The Girl Who Shouted I At The Heart Of The World Chapter 59: Give Me Wings, an evangelion fanfic

Chapter 59 – Give Me Wings

Shinji's sobs slowed as he sat helpless in the cockpit of Unit 01. He didn't want to believe that everything had come to this, that the world was about to end and Rei was about to end it. It made him feel guilty for what he'd said to her, for how he'd treated her the last time they'd spoken. If he could take it back he would... but it was over and done with. There was nothing he could do. She'd made her choice, probably in part due to him, and now everyone was going to be melted together. Life as he knew it would be over. He simple had to accept that... but he simply couldn't bring himself to do so.

No... no he wouldn't accept this!

Even if he was truly powerless, even if there was nothing he could feasibly do, he was still going to try and reach out to her, to get Rei to stop this madness... but what could he do? Unit 01 wouldn't move so what options did he really have available to him? All he could do was try and reason with her but he could get the external speaker system aboard his Eva to work if all other functions were down. Still... he had to try... "Rei, if you're listening, please stop this..." he murmured.

He looked up and found that huge apparition staring at him blankly, that forlorn look on its face unwavering, unblinking.

Shinji closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. It was so incredibly stupid, so incredibly foolish to continue.. but he did so anyway. "Rei, if that's really you, I'm sorry..." he murmured. "I'm sorry that I said what I did... I'm sorry that you felt so hurt that you'd do something like this..."

The giant before him didn't respond...

He tightened his grip on the controls in the cockpit as the desperation in his heart began to reach new heights. His blood thundered in his ears and his pulse felt like fire. "Rei, you can't just let this happen!" he cried out. "You can't just give up like this!"

Again, the giant didn't respond. In fact, it only brought its hands closer to Unit 01...

Tears of sorry, regret, desperation, and fear began to leave his eyes. He squinted them shut and begant to scream. "Don't do this!" he wailed. "Don't let this all be for nothing! Come back! Come back and help me fix things! Come back to me!"

The applause began to die down and Rei stood there before all of her friend and acquaintances, wiping the happy tears from her eyes. Even if everyone congratulating her on her self acceptance was happening in her own mental space it was such a wonderful feeling. She wanted to say something more but before she could she heard a voice from everywhere and nowhere all at once..

"Come back to me..."

Rei flinched and looked skyward. She recognized the voice. It was Shinji's voice speaking to her from somewhere outside of this place, calling directly to her. It caused her to go from an elated state to one yet again completely overwhelmed with anxiety. It didn't make sense since Shinji was right here with Commander Ikari... was the voice actually him? How was the real Shinji reaching her here inside her mind?

"I think that's your queue to leave..." Yui-sama stated quietly.

Rei turned back to her and when she did everyone else was gone, leaving her and Yui-sama alone. She bit her lip and looked down, uncertainty and doubt washing over her once again in bitter waves. "How?" she asked. "How can I return from this place? Even if I accept that my life is worth living... it's about to end. There's nothing I can do to stop what I've wrought..."

There was a moment of silence... and then Yui-sama started laughing, doubling over in guffaws. Rei found such a thing puzzling. "Why are you laughing?" she asked.

Yui-sama stood tall and regarded her with a grin, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Must I spell it out for you yet again?" she returned playfully. "Rei, you're the one in control here, you always have been."

Rei stood there, thoroughly surprised. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Yui-sama raised an eyebrow. "You seriously haven't realized it yet?" she scoffed. "You have the power of Adam and Lilith within you now. Right now you hold the power of creation itself!"

Rei bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "I never wanted that power..." she murmured. "I never wanted such a responsibility. All I want is to be a normal human being and live a normal life... that's all I've ever wanted..."

"Then make it so," Yui-sama responded. "

Rei looked up at her, perplexed. "I wanted to..." she replied. "And you called it escapism."

"No, I didn't," Yui-sama responded, smirking. "Your own subconscious self led you to that conclusion. That's what everything you've been experiencing in this place has been, right?"

Rei's frown deepened. "Then are you even real?" she asked. "Was any of this real?"

Yui-sama laughed. "I'll ask you the same question I asked you oh so long ago..." she replied. "What does your heart tell you?"

Something about that question, the absurdity, the irony... something about it made her smile. It was a rhetorical inquiry, Rei realized. Yui-sama had said during their time in the school auditorium that the power which had given her her gift of continuing her life after the first Third Impact wasn't her own. Part of her really wanted to know the answer, if she was real or not... but she supposed that it was a subjective truth for her to decide in the end. "Does it matter so long as it was real to me?" Rei responded with a rhetorical question of her own.

Yui-sama nodded, a proud smile taking shape on her lips. "No... no it doesn't..." she replied. "Now... are you ready to do what must be done? Are you ready to finish the work left unfinished?"

Rei drew a deep breath as uncertainly clawed its way back into her mind. There was still a chance that things wouldn't work out, that Shinji and everyone else would hold her actions and her inaction against her, but... she had to go back. She had to finish things. She had to do her part to save the world, her world. If she truly had the power of the gods right now then she could figure out a way to make positive change... but how? She bit her lip. She simply didn't know how...

The scenery around her changed, swirling and morphing. The peaceful vision she'd been experienced changed into something far darker. It was night time now. The stars were shining in the sky. A red splotch cut across the sky and the moon. Rei found herself standing on a white beach beside a red sea. Just ahead she could see Shinji, standing alone looking off toward the horizion with a contemplative expression. Beside him sat... herself... motionless, staring into the distance with with a vacant, traumatized expression. On the horizion was an enormous head, one pale as ghost, split in half down the middle, a wide smile on its lips as if the creature it belonged to died laughing. The face looked exactly like how own. It was the corpse of Lilith, staring back at her, as if to mock her.

This was what awaited her, she could feel it, and she didn't like it...

Rei closed her eyes and shook her head, shuddering. Regardless of how she felt about it, if this was what lay ahead for her then she had to accept it for what it was, the consequences of her actions. As Yui-sama had said, anywhere could be a paradise so long as she was alive. If this was the outcome that awaited her then it wouldn't be unjustified. She'd broken the world, twice now, and she had to live with the consequences of her actions. Perhaps she could still build a happy life amid a world like that. So long as she kept living it could all be okay...

No, she resolved... it would be okay...

She allowed herself to conjure images within her mind of a future in that world, a world desolated by Third Impact. She could see a people who'd come back from the sea of LCL building a town by the shore out of driftwood and debris. She could see Misato and Asuka among them, along with Ritsuko and the bridge crew of NERV. Their clothes were ratty and torn and they looked quite a bit older than she remembered them but they seemed content. In the small crowds of people flowing around the settlement her she could see children running about, playing with sticks, laughing and being happy in spite of the desolate world they inhabited. People were building things and those worn and weary survivors seemed to be strangely happy in spite of their situation. Off in the distance she could see older versions of herself and Shinji sitting on a log holding hands. Even though they were older, looking worn and tired, she could see the ghost of a smile upon Shinji's lips and on her own. Even in the face of a world that ended mankind would persevere. She would persevere...

"Yes..." Rei murmured softly. "Whatever lies ahead, I'll face it..."

Yui-sama appeared before her once more. "That's very mature of you, Rei... but it doesn't have to be this way..."

The scenery changed one more and Rei found herself suspended in the night sky, the earth far below and the moon high above. Yui-sama remained before her, regarding her with a playful smile, her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "What do you mean?" Rei asked.

"I have an idea..." Yui-sama stated quietly. "Perhaps there is still a way for this future to be averted..."

Rei's eyes widened. A way for this future to be averted? How? It seemed impossible unless there was something she was missing... "How?" she asked, confused.

Yui-sama put out a hand toward her, her smile growing, a genuine sincerity glimmering in her eyes. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

Rei stared at the hand extended to her as she pondered the question. She did want to trust Yui-sama, just as she wanted to trust herself and her own judgment. If this was the real Yui-sama, or the same part of her own subconscious mind, or whatever it was that sent her to the world she'd grown so attached to the first time then... "Yes..." she murmured softly. "I trust you..."

"Then take my hand," Yui-sama replied, retaining that grin of hers.

She reached her hand out and just before they touched Yui-sama jerked it away. Rei was once again confused, her eyebrows furrowing with worry, her heart skipping a beat. "I- is something wrong?" she stammered.

Yui-sama chuckled. "Before we end this... I'd like to ask you one final thing, she replied.

"What?" Rei asked, unsure of what she'd want to know. If they were really in her own mind then shouldn't she know everything?

"How much do you care about my son?" Yui-sama asked, her expression turning from playful to serious in a flash.

Rei was rather taken aback by that inquiry. It was not the kind of thing she was expecting in the slightest. It caused her cheeks to feel a bit hot even thinking about answering. "Y- you already know..." she stammered, glancing away awkwardly.

"I do..." Yui-sama replied, her lip twiching upwards ever so slightly. "But I'd like to hear you say it."

Rei took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Even now it was hard to voice her feelings for Shinji, perhaps even more so since he'd pushed her away. If whatever Yui-sama had planned would allow her to do so, she was definitely going to do everything in her power to apologize for hurting him and earn his forgiveness. Even though she knew she couldn't stake her happiness on him or anyone else being a part of her life that didn't diminish her feelings for him, not in the slightest. She opened her eyes and met Yui-sama's gaze... "I love him," she replied, firmly, confidently. "With all my heart..."

Yui-sama's smirk returned. "Even after the horrible things he said to you?" she pressed.

Rei nodded her head, smiling, her heart feeling light and free. "Yes," she replied. "I still do."

Yui-sama nodded, her smirk turning back into that genuine and kind smile that Rei had seen only once before. She held out her hand once more. "Then let me give you one last gift..." she returned warmly.

Rei nodded back, her own smile growing wider. If it could produce light the brilliance of it would have been blinding. She reached out and clasped Yui-sama's hand as a blinding white light enveloped them both along with the entire world around them...

The light began to fade until it became just a flickering point of light a the end of a black tunnel. Rei watched as it turned red started flickering, dancing like a flame... but it wasn't fire. It started to look like a reflection in water. She began to feel a great force pulling her slowly but surely toward that dancing, lapping, shimmering apparition in the dark. What was it? What was this place? Why had Yui-sama sent her here? She was about to start panicking when she saw the red glow turn orange and an image could be seen within it.

