The Girl Who Shouted I At The Heart Of The World Chapter 54: The End Of Midsummer, an evangelion fanfic

Chapter 54 – The End Of Midsummer

It was mid afternoon and Rei stood by the shores of the crater lake formed by the detonation of Unit 00 amid the ruins of Tokyo 3, staring out over the placid waters. She watched as a transformer fell from a broken wooden utility pole and splashed down into the water, disturbing its calm, glass-like surface. The ripples and waves it generated spread outward in a perfect circle at first but as they passed jutting pieces of wreckage sticking up in the water they devolved into chaos before settling as if they'd never occurred. The motions of the water felt like a perfect representation of her state of mind and the results of her actions. Whatever ripples she'd made through her actions to affect positive change had come to nothing or slowly eroded the things she wanted to preserve. Guilt and despair were threatening to consume her in much the same way that desolation had consumed the city.

Ever since Ritsuko called her earlier in the morning and told her about what happened to Asuka and Shinji after the previous day's battle she'd been existing in a state of utter numbness and shock. To know that it was partially her fault that Asuka had attacked Shinji and attempted suicide was a horrifying thing to have to live with. When she'd found out she'd barely been able to breathe. Even thinking about it made her feel empty, hollow. She'd thought that taking a walk would help to clear her mind but it hadn't helped at all. Staying away from Asuka and Shinji was only making her feel worse about her inaction, her inability to make positive change... but she was afraid to go see either of them.

What would she say to them if she went to see them? What could she say? The notion that Shinji might have figured out that she'd known about Nagisa or that Nagisa himself had told him had per petrified. The idea that she'd have to explain herself to him when in retrospect her decision to keep that secret felt reprehensible was agonizing. What would Asuka say if she knew? It was highly possible that her own inaction might end up costing her the person she loved the most and her closest friend... In the back of her mind though she knew that she had to see them, just as she knew that soon, perhaps in a matter of hours, that time would run out in regards to changing the future...

She grit her teeth and winced, closing her eyes as that thought rolled over her. She couldn't afford to remain stagnant any longer. She couldn't just wait until some moment of opportunity presented itself to act anymore... but with so little time left there was almost nothing that could be done. No... there was nothing that could be done other than attempt to reinforce her bonds to others and hope to weather the storm should whatever Commander Ikari's plans to stop it fail. That was all she could do...

"I need to speak to them..." she murmured to herself, trying her best to find the strength to move from where she stood. "I need to talk to Shinji and Asuka..."

She turned around and started walking even though her knees were trembling. Each step she took it was harder and harder to move. With each breath she drew it was harder and harder to breathe... but she had to keep moving. She had to go to NERV. Asuka was there in the hospital wing and if she knew Shinji he was probably there too, most likely visiting her like the compassionate boy he was.

Rei paused and took a few deep breaths to steady herself. Why was this so terrifying? Why did this scare her more than anything else she'd ever had to do? Perhaps it was because deep down she had a feeling in her gut that no matter what happened things would never be the same...

She continued the trek to NERV with a heavy heart and a clouded mind, each step more difficult than the last...

It still felt so unreal, the events of the previous day, but the nagging, stinging pain in his bandaged cheek and the sight of his roommate and friend laying asleep in the hospital bed before him, proved to Shinji that it was all too real. It hurt, seeing Asuka connected to a saline drip with fresh staples closing the jagged wound on her forearm, almost as much as knowing she blamed him for what happened to Nagisa. He hadn't wanted to kill him. The sight of how his body had just... turned into red paste in his Eva's hand would haunt him forever. Knowing that it really was partly his fault that Asuka felt the need to try and end her self... it hurt so very much. He only hoped that she'd wake up soon so he could tell her how very sorry he was...

But the thing that really hurt most was the idea that Rei might have known what Nagisa was and hadn't said a thing...

The thought was both saddening and infuriating but in hindsight it was obvious. Rei and Nagisa shared the same pale complexion, red eyes, and odd colored hair. He felt stupid for not becoming more suspicious, for giving Nagisa the benefit of the doubt. Then again... that was probably why Rei hadn't told anyone about his true nature. Even so, it hurt. It hurt that she hadn't trusted him enough. Considering what Nagisa had told him before he'd killed him, he'd felt forced into attacking NERV. If Rei or Nagisa had told him then perhaps things could have been different.

But they were as they were, and everything was worse for it...

What was even worse was his own selfishness when he thought about Rei keeping secrets from him. It felt almost like a personal betrayal, not unlike how he felt about his father's sick games, whatever they truly were. Even after he'd had time to think about the things she'd revealed about her nature and told her he accepted her the idea that she might have kept something like Nagisa's identity from him felt like treachery. If she'd just told him, or anyone, then maybe Asuka wouldn't be in the state she was in. At the same time... he deserved it for how he'd acted toward her that day she'd shown him that tank full of clones. Perhaps the situation was more his fault than he wanted to admit. Still, he couldn't help but be mad at Rei purely because of the damage this secret of hers might have caused. He was angry, sad, conflicted, anxious, frustrated, and guilt ridden, feeling all of these things toward Rei, his father, the world, and himself, all at once...

"Shinji..." a soft voice called out from the door behind him.

He turned around to find Rei standing there in the doorway wearing a nervous, pained expression. The look in those red eyes of hers spoke volumes. He couldn't even muster a greeting before he cut right to the point. With how conflicted he was feeling it would have felt like an empty pleasantry. It was about time he stuck up for himself and got right to the heart of things... "Why are you here?" he croaked out weakly.

Rei flinched at his accusation and seemed to shrink away from the doorway. "I- I... wanted to see Asuka... and you..." she whispered in response. "How's your cheek?"

Shinji turned back to face the sleeping girl on the bed. It was nice of her to ask him how he was but it did little to remedy the situation. Platitudes meant nothing in the grand scheme of things... "It stings..." he muttered. "But Asuka needs your concern more than me..."

There was a pause. "And... Asuka?" she asked nervously.

Shinji frowned, his lips contorting half way into a full on grimace. "She'll make it..." he muttered in response. "I just feel like hell... she's mostly here because of me..."

He listened as Rei stepped into the room, her footfalls barely making a sound as she moved closer. Then he felt her hand shakily rest atop his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Shinji..." she murmured.

The way she said that... there was something about the way she said those words that caused him to scowl. It just gave more proof to his dark suspicions. He reached up and brushed her hand away gently before bowing his head. Once he made his inquiry then it would all be out in the open... "You knew..." he muttered. "Didn't you?"

There was an agonizingly long pause before Rei spoke again. When she did, her voice was trembling. "A- about what?" she asked, practically squeaking.

He winced and closed his eyes. He knew the answer even before he asked the question. "About Nagisa..." he murmured, turning around to stare at her. "You knew he was the last Angel, didn't you..."

Rei's eyes went wide and she pulled her hands together, holding them close to her heart as she took a step back. "I- I- I..." she stuttered.

Shinji stood up from the chair and faced her with a frown. So that was the way it was... "Please tell me I'm wrong..." he pressed, unable to look her in the eye, both out of shame and hurt.

Rei took a step backwards, her footfall clacking on the tile. He lifted his gaze and observed her face, how she looked so conflicted and nervous and scared, how her eyes were shimmering, brimming with tears. "I... I did..." she murmured softly in response.

He balled his fists at his side and grit his teeth. He wanted to be mad at her. He wanted to take offense with her... but it was so hard because he cared so much about her. He understood because in that situation he wasn't sure what he himself would have done... "Why?" he asked as his body grew weak, unable to sustain any force of fury. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Rei met his gaze, tears slipping from wide eyes, her lips quivering in a deep frown bordering on a grimace. "I didn't know how..." she replied shakily. "I didn't know who to talk to... I was afraid..."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and bowed his head once more. He understood that fear, the fear of opening up to other people, and he understood that his own reaction to the things she'd shown him probably exacerbated that fear she felt... but it still hurt. "Well... because of that, we're here..." he muttered softly as he moved past her and headed toward the door. He was running away. Even though he knew it was wrong it was easier than facing her. It was easier to just be alone with his pain...

He got no more than two paces into the hallway before he felt a tug on his shirtsleeve. "What would you have me do!?" Rei cried out before seemingly choking on her words. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I... I was afraid... I was afraid of how you or Asuka or anyone else would have taken it... especially you..."

He turned around, his heart lurching in his chest, fighting back tears. Perhaps she had a point. He would have been freaked out by that kind of news... "But you should have taken that chance..." he replied. "If you had then maybe this all could have been avoided..."

Rei grimaced and tears began falling from those deep crimson eyes of hers. "Nagisa asked me not to..." she choked, bowing her heard. "He didn't want to do what he did... his hand was forced..."

So the conspiracies ran through everything and everyone including Rei herself... it was such a bitter thing to come to terms with. He'd never been anything but a fucking pawn... "By who!?" he spat in anger and anguish, balling his fists at his side. "Why can't anyone tell me what the hell is actually going on!? Why does the person I care about most keep on keeping secrets from me!? What the hell, Rei!? Why!?"

Rei seemed to shrink away from him, bowing her head as she continued to weep. "It's so hard to explain..." she murmured in response. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I was just afraid. I was afraid of what might happen. I didn't want to lose you. I was afraid that you wouldn't understand..."

He bit the inside of his lip. It was understandable but it still hurt. Knowing she didn't trust him enough to understand hurt but he knew it was justified considering how he'd acted when he'd seen the truth of her own existence. At the same time, he'd loved her... he'd loved her enough to look past her origins and love her in spite of them. If she'd let him in he would have tried to assist her or Nagisa in whatever they'd been trying to accomplish... but instead she'd shut him out. That hurt so fucking much... "I just wish that things could have been different..." he muttered softly. "It might have been hard to swallow but I would have tried to help you if you'd told me soon enough... but you didn't..."

"I know..." she whimpered in response. "But I didn't know how you even could..."

He turned away from her. It was so fucking logical but it hurt so much. It made it even more brutally clear that he'd been nothing but a pawn in some grand game. "I suppose it doesn't matter now..." he returned bitterly as he started walking away. "What's happened has happened... we are where we are..."

"Shinji!" she shouted out to him, her voice sounding choked and full of sorrow. "I'm sorry! If I could have done things differently I would have!"

He halted in his tracks. He wanted to believe her but it was so hard. It was hard to comprehend considering everything he'd ever known since coming to Tokyo 3 was nothing but a web of lies... "Would you?" he asked quietly without turning around. "And would it have mattered?"

"I don't know..." Rei replied, her voice small and choked with sobs. "I just... don't want to lose you..."

Shinji closed his eyes and grimaced. How could he even respond to that? Was she being honest or was she just trying to manipulate him like everyone always had, like his own father had? "What are you trying to say?" he asked, unwilling or unable to turn around and face her.

"I'm trying to say I care about you, Shinji..." she responded in a tone of voice that he knew well. It was that same, soft, hushed, tearful, and tender tone she'd spoken with after he'd been recovered from Unit 01's core. He knew she was being honest... "I love you... I've loved you for a long, long time..."

His heart fluttered in his chest. She felt the same way he felt about her! Those words even a week ago would have made him want to leap for joy. If things weren't so damned complicated he would have turned around and embraced her with all his might... but he was too hurt and upset to do that. Just because their affection was mutual didn't mean he could just let her deception slide, especially when it hurt not just him but everyone around him. He wanted her to feel the same kind of hurt he was feeling. He wanted her understand. He wanted to get back at her, stab at her the way everyone in the world had over the years, lie to her the way that everyone, including her, had over the years. Only then would she get how he was feeling...

"Well you should stop..." he bit out before walking away without ever looking back...

He regretted those words the instant they left his mouth. He should never have said something like that but it was done, he couldn't take it back. All he could do was walk away with the sounds of her sobs filling his ears. Hearing that made him feel like hell. He rounded a corner and broke out into a run as his own tears started falling, making it hard to see. He was doing the one thing he'd sworn he'd never do again, running from his problems, running from a mess that he helped cause. Soon enough he couldn't sustain it. The weight of his actions, all of them, came crashing down on his head. He leaned up against a wall and pulled his knees up to his chin.

"I'm the fucking lowest..." he murmured aloud between fits of guttural sobbing.

As soon as Shinji rounded the corner Rei completely fell to pieces, collapsing to the floor in a blubbering, trembling mess. It felt unreal. Her worst fear had manifested into reality. Not only was Shinji upset with her but he'd all but told her he no longer wanted anything to do with her. She felt hollow and empty, like a massive black hole had formed where her heart had been. She'd lost him. She'd lost the one person she never wanted to lose... and it was all her fault.

What would she do now? Her bond with Shinji had seen her through so many dark times and now it was gone in the moment things were at their darkest. He'd been her rock, her ambition, and her dream. She'd dreamed many a night about how things could be between the two of them, how life might be if and when the machinations of SEELE could be thwarted, but now those wonderful visions were an impossibility. It made her wish she could simply give in to despair.

Slowly she rose to her feet, forcefully biting back the tears, trying to shove it all down. No. No she couldn't just give in and give up! So long as she had breath in her body she couldn't simply lay down and accept that things were as they were. She had to find a way to make up for her sins of omission and do something to change what was coming, however small... but what? What could she do? She felt so alone. She needed comfort. She needed to know that she wasn't completely to blame for how dark and terrible things were now...

She turned her attention to the open door of Asuka's room and instantly winced. Seeing her sleeping form there and knowing it was her fault was like a knife in her chest. She had to apologize for keeping such a horrible secret from her, for not intervening, for daring to trust Nagisa could find a way out of his fate. She needed to apologize to her. Maybe she would understand. She didn't want to lose her other closest friend but it was certain she'd lose her anyway if she found out through anyone else but her...

Rei entered the room and moved to the chair that Shinji had been sitting in when she'd first arrived. Her frown turned into a genuine grimace as she sat down, her eyes fixed on the jagged wound on her sleeping friend's forearm. It caused the tears to pour from her eyes with renewed force. The guilt just kept on hammering her into the dirt... "I'm sorry, Asuka..." she whimpered, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry..."

There was no response from the red haired girl laying asleep, nothing but her breathing and the soft beeping of the heart monitor beside her...

Rei winced her eyes closed. She felt so alone and small and weak and worthless... "I should have done more..." she murmured aloud, beginning to ramble. "I should have told you and Shinji that I knew what he was. I should have been honest with both of you..."

