Return, Part 3

Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I am doing wrong (to correct it.

Notes, the parenthesis indicates languages other than Japanese, in this case, Ancient Greek and English.

Day Fifteen

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Control Room

"You may proceed, Pilot Horaki." Dr. Akagi's voice echoed in the cage. The CCTV monitors showed as Hikari pressed the button on the left cuff of her orange plugsuit. The suit ballooned for a moment, before deflating and adjusting itself over her body.

"I am ready, Dr. Akagi. Boarding the plug." She spoke with disciplined calm. The microphone set in the collar sending her words to the control room.

Lt. Ibuki spoke. "Closing plug. Plug closed. Insertion in 3, 2, 1. Insertion complete. Filling plug with LCL. 25%, 30%," she read the level by 5% increments. "Plug filled at 100%. Ionizing LCL."

In the plug, Hikari breathed calmly the now clear liquid, concentrating her mind into not thinking what it contained. Around her, the walls of the plug seemed to vanish in a rainbow of colors and patterns, until she saw the cage as of from Unit-02's eyes. "Pilot Horaki ready to start synch." She said.

Lt. Hyuga spoke. "Initiating synchronization. 3%, 5%," he kept relaying his readings. "Stabilizing at 18%. No anomalous readings."

"Hold that synch rate, Hikari." Major Katsuragi instructed her, "Dr. Akagi needs time to calibrate the recovery interface."

Right at the window, Commander Ikari watched the proceedings in stone-like immobility, to his right, Vice-Commander Kozo Fujutsuki stood attentively, like a shadow. Next to them, in the Spiritual plane, an unseen red-clad ghost glared alternatively at the both men.

Commander Ikari turned to glance at a monitor close by, showing Unit-01, ready for deployment in case Unit-02 proved to be unmanageable. Rei awaited instructions inside the plug, ready to act. Once again, Commander Ikari cursed the chain of events that led to Evangelion Units 02 and 00 awakening, instead of Unit-01, the one that should have done so. Ocassionally, the secondary crew updated the status of Unit-01 in a scrolling band. Everything nominal, batteries charged, synch rate stable, Pilot alert.

The Dreaming
Cemetery Between the House of Secrets and the House of Mystery
A few minutes before.

"So it begins." Lord Daniel stood right at the center of the heroes symbolic resting place. "Lady Kyoko, Young Lady Asuka. Now you return to the Waking World. With the blessing of both Death and Dream." He raised his hands at his sides, palms up.

Behind him, Death spun her lace parasol. "Oh, don't be so serious, little brother!" She said, resting her elbow on his shoulder with easy camaraderie. Then turned to the pair. "We will send you back soon. I look forward to chatting with you two again, when the time is right, which I hope will take a while, but with our brooding brother Destiny busy with some last minute editing (1), I can't really tell you when it will be." She wrinkled her nose cutely. "Live your lives the best you can!"

"Strange advice coming from the anthropomorphic personification of Death, but so much more important for that, I think." Asuka mused with a smile. She looked at her mother, and that smile grew even larger.

Kyoko hugged her tightly. "I'll protect you from my place in Unit-02's core. Even though we won't be able to really talk to each other with words, I'll be there." She smirked, tapping her chest over her heart. "Even if they think of removing the core, they cannot do it anymore. The S2 Organ spread its tendrils all over the internal structure of the body. The only removable thing is the armor, and that's because I allow it." She hugged Asuka so tightly the pilot felt as if her ribs would break. It was the best feeling in the world, and she returned the hug with the same force.

"I'll go first, mein Schatz. (2) I'll guide you back." She said, as Lord Daniel waved a hand, surrounding her with a cloud of dancing lights.

Close by, Billy Batson shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Abel put a supporting hand on his shoulder, in silent support. Billy looked at him, and smiled sadly. Cain just rolled his eyes impatiently, but didn't dare to voice his annoyance.

Asuka raised her head to the ethereally dark sky of the Dreaming, consigning the image to her memory for several minutes, feeling her connection to her Mother grow distant, but somehow, stronger. Finally, she whispered reverently. "It's beginning. I can feel Hikari is calling."

"Showtime." Cain grinned, his hunger vest and bell-bottom pants changed into a black and white striped suit. (3)

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Observation Room

"Reinforcing connection. Synch rate increasing steadily. 23%, 25%, 27%, stabilizing. Dr Akagi? Pilot Horaki is not increasing her synch. It seems like the EVA-02's core is spontaneously connecting with her."

