Interludes After the Fifth Angel, Part 2

Note, the parenthesis indicate languages other than Japanese, in this case, German.

NERV, Evangelion Unit-01's Cage

"OK, Shinji, let's start with the synch test. On my mark, count down from forty, OK?"

"Understood, Doctor Akagi."

"Start the countdown, mark."

"Forty, thirty nine, thirty eight…"

He had done so many synch tests the countdown was now a natural part of the process. Technically, it wasn't even necessary, but it helped him to concentrate.

Shinji got confortable on the plug's seat, and tried to relax. At the count of five, he was quite at ease. His heartbeat and breathing were slower than usual, but it was due to the oxygenated LCL, his body didn't need to work so hard.

"Zero."

"Perfect, stay relaxed and we'll finish soon. Your starting score is 48.3%. Not bad. Try to imagine yourself as the EVA."

"Yes, Doctor Akagi."

Shinji obeyed. Mentally, he sighed, and readied himself for a couple of really boring hours. As he used to do in these cases, he started to remember what he knew about the heroes from the Second Heroic Age, his personal heroes. He knew many of them had a scientific background, like the Atom, one of the few heroes to reveal his identity, Dr. Ray Palmer, a great physicist. (Shinji had ordered his autobiography at a bookstore, but it would be a while until it arrived, the japanese translation had a short print run).

Physics was one of the hardest school subjects for Shinji, it was too rigid for his tastes.

Shinji smiled; the Atom had created his own powers, and learned to use them with amazing skill. At first sight, a six inches high man was insignificant, but Ray Palmer had a great intelligence , plus an astounding capacity for analysis and improvisation. All that was a great help during his heroic career. In fact, he was so good he was one of the most active members of the Justice League of America.

He wondered what could have Ray Palmer done, had he been in NERV's Science Section. He might…

He might have found a way to rescue Yui Ikari from her prison in the EVA's core.

"Shinji, try to fix that mental pattern, you went up almost 0.6% for a second."

"I'll try, Doctor."

Shinji's thoughts kept spinning around. The image of his mother, about to enter the plug came back to his mind. Immediately, he felt a deep sadness.

"No, Shinji, there's something wrong, you went down 0.4%. Go back."

"Mom…", he thought "Why did you had to do it..?"

A warm feeling surrounded him. Not a physical sensation. More of an emotional warmth.

"That's it, you're climbing again. Try to keep it like that."

Shinji nodded. Of course he would try. He closed his eyes and he thought he had felt a familiar fragance. A perfume… it was a comforting smell, even amidst the metallic smell of blood the LCL had.

A memory surged to the front of his thoughts. A rainy day, he was jumping from a puddle to another, splashing the water as far away as he could. His mother was calling him, she put a small blue raincoat on him… and then he was back to jumping in the puddles. He remembered he had been so happy… just splashing water all around him.

He tought he had heard a voice calling his name. "Mom?"

A feeling answered, had he put it to words, the feeling said, "Here I am, Shinji, I am here."

"…Mom…"

It was a small moment stretched into eternity. Doctor Akagi's voice jarred him out of his memories. "Very good job, Shinji. You rose almost 0.8%, compared to the last synch test. And you kept it stable for almost an hour and a half. You looked like you were in trance."

Slowly, Shinji blinked, an hour and a half? Had he really talked to his mother? Or had it been simply a dream? Everything had seemed so real…

"I think I fell asleep."

This time, it was Maya who answered. "No, Shinji, I was monitoring your brainwaves. You weren't sleeping. Just very, very relaxed. Almost like REM state, but completely conscious. I wish you could teach me to do that, some days I can barely sleep."

"I… I don't know what I did, Lieutenant Ibuki…"

"Ah, don't worry." Shinji almost could hear Maya's smile; "But if you find out, please tell me."

"I will."

"Enough talk, kids. Shinji, you can get out, go to the showers; it's all for today. Maya and I will analyse your results."

On his way to the showers, Shinji was lost in his thoughts. He had, in a way, spoken to his mother again, not with words, but with feelings...

Could there be a way to really speak to her?

General Hospital, Tokyo-3

"You don't have to do this, Shinji. I can take care of everything. You are not obligated or anything like that."

"I know, but I wanna do it. I should have come before, but frankly… I was scared…"

"Well, I get that; and I really appreciate you coming."

Shinji nodded. "Thanks. I just hope she's not angry with me…"

"Pfft! After the way she got on my case when she got word… nah, she's not angry."

Both stopped in fron of the door of a room at Tokyo-3's General Hospital. Toji knocked softly at the door. "Sakura? You ready? Time to go to your therapy."

"Come in!"

"I have a friend with me, he wants to say hi."

"Is he handsome?"

Shinji blushed a bit. "Sure she's only eight?"

"Eight going into twenty, bro."

Toji opened the door, Sakura was already on her wheelchair, with the heavy harnesses that held her legs.

