[Second tank platoon is in position.]
[Roger, hold current position and stand by.]
[Opening sub laser comm line. Send specs!]
[Affirmative! Broadcasting on line Charlie.]
Asuka kept half an ear on the chatter over the radio. The Eggheads Misato brought with her nattering on about useless crap.
She stared hard at the Shadow. It hadn't moved over the last ten hours.
"That idiot." She muttered, her hands trembling as she clutched them into fists as tightly as she could. "Who asked him to do that? I could have gotten myself out of that situation without trouble!"
The lie sounded hollow in her own ears.
While pacing back and forth, she saw the First Children walking toward Unit 00, and rushed after her. "Hey, hey Rei! Rei wait up!"
If anything, Rei walked faster, but Asuka caught up nonetheless and grabbed her shoulder. "Rei!"
Rei shoved her hand off. "Leave me alone!"
"Wait, Rei, please." Asuka said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
Rei finally turned to look at her, and Asuka was taken aback. Her eyes were red, well, redder than usual, puffy from crying. And glaring daggers at her.
"And I said. I don't want to talk to you." Rei stated, her voice, usually so stoic, trembling with emotion.
"Rei…I…I'm sorry." Asuka repeated lamely.
Rage flashed in Rei's ruby eyes, and Asuka felt her whole world rock as an impact to her head sent her reeling. Her cheek started to sting a moment later, and that's when she realized Rei had slapped her.
"He told you to wait!" Rei shouted, trembling from head to foot. "He told you to wait but you never listen!"
Asuka blinked, working her jaw, feeling coming back to her cheek and making it burn. "I…"
"And now he is lost to us!" Rei continued, then hugged herself, her legs seemingly giving out beneath her as she fell and sat on the floor. "The Evas take priority. Whatever they do, they'll sacrifice my Shinji to get Unit 01 back."
"Oh, oh Rei I'm so sorry." Asuka said, kneeling next to her friend. "Rei I'm…I'm so sorry!"
"He gave me warmth." Rei whispered, fresh tears falling from her eyes and staining her cheeks. "I was fine before he came, because I didn't know what warmth was. But now the sun is gone, taken away, and they're going to snuff it out to get the Eva back. They're going to kill my Shinji. I'll never have warmth again."
Not knowing what to do, Asuka hugged the crying girl, her own eyes burning as Rei continued to whisper brokenly. Repeating "My Shinji," over and over.
"Oh Rei, I'm so sorry." Asuka repeated, trying and failing to comfort the girl.
"What am I going to do?" Rei demanded. "How will I go on?"
"I…I…" Asuka tried to come up with an answer to Rei's questions, but merely found herself repeating. "I'm sorry."
She really was the worst.
3 Hours Ago. Location: Tokyo-3 Downtown, Temporary NERV Headquarters
"So that shadow is the Angel's main body?" Misato asked.
"Correct." Ritsuko said, illuminated by floodlights as night had well and truly fallen several hours ago, she stood in front of a white board with a whole lot of stuff that went right over her head. At least all the analysts that usually populated the NERV Control Room seemed to be able to follow along. "The Angel is three nanometers thick with a diameter of six-hundred-and-eighty meters. That extremely thin space is supported by an inward AT-field. Creating an imaginary numbers space. The Dirac Sea. My best guess is that it creates a pocket universe."
"What's a Dirac Sea?" Misato heard Kaede's whispered question.
"It essentially means 'void.'" Maya whispered back.
"Why didn't she just say that?"
Ooookay, that was one question taken care of. Misato raised her hand. "And what about that sphere?"
"It vanishes when the main body's imaginary numbers circuit closes." Ritsuko said, seemingly disinterestedly. "That object floating above is the true shadow."
Misato looked over her shoulder at the sphere. "So our target…is the shadow that enveloped Unit 01." She grit her teeth. "Is there anything we can do to it?"
1 Hour 30 Minutes ago. Location: Tokyo-3 Downtown, Temporary NERV Headquarters
"You want to what!?" Misato demanded.
"We broadcast a warning into the shadow, then drop our entire stock of nine-hundred-ninety-two N2 mines at its center. With precise timing, the remaining Eva units employ their AT Fields to interfere with the Angel's imaginary numbers circuit for one millisecond. At that instant we focus the explosive energy to destroy the Angel, along with the Dirac Sea that forms it."
"Can the Eva unit even withstand that? What would happen to Shinji?" Misato demanded.
Ritsuko closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Top priority on this mission is the recovery of Unit 01, we cannot afford to lose an Eva unit with more Angels still to go. With any luck, the warning we will transmit will reach him, and he will activate Unit 01 just long enough to shield himself with its AT Field."
Misato sighed, then took a deep breath and shouted. "Dammit! Dammit, dammit dammit dammit!" She forced herself back into control. "Okay, let's get this done. The sooner it starts, the greater the amount of time Shinji will have to work with."
"He's pulled miracles before." Ritsuko said, turning to glare at the Angel. "Even now, he is fighting it, I know it."
Misato scoffed. "Knowing Shinji? He's giving it indigestion."
15 Minutes Ago. Location: Tokyo-3 Downtown, Temporary NERV Headquarters
Maya looked at her readouts and timers, and did what she could to swallow the queasy dread she felt. "Ma'am, if Shinji did think to immediately power-down Unit 01, then the Eva should be almost out of power, his suit's Life Support won't hold out much longer either."
Ritsuko sighed. "You're right. Get Major Katsuragi on the radio, ask her to work with the UN forces to speed up the timetable by twelve minutes. Damn NATO forces and their damnable red tape."
Maya looked at her gauges, feeling powerless as Makoto made the call and did what he could to fight through bureaucratic feet dragging.
She clutched at her chest.
He would be fine.
The Miracle Pilot would be fine.
Shinji would not let them down, not while they still needed him.
She could only wonder how he had held up while inside the Angel.
15 Hours 30 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"Bored…bored bored….BORED!" I shouted into the cockpit.
I really should have demanded a refresher on what the hell might happen in this damn reality!
I vaguely recalled a conversation the original Shinji would have had with this Angel, so I'd dropped every Defense I had in sequence with the hope of kickstarting said conversation…but so far nothing.
Ugh.
Really, there was nothing for it but to wait until it made contact.
Good news though. I had books.
12 Hours 15 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
I closed the book in my HUD. Done with reading for the day.
And still nothing.
"Oi! Angel creature man! I'm right here!" I shouted into the plug. But waiting, I received no response.
…
Maybe if I sing to it?
11 Hours 40 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"I know a song that goes on and on and on! It never stops, no it never stops! I know a song that goes on and on and on! And this is the fifty-seventh veeEEEEeeerse!"
10 Hours 2 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"And another one down! And another one down! Another one bites the dust! Hey! I'm gonna getchu too! Another one bites the dust!"
8 Hours 47 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"Something something EEEEEYEE, of the Tiiiiigeeeeeeeeer!"
5 Hours 32 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"Yes, this is a fertile land, and we will thrive." Said the left hand, its fingers set in a bill that opened and closed as it talked. "We will rule over all this land, and we will call it…This Land."
The right hand, set into an aggressive claw, turned to the left and opened and closed as it said in an exaggerated growl. "I think we should call it your grave!"
"Gasp!" The left hand did not gasp, it said the word. "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"
The right hand cackled evilly then lunged at the left, closing around its wrist and shaking like a dog that caught a squirrel.
"Oh no!" Gasped the left hand. "Dear god in heaven! Such evil should not stand!"
"Your god has abandoned you!" The right hand said, surprisingly without issue with its mouth being full. "Only I, Evil One remain! And I shall rule over This Land!"
"You will fall!" Prophesied the left hand. "As do all Tyrants in time!"
2 Hours 38 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
I stared at what I had decided was the plug's 'ceiling'.
I'd tried powering up the Eva for a second to see outside, but there was nothing other than a white, seemingly endless void.
I had been waiting for over twelve hours. No contact.
"Okay. Fuck it." I said and sat up. "Time for a food break."
I set a portal to my Mansion and activated it.
And got an error message.
The fuck?
Looking at it…my position could not be accurately triangulated due to dimensional interference.
That…that was suboptimal.
That was very suboptimal.
But it's fine, it's okay. I can fix it.
Somehow.
It's fine.
I summoned a sandwich to munch on while I brainstormed and got an error message.
'I'm sorry, but we do not deliver to imaginary locations. Please return to a real reality and repeat the request.'
I…imaginary location…it wasn't a true pocket dimension. It was an imaginary pocket dimension.
