Chapter 37: At The Port Called Home

The end comes. I think my counterpart here can feel it as well as I do. Even still, it is a hazy, uncertain feeling. But in matters such as this, the fate of a world like my own, it is an important one to note nonetheless.

Rei is out with the other farmers that we've worked with, and I believe Athena is showing Hikari the fruits of her labor. It's strange, isn't it? And yet so fulfilling. Every version of Rei we free, give individuality, a name, a purpose beyond mere piloting, is another blow against fate. Such a thought comforts me as we seem to head towards the fate of this world.

- From the personal journal of Lieutenant Kaworu Nagisa, HERZ

Village-3, May 7th, 2028

It was a new day, and the sun was beginning to rise. Daniel Theisman fully realized this when his alarm clock went off, waking him from a sleep in which he'd been grateful for Eleanor's company. Another nightmare wrapped in memories. Or was it the other way round? He had lived too long for the distinction to fully matter now.

Either way, he had weathered the night somewhat alone once again. She was close. They would be arriving today.

He took a deep breath as he prepared himself to face the day ahead. He did so more slowly than usual, and he had to keep from pushing himself too hard, taking himself to task, even with what felt like a deep-seated sense of urgency rooted in his chest.

Still, he took a deep breath as he walked out the door of the room that had once been Bunzaemon's, remembering the sight of Kodama Horaki paying her respects to her father the day before.

He had managed to pull himself out of the stupor that had come over him the night before, with no small amount of help from Eleanor, and he had begun to walk. It was the first way he'd learned to grapple with anxiety, then with what came alongside his service in the Worldstriders. He walked the village, the motion helping him surmount his soul's struggle.

In time, he began to pass by the graveyard, looking up at the hill to see what must have been the Horakis clustered around their father and grandfather's grave. It was good for them to mourn together. Kodama would not only be helpful around the village, but she would get a chance to heal here as well. Something that the place seemed to have a knack for fostering.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, he saw Ryoji Jr. walking away, down the hill. Their paths would intersect, it seemed. A part of him wanted to turn aside, find another way, and spare the boy any trouble. This pain was not his burden to bear. And yet…

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Theisman."

Daniel blinked and found himself walking beside young Ryoji. When had that happened? "Hello, young Ryoji," he replied, somewhat absentmindedly.

"Are you… okay?"

It was such a simple question. And yet, Daniel grappled with the answer he might give. "Frankly," he finally said, "no. I'm not okay. It's been… a long time since I could be considered such."

"Does it have something to do with that thing you saw last night?" Ryoji asked. "Natsumi said that it scared you pretty bad."

Daniel chuckled softly. "That's putting it lightly. It…"

The slight smile that had accompanied the chuckle vanished into a sigh. "It's terribly difficult, facing something from your past. Even if it does wear a different face."

"I think I know the feeling." Ryoji Jr. said quietly.

"I see. How has your time with the Kajis been going?"

Ryoji Jr. sighed quietly. "It's… weird. I know they aren't my parents… or, well, they are, but not

mine… but it still feels… nice, sometimes. They visited me at work a few days ago. Had me give them a tour of the facility. It was interesting. Mom and Dad were… a lot smarter than I first thought they were."

Daniel nodded. "Misato and Ryoji, the elder in this case, have depths to them that are far greater than their appearances and mannerisms might suggest. They lived through the Second Impact. It left its scars on them as it did any other person alive at that time. It gave Misato a physical scar to remember her moment in time at its epicenter."

"She mentioned that." Ryoji Jr. shook his head slightly. "It seems so… distant, now. Almost 30 years ago, and she's managed to make peace with that sorrow."

"We all have our burdens to bear, Ryoji," Daniel said quietly. "Our different facets and how they interact, the things that make us human."

"Like you, I guess." Ryoji Jr. paused for a moment. "So, do you feel like helping is a burden, then?"

Daniel shrugged slightly. "Sometimes, when I am stretched to my limit like I have been, it can be. Then, I must attend to myself. I have to remember the virtues of humility, and being willing to accept service in all its forms."

Daniel smiled slightly. "For example, our conversation now actually helps. It's good to talk to someone, even for a few moments. It keeps me… grounded. Provides a vital perspective."

"Really?" Ryoji Jr. looked up at Daniel with some slight shock. "Just talking like this helps?"

"It helps more than you know."

And it did, as Daniel mulled over the memory at breakfast, a somewhat hesitant thing now with Kodama getting used to multiple versions of Shinji and Asuka, let alone the Ayanamis or the Shikinamis.

"The Wunder's coming in today, I believe," Hikari said as they ate. "Toji got the message from the town council to get ready to stock up on medical supplies."

"I would suppose, then," Kaworu said with a slight smile, "that explains the unusually busy state of the town."

"Yes." Hikari looked around the room at the gathered guests. "I suppose that means many of you will be going with them, then."

"That we will be, Hikari," Asuka replied. "Thanks for putting up with how crowded and messy we can make things. It's been nice staying here."

"I'm glad you could make things a little more lively here," Hikari said with a slight smile. "It helped Father more than I think you might know, and it's going to be a little strange for a while to have the house be as empty as it will be."

"I'm glad we could help, Hikari," Shinji said with a slight smile. "I have to ask, is there a decent place to watch the ship come in?"

"There's a place that Kensuke likes to go to in order to film the ships coming in, a hill near the coastline," Hikari replied. "He's probably making his way there now. And it wouldn't surprise me if young Shinji and Asuka were with him, too."

"Then that's where I've got to be," Daniel replied, finishing his meal quickly before he stood. "I've got to have a quick talk with young Shinji before we watch the ship fly in."

