences of an angel war that had barely begun. A landscape forever changed, the maps needing to be redrawn yet again.

This was him being emotionally compromised, that much he knew. But it felt warranted; It wasn't just the blunder against the temporarily petrified angel of the shore. When you added the enormous blue octahedron still being dismantled downtown and a charred mountainside soaked in angel guts and the world governments breathing down their necks to the equation, it was hard to stay optimistic about their prospects. And then there was the whole Kaji situation in regards to Adam. He was beyond convinced that it'd take a miracle for them to even make it through to the end. Thankfully, it wouldn't be the first time, which meant it was at least possible.

Fuyutsuki felt the car stop and stepped out. He sent the driver away and walked through the stony path while digging his right pocket for his keys. In his mind, the did a quick rundown of the upcoming schedule after the Commander's return, and the meeting they'd have with agent Kaji in person, if he made it back in one piece.

The door creaked slightly as it opened. A silent welcome, save for the click of the light switch being turned on. The old man stretched and yawned, then walked to his kitchen to treat himself with a small glass of shochu on the rocks. The traditional home still used mechanical locks and keys, something a man of his stature could employ while still feeling a sense of security thanks to the Section 2 detail stationed in the neighborhood.

Fuyutsuki sat down on a brown leather sofa in the living room and sipped on his drink. He made the liquid turn with a flick of the wrist and heard the clinking of ice cubes against the glass. He drank again and leaned back. The taste and warmth reminded him of better days back in the Tokyo University campus, of his last birthday before the world went to hell. A memory highlighted by a home-baked birthday cake, courtesy of a certain star student. Tears welled up in his eyes before he blinked them away.

'Yui, will you forgive us?'

His train of thought connected Yui to the scenario and how, whether she knew or planned it, the people that were closest to her had such a pivotal role in it: her father, her husband, her son, and the clone.

Yes, that was a troubling development. He drank again as the memory came to him; it'd happened a few days after defeating the Angel of Flames:

•

The First Child stood fifteen paces away from the Commander.

Gendo looked down at the sheet of paper he was writing on. He'd lifted a finger in front of him, prompting Rei to stop and remain silent. After a couple of minutes, he set his pen down and looked forward, joining his gloved hands in the usual pose.

"What is it?"

"Today's synchronization test was successful, stabilizing at 37%"

"Any deviations from launch parameters?"

"None. Unit-00 is ready for sortie."

"Good. How did feel to pilot it?"

"The same as last time."

"I see."

Gendo arranged his pen flush with the paper slowly enough so that when he let go, it wouldn't roll out of place. His glasses glinted as he pushed the frame up the bridge of his nose before tenting his fingers once more. The effects of Gendo's scrutiny were felt as strongly as always for Rei, no matter how familiar she was with them. She stood in attention like a stiff corpse.

"I observed you interacting with the Third Child last sortie. I was wondering if..."

"He was just trying to–"

"...you noticed," he finished. She blinked. Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow.

Seconds later, Gendo asked, "Are you interested in him?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. Fuyutsuki gave the commander a worried glance before regaining his composure.

"Why?"

"He cares,"

"How so?"

"It's... difficult to put into words."

"Try."

Rei eyed the window past them for a moment.

"Our interactions go beyond operational necessity," she started. "He is interested in my wellbeing. He makes an effort to adjust his behavior for the sake of my comfort. I'm unsure of his motivations, or what it all means."

There was a prolonged silence. Fuyutsuki could only hear the hum of the air conditioner. Only now did he notice the dark circles under the girl's eyes.

"Are you done with your tasks for the day?" Gendo asked.

"Yes."

"You may rest in my quarters, then." He gestured to his left with a gloved hand. "Dismissed."

Rei nodded, turned and left, closing the door with a soft click.

"This might be a problem," Fuyutsuki said gravely. Gendo shook his head.

"The Third Child is far too trusting. His empathy is misplaced."

"But what if it's not?"