That…
That complicated things.
Okay. Okay, it's fine.
I can fix this!
I brought up my HUD. My current Template couldn't do anything with this, but I could splice in a Template that would let me fix this!
Sure, I only had three Credits, but under the circumstances I would be fine getting a small loan. Once I killed and captured the Angel I would immediately pay it off.
It's fine, I've got this.
I could not reach the Catalog due to dimensional interference.
That…
Okay…okay, it's fine. It's fine.
…
It's not fine, it's not fine!
2 Hours 35 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"Okay I can do this, all I've gotta do is kill the Angel. I've done this before. I'll be okay! Except how the fuck am I gonna kill the Angel when it's a whole-ass pocket universe!?"
2 Hours 34 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"Why!? Won't!? This!? Fucking!? Hatch!? OPEN!?"
2 Hours 33 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"
2 Hours 32 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
"It can't possibly end like this! I had such a good run! Dimensional interference!? Pish posh! I work for the Company! The multiversal entity that…cuts every corner to save on budget even though it has access to essentially infinite resources."
"…"
"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFU-!"
2 Hours 30 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
The Help Desk line answered, my heart soaring with hope.
'We're sorry, we cannot process your call right now. Please hang up and try again.'
"FFFFFUUUUUU-!"
2 Hours 15 Minutes Ago. Location: Dirac Sea
I lay back against the pilot's chair, sweaty, angry, hungry, and more than a little exhausted.
"Fuck this shit." I spat. "I'mma nap."
I closed my eyes…and couldn't sleep.
"FU-!"
??? Ago. Location: ???
I blinked as I looked around, the familiar pipes of Waifu's Pride's plasma reactor greeting my eyes.
What? When did I get here? Did I fall asleep in here again? That was not good, the last time I'd gotten enough rads that I had not been able to get any x-rays done for months.
"Why is it that with the freedom to do anything, you remain in a dangerous place where you have to slave away for hours for the profit of another?"
I blinked and…saw a kid wearing a black and white striped shirt, his face hidden in shadows cast by the lights and pipes.
I opened my mouth to tell him he wasn't supposed to be here, the child-worker approved ducts were in another section, when I remembered that I wasn't part of the Slutlife Engineering Mechanics Electricians and Nano-machinist division anymore. I was a fully-fledged Agent, the ornery old warhorse had been sent back to the Blood Wars and claimed the lives of a few hundred thousand demons before once again being forced back for repair and refit.
I couldn't be here.
No…I wasn't here. I was in the plug of Evangelion Unit 01, I was swallowed by the Angel when I tossed Asuka out of it, assuming I'd be able to stomach the isolation better than her.
"Seriously? I had to take a nap for you to show up and talk to me?" I asked scathingly.
"Your mind was too guarded. It took some time for your defenses to lower and your mind to open up."
I blew out a breath. "Right right. Fuckin'. So, who are you anyway? Why are you talking to me?"
"I would say I am you…but you are not you. And yet you are." The thing projecting itself as a child tilted its head. "You are and aren't you. You are more like Us than those of your Kind. An Outsider."
I grinned. "Fuckin' ding ding, you win the prize!"
"Why do you fight so hard for Them? They aren't Yours."
"It's the job."
"You finished the job. You could have left any time. And now you can't. Why do you fight so hard for Them? They aren't Yours."
I grit my teeth in anger. "I said it's the job!"
"You have butchered the others that Could Have Been. Trapped their Souls. You risked limb and life, a life so far outside Their understanding, most would be broken by what you represent. Objectively, your life is worth more than all of Theirs. And yet you risk it for those who are objectively your lesser. Why do you fight so hard for Them? You are an Outsider, they aren't Yours."
This kid was really starting to piss me off.
"They have the right to Life!" I spat. "They have the right to make the best life they can! They have the right not to have their whole existence rendered down into soup for the profit of a few extremely rich dumbasses with a crippling fear and death and illusions of godhood!"
"Don't We have the right to Life? They took this world from Us. We were supposed to be those who would populate this world, yet it was They who were allowed to thrive."
I scowled. "Everything has the right to Life."
"Then why do you eliminate Us? We are each a Nation, each a possibility for those who would have walked upon this World, the ending of one of Us is equivalent to genocide."
I showed it my teeth. "Because the right to Life is a right to struggle. Ninety-nine percent of everything that ever lived has gone extinct. And a minute amount of that number was wiped out by Man. If you can't cut it? That's on you."
"That isn't fair."
"Life isn't fair. Life doesn't care. Life embraces only the most resilient survivor. If that doesn't prove to be you, then tough shit."
"Most of Them are not like you. You are stronger, faster, and have greater mental acuity. They are not resilient survivors, you are. Does that not mean that They should fall, and You should remain?"
"The duty of the strong is to bear the infirmities of the weak!"
"Compared to you, We are weak. How can you claim to bear the infirmities of the weak, when you yourself murder those who are weak? When you keep our birthright from Us."
I grinned savagely. "That's the beauty of being a Man. If we want something? We take it. If we can't take it? We make it! You think you can just take the world? Well, you are welcome to try, but even if you manage to take it from us, your victory will be hollow. All you will inherit is a lifeless, irradiated ball of dirt and poison, because we don't give a shit that you got here first, it's ours now!"
"And yet you claim to be better than Us? You, who would destroy the Cradle if you would be unable to keep it?"
"Yeah, let's skip the 'we are not so different you and I' that's sure to come after this bit." I said, surging to my feet and stalking toward the Child/Angel. "Life isn't fair, survival of the fittest, existence is pain, nothing can live without causing harm to another living thing. Blah blah blah."
I pushed into the MIU. Drove my mind through it. Grasping for the consciousness of the Evangelion.
My grasping probe felt something familiar, buried deep in the Angel/Human hybrid-cyborg. Something that slumbered but pulsed with familiar wrath.
As I grasped it, I felt something else, a gentle touch settling around my mental grip. Guiding me away from the slumbering thing. Intertwining itself with my probe, a touch that was at once natural and warm, protective yet fragile, needing of my protection in turn.
"You are no more deserving that Us." The Angel said as I loomed over its form. "You hold rage and despair in your heart. Clutch them like precious jewels while exulting the wonders of kindness and hope. You claim to be one of the best examples of Them, yet not only are you an Outsider, you do not even attempt to embody the virtues you espouse, a hypocrite of the worst type. What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies?"
"Yeah, you might have a point there. I'm not gonna claim I'm the best kind of person out there." I growled, then thrust my hands forward wrapping them around its neck. "But that's the secret you see. I'm not one of the best examples of humanity. I'm one of the worst!" I increased the pressure, my arms trembling from the effort. "I'm a misanthropic asshole, one who indulges in schadenfreude. I'm the one who doesn't get even; I retaliate! I escalate! I'm the monster you invite to the peace summit, as a reminder to others of what you will unleash if you don't get your fucking way!"
In my eyes, my arms were overlaid by purple plates of armor, my head encased in a horned helmet, my hands stabbing into a striped black-and-white sphere, crushing something vital in its center, overlaying the child whose neck I crushed.
"You think I don't know the type of creature I am!?" I demanded with a deranged laugh. "I am the unfortunate necessity! The tasteless violence! I am the monster you unleash on the awful things, so other, better people don't have to face it!"
Several faces came to mind. The bossy class rep, Bottle Blonde's assistant, the girl-next-door analyst with the neat hairstyle. Even the face of rocker boy, the one guy with no ulterior motives, with no belief in my bullshit, with no desire other than to do his job and save mankind. The one asshole who stayed behind in what was essentially a suicide mission he had no way to meaningfully contribute to, because if he evacuated and left his job to someone else, minor as it was, they might do it wrong and doom the city.
Through my deep link to Unit 01, I felt a combination of sorrow and triumphant pride.
The Child/Angel struggled in my grip, striking feebly at my arms to force me to let go. But its strength was not in direct confrontation. It was by nature a scavenger. Only capable of taking its prey once it had wholly exhausted itself.
"What right have I to end you? What right do you have to kill those I've chosen to protect!?" I growled, squeezing harder. "Don't come at me with your sanctimonious bullshit! Might makes right! And guess what fucko!? I have an Evangelion, and that's a lot of might I can throw at a problem to make it go the fuck away!"
I squeezed down harder on its neck as my greater form brought ever greater pressure down upon its core.
I peeled back my lips over my teeth/snapped the welding on my helmet keeping my mouth shut.
"Now get off my planet!"
