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'Here we are,' Misato said, pushing open the door to the isolation suite and flipping on the lights to reveal a small, windowless room with three bunks against one wall and a chest of drawers adjacent to the furthest bed. 'It's not much', she said, indicating the door opposite the bed, 'but there are showers through there and clean clothes in the drawers. You should try and get some rest…'

She closed the door as Asuka collapsed onto the nearest bed with a scowl.

'Typical. We're just shoved out of the way until we're needed…' she muttered, chewing her lip for a moment. 'Shinji…was your mother…in your Eva…?'

'…yes,' Shinji replied, lying on the next bed and staring up at the ceiling while Rei sat on the edge of the last bed with her hands folded in her lap.

'So…who was in yours, Wondergirl…?'

'I was…' Rei said, Shinji turning towards her.

'…what do you mean….?'

'NERV has a way to…recover human souls after death and transfer them into a new body or a vessel like the Evangelions. When I was six, I…died and my soul was salvaged, with part of it being placed in Unit 00, while the remainder was transferred to my new body…'

'Is that…what happened after you…died fighting the 16th Angel…?'

'Yes,' Rei said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. 'It has been a long day. We should all get something to eat…'

#####################

Misato pinched the bridge of her nose, staring up at the map of Tokyo-3 above the Operations Centre, which was almost constantly being updated under Hyuga and Aoba's relentless efforts to determine the full extent of the changes since Third Impact. Suppressing a sigh, she picked up the clipboard and flipped quickly through the pages to the list of differences that they had been able to confirm.

…city area increased by 12%…major train links identified to Tokyo and Tokyo-2…new shopping districts, commercial developments and housing complexes confirmed. It seems that the city is more prosperous than it was. Maybe something good has come out of this…

'Major,' Hyuga said, interrupting her thoughts. 'We may have a problem…'

Another one…? Misato thought to herself, putting down the clipboard. 'Report, Hyuga…'

'Major…it appears that NERV…may have been compromised…'

'What do you mean…?'

'I've been reviewing several public and municipal databases and NERV Is listed as an R&D company under contract with the JSSDF and the Tokyo Municipal Government, with commercial stock holdings valued at ¥ 3 million…'

'Perfect,' Misato muttered. 'We need to know everything they know about NERV and whether they have any record of the Evas…'

'Yes, Major,' Hyuga said, just as Ritsuko arrived with two disposable cups in a cardboard tray, the smell of coffee making Misato look round.

'Ritsuko…'

'Misato,' she said, handing her a cup and taking a sip from her own. 'We've finished our assessment of the Evas and we have been unable to complete any of the pre-synchronisation protocols. We'll need to conduct full synchronisation tests with the pilots before we'll know whether they can be made operational…'

'I'm…not sure that they're ready for that…'

'Confirming the status of the Evas is our top priority,' Commander Ikari interrupted, Misato glancing up at the Command Deck.

'Sir, I…'

'That's an order, Major Katsuragi…'

'…yes, sir…'

#####################

'…have you spoken to Shinji?' Yui asked, quietly as Misato turned and marched away.

'I haven't seen him since her returned to the city,' Gendo said. 'And I've had more important matters to attend to…'

'It was Shinji that brought me back,' Yui reminded him gently, Gendo saying nothing.

#####################

'Ugh. Food's not got any better,' Asuka muttered, pushing her tray aside, opening her can of drink and taking a swig. Shinji was sitting opposite her, half-heartedly picking at his food, while Rei sat demurely at the end of the table, working steadily through her bento box.

'Do you think…the Angels will return…?' Shinji asked.

'How the hell should I know…?' Asuka snapped. 'You're the one who decided to play God and screw with the whole world…'

'I…don't want to fight anymore,' Shinji muttered.

'Coward,' Asuka snorted, Shinji standing up so fast that he knocked his chair over, balling his fists. He stared at Asuka for a second before shoving his hands into his pockets and walking away.

'Baka Shinji,' Asuka said, glancing over at Rei.

'He's not a coward,' Rei said, placing her chopsticks neatly in her bento box and Asuka chewed her lip, not meeting her gaze.

'…I know…'

#####################

Shinji leant on the railing of the gantry above the Cage, looking down at Unit 01 below him.

Mom…what was it like for you to be trapped in there…?

