"Congratulations!"
An array of party poppers went off, and Misato's apartment was filled with the sound of clapping.
"That was very thoughtful of you, Suzuhara."
"Thanks, Miss Katsuragi. But the real credit goes to Kensuke here. He masterminded the whole operation."
"Oh, it's nothing." Kensuke tilted his head and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose in a practiced manner.
As the kids' conversation quickly evolved into a proper romp, Misato peered down into the bottom of her can. Across the table, Shinji held Asuka's empty glass while she yelled something at him. Her new responsibilities would only make things more difficult. The arrangement of the seven half-empty tumblers on the table grabbed her attention. Images of a titanic mask tugged at the edge of her awareness. A strange, deep feeling of terror froze her in place.
"Misato?"
"Hmm?"
"I was asking if you wanted another beer," Shinji said.
Misato twitched as if waking and turned to face him. "Ah, sure. Thanks. Do you still have trouble with stuff like this?" She gave the other kids a quick glance.
"Oh, yeah. But it's not so bad. What about you?"
"Me? What about me?"
"I don't mean to pry, it's just... You don't seem very happy about the party."
She shook her head and absorbed the liveliness in the room. "I'm just tired, that's all. A lots of long shifts lately, you know?"
"I guess." He nodded without confidence. He took the empty can and left for the kitchen.
As soon as Shinji stuck his head inside the fridge, his stiff smile flattened. Only two more hours of playing along and he'd be free. It wouldn't do to have everyone realize that Asuka can't actually walk, not if he wanted to keep feeling his own legs. That Misato hadn't figured out about their fight was as far as he was willing to push their luck. He didn't want to ruin the party for her, and Asuka didn't want Misato to "stick her nose" in their business.
He returned with a new can in each hand and a glass of orange juice pinned between his forearm and his chest.
"Here you go."
"Thanks," she replied and plucked the beer can away. His lip twitched as he walked toward the girls.
"What took you so long?" Asuka snatched the glass from his hand.
"Asuka, why do you always have to be so mean?" Hikari whined beside her.
"I'm being appropriately mean—he takes forever to do anything!"
Shinji resisted the itch on his chest as he plodded to the boys' side of the table and sat down between them.
"So, you're just gonna let her talk to you like that?" Toji asked.
"Yeah, dude. What would Ayanami think of this?" Kensuke teased, but went quiet as Shinji shot him a furious look. Kensuke turned to Toji in confusion, and Shinji realized what he'd done. He glanced toward Asuka dreadfully, but she simply looked down at her glass. Hikari turned to the boys expecting clarification, and when none came, she turned to the only adult in the room.
"What is up with you two today?" Misato asked.
"Nothing!" They said in unison. The doorbell rang and Shinji sprung up to receive the fortuitous delivery man.
Shinji was startled out of his siesta by a strange sound. He rubbed his eyes open and looked at his phone for the time—he'd definitely overslept. The migraine he attempted to escape by napping had definitely diminished, but it wasn't quite gone yet, leaving him uncomfortable and cranky.
'I need to cut back on the coffee.'
Asuka flashed in his mind as he put on a shirt, reminding him of a dream he'd take to his grave. He stood up and opened the door. Over in the living room, real Asuka leaned on the wall with one extended hand as she attempted to step forward with her bad leg. Slowly leaning on it, she smiled, but then lost her balance and collapsed beside the coffee table.
"Asuka!" He strode to her with an extended hand, only for it to be slapped away.
"Don't touch me! What are you even doing here?"
"I... live here, remember?" He ventured with a half-smile.
"Shut up, smartass." She scoffed, and Shinji saw her anger break slightly.
"Just let me help you, alright?"
"I already told you I don't need your help!"
He raised his hands, stepped back, and watched as she struggled to get back on her feet. She tried to stand up straight, but her knee wobbled and she went right back to the floor.
After a few seconds of ragged breathing, she muttered dejectedly, "Why do you have to be here?"
In the face of continuous defeat, his mind raced for something new. "If I don't tell anyone, would you accept my help?" He asked, then held his breath. After a stressful pause, Asuka groaned quietly and turned to face him.