"He would never attempt anything. And even if he did, he'd end up empty-handed. Trust must be leveraged, until all other paths are deemed unviable," Gendo said. Fuyutsuki smirked and lowered his head.

"Is agent Kaji still on your mind?"

"Yes, professor," he replied slowly.

•

Fuyutsuki placed the empty glass on the coffee table, chuckling dryly. 'I hope you know what you're doing, Ikari.'

He climbed up the wide, wooden stairs, looking for some well-deserved rest before the coming rush.

"We're here," Kaworu announced. The truck stopped with a squeak from the breaks.

"Good, I was starting to get wonder if we'd got enough gas." Kaji grabbed the camera, the gallon bottle, and his maroon backpack. He stepped out and closed the driver's door with his hip.

The sun peeked above the rocky hills signaling the early morning. Kaji followed Kaworu through the hill and into some sort of shallow ravine until the rocky path gave way to a tarnished brass wall that jutted out of the deepening cliff face. A cool breeze flowed through this dry canal and he couldn't help but close his eyes and inhale, basking in a moment of short-lived contentment.

"I think I'm too tired, kid. You're gonna have to stand guard for a hot minute. Can you do that for me?" He saw the boy stop and turn back to him, nodding after a few seconds.

"Great." He slowly slumped against the wall and sat down, legs extended. He untied the windbreaker from his waist, folded it, and placed it on top of the backpack, making a makeshift pillow for the coming nap.

"I really do appreciate it," Kaji said. In retrospect, this was inevitable: the temperature, the altitude, the jet lag; he was surprised he'd lasted this long, and that's before he took their latest detour into account. The situation in the Middle East after the Mediterranean floods was its own can of worms, but Kaji's mind seemed to wander to it in his hypnagogia. Despite his usual anxieties, sleep came fast for the agent.

His eyes blinked open. He sat up, reached for the gallon bottle and finished it, letting some of the last drops of water fall on his face. It was far too hot for his liking, which is something he'd already known intellectually, but as usual, the real-life experience was far more educational. He felt like he'd barely gotten any rest, but the sun overhead convinced him otherwise. Taking note of his surroundings, he realized the boy was gone.

'No need to panic. Maybe he just returned to the truck.' He left the backpack and camera and walked back through the path they'd come. A knot was slowly forming in is stomach as he saw the vehicle ahead, it was empty, maybe. The hot air ahead obscured his vision in a curtain of waves.

He felt something prickling the hairs on the nape of his neck, making him turn to his left. Kaworu stood a good two dozen yards away, beckoning him to join. Kaji exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding and complied. Things made sense upon arrival. The boy looked tired, sweaty, and grimy, and a shovel lay beside him. In front of them, a rectangular mound only slightly above ground level with a long dry branch planted in the middle.

"Is this okay, Mr. Kaji?" Kaworu asked. He sounded out of breath. The agent smiled.

"Yes, Kaworu... Thank you." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. The latter had turned at the mention of his name. Kaji continued, "I was just wondering, why didn't you use your light to dig the hole?"

"I'm not sure. It just seemed too violent. Disrespectful?"

Kaji nodded hesitantly, a dozen thoughts racing through his mind. He shook his head and said, "Come on. Let's get to work so we can finally get some food."

Returning to the brass wall, Kaji was delighted to find a small gray lizard—around a foot long—licking the floor beside the empty gallon bottle. As he closed the distance to retrieved his belongings, the lizard scurried away.

Reaching the base of the wall, there were some skillfully engraved beasts on its edges. But besides that, the view was almost completely covered by layered rocks. Kaji stepped back twice and turned to Kaworu, who nodded, his crimson eyes harbored a faint glow. The resulting explosion cleared most of the rocks and debris, and even dented the brass surface, though not enough to bend it beyond recognition.

Kaworu put his hands on his knees. His breathing was shallow again. "That's the other reason I didn't do it back then. This body, it's quite limiting."

"Well, fortunately for you, you only have to do that one more time, later." Kaji said. 'Fortunately for me as well.'