'Shinji…'

Hearing the voice, Shinji stiffened, turning to see his Father standing behind him.

'You…did what I couldn't,' he said. 'I…hoped to be reunited with your mother following Instrumentality, but I never thought to see her alive again. Everything I've done…building the Evas…defeating the Angels…it was all to bring her back…It was all I could think about…since she died…'

'She didn't die…You killed her…'

'I…didn't know that she intended to take part in the Contact Experiment until it was too late…'

'Liar!' Shinji snapped. 'You knew that the Evas needed human souls…'

'Yes. And we had a number of candidates in mind…'

'You were going to kill someone else, someone's parent…?'

'We were fighting for the survival of humanity. We…I could not be concerned with just one life…'

'…you bastard. Go to hell…'

'Shinji,' his father snapped, but he ignored him, leaving him standing there as he walked away…

#####################

'About time you got back', Asuka said as Shinji opened the door to the isolation suite. 'Where'd you go? Crying in a corner somewhere…?'

'I was talking to my father,' Shinji replied as he walked past, sitting on the edge of his bed, Rei not even looking up from the book she was reading.

'So, you went crying to Daddy…'

'I told him that I never wanted to see him again,' Shinji replied, Asuka's mouth dropping open. 'I'm going to bed…'

Not bothering to get undressed, Shinji kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over his head.

Baka… Asuka thought, before rolling over and closing her eyes…

#####################

'Mama! Mama, help me,' Asuka screamed as she pounded on the lid of the coffin. 'Get me out. Mama! Mama!'

Asuka jerked awake with a strangled cry, her legs tangled in the bedsheets to hear someone knocking on the door. With a groan, she covered her head with her pillow as the knocking came again. Hearing a rustle of bed sheets, she looks round to see Rei slipping out of bed and padding naked to the door, opening it to reveal Misato.

'Morning,' Misato said, stepping inside. 'I've brought some coffee. Rei, put some clothes on, please…'

While Rei dressed in a pair of blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt with the NERV logo, Misato passed one coffee to Asuka, placing the others on the dresser next to Shinji's bed, shaking him by the shoulder.

'Shinji, wake up…'

Muttering to himself, Shinji sat up, rubbing blearily at his eyes as Asuka took a sip of her coffee, stifling a grimace.

'Ugh. Instant…'

'What do we do now?' Shinji asked. 'Do we have to stay here…?'

'No,' Misato said. 'But, you still need to stay on the base and not get in the way…

'I'm going to check on Mom,' Asuka said, swinging her legs out of bed and heading for the shower, slamming the door behind her.

'Shinji…?' Misato asked. 'Are you alright…?'

'…I'm fine,' Shinji said. 'I'm just tired…'

'…alright. I'll see you later…'

#####################

Rei took her seat at the empty table in the cafeteria, picking up her chopsticks and taking the lid off her bowl of natto gohan. It was something she had eaten for breakfast for as long as she could remember and the familiarity of it was something that she had got used to. Taking a bite, she glanced up to see two NERV staffers staring at her nervously. Seeing her watching, they looked away hurriedly, quickly finishing their food and leaving the cafeteria. The fear that she saw in her eyes was uncomfortable in a way she couldn't explain, leaving a tight knot in her chest. With an effort, she pushed those thoughts aside, continuing to eat.

#####################

Asuka steeled herself as she stepped into the medical bay, the cold air, the smell of disinfectant and the faint beep of the monitors bringing back memories of when she had woken up in the hospital after she'd tried to…

Stop it, she admonished, heading for her mother's bedside and sitting down in the hard plastic chair. At first, she thought her mother was asleep until she opened her eyes, smiling when she saw her.

'Asuka…'

'…hello, Mama,' Asuka said. '…how are you…?'

'…tired,' she admitted. 'But the doctors say that I'm getting better…'

'…do you…remember…being in the Eva…?'

'…just…flashes…images that…don't make much sense…'

'…I'm…sorry…'

'Sshh,' her mother said. 'I'm proud of you…'

'Mama,' Asuka said, feeling tears prickle her eyes and she buried her face in the bed sheets, her mother stroking her hair as she sobbed quietly.

