FicWad

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: ASCENT OF THE FALLEN

By Sparky Clarkson

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Ritsuko missed the ashtray and stubbed her cigarette out in her coffee cup. Wincing at the waste of caffeine, she quickly tapped another Camel out of the pack and brought it to her mouth in a smooth motion evolved from years of practice. As she prepared the tobacco with her left hand, her right continued its dance over the keys of her laptop, tapping out a rhythm that would leave a professional dancer breathless. Her eyes never wandered from the screen except to briefly watch the blue butane flame on its way to the end of her cigarette.

She inhaled deeply as the tip of the cigarette began to smolder, letting the grey-white smoke flood her airways. She sighed as the wave of nicotine hit her lungs and spread rapidly through her body, then set down the lighter to free up both hands for her task. Ritsuko clenched the cigarette tightly in her lips, sealing them around it and inhaling the drug-laden haze every few minutes to help her focus.

With her left hand now helping the right, Ritsuko began to type with blistering speed. Her awareness heightened by the caffeine and nicotine, she produced lines and lines of the strange code that already filled her computer screen. She knew she didn't have much time. Already, the doctors in the NERV hospital would be turning to the Magi's medical diagnostics programs. Shinji's injuries were far beyond anything that had been cured in a human before, and no medic, however experienced, would know what to do in response. Within moments, the Magi would point them to the entry she had created less than fifteen minutes ago. And if she did not have this program done by then, all that work would be for nothing.

Ritsuko pushed those worries aside and continued to enter the code. She had to stay focused on the task at hand, because she would have only one chance. The slightest misstep, and the nanites would malfunction. Fortunately, she had done most of the base code before she left NERV an instance in which her habit of always doing the most difficult part first so that the easier parts could be sped up helped her out. She had worked out the most difficult algorithms those that governed edge recognition, splint design, and most chemical syntheses several months ago. She only needed to put the finishing touches on the polymer structure and limiting factors.

Ritsuko had recognized the hidden blessing of the 11th angel as soon as Nerv's battle with it had ended. For decades people had dreamed of using miniature machines to rebuild a damaged human body, but the technology needed to produce nanites had always been out of reach. Ireul, however, had provided what mankind could not attain on its own. Ritsuko had spent many nights in the bowels of the GeoFront, painstakingly decoding the trinary programming language on which the nanites operated. Once she succeeded, Ritsuko realized that the same internal chemical factories that had produced organometallic polymers to make an interface between the nanites and the Magi could be used to make other materials.

Ritsuko entered the last line, and compiled the program for transmission. It wasn't perfect, and she hoped she hadn't left anything out. But there wasn't any other way. The computer beeped at her to indicate that it was done, and she tapped in the command that would send the program OSTEOBLAST to the Magi, where it could be uploaded to the nanites. She smirked as the data streamed towards NERV Headquarters.

"Well, Misato," she whispered, gazing at the wasteland of cigarette butts and empty packs that surrounded her, "Don't say I never did anything for you."

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Makoto's hand ached. Misato had been holding it in an iron grip ever since they had arrived in the waiting room over ten hours ago. Though fear and worry had torn at her, she had kept her military demeanor only the vise-like pressure on Makoto's hand let him know of her apprehension. Sitting together in the well-cushioned waiting room chairs, they might have seemed any ordinary pair of worried parents, if this had been any ordinary hospital.

Rei and Asuka sat in chairs opposite Makoto and Misato. The blue-haired girl sat at attention her back ramrod-straight, her hands crossed in her lap. Her face, however, bore no expression, and her red eyes stared blankly ahead. Asuka, on the other hand, had curled up in her chair and fallen into a fitful sleep. Occasionally she murmured, and every once in a while a tear would trickle down her cheek.

As the hands on the clock passed 3AM, an aging, grey-haired doctor entered the room. The tall, slender man more resembled a grandfather than a surgeon he even eschewed the customary white coat. Only the large badge clamped onto the collar of his blue-grey sweater marked his position in the hospital. Misato leapt to her feet when she saw the man, and Makoto almost groaned in relief. As he began to surreptitiously rub his aching fingers, Makoto saw Rei nudge Asuka. The redheaded girl brushed her hair back out of her face and quickly wiped away the tears she had quietly shed.

The doctor, his face haggard after hours of effort, rubbed his eyes and smiled slightly. "We think they're both out of the woods for now," he said quietly, "But it will be a few days before we're sure with Ikari. It's sheer luck that someone had already written a program to adapt those angel nanites for skeletal repair otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance."

Makoto smiled slightly as he saw the looks of relief on the faces of the ladies in the room, and realized with surprise that he felt a little lightheaded himself. He realized that his concern for Misato must have masked his personal anxiety about the boys.

"What's the status of the pilots?" Misato asked, after she took amoment to swallow her relief and return to an officer's demeanor.

The doctor nodded curtly and pulled some wire-rimmed glasses out of a pocket on his vest. Settling them on his nose, he looked down to the palmtop computer he was holding. "Pilot Nagisa suffered several broken ribs, a few flooded bronchial passages, and minor vascular and muscular tears in the chest area, as well as a partially fractured vertebra. His lungs have been cleared, and all fractures have been taken care of with nanites. He should be free to go within afew days."

