From: eltf@hotmail.com (Eliot Lefebvre)
Subject: [Eva][FanFic] Neon Epoch Evangelion: Episode 26
X-Original-Date: 16 Feb 2003 20:44:37 -0800


Today's the day I stand up to her with a pre-story warning!:

This fanfic is an original take on GAINAX's "Shin Seiki Evangelion."
It contains alternative characters, plots, and a different overriding
internal logic.  It is intended, from the beginning, to be different.
This includes different Children and different histories.  In short: if
the mere thought of someone other than Shinji in the cockpit of EVA-01
makes you queasy, you are in -entirely- the wrong place.  Any and all
flames stemming from this alteration will be mocked mercilessly.  You
have been warned.

I should be getting a new computer soon.  This has no bearing on this 
post except 1) it's currently the major source of stress in my life, 
and that makes things difficult, 2) it will mean that I'm able to run 
more advaned software, which makes me happy, and 3) I like to brag.

At any rate, there are no mistakes in the next episode quote.  Really.

                                  ]++[

               ]+ ELECTRONIC TRANSCENDENCE PRODUCTIONS +[
                                presents

                         ]+ NEON       EPOCH +[
                   ]+ E  V  A  N  G  E  L  I  O  N +[

                     ]+ EPISODE 26: CRUEL THESIS +[

                     By Eliot "Lostfactor" Lefebvre

             Based off of "Shin Seiki Evangelion" by GAINAX

                                  ]++[

Blessed and holy are those that have part in the first resurrection.  
The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of 
God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
- REVELATIONS 20:6

                                  ]++[

                                [ 2006 ]

Naoko Akagi was surveying the boy in front of her with a critical 
stare, a fact that didn't quite seem to be lost on him as he looked 
back and forth between the goliath outside the window and his father.  
"This really isn't the place for children," she said, her voice firm, 
eyes flashing as she turned towards the boy's father herself.  "We 
still aren't certain of what's going to happen out there.  I'd prefer 
it if he was kept -"

"Oh, let him be, Dr. Akagi," replied Gendou Ikari, a smile on his lips 
as he watched his son look around the room with enthusiasm.  His face 
was almost frighteningly gaunt, his chin coming to what looked like a 
dangerous point, but there was genuine joy in his features.  "It's a 
big day for his mother - for all of us.  He's got as much of a right as 
anyone else to observe."

"Don't say I didn't -warn- you," replied Naoko firmly, provoking a 
broader smile on Gendou's face.  He still felt some vague guilt for 
everything that had been done to her, but he also felt justified.  Even 
though the teal-gray paint still seemed to be drying on the metallic 
bulkheads of Gehirn's headquarters, it felt finished, only waiting for 
the successful activation of their first experiment to be free of any 
failures.

And there was nothing that -could- go wrong.  He winced slightly as he 
remembered his flight from the Katsuragi expedition site, knowing full 
well what was going to happen, wondering why SEELE had only informed 
him in enough time to flee.  The guilt had been nearly unbearable at 
the time, but he had come to understand what needed to be done, and as 
he walked towards the window to stand beside Shinji, he knew that he 
had done the right thing.

"You remember what I told you about that?" he asked the boy, dropping 
to his knees as he watched the technicians finishing up their final 
preparations.  "That's what your mother and I have been working on 
here - the artificial life form Evangelion."

Shinji stared at it for a moment, then looked towards his father 
reluctantly.  "It looks scary," he replied, eyes wide.  "Isn't it 
supposed to be friendly?"

"It's scary, but it's friendly anyways.  It's -our- monster."  The 
words sounded oxymoronic to Gendou, but he ignored the thought and 
stood once again, his white lab coat shifting around him as he stood.  
"We're using it to keep the bad monsters away, your mother and I.  One 
day, we're going to need it to save us all."

"Dr. Ikari?"  The tone of Kozou Fuyutsuki's voice was ever so slightly 
accusatory, as if Gendou was still his unruly student that had to be 
reminded of his assigments.  Another day, Gendou would have been 
irritated by the tone, but he was too filled with enthusiasm to even 
let it bother him.  "Yui's all suited up, and the technicians are 
preparing to withdraw.  As soon as you're ready, we can begin the 
activation."

Gendou adjusted his glasses, then turned on his heel, stepped towards 
the gray computer console that Fuyutsuki was standing behind, and 
flipped on the microphone.  "Dr. Yui Ikari?" he asked with mock 
seriousness.  "We're prepared for the experiment.  If you would enter 
the launch chamber?"

"Of course," replied the woman, her voice accompanied by the whir and 
hiss of the doors of the hangar opening.  Yui stepped in quickly, her 
short brown hair bobbing along with her, the long white lab coat 
covering her blue and white test suit.  "We just finished running tests 
on the new plug suit.  All of the receptors are working perfectly.  We 
should be able to achieve synchronization with the machine."

"Spectacular.  The entry plug is being lowered now.  Once you're in, 
we'll begin the experiment in earnest."  He leaned back from the 
microphone, turning towards Dr. Fuyutsuki.  "Have the technicians 
prepare for the system activation on my cue.  The generators should 
already be up and running."

Yui's form slowly climbed into the white cylinder of the entry plug, 
and Gendou couldn't help but watch, almost wanting to rush over to the 
microphone and cry out that he loved her.  It was inappropriate, but 
somehow it seemed as though it could be excused under the 
circumstances.  Still, he forced himself to remain in place, watching 
the hatch close, the automated arms lifting the entry plug as Yui's 
voice came through the radio once again.  "Shinji's watching, isn't he?"

"He is.  You're going to make all of us proud."  The man smiled one 
last time, then turned towards Fuyutsuki, receiving a nod of approval.  
Taking a few quick steps across the smooth floor towards the wide class 
observation window, he clasped his arms behind his back, then cleared 
his throat.  "Activate EVA-01!  Full power to docking systems!"

"Full power engaged!" came the reply, the technician's voice one that 
he didn't recognize.  He was only listening in the most peripheral 
sense - it was far more important to him to watch as the back of the 
Eva split open to receive the entry plug, all of the machinery moving 
in smooth concert to allow the vessel entry.  "Entry plug received 
normally!  All interlocks engaging, prepared for second phase of 
activation!"

"Engage internal cameras!" shouted Gendou, feeling an almost giddy rush 
as the purple goliath sealed its back once again.  He'd almost not 
believed that it would work, and it was moving like clockwork.  
"Prepare flood of LCL and power up the synchronization grid!  All life 
support systems should be at full operational status!"

A slight flash seemed to move across the pure white eyes of the Eva, 
something Gendou took as a sign that it was working correctly.  
"Cameras engaged!  LCL is being flooded, synchronization grid is 
perpared!  Pilot's life signs are normal, aside from a slight peak in 
blood pressure!"

Gendou smiled even more broadly, and forcing his hands not to trembled 
he adjusted his glasses, amazed at the sight of the machine in front of 
him.  "Engage synchronization systems!" he shouted, a rush of 
adrenaline flooding his bloodstream as he leaned towards the window.  
"How are you feeling, Yui?"

"I'm fine.  The LCL tastes a little funny, but I'm not having any 
trouble breathing it."  Her voice was light and optimistic, a tone that 
Gendou couldn't help but feel burned into his memory.  "I'm starting to 
feel the Eva's presence - this must be what synchronization will feel 
like.  It's a bit painful - and it almost sounds as if -"

Yui's voice suddenly fell silent, and Gendou had only a second to frown 
in bewilderment before he saw the eyes of the Eva flash a bright 
green.  There were no pupils, but he felt as though it was looking at 
him directly, and in shock he stepped backwards, almost certain that 
there was something malfunctioning.  "Something's going wrong," 
Fuyutsuki said loudly, trying to draw Gendou's attention.  "There's a 
synchronization spike already.  She shouldn't have this level of 
connection, not yet."

Then Yui's voice came back over the speakers, a howling scream of agony 
that sent Shinji running away from the window in shock.  Gendou's eyes 
flew back towards the Eva, and in his horror he could see the machine 
straining against its restraints.  "Yui!" he shouted, lunging towards 
the window once again.  "Eject the entry plug!  Something's gone wrong!"

"Ejection systems are not responding!" the technicians shouted back.  
"Pilot's heart seems to have stopped!  Her body mass is down by 20%!  
Something seems to be eating her alive in there!"

"No!" shouted Gendou, watching the Eva rip its arms away from the 
walls, eyes glowing a brilliant green, the metal jaw tearing itself 
open and letting out a roar.  He could distantly see Shinji still 
cowering in the corner, rocking on his heels in terror, but his 
thoughts rested with Yui's voice, still screaming chokingly through the 
speakers.  "Disengage the power!  Scale back the synch ratio!  Abort!  
Abort!"

"Power has been cut!" shouted the technicians, accompanied by a louder 
roar from EVA-01 as Yui's scream grew more strangled.  "The ejection 
system still isn't working!  Pilot's skeletal structure is undergoing 
severe decalcification!"

"YUI!"  Turning, Gendou rushed towards the door that he knew led into 
the hangar, his mind on his wife as he felt Dr. Fuyutsuki's grip 
restrain him.  "Let me -go-, damn it!  She's trapped inside that 
thing!  I've got to get her out!"

"There's nothing you can do," replied Fuyutsuki, staring grimly at the 
Eva as it continued to break away from its restraints, roaring at 
nothing, Yui's voice choking away to nothing.  "Gendou, that thing will 
destroy you if you go out there.  Until we shut it down, you've got to 
stay inside!"

"I don't care if it kills me!  I have to save her!"  The younger man 
struggled against his former teacher's arms, his frenzy growing as his 
beloved's voice grew quieter and quieter.  "Yui!  YUI!  Don't give up!  
I'm coming!  I'll save you, I promise!  Let me go!  -YUI-!"

Gendou couldn't remember how long it had taken before the whole thing 
was over.  He couldn't see anything but EVA-01 raging, its massive and 
jagged mouth mocking his efforts.  He only knew that Shinji had 
screamed and cried, that Naoko had tried to recover control of the 
monster, that Fuyutsuki had held him in place as Yui slipped from his 
fingers.  It wasn't until he stood in front of the deactivated goliath 
that he truly began to comprehend the world around him again.

Kozou Fuyutsuki went to console him, something he began to realize as 
if through a haze.  "Naoko is piecing together plans for recovering 
Yui's soul.  There's enough carbon and water in the LCL to allow for 
her body - if we can reconstruct it, we might be able to bring her out 
of the Eva again.  It's risky, but possible."

It was a long time before Gendou turned to look at Fuyutsuki, his eyes 
wide and filled with pain.  "They claimed that we would be protected.  
You remember that, don't you?"  He laughed bitterly, feeling something 
close off in his chest.  "I thought that everything we'd done was worth 
it.  All the sacrifices made in the name of humanity.  But now... now 
something like -this- happens."

"She's not gone," replied Kozou, sounding halfway between apologetic 
and uncertain.  "We'll find a way to get her back, I'm certain of it."

"Perhaps we will.  But..."  He paused, then shook his head and sighed.  
"This is not the way.  This is not a path to ascension.  This is us 
following some arbitrary higher power's dictates."  An idea was forming 
in his head, and as he turned towards Fuyutsuki the light caught his 
glasses just right, reflecting off the lenses as if they were mirrors.  
"If this is the upshot of their experiment, do you really want any part 
in it?"

"You were the one who convinced me to help them," replied Kozou, 
sounding somewhat reluctant.  "Remember?  You approached me after the 
Second Impact, told me that I was needed elsewhere.  You and Yui both."

"But if I had known then," replied Gendou, letting himself trail off as 
he turned up to stare at EVA-01 once again.  He could remember looking 
up at it with Yui not more than three hours before, talking with her 
and smiling.  "I still believe what I said, Kozou.  But I don't know if 
SEELE really knows what it would mean to save humanity.  I don't know 
if their God even leads to salvation."

Both men remained silent for a moment, looking at the goliath before 
them, both fully aware of what lay beneath the purple armor.  "You 
think that there might be another way?"

"After what I saw today, I don't think that I can sign over the fate of 
humanity to those old men."  He smiled bitterly, then looked Kozou in 
the eye.  "We will have to make more sacrifices, of course.  It won't 
be easy to save everyone from themselves and from what SEELE has 
envisioned."  A cold air overtook his voice, his chest tightening as he 
spoke.  "You may leave if you wish.  We will be forced to save this 
world through our own means."

Kozou didn't reply immediately, his eyes locked on the half-open maw of 
the beast that loomed above them.  "For Yui," he said weakly, turning 
his eyes halfway towards Gendou.  "If you haven't gone completely 
insane, I can't imagine that I'd deny you."

"Thank you."  A thin sliver of pain was resting in Gendou's chest, but 
he ignored it, focusing instead on the barest foundations of a plan 
slowly coming to focus in his head.  "We will bring her back.  One way 
or another, I swear that we will bring her back."

                                  ]++[

                                [ 2016 ]

For the first time that he could remember, Gendou Ikari was eschewing 
his desk in the meeting room.  He stood, his face unmasked, simply 
waiting for the holographic monoliths to come into existence around him 
as he knew they would.  It had been two hours since they had requested 
the meeting, and the wear of lost sleep was painfully grating on him, 
but it was worth it for the culmination of ten years' planning.  
"Whenever you're ready," he whispered into the darkness.

