Apotheosis Echo: Re(verb - it)erations

by StriderInCosmos

The end has passed, and a storm looms over a broken world. At its edge, a Captain who cannot fully chart her course plunges in regardless. Within the lightning, a Priest sees his gods, and hopes to draw them to the dying Earth he wishes to gift to them. Against the rain, a Soldier and his family seek to dispel the tempest. The storm looms, and the End is nigh. But what End?

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Blue Pinprick in the Blood of the World

It's nice that we can keep tabs on things from way down here with what remains of the Magi's help. NERV has control of Casper, and it looks like they think that's the only node left. Which is good, seeing as we basically saved Balthazar in order to help us.

It keeps track of so much: the position of the Wunder, the various Safe Zones that Misato has set up…

Apparently, there's a hole in New Borneo's net of ACC Pillars. From what little I've seen of the place, it'd be a shame to undo all that work to make a nice blue sea.

Maybe, when this is all over, and I get to see Misato and Little Ryo again, we could take a vacation there. Relax on one of those beaches…

- From the personal journal of Deputy-Commander Ryoji Kaji

AAA Wunder, Somewhere Over the Pacific Ocean, February 14th

Daniel walked into the brig, guitar case in hand as he nodded to Sokka and Suki. "Hello, there," he said with a slight smile and a wave.

Sokka, in his guise as Soren, waved back. "Hey there. Here for Shinji?"

"You know it," Daniel replied as he came to a stop in front of the desk, waiting for a moment as Sokka keyed him in.

The man, and Suki with him, were, rather unsurprisingly, drawn to the case in his hands. "What's that you've got there?" Sokka asked.

"Oh. It's a guitar."

Sokka and Suki both blinked. "A… what?" he asked. Suki seemed similarly puzzled.

Daniel blinked, then chuckled. "It's an instrument. A stringed one. No tsungi horns here."

"Ah." Sokka and Suki nodded slowly.

"So, I guess you're playing for Shinji, then?" Suki asked.

"In lieu of Shinji not having a different instrument that he knows how to play, yes." Daniel walked over to the door as Suki came to his side to escort him. "So, with this being my off day, I plan to be here for a while."

Suki rolled her eyes. "Word from the vine says we'll all be getting a few of those soon."

Daniel smiled as the door opened. "I'll let that be a surprise to him. No spoiling it if you decide to stick around."

Suki sighed quietly even as she smiled, the pair stepping through the door as Sokka waved at them with a cheeky grin. "Have fun, Suzie."

The door closed behind them, and they walked toward the cell as Suki sighed. "Suzie." she shook her head slightly. "Still feels weird."

"Did you choose it, at least?"

Suki shook her head. "Not really. It was a slip-up from one of the technicians we were friends with in Tokyo-3. I decided to stick with it. Suki's even a completely normal name here. But I'm Suzie as much as Suki, I guess."

Daniel chuckled. "That's the business of hopping worlds for you. You pick up a lot of names along the way."

Suki shrugged. "I guess so."

As they approached Shinji's cell, Suki lagged behind some. "Good luck," she said quietly.

"Thanks," Daniel replied with a slight smile.

Daniel slowed, then came to a stop in front of Shinji's cell, the boy within sitting up. "Oh. Hello, Daniel."

He looked down at the case in Daniel's hand. "Is that your guitar?"

Daniel nodded as he sat down in the hallway, placing his case in front of him as he undid the clasps. "The one and only. Acoustic, at least. I have an electric one I play with Shigeru sometimes."

"Shigeru?" Shinji tilted his head slightly as Daniel got out a guitar that was a rich, deep mahogany color.

Daniel blinked as he set the guitar on a leg. What he'd said had been true in its absent-mindedness. But it wasn't true here.

"Aoba. One of the former NERV members from Tokyo-3," he replied as he began to tune the instrument. "Like I said, it's a rare occasion these days. Everybody's busy."

Then, the guitar was ready, and he pondered what she should play first. "Let's see…" he murmured as he thought about what Shinji would like. 'What could remain on his playlist? What would the Gendos of two worlds share in musical taste?'

Daniel made up his mind and nodded slightly, his smile equally slight, setting fingers to strings as he plucked out a slower, ever-familiar melody that he was sure Shinji would recognize. 'Yui does have a soft spot for Led Zeppelin, after all.'

As he'd hoped, Shinji recognized the tune. "Wait a minute… this is on my tape."

"Your tape?" Daniel asked as he continued to play.

Shinji nodded, looking down at the SDAT player at his side. "Yeah. The one my father gave me."

"I see. For as much of a bastard as your father seems to be, he has a good taste in music, I'll give him that little."

Shinji blinked, Daniel seeing that the boy was obviously taken aback. "That's… harsh."

"It should be. No father should abandon their child like yours did. And that's before using you to try and essentially end the world."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, sure. Even still…"

The playing slowed for a moment. "You still care for him, don't you?" Daniel asked softly.