"...Do you promise?"
Shinji nodded, and Asuka grumbled something in German and offered him her forearm. He gave her a wan smile and helped her back on her feet. "Where's Misato, anyway?"
"She's working late again," she said while turning to the door as if expecting her to be there. "But, honestly, I'm glad she's not around."
He nodded. "It is what it is," he said simply, which prompted her to face him. "You know," he continued, "Sometimes I've nightmares from piloting."
"Huh? What are you on about? " Her eyes focused on his, and her voice grew quieter. "Wait, you do?"
"Uh, yeah, I kinda..." he trailed off, and she craned her head forward.
"What? What is it?"
"Lately, I've been having the same nightmare." He stifled a voice crack by clearing his throat. "In it, you fall into the lava. Your Eva unit, I mean. Uh, Just don't be mad at me, okay?"
She pulled her arm away and stood up on her own, smiling sardonically. "It's just a dream, dumbass. Why would I be angry?"
"I don't know." He chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Just making sure."
She looked at the place where he held her arm and then back at him, then shook her head. "I want to keep trying here. Go make some dinner or something." He was about to speak but she interjected. "I'm really hungry, idiot. I'll make sure to let you know if I need help, okay?"
Shinji smiled and quietly walked to the kitchen.
Misato clasped her hands around her silver cross. Despite the time spent down in the Pribnow Box in the past few days, NERV was colder than ever.
"Synchronization rate stabilizing at 39%," Maya announced from her station.
Ritsuko looked up from her clipboard. "Remember, Asuka. As your gross motor function returns, you'll go back to something approaching 45.5 to 46%"
"I already know that."
"Your face tells me you don't."
"And what about Shinji?"
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Just tell me already! Stop treating me like a child."
Misato stepped forward. "Ritsuko, we shouldn't—"
"Shinji, your synchronization rate was 47%. Ayanami's was 38.2%."
Misato scoffed at her tone, then walked to the console to cut off the mic feed. "Why are you like this with her?"
"Like what? Do you expect me to withdraw synchronization data from our pilots because it might hurt their feelings?"
"It's not about that. It's not the information, it's the way you present it."
"She insists on being treated like an adult—I'm simply obliging."
"Yes she does, but you're supposed to be the grown up here."
Ritsuko inhaled sharply, then glanced at Maya, who immediately hid behind her chair. She walked past Misato to the console and opened the feed, interrupting a brief exchange between Shinji and Rei. "Asuka, you know that our assessment of your synchronization scores is not personal, correct?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I know!" She leaned forward in the video feed.
"I need you to internalize that information. You look upset at your progress so far, and that is of professional interest to me because we don't know just how much your mental state can affect your synchronization. If you feel psychological distress of any kind, it's in your best interest to let us know. This goes for all three of you, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Shinji and Rei replied, while Asuka simply nodded.
An empty compliment session by Misato, a shutdown procedure, and a brisk shower later, Asuka shoved her balled-up plugsuit inside the pressure bag before pulling on the tab, activating the double seal mechanism. She looked at the lumpy bag and compared it to the neatly folded and pressurized white plugsuit a few yards to her left. Her brief glance did not go unnoticed.
"Soryu."
"What now, First?"
"You seem agitated."
"I'm fine. Mind your own business."
Rei stepped beside her. "You agreed with Ikari when he declared us to be a team. As teammates, we should support each other."
She sidestepped away and turned to her. "That doesn't mean I have to tell you anything, or even like you, actually. Is that clear?" She picked up her sealed plugsuit and pushed it inside the pneumatic tube beside her locker. Once done, she retrieved her crutch and leaned on it.
Rei shifted her weight onto one leg and grabbed her forearm behind her back. "Whether we like each other is irrelevant."
"Ah, So it's true: you don't like me either. Good, at least I finally got that out of you."
"You're being needlessly combative. Colonel Katsuragi says communication will help improve our working relationship, and I agree with that assessment."
Asuka scoffed loudly." Of course you do—Ikari this, Katsuragi that... God, do you ever do anything on your own?"