Almost on cue, the black slabs of SEELE began to shimmer into existence 
around him.  "The final seal has been broken," intoned the dark voice 
of Keel Lorenz, rippling out through the darkness from the slab 
directly in front of Gendou.  "Your project has been successful, Gendou 
Ikari.  The Chamber of Gaf is open, and humanity stands prepared on the 
horizon of eternity."

"We lack the Evangelion units necessary for construction of the Ark," 
offered another voice, this one indistinct to Gendou's ears.  The age 
and feebleness of the tone angered Gendou in ways that he couldn't 
explain, but he forced himself to remain calm.  "EVA-02 and EVA-03 have 
both been destroyed.  More units must be constructed to replace them."

"It is a matter of little time," replied Keel firmly.  "All of the 
preparations are in place for humanity's judgement."  There was a 
pause, then Gendou could almost feel the weight of the ancient man's 
attention being placed upon him.  "Ikari.  Your final task is to use 
the Father's body to impale Lillith once more, to bring God from His 
chamber to seal those worthy of ascension."

Gendou, at last, allowed himself a smile.  He had never smiled before 
the old men, not once, knowing that even when he could not see them 
that they could see him.  But now he let himself relax his guard at 
long last, a sense of heady triumph flooding his body.  He waited for a 
few moments, letting the others mull over the smile, and then spoke a 
single defiant word:

"No."

Silence was followed swiftly by a clamor of protest, hushed firmly by 
Keel as Gendou stood without movement.  "You overstep your bounds, 
Ikari," the leader said firmly, his voice more angry than usual.  "God 
will be brought -"

"I agree.  God will most certainly be brought from His chamber."  The 
smile had not faded, a confident expression brought on from certainty 
in victory.  "But there will be no judgement, not as you envision it.  
I have not worked so hard to save humanity to witness its damnation."

"Don't be a fool, Ikari," replied Keel firmly, obviously trying to keep 
his fear in check.  It was slightly amusing, to hear someone that had 
so long been assured of his own inviolability having the rug pulled out 
from beneath them.  "This is as it is and as it was always intended to 
be.  You possess no means of perverting the course of justice."

"Justice?"  Ire was growing within Gendou's mind, and it was taking 
immense concentration to maintain collected.  "You know nothing of 
justice.  The death of humanity is no ascension, and staking our 
existence on scripture and spiritual ascension is a fool's bargain.  I 
will have no part in it, and I have the means to ensure -true- 
salvation."  He paused, giving himself a moment to restore his calm.  
"EVA-08 has been completed."

Another cacophony of voices filled the chamber, and Gendou couldn't 
help but take a perverse pleasure in the knowledge of how thoroughly he 
was frustrating the old men.  "That's impossible," shouted one of the 
voices.  "Our reports have shown us -"

"Your reports have been doctored.  EVA-08 has been completed and 
transported to Tokyo-3.  The orders were confirmed about two hours ago, 
enough time for the transit to be completed."  His smile widened.  
"There is nothing that you can do.  By the time that you could motivate 
any kind of military force, the Eva will have already been activated."

"This is blasphemy," spat another voice, its sound like that of 
fingernails scraping a blackboard.  "God does not bow to suit your 
whims, Ikari."

"Nor yours," replied the man, adjusting his glasses and turning towards 
where he knew the door lay.  He had antagonized the old men long 
enough, and he knew that despite the futility of their actions he could 
not simply goad them without expecting retaliation.  "Despite what you 
wish, I will save this world.  I thank you for helping me to that goal."

More shouts came from the monoliths, but Gendou ignored them, stepping 
into the hallway to see Fuyutsuki and Rei waiting for him.  The girl 
had already donned her white plugsuit, an almost disturbingly familiar 
sight.  "How did they take it?" asked Fuyutsuki, his face drawn, 
expression concerned but resolute.

"As could be expected," Gendou replied, turning on his heel and 
beginning to stride towards the elevator.  "Contact all branches of 
NERV, all major governments, and notify them that we believe an Angel 
has infiltrated the computer networks of the world.  If necessary, 
release the reports about the Eleventh Angel to serve as confirmation.  
Any orders coming to them to destroy our branch should be seen as 
suspect."

"It will not last," replied Fuyutsuki.  He looked older under the dim 
light of Terminal Dogma's corridors, his brown uniform almost making 
him appear monastic.  "SEELE can't be held off forever, and they can 
release information about the Seventeenth as well.  As soon as it's 
made clear all of the Angels are destroyed, they will be coming for us."

"By the time that would happen, Dr. Fuyutsuki, there will no longer be 
any need to worry."  He smiled, receiving a reluctant nod of acceptance 
from his elder.  "Good.  Prepare the Gathering.  I will oversee the 
initial preparation of EVA-08."

The doctor turned and began striding down another corridor, while 
Gendou and Rei continued towards the elevator, the red light seeming to 
mingle with the girl's eyes.  It was stunning how closely she resembled 
Yui in body, and yet every time that he looked at her Gendou could feel 
the distance between the two in personality.  "Are you ready?" he asked 
her, trying to push the thoughts from his head, knowing that he had to 
remain completely focused.

"Of course," replied the girl, pressing the button to call the elevator 
as she and Gendou came to a halt.  "This is my purpose in life."

"Correct."  The man adjusted his glasses, taking a deep breath and 
forcing himself to relax.  "Humanity's fate rests with you, Rei."  He 
stole one last glance at the girl's short blue hair, then turned his 
gaze towards the elevator, feeling his anticipation growing steadily.  
It was the same as the day that he had first activated EVA-01 - the 
culmination of so many years of planning and work.  Yet he was certain, 
this time, that there would be no failures.

                                  ]++[

Nieve was almost reluctant to let herself wake up, nestled in the bliss 
of the first genuine sleep she'd gotten since the Sixteenth Angel's 
attack.  She wanted to spend time with Neil again, to let things return 
to normal, but as she stretched her arms above her and let her entire 
body extend itself she couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be just 
as good to spend the whole day in bed with her lover.  A lazy smile 
spread across her face, and she rolled over, expecting to see Neil 
beside her.

She was alone, and as her hand reached out halfheartedly to touch the 
space where Neil should have been she felt a chill move through her 
body.  It must have been a dream, having him beside her again, and as 
she pulled the covers closer against her she felt the cold seep through 
her skin and down to her bones.  "At least that means the Seventeenth 
isn't destroyed, I suppose," she muttered.  Exhaustion was overtaking 
her, and her memories of the prior day's events seemed unbearably 
spotty.  "So I might still -"

A loud crash echoed through the house, followed by a light but 
masculine voice cursing.  Nieve's entire body perked into attention, 
and she threw off the blankets, rolling herself out of bed, feeling an 
inherent distaste of her body.  Grabbing a nightshirt off the floor, 
she slipped the light blue fabric over her body and stepped out of her 
room, glancing around for the source of the exclamation.

Neil's door was open, and Nieve hesitantly stepped towards it to see 
the boy sitting on his bed and rubbing his toes vigorously.  There were 
boxes piled around him, most in an orderly fashion, one sitting just in 
front of him as if it had been dropped there.  "Neil?" she asked 
quietly, her feet cold against the floor.

The boy's eyes flicked quickly towards her, then towards the boxes with 
a sigh.  "Nieve," he replied.  "I'm sorry.  I was trying not to wake 
you - Misato had told me how much trouble you had been having sleeping, 
and you looked so peaceful that I... I..."  He shook his head.  "No, 
that's not it."

"You were packing," replied Nieve, saying the words without malice as 
she stepped over to his bed, surprised at how much he'd been able to 
accomplish.  Shafts of light pierced the room from his window, falling 
on his bed and seeming to cast both Children in a sort of halo as she 
sat beside him.  "It's all right.  I just... I just was worried, when I 
woke up alone, that..."

"I wouldn't do that to you," replied Neil, shaking his head 
enthusiastically.  "I... I just wanted to get this done before you woke 
up, so that we could spend our time together.  I'm sorry that I woke 
you up - my hands slipped, and I -"

"Shh."  The girl leaned towards Neil, resting her head on his shoulder, 
letting the thin red strands trace across his clothing.  Her eyes 
fluttered closed, and after a moment he placed his hand on her head, 
slowly rubbing it affectionately, bringing a thin smile to her lips.  
"I'm just glad that I wasn't dreaming."

Neil made a small choking noise, then his arms wrapped around the 
girl's body tightly, drawing her closer to him with a loving ferocity.  
It at once excited and scared her, and as he released her he knew that 
he wouldn't be telling her good news.  "Nieve..."  He paused, turning 
his face away from her reluctantly.  "We're going to all be leaving 
soon, you know.  You, Niobe, and I... we're all going back to where we 
came from, now that the Angels are gone."

Nieve nodded, the statement hitting her somewhat unprepared.  She had 
known, of course, but hearing the boy say it made her feel something 
entirely different.  "It's going to change everything," she said, 
trying to maintain her calm.  "I... I don't know how we'll manage to 
maintain a relationship over that kind of distance, but -"

"I don't think that we -should-," replied Neil firmly, his eyes 
snapping shut as tears began to well in the corners.  Nieve's eyes went 
wide, and she recoiled from the boy out of shock as he slowly tried to 
make out another sentence.  "I think - that is, I know - it might be 
for the best that we're going to be so far apart, that we need to bring 
our relationship to a close."  His words seemed fraught with pain, and 
Nieve couldn't tell whether to answer that pain or her own first.

"What did I do?" she asked at length, her voice trembling.  "Neil, I 
understand that I was too possessive, but please, don't leave just for 
that.  I can - I -will- change, if that's what it takes.  I just want 
you to be happy, to love me, to -"

"Don't think that," replied Neil, bowing his head and nestling his eyes 
in this hands.  "It's not you.  It's me.  It's... I see how I keep 
hurting you, Nieve, and I -hate- myself for it.  And the worst part is 
that it just keeps happening, that we just keep going back and forth 
like this."  With a raspy sigh, he leaned back and looked the girl in 
the eye, tears brimming to overflowing about his emerald irises.  "I 
feel the same way about you, Nieve.  I want you not to hurt.  But 
that's something that I don't seem to be able to provide for you."

A clenching sensation flooded the girls chest, and she slowly lifted 
her body away from Neil.  "So... what do we do, then?" she asked 
halfheartedly, edging away from the boy as if she was worried he would 
bite.  "Just not talk to one another until we get sent away?"

"I was going to try and get sent away early," replied Neil.  "I came 
back because I didn't want you to think that I had just left you 
without any warning, as if it was on a whim."  He sighed, forcing 
himself to his feet.  "I'm sorry, Nieve.  I just don't think that we 
can work, not with the way that we've been so far.  We'll just keep 
hurting each other."

Part of Nieve wanted to scream at him that he was hurting her even 
without staying with her, but she maintained control over her 
disposition.  "All right," she whispered, hating the words.  "I... 
guess it's for the best, after all.  It would be problematic, 
maintaining a relationship from Ireland.  Better to find someone closer 
to home."

"Yes," replied Neil, his head bent forward, tears splashing gently 
against the floor.  He was looking away from Nieve, denying her the 
opportunity to see his pain, as though he was trying to prevent her 
from feeling sorry for him.  "Nieve... I will miss you."

"Then don't give up," replied Nieve, feeling a harsh determination burn 
itself into her chest.  She could feel the old flames licking at the 
backs of her eyes once again, as though awakened from a long slumber.  
She had fought to keep him from the Angels, from Eiko, from himself, 
from every possible source of opposition - she certainly hadn't gone to 
that much trouble to let him go -now-.  "I'm going to keep holding on, 
Neil, whether you like it or not.  Even if it -kills- me."

The boy's head snapped back upright, but Nieve was already out the 
door, a blur of motion, her eyes burning with determination as she 
strode towards her room.  Her hair tickled against the back of her neck 
as she went, and she almost felt as if the color was moving back into 
it.  "I'm not giving up my handle on this now," she whispered to 
herself.  "This is just beginning."

                                  ]++[

Niobe took her steps with confidence now, her hands hovering slightly 
above the twin metal bars that she was intended to use for support.  
Her feet didn't move swiftly, but they moved with assurance, fueled by 
self-hatred and a determination to be able to walk once again.  With 
gritted teeth, she reached the end of the path and turned around, 
cursing herself under her breath as she strode back in the opposite 
direction.  "Got to get something right," she muttered.

She had been informed that the Seventeenth Angel had been destroyed 
almost as an afterthought by one of the nurses, a sniveling Japanese 
woman that Niobe would have loved to have met on equal footing.  It had 
been all Niobe could think about since then, enough to spurn her into 
spending nearly her entire day practicing the art of walking once 
again.  Academically, she had known that there was little chance of her 
being brought out of the painfully white hospital and into the entry 
plug once again, but as long as the Angels remained there was a thin 
glimmer of hope still dancing in her mind.  Now...

