Evangelion: Redemption (Ch. 15 of 19) - Part 1

[fanfic_mausoleum_n_grill]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

EVA-R Prime Extension

(c) Alex Voutsis

Writer's Notes:

Credit where credit is due to Gainax, etc etc. Evangelion is someone else's property, etc.

Additional Credits to the creators of EVA-R Illustrated Fan Fiction. Find it at http://www.eva-r.com - it is an absolutely brilliant fan fic and essential reading to understand this story. You should have read EVA-R up to episode 53 PRIME before reading this fan fiction.

The other fan fictions that are a part of this storyline are

Light of the Soul/Contact

Light of the Heart/At Last, a Reason

The Runaway

Stand By Me

Another's Touch

Thanks for Caring

House of Cards

In the Shadows

A Wish for Dreamless Sleep

Pandora's Box

Progeny / Second Child

Homeostasis/Transistasis

Faces in the Crowd

This fan-fiction is intended to continue the story begun in the above episodes.

Meaningful Gestures

The events in this story follow on directly from Faces in the Crowd.

(The gray towers of skyscrapers stretch out in all directions. The sun, almost directly overhead, throws meager shadows down on the streets.

It is midday, yet there is no movement among the buildings. There is not a pedestrian on a footpath, or a single car making its way down a street. No faces can be seen at windows. The city is silent - apart from a low thumping, steadily growing louder.

The Evangelion runs forwards, its weapon held close to the body and its head low. Breaking its stride it drops down behind the low cover offered by the surrounding buildings, ploughing to a stop. Hefting a massive assault rifle in one hand it turn and hauls on its power cable. A giant rasping sound snakes through the streets as the Eva gathers slack line to work with. Two furrows, gouged by the Evangelion's knee joints, point back where the monster came.

In the entry plug deep in the Eva's body, Asuka Langley Sohryu stops and considers her options.)

Asuka: (thinking) Around that corner?

Asuka: (thinking) No, not yet - maybe when Misato gets back to me about the sensors..

(No point in risking being shot while taking a peek around a corner, when NERV can do the job for her through Tokyo-3's sensor arrays.

In one corner of her heads-up display is an overhead map of the city. The positions of the other Evangelions are depicted by purple and yellow triangles. Shinji is mirroring her location, while the third, yellow triangle indicates Unit 06 is some distance back.)

Shinji: (radio) Misato, where's the target?

(Asuka briefly glances towards the boy's face, visible in another corner of the display. He seems calm enough. The Second Child pulls her weapon closer towards Unit 02's body, not wanting the barrel to reveal her location by poking around the corner for all to see.)

Misato: (radio) All Units are surrounding the target area. It touched down somewhere around there; sensors systems are being erratic, you'll have to find it yourself.

Asuka: (mutter) Great.. here goes nothing.

(This time she risks a quick look around the corner. Her brief glance shows her the wide street, with building after building forming pillars down either side of the road. But the street is clear, the target nowhere in sight.

She pulls back behind cover, shifting the grip of her assault rifle. Asuka looks upwards towards the skyline, where the blazingly white sun is just visible over the towering skyscrapers.)

Asuka: If I could just get on one of these buildings.. being trapped in this rat maze sucks!

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Misato: (radio) Play by the rules, Asuka.

Asuka: (radio - irritated) I know, I know.

(Major Misato Katsuragi watches the unfolding battle from the Central Dogma control room. The vast projection on the opposite wall is split into displays of the pilots' fields-of-vision, showing what the children see - mostly the uniform gray of buildings, apartment complexes, the occasional glass facing of a skyscraper.)

Shinji: (radio) It might try to get out if it knows it's cornered. Keep your eyes open if it makes a move your way.

Asuka: (radio) Worry about your own end, Shinji.

Shinji: (radio) ...

Misato: (radio) Lyn, you're at your waypoint. Covering Evas One and Two.

Lyn: (radio) Yeah.

(Misato winces at the undercurrent ringing clearly in the Sixth Child's tone.

Lyn is the 'sniper' of this mission, providing long-range support in case the enemy flanks Asuka or Shinji. In his role, it is especially critical that he be alert. Katsuragi makes a 'cut throat' motion with her hand, indicating that the radio link is to be silenced.)

Misato: (to bridge crew) How's Anouilh doing out there?

Hyuga: Heartbeat and pulse are a little up but that's to be expected. He's well within tolerance levels.

Yuri: Synch ratio is fifty-six percent.

Arnold: Nowhere near as good as his recorded peak..

Yuri: (pausing) It seems to be stable though, Sir.

(Hayridge grunts acknowledgement, noting the slight delay before Yuri's reply - an effect of the translation device she and the other NERV officers are currently equipped with.

As a Major himself, Arnold Hayridge matches Misato in rank - in theory. In practice, Katsuragi is NERV's head of operations, while Hayridge's roles are restricted to what "his people" do, a limit further drawn by the fact that he does not yet know Japanese. As the highest ranking officer from UNSynaps to have agreed to continue with NERV, the responsibility for all those personnel who came with him falls on his shoulders. That gives him a certain status, but not one that would stretch as far as commanding a city under attack.)

Misato: (thinking) Lyn's barely holding his own in this.. I'm surprised he hasn't brought it up himself.

Misato: (thinking) Unit 06 was the only Eva that got here from Europe intact. I would have thought Hayridge would make that a part of his responsibility too?

(But Hayridge, standing to the side, betrays little if any of his feelings in this tense arena.)

Misato: (thinking) Damn. I thought I knew why he was hanging around.

(Misato's swings her attention back to the tactical map of Tokyo-3. The purple triangle indicating the position of Unit 01 is advancing slowly into the target area.)

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(Unit 01 holds its rifle ready, checking every junction as it advances down the main street. Towers of gray loom all around it.)

Shinji: I'm five hundred meters in. No contact.

Misato: (radio) Asuka, Lyn, keep an eye on his position.

Asuka: (radio) Relax, Misato, we're covering him..