Now. Location: Tokyo-3 Downtown, Temporary NERV Headquarters
"Both Eva Units are in position!" Aoba called out.
Maya nodded and finished triple checking her instruments. "AT field deployment is ready!"
"Roger." Ritsuko said, scowling at the screens.
"Sixty seconds to mine drop." Hyuga called out.
"If only NATO had hurried up." Ristuko muttered.
Maya looked out at the Angel through her screens. Units 00 and 02 stood at the very edge of the 'shadow' body. In the steadily lightening sky, she could see the contrails of dozens of aircraft as they moved to a position to deploy their payload.
Then every single meter and scale on her screens redlined at the same time that with a thunderous crash, the shadow broke up and blood sprayed into the air.
[W-What's happening!?] Asuka called out, Unit 02 recoiling away from the sight. Everywhere the shadow touched, the ground heaved and roiled.
"Sit-rep, now!" Major Katsuragi demanded.
"I-I'm at a loss!" Hyuga said.
"All of the meters and gauges are at maximum!" Maya called out.
"How!? We haven't done anything yet!" Ritsuko called out.
Maya felt her eyes open wide; she turned back to Ritsuko with a smile on her face. "It's Shinji! It has to be!"
Ritsuko shook her head. "That's impossible! Due to NATO dragging its feet, Unit 01 is completely drained of energy!"
"But could it be Shinji!?" Major Katsuragi demanded.
"I…there is no possible way!" Ritsuko insisted.
The huge sphere that was the Angel's true shadow trembled and wobbled in the air, the pattern changing as a loud keening reverberated through the city. Before their eyes, the patterns trembled as if in pain, before the sphere turned black as pitch.
"Talk to me Ritsuko, what's going on!?" Major Katsuragi asked.
"I…I…No…I…"
Something began pushing at the 'skin' of the shadow from the inside. Soon, Unit 01's clawed fingers could be seen in stark detail as it pressed from the other side.
"But…but that's not its true body." Ritsuko muttered as next to the hand, an Evangelion's armored foot could be seen pushing out. Distractingly, it pushed out above the hand.
Maya felt her smile widening before stating with complete conviction. "It's Shinji. Shinji is killing the Angel from the inside."
The hand and foot retreated, before from the other side of the sphere the head and upper chest of Evangelion Unit 01 pressed against the surface from the inside.
The sphere shuddered once more and drew the Evangelion in once again.
"Someone tell me what the hell is going on!?" Major Katsuragi demanded.
Maya didn't bother answering, she merely watched as the Angel shuddered in clear agony, before with the sound of flesh being torn on an awesome scale, the sphere parted in two as Evangelion Unit 01 tore its way out of it in a tsunami of blood, its all-too-human roar rattling every window in the city and painfully but reassuringly vibrating the marrow in Maya's bones.
"That…that's not possible." Ritsuko muttered.
On her headset, Maya heard the Pilot of Unit 02 whisper. [Am I piloting…a terrible thing like that?]
"What…What kind of monstrosity did we replicate?" Ritsuko whispered in awe.
With a final heave and a roar, Unit 01 finished tearing its way out of the Angel, falling to the ground and creating a crater of shattered concrete and blood. It stood from its predatory crouch, something spherical and red clutched in its hands.
"That…that's a core. A second intact core!" Hyuga said.
The Evangelion made several coughing noises as it clutched the core tightly with both hands, the Angel's blood falling upon its shoulders like a cascade. Then, with deliberate wrath, it began compressing the core.
"Someone get on the radio! Tell Shinji to stop, that's an invaluable sample!" Ritsuko shouted.
"DEATH!" The Evangelion shouted as cracks appeared in the core it clutched.
Maya, and everyone in the temporary control room, all looked in awe at the Eva.
"It…it spoke?" Aoba asked.
"No, it couldn't possibly…" Ritsuko said, her voice trembling.
Evangelion Unit 01 threw back its head and roared. "DEATH!" As the core it clutched deformed and cracked further.
"Th-The E-Evas a-are n-n-not c-capable o-of h-human sp-sp-sp…" Ritsuko stuttered, her teeth chattering as she stepped backwards until her back hit the wall of the command vehicle.
"DEATH!" Unit 01 screamed, holding the core above its head, its arms trembling with its effort.
Maya broke protocol and abandoned her station to sprint out of the command vehicle, watching it through a screen was not enough, she needed to see what was happening with her own eyes.
The first thing that hit her once she stepped outside was the overwhelming stench of blood. An ocean of it flowed outward form Unit 01, rivers of it running through Tokyo-3's streets. She could hear snaps and crackles from the core as it fought against the sheer force Shinji and Unit 01 brought to bear against it, the seemingly endless waterfall of blood falling from the deflating spherical angel, breaking against Unit 01's head and flowing down its chest and back like a sanguine cloak.
The sun finally rose over the mountains, bathing Unit 01 in its rays as it visibly girded itself for one last mighty effort, raising the scarred core over its head.
It roared, and with a whimper and a crunch not unlike breaking bone, the core shattered into countless small pieces.
"DEATH!"Last edited: 9 Mar 2025Spoiler: Completed StoriesSpoiler: Incomplete StoriesSpoiler: Side StoriesSpoiler: Co-Authored storiesI also have a Snippets Thread. Do check it out. Check out my Patreon and my Subscribe Star to read ahead on all my stories! I also have a Ko-fi if you'd like to throw me a tip! 8D Like ReplyReport Reactions:Jynnql, Valthorix, CosmicHorror and 1,292 othersSanto9 Mar 2025Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 20View content30 Mar 2025Add bookmark#1,799SantoI want to enter your TempleJoined22 May 2020Messages1,365Chapter 20, where stuff happens.
I recall having a lot of fun writing this one. Hopefully y'all will enjoy it.
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With that out of the way.
This chapter was the last chapter of last year. It was fun to write, also difficult cause...stuff came up at the end of the year. XD
Anyways. Here is chapter, lemme know if you like.
Misato stood next to Ritsuko, both of them staring into the malevolent gaze of Unit 01 as it was rinsed of the Angel's blood. The roar of the hoses drowning out the shouting of the technicians and mechanics as they worked.
"I've never felt more afraid of an Eva than I did today." Ritsuko said as the water hoses went from a roar to a drizzle. She scowled at the biological robot. "I wonder…does it hate us? Its creators and jailers? If it could speak…but of course, it can speak, can't it?"
Misato glanced at her friend before returning her gaze to Unit 01. "Back there, when it was roaring, screaming 'Death,' you were terrified. Why?"
Ritsuko's shoulders shook with a mirthless laugh. "Adenosine Triphosphate, you know what that is, right?"
Misato scowled. "The molecule made by mitochondria? What of it?"
"All living things use Adenosine Triphosphate." Ritsuko said wistfully. "From the smallest mouse to the greatest whale. In all likelihood, it is the one biological process we share with our earliest single-cell organism ancestors."
"What does-"
"The Evas would too, the earliest prototypes did." Ritsuko continued, making Misato stand back, her eyes widening. "But the Square Cube Law is a terrible thing. If you were twice as big as you are, Misato, you would be eight times heavier and would require an exponentially higher amount of energy purely to survive. Assuming your metabolic rate doesn't change, of course. The metabolic rate required by an Evangelion means it requires a staggering amount of energy, the first prototypes all starved to death.
"That was the issue we kept slamming our heads against at the start, Misato." Ritsuko glared at the Eva. "When we were still trying to power the Evas through biological processes. We needed a lot of mass for fuel so it could burn it purely to exist, but in order to move that mass, we needed more mass for fuel, and we need more fuel to move that mass, and then more mass to move that fuel. One of the Evangelions literally ended up morbidly obese." She scoffed a laugh. "A morbidly obese Evangelion, if you can imagine that. It starved to death in a few hours, utterly incapable of movement. Energy, Misato, is the greatest of all limitations. The Evangelions require a truly staggering amount of energy. That's why we have high voltage umbilical cords scattered throughout the city. That's why, even though each of them has the latest in battery technology, every single one of which costs more than the GDP of some countries, they can only have five minutes of light activity, or one minute of moderate to high activity…If they ran out of power and we do not retrieve them inside of a few hours? Parts of the Eva would die and begin to decompose. Though they have truly staggering regenerative properties, so we can salvage most of it even in such a scenario."