"And Shinji?" all three women asked simultaneously. In a less dire situation, Makoto would have been tempted to laugh.

The doctor returned his gaze to the palmtop. He cleared his throat and reported, "Pilot Ikari suffered an undetermined number of fractures and vascular tears. His lungs flooded completely within moments of his removal from the plug, but are now mostly clear of blood. In surgery, most vascular damage was repaired and all gross misalignments of bones were corrected. Pilot Ikari was suspended in LCL to maintain bone position and then treated with nanites. The nanosplints are now in place and he has been removed from the tank, although he is presently on a hyperoxygenated, high-pressure LCL breathing system to prevent his lungs from flooding. We expect to be able to remove him from the LCL system within two days, and he should be conscious again within aweek."

Misato nodded. "Can I see him?" she asked.

The doctor shook his head. "Not for a couple of days," he replied,"The LCL rebreather we're using is experimental, and we believe that it may make the patient very susceptible to infection. When he's off the system, you can see him."

Misato nodded, but she and the two girls shared a dark and unhappy expression. The doctor apparently noticed this, because he said, "The best thing for all of you to do right now is to get some sleep. You've all had along night, and there's nothing to be gained by making it any longer." Seeing that nobody moved, he added, "I promise he'll still be here in the morning. We care too much about that boy to let anything happen to him."

Apparently satisfied, Misato allowed her face to slacken and her shoulders to slump. Makoto realized that the tension of the last several hours had completely exhausted her. He stood and put an arm around her, almost staggering as she practically collapsed against him. Makoto saw similar fatigue showing the girl's faces, even in Rei's. "Come on," he said to the three women, "I'll get you home." He waved the girls towards the door and started to leave, but turned back and said, "Thanks, Doctor..?"

"Watanabe," the surgeon replied with a smile. "You guys can call me Toshio."

Makoto nodded, and then followed the girls out of the room, Misato leaning heavily on his arm. As he stepped out into the hallway, he noticed a thin, gangly boy sitting on one of the benches left there for visitors who overflowed the waiting room. His unruly, light brown hair framed a freckled face partially obscured by glasses. He appeared worried, and almost frightened, his brown eyes darting this way and that as he watched the group leave the waiting room. Makoto thought the boy looked familiar, but Misato's insistent weight on his arm kept him from devoting too much thought to the subject.

As he reached the elevator where the girls waited, though, Makoto realized he'd seen the boy several weeks earlier, at Misato's little homecoming party. He still couldn't recall the kid's name, but he did remember that the boy had asked questions about NERV all evening long. /I wonder what he's doing here,/Makoto mused, but any further thoughts were cut short as the elevator arrived. Makoto had more important things to worry about.

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"I must protest, sir. The risk of infection..."

"...is insubstantial," Gendo coldly replied. "I have worked with the LCL far longer than you, Dr. Watanabe, and I know that it has the effect of suppressing the very infections you fear. You will allow me into the booth."

Toshio, looking uncomfortable in his white coat, frowned. "Sir, at least... at least wear a mask," the tall doctor protested.

"Very well," Gendo said, grudgingly. Internally, though, he smiled. He'd been hoping that the doctor would request just that. This would be much easier if he did not have to show anyone his face. Gendo sneaked a glance at Maya as Toshio went over to a cabinet to retrieve a filtered mask. She had already checked out the monitors and was now gazing through the thick glass surrounding Shinji's observation chamber.

The boy himself lay limp and unconscious on a thin bed in the center of the observation room. Most of Shinji's face was covered by a transparent mask that sealed his nose and mouth into the LCL rebreathing system. A thin sheet had been pulled over him up to his chest, out of respect for the boy's dignity the temperature in the room was set for perfect comfort.

"Here you are," Toshio said, handing the mask to Gendo. The Commander took off his glasses and slipped it on a simple organic filter designed to block exhaled particles. He pressed it down for a moment, and its edges adhered themselves to the contours of his face. Gendo inhaled deeply afew times to be certain nothing was wrong, then said, "Let me in."

Toshio opened the door to the observation chamber. Gendo felt the slight rush of air as the positive pressure in the chamber pushed any potentially dangerous particles away from the door. Gendo stepped through, then quickly walked to his son's bedside as the doctor closed the door.

Gendo stood over his comatose son for a moment, his back to the observation window. He allowed his gaze to travel over his son's body the thin arms, the narrow shoulders, the underdeveloped muscles of his chest. And he glanced for amoment at the face that reminded him so painfully of Yui.

"This changes nothing between us," Gendo whispered. "I have not come here because your plight concerns me. I have come because appearing to have fatherly concern suits my purpose. As long as we are both clear on that, there should be no problem." Gendo began to circle the bed, carefully inspecting his son's surroundings. Still, he thought, It might have been otherwise.

"Words cannot express how proud of him I am," Gendo said, then turned and gently embraced his son. As he expected, Shinji no longer had the strength to pull away. Indeed, the boy was so weak he leaned into his father for a moment, supporting himself against the older man.

