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NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: ASCENT OF THE FALLEN

By Sparky Clarkson

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Maya grunted as she nearly tripped over a stool. She froze for a moment, listening intently in the darkened lab for the sound of the footsteps she expected. When they did not come, she sighed and continued down the narrow aisle between the lab benches. It would have been easier for her to move had she turned on the light, but she dared not risk alerting any NERV employee to her presence in this remote lab. Now aware of Commander Ikari's true nature, Maya found herself becoming suspicious of everyone she met in the hallway seeing Gendo's cold eyes behind every smile, hearing his grim voice in every joke.

Finally reaching the end of the lab, Maya turned right and opened a door, slipping quietly into the next room. She shut the door, then flipped on the light switch to reveal a small cubicle with three workstations in it. She knew this room well this lab had been her first assignment at NERV, right after she had finished her Ph.D. three years earlier. Maya seated herself at one of the computers and turned it on. The unit was old, but it would be powerful enough for her purposes.

Maya waited nervously as the computer warmed up, then immediately called up the passive interface. She knew that the genomes of all the pilots had been sequenced, and had an idea of where that data was stored. She knew, though, that she did not have enough clearance to get to them. "Well, Akagi-sempai did teach me," Maya muttered,"Hopefully, that will be enough."

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Ritsuko ground out her cigarette in the ashtray and leaned back in her chair. With a quick ripple of her fingers over the keyboard, she sent her message coursing down the cables to the Magi, where it would end up in Kouzou's mailbox. She had not bothered to encrypt the signal at this late time, it hardly mattered whether Gendo discovered their subterfuge or not.

Ritsuko sighed quietly and stretched. She simultaneously felt a craving for more coffee and a sourness in her stomach that indicated she'd had too much of the acidic beverage already. She'd run herself ragged the past few days, trying to assimilate the data she'd found in Gendo's files and form some kind of cogent response.

Even in his maximum security directory, Gendo had compartmentalized his information according to some maddening organizational scheme she still hadn't quite figured out. It was impossible to tell which files would contain vital data and which would be design specs for a new electric trolley for Central Dogma. Ritsuko had warned the JIA that Gendo would move soon, but at the time she had not been able to tell them what his move would be. Now that she knew, it was too late to do anything but alert Fuyutsuki and hope he managed to somehow avert the oncoming catastrophe.

Ritsuko shook her head and leaned forward again. She had to let the JIA know what was about to happen anyway. Perhaps they could mobilize some units in the city...

...that was an idle hope, though. Gendo's probably been digging in ever since the archangels started appearing, she thought as she started to type up a message for the Director of Intelligence.

On a sudden impulse, she switched windows and slid into the Magi's passive interface. With a few keystrokes she implemented a monitoring program and went back to typing the letter. At least I'll know when someone is trying to get into the restricted files,Ritsuko thought, So if Gendo starts moving early, I might get some advance warning.

She hammered out a few lines of her report, then froze in fear as the computer beeped. The monitoring window came to the top of the layered set, and she quickly took in the message, relaxing as she saw the ID of the person trying to worm her way into aforbidden area. "Well," she whispered, "Seems you got the message. I suppose I can give you a hand."

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Maya gaped as the Magi granted her access to the directory that held the pilots' genetic maps. She hadn't even done anything yet! Well, now's no time to be looking a gift horse in the mouth, Maya thought. If it's a trap, I'm already caught, and if not, it's too good an opportunity to pass up.

Maya hit a few keys and called up a program named "Anacom" on her machine the principal reason she had chosen this lab. Anacom took any gene map loaded into it and compared it to maps stored in the Magi's databases. Then it could analyze the map for almost any factor the researcher wanted. Maya's first work at NERV had been to use Anacom to compare DNA from Adam with known species.

Maya opened Rei's gene map into Anacom and entered the command to begin analysis, telling the program to start with human isomorphs. That would probably cut the run time down to two minutes or so to find a good match, then another ten to analyze the polymorphisms. With luck, Maya could get out of the lab quickly enough that nobody would note her absence from her usual post-or her activities on the Magi.