"You're doing much better," said Ryo calmly, drawing Niobe's gaze and 
forcing her off-balance.  She stumbled for a moment, then her hands 
firmly gripped the rails and kept her upright, arm muscles refusing to 
let her fall.  He stood in the doorway, dressed in the same school 
uniform that he always seemed to wear, his hands jammed in his pockets, 
blue hair dissheveled and red eyes weak.  "The last time I saw you, you 
could barely make it halfway, and now -"

"Too little, too late," replied Niobe with a sigh, releasing the 
handlebars and walking once again.  "You were probably there when the 
Seventeenth was destroyed - you know as well as I do that the Children 
are no longer useful.  I'll be kicked out and sent back home within a 
matter of days."

"I wasn't there," replied Ryo weakly, stepping into the room with slow 
motions, his eyes flicking about the room cautiously.  "It was only 
Neil.  Didn't they tell you anything about the battle other than the 
fact that -"

"Not a word.  Just the fact that the Angels were defeated."  She 
reached the end of her path and turned once again, noting distantly 
that she had taken to interrupting Ryo on a regular basis.  "And the 
whole time I was down here, lying in my bed and feeling sorry for 
myself.  My entire purpose was coming to a head, and I didn't even lift 
a finger to do anything."

Gripping the rails again, Niobe leaned her head forward, closing her 
eyes and wishing that she could still have the comfort of her long dark 
hair shielding her face.  It barely covered anything now, something she 
was painfully aware of.  "Some pilot I turned out to be," she muttered, 
resisting the urge to cry.

Ryo's hand rested gently on the girl's shoulder, and she started 
slightly, remembering the heat from the boy's lips during his last 
visit.  "You aren't..."  His voice choked, and Niobe forced herself to 
open her eyes, looking towards Ryo through the fine strands of her own 
hair.  "You aren't the only one who's been discarded, Niobe.  I know 
how you feel."

Niobe felt a sudden awkwardness grip her, and she drew herself to her 
full height, looking Ryo in the eye, suddenly fully aware of his body.  
She remembered the horrible picture of him within the Angel, remembered 
the perfect curve of his body, and wondered if it hadn't simply been a 
flight of fancy.  "Nobody's discarded you, Ryo," she said softly.  
"You're cared for.  You're important.  You're -needed-."

"I -was-," replied Ryo, shaking his head gently.  "But... I failed Dr. 
Ikari, by failing in my routines.  I know it.  He's always taught me 
that I should follow the routine, that I was different than others, and 
then I... I threw it away.  He stopped testing me."

Extending a hand from the rail, Niobe slowly leaned her body weight 
against Ryo for support, an added burden that he didn't seem to mind.  
"What do you mean by that?" she whispered, somehow afraid to speak in 
anything but hushed tones.  "You've stopped having synch testing with 
the others?"

"No.  This was different, always."  The boy's red eyes squeezed shut, 
one pale had clenching hard against Niobe's chocolate skin.  "He said 
that he was using me to find out more about what gave us the ability to 
pilot the Evas, but... I knew that it was more.  I didn't know exactly 
what, but I could feel something in my soul, as if they were peering 
inside me."  He sighed.  "He told me never to talk about it to anyone.  
I shouldn't be saying this."

"You're not doing anything wrong," replied Niobe, stumbling slightly as 
he moved away from her.  Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move 
towards him once again, stepping out from between the rails, her steps 
uneasy but certain.  "Ryo, you're not under any obligation to do what 
he tells you."

The boy shook his head once more, eyes still squeezed shut even as 
Niobe's took his hands in her own.  "You don't understand, Niobe.  I... 
I don't even think that I always understood."  He sighed.  "I'm not 
like you.  I'm not a normal boy.  I'm barely even a boy at all."  A 
word seemed to catch in his throat as he started once again, and he 
fell silent.

"Don't talk like that.  You're just like anyone else, Ryo.  I believe 
that, truly."  She took a hesitant step towards him once again.  "I 
wish that I could have met you in a different time, really.  I would 
have liked to have known your parents, your -"

"I don't... have any parents," Ryo interjected, voice faltering, tears 
brimming at the corners of his eyes.  "I know that.  Commander Ikari 
told me.  I was born... unlike others.  I was supposed to be different 
from the beginning."  He stammered for a moment, brow furrowed, breath 
coming quickly and shallowly.  "I was Ikari's tool.  I was his path 
into the Eva unit."

Niobe's eyes went wide, and she jerked her gaze up to meet Ryo's eyes.  
"There was more to it, I'm certain.  But... that was why he needed me.  
That was why I was his favorite."  The boy's tears began to fall 
gently, his hands tightening and forcing blood out of Niobe's skin.  
"Once he couldn't use me as a tool any longer, he discarded me.  I... 
I'm no better than a tool.  I'm just something for people to use when 
it's convenient."

"That..."  Niobe felt a rush of guilt at her own selfishness, a deep 
red flush blossoming upon her cheeks.  "Ryo, you're just like anyone 
else.  You're not -"

"It's not as though you're different," replied the boy bitterly.  "You 
used me just like the others.  I was your basis of comparison, 
something for you to strive to beat.  All the while I hated piloting 
the Eva, you were trying to model yourself..."  He coughed, shaking his 
head.  "I'm sorry.  I'm only making things worse."

Jerking away from Niobe, Ryo began to leave, and Niobe felt herself 
lean forward to stop him.  Then she felt a momentary rush of 
weightlessness, and in horror she realized that she'd leaned too far 
and that she was going to fall.  A choked noise escaped her throat, and 
Ryo froze and turned towards her just in time to catch her full weight 
as she fell, her body pushing close against his as he staggered 
backwards to receive her.

After a moment, Niobe's concentration returned, and she became 
painfully aware of the closeness of the boy's body, the soft touch of 
his arms around her.  Her pulse began to race, and her hands clutched 
at the collar of his shirt, drawing herself up to face him as her chest 
began heaving gently.  "This was what I wanted," she muttered.  "You.  
I... I thought if I... you didn't notice because..."

Both Children were moving fumblingly towards a kiss, their lips 
trembling as Niobe struggled to keep herself upright, blue eyes wide 
and excited.  Then the hiss and whir of the opening doors threw off 
their rythym, and in shock the two staggered apart before they even 
looked towards the door, Niobe forcing herself to regain her footing.  
The sensuality slowly fading from her mind, she turned her attention 
towards the door, her blush of shame deepening.

Two NERV Intelligence agents stood in the doorway, thick black 
sunglasses obscuring their eyes, a rather devious smile seemingly 
shared between them.  "The First and the Sixth at once.  What luck."  
One of the agents stepped forward, flexing his hands casually.  "You're 
both coming with us.  Commander Ikari has need of your presence."

Ryo frowned, as if something was tickling at the back of his mind not 
quite formed.  Then, without further prompting, he moved like a dart 
towards the door, obviously hoping that his small size would make him 
an impossible target for the larger agents.  His optimism proved 
unfounded as the silent agent drove a quick fist into his side, sending 
Ryo sprawling on the floor.  Niobe felt herself jump slightly, 
wondering what it was Ryo had figured out even as her eyes slowly 
leveled towards the agents once again.

"Contact Ikari.  Tell him that we have these two under control."  The 
silent agent nodded and removed a cellular phone from his pocket while 
the other agent took a step towards Niobe.  "Now, are you going to be 
more cooperative?"

                                  ]++[

Neil and Vash had only been alone together a handful of times, and 
there hadn't been a single one that was entirely pleasant.  The deep 
shadows of the now-abandoned terrace seemed to accent that fact more 
than necessary, making it painfully clear that the two were not 
behaving according to their normal patterns.  "Thanks for meeting me," 
Neil said at length, casting his eyes towards the ruffling leaves above 
him.  "I didn't think you'd want to cooperate with me after everything 
that's happened."

Vash shrugged.  The black windbreaker that he wore over his clothes had 
been zipped up tight to chase off the light chill of the dark day - it 
had grown cloudy only a few hours into the day, and mingled with the 
dearth of people in the city it made the day feel like a funeral 
march.  "I don't hate you, Neil.  You ought to know that by now."

"Yeah.  Nieve told me that you came over the night that I..."  He 
sighed, then shook his head, looking towards the gray stones that would 
have had the light dancing across them any other day.  "You know."  
There was a momentary silence between the boys, then Neil coughed and 
began again.  "I told Nieve this morning that I was breaking it off 
with her."

Eyes wide, Vash let his eyes focus on Neil, half-expecting the other 
boy to be weeping.  Neil was perfectly composed, however, as if nothing 
new had happened.  "Are... are you sure that was a good idea?" he 
asked.  "I mean, you seemed to miss her so much, and -"

"I -did-.  I miss her already."  With weak motions, Neil flopped on the 
nearest bench, letting his arms and legs go limp.  A soft breeze blew 
his hair into quick flurries of motion, something that the boy didn't 
even seem to notice.  "It just wasn't right.  I knew that we would just 
keep going through the same thing otherwise, unless something changed.  
You probably know what that's like."  He flicked his eyes towards Vash, 
studying him.

Vash ran a quick finger through his hair, feeling the comfortable 
spikes slowly returning.  He was letting the dye bleed itself out, but 
he had returned to his old hairstyle - the closest compromise that he 
could think of under the circumstances.  "I suppose so.  It's not as 
though Eiko and I had been doing that well when things hit the fan."  
He sat down beside Neil, looking his fellow pilot in the eye with 
resolute intensity.  "Thanks about that, actually.  You shouldn't have 
had to get involved."

"I was involved from the moment I was here.  That was the first brave 
thing I'd done."  Neil sighed again, leaning forward and sinking his 
head towards the ground, his back bent and shoulders slumped forward.  
"Pathetic, isn't it?  I've made one huge mess of everything I could 
have had here."

"Not everything."  Vash's tone seemed almost reverent, and Neil turned 
towards the other boy in surprise even as Vash tried to puzzle out what 
was going on.  "You defeated more of the Angels by yourself than anyone 
else.  And you did it all without regard for yourself.  And..."  Vash 
choked on the words for a moment, then forced them out, his body 
seeming to rock with the effort.  "And you made me open my eyes."

"Come on.  I nearly crushed you to death."  Neil's hands tightened into 
fists involuntarily.  "I can still feel it, seeing you standing there, 
and knowing..."

"Yeah, you nearly killed me.  But you didn't, regardless of 
intention."  The boy's lips curled into a smile despite himself.  "It 
made me take a hard look at myself, and I'd like to think I'm a better 
person for it.  Would have preferred it didn't involve getting nearly 
crushed inside of an entry plug, but I suppose we can't always choose 
these things."

"Glad it worked out."  Neil hardly sounded convinced.  "You're lucky, 
you know.  Once this is all over, you stay here with Eiko.  Me, I just 
go back home as if nothing ever happened."

Vash hesitated for a moment, then clapped the other boy heartily on the 
back, hoping that the gesture was at least slightly reassuring.  Neil 
started slightly, but he seemed to be keeping his emotions guarded.  
"Come on, Neil.  -Everything- happened because of -you-."  He paused 
again, still struggling with the words.  "Look, if you hadn't made the 
choices you did, none of us would be here.  You... you're a good guy, 
Neil.  Someday you'll be a great man, I'm certain."

"Maybe," replied Neil, still sounding as if he didn't believe Vash.  
With a heavy sigh, he forced himself into a standing position, letting 
the wind whip through his hair once again.  "Maybe not.  Maybe NERV had 
the right idea in the first place - use Angels to kill Angels.  Maybe 
it says more about me that I am the sort of pilot who -"

"Stop."  Vash's words were hard, and he rose as well, forcing the 
blonde boy's attention in his direction.  "Look, Neil, I'm not 
brilliant.  But I know that you did something good in your time here.  
And I'd like to think that's enough to make you at least a -decent- 
person, whatever you believe."

Neil simply stared into Vash's eyes for a moment, and Vash could feel 
his eyes widen again at the sight.  There was something lingering 
beyond the emerald surface of the Third Child's eyes, something he'd 
never noticed before, but something he recognized from his own life, a 
sort of tortured pain.  It threw the boy into a new light, and Vash 
suddenly didn't know exactly what to think even as Neil turned and 
began to walk away.

"I wish I could believe you, Vash," he whispered, words nearly torn 
away by the wind that caressed the dark green surface of the leaves 
above them.  "But I know that you'll take good care of Eiko."  He 
paused.  "Goodbye."

His shoulders slumped gently, Neil moved resolutely into the distance, 
leaving Vash behind to stand alone in the terrace.  Shaking his head, 
Vash turned slowly, ready to go back to Eiko's house, still feeling 
oddly conflicted.  He'd expected something more dramatic and final... 
the idea that their last exchange was so low-key seemed to cheapen the 
whole thing.  "I guess you can't always have the dramatic ending," he 
muttered, scuffing his feet against the ground as he walked.

Then he realized that Eiko was standing in front of him, and his eyes 
widened as he saw the large black-suited agent standing behind the 
girl, the thick black sunglasses telling Vash everything he needed to 
know in an instant.  Behind Eiko's agent were three others, all 
virtually indistinguishable from one another.  "She told us where you 
were, Fourth," spat one of them, stepping ahead of the others.  "Come 
on.  Let's just all get in the car and have a nice little ride."

