FicWad

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: ASCENT OF THE FALLEN

By Sparky Clarkson

Part One:

"And now art thou cursed from the earth..." (Genesis 4:11)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shinji did not notice the throbbing ache in his lower back. The dull pain had begun three days ago a stupid idea, sleeping on the floor and it had not abated since. After all, Shinji had done nothing to take care of it. And even had he paid some attention to his injuries, the aching of his back would not have been detected over the agonizing pain in his heart.

So Shinji did not move, though his spine might have appreciated it. He remained curled up in the chair, his arms wrapped around his legs, his chin on his knees perched on the edge, his balance precarious. The cold, Clorox-scented air of the hospital room would have made his eyes water, had he not already been struggling to hold back a stream of tears.

Asuka lay on her side, facing him. Her white gown, white sheets, and now-pale skin made both her red hair and vacantly staring blue eyes stand out all the more. She had been like that all morning.

Shinji had shown up at nine, when the nurses fed Asuka and rolled her on her side. Unable to help them, he had watched uselessly as they did their work his incompetence at even those simple tasks a reminder of his general helplessness. Once the nurses had gone, he had curled up in the chair to watch Asuka.

And in the hours since, neither one had moved. The scene might have been peaceful, or even loving, if Asuka's stare had not been so vacant, if the bags under Shinji's eyes were smaller, if his cheeks were less hollow and emaciated. As it was, the scene cried of pain. Pain from Shinji's uncomfortable position, pain from Asuka's empty eyes, pain from the chilled, clammy air of the hospital. Pain, held in check only by the fact that both children were unable to open the doors of their souls to each other.

Four hours. It took that long for the dam to break. But it did, with the tiniest of cracks. Shinji slowly unfolded from his cramped position and grabbed Asuka's hand. "Say something Asuka," he whispered. "Please. Yell at me, Asuka... Call me a name... Call me stupid," he begged, but only the walls of the empty room replied, echoing the word "stupid" for a moment after it left his lips. Shinji squeezed his eyes closed, and a tear rolled out, escaping along the side of his nose to wet his lips.

Shinji did not notice. "I am stupid," he said aloud. "What can I do for you... what can I do for anyone? I've killed my friends, or hurt them, or driven them away, all because I'm such a coward."

"And look at me! I'm here beside your bed, you're dying, and all I can talk about is myself. I'm hopeless..."

Still, Asuka made no sound, no reaction. Shinji squeezed her hand. Much as contact frightened him, he could not bring himself to release it. The silent girl was the last thing he had left. Or, perhaps, she was the last thing he had to say goodbye to.

"I wish I could help you wake up," he said, "I want you to be happy again..." His voice trailed off in futility. Another tear escaped the crystalline prison of his eye. After a long pause, he said, "I'm so sorry Asuka. I... I'm useless. Everyone hates me.

"But...

"But I...

"I...

"I l... love you."

Shinji closed his eyes again in shock. He hadn't expected to say that really hadn't known what he was going to say at all. So what do I do now? he thought, I/'ve told her the truth, and she can't even hear me/. Shinji gazed unhappily at Asuka's blankly staring face, and said, "I should have told you before. If you knew how much you meant to me, maybe... maybe this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault again." Unbidden, unnoticed, athird tear rolled down his cheek.

Shinji wrapped both his hands around Asuka's. Ordinarily, touching her would have terrified him, but he was too far gone now to have the same old fears. The walls of his psyche had been shattered, perhaps permanently. Shinji had nothing left to lose. "Please come back, Asuka," he whispered, but she did not respond.

Another tear spilled out of Shinji's eye. /Maybe/, he thought, I can make her feel something... Slowly, Shinji leaned forward, across the pillow and sheets. However, as his lips approached her face, and his feathery breath flowed across her cheek, something happened.

A whisper tore its way out of Asuka's throat, a refugee from the torment of her mind. A single word.

"Mommy..." she breathed, and then once more was silent. What little strength remained in Shinji's body evaporated in that instant. His shoulders slumped, and his legs buckled. He sank to his knees by the side of her bed, and buried his face in the sheets near her pillow to muffle the sobs he could no longer hold back.

Still...

He did not release her hand.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Katsuragi Misato chugged down the can of beer in only a few seconds and tossed it over her shoulder, eliciting an angry squawk from Pen-Pen as the bird dodged the aluminum missile. The can landed unnoticed in one of the many piles of garbage now decorating her living room. Remote in hand, Misato bravely cruised the channels, listening out for any human voice in her loneliness.

There were three voices she would have particularly liked to hear. Two she might experience once more, but their temporary absence had caused her to drink the first three beers. The third she would never hear again, and was the reason for her drinking the six since.