Yet again, only silence answered her...

She balled her fists atop her knees and grimaced, the tears once again intensifying. "Please wake up..." Rei croaked. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I need you to wake up..."

Yet again, silence...

Rei reached out and touched Asuka's shoulder. "Wake up... You're my friend and I want you to be alright... please... just be okay..." she murmured. "Please... wake up and talk to me..."

"Don't touch me..."

Rei's eyes snapped open and she instantly lifted her head to look at the fiery redhead's face. She was awake, her face contorted in a disgusted, livid expression. The shock of seeing her like that felt like a lightning bolt striking her. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. "A- Asuka..." she croaked out in surprise and dismay.

Asuka sat up in the bed, her blue eyes looking almost gray and cold as ice. "You knew what he was and you didn't say anything... You could have helped him and you didn't," she hissed as she slipped her legs off the bed and stood up, her voice raising in pitch and volume with every word until she was red in the face, yowling like a wild animal. "I fell for him! I trusted him! I trusted you! He's dead because of you!"

Rei sat in the chair, petrified with fear and despair. The couldn't be happening. This didn't seem real. It felt like some kind of nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. "I- I'm sorry..." she stammered out.

Asuka's lips curled back in a vengeful snarl. Rei had no time to react as the redhead lunged forward and knocked her to the ground, her hands wrapping around her throat. "I hate you! I'll kill you!" Asuka screamed, over and over like a broken record. "I hate you! I'll kill you! I hate you! I'll kill you! I hate you! I'll kill you! I hate you! I'll kill you!"

Rei desperately tried to push her off but she was too strong. Asuka's grip on her windpipe was like a vice and with each passing second it was getting harder to breathe. Hearing her say those things brought back the memories of when Naoko Akagi had once choked her to death. That look of utter contempt and fury in Asuka's eyes was the same look that woman had in that moment. It was the same expression that the Ritsuko of the old world had when she'd tried to strangle her with her stethoscope. In Rei's eyes, Asuka looked like an angry demon, a vengeful force that wouldn't rest until she breathed her last. She fought desperately for breath as her vision got dimmer and dimmer. The fear she was feeling as she kicked and struggled was nothing short of pure, instinctual, animal terror...

Suddenly Asuka's grip was broken and Rei gasped, coughing and sputtering. She looked up to see three members of the medical staff wrestling with Asuka. They were shouting among themselves while Asuka thrashed and howled like a wild beast. One of them produced a syringe of some kind and jabbed the manic redhead in the arm. After that her thrashing began to slow before she ultimately went limp and was laid back on the bed. The whole ordeal was hellish to watch.

Rei curled her knees up to her chin as the medical staff in turn surrounded her. Even though she'd been released from Asuka's death grip she couldn't seem to get a solid breath. Her whole body was shaking like a leaf and she couldn't stop it. It was all too much. All these people shouting, hovering around her, touching her. The nightmare she was living in just kept getting worse. NERV would soon be under attack and she couldn't change that. All she'd ever done for anyone around her was make things worse for the people she cared about thanks to her own intransigence and cowardice. It would have been better if Asuka hadn't been pulled off of her.

For the first time in her many lives, Rei Ayanami knew the meaning of true despair...

Evening found Ritsuko sitting in her office, smoking a cigarette, waiting for Misato to meet her. The conversation the two of them had the evening of the previous day was still fresh in her head. If pressed, she'd admit that she'd made the agreement that she had from a place of emotional impulse rather than logic but with things so late in the game it was one of the few actions she remained in control over. As much as she loved and grown to trust Gendo again, after seeing what happened to Asuka she refused to sit by and do nothing any longer. Now all that was left was to give Misato the keys she wanted. Even if it came to naught in the grand game and her friend couldn't raise any alarm at least her rear end would be covered and Misato would get what she wanted...

Just as she snubbed her cigarette she caught the sound of footsteps in the hallway and it wasn't long after before Misato appeared. She marched into the room and stood about two meters away from her. "So," she spoke in a stern tone. "I'm finally finished with all my reports concerning everything that happened yesterday. You said you'd help me get to the truth. What can you offer?"

Ritsuko could understand her need to dispense with pleasantries and reached into her lab coat's right hand pocket, producing a small flash drive. "I prepared this for you," she replied. "Take it."

Misato stepped closer and snatched it out of her hand. "What is it?" she asked. "Some more documents to sift through or something?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "No," she replied evenly. "But what's on there will allow you to get to the information you seek."

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Is this some kind of game?" she growled.

Ritsuko winced inwardly, painfully reminded of how much more tech-savvy she was compared to her closest friend. "That drive contains all backdoor access codes and passwords for the primary server complex," she replied. "I figure you'll be able to find exactly what you need using that."

Misato's expression relaxed and she looked down at the thumb drive in her hand. "I see..." she replied. "So you're trusting me to go in there and rummage around as I please?"

Ritsuko shrugged her shoulders. "As I said, I'm not even sure myself what you'll find in there," she lied. "Just don't arouse suspicion of the security personnel. I won't be able to help you with that."

Misato's lip curved up slightly. "I haven't had a problem yet," she replied. "I shouldn't have any now. Besides, I can take care of myself."

Ritsuko couldn't help but smile just a little bit. It was a minor exchange but it reminded her of the playful banter they'd exchange in days past. "The sentiment remains," she returned.

Misato turned around without a word and moved to exit the office. When she reached the threshold she turned her head to glance back over her shoulder. "For what it's worth, thank you," she stated quietly.

Ritsuko nodded, her smiled growing just a little. "Take care, Misato..." she replied warmly.

Misato exited without another word. Ritsuko turned back to her computer desk and sighed, her smile falling away as she rested her elbow atop her desk and placed her chin in her hand. She knew that it was only a small moment of reconciliation between the two of them but it was still nice. What was more pressing was that lingering feeling that it wouldn't matter. She supposed she'd just have to have faith in Gendo and his scheming. Part of her couldn't help but find that a little funny. The more things changed the more they stayed the same...

The landline phone on her desk started to ring and she breathed a heavy sigh. Always some situation that required her advisory on... it got so tiring. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Dr. Akagi, this is Dr. Yamada calling from the infirmary psychiatric ward," the man on the other end of the line spoke. "There's been a situation involving Pilot Ayanami."

Ritsuko's lips parted and she felt a chill run down her spine...

Gendo moved swiftly through the halls of the medical facility on the way. The call he'd received regarding Rei had taken him completely by surprise. He hated to admit it, but it had truly shaken him. He wasn't sure what was more surprising, the fact that Second Child had attacked her or the fact that Rei had apparently suffered a nervous breakdown because of it. At the very least he'd finished issuing his planned mandates regarding operational readiness procedure in preparation for the coming conflict before receiving the news. That was at least some small grace in the midst of a situation in which he had very little time to spare. Then again, it was Rei... he would find a way to spare it.

Soon enough he reached the room Rei had been placed in. Without so much as knocking he opened the door but paused in the doorway for a moment to analyze what he was observing. Rei was sitting up in the bed with her hands in her lap, her head hanging low and her bangs obscuring her face, but from where he stood he could make out the bruising on her neck. Beside the bed on a chair sat Ritsuko leaning over her with a hand atop Rei's. "May I come in?" he called from the doorway.

Both of them looked up and regarded him. Ritsuko offered a half smile but Rei's expression was what really struck him. She had this wide eyed, hollowed out look on her face. He knew that look well. It reminded him of the expression he'd likely had on his face after Yui's accident. Regardless, it vididly evoked the memory and the emotion of that day. What had the poor girl experienced that elicited such an expression? It made him feel guilty that he'd been so detached from her that he didn't know... He stepped forward without waiting for her permission. "Rei, are you alright?" he asked.

Rei's lip quivered and she bowed her head, shrouding her eyes with her bangs once more. "I don't know, sir..." she replied timidly.

Gendo's frown deepened. It really was disheartening to see her looking so depressed. Whatever it was that occurred between her and she Second Child that led to their altercation must have been severe. He wanted to ask her what happened but he could see that it was too soon. Considering how distant their relationship had always been it probably wasn't his place to ask anyway... "I see..." he returned softly. "I'm... sorry... for whatever occurred."

"It couldn't be helped..." Rei replied, her voice sounding defeated, deadened.

It was such a poignant statement, one that pulled at his heartstrings. "Even so, you have my sympathies," he responded. "Once she's suitably recovered I'll see to it that appropriate action is taken in dealing with the Second Child."

Rei flinched. "It's not necessary..." she replied meekly. "She was... justified..."

His eyes widened slightly. That statement elicited a profound curiosity as to what she meant but before he could further question her Ritsuko capitalized upon the momentary lull and interjected. "Commander, might I have a word with you in the hall?" she inquired.

He turned his focus to the faux blonde and studied her expression. She had a very stern look on her face but there was a tinge of understanding in her eyes. He issued a nod in response. "You may," he replied evenly before turning his focus back to Rei, offering a small smile in an attempt to lend some comfort. "Whatever it is that's troubling you, I hope that things improve."

Rei nodded. "Thank you, sir..." she murmured softly.

Gendo watched as Ritsuko stood up from the chair beside the hospital bed and moved toward the door. He followed after her. The faux blonde shut the door and folded her arms, her expression slipping into a somber frown. "Rei's been through a lot today," she stated softly. "I'd ask for you not to cause her further stress."

Gendo's frown deepened ever still. "What did she mean by the second child's behavior was justified?" he inquired quietly.

Ritsuko sighed, glancing to her side. "It's complicated," she stated quietly after a moment of pause. "It's not my place to say. I'd rather Rei explain it to you if she wishes to, but right now I don't think it's best for her to relive it, especially so soon..."

He could understand the sentiment. Even though part of him still found it surprising just how expressive Rei had become in the past few months he could understand. Trauma in any form took time to process... "I understand..." he replied softly.

It was mere seconds after he'd uttered that statement that his cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it, knowing it was probably important considering the very short list of people that had his personal contact. "Yes?" he answered.

"Ikari, the council has requested a meeting," Fuyutsuki's voice sounded against his ear.

His jaw tightened and his lips curled in revulsion. So the old men couldn't even wait a full day before escalating things toward their ends. One would think that they'd have learned a bit of patience in the nearly sixteen years since they'd begun putting their plans in motion... "Very well," he responded, forcing himself to remain composed. "Keep them occupied until I arrive..."

"As you wish..." Fuyutsuki responded before ending the call.

Ritsuko wasted no time in speaking up, not even waiting until he'd placed the phone back in his pocket. "What was that?" she asked.

Gendo closed his eyes and drew a deep breath before letting it out. "The old men wish to speak with me..." he grumbled. "I can imagine you understand the implications of this..."

"I do..." she replied, her tone grave and nervous. "It means that time has run out..."

Gendo nodded in response. "Indeed it does..." he returned bitterly. "Is there anything remaining in regards to re-purposing or bolstering the automated defense systems?"

"No..." Ritsuko responded. "Everything is in order..."

"Good..." Gendo responded. "That makes things slightly easier..."

Ritsuko's brow furrowed. "And what of your plans, these agents of yours at work?" she asked. "Do you believe they'll be able to act before its too late?"

His scowl turned into a genuine grimace. "I certainly hope so..." he responded. "Otherwise we'll have to have to rely on our own strength."

"What's left of it..." Ritsuko responded with a pitiful huff.

Gendo couldn't disagree with her remark, NERV was in a very unprepared state to repulse an attack, especially one from a human threat. At the same time though, he had to hold on to hope. After all, his schemes, his mind, and his will were now the only things standing in the way of the machinations of evil...

Rei registered the sound of the hospital room's door opening and footsteps approaching but didn't look up, her gaze remaining fixed upon her blanked covered knees. She'd expected Ritsuko to come and see her but certainly not Commander Ikari. Though the two of them hadn't spoken since her encounter with the Angel preceding Nagisa it was... good to reconfirm that he actually cared, not that she deserved it. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve anyone's care or love...

"Rei, you need to snap out of it..." Ritsuko's voice pierced her ears. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her sitting back down in the chair beside the bed. "I know what happened was hard, but you need to pull yourself together..."

Rei winced and closed her eyes. The events of earlier in the afternoon were running on a loop inside her head, the sight of Shinji walking away and the feeling of Asuka's hands on her throat most vivid. The knowledge that things were all but lost and history would most likely repeat itself due to her own inaction and mistakes was crushing her to atoms. Even telling Ritsuko about it when she'd first arrived in her room nearly sent her into another anxiety attack. "I don't know if I can..." she whimpered in reply, fidgeting with the blanket.

She felt a warmth on her hand and a light squeeze. Ritsuko must have grabbed her hand. "Come on, Rei, you can't lose hope..." the faux blonde returned in a reassuring tone of voice. "Commander Ikari has a plan. Besides, even things go sour and we have to fight I'll bet that Shinji would still pilot Unit 01. We can still win."

Rei bit the inside of her lip. The memory of what she'd seen through the eyes of the giant she'd merged with right before Instrumentality began filled her mind's eye. "Even so... I'm not sure if he'll have the ability to defeat what's coming..." she stated softly.

Ritsuko squeezed her hand once again. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens... I for one still have a bit of faith," she replied warmly.

Rei opened her eyes and regarded the faux blonde with a somber expression. "That must be nice..." she returned.

Ritsuko regarded her with a somber frown of sympathy before nodding her head in understanding. "Well... you've been cleared for discharge," she replied, changing the subject. "You can go home whenever you'd like."

Rei fidgeted with the blanket covering her lower half. The thought of going home to that cold and dark apartment she suffered so long in after what she'd just experienced was agonizing. She didn't want to go back there. She hated that place. If she did then surely she'd just end up stewing in her emotions and cave into them completely. "I'd... I'd rather stay here tonight..." she murmured softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ritsuko nodded, issuing her an understanding smile. "I understand..." she replied. "Please, just promise me you'll be alright, okay?"

Rei's vision clouded further with tears. She didn't deserve this level of sympathy. She didn't deserve any sympathy or comfort at all... "I'll try..." she murmured in response.

Ritsuko leaned in and embraced her. Rei couldn't bring herself to reciprocate the gesture, her arms remaining limp in her lap. After that, Ritsuko rose from her chair and gave her one last sympathetic smile before leaving the room without another word.