Shinji opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head. "I don't know. And that's part of why I went to NERV. Because… perhaps I could find out who he was."

They regarded each other silently as Daniel finished the song. Then, a few moments of pure silence after, Daniel looked down at the SDAT player. "Is it broken?" he asked quietly. "I doubt being dunked in LCL did it any favors when we got you and Rei out."

Shinji followed Daniel's gaze, nodding silently as a sad look entered the boy's eyes.

"If I could take it for a little while… I could get my wife to fix it up. She's a genius when it comes to repairs."

Shinji continued to look down at the SDAT player as Daniel set his guitar aside and stood, taking a step towards the bars of the cell.

Shinji reached a hesitant hand out to the player, pausing as it hovered inches above the tape player. Then, he picked it up, slowly giving it to Daniel, who nodded slightly. "I'll get it back to you as quickly as I can," he said firmly.

Shinji smiled slightly. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Of course."

The both of them heard a thunk from Daniel's left, and all in the hallway turned towards the sound of rhythmic thumping, like a slowing, dying heartbeat that didn't know when to fully stop. Intellectually, Daniel knew what was coming, but the 8-and-a-half-foot thing that lumbered towards them still sent spikes of fear into his chest and stomach.

It was a pallid, white thing, with long, gangly limbs that ended in thin, stick-like fingers and shod feet. On its chest, a bony rib cage seemed to protrude from its skin covering a glittering red pit seemingly carved out of the space beneath them, a slight in and out motion from the bones a facsimile of breathing. Its head was a long, snake-like thing, with no eyes or nose or even much of a face, just a slit of a mouth, the lips blood red and puffy, across the front which allowed for an almost rictus grin to shine through.

It continued on its march, heedless of the pounding of Daniel's heart and the clenching of his fists. 'No. No, it's not an MP. But damn it all, it really looks like one.'

The thing walked past them, slowly, deliberately, Suki standing aside as it continued on, heedless of them.

Daniel took a deep breath. Then another. Then several more, just to be sure he'd gotten himself under control. Then, he looked over at Shinji, the boy's eyes wide. "First time seeing them?"

Shinji shook his head. "No. But… What are they?"

"From what I've heard, they're called White Cells. They're supposed to nip some sort of ghost problem we've been having in the bud."

"Ghost problem?"

Daniel sighed as he nodded. "Apparently, during Near-Third Impact, Unit-01 sucked up a lot of souls. From where we're not entirely certain, but they're there. And sometimes they like to wander out. Thus, the White Cells catch them and stuff them back into the Eva."

Shinji nodded slowly. "Are you… okay?"

"I mean, look at the things. They look like they stepped out of someone's nightmares."

Daniel paused, then chuckled softly. "But let's move on from that, shall we?"

Daniel walked back over to his guitar, thankfully untouched by the White Cell's passing, and sat down again, checking the tuning quickly before he breathed deeply again, his brow furrowing for a moment as he decided what to play next.

Then, he plucked out a note, then another, a slow, sure rhythm establishing itself.

Shinji sat back down on his ledge, sitting on a blanket and pad that had been added to his pillow. "What's this one?"

"A song I heard a long time ago, now. It's…" Daniel paused as he tried to figure out how to explain. "It's a love song, of a sort. About two people who could understand each other if they talked, but who faced seemingly insurmountable challenges. From without and within."

He let the music speak for itself now, the hallway otherwise silent as all within listened. It was… beautiful in its melancholy, even as a moment of what seemed like happiness broke through for a few moments.

The song slowed, then, with a few notes, it stopped, the last note echoing into the silent hallway.

"What's it called?" Shinji asked after long moments.

"Thanatos," Daniel replied quietly. "After the Greek god of death. Because, I've hypothesized, like death, there are many different ways for love to exist. And not all of them are easy all the time."

"But," Daniel continued as he saw Shinji's shoulders slumping, "unlike death, love often gives you something death rarely does. Meaning. We fight for what we love, we live on for what we love, and sometimes we even die for what we love. And we can choose what, and who, we love far more than how we die. That choice matters. Even if sometimes we have to choose something different from what we first want."

Daniel was silent for a moment as he watched Shinji ponder what he'd said. "I think… I get it." Shinji said.

"Don't worry about trying to get all of it. What matters is… think about what makes you happy. Who makes you happy. Now or in the past. Because… it's a lot easier to reconnect with someone you once knew than trying to find out about someone you don't."

It was silent again. Then Daniel took a deep breath and chuckled. "Now that we've gotten our philosophy out of the way, I can't help but commend your timing."

Shinji's head tilted slightly, a glimmer of confusion beginning to twinkle in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Your call with Rei, 2 days from now. It just so happens to coincide with a pit stop we'll be making."

"Where?"

"The Borneo Safe Zone out in what used to be the Philippines. The smallest of the established Safe Zones, though certainly larger than some of the scattered townships and colonies that are out there. They asked Doctor Akagi to come and help them fix a problem with their ACC Tower network, so we'll be spending a day or two in paradise."