As the dust cleared, the pair stood in increasing awe at the monument: An enormous brass and bronze wall filled with rows and rows of humanoid and animal shapes; lions, horses, falcons, peacocks, all surrounded by intricate filigree of alternating silver and bronze. It seemed to tell a story of sorts, but there was no time to think about it. Kaji lifted his camera, made sure the dual memory sticks were well seated, and started photographing every single square inch of the whole thing.

Kaworu scanned the giant plaque with great interest, until his eyes reached the symbols at the very top: A set of glyphs of intricate detail, almost like the flowing Arabic script surrounding it but at the same time, not quite the same. It was far more detailed and seemed to have less of a direction—if it was meant to be read at all. A dull nausea began to ferment in his head. He closed his eyes and stepped back.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I just need to rest."

After a few minutes, Kaji was finished taking the pictures and reviewing them on the device's screen. Nodding to himself, he gestured Kaworu to follow. They were both a good distance away from the cliff face before Kaji turned and noticed that the boy was somehow paler than usual.

"I don't think I can do this," Kaworu said, his serene voice tinged by worry for once.

"Yes you can, only one more and then we can leave," Kaji said. "You'll be able to rest and eat and sleep, maybe read some books. You know, the good stuff. This is the last task."

Kaworu exhaled through his mouth a few times and stood straight. "Alright."

His orange light flickered and another explosion burst through the upper cliff face, completely covering the nascent ravine with rubble. Kaji stiffened but only for a moment. He turned to congratulate the boy, but instead instinctively ended running up to him and holding his body as it went limp. He was still breathing, but it had taken all of his energy to perform the destructive miracle.

"Good job, kid. I'll take it from here." He said and gently carried him back to the vehicle.

Misato was in a strange situation, and that was really saying something. She eyed the company in her living room while a tilted beer can kept her mouth occupied. The First Child sat on her heels staring at apparently nothing, while Shinji's friend duo argued (a bit loudly at that) about some video game character she didn't know. Closest to the entrance, the girl with the pigtails was cradling Pen Pen like a baby and cooing some nonsense words at him, and the bastard was just loving it, that spoiled ruffian. They'd all waited for almost half an hour for Shinji and Asuka to return after an impromptu break from their special training, in which Rei's ability to synchronize with Shinji really seemed to tick the redhead off. If only the strange girl had the synchronization rate to come with it.

"Captain Katsuragi," Rei said in her usual quiet voice. Misato put the can down.

"Yes, Rei?"

"Why is it Pilot Ikari's responsibility to console Pilot Soryu?"

"Well, it's not necessarily his responsibility," she started while eyeing Hikari for a moment. "But, well, when a girl feels hurt, it's usually best for the man to just acquiesce."

"Why?"

"I mean, you know how it is." She gave her a smile and knowing look, but then realized that Rei, in fact, didn't.

Misato's mouth gaped in realization. "Now, hold up." Her widening grin had quickly become uncontainable. "You seem awfully concerned with Shinji going after Asuka. Is this jealousy I'm sensing, Rei?" She asked with a teasing lilt and began lifting the can to her face.

"I don't know," Rei said truthfully, and Misato had to jerk forward to catch the drink she'd almost spilled on her lap. 'Oh, wow.'

From the corner of her eye, Misato saw the class representative gently place Pen Pen down and stand up. "Ma'am, it's six-o-clock, so we better return home," she said before straightening her skirt.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Kensuke said, annoyed.

"Yes Aida, we. They haven't returned and we shouldn't stay for too long. Plus, remember we have that Geography assignment."

Toji and Kensuke groaned in unison, but then Toji gave Kensuke a nod to which the latter rolled his eyes, dig his hands in his pockets, and agreed to follow.

"Alright, kids. See you later," Misato said cheerily and stood up, she needed another beer.

As they finished putting on their shoes, Toji, who was last in line, turned back. "Ayanami, you comin'?"