Rei bowed her head as soon as Ritsuko shut the door behind her. Only then did she lose control over her tears. Even if there was still hope for the world there was precious little in regards to amending her mistakes. The only reason why things were so dire were because of her own inaction. It hurt. She hated it almost as much as she hated herself...

Maya Ibuki sat at her station in the command center, nursing a lukewarm cup of tea. The lights were dimmed low, helping to set the anxious mood that surrounded the small group lingering there consisting of herself Aoba, and Hyuga. Aoba stood staring into his cup of coffee, Hyuga sitting with a cup of tea in his hands, each reflecting on the events of the previous day in their own way and concerned over the newest mandate that Commander Ikari had issued earlier in the day... "It doesn't make sense..." she spoke out softly. "How come Commander Ikari decided to restrict all access in or out of headquarters?"

"The fact that we're on first level alert is even more strange..." Hyuga added quietly.

Maya nodded in response. First level alert... something about it didn't sit right. If the Angels were all gone, what sense did it make to ensure that the operations team including the pilots needed to be scramble ready? "Did he mention any reason for it?" she asked her bespectacled colleague. "I mean... Kaworu was the last Angel, right?"

"He was from what I understand," Aoba interjected. "All the Angels have been defeated. One would think NERV would be in the process of demilitarizing."

"Exactly," Hyuga concurred. "It doesn't sit right with me..."

Maya studied her long haired coworker as a deep frown washed over his sharp features. He stared down into his coffee cup. She'd always known him as overly cynical and aloof but it was clear there was deep concern on his face. "It doesn't sit right with me either," Aoba stated quietly. "But I suppose all we can do is go along with whatever comes next..."

Maya bit her lip. Even if she seldom agreed with him on matters of life she respected his insight greatly. "What do you think is going to happen next?" she asked. "What's going to happen to NERV and the Evas?"

Aoba sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "I'd imagine that NERV will be disbanded soon..." he muttered, glancing off at the central display. "As for us, I don't really want to think about it..."

Silence hung in the air. Maya let those words sink in. NERV and her career had been her life ever since she'd graduated college. Leaving that behind, along with her senpai and all the wonderful people she'd worked with was a daunting thing to think about. "I hope you're wrong about that..." she murmured.

Aoba chuckled wryly. "I hope I am too," he replied, turning to her with a wan smile. "You and Hyuga here are really all I've got, you know that?"

"Come on," Hyuga interjected in a playful tone. "You've got that guitar of yours too."

Aoba laughed wryly and smiled. It was seldom that Maya ever saw him genuinely smile. If only he wasn't so cynical she'd actually think he was a little charming... "I guess so," he replied warmly. "But the sentiment remains."

Hyuga sighed. "I guess you're right though..." he muttered. "All we can do is wait and see what happens now..."

Maya bowed her head and stared into her teacup. Indeed, that was all the three of them really could do, all things considered...

The mood in the cabin of the car as Misato drove Shinji back to their shared apartment could only be described as dour. After getting the call about the incident involving Asuka and Rei she'd rushed to the medical ward but she'd never made it there. Before she'd had a chance to check on either of the girls she'd encountered Shinji sitting in the hall in a depressive stupor.

In all the time that she'd known him she'd never seen him looking so low. When she'd called out to him and asked him what was wrong all he could do was stare at her with a hauntingly vacant expression, tears streaming down his cheeks. When she'd asked him what was wrong he'd refused to explain, saying it was too hard to talk about, that it was too painful to do so. Hearing that, she couldn't just leave him there. Knowing how rough a time he'd been having, that Asuka had been sedated by the medical staff, and that Rei hadn't sustained any serious injury from being choked, it seemed like the right thing to do. She'd sat down beside him and embraced him until he'd composed himself enough to stand and go home. That had taken quite some time, but presently they were leaving the geofront as evening transitioned to night...

"How's your cheek feel?" Misato asked.

"It stings..." Shinji murmured numbly.

"So..." Misato murmured, glancing with concern over at her passenger. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what happened?"

Shinji continued staring forward, that vacant, lifeless expression of his unwavering. "I... it's something I'm not sure I know how to explain." he murmured, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry, Misato-san..."

She frowned, looking back out at the road. She certainly understood that, remembering how difficult it had been to express herself when she was Shinji's age. Hell, after Second Impact she'd literally been mute from the trauma... "Shinji, I know you're going through a lot right now but you can't just ignore it," she replied softly.

"I'm not ignoring it, it's all I can think about..." he replied, his voice quavering slightly. "I just don't want to talk about it... it's... easier that way..."

She understood his sentiment even if she didn't agree with it fully. Silence hung in the air between the two of them and Misato's frown deepened. "I'm sorry you feel that way..." she murmured in reply.

"Don't be..." he murmured.

Once again, silence hung in the air between them. Misato decided to focus on the road. It was clear that he wasn't ready to open up. That hurt. Knowing that she'd grown so distant from both her wards that she wasn't able to be there for them really stung. Knowing it was her own fault hurt even more... "Make sure to get some rest tonight at least," she stated quietly. "Headquarters is still on high alert so we'll need to be there early in the morning."

Shinji didn't respond for a moment. "Fine..." he murmured. "I don't care..."

Misato's frown deepened, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. At least she now had the keys to unlocking the reason behind why Shinji, Asuka, and herself had been made to suffer so much thanks to Ritsuko. Now that she had the tools to avenge herself and the two kids she cared about most that was what she was going to do first thing in the morning when the two of them returned to NERV...

Gendo strode into the dimly lit meeting room within the NERV pyramid complex. The meeting was already in session. Fuyutsuki stood beside the desk in the center of the darkened room and the holographic SEELE monoliths were already surrounding said desk. "Ah..." the voice of SEELE's head, Lorenz Keel rang out in the room. "Gendo Ikari finally decides to grace us with his presence."

He sat down at the desk and rested his elbows atop it, folding his hands in front of his face in his trademark fashion. "I apologize for keeping the committee waiting," he responded coolly. "I hope it doesn't inconvenience you..."

"Ha!" SEELE 02 exclaimed. "That's rich, Gendo Ikari caring about what inconveniences us?"

"Your actions in recent months speak to the contrary..." SEELE 04 growled.

"Especially considering you've lost us the lance..." SEELE 03 added.

Gendo's jaw tightened. Even if they were correct in pointing out how he flouted their authority it was still angered him to be made to feel inferior. "I simply made the best of a dire situation, as I've said before," he replied as evenly as he could.

"It matters little," Keel responded. "The time is at hand. Without the Lance of Longinus we cannot use Lilith to complete the project. Our only hope is to proceed using Lilith's only true offspring; Evagelion Unit 01..."

Of course they would decide to take that route. It was the only option left to them considering he'd disposed of the lance. He felt his pulse quicken, knowing what he was about to do. It was time to play his hand and openly defy his masters. Once he did there would be no going back... "That was not part of SEELE's original plan," he flatly stated.

Fuyutsuki interjected. "Creating the Evangelion is the pinnacle of mankind's existence," he added.

"The flawed product of a flawed species," SEELE 05 countered derisively.

Oh they were certainly not going to like what he had to say next... "Nevertheless, humanity must evolve and shape this brave new world," Gendo stated evenly. "That was why we created the Eva series."

"We have no intention of casting aside our physical form to use Eva as our own private ark," SEELE 09 responded.

"The red earth ceremony is merely part of the process to free us all for rebirth," SEELE 12 stated.

"The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth!" SEELE 05 declared.

"Through the sacrament of death, God, humanity, and all living beings will be united and reborn as one!" SEELE 07 cried.

Gendo's eyes narrowed. To think that there had been a time when he'd been willing to go along with their nihilistic ideology. The very thought sickened him. It almost felt euphoric to be openly defying them now. For the first time in fifteen years he was truly free in heart and mind... "Death creates nothing..." he growled in response.

"Death is what we will bestow on you..." Keel snapped in response. With those words, the holographic monoliths of SEELE flickered out of existence with an ominous whooshing sound reverberating throughout the room.

"Humankind exists because man has the will to live," Fuyutsuki mused softly. "After all... that is why Yui chose to remain within the Eva..."

It was true, and Gendo was fully prepared to honor his wife's wishes to ensure the survival of humankind. He stood from the desk and turned to his confidant. "The game is in motion now," he stated. "There is nothing left for us to do but to fight."

"A fight we have little hope of winning," Fuyutsuki replied. "But I've accepted that."

Gendo nodded. "Indeed," he returned. "But so long as there is hope, I will fight on to the last."

Fuyutsuki's lips curved upwards. "Yui would be proud of you, Ikari," he stated warmly.

It felt good to hear someone say that. To know that perhaps the one person who'd known her as well as he had thought he was carrying out his beloved wife's will was a wonderful feeling. "I have you and Yui to thank for my foolish determination," Gendo replied, a slight grin of his own worming across his face.

Fuyutsuki nodded, his smile shifting into a contemplative frown. "I suppose our survival rests with Agent Kaji now..." he muttered.

Gendo nodded. "Yes, sensei," he replied. "Indeed it does..."

Colonel Shikishima threw open the door to his office and moved to his desk, sitting down at his desk only after pouring himself a glass from the bottle of Hatozaki he'd been keeping atop it and taking a stout gulp thereof. Heavens knew he needed a stiff drink after the briefing he'd received beside the other higher ups. He didn't want to believe the orders from General Oda that the SDF would be mobilizing at first light and launching their attack on NERV...

He slammed his fist atop the oak surface of his desk and snarled. It had taken all the self control he could muster not make a scene in that damned briefing room. Even if he didn't agree with what was about to happen and knew the implications of it he still had to do it duty. He supposed that made him a coward. He felt helpless. It burned a hole in his gut knowing that people like Oda couldn't see the truth and that he was powerless to do anything. All he could do was reach out to Fujita and tell him what was happening. Perhaps he and Kaji would be able to make a difference before the violence got out of hand...

"Sir, are you alright?" someone called from the doorway.

Shikishima looked up to find Major Ichijo standing in the doorway. He snarled under his breath and took another swig of his drink. "You heard the briefing," he sighed. "What do you think?"

Ichijo's stoic expression wavered, a contemplative frown washing over his face as he stepped into the room and closed the door. "Trust and believe, I'm not happy about it either," he replied, stepping closer until he was right across the desk. "The thought of killing my fellow countrymen again is quite distasteful."

Shikishima stared into his glass of whiskey. "Especially considering it's all under false pretenses..." he grumbled bitterly, downing the rest of the drink.

There was a pause before Ichijo spoke again. "So... our forces will make up the vanguard," he stated nervously. "Our primary objective is to neutralize the pilots and we've been instructed not to take prisoners. It's painfully obvious that this is not a containment of some coup attempt, as I've said before, and as you've brought up again, the whole thing is built on false pretense. So... can you please tell me what's really going on Mitsuo?"

Shikishima sighed and poured another glass Hatozaki for himself and one for Ichijo. "Sit down and I'll tell you..." he muttered.

"You know I don't drink, sir..." Ichijo stated in response.

"After what I'm about to tell you, you're going to need one," Shikishima replied. "Sit down, Hajime..."

Ichijo nodded and sat down across from Shikishima's desk, eyeing the glass of whiskey, his hands in his lap. "I'm certain I can handle it, sir," he replied.

Shikishima sipped his glass and scowled. He drew a deep breath and began speaking. "From what I understand, there's a group called SEELE that has been operating in the shadows since long before Second Impact, guiding the course of world events," he stated ominously. "This group seeks to initiate something they call the Human Instrumentality Project. This program of theirs seeks to artificially evolve humanity into some kind of perfect life-from at the expense of civilization as we know it. That's the gist of it..."

Ichijo's brow furrowed and a concerned frown worked its way across his lips. "That certainly sounds like a dire situation if it were true..." he murmured in response. "But what does it have to with us?"

Shikishima locked eyes with his subordinate and friend. "I'm not sure of the details myself, but our operation is a false flag," he replied. "Somehow, our attack on NERV will allow this SEELE group to initiate their project. Hell, the only reason we're launching this damned invasion is because NERV and Commander Ikari has chosen not to comply with this SEELE group's wishes."

Ichijo's eyes went wide. Shikishima could tell that he understood the situation well enough now. The younger officer reached out and snatched up the drink he'd poured him, downing it in a single gulp. "I haven't had a drink since Old Tokyo was glassed..." he muttered in shock, shaking his head. "That's... fuck, that's a lot to take in..."

"Yes..." Shikishima replied with a deep frown. "Yes it is, Hajime, yes it is..."

Ichijo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "And you've learned all of this from Fujita and that Kaji person he's been working with?" he asked.

Shikishima nodded. "Yes..." he replied. "I know it's not much to go on, but I have never had a reason not to trust Tetsuo..."

Ichijo nodded and stood up from the chair he'd been sitting in. "If that's the case, you should probably ensure he knows what's going on..." he stated quietly.

Kaji yawned and took another puff off his cigarette. He was sitting at the foot of his bed within the hotel room he shared with Fujita in Tokyo 2 watching the television with mild disinterest. Apparently there had been a terrorist bombing at Kadena Air Force Base which had killed five and injured a combined thirty two Japanese and American servicemen. He found himself shaking his head. To think that this was the top story of the day when the country was being attacked by literal eldritch abominations on a nearly weekly basis. It really went to show just how the outlandish could become the mundane in such a very short period of time. Then again, the government had been doing a great job of keeping the lid on things over there for the most part...

"I wonder what's going to happen with these anti government rebels if we manage to succeed in our little gambit..." Fujita mused from where he lay on the second bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Do you think they'll intensify their efforts or back off?"

Kaji shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette. "It could go either way," he replied. "This type of thing has been happening on and off for years since Second Impact."

"I'll bet you a thousand yen that they'll get even more brazen," Fujita stated flatly.

Kaji snickered. "I'll bet you two thousand that the government will turn the SDF loose on them if they do."

Fujita snorted. "I don't take sucker bets," he retorted.

Kaji was about to make a snide comment in response but it was that moment that his cell phone began to ring. Considering his present circumstance it could only be one person calling... "Hello?" he answered, whipping the device out of his pocket and snapping it to his ear.

"The Final Angel has been destroyed," Commander Ikari's voice sounded in his ear. "SEELE will be moving forward with their plan soon. I'd suggest moving your plans forward..."

Kaji tensed at those words. It would appear that time was about to run out... "Very well..." he responded.

