Chapter 39: Will We Be Welcomed?

Hawk and Porter made their way into the garage where their vehicle was located. With their mission in mind, they knew much was at stake but had to discover where to start. Their profession as agents however put them in the position where they would have to make the best of the mission they were assigned.

How easy their mission would be was brought into question however when Hawk asked, "Kyoya told you everything he knew about him right?"

Porter was still not easy with sharing details but answered, "He told me everything you know."

The dismissive answer made Hawk appeal to his partner by reminding, "And we cannot allow anything to be overlooked. We cannot risk them being in jeopardy like this. Especially if only to honor Kyoya's wish."

While Porter knew he had every reason to trust him, he found himself wondering about the appeal but clarified, "That is why the apartment is our best lead. If we are going to continue honoring Kyoya, it will be to make sure they remain protected."

Hawk agreed, "Of course. If anything we only need to be ready for suspicion on their part. They are not bound to trust us right away given the circumstances."

Being warned of the potential obstacle made Porter admit, "They did not have reason to speak to us before. I only hope this will be one of the few times we have to warn them."

After a great deal of reconciliation with one another, both Shinji and Misato felt they had been brought back to where they started under their roof. Misato's outburst with her handling the beer cans a few days ago made them both decide it was time to save what they could of where they lived. After all of the cans managed to be removed from the ground, they were still left with the remains of what such an outburst was able to accomplish.

Shinji had no desire to imagine what Misato's apartment might have looked like when she first began breaking it in, but he now had an image of what it must have been like. Soaked carpet, crumbs everywhere, parts of the wall being scratched by whatever he could find, it was not pleasant to imagine what caused all of this. He kept himself from commenting about any of it though when he considered what caused all of this.

Hours passed as the two of them scrubbed what remained of the kitchen floor before Misato asked, "You think there's no saving the living room carpet?"

Shinji did not like admitting what he determined before but answered, "It's been too long. It's probably better if it was replaced now."

Cursing herself for such negligence, Misato apologized, "I really shouldn't have done this."

Seeing Misato find herself in such a state of lament made Shinji try to rationalize, "You were upset. You don't have to apologize for it."

Misato shook her head pointing out, "You never did this when you got sad. I guess it would be quite a sight to see you doing this at my age."

He could have tried to reassure her again but Shinji remembered what Misato was cursing despite the argument. Her apartment was supposed to be a place for people to live in and she had fallen to such despair she did not think anyone would want her back. The conditions were so dire that even Pen Pen might not find the place to be habitable soon enough.

While he never had the opportunity to do something like this, he decided it was best to honor Misato admitting her mistake, "I hope I don't do anything like this though."

Hearing him in such a state of concern made Misato smile before warning, "Well some advice from me, try not to get drunk. You might do some things you'll regret even more."

Hearing her give this assessment made Shinji point out, "But you said you weren't able to do that."

Misato looked around at her handiwork before reminding the blame she had, "I sure managed to act like it though."

Shinji knew he could not counter Misato's evaluation of what she did. All he could do was shudder at the thought of what she was like drunk and left on her own in the streets. He heard people call babies blessings before and found himself wondering if the idea actually bore some truth.

When he thought about what Misato was going through, he tried to understand her motivation by asking, "Have you done this before?"

Misato sighed before admitting, "Hard to imagine but no. I managed to stay on protection for the longest time and then all of this happened."

"It's something you still want to do though right?"

"I never thought I'd be a mom. I thought I'd be dead before I could or just another nobody people would never care about."

"You have a lot more than I do Miss Misato."

The praise earned a weak smile from Misato as she tried to avoid denying it by turning to Shinji asking, "I would say you have your life ahead of you but I guess a good chunk of it is predetermined now isn't it? How about you? You ever thought you'd be a dad?"

Shinji hesitated as he looked at the floor beneath him and answered, "I was... I was scared."

Misato hung her head remembering his family history, "Right. You never had that great an example did you?"

"Sensei was the closest thing I ever had. And he just never seemed to care that much."

"You never did seem to have much to say about him. He wasn't too bad was he?"

"He was there. That's the most he ever did. It was better than being alone at least."

"You probably would have been a wreck a long time ago if it was any worse."

"I'm glad you were there to help me out of it all Miss Misato."