Pen-Pen waddled over to the couch, staring inquisitively at Misato. "At least I still have you, Pen-Pen," Misato said, scooping the warm-water penguin into her arms. She squeezed the bird tightly, as if hoping that the warmth from its body could cure the coldness she felt in her chest. Her scar ached the ghost of pain gone, but not forgotten.

The late-night news came on. The anchorman was irritatingly cheerful, and smiled ingratiatingly into the camera as he spouted off the night's headlines."Our sources in the United Nations have once again confirmed victory over an angel! One of the vile aliens is rumored to have infiltrated to the core of NERV itself! Details are sketchy, but we do know that the heroic pilot of EVA-01, Ikari Shinji, managed to stop the angel at the last moment, though reportedly he suffered great injury as a result."

Misato sniffled and whispered, "Do you hear that, Shinji? You're ahero. Everyone loves you." Her words were slurred only slightly nine beers were not quite enough to overcome Misato's powerful tolerance.

The anchorman continued in a very chipper voice, "We have also learned that NERV Commander Ikari Gendo will be giving a press conference with two Evangelion pilots tomorrow. Needless to say, this is the first time the secretive Commander has spoken with the public, and we are excited to be bringing you the very best coverage. Tune in tomorrow at 9 AM, an hour before the conference, for a special report on the recent operations of NERV and the heroic Evangelion pilots who defend Earth..."

The anchorman's voice was suddenly drowned out by a loud knock on the door.

Misato dumped Pen-Pen to the floor and jumped to her feet, her heart seeming to find its way into her throat. She paused, though. Her ears had played many cruel tricks on her in the past few days. How many times had she opened that door to see an empty hallway?

But the knocking came again. Misato dashed through the room, knocking over asmall mound of garbage, and yanked the door open as fast as she could. Her heart fell, though, as she saw a nervous looking Hyuga Makoto standing outside, still in his NERV uniform.

"Oh," she said unhappily, "it's you."

"I... I can leave, if y-you don't want me here," Makoto stammered, taken aback by her depressed exclamation.

Misato shook her head. "No, no, come in, please. I was just hoping..."

Makoto entered, and asked, "Is Shin..." but stopped immediately as he noticed tears gathering in Misato's eyes. A moment passed, and then he said,"I'm sorry... if I'm intruding..."

Misato pushed him along towards the couch a bit and said, "You're not. This place is so empty not even any neighbors around. It's nice to have someone else to talk to." Pen-Pen squawked angrily, but shut up as she kicked abeer can neatly towards his head. Two important things to say entered her mind at that moment, and as her head was slightly hazy with alcohol Misato tried to say both of them at once: "Do you... I'm sorry... want a... this place is... beer? ...such a mess."

Misato shook her head and stood up a little straighter. Now Makoto looked confused and nervous. Misato concentrated for a moment, and said,"Sorry this place is such a mess. Do you want a beer?"

Makoto smiled and shook his head. The confusion evaporated, leaving the nervousness behind. "I was just in the neighborhood..." he began, but Misato interrupted.

"I thought you lived in another sector."

Makoto laughed, though it sounded forced. "Yeah, well... with all the traffic rerouting since Rei's... accident... I get confused a lot. I got turned around and recognized the street. I thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing."

Misato sighed and slumped down into a chair. Makoto took a tentative step towards her, but stopped, uncertain of what to do.

Misato blew some hair out of her face. "It's hard," she said."I miss the children so much... and as you can see, no one bothers to clean up around here anymore."

Makoto smiled again, and some of his nervousness disappeared. This, at least, was a situation he was familiar with. "I could help," he said, and promptly began to gather trash into the proper bins.

Misato watched him for a moment. This isn't right, she thought, It should be Shinji doing this... Her eyes teared up briefly, and then she thought, /Grow up, Misato... it shouldn't have been Shinji either.../Misato stood up and began to lend a hand.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fuyutsuki Kouzou snorted in disbelief. "You think we can repel an assault without Dr. Akagi? When she was here, we survived almost by chance! How can we expect to do as well without her?"

Ikari Gendo frowned at the older man and replied, "Even so. After the incident with the eleventh angel, I had her create a program that will foil any unauthorized attempts to download data from the Magi. With that protocol in hand, the expertise of our remaining staff will be sufficient."

Kouzou frowned at the younger man's seeming overconfidence, but said nothing. Several moments ticked away in the commander's office as the two men faced each other, arguing without speaking. As always,

Kouzou lost, turning away from the steady stare behind the orange-tinted glasses. Gendo finally added, "Do not worry, Fuyutsuki. SEELE will attack... they must attack. There is no other way. Unless they know everything that we do, they cannot hope to use NERV for their own purposes. And when they try to get that information, we will be ready. There is nothing to fear."

Kouzou nodded a sharp gesture, indicating at once that he acquiesced and that he hated to do so. He turned to leave, but stopped himself and turned back towards the commander of NERV.

"Gendo," he said, "about the children..."