"Good luck..." Commander Ikari responded before ending the call.

Kaji didn't even have a moment to breathe before Fujita spoke up. "I'm guessing that was Commander Ikari," stated quietly.

Kaji scowled. "Indeed it was..." he replied. "The Last Angel is dead. We're clear to make our move..."

Fujita nodded, a serious expression washing over his sharp features. "Okay..." he murmured. "That's... good I guess. Hopefully we have some room to breathe. Calling in favors to get supplies without raising government attention hasn't been easy..."

Kaji raised an eyebrow. "The DIH certainly cares more about their inventory than money, don't they..." he responded as more a statement than a question.

"Isn't that most government agencies?" Fujita countered. "Let's face it, a few million Yen goes missing, nobody cares, but one or two government hard drives go missing and everyone loses their minds."

Kaji had to stifle a wry laugh. "You sound like you're speaking from experience..." he replied in a somewhat teasing tone.

Fujita smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "I am friends with Hinazuki after all..." he replied playfully.

Once again before Kaji could make any sort of comment a phone began to ring, this time the hotel room land line. Fujita stood up from his bed and stretched. "I suppose I'll get this one," he muttered, moving to the phone and picking it up. "It's late, who is this?"

Kaji watched as his friend's eyes went wide. "You're shitting me..." Fujita gaped. "Okay... Yes... We're ready to go... Bye..." With that he hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Fuck..."

"What is it?" Kaji asked.

Fujita turned to him with an expression that conveyed both resignation and anxiety all in one. "That was Shikishima," he stated flatly. "The SDF is mobilizing. They shoot their wad at 08:00 hours..."

Kaji felt his stomach knotting up. So the final round of the game would be played tomorrow... "Are we ready?" he asked.

"As ready as we can be..." Fujita muttered. "But you know that once we go through those doors and shit hits the fan that there's no going back. Hell, we'll be lucky if we make it out of there alive..."

Kaji nodded, cracking a wry smile. "I'm already a dead man," he replied. "That's really more your concern than mine."

Fujita regarded him with a dumbfounded expression before bursting out laughing. "Way to make me feel better about it you jackass..." he croaked out between guffaws.

Kaji's smile widened and the two of them had a good laugh. Eventually the laughter died down and Fujita flopped back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a contemplative expression. "Sure would have liked to get that date with Okazaki before facing the end of the world..." he muttered.

Kaji nodded, his mind filling with images and memories of Misato... "With a bit of luck you still will," he replied.

Fujita sighed. "I hope you're right, Kaji-kun... I hope you're right..." he muttered in response.

Shinji lay in his pitch dark bedroom, curled into a fetal position, the headphones of his SDAT player lodged into his ears even though no music was playing. The battery had died probably over an hour ago, he wasn't keeping track. At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to retrieve another set and replace them. It felt fitting, the fact that his age old means of escaping his problems wasn't functioning. It went to show that he couldn't run from his problems any more. At the same time though there was nothing he could do to resolve them. He'd dug the pit he currently lay in at least in part. He was well and truly alone now...

He closed his eyes and grimaced as his last conversation with Rei played over in his mind for what seemed the millionth time. He wished he could take back what he'd said to her, those final words, but he couldn't. He'd have to live with it now. There was no way to mend their bond... and part of him didn't want to mend it. Perhaps no other person had ever made him feel so conflicted. Not even his feelings for his father were so complicated...

He balled his fists and tightened his knees up to his chest. His father... thinking about him no longer made him so full of anger. He hated that thinking about him didn't fill him with rage. It made him feel impotent. In all likelihood his father was also caught up in whatever web of lies that Nagisa had mentioned just before he'd been forced to kill him. That didn't make the fact that he'd been just an insignificant pawn easier to process though. It didn't make it any easier to process that his father had brought him into whatever mess he was a part of. The chain of abuse and lies seemed never ending when he thought about it like that.

Actually when he thought about it like that it made him want to hate his father even more...

Where did his father play into whatever the hell was going on in the grand scheme of things? Why wouldn't he trust him enough to let him in if he actually had wanted to rebuild their relationship? Why did Rei feel the need to conceal the truth about Nagisa? Was Rei just as scared of being honest with him as he'd been with her? His questioning turned inward... was she justified in feeling that way?

Considering his behavior... yes... yes she was.

He winced at that thought and felt the tears welling up once again in his eyes. He really was the lowest... "Fuck me..." he murmured to himself as he rolled over on his stomach, hoping that sleep would find him, sleep that he'd never wake up from...

"Rise and shine, ladies! Get your asses up or face my fucking boot you ugly, useless, dick-less, pussy bastards! Let's go! Move! Move! Move!"

Nakajima jolted awake at Sergeant Saito's oh so eloquent declaration to the barracks, scrambling into his fatigue pants institutionally. "Shit! We're awake!" he cried as he threw his jacket on even in his disoriented haze, calling out to the men around him. "Get up, boys! Get up!"

"I'm up!" Masaki cried as he nearly fell out of the next bunk over. "I'm up, shit!"

The barracks was a scene of utter commotion as the rest of the sleeping men struggled out of their bunks and hastily started throwing on their gear. Nakajima turned his head to to windows as he fastened his ballistic vest. It was still dark out... what the fuck was going on? "Sir, what's going on, sir?" he called out to his platoon sergeant.

Sergeant Saito cast him a cryptic look as he marched down the line in full gear before shouting out to the rest of the platoon. "Get your gear on, boys, combat ready!" he barked. "Let's go! Let's go! Move it!"

"What the hell is all this?" Masaki quipped under his breath. "What kind of drill are we running, huh?"

Nakajima watched as his friend struggled to tie his boots while he frantically tried to fasten his own. Something about this morning just didn't sit right with him. As much of a dick as Saito could be he rarely ever got this aggressive with the whole platoon. On top of that, the fact that the sun wasn't even up yet sparked a queasy feeling in his gut... "I don't think this is a drill..." he replied in a hushed whisper.

Masaki looked over at his with a concerned expression, his brow furrowed. "If it's not a drill..." he murmured. "Then that could mean..."

"Stop playing grab-ass you sub-human swine!" Sergeant Saito barked out. "Get your fucking asses in uniform!"

"Sir, yes sir!" a chorus of voices including Nakajima's own answered him.

In a matter of seconds the flurry of activity settled down and the entire platoon was standing at attention in full combat gear. Silence fell over the barracks. Nakajima watched as Sergeant Saito marched up and down the parallel ranks of men assembled, a stoic but somber expression on his face. "Alright boys..." he spoke out. Gone was his assertive drill sergeant tone. It was replaced with a pensive and contemplative tone befitting of a seasoned veteran reluctant to return to the battlefield. "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you... but all our training is about to be put to the test. We're marching on NERV effective immediately. This is not a drill, boys. We're going to war..."

A collective gasp washed over the barracks. Nakajima looked around at his fellow soldiers. Every single one of them had the same look of shock and horror that he himself wore. He watched as one of the men, Pvt. Fujibayashi, spoke up, a pained expression on his face. "Why, sir?" Fujibayashi inquired. "What's the reason? My brother works at NERV, sir. What have they done?"

Sergeant Saito frowned, glancing down at his feet. "Truth be told, soldier, I don't know," he replied. "From what I've been told, we're acting preemptively to stop NERV from orchestrating a coup against the government. Now fall in and move out. We have a job to do. If we're lucky, we'll have the element of surprise..."

Nakajima watched as the men glanced around at one another while he himself grit his teeth, falling in with them. Of course something like this was coming, he'd tried to tell all of them, any of them that would listen, the fucking morons just couldn't see it until now. In any other circumstance he'd taunt them and tell them that he'd told them so, that something hadn't felt right for months, but with the reality of the situation crashing down upon him... all he could do was stand there silently.

"Looks like your conspiracies about NERV were right..." Masaki murmured at his side. "Heavens help us..."

Nakajima could only scowl bitterly...

Misato sat in the central server room within NERV headquarters, a laptop balanced on her knees as she reclined against the whirring, hot machinery therein. The access keys that Ritsuko had provided her were proving to be very effective in getting her to where she wanted to be. For the past thirty minutes or so she'd been blazing through all the confidential files in NERV's database in search of her quarry... and she couldn't believe what she was reading. Apparently it had been a deliberate action that the organizers of her father's expedition had planned out, that her father and everyone involved had been duped into releasing Adam...

"So this is the truth behind Second Impact..." she murmured to herself bitterly. It was a hard truth to swallow but it only confirmed her suspicions. She still hadn't gotten to the bottom of what the Human Instrumentality Project aimed to do...

She continued sifting through the files until she found the documents pertaining to the project. It didn't take long. Within minutes she was neck deep into reading about it and its purpose. This time she was genuinely shocked. The Human Instrumentality Project was a program designed to force the artificial evolution of mankind into one singular being equivalent to God. It would use the Evas, Adam, and Lilith to initiate a controlled Third Impact in order to accomplish this end. The Angels needed to be eliminated in order to orchestrate this properly, hence why NERV had been created, however, the project would be overseen and directed the mysterious SEELE...

"So this is what you wanted me to find, huh, Rouji?" she murmured aloud, staring numbly at her screen and swallowing the growing lump in her throat. "Is this the final truth?"

She didn't have long to ruminate on the matter. Suddenly the text on her screen wiped and an error message began flashing on the screen. Misato's breath caught in her throat and she drew her sidearm, turning to look down the narrow hall of servers. "Have they spotted me?" she hissed aloud.

Seconds passed without a sound except for the mechanical whirring of the fans in the servers. She stood up, holding her breath. No... no this wasn't because anyone had spotted her. SEELE must be making their move...

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind then an error message flashed to life on all the servers before they shut down in unison.

"Showtime..." Misato murmured wryly.

Ritsuko sat across from Rei in her office, holding the azure haired girl's hand in an attempt to comfort her. It was clear though that it wasn't having the desired effect. She still had that empty, vacant expression on her face and a look in her eyes like there was no hope left within her. "How did you sleep?" she asked even though she knew the answer.

Rei bowed her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. "Not well..." she whimpered.

Ritsuko squeezed her hand and forced herself to smile. She really did hate seeing her like this. She wished that there was something, anything that she could say or do to make her feel better. Seeing someone that she'd come to regard as something akin to a little sister, if not a daughter, was agonizing. "Look, I know it seems impossible, but things will get better," she replied. "Rei, you have to hold on to hope..."

Rei looked up at her with an utterly defeated expression. "How do you know that?" she whimpered, her lips quivering and tears welling up in her eyes, her voice sounding more choked with every word she spoke. "Everything is the way it is because I couldn't make a difference, because I was too afraid... and n- now e- everything is falling apart..."

She had to snap her out of this. She had to bring her around. Without Rei she would have gone down a very dark path. Without Rei they would never have had a chance to even stand against the evil men of SEELE. Ritsuko leaned in closer, letting go of her hand and grabbing her face in both hands. "Look at me!" she snapped, unable to contain her frustration.

Rei completely froze and stared back at her with wide, red eyes, saying nothing.

Ritsuko felt her lips quivering and her eyes stinging, trying desperately to convert the emotions she was feeling into words. Ultimately she found it futile and let go of her. There were no concise words to express how thankful, grateful, and happy that the blue haired girl had made her in the past few months. She bowed her head and breathed a shaky sigh. "I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I just... please, be okay..."

Silence fell in the office. The atmosphere was suffocating. Then, Rei spoke again... "I want to be..." she replied, sniffling as tears began leaking from her eyes. "I just... I just don't know how..."

Ritsuko slid the wheeled swivel chair she sat on forward and pulled the blue haired girl into a hug. "Rei, I'm here for you..." she murmured softly, stroking her hair. "I know it's hard, but you have to try..."

"I have tried..." Rei murmured in response. "And it wasn't enough..."

Ritsuko bit her lip and hugged her tighter. "And eventually it will be," she tried to reassure her. "Once this is over, if we can persevere, it will be..."

"If..." Rei voiced bitterly.

Ritsuko held her tighter, a frown taking shape on her face. She hated to admit that Rei had a bit of a point... "If..." she replied softly.

Before either of them could say anything more, the general alarm klaxon began to sound...

Ritsuko pulled away from Rei and stood up from her chair. "I guess SEELE's attack is happening, huh..." she murmured, looking down at the azure haired girl.

Rei nodded, unable or unwilling to look her in the eye. "It is..." she croaked in reply. "Time has run out..."

Ritsuko stood up and looked down at her dear friend. "Stay here," she said firmly. "Keep yourself safe. There's a revolver in my desk."

Rei nodded once again, visibly biting her lip. "Okay..." she murmured.

With that, Ritsuko dashed out of her office, heading for the bridge. If SEELE was launching their attack on NERV then her expertise with the Magi system would certainly be needed. No matter what, she was going to do her best to fight for a better future. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't do her part. She owed it to Rei and she owed it to herself...

"We are under attack! Security breach!" the warning blared out over the operations command bridge. "Repeat, we are under attack!"

Gendo grit his teeth as the bridge descended into a cacophony of alarms and panicked voices. So, SEELE was beginning their assault. He could only hope that his preparations and the shooting drills he'd ordered for all of NERV would be sufficient to halt the coming deluge. Now was the time to test the mettle of men... "All logistical and security personnel, battle stations!" he barked out over the bridge. "Lt. Aoba, status report!"

Lt. Aoba looked up from his post. "There's a malicious data upload coming from outside terminals!" he shouted in reply. "Sir, it looks like whomever is doing this is going after the Magi!"

"A clever move," Fuyutsuki stated from where he stood at his side, regarding him with a stony expression. "What are your orders, sir?"

Gendo glanced at him momentarily. Sir... in any other context he'd relish his confidant referring to him in such a deferential way, but now was not the time. He had a battle to win and a world to save. He turned back to the bridge crew "Is the data link coming from the Magi number two at Matsushiro?" he called to the long haired lieutenant.

"There are five Magi systems working together!" Lt. Aoba responded. "I've identified Germany, China, and the United States!"

"So SEELE is throwing every available resource at us..." Fuyutsuki muttered. "Five Magi working against one... not good odds..."

Gendo's eyes narrowed. It was quite a predicament that Ritsuko wasn't presently on the bridge. Without her present then present circumstances would be incredibly difficult to overcome... "Lock it down!" he snarled. "We can't let anyone get through the firewall!"