Rei's eyes went wide. It was Shinji in the cockpit of Unit 01, gripping the controls with a fearful expression on his face. Though ti was faint, she could see Mass Production Evas hovering in the air on the displays within the plug. A smile bloomed on her features as an overwhelming sense of understanding washed over her. She was inside the core of Unit 01. Somehow she'd found herself here. Perhaps... perhaps with a little bit of luck and effort then she could bring about the future she desired. All she needed to do was allow herself to return to the physical world. Yes... she understood it now, what was happening and what she had to do. So long as one never gave up there would always be hope for a brighter future. So long as she had breath in her body she would keep fighting for that future her heart desired.

With that thought in mind, Rei lifted her hands and reached toward the vision before her...

Misato stared at the video feed on the central display within NERV's command bridge, watching as the giant form of Lilith reached its fingers closer and closer to Unit 01. In a matter of moments the world was going to end. Soon enough the A.T. Field surrounding Lilith would collapse and become an Anti-A.T. Field. Once that happened then the world would end and everyone's minds would fuse into one. She wondered what would it feel like? What would happen when that moment came? Would it be instant and painless or would it be something horrific? Once it was over would she even be able to perceive herself as herself? One way or another, she and everyone else on earth would soon find out...

"The A.T. Field surrounding Lilith is collapsing!" Lt. Aoba cried out from his station. "High energy reading detected from within the core of Evangelion Unit 01!"

Misato turned her attention away from the central display and to the long haired lieutenant. "What's happening!?" she shouted fearfully. "Is it an Anti-A.T. Field?"

"The Magi can't ascertain a reading! The fluctuations are producing a feedback loop!" Hyuga shouted. "Data analysis impossible!"

Misato's mind raced. "What's happening with Unit 01!?" she barked, turning to Hyuga. "You can at least give me a reading on Unit 01 can't you!?"

"Energy output of Unit 01's core is increasing exponentially!" Lt. Aoba cried out. "Physical composition of the core increasing in mass and density! Mass is increasing by fifty kilograms per second!"

"If this keeps up it's possible it might produce a micro-singularity in a matter of minutes!" Hyuga shouted.

Misato stood there stunned, absolutely and totally bewildered by what she was hearing. It seemed impossible. How on early was Unit 01's core increasing in mass like this? Was it going to create a black hole? Was this some kind of fail-safe that Commander Ikari had built into Unit 01? What on earth was happening!?

"Could it be?" Vice Commander Fuyutsuki murmured from where he stood behind her.

Misato whirled around to face him, desperate for answers, desperate for any glimmer of hope amid the nightmare coming to life around her. "What?" she inquired, her voice coming out a hushed croak. "What is it? What do you know?"

The Vice Commander was staring ahead, looking at the central display with his lips parted in genuine surprise. "I... I don't know..." he murmured in response, never looking away from what he was fixated on. "But it seems like the child surpasses the mother... and now consumes her..."

Misato turned around, following his gaze up to the screen. Her eyes went wide as she took in the sight before her, fed to the screen via the surviving surveillance systems around the geofront. The giant form of Lilith appeared to be withering, diminishing, becoming mere skin and bones. At the same time, a red light was pouring out of Unit 01's chest from its core, becoming brighter and brighter with each passing moment. It seemed impossible... but considering what she was witnessing... "Is... Unit 01... assimilating Lilith?" she murmured aloud.

Shinji sat in the cockpit of Unit 01 lost in a typhoon of emotion composed of shock, fear, despair, and pure confusion. The apparition of Rei seemed to be growing more and more frail, its cheeks becoming sunken and thin, its eyes pulling back in its sockets, all the while a blinding red light was seemingly intensifying from everywhere around Unit 01. The light grew brighter and brighter until he couldn't even see out of the cockpit. He could hear Unit 01, his mother, howling and it terrified him. What was happening? Was this the beginning of the end?

His mind raced. What was going to happen to him if this was the end of everything? What was going to happen to Misato and Asuka? What was going to happen to Rei? His chest felt tight and his eyes started to sting again. "Stop this!" he shouted, squinting his eyes shut. "Stop this now!"

Just as those words left his mouth he felt a change in pressure within the plug and heard a squelching sound behind him. Something brushed his shoulders and chest immediately afterward. He froze in place, his heart thundering behind his ribs as he looked down to see that the things touching him were... a pair of arms?

He turned his head as he felt something rest on his left shoulder and his eyes went wide. He couldn't fathom what he was seeing, who he was seeing. It didn't make sense that she'd somehow appeared in the plug with him. "Rei?" he uttered in disbelief.

The pale girl pulled her arms tighter around his chest, holding him tight, burying her head in his shoulder. "Yes..." she murmured. "It's me..."

"H- how?" Shinji stammered, utterly confused. How on earth had she just appeared here? Why was she touching him in such a tender way? Shouldn't she be angry with him? Shouldn't she hate him for what he said to her?

Rei breathed a shaky sigh and slid her arms down his until her palms rested on the back of his hands. "It doesn't matter..." she murmured into his shoulder. "I had to work through some things... I almost lost hope... but now lets save our world... together..."

Shinji felt overwhelmed. This had to be a dream. It seemed to perfect to be real but if there was a slim chance he could honor his fathers wishes and keep fighting then he would take it, regardless of where it might lead. Besides, even after everything, having a chance to speak with Rei again felt... good. "Alright..." he replied nervously. "Let's end this..."

He looked forward as the red light surrounding Unit 01 turned a blinding white. He tightened his grip on the controls and felt Rei's hands tighten around his own. He concentrated and focused his mind on moving but it still wasn't enough... but then a voice spoke to him and it wasn't Rei's...

"Allow me to take things from here..."

Shinji flinched as those words pierced his ears. He recognized the voice. He'd heard this voice when he'd been trapped within Unit 01's core and knew exactly who it belonged to... "Mother?" he murmured in surprise.

The light faded and the giant apparition of Rei which had stood before Unit 01 had disappeared. Shinji watched in amazement as the spears in Unit 01's hands and feet came free, hovering in the air around it. Then... Unit 01 brought its hands up and clasped the true Lance Of Longinus in its hands...

Misato watched in amazement at the sight before her. Lilith had somehow, inexplicably, been pulled inside the core of Unit 01. The sight of the Angel's form thinning, stretching, and ripping apart as the blinding red light coming from Unit 01 chest intensified was truly a sight to behold. Then, after a flash of blinding white light, the Angel had fully disappeared while Unit 01 grasped the Lance of Longinus as twelve wings of orange light spread out from the Eva's back. The whole of the Eva seemed to glow red, making the image before her on the screen even more awe inspiring. Its wings stretched higher and higher into the sky, wider and wider until they stretched seemingly out into infinity... it was truly an amazing and terrifying sight.

"Major!" Aoba shouted. "Evangelion Unit 01 has fully absorbed the Second Angel! Unit 01's A.T. Field is intensifying!"

"What does that mean!?" Misato roared in response. "Is there any way we can communicate with Shinji!?"

"Negative!" Aoba cried. "The A.T. Field is too strong! It's shutting out all our communications!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Hyuga screamed. "The energy reading within Unit 01's core is increasing! It's surpassing ten terawatts of electrical output every second!"

"It's the power of creation itself..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki spoke in a hushed voice from where he stood behind her.

"The Mass Production Evas are coalescing on Unit 01's position!" Aoba declared, his voice having long lost that typical composure he spoke with. "Merging video feeds now!"

Misato's attention once again returned to the central display screen, her eyes darting between the main image of the awakened Unit 01 and the nine small windows beside it showing each individual Mass Production Eva. They were approaching their target at a rapid rate but she noticed all nine of their spears streaked toward Unit 01. Was this the true start of Third Impact? Would it start once they'd destroyed Unit 01?

But then the spears stopped...

Shinji sat in the plug, tense, his eyes squinted closed. Those spears were about to impale Unit 01 and probably kill him and Rei. All he could do was wait for the inevitability of it. All he could do was accept his imminent death and await that final blow...

But the blow never came.

He opened his eyes and looked around in amazement. The spears had stopped some how. It was utterly perplexing. Hadn't he been able to destroy an A.T. Field with the original spear all the way out in space? It didn't make any sense!

"Let's end this..." his mother's voice sounded within the plug.

Shinji tightened his grip on the controls, gritting his teeth. Even now he still felt powerless, like a little boat lost in a tempest. "I want to!" he cried, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't know what to do!"

"Will it so!" his mother's voice sounded in his mind.

He closed his eyes and focused. What did that mean, willing something to be? How did one do such a thing? He wanted the battle to be over. He wanted the battle to end but what could he do? What could he do to affect such a change when defeat seemed inevitable?

"Let's finish this..." Rei murmured, tightening her grip on his hands.

"Let's fight them together, one last time!" his mother shouted within his mind. "Choose the paths you wish to walk! The power to decide the future is yours!"

Shinji opened his eyes and looked ahead, righteous fury boiling in his veins. If he had the power then he could beat these things. He focused his mind, channeling his very essence into his intent of destroying the Mass Production Evas. If only he could just send those spears back at them and finish them in one single stroke...

He opened his eyes and watched as the spears hovering around Unit 01 flew outward, striking each of the Mass Production Series Evas through their chests. The lances struck each and every one through the chest, through their red cores, and all of them shuddered and convulsed, spreading their arms wide. He watchd as those monsters turned to stone and fell away towards the earth below as Unit 01 let loose a deafening scream...

The entire bridge watched in hushed amazement as the purple Eva let loose a primal roar and held the original Lance of Longinus up to the heavens. Misato couldn't believe what was happening, what she was watching on the screen before her. Was this Shinji's doing or was this Unit 01 itself? Was this... Shinji's doing?

"The Eva Series... has been annihilated..." Aoba murmured in amazement.

"What just happened?" Hyuga uttered. "Did we... just... win?"

Misato looked at the sight of the roaring Unit 01 on the central display, a smile slowly taking shape on her lips. He'd done it. Shinji had done it! He'd defeated them! Even if it didn't mean anything she'd still relish this momentary triumph. It was all she could do... "Alright, Shinji!" she cried out, pumping her fist in the air.

And then an alarm began to sound on the bridge as a rumbling in the earth began to build, causing to the sumble and fall against the console beside her...

"Ma'am! Gravitational and seismic anomalies detected!" Hyuga shouted.

Misato's moment of relief immediately washed away in a torrent of confusion and fear. She forced herself to her feet in spite of the intensifying shaking and moved to Hyuga's side. "What!? What does that mean!?" she exclaimed. "How is that possible!?"