Misato looked at the group and then back at the pale girl. She looked at her hands for a moment and then stood up.

"Yes." She walked to the entrance, put on her white slip-ons and followed the group, closing the door behind her. Misato sighed at the silence and walked to the fridge.

"I hope those two don't take too long," she said to no one in particular, then turned around, beer in hand, to bump into Pen Pen looking up at her with a curious look.

"And what are you looking at, you traitor?" She made a stomping motion as if to chase him, and the penguin scurried away into Shinji's room with a 'Wark!'. Misato stuck her tongue out at her small friend.

A cool breeze swept through the terrace, carrying the smell of detergent from the hanging underwear down to Shinji and Asuka, who sat down against the green half-wall sharing his earphones for their special training. After four days in a row of doing everything together, the kids had quickly synchronized their circadian rhythm, bathroom hours, and would sometimes complete each other's sentences, something that usually got nervous laughter out of Shinji and an exhasperated grunt out of Asuka.

The song they listened to had been replayed so many times that week that Shinji could accurately mimic the drumline with his fingers without thinking about it. This unexpected free time gave him space to consider his situation in regards to his newest roommate. Asuka was as aggressive as ever, yes, but the wound to her pride from when Rei easily synchronized with him a few days ago did not knock the wind out of her sails. Instead, it reignited her spirit with even greater fury. She was like a knight who had sworn an oath in his presence, and her discipline in dancing non stop until they got each segment down perfectly was something that filled Shinji with a yet unknown sense of purpose. It was sometimes even fun to try and keep up with her. He opened his eyes and turned to the girl, who was still listening intently with her eyes closed. Her brow twitched slightly at every change in the song's rhythm, and her thin lips had an alluring gloss from the balm she applied after drinking so much water during the week.

"You better be focusing, Third." She said in a singsong manner, the deadliest of intonations.

"Ah, yes!" He said and stood back up, facing forward. Unbeknownst to him, she then smiled. The song ended within the following minute.

"Hey, Idiot-Shinji."

"What is it?" Shinji removed his earphone, a bit annoyed at the epithet.

"The other night, when you asked about my nightmare," Asuka said while turning to him with a glare. There was a certain melancholy behind her words.

"Yes?"

"I told you I don't need help. I told you to mind your own business."

"Yes, I remember, Asuka."

Her expression softened. "Well I... appreciate that you asked, regardless. I missed my Eva unit. Anyway, I'm okay now, so just stay out of my way after this angel and everything will be just fine."

Shinji swallowed. This was one of those critical points in the Asuka-behavior-pattern. He could open his mouth and try to make some real progress, or he could say something stupid and make her regret ever giving him an inch like this. Sensing the impatience in her stare, he chose the safer path, and slowly but firmly nodded.

Asuka returned the earphone, partially unfolded her legs, and got up in a single motion. Shinji wanted to follow her expression, see whether she left because she was annoyed, or because it was just time to get back inside. However, the risk of a misunderstanding given his vantage point made him avert his eyes. He wanted to stay outside and listen to more of his music, but they had to be together as often as possible. He got up and followed her inside.

He finally got his wish on the night before the attack. After performing the dance perfectly with a modicum of reliability, Misato had left them alone as a diminished pile of paperwork from the previous attack was still waiting on her desk back at NERV HQ. He was enjoying a comic book while in bed with his SDAT in hand when Asuka asked about their guardian, and then promptly separated her futon from his via the sliding wall, making a reference to some famous 'impenetrable' wall Shinji had no knowledge of.

As the dark of the night deepened, the anxiety of the coming attack would not let him sleep. 'Typical', he scoffed mentally, but it didn't feel like the life-and-death situation it really was. Instead, it was a dull hum at the base of his stomach like the night before an important school exam. The sensation made him curious: was he finally getting over the chaos and strife that came with piloting? or was he just joining the ranks of those perturbed by war for the rest of their lives? He shook his head and turned on his side; better not board that train of thought right now.