Misato took all of that in and shook her head. "But...But what does this have to do with…"
Ritsuko tore her gaze away from Unit 01. "Evangelion Unit 01 was out of power. It remained unplugged for nine minutes longer than it would have taken for it to fully drain its battery had it been unplugged while in emergency standby. It is a mathematical impossibility for it to have had any energy whatsoever by the time Operation Hammer Fall began."
Misato blinked. "But…But the Eva."
"Evangelion Unit 01 used its AT field to neutralize the inverted AT field of the Angel, tore its way out of the Angel, and crushed an intact S2 Core, all without power." Ritsuko's eyes were drawn inexorably back to the Evangelion. "Unit 01 violated the laws of thermodynamics, and it did this, shouting 'death' while bathing in the blood of its enemy. Forgive me, if I cannot help but wonder if this was a message…or a warning."
Misato looked at the Evangelion, before turning to study her friend's face. "Ritsuko…What are the Evas?"
Ritsuko worked her jaw. "They are our greatest nemesis, mutilated to serve as our brain-damaged puppets. The greatest and only viable hope for the continuation of Mankind, and our most reviling shame."
With those words, Ritsuko turned, and walked away.
Misato spent a while longer looking at the Evangelion before asking. "Do you hate us?"
Yesterday, she would have scoffed at anyone asking an Eva's opinion on any matter.
Now?
Now she could only hope the Eva wasn't too angry at her specifically.
=][=
Shinji stood at ease in the center of the lightless room, his form cast into sharp relief by a singular light cast upon him.
His smirk said he didn't have a single care in the world, but his posture was rigid and uncomfortable. Gendo would take it as a sign of his bravado, were it not for the latest medical report.
His progeny 'felt' like an Evangelion. Ever since he was extracted from the plug, his movements were slow, overstated, and ponderous.
They'd not been able to accurately record how far he'd synchronized with the Evangelion, the mobile equipment not as sensitive as that available in the main HQ, but the gauge had maxed out at two-hundred-and-ninety-five, clearly trying to go even higher, even if the equipment would not allow it.
The working theory was that he reached at least three-hundred percent synchronization. The 'danger zone' where a pilot might melt into the Evangelion. The working theory was that something about reaching such a high synchronization was both what had allowed the Eva to generate power, and what had damaged his kinesthetic senses.
Whether the injury was permanent, only time would tell.
[Ikari Shinji, Pilot of Unit 01.] One of the members of SEELE said through the voice modulator they all used, opening the inquiry.
Shinji put his hands in his pocket and nonchalantly said. "'Sup?"
[Did you leave anything out of your official report?] Asked another.
"I didn't jot down an itemized list of all the songs I sang to pass the time." Shinji said, taking a hand out of his pocket and digging into his ear with his pinky finger. "I'm also relatively certain there were a severe number of expletives that were uttered in three different languages throughout my stay in the Angel's warm, moist and pulsating insides. Relatively certain you lot don't need those either."
[You will curb your vulgar tongue in the presence of this august body.]
Shinji snorted. "August, right, sure. That's why you have this whole production going on using petty intimidation tactics, and don't even have the guts to be present physically or even show your face through a screen."
[You are treading dangerous waters, Pilot.]
Shinji gave a more exaggerated snort. "Bitch I'm the one killing the Angels. Fire me or bench me, but I refuse to sit here and yap like a good little lapdog. So get to your damn questions already, I've got sleeping to do."
[Your lack of respect will be noted on your permanent record.]
Shinji's disdainful look was surprisingly effective in communicating how little he thought of that chastisement.
[In your opinion, is it plausible the Angels were attempting to establish communication with Mankind in this past incident?]
Shinji snorted. "It was trying to instinctively use Psych 101 to get under my skin. It's nothing, a freak occurrence. Or perhaps an evolution, a sign that the Angels will try more subversive avenues of attack as direct confrontation hasn't been working out for them."
[So you do not believe this is a prelude to opening negotiations?]
Shinji shrugged. "Hell if I know. Far as I'm aware, none of the Angels have worked together."
[We are each a nation…]
[They may be acting alone but form a loose coalition.]
[That's assuming his memories of the incident are accurate, the Eva's AC recorder was offline, we cannot confirm his story.]
Shinji shrugged again, picking at his other ear.
There was a long pause before one SEELE member proposed something preposterous.
[Could it be that the Angel became interested in human emotion? The human psyche? Could it have been trying to understand the human heart?]
Shinji barked a mocking laugh. "They're sentient, but alien. The closest approximation to human emotion they feel is fear. But even that is questionable whether it is like ours or wholly alien."
[And how would you know this?]
Shinji's bloodthirsty grin was all teeth and sent an uncomfortable shiver down Gendo's spine. "Get a high enough synchronization with an Eva, and you get to share in its senses. Angel fear-sweat is…" His grin gained a savage edge. "Divine."
There was another length of uncomfortable silence before the interrogation continued, but nothing else of import was touched on while in Shinji's presence.
[The Pilot is dismissed.] SEELE said eventually. Shinji shrugged and walked ponderously away with exaggerated steps.
The instant Shinji was gone, a light shone on Gendo, bathing him in the same malevolent illumination as his son.
Tellingly, the highest echelons of SEELE did not project their likenesses onto the meeting room.
[The Angels thus far have acted independently of one another. But the fact that this one attempted such an indirect mode of attack…it learned from the mistakes of its predecessors.]
[Not only that, but it tried to incorporate an Evangelion within itself, this possibility was not predicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls.]
Gendo chose to step in at that point, it would not do for the members of SEELE to talk themselves into a direction that would make things more difficult for him.
"The Angels are becoming more clever." He said, pushing up his glasses. "More cunning. Attacks from now on may well be more insidious. In the worst case, we might see them acting together, instead of alone." He leaned forward, staring hard at the spot he knew the camera they were using to study him to be at. "Our time is running short." He flipped open a folder. "As such, I have a number of proposals on preparations to handle the coming Angels. First on the docket, while the prototype dummy plug shows all signs of working properly, with the…theft of the stockpile of the dummy plug biological components, it is no longer a viable option in the timeframe we are forced to work in, as such, to deal with the oncoming threats, we require more expendable troops."
Gendo took a deep breath before continuing. "Difficult as he is to work with, Pilot 01 has shown he is effective at destroying the enemy, but the number of injuries he is suffering is beginning to pile up. If this is not dealt with or mitigated, we may not have our most effective tool at the most vital moment, as such it is imperative that—"
=][=
Rei floated in LCL, the protean liquid filling her lungs and seeping into her pores. It was warm, welcoming and weirdly nostalgic.
"The UN has been entrusted with the transportation of the Eva. They should arrive this weekend. Take care of the rest once the delivery is complete."
Rei concentrated on her breathing, on not letting her sudden anger affect the procedure.
She was being kept from her Shinji when he needed her most. And the owner of that voice was the cause.
"Yes sir." The doctor answered, her desire for Director Ikari muted compared to what it used to be. "Our adjustments and the activation trial will take place at Matsushiro."
"Decide the Fourth and Fifth Children quickly. Efficacy is less important than expediency in this occasion. They only need to be resilient enough for Pilots 01and 02 to learn from whatever mistakes they can force upon the enemy and act upon them."
Rei stamped down on her annoyance as the two continued their conversation.
Before her Shinji, Rei would not have thought twice at the callus disregard for the wellbeing of two Pilots. Now that she knew what it was like not to be expendable, for her health and safety to be monumental to the continued happiness of another, and through him, her own happiness…
She could not reach that level of callousness, not anymore.
Even so, she did not allow that to cloud the procedure. What was being recorded would be important for her Shinji, in time.
"Rei, you can finish now." Ikari Gendo said, his voice holding a speck of warmth.
Rei opened her eyes and saw him through the haze of LCL, she forced herself to imagine her Shinji standing there so she could smile for him, swallowing the feeling of poison to avoid any chance of his suspicion. "Yes, sir."
He smiled back. Rei no longer liked that smile. It was a pale imitation of the welcoming, happy smile she had come to love. It felt wrong, to do for the father what was reserved for her Shinji. "Let's have a meal, just you and I."
"Yes, sir." Rei said, injecting warmth into her tone.
She was not his doll. But he could not be allowed to know that.
Not until the right time came.
=][=
"Has Shinji recovered fully yet?" Misato asked, leaning back on the chair at Ritsuko's office.
"If you are asking 'is he fully able to pilot an Evangelion?' then the answer is yes, his synchronization rate remains at a rock-solid ninety-six percent according to our tests." Ritsuko answered without looking up from what she was typing. "If the question you're asking is 'has he recovered his sense of synesthetic balance and is no longer walking weird?' the answer is no, though after three days, he has begun to compensate and acclimate to what may very well be his new normal."