One moment, to know what it might have been like to be your strength, instead of your enemy, Gendo thought. I wanted more, for some reason... Perhaps you are not as worthless as I believed. He reached down and gently, tentatively brushed his fingers against the back of Shinji's hand.

Gendo realized he had made his way completely around the bed, and now once again stood over his son with his back to the observation window. "Perhaps when I have Yui back I can find out what it is to be a father," he muttered. Then he hissed, "But I will have her back. If you stand in my way ever again, I will not hesitate to kill you. Remember that."

He turned around, knowing that the anger of his last words was still flaring in his eyes. He hoped Maya would notice.

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Only the tiny red LED's and screens of the hospital equipment showed in the hospital room. Everything else was swathed in a blanket of darkness that also seemed to muffle sound. Only the rhythmic noise of slow, steady breathing and the occasional whir of a dosing motor fought the silence, and these were so quiet that they may as well have not been there.

The room had been this way for hours: dark and quiet.

Suddenly, the blackness was split by a line of yellow light as the door to the hallway opened. Misato entered the room, and carefully turned up the lights a notch just enough so that she could dimly see the small shape on the hospital bed.

Misato smiled sadly and crossed the room with soft, slow steps. She gently, quietly slid a chair up next to the bed and sat down in it, tenderly grasping Shinji's hand. Misato reached out and gently stroked Shinji's cheek, tenderly trailing her fingers along the unbroken skin. Asleep like this, he seemed perfectly healthy all the wounds were hidden on the inside. The same incredible technology that had miraculously saved Shinji's life also kept his wounds hidden from the world.

Despite the best technology, however, Shinji's face wore a haunting expression of pain.

Misato shook her head and brushed a few hairs back from Shinji's forehead, noticing that his face was relaxing into a look of peace as she touched him."I haven't forgotten my promise, Shinji," she whispered. "You'll have a chance to get away from all of this, to have a normal life. I'll do whatever it takes."

She fell silent for a few moments, moving her hand back to caress Shinji's cheek again. Then she leaned forward and kissed Shinji on the forehead. The boy sighed softly, but did not awaken. "Good night, Shin-chan," Misato whispered, then stood and turned to leave. Her hand was on the door when she heard a rustling sound to her right.

She turned to see Kaoru sprawled uncomfortably in a chair in the corner of the room. The fallen angel was twisting around now, his sleeping face contorted in discomfort. Apparently Kaoru was not having pleasant dreams. Misato wondered how she hadn't noticed him earlier.

She took a tentative step towards the fifth qualifier, stopped for a moment, then reached a decision and proceeded forward. She softly laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, and gently shook it. Kaoru's eyes fluttered open and he stared at her in confusion.

"Weren't you released yesterday?" she asked. Kaoru nodded, but waved in Shinji's direction.

Misato shook her head. "I'm sure he would prefer that you slept somewhere more comfortable. Come on," she said and gently pulled Kaoru forward. The boy resisted at first, but then accepted the wisdom of Misato's advice and stiffly stood up.

"I really should try and avoid sleeping in such places," Kaoru whispered as he awkwardly stumbled out of the room, half-leaning on the Major. He flipped the lights all the way off as they left, then leaned up against the wall as Misato pulled the door closed. He started to shuffle down the hall, but stumbled and nearly fell after only a few steps. Misato caught him, then looped an arm around him for support.

"Uh-uh, Kaoru," she said, "You're in no shape to take care of yourself right now."

"I..." Kaoru started to protest, but Misato cut him off.

"You'll come home with me tonight," she said, making clear by the tone of her voice that this was an order, not a suggestion. "You can sleep in Shinji's room," she continued in a gentler voice, "since he's here and Asuka's spending the night at Hikari's." Kaoru froze for a moment, then nodded his head. Despite his reluctance, he looked somewhat relieved.

Misato helped the grey-haired boy to the elevators, and supported them as they waited for one to arrive. After a moment of silence, Kaoru said, "Thank you, Major. I... I probably would not have made it home."

"Well, I have to look after you," Misato said, smiling. "It's my job, after all."

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The figure leaned up against the tree, its features indistinguishable in the darkness. It surveyed the city of Tokyo-3 calmly, coolly noting the sectors where repairs continued to be made, and those where no repair would be adequate. With the figure's relaxed posture, it might have seemed almost casual, except for the black trench coat and battered hat. It stiffened, however, when it heard a quiet voice speak from the cover of the denser forest.

"I'm sorry, I don't have much time," Ritsuko whispered from the darkness. The figure half-turned toward her voice, but stopped when the scientist admonished, "Don't. I seem to have overzealous keepers."

The figure nodded, then turned back to face the city. The hat came off for amoment, revealing Kouzou's face. He wiped his brow and put the hat back on, muttering,"Too hot out for hats." Louder, he said, "They worked. You should be proud."

"Relieved is more like it," Ritsuko replied. She paused, then added, "Much as I try to avoid it, I always find myself worrying about the children, even Rei. I suppose that's as close as I'll ever come to motherhood."