Shinji nodded. "Must be Huntress' doing. She must have… latched onto Pilot Horaki's mental pattern."

Commander Ikari spoke then. "Abstain on commenting on matters you are not qualified, Third Child."

Shinji stood rigidly in attention. "Understood, sir. Won't happen again."

Dr. Akagi hesitated before speaking. "The… speculation fits the facts so far, Commander." She wilted under his cold gaze.

"The Third Child is not knowledgeable enough to speculate on metabiological matters, Dr. Akagi."

She looked down, "Understood, Sir."

From the Spiritual Plane, Deadman glared at Commander Ikari, "I would be even angrier at you, Commander Badshave, if it wasn't that we planned to plant that seed of misdirection in your dirty cheating mind." He said, still sitting Indian style over the MAGI computer link. "Like the magicians like, a bit of misdirection and legerdemain can go a long way. Don't pay attention to the man behind the courtain! Not that we are even showing you the courtain. You don't deserve to see the courtain!" He stabbed his finger on Commander Ikari's shoulder several times, to absolutely no effect.

Tokyo-3, Japan
NERV HQ
Central Dogma, MAGI Mainframe
MAGI Drei, Code-name Casper
(Currently running a simulation of New York, USA, S.T.A.R Labs. Dr. Víctor Stone's Office)

Dr. Victor Stone looked at the semi-transparent image that appeared on his holographic display. "(What's up, Stranger? I'm somewhat busy at the moment.)"

"(Your current task is of the utmost importance.)" The Stranger agreed. "(It must be successful, or the life and soul of a brave young woman will be lost.)"

"(Damnation… that hag told me it was only a new procedure to run a torrent of data, I've been running simulations non-stop for days!)"

"(Technically true. But the data is actually the mind and soul of the Second Child.)"

"(Ooookay, no pressure then.)" He said sarcastically, a skill he had developed even before the accident that had required the reconstruction of over half of his body. "(Now shut up and let me work.)" His right hand detached itself from his forearm, and a shiny computer interface connection emerged from a telescopic socket like a metallic, segmented tendril. He inserted it into a computer port.

"(Diagnostic programs running, everything is working as it should.)" He leaned back on his reinforced chair. "(Gonna work from the inside. Go invisible or something if you gonna stay watching over my shoulder. Naoko could come back any time to supervise.)" He paused, "(If she does come here, I'm gonna revert to my other persona. The one that doesn't know the truth.)"

"(I understand. You will need to concentrate at the task in any case. Even adhering to the cover story.)"

"(Exactly. I'll go fully inside in 5 secs, 4, 3, 2, 1, go.)" His red prosthetic eye dimmed, and his face relaxed as if sleeping, but his right eye stayed open.

Multiple systems in the real world activated simultaneously, guided by one of the smartest men in the world. Despite his rough behaviour, Cyborg was one of the top scientists of the late 20th Century, and only his semi-murder, and the unethical cloning of his brain into the organic component of one of the MAGI at NERV Japan had stopped him from going even further.

His force of will was second to no one (4), and combined with his sharp intellect, he soon found multiple little ways to help guide the Second Child back into the real world.

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Unit-02's Plug

Hikari Horaki, or H'Karii H'Rakki, Dawnstar FiveBlades, as she had begun to think of herself, focused her thoughts on her red-haired friend. Her latent telepathy guiding her thoughts towards what she thought was Asuka's self.

'Asuka? Are you there? Can you hear me?' She sent her thoughts towards Unit-02's core, knowing fully well that that was where her friend was, not necessarily in a physical way. She felt a bit queasy at the thought of breathing the same molecules that had been, until a couple weeks earlier, the body of her friend. The LCL in the plug was the very same the plug had contained when Huntress had been absorbed into the Evangelion's core. The empty red Plugsuit had been floating in the plug, until she recovered it and put it safely behind the seat, to wait for its owner's return.

She received a faint impression of an answer. Hikari licked her lips in a vain attemp to moisten them.