Vash frowned, flicking his eyes between the trio of agents and Eiko, 
scanning their faces for some cue of what to do.  The girl's eyes 
trembled slightly, and something seemed to snap inside of Vash as he 
took a casual step back away from the scene.  "Sure," he said calmly, 
letting a smile spread and replace the frown.  "Just catch me first."

With that, he whirled on his heel and started running, hearing the 
angry thunder of the agents behind him, his mind racing at the thought 
of what had happened.  They were from NERV, he knew that, but something 
in his gut told him not to trust them, that their methods were all 
off.  Ducking back into the terrace, he took a quick glance at the 
group, then flung open the door into the school and let it slam behind 
him.  It was one of the entrances he commonly used, leading only to a 
stairwell that wove itself upwards, exactly what he needed.

Gritting his teeth, the boy climbed a few steps up the stairwell, his 
eyes watching the small window in the blue door, waiting for the agents 
to stand outside it.  Taking a deep breath, he flung himself forward 
off the stairwell, kicking the door open forcefully, hearing the 
decisive crack of the door hitting one of the agents in the chin.  
Trying to remember what he'd learned inside of the Eva, he tucked and 
rolled, barely slipping out of the grasp of the other agents, 
adrenaline pulsing through his body like a drug.

"Little punk," snarled one of the agents, extending a meaty hand 
towards the boy.  A quick motion from Vash sent him to one side of the 
agent's reach, and with a cry he slammed his elbow into the agent's 
side, hoping to at least manage to crack a rib.  The man let out a 
grunt of pain, and with a expression of triumph Vash moved back once 
again, certain that he wouldn't be taken by the men, that he would be 
able to find out for himself what was going on.

Then stars exploded across his vision as a thick blow hit the back of 
his head, and Vash whirled drunkenly to see another one of the agents 
standing behind him.  "Insolent," snapped the man, driving a fist 
absently into Vash's gut and doubling the boy over, then grabbing the 
collar of the windbreaker dismissively.  "Something about the boys, 
they just won't be taken peacefully."

"Maybe they got tipped off."  The agent that had been hit by the door 
seemed none the worse for wear from what little Vash could see.  "I'll 
give the Commander a call.  It's just the last two now."

                                  ]++[

Neil opened the door to Misato's apartment hesitantly, as if he was 
afraid of what might lie within.  Part of him wanted to run away again, 
to not have to face Nieve for another instant, but he didn't entertain 
the notion for more than a few scant seconds before pushing the door 
open completely and stepping inside.  "I'm back," he announced, kicking 
off his shoes and stepping up from the small depressed area, 
remembering the first time that he'd ever entered the apartment.

"Heard," replied Nieve, her voice coming not from the den but from 
Neil's room.  Curious, the boy frowned and stepped lightly over to the 
door, hesitating for only a moment before opening it completely and 
taking a deep breath.  Nieve stood over a half-filled box, the slim 
black form of DVD cases piled beside her.  "You didn't have these 
organized in any particular way in the boxes, did you?"

"Um... no," replied Neil, stepping over and reluctantly touching 
Nieve's hand.  She trembled slightly, but let the cases lie on the bed, 
releasing her grip on them as she turned her eyes towards Neil.  "I... 
I thought you said that you weren't going to give me up that easily.  
And now... now you're packing for me?"

The girl bit her lip for a second, then sighed heavily, tilting her 
head forward and letting the bright strands of her hair fall across her 
eyes.  "I did say that, yeah," she muttered.  "But I was thinking about 
things after you left, and, well..."  Closing her eyes for an instant, 
she flipped her head back upright, sending her hair arcing back to 
where it should be in one graceful motion.  "You were saying goodbye to 
Eiko, weren't you?"

"Vash," he replied, a red flush blossoming on his cheeks.  "But... I'd 
half-expected Eiko to be there, yes.  Is that so bad?  Saying goodbye 
to the people I've -"

"Who do you love?"  Nieve's words seemed harsh, almost masculine, her 
eyes flashing with anger and sorrow at the same time.  "Eiko or me?"  
She took a step forward, placing one hand firmly on Neil's chest, her 
fingers splayed and her palm resting directly above his heart.  "Just 
be honest, Neil.  Please.  I won't be angry, I promise."

Neil sincerely doubted the truth of Nieve's statement, and in 
frustration he turned his head away, casting his eyes down towards the 
drab brown of the half-filled boxes.  "I... that isn't a fair 
question."  He sighed.  "I'm not even sure of the answer myself.  It... 
it's too complicated."

"Try me," replied Nieve, moving her body closer to the boy, obviously 
trying to make him give a very specific answer.  "Please, Neil, just... 
tell me.  Is it me, or is it... her?"

"I..."  A deep stabbing sensation lodged in his chest, and he forced 
his eyes shut.  "I can't deny the way that I feel about Eiko, even 
though I want to."  He felt the pressure on the girl's hand relax 
slightly, and inside he wished that he could find some way to express 
how horrible it made him feel to even think that, that he would change 
himself if he could.  "But that doesn't change the way I feel about 
you, Nieve.  It's... it isn't as cut and dry as one or the other."

"You won't even say it," whispered Nieve, moving closer to Neil once 
again, resting her head gently against his chest, her ear pressed 
against his heart.  Neil started slightly, but the girl remained 
unmoved, one hand pressed to his chest, the other hanging limply by her 
side.  "Can you even say it?  Can you tell me that you love me?"

Of course he could.  He looked down at the girl resting on his chest, 
the thin strands like liquid sunlight flowing from her head, the 
delicate features of her face, the perfect sculpt of her body that she 
denied.  In just one glance he could see all of her strength and her 
frailty, condensed into one crystalline moment, and as his mouth opened 
he intended to tell her as much, to say the three simple words that he 
knew would restore her confidence.  "I..."  He stopped, faltering for 
reasons he couldn't explain.  "I... I do."

"For the love of God, Neil, don't you think I -know- that?" replied 
Nieve, her eyes suddenly flashing as she pushed him backwards.  She had 
enough strength to send him staggering backwards, his back hitting the 
wall roughly as she stood with fists clenched.  "I don't need to know 
it, I need for you to -say- it."  She bit her lower lip, eyes trembling 
as her lids closed.  "But you can't tell me that you love me.  You 
can't give me that one little thing -"

"And what about you?" replied Neil, stepping towards the girl gently, 
hating himself for what he'd done even as he reminded himself that it 
was ultimately the best thing to do.  It would only continue like this, 
and it was best to end it as fast as possible.  "Can you say it to me?  
Can you tell me that you love me?"

Nieve's eyes opened, brimming with tears, and her eyes traced slowly 
towards his, one set of emerald eyes meeting with another.  "No," she 
replied at length, casting her eyes towards the floor and shuddering 
slightly.  "I want to say it, but... something stops me.  I just can't 
bring myself to... to..."

"Shh."  The dagger was twisting in the boy's heart, deepening the wound 
that he'd inflicted upon himself as he gently lay his hand upon Nieve's 
shoulder.  "I know.  That's why I couldn't."  He coughed, wishing that 
he could simply dissolve into the air around them.  "You deserve so 
much better than this, Nieve, and we can't keep going like this.  One 
of us had to say it, sooner or later."

The girl said nothing, simply shrugged his shoulder off weakly and 
headed for the door, her eyes downcast, her entire form slumped as if 
in defeat.  "You're right," she whispered, her hand resting on the 
doorframe, head tilting forward and pulling the delicate hair along 
with it.  "Maybe we were lying to ourselves the whole time.  Maybe we 
just didn't want it to hurt this badly."

"Maybe that's it," replied Neil as the door shut behind the girl, 
flopping backwards onto the bed, his fists clenching for what seemed 
like the millionth time, thin shafts of sunlight piercing the darkness 
of the room in momentary instants.  He wanted to rush out and comfort 
Nieve, tell her that he must have been crazy, that he wanted her back, 
that he would never leave her, but despite it all he stayed in place.  
It was for the best, a fact he kept repeating in his mind to nobody.  
It was all for the best, and that made all of it worthwhile.

                                  ]++[

Misato's eyes flicked like sparks between the small screen of her 
laptop and the doorway, her back pressed hard against the cool metal of 
the computer housings. Her legs were positioned to balance the small 
computer, one hand typing away while the other pointed her handgun 
towards the door, ready to fire at a single sign of motion from the 
entryway.  Around her hummed the fans that kept the components of 
NERV's network system from overheating, wafting heated air through the 
room in an effort to keep the more delicate machinery cooled and safe.

Sweat beaded lightly on her brow, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes 
flicking back and forth as she kept working at the computer, her teeth 
set resolutely.  "Come on," she muttered, watching another rejection 
message pop up on the screen, closing it and trying another tactic.  
Her computer issued a small beep, and Misato leaned forward ever so 
slightly to see the wires trailing out from behind, assuring herself 
that she was, in fact, connected directly to the central database.

With a few quick keystrokes, the computer tried once more to penetrate 
the elaborate security measures that Gendou had cloaked his files in, 
cursing Kaji for what seemed like the hundreth time for leaving her 
only the most cursory information to work with.  "You tell me what 
you've found, tell me only the basics of this program, and then you 
expect me to finish penetrating NERV's buried secrets."  She sighed, 
removing her hand from the computer for just a moment to wipe the sweat 
gently from her brow.  "Idiot."

Another beeping acknowledgement came from the laptop, and Misato 
quickly turned her attention back towards it, striking a few keys in 
quick succession, smiling broadly as the inner recesses of Gendou's 
computer were proudly displayed for her investigation.  "All right, 
Ikari," she whispered, leaning closer to the screen, still keeping her 
eyes in motion.  "What are you really planning?"

Her fingers moved with swift assurance, passing through information 
that she'd already uncovered on her own, glossing huge chunks that she 
simply didn't have the time to read.  It was only once he began 
discussing Ryo and Rei that she began to read with more ferocity once 
again, knowing full well that it had been one of the few secrets she 
hadn't managed to penetrate earlier.  "Rei should not have been the 
Seventh," she muttered, speaking aloud almost unintentionally as her 
eyes scanned.  "It was supposed to be -"

The name on the page caused her eyes to widen, and she fell silent, her 
eyes still flipping through the information, now taking it in with 
greater speed, the whole situation beginning to grow painfully clear.  
"Of course," she hissed through gritted teeth.  "They're not supposed 
to be normal Children.  They're his tools."  Her eyes narrowed, brow 
furrowed and fists tightening.  "Good God.  He's trying to -"

Even through the sound of the fans, Misato could hear the door sliding 
open, and without hesitation she kicked herself into a crouching 
position, aiming her pistol and firing as soon as she recognized the 
silhouette of an Intel agent.  The shot hit the man square in the 
chest, but she forced herself to remain calm, firing again as the 
second and then third agent tried to step inside.  "Neil and Nieve," 
she hissed, thrusting herself to her feet.  "They've got to get out of 
here."

Rushing forward, Misato stepped lightly through the maze of cords on 
the floor with her heels, edging past the trio of agents and glancing 
quickly back and forth down the hall.  She knew her ammo was limited, 
but as she saw the path to her left open she made a dash for the end of 
the hall, knowing more agents would come after her in moments.  One 
hand held tight to her gun as she ran, the other jammed itself into the 
pocket of her red jacket, searching for the small cell phone.

The sound of angry footsteps echoed in the hall behind her, and 
gritting her teeth she continued forward, her fingers closing around 
the phone as her eyes fell upon the nearby elevator.  Whipping out the 
phone, she flipped it open just as she reached the elevator, hitting 
the button and waving her gun back at the hallway she had come from.  
She could see a pair of agents, and gritting her teeth she fired once, 
sending one sprawling to the floor and freezing the other in panic.

With a ding, the elevator's doors hissed open, and Misato spared a 
quick glance inside to ensure that it was empty.  "Sorry," she smiled, 
taking a quick shot at the remaining agent before ducking into the 
elevator and hitting the highest number that she could find.  The doors 
slid closed before she could check on her last target, but she had 
other concerns, and with fumbling hands she keyed in her number, 
feeling the elevator lurch into motion.

A ring came and went, then another, then another.  Panic rose into 
Misato's throat before the telltale click of reception came on the 
other end.  "Hello?" asked Neil's voice, sounding weak and exhausted.

"Neil!"  Misato pressed her back against the back of the elevator, 
pointing her gun out the front, not doubting that there would be 
someone posted at the top.  "Listen to me.  You and Nieve have to go 
down to the airfield where you first came into Tokyo-3 right now.  Tell 
the pilot there that Commander Ikari has ordered your immediate 
departure for America."

"Misato?"  Neil's voice had lost the exhausted hint to it, as if he was 
grasping the situation despite himself.  "What's going on?  Are you -"

"I don't have time to explain, Neil!" she shouted, silencing him simply 
by the force of her voice.  "You and Nieve have to get out of the 
country right away.  I don't know if the other Children are already 
here or not, but we can't let him have you."  She paused.  "Commander 
Ikari - he's trying to -"

The elevator wrenched itself to a stop, and Misato gasped slightly 
before dropping the phone, holding her gun with both hands, realizing 
that she must not have killed the last agent.  Her jaw was set as the 
doors opened, and to her horror she saw what seemed like a small army 
of agents standing outside waiting for her.