'I…missed you, Mama…'

#####################

Shinji tugged unconsciously at the collar of his plugsuit as he followed Asuka and Rei out of the changing room onto the gantry where the entry plugs were being prepared. White-suited technicians swarmed around them, performing last minute checks and calibrations. Glancing up, Shinji saw his parents watching from the control room, his father standing with his hands behind his back, while his mother was staring down towards the gantry. Hurriedly, he looked away, clenching his fists as Misato's voice came over the intercom.

'Take your positions,' she said, Shinji taking a deep breath as he climbed into the entry plug, the canopy sealing over his head. He was plunged into darkness for a second before the entry plug powered up, bathing him in a pale blue light.

'Initiating LCL release,' Dr Akagi said, Shinji forcing himself to relax as the orange liquid began to fill the plug, taking a deep breath as it rose over his head. Even now, he still experienced a moment of panic as the LCL filled his throat and he forced himself to breathe normally.

'Report pilot vital signs,' Misato said.

'Heart rate, blood pressure and EEG readings are normal…'

Despite Misato's cool composure, Shinji knew that this was her way of asking whether they were alright while maintaining her professionalism.

'Maya, commence synchronisation test…'

'Yes, Major. Inserting entry plugs, now...'

'Direct hydro-transmission connection is active,' Aobi asked.

'Entry plugs are fixed in place...'

'Initiating first stage connection...'

'Main power is connected...'

'Commencing secondary contacts. A-10 nerve connections are normal. Bi-directional circuits are open...'

'Report sync ratios, Maya,' Misato ordered.

'Yes, Major. Unit 00, 7.3%. Unit 01, 9.8%. Unit 02, 8.3%. Levels are not high enough for effective synchronisation...'

'Re-configure nerve impulse system,' Misato said, just as Aobi interrupted.

'Major, there's nerve impulse feedback...'

'Sync ratios dropping,' Maya added. 'Connection has been lost. Rebooting system, now...'

#####################

Asuka sat huddled in the entry plug, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Despite being surrounded by the LCL, the Eva felt…colder than she was used to, if colder was the right word. It felt..lifeless, in a way, like a house that you know is empty.

'Focus, dammit…' she muttered, forcing herself to concentrate on getting back into the headspace for synchronisation, a kind of focused non-focus that had become second nature to her by now…

#####################

Rei was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by several kittens that were either curled up asleep or playing around her. She heard a soft mioew and looked down to see a tabby kitten climb into her lap. She hesitated before reaching out to stroke it gently on the head, the kitten purring with delight.

'Rei…'

Hearing her name, Rei jerked her eyes open to find herself still in the entry plug, her cheeks heating up as she realised that she had been daydreaming. At first, she thought the voice that she had heard was Misato's, but she was still speaking with Dr Akagi.

'We've been doing this for over an hour, Ritsuko and we're not getting anywhere…'

'…alright. Cancel the test and eject the entry plugs…'

'Shower and get changed,' Misato ordered. 'Debrief in 30 minutes

#####################

Having showered and changed quickly, Shinji rinsed his mouth out at the sink, trying to wash away the iron-rich taste of the LCL from the back of his throat. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he left the locker room and headed for the vending machine, stopping when he saw his mother emerge from the control booth.

'Shinji,' she began, but her turned away, looking down at his feet.

'What did you mean…when you said they were coming for you…?' he asked, after a moment.

'When…I learnt the truth about Instrumentality, Seele couldn't risk letting me live. So, I chose to go where they could not harm me. Inside the Eva…I could protect you and maybe find a way to prevent Instrumentality from happening…'

'Attention, all A-1 personnel. Briefing will commence in 5 minutes…'

'Shinji,' she said. '…don't judge your father too harshly. He was grieving, too…'

However, Shinji didn't answer, walking past her into the briefing room. Yui was about to follow him when Rei stepped out of the locker room, her skin looking even paler under the harsh lights. Despite herself, Yui felt her mouth drop open as she passed her. Even with her blue hair and red eyes, she saw that she looked just like her when she was younger.

What the hell…?

#####################

'Thank you all for coming,' Misato said, as she and Ritsuko entered the briefing room, closing the door behind them. 'We've finished analysing the synchrograph tests and we've confirmed that the levels recorded are not enough for effective synchronisation…'

'Then we need to try again,' Asuka snapped. 'I can make it work next time…'

'That's…not the reason the test failed,' Misato said, gently. 'Your EEG results are consistent with your previous successful synchronisations. Crudely, you three are not the problem…'

'…you believe that we cannot synchronise because the Evangelions no longer have human souls within them,' Rei said, Misato glancing at Ritsuko.