Maya's hopes started to evaporate, however, as one minute turned into five. Maya knew that was enough time to run comparisons with all of the human isomorphs in the Magi database. Still, the program ran, searching ever further from the human genome to find a match...

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Asuka leaned up against the hospital wall, drumming her fingers rapidly on the grey-painted sheetrock as she waited outside of Shinji's hospital room. After several minutes, she realized what she was doing and self-consciously pulled her hands away from the wall. This, however, only brought them in front of her, where she could wring them together. Once a she had done this for a few moments, she went back to drumming. That, at least, could be taken as simple impatience, and not the heart-squeezing anxiety she really felt.

What's taking them so long? she wondered as she stared at the door, painted a sickly pastel blue to differentiate it from the weary grey of the walls. In the half-hour since she had arrived, she had memorized every square inch of that portal. She had grown to know the pattern of black marks near the bottom of the door, where people had used their shoes to hold it open, and the faint scratches near the middle where equipment stands had gouged away the paint. Her gaze traveled once again over the numerals embossed in white at eye level, tracing the curves and lines without really attaching them to the number they created.

After about five more minutes, the door to room 343 opened and Dr. Watanabe walked out, followed by a nurse and two interns. The doctor was cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief, his eyes squinting in a way that might have reflected concern, or just an effort to see without their usual assistance

Asuka stepped forward and intercepted him as he was about to head down the hallway. "What's going on?" she demanded, "Can I see him?"

"Oh, Asuka," the doctor said, looking up from his cleaning. He looked tired and somewhat frayed, as if he'd been working extra hours. "I almost didn't see you there," he continued, pausing as the other medical workers continued towards their destination. "Shinji's condition hasn't changed noticeably, but it will be a while before we know for sure whether this last treatment worked or not. You can go in and see him if you like, but I have to get moving. Rei's in the same boat as Shinji, you know."

Asuka stiffened briefly at this reminder of her failure, but only nodded in reply. "I... I understand. Tell her hi for me, okay?"

Toshio smiled warmly and nodded."I certainly will, Asuka. Take care of yourself," he replied, then turned and followed his entourage down the hall. His lanky legs quickly carried him to the other medics.

Asuka turned back to the door and opened it, quickly slipping into the dim room. Shinji lay still in the narrow bed, his face drawn with pain. Next to his bed, an I.V. motor whirred away, automatically administering the nutrients that kept him alive and the medication that Dr. Watanabe hoped would help him wake up.

The room had the usual two chairs in addition to the bed, but Asuka didn't move towards either of them. Instead, she quietly closed the door behind her, then leaned up against it. Standing with her back against the door, she watched Shinji sleep for a while, then whispered, "We've both been so stupid."

Shinji shifted slightly in the bed, causing Asuka's heart to race for a moment, but he quickly lapsed back into total stillness. She sagged against the door, supporting almost all her weight on it, as she whispered, "We wasted so much time, and now... will we ever have the chance to do things the right way?"

Asuka slowly approached Shinji's bed, reaching down when she got there to take hold of his hand. Seconds ticked away in the tomb-silent room before Asuka finally said, "I can't lose you now, Shinji... please wake up." She stood watching his unmoving form as tears started to gather in his eyes. I'm just as selfish as ever, she thought as she gazed at him. I want him to wake up for my sake, when I'm not even sure... Do I have a right to ask for him if I'm just going to hurt him again? At least now he's at peace...

Asuka opened the door just acrack so that she could see the two men talking in the sitting room. The darkness of the hall ensured that she wouldn't be seen while she eavesdropped.

Her father ran a hand through his blonde hair and took a slow sip of the golden wine in his glass. "I'm not saying I'm happy about it," he said as he leaned back in his chair,"But perhaps it's for the best that it ended. Towards the end there, you could almost see the pain in her eyes while she tried to understand the world. It's better for her, better for everyone."

The darkly-dressed man seated in the other chair nodded and adjusted his amber-tinted glasses. "And the child?" he asked, his voice cold and uncaring.