"Little sister, this is my friend, Shinji Ikari." Toji gestured towards his friend.

The young pilot bowed deeply. "Good afternoon, Miss Suzuhara."

The girl's face brightened at hearing the name.

"You're the pilot!" she was so excited she was almost jumping in the wheelchair. "You have to tell me how did you finished that monster! We couldn't see that."

Toji rolled his eyes. Without further comments, he went behind the chair and as he pushed, he mouthed a silent "Tol'ja so!" at Shinji.

"First, your therapy, squirt; Shinji will tell you everything once we finish your exercises."

Sakura pouted, but didn't argue the point beyond sticking her tongue at Toji. "Ok, brother."

For the next two hours, Shinji and Toji helped Sakura with the exercises she needed for her rehab.

And as promised, aftwerwards, Shinji had to tell the story of how the battle with Sachiel had ended. He had to fill a few holes in the story with what he had seen later, in the debriefing. And left out quite a few things.

NERV Berlin

Asuka finished closing (forcefully) her last suitcase. She had packed an abundant amount of clothes, especially compared to the single suitcase Rioji Kaji had packed. And that was certainly not counting the many, many boxes which contained the rest of her stuff (mostly, more clothes, shoes, an astounding amount of beauty products, and some books), already sent for delivery in Tokyo-3; first to a warehouse; and after she had arrived, to her new domicile. In just a few more hours, both she and Kaji would receive the order to travel to Japan, alongside Unit-02; and she was impatient to get to where the action was; and prove, once and for all, who was the top Evagelion pilot in history.

"(The mail, Asuka)", Kaji's voice flooded the apartment. The young pilot ran out of her room. And practically snatched the lot of envelopes from Kaji's hand.

"(…Catalog… coupons… I may already be a winner… Ah! Here it is!)", she threw the rest to the kitchen table.

"(Letter from Ikari?)" Kaji was already sitting, and about to open his own mail.

"(And Misato's!)", hearing this, Kaji raised his eyes from his envelope.

"(Misato? Misato Katsuragi?)"

Asuka frowned at hearing Kaji's tone; "(Yes… she was my guardian before you, and now is the Third Child's guardian. Do you know her?)"

Kaji recognized the jealous tone in the redheaded pilot's voice. He disimuled his thoughts by sipping his coffee. "(It was a long time ago.)" He shrugged and left it at that.

Somewhat satisfied, Asuka went to her, now practically bare, room.

Kaji smiled to himself. Asuka was extremely direct. Still, leaving aside the age gap, Asuka was too volatile for his taste, even compared to Misato. If Asuka got along well with the younger Ikari, maybe he would have some peace at last. He crossed his fingers for a moment. He lighted a cigarette, looking pensatively at the flame for a second. He closed the lighter with a quick wrist movement..

Sitting at her desk, Asuka attacked Ikari's envelope first. Is contained a letter and a few pics.

"(Miss Soryu:

Thank you very much for the magazines! I only had a very small mention about the Wild Huntsman, in an article about the Global Guardians, and no pictures of him. I would have liked to meet them all.

I also want to thank you for your picture. I'm sending you a few pictures of my friends at school, I think you will make friends with them too.

The pigtailed girl is Hikari Horaki, out class representative, very sensible and responsible. The tall kid in the track suit is Toji Suzuhara; a bit stubborn, but a great friend. The kid with glasses is Kensuke Aida, our resident geek; he loves anything related to war machines, especially ships (don't let him close to your Evangelion! He would stick to it like paint. Just kidding, he would only try to videotape it.)

By the way, Misato suggested a visit to a little restaurant specialized in European food, she says their german selection is quite good. I'll check it out as soon as I get some free time.

Your friend

Shinji Ikari.)"

Smiling, Asuka put Ikari's letter aside, and got the pictures out. It was a perfectly normal group of teens, clowning for the camera. Evidently, the other two kids were play-fighting with Ikari; she would have to demand a more mature behavior from the three of them, they looked like stooges.

Hmm… the Three Stooges… She smiled again as she filed that nickname in her memory; it would be fun to use. Ikari was too formal in his letters, he should try to relax a bit. At least he seemed a bit less stuffed this time.

Although, if she had to trust in the pictures, he might be somewhat fun in person. That would be interesting to find out.

She put everything back in the envelope, and opened Misato's letter.

"(Hey, Asuka!

I knew you would cause an impact in Shinji! He really liked your picture (nice growth spurt, BTW!), and he asked me some questions about you; nothing too personal, I assure you. It seems you have an admirer here in Tokyo-3. Do me a favor and treat him nicely, he's a good kid; I would put my life on his hands.

You really went the extra mile with the magazines, Shinji has read them several times; although he still has some problems with some words. BTW, speaking of that, he insisted on practicing German during the afternoons; from five to six pm, in this house only German is spoken. He has progressed a lot since he started; I bet in two or three years he might even pass for a german-raised kid.