"But following orders is paramount to—"
"I've seen the tapes, First. Both live combat and during training," Asuka interrupted as she stabbed and fingered at Rei's chest. "Ms. Perfect, always following orders, no initiative, no instinct, no sense of self-preservation. It creeps me out! Do you wanna die? What if Command messes up?"
"As Evangelion pilots, we must follow NERV's orders."
"Fucking really? Do you really believe that? Even after what happened at Mount Asama? Even after the Fifth Angel almost vaporized you?"
Rei's mouth parted and her voice was barely above a whisper. "I do not wish to discuss this further."
"And I wish Shinji knew he can't trust you with his life," Asuka said as she picked up her backpack, then hobbled past Rei towards the door and left.
"There's an unidentified object hovering over the Southern Ocean. The Magi reports a Pattern Orange."
"Of course! The day was going too well!" Misato said as she walked to the console. "Kids, an angel is coming."
"An angel?!" Shinji and Asuka asked, though their expression was the complete opposite of one another.
"Asuka, you're on stand-by."
"What?!"
"What do you mean 'what'? You're missing a leg," She replied and returned the red handset to the side of her mouth to order, "Open Gates J through L and put me through to our contact in the JMA!"
Asuka leaned forward in the entry plug's seat. "So what? I can still fight!"
"And how do you plan to get to the enemy?"
"I can jump, I have my new pylon thrusters. Shinji just needs to hold on without me for a few seconds and then—"
"You're staying, and that's an order." Misato lifted the handset once more and engaged in a different conversation.
"And what the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
"You can watch and hope we don't die, like the rest of us do," Ritsuko said.
Asuka crossed her arms and mumbled something unpleasant. Misato hung up the phone and faced her once more. "We need to gather some data. You're both dismissed for now. I'll see you in the break room near the Eva cages at noon."
Shinji shuffled in his seat and turned to the clock on the wall, but the minute hand had barely moved. At least his stomach wasn't a bottomless pit anymore. The coming and going of personnel had completely died down once Misato deemed the situation a prolonged Code Yellow. He turned to Asuka, who'd been flipping through magazines for the past half hour. She'd split them into two piles for processing, and was currently on the last pages of a shoe catalogue.
"What is it?" She asked without looking up.
"No, I wasn't—" He stopped as she looked sharply at him. "I mean, I'm just anxious. Do you wanna talk about something?"
"Like what?"
He glanced at the door to the Eva cages. "Aren't you scared? Y'know, about the angel and all."
"After waiting for this long? Not particularly, and neither should you. You're the one who's gonna fight it, remember?"
"Isn't that more reason to be afraid?"
She closed the magazine and slapped it on the table. "What are you, stupid? Out there, you're in charge of your own destiny. If you die, at least it's your own damn fault! There's nothing you can do down here but hope and have faith or whatever." She picked up the next piece of the unread stack. Its cover read "Tokyo-3's Finest Dining" in bold, black letters.
"Maybe you're right. Ah, it's just hard for someone like me. I'm not brave like you or Rei."
"Well, you definitely got that right." She turned back down to read, and the quiet returned. It stretched for minutes, peppered by the humming of the air conditioner, the flipping of a page, and a trapped bubble in the watercooler finally escaping.
"Hey, Third. What do you think about NERV's authority?"
"Authority?"
"Ever thought about what happens when they give us the wrong order? What happens if Command makes a mistake and one of us dies. Is that their fault? or is it ours for following orders?"
"I've never really thought about it."
"Figures." She lowered her gaze to the page momentarily.
"What would you do?"
"Me? I'd do what's right."
"But what if you don't know what's right?"
"You just know, you have to. It's part of what makes you a pilot."
"Then, I hope it doesn't come down to that."
Her chair's legs screeched as she stood up. "Don't you get it? We're in a war!" Two magazines slid off the processed pile and hit the floor, splaying themselves on a random page. She placed both hands on the desk. "You need to get your shit together, Third. You promised me a team, so don't you half-assing things now."
He turned away with creeped up shoulders and protested, "I know that!" When the fear of a flying magazine subsided, he found the words to continue: "I said I would fight, and I will. It's just scary, especially without you, and I can't just reason my way out of that feeling."