(Shinji pauses at the next corner. Using the building beside him as cover he checks both ways - still no sight of the enemy. He glances back the way he came; the Evangelion's power cable trails out behind him.)

Shinji: I'm going to move off this street, Misato. My cable will give away my position if it sees it.

(The giant moves carefully into a side street. In the narrower space the Eva is forced to walk slowly, while keeping its rifle raised at shoulder level.)

Misato: (radio) Looks like it's getting a little tight in there. Any sign of the target?

Shinji: No, Misato.

Asuka: (radio) Nothing yet.

Lyn: (radio) No.

Asuka: (radio) Misato, I'm going to go around to Shinji's start location, where his cable is. Maybe I can catch it if-

(Her voice is drowned out by a sudden burst of fire from behind - Shinji jumps as the readouts in the entry plug switch colors, the normal white light replaced by the glaring red of alert. His eyes dart to the power display; his five minutes of power have begun to count down.)

Shinji: Misato, my cable's been cut!

Shigeru: (radio - shouting) The power cable was hit two grid co-ordinates back from your location!!

Shinji: Right!

(Unit 01 turns and sprints back along its power line. Its now-useless umbilical cable detaches and falls, rockets igniting to cushion the impact. The Evangelion heads out into the main street again, eyes following the slack cable toward its smoking end, further down the street..)

Shinji: (shouting) I see it!

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Hyuga: Unit One has engaged the target!

(The roar of Unit One's assault rifle can be heard through the speakers and easily seen from nearly all the video feeds of the city above.

The screen displaying Unit 01's field-of-vision flares with gunfire. The Evangelion advances up the street, firing in short, timed bursts that ripple across the torso of the flickering creature ahead. The rifle screams out another volley of shells, driving the enemy back.

And the NERV tactical crew do their duties also, as tempered as the pilot as they deal with an all-too familiar threat. The overhead map displayed on the Terminal Dogma screens quickly changes, now showing four icons - purple, red and yellow for the Evangelions, and white for the target. An instant later the MAGI complete their bloodspectrum analysis - and redesignates the target.)

Shigeru: Blood type blue! Angel confirmed!

Misato: (to radio) It's an Angel! Shinji, force it back - but don't waste your ammunition! Lyn, cover grid seventeen by forty, we'll try and drive it into your line of fire! Asuka, back up Shinji if you can!

Lyn: (radio) ..

Asuka: (radio) Got it!

Shinji: (radio) It's retreating!

Misato: Stay on him Shinji - check your magazine!

(On the map, the white icon of the target shifts back from the advancing Unit 01. Misato watches as Units 02 and 06 reposition slightly, preparing to catch the enemy in a crossfire.)

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(The rifle clicks dry.)

Shinji: Damn!

(Explosions tear down the street in a line, hurling chunks of asphalt and shattered cars into the air. The enemy lets loose with an attack of its own, sending a stream of slugs towards Unit 01.

And Unit 01 is gone, hurtling to its left as the ground where it had stood a moment before is torn apart by the impacts. Purple armor skids and scrapes on the concrete as the Eva rolls behind the cover of an office block. The enemy's aim follows, tearing into the building and gouging concrete and steel out in chunks. Several high priced tenancies are removed from the Tokyo-3 market before the roar of firepower ceases.

Working quickly, Shinji drops the empty magazine out of the still-smoking rifle. Simultaneously Unit 01's shoulder housing opens to reveal a spare magazine. Locking it into his rifle, Shinji glances at the time display: three and a half minutes remain on his internal batteries.

He takes a breath.)

Shinji: (to self) Ready.

(He lunges out into the open with his rifle raised.)

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(Unit 06 thunders through the canyons of the city. He takes another glance at the map display.)

Lyn: (to himself) Nearly..

(He halts, the Eva hefting its positron rifle towards the other end of the street.)

Lyn: I'm in position.

(The Sixth Child breathes slowly, remembering the lessons - and remembering that one of his tutors is watching him from the NERV control room right now. Although Lyn is yet to hear a comment from the man, he has no doubt that Arnold is observing. It's the sort of thing he would do.

He can feel the weight of the positron rifle pulling on his shoulder, the vibrations of the pavement beneath his feet, the distant thudding as the other Evangelions move hastily through the city, scrambling to intercept. He does his best to screen these out, concentrating instead on the target area, his eyes waiting for movement.)

Misato: (radio) Shinji, your power's down to three minutes!

Asuka: (radio) Sheisse, where is this thing?

Shinji: (radio) I've lost it! I don't know where it went!

Misato: (radio) Asuka, break left!! That'll bring you alongside where Shinji lost contact with the target!

(Anouilh sees it, hurtling between the buildings in and out of his line of sight.)

Lyn: Visual! Two grids north of last position!

(Unit 06 dodges between the buildings, moving quickly across the streets to where Lyn knows he will get another shot. Bracing himself, he levels the rifle.

A deep breath out, exhaling LCL.)

Misato: (radio) Shinji, cable point seven, resupply! Lyn -

(He pulls the trigger.

A positron bolt burns its way down the street at shoulder height, straight and level. It burns like a new sun, screaming like a banshee. The enemy flickers and darts to one side as the blast discharges with a crack of blazing energy - maybe striking the target, maybe a building. Light flares around the impact point, briefly illuminating the enemy. Struck or not, it's still on the move.

Unit 06 sidesteps into the next street and fires again as the enemy predictably slides into view. This time he sees the blast bury itself in the creature's chest before it blossoms with light.)

Hyuga: (radio) Confirmed hit with the positron rifle!

Shigeru: (radio) Energy buildup detected!

(The Sixth Child grits his teeth - he has already seen it. The dark, flickering enemy at the end of the street is no longer moving. There is a flash - Lyn squints as he sights the target through the brightness. He fires again into the enemy's chest; the shot sinks into flesh and vanishes, if anything only making the light grow brighter.)

Shigeru: (radio) Buildup accelerating!

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Misato: Lyn, heads up!