"You never know. You probably still have time."

"Yes, but I make bad choices with men. Him you know about. The others... Kaji... well, you know how poorly that turned out."

"All too well," Kouzou replied, shaking his head.

"Speaking of which..."

"He took Maya with him to see Shinji. She seemed impressed by his reaction."

"Do you think..?"

"I cannot tell. You must not interfere until we know for certain. Maya does not know how to keep this kind of secret. If he discovers..."

"I know."

Kouzou cleared his throat. "Any progress on your front?" he asked.

"Not much. I'll tell you what I know when I know it. That little emergency took up a great deal of my time, and I've had to lay low because of the security sweeps this week."

"We must begin to move more quickly," Kouzou said. "From what little Gendo has told me, there may only be two more angel attacks before matters come to a head. We must know what he is planning, or else everything might be lost."

A breeze rustled the leaves of the forest for a moment, setting off a round of birdcalls. Ritsuko said, "Take care, Kouzou."

"I will," he answered. He waited for a moment for a response, but sensed that the other party to the conversation had departed. He took off the battered black fedora and mopped his brow again. "Definitely too warm for hats."

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Kaoru stretched and yawned, cutting the exhalation short as the stress it put on his diaphragm caused a sharp pain in his abdomen."Urrgh," he grunted, rubbing his eyes, "Human bodies are so frail. I should have fallen as an animal a goldfish, perhaps. That would have been peaceful." He opened his eyes, and was momentarily bewildered by the fact that he was not in his own room.

He fought through the momentary disorientation to remember what was going on. "Oh," he thought aloud, "This is Shinji's room. Misato brought me here last night." Kaoru sat up slowly, wincing at a twinge that shot up his spine punishment, no doubt, for the time he had spent curled up in the chair at the hospital. He felt somewhat lightheaded and weak. Rather unsteadily, he staggered to his feet, then walked out into the apartment.

Misato was relaxing on the couch, lazily flipping through the channels. Kaoru, still wearing boxers and a T-shirt, sat down on the other end of the couch, sighing as the cushions yielded to his form. Misato looked at him and said, "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"What time is it?" Kaoru asked groggily.

"Almost noon. I have to go to headquarters for the evening shift in about an hour. I was debating whether I should wake you up or not," she replied.

"I slept... I slept 15 hours?"

"Well, that's not counting the time you were asleep in Shinji's hospital room. Of course, sleeping there probably didn't help you much," Misato commented.

Kaoru blinked his eyes and said, "Do you have any coffee?"

"Yes... though I warn you I brew a terrible cup of joe."

"Who could have imagined that?"

"Hey, you... that's no way to treat a gracious host!" Misato exclaimed in mock indignation.

Kaoru smiled as he stood and walked to the kitchen. "I apologize," he called as he grabbed a mug and poured some of the black liquid into it. He nearly gagged on his first sip, but the need for caffeine caused him to choke down the entire cup in only a few swallows. He quickly poured himself another. He turned to walk back to the living room, but thought better of it and dumped several spoonfuls of sugar in before he left the kitchen.

"I see you've already picked up Shinji's bad habit," Misato remarked as the fallen angel sat down on the couch again.

"Well, we always take on some aspect of the ones we love," Kaoru said.

Misato sat silently for a moment, then said, "Kaoru, I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"About what?"

"I think... as Shinji's guardian, I have an interest in knowing... just what the nature of your relationship is," Misato replied.

"Are you certain that it is not just curiosity?" Kaoru asked, sipping his coffee. The sugar blocked out the excessive bitterness of Misato's coffee, but it left the dark beverage almost sickeningly sweet.

Misato thought for a moment. "I suppose it might be," she admitted. "I probably don't need to know everything about you two in order to do my job effectively. I guess I've gotten to be protective of Shinji. After what happened last time..."

Kaoru grimaced and turned his face away for a moment. He felt moisture gathering in his eyes as the memory of the betrayal he had been forced to make flooded his mind. After a moment, Misato gently grasped his shoulder. "I didn't mean it that way," she said quietly.

Kaoru took a deep breath, blinked the incipient tears away, and faced her again. "Your reasons for wanting to know are perfectly valid," he said. "I understand your fears."

"So..."

"We love each other," Kaoru said, sipping at his coffee again.

"And..?"

Kaoru closed his eyes and tried to collect his thoughts. He had known someone would ask him this question eventually, and had attempted to prepare for it, but he had always run into a brick wall. After a moment, he said,"I understand that humans have many kinds of love, love among family, love between friends, love between mates... This concept is strange to me. In Paradise, all love is one love. We have none of these divisions. So to my mind, there is nothing further to say, except that I love Shinji."

He took another sip of the coffee, wincing at the saccharine taste."You, however," he continued, "need more than that. I do not understand all these categories, though, so all I can do is tell you how Ifeel. When I am near Shinji, I feel like my soul has been completed, as if apiece of me, long missing, has fallen into place. When we hold each other, Ifeel warm and protected. When we are together, I feel whole. That is why Isurrendered when I saw Lilith. I knew that if Shinji died, I would live forever in body... but I would be dead in spirit."

