Yet another Retread of Evangelion

by James L. King

Gendo actually cares about his son. Instead of traumatizing the children so that they can only bond with the mother's souls in the EVA, he decides, after losing Yui, that they will find another way. Thus, his scenario begins with trying to create bonds between the pilots to be. (Abandoned/Up for Adoption)

4. Just another normal week at NERV

Chapter 4: A Human Work

Part 1: Just another normal week at NERV

Two days after Ramiel,

"So, Shinji, what's up?" Touji asked as Shinji walked into the Male Pilot's locker room.

"Hey guys. Not much."

"I can't believe we got chosen! This is gonna be so cool!"

"Well, first you guys are going to get training. And lots of synch tests, and lots of simulation training..."

"Wow, so we'll actually be in a simulation of an Evangelion?"

"Yeah, at first. The sims are always held in a live environment while synched with a test body. You'll start with the basics, plus learning AT field control and basic combat movement. Rei's taking that portion. Mari's going to cover hand to hand combat and grappling, and I'm going to be teaching firearms. When Asuka gets here you'll be learning melee weapons."

"Sounds pretty impressive."

"Wow, awesome!"

"I'm glad you want to be Rei's new chew-toy Kensuke. At least it saves my hide for a while."

"What do you mean chew-toy?"

Shinji shrugged, placed his belongings in his locker, except for a small case.

"You'll find out," he said, "As for me, I have to report to the range for qualifying."

He hefted a small black metal case that they saw him take out of his locker.

"You have a gun?"

"NERV standard issue. CZ-75b 9 millimeter pistol. Most NERV personnel have and are qualified on small arms. I'm a pilot, so I have to qualify regularly, as will you when the time comes. Of course, this thing feels underwhelming to the Sniper rifles I had a crash course with four days ago."

Kensuke's eyes went as wide as his glasses and he squeaked, "Sniper... Rifles?"

"We'll actually get to fire guns?" Touji asked.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Kensuke blurted.

"You might be issued pistols, yes. But, except in emergencies, they can't leave the Geofront due to Japan's gun control laws. If you're caught with a sidearm topside, then you're in trouble. NERV may revoke your weapon rights, piloting rights, you'll be subject to arrest, and charges will be pressed."

"So, the guns stay down here no matter what," Touji said, aiming a pointed look at Kensuke.

"Aww man."

"The guns have transponder chips that the MAGI track, so they'll know and the authorities notified if you do take them out of the Geofront. Besides, it's for your own safety. You'll have more than enough bodyguards to shield you topside, so why risk it?"

Touji asked, "Wait, bodyguards?"

"Wow, they really didn't tell you about Section Two? They must not have told you anything. I'm going to have to get you guys some new hire packets."

Kensuke shook his head as Touji said "No."

"Okay, Section Two is the Security and Intelligence Department of NERV. They and a very few select officers, like Misato, are the only NERV personnel licensed to carry weapons topside. No one else is—not even us Pilots. But, as Pilots, you'll have ten bodyguards each at all times when you're in public, following you on foot, in car, and the MAGI Supercomputers will have you under constant surveillance. Down here it's just MAGI surveillance. Most of the staff at the school outside of teachers and principle are Section Two agents."

"So I guess were important?"

"There's only six of us, yes. Anyway, I have to report to the range."

"So, any idea when we'll get to fire guns?"

"Our first trip to the range you probably won't shoot the guns you'll be given, instead you'll learn to field-strip them, clean them, load them, and get used to the feel of them. Don't even expect to actually fire them or have any ammunition issued the second time we visit the range."

"Got to learn to crawl before you can walk. Much less run. C'mon, Kensuke, we'll be late for our first synchronization tests." Touji grabbed Kensuke by the back of his plugsuit and dragged him out as he whined, "But... I wanna..."

##

"Okay boys," Ritsuko said, "Today we're going to do some synch tests with you. As you're aware from the data packets you've been sent, the Evangelions are thought controlled via the A-10 nerve connectors and a transparent ionized liquid we call LCL."

Okay," Touji said, as Kensuke nodded.

"LCL is chemically similar to blood, and is perfectly breathable. In a sense, it is the blood of the Evangelion. It is hyper-oxygenated and performs oxygen interchange within your lungs by itself. LCL also acts a shock absorber and and helps your link to the Evangelion."