He paused before smiling slightly. "I hear from my wife that they've fixed the Wunder up. Gave it a new paint job and everything."

"Oh, now this, I have to see," Asuka said as she joined Daniel's side. "You can point us to this little lookout, right Hikari?"

After a few amused directions, Daniel and the Children made their way out the door, saying goodbye to the ever-cute Tsubame as Athena held her. Before they could go far out the door, Kodama approached Daniel. "Excuse me, Mr. Theisman…"

Daniel paused, waving Shinji and the others on. "Yes, Kodama?"

"I… I'm sorry. I hope that I didn't leave a bad impression when you came to get me."

"Not at all, Kodama." Daniel chuckled.

Kodama smiled weakly. "Thank you. And… thank you for bringing me here. I pursued my engineering degree in part due to Father showing me that path. Working here… it's almost like working for him, in a sense. Wherever you go, whatever you're doing next… good luck."

"You too."

With that, Daniel hurried slightly to join the others. The town, like Kaworu had heard from within the Suzuhara household, was alive with activity, the rail hub in the center of town clanking alongside empty railcars as people bustled back and forth.

It was a rather quick walk, all things considered, to the tall hill that Hikari had pointed them to. As they crested it, they saw Kensuke, young Shinji, and Asuka Langley, of course. They didn't expect the bridge crew, Maya Ibuki, the Akagis, and the Kajis to be there as well.

"Hey, guys," Ryoji said as they all noticed the new arrivals. "I was told that this is going to be a good view."

"And I'm right," Kensuke said, his eye pressed to his camcorder. "I can just make them out on max zoom. They're coming in this way. Hold on… I see two ships."

With that, the others began to press forward, trying not to roll down the hill and onto the shore of the inland sea. Young Shinji stayed a little behind, a little apart from the group. Even still, he did his best to get a view of the dots that had now appeared on the red and blue horizon. He wanted to talk to the boy, but there was a sense of… wonder. Of anticipation, if not outright excitement.

Thus, as much as he wanted to take the boy aside and speak with him face to face, he had to make do with extending a connection to the boy's soul. "Shinji," he began, "can we talk for a moment?"

Shinji was only somewhat surprised, Daniel could feel. "I guess, yeah. There's something I needed to figure out anyway."

"And what would that be?"

Daniel asked, already aware of what that something might be.

"There's a part of me that… wants to go back." Shinji paused for a moment, and Daniel could feel him trying to get his thoughts in order. "Even with the danger, even with the possibility of facing my father, I still want to go and try to pilot Unit-01. There's something about the idea that feels… important."

"I'm not surprised,"

Daniel replied. "You haven't always had the strength to do so, but you've wanted to do right by those you care for. It's the best part of you. And…"

Daniel paused, sighing quietly. "I'll go ahead and spoil something for you. So many of these worlds, the ones with the Evangelion, rest on the shoulders of Shinji Ikari. It seems to be that boy's destiny. To save the world, or to destroy it."

Young Shinji looked over at Daniel. "I'll… I'll trust in your training. Every time I've tried to make a difference before, I was in over my head. I didn't know what I was doing. Now… I think I'm ready."

"And that will break the cycle,"

Daniel said, pride suffusing his words even as they made Shinji look away in slight embarrassment. "Whatever comes next, you have the strength to overcome a great deal of it. And for what you can't overcome yourself… we're here for you."

"Thank you,"

Shinji said, his words quiet. "I'm glad that I have so many friends who can help me when I'm piloting. It's going to make things easier than I was expecting, I'm sure."

Daniel nodded, dropping the connection as he mused on those last words. 'So many… and yet, if the fleet decides to converge on the Impact ritual, we're going to be just as in over our heads as young Shinji will be.'

He needed a solution. And perhaps, he had one already. He just needed enough lead time to contact Commander Hyuga…

"What is that other ship?" Kensuke asked, breaking Daniel's reverie as what had been the dots on the horizon became more clear, two ships flying side by side as several cargo vessels floated along underneath them. "I think that one's the Wunder, but… that other one…"

Misato and Ryoji looked over at Daniel, amusement painting their expressions, and Daniel smothered a grin as best he could as he put out a staying hand. "I know that ship," he said, a proud smile on his face as all others turned to him. "That's the Gwynevere's Valiant Daughter. And she's one of the best ships I've ever had the privilege to live and fight on."

The overawed looks from the bridge crew alone were enough to satisfy what little in the way of overt showmanship Daniel had.

It was mostly silent, a few quiet conversations had as they watched the Wunder, along with the cargo ships that she escorted, touch down in the water of the bay and slide into the specialized ports.

As the docks came to life, Misato looked over at the others. "So," she began, casting a meaningful look at Maya Ibuki, "are the docks open to visitors looking for a reunion?"

Maya nodded. "Of course, Ca… Misato. Especially when you've got a WILLE member as highly ranked as I am."

"Well, then I see no reason not to, then. Care to lead the way, Maya?"

Maya nodded and began leading them away from the lookout. As they began to leave, the elder Shinji saw young Shinji and Asuka still standing where they were. "Are you coming along?" he asked.

Shinji looked back at the sight that they were leaving behind, then over to Asuka Shikinami, standing by Kensuke. "We'll be along at some point, maybe." he finally said.

The elder Shinji gave the boy a slightly knowing smile before hurrying back to catch up with the others.

The walk was not a terribly long one, still giving the group time to talk with building excitement about what they would do when they were back aboard the Wunder. As promised, Maya's clearance got her, and everyone else, through the dock gates. Unsurprisingly, men and women at work were clumped and scattered across the yard, cranes unloading massive shipping crates either onto waiting railcars or to the ground to be opened.