"Hm?"

"What is to be done with them?"

"I have plans for them," Gendo said. "For the time being, they are needed here."

Kouzou replied, "I think they might deserve... a rest. Rei and Shinji at least. I doubt anything can be done for the Second."

Gendo shook his head. "If it becomes useful, they will get a rest. For now, they must remain here--particularly for tomorrow's conference. If we are to achieve the final end, the world must have heroes to praise. Make sure that they both arrive on time, and in uniform."

Kouzou nodded, resigned to the fact that he would not change his superior's mind. "They will be ready," he replied. Once more he turned to go, and once more he stopped. But this time, he was prevented from going not by his conscience, but instead by his commander.

"Kouzou?" Gendo asked.

"Yes?" the vice-commander said, turning around. He noticed that Gendo had removed the glasses, and was rubbing the area below his eyes.

"I am aware that Rei has taken to sleeping inside NERV headquarters."

"Indeed."

"And that Shinji has not been back to Major Katsuragi's apartment in some time."

"True."

"Kouzou, do you know... where he is?"

Kouzou frowned for a moment, and then issued a one-word reply.

"Yes."

A long pause ensued, as Gendo and Kouzou stared at each other once again. But this time, oddly, it was Gendo who looked away. Without the glasses, his gaze lost much of its power. "Very well," he said, slipping the amber-tinted lenses back on, "Make sure he is not exposed to danger from SEELE operatives."

"It will be done."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The bed was empty this night, just as it had been the last two nights. Still, Shinji had not gotten into it. Curled up in a fetal position, he slept fitfully on the uncomfortable floor. But unyielding though it was, the hard floor was not the cause of Shinji's inconsistent sleep. Dreams kept him from peaceful slumber...dreams filled with pain.

As he dozed, Shinji's mind was filled with visions of Kaoru. Kaoru laughing... Kaoru humming the "Ode to Joy"... Kaoru lying in the bed, smiling gently at him. And over it all, Shinji heard the words

Kaoru had said to him; words Shinji had so desperately needed someone to say to him. But the joy in these dreams was short-lived. The darkness of Kaoru's betrayal crept into Shinji's mind, and all he could see was Kaoru's face as the massive hand of EVA-01 crushed him into oblivion. The dream ended as it always did: as the last bones in his body snapped and were obliterated, Kaoru turned to Shinji and mouthed, accusingly, "I love you."

Shinji sprang awake, trembling and tense in every muscle. His damp hair hung down on his forehead, and his nightclothes were plastered to him by a sheen of sweat. Convulsively, his hands clenched into fists, unclenched, and then clenched again. The fury was back in him the same fury that followed this dream every time he'd had it for three nights. At last he could not hold back any longer.

With a cry that was half scream, half sob, he threw himself at the floor, pounding away with fists, elbows, feet, and knees venting his anger and terrible pain against a foe that would not yield.

Eventually, he ran out of energy something that happened more quickly every night. Sprawled bruised on the floor of Kaoru's apartment, he breathed heavily for a while before he drifted back into a fitful sleep. And the dream began again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The apartment looked much better for the cleaning it had just been given, and the orchestrators of the change now sat together on the couch, each nursing a beer. Makoto had relaxed a great deal since the cleaning had ended, though he still cast occasional nervous glances at Misato. Both were silent, but somehow the absence of sound now seemed far more wholesome than the droning of the television before Makoto had arrived.

At last, Misato shook her head and said, "Forcing a guest to clean up my place! People will say such awful things about me!"

Makoto blushed slightly, and said, "Oh no! It's no trouble... there's nothing else... the town's so..."

"Empty..." Misato finished for him. "I miss the children..."

"I miss them too, Misato. I..." Makoto lost track of what he was trying to say. He spent several seconds fishing fruitlessly for the right words, but eventually gave up and took another sip from his beer. He seemed unable to meet Misato's penetrating gaze.

At a loss for words, she noted. Once, I might have given up on someone for not being chatty enough. Makoto's not the most exciting guy, but he's dependable, and has a good conscience. How unlike my father he is...

Makoto turned away, and quietly said, "I really should be going... Ihave my shift in the morning."

"So do I," Misato agreed.

Makoto stood, slurped down the last few drops of his beer, and tossed the can into the recycling bin. He then turned to leave.

Misato, seeing him turn, thought, No... I can't do this alone. I need help... She stood and grabbed Makoto's hand. Her pull on it forced him to turn around with a yelp of surprise and confusion.

Misato looked into his eyes and said, "Please don't leave, Makoto. Ican't stand to be alone... it... I..."

Makoto tentatively reached out and put an arm around her shoulders.

When she did not resist, he pulled her closer and said, "It's okay, Misato. I... I want to be here for you."