"Well, for Asuka's sake Iwish Kyoko had lived... but at least now Kyoko's at peace."

Asuka staggered back from the bed, half sobbing, "What am I thinking?" Can I really be so callous as to want Shinji's death so my life will be simpler? she wondered as she stepped further back. She felt cool metal under her hands and realized she'd retreated all the way to the door. "I'm worthless," she moaned,"I'm just like my father... just like yours."

Asuka almost jumped as the door opened behind her. She spun around, the motion causing some of the moisture in her eyes to spill out. The open door admitted an exhausted-looking Kaoru, who instantly locked his eyes on Asuka's.

"You have been crying," Kaoru said softly, stepping towards the redhead as he quietly closed the door. He started to reach towards her face, as if to brush the teardrops away, but he stopped halfway through the motion.

Asuka noticed his red-rimmed eyes, and the faint worry lines that seemed to have appeared overnight. "You've been crying, too," she responded quietly. Her own hands crept forward, but she forced them to stay at her sides.

Kaoru nodded slowly, his frown deepening. After a moment he asked, "What is wrong, Asuka? Is something wrong with Shinji?"

Asuka shook her head, feeling new tears creeping into her eyes. "No," she whispered, her voice almost cracking with her emotional strain, "I'm the problem." She tried to run out of the room past Kaoru, but he stepped into her path. As she collided with him, the strength went out of Asuka and she collapsed against the fallen angel's chest.

"I'm so worried," she moaned, clinging tightly to Kaoru's shirt, "And I don't know how I feel anymore..."

Kaoru raised his arms to protectively encircle the girl. "I understand," he whispered, supporting her against his chest. "I have been... confused also. "

"About what?" Asuka asked.

"My feelings for you, and... for Shinji," Kaoru quietly replied.

"I think we may have the same problem," Asuka said, fighting back a new wave of tears.

Kaoru nodded slowly, gazing steadily at the redhead. "It is hard for you to tell me this," he noted.

"I... I'm not used to sharing how I feel," Asuka replied. "Two days ago, I probably couldn't have told you that, but..."

"But you found out that Shinji loved you," Kaoru finished.

Her voice barely above a whisper, Asuka asked, "You knew? He told you?"

Kaoru smiled sadly, saying,"He could never find the strength to tell you himself. He feared your reaction."

Asuka gave out a ragged moan and completely slumped against the fallen angel. She felt his arms tighten around her as she threatened to fall to the floor. "I've been so stupid," she gasped, "I always pushed him away... I was too afraid to let anyone in where I could get hurt... and all along we could have healed each other if we'd only..."

"Shh," Kaoru soothed, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back. "There is still time, Asuka. Shinji will wake up, and you can start over, the right way."

"But..." Asuka protested.

Kaoru cut her off. "But there is that other boy, is there not?" he asked.

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Maya almost jumped as the computer beeped at her. She cursed herself briefly for losing her focus at such acritical time, quickly turning her attention to the monitor. She shook the mouse, bringing the screen to life, and then froze as she saw the program's output.

Results for Entity: Ayanami Rei
No isomorphic match found
Nearest Neighbors (% Homology)
Entity: ADAM (65)
Entity: LILITH (53)
Strain: Homo Sapiens Sapiens AJ (51)
Strain: Homo Sapiens Sapiens AC (51)

"This can't be right," Maya muttered under her breath. "There's no way she can be closer to Adam than Lilith." When she'd had her job here before, the results had always been the same. No species, not even humans, had greater than 20% sequence homology with Adam. Yet here she had a blatant contradiction of that rule.

"Probably a glitch in the program," Maya muttered to herself, but she mentally added, Or perhaps this is why Gendo wanted to keep me from looking. She called up a new search. Only one way to find out, she thought as she directed the program to compare mitochondrial DNA for all pilots, ADAM, and Lilith. The results would reveal Rei's lineage for certain.