"The fourth firewall has already been breached!" Lt. Aoba shouted.

"I'm trying to lock down the main database!" Lt. Hyuga cried out. "It's no use! The system is being overtaken!"

"They've breached the next level!" Lt. Ibuki shouted. "The backup system didn't even slow them down!"

"This is bad..." Fuyutsuki muttered. "If they capture the Magi it's all over for us..."

Gendo smirked behind his gloves. This was a predictable play, and one that was certain to fail. "We needn't worry," he replied to his confidant. "Once Dr. Akagi arrives I'm certain that she'll be able to remedy the situation."

The sound of the door on the central command level filled his ears. He stood up and tried his best to contain his grin. As if delivered via an act of divine providence, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi had arrived. She turned around and looked up at him with a fearful expression. "What's happening!?" she snapped. "What's going on!?"

"There's been a security breach," Gendo responded. "Five separate Magi systems are working in unison to overtake ours. I'm sure you understand who is behind this and for what reason, yes?"

A look of fearful realization washed over her face before she issued an affirmative nod. "Yes sir," she replied.

"Estimated total loss of control over the Magi system in approximately fifteen minutes!" Lt. Aoba declared to the bridge.

Gendo registered the declaration but his focus never left Ritsuko. "There's no time to waste," he stated. "Do you think you can prevent this takeover?" he inquired, trying not to allow the growing sense of nervousness he was feeling seep into his words.

Ritsuko's expression hardened, her eyes filling with an unspoken determination. That strong willed side of her was a facet of her personality he'd become rather fond of. "Yes sir," she replied firmly. "I believe I can."

Finally, he allowed himself to truly smile. "Good," he returned. "I'll leave this matter in your capable hands."

Ritsuko issued another curt nod before whipping around to face Lt. Ibuki. "Maya, do your best to isolate the Magi like we did during the Eleventh Angel's attack!" she commanded. "Help me secure Casper!"

"Yes senpai!" Lt. Ibuki responded.

"This won't be the last of it..." Fuyutsuki muttered. "Sooner or later they'll send the SDF..."

Gendo turned toward the small lift which would bring him down to the main command level. He supposed he'd have to do his best as operations commander until Major Katsuragi arrived. "Then we'll go to war..." he bit out before moving to the lift and hitting the button which would cause it to descend.

Misato tried her best to tune out the sound and voices of the various alarms and alerts blaring over the loudspeaker systems as she stalked through the halls of NERV on her way to the bridge, trying to remain focused. She undid the ponytail fastening her hair back and pulled her cell phone from her pocket and placed it to her ear after dialing Hyuga's station. "Major, is that you?" he answered on the first ring.

"Yeah, it's me," Misato replied tersely. "Talk to me, Hyuga, what's going on?"

"Tokyo 2 as initiated special order 8-801," he replied.

That was an order code she wasn't familiar with. "What's that supposed to mean?" Misato snapped in response.

"NERV's legal protection and jurisdiction has been revoked," Hyuga stated nervously. "Command has been transferred to the Japanese government. They didn't even give us warning. They tried to take over the Magi but we've been able to minimize most of the damage so far."

There was a jostling sound then. It sounded like Hyuga handed off the phone. Her intuition proved correct when another voice spoke over the line, "Ibuki here, Dr. Akagi is currently installing additional defense programs."

"If she's working on it then we'll definitely be okay," Misato replied, crossing through the final security door and reaching the lift that would bring her to the command deck.

"Any idea why Tokyo 2 is doing this, Major?" Hyuga asked.

Misato scowled. "I have my suspicions..." she replied even though she knew exactly why this was happening. Most likely the government got tipped off about what the Human Instrumentality Project actually was and they were trying to stop it. She couldn't blame them. She'd like to see it stopped too... "No matter what, it can't be good."

"I think you're right," Hyuga replied. "Especially considering Commander Ikari's ordered all personnel to battle stations."

The lift finished it's travel and she stood on the operations level of command deck right behind the duo that she'd been speaking to seconds ago. She hung up the phone, a look of utter shock washing over her. "Battle stations!?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes..." a baritone voice responded to her right.

Misato whipped her head around and was surprised to find Commander Ikari standing there. In the entire time she'd worked under him she couldn't remember a single time where he'd left his usual station to come down to the operations deck. That didn't matter though. Whatever reason he had for doing so it probably wasn't a good one...

Her eyes narrowed and she glared daggers at him. He must have known the entire time what the Human Instrumentality Project entailed. He must have aided and abetted it throughout the entirety of the fight against the Angels. She couldn't wait any longer. Even if it meant nothing, even if she paid the price for it, she had to call him out... "What the hell is going on, sir!?" Misato snarled.

He stared back at her with a stony, unreadable expression. "Exactly what it appears to be, Major," he replied flatly. "NERV is under attack."

"Yeah, I can see that," Misato hissed condescendingly. "The real question is, why? Care to answer that, Commander?"

"Katsuragi!" Vice Commander Fuyutsuki barked from his perch up above. "You're out of line!"

Commander Ikari raised his hand to silence the Vice Commander, never breaking eye contact with her. "Because of The Human Instrumentality Project," he replied evenly.

"Because of The Human Instrumentality Project..." Misato spat. "Because NERV, or at least you, have been aiming to cause the Third Impact once the Angels were gone!"

A collective gasp washed over the command deck. If it weren't for the various alert klaxons sounding Misato was certain that one could have heard a pin drop. Commander Ikari stared back at her unblinking for a matter of moments before adjusting his jacket. "I see..." he replied stoically, a deep scowl working its way across his face, his icy glare boring into her. "So you've been doing your own research into the secrets of this organization, haven't you?"

"Damn right I have!" Misato snarled, unwilling to let herself be cowed by his intimidating aura. "And your response tells me that I'm right!"

Commander Ikari stared her down, his eyes boring holes in her head. "Perhaps at one point in time, you were," he responded calmly. "But no longer."

Misato found that statement jarring. Her resolve began to weaken. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice coming out choked.

"I mean that there are powers beyond you or I that seek that end you described," he replied evenly, stonily. "And this attack is a means to force their will. In fact, this attack on NERV is in response to my desire to prevent the Human Instrumentality Project from taking place."

Misato's lip curled, the fire in her heart receiving new air with that response. "How am I supposed to believe that!?" she snarled, stepping forward and balling her fists.

"You can choose to believe it or you can choose not to," Commander Ikari replied calmly. "But if I wasn't telling the truth, do you honestly believe this attack would be happening?

Misato's eyes widened. "The government would certainly intervene!" she snapped. "They wouldn't just allow the end of the world to happen!"

Commander Ikari remained stoic. "That assumes that the government has the full picture, and not some kind of distorted view curated by the same people who've set this all in motion," he replied.

Misato froze. Was SEELE's reach really so vast? "I... What are you saying, sir?" she croaked in response.

Commander Ikari glared back at her. "What I'm saying is that web of lies runs deeper than you can imagine. The powers that control NERV will attempt to initiate The Human Instrumentality Project in concert with this attack," he replied. "And if you wish to prevent that inevitability, then you will assist me in thwarting the machinations of the men who are truly responsible for everything the world has experienced since Second Impact."

Misato could barely believe what she was hearing. "And what if everything you just said turns out to be bullshit?" she hissed. "What then?"

Commander Ikari regarded her with a reserved expression. "It matters little," he responded apathetically. "As I've said, you can choose not to believe me if you wish. In either case, the only option for mankind's survival is to meet what's coming for us with force."

Misato ground her teeth together, trying desperately to contain her fury. Even though she wanted to shoot him she knew he had a point. If SEELE could rely on Commander Ikari to carry out their will then there would be no need to try and take over the Magi computers. "What now, then?" she asked.

"We defend ourselves, Major Katsuragi," Commander Ikari replied evenly, his gaze remaining locked with hers. "Until my plans to change our fate come to fruition."

Misato's knees began to weaken. She bowed her head under the overwhelming force of Commander Ikari's stare. So he'd been planning ahead trying to stop all this? "What do you mean, sir?" she croaked out. "What plans?"

Commander Ikari's lips curved upwards ever so slightly. "Once this fight is over, Katsuragi, you'll see," he replied. "Should we survive this, I can promise that..."

Misato hung her head, swirling in her thoughts. Of course things wouldn't be as simple as they seemed. If Commander Ikari wasn't supporting The Human Instrumentality Project then things were much more complicated than she'd been led to believe. Just how much deeper did the rabbit hole go?

"Commander Ikari, what are your orders?" Hyuga called out.

Commander Ikari turned his head to face him momentarily. "Major Katsuragi is the operations director," he responded before turning back to face her. "How we proceed is her call..."

Misato grit her teeth, trying her best to compose herself. After a moment she drew a deep breath and let it out, holstering her gun. Even though she didn't want to trust him, something told her that Commader Ikari was being sincere. If he truly wished to execute the plans she'd uncovered then he wouldn't have argued with her in such a civil manner. Hell, if he'd wished, he probably wouldn't have waited even a moment after the final Angel's destruction to initiate the foul endeavor she'd accused him of. Now he was putting his trust in her, allowing her to make the call... "Maintain readiness," she replied firmly. "Monitor the radar returns. I doubt the government will stop with just an attempt to control the Magi."

"What do you mean?" Hyuga replied nervously. "Do you mean... they might send the military?"

Misato nodded. She hated that it had come to this "Yeah..." she murmured. "That's exactly what I mean..."

A look of profound realization washed over the young bespectacled lieutenant. "Yes ma'am," Hyuga replied before turning back to face his station.

"This day just keeps getting better..." Lt. Aoba grumbled.

"This is too much..." Lt. Ibuki murmured shakily.

Misato took one last glance at Commander Ikari, shooting him a glare, before moving over to stand between Hyuga's and Lt. Ibuki's consoles. "It'll be okay..." she responded quietly. "Once we've secured the Magi, see if we can get in contact with Tokyo 2 to try and stop this..."

"If they've attacked the Magi then they're most likely jamming our communications," Lt. Aoba muttered. "I could take hours, and even then, will they believe anything we have to say?"

"Honestly, I'm having a hard time believing what I just heard too..." Hyuga murmured. "That was honestly a bit nuts..."

"Just try..." Misato replied quietly. "That's all we can do now..."

Gendo breathed a silent sigh of relief as soon as Major Katsuragi stepped away from him. He'd not accounted for such a confrontation and it had almost cost him dearly. The mood on the bridge was decidedly more tense in the wake of it too. He could sense the fading confidence and growing anxiety of everyone around him. Even though he'd retained control of the situation for the moment it didn't bode well. Then again, he needed only ride out this day, once it was over there would be no risk of a mutiny...

"A fine display of command..." Fuyutsuki's voice filled his ear. "I sometimes forget your ability with words."

Gendo glanced over his shoulder to find the older man standing just behind him. It would seem that he too had left the observation pulpit to meet him on the command level. He allowed himself a small smile. "How else could have I lasted as long as I have in my position?" he countered.

Fuyutsuki chortled softly. "That is a fair point," he replied before his tone turned deathly serious. "But words will do little to save us now..."

Gendo's scowl returned in force. "Indeed..." he muttered in reply.

Ritsuko sat hunched up against the coolant pipes inside the cramped crawlspace within the third Magi computer, her fingers dancing on the keys of the laptop she was using to update the programming as fast as lightning. The attack on the Magi was definitely a sophisticated one but it was nothing she'd be unable to overcome, especially with her mother's notes to assist her. It wasn't long until she'd managed to isolate the threat and cut off access. After resetting access parameters and erecting a new firewall system to deny outside access she breathed a sigh of relief. The Magi were back under NERV's control...

She set down the laptop she'd been using and shimmied out of the crawlspace. After she dusted off her lab coat she headed to the access ladder and climbed up to the command deck. Once there, a look of surprise washed over her. She took note that Misato had arrived on the bridge, that wasn't surprising as she was the operations commander. What was surprising was that both Gendo and Vice Commander Fuyutuski had left the upper level to join the rest of the crew there. Even more surprising and concerning was the overly tense expressions on everyone's faces. "The firewall should hold for the next sixty two hours, external access had been halted," she stated with a curious expression. "Did something happen?"

She watched as Misato stiffened and folded her arms across her chest, saying nothing. "Major Katsuragi and and I had a spirited argument," Gendo stated. "It's nothing to be concerned about."

Misato scoffed. "Yeah... nothing to be concerned about," she growled, looking down at the ground. "Nothing to be concerned about except the SDF launching a full on ground assault... Nothing except the web of lies we're all tangled up in..."

Ritsuko bit her lip and looked down as well. She didn't need a further explanation. It would seem that Misato had gotten into the computer system and seen the truth about the Human Instrumentality Project before the attack on the Magi commenced...

"Commander Ikari, Major Katsuragi," Lt. Aoba spoke up. "I'm detecting a formation of low flying aircraft approaching from the north, range forty kilometers. The Magi indicates it's a flight of YAGR-3B VTOL attack jets."

"Looks like they're already starting..." Misato hissed. "Have we been able to get through to Tokyo 2?"

"Negative," Lt. Hyuga stated nervously. "Our communications are actively being jammed."

"This is crazy..." Maya murmured. "It's not like an Angel attack, we can't kill other humans..."

Ritsuko's pulse began to quicken. The attack on NERV was about to begin. She turned to Gendo with a concerned expression. It appeared that time had well and truly run out just like Rei said it had... "I thought you had a plan to stop this?" she asked.

"I do," he replied. "It should be commencing as we speak..."

"Whatever your plan is, we're running out of time," Misato grumbled. "They'll be on top of us in minutes..."

"We will engage when, and only when, the SDF opens fire," Gendo stated calmly. "We cannot allow ourselves to appear in the wrong should we survive this day."

"If we survive this day..." Misato growled under her breath.

Ritsuko found herself torn, unsure of what the right thing to do was. Even if this battle was an inevitability she didn't like it or what it meant. She stepped closer to Gendo. "Are you sure there's no other way?" she asked him.

He nodded, a sympathetic frown taking shape on his face. "If there was I would have preferred it..." he responded quietly. "But the greatest enemy of man has always been and forever shall be man himself..."

Ritsuko bowed her head. It was a bitter truth, but it was the truth nonetheless...