Misato kept herself from saying anything that would ruin the moment as she heard Shinji's praise. It made little sense to her that he would say anything nice about her after what happened. Especially with where they were now, cleaning the floor from a giant mess she made.

She was still afraid of saying the wrong thing to Shinji but managed to ask, "Are you happy? Even after all of... this?"

The fear in Misato's question made Shinji tell her, "Without you I wouldn't have anyone."

It was a simple answer but enough to make Misato see the reasoning behind Shinji's acceptance of the situation. More normal circumstances should have made him interested in girls his own age but now he was facing the challenge of fatherhood. The fact that she did not force him out of her life when she had the opportunity was more than enough for him to decide there was a future to be had with her. Even when the all too real threat of Third Impact was still in question.

Receiving a blessing such as him was enough to make Misato shake her head warning, "I'll tell you this Shinji, it doesn't always work out this well. Sticking together probably means it's going to happen more than we both want."

Undaunted by the danger that was suggested, Shinji asked, "Won't it be worth it if we stuck together in the end though?"

Misato smiled as she had the chance to hear what amounted to the most optimistic she ever heard Shinji be and played along with his assumption, "You get to make your friends jealous and I get to be with somebody who cares about me again. It might not be all that bad now that you mention it."

"You're probably right about what it will be like though."

Misato was not ready to hear him take such a turn right after admitting the difficulty. He was willing to accept they would both endure arguments that challenged them but seemed to have other concerns as well. She imagined he was already past the point of caring about what others thought of them but it was not something they had been challenged on yet. Even if the human race could survive all of the threats facing it, there was still civilization ahead of them and many other expectations they would have to adhere to.

Trying to understand these fears made Misato ask, "How so?"

Shinji was uneasy with explaining himself but admitted what he feared the most, "I really don't know. If this is what living is supposed to be like then it's probably going to be really hard."

Misato found herself unable to console Shinji from anything else as she admitted, "People manage to stick together somehow. Not everything can be hopeless."

NERV's next defense against the Angels began as soon as the Angel known as Atalibu came within range of Tokyo-3. Marching towards its target was not an issue as it walked across the Pacific Ocean while icebergs formed under its feet. With the water as its only obstacle, it began to search for its target in NERV headquarters.

The arrival of the Angel was noticed by Porter and Hawk as they stopped their car to see Atalibu making its way towards the city. The gathering of buildings began to sink into the ground with the other exception of the ones that could not operate properly. Casualties were about to occur but not without the most reliable defense humans had.

Hawk received a call from Takeshi as he was told, "Remain where you are. Do everything necessary to stay alive and fulfill your mission."

Hawk accepted the order, "We will do our best sir."

Porter watched Atalibu making its way to the edge of the city as he observed, "It seems we have been interrupted. If things go wrong we might miss our chance."

The observation reminded how damaged the mechanisms that lowered Misato's apartment complex were still in a state of disrepair and would leave her exposed to the danger of an Angel attack like now. By now most people who heard of such a danger would escort themselves to safety or had already abandoned the area completely. If Misato still had any will to live at all, she would not have allowed herself to remain in the area.

Hawk dismissed the concern of the situation by reminding, "As long as it means Shinji is with her, it means our mission can be fulfilled."

Hearing him be so uncaring of Misato's situation made Porter try to bring up his reason for concern, "You're assuming they are still together after all of their difficulties."

Hawk remained fixed on the approach of Atalibu as he reasoned, "He has nowhere else to go and there is little likelihood he will be willing to place others in danger. We received that much confirmation from Hajime."

Being reminded of that early report made Porter voice his frustration, "The arrival of these Angels have never been convenient, but this one is really putting many of us in danger. This situation does little other than place more people in danger than necessary while preventing progress."

Hawk agreed with the evaluation, "What else can these arrivals be described as?"

The advance of Atalibu was about to be challenged as three Eva cages shot up from the ground and released their units. Leading them was Unit Alpha while Unit Beta and Unit-02 followed behind. Bound by their umbilical cables they were only allowed to advance so far into the city but they would find themselves face to face with the newest Angel after a matter of time. Assigned as the leading unit, Kaworu was left with the chief responsibility of facing the recent threat to humanity by both his designation as well as his commitment.