As they approached one of the Wunder's main offloading ramps, the group saw a rather important cluster of people, Commander Kaji and Captain Katsuragi in the midst of them as Eleanor, Ymris, and several others on the command staff of the Wunder conferring with the village council of Village-3.

"Maya," Misato said as the group stopped for a moment, "Can I go ahead to meet them? There's something I want to do before we all mingle."

Maya Ibuki, along with the rest of the group, was rather confused, but nodded anyway, Misato smiling broadly before marching ahead, the others following after her a little more slowly.

It was a few moments before Captain Katsuragi looked up and saw Misato approaching her, her eyes widening as Misato broke the circle, then planted a dramatic slap across the woman's face, shocking everyone and even stopping the group in its tracks.

"That," Misato said after a moment, her voice low and rather dangerous, "was for abandoning your son. After what our father did, after what Commander Ikari did, you should have known better. To say nothing about how you treated Shinji and Asuka."

"That's… you're…" Katsuragi said in a dazed shock as she massaged her cheek.

"You," Misato said. "Well, me. Us." she sighed quietly as she shook her head. "Man, this is going to be a bit of a headache, isn't it?"

With that, the rest of the group rejoined Misato, two groups becoming one as greetings and conversations were exchanged.

Daniel stood in front of Eleanor, taking her in by the light of the afternoon. She regarded him in turn. Both of them were tired, with little sleep shared between them after what had happened in Matsushiro. Finally, they slowly approached, and embraced each other tightly, breathing each other in deeply. "I missed you," Daniel said softly.

"I missed you," Eleanor replied.

It was a length of time neither bothered to measure before they parted from the embrace, and Daniel became just slightly worried at the look in Eleanor's eyes. "So," she began in a stern voice, "I talked with Percival."

Daniel sighed quietly. "I'm sure you did."

"And I went over the sensor data too."

It was silent between them for a moment before Daniel spread his arms slightly. "Did it at least look cool?" he asked with a wry grin.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "'Cool' isn't exactly the word I'd used for making our ship into a heat shield, Daniel. That was utterly reckless, risked your life as well as the kids, and could have been accomplished in any number of more sensible ways."

"So… something of a return to form, then?" Daniel arched his brows as he gave her a questioning look.

Eleanor sighed quietly, chuckling after a moment as she shook her head slowly. "Well, I always knew you knew how to be a showman."

"Oh, good."

Ymris walked over to them, extricating herself from a somewhat strange conversation between the Akagis, Vice-Captain Akagi, and Maya Ibuki. "Hello, Daniel. It's… good to see you again."

Daniel nodded. "You too, Ymris. How long are we going to be here, do you think?"

"A few days, at least. It's going to take time to unload the cargo one way or another."

"Alright. We have some accommodations in the village, but I doubt we'll be able to host everyone together without interrupting the science going on here. Are our quarters on the Wunder still open?"

"As far as I can tell, yes." Ymris looked over at the two Misatos. "I'd say ask the captain, but… I think she's a little busy right now."

Daniel smiled slightly. "Well, I'll take this kind of busy right now."

He looked over at Eleanor. "So, should we go get our quarters set up?"

Eleanor shrugged. "I don't see why not."

. . .

Shinji Ikari-Soryu walked onboard the Wunder, and strangely enough, felt like he was coming home again. Not home home, as it were; the apartment building he still resided in was a literal universe away, but the ship that he'd stayed on, even for less than a year, was familiar to him in almost the same way now. The halls, once rather tight, now seemed almost comfortable, and though the outside had gotten quite the makeover, the inside was still largely as he remembered it. A little cluttered, with boxes of personal effects that were being delivered to Village-3, larger objects, and even a bike, of all things, taking up space in the hallway.

But as he reached his bunk room, seeing the folding table and chairs propped up on the far wall, the bunks just long enough for them to not have to fold themselves up at night too much, he couldn't help but smile a little.

"Oh, come on, liebling," Asuka said, a wry grin of her own on her face. "Don't tell me you actually missed not sleeping together. The Val is so much better about that anyways."

"Well, we get what we get." Shinji shrugged as the four of them moved into the room proper. "Besides, with what we've seen, we won't be here for too much longer, I think."

"Well, well, Puppy."

Shinji turned, and he smiled as he saw Mariah, hand on her hips, as she stood in the doorway. He saw other familiar faces behind her.

"You're all finally back from your rustic vacation!" Mariah said with a wide smile as she stepped into the room, Mana, Mayumi, Kensuke, Toji, and Hikari coming in behind her. "Tell me, how was the rural lifestyle?"

"It was actually kind of exciting, Boudica." Asuka chuckled as Mariah walked over and embraced her, coming to the others in turn. "We got to drop into a NERV facility from orbit riding on top of the Errant."

Mariah's head whipped around from her embrace of Rei. "Shut up. Really?"

Asuka grinned. "Yup. Daniel is properly insane. More than Misato, even."

"Now that's a high bar to clear," Toji said, hands in his uniform's pants pockets. "It certainly sounds like something Misato would do."

"You say that like she won't somehow consider it still," Hikari said with a meaningful glance at her husband. "Never underestimate Misato's ability to make utterly harebrained plans that somehow work out. Especially now that there are two of them."

"As wise an injunction as any," Rei said with a slight smile. "Now, I believe Paris was rather exciting for you all as well. How was that?"

Mariah nearly spun towards Rei from her embrace of Kaworu. "Oh, it was simply marvelous! So romantic too, but what do you expect from the City of Love? Mana and I went up the Champs-Elysee together and everything!"

"We were charging up the street to protect our objective, Mariah," Mana said with a wry smile.