Colonel Shikishima stood beside General Oda on a hill just outside of Tokyo 3, or at least what was left of it, amid a circle of armored vehicles and hastily constructed sandbag fortifications. It still felt surreal that he was standing here about to take part in what was probably the greatest false flag attack in human history. All he could do now was hope that Fujita and Kaji would be able to find some way to make some kind of difference...

"General Oda, air support should arrive in less than thirty seconds," an adjutant with a radio spoke up beside them.

"Good," Oda responded, a smirk creeping over his weathered face. "Begin artillery bombardment as soon as they arrive. Primary targets are the automated defense systems to the north and west of the city."

"Very well," the junior officer responded before turning back to his radio.

Shikishima watched as Oda turned to face him, his callous smile turning into a sneer. "And are your units in position to begin their assault, Colonel?" he snarled.

Shikishima glared back at him. "Yes..." he hissed back.

Oda's smirk grew wider. "Very good..." he replied with a condescending nod before turning back to the city, raising a pair of binoculars to his eyes to observe the city. "It looks like things will go just to plan then..."

Shikishima grit his teeth. Even if it was truly too late he had to make any kind of protest or change the course of things he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't explain to that arrogant bastard the truth as he understood it. "General Oda, may I have a word?" he bit out.

Oda lowered his binoculars and breathed a sigh of utter annoyance. "What, Mitsuo?" he replied, regarding him with a look of restrained frustration. "If this is about that dossier, Fujita, or any type of disinformation then you'd best hold your tongue..."

Shikishima stuck out his chin and puffed his chest. For too long he'd stayed silent and allowed himself to be cowed by arrogant pricks in the chain of command like Oda. No more. He would speak his mind and live with the consequences. If somehow he survived this day and ended up in a court-martial then so be it... "General, sir, you must understand that this attack is being carried out under false pretenses!" he hissed. "NERV has not been planning to wage a coup!"

Oda's expression immediately shifted into one that conveyed nothing short of pure violent intent. Shikishima watched as he pivoted fully around, folding his arms across his chest. "You think I don't already know that!?" he snarled.

Shikishima's blood froze in his veins. His eyes went wide and his lips parted in shock. "What do you mean, sir?" he responded. "You burned the dossier I brought you before you even read it..."

Oda's vile sneer returned. "Oh trust me, myself and high command have known exactly what your little spy uncovered; the fact that NERV is trying to cause the Third Impact," he spat. "But if that information leaked then it could have ruined our battle plan."

Shikishima bristled. Oda was so close and yet so far away from what was really going on that it was infuriating, and apparently the whole fucking department of defense was there with him in believing the same lie! "You don't understand anything, General!" he barked. "If you'd just listen to your subordinates for once in your career then maybe you'd-"

"I understand that you're an inconsequential man, Mitsuo," Oda cut him off, his eyes boring holes through his head. "I understand that you're a meddlesome, overly sympathetic, inconsequential man who's inability to stomach necessary violence has prevented you from seizing greatness."

Shikishima balled his fists and bared his teeth in fury. Even if he explained it to him now he'd never believe him. The stubborn old goat was set in his ways, the fucking bastard... "You know nothing, General," he spat back. "You know nothing at all..."

Just then, the roar of a VTOL attack aircraft screamed overhead and their position was jostled by the blast of its engines as they streaked by meters above their heads. Oda didn't so much as blink. "I know glory," Oda responded with a sadistic smirk. "And the will to seize it..."

Before Shikishima could respond, the deafening thunder of artillery began shaking the land all around him...

A new alarm began to sound and faint rumblings could be heard overhead. Maya's heart thumped in her chest as she watched the readings on her console fill with error messages and lost feed alerts. She couldn't believe what was happening. The SDF really was attacking NERV... "We've lost the radar feeds from sectors eight through seventeen..." she croaked out shakily.

"A large detachment of SDF infantry and armor has invaded the outer defense perimeter..." Lt. Aoba stated from where he sat. Knowing him well as she did, she could hear the hint of anxiety slipping into his usual calm tone.

"Two divisions are moving in from the Gotemba sector!" Lt. Hyuga called out.

"After all we've been through this is what it comes to..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki muttered.

"Activate the defense protocols for the automated defenses," Commander Ikari ordered. "We can't let them breach headquarters."

Maya's stomach lurched. She turned around in her chair. "Sir, we can't!" she protested. "Those are people! We can't really fight them, can we?"

"Clearly they don't feel the same way about us..." Lt. Hyuga muttered.

"You heard Commander Ikari..." Major Katsuragi stated bitterly. "We have no choice but to fight..."

Maya couldn't believe what she was hearing. She glanced over at Ritsuko, hoping that she would take her side, maybe back her up on this matter, but instead she just looked back at her with a resigned expression. "We have no choice..." the faux blonde echoed.

There really was no way around it then. Maya turned back to her console, her fingers hovering over her keyboard. She couldn't believe this. Never in her life could she imagine having to execute an order like this. She just couldn't allow herself to be responsible for killing people. She couldn't take that weight on her soul... "I can't..." she murmured, wincing her eyes shut and hanging her head.

"Then step aside..."

Maya looked up to see Lt. Aoba standing up from his station. He moved over to where she sat and leaned over her, keying in the codes necessary to run the protocol. She couldn't decide how she felt about that. On the one hand she'd been absolved of responsibility for anyone being killed but at the same time now he had to bear it. "Thanks..." she murmured.

"Don't mention it..." Aoba responded. "I just want us all to survive..."

Maya bit her lip. That was a sentiment she could agree with even if the means disgusted her...

Nakajima hunkered down behind the guardrail of a road to the south of Tokyo 3 as machine gun fire from the automated turrets in the city's defense system raked their position with tracer fire. At first the approach to the city limits had seemed like a cakewalk but then those damned turrets had started cutting the APC's to pieces, causing his platoon to disembark and take any cover or concealment they could. He looked around and saw the members of his squad scattered about nearby, some further up the road, some hunkering down behind a burning tank, some were dead and laying in the street, blood pooling around them, some were so badly maimed they were unrecognizable... but he couldn't think about that now. There would be plenty of time to dwell on how fucked up things were once once he'd survived this, pending he did survive this...

He turned his head to look down the other direction of the road in time to see Masaki dashing toward him, auto-cannon shells impacting the berm nearby between the two of them. A second later, his comrade dove in beside him. "Shit!" he exclaimed. "So much for an easy detail!"

Nakajima poked his head up from his semi prone position to see where the gunfire was coming from, ducking down as dirt from a shell blast nearby spattered his face. "Yeah..." he grumbled. "This is definitely not how I wanted to spend my morning..."

Nakajima felt his body jostled as another soldier bunched up beside him on his opposite side. "Are the two of you injured!?" a gruff commanding voice shouted.

Nakajima rolled over in order to turn around and was both surprised and relieved to see who it was. "Sarge, you're alive!" he cried out.

"We thought you got it when the APC got hit!" Masaki shouted over the din of explosions and cracking of rounds sailing overhead.

"I was lucky to get out before it burned," Sgt. Saito growled in response. "You'd think the fuckers in aviation would do their fucking jobs..."

Nakajima couldn't help but chuckle in spite of their situation. It was just too funny to hear Saito talking like that. "And I thought I was the complainer around here..." he chortled.

"Shut it, Nakajima!" Saito snapped. "Now focus! We have to get the hell out of here!"

Nakajima rolled back over onto his stomach and eyed the gun turret on the hillside that was firing at them. "I don't suppose you have a plan to take that out, do you Sarge?" he inquired.

"Yeah, what the hell can we do against that!?" Masaki cried out.

The three of them ducked as another explosion rattled the road. Nakajima jerked his head and caught sight of a tank's turret lofting high into the air atop a jet of flame some distance away. "Either way, we can't stay here!" he shouted above the din. "Sarge, what's your move!?"

Saito looked around for a moment before shooting up to his feet. "Follow me!" he barked before dashing down the road.

Nakajima instinctively followed him, knowing Masaki would follow, dashing down the road until Saito stopped at the damaged APC they'd initially escaped from after it had been hit. Nakajima watched as Saito pulled a charred, dead infantryman out of the hatch and clambered back inside the burning, smoking hulk. In a matter of seconds he emerged with a Howa 84RR in hand. "Here!" he shouted, shoving the recoil-less rifle towards him. "You're a better shot, Nakajima! Take that fucking turret out!"

Yet another explosion caused the three of them to hit the deck. Nakajima dropped his G11 to the pavement before picking up and shouldering the recoil-less rifle. He moved up to a kneeling stance in spite of the danger and took aim. The trees ahead obscured his target greatly and the turret that was keeping them pinned was at the limit of the weapon's effective firing range. "I don't have a shot!" he cried out.

"Dammit!" Masaki howled. "What the fuck do we do now!?"

No sooner had Masaki finished lamenting their situation that a VTOL attack ship zoomed overhead, firing a volley of folding fin rockets into the turret firing on their position, blowing it to pieces. Shortly thereafter, the din of explosions faded tremendously, the only ones that could be heard echoing from a safe distance away.

"Regroup!" Saito barked. "Everyone regroup! We need to advance to our objective!"

Nakajima watched as his comrades began began pulling themselves to their feet from where they'd been taking cover amid the damaged vehicles along the road. There were so many bodies... easily half his platoon, people he'd known for months or years, had been killed or wounded, some of them blown to ribbons. He could see one man blown in half at the waist a few meters away convulsing and sputtering up blood, his entrails strewn out around him as he bled out. Another man held his own severed arm as he walked about the burning vehicles with dead eyes as if in a stupor. Sprays of blood coated the pavement, the vehicles, the men... it was sickening. His hands started shaking and his grip on the recoil-less rifle he held began to weaken.

"There's no time to dwell on it now, there will be time later," Saito spoke to him gruffly. "We need to get moving."

Nakajima could only nod, his throat feeling too tight to get any words out. He let the recoil-less rifle slip from his shoulder and slung it behind his back on its sling before shakily picking up his service weapon. Heavens knew, his platoon, what was left of it, would probably need that firepower before the day ended...

Major Hajime Ichijo moved with his men as his company silently moved toward the gate into NERV they'd been assigned to breach. In near silence they moved toward the corrugated steel doors that sealed off the turnstiles at the end of path in the tunnel they were moving through. Behind his goggles and the balaclava obscuring the lower half of his face he wore a deep scowl. The words that Mitsuo had shared with him about what was really going on weighed heavy but he was still duty bound to carry out his mission. At the very least, he rationalized, he could do his best to ensure that as few of his men took casualties as possible. Even so, the orders from on high troubled him greatly. His detachment had been specifically instructed to eliminate the pilots of NERV's Evangelion units, who from what he understood were mere children, and also they were instructed not to take prisoners. He supposed it made sense considering what Mitsuo had told him but he still didn't like it. It reminded him of his operations against communist guerrillas after Second Impact so many years ago. He didn't like it at all...

In a matter of moments an entire platoon worth of troopers stood pressed up against the gates. "It seems their video surveillance is out..." a lieutenant nearby spoke. "Look's like we've got the element of surprise, sir..."

Ichijo nodded in agreement. Indeed, it did seems rather strange that they hadn't encountered any resistance yet. "Yeah..." he spoke quietly, glancing off at the access door near the gates. "Now we just have to breach..."

"Who's on point, sir?" another soldier asked.

Ichijo scowled, not that any of his men could see it. He had no idea how many guards awaited them on the other side of these gates or how heavily armed they were. No matter what it had to be done but he didn't want to risk any of his men. Even when he was a mere lieutenant he'd always preferred to lead from the front... "I'll do it..." he stated firmly.

He moved down the line of assembled men until he reached the access door, waiting for the sound of an explosion overhead to cover the noise before pushing it open. Inside was a small booth with the manual controls to lift the gates, a small window, and a second door that would spill out into NERV's facility. Through the window he could spot a single guard holding an Uzi.

Ichijo ducked down below the line of sight of the guard and leaned back out towards the rest of his men, signaling with hand gestures for the nearest man to come to him. Once the trooper was beside him he leaned in close to the man's head. "Throw the switch to open the gate on my signal..." he whispered.

"Yes Major..." the trooper responded.

With that Ichijo moved to the opposite door of the cubicle. Once again he waited until an explosion overhead to cover the sound of the door shifting open before pressing it open just enough to slip out. He counted himself lucky that the booth opened outside the guard's line of sight. Peering around the corner, he noted the guard had his head turned away. Time to make his move...

He silently crept closer, low to the ground, slipping in close to the doors that closed of the turnstiles. Soon enough, he found himself directly behind the man. Silently, he drew his combat knife. Swiftly, he sprung up to his feet, reached out a hand to cover the man's mouth and drove the blade square into the middle of his back, puncturing the heart.

The man stiffened and let out a muffled groan, jerking in his grip before going limp. The sound of hot arterial blood dripping onto the concrete floor filled his ears. Ichijo grit his teeth and he held the knife firm, a bitterly familiar queasy feeling brewing in his stomach. It wasn't the first time he'd killed a man, far from it, and it probably wouldn't be the last, but it was never an easy thing. This man was his countryman. This man was someone's son. He could be someone's brother, someone's lover, or someone's friend... but Ichijo knew that if he didn't kill him that he or one of his men could easily have been the one bleeding out. Even if he didn't agree with the mission he'd been assigned, even if he knew the truth behind it, his men came first. That was all that mattered...

Seconds later, the trooper in the booth triggered the opening of the gates. The invasion of NERV's operations complex had begun...

"The internal defensive layers have been breached! No response from level two!"

"Contact has been lost with control room seventy seven!"

Misato stood beside Commander Ikari with balled fists as the panicked radio transmissions thundered over the intercom system, assaulting her senses. Headquarters had been breached... She still couldn't believe what was happening, all of it, especially that the bastard next to her had kept the truth from everyone. Whatever his plan to stop this was it obviously had failed... but his stoic demeanor made it impossible to lash out at him. It seemed like he earnestly believed he could still succeed in whatever it was he'd cooked up to stop the madness...

"Internal monorail track fifty seven has been destroyed!" Aoba called out beside her.

"Damn..." Hyuga muttered. "This is brutal. I'd rather be fighting the Angels..."

Misato's scowl deepened and she folder her arms. Of course it was brutal. NERV wasn't intended to fight a human enemy. Even so, it was sickening to think that their defenses which had been so effective against an otherworldly foe were proving as resilient as tinfoil against a regular army. Perhaps human beings were the real monsters...