The anticipation to face Atalibu was not what left Kaworu in a state of grief as his unit continued forward. He did face Angels in different Eva units before, but every effort he made before endured he would not have to directly cause a devastating blow. With the way Unit Alpha had been constructed and the weapon it had, he would have very few excuses for why he was not the one to deliver the killing blow.

Facing such a dilemma made Kaworu resign himself to his fate as he prayed, "Forgive me..."

Kaworu would not have to face this responsibility right away however as he heard Takeshi order, "All units, you are now approaching the enemy. Begin with a long-distance attack and draw it towards us if necessary."

Rei recognized this assignment as she agreed, "Deploying laser pods."

The six pods that Unit Alpha bore released from its back and hovered in the air before moving ahead towards Atalibu's location. Maintaining their distance, the pods took aim at the Angel and fired a series of lasers towards their target. The barrage accumulated into one point towards Atalibu but collided with its AT Field and made it stop moving.

Atalibu responded to the attacks by raising its right arm and sending a burst of cold air towards the nearest laser pods. The blast of the burst came with such a chilling effect that it created a layer of ice on the ground beneath before freezing the laser pods in midair. As soon as Atalibu saw the object crash to the ground, it took aim with its arm to freeze the next object that threatened to attack it.

The sight of the fighting was visible within NERV as Makoto reported, "It's no good. The attacks aren't doing anything."

Takeshi saw another one of Unit Alpha's laser pods crash to the ground as it froze and ordered, "Pull Unit Alpha back. We cannot attack it this way."

Unit Alpha's remaining laser pods returned to its back and Rei good allowed the order by allowing the other two Eva units to pass her by. Unit-02 and Unit Beta remained prepared for the chance to attack but saw a burst of cold make their way between them. A line of ice was left in wake of the burst leaving both units to find their own way to advance towards their target.

Asuka prepared herself as she requested, "Send me in, I'll make that thing down!"

Takeshi denied the demand, "Remain where you are Unit-02. We have to plan an attack first."

Ritsuko turned from her computer announcing, "We have determined the Angel's ability General. Its AT Field is causing below zero air to be summoned at its command. Attacking the moment it attacks may be the best opportunity we have to catch it off guard."

Takeshi acknowledged Ritsuko's idea, "Well done Dr. Akagi. All units time your attacks and approach at the best opportunity you have. Watch for the arms and do not allow yourselves to be exposed."

Kaworu prepared himself for the order as his unit moved forward while Unit-02 charged ahead with Asuka agreeing, "Sounds easy enough!"

With its Sonic Glaive prepared, Unit-02 found the first chance it could take to flank Atalibu. Asuka saw the Angel turn its head in recognition at the approach and raise its right hand towards it. Unit Alpha and Unit Beta continued their advance but saw the danger one of their own was facing.

Kaworu tried to warn of the danger by contacting, "Asuka!"

It took a quick reaction on Unit-02's part but its glaive managed to make contact with the burst of cold air as though it was striking a solid object. The struggle escalated as it caused a series of hexagonal ripples to appear through the air around the burst Unit-02 defended itself from. Even though it was not defeated by the attack, Unit-02 was left in place as it simply tried to keep itself from being engulfed by the threat of being frozen.

Within the lower parts of the MAGI computer, Aoi observed, "Unit Beta is hesitating to comply."

Kaede agreed, "The pilot's instincts as an Angel are probably preventing him from responding immediately."

Determined to make sure her designation would be fulfilled, Satsuki announced, "Activating DSS fibers. First threshold unlocked."

The thin silver hair attached to the head of Unit Beta lit up as it subjected its occupant to one of its functions. Within the cockpit of the unit, Kaworu was subject to the punishment of not moving forward to attack when he had the chance. He allowed Unit-02 to face the challenge of the Angel on its own and he would not go unpunished for his hesitation. Within the center of his chest he felt a mighty contraction that made him feel as though his sternum was slowly crunching into a void and dragging his ribs in with it.

Kaworu knew he had no reason to question what he permitted to occur and knew the only way he would save himself. He was still able to move as he forced Unit Beta forward and prepared to engage Atalibu in combat. The conundrum of being face to face with one of his own was not a situation he desired but the wellbeing of Shinji and his own survival were at hand. He needed to survive but still loathed that his reasons for doing so had amounted to such selfishness.

Aoi watched Unit Beta make its advance observing, "Motivation is successful. Deactivate."