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Observation Room

Major Katsuragi stood so close to the reinforced glass of the Observation Room she looked like she wanted to cross it by sheer force of will. Shinji put a hand on her shoulder. Under his supporting gesture, a tiny bit of the accumulated stress, worry and fear accumulated in the last two weeks seemed to dissolve. But still the worry was there. She patted his hand in acknowledgement, envying his steady belief that Asuka would return. Still, she took some strength from his certainty.

The Dreaming
Cemetery Between the House of Secrets and the House of Mystery

Next to Asuka, three shadows rose from as many graves. Slowly, their blurry features seemed to get clearer, like a telescope focusing an image. One was a tall young man, with short black hair, dressed in red and green, leaning casually on a steel staff, a black cloak with bright yellow lining draped down from his shoulders. He had an approving smile. The second was a blonde girl, wearing faded jeans and a red sleeveless shirt with a golden eagle on the chest, a golden rope hung from her right hip; she nodded at her as if they were old friends. The third one… the third one wore a dark purple costume, and held a hand crossbow in her right hand, resting it on her right shoulder, her scalloped cloak flared in the cold wind. She studied Asuka's face for a long minute, her face serious under the mask. Finally, she nodded once.

Asuka knew who they were. Robin, Wonder Girl, and the Huntress (5); the original heroes, long dead.

No one spoke.

Somehow, Asuka knew why they were here.

There was no need for words when a look spoke clearly.

They approved.

With a determined set to her mouth, Asuka looked at each one in turn, silently promising to honor their memories.

Far away, a fourth figure stood, immobile, watching like a…

It was a solidly built man, who looked like he was made of muscles, the body of a brawler who trusted in his strength and resilience to get through any fight. He studied the scene from afar, he didn't need to be close, his eyes were sharp enough.

Behind him, four long and thin protrusions flared like the ribs of a fan rising over his head before descending sharply at his back. A unique arrangement only one costumed hero had ever possessed.

He studied the group, his body tense with contained energy. He smirked to himself as if criticizing the red-headed girl.

'You better get those bastards, kid. Or I'll have to dig myself and Don and Dawn (6) from our graves and go back to kicking butts as zombies! And that would be a God-damned stinking mess!' He thought. And then he disappeared back into the fog, as if he had never been there.

Mount Olympus
Zeus' Throne Room

The master of the Greek gods had sat immobile on his throne for a very long time. The words of the Hecatae resonating in his mind. A Diaspora. That was their price for answering his questions.

A Diaspora.

A migration, to settle on a different place. To uproot from the very seat of his power.

Diaspora.

To where? Gaia's world had been conquered and populated long ago.

There was no new place on Earth for the gods.

But… Earth was not the only world in the universe, was it?

He remembered the answers of the Hecatae. Their gestures pointed at the stars, to the heavens.

Zeus pulled softly at his beard. Yes. That must be the answer. He rose from his meditations, and lit a brazier. Softly, he called one of the muses. "(Urania. I have need of your advice.)" He said.

The youngest of the muses arrived to the throne room, her tools and attributes carefully tended and used. "(My lord Zeus.)" She bowed, holding a compass in her right hand and a globe showing the constellations on the left. "(How may I serve you?)"

"(The Greek Pantheon must leave Earth, and find a suitable place to go. On your hands, Urania (7), I place the task of finding the place where the gods shall settle.)"

Urania bowed her head, and her star globe grew larger and larger until it enveloped them. Her eyes shone with inner light as she studied the heavens. With each movement of her compass, the star globe moved along. Zeus watched in silence while Urania worked.

Hours passed, star after star examined and discarded, until Urania pointed at at single luminous dot close to the horizon. "(There, my Lord. All signs and omens point me to Phosphorus, the dawn star. (8). The one mortal men dedicated to the Roman counterpart of our Aphrodite.)"

Zeus nodded approvingly. "(Well done, Urania. We will prepare to move Mount Olympus to Venus. There is much to do.)"

"(My Lord? Phosphorus is not a welcoming place. As it is befitting of its name, it is a veritable wasteland of corrosive poisonous clouds, hotter than Hephaestus' forge.)"

"(Then, we shall mold it to our needs. And when it has been turned into a proper place for gods to live, our devout followers will come too.)"

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Unit-02's Plug

"I can feel her!" Hikari grumbled on the mic. "Whatever you do, keep on doing it!"

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Observation Room

Dr. Akagi's fingers seemed to dance on the keyboard, adjusting parameters, confirming results, sending queries into the system. Once again, Major Katsuragi wondered at her friend's capability.