Then, it all happened too fast. He heard the door to the bathroom and closed his eyes and then had to open them in panic when a thud alerted him of a sleepy redhead that had apparently forgotten which futon she was supposed to be sleeping in. His brain ran on all cylinders, sending all manner of red flags reminding him of all that was ethical and moral, but he would not stop inching forward, ever closer, to those glossy lips that smelled like strawberry. Her breath tickled his lips, and the yellowish light from adjacent buildings cast heavy shadows on the contours of her budding breasts, peeking over a shirt that was at least two sizes too big for her.

For one of the few times in his life, Shinji had already decided to let instinct take over, to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, or to hope that this was an outcome that would actually please the girl whose personal space he was currently violating. But as the whirring of the rewinding tape in his hand came to a clicking halt, he heard one of the few words that could possibly snap him out of it:

"Mama..." Asuka whimpered, and a tear ran down her cheek. Some sympathetic magic made Shinji feel the tear on his back, but made out of brutally chilling ice, and his hands went cold.

'What?'

"Mama," she repeated, now in a more subdued mumble. He pulled back and swallowed. His heart was filled with shame and confusion. He remembered her insistence to stay away, and it gnawed at him almost enough to make him forget about tomorrow.

Time returned to its usual flow. Shinji moved quietly to the other end of the room, blanket in hand.

"You're just a kid yourself," he whispered before pulling the blanket over his body.

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Asuka opened her eyes. Realization of her surroundings came crashing down fast. She turned to look for the rightful owner of the futon she lay on, and her face betrayed her feelings when she found him, distant and looking away from her. She turned to the opposite side and forced herself to sleep.

The next day had started early, and by time time the sun was firmly placed on the horizon, both Unit-01 and 02 stood ready at the launching platform, with Unit-00 stowed back in the gantry in case something went wrong.

As soon as the conjoined angel entered the Tokyo-3 legal border, the operation officially began. 62 seconds is all it took, and the speed and fluidity of the Evas was at its peak, whirling and backflipping to avoid the angel's laser attacks, and shooting, swiping, pulling and kicking as one. They eventually perform a mirrored interior kick that forced the twin angels to rejoin, and by the time the creature was able to readjust its senses, A red and purple bolt of lightning in the form of a flying kick pierced through the double core and shook the celestial interloper down to its entrails. The ensuing explosion took entire sections of the city wall off the map, but at least no one was killed and it was finally over, just in time for the ending of the song and of the Eva's internal battery power.

Unfortunately for those that cared about political optics, the aftermath was still quite ridiculous looking, with both Eva units strewn in the crater like ragdolls on top of each other. The ensuing argument between the pilots caused a ruckus back at the command center, ranging from cheers of celebration at their victory to second-hand embarrassment, to uncertainty and confusion, especially in the entry plug of Unit-00.

"I know you tried to kiss me while I was sleeping!" Blared the voice of Pilot Soryu through the open channel.

Rei gripped her yoke controls in frustration and Misato's words echoed in her mind. She struggled to keep their argument in the white noise of the background, just as she had done for so many of the people in her life, but it was impossible. She couldn't do it, not whenever Pilot Ikari was involved.

"You're back," Misato gasped with overt surprise. Behind her, Ritsuko closed the door tagged as 'Conference Room 3'.

"Where the hell have you been?" Misato asked Kaji, who sat in an office chair. His parched lips and leathery cheeks betrayed the harsh days spent in the Levant. The man gave her a sly grin in response.

"This isn't the time," Ritsuko stepped forward. "You can question him all you want on your way out, I must return to the lab as soon as we're done here."

Misato scoffed and pulled a chair of her own to sit down.

"The twin angel was not in our set of scrolls, and neither will the next one. So we must stay extra vigilant."

"What happened to the commander using the knowledge of the new scrolls as leverage?" Misato asked.