"We don't know what it means! The Magi are saying that whatever the hell it is it's being caused by Unit 01!" Aoba cried. "It's spreading out from beneath Unit 01 in all dire- oh shit!"

The command center began to shake even more violently, throwing everyone to the ground. Misato barely had time to gain her bearings before the force of gravity evaporated, sending her, along with everyone and everything that wasn't tethered to the ground, floating into into the air...

Shinji sat in the cockpit of Unit 01 in utter amazement, bewildered by what he'd just witnessed. He'd simply watched those spears to destroy the Evas that both he and Asuka had failed to defeat and all he'd had to do was will it to happen. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe any of it. It seemed so surreal, so perfect... One minute Rei was a giant outside the Eva and now she was there inside the Eva with him. It all felt like some kind of dream, something impossible, something amazing that he was undeserving of. How could someone like him, someone who'd screwed up at every turn, have such a miraculous turn of circumstance?

The lights within the plug shut off and plunged him into total darkness. He felt himself floating, tumbling, rolling over, lost in a void. Then, a white light appeared in the darkness that he was falling toward. He braced himself for impact but a sudden jolt of an impact never came. Instead, he suddenly found himself standing in a green field, a large tree standing before him. He recognized this place. This was the place he'd spoken to his mother at when he'd been trapped within the Eva...

From behind the tree his mother emerged, regarding him with a smile. "It's over now," she stated softly. "You're free to walk your own path."

His brow furrowed. "Wh- what happened?" he uttered in shock, the questions spilling out of his mouth as his mind desperately tried to comprehend what he was experiencing. None of this made any sense at all... "H- how are you here? Why am I in this place?"

His mother glanced past him. "I think that's something you should ask her..." she murmured.

Shinji's lips parted and he turned around to find Rei standing there, her gaze averted, a nervous expression on her face, her arms pulled tight across her chest. "Like I said... I almost gave into despair..." she murmured. "I... I was going to start the Third Impact... but I realized I was being foolish, that I was being selfish... and that my life is worth living."

Shinji frowned, biting the inside of his lip, the memory of their last conversation roaring to life in his mind along with the guilt he felt regarding it. Part of him was still afraid, afraid that this wasn't real, afraid that this might be some kind of death dream, afraid that this was some illusion cast by his mother or Rei herself. Even so, he felt the need to apologize. After all, it was his fault for upsetting her to the point she'd nearly ended the world or was ending it now... "I'm sorry..." he murmured. "I'm sorry that I said those things to you..."

Rei shook her head and met his gaze, a forced smile taking shape on her lips. "It's okay..." she murmured in reply. "I understand... I shouldn't have lied to you..."

Shinji stood there, unsure of what to say to her. All he could do was apologize again... "It wasn't your fault..." he muttered, bowing his head. "It was my fault... it's always my fault..."

"It's okay..." Rei replied, stepping up beside him and taking his hand. "I'll be okay. Everything is going to be okay..."

Shinji allowed himself a somber smile. He didn't deserve this kind of forgiveness, if that what this was. He didn't deserve such friendship and love... but then again she hadn't outright said she'd forgiven him. It was probably best to assume that she still on some level held his words against him. He drew a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes. "I hope so..." he replied softly, shakily, trying to let go of the guilt, confusion, and fear. All he could manage was a halfhearted smile. "So... where do we go from here?"

Rei squeezed his hand. "We'll figure that out together..." she replied.

"Are you ready to go back?" his mother called to him. "Are you ready to face the future ahead of you?"

Shinji turned around and faced her, taking in that warm smile she wore. He bowed his head. "I don't know..." he murmured with a bitter frown. "I... all I've ever done is hurt people, people I care about. How will that change? How do I face that? How do I overcome all the mistakes I've made? I can't stand myself for the things I've done and who I am and changing things for the better seems impossible..."

"Change takes time," a new voice called to him.

Shinji flinched at the sound and snapped his gaze back to his mother. From behind the tree his father emerged, stepping up beside his mother and placing an arm around her shoulder. He was smiling, a warm smile that he'd only seen once, the moment he'd left him at the elevator within the depths of NERV... "So long as you're alive you can work to be the person you wish to be," he said. "There is nothing you can't overcome, my son."

"Will you be alright?" his mother asked. "Both of you?"

"Yes," Rei replied. "We'll be alright..."

Shinji drew a deep breath, letting those words sink in. He still didn't know if this was some kind of vision or dream or if it was actually happening but he supposed it didn't matter. If Rei was confident that things would be okay then who was he to disagree? Besides... if she had the power to end the world, if he didn't agree with her then it was best to simply go along with her decision and figure things out later. He knew that was cynical of him but then again, given his experiences, who could fault him for such thinking?

Then again... even though she'd lied to him, hidden things from him, and nearly ended the world, he still loved her. Perhaps that was a weakness but then again maybe it was a strength. At the moment he couldn't decide. All he knew was that he'd give anything to make things up to her or at least be given the opportunity to try. At the same time part of him still felt bitter towards her, unwilling to trust her, unwilling to let her hurt him again. Why did relationships between people have to be so damned complicated?

Even so, he couldn't remain stagnant. He had to make a choice, and regardless of what happened, he didn't want to let go of the embers of hope for a brighter future. His father would want him to strive for that. Rei would want for him to strive for that...

"Yes," Shinji replied, forcing himself to nod his head. Even then, doubt slipped through. "We'll be alright... but... what comes next?"

"Live..." his father stated firmly. "Live your lives as you see fit... and keep moving forward."

Shinji met his parent's gaze and slowly but surely allowed a small smile to worm its way across his features. So long as his mother and father believed him him then perhaps he could do such a thing, no matter how hard that might be... "I'll try..." he returned softly.

His mother nodded. "Well... I suppose this is farewell, my son," she stated softly, that soft smile of hers widening. "Take care of yourself..."

"Goodbye..." his father added with a smile of his own.

Shinji felt tears welling up in his eyes. The finality of those words struck him. Somehow he knew this would be the last time he'd ever speak to either of them, the last time he'd ever see them. Even if this was some hallucination it still was a somber thing to think about, even if it were for the best. "Goodbye, mother..." he replied, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Goodbye, father..."

The world began to swirl and after a moment he found himself back in the entry plug, his hand on the ejection handle of the plug, Rei's hands resting atop his. She leaned in around him, looking him in the eyes with a soft, hopeful smile. "Together?" she asked, squeezing his hands.

Shinji wasn't sure he understood. Everything still felt so surreal but... somehow he knew that pulling that handle was the right thing to do. The dream had to end and he'd have to face the uncertain future that lay ahead but perhaps... perhaps things could actually get better with time... "Together..." he replied.

The two of them pulled the handle. The lights in the plug went dark and his chin was thrown into his chest from the force of the rockets at the base of the plug firing. After that he slipped into unconsciousness...

The weightless sensation disappeared, replaced by a feeling of acceleration. Misato barely had time to cover her head before she flopped onto the ground belly first with a thud behind Hyuga's chair. The ground was still shaking but it stopped shortly after she'd impacted the ground. Slowly, she struggled to her feet, her legs feeling like jelly. "What just happened!?" she screamed out over the bridge.

She watched as Lt. Aoba struggled back to his station. "Whatever the hell it was it was something serious..." he murmured in shock. "The Magi are detecting weather anomalies all over the planet..."

"Atmospheric temperature is dropping rapidly!" Hyuga cried. "The Magi calculate that outside temperature will reach negative one degrees Celsius within the next thirty minutes!"

"The Magi also indicate a moderately sized tsunami is heading for the east coast of Japan..." Aoba muttered, staring at his console numbly.

"I don't understand..." Lt. Ibuki murmured. "I don't understand what's happening..."

So it was safe to assume that whatever on earth it was they'd experienced that it wasn't a localized event... Misato looked up at the central display, watching as Unit 01 ascended higher and higher into the sky. "What's happening with Unit 01?" she asked nervously. "What's its status?"

"Unit 01 is leaving earth's atmosphere..." Aoba murmured. "The Magi indicate it will leave earth's orbit within the hour."

Misato tensed. "What about Shinji!?" she cried.

"The Plug has ejected!" Hyuga shouted. "It's descending via parachute as we speak!"

Misato desperately tried to process what was happening What did it mean? What was the implication of everything that had just happened? "Did we... win?" she murmured softly. "Is Third Impact averted?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Vice Commander Fuyutsuki struggling to his feet beside her, using her for support. "Only time will tell..." he stated quietly. "But right now I think we should focus on the SDF's movements..."

Those words snapped her back to reality. He had a point. If the SDF was still committed to their attack then regardless of a world ending event they would follow through. After all, they had numerical superiority and superior firepower, especially if Unit 01 was no longer a factor in the battle. "Rally any surviving security forces!" she cried out over the bridge. "Have them secure this command center and set up a defensive perimeter! The SDF might decide to use this chaos to press their attack!"

"Yes ma'am!" Hyuga responded, picking up the phone at his desk and placing it to his ear...

Colonel Mitsuo Shikishima couldn't believe what he'd experienced in the last five minutes or so. One minute he'd been standing on firm ground and the next minute he'd been levitating in the air after the earth beneath him had started shaking like the most powerful earthquake imaginable. He struggled to his feet, looking out toward the breach where once stood Tokyo 3 and found that Evangelion Unit 01 and that giant woman had disappeared. His mind was racing. What did it mean? What was happening? "Status report!" he cried as he struggled to his feet. "What's happening!?"

"No idea!" A junior officer nearby shouted in fear. "Shit! For fuck's sake! This is crazy!"

"Radar indicates that Evangelion Unit 01 is departing earth's atmosphere!" Another officer shouted. "What in the hell was that white giant!?"

"Was it one of those Angel things!?" A nearby captain shouted. "What the fuck is going on!?"

"We need to press the attack!" Another officer cried from across the mobile command center. "General Oda, NERV might still be plotting something!"

"We're done for if we don't fight..." General Oda murmured, laying on the ground beside him, staring blankly into the sky, looking completely overwhelmed. It was a classic case of battle fatigue. "We're done for... we're done for..."

Shikishima drew a couple deep breaths, scowling down at his commanding officer. So much for the slimy snake's aspirations of glory. If everyone else was completely paralyzed with fear and shock then he had to take command. Even if he disagreed with what was happening he had people relying on him, people who relied on orders and the chain of command in order to survive... "Get in contact with all surviving units immediately!" he barked. "Have any and all units withdraw to defensive positions and await further orders!"