Misato sobbed, "Thank you," and began to cry.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Keel's voice cut through the SEELE council chamber. "THE TIME IS VERY NEAR. WE MUST MOVE SOON, OR ELSE WE MAY LOSE CONTROL OF NERV ENTIRELY."

A voice replied, "AND WHAT MOVE SHALL WE MAKE?"

"YES, HOW DO YOU INTEND TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOAL?" another added.

Keel said, "WE SHALL ORCHESTRATE A LARGE-SCALE ATTACK ON THE MAGI. WITHOUT INFORMATION, GENDO IS POWERLESS."

"AND THEN WE SHALL REVEAL IKARI'S PLANS TO THE PUBLIC?" added another.

"OF COURSE."

"IT SHOULD BE DONE."

"GENDO IS GUILTY OF BETRAYING US FOR HIS OWN ENDS."

"HE MUST BE DESTROYED."

"THEN THIS ISSUE IS DECIDED."

"VERY WELL," Keel said.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rei sat up slowly in the bed. She could see almost nothing in the darkness of the lowest levels of NERV headquarters, but then again, she wasn't truly looking for anything. The visions had come again, and with greater severity. They were not dreams, for they did not come while she was sleeping. The visions always intruded in the semiconscious limbo between wakefulness and slumber, and they were always the same.

She replayed the memory in her mind. The near-hallucination seemed as vivid to her now as it had when it was happening. Images, events, and sounds boiled up out of her subconscious and paraded themselves before her.

"Ayanami Rei," the boy said slowly, as if he were relishing every syllable. He smiled as his grey hair cascaded into his eyes, and continued "You are like me."

/How can that be...?/

Rei picked up Commander Ikari's broken glasses and began to crush them in her hands, letting her tears fall on the warping lenses.

/Tears... why? And why did I feel I had seen them before?/

The grey-haired boy looked up from his prison in EVA-01's fist and smiled at her.

For him, was death happiness? What is happiness for me? I think I knew happiness before... perhaps with Ikari-kun?

/Shinji stared wide-eyed as Rei walked naked out of the bathroom./

/Why did I not cover myself?/

/Rei set EVA-00 to self-destruct mode./

/Does my soul want to become one with Ikari-kun?/

Rei spun around and slapped Shinji. Surprised at her reaction, he just held his jaw as they continued down the escalator.

Did I do that to defend the commander? Or did I do it to defend myself?

"This is loneliness," she whispered, but the shadows devoured the sound before it could leave her squalid little area in the basement of NERV. Unbidden, another image came to her: that of Shinji crying when he pulled open her entry plug after the battle with Ramiel. Rei settled back down onto the bed, and pulled the sheets up. Somehow this memory made her feel more comfortable. It feels good to know that someone cares about me, not just what I am, she realized.

Suddenly, another thought struck her. "Ikari-kun," she murmured,"Are you lonely, too?"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Makoto's arm was asleep. He could tell that the numbness would be painful when he finally shifted and allowed an influx of blood to the appendage. That time would not be coming soon, however. Makoto dared not move the woman now sleeping with her head resting heavily on his upper arm. Makoto looked down at Misato, taking care not to shift his arm and wake her. Strange, he thought, taking in her reddened eyes and disheveled hair, She's even more beautiful like this.

A moment later, he nearly kicked himself. Dammit, man! he yelled at himself, How can you even think about that in this situation? She's worried sick about the children, depressed because of Kaji and Ritsuko, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown! And you've gotta go thinking with your dick!He calmed down after a moment and gazed at Misato again. I have to do this the right way. I've got to focus on her right now. I can wait...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The tone in NERV command was subdued the next morning. Aoba Shigeru and Makoto quietly sipped their coffee, relaxing at their usual posts. Ibuki Maya was staring into empty space. Their banter was mainly designed to keep the technicians awake while they waited for something to happen.

"You'd think they might have at least let us go to the conference, though," Shigeru was saying. "I mean, after all, we did help out agood bit. They couldn't have done much without our help."

"Oh yeah," Maya said, teasingly, "Your screaming like a girl during the invasion of the 11th angel was a masterpiece of strategy."

"I did not scream like a girl!" Shigeru snorted.

Makoto joined in, "Aw, lay off. At least we get to relax a bit while the boss is out of the office."

"Don't relax too much," Maya scolded. "Commander Ikari seemed to be expecting something. He told me to maintain utmost vigilance."

Shigeru started to make a mocking face at her, but straightened up immediately as Misato breezed into the command center. She winked at Makoto as she grabbed a cup of coffee. Makoto blushed a bit at that, and then reddened even further when he saw the quizzical stares Maya and Shigeru were leveling at him.

Misato ignored it all, and asked, "It's about time for the conference, isn't it?"