Misato reached down and grasped Kaoru's hand. "And is there... something more?"

Kaoru shook his head, replying, "Lust? No. Neither of us has felt the urge. We are content to be together as we are."

Misato nodded solemnly and squeezed Kaoru's hand. After a few silent moments, she said, "I'm sure you know, but I think he feels the same way."

Kaoru nodded slightly and swallowed the last of his coffee. He set the cup on the floor and stretched again. He attempted to stand, but stopped as Misato put an arm around him. She pulled the fallen angel into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. Still holding him, she moved her mouth next to his ear. "Thank you," she whispered, "For everything you've done for Shinji. Since you returned... I've never seen him happier."

Kaoru hugged Misato back, and said, "It isn't all me, Misato. You... you're an important part of him, too."

Misato's only reply was to hug him more tightly for a second. She let go after a moment and said, "Now go take a shower and get dressed. We don't want to be late."

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"What was that about?" Hikari asked as Asuka hung up the phone.

"Oh, Misato just called to tell me she was going in to work," the redhead replied, standing up and stretching. "I guess I should go in, too."

Hikari rolled over on the bed, resting her chin on her hands and crossing her ankles in the air. "Oh, and why is that?" she asked with a sly grin, "Want to go in and see if you can wake Shinji up with a kiss?"

"No way!" Asuka shouted, and threw a pillow at her friend.

Hikari deftly dodged it and responded, "Come on! You can't hide it from me! You must like him at least a little bit!" Her sly grin grew even wider as she added, "...or do you like Kaoru now, instead?"

"Ooh, you evil woman!" Asuka shrieked and pounced on Hikari, tickling her mercilessly. After a few moments of laughing helplessly, the class representative mustered up enough defense to tickle Asuka back. Within minutes, they had reached a stalemate. They rolled apart, still giggling.

When they had calmed down a bit, Hikari asked, "Seriously though, what's up with you and them?"

Asuka sighed. "I'm not sure," she replied. "I mean, I like both of them, but I can't sort out how I feel. I don't know if I just like them as friends, or if there's something more there. I know I care about them both, though when they got hurt so badly in the last fight, I literally got sick with worry. That's why I was out of school those two days I felt too nauseous even to walk."

"Sounds like a problem," Hikari agreed, nodding. "I'm sure you'll sort it out, though. One day, it'll just hit you. That's what happened to me one day I realized I'd been flirting with Touji without even noticing it, so I decided I'd try dating him."

Asuka sat up and scratched her chin. "It's a little uneven, though," she said, "I know a lot more about Shinji than I do about Kaoru."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well..." Asuka paused, wondering whether she should tell Hikari. She knew Shinji hadn't told anyone. Still, Hikari was her best friend, and could be trusted. She leaned over and whispered, "Shinji's a good kisser."

Hikari blushed beet red for a moment, then almost leaped off of the bed, incredulously shouting, "You... you..!" Asuka lifted a finger to her lips, and Hikari took a deep breath before continuing more quietly, "You kissed him? And you weren't even dating? Why?"

Asuka shrugged. "I was bored," she said.

Hikari rolled her eyes and faked a swoon. "I can't believe it!" she said, "Come on, Asuka nobody kisses just because they're bored."

Asuka shook her head, stood up, and grabbed her bag. "Well, I've got to go in and check up on Shinji," she said. "Plus, Kaoru's gonna be there."

"That's great!" Hikari said sarcastically. "So if you get bored, you can kiss him, too!"

Without warning, Asuka pounced again, and for several minutes the room was once more filled with the sound of giggling girls.

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The blue sports car pulled into the parking space at a fast clip, its brakes squealing as they struggled to stop the coupe before it crashed into the concrete wall of the parking deck. The seatbelt kept Kaoru from flying through the windshield, but threw him forcefully back into his seat. He grunted as he undid it and stepped out of the car.

"What? Don't like my driving?" Misato asked, laughing.

"Something else I have picked up from Shinji, no doubt," Kaoru muttered, wondering if he'd broken something. The quick stop certainly hadn't helped his aching ribs. He tentatively stretched, but didn't feel the now all-too-familiar sensation of broken bones grating on one another.

Satisfied that he didn't need any further medical attention, Kaoru turned to follow Misato into NERV Headquarters. As they got into the elevator, he turned to her and asked, "Do I have any tests today?"

"Nope," Misato replied. "Although Maya told me that she wanted to do a quick harmonics test tomorrow nothing too involved, though. You should have some free time for the next few days."

"That is good," Kaoru replied, "I wanted to get some rest, and..."

"And..?"

"Well, Shinji seems to still feel a lot of pain from his mother's death. I just wanted to take some time to look through some files in the Magi to see what she was like," Kaoru said. Misato seemed slightly surprised, but she said nothing. He continued, "I do not know the interface very well, though, so it will probably take some time for me to figure out how to get the information I want."

Misato smiled. "Don't worry about it," she said. "For once, I'm completely caught up with my paperwork. I think I could spare the time to look up some files with you."