"What does that have to do with me and my call?"

Daniel rested his arms on the body of his guitar, leaning forward as he smiled. "I've been authorized by Chief Beifong to take you, Asuka, and Mari with us on shore leave. Provided we keep a close eye on you."

Shinji's brows rose as he remembered the rather blunt but ultimately kind woman Daniel had brought with him to their training sessions once, then they fell. "What about Ayanami?"

Daniel's smile fell in turn as he sighed. "Unfortunately, I couldn't sway Doctor Akagi on that. She's still unsure of what might happen should you two interact."

"Oh." Shinji looked down dejectedly.

"Which makes your call to her all the more important."

Shinji looked back up at Daniel as he continued. "After all, whatever kind of contact you two can get should be treasured."

Daniel's smile began to return. "That and, if I've been told correctly, should you three pilots who aren't being poked and prodded by the good doctor behave nicely enough, I think Chief Beifong and I can leverage to get all three of you out of your cages."

Shinji looked up and around himself at the cramped walls. "Well," he chuckled slightly with a weary smile, "at least it'll be better than this."

"That it will be, I'm sure."

Daniel's smile took on a bemused gleam. "Unfortunately, all the single-person cabins on the ship have been taken already. So, when you get out of here, and I'm sure it's when, we're going to have to put all three of you in a single bunk room."

The smile disappeared, and Shinji groaned. "Oh, no… maybe it would be better if I stayed in here."

Daniel chuckled. "I'll make sure that nobody ends up killing each other if nothing else."

He looked down at his watch, pouting slightly as he packed away his guitar and stood. "And you're sure you don't want to do anything else today?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. Chief Beifong…"

Daniel chuckled again, remembering the rather punishing regimen they'd both been put through and rubbing a shoulder that was still terribly sore. "No, no. I get it. If you need anything else today, let me know."

Shinji nodded, and Daniel and Suki walked away, leaving the boy alone for what he likely guessed was going to be one of the last times.

. . .

2 Days Later

Shinji Ikari stared at the screen of the tablet that Mrs. Theisman (Eleanor, he had to remind himself to call her out loud) held up for everyone's viewing, and wondered how such a sight could even exist in this world that he'd had a hand in making.

The screen that the thankfully small crowd of Daniel's friends and the other Children nearly crowded around showed a camera view of the outside world, somewhere on the right side of the ship. It was a view of the sea, the deep, blood-red color of his youth familiar to him as much as it was to everyone else around him. What was different, however, was the utterly obvious destination that they now headed to.

It was, as Daniel said, a small place, especially this high in the air. The only way it would have been evident that it was their destination was just how much it stood out. It was two pinpricks of green amidst a dot of blue, crisscrossed by slivers of silver and grey that, as they grew closer to the islands, became evident as massive bridges with roads and even housing evident atop of them.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Daniel said as they continued their approach, the view slowly lowering towards the brilliant blue water reminding Shinji of the aquarium that he'd visited so long ago, "welcome to New Borneo."

"Tropical. It's a refreshing look, I'll give it that."

Shinji slowly looked over at Asuka, who had, of all things, decided to stand beside him as they waited at the door. She wore shorts and white shoes as opposed to her Plugsuit, though whatever shirt she was wearing was obscured by the bomber jacket she wore zipped up.

Asuka noticed Shinji looking at her, and arched an eyebrow. "Got something on the contrary to say, washout?" she asked.

Shinji gulped as he shook his head. "No. I agree actually."

Asuka nodded once as she looked back at the screen. "Good. You've still got some sense after being stuck in Unit-01 for a decade and a half, at least."

Shinji looked back at the screen and suppressed as best he could a quiet sigh. 'And I'm going to be expected to live with this again?'

"Ah, don't worry too much, Puppy-boy," Mari whispered as she leaned towards him from his left. "This is the most excited she's been in ages. Even seeing you again isn't putting as much of a dent in things as either of you care to think."

Shinji nodded slowly as he considered their first interactions when they'd seen each other again. A part of him had expected her to actually try and punch him, now that there wasn't a pane of glass between them. But… something had changed. Daniel had told him about what had happened a few days ago, and what Asuka had first said to him, after all that time… still surprised him.

"Ayanami gives her regards, idiot Shinji."

That she'd do something like that for someone that even he could see she had a strained relationship with… it somehow gave him hope that things could possibly work out.

Then, he felt more than heard the dull roar of what must have been the ship hitting the water, pulling his gaze back to the tablet screen, the brilliant blue seeming… almost impossible to comprehend. 'There's so much…'

And... was that movement out there, in the distance of the camera?

"We're pulling up to the shore now," Daniel said. "The doors should open in about 4 minutes. Then it's all sun and fun for a little while."

They all heard the rhythmic thumping coming down the hallway to their left, the sound sending a shiver down their spines even as they did their best not to glance at the White Cell that would be passing behind them.