"There's still hope..." Ritsuko murmured from off to the side. "So long as we're alive there's still hope..."

Misato turned to glance at her, unable to refrain from raising an eyebrow. "Since when are you an optimist?" she asked.

Ritsuko issued her a melancholy smile. "When I have to be..." she responded softly.

Misato's expression began to mirror the one her estranged friend wore. Yeah... that sounded about right. Hope was really all they had left, even if it was a fool's hope...

The air was full of dust swirling about the ceilings. The echoes of gunfire both near and far resonated all around. The halls lingered with the musty, tangy smell of spent gunpowder mixed with the iron rich smell of blood. Major Ichijo stepped over the bodies of NERV personnel and his men alike as his regiment pressed their advance, his G11 rifle at the ready to engage, the barrel hot enough from use to cause ripples in the air in front of his face. It was hot inside the complex as well. He'd removed his balaclava just to be able to breath in the oppressive heat. Then again, perhaps it was because he was sick to his stomach. Even though he was a professional operator, this whole operation made him sick, especially with what he knew, and certainly because of how zealous the men around him were in carrying it out.

He'd seen many things in the last thirty minutes that would make most men lose their lunch. He'd watched his men burn men alive with flame throwers, gun down retreating forces, murder women attempting to drag wounded friends or coworkers away from the killing... the whole ordeal disgusted him. It wasn't like the clandestine ops he'd taken part in against communist rebels or the Ainu separatists he'd fought in Hokkaido back in 2011. Those had at least been contested battles. No... what he was taking part in now was a massacre, not unlike the ones he'd witnessed after Second Impact.

He paused and bowed his head, remembering one particular incident in 2002 back when he was a mere Lieutenant fresh out of the academy. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, how some of his comrades had massacred those kids and how Mitsuo had made him eliminate those men in turn. He still remembered how the blood had looked in the moonlight, the looks in their empty and dead eyes, the gaping of their mouths... Many years had passed since then and bloodshed had gotten easier but not too easy.

But he was good at it... and such was the life he led.

"I surrender!" a voice cried fearfully. "Don't shoot!"

Ichijo looked up just in time to see one of his men down the hall level a pistol at the head of a NERV member who was on his knees with hands raised. Before he could say or do anything to intervene the soldier pulled the trigger, took a step to stand with his foot on the man's corpse. Before he fired two more rounds he could be heard chuckling.

Ichijo jerked himself forward and grabbed the soldier by the back of his plate carrier, slamming him against the wall of the hallway. "What the fuck was that!?" he snarled in the man's face.

The soldier looked dumbfounded. "What do you mean, Major?" he asked, stunned.

"Do you take joy in this?" Ichijo snarled, getting nose to nose with him. "Do you?"

The soldier looked at him with a nervous, fearful expression, saying nothing for a moment. "We have orders not to accept surrender, sir..." he responded weakly.

Ichijo shoved him against the wall again. To think that such animals were in his regiment, savages just waiting for an opportunity to act like vicious beasts... "Be that as it may, if I see you doing something like that again... I'll blow your fucking head off," he growled before letting him go.

With that, he continued down the hall, his rifled clutched close to his chest, back to attending the business of war. He could only hope that he wouldn't encounter any of the pilots. With what the order of battle was, and what he knew regarding the real reason he and his men were fighting, he wasn't sure if he'd have the stomach to carry out what was demanded of him...

"The Daigataki tunnel has been cut off!"

"Fire in the west number five entrance!"

"Hostile forces have entered level one!"

"The third underground station has gone silent!"

The alerts just kept pouring in. Gendo hated to admit it but he was growing more and more nervous with each passing second. The automated defense systems were being decimated at an alarming speed and the SDF was now sweeping through headquarters like a flood. It did not bode well for NERV's survival...

"The west side attack is a decoy!" Major Katsuragi barked into the radio at 's console. "If they're going after the Evas, they'll go after the pilots first! Tell Shinji to stand by in Unit 01, got it!?"

"Roger that," Lt. Huga responded.

Gendo grit his teeth. He had good sense enough to understand that securing the Evas was the main objective of the ground forces, the Evas and their pilots. Why wouldn't they be? SEELE was certain to deploy the Mass Production Eva Series before the day was over, and, even though it was a slim chance, NERV's Eva units were the only thing that could stand to defeat them. He could only hope that his son was on station to launch once it was needed... "Lt. Aoba, what is the status of the pilots?" he inquired as calmly as he could force himself to remain.

"Pilot Soryu is still undergoing medical treatment," the long haired lieutenant responded.

Before the young lieutenant could speak on the rest of the pilots, Major Katsuragi cut him off. "Get Asuka suited up and ready to pilot!" she barked. "Get her to Unit 02 at once!"

"Asuka's in no condition to pilot!" Lt. Ibuki protested. "She wasn't even able to synchronize the last time she boarded Unit 02!"

"If we put her there at least she'll be safe!" Major Katsuragi bit back. "If the SDF finds her they'll kill her..."

"Understood..." Lt. Ibuki responded, sounding audibly bitter before picking up the phone at her terminal to call the medical wing.

Gendo agreed with that choice. It was advantageous to have her ready to fight, however slim a possibility of the Second Child synchronizing with Unit 02. Whenever the Evas SEELE would send would arrive, Shinji would need all the help he could get in overpowering them. If there was even the slightest chance of two Evas fighting rather than one it was worth capitalizing on. "A wise decision, Major," he stated evenly before pressing his original inquiry. "Where are the other pilots?"

"Rei is in my office, or at least she should be," Ritsuko stated, a clear hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Can confirm," Lt. Aoba stated. "Security feed outside Dr. Akagi's office indicates the First Child is still there."

Gendo's pulse quickened. "Have section two retrieve her," he snapped. "As there is no Eva unit for her to pilot, the command deck is the safest place to be right now."

"Yes sir," Lt. Aoba responded.

Gendo drew a deep breath and let it out. At least Rei was safe for the moment... that left only his son unaccounted for. "Is Shinji ready to deploy in Unit 01?" he inquired.

"Negative," Lt. Aoba responded. "He's not in the Eva cages!"

Gendo's eyes widened. "Where is he!?" he snapped, his voice coming out far louder than he wished it to, moving to look over the long haired man's station.

"The camera feed displays he's in the southwest sector!" Lt. Aoba responded.

"Why the hell is he there!?" Major Katsuragi yelped. "The SDF is going to overrun that sector in minutes at this rate!"

Gendo balled his fists and grit his teeth, trying his hardest to remain composed as he took sight of what was being displayed on the console's screen. His son was walking through the halls with his head down and that cassette player of his in his hand. Could he even hear the alerts if he was listening to music? He supposed it didn't matter. No matter what he had to cut the SDF off before they reached him. "Send the third security unit to retrieve him!" he barked. "I want a full lock down of the outer sections of headquarters! Seal off levels one through three! Flood all passages in section 803 with bakelite immediately!"

"Roger!" Lt Aoba responded.

"I hope that buys us enough time..." Major Katsuragi whispered out. "For Shinji's sake..."

Gendo's scowl deepened. He hoped for the same...

Nakajima leaned against the wall of the car lift he and his squad presently occupied as it started its descent into the underground dome NERV possessed, the geofront, if he correctly remembered its name. He and the rest of his company had to make it to their objective majority on foot after losing half of their armored personnel carriers and unfortunately he'd been one of the unlucky bastards who'd had to run it. It didn't matter how fit one was in the army, a five kilometer mad dash is never easy, especially when carrying damn near fifty kilos of kit, rifle, ammunition, a fucking recoil-less rifle, and various other shit. "Damn..." he huffed. "That... was.. a... long... fucking... run..."

"Yeah..." Masaki panted from where he crouched beside him. "Wish we... had an... APC still..."

Nakajima scowled as he tried to catch his breath. "We would still... have one... if... not for... that fucking turret..." he puffed.

Sergeant Saito, ever the picture of the hard ass military man he was, wasn't out of breath in the slightest, or if he was he certainly wasn't showing it. "Suck it up, girls," he snapped. "We still have one more objective to secure."

Nakajima finally caught his breath enough to speak fluently. "I know," he replied. "We're supposed to hold the lake that's down there, right?"

"Correct, Nakajima," Saito replied, a slight smirk working its way onto his face. "Way to pay attention to the operation plan for once."

Nakajima sighed. He usually paid very close attention to whatever the company was assigned to do but of course Saito in his infinite wisdom could never give him the credit for that... "Sir, yes sir," he replied sharply.

A few seconds later, light enveloped the lift as it exited the descending tunnel on it's path of travel into the geofront. Nakajima shielded his face as his eyes got used to the light. After a moment he took his hand away and his mouth fell open in awe...

It truly was a magnificent sight. He moved over to the railing and peered over it, taking in the view. This geofront complex or whatever it was called looked more like a nature park than a military installation. Other than the single pyramid shaped building near the center off to the side of the placid lake and the few roads and paths it looked like an expanse of nature untouched by man. He couldn't help but find it beautiful. To think that he and the SDF had been sent to occupy and destroy it seemed like a tragedy...

"Wow..." Masaki uttered, moving to stand beside him. "So this is the geofront..."

"Yeah..." Nakajima responded, unable to keep his thoughts to himself. "It's beautiful..."

A pause hung in the air between the two of them for a second or two. "I don't see any defenses down there... do you?" Masaki asked.

Nakajima scanned the landscape, looking for any signs of pillboxes or fortifications. "No..." he replied. "I can't say I do..."

There was another pause. "I wonder how the special forces are faring," Masaki muttered. "I wonder if they're having an easier time than we did on the outskirts of the city..."

Nakajima closed his eyes and shuddered, thinking about how many of his comrades had been shredded in the initial push. "Yeah..." he murmured. "They must be having it easy if the inside of NERV is like this..."

Masaki chuckled. "At least the fuckers didn't have to run five kilometers after getting into the shit..." he said.

Nakajima smiled wryly. "Yeah..." he replied. "I bet they didn't..."

As they neared the end of the lifts travel he could hear the faint sounds of gunfire and explosions rising up from the earth below. It must have been in his head, but he could have sworn that amid them he could hear the faint echoes of screams...

"Unit 02 has been launched and is stationed within the geofront lake!" Lt. Hyuga declared. "Holding at a depth of eighty meters!"

Gendo stood with his arms folded, watching the central display, looking at the graphic showing the sections of headquarters being breached one after the other. So the Second Child was safe in the geofront lake... He supposed that was good news despite the knowledge that she'd be next to useless in stemming the tide of battle. At least his order to lock things down seemed to have slowed the flood of troops surging in... but he knew it wouldn't last.

"Unless your plan works our defeat is almost certain..." Fuyutsuki murmured from where he stood a few meters away on the command deck.

Gendo nodded. "Yes..." he murmured. "We can only hope now..."

"What is your plan!?" Major Katsuragi hissed. "What's the point in keeping your secrets if we're all about to die? I'm sick of being left in the dark..."

Gendo turned to face her, noting her stern, angry, and worried expression. It elicited a pang of guilt. He knew that Ryouji Kaji meant a lot to her. Perhaps he should tell her about his aims, for her sake. She did have a point as well. If they were about to be overrun then there would be no harm or risk in showing his hand... but before he could speak someone else did.

"Commander Ikari! Major Katsuragi!" Lt. Hyuga exclaimed. "Route forty seven is impassable! The third unit can't move forward! Shinji is completely cut off!"

"What!?" Major Katsuragi gasped.

Gendo's eyes went wide and his mouth gaped at those words. No. No, no, no! This was not how things were supposed to go! "What do you mean my son is cut off!" he barked, beginning to lose his cool.

Lt. Hyuga turned around his his chair. "There's a route but we don't have any forces that can make it to where he is before he's captured, sir!"

"They're not going to capture him, Hyuga!" Major Katsuragi cried. "They'll kill him if they find him!"

"The closest route to him is from here," Lt. Aoba stated, his voice tense. "But there's no one available who can intervene."

A hushed silence washed over the bridge. Not a word was spoken for a couple moments before Major Katsuragi drew her sidearm and clicked off the safety. "I'll go," she stated firmly, a look of determination washing over her. "I'll find Shinji and bring him to Unit 01."

Gendo grit his teeth and bowed his head as she started walking away. Her sentiment was admirable and he could see how much she cared for him but it simply wasn't right. Shinji was his son. If anyone should be the one to come rescue him it should be him. He'd damaged their relationship so much by keeping secrets and by pushing him away... no more. He would never do that again. It wasn't much, but if he could reach out in this moment and show Shinji that he actually cared, then maybe... maybe one day he would forgive him. "No..." he hissed under his breath before gathering his courage and raising his voice. "No!"

Once again, a hushed silence washed over the bridge. "No!?" Major Katsuragi broke it, turning to face him with an angry glare, pointing the thumb of her free hand at her chest. "Who else is going to do it!? I'm his guardian!?"

Gendo met her gaze with a melancholy expression. It was hard to restrain his emotions as he usually did as he gathered the courage to speak. "I'll go..." he stated softly.

Major Katsuragi's expression instantly shifted from anger to one of confusion. "Wait, what?" she uttered quietly.

Gendo forced any sentimentality down and set his jaw firmly. "I'll go," he restated firmly. "I'll leave the defense of NERV in your capable hands, Major Katsuragi."

Major Katsuragi stared at him with a slack jaw for a moment before closing her mouth and nodding, an understanding expression washing over her. "Yes sir..." she murmured, bowing her head.

Gendo turned back to the rest of the staff. "I encourage all non-combat personnel to refrain from engaging enemy forces. The enemy are professionals at what they do. If you haven't the stomach for a fight you're better off surrendering," he iterated before turning back to Major Katsuragi. "Take care of things for me... understood?"

Major Katsuragi holstered her sidearm and nodded. "Understood..." she replied with a bitter expression.

"And what happens if you fall, Ikari?" Fuyutsuki's voice rang out. "What happens if you fail?"

Gendo turned his head and met his confidant's gaze. He issued the ghost of a friendly smile. "I entrust the future to you, should I not survive," he replied. "You'll know what to do, you always do..."

Fuyutsuki stared back at him with a wide eyed expression but quickly returned to that stoic demeanor he usually carried. He issued a nod, a soft smile taking shape across his face. "Understood..." he replied softly.