"Yes Colonel!" another junior officer shouted in reply before lifting up a radio handset to his mouth

It was then that Oda struggled to his feet, snatching up the radio from the junior officer before the man had a chance to speak. "Renew the attack!" he shouted, his eyes filled with madness. "All units press the attack! All artillery units open fire!"

Shikishima bristled, balling his fists. "General Oda, sir!" he snapped. "Our forces are in disarray! We don't even know where everyone is! If you call in artillery fire now we're just as likely to hit our own forces as we are to hit any of NERV's assets!"

If Oda heard him he didn't show it in any capacity. "Fire!" he screamed. "Fire everything we have! Fire! Fire! Fire!"

As always, Shikishima's intentions and reason were meaningless in the face of the zealous madman he called his superior. His anger began to boil over. He could feel the veins on the side of his neck surging with blood as began to see red. No. No, he was done taking order from this fat old pig! He couldn't stand there and wait for Fujita and Kaji to solve things, waiting for a salvation that might never come. He was going to put an end to this needless, wasteful, idiotic operation even if it was the last thing he ever did.

He drew his service weapon from the holster on his hip and stuck it in Oda's face. "Call it off!" he snarled. "All your doing is contributing to needless slaughter! Those shells are going to hit our own fucking troops you fucking bastard! Call it off!"

For the first time in Shikishima's career and over a decade of working with the slimy piece of shit, General Oda had no response to his objections, simply standing there, staring at the gun in his face in total shock.

Shinji was awakened by a jolting sensation that ran down his spine followed by the sound of crumpling metal. It was dark but he could recognize that he was still inside Unit 01's entry plug by the metal harness wrapped snugly around his waist. That was right, he'd been piloting the Eva when Rei, or... Lilith or... something, some giant thing had appeared before him outside the cockpit. After that he'd seen the Mass Production Evas destroyed before experiencing some kind of weird dreamlike vision of his parents with Rei at his side. After that the plug had ejected, or rather he and Rei, if she was really there, had ejected the plug. That was why he was here. The plug had ejected and it must have just hit the ground...

He struggled to free himself from the seat, wincing in pain as he did so. His back twinged severely as he shimmied out of the harness and onto the seat. As soon as he pulled himself free he yelped in pain as the muscles in his lower back underwent an excruciating spasm. No wonder Rei had spent a few days in the hospital after her encounter with the Sixteenth Angel.

"Sh- Shinji?" a voice called out to him from within the pitch dark cockpit, sounding like a pained whimper.

Shinji tensed up, causing him to wince in agony momentarily. He recognized the voice. Rei was with him. She was really with him in the plug. The surreal experience hadn't been in his head or some kind of vision conjured by some cosmic force but had really happened. "Rei?" he called out, still trying to come to terms with everything he'd just experienced in the last few minutes. "Is that you?"

"I- I'm here..." came her pained, groaning response. "I- I think I fell to the bottom of the plug. It hurts to move..."

His breath caught in his throat. No matter how conflicted his feelings were for her it still worried him that she might be injured. "D- don't worry," he stammered. "I'll get us out of here."

Shinji rolled off of the seat and began crawling toward what he thought was the bottom of the plug, feeling around blindly in the dark until his hand found what felt like the emergency hatch release handle. He wrapped his hand around it and twisted it, pushing it outward with all his strength. It gave way and instantly light poured into the cockpit allowing him to see. He wasted no time in clambering out of the entry plug. As he strained to his feet he took in the sight around him and his lips parted in shock...

The first thing he noticed was the mix of overwhelming smells that swirled in his nostrils. The smell of smoke, gasoline, charred earth and trees, and blood assaulted his senses. The sight of shattered trees, massive smoking craters, the pieces of destroyed vehicles, the petrified forms of the Mass Production Evas standing upright like giant crucifixes... it was a horrifying and awe inspiring sight. This was the aftermath of war... but he couldn't allow himself to ruminate on it. He had to make sure Rei was okay. He poked his head back inside the plug, wincing from the pain shooting through his back.

It was very dark but he could see her about a meter inside and away from the hatch, laying on her stomach looking quite worse for wear. "Hey," he called out softly reaching out toward her. "Can you move?"

She lifted her head and met his gaze with a nod. "I think so..." she murmured in response, reaching out to clasp his hand in hers.

He held firm as she pulled herself through the hatch using him for support, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as not to yelp from the twinges shooting up his spine. After a moment the pressure let up and he opened his eyes, and immediately he averted them in shock at what he saw, his cheeks filling with fire. "Uh, ah, R- Rei..." he stammered. "Y- you're ah... naked..."

He could hear her gasping softly. "I- I'm... yes..." she choked out meekly.

This was far more awkward a moment than the last time they'd been nude around one another. For one, the last time it had been dark and he hadn't seen anything thanks to Asuka covering his eyes for him. Also, knowing how she felt about him and how he still felt about her, made this even worse. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to her, making sure not to look in her direction. "P- put this on..." he stuttered meekly.

Her hand brushed against his as she accepted it and waited nervously, looking away until she spoke up. "I- I'm wearing it now..." she murmured. "You can turn around..."

He did as she asked and their eyes met. Shinji studied the happy but somewhat nervous expression on her face and the conflict in his heart surged back to the forefront of his mind. Part of him wanted to embrace her and tell her again how sorry he was for saying what he'd said. Part of him wanted to scream at her for whatever she'd done that created that giant version of her which had almost ended the world. Part of him simply wanted to run away from her in case she still had that kind of power and changed her mind... but he could do none of those things. All he could do was stare into those eyes of hers in silent contemplation and conflict, those brown eyes of hers... wait, didn't she used to have red eyes? Then he noticed her hair. Instead of blue it was now a platinum gray. "Y- your hair..." he murmured numbly. "And your eyes. They're different..."

Rei's expression shifted to one of surprise she reached a hand up and pinched a lock of her hair between her fingers. After a moment a joyful smile crept its way across her face. "I can't believe it..." she whispered joyfully. "I'm so happy..."

Shinji was utterly confused by this. As much as he loved her smile and still loved her he wanted to understand what the hell was going on. "You can't believe what?" he asked, bewildered. "What is it?"

She met his gaze again, that smile of hers that could melt the coldest ice beaming back at him. "It's over. Third Impact has been stopped. Everything is going to be okay..." she stated softly before taking a step towards him. As she did she cried out in pain and collapsed to her knees, grabbing her ankle.

Instinctively, Shinji knelt down, ignoring the pain in his back. "What is it!?" he exclaimed. "Are you okay!?"

Rei looked at him, that smile remaining even though her eyebrows were knit up in obvious discomfort. "I think I sprained my ankle in the ejection..." she replied.

Shinji glanced around at the desolation surrounding them. Most likely there were still soldiers lurking around. If they stayed out here then they'd most certainly be spotted and likely killed. They had to get back to NERV headquarters and fast. Any type of conversation or reconciliation or anything else would have to wait, they could come to terms with things later. Survival was more important than any of that.

He moved closer to Rei and reached his arm around her back, bringing her arm around his shoulder. "Come on. We have to get out of here," he stated flatly. "I'll help you walk."

"Thank you..." she murmured softly, resting her head on his shoulder.

No sooner had he helped her stand then an unseen force sent him flying face first into the ground beside the entry plug, followed by a deafening boom that rattled his skull.

His ears rang. His vision was blurry. He could tell he was screaming from the pain shooting through his whole body but the sound was muffled and distorted. He sat up and tried to stand but his legs wouldn't cooperate, causing him to fall down beside Rei. His vision began to clear as more loud booms sounded all around him. The military must be firing artillery he realized. He grabbed Rei by her shoulder and shook her. "Rei!" he cried. "We need to get out of here! Get up!"

She didn't respond. She was laying on her side, completely limp...

His heart leaped into his throat. "Oh no..." he murmured, finding the strength to move her, placing one hand underneath her torso and another behind her head. That was when he felt it. There was something, two jagged things, sticking out of her upper back between her shoulder blades on either side of her spine that felt like metal, and all around felt warm and sticky...

"No..." he murmured in shock. No. No, this couldn't be happening. It feel unreal, like some kind of horrible nightmare. "No! This can't be happening!" he wailed in anguish.

But it was happening, and all he could do was sit there, holding his best friend to his chest, screaming impotently at the heavens as hell rained down around him...

Misato jolted as the rumbling sounds of explosions high above her head. It was just as she'd feared. The military was renewing their offensive. "When the shelling stops they'll send another wave of ground troops!" she shouted to the rest of the command center. "When they do there isn't a doubt in my mind they'll make another push for our position! What's the status of our defenses!?"

"Remaining security forces are regrouping around the command center!" Hyuga responded. "Most of them are walking wounded!"

Misato grit her teeth. She knew what that meant. If walking wounded were rejoining the fight then their situation was truly desperate. She had little doubt that soon they'd be overrun but she'd fight on to the end. If Third Impact was an impossibility now that that was enough for her. She'd done her part... "What's the status of Unit 01's entry plug?" she bit out softly. "Is Shinji safe?"

"No..." Ibuki murmured, her voice trembling. "The transponder of the plug indicates it's right out in the open... he's... he's right in the crossfire..."

Misato's eyes widened as her stomach did a flip, her breath catching in her throat at the sickening reality of that statement "And there's nothing we can do..." she uttered in horror.

Major Hajime Ichijo strode through the halls of NERV toward the command bridge complex, two fellow soldiers at his side. He could faintly hear the thumping of shells impacting overhead which clued him in that something was developing. Most likely he'd be forced to press the attack on his end but he'd do everything in his power to delay that action as long as possible. It was the only mercy he could manage in his feeble position as a cog in the military machine...

He still couldn't believe whatever the heck had occurred in the last few minutes. Some unknown force had lifted him into the air after the ground started shaking like an earthquake before dropping him down to the ground. At first he'd thought it was the end, the beginning of Third Impact, that those SEELE people Mitsuo had informed him of had initiated their plans, but after it subsided he was certain it was something else. In any case, he had no idea of knowing what it was, and so he had to continue doing his job as much as he didn't want to. Whatever it was that caused the anomaly must have been localized to within NERV proper, otherwise the artillery wouldn't have started back up by now.

Then again... with a man as zealous as General Oda in command of this operation, even that was in doubt...