"Ego barrier reassembling!" Lt Huyga reported, followed by Lt. Aoba, "LCL ionizing and de-ionizing in sequence! Cycles of 1.3 seconds! How is that even possible?"

Maya displayed a series of graphics on the main screen, "I'm getting a triple-way synch! The lines are similar to the ones from the Sixth Angel battle! Pilot Horaki is synching with Unit-02 and another entity! Tentative ID… Identity confirmed! It's Huntress!"

Dr. Akagi spoke tensely on the mic. "Pilot Horaki, increase synch rate."

Hikari nodded, pushing her incipient telepathy to her limit.

"Hurry up!" Her hands squeezed the grips of the control yoke, trying to focus all her will into guiding her friend.

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Unit-02's Core

"(Bis später, Mama!) (9)

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Unit-02's Plug

A bright light shone inside the plug, so bright Hikari had to cover her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a shockwave cross the liquid.

The light receded slowly, and Hikari felt something soft fall over her legs.

For a moment, words failed her. But she recovered soon. "Control… mission accomplished. Pilot Soryu has returned."

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
Unit-02's Cage

Major Katsuragi was the first to enter the cage, running just ahead of Shinji. The pair stopped at the umbilical bridge, watching the plug eject from Unit-02's back.

With a feel hiss and a torrent of spilled LCL, the plug opened, and Hikari waved her hands frantically. "Wait! Wait! Don't come up!"

"Something wrong?" Misato asked, worried. "The med team is on its way!" She pushed the rolling stair towards the plug.

"No! Everything is okay, I think! She's… um…" she turned back towards the control seat.

"Gott in himmel!" (10) Asuka's unmistakable voice came up from the plug, "Just let me put some clothes on! I am naked in here and the stupid LCL is too cold! Who the he…heck adjusted the temp to freeze?"

Misato and Shinji stopped cold, right at the bottom of the mobile stairs. "Are you okay, Asuka?" the Chief of Operations shouted.

"I'm fiiiine!" She grumbled while Hikari mounted guard on the top of the stairs, throwing occasional glances into the plug.

The med teams entered the cage just as Asuka, once more dressed in her red plugsuit, extricated herself from Misato's desperate hug. She walked two steps, stumbled and fell into Shinji's arms.

She whispered in his ear, "Hello, Doll-boy. Did you miss me?"

Somehow, those words hit deeply into Shinji's soul. "You know I did, Sugar." He whispered back. (11)

Author Notes:

I edited some typos on the previous chapter, and expanded and corrected a few of the Author Notes. Nothing major, just to clarify a couple of points.

(1) Destiny is in charge of the big book that contains the story of the whole universe, the Book of Souls contains the whole story of the Universe, past, present, and future. Death is being somewhat of a prankster here. The book actually writes itself.

(2) My Treasure

(3) Cain has a twisted sense of humor, of course he has watched Beetlejuice!

(4) Cyborg could have been a candidate to the Green Lantern Corps, in my opinion.

(5) Respectively, Robin III, Tim Drake; Wonder Girl II, Cassandra Sandsmark; and the Huntress, Helena Bertinelli. Death and Dream granted them permission to attend Asuka's return. Both Robin and Wonder Girl are still at Hades' domain, while Huntress has gone to her final destiny.

(6) Indeed, that was Hank Hall, better known as Hawk, one half of Hawk and Dove. He debuted, along with his brother Don (Dove I) in Showcase issue 75 (Jun 1968). As in this story, the Armageddon 2001 didn't happen, Hawk died as a hero, instead of becoming the tyrant Monarch (in an incredibly forced twist caused by the leak about Monarch's identity). Dawn Granger, the second Dove, debuted in Hawk and Dove issue 1 (Oct 1988).

(7) Urania is the last of the myth Muses, her domain is astronomy. She has not appeared in the DCU, AFAIK, but several of her sisters have.

(8) The planet Venus. According to a quick check on internet, the Greeks had two names for the planet Venus, Phosphorus, the morning star; and Hesperus, the evening star; eventually, they realized both were the same planet.

(9) See you later, Mom!

(10) God in Heaven!

(11) Asuka and Shinji won't ever know why the House of Mystery showed Asuka the story of Sugar and Spike. She just thought it would be nice to give Shinji a private nickname.