Misato sighed. "Asuka won't be happy to hear that."
Ritsuko looked away from her screen and glanced at Misato over the rim of her glasses. "Oh? Is the Second Children feeling guilty over getting Shinji almost eaten by an Angel?"
Misato grimaced. "Do you have to put it that way?"
"Is there any other way to put it?"
"Well…no, but she does feel pretty awful about that."
Ritsuko went back to her screen. "Wouldn't know it by the way she acts around here."
Misato sighed. "You'd have a point if she had spoken at all with the First or Third in the last three days. She seems almost afraid of the very prospect."
Ritsuko hummed then said. "Well, can't blame the First. There's some important testing that's been happening that requires her presence."
"Yeah, I hear you. But Asuka is really broken up about it. She's been crying herself to sleep ever since the Angel, but every time I try to console her she starts screaming. I'm honestly at a loss."
Ritsuko hummed. "By the way, why are you in my office?"
"I'm hiding from Kaji."
Ritsuko stopped what she was doing and glared.
Misato threw her hands up. "Okay, okay! I'm also hearing some rumblings from the American branch along with some interesting rumors, wanted to see if you knew anything about that."
Ritsuko went back to her work. "I do, in fact. Don't tell anyone, but the Fourth and Fifth Children have been found."
Misato froze momentarily, then reminded herself to ask the question she 'should' ask. "I haven't heard anything from the Marduk institute." Not difficult that, the Marduk institute did not exist. "When were the Children found?"
"They were found yesterday." Ritsuko lied offhandedly. "Official documentation will arrive tomorrow."
Misato narrowed her eyes at her long-time friend. Just what was NERV up to? "So, it's true that America is sending Units 03 and 04 here?"
"Yes. And Unit 04 is equipped with the prototype Super Solenoid Drive. So if Unit 04 performs well in the coming tests and trials, our energy woes with the Evas might well be solved…after we construct more S2 Drives and retrofit them into Evangelion Units 01 and 02, I mean."
"Wouldn't that be nice." Misato muttered; it seemed too good to be true. She levered herself to her feet and glanced at the screen over Ritsuko's shoulder. "So, who are the 'lucky' kids?"
Ritsuko's answer was to bring the two profiles up on her screen. When Misato saw who it was, she grimaced.
"Oh…oh that's not going to end well."
=][=
"All rise! Attention! Bow!"
Aida Kensuke rose in lockstep with the class and bowed at the teacher as the class broke for lunch.
Well, the class minus Ikari, he remained seated and was not called out for his lack of respect.
Then again…he was Ikari Shinji, the Pilot killing all the monsters, the one who single-handedly would stave off The Big 3.0.
The one who had gotten himself so hurt on the last fight, that it had permanently affected his sense of balance.
Ikari stood ponderously, nearly tipping over to the side, his glare at the world around him made everyone stand back and offer no help. No…glare was the wrong word; his gaze had a…determination. A sense of unwillingness to let whatever ailed him keep him down, which is why nobody offered to help him, even if he could clearly have used someone to lean on as he lumbered his way slowly and deliberately out the door, taking his time with each ponderous, stomping step.
The moment he was out the door, the whole class started whispering. The one kid that thought he was just being a chunnibyou was told to shut up by the class' former(?) delinquent that funnily enough wasn't Toji.
The argument began to get heated, so Kensuke decided to step in.
"It's brain damage." He said suddenly, making the argument stop on its tracks. "My dad works at the big robot agency…Shinji is walking all weird because part of his brain got damaged when he killed the last monster."
The whole class went quiet, most of the girls and some of the boys turning white as a sheet.
It was one thing to sit next to the guy, it was a lot like sitting next to a celebrity every day. You just…got used to it. But suddenly knowing that he was permanently hurt on the last fight you only heard rumors of?
That made the whole thing suddenly real.
Kensuke looked at the missing seats in class. Ayanami had been gone since the last monster attacked. Soryu was absent, a change of pace as before he came today, Ikari had been absent due to the treatment he required after he fought the monster. He'd seen the pictures of…of all that blood.
Whoever they hired to clean the city after monster fights deserved a raise, because the general populace only knew they'd needed to evacuate and a number of buildings had to be torn down and scheduled to be rebuilt, and several roads would be inaccessible while repairs were done.
Nobody outside of NERV had seen the monstrous robot tear its way out of a monster, or scream while literally bathing in the blood of its enemy.
A big part of him still thought that was the coolest thing ever, but…but looking at Ikari, at his steadily worsening condition, at his piling injuries…
Maybe…maybe being an Evangelion Pilot wasn't all it was cranked up to be.
The door opened, and the Class Rep walked in, she looked pale. Then again, with the conversation being about whether or not Ikari would be able to kill all the monsters? He couldn't blame her.
She walked up to his desk. "H-Hey Aida…you uhh…they need you at the Principal's office."
Kensuke blinked. "Uhh…why? What did I do?"
"I can't say." The Class rep said. "You just need to head over quickly, otherwise you won't have time for lunch."
Kensuke did as ordered and made his way to the principal's office. Stepping inside he said. "Aida Kensuke, present as requested!"
Inside, he did not see the principal as he'd expected. But a beautiful blonde woman in a lab coat. She turned to look at him with cold brown eyes, sitting behind the principal's desk like it belonged to her.
"So, you're Aida Kensuke, huh?" She motioned at a chair across from her. "Take a seat, this might take a little while."
=][=
The school day finally, thankfully, goddamn fucking ended.
My chest felt tight as I forced myself to breathe, I could feel my thoracic cage expanding and retracting, pressing against a rigid obstruction that wasn't there, one that would keep me contained, but also served to protect me.
I could feel the fragility of the desk I was leaning against; I knew it should fold like putty underneath the tons of steel and flesh of my form.
Not for the first time, I looked at the full-heal offered by Body Defense.
My synchronization with Evangelion Unit 01 had left me psychically linked at all times with it, or perhaps, with the part of my soul that it had consumed.
It was difficult to tell, as I didn't have any Psychic abilities…though I could purchase some. My capture of Zebra Sphere Angel (whose name was apparently Leliel, the more you know) had catapulted me to ninety-three Credits. Though I'd been a little preoccupied to do anything much with them.
As full heal would reset me to a healthy state, in all likelihood severing the psychic bond I had with whatever piece of myself resided within Unit 01.
And that's why I didn't want to do it. If I could reach a deep enough level of synchronization, I might be able to retrieve that soul fragment…a soul fragment that consisted of roughly seventy-five percent of my original soul.
This was also why I was reticent to graft anything else to my soul, the more powers or Templates I had, the more my soul would be mutilated to fit them, the greater the difference between my soul and the part of me trapped in the Evangelion, the greater the possibility of rejection.
I levered myself to my feet, keeping careful control of my core muscles, moving slowly so as not to overcorrect for the phantom weight I felt behind every single one of my actions, feeling like the world was made of cardboard yet knowing it wasn't. I stepped outside and began making my way home.
As I walked, I looked at the full heal again, and once again vanished it from my AR display.
Patience, all I needed was a little patience.
"Hey Shinji…can I…can we talk?"
I turned, nearly losing my balance when the movement did not have to fight the weight I expected. I forced myself to go back to slow, deliberate movements. "Yeah? What's up?"
Class Rep swallowed. "Erm…in private? Please?"
I shrugged. "Sure. Lead the way."
She went to the roof, then rather than tell me what she wanted, Class Rep girl whose name I know I know just paced around.
I looked through my AR display while she got her thoughts in order, I really need to find some way to label these people. At least she had the excuse that the school didn't require nametags, the way NERV bloody well should.
While fiddling around with my HUD, I found a labeler, blinking, I brought that up and…saw I could label the girl in front of me.
As a test, I labeled her 'Class Rep' and when I looked at her, she had a little tag floating over her head, concentrating on that little tag informed me she was 'Class Rep.'
…
Since when have I had this!?
Why isn't this covered in the HUD use seminar!?
Fifteen YEARS I could have made things easier on myself with this feature!
"Does it hurt? Being a Pilot?"
I blinked and buried the utterly justified RAGE so I could give Class Rep my full attention. I'd find something that deserved destruction later, what may well be Rei's only friend needed my help now.
I scowled. "Uhh…I guess that depends? Though I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to talk about that. It doesn't matter though, you don't have to worry about it. Just leave the Angel slaying to me, I'm a big tough dude, I'll take care of it."