He rounded the corner and found himself face to face with two squads of his men, some of them injured, huddling near a breach that he knew from his intelligence brief used to be a door to the lower levels of NERV's command bridge. One of them men, a lieutenant, turned to him, breathing a sigh of obvious relief. "Major Ichijo, good to see you sir," he said. "We're ready to renew our push once reinforcements arrive."

Ichijo glared at the lieutenant. "There won't be any reinforcements," he replied.

The lieutenant's expression turned to one of confusion. "Sir, with all due respect, why?"

"Yeah, sir," one of the men at his side spoke up. "Isn't the command bridge one of our primary objectives?"

Ichijo stood tall looked over the assembled men before him, passing a stony glare over every man present. "Take a look at yourselves," he responded evenly. "Half of you are wounded and our dead comrades are strewn everywhere. I will not risk another frontal attack until groups Bravo and Charlie are finished with their sweeps of the lower levels or I receive a direct order to do so, whichever comes first."

The lieutenant regarded him with a contemplative expression before nodding his head. "Yes Major..." he returned before moving to attend his squad. "Sit tight boys, we're holding our position..."

Ichijo breathed a sigh and leaned up against the wall, hoping that his momentary delay might last...

"Sir..." one of the men spoke to him. "Can I ask you something?"

Ichijo looked at the young man beside him, the trooper looking back at him with a concerned expression. "What is it, soldier?" he inquired.

The soldier's eyes darted around momentarily. "What do you think it was... whatever the hell caused everyone to float around..." he murmured. "Some kind of defense system? Some kind of directed energy weapon?"

Ichijo forced a small smile. He was just as clueless as anyone else but he had to retain an air of confidence for the sake of his men and their morale... "Whatever it was, we're alive," he responded. "And if we play our cards right, those of us who are left will survive the day..."

The soldier nodded, a frown taking shape on his lips. "I hope you're right..." he replied quietly.

Shikishima paid no mind to the commotion spurred by his action, focusing only on the slimy old man he had at the end of his .45 automatic. In spite of his noble intentions part of him truly relished the look of shock on Oda's face. He watched the realization slowly set in over the balding bastard's features as he slowly raised his hands into the air. "Mitsuo, do you realize what you're doing?" Oda hissed through his teeth.

Shikshima thumbed the hammer back on his pistol. "I know exactly what I'm doing, sir..." he snarled in reply, stepping forward until he held the gun centimeters away from the man's head. "I'm doing what I should have done weeks ago when I brought you that fucking dossier!"

Oda's eyes widened. "This is mutiny!" he cried out. "I'll see you hanged for this!"

Shikishima's eyes narrowed. "Bold words for a man with a gun in his face," he growled. "Call off the artillery. End this engagement..."

Shikishima felt the muzzle of a gun pressing up against the back of his head, the cold steel sending a shiver down his spine. "Colonel, put your weapon down!" came the voice from behind him.

Shikishima recognized the voice as belonging to one of the men present, a captain. "Captain, you put your piece away or I'll kill this son of a bitch on principle..." he replied, keeping his cool. He'd already made his choice. He'd rather die doing what he believed was right than live with the shame of continuing to be an accomplice to the industrialized murder of innocents. He'd been living with that shame for too long...

"Mitsuo!" Oda cried out in a mix of fury and fear, stepping backwards. "You saw the Evas in action! You saw that giant... that thing! Why are you doing this!?"

"Because my conscience demands it," Shikishima hissed in response.

Oda stood there, with wide eyes, staring back at him without saying a word. Time seemed to slow down. One way or another either Oda was going to call things off or they were both about to die. Even though he'd accepted that the moment his pistol left his holster Shikishima still felt fear. The anticipation, knowing his life was going to end within a second after he pulled the trigger, if he had to pull the trigger, was a hell of a feeling. His heart raced. The difficult part about playing chicken was knowing when to flinch...

It was then that the satellite telephone at the radio operator's station began to ring. Shikishima watched as the radio operator picked it up and looked up at him and Oda nervously. "G- General..." he stammered. "It's f- for you... It's the Minister of Defense..."

Shikishima smirked, keeping his gun in the old man's face. If this was the call he suspected it was then his action was ultimately pointless but he'd live to see another sunrise. "Go on..." he hissed. "Answer it..."

Oda lowered a hand and reached outward. The radio operator placed the satellite phone in his hand and slowly the old bastard brought it to his ear. Shikishima watched as a look of total surprise washed over his face. "I- it will be done..." he stammered before handing back the phone.

"What did he say?" Shikishima inquired, holding his pistol steady.

Oda met his gaze with a bitter glare. "The attack has been called off," he replied flatly. "A cease-fire has been ordered."

Shikishima's smirk grew. So Kajia and Fujita had been successful in their little ploy. Good... very good... "As it should have been long before now," he sneered, lowering his gun. "It's good to know that Katsumoto has seen the light..."

A look of profound realization washed over Oda. "What did you do, you fucking traitor?"

Shikishima holstered the pistol. "What was necessary," he replied.

Oda straightened his jacket. "Arrest this man!" he snarled. "Get him out of my sight!"

Shikishima allowed the captain standing behind him to grab him by his arm as another man stepped up to grab his other, restraining him. "Mark my words," he spat as they began to move him away. "I will be exonerated."

"Bold words for a man who's committed a mutiny," Oda spat in response. "Good day, Colonel..."

Shikishima turned and allowed the men restraining him to walk him away from the command center. The old bastard could think what he wished and continue living in his delusions all he wished. He would understand the truth of things soon enough...

The deafening cacophony of explosions ceased and Shinji dared to open his eyes, loosening his grip on the injured pale girl whom he was holding on to. The air was filled with dust and smoke which made it hard to breathe but the shelling had stopped. Now that it had he had to get Rei to safety. He had to get her help. He shook her lightly, hoping to get a response. "Rei!" he called to her. "Rei, are you still with me!?"

Rei didn't respond, simply laying there limp in his arms.

His breathing came in short gasps and his heart raced, not knowing what to do. He placed his fingers on her neck, checking for a pulse. That was how people did that, right? If she was dead then he'd never forgive himself... "Come on!" he cried out as tears filled his eyes. "You can't die! You can't!"

It was weak, but he could feel a pulse thumping gently beneath his fingers.

He breathed a shaky sigh of relief but he knew that if Rei didn't get medical attention fast then she wasn't going to make it. He looked around, taking in the devastation and his hopes began to fade. Headquarters was a long way away and if he tried to carry her then he'd probably do more harm than good. What was the right call? What should he do? Tears filled his eyes. As always, he was powerless, unable to do anything... "Dammit..." he hissed through his teeth. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

And then, over the ringing in his ears, he heard voices in the distance...

He could feel the blood draining from his face as his stomach tied itself in knots of anxiety and fear. He knew that the only people on the surface of the geofront right now were probably SDF soldiers and after his run in with them in the halls of NERV he also knew they wouldn't hesitate to kill him or Rei.

He looked down at the pale girl in his arms as he weighed his options. If he decided to run then she was as good as dead. No. No he couldn't abandon her. Even if he somehow survived he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ran away again. If he left his best friend, the girl he loved, to die, then what good was his life anyway? At the same time, if he tried to carry her then both of them would be captured or killed. No... the only option he had was to stand his ground and fight. If he died then so be it. If he died he was going to make his death matter in the way his life had never mattered. If he was going to die then he'd go out like the soldier NERV and his father had always wanted him to be...

He gently set Rei down on her side and stood up, pulling the pistol his father had given him from the waistband of his pants. His blood thundered in his ears and his whole body was shaking as he unlatched the safety and leveled it in the direction of the voices beyond the lingering clouds of dust, his fathers words ringing in his ears. Softly, he began repeating those words, as if they were a mantra to keep him safe, or at least steady his nerves...

"Safety off. Line up the sights. Squeeze, don't pull..." he murmured to himself over and over again between quick, shaky, nervous breaths. It was the only thing keeping him focused. His father's words were only thing that was giving him enough strength to meet oblivion head on... "Safety off. Line up the sights. Squeeze, don't pull... Safety off. Line up the sights. Squeeze, don't pull..."

Pvt. Ryuji Nakajima trudged forward through the lingering clouds of dust and smoke that hung like a morbid mist over the no mans land that was the NERV geofront, still dragging Masaki along with him in a daze. By now he'd gone from nearly shitting himself in fright to completely desensitized to just about everything. After seeing that pale giant get sucked into the purple Eva, getting levitated two meters into the air while the earth shook, only to nearly get killed yet again, this time by friendly fire, he was thoroughly fucking done with just about everyone and everything. "Y'know, Kentaro, we've got the worst fucking luck..." he grumbled softly. "I swear, things can't possibly get any damn worse..."

Masaki let out a weak chuckle followed by a sputtering cough. "At least you're not fucked up beyond all recognition like me..." he croaked. "I just want to sleep..."

Nakajima nearly tripped over a depression in the ground, causing them both to stumble. "The situation is still SNAFU," he grumbled in reply. "And we've been over this, if you fall asleep you might not wake up... and you're already dead weight."

Masaki chortled again. "Fuck you..." he croaked out. "At this point dying seems like a mercy..."

Nakajima jostled him purposely, eliciting a yelp of pain. "Keep that attitude and I'll make sure to make it really painful if you do kick the bucket," he spat.

"Ah- a- as if it isn't already painful..." his friend moaned in reply.

Nakajima was about to come up with something witty in response but bit his tongue upon hearing a voice faintly amid the dust and smoke. There was someone speaking out in the wasteland around him. It sounded like they were repeating something over and over again... "Hey, do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" Masaki groaned. "You being an asshole?"

No," Nakajima hissed, honing his ears in on the sound, trying to figure out where the hell it was coming from. If it was a friendly then maybe they'd get out of this alive. "It sounds like someone's talking out here..."

"I can barely hear or see shit," Masaki replied, reaching up and wiping his bloodied face. "Who is it? Is it friendlies or hostiles?"

Nakajima weighed his options. With the mist of smoke and dust lingering in the air it would be easy to slip by whomever it was out there in no mans land, but if they were friendly they could render assistance. At the same time, if they weren't friendly, then if he happened upon them while dragging Masaki along they'd definitely make short work of the both of them. It was best to scout around and figure out who it was alone. Slowly he set Masaki down on the ground. "Wait here," he said quietly. "I'll be back for you."

Masaki flopped onto his back and groaned. "What if you're not?" he asked bitterly.