She initialized the comparison engine, then leaned back in her chair. This would take far less time than the first search, because she only had a few sequences to investigate. She glanced at her watch. A good thing, too, she thought, I've got duty in less than an hour.

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"That's the whole problem," Asuka agreed. "I care about both of you, and I... I feel like I'm toying with both of you. I... I can't let myself betray either of you, but I don't know how to avoid it."

Kaoru gently pulled Asuka back from his chest. She looked up, afraid to meet his gaze, but at the same time longing to see acceptance in it. The grey-haired boy smiled at her and said,"I understand... I love you too, but I do not know how to characterize my feelings. All these different kinds of love are still so new to me... they seem... artificial... somehow."

"But what can I do? How can Ichoose one of you without hurting the other?"

"Do not worry," Kaoru said, pulling her closer for a moment. "Shinji and I both love you, and we love one another also. If you care for both of us, but ultimately choose one, the other will understand."

Asuka shook her head. "That can't work," she said, "If you love me like you say, then whoever Idon't choose will still get hurt."

"Pain is a part of life," Kaoru responded, "It is the joy of loving others, and feeling their love for you, that makes the pain worthwhile. I know you can only choose one of us as your mate. That does not mean you cannot still love the other. There will be pain, yes... but we can overcome it, because we love each other."

Asuka looked up into Kaoru's eyes."I..." she said, starting to protest, but trailed off. After a moment, she straightened slightly and hugged the fallen angel as tightly as she could."Thank you," she said at last. "For everything."

When she felt collected again, Asuka stepped back from Kaoru and straightened her dress. "I guess Ishould be going," she said quietly.

"Do you not want to wait for Shinji to wake up?" Kaoru asked, smiling.

Asuka turned back towards the bed and saw that Shinji had begun to toss and turn. In a few quick steps she had reached his side, with Kaoru just behind. The red-haired girl very gently reached down and grasped Shinji's hand, but even that light touch seemed to jolt the boy to consciousness. His eyes flew open, staring blankly out into the dim room until they focused on Asuka.

With an almost convulsive movement, Shinji bolted upright in the bed and wrapped his arms around Asuka. Pressing his cheek against hers, he murmured, "You're all right, you're all right... oh God, I was so worried...." Suddenly, he realized what he was doing and released her, letting his arms fall into his lap. "I... I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, staring down at his hands. "I just... Ihad such terrible dreams... nightmares... about the battle. I... I..." he said, trailing off at the end.

Asuka reached out and placed ahand underneath Shinji's chin, raising it so she could see into his midnight-blue eyes. "Don't apologize, Shinji," she whispered,"Not for this."

Shinji took a deep breath, and then calmly reached out to hug Asuka again. She sat next to him on the bed, wrapping her own arms around her roommate. "Asuka," he whispered,"I... I've been a coward."

"Don't say that, Shinji. It's not true, no matter how many times I've said it."

"Yes it is... I've been afraid to tell you something... something you need to know. I... I know you may not feel the same way about me, but... you make my life complete in a way nobody else does. I never told you because I thought... I thought you might get mad and leave, and I knew I couldn't face life without you again. I... I love you, Asuka. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Asuka shifted so that she was eye to eye with Shinji. "Idiot," she whispered, "I love you, too." With that, she leaned forward and briefly pressed her lips against his. Pulling him tightly against her, she said, "I'm the one who owes you an apology... I was so cruel to you from the moment I got here. I'm amazed you don't hate me."

"I don't... I could never..." Shinji replied, but Asuka shook her head.

"You should have. For awhile, I hated you... or I thought I did. I think... I think I saw how much you could mean to me. It scared me, and I tried to fight it," Asuka said. She took a deep breath, then continued, "I'm still a little afraid... I'm so worried that I'll hurt you, or Kaoru. It frightens me how much you both need me... and how much I need you. I'm still not sure where my heart will lead me, but I want you to know no matter what happens, I love you."

After a few moments, the two teenagers relaxed their holds on each other. Asuka kissed Shinji on the cheek and stood, straightening out her dress as she stepped back from the bed."I should go tell Misato you're up," she said, not moving towards the door. "She's been worried sick about you."