Asuka dug inside for her usual disgust, but she found it tempered. She pulled her chair and sat back down slowly. "Shinji, just... don't lose today, okay? It would suck if we all died."
He looked up at her, initially smiling at her facetious remark, but what he saw gave him pause. "Of course. You can even have the next angel, if you want."
"Gee, thanks." She smiled faintly.
"Impact registered on the coast of Malaysia."
"Its first shot landed way off target in the Pacific."
"The Angel itself is effectively a bomb."
"It's correcting course as it goes along."
"Aerial N2 mines have had no effect."
As each technician delivered their reports, their eyes fell on Misato in turn. Her defeated smile was unnerving.
"And it's coming right at us, isn't it?"
"The Magi predicts failure. Should we call the Commander?"
"Don't. I have an idea."
"You want us to catch it?!" Asuka asked.
Misato smirked. "Well, not you, of course."
"It'll take a miracle, especially with only two units!"
At that, her expression hardened. "Miracles are only worth a damn when you make them happen yourself."
"So, it's 'just figure it out', then?"
"This operation is all we have. I know it's not much, which is why you're free to refuse, if you want." She eyed the three pilots in front of her, and her offer was met with somewhat comforting silence.
"You said I can't go out there, so why am I being briefed?" Asuka asked.
"Search and Rescue. Assuming Unit-00 and 01 successfully catch and destroy the angel, we have no idea in what state the units will end up."
She pumped a fist in Shinji's direction. "Well, you better catch it, Third, or else I'm gonna kick your ass!"
"S-sure."
"And what about you?"
Rei turned wordlessly to Asuka. A small staring contest ensued, which Rei eventually lost.
"Yes?"
"I don't know, you haven't said anything. Aren't you scared?"
"No."
"Course you're not."
Rei glanced at Shinji and Misato and then back at her. "I believe in Colonel Katsuragi's plan."
"I appreciate it, Rei." Misato said with a brief smile. "In any case, you two will be deployed at opposite points of the city's southmost quadrant. We predict the angel is aiming for somewhere near Mount Daigatake, but we don't have anything more specific than that, so you'll need to improvise when the time comes. We only have a few minutes, so unless you have a question, we should get to it."
She looked at each pilot in turn, her shoulders sagged and she exhaled with measured relief. "Thanks, you guys. Once all this is over, I'll treat you to a steak dinner."
"Really? We'll hold you to it!" Shinji said.
Misato nodded and left, and their smiles faded.
"A steak? That's a strange reward," Shinji said.
"This is why the Second Impact generation has such a bad image," Asuka said. She rummaged through her bag and produced one of the magazines from the break room. "But if she's willing to pay, we might as well get something good. Oh, and you're definitely coming with us," she finished in Rei's direction.
"I'm not coming," Rei said.
"Why not? Shinji asked.
"I don't like meat."
"Oh, that's right," Asuka said. What do you like, then?"
"Not meat."
"Really, First? I'm trying to be nice here." Asuka said, then turned to Shinji for support.
"Yeah, Ayanami. It'd be great if you could join us."
"I dislike meat, and I like what Ikari cooks. Other than that, I have no preference. For now, we must go to the Eva cages."
"I'm gonna take that as a 'yes'," Asuka said, then motioned for Shinji to follow.
In a nearby shelter, Hikari Horaki fussed with her little sister's hair.
"There you go. Now, stop jumping all over the place or we'll have to do it again."
"Boo. Can we go home yet?"
"I already told you: Not until we're absolutely sure it's safe out there."
"But it's so boring, and I'm hungry!"
"Your apple slices aren't going anywhere." Hikari offered her the lime-colored plastic container. She grimaced.
"They're brown, and they smell weird."
"They're just a little oxidized, and that's because you didn't eat them in the morning like I told you to. Come on, we shouldn't waste food."
"I want a hamburger!"
"Nozomi, be quiet now." The gravelly voice of Mr. Horaki made her straighten up. He sat cross-legged while reading the newspaper.
"Yes, papa." She pouted and sat down, taking the container from Hikari's hands.