"Flooding entry plugs. Locking Plug depth at point seven."

"Try exhaling your breath all at once, and breathing in as much as you can. This should make you less likely to want to throw up," Ritsuko said.

Both boys looked down at the sound of rushing liquid and saw the orange-red fluid rising in the plug as it covered their legs, then continued until they were totally submerged.

Both boys, with limited degrees of success, exhaled, then drew in breaths of liquid, and both immediately coughed and gurgled.

Ritsuko half giggled before saying, "The first time is always hardest. Have faith that the LCL won't drown you."

"Activating sub-vocal filters," Lt. Ibuki said, "Try speaking boys."

"Cn oo heer be?" Touji replied.

"Yes. Try forming the words more carefully while we tune the filters to work for you."

"Is 'is behter?"

"Yes, it is better. Okay. While we go through the pre-start checklist, try saying the words to 'Kimi Ga Yo' a few times. That will help train the filters so you will be easily understood."

Both boys began reciting the words to the Japanese National Anthem, while the techs working under the three controllers and Doctor Akagi began running through systems tests and pre-synch checklists.

##

The next morning,

Gendo sat in his spacious office in the twilight before dawn, his glasses on his desk before him as he pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut as he held the phone receiver to his ear.

"So, I owe you once again," he said.

The voice on the other end replied, "You're not going to pay me back, are you? Speaking of which, the materials they demanded under the Freedom of Information Act, I handled it by giving them some falsified data. The Government is proceeding with Legal action, but that will be blocked any day now. So, should I do something about that project as well?"

"Judging by the material you sent me it appears that there will be no need," Gendo said after he sipped a cup of coffee.

"Then I'll proceed with the plan."

"Very well."

Gendo hung up, then looked at the holographic calendar and timepiece hovering above his desk. He dismissed each of them with a snap of his fingers, then grabbed air, and with careful movements that were tracked by sensors in his desk, opened a dataspace and loaded an encrypted file.

The whole system was still a prototype, and quirky at times. However, manipulating three-dimensional augmented reality projections was one of the few things he found fun about the job, he mused with a slight smile. He entered the changes on a holographic keyboard, ticked off a marker, and closed the file.

He downed the rest of the coffee and stifled a yawn as he shut off the holoprojectors in his desk. He needed to talk to Doctor Akagi, and given the day of week and time, mother and daughter would be together.

He stood and left his office, making his way down to the Infirmary.

##

"It's been over five years now, mother." Ritsuko Akagi said to the woman lying in the bed. "I think it's time I released you. You're never coming back. We've never seen as much as a single synapse firing in your brain."

Gendo Ikari stepped into the doorway, "I thought I'd find you here. Every week for the last five years you come here to talk to her."

"Commander, no treatment works. She's brain dead and has been since they found her. May I disconnect her?"

"Will you be able to handle the assignment to Tokyo in two days while dealing with the grief?"

"She's been dead, Commander. The grief is worse while her body is forced to stay alive. There is no cure for brain death."

A slight flash of regret passed over his face, then he nodded. "Then, five years... is enough time. You may release her. Goodbye Naoko. You've earned your rest."

She watched as he turned and walked away, then she shakily stood, and switched off the life-support equipment. As her mother's body stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest, Ritsuko pulled her into a hug, and cried.

Halfway across Tokyo-3, Shinji, logged into his school laptop and tapping out notes to the teacher's lecture, received a message from the MAGI. The message directed him to login to any secure terminal within Headquarters with the username and password he was being given.

He hastily wrote them on a scrap of paper, then deleted the mail per directions, and shoved the paper into his pocket.

##

At the end of classes, before he could leave the classroom, Hikari stopped him as everyone else filed out, "Shinji, do you know why Aida and Suzuhara have been absent? The teachers won't say anything, so it must be NERV related. Since you're the Commander's son, maybe you know."

"Umm, I can't say, Class Rep," he said as she held a sheaf of papers in her hand.

"Why can't you say?" she replied, placing her hands on her hips.

"Classified. If you want, I can stop by and give them their class assignments, but I can't say where they are or what they're doing." He held out his hand, and she placed them in his hand.

"Does it involve what happened last month?" she asked as he accepted the assignments.

"Kind of. Yes, but no," he replied, opening his bag and placing the papers within.