"Sure is," Makoto replied, relieved that something had come up to take attention away from him. He typed a quick command into his console. Most of the screens in the room flickered on to show a simple stage with a blue backdrop covered with United Nations emblems hung at the back. At the front of the stage stood a plain wooden podium, from which was hanging a small black sign bearing the NERV logo. The chief sign of the importance of the conference was the fan of mikes on the podium, which contained about 30 devices.

A conservatively dressed young woman walked out to the podium from the side of the stage, and announced Ikari Gendo, commander of the defense organization NERV. Polite applause came in over the speakers as Gendo walked to the podium, followed by Shinji and Rei.

Gendo was wearing the same outfit he always did on duty, but the expression he had on his face was so alien to the workers of NERV that Misato nearly dropped her coffee. His face seemed to be consumed by a large grin. "My god," Misato gasped, "he looks almost friendly!"

Shinji ended up standing to Gendo's right, and Rei to his left. Both were in their plugsuits, although Rei's arm was still in a sling.

Shinji looked even more awful than he had when Misato last saw him. His entire face looked hollow, as if he had been fasting for a week. The bags under his eyes and his slouched posture made it obvious he had not been sleeping.

Maya gasped a bit at the sight. "Ohh..." she squealed,"Shinji looks so terrible."

Misato sighed, "I bet that's the point. Gendo wants people to see how painful it is for the children to pilot those damn beasts." She said no more, but thought, I'll bet he's even been doing something to keep Shinji in that state, to elicit more pity from the masses. What game is Gendo playing?

Gendo stepped forward to the mikes and began to speak. "As some of you may have heard, the seventeenth angel, Tabris, was defeated three days ago. Many rumors have been flying around concerning the circumstances of this event, and I first want to address them. It is indeed true that the angel managed to infiltrate NERV using full credentials. We are still attempting to discern how he managed to attain these credentials, but until that time no new personnel will be admitted to NERV headquarters."

Makoto frowned. "He's being awfully free with information," he noted. "That's because there's some advantage for him in revealing it," Misato responded, mentally adding, but what?

Gendo's expression took on a harsh and unyielding aspect more familiar to the people of NERV as he continued, "This betrayal was a vile act that endangered all the members of the human race. Such base treachery must not be tolerated mankind cannot survive if people cannot trust one another. Rest assured, the perpetrators of this crime will be found. And once they are, they will be dealt with most harshly."

Ah... that's it/, Misato thought, He's setting somebody up for afall. But who? /He couldn't mean to take down SEELE, could he?

Gendo somehow reconfigured his harsh face into a semblance of warmth as he continued, "Fortunately, this situation was salvaged by my son, Shinji, who defeated the infiltrator at the last minute. The price, as you can surely see, has been high for him, but he met the challenge bravely, and with honor. Words cannot express how proud of him I am." Then Gendo did the last thing anyone in the control room would ever have expected of him.

Misato gave up on self control, letting her mug fall to the floor and shatter. Maya's jaw dropped open, and Makoto looked like he was about to faint. Shigeru spit out the mouthful of coffee he had been about to swallow, fortunately managing to land most of it back into his cup. "My god!" he exclaimed, "Gendo hugged Shinji!"

/The poor kid's too far gone to even cringe/, Misato noted, her eyes beginning to tear up slightly. On the screen, Shinji impassively received his father's brief embrace, but managed a wan smile when the reporters assembled behind the TV camera politely applauded him. /That completes Gendo's move/, Misato thought, slipping back into a more analytical mode, The loving father honors the heroic pilot, and both get deified by the public. That's what the world needs most, after all... adoring fans of Ikari Gendo who'll bow to his will.

Her train of thought derailed abruptly as alarms began wailing all through NERV headquarters. The technicians immediately turned to their consoles. Most screens turned to diagnostics and emergency warnings, but one, unnoticed, stayed tuned to the conference. "Magi are being hacked!" Maya exclaimed, her fingers dancing rapidly across the keyboard.

Fuyutsuki stormed into the command center. "Status!" he shouted angrily.

"Magi are being hacked by three... no, four! Four supercomputers of Magi type," Maya reported.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "We cannot hold off that many by hand," he said."Implement security protocol IO."

Maya nodded. "Implementing," she said, her fingers already moving with blistering speed over the keyboard. A moment later, every screen in the room went dead. The alarm sirens cut off, leaving a ghostly echo behind in the sterile halls of NERV headquarters. "What's happening?" Shigeru asked, but nobody replied.

Maya continued to type in commands, staring intently at the blank screen in front of her. After a few seconds, her computer displayed a single query.

Enter Confirmation Code:
She typed in a response.
ab initio

The screens around the command center flickered briefly, then came on each of them displaying a portion of the Magi file structure.

The screens then split. At first, both halves showed an identical structure. Within seconds, however, the structure shown on the right half of the screen began to change with almost incomprehensible speed. Misato watched the displays for a few moments, but the constantly shifting mosaic began to make her eyes hurt.