Nakajima issued him a wan smile as he undid the safety of his rifle and brought it to his shoulder. "Then you won't have to worry about me kicking your ass if you die on me," he replied.

Masaki laughed weakly, coughing. "That's a small consolation..." he muttered. Even so, Nakajima could tell he was smiling just a bit despite his mangled face. "Good luck, Ryuji..."

Nakajima nodded and turned toward the source of the voice without another word...

He stepped through the dust and smoke, hunching to keep a low profile, his rifle at the ready, prepared to defend himself. Slowly but surely he crept closer to the sound of the voice until he could clearly decipher what was being said. It sounded like the voice was repeating a mantra of some kind regarding the safety on a gun, over and over and over again. Perhaps it was one of his comrades who'd gone completely mad from the events of the day? He wouldn't fault them if that were the case. The dust was beginning to settle and after a few more paces Nakajima halted as his quarry revealed itself.

He looked down the scope of his rifle to get a better look and instantly his mouth fell open in bewilderment and surprise. There was some kind of giant metal cylinder laying on the ground and two people in front of it. One of them was shirtless and the other was laying on their side, bleeding heavily, looking like they were wearing the former's shirt. The shirtless individual looked like he couldn't be any older than fifteen and he was holding a pistol, pointing it out into the clouds of dust. He remembered reading that the pilots of those Eva things were young kids. Should he just blast him and get it over with?

Nakajima felt disgusted with himself for that thought. He lowered his rifle... "He's just a kid..." he murmured to himself with a frown. He just couldn't do it. He wouldn't let himself stoop to the level of a cold blooded murderer, even if it was the safest and most efficient option. No. He'd reason with this kid and hope for the best... "Hey!" he called out.

The boy swung the pistol he held around and leveled it at him. His expression was nothing short of primal fear. "Stay away!" he screamed.

Nakajima tensed, fighting the instinct to shoulder his rifle. Instead he raised a hand and took a step closer. "Easy, kid!" he called back. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Just stay away!" the kid shouted, visibly trembling. "Back away or I'll shoot!"

Nakajima could tell that this kid had probably never held a gun in his life. He could also tell that he was absolutely pants-shitting terrified. That made him dangerous. His training screamed at him to simply raise his gun and waste the little bastard but his sense of morality implored him to continue negotiating. If he shot this kid he'd have to live with that forever and that wasn't something he was willing to do. "I don't want to fucking shoot you!" he shouted. "Put the gun down and lets talk!"

"Back away!" the kid screamed. "Just stay away! Stay the hell away from us!"

Nakajima scowled. He had to find some way to reason with him, but what? His eyes drifted to the injured person on the ground. It looked like they were female but he couldn't tell at the distance or from the oblique angle he observed them from. All he could tell was that they were injured. "Your friend there, are they hurt!?" he shouted out, daring to take a step closer, further lowering his rifle.

The kid lowered his pistol slightly. "Y- yeah!" he stammered out.

Bingo... this was his leverage and his path to deescalation. "A friend of mine's hurt too!" he called back. "He won't make it if I don't get him some help! Looks like your friend is in the same boat! Does that thing behind you have a radio!?"

"Y- yeah!" the kid shouted back nervously. "I- it does!"

"Well put your gun down and use it!" Nakajima shouted back. "I'm coming over there!"

"P- p- put yours down first!" the kid stuttered in response.

Nakajima drew a deep breath and let it out. He supposed there was no way around it, especially if he was going to save Masaki's life. "Fine, dammit!" he responded, kneeling down and laying his rifle on the ground. "I'm coming over now! Hold up your end, you little shit!"

He watched as the boy lowered the pistol to his side before letting it slide out of his hand. Nakajima scowled. He supposed that this was as much as the jumpy bastard would comply. Then again, he could probably take him with his combat knife should the need arise once he was close enough. He stepped forward slowly, keeping his eye on the boy the whole time until he closed the distance of sixty or so paces. He stopped about two meters away from the boy. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"Shinji..." the boy responded, looking at him fearfully. Even so, his eyes had a glassy, thousand meter stare quality to them, one he knew all too well... "Shinji Ikari..."

Nakajima's lips parted in surprise. Ikari... that was the name of the pilot of the purple one, or so he'd heard. "You're the pilot of the purple one, right?"

The boy, Shinji, nodded. "I... I was..." he croaked, looking down. "Wh- who are you?"

"Pvt. First Class Ryuji Nakajima," Nakajima responded. "Pretty impressive what you did today... whatever the hell that was..."

Ikari's lip quivered and he looked down at the injured person beside him. "It wasn't me..." he murmured weakly.

Now that he was close he could confirm that the person on the ground was a girl, one about the same age as the boy, and that she was grievously injured. He could also get a good look at her face... the same face that giant had. "She's that..." he vocalized softly, terrified at first... until he noticed the pair of shrapnel shards sticking out of her back. Seeing that, the fear began to wane, replaced with pity. "She's..."

The boy grimaced and tears began falling down his cheeks. "She's hurt..." he hissed, tightening his grip on the pistol at his side. "That's all that matters to me right now..."

Nakajima studied that expression on the boy's face. He was clearly determined to protect her, whomever or whatever she was, and it was also clear that he cared very much about her from that look on his face. His eyes turned back to the girl. He supposed the answer to the question of whomever or whatever she was could wait until later. Besides... she wasn't a threat at the moment, he didn't want to get shot, and he'd left his rifle a ways away... "She's really fucked up, isn't she?" he murmured in soft contemplation.

"Sh- she'll die if she doesn't get help..." the boy stammered, his voice choked with sobs. "I- don't want her to die..."

Nakajima knelt down to the pale skinned girl and began looking at the wounds on her back. The kid was right, the metal stabbing through her back probably punctured her lungs. "Get the radio working in this escape capsule or whatever the fuck it is," he responded, looking back up at the scared boy beside him. "I'll keep an eye on your friend, I promise..."

Ikari nodded softly, meeting his gaze, before climbing back into the metal cylinder the three of them were next to. Nakajima sat down and looked up at the sky, his helmet thunking against the white metal cylinder capsule thing. After everything he'd been through in the last few hours this was probably the craziest thing he'd seen or done... "What a fucking day..." he murmured to himself.

Oh well... he supposed if it came to it that potentially being taken prisoner was better than letting Masaki die.

Major Ichijo stood waiting in the hallway just outside the breach behind which the NERV central command bridge lay. The silence was deafening and the mood in the corridor was tense to say the least. No one spoke, hell, it seemed like some of the men were afraid to breathe... and then one of the men possessing a radio put the earpiece of his device to his ear...

Ichijo focused his attention to the man, watching the expression the man's face shift from nervousness to one of bewilderment. "Y- yes sir, he's right here..." he said before pulling the receiver away from his head and looking up with a confused expression. "Major, it's General Oda, sir. He wants to speak to you."

Ichijo's brow furrowed. Why would the General want to speak to him himself? Wasn't that Mitsuo's responsibility? He stepped over to the man with the radio and snatched up the receiver. "Ichijo speaking," he stated quietly. "What is it, sir?"

Oda breathed a heavy sigh. "Stand down..." he ordered flatly. "The orders come directly from the ministry of defense. Stand down..."

Ichijo's lips parted in surprise. It was welcome news but very unexpected. "Understood," he replied.

Oda sighed yet again, sounding very annoyed. "What is your position?" he asked.

"I'm right outside the command center," Ichijo responded, still processing his orders.

"Very well," Oda returned. "Establish communications with NERV if you can. Establish a peaceful occupation until we can sort out this mess, understood?"

"Understood, sir," Ichijo replied.

The radio squelched and the communication ended. Ichijo handed the handset back to the radio operator and stood tall, facing the majority of his men. "We've been ordered to stand down," he stated firmly.

A collective gasp fell over the assembled troops. "What the fuck!?" one exclaimed. "We're on the cusp of victory! Why the hell are we standing down!?"

"What the hell is going on, sir!?" another gasped. "We're winning!"

Ichijo scowled, glaring at the assembled men. "Ours is not to question!" he snapped in reply. "We've been ordered to negotiate! Does anyone have a white cloth!?"

One of the men, reached into his pocket and produced a white handkerchief. "I've got this," they responded.

Ichijo held out his hand, glaring at the man. "Give it here!" he snapped.

The man stepped over and handed him the handkerchief, eyeing him with a nervous expression. "What are you going to do, sir?" he asked.

Ichijo took the handkerchief in his hand and decoupled the long stick magazine from the reserve slots on the side of his G11 rifle before tying it on the end of it. "What the hell does it look like?" he replied. "I'm going to talk with them."

The soldier nodded. "Good luck, sir," he replied, snapping a salute.

Ichijo nodded and moved toward the breach after drawing a deep breath. After how brutal he and his troops had been he'd count himself lucky if they didn't shoot him on sight but he had to do it. It was the righteous thing to do after all...

Misato stood on the bridge, her arms folded, listening to the various radio transmissions coming in from the various hold outs of NERV's security forces. Most of them were completely shattered, unable to offer any resistance at all, let alone come to their rescue. The whole situation seemed hopeless...

And then a new transmission rang out over the bridge...

"Misato-san!" Shinji's voice rang out over the bridge. "Misato-san! Can you hear me!?"

Misato immediately dove over to Hyuga's station and keyed the microphone. Even after the shelling he was still alive! "Shinji!?" she exclaimed, elated to hear from him. "Are you okay!?"

"I- I'm okay," he stammered over the frequency. "R- Rei's hurt! P- please send someone! Anyone!"

Misato gasped in surprise. How the hell had Rei gotten out there with him? Was she somehow responsible for whatever the hell caused Lilith to awaken!? It didn't matter. The most important thing was rescuing them if that was even possible. "Just sit tight where you are!" she shouted back over the radio. "We'll get to you as soon as we can!"

"Hurry!" Shinji cried desperately. "She's hurt really bad!"

Misato grit her teeth, knowing there was very little she could actually do. "We'll get there as soon as we can!" she repeated. "I promise we will, just hold on!"

A blast of automatic gunfire prevented her from responding. She immediately swiveled her head to find Aoba leaning over the parapet with his sub-machine gun in his hand, a feral expression on his face. "Stay back!" he snarled. "I've got you in my sights, you motherfucker!"

"I've come to negotiate!" came the faint reply from down below on the lower levels. "I'm bearing the flag of truce!"

"Fuck you!" Aoba shouted as he slammed a new magazine into his gun. "The only truce we accept is you fucking off!"