Shinji smiled slightly, saying,"Yeah... I'd like her to know I'm all right."

Asuka nodded. "All right, then. I'll be back in a bit," she replied, then turned and walked to the door. As she opened it to step out, she looked back towards the two boys and said, "Thank you... both of you."

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Misato suddenly realized she had been staring at the ramen cup for nearly three minutes. With a sigh, she tossed it into her shopping basket and continued down the aisle. She'd had difficulty concentrating all day Maya's troubling revelations the day before had kept creeping into her mind, disrupting any line of thought Misato was on.

Of course, Maya's secrets were only one factor contributing to Misato's distress. Alone, the technician's affair with Gendo probably wouldn't have been so worrisome, even with the deep suspicion Misato had towards her commander. Its conjunction with the injuries Shinji and Rei had suffered, and the perilous emotional states of Asuka and Kaoru, however, was easily enough to drive Misato to distraction. The fact that she'd been barred from seeing Rei at all since the accident was the final straw. Misato had barely gotten to the store without an accident; even her usual reckless driving had never caused so many close calls before.

A dull pain from her mouth drew Misato's attention to the fact that she had been gnawing on her lower lip for the past few moments as she reviewed her troubles. She smiled, remembering how many times she'd seen a worried Makoto do the same thing in Central Dogma during a battle. I guess what Kaoru said is right, she thought as she headed towards the beer cooler in the back of the store, We really do start to resemble the people we love. She chuckled as she tossed a six pack into her basket, thinking, I wonder if I'll start acting like the kids soon.

Reminded of her charges, Misato decided to check her voice mail, in case the doctors had called to give her any updates about the children. She set her grocery basket on the floor and pulled her phone from its place at her hip. When she flipped it open, however, she saw that the battery had died. Strange, she mused, I could have sworn Irecharged it last night... I guess I must have just forgotten. She slid the phone back into its case and retrieved the basket. "Oh well," she muttered, "I'll just have to call in when I get home. I doubt anything important has happened, anyway."

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"That's funny," Asuka mumbled as she dropped the phone back into its cradle, "It didn't even ring." She nodded to the nurse at the station, then turned towards the elevators. "I guess I should go home and wait for her," Asuka muttered as she punched the button to summon the lift. "She's probably shopping or something."

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The simple apartment had never improved from its sorry state. Unopened letters poured out of the overburdened mail slot, and papers lay strewn wildly about the room, covering the unmade bed, dresser, and floor with careless equality. The pale grey linoleum floor tiles hid beneath a brown crust of grime, and green spots of mildew marred the ceramic surfaces of the bathroom.

"You offered her so little, Ikari. I wonder why she never abandoned you," said the old man as he stood just inside the unlocked door. Wisely deciding to keep his shoes on, he carefully stepped into the cluttered apartment, ignoring the odors wafting from the kitchenette and the sputtering mini-fridge. His ebony cane tapped the tiles only lightly, leaving no impression on the dirt with its hoof-shaped foot.

Taking a longer look around the room, the old man sneered, "In such opulence do His servants live. /Allahu-akbar/indeed." With a sweep of his arthritic hand he overturned the plain mattress, watching as the cheap synthetic padding spilled out of it onto the floor. "Such devotion will make my task far more difficult," the old man muttered angrily as he began to stalk out of the apartment.

Turning, the old man caught aglint of sunlight reflecting from something on the floor. He bent down to grab the reflective object, and lifted Gendo Ikari's glasses from the floor. Holding them in front of his visor, the intruder noticed the prominent cracks in the plain lenses-some old and filled with grime, others newer and clean. The old man chuckled to himself as he let the shattered lenses fall to the floor."Perhaps the strings are broken after all," he whispered, then laughed quietly and added, "And Ikari will dance to my song, strings or no."

The old man left the small room as carefully has he had entered, turning back as he reached the door. "This too will be mine," he muttered, then left.

The lengthening shadows had no reply.