Makoto stared at his screen, and noted, "The hacking hasn't stopped!"

"Yeah," Shigeru noted, "What exactly does this program do?"

Maya frowned. "I don't know all of it... sempai worked out the whole thing a while back. Basically, it sets up a fake file structure and reroutes all hacking attempts into it. The database looks just like the Magi as far as file structure but the data's not useful. It's just a patchwork of viruses, worms, and Trojan horses," she said.

"So the hacking computers get infected and crash," Misato concluded.

"Not before sending most of the files on the affected computers back to us," Maya responded.

The command center quieted down again, and the TV could once again be heard. Gendo was saying, "That's all for today, thank you. I assure you all, as soon as Miss Soryu is again well enough to leave the hospital, we will have another conference, at which you will also be allowed to ask questions of these young heroes. I thank you for your time."

The reporters responded almost in unison, "Oh no! Thank you!" Misato reached over and turned off the display as Kouzou said, "Notify Commander Ikari of the situation as soon as possible." As Makoto acknowledged the order, Misato stared at the blank screen, thinking, He played them so easily...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The opulence of the limousine was lost on Shinji as he stared morosely out at the landscape passing by. He was facing towards the back of the large car, leaning up against the door. The mental and physical exhaustion he felt had made the conference go by in a blur.

He vaguely remembered that his father had hugged him, that the reporters had clapped for him, but he had only a shallow impression of these events they had barely registered in his mind.

Rei and Gendo sat opposite Shinji, in the forward-facing seat. As usual, Rei wore an essentially vacant expression, while Gendos face had lost the false warmth it had displayed at the press conference and settled back into its customary frown. The commander sat calmly in his seat, but the still scene was marred by a hint of movement around his knee, almost as if he were trying to control an impulse to tap his foot. He seemed to be getting impatient.

No one spoke.

Suddenly, the tableau was broken by the ringing of Gendo's mobile phone. Gendo pulled it out, and whispered something into Rei's ear.

As he flicked the phone open to answer it, Rei moved across the car to sit next to Shinji. Gendo began to speak into the phone with hushed tones.

Shinji didn't react as Rei sat down next to him he was content to ignore her. But after a few moments, Rei reached out and took his hand. The contact, even through the plugsuit, jolted Shinji out of his reverie. He turned to Rei, giving her an odd stare. They might have looked like two teens in love, but the gaunt sadness of Shinji's face, in combination with Rei's expressionless one, made them look more like the walking dead.

Quietly, Shinji asked, "Rei?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Do you miss Asuka?"

A flicker of emotion crossed Rei's face, too brief and faint to be fully recognized. It might have been anger, or it might have been pain. A moment later, she replied, "I suppose."

Shinji slumped even further into the seat, closing his eyes to shut out the rest of the world. He'd hoped to at least have someone to talk about his pain with. But Rei seemed to have even less emotion now than when he first arrived at Tokyo-3. As the tears gathered in

Shinji's eyes, he whispered, "I can't take this loneliness anymore."

He felt a soft breath against his ear as Rei leaned over next to him and whispered, "You don't have to be lonely." Then he felt her good
arm release his hand and wrap around his shoulders. Too exhausted to react with his usual reluctance, Shinji allowed Rei to shift him so that his body was resting up against hers, his head supported on her shoulder. Resting there, he could feel her regular breathing and calm, steady heartbeat. Like a mother's song, they lulled him into a dreamy limbo. He felt his tears dissipate, and he quickly fell asleep.

Rei's eyes were closed too. Otherwise, she would have witnessed a remarkable sight. Gendo had finished his conversation on the phone, and was staring at the two children nestled up against each other in the other seat. His frown had disappeared, replaced by an open-jawed expression of shock. He had removed his glasses.. as a single tear coursed its way down his cheek.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Misato carefully observed Gendo out of the corner of her eye. When he had stormed into the command center only a few minutes earlier, he had obviously been disturbed by something. His agitation was still evident, but he seemed to have controlled it as he watched the technicians going about their work. The incursion from the hacking computers had ended only a short while earlier, and data was still streaming in from the computers that had assaulted NERV's Magi.

Maya looked up. "All the links have been severed that's the last of it," she announced. "Beginning data extraction now."

"Look at all this!" Makoto exclaimed as file after file acquired by IO appeared in the system. "Dr. Akagi's program was genius!" Harsh stares from Maya and Gendo quickly reminded him of his mistake in mentioning that name, and he sheepishly turned back to his console.

Shigeru sarcastically gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed, "Nice one," but the incident was quickly forgotten as incredible amounts of information began appearing on the screens.