Satsuki accepted the demand announcing, "Returning to Threshold Zero."

Kaede watched Kaworu's statistics on her screen reporting, "Synch ratio has been maintained. We are fortunate it was this easy."

Aoi kept herself focused on the screen correcting, "All we are fortunate for is that he would willingly put himself through this."

Moving forward was not the only way Kaworu would keep himself from being free if the judgment of his Eva as he prepared to make his presence in the field known. He drew his unit's heat sword from its scabbard to make it glow with a mighty heat and cleaved the Angel's attack. With the opening in its AT Field exposed, Kaworu thrust the sword into the gap to defy the continued burst of cold air.

Atalibu recognized the danger it was facing and backed away from the blade before it could reach him. It backed away far enough to build some between it and its opponent but knew it would have to return on the offensive immediately. The Angel was prepared for such an emergency as it raised its hand again and prepared to defend itself where it stood.

The next burst made Unit Beta approach the Angel while weaving around it as soon as it was threatened. Another burst of cold air shot towards the Eva but lowered its shoulder and prepared to find its next opportunity. The situation was gradually becoming more dire for the Angel but it required a renewed effort from the Eva units.

Asuka knew this and encouraged Rei, "We have several openings, let's just pin it down already!"

Rei watched Unit-02 move forward prepared to attack and took aim at Atalibu. Both the barrage of laser beams and Unit-02's attack on the AT Field made contact and forced the Angel to remain where it was on both sides. Caught in a desperate situation to defend itself, the Angel found itself at the mercy of Unit Beta giving a mighty thrust of its blade as heat glowed within the strike made its penetration of the field.

Takeshi found himself relieved the teamwork was achieving its intended effect as he heard Shigeru report, "The AT Field is being compromised, enemy contact will occur soon."

Takeshi watched the battle unfold and admitted, "We might be on to something after all."

What little strength Atalibu had left was lost as it found its AT Field broken and subject to the advance of Unit Beta. Despite the success, the attacking Eva unit was now stepping into the severe cold its opponent was generating in the general area. The heat of the sword was enough to keep it from immediately freezing but the situation was already becoming apparent to onlookers.

Maya revealed this warning to everyone, "The area is still generating a cold atmosphere. Unit Beta is in danger."

Ritsuko looked over the data she was receiving before adding, "Any more prolonged exposure and we will lose it and the pilot."

Takeshi knew the order would most likely be in vain but persisted, "Kaworu! Get out of there!"

Before the danger could escalate, Unit Beta did indeed find itself frozen in place as it tried to thrust its blade towards Atalibu. The Angel marched forward preparing to take hold of its opponent now that it felt assured it could claim an easy victory. Its assumption proved to be a fatal mistake it realized too late.

Atalibu was knocked back by the barrage of laser beams Unit Alpha fired towards the eye in its body. Without the ability to send another burst it found itself on the defensive. It raised both of its arms as one laser blast after another made contact and felt itself being pushed further back.

Asuka found an opportunity in front of her proclaiming, "Time to remind them who's back!"

With its sonic glaive in its right hand, Unit-02 made a few steps before throwing it with every bit of strength it had. The cold area around Atalibu was enough to affect the glaive being thrown towards it but would not have the opportunity to respond. The glaive hit right into the red core beneath its body causing Atalibu to stagger back as it felt the weapon pierce its way through its body.

The area around the Angel continued to freeze as it tried to recover from the attack but the area it left began to melt as it staggered backwards. As its pierced core rapidly flashed red at the severe damage it had taken, Atalibu's fumble gave Unit Beta the space it needed to free itself from the layer of ice it was covered in. It found the chance to step backwards as it freed itself, but its participation would not be necessary.

Atalibu fell to the ground with the glaive as the only thing softening its fall. It raised its hands in an attempt to keep itself from falling but still fell on its back as it tried to step back up. All of its attempts to stand back up were in vain as the red core of the Angel gave one final burst of red before slowly fading to black. The Angel went limp as it lay impaled on the ground unable to move.

The sight of the Angel going limp on the glaive made Takeshi pleased to see the result while receiving confirmation from Makoto, "The Angel has been destroyed. No activity detected."

Takeshi praised, "Well done. Bring everyone back and make sure they are in good condition. How is the pilot of Unit Beta?"