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The workstation beeped again, and Maya turned away from the door. She'd heard sounds in the lab only a second ago, and her heart was still pounding loudly in her chest. Hoping the noise had come from one of the automated machines, she turned back to the computer and examined the output.

MITOCHONDRIAL DNA ASSESSMENT
REFERENCE SEQUENCE: Ayanami Rei
EXACT MATCHES FOUND:
Entity: ADAM
Entity: LILITH
Entity: Ikari Shinji
Entity: Ikari Yui
Entity: Nagisa Kaoru

"You took quite a risk, Lt. Ibuki," a voice behind Maya said as she read the last line. The young scientist gasped and spun around, awkwardly falling against the workstation."You should feel lucky that I'm on your side," the voice continued as Kouzou stepped out of the shadows in front of her.

"Vice-Commander!" Maya gasped, nearly collapsing onto the table, "You scared me to death!"

"I apologize," the old man replied, motioning Maya away from the monitor. He leaned down and inspected the results from the program. After a moment, he turned to Maya and said,"This is what Gendo tried to hide?"

Maya nodded, her heart still thumping from the shock of being found. "They they're all from the same family. One of them may even be the mother of the rest," she answered, after taking adeep breath to try and calm her nerves.

Kouzou stood and started to leave the room. "Report to Central Dogma for your shift, Lieutenant... as soon as you erase all evidence of your activities here. Have Lt. Hyuga help you contact Major Katsuragi... we need the whole staff on hand for what's coming."

"What is coming, Vice-Commander?" Maya asked as she reached over and started to clear the workstation's memory.

"The end, Lieutenant."

"The end of what?"

"Unless we are prepared, mankind."

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"You sure know how to pick'em, Kensuke," Touji said as the train pulled into the main Tokyo-3 terminal. As the four children stood and waited for the doors to open, he continued. "Five minutes from the city, and you wouldn't know it from the light we could see everything!"

"Thanks!" the bespectacled youth replied, shifting his telescope case on his shoulder."We got really lucky, though. The alignment of the planets, the fact that the impact occurred right after sundown... it's almost like we were meant to see it."

"Well, like Touji said, you still picked a good spot. We all liked it. Right, Anita?"

The small girl who had been clinging tightly to Touji's hand nodded vigorously, saying, "Yeah! It was pretty!"

Touji grinned and lifted his sister up to his shoulders as they left the station. "It's not every day you get to see a comet collide with a planet. Now the Martians know how we felt, I guess."

"Thank goodness for modern optics," Kensuke said. "Twenty years ago you'd be lucky to see something like that from the ground at all."

"Well, where to now?" Touji asked as the children started to make their way down the street. Really, I don't care, Touji thought as he glanced at Hikari. Anita shifted on his shoulders and the one-time athlete's smile widened. I'm with the two most wonderful girls on the planet. Anywhere I'm with them is perfect.

"I think we should go to the shopping district," Hikari said, smiling back at her boyfriend."We'll get some get-well presents for Shinji and Rei."

The mention of the two injured children darkened Touji's mood for a moment. "I wish they'd let us see them," he growled. "They need their friends at a time like this."

Kensuke stopped dead at those words, going a little pale, but Hikari didn't seem to notice. "I know," she agreed, "but it's not just us. Asuka told me the other day that nobody's been allowed to see Rei except the doctors."

Anita apparently noticed Kensuke's change of mood, because she suddenly asked, "Are you okay, Ken-kun?" She squirmed slightly and Touji acknowledged the hint by setting her down. The little girl ran over to the military nut, her short hair bouncing with her exaggerated steps. "I'll hold your hand if it makes you feel better," she promised.

Kensuke smiled weakly and shook himself. "I... it's nothing," he said. He reached towards the little girl, saying "I'll hold your hand anyway, though."

Anita laughed cheerily and seized Kensuke's arm, starting to pull him towards a window full of toys. Hikari wrapped an arm of her own around Touji and began to follow them, saying"Kensuke may have just bitten off more than he can chew."