Gendo turned back toward the door but before he could leave yet another person obstructed him. He found himself face to face with Ritsuko. "Don't get yourself killed..." she stated tersely. Despite her tight jawed expression he could tell that she was holding back what she really wanted to say from the look in her eyes.

He smiled at her. A genuine smile. If only he could have seen it earlier that someone could actually care for him for who he was... but he just couldn't tell her these things. It was still such a raw and difficult topic. Besides, the midst of battle wasn't a place to discuss one's emotions... "That is certainly the plan," he replied. With that he stepped past her.

As soon as he did a pang of guilt rattled in his chest. Even though he knew it wasn't the right time he felt guilty for being so standoffish. Considering the... complexity of where the two of them stood with one another, he knew that he owed her more than that. It was difficult though. Deep down he still felt conflicted in his emotions for her. He would always love Yui but...

He felt a tug on his sleeve as he reached the door. "Gendo..." Ritsuko's voice sounded softly in his ears.

Gendo turned around to find her standing there. Her expression was steely and her eyes bored into his. "What am I to you?" she asked, her voice coming out hushed in spite of the intensity etched on her face.

That question pierced him like an arrow. He knew he had to give her an answer otherwise... otherwise things would get even more complicated. Perhaps he was ready to move on but he couldn't think about that right now. Right now his son needed him. That was all that mattered... but even so, he smiled at her warmly. "We'll talk when I get back," he replied.

Ritsuko's lips parted slightly and that intense look of hers fell away. After that her lips curved up into just the hint of a smile. He could see the faintest glint of tears in her eyes. "We'd better..." she stated, her voice shaky.

His smile grew. "We will," he replied. "I promise."

He couldn't afford to wait for her response to his statement. He turned around and marched off of the bridge. As soon as he was in the hall he drew his pistol and checked the safety and magazine. If he didn't get to Shinji soon or if his son took a wrong turn in the area of headquarters he was trapped in, he was going to need it...

Ritsuko watched as the mechanical doors shut behind Gendo as he left. The sound of those doors closing made her jolt ever so slightly. Even though he'd promised her that they'd talk once he got back she couldn't help but worry. He was nobly going out into the fray to rescue his son, putting himself at risk. She had to prepare herself for the idea that he might not come back but... that hurt. It hurt to think about losing him.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

Ritsuko turned around to find Misato standing there with a look of concern written on her face. "It's nothing..." she croaked out, lying through her teeth. The growing lump in her throat made it difficult to speak, betraying her real feelings. "I'm fine..."

Misato frowned and looked away from her. "I see..." she murmured quietly. "So that's how you feel about him, huh? That's why you've kept your secrets..."

That question and following statement made the tightness in her chest ever harder to bear. Misato had seen right through her... "Yeah..." she replied shakily.

Misato nodded her head. "I get it..." she muttered quietly. "I got as wrapped up in the things I did because of my father and then Kaji, because I cared... I get it..."

Ritsuko's lips curved upwards. That statement resonated deeply. It would seem that the two of them had come to a sort of understanding. She wiped her eyes and drew a deep breath, finding the strength to compose herself. "Love is destructive..." she murmured softly.

Misato once again nodded in response. "Yeah..." she replied. "Love is destructive..."

Rei sat in the folding chair in Ritsuko's office with her head bowed, listening to the faint sounds of gunfire and explosions rumbling in distant hallways. She wanted to cry but her tears had run dry. She felt nothing but emptiness. There was nothing left but a feeling of emptiness and the overwhelming sense that she'd failed.

She'd failed to stop this attack from happening due to her own inaction. She'd failed to help Nagisa change his fate. She'd failed to prevent Asuka or Shinji from getting hurt and was in fact responsible for their suffering. It was all her fault... Everything was her fault... The pain and the sorrow was so much that she simply felt numb to the world around her. She wanted to feel numb. It was better than the pain of dealing with her mistakes or the rejection Shinji had dealt her the previous day.

She closed her eyes and winced, her heart aching in her chest. No matter how numb she felt that pain remained. She'd truly lost everything. She'd lost her hopes, she'd lost her dreams, she'd lost her friends, and she'd lost the one person she cared most about in the world. Even Ritsuko was gone, literally leaving her behind to go to the command center when she desperately needed someone to lean on. She'd well and truly lost everything. Yui-sama's gift had been for nothing. It would have been better if she'd never accepted it in the first place. It would have been better if she'd never even existed at all...

What was left for her to do? Was there anything that she could do to save herself or the people she cared for from what was coming for them? Was it possible for her to make up for her mistakes at this late hour? No... no, there was nothing left. There was nothing that she could do. She was powerless as she'd always been...

She wanted so desperately to believe that Yui-sama's gift hadn't been meaningless, that her own life had had some kind of value and meaning but she couldn't. She wanted to find a way forward but all she could see was the inevitability of being drowned in the waves and the storm around her. The whole world felt like it was closing in around her. She hated it. She hated what things had come to. She hated that it was all her fault. She hated herself more than anything. All Rei desired now was for her suffering to end...

Her eyes drifted to the bottom right drawer of Ritsuko's desk...

"Come on, we gotta hurry," Fujita hissed, shifting the satchel style briefcase he carried on his shoulder as he walked. "The attack on Tokyo 3 has already started by now..."

Kaji's frown deepened. Fujita was right. The attack was certainly already happening which meant that they were nearly out of time. He quickened his pace along the sidewalk as they neared the Ministry of Defense building. "Are you sure we've got everything we need?" he asked.

"Yeah," Fujita replied. "At least I hope so..."

Kaji nodded. "And you're certain we can get through security?" he pressed.

"So long as they don't wand this bag, yes," Fujita replied, a bit of apprehension slipping into his tone.

Kaji couldn't help but allow himself a bit of a smirk. "Nervous?" he asked softly.

Fujita snorted. "Honestly, yeah," he returned with a wry laugh. "I'm carrying enough firepower to take on a small army. Not to mention the fact that if we fuck this up in any shape or form we're looking at life in a cell or worse..."

Kaji scowled, the reality of their situation washing over him. Spending the rest of his life in the Japanese prison system certainly didn't seem appealing. Then again, if, to quote Fujita, they fucked up, that wouldn't be an issue... "Yeah," he replied. "You got a point. But if we screw the pooch on this, we're orange goo, remember?"

"How could I forget it?" Fujita responded rhetorically. "If that wasn't the case then I wouldn't be on board with this insane plan..."

Kaji grit his teeth and looked ahead. "Well... there's no turning back now, is there?" he returned.

"That would seem to be the case..." Fujita replied. "Now we just gotta see it through..."

The two of them continued in silence until they reached the doors of the Ministry of Defense building. Once there they stepped through the front doors and stepped inside cautiously. In a matter of moments they were face to face with the check in booths. The woman at the checkpoint smiled as the two of them walked up. "Good morning," she said. "Do you have your credentials?"

Kaji produced his forged access card and Fujita did the same. He held his breath as they were scanned and both showed green on the reader. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. That was step one. Next came step two...

"Alright," the woman stated with a smile. "Looks like you're security check is clear. Please, come on in."

Kaji smiled. "Thank you very much," he responded in that practiced and smooth tone he'd perfected.

"What he said," Fujita added.

The two of them continued their journey into the building. Fujita breathed a heavy sigh. "Damn..." he muttered. "I'm glad they haven't raised security protocols here..."

Kaji glanced around to make sure that the denizens of the lobby weren't paying attention to them before responding. "I suppose they're trying to maintain calm," he stated quietly. "If they sent out an alert across the whole country about what's happening then it would certainly cause some chaos..."

"You have a point," Fujita bit out. "But you'd think they'd lock down this fucking place..."

Kaji once again looked around as they neared the elevator. "I suppose we can count ourselves lucky..." he replied. "They probably don't think that NERV has any reach here."

Fujita chuckled. "They're in for a rude awakening..." he returned softly.

Kaji allowed himself to smirk. "Yeah..." he replied. "I suppose they are... though I'd like to think of us as free agents."

"Free agents?" Fujita scoffed. "We're basically doing the bidding of Gendo Ikari at this point. I'd hardly think of us as free agents..."

Kaji sighed and scowled. "I suppose you have a point there..." he replied quietly.

The two of them reached the elevator and got inside. Fujita pressed the button for the fifth floor and stood back beside him. Not a word was spoken. They both knew what the game was and where the score stood. It was time to put their crazy little plan in motion. Kaji clenched his fists to keep himself from shaking. This would be the single most important day of his life. Everything that he'd ever done had led him to this moment in time and there would be only one chance to do what must be done...

The elevator came to a stop and the two men exited. Kaji glanced at the guards and their guns as they moved down the hall. Soon enough they reached the security checkpoint and swiped their cards. Success. The cards worked. Kaji breathed a sigh of silent relief. Now they only had one more step to go... "This is it..." he murmured softly.

"Yeah..." Fujita responded quietly. "This is it..."

A few more minutes of walking through the halls and the two of them neared the Minister of Defense's office. As Fujita had mentioned, there were two security guards standing outside the door. As they neared the two guards tightened their grip on their guns. "Keep moving," the first one said. "The Minister is busy."

"Oh?" Fujita responded in an almost playful tone as the two of them stopped about a meter before the two burly men. "Do you have any idea when he'll be available?"

"What's it to you?" the second guard questioned gruffly.

Kaji took that moment to speak up. "We have an important message for him," he responded. "It cannot wait."

"Whatever message you have, it can wait or you can leave it with us," the first guard stated. "The Minister is busy right now."

"Thanks to our lovely friends at NERV in Tokyo 3..." the second guard growled.

"That's actually what we're here to speak with him about," Kaji pressed. "I'm very sorry, but the matter is urgent."

"No matter how urgent it is, Minister Katsumoto isn't seeing anyone," the first guard snarled. "Now keep it moving before we make you move..."

Kaji glanced over at Fujita and Fujita glanced back at him. A silent look was exchanged between the two of them and Fujita's lips curved upwards. Kaji knew what that look meant. As if the two of them had rehearsed the maneuver, both men swung their fists, landing a punch square on each guard's jaw simultaneously.

The two guards slumped to the ground unconscious and as soon as they did Fujita kicked open the door to the office. "Grab them!" he shouted, turning around to grab one of the knocked out guards. "Pull them in!"

Kaji did as he was asked and grabbed the man before him, dragging him into the office. "Ziptie their hands behind their back," Kaji replied. "And get their machine-guns."

"Roger that," Fujita responded, dropping the bag he was carrying and starting to rummage through it.

"What are you doing!?" a woman's voice cried out.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!?" the voice of an older man called out in a mixture of shock and dismay.

Kaji stood up and looked around the office quickly. He noted the wood paneling on the walls, the floor to ceiling window, and the two oak desks in the room. The first one was close to the door and he noted a woman in formal wear with her hair tied up in a bun standing slightly behind it with a horrified look on her face. "Fujita!?" the woman exclaimed, staring at his comrade and friend.

Fujita finished fastening the hands one of the unconscious guards behind his back. "Oh!" Fujita exclaimed, shooting her a candid smile. "Okazaki! It's good to see you. I do apologize, I'd hoped that our first date would have been a bit more conventional."

"Get out of my office!" the male voice roared. "Who are you people!?"

Kaji turned around toward the floor to ceiling window. There stood Japan's Minister of Defense, Hideo Katsumoto. Though his official photo did him justice, perfectly noting his flabby cheeks and balding gray head, it certainly belied his general physique. Kaji noted that in spite of his short stature the man was built like a brick outhouse. It was no matter though. He was the one who held the greater firepower after all. He drew his gun and leveled it at him... "Minister Katsumoto, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he stated, forcing a soft grin.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" Minister Katsumoto barked in response.

Kaji glanced over his shoulder at Fujita. "Tetsuo!" he shouted. "Barricade the door!"

"Already on it," Fujita replied as he finished handcuffing the second guard. Kaji watched as he grabbed the desk closer to the door and dragged it in front of the doorway.

"Answer me you swine!" Minister Katsumoto roared.

Kaji turned back to face him. "The name is Kaji, Ryouji Kaji," he replied as he steadied his aim toward the man, adopting the calm and stoic persona he'd cultivated over the years. "I'm here show you something..."

"What could a terrorist like you have to show me!?" Minister Katsumoto replied, sounding a little nervous, fear seeping into his eyes.

It appeared that his introduction had the desired effect. "I understand that an operation against NERV is currently underway," he stated. "I also understand that this operation is based on false information."

Minister Katsumoto's expression shifted. His lips parted but he didn't speak and his eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. "What are you talking about?" he asked quietly.

Kaji reached into his jacket with his free hand and produced a cassette player. Swiftly he moved over to the man's desk all the while keeping his gun trained on him. He set the player down on the desk and stepped back. "Play the tape..." he replied firmly.

Minister Katsumoto stared back at him for a moment before reaching out and grasping the cassette player...

Author's notes

edit - a guest reviewer kindly pointed out a continuity error with Katsumoto's personal name. In my haste to finish this chapter I must have blanked, forgetting that I'd given him a first name earlier in the story. The error has since been corrected. I'm not perfect, folks.

Decided to publish this a little bit early. It's good to be back, and so begins the climax of this tale. Everyone is at their lowest point just like canon. The more thing's change the more they stay the same...

I will admit that this one was a quite a joy to compose. The various plot threads are all converging in one glorious moment in time within the context of the story. I'll also state that putting a human face on the SDF was quite a joy. Even though they commit horrendous acts in End Of Evangelion one must never forget that they are also people, people who have hopes and dreams and memories just like our beloved cast of characters. If anything, I hope that my interpretation of these events can shed light of the horrors of war, something I feel is continously overlooked in fanfiction of this series.

If I had to pick a stand out section of this chapter that truly resonated with me it was probably the intro section. Not gonna lie, writing those first three scenes involving Rei, Shinji, and Asuka made me sick to my stomach... but they needed to be written. The message I'm trying to convey neccessitated them. I hope all of you understand.

I hope that you can stomach what comes next...

In other news, I'd like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to everyone on the ReiShin discord server for their support of both me and my work. They are truly lovely folks and considering how chaotic my life has been in the past six months I doubt I'd have maintained my motivation for this without them. You beautiful bastards have made my life a little brighter amid in a very dark time.

As always, please read and review! See you all in one week!

Regards,

A.F.