"Ah, but it was such a romantic charge, wasn't it?" Mariah, her hands on her heart, said as she leaned back towards Mana, fluttering her lashes.

"And last I recalled," Mayumi chuckled, "you spent most of your time in the air with Mari Makinami and Unit-08."

"Ah yes, like a graceful acrobat, twirling through the air." Mariah spread her arms as best she could, those in the way ducking back as deftly as they could manage in the somewhat tight space. "It must have been quite a show for you ground-bound beauties."

"It was certainly something." Kensuke chuckled. "I got a good look at it from orbit, at least. Saved most of the mission as footage, too, with an observer drone."

"Well, well." Asuka said with a wry grin. "We have our own cameraman."

Kensuke shrugged. "You know how I am about recording things. It's for posterity's sake, y'know? Or something like that, at least."

The pilots shared a quiet chuckle, Toji gently smacking Kensuke's shoulder. "So," Shinji finally said, "we're going to be here for a few days still while the fleet offloads supplies. How about you guys come out to the village and meet some of the people that we've gotten to know?"

"That would be awesome!" Mariah said with a gleam in her eye. "I've been looking forward to seeing those swords Daniel mentioned that he made!"

Toji, Hikari, and Kensuke seemed somewhat more apprehensive, sharing glances that were distinctly uneasy. "I gotta admit, though," Toji said after a moment, "it's going to be… weird to see our… our kid."

Hikari nodded slowly. "Even just watching made us think a little more soberly than we're used to."

"Join the club, Hikari," Asuka said with a slight smile. "We've all thought about it at least once."

She paused, her smile widening. "But she's so damn cute anyways."

. . .

The Next Day

Daniel stretched, slowly extricating his arm from under Eleanor's head and smiling slightly. To have their souls connected was a comfort, as it had always been, but there was something about mere physical intimacy, the magic of touch, that simply could not be matched.

"Good morning," Eleanor mumbled as Daniel sat up.

"Good morning." Daniel paused for a moment. "I've missed being able to say that."

"Me too." Eleanor punctuated it with a quiet kiss. "Missed that too."

Daniel rose and began to prepare for the day. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, I was thinking of relaxing a little more at some point today." Eleanor rose and got ready beside him. "Ymris still wants to talk to you about her plan."

"That's right. What was that all about?" Daniel asked. "You two were kind of cryptic about it yesterday. Have been since you first mentioned it."

"She needs your help getting in contact with Receptorist Jameson in order to get some information."

"I suppose that makes some sense," Daniel replied with a shrug. "Being an old soldier, he'd have some intel on the capabilities we might be expecting from the gathered Scion fleet."

"No." why was Eleanor so hesitant now? "She wants to find out about the Guides. If there are still others. If they're imprisoned. And… how we can free them if that's the case."

Daniel's face slackened for a moment, then hardened. "No."

"No?" Eleanor said, somewhat shocked. "Daniel…"

"I can't allow it." Daniel walked a few steps away for a moment before he turned to Eleanor." We… we already have one Guide to worry about, one thing dedicated to the utter destruction of everything that we hold dear. And you want me to try and get more of them?"

"Daniel, we can't simply assume that their people are a monolith."

"How can you be so sure of that? They are Mental beings, Pneumaic ones. They don't have to jump through any of the hoops we have to in order to act as a singular consciousness. Who's to say that they didn't throw their lot in with Hamar'ramah and releasing them plays right into his plans?"

"We don't know." Eleanor strode over to him, taking hold of an arm. "That's our greatest problem. We don't know what they'll do if they're freed."

"We know what one of them did to me," Daniel whispered, grabbing Eleanor's arms in return. The grip was desperate. "What one of them did to you and everything we ever loved. Just one of them. I can't allow that to happen again. Ever."

"And what will you do if we just dismiss this out of hand?" Eleanor glared at Daniel. "Damn it, the only way we could pull him out was because you had fought for so long, left the Guide's grasp on your body and soul so tenuous. We don't have that advantage. If anything, we need every advantage we can get."

"You're right." Daniel sighed quietly as he released Eleanor. "Which is why I've been collecting various… precautions. For a moment like this."

"Precautions?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. We already have the Spears here, more than just the Lancium that we can create, that can completely destroy Pneumaic objects, but I've gathered things from several different Echos in case we can't use them."

"How?" Eleanor shook her head slightly. "Everywhere I've followed you, you haven't taken anything from them that they haven't thanked you for."

"Then you only saw so much of my journey."

The words were heavy as he shook his head. "Most of them now have been used in various desperate circumstances. A hand-crafted Cylex based on instructions I found on the plane of Dominaria was the latest one. I had to fire it off to hold off an invasion by ancient eldritch gods. A Gallifreyan Chrono-exciser from the Time Lords' darkest weapons programs, used to erase a Pneumaic being composed of the very concept of running out of time. An Aeldari soulstone that I had to throw away after it had become corrupted. On and on and on. Which leaves me with just… one chance. One thing that can rid me of him forever."

Eleanor stepped back from Daniel. "Do you… think this will all just… resolve itself once the Guide is dead?"

"No. I've lived long enough to disabuse myself of that notion. But I can finally get justice."

"By sacrificing potentially innocent lives?"

Daniel stared at her in shock as Eleanor continued. "You told me that Hamar'ramah said his people reproduce naturally."

"He could have easily been lying. Trying to stir up-"

"Daniel. Right now, just shut up and listen." Eleanor waited for a tense moment before continuing. "If that's true, and you kill him, you risk the death of potentially thousands, millions of lives that had nothing to do with the Unity War."

"Millions?" Daniel whispered. "When Hamar'ramah's death will at least be a piece of closure for the almost literally countless lives that were ended at his bidding?"