"I'll bet," Touji said, by now accustomed to his sister's occasional fits of hyperactivity. He chuckled slightly as he saw his camouflage-wearing friend pretending to be interested in a window full of dolls. Touji slowed, though, as he noticed an old man walking along the sidewalk nearby.

Unlike the other pedestrians, who constantly wove around each other, paused to look in the store windows, or stopped to greet old friends, the aging gaijin strolled along the sidewalk, as if the bustle around him did not exist. His eyes hidden by astrange visor, he cut through the throng like a knife the crowd opened up before him and closed behind him, never impeding his progress. The goat's hoof at the foot of his ebony cane tapped the ground lightly as he walked, as if the gnarled hand that clenched the delicately carved dragon at its top did so more out of affectation than need for support.

Touji shrugged and started to turn away, but froze, startled, when the gaijin's head snapped around to gaze directly at the one-time athlete. Touji's feet seemed rooted to the ground for a moment, but when the old man spoke to him, he hurried towards the toy store as quickly as he could.

For when the old man's lips had moved, Touji had heard the papery voice as if the speaker stood right next to him instead of across a crowded street. And though the now-sinister gaijin said only one word, it had chilled the boy to his core.

The old man had sneered,"Fourth."

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"I just don't understand it!" Maya shouted, slamming her hand down on the console. After taking afew deep breaths to calm herself, she cut off the call for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Still not able to get through?" Makoto asked.

"I can't even get it to ring!I've tried her cell phone, her home phone, even my home phone just to check if anything's working. Nothing's gotten through!"

Makoto shook his head and returned his gaze to the diagnostics screen he had been inspecting. "It's the strangest thing," he commented. "According to the Magi, nothing's wrong, but I can't seem to get anything useful from the external feeds just static. It's like they're seeing something we don't."

"Well, we better start seeing the same thing soon... I have a feeling that if we don't there'll be Hell to pay."

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"I'm glad it's over," Shinji said, sitting up on the edge of his bed.

"What is over?"

"The hiding," Shinji said, "Disguising how I felt because I was afraid. I'm glad that's over. Since I've come here, everything bad in my life has started changing, and Ithink I'm at the end of that, the start of a better life."

"I am happy for you," Kaoru replied, smiling. "You deserve that."

Shinji grinned back at his friend for a moment, then tentatively stretched his arms. "I don't feel as weak as usual," he commented, then added, "which is odd, because I've been in here for what, two weeks?"

Kaoru nodded. "The doctors told me that they decided to try stimulating our muscles to prevent atrophy while we were ill. I also felt unusually strong when I awoke."

Shinji slid down from the bed and walked over to the small closet. He stopped with his hand on the door and asked, "Misato didn't try to do the laundry again, did she?"

Kaoru laughed quietly and replied,"No. Hyuga-san took care of the chores."

"That's good," Shinji replied. He reached into the closet, but stopped again when the door to the room opened to reveal the Vice-Commander. The old man paused in the doorway for amoment, then stepped in.

"It's good you're awake, Shinji-kun," Fuyutsuki said, the severe set of his face softening for amoment.

"Why are you here... sir?" Shinji asked. The Vice-Commander had never seemed particularly concerned about him before. "Does my... father... want to see me?"

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "I came to see you on my own, Shinji. Tonight many things may happen tonight. Ithought that... in case I had no other chance, I should tell you something."

Shinji let the closet door close."What"

"When your mother got into the Eva that day, she made a great sacrifice so that you would have a future. Ijust needed to tell you, as someone who knew her well, that she would be proud of you."

Shinji tried to speak, but found that his throat had constricted around the words, holding them inside.

The Vice-Commander looked uncomfortable for a moment, then cleared his throat. "I have to leave now, Shinji... I'm needed to deal with a delicate situation, one that could well get out of hand before this night is over. Though I'd rather it not be so, you may be needed to help. Whatever happens tonight, I want you to trust yourself to do the right thing. In spite of your father, your past... in spite of everything... you've become a good person. In the end, I think that will be all you need."