"So, they're going to be involved with the giant robots too?"

"Umm," Shinji started as he finished placing the papers in his bag.

Her sigh stopped him, and he looked up at her. Seeing she had his attention, she said, "I'm not stupid. I've figured out it's you and Rei who pilot them. Everyone in the class has. We've just kept quiet because we know you don't like to be the center of attention."

He nodded and replied, "I'm not sure how much to say, but if you can keep it to yourself, I will tell you."

"I will keep quiet."

"Okay then. They're the Fifth and Sixth Children. They're undergoing training in piloting. Tests, simulations, martial arts. Rei, Mari and I are handling the Training, and Asuka will also be helping when she arrives. The rest of us have had five years of training, and we all wrote, well, are writing the book on Evangelion Combat operations."

"There's already four of you? But only two robots."

"Nope, six total."

"Where are the rest?"

"The Fourth Child, Mari Illustrious Makinami, just arrived with Unit Five from Russia, the Second Child, Asuka Langley Sohryu is on her way with Unit Two from Germany, and Units Three and Four are nearing completion in the USA. I don't know which one one will be assigned to who, but Touji's the Fifth, and Kensuke's the Sixth. Rei pilots Unit Zero, and I pilot Unit One."

"I see," she said looking down at the floor, clenching her fists.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"A—are they going to the United States?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know or you can't say?"

"I don't know." he replied, then tilted his head and stared at her before saying, "If I knew better I'd think you were worried about them."

She blushed, and her concern suddenly 'clicked' with Shinji as she stammered, "I, no, it's just..."

"So, which one?" he asked.

"It's really that obvious?" She said as she looked up at him, her expression vulnerable for a second.

"It is right now that you feel backed into a corner and think you'll never see him again."

She dropped her head and closed her eyes, then whispered, "Touji."

He smiled and thought through all of his friend's habits, and hers. He hit on something almost immediately, and he grinned as he said, "Well, you know he buys lunch at school every day, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I always see you with a home-made bento."

"Are you saying I should make him lunch when he comes back to class?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him as he smiled. "It won't hurt. He's scared of you. It doesn't help you tend to beat on him and Kensuke a bit more often than anyone else since the Incident. Show him some affection and you should be able to attract his attention."

"Thanks, Shinji."

He smiled and waved at her as he jogged off.

##

"So, the two of you need to learn to move better," Mari said, as she struck a pose with her simulated Unit-05, "How're you going to handle an Angel that can vaporize you with a look if you can't handle me with a knife?"

Touji groaned, feeling the feedback into his body as he picked the simulation body up off the ground and managed to make it stand.

"Oww," Kensuke complained, but managed to get his simulated Unit-04 to an upright position.

A simulated Unit-01 appeared behind her, then got her into a Full-Nelson.

"Hey! No fair Shinji!" she said as she struggled helplessly.

"And how're you going to beat any Angels if you stand there and strike a pose so that you can be snuck up on? We all need work and training. Constantly," Shinji's voice came through the comm. Unit-01 released Unit-05 and took a step back.

"So, it's a challenge you want?"

"Just so they can watch and see what the EVAs are capable of."

Both pilots drew progressive knifes and waited out the others move with anticipation.

"So, is fighting about just standing there?"

"Touji, they're experts. The fight will be over once one of them moves." Kensuke said.

Both Evangelions fell down as they were hit with simulated positron blasts. Rei stood a few hundred feet away, smoke issuing from the barrel of the simulated Type 20 positron rifle. She quipped, "Never bring knives to a gunfight."

"I think I'm in love," Kensuke said, "Marry me, Rei!"

Her response was a positron blast to Unit-04's head.

"Oww," three voices moaned in synch. Rei put the rifle down, and it disappeared, "Let us be serious about the training. We have only a few weeks to cram all of our knowledge into their heads."

"Yeah, I know."

"They barely have basic movement down and you're picking a fight with them already Fourth? Go take Shinji and go level Tokyo-3 on another sim. I have to finish training them in basics and AT fields."

##

The next morning while Rei and Mari were continuing Kensuke's and Touji's training with some jujitsu, something they both were undertaking just for the chance to literally toss the boys around like ragdolls, Shinji sat down in front of a terminal in an unused office within Headquarters.