Satsuki made her way to Takeshi's area as she reported, "The pilot is fine General. More importantly we had an opportunity to test one of the unit's major functions. He was not made to kill the Angel this time, but it may be for the best considering Unit-02's pilot and her recovering mental state."

Hearing Satsuki discuss what influenced Kaworu's performance made Takeshi remember, "He was already motivated to ensure Shinji Ikari would be safe. He should not need anything else to make him fight for our side."

Aoi corrected the assumption, "Kaworu is still an Angel General. It is for that reason we had to take certain measures. It was fortunate foresight on our part that we had a unit such as this one prepared."

Realizing Aoi was present as well, Takeshi was quick to call out how convenient the situation was, "No one can comprehend the sort of scenario we are dealing with now. I know someone here must have been ready to force these children into this situation."

Aoi remained unshaken by the accusation explaining, "You are close to the truth General. There were proposals at NERV's founding that we use such a system for efficiency but came to conclude all it accomplished was hindering the synch ratios of the pilots. With Kaworu on our side however, this technology became necessary."

Deciding there was nothing else he could challenge after the recent victory made Takeshi warn, "If there is ever going to be a time where he does not cooperate with us, I have perfect reason to assume whatever you implemented into Unit Beta is a key factor."

Aoi nodded in acknowledgement while Satsuki gave parting words, "Right now being able to fight another day is a greater achievement than uncovering any more of the truth."

As the two MAGI technicians left, Takeshi reached for his phone asking, "The Angel has been defeated. Are you still able to continue your mission?"

The voice of Hawk on the other line answered, "We have already begun General. There will be nothing holding us back now."

Despite the assurance, Takeshi reminded, "At this point you are going to have a minimum of three days to find him if the current pattern is maintained. I cannot accept any further delays."

"Tell me boy wonder, what do you think of me now?"

If she was not going to receive immediate praise from anyone in NERV, Asuka was happy to hear it from someone else present. She could have hoped to hear it from Rei but her complete indifference after the end of a battle made her remember there was little she could expect. Having met Kaworu and spoken a little to him, she could not say he was insufferable but right now the only person who would even recognize what she accomplished.

She could not decide what the best answer would have been but hearing Kaworu strain to say anything was very apparent as she heard him answer, "You did well Asuka. I should not have expected less."

Asuka was not satisfied to hear such conflicted praise as she encouraged, "Just a little cold isn't going to make you brittle is it?"

Rei answered for Kaworu, "He had more to endure than the cold."

Despite sounding serious about what motivated Kaworu, Asuka leapt to the first assumption she had asking, "Seriously? You think he's that worried about the hair? No way is he that conscientious."

Kaworu immediately recognized what Asuka was referring to. The silver hair that stood out compared to other Eva units did not provide any apparent practical use. Having only a limited time to speak to him before, he came to the conclusion she believed him to be vain about his appearance as well as that of his unit.

While he was still bearing the assumptions, Kaworu corrected Asuka, "This thing I have trapped myself in, it is what gives me the conditions I need to motivate me. I was able to fight this Angel today and will continue to do so."

Asuka was not fully convinced as she told him, "I honestly still don't get you. You're a total freak, you know that?"

The observation made Kaworu explain, "As long as Shinji is out there, I will remain dedicated."

Hearing what motivated Kaworu made Asuka shake her head in aggravation before turning away to part asking, "Why do people never say who you're supposed to care about?"

The effect of whatever caused Asuka to not hear that name was a pattern Rei was able to pick up on. Just like before, the answer was right in front of her but she was not willing to accept it. It seemed to be an unending torment in stark contrast to the edge of despair she was brought to before yet served as the only way for her to have some semblance of normalcy.

After seeing so many pilots she fought alongside come and go, Rei was left to accept her current station, "So many are willing to put themselves through such suffering. And no one can say they have achieved what they desire."

Kaworu accepted this was the case observing, "It is always unfortunate when those who cannot have what they wanted are faced with unending denial.

Such a display made Rei look down in regret admitting, "I have not even been fortunate to witness what was proclaimed to be such a crucial part of humanity."

It was a minor confession on her part but Kaworu recognized what she alluded to observing, "It seems you did not even have the chance to discover yourself."