Shinji could even still feel his heart begin to beat a little faster, see Anna take Shawn's hand and grip it tightly. Then, the noise began to pass, and everyone breathed a little easier as the sound disappeared.

With a series of dull, loud thunks, the door they stood in front of began to disengage, slowly moving out and to the side as a long ramp extended beneath their feet, railings popping up as its end touched the sand of a long expanse of beach.

"Look at that." one of the other women in Daniel's group he hadn't met before said, her voice full of sarcasm. "The designers of the ship even cared about our safety."

She sounded… eerily familiar. As he looked at her, he couldn't quite put his finger on why. The woman who had said that looked like just about any other person on this vessel, running a hand through long brown hair. But her voice…

Then, they stepped out of the ship, and Shinji winced slightly at the sunlight, blinking a few times before his eyes focused on…

Well, it almost could have been paradise, were it not for the breathtaking amount of people that he took in walking towards the ship and gawking at them. Shinji almost felt their looks crawling over him, however briefly, like a blanket of needles.

"Too many people?" Daniel leaned over and asked him, Shinji nodding silently in reply.

"I get it. I'll see how long we're staying here, and where a nice, out-of-the-way hotel with a view might be."

Daniel pulled out his phone, likely contacting Doctor Akagi as they continued to walk down the ramp, Shinji looking to his left and right as other crew members exited the utterly massive vessel onto the shoreline.

Finally, they reached the sand, Daniel pocketing his phone with a quiet sigh as he looked over at him. "We're here for the next two days while the good Doctor figures out whatever bugs are in their system. Let's see where we can stay."

It took a while of winding through the rather more empty streets of New Borneo, most of the people out ogling the Wunder to clog them up too much. Eventually, with the help of those few locals who had stayed behind, they came upon a three-story hotel, tucked away on the east side of the island, a sign above the door denoting the name of the place as 'The View'.

For its out-of-the-way status, it was rather well kept, though the din of several dozen air conditioning units was quite evident as they stepped in from the heat of the day.

"How can I help you today?" the older woman at the desk, clearly used to the sun and the heat around here from the tanned, somewhat weathered skin on her face crinkling slightly as she scanned them with grey eyes and a smile.

"We'd like to book several rooms for our group, all on the same floor if it's possible," Daniel said.

The woman studied them for a moment more, then her eyes widened as she gasped quietly. "Oh, you're WILLE personnel, aren't you? You must have just come in with that magnificent fleet," she said, her smile growing. "Don't worry about the charge, then. With all you and KREDIT do to help us even exist here, you all deserve a nice little break."

The rooms, all next to each other on the second floor, were figured out in short order. And, Shinji noted with no small amount of anxiety, that all the pilots were sharing a room. 'Likely, this is the test that will determine how well we get along together.' Shinji mused.

As they finished putting what meager possessions they took with them off the Wunder, They gathered together in the hall. "Alright. What do people want to try and do today?" Daniel asked them all.

"It's been too long since I've been at the beach, I think." the other man that Shinji didn't know spoke up. "I think some time in the sun would do us all some good."

"Now, that's a plan I can get behind!" Mari said, dashing back into their room to presumably get a swimsuit.

"I don't see a problem with it either." Daniel shrugged as the rest of his group nodded and began to enter their separate rooms. "We'll try and find an out-of-the-way beach too, get some peace and quiet for all of us."

"Actually," Asuka said, causing Shinji to jump slightly, "I've got some things I want to talk about with idiot Shinji real quick. We'll follow behind."

Shinji looked at Daniel, somewhat afraid that he couldn't puzzle out the expression on the man's face. "Okay," he said after a moment, then he looked over at Mrs. Theisman. "You mind staying behind and waiting for them, darling?"

Mrs. Theisman shrugged. "It's no problem to me. We'll catch up with you when we can."

Shinji looked over at Asuka, who regarded him with a level gaze that somehow scared him even more than when she was angry at him. 'Is she going to… lay down some sort of ground rules or something?'

Before he could postulate any further, Mari burst out of their room, wearing a pink one-piece swimsuit and a white and green towel wrapped around her neck like a cape. "Alright! I'm ready for our adventures at the beach!"

"That you are." Mrs. Theisman chuckled as Daniel opened the door to their room. "Everyone else is still getting ready, so you'll have to wait for us."

With that, the two adults went into their room, leaving the Children in the hallway.

Asuka looked over at Mari. "Idiot Shinji and I are going to be discussing some things for a second."

Mari's eyes widened, then a smug grin crossed her face. "Ooooh, princess. Hope the air conditioner's working so it doesn't get too hot."

Asuka rolled her eye. "Oh, can it, Specs. You'll be seeing us in a few minutes."

She nodded back towards the entrance. "Go wait somewhere out of hearing, Mari. I want this to be between just the two of us."

Mari began to pout for a moment before her grin returned. "Is that all?" were the words that she said as she passed between the two of them, going down the hall.

Asuka sighed heavily, but Shinji could see the blush on her cheeks as she opened the door. "Alright, idiot Shinji. Get in here."