"I would like that very much."

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

Shinji slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus them on the world around him. It took him several seconds before he managed to get a clear look at the face right in front of him, but that really didn't help. The man he saw seemed familiar, but for some reason Shinji couldn't place him. He felt strangely disconnected from the world around him.

"Good to see you awake and well, Shinji," the man said, smiling."You certainly gave us a scare when you first came out of it."

Shinji stared blankly as someone from elsewhere in the room asked, "Is he okay, Dr. Watanabe?" After a moment, Shinji placed the voice as Asuka's. He wondered why he was having such a hard time thinking.

Dr. Watanabe turned away briefly and said, "Yes. The drugs seem to have worked." Then he turned back to Shinji, and explained, "You're probably feeling a little woozy and disoriented right now, so I want to ask you some questions." He paused, then added, "and I'll give you a little explanation, too."

Shinji tried to respond, but his mouth was dry and cottony, and his tongue felt like lead. Dr. Watanabe seemed to realize this and lifted a small squeeze bottle to Shinji's lips. After swirling the water in his mouth and swallowing, Shinji said, "Okay."

Dr. Watanabe smiled comfortingly as he asked, "Do you remember why you're here?"

Shinji thought for a moment, and then remembered, "There was an angel... it hurt Kaoru... Kaoru! Oh my god! Is he all right?" Shinji would have leapt out of the bed if he could, but his arms and legs didn't seem to be doing what he wanted.

"I am fine, Shinji," Kaoru said from a position near Shinji's head. "Do not worry about me right now."

Shinji's heart calmed down and he took a deep breath. His mind was becoming less clouded by the moment helped, no doubt, by the surge of adrenaline that had pulsed through him when he remembered Kaoru's injuries. "So what happened?" he asked.

Dr. Watanabe's smile faded a bit. "The angel's sonic blast broke a lot of your bones, and cut open some blood vessels. Under ordinary circumstances, you would have died, but we had some experimental technology available that saved your life," he explained. Shinji blinked, processing the information as the doctor continued, "We injected some nanites developed from the remains of the 11th angel into your blood stream, and they created some polymeric splints around your bones."

"So that's why I'm not wearing any casts," Shinji murmured.

"Yes, that's right. Unfortunately, what we didn't discover until you woke up was that you had a mild allergy to the polymer," Dr. Watanabe responded.

"I'd hardly call it mild," Asuka snorted. Her voice had a strongly accusatory tone.

Dr. Watanabe rolled his eyes. "Under ordinary circumstances," he explained, "Dealing with the polymer wouldn't have caused a problem for you. In this case however, you have the polymer wrapped around almost 70 percent of your skeletal structure, directly exposed to your immune system. There was a lot of inflammation and pain, but we didn't know that until you woke up and suddenly couldn't breathe. Because of your position as a pilot, we're somewhat limited as to what drugs we can use, but we seem to have hit acombination that keeps it mostly under control."

"Is that why I feel so woozy?" Shinji asked. When Dr. Watanabe nodded, Shinji closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, he tried to turn his head towards the spot where Kaoru's voice had been. "It's hard to move," he complained.

Dr. Watanabe nodded his head again. "That's partially because of the drugs, and partially because you've been in bed almost a week and a half. You're going to feel weak for some time," he said.

Shinji groaned and said, "Physical therapy?"

Dr. Watanabe leaned back, saying, "Sorry Shinji, you'll have to do it. Work hard and it shouldn't take too long." Shinji heard footsteps leading away from his bed, and Dr. Watanabe said, "I have to go finish my rounds. I'll be back to see you once more before I go off duty." Then the door opened and closed.

After a few moments passed in silence, Shinji distantly felt a pressure on his hand. The disorientation from the drugs almost made it seem like it was someone else's hand at the end of his arm. He shifted his head and tried to focus on the spot where whomever was holding his hand should be. After a few moments he saw Kaoru standing there, with Asuka right next to him.

Shinji smiled weakly, "I'm glad... you're both okay."

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka asked in mock annoyance."Worried about us? You scared us to death, idiot!"

"Sorry," Shinji replied. Asuka snorted and glared at him, but her expression quickly softened and she reached down to brush some hair away from Shinji's forehead.

"I'll let you off the hook this time, Third Child," she replied, smiling gently at him. "But only because you're in such a pathetic state."

Shinji let his eyes close. In his weakened condition, even the simple act of breathing wore him out. He relaxed as Asuka's hand moved from his forehead to his cheek. After a moment, she pulled back and Kaoru removed his hand. Almost involuntarily, Shinji whispered, "No... please stay."

"Do not worry, Shinji," Kaoru replied, "We will stay as long as we can."

"After all," Asuka added, "Somebody has to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

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

"Well, here we are," Misato said as she and Kaoru entered the chamber. The circular room was about 10 meters across and 15 meters tall, with walkways around the walls every 3 meters up. The walls were covered with wires, circuitry, processors, and coolant units. There were several terminals on the floor level, though none of them were presently in use.

