Kodoma fought to find ample space inside the shelter as people pushed and pushed. Hundreds of people crammed into one space with no way out. She fought for her space with one arm while she shielded Ryoji with the other.
"Please be careful!"
Her voice didn't pick up amongst the sea of endless chatter and hysteria. The noise was too much for the child. Ryoji cried as Kodoma tried to soothe the child with a gentle rock.
Her phone went off, the only way she could even know it was ringing was from the faint vibrations in her purse, as the room had a deafening pitch that muted its chimes. Kodoma took another step back as she reached for the phone and inspected the caller ID.
Her voice wobbled as she answered the call. "Commander Katsuragi?"
"Horaki! Where are you? Is Ryoji safe!?"
"He's okay, I have him, we're inside a bunker." Kodoma squeezed the boy tightly and walked towards the shelter's window eye view, "What's happening? I can't see-"
"No! Don't look outside!" She had never heard Commander's voice in such a tone other than the stern unyielding one she wielded during sorties, the break in vulnerability from the unshakeable commander sent a sense of dread in Kodoma's stomach. "Whatever that… thing just threw, I don't-"
There's silence on the other line.
"There's reports closer to the spears radius, it's leaving some kind of… trail in the sky and who ever looks at it-"
Kodoma shuddered, "Oh god…" It's hard to pick up everything the Commander said on the other side as the people around her grow more and more frantic."What do we do? Do- do I stay inside and-"
"Just don't look, please don't look." Misato cut her off, "When I tell you when, come outside and tell everyone what I just told you. Asuka is on her way right now with-"
The voice on the other line stretched and contorted before it cut to a dialup. "Hello, C-commander?" Nothing, "...Misato?"
Many cries came from the group pushed towards the window in the sea of people. Kodoma looked up at the group. She instantly looked away from the window and held the baby tight.
"No!" Kodama cried out, "Don't look out there- please listen to me!"
The ground shook and people yelped out in terror.
Ryoji wailed and kick in Kodoma's arms. "No, no! Sh- it's okay! Hey, shh…shh.. It's okay…" The baby didn't relent as Kodoma continued to rock.
She remembered the gift Misato had given her, the one she held in her coat pocket. Kodama pulled out the large cross necklace and dangled it in front of the baby. "Hey, hey, what's this? Look at this?"
Ryoji continued to wail, until he opened his eyes to see his mother's cross. He titled his head at the necklace and grew silent.
"Yeah… isn't it pretty? That's your Grandpa's."
The baby reached for the necklace.
A light came out from the window, which drew murmurs from the confused crowd. Kodoma squeezed her eyes shut. "Don't look, don't look, don't look." She whispered sharply to herself. The light rays grew more and more intense.
Ryoji let out a soft coo. She dared a peek at Ryoji's face as he swiped for the cross with a smile on his face. The light reflected off of the cross and made it shimmer, it reflected off of the baby's eyes like amber, but he did not look at the light, only the necklace that brought back smells and warmth.
The light reached its crescendo as people began to scream at the top of their lungs. Everything in Kodama's body screamed not to look and plead as curiosity led her eyes to risk just the quickest of glances. Surely that wouldn't hurt-
It was beautiful. A glimmering, golden streak bled in the starlight. Like the sun was stretched through the sky as the massive spear followed the curve and disappeared from view. Her eyes stung for a moment, like when she stared at the sun for too long as a child and it left marks-
Kodama looked around, why was it silent all of a sudden? She looked at all the people she was trapped with. They stood still, paralyzed, petrified even, and all the color had left their body. "What?" One of the bodies in front of her twitched, and a crack formed around the body and it collapsed.
She cried out and took a step back, more bodies collapsed and formed into a pile of dust, leaving behind only watches, jewelry and fillings-
"Oh my-" Kodoma's body stifled. Her legs felt brittle as she stumbled. Ryoji let out a whimper as she held him gently. Slowly, Kodama let herself to her knees and sat as she felt the rest of her body crystallize. "It's okay." She lowered the baby to eye level and offered him the necklace. That was the final image Kodoma Horaki carried with her as felt lulled to lowered her head and blanketed Ryoji as she collapsed. Her glasses slid off and clattered off to the side.
It was quiet, the wind howled through the newly born ghost town.
Unit 02 sprinted through the charred landscape, Asuka was slowed down by the hefty device she carried on her back, a mobile shelter meant to carry nearly a city's worth of people to safety if needed. "I'm almost there!" Asuka called out through the comms. She stumbled as she sprinted, her massive steps left massive imprints into the now oddly soft concrete streets.
Unit-02's voices blared out throughout the city. "IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?" Wind howled through the empty city, "HELLO?"
"Where's the shelter? I don't see any readings-"
"...Asuka." Misato's stone cold voice murmured, "Turn back."
"What? Are you crazy? I'm right here, tell me where the-"
"There's no thermal readings anywhere in the city, Asuka. Nobody survived." A strange grunt, like a sound strangled quiet with the tightest of grips, "Nobody. It's all ash"
"You don't know that! They could be under the rubble, I can look! We have to try-"
"Our defenses are gone, Asuka. If we slow down now, there might not be anything left."
Asuka followed the a mark on her digital map interface, "I can see the coordinates where Kodoma called you. I'm going."
"I can't see what's left of him, I can't-" Misato stopped speaking and her words grew illegible.