(They watch as light bursts from the creature's body, streaking down between the canyons of buildings towards the yellow Evangelion. The blinding yellow energy is visible for an instant as a reflection in the mirrored sides of buildings before the glass warps and shatters from the heat.

The impact is a roar - white energy cascading from the upraised AT field, sparking and discharging as it slams into the wall of the pilot's will. The energy blast, far overshadowing the previous positron shots for sheer power, would have easily vaporized the mecha - and probably burned a destructive path through the city behind it. But its power is blunted on the AT field of the Sixth Child. Superheated air climbs up the AT field and reaches into the sky, shimmering and distorting, an infernal mirage.

Lyn's rifle crashes to the ground, his grip on the weapon lost under the terrible assault. The street just beyond his Absolute Terror field has begun to buckle, melting under the intense heat of the his own reflected attacks. Within seconds his fallen rifle shorts out, the weapon readout on his HUD displaying failure. While the AT field keeps him static and unchanging, it does nothing about the intense, burning heat of the beam's deflection, nor its effect on his surroundings. In the center of the new hell the yellow bulk of Evangelion Unit 06 stands, both hands upraised, palms outwards as if pushing against an enormous weight..)

Misato: Hold on! Asuka!!

Asuka: (radio - shouting) .. almost .. !

Lyn: (radio) Get over here now!

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(Unit 02 rushes out from a street some distance behind the target - to Asuka, the yellow Evangelion is a just a vague shape behind the cascade of light burning against the AT field. The enemy is a different story. Down the sights of her rifle she has a very clear picture of it.

The creature stumbles forwards as the shells punch into its back, blots of darkness against its burning, flickering form. Its assault on Unit 06 fizzles and dies as it tries to turn towards the new threat. Asuka raises her voice over the roar of her rifle.)

Asuka: (yelling) Come on Six, whaddaya waiting for??

(The other Evangelion draws its backup weapon - a standard issue pistol - from its shoulder port and raises it. Both rifle and pistol roar and flash, trapping the enemy in the crossfire. A volley of rifle rounds tear across its torso, while slower, heavier pistol rounds punch through its body from the other angle. Shot after shot, both pilots fire repeatedly into the now helpless attacker, which jerks and staggers as its body is punctured by dozens of hits.

This time it has no chance to turn their attacks against them - as it dies before the two pilots can exhaust their ammunition.

Suddenly it is over. The target vanishes, leaving only a digital distortion where it had stood. Shortly after, the buildings themselves flicker and vanish, no longer needed for the simulation.

The concrete of the floor is intact and Lyn's weapon rests unharmed on the ground - this damage too was a digitized simulation.

Evangelion Unit 01 arrives on the scene just a moment too late to add its firepower to the fray. Inside the entry plug, Shinji's internal battery display flickers back to 88:88 - a limit that had only been needed for the sake of the exercise.

Unit 01 surveys its comrades as the last of the simulation flickers out of existence.)

Shinji: I guess you guys got it.

Asuka: Yeah, we killed the bad guy. Can we go home now?

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(Shinji points at himself, and then at the exit.

Asuka raises her hands in confusion and shakes her head.

Shinji points at himself again, and then points at the exit again.

Asuka waves her hands around at shoulder height, palms up.

Shinji points at himself, twice, not that it helped, and then points repeatedly at the exit.

Asuka points at Shinji, and then mimes throttling someone to death.

Shinji's shoulders slump, then his eyes brighten with a new idea. He holds up six fingers, then points to himself, then to the exit.

Asuka points at Shinji, holds up six fingers, and then mimes throttling someone to death. Repeatedly. Probably six times.

The roar of coolant pouring into the Evas' cages fills the chamber. The Third Child stands near the exit on one end of the gantry, while the Second Child stands at the opposite end - next to the empty plugseat that has just been extracted from Unit 02's entry plug. Communication via handsignals isn't working well, especially since Asuka seems more interested in murder via handsignals.

The cage worker has to tap Asuka on the shoulder for her attention - the all-deafening sound of the flowing coolant is nearly too loud for his voice to carry.)

Asuka: (turning) ?

(The man offers her his set of ear-defenders, which are also equipped with a mike and headset.)

Asuka: (shouting) THANKS.

(As she settles them over her head, she sees that Shinji has been given an identical set by another worker. With a groan, she realizes that the entire cage had probably been watching their performance. Asuka spares a brief thought to consider which of them had humiliated themselves more, her or Shinji.)

Asuka: Yeah Shinji?

Shinji: (headset) Asuka, can you hear me?

Asuka: Yeah, now. Just say whatever it is.

Shinji: I'm going to try and catch up with Lyn. You know, about tonight?

Asuka: (thinking) Stupid. You should have just gone!

(But she doesn't say that - for some reason, the thought of everyone in the cage hearing it through their headsets makes Asuka hold back.)

Asuka: Oh yeah, right. Get him in case he leaves or something.

Asuka: (thinking) Besides, I can tell you later.

(As Shinji leaves the cage, Asuka hands the headset back to the worker, raising her voice about the roar of flowing coolant.)

Asuka: (loud) THANKS FOR-

(The flow stops.)

Asuka: -THAT - sorry. (irritated) Well, that's typical of this place.

(The man shuffles the headset back over his ears, gesturing at the viewscreen of the cage control room.)

Worker: (to headset) Unit Two, repair work class.. eight. Who's on shift?

(A glimmer of a social consciousness forces Asuka to make an attempt at small talk.)

Asuka: So, how's Unit Two?

Worker: Oh? Oh, the repairs. Class eight isn't anything special, just scrapes and paint, surface abrasions. I'd like to say that she came through without a scratch, but I guess it's impossible to avoid a little wear and tear.

Asuka: Not impossible, just - wait. She?

Worker: Sorry?

Asuka: (sharp) You called her a she.

Worker: Well, yeah, I guess we all do.

Asuka: Why?

(Her question must have been far sharper than she had intended - the worker is suddenly nervous. He delays for a second, listening at his headset as he lets his answer out a bit at a time.)

