PRESENT

EARTH, LOCATION UNKNOWN

The room he was in was stuffy and small.

He was not sure how he had arrived here.

The last thing he remembered was going for a small morning walk, the same path and trail he traveled every day.

Then, it was blank, and now, here he was, in a nondescript room without windows or decoration, the only furniture a small table, with a wooden chair that he was currently tied to.

He suspected it was maybe local scavengers or raiders who had gotten the drop on him, wanting to maybe get ransom money or supplies for his safe return. He was a valuable man after all.

The door on the other side of the room creaked as it opened, sunlight pouring in before being shut again. He squinted as the light was turned on, the person who had flicked the switch now in front of him.

"Might I ask your reason for kidnapping me? I'm a busy man, I'm likely already late for a business meeting."

Perhaps he should have treated the man in front of him with more respect, but he honestly couldn't take these poverty ridden idiots seriously.

Did they really expect to come out of this situation alive?

A piece of paper was produced, slid over to his side.

There was writing on it.

I would advise you to tell me everything you know about the committee for your own safety.

I'm sure SEELE would be very upset to find the corpse of one of their members, no?

The blood ran out of his face at the last sentence.

They knew. Somehow, this asshole in front of him knew.

Were they WILLE? A defector from their infantry divisions?

That didn't matter right now. It was obvious the other wasn't playing games.

There was no point in trying to act like a scared politician. They knew who he really was.

And as much as he believed in the cause, he also valued his life.

"What do you need to know? I suspect you will let me live if I give you what you want?"

The other nodded, sliding another paper over.

He read this one, and laughed.

"While I value my life, I am not giving you that much information. This is absurd."

The masked figure stood in silence, staring at him before turning and leaving, shutting the lights off again, leaving him once again in darkness.

He could have sworn that for a split second, their eyes flashed red under those black goggles.

The only audible noise was once again his light breathing, the room silent.

Hm. That was easy. He didn't think they would give up that fast, but he wasn't going to complain.

The door opened once again, the same man entering and closing the door behind him, leaving the lights off.

His hands were not empty this time.

A cylindrical object was in his right hand, a cigarette lighter in the other.

A mild hissing sound became audible, a click before a bright blue flame became visible.

Uh oh.

He began to struggle against his bindings as the other closed the distance, blowtorch still in hand.

A strong grip found its way onto his face forcing it forward.

The flame was a foot away, pointed directly at his eye, the residual heat irritating it.

His breathing picked up, his heart racing as the other held this position.

"M-maybe I can tell you some things."

Not good enough. The flame was brought closer, only inches away.

They were not bluffing.

He made his choice.

"OKAY OKAY I'LL TELL YOU!"

The flame disappeared, the torch brought away from his face, the hand releasing it's grip as the other stared at him in expectancy.

He told them everything.

The plan to retrieve Unit 01 that was housed within New Italy, the plan to capture the brat to finally complete their bid for Godhood.

He spilled the names he knew of the others within the committee, including the title of their leader, Keel Lorenz.

He finished speaking, having spilled nearly everything he had known in the last 20 minutes. He tried to recompose himself, saving what little dignity he had left.

"I hope you will stick true to your word?"

They nodded, and walked towards him, likely to untie the bindings they had put him in.

They went behind his chair, and he stared forward, expecting his hands to be free a moment later.

He didn't notice the arm raising behind him, nor did he even realize the hit directed towards his temple until he crumpled to the ground, losing consciousness a moment later.

He awoke an unknown amount of time later, realizing he was now in an incredibly cramped space.

It was hot and stuffy, his head still hurting from the blow it had taken earlier.

Quickly observing his surroundings, it seemed he has been tossed into the trunk of a vehicle.

A thumping noise sounded, and a moment later, he heard voices nearing, light flooding in as the trunk door was opened.

He was hauled out before he could even let his eyes adjust to the light, on his feet as rough arms righted him up.

Blinking, he looked around, and realized that he was in a military base, dozens of rifles pointed at him from every direction. They did not look happy.

Oh, that bastard.

A figure in the distance watched the soldiers drag the SEELE member away, handcuffing him and dragging him away.

Hopefully, the evidence they had written and left in the car was enough to make sure they spent the rest of their existence within a cell.

They readjusted their facial coverings, ensuring they were in place, and turned, walking back towards the colony, eventually blending into the small crowd within.

Shinji's mind was running a mile a minute, already working on more plans for the future.

One down.

WUNDER

7 DAYS AFTER

It was late, Misato having let her workaholic side take over for the day.

The papers she had gone over about the sudden capture of a SEELE member made less and less sense to her every time she went through the report.

Growling in frustration, she slapped the manila folder down on the desk, deciding it wasn't worth the anger.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Enter."

The familiar visage of Ritsuko appeared, Maya with her, a few folders within the mousy bridge technician's arms.

Misato adopted her authoritative tone she used with the crew, and spoke.

"State your purpose."

"The results from Rei's test have come back, a fifty eight percent synchronization was reached with the Unit."

She took the offered folders wordlessly, quickly flipping through the papers and only reading necessary information.

She placed the papers back in the folder and handed them back to the bridge tech.

"Keep me updated on any notable fluctuations or concerns. Otherwise, dismissed."

"Yes ma'am."

The bridge tech turned and left, the automatic door closing itself a moment after she passed through it.

The conversation was brief and to the point, just as she liked it these days.

She turned her gaze to the blonde still standing in the room, a cigarette in her hand like always.

"That dismissal was meant for both of you."

"I haven't said what I wanted to yet."

Misato was thankful for the visor she currently was wearing, the black tinting hiding the way she rolled her eyes at her current source of annoyance.

"I had some suspicions about who had captured him, and decided to ask him a few of my own questions once the interrogators left."

She took a puff of her cigarette, blowing the carcinogen out of her nose.

"I asked him to describe the person who had captured him, and he painted a rather familiar picture."

She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her tablet, handing it to Misato.

"I showed him this image, and he immediately confirmed that this was the guy."

She turned her gaze to the tablet within her hands, and resisted the urge to curse in frustration at who it was.

Of course it was him. Why wouldn't it be?

She pushed her hand out, letting the Doctor take back her device.

"Some of the crew already knows, this could spread fast."

"Just wonderful."

The blonde dismissed herself, leaving before Misato could say anything else to her.

Alone in the room once again. She took off her visor, pinching the bridge of her nose.

After a moment's hesitation, she reached into a drawer within her desk, pulling out a small folder.

She opened it, an image greeting her tired eyes.

It was an old printed photo from before, a photo Kaji had taken on one of their small gatherings before the third impact.

Asuka and Misato were sitting across from each other, the redhead seeming to be yelling at her for something while she sat with a dumb smile on her face, beer in hand.

Shinji was in the background, apparently the only one to notice the camera, still in an apron, waving to the camera, a lopsided smile on his face.

Her eyes lingered on him, the carefree smile something he hadn't worn since then.

She let herself savor the snapshot of time, remembering better days, when life actually seemed worth living.

She shoved the image back in the folder and drawer, hidden again from view.

She just hoped the tear stains now on it wouldn't distort the image too much.