Gunshots pierced the air immediately, felling the most immediate agents 
and sending the others ducking for cover before her gun clicked an 
angry and empty noise.  Cursing, the woman rushed forward, throwing the 
gun ineffectually down the hallway, seeing the agents readying 
themselves to grab at her once again.  If she could just make it down 
to a research area, she might be able to -

Her thoughts were cut short as a shoulder slammed hard into her, 
shoving her back towards the elevator forcefully, leaving her to 
stumble back through the doorway as another agent shoved her back 
against the wall.  "We've got her now," announced one happily, 
motioning for the other agents to enter the room.  "Get in touch with 
Ikari.  Find out what he wants us to do with her."

Misato's mind was racing, but only for a second as her hands balled 
themselves into fists.  Letting out a slight cry, she lashed out with 
her foot towards the nearest agent's crotch, burying the sharp tip of 
her heel in just the right spot to double over her opponent.  She swung 
angrily at the next agent barring her path, but he seemed unconcerned, 
catching her hands casually in his own, forcing her back against the 
wall once again.  "You've got guts, Major Katsuragi," he hissed, 
obviously not someone that she wanted anywhere near her.  "Don't think 
that we won't hurt you to get you to -"

"Commander Ikari wants her alive and unharmed," insisted another agent, 
apparently the one that had followed the orders of his more unfortunate 
partner.  "She's to be brought to the same room as the Children, at 
least for now.  Just grab her and let's get going."

"Hold on."  The agent gripping her hands shoved her casually against 
the nearest wall, his eyes falling towards the small cell phone still 
obviously active as he drew his gun.  "Should have noticed this 
beforehand."  He fired, scattering the phone into small pieces of 
plastic and wire, then returned the gun the small shoulder holster 
within his jacket.  "All right.  -Now- let's grab her."

                                  ]++[

For all its monstrous features, Ritsuko couldn't help but seem 
something angelic in the massive form of EVA-08.  The shimmering gold 
form of the machine was at the center of her vision, vague hints of 
sparkling white drawing her attention as the light shifter around it, 
its firm-set jaw and elongated head looking almost noble compared to 
the similar profile of EVA-06.  "All neural interfaces check out," she 
announced, turning her attention towards the computer terminal beneath 
her.  "Check the nutrient levels."

A response came from the holding bay, but Ritsuko's focus had shifted 
back to the golem standing just outside the observation room, watching 
as it waited for the preparations to be complete.  In the back of her 
mind, she couldn't help but wonder if the experience was similar to 
what her mother had felt on the day of EVA-01's activation, the 
culmination of so much effort.  "The savior of the human race," she 
whispered out loud, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned forward 
unconsciously.

"Only part of it."  The voice startled Ritsuko, and she spun around in 
terror before her eyes rested on Kozou standing in the doorway, a thin 
and humorless smile on his lips.  "It wouldn't be saving anything 
without Rei and Ryo.  And the only promise of true salvation is -"

"I know," replied Ritsuko, holding up a hand and turning back towards 
the Eva.  Something about Kozou made her distantly uncomfortable, 
knowing that he held a secret over her head that she could only grasp 
at and fumble with.  "But Rei and Ryo would save nothing without EVA-
08.  It's just... odd, to think that it's so close to one of the 
Angels."

Kozou said nothing, simply stepped up to Ritsuko softly, remaining only 
a few steps behind her as he watched the technicians himself.  "That is 
ironic, isn't it?  Something that nearly destroyed our world, and we're 
now using it as a savior."

"No other way to do it."  Ritsuko folded her arms across her chest, 
unconsciously drawing the white lab coat closer around her.  "Isn't 
this what SEELE claims was written in the Scrolls, anyways?  'God's 
destroyers become the harbingers of a new order' or something to that 
effect?"

"Yes," replied Kozou, stepping closer to the blonde woman.  "But we 
shouldn't be quoting the scrolls any longer.  We're not following their 
scriptures any longer."

Something in Kozou's voice gave Ritsuko pause, but before she could say 
anything the crackling voice of the technicians cut through the air.  
"Nutrient levels are optimal.  There do appear to be some minor stress 
fractures along the intake vents from transport."

Blushing slightly, Ritsuko stepped back to the console, leaning towards 
the microphone even as her eyes flicked back towards Kozou.  "Repair 
the fractures as best you can, but stay on schedule.  EVA-08 must be 
ready by 1700 hours."  She ignored the reply to the statement, staring 
dead at Fuyutsuki, her brow furrowed, blue-gray eyes curious.  "Do you 
know something that I don't?"

"Ritsuko..."  There was something awkward and young in Kozou's tone, as 
if he was old prematurely and was struggling to recapture himself.  
"You do know that the Gathering is going on, correct?"

"Of course.  We have to ensure that the Children are all accounted 
for.  I still stand by retrieving the Children without Evas, but -"

A deep shadow passed across the elder man's face, stilling Ritsuko's 
tongue.  "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" he asked quietly, shaking 
his head.  "These aren't adults, you know.  They're not even old enough 
to remember what the Second Impact was like.  We're supposed to be 
making the world a better place for them."

"And we -are-," replied Ritsuko, an awkward tightness growing in her 
chest.  She had always respected the vice-commander of NERV, but it 
seemed obvious to her that something was going seriously wrong with 
him.  "Sometimes, to protect people, you have to steer them in the 
right direction whether they like it or not.  You wouldn't dream of 
letting a small child loose with construction equipment, would you?"

"That's arguing semantics.  Ritsuko, just think about whether or not 
what you're doing is -right-."  Sighing, Fuyutsuki turned towards the 
golden Eva outside the window, watching the technicians swarm over it, 
his head slightly bowed.  "What gives us the right to decide whether or 
not the world needs to be saved?"

Ritsuko took a hesitant step towards Kozou, painfully conscious of the 
flickering light about them, the distinct scent of LCL slowly seeping 
into the room as the tecnicians worked over the golem.  "It was decided 
before we did anything," she replied awkwardly.  "Everything can't 
remain the same, not any longer.  Either we change, or the Angels 
destroy us."  She began to open her mouth again, then froze, unsure of 
herself.

"We're not infallible.  We're not following a script that tells us how 
to save the world."  The elder man slowly turned to face Ritsuko, a 
deep sorrow etched across the lines of his face.  "This is all based 
off our own judgement, Ritsuko, not that of whatever God we believe 
in.  How do we know that we're not just paving another way to 
destruction with our actions?"

Forcing her fears into a hard ball within her gut, Ritsuko took a 
decisive step forward, focusing on the humming of the fluorescent 
lights above them, letting it grow loud enough to drown out every other 
noise.  "I think that you should go now, Dr. Fuyutsuki," she said 
firmly.  "We will save the world, no matter what it might think of us.  
The righteous always appear monstrous to the damned."

"Do they?  Or is that just what the monstrous tell themselves?"  With 
quick steps, the old men drew himself directly in front of Ritsuko, 
looking down at her with penetrating eyes.  "For the love of mercy, 
think about what you're doing.  Abducting children, strapping them into 
machines that torture and nearly kill them, deceiving the -world- about 
what you're trying to do - I wouldn't trust the fate of the world to 
your judgement."

Ritsuko's hand moved without thinking, striking the old man's cheek 
harshly and forcing him to recoil slightly.  "Major Katsuragi has 
already been restrained, doctor," she said calmly, daggers of ice 
rushing past her lips with each word.  "If I talk with Commander Ikari, 
I have no doubt that he will not hesitate to have you -"

"Theatening me too, now," whispered the old man, struggling to regain 
his composure.  "You're like your mother in more ways than you'll 
admit.  She could never bear to hear it, either."  He started towards 
the door, then stopped, his eyes falling on Ritsuko once again.  "The 
truth is right in front of you, Dr. Akagi.  If you would just open your 
eyes -"

"Get out," she snapped, turning her eyes firmly towards the Eva outside 
of the observation booth, not even bothering to watch the elder man 
stalk out of the room.  It was only after he had left that she allowed 
herself to breathe again, her chest heaving in and out, her entire body 
seeming to slump forward.

He was right, she knew.  They were relying wholly on their own 
judgement, their own moral bases, the one thing that they were supposed 
to be divorced from.  Ritsuko's knees seemed to give out beneath her, 
and she slowly lowered herself to the floor, kneeling weakly, her hands 
trembling.  "Was Misato right?" she whispered.  "Perhaps... perhaps 
I've let myself be..."

"Doctor Akagi?"  Again, the technician's voice seemed to come just at 
the right instant.  "The fractures have been repaired.  What do you 
want done next?"

Flicking her eyes towards the window, Ritsuko caught a glimpse of 
herself, blonde hair short around her head, makeup elegantly applied, 
kneeling weakly on the teal-gray floor of the observation booth.  "I'm 
not my mother," she hissed through gritted teeth, forcing herself to 
her feet on trembling legs.  "Misato's just a silly, sentimental little 
girl."  Another harsh breath forced its way into her lungs, and she 
turned on her heel, walking with brisk steps over to the computer 
console, mentally refreshing her list of what needed to be done before 
EVA-08 could rise to meet its destiny.

                                  ]++[

"You're certain about this?" shouted Nieve over the squeal of the car's 
tires, her fingers gripping the steering wheel with what seemed like 
bone-crushing force.  Around them blurred the scenery of Tokyo-3, 
indistinct shapes and patches of color lost to the car's velocity.

"Absolutely," replied Neil, his own hands gripping the seat with the 
same intensity that Nieve held the wheel.  It was just slightly padded, 
more or less identical to the interior of every other car in Japan, and 
while Neil distantly knew that holding it would do him no good if they 
crashed it reassured him slightly as he felt the wheels tear along 
beneath him.

Nieve didn't respond to Neil immediately, instead leaning her body as 
she sent the car skidding into a turn down another street.  The 
spedometer briefly dipped, then ascended once again as the car's small 
engine forced it forward with all the force it could muster.  "Misato 
calls, sounding panicked, and tells you to go to America with me?"

"Then I hear thumping noises, angry voices, and the whole thing ends 
with a gunshot," replied Neil.  "Something very definitely is going on 
at Central Dogma."

"So instead of doing what she told us to and getting the hell out of 
the country, we do the exact opposite and race straight towards the one 
place she probably wants us to go away from?"

"That would be the essence of the plan, yes," replied Neil weakly, 
straining to make out something resembling the NERV logo as the world 
around them raced past.  He didn't like the idea of outright ignoring 
what Misato had told him to do, but he liked the idea of leaving her to 
bleed to death even less.  For all that he'd inflicted on her, he owed 
her at least some concern over whether she lived or died.  "If I hadn't 
suggested it, wouldn't you have?"

"Probably," replied Nieve, her foot easing off the gas and slamming on 
the brakes in one smooth motion.  Neil's eyes went wide as the car's 
wheels suddenly locked into position, and the entire vehicle began 
spinning down the street, gyrating around its center as the stench of 
burning rubber filled the interior.  It was like a momentary burst of 
madness, the shrieking squeal of the tires coupled with the spinning 
scenery, and Neil squeezed his eyes shut, struggling not to vomit.

It took him a few minutes to realize that the car had finally screeched 
to a halt, and his breathing was slow as he cracked open his eyes.  He 
could see the large metal gates that led into the Geo-Front sitting in 
front of him, the car only a few inches short.  "We're here," announced 
Nieve, tapping him on the shoulder gently.  "Are we going to go in, or 
not?"

Giving a slow nod, Neil opened his door and stepped out, glancing at 
the doors for a second before looking back at the red-haired girl with 
him.  "You're not working through some of your personal irritations 
with this, are you?" he asked, sounding distantly accusatory.

"Shut up," she replied, her voice not in the least amused.  Her eyes 
flicked quickly towards the overcast skies before she walked swiftly 
over to the card reader, removing her ID card and swiping it through 
decisively.  "Let's just get inside and find out what's going on.  
Misato's not going to be happy with us for not listening to her."

Both Children looked towards the door, waiting to hear the typical 
grinding of it opening.  It was a moment before Nieve angrily swiped 
her card through again, letting out a small grunt of anger as the doors 
remained stationary.  "Did we lose power -again-?" she growled, her 
head sinking into her hands.  "God, I don't need this today of -all- 
days, I just want to get this -over- with..."

"The power's still on," replied Neil, cautiously stepping towards the 
card reader while he retrieved his own ID card.  "See?  The little 
confirmation light is still on.  Something else is wrong."

Motioning for Nieve to step aside, Neil ran his card through the 
reader, watching the small yellow indicator light as it flashed off and 
then returned with a red color.  "Yeah.  The power's on.  We're just 
not being given access to the Geo-Front."

"What?" Nieve asked, exasperated, throwing her card to the ground as 
she removed her head from her hands.  "That's ridiculous!  They 
wouldn't revoke our entry just because we've finished destroying the 
Angels!"  She paused, a look of slow concern coming over her face as 
her emerald eyes flicked back towards the door.  "Right?  I mean... 
we're the ones that are really important to NERV, right?  They wouldn't 
discard us..."

"No.  Misato told me that we were going to be expected for the next few 
days, and that would require us to be able to get into the base.  
There's something else going on."  He frowned at the door for a moment, 
relieved to have something to focus on other than his relationship with 
Nieve for just a moment.  "Maybe... she mentioned something about 
Commander Ikari.  He could have locked us out."