Worker: Well, I guess.. because you're a she. A girl, you know?

Asuka: ..

Worker: We normally call Unit One a he, 'cause of Shinji. And Unit Zero a she, and..

Asuka: (turning) Yeah yeah, I get it. Thanks.

(Walking back along the gantry, the Second Child feels oddly disappointed at the answer.)

Asuka: (thinking) What was I expecting? Someone to notice?

(When she reaches the exit Sohryu stops and turns, looking back to where repair crews are beginning maintenance on Unit 02's armored frame. Her gaze falls on the crimson giant, at the slits of its darkened eyes.)

Asuka: I didn't hear you today.. but I'm still waiting.

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Shinji: Asuka and I will probably be catching the bus at fifteen past.

Lyn: ..

(The Third Child fastens the last button on his shirt with one hand while the other rubs a towel over his still-wet hair. Lyn closes the door of his locker as Shinji continues.)

Shinji: If we hurry, that is, and don't miss it. Are you coming?

Lyn: ..

(Shinji had caught up with the Sixth Child at the locker room. Lyn is taking his time; it seems that he's in no hurry to be anywhere just yet. Certainly he's not worried about catching a bus.

But Shinji presses the question all the same, continuing to dry his hair with rough movements of his towel.)

Shinji: Are you?

Lyn: No.. There's some stuff I want to do here.

Shinji: Okay, I guess. It would have been good though - having someone to cover me in case Asuka goes ballistic or something..

(His joke falls flat, Lyn heading for the exit. Shinji asks another question at the young man's back.)

Shinji: What about the study tonight?

Lyn: Oh - yeah, maybe.

Shinji: It's at Misato's, remember.

(The door slides open, but Lyn pauses at the threshold.)

Lyn: Who'll be going?

Shinji: You and me, I guess, and Asuka of course. Touji, Goro and Kensuke said they were coming. Hikari too, that was Asuka's idea. She said something about how Aoi wouldn't be coming, sorry about that by the way, and something about a disconnected phone number. Do you know anything about that?

Lyn: Not really. I suppose I'll be there.

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Hyuga: (conversationally) So Maya.

Maya: (turning) Mmm?

Hyuga: The presentation night - we were wondering if you were going to be there.

(Determination and frustration pushing him, Major Arnold Hayridge has learned how to use the consoles in the control room of NERV Central. This has partly been thanks to trial and error, and partly to patient responses and improvised lessons from NERV staff. During every moment that he had been the fifth wheel, waiting for translations and dependant on others to do even the most simple tasks, Hayridge has itched with uselessness.

Now and again he cautiously introduces a few Japanese words to his sentences, listens to conversations without his translator, and pores over a text on speaking Japanese.

Like right now, as he listens to Hyuga speaking to Maya on the other side of the Central Dogma control room.)

Maya: Oh, the night.. well, that's not really what I'm good at..

Hyuga: (raising hands) I'm only asking.

(Hayridge watches the woman pause, a suspicious look coming over her face.)

Maya: I hope you're not looking for a date.

Hyuga: No! No, seriously. I've already got a date. I'm going with Shigeru.

(The other bridge officer looks up suddenly, having missed just enough of the conversation to fall for it. Maya laughs softly as Hyuga continues.)

Hyuga: He and I are on shift to watch the proceedings from here - no champagne and steak for us. I'm just asking.. are you going to turn up?

Maya: I'm..

(A long pause, and Hayridge knows that she isn't going to go.)

Maya: Maybe. It depends how things work out around here.

(The chairperson of Project E leaves - Hayridge follows her with his eyes, wondering at the contrast between her obvious youth and her position of authority. Shigeru looks at Hyuga wryly as the latter takes his place in front of the console.)

Shigeru: Go well?

Arnold: These patterns are all over the place.

(Hyuga looks over to where Hayridge is working at what is normally Yuri's console. The Major explains in halting Japanese.)

Hayridge: The.. synch patterns from exer- exercise.

Hyuga: That's to be expected. The pilots knew it was a simulation, and that would have held them back a bit.

Shigeru: Better that way, rather than have their AT fields working at full capacity.

(Hayridge nods - forgoing his usual grunt in case it causes an offence that he isn't aware of. He knows he's already let one slip today.

The Major has been comparing the results of the exercise to readings made during previous battles. He has spent a great deal of time reviewing - or trying to review - the past attacks on Tokyo-3. Much of it is still beyond him; one thing that is high on his mental "to do" list is to speak to Major Katsuragi about some of the decisions she has made in defending the city.)

Shigeru: We shouldn't worry. The exercise was mainly for visuals, not for real combat data. The tech boys wanted to showcase the new hardware they developed for the Evas..

(Hyuga lets out a short laugh, looking over his console array to a newly active screen.)

Hyuga: Tell me about it. I know that technical division four was requesting the exercise be delayed until they could get their new systems running.

Arnold: New systems?

Hyuga: A lot of the staff know that there's going to be a big budget increase. They can probably see some improvements to their departments in the works. Like this..

(His fingers flicker over the console, calling up a file - a development schedule.)

Hyuga: A revised system for the cage - new locks and restraints. They estimate that these could cut scramble time by thirty seconds, getting Evas to the surface that much faster.

Arnold: That is a.. improvement.

Hyuga: That's not all. (calls up another file) Increased internal battery reserves, squeezing out a few more seconds. (another file) A weapon for close quarters engagements with enemy Evas, resistant to sonic blades. Not mentioning the reloadable rifles that Units One and Two were using in the exercise.

(He switches off the screen.)

Hyuga: These things aren't new - they've just never been implemented.

Shigeru: Not enough money to go around, not enough manpower to get it working, just not enough of a benefit for the cost.

Hyuga: But things are changing now. (grins) Your friends from UNSynaps aren't the only ones trying to rock the boat.

Arnold: Big things planned for the future.. ?

Shigeru: Planned yes, but will any of it sees the light of day? Maybe next time the enemy shows up, we might actually be ready for them.