He pulled the slip of paper out of his wallet and tapped in the username and password. The Magi responded and he when he logged in he saw the clearance access – Yahweh. He'd never seen that level of access before. His father's he knew was Throne, supposedly the highest level, and his own was significantly lower.

He saw the terminal list off text, and glanced back as he heard the office's locks click shut, then he heard a female voice.

"Hello, Shinji." it said, and he looked back at the terminal. He recognized the face as being that of a comatose woman that had been on life support in the Infirmary for the last five years.

"I have secured the room you're in, and the Magi are feeding false data into the cameras and microphones for the location you're at. I'm starting these recordings as the Magi near completion as I don't exactly know how much longer SEELE or your father will keep me around."

Shinji leaned back.

"I am Naoko Akagi, current head of Project E. If you're logging into this, then I have died. I am giving you this backdoor access code to the Magi, and the information you need to stop Third Impact and humanity's demise."

He blinked as she continued, "I can only hope that you have not been corrupted by your father and would wish to bring about Third Impact."

"Third Impact? What is..." he asked, and the screen answered, "What is Third Impact you ask? It is an extinction level event that will destroy humanity. It can be triggered several ways. The Angels, Adam, Lilith, and the Evangelions. There is a group behind Gehirn, named SEELE. They are responsible for second Impact, when they fused human DNA with that of Adam at the South Pole."

She paused. "I don't know how much you've been told, but..."

##

The room's locks released, and Shinji's head reeled. SEELE, Gehirn, now called NERV, the Secret Dead Sea Scrolls, Adam, Lilith, the Evangelions. He set up a new user account with the same access level as the old Doctor Akagi's codes, meaning he now had two accounts with system access.

Plus, he'd set it so the Magi would not record files access to anything he pulled up with those codes. He pulled out his PDA and entered his new access into it, and got ready to confront his father.

He was allowed into his father's office by the secretary, a Section Two agent, and as soon as the door closed, he locked the room and disabled all surveillance with his PDA, and logged out.

"Shinji, what may I do for you?"

"Father, we need to talk."

"What about?"

"Third Impact, and your plans."

Gendo's mouth opened, then it closed as he studied his son.

"So, who told you?" he asked finally as he tapped a few buttons on his desk. Then he frowned. He glanced up at Shinji and exhaled, "Ahhh, I see."

"You see what?"

"It must have been Naoko. She must have higher level codes than mine. She gave them to you, and you've locked out this room completely so we could have privacy."

"I'd like to think I could trust my father, even with what I learned today. So, I want to know everything."

"And in turn?"

"I promise nothing, Father. I love you, but if you're half the monster she made you out to be..."

Gendo smiled darkly and admitted, "It takes a monster with a human heart to destroy a monster. I will do everything within my power to protect those I love, no matter how evil the act required. Whatever she told you, I am a monster, Shinji. Worse than she knew."

His smile faded, replaced by an angry expression, "I am the monster who will stop the Old Men of SEELE and their madness before it consumes Humanity. I am the monster who will force the Illuminati of old to their knees and destroy them. I will pay for my crimes, but not before I see a world free of such men."

"So, you stand against SEELE, not with them?"

"At first, I served them, but after your mother died, and then, when I finally realized what she always meant by her talk of the future, I knew I had to stop them. I made it my life's work to end their schemes."

"So, what is their scheme? What is yours?"

"Theirs is Third Impact. Instrumentality, becoming Demigods over a unified mass of Human souls. Adam Kadmon. The Primordial Man. Mine is stopping Third Impact, now and forever—while keeping the progenitor of Humanity, Lilith, safe."

"She said yours was also Third Impact."

"In some versions of my scenario, Third Impact is unavoidable. But know this, you and Rei are at the heart of all of those. If it is unavoidable, then you and Rei will have the privilege of rebuilding this world as you see fit, and restoring Humanity to life."

"So, she wasn't entirely right?"

Gendo stood and made his way around his desk toward Shinji, "She was not stable. She's the one who sabotaged your mother's contact experiment and killed her. She then tried for years to seduce me, but I ensured that would not work as I kept you with me."

Shinji was silent, staring at the floor, when Gendo grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, "Shinji, I want you to understand that I understand. No matter what comes, I'm entrusting all of humanity to you. It is all yours."

"What's all mine?"