Sighing, Nieve nodded, as if she already knew what was going on.  "But 
why would he do that?  What could possibly be going on that we couldn't 
be allowed in for?"

Closing his eyes, Neil tried to think, trying to piece together what 
few fragments of information he knew about the situation at hand.  
"Maybe he's not trying to keep us out," he whispered after a moment.  
"Maybe... maybe he's trying to keep something else -in-.  They're 
keeping the Second Angel alive down there, for some reason."

Nieve's eyes went wide with realization, her gaze slowly turning back 
towards Neil.  "And EVA-01 is the First.  They could have resurrected 
themselves somehow.  If it just takes those two Angels coming in to 
contact with one another to cause the Second Impact... they could be 
able to do it again."

"Everything's there for Third Impact," whispered Neil, shaking his head 
in disbelief, only distantly wondering how long Nieve had known the 
whole story while he'd been kept in the dark.  "Good God.  Both of them 
might never have been dead at all.  They were just waiting for us to 
shut down our defenses and leave them alone, and now everything's in 
place."  He paused, casting his eyes away from Nieve's, unable to 
endure the girl's stare.  "But why would Gendou seal off the base?"

"Armor," replied Nieve, beginning to pace in agitation, her right hand 
firmly grasping her chin, left arm wrapped around her chest.  "The Geo-
Front was designed with enough armor to withstand the blast of multiple 
N2 mines, to keep out the Angels.  And there's a stockpile of N2 
weaponry within the base."  She gasped.  "That's why Misato was trying 
to get us to leave.  He's going to destroy the city to stop the Angels."

"Unless we're able to destroy them first."  His heart racing, Neil took 
a step towards Nieve.  "We were able to get into the Geo-Front once 
before when the power was down.  Maybe we can get in there and prevent 
them from coming into contact with one another."

A thin smile traced across Nieve's face, and she turned towards Neil 
fully, her arms folded across her chest.  "We might die trying," she 
replied softly.

Taking a deep breath, Neil closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back 
to his time in Tokyo-3.  He could feel Nieve standing painfully close 
to him, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and 
hold her tight, to pretend at least for a moment that they could still 
have a future together.  But in the back of his mind, he could see the 
whole situation from a distance, knew that this was the reason he had 
come to the city in the first place.  There was no question as he 
opened his eyes.  "I'm not afraid of that," he whispered, the monstrous 
green eye of EVA-01 seeming to loom in his mind.

Nieve continued staring at the boy and smiling for a moment, then 
lunged forward and took him in her arms, pressing her lips against his, 
forcing her tongue into his mouth, her eyes fluttering closed as Neil 
simply stared in shock.  His arms gently brushed against her back, and 
then she was gone again, standing a few inches away, wiping her lips 
with the back of her hand and breathing quickly.  "I wanted to do that 
one more time," she whispered.  "Let's go."

Fierce adrenaline flooded Neil's bloodstream, and glancing about he 
started jogging towards the side of the hill in which the entrance was 
set, his eyes flashing.  "There was a high-speed entrance here the last 
time we had to do this," he shouted, glancing about for the same 
irregular patch of grass as before.  "It'll bring us close to the 
hangars - close enough."

"Got it," shouted Nieve, dashing towards a spot on the hill as Neil 
followed, falling to her knees and quickly clearing the grass away.  
Her fingers slipped beneath the metal plate with practiced speed, and 
planting her feet firmly against the thick greenery of the hill she 
pulled with all her might.  Neil jammed his own hands beneath the plate 
and pulled as well, his arms beginning to ache as the plate resisted 
their attempts to open it.

Finally, the entrance swung open with a creak, and Neil felt a thick 
drop of moisture fall along the back of his neck.  His hand flew to the 
spot, and he glanced up at the sky as more drops began to fall, the 
small orbs of water streaking through the sky as if they were souls 
fallen from heaven.  "Raining," he muttered.  "Perfect."

Turning his eyes back towards Nieve, he saw that she was already 
throwing herself down the passage, and gritting his teeth he followed 
her, his body hitting the slick metal surface as a few droplets of 
water followed him.  Beneath him he could see Nieve already racing 
along the tube, distant for only a moment before the force of gravity 
took over and started him on his path towards Central Dogma.

Closing his eyes, Neil let himself be simply thrown along by the 
passage, feeling the cool metal guide him towards his destination, 
breath coming slowly but regularly.  The reality of the situation was 
only hitting him slowly, but he still didn't feel afraid.  "A monster 
dead by other monsters," he whispered, too quietly for even his own 
ears to catch it.  "It's only right."

The fall ended before he knew it, dropping him onto the same soft 
landing area as it had his first time through.  Nieve had already 
moved, and shaking his head he forced himself to his feet, opening his 
eyes and glancing around, taking in the teal-gray walls as almost a 
reassurance.  "Nieve?" he said, still feeling slightly dizzy from the 
fall.

"Right here," she replied, drawing Neil's gaze.  She stood only a few 
feet away, but seemed lost in thought, her red hair swinging behind her 
as her head moved back and forth.  "They haven't activated the internal 
alarm.  Everything's quiet."  She paused.  "It might not be the Angels."

"Or maybe nobody's had the time to be activating the alarm in the midst 
of trying to stop them," replied Neil, a gentle urgency in his voice as 
he moved around Nieve, striding resolutely down the corridor.  "I 
remember this from when the power had been deactivated.  At the end of 
the corridor to the right are the locker rooms, so if we go left..."

"The hangars.  Right."  Something in Nieve's voice brought Neil to a 
stop, and he slowly turned to face the girl as she followed behind 
him.  There was the thinnest film of liquid over her eyes, as if she 
was just sad enough to contemplate crying.  "Neil?  You're not afraid 
of dying... with me?"

"I don't plan on you dying," replied Neil, closing his eyes for a 
moment.  He wanted not to think about anything but the necessity of the 
situation, to prevent himself from having second thoughts, and Nieve 
was making that impossible.  "Look, we can't accomplish anything 
standing out here.  If we're the only two Children in here, we're the 
only ones that can try to stop the Angels.  So let's get moving and do 
what we can."

Waiting only a moment for a nod from the girl, Neil set off once again, 
this time moving faster, his eyes focused on the end of the narrow 
corridor, the rest of the world blurring together.  His feet moved 
faster unconsciously, and he hurtled around the corner, quickly 
changing directions and jogging towards the door into the hangars.  
Closing his eyes as he approached the doors, he could all but feel the 
LCL around him, the tickling presence of EVA-01 at the back of his 
mind...

The doors in front of him hissed and whirred open, and Neil spared a 
quick glance behind himself to see Nieve following close on his heels.  
Nodding, he ran into the hangar, hearing the thin metal clang of his 
feet against the metal lattice.  His eyes registered the lack of 
nutrient bath within the hangar an instant before he realized that 
there was an Eva in the hangar, and by the time that he'd glanced 
towards it the catwalk had already started moving.

Caught off-guard, Neil almost tumbled forward to his death, but his 
hands reached out and grabbed the lattice before he went too far 
forward, falling on the catwalk but simply staring down towards the 
bottom instead of rushing to greet it.  He could see the outline of two 
golden feet beneath him, and as he returned to his feet he looked up to 
see an unfamiliar Eva, gold and shimmering white, its bearing almost 
regal as it stared down at himself and Nieve hatefully.  "EVA-08?" he 
whispered, the first words to come to mind.

"Once again, Third Child, you are correct," announced the voice of 
Gendou Ikari, drawing Neil's eyes to the skybox above the hangar.  "And 
once again, you have delivered yourself directly to me.  I must thank 
you."

Neil's mouth opened to respond, but he was cut short as a door he 
hadn't noticed at one end of the catwalk opened, causing Nieve to jump 
back slightly in surprise.  Three intelligence agents stood in the 
doorway, and as Neil's eyes flicked to their hands he could see that 
they were armed.  "Should have listened to Misato," he whispered, his 
heart sinking at the revelation.  "Should have left when I had the 
chance."

There was nowhere to go, and Neil distantly thought that he noticed EVA-
08 moving towards him, as if to even deny him the option of suicide.  
"The Gathering is complete," announced Ikari, seemingly numb to the 
Children outside.  "Rei, once the Second and Third are taken, you will 
be ejected from the machine.  I will meet with you in the Confessional."

                                  ]++[

Gendou stood in the doorway to the darkened room, his eyes focusing 
slowly in the dimmed light.  A few steps behind him stood Rei, still 
wearing her white plugsuit, like a ghost waiting to be directed back to 
her grave.  "I hope you all understand that this is for the greater 
good," he said, not bothering to make his voice even distantly 
sympathetic.  "I simply couldn't risk any interference with my plan."

"Fuck you," snarled Misato, struggling against her restraints, trying 
to lunge forward.  Her body was suspended like that of the Children 
against the far wall, her arms head straight out to her sides, legs 
clamped down beneath her, her entire body fixed almost in the shape of 
a cross.  The restraints themselves were fused to the wall, tight 
enough that the woman could only move a few inches towards Gendou 
before she was jerked to a stop.

A thin smile curled at the edge of Gendou's lips, and he held up a hand 
to Rei as he stepped into the dim room, feet echoing in the overlarge 
room and onto the pale diagram projected by the lights above.  "I 
suppose I deserve that," he replied, glancing around at the Children, 
all hanging limply on the wall with Misato.  Only Rei stood free, 
silent and unconcerned.  "But one has to make sacrifices to achieve 
good.  You understand that, don't you?  All of you?"

"Doctor Ikari..."  Eiko's voice was halting, confused, her head hanging 
forward and her black hair framing her face.  There was the distant 
sound of moisture hitting the metallic floor, though Gendou couldn't be 
certain of its origin.  "How could you do this?  We're all working 
together to save the world, aren't we?"

"No," spat Misato, her eyes burning balefully at Gendou, still 
struggling against her restraints, obviously unwilling to surrender 
herself.  "Why don't you tell them, you lying bastard?  Explain to them 
what you're really after?"  She tried once again to force herself 
forward, meeting no more success than before.  "Why don't you explain 
that you're trying to instigate the Third Impact!"

Rage flared momentarily in Gendou, but he forced himself to ignore it, 
letting the smile on his face vanish as he adjusted his glasses.  
"Correct.  I am attempting to bring about Third Impact.  That is the 
true purpose of NERV, Project Evangelion, all of the research we have 
been doing - the Human Complementation Project."  He paused, staring 
dead at Misato, focusing his own buried emotion into the glare.  "Do 
you even understand what the Third Impact is?"

"Contact between the Angels," Neil offered weakly, his body held 
upright but his eyes half-dead.  "That was what caused the Second.  
It's what Kaworu was trying to achieve with Lillith."

"Wrong."  Gendou smiled thinly, letting his arms fall to his sides, 
taking a step forward with one foot and casting his eyes towards the 
ceiling.  The light was dim enough that he could clearly make out the 
etched pattern above, an intricate linked series of circles and lines.  
"Each Impact is not simply a cataclysm.  It is the arrival of part of 
the Divine on Earth.  First Humans, then Angels... and now God."

A flush of triumph came over the doctor, and he felt the wave carrying 
him along, the moment of culmination finally spilling everything out.  
"We knew that the Second Impact was going to happen long before it did, 
but the date was too far forward.  So we accelerated it.  With Adam 
unearthed by the Katsuragi Expedition, Lillith was drawn to this world 
to complete her mission - and with her arrival, half of the world was 
shattered.  It was the only way we could be ready to retrieve the First 
and Second Angels reliably - the safest way to ensure that the Impact 
did not catch us off-guard."

"You evil bastard," muttered Misato, beginning to divert her efforts to 
finding a way out of the restraints, her eyes still flicking towards 
Gendou every few seconds.  "You killed half of the world.  You killed 
my -father-.  You -"

"Please, Major Katsuragi.  Some of us are trying to learn something."  
The man's smile widened slightly, his gaze turning down towards the 
Children once again.  "Third Impact is the arrival of God on Earth to 
judge humanity.  If humanity is pure enough to mingle with Angels - if 
some of its number can defeat His servants - then there would be hope 
for us yet.  If not, we have been weighed and found wanting.  Third 
Impact would come sooner or later.  It was either us or the Angels."

Clearing his throat, Gendou turned his back on the Children, letting 
his eyes rest on Rei's thin frame, her piercing red eyes and thin blue 
hair.  "It was only after Yui was taken by the Eva that I realized I 
was being a fool to believe that nonsense.  Human beings do not need to 
be judged.  Humans need to be saved."  He sighed gently.  "We are weak 
and fragile.  Our only hope is to be made pure once again, to truly rid 
ourselves of these frailties."

"Why don't you unlock these, Commander?" Vash sneered, his entire body 
seemingly tensed like a spring.  "Then we'll see who's so fragile after 
all."

"None of you understand.  This is the only way to save the world."  He 
paused, then turned to face the Children, his arms spread slightly.  
"What keeps us divided from one another?  Why do we hate one another?  
Because we believe it's possible to judge one another.  Because we have 
a moral basis embedded in our minds from the day that we're born.  Our 
only hope of freeing ourselves from hatred and death is to eliminate 
those morals."