Hyuga: Against a human enemy? They'd only attack when they know we're off balance. Like the last attack - we only had one functioning pilot, Ayanami.

(Hayridge is tempted to ask further, but resists the urge.)

Arnold: (thinking) An enemy who will only attack when we're vulnerable. An enemy who will do their best to find when and where we are vulnerable. And who can make us vulnerable with every weapon mankind has ever developed..

(The Major knows this for what it is - an impossible fight. If they knew where the enemy's base of operations, where they are launching their assaults from, then it would be a different story. But all NERV has is the knowledge that someone out there is planning their end. They won't get to choose the time or the place - Murphy's Law would inevitably reign, and the attack would doubtless occur at the worst possible time.

But Hayridge doesn't talk to the bridge crew about this; he's had enough of discussing it with Fuyutsuki up in the old Commander's office.)

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(She hadn't sat next to him; of course, Asuka never does.

Shinji Ikari is seated around halfway down the length of the bus, not really at the front, and not at the back. He has sat at the back a few times, but never really made a habit of it. He's always had the impression that the back seat of the bus was meant for someone else, someone who wasn't Shinji Ikari.

Asuka hadn't sat next to him. Instead, she has gone a row behind him.)

Shinji: (thinking) So is she meant to be more of a "rebel" than me?

Shinji: (thinking) Or does she just want to know if I look at her?

Shinji: (thinking) Or does she want to watch me?

Shinji: (thinking) Or is it that she just sat there, no reason or anything.

(He pours over what she does, from her broadest statements and expansive gestures, to the smallest nuances in tone and movement. And wherever he looks, Shinji finds little that can explain what Asuka Langley Sohryu wants. Or thinks. Or means. Or is.

The closeness of the contact is gone - forever - and Shinji is left quite possibly worse off than what he was before, struggling to understand anything.. or frantically waving his hands in enormous gestures as he tries to make her understand him. His words never come out the way he wants, his meanings always seem to be taken the wrong way. Whenever there's another way to interpret what he says - a way that ends up being embarrassing or insulting - Asuka seems to find it.)

Shinji: (thinking) Like he said that time.. understanding someone completely is impossible.

(Ikari finds a self-mocking little smile on his face.)

Shinji: (thinking) But he didn't tell me that understanding even a little would be so.. difficult..

(Shinji takes a breath and turns his head, looking over his shoulder at Asuka. The young woman is staring out the bus window at the passing streets, her elbow wedged on the window ledge and her palm under her cheek. Asuka's eyes respond to Shinji's movement, briefly making eye contact, then returning to her silent appraisal of the street - as she had never looked at him. It reminds Shinji of people he passes in the streets, strangers who only meet his eyes by accident and pretend it never happened.)

Shinji: I'll be getting off the bus early.

(Her eyes met his again, but she does not speak.)

Shinji: I'll be getting out.. at Rei's place.

(Her hand slips down from where it had supported her cheek as she turns her head.)

Asuka: Yeah?

(No interest, it seems, but Shinji can't believe that. No way. She must be waiting for him to tell her more, keeping her reaction to herself. Maybe.)

Shinji: She's been at school and stuff, but I thought she'd be at the activation today. But Unit Zero hasn't even been repaired yet..

Asuka: And why are you telling me this?

Shinji: ..

Asuka: Afraid I'd be jealous or something? You go see her, Shinji. I'll try to stop Misato from cooking tonight.

(She might be serious, or she might be covering something up. Her words could mean so many things - Go, Don't Go, I Hate You, I Want You.. but Shinji doesn't know.

The handsignals were easier than this. More fun, at least.)

Shinji: That's not it.

Asuka: Huh?

Shinji: I want you to come with me.

(And for once, Shinji is certain of Asuka's reaction. Surprise flashes across her face.)

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(It is not the same spartan apartment that Rei Ayanami had used to live in.

The 18th Angel had left Tokyo-3 torn, the city's defenders scrambling to respond, and the First Child bleeding on the floor of her flat. In the wash of destruction Rei Ayanami's home had been just one more smashed apartment to be rebuilt. Since then, the city skyline has changed with the construction of new apartment blocks and a shopping center in the area. More cars are on the roads, pedestrians on the sidewalk. The very feel of the street has changed.

But it's more than that. Rei Ayanami's home had been a place for sleeping, a place for time not spent at school or at NERV. Beyond that, it hadn't been much else. Sure it had worn Rei's own "stamp" on it - a beaker of water in a specific place, a case holding a pair of cracked glasses for a subscription that would never match Rei's crimson eyes - but it hadn't been something that Ayanami had invested herself in. She simply hadn't cared.

Tenkei had changed that. It was as if one look of his yellow eyes - not disapproving, just looking - and Rei had suddenly hated the place. The exact inner workings of her mind are unknown to most, but whatever operated in the First Child's conscious had made her twist her home into a new shape. They had scrubbed and dusted and mopped and shifted and painted and changed. And maybe so had she.

The flat no longer resembles where Ayanami had resided before the 18th Angel's attack. That had just been a place to return to after work, the place where she held a few objects that she knew she was meant to remember but didn't, the place where Shinji had slipped and fallen onto her naked form, frozen and terrified.

Asuka Langley Sohryu knows all of this, before Shinji even puts a finger to the doorbell.

The memories are dimmer now, poor recollections of what she had seen while venturing in Shinji's mind. The mind's perspective is subjective at best, filtering out and editing the things it experiences. Shinji's recollections, imperfect, are doubly distorted by Asuka's perceptions.

A half-memory rises in her mind.. A room at NERV headquarters, somewhere deep below, and Ritsuko Akagi speaking..

And nothing. Shinji had held back, not telling her that little secret. It had been one of the things that he hadn't wanted Asuka to know. It was Rei's secret, maybe even that damn thing that kept Shinji going back to save Wondergirl over and over again.

Shinji had asked Asuka to come with him, to see Rei. Sohryu isn't sure how to make out his offer, or her acceptance.