Shinji couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking into a lion's den, even as the environment seemed inviting. Two queen-size beds were accompanied by a pull-out couch mattress that would be his place for the next two days.

He turned to see Asuka close the door, shaking her head as she finally reached for the zipper of her bomber jacket. "Too damn hot here," she muttered as she shrugged it off.

He saw the yellow shirt that she wore, achingly familiar, as the jacket hit what he assumed was Asuka's bed. Then, his eyes were drawn to the terrible black and red collar that clutched her neck, and they went wide with shock and horror.

"So, you finally got to see the first one." Asuka sighed quietly as she took a seat on the bed.

"The… first?"

Asuka nodded. "Yeah. They gave me this one after they pulled me out of quarantine. After all, I still have Angelic contamination in my right eye. That's why I have this patch."

Shinji continued to stand and stare at the DSS Choker silently before Asuka rolled her eye and sighed. "Oh, sit down, idiot."

Shinji blinked, walking over to the bed in front of Asuka and sitting down. "What… what were you planning on talking to me about?"

Asuka opened her mouth, but the air conditioning unit was the only sound that pierced the silence that followed for long moments. Then, she shut her mouth and sighed. "You know… what you said after we'd lifted off from the Arctic."

Shinji furrowed his brow as he nodded. "Yes. And I meant what I said back then."

"Oh, good. At least you have some spine about something."

Asuka shook her head slightly. "It helps that you're right."

Shinji's eyes widened slightly as she continued. "I checked the footage from the 9th Angel's attack. And the security footage in Central Dogma. What your father did…"

She clenched her jaw and fell silent for a moment, and Shinji recalled the nearly boiling anger that had burned in his bones as he'd taken Unit-01 and stamped on that damned glass pyramid over and over and over again, desperately trying to avenge Asuka…

"So I'll ask you this."

He pulled his focus back to Asuka, who regarded him intently. "Why didn't you use that anger to try and save me? Why did you hesitate?"

"Why did you try to save Ayanami and not me?"

Shinji felt as if the question had physically struck him in place of her fist. 'How do I answer that?'

"I… like I said, I was afraid I'd kill you if I wasn't careful. I'd thought I'd killed you when Unit-01 crushed that Entry Plug in its jaws. I thought I'd killed…"

He trailed off, looking at the floor in silence for what was beginning to feel like ages.

"Well? Spit it out."

"I thought I'd killed one of the few people who might have actually liked me. And… if I could use my anger to save Ayanami… maybe I could be a little like you and not be useless like I was then."

It was silent again, Shinji stewing in it for a few minutes before looking up at Asuka, seeing that she also looked down at the floor, seeming deep in thought.

"Why would you think that I liked you?"

The question didn't have the bite, the fire he'd expected it to have as he saw her look back up at him. Saw the inscrutable look in her eye as she looked up and regarded him.

Shinji opened his mouth, and fear stopped up his throat. She was going to hit him for whatever he said, and he knew it. All of this must have been some sort of plot to make him comfortable before she did it.

Those and a thousand other doubts swirled in his mind before Asuka let out a quiet sigh and shook her head. "I don't think either of us are going to be able to answer that right now."

She stood, and Shinji stood with her as she went to the door. "Come on. Let's go try and relax on some beach, I guess."

With that, she exited the room, leaving Shinji for a moment to ponder not only the words of her question but the tone as well.

. . .

Daniel, along with the rest of the group, followed the guide that their hotelier had called up, through the trees and over the rather rough path, the green of the forest that surrounded them vibrant and obscuring, the impossibly massive, quickly rotating moon above them out of sight for the moment.

Then, the trees parted, and a small, empty beach with brilliant sand and a bright blue sea stretched out before them, the sight marred by the massive pillars of black and red out maybe a kilometer and a half into the ocean.

The guide, a weathered older man with graying black hair, looked back at all of them. "This beach has been my family's best-kept secret. My sister must really like you if she decided to have me show it to you."

Daniel nodded. "I'm thankful you could give us an opportunity to be here. It's a beautiful place. I'm sure our more socially anxious friends will appreciate your sacrifice."

The man chuckled. "Thank you. Let me know when you wish to go. I'll be close by here in the woods."

With that, Mari dashed onto the beach with a wild whoop, her beach towel cape flying off her neck to flutter onto the sand as she jumped into the water.

Daniel, along with the others, chuckled as they walked onto the beach, finding a spot to lay out towels and an umbrella that the hotelier had provided them with.

As they sat, watching the distance and taking in the smell of the clean ocean almost, but not quite overpowered by the stench of the LCL that surrounded it, Anna looked over at Daniel. "So," she said conversationally, "what are we going to tell her, seeing as she's likely going to ask you again?"

"As much of the truth as she needs. That we are aware of the looping nature of time in this world. For now, that will be enough. With our experience with Mariah, she may be curious, but she'll be satisfied, at least for the moment."