"The Future, Shinji. It should not belong to some old men who fear death and would destroy Humanity to live forever as demigods over a mass of interlinked souls. Nor should it belong to the Angels, who would simply destroy all life to clear the way for their own kind. It doesn't even belong to a lonely widower who misses his beloved wife more than anything. You are my future. If we stop Instrumentality, we stop SEELE. If we can not, then you and Rei will be the ones who decide how this world will be remade."

He released his son, then walked back to his desk, "Unlock this room, and we'll go to the Chamber of Guf, and go to see Lilith."

"So, you're not worried about me having higher access codes than you?"

"Not at all. You will be replacing me as NERV's Commander some day, well, if that's what you wish. I even have plans in place if you don't want to control NERV. As for you having higher access than I, well, I can think of many ways that can be useful to my scenario. No, I need not ask you to relinquish it or give me the same level."

"So, you trust me?"

He rubbed his chin and looked up at the Tree of Sephiroth engraved on the ceiling. "Now, more so than ever. Starting now, today, I will trust you with everything. You can be the unseen thorn in SEELE's side. This actually opens up many possibilities. So, to ensure you still want to save this world, you need to know everything."

Father and son walked out of the office after Shinji re-enabled access. They walked to an elevator, and Gendo pressed several buttons, the swiped his access card. The elevator started down, moving faster than normal.

The counter clicked on until it reached EE, and stuck there for a good minute while the lift continued down, then it stopped. The doors opened, and Shinji stepped out into a massive cavern, large enough for two Evangelions to walk side by side.

"First you will see the mother of all earthly life. The Second Angel, Lilith."

##

Gendo swiped his access card, then keyed in a code, then scanned his hand print, then a voice print, then finally a retinal scan.

The massive doors parted, and slowly withdrew.

Heaven's Gate opened, and Shinji saw the marshmallow white Angel crucified within. Her entire lower half was missing, instead, a bubbling out mass of flesh with hundreds of legs sprouting from it replaced her own.

A stream of yellow liquid trickled down the cross and into a large pool. A pumping station nearby sent massive pipes upward, the words LCL Pump Station Alpha emblazoned on the side. Shinji blanched as he realized what LCL was.

"LCL is blood?"

"Yes, the blood of Lilith. She whom created all life. All of the Evangelions except Unit-01 were created from a sample of Adam. Unit-01 was created from Lilith. The part of Lilith that is missing I might add. Part of Rei's genetic makeup is also from Lilith."

"I... hear something," Shinji said, "Terrible and beautiful."

"It is The Song of Wisdom. She ate of the Tree of Wisdom, whereas Adam ate from the Tree of Life. His song would be the Song of Life. Both Songs are part of the Song of Creation."

"So, do the Angels sing the Song of Life too? Do we sing the Song of Wisdom?"

"In a sense. Our own AT fields resonate with that of our Progenitor. Sadly, the Children of Adam, the Angels, cannot co-exist with us."

"Is Lilith is what draws the Angels here?"

"Yes. If an Angel reaches Lilith, Then the AT fields of all beings will be sundered, and all Life will be destroyed as the Angels will create a world where only they exist."

"What is the AT field?"

"AT stands for Absolute Terror. It is the barrier that separates my consciousness from yours. It is what makes us unique and individual. Instrumentality is the breaking down of the Ego Barrier, the destruction of the AT field."

"I've seen all I need to see."

Gendo smiled, and said, "Well then, let us be off."

##

"It's a graveyard."

"Not quite. All of these are failed Evangelion prototypes. It is merely where we dumped them," Gendo said as he redirected the Lift and they passed by a massive chamber with hundreds of EVA sized skulls and spines all dumped into pits. Then, they passed back into Headquarters proper, leaving the sight behind, and the lift came to rest at Level AA.

The Elevator doors opened, and Gendo led Shinji down a short hallway.

"This is where Rei was born. She is only part human, and the rest of her genetic makeup is from Lilith. This room, the Chamber of Guf, the Room of Souls, is where she was created and born. She knows of this place."

"I already know Rei is really my half-sister. She looks like mom, and I do know that mom had eggs harvested after I was born."

Gendo opened a large door, and walked into a dimly lit room. He heard a giggle echo from ahead. Then a shriek of laughter, and a couple voices, all female.