"Hey, Class rep!" A male voice came from the farthest corner of the gymnasium. Hikari turned and saw Kensuke waving as he walked toward them. His casual attire was an uncommon sight for her, and she briefly wondered if he'd notice the same for her.
"Good afternoon, Aida." She gave him a slight bow. "Is your family okay?"
"Yeah, it's just me and my dad, but he's helping the shelter people with their security systems. Hey, I came because, well... could you help me with something? We're staying right over there, near the green curtain."
"I guess? let me just ask my father first."
Kensuke nodded, then walked back and knelt on the large tatami of the common area. His laptop showed a command line interface with NERV's logo drawn in red characters at the top. After establishing a secure connection, he looked up and saw Hikari looking around for him. He raised his hand and continued typing as approached.
"What are you doing? Hey, is that—"
"Shh!" He motioned her to come closer, and she did so with caution. His tone was conspiratorial. "Listen, Class rep. I know you don't like breaking the rules. But I really care about Shinji, and I bet you care about Soryu too, so I thought you might wanna join me. Don't you want to see them fight? It's better than not knowing what's happening outside at all!" He glanced at the picture-in-picture previews on his screen and then back at her, but she didn't seem particularly convinced, so he added, "And I'm not sneaking out this time, promise!" He put his hands together in dramatic supplication, and she rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Listen, Aida. We're still gonna get in trouble. It's not me you should be scared of, this is NERV you're hacking... this is hacking, right?"
"Nonsense! I'm using real credentials—my father's—, and he has permission to access Level 3 systems at this time of day. The only lie here is my spoofed I.P. address, but is that such a big crime?"
"I don't know computer stuff, Aida, but we shouldn't be—" She stopped as an intermittent ground tremor corresponded to the video feed of Units 00 and 01 ascending through separate shafts from the GeoFront to the city's surface.
"Wait," Hikari said and pointed at the screen. "Where's Asuka's?"
Kensuke smiled briefly then looked and where she pointed. "That's weird, Unit-02 is not being deployed... Let me check." He pressed a two keys at once to cycle through different camera angles, and none of them featured the familiar red titan. "They didn't even open a shaft for her unit."
The ground shook once more. Unit-01 leaped and ran at phenomenal speed, and Kensuke covered his mouth when it breached the sound barrier, leaving a hail of glass and steel in its wake. The shockwave was reduced to mere window rattling by the time it reached them. Unit-00 broke into a sprint in a path that converged with Unit-01's. Above the city, an enormous shadow approached.
"Is that the angel?"
"I don't know. The camera angle is too close to the sun and I don't know if this type of camera lens can handle that."
"Let's just follow Unit-01 then. Why are you laughing?"
Kensuke chuckled and began cycling views again. "I'll tell you later. For now, let's watch."
Unit-01 barely made it to the strike zone on time. It extended its arms and a brief rainbow-colored pulse spun kaleidoscopically into an unfurling AT-Field. The very air around its massive body began to boil, and some of Kensuke's video feeds broke down into static.
"You can do it, Shinji," Kensuke whispered. The instant the angel came in contact with Unit-01, it was as if all the thunder and lightning of a storm came upon Tokyo-3 all at once, and most furniture in the shelter that was not bolted to the ground tipped over in the sudden darkness.
When power returned to the gymnasium, Hikari stood up from a practiced crouching position, and Kensuke noticed the shaking in her hands.
"I better return to my family. Please let me know if something happens."
Kensuke nodded hesitantly, then went back to typing.
Shinji felt like the world was falling on top of him. His grunts broke into uncontrollable wailing as the purple plating bent and cracked, and torrents of blood poured down the hillside.
Ayanami arrived and pushed up beside him with little success, her Eva's knees close to buckling despite Shinji carrying the brunt of the weight. She grabbed her progressive knife with one hand and made a wide incision through the angel's enormous AT-Field. Its folds splayed and disintegrated like foam, but the backlash from the beast was overwhelming: it fell with ever greater force, driving the two Evas deeper and deeper into the rock beneath them.
"They're not gonna make it!" Asuka yelled.
"Quiet!" Misato ordered.