Anna nodded slowly, looking back out at the water as Mari frolicked through it. "Man… I've missed the beach. The last time we went was…"

"After the first battle of Tokyo-3," Rachel replied. "That was… fun. I especially enjoyed our volleyball game."

"Even your rather dramatic tumble into the sand?" Anna asked with a slight grin.

Rachel glanced out at Mari to ensure that she was still out of earshot. "Yes, Asuka," Rei replied with a smile. "Even that."

They all chuckled at the memory, then focused as Mari stepped out of the water, retrieving her towel and drying herself off vigorously as she approached them.

"Aw." she pouted as she sat down next to Anna. "Not enjoying the sea on a beach? That's no fun."

"I'm simply waiting for Eleanor, Shinji, and Asuka to get here." Daniel shrugged. "I don't know about anyone else."

Mari shrugged. "Okay. I guess."

She glanced somewhat conspiratorially at the others. "So… there was something you wanted to tell me. Back when we were still in the air."

She spared one more glance around at everyone. "Are they good to know as well?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. They know as much as I do."

Daniel took a deep breath. "Basically, what it boils down to is that we know that time has been looping as well. We've only recently succeeded at getting anywhere nearly close to you pilots and the Captain. And for now… we'd like to keep our knowledge between us. Does that work for you?"

Mari traced a finger over her heart and raised a hand. "Cross my heart and hope to rock, Danny boy."

Daniel smiled as the others chuckled. "Good to hear, Mari."

Then, he felt Eleanor's soul connecting to his. "Here we come, dear."

He looked back, as he had a few times before, as Eleanor, Shinji, and Asuka emerged from the treeline, Shinji and Asuka taking in the sight of their sheltered cove as Eleanor walked over towards the group.

Mari wasted no time or enthusiasm greeting the other two Children, waving at them with a wide smile. "Princess! Puppy-boy! You made it!"

She stood and ran over to them, beginning to lament their lack of proper swimming attire as Eleanor walked over towards the group, Daniel looking past her for a moment as he saw Shinji's rather horrified reaction to Mari's DSS Choker before returning his gaze to his wife. "I've told Mari we know about the looping," he said simply.

Eleanor nodded as their soul-link provided the rest of the context. "I see. Now that that's out of the way, let's relax for a little while, shall we?"

The others nodded as Mari created a little island in the sand with their towels for the Children, and they all went quiet for a moment, savoring this ever rare moment of utter peace.

. . .

Across on what was once the island of Sulawesi, Ymris was having a rather less relaxing meeting, sitting in front of what were around two dozen people. They were tucked away, out of sight of the rest of the world, which allowed who were going to be the new crew members of the Wunder to showcase their marks, glowing cupped hands in the center of their foreheads surrounding a single diamond.

"So," one of them, a woman that Tavis had reminded her used to be Technician Tomomi Takeshi of NERV, began, "what is the will of the Guides for us on this ship?"

They expected her to lead them, she had realized long before they had arrived here somewhat secretly in New Borneo. But the question had crystallized it in her mind, sent shivers down her spine as she remembered what Tavis had told her when he informed them of her coming. "I trust that you will lead them as I would, and take care of them. They're excited to finally work with you."

"For right now, we are simply to serve aboard the Wunder to the best of our abilities," she replied. "The ship is a… rather unique one, so it requires a delicate touch at times. What will you all be going into? Do you know?"

Most, unsurprisingly, were mechanical technicians of one sort or another, but a few were going into the medical division or the logistics division. "Very well," she continued after a moment, "I look forward to working with you to keep the ship and its attendant Evangelions in good working order."

"But what about the preaching and conversion of the crew?" Takeshi pressed. "Is that not the greatest task we can be set to?"

'What is it that Daniel calls these sorts?' Ymris mused as she contemplated the question. 'Go-getters. That's right.'

"For now, we work silently, and by example. Should any ask us, then we shall induct them secretly. To let our work be so open is to risk revealing something which might leave us ostracized, thrust out of the positions that we might need to be in in order to let our plans come to pass."

Takeshi clenched her jaw, then nodded. "I understand your reasoning," she said in a somewhat mulish tone.

'And yet you do not fully agree.' Ymris considered the woman for a moment. 'I'm going to have to keep my eye on you.'

It would be easy to do, at least, seeing as she would, once again, be an Evangelion engineer.

After a few more minutes of orientation, the group dispersed, the marks flickering out like dying stars as they emerged from their room, and into the open air of a day that was beginning to come to a close, the sun starting to dip towards the horizon beginning to paint the sky red as scattered lights began to flicker to life, the largest being the city of New Balikpapan across the Makassar Strait.

Ymris began to make her way to the island of Borneo, and those lights, walking and taking methods of transit through streets that were crowded, but moved out of her way as they saw the blue armband, when she felt the subtle thrum of her earring telling her that Tavis was calling.

She linked her soul to the jewelry and felt Tavis' constrained excitement. "So, did you meet the new novices?"