After a moment of waiting, Shinji reaches out and tries the door handle. He steps back.)

Shinji: It's locked.

(Asuka isn't surprised by the relief she feels hearing that. She turns back towards the street.)

Asuka: (shrugs) She isn't home, then she isn't home. I guess-

(Her words are cut short by the click of the door's lock. Asuka turns again as the door opens slightly, Shinji's position blocking her view of the girl inside.)

Rei: (voice) Ikari?

Shinji: Rei, can we come in? Asuka and me, I mean.

(The door opens a little more, Rei's paleness visible as she looks around Shinji's shoulder. The shadow of the door cuts a crescent moon of her face. She isn't how Asuka imagined her; she had expected someone disheveled and squinting the sunlight. She looks normal, or, Asuka mentally corrects herself, as normal as Rei gets.

Asuka offers a smile; probably appearing more like a twitch of embarrassment. Rei's calm eyes take it all in before she turns back to Shinji.)

Rei: Yes.

(And she steps back, Shinji following through the door. Asuka had been standing a few feet back - to her irritation she remembers that she had planned specifically to be standing next to Shinji when Rei answered the door! - and quickly follows.

By the time that Sohryu closes the apartment door Rei and Shinji are already talking, both sitting on the girl's bed. Shinji's shoes - how did he get them off that fast? - have been placed next to the door. As Asuka steps out of her footwear, she looks around for someone to put herself. The thought of sitting next to Shinji and Rei seems a little.. crammed, intrusive.)

Asuka: (thinking) Shinji wouldn't dare sit that close to me..

(There is no jealousy in her thought - well okay, just a bit. But Shinji is just that way.)

Asuka: (thinking) That's his way. A stupid way, but..

Shinji: Have they told you when Unit Zero is going to be operational again?

Rei: No.

Shinji: What about synch tests? They must have called you in..

Rei: Yes. After the battle.

Shinji: How did they go?

Rei: They went well.

Asuka: (staring) He could at least be embarrassed at her lousy communication skills..!

Shinji: So.. since work on Unit Six is finished, I guess they'll probably repair the Prototype a lot faster..

Rei: ..

Shinji: How's Tenkei been?

Rei: He is staying with Lieutenant Ibuki, at his designated place of residence.

(Shinji finally seems disturbed by Ayanami's words. He falls silent for a moment, appearing to think about his next question before voicing it.)

Shinji: I guess.. if you and he are okay with that..

Asuka: (watching) ...

(And typically, he doesn't get his real question out.)

Shinji: He's alright, isn't he? I wasn't here, but I heard he was injured pretty badly.

Rei: He is well.

Asuka: (breaking in) You coming to the cram session tonight, First?

(Rei turns to look at the Second Child.)

Asuka: You know, study? The exam that's coming up?

Rei: No.. thank you.

Asuka: Pity, it would have been handy, we could have used your brain. Kensuke and Touji are a pair of mental slugs, and Goro isn't much better. That leaves Hikari and me with all the -

Rei: I won't be taking the exam.

Shinji: Uh..

Asuka: What? You're not going?

Shinji: Rei, do you know how much of the year's mark this is going to be? You'll be held back..

Rei: Please.

(She never asks them to leave - just that quiet "please." For the Second Child, this is all she needs to make a neat exit.)

Asuka: (over her shoulder, leaving) Whatever. Bye.

(Asuka scoops up her shoes and lets herself out. Shinji stands; something that had been bothering him during the conversation can, in Sohryu's absence, finally be said.)

Shinji: (urgently) But you're his mother. If you fail-

Rei: (quietly) I'm not his mother.

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Maya: That's.. a difficult thing, Commander. We've never attempted an installation ourselves.

(Kozou Fuyutsuki sits off-center behind the Commander's desk - opposite him, Maya Ibuki sits with a set of folders in hand. Since taking up residence in Gendo Ikari's old office, Fuyutsuki has had a few chairs brought in.)

Fuyutsuki: We never knew what we know now. Your studies of Unit Four.. in retrospect, I wished I had taken you off your usual duties and put you full-time to studying Unit One. It might have saved us months.

Maya: Thank you sir, but I was under the impression that it was policy for NERV not to attempt this internally - and after all, there was the original Unit Four incident.

Fuyutsuki: I know it's dangerous, Maya.

(The Commander rubs his eyes, his head lowered slightly as he drops the formal pretense.)

Fuyutsuki: But with the way things are going, it's more dangerous not to attempt this. Especially when we re-establish the branch in Germany. (looks up) And Germany will only be the beginning. Eventually, we'll need it to work.

(Ibuki straightens slightly in front of the Commander's desk and puts the papers under her arm.)

Maya: Yes sir. I understand, sir.

(Before Maya can leave, Fuyutsuki gets one more question in.)

Fuyutsuki: Will you be present at the conference? I know it isn't your official capacity..

Maya: Am I under orders to attend, sir?

(The question - the very idea! - catches the old man by surprise.)

Fuyutsuki: (hesitating) Well.. no.

Maya: (leaving) I'll consider it, Commander.

(The moment she is out of the office she pulls out the papers again.)

Maya: (thinking) We'll need it eventually. He's right about that - it's one more risk we have to take in a long line of risks.

Misato: There's a face to remember - what, did he give you a raise?

(Misato stands in the corridor outside the Commander's office, where the dark expanse and sharp lighting of Ikari's former domain gives way to the conventional design of the rest of the Geo-Front. The Major had caught site of Maya when the younger woman had exited the office.

Ibuki looks up from the papers and smiles a greeting at Katsuragi.)

Maya: No.. Besides, when would I get to spend it with our schedules?

Misato: (smiles) Well, I won't keep you. (nods towards door) The Commander said he wanted to see me about -

Maya: I'm sure - oh Major! (waves paper) This applies to you - although I guess that Commander Fuyutsuki is going to tell you about it himself in a few minutes. It's no great secret..

Misato: Probably. Maya, I was wondering if you'll be showing up for the presentation night - you know, making an appearance yourself..?