In his pain, Shinji could not hear Asuka or Misato or even himself. It felt like his arms were being split and wrenched open like stalks of bamboo. There was nothing but silence coming from Unit-00's entry plug, whilst Rei's psychograph told a different story. She willed her unit's right hand to crawl across the angel's surface until it reached Unit-01's, then lifted itself slightly so that their fingers would overlap. Shinji's screams simmered down into shallow, labored breaths and Asuka muttered something under her breath.
The angel began slowly spinning in place with its appendages lagging behind, like an orange circus tent enveloping them in a windy blur. The core manifested itself somewhere inside the crystalline sclera, yet they'd have to wait for it to move back before they could reach it.
Shinji's voice was raw and strained, and he had to focus to speak coherently. "Ayanami! The core! Break it!"
"Yes. It's almost here."
"Shinji, please!" Misato cried, while Asuka wrung her hands tightly and quickly repeated a mantra of, "Come on, come on, come on..."
Unit-01 fell on one knee and the angel's massive body wasted no time crushing it deeper into the newly formed ravine. The tilled soil around them floated up and disintegrated, and the sounds of a myriad objects crashing and whirling around them had become nothing but noise. A handful of excruciating seconds passed before the core orbited back into view.
Rei screamed as she shoved the progressive knife deep into the core, but she only managed to chip and glance off it.
"Don't panic, just try again! Hang in there, Shinji!" Misato yelled.
"I can't!" Shinji screamed. "I can't, I can't, I need help. Help me!"
"His psychograph is very erratic—blood pressure is dropping!" Maya announced.
Ritsuko gasped. "He's going to pass out!"
The angel let out an overwhelmingly deep harmony, and its AT-Field reverberated through the mountains. The blast wave ripped trees off hillsides and razed the clouds. A second aftershock made birds fly in a panic or die on the spot. In such a cacophony of energy and motion, Shinji's consciousness began to fade.
He mouthed the words, "I don't want to die," but no sound came out. His arms and legs went numb, and he slumped into his seat. His mind wandered, yearning for ancient memories of safety.
"Help me..." His jaw went limp and his head lolled to the side.
Unit-01's eyes came to life and a deep, low growl permeated the entry plug. The plates on its jaw fissured and cracked before crumbling under the force of its unbridled rage. It let out a deep, yet strangely humanlike scream as its arms shimmered in waves and regenerated.
"Unit-01 has gone berserk!" Ritsuko yelled through the open channel. "Rei, stand back, you'll get in the way!"
Rei stood still, mouth agape, at the familiar sight of the purple monster. She stepped back silently, then felt the burn of Unit-00's AT-Field scraping against the blossoming shape of Unit-01's. She was almost blown away by an invisible force, but managed to stay on her feet enough to withdraw.
Unit-01's hands burned and regenerated and burned and regenerated as they pierced through the angel's AT-Field like someone cleaving their way through a waterfall. The purple fiend squeezed on the giant crystalline orb until the core came to view, then wound up one arm and punched like the piston of a powerful engine over and over and over. The core cracked once and twice and was then beaten down to a stony pulp as the harmony fell into an echoing wail before dying out. The angel fell and deflated and enveloped both units and the hilltop with them. It then lost all cohesion and burst open like a water balloon, releasing a great tidal wave of warm red blood, drowning the hill and several nearby streams. When the steam cleared and the tide drained away, both units lay without power, soaked in blood under a clear sky.
For the last moments of the ordeal, the Command Center stood dead silent.
"He did it!" Asuka finally cheered, and most of the personnel joined in, with hooting and hollering and clapping, and Hyuga and Aoba sharing a high-five.
"Shinji!" Misato cried and then turned to Ritsuko, who nodded.
"Commence pilots extraction!"
The surf lapped against the chalky sand and the multitude of rusted sea stacks of the Queensland coastline. The late night's darkness was deep enough to make the stacks blend with the sea, reminding the older locals of the way things used to be before Second Impact. With a clink and a scratch of metal on metal, Fuyutsuki rearranged his quarter's folding chair and table so that he could enjoy the view while having some dinner. He sat down and let the sounds of the coast slowly transport him back home, even if poorly so. He'd escaped the white hell for what he hoped would be the last time, but he was still in the same swaying prison of iron, away from familiar shores.