"Commander Ikari thinks that the... organization considers the unexpected angel as a mere deviation, a misinterpretation of their texts on their part. Remember, these people see their contents as nothing short of religious omens, so it's easier to blame human interpretation over the text's fallibility. Furthermore, they haven't accused the commander of having special knowledge, at least yet. We must use this time to improve our odds in the event of a fallout, because we'll never be sure whether they plan on sabotaging us in some manner down the road, especially if things start going too well for us."

Ritsuko paused to take a drag off of her ever-present cigarette. "I'm just speculating here, but I'm pretty sure that by the next time their scrolls are proven wrong about an angel it'll be very hard for them not to admit that they don't know nearly as much as they thought. Now, for today's debriefing," she said before gesturing to Kaji, who stood up and reached for the switch behind the ceiling projector with ease, thanks to his height. A table of glyphs was projected against the wall, sorted in order of complexity and combined in different manners through the slides as if experimenting with combinatorics. Each glyph had notes and specs surrounding it filled with linguistic and semiotic jargon.

After a brief technical explanation by the doctor, Kaji walked to the front and started talking while pointing with his index finger, "We found these near Damascus, west of the caves where the original scrolls were found after World War II. NERV has dated them to the Akkadian period, that is around the 22nd century BCE, which is quite fascinating on its own, but for the moment, the relevant part is this:"

The slide was changed. On it, a cropped close up of the second row of glyphs. Ritsuko was the one to talk now, saying, "We still haven't mapped all of the glyphs, but they seem to represent a long string of information in shorthand format, sometimes read in several directions at once, like a monograph."

"Looks a bit like those warehouse barcodes," Misato commented.

"That might not be the worst analogy, actually," Ritsuko tapped the back of her pen on her chin and then wrote something on her clipboard. She changed the slide. Below the glyphs, the carving of a creature in the shape of a silver flame sported a white beaked mask with two holes for eyes. "Whatever they are, they are depicted near what we believe to be an angel, so the current hypothesis is that can be used to communicate or interface with them in some way. Thankfully, we have the ideal test subjects to prove this in the form of the Evangelion units. If it works on them, it'll work on the spawn of Adam."

Ritsuko knew of Unit-01's different origins, but her peers did not need to know that, at least not yet. With three units ready for battle and only minor repairs needed on Unit-01 and Unit-02, there would finally be time for some progress in the R&D department.

The three old friends hashed out their schedule for the coming weeks, with Kaji having the governmental connections to grease some palms and pull favors in regards to the previous and current week's destruction, and Misato and Ritsuko rearranging the kid's NERV test dates and times. Misato noticed that no matter the day or the hour, Rei's availability was unabashedly taken for granted. She felt the need to thread carefully, and although she wouldn't admit it, Kaji's presence reassured her.

"About the First Child,"

"Yes?"

"She doesn't live with the Commander?" Although it came out as a question, Ritsuko wasn't sure whether it was one.

"No," she confirmed.

"But... he's her guardian."

"The Commander's living quarters are here, inside HQ. I thought you didn't want the pilots living here."

"Ah, I see," Misato said. The way the doctor phrased it had put her on the defensive, so her planned request died in her lips—it was too soon.

"Feel free to ask about her whereabouts and status to Section 2 whenever the need rises," Ritsuko said, and Misato nodded. Kaji's expression was relaxed but otherwise neutral.

Just as she was about to speak again, the phone on the wall started ringing. Ritsuko walked over and answered.

"Akagi speaking. Yes. Yes, we're basically done. Understood." She hung up.

"You're being summoned, Kaji. The commander says you'd know what this is about."

Kaji smiled and walked to the door, brushing past Misato's shoulder. "We'll have to catch up later, Katsuragi," he said without missing a beat.

"How about tomorrow, during lunch break?" She said with a dominant smile. It was a challenge. This made him stop and turn over his shoulder. Ritsuko looked intently from one to the other.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He said with his composure intact, then left the room.

"He doesn't know what he's done, does he?" Ritsuko asked with a smile, digging for another cigarette.

"Correct."