"You're insane."  Neil's voice was still quiet, but there was the 
slightest edge behind it.  Gendou glanced towards the boy, momentarily 
tempted to explain his role in the whole affair, but decided against it 
as he strode towards the center of the room.

"God must come to Earth.  If we do not instigate Third Impact, it will 
be instigated for us."  He stared Neil in the eye, smiling thinly, the 
determination of a righteousness visible in his eyes.  "But God will 
not judge.  He will free us all.  We will all be free of the chains of 
morality, of being taught what is right and wrong.  There will be no 
hate, because we will not have reason to hate.  There will be no lies, 
because we will have nothing to be ashamed of.  There will be only 
peace."

Gesturing towards Rei again, Gendou waited until the girl stood beside 
him, then clapped her firmly on the shoulder.  "The Second Impact did 
more than destroy the ice cap.  It shattered the soul of the two Angels 
into fragments, mingled and sent across the world.  And certain 
Children were born with their souls intermingled with those 
fragments."  He smiled, for once not a thin or sinister gesture but one 
of genuine joy.  "You all carry part of the Divine within you.  That is 
what allows you to control the Evas - the fact that you hold part of 
their shattered souls."

Turning, Gendou gave Rei a small push on the shoulder, and she 
accordingly began to walk towards the door.  "Rei is the combination of 
all those fragments.  She is the apotheosis of what you use to control 
the Angels, and at the same time she is unburdened by human morality."  
He paused, glancing back at the Children.  "Do you begin to understand 
what will happen here today?"

"Don't do this," whispered Misato, obviously panicking.  "Gendou - 
Doctor Ikari - this is crazy.  You're going to destroy us all.  You're 
going to bring on Third Impact after everything that you've done to 
stop it -"

"Wrong.  Rei and I will save the world."  He gave one last smile to the 
group, then turned and followed the girl out of the room, tossing his 
last few words behind him as the doors slid closed with a hiss.  "I 
will see you again when you have been cleansed of sin."

                                  ]++[

"All of EVA-08's systems are fully engaged."  There was a sharp tension 
in Maya's voice as her hands moved across the keyboard, the displays 
coming up with less than usual speed.  "Disengaging all restraints... 
opening restraining doors."

Ritsuko gently brushed her hand against the younger woman's shoulder, 
producing a slight start before Maya looked up at her.  "It's all 
right," she said softly, leaning towards Maya with a serene smile on 
her face.  "You're doing the right thing.  I'm proud of you.  All 
that's left is to just wait for Commander Ikari and Rei to finish their 
work."

Maya frowned, biting her lip and turning back to the display, idly 
hitting the keys before she noticed something of the corner of her 
eye.  Her brow furrowed, and she leaned closer, bringing up another 
display.  "Dr. Akagi!  There's a reaction occurring in EVA-01!  It's 
not fully active, but I'm picking up the beginnings of its systems 
engaging - the entry plug is loading itself!"

"You're kidding," snapped Ritsuko, stepping swiftly over to Maya's 
console, watching as it displayed a small picture of EVA-01, the hatch 
on its back opening to accept the white plug.  "We've accounted for all 
of the Children.  Who's in the plug?"

"Nobody."  The answer surprised Maya as much as Ritsuko, and it took 
the younger woman a few moments before she seemed satisfied that she 
was giving an honest reply.  "The plug is empty.  It just... loaded the 
plug and then shut right back down, as if nothing was happening."

Shadows flitted across Ritsuko's face as she stared at the display for 
a moment longer.  "Keep an eye on that unit," she said softly, turning 
towards Makoto as he eyed her uneasily.  "Tighten up the restraints.  
Whatever happens, don't allow it to leave the hangar."

"But -"  Maya's words failed her, and she forced herself out of her 
seat.  "There's no pilot inside.  It can't possibly go anywhere, not 
without one of the -"

"I -said- to keep an eye on it!" snapped Ritsuko, her eyes stunning 
Maya into silence for an instant before the younger woman sat back 
down.  A cold fear began to grow at the back of Maya's throat, and she 
found herself staring at the now-inert form of EVA-01, wondering if 
there wasn't more that her superior was keeping hidden from all of them.

                                  ]++[

The restraints were padded inside, comfortable against the skin, a cold 
comfort as Neil's eyes traced out the pattern on the floor.  "Nothing," 
he whispered inaudibly, his heart a barren rock, all of the strength 
drained from his body, leaning forward in the crucified restraints and 
waiting for the end he knew was coming.  "I was wrong.  I wasn't saving 
humanity from monsters... just delivering it to another monster.  Even 
when I try to do right, I do wrong."

"Misato, there has to be some way out of here!" shouted Nieve, 
struggling to tug her arms free of the restraints that held them, her 
emerald eyes darting back and forth around the room.  "Some sort of 
failsafe!  An override!  We can't just be -stuck- here!"

"We are," replied Misato weakly, her own struggles beginning to weaken 
and growing more intermittent.  "They disabled every aspect of access I 
have to the system here.  We might as well be strangers to NERV."  She 
sighed.  "We're not fighting from the inside out any longer.  We're on 
the outside looking in.  There doesn't seem to be a thing that we can 
do."

Nieve ignored the woman for a moment, thrashing her body to and fro, 
her mouth set in a hard line of determination.  "NO!" she shrieked at 
length, her entire body arching backwards before falling limp, exerted 
beyond what it could take.  "No.  This can't be.  I worked so hard, and 
now... and now it's all... all..."

"Evas," said Ryo after a moment, his voice quiet.  "That's what Gendou 
was denying us access to.  We're all imprinted into the Evas, 
individually.  Locked in here... we can't possibly pilot them to stop 
him.  That's why he was making sure that we were all accounted for - so 
that we couldn't even try to get one of them active."

Something in Ryo's tone drew Neil's attention, and he jerked his head 
upwards, a cold and stinging epiphany bursting through his head.  "Ryo, 
do you know how close we are to the hangars?" he shouted, his hands 
trembling within the restraints.

"Close enough," replied Niobe, lying rigid in place, seemingly dead to 
the whole situation.  "A few minutes of walking, perhaps.  Nothing 
major.  If we were free, we would have more than enough time to stop 
him."

"Lovely, Niobe.  Make this even -more- infuriating."  Nieve let out 
another howl of anguish, thrashing her head about in desperation, small 
tears flying from her eyes in rage and fear.  After a few seconds, she 
let herself fall back to limply hanging, her breath now ragged.  
"Inches away, and we're powerless.  I hope that whatever that demon 
unleashes kills -him- first, if nothing else."

The dialogue was only white noise to Neil, his eyes wide, heart 
racing.  He could see the open eye of EVA-01 all too clearly, could 
remember the touch of Yui and the mocking sneer of his other, all 
hidden away somewhere within the machine.  It was his, he knew, as much 
a part of him as his arms or legs.  Something in him almost seemed to 
reach out to the machine, and for the barest instant he could feel its 
monstrous hunger tickling at the back of his mind, begging him to set 
it free.

He recoiled from instinct, but the idea had already planted itself in 
his head.  In his eye he could see every one of the Angels that he had 
faced, the effort that he'd put into destroying them.  "I thought that 
I was doing the right thing," he whispered, his hands clenching into 
fists, teeth gritting and eyes narrowing.  "But maybe I can undo all my 
mistakes... maybe I can still fight against myself..."

With tenative and nervous thoughts, Neil let himself reach out towards 
the Eva once again, the rolling red hunger, the demonic impulses that 
he knew lay just beneath his own skin.  A hot breath seemed to wash 
over his body, scented by blood and fire, the touch of icy crystals 
somehow caressing his cheeks.  "Come to me," he hissed, every muscle in 
his body tensing.  "Give me the strength to defeat Gendou, to avert 
Third Impact.  I give up."

Still it danced, just out of reach, and Neil threw his body into 
thrashing, his eyes furious, fine hair whipping about his head as he 
forced all of his muscles into the effort.  "God damn you, come to me!  
I give up!  I'm a monster, just like you!  If that's what it takes to 
have your strength, -I- -don't- -care-!  Whatever the cost to me, I 
will -not- let it end like this!"  The monstrous eye drew ever so 
slightly closer, and Neil redoubled his efforts once again.  "LET ME 
SAVE THEM!"

The sound of tearing metal filled the air, but Neil was dead to them, 
screaming for the Eva to take him as the others in the room looked 
around in fear.  He had to be able to get his machine before Gendou 
could initiate Third Impact.  All thoughts of himself had vanished, 
replaced with a burning desire to climb within his Eva once again, 
whatever the cost.  It had to come.  It had to listen.  It had to...

A second later, the hand of EVA-01 ripped through the side wall of the 
room with a resounding crash.

Neil's eyes shut tight, the room shuddering around him from the impact, 
the massive hand seeming almost as if it was grasping in a box for a 
particularly desirable trinket.  Then the shock of impact faded, and 
the boy stared at the grasping hand, trying to lunge forward slightly, 
feeling the restraints give way to his strength ever so slightly.  
Glancing at the shackles, he realized that they were cracked just 
enough to allow him to get free.  With a cry of triumph, he pulled his 
arms free, forcing his legs out of the restraints as the great hand 
withdrew from the room.

Stumbling to his feet, Neil looked out the hole to see the Eva standing 
amid the wreckage of what looked like several levels of the base, its 
body laced with broken pieces of the thick teal-gray metal.  The entry 
plug protruded from its back, and with smooth movements it retrieved 
the plug and slid it into the room, letting the smooth white cylinder 
rest in front of Neil, beckoning and mocking him at once.

"Neil!"  Nieve's voice was just sharp enough to prevent him from moving 
forward, and he looked towards the girl, feeling a sharp pang of fear 
and loss at the look of her emerald eyes.  "Help me out.  We'll do this 
together.  All of us."

"No."  He shook his head firmly, then strode decisively over to the 
plug, flinging the hatch open and staring inside.  It was dark within, 
the chair only distantly visible, the familiar structure seemingly 
cloaked in death.  "You... you all have something to live for.  I can't 
let you die."

"Please, Neil."  Nieve struggled against her restraints, trying to 
achieve the same freedom as Neil and falling short.  "Please.  I'm not 
afraid to die.  Not with you."

"I still don't plan on letting you die," replied Neil, stepping inside 
of the cockpit.  His eyes flicked towards the Eva, and he could seen 
the green glow flashing beneath the white surface of its eyes.  It was 
waiting for him, and he knew it.  The monster was waiting to finally 
receive its own.

"Say that you don't plan on dying.  Neil, tell me that you don't plan 
on dying."  Nieve's words were more desperate now, as if she was 
pleading with the boy.  "We can do this together, all of us.  You... 
you don't deserve to -"

"Goodbye," whispered the boy, slamming the hatch shut and feeling his 
way to the soft cushioning of the seat, tears forming at the corners of 
his eyes.  He felt the Eva pick him up, could hear the distant 
mechanical noise of the hatch opening up once again.  Another deep 
breath tore into his lungs, and as the LCL began to trickle into the 
chamber he felt himself flex his hands against the handrests, the 
leering Eva holding tight to the back of his mind.

Then the LCL rushed into his lungs, and he felt the eye rip through the 
soft meat of his brain, his entire body arcing in shock, knives of ice 
embedding themselves in his skin even as he felt his rage growing.  His 
mouth was bound by weak metal, and with all the strength he possessed 
he reared back, letting his body push aside the metal framework around 
him.  Another flood of strength, and his jaw was free once again, 
letting out a mighty roar to shake the foundations of the building he 
stood within, his power growing with every passing moment -

"Control," he hissed, focusing his vision once again, taking stock of 
his position.  He - no, the Eva - had torn its way through parts of 
Central Dogma not meant to accomodate the machines, and he doubted the 
fesability of trying to return to the hangar and following Gendou and 
Rei down their own path.  "I need to beat them to the punch," he 
muttered, glancing around quickly.  "Need to get down to Terminal Dogma 
right now."

A burning fire of energy tore along Neil's arms, and he let out a 
scream before coughing blood, forcing the energy down, letting the 
force shred through the metal that stood in his way, shattering walls 
and barriers and letting him plummet down a makeshift shaft.  The power 
tore through his body, but he ignored the pain, only letting the energy 
dissipate once again when he felt the shifting snows beneath his feet, 
his eyes distantly registering the still-impaled form of EVA-07 not far 
from him.

"GENDOU!" he screamed, letting the power of his voice send ripples 
through the walls, the power of the Eva flooding across his body in 
quick and steady bursts.  His eyes cast themselves towards the shaft 
that he knew the other machine would be coming from, his hands flexing 
into fists.  "You will -not- reach Lillith!  I will not allow it!"

Moments passed in silence like months, the burning green eyes of the 
purple Eva fixed on the shaft, the boy within panting as blood trickled 
from the corner of his lip.  Then, at last, the outline of the golden 
EVA-08 appeared, descending with slow purposefulness, its hands cupped 
around an unknown cargo, silver and golden wings spread on its back as 
it hovered to a landing on the snowfield.  Neil felt himself start 
slightly, watching the wings fold against the machine's back once 
again, a burning blue fire visible in its eyes.