"I did, actually," she replied, keeping her emotions in check as best she could. "I have to say, Takeshi in particular is… excited to do the work."

"She was one of our first converts, after all," Tavis replied. "I think she'll be a fine addition to your crew."

"I just hope she doesn't do anything unwise in her zeal. The consequences of our hotheadedness are what led us here, after all."

She'd struck a nerve, it seemed, as she felt Tavis' anger flare, then come back under control. "Perhaps," he said in a somewhat clipped tone.

That tone, that emotion soon gave way to excitement. "But there's some terribly exciting news, too. The Resurgent got a transmission on one of the old wartime channels."

She was sure his satisfaction was due to her surprise. "From who?"

"Another branch of Scions that shares the true purpose." she could feel the triumph dripping from his voice. "We are not alone in our work, Ymris."

"Will you be contacting them soon?"

"Of course. We need to find out what their assets are. And whether they can come and assist us here. If they can… then the work can be done at an unprecedented speed."

It was silent between them for a moment, and Ymris guessed that Tavis felt her slight unease. "What's wrong? You seem unsure."

"These are strangers to us, Tavis," she replied after a moment. "I will fully admit, I have my doubts. And until we can vet them personally, I will continue to have my doubts as to their willingness to work with us instead of suborning us to some other goal."

Again it was quiet, then she could almost see Tavis shrugging. "I guess I can understand. But even with our converts in Matsushiro, we are few in number, and quite lacking in any sort of Worldsea-level equipment. I, at this point, am willing to take whatever I can get."

"I see. Well, I'll let you go, now. I have somewhere to be in the next little while."

"For the Unity, Ymris."

"For the Unity."

And with that, the connection vanished. Her confused feelings about the words she had said remained. Did she truly mean them anymore? She couldn't fully tell. 'Damn you, Daniel. Why must you introduce such chaos into my life?'

She shook her head slightly. She could ponder that question more fully later. Right now, she had one of Shigeru's poker nights to get to. This one was promising to be special, as a ready supply of good booze was rumored to be on hand here in New Borneo.

'I'll have to be careful if I'm playing a round against Sumire. She's got a terribly good poker face. Toph is also good at calling my bluffs, too.'

She hoped that Tavis would not prove as skillful in such areas.

. . .

Across the island, back at the hotel, Shinji Ikari looked at the tablet screen, and the video call that would soon be active, and tried not to appear nervous.

"Breathe, Puppy. I'm fairly sure no one's going to explode unless you let all that pressure make you."

He looked up at Mari, who smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up as he took a deep breath. Next to her, Asuka sat, continuing to regard him with an oddly thoughtful look in her eyes. She'd barely spoken to him since they'd made their way to the beach that afternoon. He wondered what she was thinking about. He himself had been wondering about the question she had asked him earlier today.

'Perhaps…' he mused. 'She's thinking about that question as much as I am?'

His focus jumped back to the screen as it changed, and his eyes lit up as he saw the face of Rei Ayanami.

"Hello, Shinji Ikari," she said, the barest hint of a smile on her face.

"Hello, Ayanami." a small smile was on his own face as he finally saw her safe again. "It's good to see you. Even if…"

"I understand that these conditions are not up to some people's standards," Ayanami said, "but I will bear the burden of isolation as I have in the past."

Shinji looked down and to the side. "I should have said something to Misato about your apartment. You shouldn't have been in there. No one should have been."

"The past is, Shinji Ikari. We cannot change what was."

Shinji nodded. "And don't I know it."

It was silent as they simply took in each other's presence for a moment, then Rei nodded slightly. "Shinji Ikari."

"Yes?"

"I have a favor I wish to ask you. And of whoever else may wish to assist me."

"And what's that?" He could tell as Mari and Asuka stood and began to make their way over towards the couch that he was not the only one whose interest Ayanami had piqued.

"Whenever I am released into… Daniel's care, I would like your assistance in preparing a meal that can be enjoyed by those you and I wish to invite. I have spoken with pilot Langley, and while, by her own admission, her cooking skills are rudimentary, she is willing to assist in this venture."

Shinji looked over at Asuka, who now sat on his right, and she looked back at him as she arched an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, amazed that Asuka, high and haughty as she was, had attempted something that he'd found was one of the few things he'd had a passion for.

"Believe it, Shinji," she said. "It was 14 years ago. There's no real use hiding it. After all, all your piloting skill seemed to have drained into your cooking. I thought I could match it, see if I could beat you at your own game."

Shinji could do nothing but stare in open shock at Asuka for a moment, then he smiled slightly. "You know, you could have asked me to teach you some instead of trying on your own. I would have helped."

Asuka crossed her arms even as Shinji saw her blush slightly. "And risk you trying to sabotage my efforts in an attempt to stay on top? No chance, Shinji."

Shinji rolled his eyes as Asuka's proud bearing, something at least somewhat familiar, came to the fore. He looked back at the screen and at Rei. "Who were you planning on inviting?"