(That question again. At least this time it's Katsuragi - her answer is somewhat closer to the truth.)

Maya: Uh, no, probably not.

(The papers in her hands provide an escape route. She waves them as she presses the "call" button for the elevator.)

Maya: Not with all this to do, anyway! (quieter) And there'll be the professor to answer any technical questions.

Misato: Well, I guess it's a pity..

(The elevator door opens.)

Maya: (stepping through) It is, I'm sure.

(Katsuragi sees Maya's parting paper flutter before the elevator doors slide shut.)

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Lyn: You scared the hell out of me just a few minutes ago. I came in and you were gone.

(Lyn's sense of smell picks up the faint tinge of the sterilized - the too-clean smell of hospital antiseptic. While he is this close to Seyoko the smell seems much stronger, as if somehow it had seeped into the unconscious woman's body. He speaks quietly in English, leaning forwards with his elbows across his knees.)

Lyn: They had taken you away for some tests - more tests, more of the same tests. The doctors say that it's no risk or anything - and that it doesn't change what they think about your condition.

Lyn: I'm not going to bullshit and say that you can hear me.. because I don't think you can. There's a lot of bollocks on TV and stuff about talking to someone when they can't hear you. I.. I guess I'm saying this because..

Lyn: I'm not sure. Maybe it's so I can get things in order, or get it on the air for once.

(Seyoko of course makes no sign of hearing his words. Her breathing, supported by the respirator tube, is steady and mechanical. Lyn is not expecting any response.)

Lyn: I know you didn't mean to dump this on me. It was just a few words on the papers, one reference.. "next of kin". You couldn't have thought that it would end up with me being here and who else could you put down?

Lyn: If you knew this was coming, you'd probably have written down someone else. So I can't really complain or make some song and dance about .. all this.

Lyn: Again.

Lyn: But I want to. I want to be able to scream about it. I want to blame everyone. I want to blame you for being so stupid you wrote down my name, my name of all people to be given this much power over you. I want to blame myself for being so.. pathetic. For even seeing a choice about what I should do.

Lyn: But there's more out there, other things to blame for this. Like the people you were after, those people who got so scared at what you were doing that they wanted you dead.

(He hesitates, trying to get his thoughts in order.)

Lyn: They tell me that you were looking into Aoi and her.. her everything I guess. Her life, her background, at why she was a pilot, and why she was with me. Not that long ago I would have hated you for doing something like that, for nosing around in my life.

Lyn: But you found something. I know you found something, and that scares me.

Lyn: (quietly) And now Aoi scares me.

(He leans back in his chair, letting out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding.)

Lyn: She scares the living heck out of me now Seyoko. I can't be.. comfortable around her. She's hiding so much from me and I had no idea..

Lyn: But this isn't meant to be about me.. but about you. This isn't like it was before. This isn't anything like how it was before. Drawing any sort of line between Mum and you is just so dumb.

Lyn: She wanted to die - no, that's wrong. She just wanted to stop the pain. There wasn't any hope anymore. They wasn't enough to hold on to. Just the pain, that was all that was real.

(He listens to the sound of the respirator for a moment.)

Lyn: She had accepted that she couldn't be happy. She couldn't live. That she'd be better off..

Lyn: Better off not there. Not in that hospital bed. Not anywhere. That's.. so strange to me.

Lyn: I think about her sometimes. Sometimes I hate her for giving up. Sometimes I wonder at what a person has to go through before they decide death is a good thing.

Lyn: And sometimes I wonder why she chose me to do it. If she knew what that would do to me. If she cared. That's the bit I can't handle - making it about me when it was about her. The same way that now it's about you.

Lyn: It's about you.

(The young man stands, his thoughts voiced, his decision made.)

Lyn: I'll see you around, Seyoko.

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Fuyutsuki: I see that the security divisions are all extremely satisfied with your preparations, Major, but..

Misato: But, sir?

(A moment after Maya Ibuki's departure, Katsuragi had entered the Commander's office and given her report.)

Fuyutsuki: I'd like to know what you think of this.

Misato: Of our preparations, or of the event?

Fuyutsuki: The event. We're bringing a lot of people through our front gates; we've both heard all the arguments.

Misato: I understand the necessity - the image we need to project to the UN. It has some risks sir, but none that we can't handle.

Fuyutsuki: Risks. You mean spies and infiltrators?

Misato: And worse, sir. There will be yourself and the pilots potentially in danger; but we've minimized contact between the delegates and our personnel to just the official function. And our security measures are, as you've seen sir, very thorough.

Fuyutsuki: Of course.

(He sits back a little, sliding a drawer of the desk open and drawing a paper from it as the Major continues.)

Misato: But also, sir.. I believe that this is purely for show. The UN clearly wants to re-negotiate NERV's role. That's not going to take place over music and champagne.

Fuyutsuki: (smiling) Very true.

Misato: In fact, I'm willing to bet that you've already taken care of most of that. (pauses) As Head of Operations, I receive reports of communiqués through NERV. You've used your private channel more in the last week than in all of last year.

Fuyutsuki: This is a brief of the results of those negotiations.

(The old man offers the paper over the table; Misato takes it and reads.)

Fuyutsuki: As NERV becomes the UN's favorite, there are certain responsibilities we have to fulfil..

Misato: (reading) .. UN interests.. all those nations concerned.. protection of vital assets calls for increased production of Units.. (looks up) Germany?

Fuyutsuki: And you must know what that means.

(The Major reads further and stops.)

Misato: Defense of the installation. An Evangelion has to be reassigned.

Fuyutsuki: Well, one at first. At least. I'm sure that as Head of Operations you would have an objections.

Misato: (deadpan) It's spreading us thin. It's putting a pilot and Eva in danger. It would be too easy for the enemy to set a trap, and too prone to failure.

Fuyutsuki: But you understand the necessity.

(Misato takes a little while to answer this.)

Misato: ... Yes. I understand - and I understand why it has to be her.