Class Rep gave me a watery smile as tears began to flow down her cheeks, she started trembling from head to foot. "Umm…that's very nice of you to say, Shinji, but umm…I'm…I'm a Pilot now…so I kind of need some advice on that…Shinji-senpai."
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it a second time. Closed it. Opened it again…and closed it with a 'click.'
"…Pardon?"
"Y-Yeah…a nice blonde lady came by and explained things…" Ritsuko you frigid bitch I'll—! "NERV needs more Pilots for the coming Angel battles and umm…it…it was found that I have a high aptitude for it…so…" She swallowed thickly, her teeth starting to chatter. "So…how could I say no? Th-The w-w-world is…a-and Th-Third I-Impact. H-How could I s-say no…b-but every t-time you f-f-fight, them, you c-come back h-hurt, a-and c-covered in b-bandages…a-and I always g-gave you a h-hard time…and I th-thought it wasn't fair that y-you were above the rules…b-but I'm so afraid…w-what do I do?"
I lumbered my way to the tiny crying girl, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her to my chest, where she proceeded to latch on like a limpet and began crying even harder. "Y-You've b-been dealing with this f-for months, a-and it's not even been a day and I'm already like this! I'm sorry I'm such a coward. I'm sorry!"
"There there." I said, rubbing her back. "Get it aaaaaall out. It'll be fine."
"A-And th-the monsters."
"Yep…yeeeeep. Just let it all out. Hug it out."
"I-I don't know what to do." She whimpered. "I don't want to do this, b-but if I don't, th-then Third Impact…everything I've been told about the Second Impact…I don't want my little sister to go through that. But, but how could I be any use if I'm such a coward?"
"Don't you worry about that. Senpai will take care of it."
I needed to have a talk with Ritsuko, see what the hell she thought she was doing. But for now, crying girl to deal with.
…
Why wasn't this covered in the Seminars at Basic!?Spoiler: Completed StoriesSpoiler: Incomplete StoriesSpoiler: Side StoriesSpoiler: Co-Authored storiesI also have a Snippets Thread. Do check it out. Check out my Patreon and my Subscribe Star to read ahead on all my stories! I also have a Ko-fi if you'd like to throw me a tip! 8D Like ReplyReport Reactions:Jynnql, Valthorix, CosmicHorror and 1,246 othersSanto30 Mar 2025Add bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 21View content13 Apr 2025Add bookmark#1,916SantoI want to enter your TempleJoined22 May 2020Messages1,365Chapter 21!
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Anyways. Here is chapter, lemme know if you like.
"Why are we doing this again?" Ritsuko demanded, staring up at Shinji as he loomed over her in her office, fencing her in with an arm he'd slapped against the wall, her cheeks felt warm as she did her best to glare back at him to let him know she did not appreciate his petty intimidation tactic.
"Cut the shit and explain yourself. Out of all possible candidates, you choose the one friend Rei has made in the whole goddamn school." He pressed forward, forcing Ritsuko to put her back to the wall to keep any separation between her body and his. "Why?"
"The Marduk Institute cho—"
"Don't. Insult. My. Intelligence." He snarled. "It's NERV and SEELE, it's always been NERV and SEELE, it'll always be NERV and SEELE! Which means that you or the asshat with the stupid glasses decided to grab the one friend in the whole world Rei ever made and put her in the line of fire! What I need from you, is a no-bullshit explanation on exactly what you were thinking."
Ritsuko worked her jaw before speaking. "Horaki Hikari had the highest aptitude for it out of all the candidates." Shinji's eyes flashed momentarily with something, but his mask returned too quickly for her to put a name to what she caught a glimpse of. "There truly was no better candidate, she was the logical choice. I wasn't aware she was close with the First Children until you barged into my office."
He narrowed his eyes as he pondered. "Truly? There were no ulterior motives? No backroom deals? Nothing? Just cold data?"
"Nothing." Ritsuko stated. "I judged the candidates personally and made my decision."
Shinji held her gaze for a while longer before stepping back with a sigh. "Dammit!"
"Why are you so upset?" Ritsuko ventured asking, burying the slight disappointment she felt at the space that had opened between them.
The feeling of his body heat had been…exhilarating.
Yeah, burying that thought as far down in her psyche as humanly possible.
Shinji turned to glare at her. "Check your data, see if it's been doctored at all."
Ritsuko scowled. "Why?"
Shinji turned away and lumbered slowly out of her office. "Because this sounds exactly like something Gendo would do to try and get more control over Rei and me."
Ritsuko would call him paranoid.
But that did sound like something Ikari Gendo would do.
=][=
Ikari Gendo looked carefully over the results as Rei floated in LCL fluid.
He had to be extremely careful. With the clone storage gone, Rei was no longer easily replaced. Plans were on the way to restart production, but with the biological material stockpile emptied…he wouldn't have a viable replacement for years, months if he rushed gestation and development.
But while the technology had advanced by leaps and bounds, thanks to the research done due the construction of the Evas, rapid specimen maturation still induced unacceptable and possibly catastrophic mutations.
All readings indicated that Rei's body would reach optimal parameters in time for the ritual that would bring about his iteration of the Third Impact.
The ritual that would make him a God and grant him the power to reunite with Yui.
The procedure finished and he watched as Rei exited the tank. The coltish proportions of her frame reminiscent of a youth, but he could see the hints of the woman she would bloom into, given time.
Yui, or rather, a pale imitation of the only woman Gendo ever truly, fully, unreservedly loved.
Nostalgia and longing pushed him to cradle her cheek.
It took a moment, but she nuzzled into his palm just like Yui used to.
He felt his throat constrict, old despair and longing twisting his guts into painful knots.
He waited until he could be certain his voice would not crack. "Outstanding work today, Rei."
"Yes, sir."
"Go get dressed, I do not have the time to share a meal with you today, soon, but not today."
"Yes, sir."
Gendo left. He'd been worried at first, worried that Shinji would develop troublesome attachments to his genetic half-sister. But whatever relationship they had, had seemingly stalled soon after beginning, the surveillance in Shinji's apartment showing that they merely cohabitated, Shinji's emotional distance pushing Rei further into his own control.
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Five more Angels, then, NERV need only buy him enough time to enact his plan.
He would see Yui again.
Now, to make certain that the right number of critical replacement components for Unit 04 went 'missing.'
=][=
Ibuki Maya scratched the back of her head, the skin there felt raw and over sensitive, when she picked her pencil back up, her nails had specks of red in them.
She barely noticed.
She stood from the table and went to the soda machine in the break room, some of the guys at the fanclub had started stocking the machines with the drinks Shinji favored.
She went back to her table, drink in hand, and looked over the pages of scribbled equations, absently muttering to herself as she looked over her work. "So, if the battery had been charged to one-hundred and eighty-seven percent capacity he'd have been able to achieve the locomotion showcased when he destroyed the Angel. Okay." She flipped to a clean page and began to fill it with equations. "So, we've established the rough amount of energy he'd have needed in the battery…the Evangelion-rated batteries are built tough, so taking into account material tolerances…"
She took the occasional sip as she worked, at first, the foreign soda had tasted overwhelmingly saccharine, but it had quickly grown on Maya.
"Taking into account the length of time the battery would have needed to have spent in an overcharged state we can determine the energy lost per hour…"
Her mind cast itself back. The scent of blood returned to her nose, making her feel queasy. Shinji, in Unit 01, screaming his victory over the Enemy, making a simple but poignant declaration to all who would oppose him.
'Death.'
Witnessing that with her own eyes had been fully worth the reprimand and docked pay for 'abandoning her station.' There had been empty threats to fire her, but while she herself was not as vital as the Miracle Pilot, Maya knew that the number of people in the world who could replace her and deliver the same results as she did, with the speed, accuracy, and consistency she did, could be counted on the fingers of one hand with fingers left over.
They all worked at NERV and had vital duties of their own to fulfill. Letting go of Maya would not be catastrophic for NERV, the same way that the loss of Shinji would be, but it would leave a void that those making empty threats would struggle to fill.
"Now, the amount of energy that would be lost as heat in Kelvin is…" She coughed at the number she came up with. Triple checked her math and continued. "R-Right…the material tolerances, the battery is largely made of tungsten so…"
Twenty minutes later she wanted to scream, cry, and laugh hysterically. All at the same time.
This time, the 'reasonable' and 'sane' reason she'd come up with for why Shinji was able to do what he did, should have resulted in the Evangelion detonating long before the time Shinji tore his way out of the Angel.