"Maybe it will be, maybe it won't," Eleanor said firmly. "Is this what all your journeying was for? Just, just a… a fetch quest for an arsenal for you to take on Hamar'ramah? Or did your promise actually mean a damn?"

Daniel opened his mouth, but Eleanor continued on regardless. "You told me and the others here that you made a promise; one world, just one, across countless World Engines, to make up for what had happened. Did you lie to them? To me? To yourself?"

It was silent for long, almost agonizing moments before Daniel looked away from Eleanor. "No."

"Then give us the chance to save more lives here, Daniel. Help us."

Daniel nodded slowly. "Alright." he sighed quietly. "Let's go find out what all this is about."

. . .

It was a quick breakfast, the pair walking to the Wunder in relative silence. The silence was somewhat tentative, almost on the verge of breaking, but still remaining. It was not surprising to either of them. But it felt different from any of their past silences after an argument. Both dearly hoped it would break soon.

Finally, they walked into Ymris' quarters onboard the ship, the woman looking over at them as they took their seats. "Thank you for coming." Ymris began. "I know this probably took a lot of convincing for you Daniel, so I appreciate your help."

Daniel nodded slightly. "So, tell me about these other Guides that Hamar'ramah has trapped."

Ymris almost succeeded in hiding a slight frown at the man's surprisingly curt manner. "Well, that's part of the problem. Because Tavis was our go-to for information concerning anything in the old history archives Jameson kept, we know only about what he looked for and deemed important. That's part of why we're trying to contact him."

"Why wouldn't he have answered?" Daniel frowned slightly. "I'm sure you've explained yourself and your reasons."

"There's every chance that Jameson suspects, rightly so I think, that my messages are a ruse, a lure designed to bring him and his followers out of wherever they've hidden in order to strike at them. For all he knows, I could be under Tavis' compulsion to try and reach out to him. The harder I try, the more it might look like Tavis is getting desperate."

"And if I give my word that your actions are genuine," Daniel surmised, "then he'll reach out."

Ymris nodded, and Daniel sighed quietly. "Why… put time into this when we could be planning on how to stop Tavis permanently?"

"Because something Jameson said about the time before the war's stuck with me. Like you said, he's an old soldier. Old enough to remember the times well before everything went to hell. He said…"

Ymris paused, seeming to collect her thoughts. "About the time when the war began, there was some sort of great betrayal. What kind of betrayal he hasn't said beforehand for any of the acolytes who've asked him. I think he was involved. And he doesn't want to talk about his involvement."

"I understand the feeling," Daniel said quietly.

It was silent for a moment. "Do you need me to record a message now? With how little time we might have, it would be wise to contact him as soon as possible."

Ymris nodded, and Eleanor went over to the long-range communications setup that they'd taken with them from the last Echo, tinkering with it for a moment. "Alright," she said. "We're ready for you to speak with him."

Daniel stood, walking over to the device and pausing in front of it. "Give me a moment to get my thoughts in order," he said quietly. After a moment, he nodded to Eleanor, who activated the machine before stepping away.

Daniel gave it a moment to establish a connection, diving to the point in Reality where a communications line that crossed untold physical distances would only stretch for a few millimeters. When the indicator flashed green, Daniel took a deep breath, then looked into the camera lens that appeared in front of him.

"Hello, Receptorist Jameson. As I've come to understand, Ms. Ymris has been trying to contact you, unsuccessfully, regarding information you might have on how to defeat the Guide of War, Hamar'ramah. Her requests are genuine, and I can vouch for her honesty. And, at this point… we're going to need all the help we can get to stop him. Please, as soon as you receive this message, call us. We don't know how much time we have left to save this world."

Daniel paused. "End message."

The lights flashed off, and Daniel nodded, looking back at Ymris. "Is there anything else you might need from me?"

Ymris shook her head. "Not until he gets back to us. Thank you for your help."

"I give it on one condition."

Ymris' eyes narrowed slightly as Daniel continued. "Whatever happens, however we might spring these other Guides from their imprisonment, I'm going to go toe to toe with Tavis regardless. If your plan fails or takes too long… I need to know. I can't hold back forever, and I need to be able to destroy him, and potentially the other Guides, without hesitating if that's the case. Can you guarantee that?"

It was silent for a moment, then Ymris nodded. "Very well. I can't argue with your reasoning. It is part of the nature of war to be so destructive, after all. One way or the other."

Daniel nodded wearily. "I wish it weren't so. And for what it's worth… I dearly hope your plan works."

It was, again, mostly silent as Eleanor and Daniel exited Ymris' quarters, the pair walking down hallways that were, for the most part, empty. Finally, however, the silence was broken.

"Daniel…" Eleanor said, her voice quiet even with their solitude. "I understand. As much as I dislike it and what it's made you do, I understand your fear."

Daniel shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. My fear… it got the better of me."

He chuckled softly, a choked thing. "Even after all these years, after thinking I'd dealt with it finally, my want for vengeance came up behind me and smacked me with a wooden board. He was right there. Right in front of me."

"Like he was for me in Burbank," Eleanor whispered.

It was silent again. "We'll stop him," Eleanor said after a moment. "Whatever else, however this works out, we're going to end this. Once and for all."

"Yes," Daniel said quietly as they emerged into the light of day. "One way or another."

. . .

The Next Day

Ritsuko Akagi was a woman who was, even still, getting used to the strangeness of Reality. It was fascinating, really, exploring all its facets and intricacies. For now, though, she explored the reality of Village-3, walking through the humble, rather quaint town.