Rei hesitated to answer Kaworu's observation before denying, "I was once told there was more to me than what I am now. That the pilot of Unit-01 might have seen something in me that was worth cultivating. I cannot make that determination of my own free will now."

This dismissal made Kaworu dcounter, "Given the right opportunity he is fully capable of bringing out that potential in others. You may not be able to change your shape like I am able to, but it is a possibility within all living things."

Rei went along with Kaworu's confession of himself before she asked, "And you continue to have the form you have now?"

Kaworu confirmed this was the case as he reasoned, "This form I have now is the ideal one he is capable of being guided by."

To the fortune of Porter and Hawk, the apartment complex they were searching for was still in stable condition. This Angel did not approach as close as the previous one but approaching it after such a dangerous threat left them in a state of fear for the life of their mission. Even when their mission was clear, the struggle of finding an easy way to the complex was a struggle. They both stood in the opening of an alleyway as they waited for the first opportunity where they would not be interrupted.

Porter saw a crowd of people making their way through one city street that was not destroyed as he observed, "There is a sense of commitment among these people. Even when the threat of the Angels manages to linger over where they live."

Hawk agreed, "They do not have many other places to return to. Civilization continues to struggle but we manage to survive. Ideally we can hope our objective does not deviate from this mindset."

"Even if he maintains this way of thinking, it may not mean he is still an ideal pilot for Unit-01. We had little account of what he has gone through."

"He knew going in that it would demand him to react without consideration for his feelings. He must be able to understand this now."

"Possibly. If anything he probably needed a time where he could recover. It makes me wonder how the others are going to handle this now."

"Ever since Kyoya's death, we have not been able to maintain a sense of leadership among each other. Even some of our allies are starting to sound less enthusiastic about what we are doing."

Porter turned to Hawk making sure he would have nowhere to run as he asked, "Please tell me this, do you know anyone who could jeopardize this entire operation?"

Hawk returned his gaze to Porter answering, "Mitsuru seems to be the only one who has had his resolve shaken by recent events. Enough to the point he must have killed Kyoya."

Porter shook his head realizing how it seemed to make Mitsuru the only suspect to commit such an act while lamenting, "I hoped he would have been better than this."

Seeing his partner accept the confirmation made Hawk reason, "All we can do now is make sure we do not involve him in our circle. The others are still holding out hope. We can achieve their original goal while providing safety as well. If Kyoya wanted them protected from the chaos of NERV, we would only honor his wish by returning them to where they should be."

Despite being thrust into the heart of the organization that caused such chaos in the first place, Porter could not argue against the potential NERV had. It would not only ensure Kaworu would not have to worry about Shinji being harmed but he would be in a better position to deal with Mitsuru. He could hope it would not come to such extremes as much as he wanted but knew he would have to be prepared for the worst.

It was the last exchange the two agents made between one another as they ascended the apartment complex's floors by elevator. Hawk took the lead as he read the apartment numbers to find the one where Misato would be located. It was only a brief walk, but he was able to find the door that would lead them both to her.

Porter took a turn to lead as he made his way to the door and called, "Misato, open up. We need to speak to you."

A/N: There's another one done. Most of this chapter ended up being about the battle between the new Eva units and the Angel so I could effectively free up the second half for the remainder of character interactions and development.

You probably know by now that Atalibu is another Angel from the Decisive Battle in Tokyo 3 RPG. I actually realized the sort of advantage Unit Beta would have against it when I found out about its heat sword. Still I figured it would work better to have Asuka kill it since she would not only be eager to but it would make sure she didn't allow the same creeping sense of uselessness that brought her to the brink last time.

The DSS fibers mentioned earlier? That is what I decided to name the hair on Unit Beta. It sticks out to me compared to the other units as I'm sure it does for anybody else who sees it, so I decided to try and make it not only have a use but play into the theme of the story as well. They are essentially similar to the red hair cords that disperse GN particles on the GN-004 Nadleeh from Gundam 00.

Indeed the acronym of DSS is an allusion to the technological development seen in the Rebuild series for what the chokers were made to do. I figured something like this wouldn't be as comparably compact and probably still in some sort of development stage hence the necessity for the custom plug suit. Probably heavy-handed foreshadowing if anything but this is Kaworu we're talking about here.

That should be all the necessary notes to reveal this chapter, hope you're all looking forward to more. Look forward to seeing you all then.