"Neil," announced Gendou from the cupped hands of EVA-08, sounding 
disinterested with the boy's presence.  "Congratulations.  You were 
able to call your machine.  I doubted that you would have progressed 
this far."

"Enough.  This ends here."  Neil grabbed one of the massive crosses 
still embedded in the snow around him, drawing it up and letting the 
thin film of ice shake away.  "I will not let you reach the Second 
Angel, whatever it takes me."

"I do not doubt that you believe that," replied Gendou as EVA-08 moved 
slowly, placing Gendou on a high ledge of the room that Neil couldn't 
remember having seen before, a door hissing open with obvious purpose.  
"But you still don't possess the strength to stop me, Neil.  This Eva 
is the pinnacle of everything that the units can be - the strongest and 
fastest ever constructed.  It is everything you are, and more."  The 
machine seemed to punctuate the statement by letting its wings spread, 
its hands flying towards one of the crosses as well.  "Stand down, 
Neil.  This is for the best."

Fear struck the boy to the bone, but his grip tightened around the 
cross in his hand, orienting it to attack his enemy as a thin smile 
crossed Gendou's face.  "So be it.  Rei, you know your duty."

"Yes," replied Rei, and with swift motions she lunged towards Neil, 
swinging the massive cross as if it were nothing, the point racing 
towards the Eva's face.  Panic seized the boy for a moment, and he 
jerked backwards, letting the point scrape across his left eye, 
shattering the lens and shredding flesh.  His grip on the cross 
faltered slightly, and he stumbled backwards, shocked by the speed of 
the other machine, certain that Gendou was correct.

"Idiot."  The voice was his own, but not coming from his lips.  "This 
is the First Angel.  You know that.  Whatever fearsome visage it might 
take, do you truly believe that anything less can stand against you?"

The pain in his eye subsided to nothing, and Neil could see the green 
eye that stared at Rei in his mind.  His hands gripped the cross firmly 
and swung it back at the golden Eva, deflecting the girl's assault, 
matching her speed effortlessly.  Letting out a cry, he lunged towards 
her, the point of his weapon driving towards the girl's midsection.

Rei's free hand gripped the cross and wrenched it free of Neil's hands, 
flinging it across the room and trying to stab him with her own 
weapon.  Slipping to one side, Neil grabbed the cross and forced it 
into the ground, then let his hands snap to Rei's throat, his fingers 
pressing hard against the golem's neck, hot breath blasting from his 
machine's open mouth.  It was a moment before he even noticed the 
burning pain in his gut, another moment before he realized that it was 
a knife that had broken through his armor.

One hand flying to the prog knife in hopes of extracting it, Neil 
caught a glimpse of the girl going for the other knife, and with swift 
resources he grabbed the shoulder flange and crushed it with all the 
strength he had.  Then Rei's feet slammed against his gut, forcing the 
knife deeper and sending him tumbling back, her machine rearing up to 
its full height as he skidded to a halt.  Gritting his teeth, Neil 
yanked the knife free, snapping it between his fingers before racing 
towards her once again.

A punch aimed at her face was deflected, answered with a swift blow to 
the eye, enough to leave Rei unprepared for a blow to the chin.  Her 
Eva reeled slightly, and Neil took the opportunity, flinging himself 
into the air and towards her, his hands reaching for her head.  The 
silver wings of the Eva snapped in front of him, then flung him 
backwards, sending his Eva flying against the wall, shuddering waves of 
pain racing along his back.  Rei yanked the cross free once again, 
rushing at Neil, holding the weapon like a spear.

Neil remained immobile until it seemed to late, then flung himself 
aside with the grace of a cat, and Rei embedded her weapon in the wall, 
fixing her in place long enough for Neil to fall on her back.  The 
golden machine struggled as he tried to pry off the hatch that 
protected the entry plug, but his strength began to tear free small 
bits of the armor, sending EVA-08 into spasms of pain.  Before it came 
free, however, Rei's leg slammed against Neil's midsection, awkward but 
strong enough to give him a moment's pause.

Spinning around, EVA-08 slammed its wings against EVA-01, sending it 
sprawling to the ground, great waves of snow kicked up by the sheer 
mass of the purple golem.  Before Neil could move, Rei was upon him, 
her hands reaching towards his head with lethal intent, no trace of 
hesitation in her motion.  Snarling, he lashed out with his feet at her 
midsection, slamming her backwards, one silver wing tearing as it 
scraped along the edge of the cross still embedded in the wall.

Red blood spilled from the wound and splattered the snow a deep color, 
but Rei seemed unaffected, furling her winds shut and moving towards 
Neil even as he scrambled to his feet, his breath coming hard and 
angry, hands flying to his shoulder units and retrieving the two knives 
stored within.  Holding them tightly, he let himself slip to one side 
of Rei's charge, then stabbed towards her head with one hand, her heart 
with the other.

An almost imperceptible motion of the girl's machine sent one knife out 
of his hand and into hers, and she deflected the other blow with 
inhuman accuracy.  Her eyes met his, and Neil felt a momentary sense of 
dislocation, painfully aware of the frail white girl sitting inside the 
other Eva.  There was an emptiness in the eyes of the Eva, enough to 
freeze him in place for a moment, almost reacting too late to the 
swinging knife, deflecting the blow with a dulled motion.

EVA-08 showed no trace of Neil's hesitation, and the golden machine 
continued to swing vicious blows in his direction, forcing Neil 
backwards even as his grip began to weaken slightly.  The girl was more 
skilled with the weapon than he was, but as he watched the smooth 
motion of her arm he got an idea, and as her arm recoiled from the 
sharp deflection of her blow Neil's jaws fell open and he lunged for 
the girl's arm.

The great metal teeth of EVA-01 sank into the arm of its opponent, 
tearing through the flexible armor as if it was paper, provoking the 
golden machine to drop the knife even as Neil drove his own weapon deep 
into Rei's chest.  His face split into an agry grin as he tasted the 
other machine's blood on his lips, felt the flesh and metal cracking 
beneath his grip.  "Nothing can stand against me," he hissed.  "I have 
all the power of the First Angel."

Something snapped in his mind, and he felt his connection with the Eva 
fall slack as he recoiled from the damaged golem before him.  The taste 
of blood still lingered upon his lips, and he felt his entire body 
shake gently at the thought.  "I am a monster," he gasped, the meaning 
of the words sinking in.  "I... I don't want to kill her.  I don't -"

Neil realized his mistake too late as a knife drove into his chest, 
followed by another dangerously close to the core of his machine.  Pain 
ripped through his body, and he saw Rei standing over him, apparently 
unconcerned by the damage to her machine, her hands gripping a cross 
again as blood trickled out of her arm.  "It ends, Third Child," she 
said softly, raising the cross over her head, the point aimed for his 
chest.

Closing his eyes for a second, Neil felt himself sink back into his 
Eva's mind, hating himself as the hatred encircled him.  "You knew 
this," he snarled, and with one swift motion he raised one hand and 
blasted the cross to smithereens.

Green light poured from the eyes of the purple machine like water, and 
Neil forced himself to his feet as Rei staggered backwards, ignoring 
the pain in his body, knowing that it was inconsequential.  The golden 
Eva hesitated a moment, then rushed towards the boy once more, and he 
stood his ground, raising his hands and lashing out once again, letting 
the pure white light sear the surface of the other machine, slamming it 
backwards against the double doors that led to Lillith.  "You're right, 
Rei," he said, letting his energy build like a gathering storm.  "It 
does end now."

The girl raised her good arm, and as Neil lashed out again he could see 
his blasts hit the octagonal surface of her AT Field.  Growling, he 
intensified his efforts, barely noticing the constant mouthfuls of 
blood that he was coughing into the LCL, only distantly aware of the 
slow red tint flooding the world around him.  It was only a matter of 
time, he knew.  He had more than enough power to tear the Eva's field 
to pieces, and then he would destroy himself, save the world from what 
he might do.  It was for the best, the only way he could -

Pain ripped along the back of the boy's head, a pain that he couldn't 
hope to ignore, followed quickly by the sensation of drowning.  The 
oxygen seemed to choke itself out of the LCL, and Neil clutched at his 
throat as the Eva vanished into the distance, his entire body on fire, 
spasming and thrashing in a desperate plea for air.  The world began 
swimming and going black in the instants before the oxygen returned, 
and he sucked in a deep breath of LCL, grateful for the first time for 
the bloody liquid.

It was only afterwards that he realized that he could no longer feel 
his machine around him, that the Eva had vanished into the mists of the 
LCL.  "No," he whispered, thrusting the handles back and forth, 
struggling to activate it once again.  "What the hell is going on?  
Activate!"

"You forgot a critical fact, Third Child.  Whatever connection you 
might have to the First Angel, its body is shattered."  Even though 
Neil could no longer see the world outside of the dark entry plug, 
Gendou's harsh voice still sounded through the radio.  "It only moves 
and interfaces with you through machinery - machinery that I helped 
design.  Should that machinery cease to interface with the Angel, it no 
longer has any connection to you."

Realization spread across Neil, and he felt his body go numb.  "I... I 
can't..."

"Stop me," finished Gendou.  "You put up a righteous effort, but it was 
in vain.  Take your rest."  With that, the radio snapped off, leaving 
Neil alone in the dark tomb of blood and metal, his Eva slowly being 
coated by the artificial snow around it.

                                  ]++[

Gendou Ikari let the massive hands of EVA-08 set him down upon the thin 
black walkway that led towards Lillith, his eyes focused on the 
crucified form of the Second Angel with a smile.  "I've waited so long 
for this moment," he whispered, slowly walking towards the massive red 
cross, the LCL around him gently lapping against the sides of the 
path.  "Despite everything, we will be saved after all."

Beside him, the golden goliath brought itself around to face Lillith, 
its arms hanging limply by its sides, blood still falling in slow 
trickles from its mangled arm.  "I am to merge with the Second?" asked 
Rei calmly, her Eva's gaze never deviating from a second from the Angel.

Freezing for a moment, Gendou let himself take in the monstrous 
profile, the ridged armor, the wings folded with joints that no natural 
beast had ever possessed, snow slowly drifting out of the mechanical 
joints.  "Rei," he said calmly, closing his eyes and taking another 
step towards the Second Angel.  "Do you think that I did the right 
thing?  I know that Neil was only working under false pretenses, but..."

"There is no right or wrong," replied Rei, her voice hollow.  Gendou 
let himself stare at her machine, almost wishing that he could see the 
girl in front of him.  "Theses are only lies we tell ourselves, 
shackles of our own making.  Our purpose is to eliminate these 
shackles.  That is what you have told me from the beginning."

Sighing, Gendou nodded.  Adjusting his glasses, he focused on the Angel 
upon the crucifix once more.  "Merge with the Second Angel using your 
wounded arm, Rei.  You know what is required of you."

Without another word, Rei raised the bleeding arm of her Eva and 
pressed it against the flabby white chest of the Second Angel, letting 
the soft white substance react slightly under the pressure of her 
hand.  Then, with a step forward, her hand passed into the body of 
Lillith, the chest parting and absorbing the Eva's arm, armor and all.  
Thin white tendrils snaked forth from the place where arm and chest 
met, seeking the bleeding wreck that EVA-01's jaws had made, slowly 
wrapping about like bandages, tightening and forming a white outline of 
the arm.

Lillith's head twitched, then slowly raised to level with Rei's.  A 
purple mask lay over her face, emblaxoned with SEELE's insignia, and it 
seemed to slowly melt off of the giant's face, falling at length into 
the LCL with a splash, revealing the featureless blank of a face 
beneath.  As Rei pressed her hand further into the beast's chest, the 
face began to take on an expression, a mouth slowly coming into view, 
followed by eyes, the vague semblance of hair, a mouth, a nose, the 
body shifting too as if reminded of its true form.

Energy flitted between the Eva and the Angel, and Gendou could see the 
glow coming from Rei's S2 organ, flooding the connection with energy, 
answering the Angel's output flawlessly.  It began to form a brilliant 
corona around the two giants, and sparks seemed to fly from it towards 
the heavens, small arcs of energy that fell back into the growing force 
between the two.

A sound like a trumpet and a voice pierced the air, and a lance of 
energy burst upward, melting away the ceiling as if it was nothing, 
streaking towards the heavens.  The LCL around Gendou was filled with 
particles of light, a beautiful ocean of shimmering stars.  "The Third 
Impact," he breathed, falling on his knees despite himself.  "Yui.  I'm 
coming."

                                  ]++[

Outro: Neon Epoch Evangelion is based off of -Shin Seiki Evangelion- by 
GAINAX and company.  It is not intended to be a straightforward fanfic, 
but it is building off the work of others, and as such it is done with 
the utmost respect for the original works and their authors.  
Basically, even though this is an original work, it's based off the 
work of others, and if you read this, you should go to see the original.

Special thanks to all of the real Children - you know who you are.

Extra special thanks to Joe Augulis for his consultation on the 
Japanese portions of the story.  He might not know much Japanese, but 
that's more than I know.

Copyright 2002 Eliot Lefebvre.

NEXT EPISODE:
             End.
NEON EPOCH EVANGELION 27: BRING HEAVEN LOW

                                  ]++[

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