Asuka lowered her head and frowned as strangled sobs came from the other line. Her bottom lip twitched as she shook her head. "I'm going down there."
Her voice echoed through the desolate city, her words carried away by the howling wind.
"Is there anybody out there? Hello? Please respond!"
The city outside was eerily intact, its structures standing tall and unscathed. But the streets were empty, the wind whispered through the desolate landscape, carrying the ashes of the people who had been turned to salt.
Asuka's fingers trembled against the armrest of Unit-02's cockpit, her eyes fixed on the scanner display as she waited for a response. The screen remained blank, only reading the steady hum of the Evangelion's systems. She had seen destruction before, but never on this scale. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the soft hum of the Evangelion's systems and the gentle rustling of the wind through the city's empty streets.
With a sigh, she shut down the comms and stepped out of Unit-02's cockpit, her boots thudding on the charred concrete. The wind buffeted her, whipping her hair into a frenzy as she gazed out upon the devastation.
Every wall she walked had an ashen impression of a person, and every shadowed imprint gazed up at the sky.
She entered the bunker where Kodoma was last located, and scanned the room. Asuka saw a glint in the middle of the room. A green pair of glasses laid next to a pile. "Oh, no-" She covered her mouth. "Kodoma…"
Her heart skipped a beat as she knelt down, her fingers trembling as she picked them up. She held them close, her eyes fixed on the cracked lenses, and felt a wave of grief wash over her. Kodoma, her friend, her confidant, was gone. The city was gone. Everything was gone. "...Why didn't you look away?"
Any strength in her stance left as fell backwards and leaned against a nearby pillar. "Shinji…Hikari, now you?"
A gust of wind channeled through the hollow bunker and scattered the ash, revealing Misato's cross.
"There's nothing left," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. She felt like she was screaming into a void, her words lost in the emptiness.
Asuka's grip on the glasses tightened, her knuckles white with tension.
Asuka's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, her eyes burning with a mix of grief and desperation. And then, a sound. A faint shifting. Her heart skipped a beat as she froze, her ears straining to pick up the noise.
It was a small whimper.
"Oh, God..." Asuka crawled towards the sound, her eyes scanning the ash-covered ground. And then, she saw the small, terrified face peeking out from beneath the rubble.
Asuka's gloved hands reach out to Ryoji. "Shh, it's okay," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "It's okay..." Asuka held Ryoji close.
She looked up to the window, where the sunlight washed away the harsh rays of Amaros' spear. "Thank you-" Asuka's eyes closed as she trembled, unsure exactly who she was speaking to, but there was an undeniable sense that she was heard. "Thank you."
Ryoji's cries subsided, its eyes fixed on Asuka's face, and for a moment, they just looked at each other.
With a sharp inhale she rose to her feet, Ryoji cradled in her arms, and Asuka walked out of the bunker. Her red gear stood out starkly against the gray, empty cityscape.
Together, they gazed up at the giant form of Unit-02, its massive body looming over them. Ryoji looked at Asuka.
Asuka's boots carried her swiftly across the ruined landscape, Ryoji securely cradled in her arms. She approached the towering form of Unit-02, its massive legs and arms stretching out like a giant's limbs. With a gentle care, she climbed the access ladder, her armor's servos whirring as she ascended.
Reaching the cockpit, she carefully settled Ryoji on her lap, her gloved hands securing the child in place. As she activated the life support systems, a soft hiss filled the air as the LCL fluid began to circulate.
Asuka gently lifted Ryoji's head, her fingers brushing against the child's soft hair.
With a final check, Asuka sat into the pilot's seat, her eyes scanning the instrument panels as she activated the startup sequence. The cockpit hummed to life, the LCL fluid glowing softly as it filled the space around them.
Asuka's gloved hands cradled Ryoji's small form, her eyes locked on the child's face as the LCL fluid began to rise. She could feel Ryoji's fear, the tiny body tensing as the liquid crept higher.
"It's okay, Ryoji," she whispered, her voice soft and calming. "Just breathe."
Asuka's fingers stroked Ryoji's hair, her touch gentle and reassuring. She could sense the child's panic, their lungs struggling to adapt to the strange new environment.
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here."
Slowly but surely, Ryoji's body relaxed, their breathing slowing as they began to inhale the LCL fluid. Asuka's eyes never left the child's face, her gaze filled with a deep empathy and understanding.
As the fluid rose, Ryoji's tiny body began to float, suspended in the liquid. Asuka's hands guided them, her touch gentle and supportive, until they were fully immersed.
And then, something strange and wonderful happened. Asuka felt a sense of minds growing in sync, a connection deeper than words. She could feel Ryoji's thoughts, their fears and wonders, and the child could sense hers.
Asuka guided the EVA back to Central Command, Ryoji's curious gaze fixed on the controls. The baby's tiny hands reached out, touching the instruments with a fascination that made Asuka smile.
As they approached the command center, Asuka felt a strange sensation as Ryoji's thoughts began to merge with her own. The baby's curiosity was palpable, their wonder at the EVA's movements and controls infectious.
Without realizing it, Asuka found herself letting go of the control wheel, her hands hovering above the instruments as Ryoji's thoughts took hold. The EVA began to move on its own, responding to the baby's unspoken commands.
Asuka's pride swelled for a moment, watching as Ryoji effortlessly controlled the giant machine. But then, a creeping dread took hold. "...Is this how it felt like for you, Mamma?" she whispered, her eyes fixed on the baby's intent face.