"You are correct. Rei was created to pilot Evangelion. However, while she is not the only copy, she is the only one that was stable enough to leave here." Gendo turned on a light and Shinji saw a large room with medical equipment and lab equipment, and a large tube connected to machinery.

The tube held a small amount of LCL at the bottom, but Gendo ignored all of it as he walked to and opened another door. He walked into the next room, which was well lit, and Shinji followed, only to freeze in his tracks in the doorframe, his eyes wide. Gendo took his hand and led him in.

Inside were four girls. Save for their hairstyles, each looked almost identical to the rest, and to another face he knew all too well. They each were dressed simply in NERV uniforms, similar to Rei's.

Twin Ponytails and Wavy loose hair peeked at him from over two computer monitors, Braided Ponytail looked up from reading a book, and a Bun looked over from the TV, food on chopsticks suspended between her plate and her mouth.

"Hello girls," he said, "You're looking well today."

"Hello Daddy," they all said, "Who is this?"

"This is your brother. Shinji," he replied.

"Shinji!" they all cried in unison, "We've wanted to meet you for so long!"

"Um... hi?" he said, as the four adolescent girls jumped up from their locations and rushed forward to get a better look at him.

Gendo almost laughed, "They are all your sisters. Some have more Human DNA than others, some have more Lilith. Only one of them stabilized enough to be brought out. That is Rei. The others want to leave, but they can't. They know they're too fragile. Three others have been lost. I spend whatever time I can with them here."

"Umm..."

"I know it's a shock, but you deserve to know the whole truth. Besides, Yui didn't want you to be an only child. So, even if it's posthumously, I gave her daughters."

"So, what are they all named?" he asked as the girls drew back slightly, all smiling at him.

"Girls, line up for your brother. In order of age."

"Yes, Daddy," they chorused in eerily similar voices.

The four girls lined up, Wavy loose, Twin Tails, Braided ponytail and Bun in a line, giving Shinji identical, no, almost identical smiles. There were also slight differences in height and body mass. In time, he thought, he could probably identify them in ways other than hairstyles.

Gendo walked to Wavy loose and then turned to face Shinji as he said, "This is the eldest, Chiyoko. Next is Keiko. The third here is Izumi, and Yuki is the youngest."

"Hi," each breathed out as they were named.

Keiko asked, "Daddy, I'm feeling weak. I probably need to return to the tank. Can I give Shinji a hug first?"

"Yes, if he wants a hug."

"I don't think I can say no right now," Shinji said, then held out his arms.

Keiko hugged him, closing her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder for a few seconds. "I need to go regenerate now. Good night, Shinji. I hope you'll come visit us sometimes now that you know about us."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"I'll help her get back," Yuki volunteered.

"Very well." Gendo replied as Shinji watched them walk off, the slightly taller girl leaning heavily on her younger sister.

"We've met before, Shinji. Not literally, like now, but I was in some of your classes when you were taking your college courses," Chiyoko said as she walked up to Shinji and took his hands in hers.

"Really? Wait, I remember. I remember you now. It makes sense now."

"What makes sense?"

"Why you were so interested in me and emailed me between classes. It's because it's closest you had to being able to contact me."

She smiled. Izumi bit her lower lip and clasped her hands in front of her.

Chiyoko noticed and said, "I'm monopolizing you, and Izumi wants to talk a little."

She hugged Shinji and gave him a peck on the cheek before walking over to Gendo and asking, "Daddy, when is Father coming down next?"

"I don't know when Kozo is coming down next."

"What about Mommy?"

"Mommy?" Shinji asked.

"Doctor Akagi should be down day after tomorrow." Gendo said, "Tomorrow she's going to Old Tokyo on business."

"Yeah, we're trying to get Mommy and Daddy together. Daddy doesn't want to though, and Mommy just says no," Izumi blurted, her eyes wide, and she bit her lower lip again and glanced away.

"So, you call Doctor Akagi 'Mommy'?" he asked as he sat down on the sofa in the room. Izumi sat next to him.

"Yeah. Mother is Lilith, and Mom is your Mom—Yui. Mommy's the one who helps us and tries to stabilize us so we can someday live with you and Rei."

"I take it you call Sub-Commander Fuytsuki 'Father' because he helped make you?"