'That…is a possibility. We'll be conducting further tests as well as looking for other ways to make them operational. In the meantime, you're dismissed…'

#####################

Asuka's trainers pounded a harsh rhythm on the treadmill, her t-shirt stained with sweat, her hair already escaping from the ponytail that she had hastily tied, Dr Akagi, Aoba and Maya's voices echoing in her ears.

'…reboot bi-directional circuits… synchronisation failed…re-routing A-10 nerve connections…reconfigure hydro transmission system…synchronisation failed…restart nerve impulse systems…synchronisation failed…synchronisation failed…synchronisation failed…'

Dammit, dammit, dammit, Asuka screamed in her head, punching the button to increase the treadmill's speed…

#####################

'Yes..? Come in,' Dr Akagi said, Rei pushing open the office door to find her sitting in front of her laptop. '…Rei…?'

'I…wanted to ask you a question,' Rei said. 'I see…people are afraid of me. I do not…know what to do about it…'

'I don't know that I can be much help,' Dr Akagi said. 'I've…been keeping people at arms length for so long…I'm sorry. I've got a lot of work to do…'

'Can…I help…?' Rei asked.

'…well, you can organise those research files on synchronisation,' she said, pointing to the stack of folders on the desk next to her.

'Yes, Doctor,' Rei said, sitting down and opening the first one…

#####################

'Yes?' Misato said, holding her mobile phone to her ear with her shoulder as she struggled to balance the stack of folders that she was carrying.

'Major, this is Noyamano at Security Checkpoint 37. We've just apprehended a man who gained access to the Geofront through the emergency exit on level 3. We've detained him in a holding cell in the security centre but he asked to speak to you by name…'

'Do we have an ID for him…?'

'…not yet, Major. But, he says that his name is Ryoji Kaji…'

'I'm on my way…' Misato said, hanging up the phone and shoving it into her back pocket, hurrying through the corridors towards the lift to the security centre.

'Major,' the officer on duty, Takamura if she remembered rightly said, coming to attention as she stepped out of the lift.

'Where is he…?' Misato asked.

'This way, Major,' Takamura said, leading her towards one of the containment cells and opening the hatch in the door, stepping back smartly. Inside, Misato saw a middle-aged man with long brown hair dressed in a pale green shirt and white trousers sitting on the metal bunk with his hands cuffed together.

Kaji…

'I need to speak to him,' Misato said and Takamura stiffed.

'Major, I'm not sure that's…advisable…'

'I'll take responsibility,' Misato said, as patiently as she could. 'Open the cell…'

'…yes, Major…' Takamura said, taking out his keys and unlocking the door.

'Thank you,' Misato said, pushing open the door, Kaji's eyes widening when he saw her.

'Misato…?'

'Kaji…'

'Well, here we are again…'

'…yes. We are…'

'…which begs the question…how…?'

'Shinji…used Third Impact to…remake the world,' Misato said and Kaji burst out laughing.

'…that boy never ceases to amaze me,' he said, his expression becoming serious again. 'It seems that we've been given a second chance…'

'…yes, it does…' Misato said, reaching down to unlock the handcuffs, Kaji rubbing his wrists as he sat back.

'So…what do we do now…?'

'We're still trying to figure that out,' Misato answered just as her phone rang and she flipped it open, holding it to her ear. '…yes…what…? I'm on my way. Takamura!'

'What's going on?' Kaji asked as Takamura unlocked the cell door.

'I'll explain on the way. Come on…'

#####################

'I have finished, Doctor,' Rei said, placing three stacks of folders on her desk. 'I have sorted the files according to synchronisation method and probability of success…'

'…thank you, Rei,' Dr Akagi said, flipping quickly through the files. 'Very…thorough..'

'…thank you, Doctor. I thought…It was…I…what…'

'Rei?' Dr Akagi asked, just as her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed. 'Rei! Rei, can you hear me?' she asked as she knelt by her side, pressing two fingers to the side of her neck while activating the emergency alert on her phone.

…alright. She's got a pulse. That means she's breathing…

'Hold on, Rei,' she said, punching in Misato's number. 'Help's on the way…Misato…Rei's collapsed…'

Thank you for reading. I hoped you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.