Even with all that, it still hadn't fully prepared her for walking next to her double, her wife, and her wife's double next to them. She still couldn't fully believe that Vice-Captain Akagi, of her own will, would cut her hair so close. It transcended mere boyishness and became something of a statement on its own.

'Still,' she mused, 'I suppose that there's a functionality to it, even if it makes so little sense to me.'

From the corner of her eye, she caught Maya Ibuki, once again, looking at her. More specifically, at her hair. "Still not used to the natural color?" She asked with a slight grin.

Ibuki blushed slightly as Akagi looked back at her. "Well… yeah, kind of. Even with as long as I've known Senpai, I could have never guessed that she, you, dyed your hair. I guess I just missed it."

"It is just…" Akagi began.

"A stylistic choice," Ritsuko said, their voices echoing almost perfectly, contrasting Ritsuko's amusement with Akagi's look of slight befuddlement.

"I didn't think you'd be okay with having that hair again," Akagi said, her tone cautious as she seemed to try at being cryptic. "Not after what happened."

Ritsuko looked out at their destination, her home for these past few weeks, and paused as they reached the door. "Before we go in, I want you to… prepare yourself," she said to Akagi. "You're going to be seeing a lot of things that you're going to need to accept as part of our world."

"We've both gone through the near end of the world multiple times," Akagi said. "I think we can handle whatever's behind that door."

Ritsuko looked over at both Mayas. One was resigned to what she knew was going to happen, while the other looked clearly somewhat bemused. This was going to be… interesting. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, she opened the door, stepping into the abode of both herself and the science she helped conduct. "Hello?" a familiar voice called out. "Is that you, sakura bloom?"

Ritsuko continued into the house, turning back to see both Mayas following her… and Akagi frozen in utter shock. "What…" she whispered. "How?"

"Come ask her and find out," Ritsuko said as she turned and walked into the massive main room.

The Fuyutsukis (another concept she was still trying to get her head around fully) were there, and Nynrya, once again apart from Daniel, was sitting across from Kozo, who continued to write down the stories that she rather excitedly told him with equal gusto. Mother was over by the Ikaris supervising some experiment or another, and Kyu was paying rapt attention to what Nynrya was saying. At least, she was before Nynrya paused and looked at them.

"Hello, Mother," Kyu said, standing from her seat and walking over to Ritsuko, hugging her for a moment. "How is the unloading process going so far?"

"As far as I can tell," Ritsuko replied, "we're going to be lifting off tonight, if not tomorrow morning."

"Good. I'm looking forward to being a part of… well, whatever solution we might be coming up with to save this world."

Kyu stepped back and looked past Ritsuko to the woman that stood almost ramrod straight, looking at her with wide eyes. "You're my… daughter?"

"An adopted daughter, born from one of the blank souls of Lilith escaping into a clone body of Rei Ayanami. I'm Kyu Akagi."

Kyu walked past Ritsuko to come to a stop in front of Akagi, holding out her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

Akagi slowly took the proffered hand, shaking once before she walked forward slowly into the room, looking at the woman, so familiar, who stood behind the Ikaris. "M… mother?"

Naoko Akagi turned, a surprised, then sympathetic look on her face. "Oh. Hello, Ritsuko. I'm sorry. This must all be such a shock to you."

"How are you alive? You died after the Magi system was completed."

"In my case, at least? My soul was trapped in the machine after my… death. After an attack by a digital Angel, Iruel, my soul was able to gain some form of consciousness. If that were the case here… then I suspect that the years have not treated my soul kindly, if it hasn't already moved on to wherever it may go here. I'm sorry."

Akagi walked, almost stumbled over to the chair Kyu had been sitting in, almost collapsing in it as she took a deep, long breath. "So, with that little revelation out of the way, I assume that there's a reason you brought me here?" she asked Ritsuko.

"Yes," Ritsuko replied. "Your ship is built around an artificial Spear, correct?"

Akagi nodded. "Yes. We have no idea how NERV managed to do that, but the Wunder, along with the other ships of the Heaven's Key-class, have the capability to do everything the Spear of Longinus can do, at least in theory. We don't know what use multiple Spears would even have, when one is enough to start an Impact Event."

"We've wondered the same thing since we received that information."

Akagi looked behind herself, doing a double-take. "De… Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki? You're so…"

"Young?" Kozo said with a slight grin. "Indeed I am. I find with the sort of excitement the company I keep gets into, it's wise to keep in good physical condition. One never knows when trouble might come to try and punch you in the face."

"Your wisdom continues to deepen despite your appearance, Sensei."

Akagi was still for the briefest of moments, then slowly turned her head to face the two people that now faced her from beside Naoko Akagi, a woman who was, by all rights, supposed to be dead. The beard was completely wrong, and the records she had seen of his partner's face had only been viewed in the distant past. And yet…

"You, Ritsuko Akagi," Akagi said to Ritsuko, "are trying your hardest to make me have an aneurysm."

Ritsuko glanced over at Gendo and Yui Ikari, waiting patiently as Akagi and Ibuki did their best to process everything that they'd just seen and heard.

"I understand any caution you might have in working with me." Gendo began. "More often than not, doing such is remarkably unhealthy. However, I want to give you my assurance, however little it might mean to you, that I am not who I once was, or who you understand Gendo Ikari to be."

It was silent for a moment, then Kozo cleared his throat. "Now, as I was saying, we've wondered at why multiple Spears might be needed, and we have some theories as to why that is the case."

Akagi and Ibuki's attention was sufficiently piqued now, and they took seats around the table as the others joined them. "So, what do you think… Professor?" Akagi ventured.