Behind him, the white oval door opened. Fuyutsuki picked up his chopsticks, closed his eyes, and smiled.
"Evening, Ikari. I'm glad you could join me."
"Professor."
Gendo walked to the table and placed another dish on a tray on it, as well as a bottle of wine and two glasses. He returned to the door and closed it, then walked to the corner where the table had been before Fuyutsuki's rearrangement and picked up the abandoned chair with both hands. By the time he'd returned and sat down, the older man was pouring the drink down his glass.
"We need to talk about Shinji," Gendo said.
"Indeed. I'm sorry you couldn't commend him on his efforts."
"That's not what I mean."
"Hmm. His current condition, then?"
"Based on the reports, he will wake up soon enough, of that I'm confident. No, I'm talking about his readings during Unit-01's intervention."
"You think he... knows about Yui?"
"Do you?"
"It's certainly a possibility."
"We can't risk it. It's too early for her full awakening, especially after recent developments."
Fuyutsuki tilted his glass back and forth, watching the edge of the liquid slide across its walls. He drank from it once and set it down, then said: "We will only know for sure after the Angel of the Gate. But this would mean two units out of commission—I'm not sure pilot Ayanami can manage that. Shall we contact the Seychelles branch?"
"No, that should be our last resort. We'll proceed as if Agent Kaji's report is accurate, to do otherwise would guarantee both our success in the short term and our destruction in the long one. SEELE's lethargy makes me believe they already know, yet pretend otherwise."
"And why would that be?"
"I don't know. We cannot make an informed decision on the matter."
"So we must improvise, as usual."
Gendo nodded, grabbed his chopsticks, and began to eat. Fuyutsuki joined him for a while, before giving up and leaning back, glass in hand. The howling of the wind made him look out the window, and he smiled at the thought of his mind being as restless as the sea.
"Ikari, about your son. Do you really want my advice?"
"That is your job, is it not?" He asked, then continued eating.
Fuyutsuki swallowed his immediate response, and instead said: "You know better than anyone else the kind of burden he must carry. Let him enjoy what little time he has, will you? What would Yui—"
"Careful, Professor."
Fuyutsuki set his chopsticks down and spoke quietly, deliberately. "I'm not telling you how to be a father, but if he breaks too fast, he won't make it to the end. What he wants and what you need can be one in the same—there's no sin in that."
No more words were uttered that evening.
Misato logged her visit on the clipboard and returned it to the nurse with a nod before walking down the long corridor. The blinding walls gave way to a small waiting room that broke the white with a couple of indoor planters, a light blue waiting bench beside the door, and a girl with red eyes sitting on it.
"Good morning, Colonel Katsuragi."
"Morning, Rei. Fancy seeing you here." She stopped by the door beside Rei and placed a hand on the handle. "How is he?"
"I don't know."
Misato twisted the handle expecting resistance, but the door opened with a click. "I thought... You haven't visited him?"
"No."
"How come?"
She felt the handle pull away from her and Asuka appeared at the threshold.
"Oh, it's you." She put a hand on her hip and looked at both of them. "He'll be fine."
Misato shook her head and glanced at Rei and then back. "So, are you gonna let me in or what?"
"Do what you want." Asuka flipped her hair and limped toward the bench, leaning on the wall.
"It'll just be a moment. I can take you both home after this." She turned to Rei and smirked. "That's an order."
"Yes, ma'am."
Misato closed the door behind her and walked into the brightly lit room. The first source of relief for her was the silent monitor showing vitals within acceptable range. The second was a chair taken out of its usual spot and left right beside Shinji's bed. Misato smiled and sat down on it. She grabbed his hand and pulled it carefully so as to not disturb the IV drip. "Thank you, Shinji. for everything."
Her thumb tapped on his palm absentmindedly, until she found the right words:
"I'm sorry I haven't been around lately for you and Asuka. Truth is, I've been a coward. Hell, I'm still being one, talking to you like this. But we can't get distracted, we must see this war through. Maybe someday, after everything is said and done, we'll have a long, overdue chat." She stared at the security camera for a few seconds, then looked down to face him again. After a brief silence, she wiped her eyes preemptively. "The doctor says you'll be waking up soon, and as soon as you're out of here we're having that steak dinner, okay? That's a promise."