"As I am sure you can surmise, such a list of people has changed dramatically in the 14 years we have been interned within Unit-01. Captain Katsuragi was, and still is, on such a list, as are any former NERV staff. Is there anyone not on that list that you wish to invite?"

Shinji pondered for a moment. "Well, I'd like to invite Daniel. He's been kind to all of us, it seems. And whoever he might call a friend, too. Having met a few of them, they would at least be interesting to talk to."

It would be a lot of people when all was said and done, he thought. So many people, all in one room, because of him… it scratched at an old fear.

'Even still… to see Misato and the others smile…'

"So, blue skies," Mari began, "was there a point to all this that I missed, or is this a 'we just want to do this' sort of thing?"

"Yes, pilot Makinami," Rei replied, drawing Mari's attention to the screen. "The dinner party's purpose was to bring people together. To make them happy."

Shinji nodded. "It's… well, it's as good a reason as any," he said with a slight smile.

The rest of the world faded away as Shinji, ironically, began to describe what the outside world was like here in New Borneo to Rei. The sights, the sounds, the smells, all were relayed to her as best as he could.

"Is there any place that stood out to you, Shinji?" she asked at one point.

Shinji went silent for a moment, pondering both Rei's question, and her use of only his first name. "There was… a little beach or a cove that we visited. It was… so peaceful, compared to everything that's happened thus far."

It was silent again as Rei took in his description of the place, and Shinji wondered what she might have envisioned in her mind.

"I hope to, perhaps, see this place one day," Rei said quietly. "It sounds… beautiful."

"Once all this madness is over, and we've gotten rid of the Evangelions," Asuka piped up, "we can take a vacation there. It's nice, I'll give it that. But being there alone gets a little boring."

Rei, and the other two Children, looked over at Asuka with varying degrees of surprise. "Thank you, pilot Langley," Rei said quietly.

"Oh please, Rei, we spent two days in quarantine together. You might as well just call me Asuka."

It was silent for the briefest of moments before Rei nodded. "Very well, Asuka."

. . .

The night wore on, and Shinji found himself staring at a dark, unfamiliar ceiling. Something he'd been doing since he'd emerged from the core of Unit-01.

'I've been doing it for most of my life, really.' Shinji grimly mused. 'You'd think I'd be used to it now.'

He sighed quietly, looking around the dark room. It was, even in the darkness, an inviting, homely space. That quality reminded him of Misato's apartment. One of the more familiar ceilings in his life. Memories of what had become the good old days began to replay as he closed his eyes. The days before…

"Idiot Shinji!" he heard an urgent whisper from behind him.

He opened his eyes, somewhat startled as he sat up somewhat and looked towards the source of the words, his eyes widening as he found it.

Asuka looked at him, her single bright blue eye glittering in the moonlit darkness. "Idiot Shinji!" she whispered again, tilting her head back for a moment. "Get over here."

Shinji's brow furrowed in confusion as he got out of his bed, walking over to hers and coming to stop by the bedside. A bedside which was oddly open. "What is it?" he asked, equally quiet.

Asuka rolled her eye. "What are you waiting for? Get in, before we wake Mari up and she makes fun of us for the next ever."

Shinji was taken aback. "What? Why would I do that?"

Asuka sighed. "Because I hate sleeping by myself, and Specs likes to shift around at night. I know you at least are going to lie still."

Shinji was still radically unsure what was going to happen next, but he still slowly got into what he was now sure was the spot that she'd made open for him.

Asuka turned away from him as he settled in. "Turn away from me. Otherwise, this is going to be weird."

"As if this isn't already?" he said aloud even as he obeyed.

To his surprise, Asuka chuckled. "Maybe it is. But I don't care. I've lived long enough not to."

They simply lay silently like that, back to back, for what felt like ages. And Shinji recalled the last time they'd done this. After the 8th Angel.

He recalled what had happened when she'd come into his closet of a room. The question she'd asked him. 'Why do you pilot the Eva?'

"Asuka?"

"What?"

"Do you remember the question you asked me the last time we did this?"

It was silent for a moment, and he feared that, after all this time, she'd simply written it off and forgotten about the experience.

"Yeah. Did you figure it out? Why you piloted the Eva?"

Shinji nodded slightly. "I think… I did."

"Well, what is it? It's rude to keep someone in suspense."

"I guess… I was piloting it to protect the people I cared for. Even if I failed, I wanted to protect you and Rei and Misato… even my father. I was useless outside of the Eva. So… I guess I felt I could actually make a difference."

It was silent again, and Shinji wondered, not for the last time, what Asuka was thinking.

"That's… a better answer than last time, Shinji."

Shinji was silent, then he blinked as he realized something. She'd just called him Shinji. Not idiot Shinji. Just… Shinji.

He contemplated asking her about the question she'd asked him today, but he heard the deep, level breaths of sleep behind him.

'Just Shinji…' somehow, coming from Asuka, it felt… precious. Like it might never happen again.

He drifted to sleep, unaware of the ever so slight smile on Asuka's face.