Kaoru paused at the threshold, then took a step in, fighting the slight positive pressure that kept the room clear of dust. "Amazing," he said, looking around at the electronics that covered the walls of the room. After a moment of drinking in the sight, he added, "I thought the Magi were on the lower level of the command bridge."

Misato shook her head. "Ritsuko explained it to me once," she said, speaking loudly so that she could be heard over the air-scrubbers in the room. "The Magi you see in Central Dogma are just the central processors. Most of the nuts and bolts the apparatus that interfaces with the sensors, stores the data, and runs the automatic systems is in a bunch of rooms like this one. I thought it might be easier to do our little research project down here, without the Commander breathing down our necks."

"If you say so," Kaoru said, obviously still entranced by the grandeur of the room. Sure he was distracted, Misato took the opportunity to slip a tiny microchip out of her sleeve and into her fingers. She walked over to one of the terminals and slipped the sliver of silicon into a port. This was the true reason she came to this room the computers in the command center didn't have any ports to accept foreign chips, and were too easily visible even if they did.

Kaoru at last brought his mind back to the task at hand and followed Misato over to the computer. The screen had nothing on it a result of the Magi's prioritization system. Most of the sensor, diagnostic, and scientific programs required dedicated processor use, most information requests were handled through a passive interface. The passive interface paid no attention to a user until a full command line was entered. This freed up the processors to spend most of their efforts on priority programs. Misato typed in a command, and aquery line came up on the screen. "So, what do you want to know?" she asked the fallen angel.

"I suppose it would be best to find out her personal history, or something like that," he said.

Misato tapped in a few parameters, limiting the search to background files, and then typed in her query. A large batch of files appeared, organized by creation date. Misato scrolled through them briefly, trying to figure out what kind of file might satisfy Kaoru's curiosity when something about the dates struck her. "That's odd," she muttered, "There's nothing from before 1994... but SEELE's records go back to 1979."

"Could that mean something?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Misato replied. She spotted a medical file from 1994, and clicked on it. She skimmed the report briefly, but quickly realized that it offered little information. Yui had arrived at the hospital disoriented, and had been released the next day...

"Wait a minute," Kaoru said, "Scroll back up." Misato moved the cursor up a bit until Kaoru said, "Stop." He pointed to aline on the screen and asked, "Do you see that name?"

Misato looked at the line, which read:

Patient had no identification, nor were any records found in local or national databases. On the recommendation of the local magistrate, patient was remanded to the custody of German national Keel Lorenz. Primary physician objected, but was overruled.

"Keel Lorenz..." Misato murmured, "Sounds familiar, but I'm not sure from where." She clicked out to the main screen and entered a new query for records including Yui and Keel. A large number came up, almost all of them formal documents. Misato began opening them, skimming quickly, and moving on. After a moment, she said, "This is incredible! Every single piece of documentation she needed was signed by Keel Lorenz. Retroactive birth certificate, admissions papers, driver's license, all of it signed by Keel Lorenz in 1994!"

Kaoru was silent for a moment, and Misato turned to see him gnawing at his lip. "And you're sure that there is nothing from before 1994?"

"Nothing," Misato said. With Kaji's chip she should have access to anything in the vast databanks that now included not only NERV's files, but also the files of the committee itself.

"Tell me then: did any unusual natural events occur in 1994?" Kaoru asked. He seemed to have moved on from wondering about Keel Lorenz for the moment. Misato went back out to the initial database search screen and typed in the data. After a moment, she almost slapped herself in the forehead.

"Oh, I should have remembered that," she said, "There was alot of fuss about it. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit Jupiter. Strange... that happened right around the same time as the first medical record. Do you think there's any connection?"

"I am not sure," Kaoru replied. Nonetheless, he looked concerned...

...and afraid.

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

"Oh, hi Kaoru," Asuka said. The hospital hallway smelled vaguely of cleaning fluid an obnoxious combination of lemon-fresh and pine-clean scents assaulted her nostrils.

The grey-haired boy twitched, apparently startled by the arrival of the German girl. He was just leaving Shinji's room, and his face looked drawn and tired. Asuka frowned. "Are you feeling okay, Kaoru? You look like you've just seen the dead," she asked.

Kaoru smiled, an obviously fake smile certainly meant to reassure her."I am fine," he said, then turned to walk away.

Asuka grabbed him and spun him around. "Is something wrong with Shinji?" she asked.

Kaoru shook his head, and gave up on the fake smile. With a sigh he responded, "He is well, Asuka. You can go in and talk to him if you want he should be waking up soon. It is just that I have had a bad shock today." Once again, he turned to leave.

Once again, Asuka stopped him. This time, though, she grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards her gently. He turned a questioning gaze on her. In response she quietly asked, "Are you gonna be okay, Kaoru?" Her eyes showed a glimmering of concern. "Do you need to talk about it?"

Kaoru gave her a sad smile. "No," he said, "I need to work this out on my own." He fell silent, and several minutes passed while the two children stood staring at each other, Asuka still holding Kaoru's hand. Eventually, the fallen angel squeezed her hand. He smiled more broadly and said, "Thank you for asking, though. I really... I am very glad you offered." Another silence ensued, until Kaoru carefully removed his hand from Asuka's. "Thanks," he said again, then turned and left.