Misato stood tall, looking out over the parapet. There was a single SDF soldier holding a white handkerchief attached to a stick of some kind. "Hold your fire!" she shouted at the long haired lieutenant beside her before turning her attention fully to the man on the level below. "Who am I speaking to!?"

"Major Hajime Ichijo, JSSDF Special Forces!" the soldier called back. "And you!?"

"Major Misato Katsuragi, NERV Commander of Field Operations!" she shouted back. "Have you come to surrender!?"

"My superiors have called a cease-fire!" the soldier, Ichijo, called back. "We'd like to be able to evacuate our wounded and retrieve our dead! Is that satisfactory!?"

Misato glared down at him. After the hell they'd wrought they were willing to negotiate? It didn't make sense... but she supposed she could offer them that courtesy. "You may retrieve your dead!" she responded. "What else do you want!?"

"My superiors request I relay their request that you establish communications with them!" the soldier, Major Ichijo, responded. "Those are my orders, ma'am!"

"Fine fucking thing for them to ask after blowing up half of our radio and digital trasmission systems..." Aoba growled from where he crouched beside her.

Part of her certainly agreed with him but for the most part she was simply relieved. "Retrieve your dead!" she called back. "Tend your wounded and ours! Do that and we'll start negotiating!"

"It will be done!" The soldier replied, snapping a respectful salute which Misato returned in kind. After that, he turned around and stepped back through the breach in the wall.

Misato breathed a heavy sigh, her strength utterly depleted. "Sweep the frequencies in use," she murmured to Hyuga. "Get me in touch with whoever the hell is in command of these animals and send any available medical team to Shinji's location on the surface."

"Yes ma'am," Hyuga responded, getting to work immediately.

"Looks like we'll survive this..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki commented softly.

Misato nodded, staring off into space. "Yeah..." she murmured. "We'll survive this..."

Hyuga turned to her, holding up the telephone at his station. "I have the commander of the SDF detachment on the line," he stated nervously.

Misato took a deep breath and took the receiver from him. "Major Katsuragi, Commander of Combat Operations speaking..." she spoke into it, trying to remain composed as best she could.

"This is General Katsuhito Oda of the JSSDF," came the gruff, bitter sounding voice over the line. "A ceasefire has been declared. My forces will be entrenching in and around the geofront but will be evacuating the interior of your facility."

Misato scowled. He sounded like he was frustrated, probably because he would have won had the offensive gone on any longer. Even so, she didn't like being spoken to so condescendingly... "And what If don't agree to your terms?" she asked. "What if I were to tell you to pack up and leave?"

"Major!" Hyuga gasped from where he sat.

There was a pause before this General Oda responded. "Keep in mind that my position is advantageous in comparison to yours and I will not hesitate to shell you into oblivion the moment I'm offered an opportunity to do so... Major..." he snarled in reply.

Misato grit her teeth. He was right, his position far outclassed hers, considering he had the high ground and had them completely surrounded. "Fine," she replied. "I agree to you terms on one condition..."

"And that condition is?" came the General's frustrated response.

He was clearly losing his patience but she had to press her point... "Two of my pilots are stranded on the surface of the geofront. I ask that NERV be able to retrieve them unhindered," she replied flatly.

"Agreed. You will be permitted to retrieve them. I'll give you one hour and then I want all NERV forces confined within the underground center of yours..." Oda responded after another moment of pause, ending the transmission afterward.

Misato breathed a heavy sigh of relief, setting down the phone. Her knees felt weak and she felt light headed as the adrenaline in her bloodstream finally began to leave her system. "Alright..." she murmured. "The SDF is going to allow us to retrieve the pilots and then they'll be confining us to headquarters while they pull their forces back."

"What does that mean?" Ibuki piped up meekly. "D- does that mean... does it mean it's over?"

"Let's hope so..." Aoba grumbled in response to her. "We're basically out of ammo up here..."

Misato said nothing and slumped to her knees beside Hyuga's station, utterly deflated. Indeed, they could only hope that things would pan out in a way that allowed everyone who remained to survive...

Shinji sat beside Rei on the ground beside the plug, clasping her hand tightly in his. She was still breathing, he'd checked many times, but her pulse was very weak and her breaths were shallow, sounding choked... but there was nothing he could do for her. All he could do was sit there and wait for help.

"I can't believe they'd send you out in those things without so much as first aid kit or a flare gun..." someone muttered at his side. "Has NERV no concern for their men?"

Shinji turned his head and regarded the two SDF soldiers reclining against the plug beside him. Once he'd emerged from the plug the soldier who'd stumbled upon him, Nakajima, had left to retrieve the injured friend he'd mentioned. The other soldier, Masaki he remembered Nakajima calling him, was in arguably as bad a state as Rei was, his face mangled and bloody, his body covered in cuts and wounds. He wanted to ask what had happened to him but he could imagine it would only stir tensions, even though the question he'd been asked stirred a great deal of turmoil in his heart. "Usually we'd have support..." he responded bitterly.

A deep frown washed over Nakajima's face as he looked forward over the desolation surrounding them. "Yeah... support..." he grumbled. "What a fucked up mess this all is..."

Shinji looked down at the unconscious Rei and squeezed her hand. "Yeah..." he murmured softly. "It is pretty fucked up..."

Nakajima took his helmet off and stared down into it with a bitter expression. "The red one... is the pilot a kid like you too?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah..." he replied. "She is..."

The second soldier coughed and convulsed. "So I'm dying because of a little girl..." he croaked. "What a fuckin' way to go..."

Nakajima smacked the wounded soldier in the chest, eliciting a yelp from him. "You're not dying today!" he hissed. "We've been over this, you stupid bastard!"

The other soldier coughed and groaned. "As if you have a say in the matter, jackass?" he croaked out. "I'm the one who's fucked up. I'll tell you if I'm dying or not..."

"Just shut the fuck up and sit tight," Nakajima spat. "Just relax, asshole... Someone is coming to help. The boy said they were."

"Yeah, for him..." the other soldier whispered, convulsing and rolling over on his side. "NERV will probably kill us when they find us here..."

Shinji bit his lip and fought back tears, tightening the death grip he had on his father's pistol as a million horrible thoughts flashed through his mind. If things got nasty between these two SDF soldiers and whomever Misato sent to rescue him would he be forced to shoot them? He didn't want to but if it meant protecting himself and Rei. They were just as much victims of everything as he and Rei were, something he knew thanks to his father... "I'm sick of this..." he whimpered, unable to hold back the tears any longer. "I'm so sick of suffering..."

He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, kid..." Nakajima stated quietly. "This shit will pass... I hope..."

Shinji winced instinctively at his touch even though the sympathy the soldier expressed was welcome. "Yeah..." he murmured. "I hope so too..."

A bitter, deafening silence fell over all parties gathered. However, in the distance, a soft rumbling could be heard and it was getting louder. It sounded like an engine of some kind. Shinji tensed up. Was this the army coming for them? Would he be safe if it was? Would Rei be safe?

Nakajima stood to his feet. "Hey, do you hear that?" he asked.

Shinji nodded. "I do..." he replied nervously.

The soldier stood up and clambered atop the entry plug and Shinji watched as he took a look around before waving his arms high in the air. "Hey!" he shouted. "Over here!"

Shinji tensed. "What is it?" he asked.

Nakajima hopped back down beside him. "It's a vehicle convoy," he replied. "They saw us."

Shinji scowled. "Are they NERV or are they... yours..." he returned bitterly.

"I'm not sure," the soldier replied. "But I suppose we'll find out... If they're yours then they take Masaki and I prisoner. If they're mine then they'll take you and your friend as prisoners."

Shinji tightened his grip on his father's gun, remembering the three soldiers he'd encountered within the halls of NERV... "Or they'll just shoot us..." he muttered.

Nakajima said nothing in response, he simply closed his eyes and cringed...

The sound of the engines grew louder and with each second that passed Shinji's heart beat faster. By the time the vehicles surrounded their position around the entry plug he was trembling but a wave of relief washed over him when he saw the NERV insignia painted on the side of one of the trucks. Almost instantly armed men in NERV security uniforms poured out of the trucks and jeeps. They leveled their guns and Nakajima and his friend, causing the former to raise his hands in surrender.

"Pilot Ikari!" one of them shouted as he dashed over to him. "Are you alright!?"

Shinji stood up, finally letting go of Rei's hand. "I am..." he replied. "Rei isn't..."

The NERV man knelt down and quickly assessed Rei. "Medic!" he shouted back to his comrades. "The girl is priority!"

Shinji watched as a team of medical personnel dashed over and quickly threw the unconscious Rei onto a stretcher. In seconds she was being whisked over to one of the trucks. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Come on kid, let's get you out of here," the NERV man stated, guiding him toward the convoy.

They only got five or six steps before the questions just started pouring out of him. He simply needed to know what was going on if only to soothe his anxiety. "What's going on?" Shinji asked. "Is the battle over? Is Asuka okay?"

"The SDF called a cease-fire," the NERV man stated. "We were given permission to retrieve you and Pilot Soryu. That's all I know."

"Take him with you!" a voice barked from behind.

Shinji and the NERV man turned around. Nakajima was standing there with balled fists. "Take him with you!" he shouted again, pointing at his comrade. "He won't last much longer!"

"And why should we, butcher?" the NERV man retorted. "We have our orders, not to mention you and yours would have killed us all if given the opportunity!"

Nakajima glared at him. "I could have killed both of those kids had I chosen to but I didn't!" he spat. "Show some fucking humanity!"

Shinji bowed his head. It was the bitter truth. If Nakajima had chosen to he could very easily have simply blasted him and called it a day. Instead he'd taken the risk of helping him just so his friend could receive medical attention. He didn't deserve such disregard but he just couldn't bring himself to speak on his behalf. He was still the enemy even if he was one he felt a degree of sympathy for... but he doubted the rescue team would share his conflicted feelings.

"Fine..." the NERV man growled in reply after a moment of pause. "We'll take him. Now get back to your lines..."

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise. Even after everything the military had done to NERV mercy was still being shown? He looked up to see Nakajima's expression soften. The soldier gave a respectful nod and an awkward smile. "Thank you..." he stated softly. "Take care of him... and both those two kids."

Shinji felt the NERV man's grip on his shoulder tighten slightly as he turned around without another word, forcing him to walk along with him to the trucks. Shinji allowed himself to be ushered inside. He sat down in the rear of the vehicle, alone, with only stragers around him.