Fuyutsuki: And the risks..?

Misato: There are some. (pause) A lot.

Fuyutsuki: Can she handle them?

(She takes even longer to answer this.)

Misato: Yes. I think she can.

Fuyutsuki: It's already been decided - you must understand that.

Misato: No, sir.

Fuyutsuki: I don't like doing this. It wasn't an easy decision.

(Misato doesn't seem to hear his response.)

Misato: I'll have alternative strategies on your desk in the morning, sir.

--------------------------------------------------

Asuka: Now let me get one thing absolutely clear..

(Shinji has an idea of what is coming.)

Asuka: I don't understand what it is with those two, I can't see the attraction. So when I say that I understand that she's feeling bad, I'm not condoning whatever disgusting stuff she gets up to. So she's feeling bad, and I can see that, but..

(There had been a time during the Contact that had touched Shinji deeply. His attention had been fixed on Asuka so tightly that nothing would have dragged him away from her story. She had spoken and he had heard her, and that moment he had been completely content, completely entranced.

This is absolutely nothing like that. Shinji is in pain - he would do anything to get away right now.)

Asuka: I could smell the self pity in that room! She might as well have written "Save me!" on the walls it was so obvious!

Shinji: She's having a hard time..

Asuka: She's giving herself a hard time is what's happening. And you could have handled that a lot better - I didn't expect you to come out so soon, either.

Shinji: Huh?

Asuka: Why the hell did you drag me along in the first place? Obviously you knew I would just get in the way!

Shinji: No, that's not the way it is-

Asuka: Now this I've got to hear.

Shinji: I thought you might have been able to understand. What she's going through.

Asuka: (sighs) Shinji, I haven't got the first clue.

(Asuka's heels idly kick at the seat.

The bus stop is shaded and cool. The two pilots had gotten out of NERV central before the evening migration home from work, and after the end of the school day, so they are more or less alone. Traffic is light, and barely breaks the silence.

Until Asuka does.)

Asuka: And her attitude on the exam! She's not going? She just decided that she wants to flush who knows how much of her final grades! God, I just wanted to shake some sense into that stupid girl!

Shinji: You did?

Asuka: Well, kinda. Someone should. Why didn't you?

Shinji: (slightly alarmed) Huh?

Asuka: Why didn't you? That probably would have solved the problem. (laughs) Probably what she wanted in the first place.

Shinji: (very alarmed) Say what?

Asuka: Don't tell me it never crossed your mind!

Shinji: It didn't!

Asuka: Come on, it's not that hard to believe. A cry for help takes many forms..

Shinji: Not everyone thinks like you, Asuka..

Asuka: Really.

(Threat.)

Shinji: I didn't mean it that way, I meant that it didn't occur to me that she might be thinking that.

Asuka: I see.

Shinji: And I don't think she was, either.

Asuka: ..

Shinji: ..

Asuka: (abruptly) Probably not your job this time, anyway.

--------------------------------------------------

(That evening came the study night, and the exile of Misato Katsuragi.)

Misato: Thanks.

(The Major has chosen a quiet corner of the diner, a seat with her back to a wall. This puts her far away from the impressive view through the windows, where customers - exclusively NERV staff - can gaze down at the Geo-Front while they eat. It's a trade for a little privacy while she flicks through her reports.

Shinji Ikari had asked her to stay away - very delicately and very, very uncertainly in that way he did when he was asking something that he felt was really unfair but still had to ask. He had suggested that since Misato usually got night shifts this time of week, then maybe she could stay away while "the guys" came over.

In a roundabout way Shinji said he wanted the guys to help with his study, and well.. Misato has this thing. These things. Not those things! Just.. things. Things about her. Things that "distract" his friends.)

-(flashback)Misato: (grinning) You do mean those things, don't you Shinji?

-(flashback)-Shinji: (uncomfortable) Touji is pretty much okay now, but Kensuke's as bad as ever.. and Goro, well, he wasn't really too eager when I told him, but when I said it would be at our place..

(Misato had grinned at his discomfort, ruffled his hair, and said that he would owe her a favor.

Asuka had been a different story. Only a few minutes after Shinji's request, the Second Child had pulled Misato into a corner and spoken with that serious tone she did when discussing something ludicrous but somehow vitally important.)

-(flashback)-Asuka: Hikari says that Touji had been "really good", but I'm not going to let that jerk ruin things now!

(According to Asuka, there was a sacred trust developing between Hikari and that stooge Touji. According to Asuka, that trust would be broken if that stooge Touji drooled over Misato the way he normally did. This would force Asuka into a position where she would have to break his nose.)

-(flashback)-Asuka: Just kidding. Honestly.

(Misato now wishes she had brought a better time-killer to work than the report Fuyutsuki had given her. It was a shadow over the pleasure it was to be with Shinji and Asuka.

The answer is so clear. The decision that the Commander has already made - even before the conference - is the only one he could possibly make. The international support being offered might swing the balance when the enemy makes their next move - and this is the only choice that doesn't cut NERV off from that support.

But maybe there's another way.)

Misato: (thinking) There must be something.. another option.

Misato: (thinking) How the hell would I tell them..?

(And in this moment Misato realizes something - she's delaying telling them. Eventually she will have to give the news to Asuka - and to Shinji - but as long as she tries to come up with alternatives, she gives herself a few more days. As long as it's not certain that she'll have to go, she can fool herself into thinking that maybe it'll never happen.

Katsuragi shakes her head. This isn't her.

But it had been once. It had made sense back then. Protect them from what they don't need to know, don't put more stress on them, don't strain them more than necessary. Keep them ignorant because they're better off not knowing. It had been a mercy.

And when Shinji realized that Touji had been within Unit 03, it had done more damage to him and to his faith in NERV than the bad news of Touji's selection ever could have.)

Misato: (thinking) What was that saying.. "The cover-up is always worse than the crime"?

(He had almost destroyed headquarters. And almost lost the trust - and friendship - they had developed.

That's not what she's going to do, not this time.)

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