Just between us, you need a bit of practice with your kanji; take the chance! Shinji feels in debt to you, ask him to help you study. He is no teacher, but he is very kind and patient.

See you soon!

Misato.)"

Asuka drummed her fingers on the desk. Although Ikari didn't mention it, it seemed the picture had the wanted effect. She smiled maliciously; yes, she could surely have a lot of fun playing with the Third Child.

She took a pen, and bit softly at the end. Now, she didn't want the Third Child to get any wrong ideas, it was obvious he had a crush on her, and she would have to let him down before he made any problem. On the other hand, it was rare for her to find any people able to appreciate her as she deserved, and Ikari seemed to be one of the very few who could treat her without any envy/condescendence, so she didn't want to alienate him. Mmm… what to do..? Ah! The perfect idea!

She went back to the kitchen, cell in hand, and as she ambushed a surprised Ryoji Kaji in a honeyed hug she took a quick selfie, taking care to show both of them in the image. "(Thanks, Kaji!)"; she took her purse, stole a couple of chocolate cookies from Kaji's plate; and went outside. "(I'll be back in a moment, I have to get a picture printed!)"

"What was that?", her surprised guardian mumbled.

Years before (2008)

Quintessence´s Dimensional Plane.

"That's everything I know. We have a bunch of eldritch abominations on their way here, uh... I mean to Earth; and a crazy cult of crazies who want to destroy humanity. It's personal now; I haven't been able to even get close to the guys in charge." Deadman floated in the air, as usual, sitting indian style.

The Phantom Stranger took his time before answering . "Worrying." He went back to the Earth's image, passing his hands over the surface, until he stopped over Japan. "Here. A nexus of fates. A powerful one. Hmm… A fog, I can't see clearly. But there's a clear fate. Dangerous too. Very dangerous indeed." With a hand gesture, an image appeared; a boy, six or seven years old, looking sad. Another gesture showed more, the boy was walking alone on a street; it seemed a little town at the coast, he was dragging an old bycicle.

"That kid? Doesn't seem like he would hurt a fly." Deadman was intently checking the image. "You're not gonna tell me he's the next Vandal Savage or something like that, will you?" his index traced a couple of circles in the air.

"No, his is a gentle soul; ill-prepared for violence of any kind. However, the weight of the whole world will fall on his shoulders, breaking both him and the world."

"Oooh, boy!" Deadman scratched his head. "Is there anybody left who could stop those Angels?"

"The ones who might have enough power are trying to save the world soul, or protecting the planet from alien invasions. They can't interrupt their efforts." At a significant look from Deadman, the Stranger added. "Most of my own power is compromised, hiding the planet from extradimensional invaders. We will have to act subtly."

The ghostly acrobat floated around the world. "So… what's the plan?"

Once again, the Phantom Stranger passed his hands over the surface of the globe, looking for any visible nexus connected to the child. As he got nearer to Europe, his hands started to tremble. A chill went down Deadman's back. Anything capable of thwarting an entity as powerful as the Phantom Stranger had to be really powerful.

The Stranger started to sweat a little. "The fog is denser here, I can barely see a…" with a tense gesture, the Stranger changed his focus, and an image was revealed. A girl, six or seven years old, wearing a tight red suit. It looked remotely like a futuristic diving suit. Her features contracted in a determined look.

The Stranger went back a step. Another hand-gesture revealed a series of red lines, joining both kids. Most were semitransparent, except for a dark red line, that looked like a thorny vine, or maybe barbwire.

"Hey, what does that mean?"

"Their souls are connected. In each reincarnation, they meet again; they are destined to be together."

"I've heard of legends like that. Sounds like a chick-flick." Deadman rubbed his chin; his own experiences with love had been very painful, especially after his death.

"There is some truth in those legends. The best example would be the Hawks. Hawkman and Hawkgirl have been reincarnating as a couple since the Pharaohs´s times." He paused, as if listening to a far away sound. "They are awaiting for their next reincarnation."

"Just for a moment, you had me thinking the kids would be the next Hawks… And what about those thorns? I have the feeling that´s not exactly normal."

"That means their souls have been intentionally damaged during this incarnation. They are not ready to meet. If they do, they will destroy each other."

Pensatively, Deadman scratched his head again. "Back to my question… What do we do?"

For a minute, the Phantom Stranger kept silent. A minute that seemed like an eternity to Boston Brand.

"First, we must examine what you have found. As my vision has been impaired, we will have to investigate in other ways. Afterwards, we will have to observe and guide the events. I'll need you to go back to Tokyo-3 and keep a close watch on Commander Ikari. He is our only lead to SEELE. I'll investigate on my own. I have to determine where, when, and how much to intervene."

"Count me in!" Boston Brand slapped his thighs, ready to do everything in his power to be a big and nasty fly in SEELE's ointment.