"I want all this data scanned," Gendo ordered. "Particularly, I want to know who ordered this assault and by what mechanism. I need to know the chain of command. Also, have the Magi scan all documents for references to NERV, and the phrases 'Human Completion Project' and 'Instrumentality of Man.' Everything you find, you report to me and then promptly forget. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" came the response from the staff. "Major Katsuragi!" Gendo called. "Yes, Commander?" she asked."Have Shinji removed from his entry plug. NERV is in no immediate physical danger." Misato sighed in relief she had not relished the prospect of asking the grim commander for permission to get Shinji out of the Eva. She leaned forward to speak into the communicator, but froze momentarily as Gendo addressed her again.

"And Major, you will keep better track of the pilot's whereabouts in the future. He is not to leave the compound until I say so. You, as his guardian, must do a better job of ensuring his health and safety. If you do not, you will be replaced." Misato scowled at the harsh commentary, but did not respond. Getting Shinji out of EVA-01 was worth it. "There's aprice for everything," she muttered, then reached for the communicator again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The rough fabric of the towel chafed Shinji's skin as he brushed the last drops of water from his legs. Unaffected by the irritation, he mechanically folded the towel and placed it on the bench next to him. He then opened his locker, the door clanging sharply against the next locker over. The sound echoed through the room. As he removed the neatly-folded clothes he had placed there earlier, Shinji thought, /This room seems so empty/. He began to pull on his underwear, and continued to muse, Really, though, it's no more empty than before... His mind shied away from the thought.

The nap in the limo had restored some of his strength, but he could not yet bear to face that guilt again. Shinji hurriedly pulled on the rest of his clothes his school uniform. Unbidden, another thought came to him: What asilly thing to wear, now that there's no more school... no more students... Again, his mind changed course. Too many doors of thought held pain. He pulled on his earphones, hoping that the sound of music would drown out the sound of his thoughts.

But as he approached the door, a memory inserted itself over the music.

"A song is good!" the gangly, grey-haired boy said from his perch on the partially-submerged statue. "Songs bring us joy. I think that music is the greatest accomplishment of Lilim culture," he continued. The boy turned his head towards Shinji, revealing a pale, smiling face lit by bright red eyes. "Don't you agree, Ikari Shinji-kun?"

Shinji felt a wrenching in his gut and put out a hand to steady himself against the doorjamb. His vision clouded as tears filled his eyes.

The pain abated, though, when he heard a familiar voice say, "Hello, Ikari-kun."

Shinji lifted his head quickly. His vision resolved and he confirmed with his eyes what his ears had told him. "Rei!" he gasped. "I didn't expect you to..."

Rei looked to the floor, and Shinji stopped. "If you do not want me to be here, I can go," she said.

Shinji stepped out further into the hallway, and replied, "N-no... Ijust wasn't expecting you to be here." Rei looked back up at him.

"I'm g-glad you are, though..."

"Do you wish to eat?" Rei asked. Shinji suddenly realized that he had barely consumed a scrap of food in the past three days. His fast had been unintentional Shinji knew that he had not been eating, but his grief-stricken mind had attributed no importance to the fact. Suddenly, he became aware of ahost of things he simply had not been bothering to notice a dull ache in his lower back, a twisting pain in his empty stomach, and a crushing weariness that threatened to push him to the floor. First thing's first, he thought, then nodded to Rei. "Yes, I... I should," he answered.

"Do you want to go to the cafeteria?" Rei bowed her head, and responded, "Wherever you wish. It does not matter to me." Shinji nodded and began moving down the hall towards the cafeteria. He was halted momentarily, however, when Rei reached out and touched his hand. "Could you..." she began, but trailed off. Shinji gulped, then took her hand in his. "S-sure," he said. Her palm was cool and dry, though his was sweating a bit.

Shinji looked up at Rei's face, and his vision was trapped by the faint, warm smile he saw there. Without my asking, he thought, gazing at the placid smile. Even though she's a different person, I feel... she's somehow the same... Rei squeezed Shinji's hand and asked, "Shall we go?" Shinji, realizing he had been staring, blushed slightly and began walking down the hall with her.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The voice needed no face to display the stress and fear of its owner: the quaver in its high shout did that job admirably.

"FIFTY PERCENT!" it boomed, filling the SEELE committee chamber. Had the monoliths been real and not holograms, it would have echoed off them.

Another, calmer voice responded, "SEVENTY-FIVE."

"SIXTY-FIVE," countered a third.

"NINETY," groaned a fourth.

"THIS PLAN HAS BEEN A FAILURE, KEEL," the first voice shouted, nearly becoming a shriek at the end.

"AN ESTIMATE OF SEVENTY PERCENT OF OUR MOST SECRET FILES HAVE BEEN DOWNLOADED INTO NERV DATABASES," the third agreed.

"IKARI WILL RELEASE ENOUGH TO ERADICATE US," the fourth moaned.

"HAVE YOU ANY WAY TO COUNTER THIS THREAR, LORENZ?" asked the second.

"YES," Keel replied. "I DO."