Kozo nodded, smiling slightly. "Our first thought was that the First Ancestral Race simply decided multiple Adams would be the standard design compared to a singular Lilith. Thus, the need for multiple Spears to neutralize them if necessary. However, that still leaves open the question of why the being that would become Adam would decide that such a layout as that would be optimal."

Ibuki slowly raised a hand. "Uh… First Ancestral Race?"

"The beings that created the Black and White Eggs, or Moons in this case, along with Adam and Lilith," Yui said. "In our universe, the being that would become the soul of Adam, Kadmonel, was a leading scientist among the FAR, helping their race's souls to escape from a dying homeworld. But, like Sensei said, it doesn't make much sense for Kadmonel to decide on multiple Adams. That's many, many more points of failure, enough to make even a desperate scientist pause."

"Perhaps in this universe then," Akagi postulated, "this… Kadmonel wasn't a scientist. Perhaps they were a criminal, and the Adams are the prison for their soul and that of their followers. Perhaps Lilith was meant to act as a jailer, a counterbalance."

"The possibility does exist," Ritsuko said. "With what we know about this world's history, which is remarkably little with the Receptor records that I and my associates have seen, we have more to speculate on than I'm frankly comfortable with."

Naoko nodded. "Yes. We should perhaps focus on the more pertinent questions. Such as, why would Adam require artificial Spears if he already has two in his possession? With that, Ikari is all but guaranteed to initiate any typical Instrumentality event."

"Then maybe what Adam and Commander Ikari want to achieve is not a typical Instrumentality event," Gendo said quietly. "From the Receptor records, it becomes quite obvious when Ikari and company transcend into the 'Minus Space'."

Akagi looked over at Gendo, her eyes widening. "Wait a minute. You've seen records of our future?"

"In a sense," Gendo replied. "The actions, thoughts, and words of any given World Engine can drift across Reality, finding refuge in the minds of creative persons. However, I would not trust these records beyond giving a general structure to potential events, with as off course as we've taken things in relation to such works. Not to mention the fact that time is a semi-closed loop in this series of Echoes making them of dubious usefulness."

"However," Yui said, putting a hand on Gendo's arm, "The most important part of that record, the one that we've been talking around, if not about, is the fact that the artificial Spear that makes up the majority of your vessel can still be worked upon to produce a different effect. If we can prepare to do that so that it's ready right when we need it, we can focus our efforts on counteracting whatever else surprises us."

Akagi nodded slowly. "Yes. However, I might not be the one to talk to about that. At least not alone." she paused as she looked over at Ritsuko. "We need Rei Ayanami."

. . .

It was, at last, time to go. Young Shinji Ikari found the prospect frightening still, even with how he'd mentally prepared himself over these past few days.

He stood a little apart from the group that gathered on the dock under the Wunder. The Theismans and the older versions of the Children were talking quietly with Hikari and Toji, Tsubame in her mother's arms, as Misato, Kaji, Dr. Akagi, and Ms. Ibuki conversing with their doubles from the other world.

It was comforting, having a little distance before going back onto the cramped confines of the ship. It was… quite striking now, with the bright blue and white. Was that purple on there in some places?

"So, do you find it as much of an eyesore as I do?"

Shinji found himself looking over at Asuka Shikinami, who regarded her with a level eye. "I mean, come on. Teal and white? Who came up with this?"

"I believe it was Ms. Marlowe. Mari's… daughter."

"Huh. Well, that makes some sort of sense then."

Shinji nodded silently, the two standing in silence for a few moments. "So…" he said slowly. "I guess you're excited to get to pilot Unit-02 again, aren't you?"

Asuka looked down. "Kind of. But… I don't know. It annoys me. I mean, Specs is pretty good, but she hasn't been around me working together like you have." she shrugged. "She'll pick it up. She's pretty good at that."

It was silent again as Shinji recalled a few notable times when they'd put down their own swords and helped each other. "If… if I could pilot Unit-01, then… I think I would. We work well together."

Asuka looked back at Shinji, and he could swear that there was a ghost of a smile on her face. "If you getting into it didn't risk ending the world, then… maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Then again, with Unit-01 powering the ship, the Captain would probably be a little miffed anyways."

Shinji nodded, then noticed three people walking over to them. It was Ryoji Jr., Natsumi, and Athena. The sight of them walking together reminded him of the all too brief time that he, Asuka, and Rei had shared together in Tokyo-3 all those years ago.

"Hello, Shinji." Ryoji Jr. said. "It's sad to see you go. Both of you. I hope that whatever happens… you decide to come back. I'd like to get to know you more. I think we all do."

Shinji nodded, then looked back at Misato and Kaji, the ones from his world at least, as they conversed with their doubles. They looked… tense. Somehow, with what must have been coming, it wasn't terribly surprising.

"Why don't you go and say goodbye to your parents?" Shinji asked. Ryoji, somewhat unsurprisingly to him, looked away, his expression hardening slightly.

"Well… I already said goodbye to the other Misato and Ryoji," he said quietly. "They've been good to me, however short their stay was."

"But they aren't your parents, kid," Asuka said meaningfully. "Look, as someone who grew up in a vat… take it from me. Talk to your family. Sometimes, it's the only thing that means a damn that either of you have."

Ryoji was still for a moment, and Shinji looked over at the group. Most of them were moving on towards the ship now, Daniel and Eleanor conversing with the Captain and Kaji. He looked over at them, gave him a knowing smile, and he and Eleanor began to make their way towards the ship as well. Misato, her jacket undone and her hat and shades missing, looked over at them, then began to walk over to them, Kaji following behind.

She came to a stop in front of them, Shinji noting Ryoji Jr.'s apparent apprehensiveness and the hand that Natsumi held his with. Shinji, for his part, was more curious than anything else. All the cold distance seemed to have gone out from her, leaving her just… tired.