He breathed placidly beneath the white sheets.
In the waiting room, Asuka paced around the room, deliberately avoiding adjacent floor tiles, inspecting the planters, and looking down the hallway before returning to her place beside the bench.
"Why didn't you go in?"
"You've confirmed his health, that is enough for me." Rei said.
"Why is it that I don't believe you?" Asuka glared at Rei, and for a moment thought she attempted to look away from her.
The door opened and Misato entered the room.
"Let's go."
The ride back home was uncomfortably quiet. Misato dropped Asuka off at the apartment before taking off with Rei.
"I have to buy a few things before I return home, and there's a big store on the way to yours. You wanna come with before I drop you off?"
"I wish to go home, if at all possible."
"Alright, no worries. You'll still have to deal with me while we get there." She smiled reassuringly. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm healthy. Most of the impact was absorbed by Unit-01's AT-Field."
"Yes, I've seen the reports. But I'm not talking about your body or your unit. Were you worried? It must've been nerve-racking to be in the middle of it."
"I'm fine," Rei said. "I apologize, It's hard to explain. I'm not used to... worrying like that, about myself."
"What about someone else?"
Silence. Misato stopped the car to wait for a red light and turned to Rei.
"You didn't visit him. why's that?"
"I was scared."
"Of Asuka? She's got a big mouth, but I'm sure she wouldn't get physical, at least not while in HQ."
Rei shook her head. "Of what I feel." She put a palm against her chest, feeling her heartbeat. "There's no doubt in my mind anymore."
"That's pretty serious, Rei. Are you gonna tell him?"
"I don't know. There might be... unintended consequences."
"The commander?"
Rei nodded. "The day of the latest angel attack, Pilot Soryu asked me if I'd ever violate a direct order for the sake of our own preservation."
"Did she now? I guess it can't be helped, and after Mount Asama..."
"Indeed, she used that event as an example. Given the state of surveillance in NERV, I was unable to speak freely with her. But the truth is that I don't know."
"As your direct superior, I must remind you that being an Evangelion pilot requires your unwavering loyalty to NERV and its chain of command."
"Yes, Colonel."
"But as your friend, Rei." She paused and placed a hand on her shoulder, making sure their eyes met. "There are few things worse than a life filled with regret. I'd be lying if I told you I'll make the right call one hundred percent of the time. But we have to defeat all the angels, and that might require some sacrifice. I'm sure you understand the importance of that."
"Yes."
"So, what will you do?"
When Shinji returned to the world of the living, it was to the smell of disinfectant and the sound of his own breathing. His eyes cracked open, but the piercing ceiling lights forced him to blink constantly. "I know this ceiling." He whispered to himself. It was more of a test to confirm whether he was able to do so.
"You're in NERV's extended care hospital," Rei said as she leaned into view. His eyes followed the source of the voice, but saw little more than a blur.
"Mother?"
A cold rush swept through her veins and stole her breath away.
"What?"
"Ah, Ayanami. Sorry, I..." He raised his IV drip-punctured hand to shield his eyes and propped himself to his left side with his elbow. "Was that you the entire time?"
Straightening her back, she grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table and offered it to him.
"Thanks." He took the glass and drank greedily while leaning back, until a sudden cough forced him to stop. "Bad idea," he said before coughing once more. He sat up straight and breathed in and out a few times. "I think I'm okay now." He placed the glass back on the table, then turned to her. "Is something wrong?"
"Doctor Akagi said you were in great pain for an extended period of time. According to the literature, this has been known to trigger hallucinations... Perhaps you thought you heard something?"
Shinji looked down at his hands and swallowed. "Maybe. Did I talk in my sleep?"
Rei shook her head. "I must inform Colonel Katsuragi that you're awake." She hastily stood up and walked to the door, but stopped once her hand reached the handle.
"...Ayanami?"
"Please, call me Rei."
She left the room before he could answer.