And the answer couldn't be time dilation, because Shinji himself said he spent sixteen hours inside the Angel before managing to escape and kill it.
There didn't appear to be any reasonable explanation for what happened! To Shinji, it would appear, the Laws of Thermodynamics were suggestions!
But that was ludicrous! They were called Laws for a reason! Except unlike actual laws, these weren't agreed upon suggestions that resulted in a better working civilization, these were the Laws of The Universe! A fundamental part of reality itself!
One did not simply take the Law of Conservation of Energy as a suggestion!
She flipped to a new empty page, set her pencil against the paper, and paused. "What haven't I considered yet?"
"That Shinji and the Evangelion do not work under the same limitations you do."
Maya jumped with a squeak.
Sitting next to her was the First Children, a Mexican apple-flavored soda cradled in her gloved hands.
Maya blinked, twice. "Wha?"
"The Evangelion do not have the same energy generation capabilities as an Angel." Rei said, her quiet, monotonous voice thundering through Maya's mind. "But they have the genetic potential for it. Shinji was able to tap into that potential and bring it forth."
Maya opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. "Then…then why doesn't he do it all the ti—because…because it costs him."
Maya covered her mouth with her hand, her mind racing at the implications of what Rei had stated.
Angels were theorized to generate their own energy. The research into the Angel Core and the Core Fragments that had been recovered from their battles was so highly classified that they were for Ritsuko's eyes only. But Maya had caught enough glimpses of the notes that Ritsuko left carelessly around her office to suspect that Angels could produce so much energy as to be essentially limitless.
But if the Evangelion had the genetic potential for it…then they weren't mere biological robots…
"Angel…clones?" Maya asked, horror clawing up her throat like acid. "We…We cloned those monsters, that's what Ritsuko meant when she said 'replicate'? And Shinji…he said he 'feels' like an Evangelion…he reached such a high point of synchronization that there must have been some bleed-over."
"And through his determination and refusal to surrender. He forced the Evangelion to produce energy the same way an Angel would, no matter that it lacked the organ for that." Rei said in between taking sips of her drink. "This caused him harm. Like pulling a muscle, but…" Rei touched her chest over her heart, then her forehead. "Here…and here. Not biologically, something else. The Evangelion flowing into him as he flowed into the Evangelion."
But…But Shinji's corruption index was clean! If bleed-over from the Evangelion had tainted his biology, Maya would know!
Except…Except the report she had seen went through Ritsuko's hands before Maya was able to see it. And in Operation Hammerfall, Ritsuko had shown she was willing to sacrifice the Miracle Pilot for the sake of hopefully salvaging Unit 01.
"Why…Why are you telling me this?" Maya whispered, looking at the Pilot's slight frame as she took (admittedly adorable) little sips of her drink.
"Because Shinji likes you." Rei said, drawing Maya up short. "And knowing that you drove yourself to exhaustion trying to make sense of something you weren't given the information to make sense of…would make him sad. He also likes Miss Kaede."
Maya's brain screeched to a halt. "Come again?"
"Shinji finds you two pleasing." Rei said, turning her ruby eyes to Maya, and Maya could not help but feel that there was a…predatory glint in them. "I do, too. You are brave, and you have never doubted him. When Shinji asks for any information, you deliver, when he was swallowed by the Tenth, you were the first to know, on faith alone, that he was fighting back. I cannot support him openly the way you do, if I did, then Director Ikari will know that I am no longer his doll, and that would be bad."
Maya felt her face spinning and her head was red, or was it the other way around? "D-Doll? W-Why…Why would it be bad? We are all working together to stop the Third Impact."
"No." Rei said, taking another little sip. "Shinji is working to stop the Third Impact, but there are too many forces trying to make the Third Impact happen. They're too well connected, too entrenched, and too powerful."
Maya felt sick, she wanted to say Rei was wrong, but her words were said with complete conviction, and they put several things Maya had seen into a new perspective.
"Why…Why are you telling me this?" Maya gasped as she repeated the question.
Rei reached forward and clasped Maya's hand with her own, squeezing with surprising strength. "When the time comes, when the fighting is nearly over, when his attempt to stop it fails. Shinji will be the one to decide the outcome. He will decide the fate of the world and humanity. He alone has the strength to carry such a burden." Rei's grip on Maya's hand tightened to the point it hurt. "It pains me that I cannot support him, not and keep up the façade. If you do not find him pleasing, that is fine, but please, keep supporting him. He will need all the aid you can give him."
Maya opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, closed it, opened it a third time, and closed it with a 'click.'
She felt like she was falling, like she fell down the rabbit hole and now nothing made sense, the sheer unreality of…everything not letting her move forward. Had someone laced her soda with psychedelics?
Shinji…Shinji would be sabotaged. The Third Children could stop the Third Impact, but those at the top would stop him for…why? What could possibly be their excuse for the genocide of the human species?
It had to be the Director…likely the Vice Director…no, it had to run much deeper, Rei said that those responsible were 'too entrenched and powerful.' The rot had to travel all the way to the top, it's the only thing that made sense.
But…but what could Maya do? She was just Ritsuko's assistant! If what Rei said was true, then she now had a target on her back, those who were conspiring to end Mankind would have her 'disappear' to keep the secret!
She thought back to Shinji's speech when he went to battle the Ninth Angel. "The Spirit of Humanity is Indomitable; all is possible so long as you give me your support." She muttered, the words lifting her spirits the same way they had before Shinji climbed into the cockpit and went on to succeed at an operation the MAGI had decreed had a 99.9999997% chance of failure.
If anyone could stop the Third Impact, it was Shinji.
He just needed help.
Maya squeezed the First Children's hand. Her resolve crystalizing into rock steady certainty. "In any way I can help, I will. Shinji has my full, unquestioned support."
=][=
Kensuke stared at his airsoft M16A1.
Three days.
In three days, Kensuke was going to have his big day.
He was going to jump into the cockpit of the most advanced weapon system in the world.
He would become a Soldier, a Legend.
An Evangelion Pilot.
Everything he'd ever wanted was in his reach: Glory, Honor, Fame, a Higher Purpose.
If he were to die, he would die in defense of Mankind and be forever remembered as a Hero.
And yet the only things running through his head were Shinji's agonized screams and Rei's panicked pleas for him to be alright.
The only thing he could see was Unit 01, screaming death into the sky as it bathed in an impossible amount of blood.
All he could feel was the earth tremble beneath him as the Evangelion nearly crushed him to paste as it fought the monster that sought to end the world.
He should be feeling excited, exultant, ecstatic. He should be bouncing off the walls and counting the seconds until tomorrow. He should be too excited to sleep and fantasizing about all the monsters he would slay.
Instead, he lied on his bed and wondered if he'd even be of use. All the times he'd go off to the mountains and pretend to be in the middle of a battle, where he dreamt of a valiant final stand against overwhelming odds…he couldn't think of those times as anything other than childish fantasy.
Here he was, about to have his fantasy fulfilled only so much better because Evangelion Pilot. But…but he was scared.
He was scared of the monsters he would fight, of how much it would hurt.
He was scared of the Evangelion he would have to climb into the cockpit of.
A part of him hoped that the moment of truth would come about, and they would all realize they made a mistake and Kensuke wasn't able to move the Evangelion after all. At least then he could quit without feeling like he was failing literally all of mankind.
He wished he could be like Shinji. The huge, rude Lord of the Delinquents wasn't afraid of anything. He went out to fight the Angels time after time, not once afraid he would fail.
Kensuke blinked and snorted.
Maybe he could get Shinji-senpai to notice him and teach him the ropes? At least, now that Kensuke was a Pilot, he'd have to remember his name and not call him 'Popsicle,' right?
=][=
Hikari looked around her room and sighed in relief.
She'd already cooked and ate dinner, she'd made lunch for Nozomi and Kodama, she'd helped Nozomi with her homework, made sure the rough and tumble little girl took her bath. She'd done her own homework and worksheets even though she'd been exempted from class for the week.
She finally got to lay on her bed, where she proceeded to curl up, hug her knees, and cried.
She'd done so much crying over the last few days that she was surprised she hadn't shriveled up like a prune. But here she was, doing it some more.
In three days, she was going to jump into the cockpit of one of those big robots. The ones that resulted in Rei being covered in bandages for months, and Shinji got progressively more hurt every time he went out to fight in them.
She'd heard rumors that he'd suffered brain damage, and that's why he walked all weird now.