The adrenaline finally started leaving his system and the reality of everything he'd experienced in the last few hours began crashing down on him once again. He'd lost his father, he'd seen Rei nearly killed, he'd seen and taken part in warfare and slaughter, and nearly witnessed the end of the world... and yet he was still alive. He was still alive by some miracle... and he would have to face the uncertainty that lay ahead. It was all too much. It was all too, too much...

Shinji Ikari tightened his grip on his fahter's gun, pulled his arms tight around his chest, hunched forward, and wept...

Nakajima watched as the NERV forces shoved Masaki into the back of a truck and boarded their vehicles before driving away, leaving him alone amid the desolation of the geofront. He could only hope that his friend would be properly tended to but now he had to focus on getting back to his lines in case the cease-fire he'd been just been informed of ended.

He breathed a sigh of relief and hung his head. "At least I'm not a prisoner..." he muttered.

He turned around to the cylindrical capsule he'd been taking refuge near and gathered up his helmet and his rifle before taking a look around. The cratered and scorched landscape was reminiscent of old photos of no-man's-land in the First World War and he was stranded in the middle of it. The landscape was so blasted and churned over that he could barely recognize any landmarks. That made getting back to his lines difficult, let alone his regiment. Then again, if he just headed straight for long enough he'd probably meet up with someone in the SDF... he hoped.

"Well..." he murmured to himself. "I might as well start walking..."

With that in mind he set off, trudging ahead, with nothing but a fool's hope...

Nakajima began to shiver, bringing his arms across his chest and rubbing at his upper arms. This was strange. Why was it so cold? What was happening? He couldn't remember the last time he'd been cold like this outside. Vaguely he could remember what this time of year was like before Second Impact but that was a distant memory.

The sky dimmed, casting a gray hue over the landscape. He looked skyward and was surprised to see thick gray clouds rolling in. It was so strange. It had been sunny not too long ago. What was causing this? Did it have something to do with that shaking and weightlessness nonsense?

And then he felt something chilly and wet land on his face.

He brought a hand up to his cheek and wiped it away. His glove was wet. He looked around and his eyes went wide at the sight he saw, at the swirling fragments of white dancing in the air around him.

"Snow?" he uttered in bewilderment.

Asuka awakened at the sensation of a sudden jolt, her mind swimming in confusion. She was inside the entry plug of Unit 02. She wondered why... but then it all started coming back to her along with the agonizing pain in her left eye. The pain made her remember. The pain made her remember everything...

She hunched forward and grabbed at her face, letting out a moan of anguish through gritted teeth. One moment she'd been on top of the world knowing that her mother had always been watching over her, drinking delight of the thrill of battle once again, proving to herself that she was always the best... to the next moment being laid low. She still couldn't believe it. It wasn't fair! Why was the universe so cruel! She hated it. She hated this feeling so much even though she was beyond used to it by now...

The main hatch to her plug opened and she was bathed bright light and greeted by the clamor of voices. "Wh- what's happening?" she croaked out, fighting through the pain in her face.

"Pilot Soryu!" a voice called out to her. "Are you alright!?"

She desperately tried to focus her vision. Who was intruding upon her? Who was fishing her out of the cockpit right now? It had to be someone from NERV if they were calling her by name... "I... I don't know..." she murmured in reply.

She felt hands grabbing at her, pulling her out of her seat. She wanted to protest but he couldn't find the strength to do so. "The pilot is alive!" the person pulling on her shouted. "Help me!"

Asuka cringed at the sensation. She was getting rescued by someone, someone who had no idea what kind of shit she'd been through. She hated it. She wanted to die. Death was better than this humiliation... "Get off of me!" she cried. "Leave me alone!"

The person dragging her deposited her on a stretcher and let her go. "Get her out of here!" someone shouted. "She's injured! Get her out of here!"

Asuka's eye darted around as she was carried away, trying to take stock of everything happening around her. So the wound to her eye and head was real... that was disheartening to hear. She hadn't been able to overcome her situation. She hadn't been able to overcome anything... and the only reason she was alive right now was probably because Shinji had managed to sortie, like usual...

"Goddammit!" she growled to herself, covering her eyes with her hands. "Goddammit all to hell!"

Ritsuko stepped out of the elevator and immediately froze at the sight before her. After Rei had merged with Lilith she'd figured that it was the end, especially after that moment of weightlessness, but after such a long delay her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd chosen to ascend to the higher levels. She didn't know what to expect but what greeted her at the top of the elevator ride still came as a complete surprise...

There were wounded NERV personnel walking about alongside wounded SDF soldiers. There were no gunshots, no angry orders being barked, no angry shouts of aggression... just moans of agony and soft whispers of people trying to soothe on another. The most striking sight to her was a wounded NERV security officer limping arm in arm with a disheveled SDF soldier passing by in silence. It took a moment to process it all. So the battle was over? What had caused it to end and why? It was puzzling, especially considering how quickly the SDF was overrunning NERV when she'd descended to Terminal Dogma. It looked like some kind of truce had been agreed upon... but why?

A NERV soldier came walking through the corridor with a cigarette between his lips and she lifted a hand to flag him down. "Hey, do you have a smoke?" she asked.

The man stopped at her side and produced a pack from his jacket, offering her a cigarette. She grabbed one and placed it in her mouth before lighting it, grimacing in disgust as she did. Menthol... she couldn't stand menthol, but it was better than nothing at the moment."What happened?" she asked. "What's going on?"

The NERV man regarded her with a befuddled expression. "Don't you know?" he scoffed. "The SDF has called a cease-fire."

Ritsuko scowled. "I can see that," she replied. "But why?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, taking a drag off of his cigarette. "Someone must have negotiated or something..."

Ritsuko nodded her head in understanding. Clearly he didn't know much but it was a good sign that things had cooled off. "That's good..." she returned. "Any word from the command center? Any word on the pilots?"

The man took another drag off his cigarette. "I don't know," he replied. "From what I understand though the pilots are secure, all three of them."

She tensed at those words. "All three of them?" she asked, her mind racing. What did that mean? Did that mean in regards for Rei?

"Yeah," the man replied, blowing a plume of smoke into the air. "They apparently took a real beating. They're in the medical wing now."

Ritsuko tensed up, taking a pensive drag off of the cigarette in her hand. "Thank you..." she murmured quietly before walking away from the NERV security man, dropping the cigarette to the floor.

His words lingered in her mind as she walked. Whatever happened while she was down in Terminal Dogma must have been big but if all three of the pilots were still alive then she had to go to them. If Rei was still alive then she had to be there for her. If she didn't then what good was she? She had to make sure they were okay. She had to make sure that Rei was okay. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't...

"Get in there!" the man escorting him snarled as he shoved him into a darkened room immediately after undoing his handcuffs.

Kaji hit the ground on his face, unable to fully shield himself from the impact. He managed to turn his head just in time to see Fujita smack down next to him. "You don't have to be so rough with us!" the DIH agent grunted. "You're throwing us in a cell, not into a sex club in Berlin!"

"Shut the fuck up!" one of the men who'd been walking them through the detention center shouted before kicking Fujita in the stomach, causing him to curl into the fetal position. "You two are lucky to be alive right now!"

"This is living?" Fujita wheezed.

The quip was answered by a stomp to Fujita's ribs, eliciting a pained yelp. "I told you to shut up!" the second guard snarled.

"Now you jokers have fun sitting here because you're probably never going to get out..." the other guard growled. With that both of the guards left the cell and slammed the door, plunging the two men into total darkness. The only light in the windowless cell came from the crack under the steel door...

Kaji slowly sat up, wincing from the pain throbbing throughout his entire body. After they'd surrendered and been escorted out of Minister Katsumoto's office the oh so kind security forces had proceeded to viciously beat the shit out the both of them. At first it was simply to gain information from them but they'd continued out of sadism even once they'd made it clear they wouldn't talk. Either way, he was quite bruised and bloody. Even so, his wits were still sharp, and he began taking stock of the last hour or so. Considering they hadn't been turned into orange goo it was likely that either NERV repulsed the SDF's attack or their words had gotten through to Katsumoto... but that didn't explain the earthquake.

"Hey..." Fujita wheezed. "Do you think we actually accomplished what we set out to do?"

"Seems likely..." Kaji replied quietly. "We're not dissolved into human thought soup, so I'd say it's a likely guess at least..."

"What do you think the earthquake was?" Fujita groaned. "Some kind of bomb maybe?"

"I don't know..." Kaji returned quietly.

"Well... if we got through to Katsumoto what does that mean for us?" Fujita asked softly. "Do you think they'll let us out?"

Kaji scowled, laying down on the floor. Once the truth filtered through where it needed to, pending SEELE's moves on NERV had been made impossible, that would be the best possible outcome. Then again, with what he'd seen of the halls of power in his time, he wouldn't be surprised if the government simply had them shot to cover their asses for the failure of the intelligence agencies... "I don't know..." he replied bitterly. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out..."

Fujita sighed. "Once again... back to the waiting game..." he muttered. "This sucks..."

Kaji couldn't help but agree with his comrade's assessment of their situation. Being left in the dark, figuratively and literally, was not a pleasant feeling. At least they'd done all they could to contribute to a good outcome but that was a small consolation. All that was left was to sit back, hope the government wouldn't have them summarily shot, and wait to see how things would play out...

Author's notes

And thus the battle of Tokyo 3 concluded... and now our cast of characters must deal with the fallout. I'm sorry that the events of this one weren't unilaterally triumphant but that's life. It's more interesting and more real when things have a bit of nuance...

The final moment between Gendo, Yui, Rei, and Shinji has been a moment I've looked forward to since I started this fic and I hope it satisfied. In terms of what Rei's final gift from Yui was... well I think that's pretty obvious. Shikishima finally growing a pair and standing up to Oda was certainly a very fun moment to put on the page too. I think it's safe to say that the old bastard deserved it. Outside of the instrumentality council of SEELE he's probably the most contemptible character in this story, at least in my eyes. Also been very much looking forward to Nakajima's meeting with Shinji.

Now comes the falling action and our cast must pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and hopefully repair things. Hopefully it goes well for them... but time will tell. There's still a little bit left before the end of this story. It also seems that there may have been a misunderstanding when I took my hiatus. I only took a break so I could release these six chapters weekly. There is still quite a bit left in this tale. You can expect the final update with chapter 68...

As always, please read and review. Thank you all for reading!

Regards,

A.F.