"Hello, Ryoshi," Misato said quietly, her posture slightly tense even as she slouched the tiniest bit as if she expected something terrible to happen. "There's so much to say. But I'll start with… I'm sorry."

She looked over at Shinji and Asuka. "You two go on ahead, but wait for me at the door, Shinji. I have something that I want to say to you as well."

Shinji nodded, looking over at Asuka briefly as they began to walk away. Whatever Misato said to the boy, it was quiet enough that they couldn't hear it as they began to go up the ramp toward the ship.

As they approached, they saw Rei, their Rei, turn the corner. Her hair had grown longer from when Ken… the elder Kaworu, as he now knew, had cut it. She smiled slightly at them. "Hello, Shinji. Hello, Asuka."

"Hello, Rei," Shinji said as they reached the doorway, pausing to look back at Misato, Kaji, and the three kids that remained. "How has life on the ship been going?"

"It has been eventful," Rei replied simply. "The ship is… getting used to the new armor that surrounds it. Otherwise, being in close contact with the version of Mariah Marlowe that is not interred within Unit-08 has been an interesting experience."

Both Shinji and Asuka looked over at Rei with wide eyes. "Uh, Rei…" Asuka said, then shook her head. "Alright, we're going to take things in the order that makes the most sense to me. You said the ship itself was getting used to this garish armoring?"

Rei nodded. "Yes. The ship itself, apart from the Magi Achiral system that makes up the central processing unit of this ship, whether by intention or chance, has become, if not sapient, then at least sentient. I seem to have become a conduit for the ship's interactions with the crew."

"And no one else is able to do this?" Shinji asked. "I'd be surprised if Doctor Akagi didn't run a few tests."

"She did," Rei said. "It only seems to be responsive to my thoughts, and I am the only one who can hear the ship's language."

"So…" Shinji said slowly. "I'm guessing that pretty decisively demonstrates that this ship was built for Ayanami clones."

Rei nodded. "Indeed." she looked over at Asuka. "What else do you have to ask me?"

"How did you find out about who was in Unit-08?"

Rei shrugged slightly. "Mari and Mariah told me. They've told many on the crew now."

"Fair enough," Asuka said, looking back out at the village that they were going to be leaving. Shinji looked out with her, seeing Misato and Kaji hugging Ryoji Jr. It was silent for a moment.

"So," Asuka said quietly. "Are you… afraid, Rei?"

Rei looked down slightly. "I… suppose I am. I am unsure of how I know what it means. My education on matters of emotion was… lacking. And yet I understand what you mean."

"I wonder if spending time with Mother did anything for that," Shinji said.

"It is entirely possible," Rei said simply. "From what little I can recall, Yui Ikari was… apart from the other souls gathered in Near-Third Impact."

They fell silent again as they watched Misato and Kaji turn and walk away from Ryoji Jr., Natsumi, and Athena, walking up the ramp towards them. The children watched them go for a moment, then turned away and began to walk towards the village again.

After several moments, Misato and Kaji came to a stop in front of them. "Ryoji," Misato said quietly, "could you take Asuka and Rei ahead? I'd like to talk with Shinji alone, please."

Kaji nodded, walking past them. "Alright, Misato. Come on, girls. What haven't I heard about already?"

Asuka grinned slightly as she and Rei went on with him. "Well, commander, not only does Rei have several other sisters beyond Athena, I've got a few myself. Have you met Bradley yet?"

Misato nodded down the hall, opposite where the others were going, and they began to walk as Asuka began to talk, the rest of their conversation unheard as they walked. The ship was largely empty, the halls long and largely silent. It was a silence that, for a while, they added to.

Finally, Misato sighed quietly. "Shinji… I don't know where to start."

"Well, at least we still have that in common, I think."

Misato looked over at Shinji, slightly shocked. "I… okay."

She paused, taking a deep breath. "I have a lot to make up for. I don't… necessarily think I have the time to do it. So I want to give some things some closure."

Shinji frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, a flickering fear lighting up in his chest.

"Shinji… you know as well as I do that trying to stop the end of the world is dangerous enough. The Angels taught us that perfectly well. And now… we have to go and stop your father from doing something even more dramatic and dangerous. To say nothing of the hostile fleet just hanging around our solar system."

Shinji's eyes went wide as Misato continued. "There's as good a chance as any that one or more of us won't be coming back, Shinji. And it's my job to make sure that the number that goes along with that is as low as possible."

Misato paused for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry. I don't know how much that counts for anymore, after everything that I've done to you and what happened to you because of me. But… I'm not the woman I once was. And… I should have at least tried to be that person. More than I did."

Shinji paused in the hallway. "Misato, please, if this is what I think it is…" he said, his voice filled with worry now.

"It…" Misato paused as she came to a stop in the hallway, turning to face Shinji. "Well, it's just in case I don't come back from this. At least now, I've done my best to make my peace with those I've wronged the most. It's not much, but it's the best I can give."

It was silent again for a few moments before Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Misato."

Misato smiled slightly. "You're welcome, Shinji. I've got to go to the bridge now. I'll see you around."

She turned and began to walk away from him. Shinji was glad that Misato had come so far from the frigid coldness she'd displayed towards him when he'd emerged from Unit-01, but something still felt off. There was a… finality to her words. "Misato!"

She paused, looking back at him silently. "Don't…" he began. "Please, make sure to do your best to come back."

The silence, temporary though it was, concerned him further before Misato nodded. "I'll try. But I can't promise anything."

With that, she continued on her way, Shinji watching her turn a corner before he turned and made his way after Asuka, Rei, and Kaji.