Quietly, Asuka watched him go.

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

The room was once again dim. The bulb over the sink in the corner of the hospital chamber had been left on so that the nurses did not fall over when they walked into the room, but other than that all the lights had been extinguished so that Shinji could rest. Earlier that morning, he had taken his first steps since the battle with Gabriel. The effort had thoroughly exhausted him, although he had done better than Dr. Watanabe had expected.

The drugs that kept the latent inflammation down, unfortunately, could not cover up the pain caused by moving. Shinji had felt like the nanosplints were ripping him apart on the inside every time he tried to move. After almost two weeks of atrophy, motion alone had been tough enough. With the added pain from the nanosplints, doing the exercises had almost been impossible.

So Shinji was now completely unresponsive. He was somewhat sprawled on the bed, and he had not even bothered to pull the sheets over himself when he laid down falling asleep instantly after his exhausting experience. Now, though, he had begun to shiver in the hospital's strong air conditioning. While it wouldn't wake him up immediately, the cold would probably become intolerable in a few hours when his already-depleted reserves of energy ran out.

That time, though, would not come. Rei pulled the sheets from where they had been bunched at the foot of the bed and spread them over the boy's body. A slight sigh escaped Shinji's lips as the blue-haired girl carefully tucked him in. Rei smiled not the tiny smile she had shown before, but a broad, warm, contented smile, like that of a mother watching her sleeping baby.

Rei gently tousled Shinji's hair, her small hand roaming through the fine strands with a somewhat rough familiarity, but also with a delicacy like that of a jeweler caressing a Faberge egg. Shinji sighed again, and seemed to relax completely. The two children stayed that way for several minutes.

At last, Rei leaned forward and whispered, "Sleep well, little Shinji," into the boy's ear. She gently kissed him on the cheek and left the room, carefully making sure that no light from the hall fell across the boy's bed to wake him.

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

Gendo switched off the screen and rubbed his eyes. His glasses were resting on the table, the weight of their orange lenses removed from his nose. Gendo groaned. "Have I erred?" he whispered, his breath producing a cloud of vapor in the too-cold office. He stared at the blank screen a moment more, wondering why the sight of Rei caring for Shinji had moved him so deeply. Then he shook his head, and pulled himself upright in the chair. The moment of weakness had passed. Once again, he put on his glasses.

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

Misato looked both ways in the hall, and then slipped back into the computer room. Something from the "research project" she had done with Kaoru still bothered her. She walked over to one of the terminals and placed Kaji's chip in the appropriate slot. When the query screen came up, she typed in:
keel lorenz

This strange man who seemed to be behind Ikari Yui was tugging at Misato's mind. She seemed to remember hearing the name before, and wondered why Kaoru had seemed to recognize it. A huge number of files appeared on the screen. Misato shook her head and was about to rephrase the query when she saw a file that caught her interest. She clicked on and opened it. The file was a small report from two days before Second Impact. What had caught her eye was that it was in a directory of files about the Katsuragi expedition. She read:

REPORT TO SEELE ON PLANS FOR THE KATSURAGI EXPEDITION

PREPARED BY: Keel Lorenz, SEELE-01

So that's it. He's the chairman, Misato realized, Kaoru must have met him before SEELE sent him here.

Our research team in Antarctica, headed by Dr. Katsuragi, has already collected sufficient information and biological material from the entity ADAM to fulfill the projected requirements of Project E and the Human Instrumentality Project. As per our previous orders, Ikari Gendo will leave the expedition's camp tomorrow for Japan, carrying these materials. We now have the option of removing Lancea Longini from the ADAM chrysalis and implementing the embryonic freezing process. This report will recap the benefits, costs, and implementation of this course of action.

BENEFITS:
-Removing the spear will awaken ADAM, causing massive destruction that will probably involve the melting of Antarctica and a rise in global temperatures of at least 2oC. In the resulting world chaos, the Committee will be able to seize complete control of all world government through implementation of contingency plans A19683O and DSRA.

-Possession of the frozen ADAM embryo will allow the Human Instrumentality Project to proceed.

-Removal of Lancea Longini will incite the Angel War, which is necessary for the completion of the Human Instrumentality Project.

COSTS:
-Estimated economic loss: $1578.9 trillion US.

-Estimated death count: 3.2 billion

IMPLEMENTATION CONCERNS:
-Dr. Katsuragi is aware of the potential costs of this action, and is of sufficient conscience to oppose it on those grounds. He can, however, be manipulated by threatening his wife and daughter.

RECOMMENDATION:
-Order Dr. Katsuragi to remove the spear and begin the embryonic freezing.

COMMITTEE ACTION:
The Committee decided to order the removal of the spear and initiation of the embryonic freezing process. They further decided that Dr. Katsuragi would oversee the operation, and authorized the performance of any deeds necessary to ensure his complete compliance with orders.

Misato closed the file. "You bastards," she whispered. "You goddamn bastards."