"Yes, and Daddy's your Daddy. He spends some time every day down here. He says loneliness can be all consuming if you let it, and no one should be alone." She stared at her knees, keeping her hands clasped in her lap.

"I take it you all feel alone?"

"Yes. We have each other, and everything we could want down here, but we're alone in this world. We can't leave, and I want to see the sky and feel the sun, wind and rain on my face. I want to watch the sun set. Watch the clouds roll in as a storm gathers. And..."

"And?"

"...I want to kiss a boy." she says softly.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned against him. Yuki returned and silently glided to the couch, and sat on his other side, then wrapped her arms around him, "I'm glad we finally met you, Shinji," she said, "We've always wanted to meet you, big brother."

"Is Keiko okay, Yuki?" Gendo asked.

"Yes, I got her into her tank. She's sleeping. I've been out for four hours and I'll need to regenerate myself soon. I just wanted spend a little time with my big brother beforehand."

##

After spending some time with his new-found sisters, he admitted his father had good reason to keep them there. But all four of them seemed so lonely and with such limited human contact had left them all very limited in their emotional range.

To his perception, they all seemed desperate for contact with other people. He'd hugged Rei before and been hugged in return, but with these girls, it seemed almost as if they were clinging to him more so than just hugging him.

"So, Yuki said she'd been out for four hours."

"Extended stays out of the tanks is a recent development. Only a month ago none of them except Chiyoko could stay out for over an hour."

"So, they could maybe go visit the Geofront?"

"Possible. I want to see how stable they become before making any promises. Trust me Shinji, I want all five of my daughters to live as normal a life as possible. At the moment, normal isn't possible."

"So, why did you create so many of them?"

"The original purpose was to have blanks, soulless shells that could be used for the Dummy system or as replacements for Rei. We gave them souls, and told the old men that proximity to Lilith is what did it. So, the original plans for the Dummy system were scrapped. Golgotha base has been redeveloping them. We're taking possession of a prototype shortly. If we know what it is exactly, we can subvert it completely."

"What's the Dummy system?"

"Take an empty half-Angel half-Human clone, place it into an Entry Plug, integrate it with the computer system, embed the digitized memories and personality from Rei into the computer and have it pilot the Evangelion. It's a horrific perversion."

"So, who's the new genetic template?"

"I don't know. Golgotha is only nominally under my control. SEELE runs that base directly. Bethany and Nevada are much the same way. Berlin is loyal to me, or so he says."

"You don't trust them?"

"Commander Sohryu is a good man. I'm not sure how far to trust him, but he seems focused on preventing Third Impact. Time will only tell."

##

Shinji lay on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The day's revelations, his father's true plans, the plans of SEELE.

He'd seen the Dead Sea Scrolls, in particular, the Scroll of War. Translated of course. He couldn't read the original language. What he saw chilled him. He saw the Angels, the 'Sons of Darkness'. He knew their names. He saw the battles he had fought.

More chillingly, he saw some of what was to come. To say he feared the future... his future... would be an understatement.

Now, he finally understood his father. What his father was working for. What everyone at NERV was working for, even if they didn't know.

But to him, now, it was a conscious choice. He would cast his lot in with his father and stand against SEELE.

After all, it was his duty as one of the 'Sons of Light'.

His bedroom door slid open and he glanced over to see Rei.

She stepped in and closed the door behind her, then sat down next to him on his bed.

"So, now you know," she said softly.

"Yes I do," he replied, "More than I wanted to know."

"But what you need to know to stop the extinction of our race."

He sat up, and she sat down on his bed next to him as he replied, "That and more. I'm going to have to make a habit of seeing our sisters as often as I can. At least I now have an idea of where you go when you say you're going out and you're alone."

"Yes, I do visit them. I try to every day. Not always easy however."

"I can imagine."

She smiled. "I have to live enough for all of them, at least until the day they can step out on the surface themselves."

##

Chiyoko is 'child of a thousand generations' in Japanese. A fitting name for the eldest of the girls kept in the Geofront. Keiko is the name of Chief Miles O'Brien's wife from Star Trek TNG/DS9. And since it's physically similar to both Kei and Kiko, it's also a nod to Gregg Landsman. Izumi, well, I like FMA. As for the last, it was totally intentional to name one of them after Yuki Nagato, when she herself is an expy of Rei.