"OUT WITH IT THEN," the fourth voice said, still groaning in the depths of depression.

"PHYSICAL ASSAULT," Keel announced.

Silence ruled the chamber for a moment before the second voice articulated what all were thinking. "THIS IS NOT A PLAUSIBLE OPTION," it argued, "AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING, IKARI HAS THE WHOLE WORLD EATING OUT OF HIS PALM. NO GOVERNMENT, AND NOT EVEN THE UN, WILL ASSIST US USING MILITARY FORCE IN THIS MATTER WITHOUT UNAMBIGUOUS EVIDENCE THAT IKARI IS A TRAITOR. IT'S POLITICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO ACT OTHERWISE."

Another voice added, "AND EVIDENCE WAS PRECISELY WHAT TODAY'S EFFORT FAILED TO ACQUIRE."

Keel's voice held firm. "PHYSICAL ASSAULT IS THE ONLY OPTION REMAINING TO US. WE STILL HAVE CONTROL OVER THE NINE PRODUCTION MODELS AND THEIR DUMMY PLUGS. AND THE RECENT RECOVERY OPERATION USING THE SHROUD SATELLITES HAS RETURNED THE LANCE OF LONGINUS TO US. WITH THE LONGINUS LANCE AND NINE S2-POWERED EVA'S, DEFEATING EVA-01, THE LONE REMAINING EVANGELION, SHOULD NOT POSE ANY DIFFICULTY."

"YOU KNOW THAT IF THIS FAILS, SEELE WILL BE UNDONE."

"SEELE WILL CERTAINLY BE DESTROYED IF WE DO NOT TRY." Keel replied.

"THEN TRY WE MUST," the fourth said. With a sighing sound, the monoliths disappeared.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kouzou shivered in the unusually chilly air of Gendo's office. /He must have turned up the air conditioning several notches/, Kouzou thought as he waited for his superior to acknowledge his presence. Kouzou rubbed his upper arm. The gesture was half meant to warm the chilled limb, and half meant to dispel the Vice-Commander's nervous energy. He knows I'm busy and irritable, Kouzou admitted to himself, He just doesn't give a damn. At long last the commander looked up from his desk. His face was once again stony and impassive, the earlier agitation having disappeared."What is our status, Kouzou?"

"Preliminary sorting of the files recovered is complete, and all those files matching your criteria are in queue for your personal directory, pending your review. More should be on their way once they are decrypted. All secondary attacks against the Magi have ceased... SEELE seems to have retreated from the confrontation." Gendo shook his head. "They may have backed down from this battle, but the committee is not yet done with the war. NERV headquarters will be locked down, starting with the morning shift. From now until further notice, no one inside the compound leaves. After the next shift comes in at 0600 hours, no one is to enter, either. Make any necessary accommodations to ensure adequate sleeping quarters."

Kouzou nodded, "Yes, Gendo. You expect a physical attack?"

"Of course," Gendo replied, grinning coldly. "The old men have blocked themselves into a corner. They hoped to gain NERV's secrets and use them against me. But that attempt has been used against them, and now Ipossess their dearest secrets. I am, therefore, a great threat to them one they cannot afford to ignore. They will attack with all the force they can muster."

"What kind of force can they muster, Gendo? Surely no military in the world will face us." Gendo had an answer ready. "They will use the production series Evangelions." Kouzou's jaw dropped. "The nine... with S2 engines?" he asked. After a moment, he continued, "I had almost forgotten about them. I suppose you have something in mind to counter that threat..." Gendo smiled. "I am always prepared. EVA-01 has its own S2 power source, and a pilot who is under my control..." I wonder if that's true, Kouzou mused.

Gendo continued, "...and far more capable than the dummy plugs they have available. If SEELE had the Longinus Spear, then there would be some danger, but I dont believe there's any mechanism at their disposal by which they could retrieve it." There was a short pause, and then Gendo said,"Speaking of our pilot..." Kouzou had anticipated the question."The Third Child is sleeping in the hospital. I ordered a doctor to give him a sedative... and an IV drip with nutrients, although Shinji did eat for once."

Gendo nodded. "Then there is no reason to be worried." Kouzou frowned. "You are very confident, Gendo," he said, his tone warning."Always."

"Yet you were disturbed by the attack today." Gendo shook his head, replying, "No... not by the attack." In response to Kouzou's quizzical stare, he continued, "It was in the car on the way here... Itold Rei to sit beside Shinji when the call came. She did, but... she held his hand and rested his head on her shoulder." Kouzou nodded. "She chose physical contact without orders? That is surprising." Gendo shook his head again, and removed his glasses.

"That wasn't it," he said. He rubbed his eyes as he added,"It's just that when she supported him that way, she looked... so much like Yui."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stay tuned next week for Part Two: "Nevertheless, Ihave somewhat against thee, for thou hast left thy first love..."

Sparky