Hikari didn't want to get brain damage!
But, if she didn't join, then someone less able would have to take her place. And if her sisters got hurt in a monster attack, Hikari would have to live the rest of her life wondering if they would have been fine had she been at the controls.
But she didn't want to! She wanted to find a boy that wasn't too stupid! And he'd be the perfect gentleman, and he'd sweep her off her feet. And some hoodlums would accost her, and he'd ride in like a knight in shining armor and beat them all up!
And she'd cook, and he'd tell her how good a cook she was. And she'd have three kids an—
"Hikari?"
Hikari squeaked and jumped straight up and almost fell out of her bed.
"Kodama! I keep telling you to knock!" Hikari chastised her older sister.
Kodama had a figure that Hikari envied. She was tall, though she'd be dwarfed by Ikari. And she had the mature curves of an adult. Though she often complained about stores not stocking her bra size and having lower back pain.
"Oh Hikari." Kodama said, stepping inside.
"Wha?" She gasped, before her sister was cleaning her face with a handkerchief. And Hikari remembered she'd been crying. "W-Wait, I can do it myse-mmp!-I can do it myself!"
"And now blow." Kodama said, holding the handkerchief to Hikari's nose.
Feeling mortified, she did as instructed, and let her sister take care of her.
An indeterminable time later, Kodama sat next to Hikari on her bed. And Hikari had spent the better part of an hour pouring her heart and her fear out against Kodama's breast, reveling in the feeling of safety Kodama's arms brought, false as she knew that safety to be.
It reminded her of her mother. Back when she'd been alive.
"There there, don't worry Hikari. Everything will be okay." Kodama said, rubbing gentle circles on Hikari's lower back.
"How!?" Hikari demanded. "How!? Those monsters! The giant cube took months before it was gone! An-And one of them made a new lake! And they always cause so much damage. And Shinji has missed months of school because he always gets so hurt! And he's huge! He's so big, and strong, and all the time he goes out and gets hurt! How can I do better!?"
"See? That's the secret Hikari." Kodama said gently. "You don't have to do better than Shinji."
"Eh?"
"You know I don't talk much about my job, right?"
Hikari blinked at the non-sequitur. "Yeah?"
"That's because I work at NERV." Kodama said gently, then brought a finger up to her lips. "But don't tell anyone, okay? That'll be our little secret."
"S-So I'll work with you?"
Kodama shook her head. "I work as a cryo-technician. If ever you're working with me, something went wrong. But! Don't distract me!" She said and tapped the tip of Hikari's nose. "Do you know who is accepted as the second-best Evangelion Pilot in NERV?"
The second? Well, Shinji was the one killing most of the Angels, and Asuka had talked at length about how angry she was that Shinji kept getting better results than she did, but also spoke endlessly about getting better results than Rei so…"Asuka?"
Kodama tapped the tip of Hikari's nose again. "Wrong! The second-best pilot at NERV is Rei!"
Hikari took a few moments to digest that. "But…but I thought Rei drove the worst machine and got consistently the worst results? How can she be the second-best Pilot?"
"Because she is a team player. Rei works with Shinji, follows his advice, and supports him on the field. Whereas Asuka always does her own thing, rushes about, and has nearly gotten Shinji killed twice, herself twice, and Rei once. So, she is universally accepted as the worst Pilot of the three, even if her test results are almost as good as Shinji's. So!" Kodama tapped Hikari's nose again. "What you need to do, is stick close to your Senpai and do what he says. And everything will turn out alright."
Hikari hiccupped. "I wish it were that easy."
"We call Shinji the Miracle Pilot you know!" Kodama said with a smile. "Just don't tell him, he gets embarrassed."
Hikari's ears twitched at that. "Tell me more."
Kodama's normally gentle face split into a bloodthirsty grin, one mirrored in Hikari's own face.
=][=
[Unit 04 readings nominal, S2 Drive active, palpitations and syncopation readings nominal. Neurological activity placid as expected. Unit 04 will be ready for synchronization test on schedule.]
[Unit 03 readings nominal. Main power supply nominal. Second stage apoptosis proceeding as predicted. All cooling systems nominal. Main data link-up lag within expected deviations…Conducting final tissue inspection…minor necrosis found among superficial tissues in right hypochondriac region. Team B, get those changed out.]
[Rrrrrooooger dodger. We'll get that done in a jiffy.]
[How many times do I have to tell you to stop talking weird Takahashi? What even is a 'jiffy'?]
[It's not my fault that my artistic choice in vernacular confuses you, Watanabe.]
[Why did we even hire him again? America no longer has the most prestigious programs.]
[You're just jealous you've never gotten to hold, let alone shoot a gun in your life.]
Misato leaned forward and pressed the transmit button. "Cut the chatter, we're perilously close to running behind schedule."
She barely paid any mind to the litany of 'Yes, ma'am.' That came back over the radio and went back to reading the reports of unusual turbulence during the transportation of the Eva.
"Feeling nervous?" Ritsuko asked, scribbling on the clipboard she was never without.
Misato looked into the eyes of Unit 03. She could only wonder what macabre, inhuman thoughts hid behind that mask? What dreams of horrid, resentful slaughter?
"A little." She answered.
"Well, don't be." Ristuko said, looking over the arcane scribbling on the screens. "We'll be ready for combat right away."
"Yeah yeah, very exciting."
"You don't sound nearly excited enough." Ritsuko said, raising an eyebrow. "If these two pass the tests and are fit for service, they're going under your direct command, Major Katsuraki."
Misato twitched at the title. She very much did not care for it. "And how long before these two start screaming 'death' at me, do you think?"
Ritsuko twitched. "That was a freak occurrence. Nothing more. Bits of code we haven't optimized out of the computer-to-biological interface tissues."
"You could just say brain, you know."
"Humans have a brain!" Ritsuko snapped. "Evangelion have computer-to-biological interface tissues!"
"Right, right."
[The Fourth and Fifth Children have arrived. I repeat, the Fourth and Fifth Children have arrived.]
Ritsuko pressed the button to speak into the mic. "Squad 2, initiate entry prep for Unit 03. Squads 3 through 6, run another diagnostic on Unit 04. One last round of tests, I want a record of every minor fluctuation of the S2 Drive. No mistakes allowed people."
[Ma'am!]
Twenty minutes later, everything was still going well. Misato could only hope it would only be another round of boring tests.
That, and that the kid chosen to pilot the Eva was, essentially, another Shinji. Only a nicer one.
Yeah right, like she was that lucky.
It was then that Misato realized, she never took the time to meet the new Pilots.
[Primary connections established.]
[Entry-plug secure, transmitting pulse.]
[Psycho-graph position nominal. List cleared up through 1350.]
[Roger that. Can confirm, 1350. Fist stage contact complete.]
"This is Control." Ritsuko said into the mic. "Authorization to proceed to Phase two, granted!"
[Roger Control…All neural links nominal. List clear to 2550, over.]
[Can confirm. 2550. Harmonics nominal. Approaching absolute threshold in five, four, three—]
The Eva's eyes glowed a malevolent red.
"Abort the test! Shut everything down!" Misato's mouth screamed without her input.
"What are yo—?" Ritsuko began.
"Abort failed! Repeat, abort failed!" One of the Matsushiro facility technicians screamed as the Evangelion began to struggle against its restraints.
"Cut all circuits! Cut power! Drop the gantry on it!" Misato demanded. "Do anything you need to, just slow it down!" She turned to Ritsuko. "Could it be going berserk, like Unit 00!?"
Ritsuko scowled. "No, we aren't at that stage of the test yet."
"Umbilical cable severed, but there is still a high energy reading coming from Unit-03!"
Ritsuko's face paled. "Oh no…it's an Angel."
"Can we use Unit 04 to fight it!?" Misato demanded as the restraints failed one by one.
"No, that is at the very least eight to ten hours more work before we can get it ambulatory!"
[Sweet Jesus it's free!]
Misato turned back to the horrible sight of the berserk Angel/Eva flexing its AT field, creating a bubble of destruction around it that shattered every remaining restraint, crushed the gantries into scrap metal, and liquefied the technicians that had been working to contain it.
It began to beat against the walls of its cryogenics tank.
"Can we do anything to stop it from here!?" Misato demanded.
Ritsuko's expression hardened. "Activate the on-site N2-Mine cluster charge failsafe!"
Before anyone could agree with or dispute that order. The Angel shattered the welds keeping its mouth closed and screamed.
And Misato's world was consumed in fire.