With that, the Vice-Commander turned and left the room, leaving Shinji staring slack-mouthed at the door.

"Shinji-kun? Are you all right?" Kaoru asked, rising from the place he'd taken in a chair.

"She died..." Shinji finally whispered.

"Shinji?"

"She died... for me..."

"What happened, Shinji?" Kaoru asked, finally grabbing hold of Shinji's shoulders.

The blue-eyed boy allowed himself to collapse against the fallen angel, murmuring, "My mom... died inside Eva... I never knew why she..."

"Shinji..."

"She... the Eva... absorbed her, like it did me... only she didn't escape."

Kaoru tensed up instantly, and Shinji almost staggered back, surprised by his friend's sudden change in attitude. Blinking to clear the tears away from his eyes, Shinji turned towards his friend.

Kaoru's milky skin had somehow gotten paler, seeming almost transparent. His eyes were wide, and he trembled slightly. After a moment, he shook his head and gasped, "You were absorbed by the Eva? That... that is not possible!"

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

Misato slid her card through the slot on the door and gracelessly kicked the door open, trying to maintain agrip on the ten or so bags she had carried up with her. As the group of bags threatened to get out of hand, Asuka appeared just inside the apartment and grabbed one of them, lessening her guardian's load.

"Well, I can guess where you've been," Asuka commented as she carried her bag to the kitchen, setting it carelessly down on the table. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours."

"Sorry," Misato replied, shrugging out of her jacket and placing it on a chair, "My cell phone batteries died about halfway through my shopping trip. What did you need me for?"

Asuka smiled and said,"Shinji's awake."

"Really?!" Misato shouted, then dove for the phone. She quickly tapped in the number for Shinji's room in the infirmary, then waited for him to pick up.

The phone on the other end didn't even ring.

Misato waited for nearly a minute, then slowly returned the handset to its cradle. Don't panic, she told herself, It's probably just a little glitch or outage... But even as she turned away from the phone, Misato had a vision of the orange text she had read on the Magi screens: text that inextricably linked the Commander to the men who had destroyed her world.

"You won't do it again," she muttered, then grabbed her jacket off the chair. "Come on Asuka!" she called, "We're going to HQ."

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

Kouzou had not turned the lights up when he entered the room. His reflective mood and the business it would hopefully precede were better suited to the darkness. He leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, calmly eyeing the frail shape resting on the bed. After amoment, he shifted his gaze to the smaller, sturdier form at rest on the side table.

His hand trembling in revulsion, he dragged his fingers along the barrel, feeling the black matte surface with all the eagerness of a man touching a corpse. He shook his head and stood, trying to walk off the memory the firearm had elicited.

Kouzou stared at the gun for several moments, noting the warmth of the black barrel, the slight sulfuric smell, the coolness of the checkered grip. Then, with a frown of disgust, he threw the recently-fired weapon down onto the lifeless body of Kaji Ryouji.

I shouldn't hate the gun, Kouzou thought, crossing his hands behind his back, It is only a tool: neither good nor evil but for the will of the man wielding it.He turned his gaze towards the girl on the bed. And yet, he mused as Rei slept motionlessly, The creator's own evil can imprint itself upon the tool. Made to kill a man, or made to kill mankind... both indict the maker. What drove me to help construct... it? her? I no longer know what to say.

For a moment, in the darkness, Kouzou could see another face on the albino girl, a face somewhat older, but made more beautiful by its warmth. I guess I am a fool asking questions when I already know the answers. Gendo's selfishness, my selfishness... we wanted the same thing, though I never suspected how costly it would be. I never understood the price a resurrection would exact. He glanced back towards the gun, only a few steps away should he need it, and frowned. "Now I know all too well."

Kouzou leaned forward on the railing of the hospital bed, partially balancing himself with his hands. He could feel them trembling, their grip made insecure by his self-disgust. "Who will wield you, Rei? Can anyone wrest you from Gendo? Can I?"

Kouzou closed his eyes momentarily, trying to prepare himself for the dangerous task ahead. After afew deep breaths he felt ready to face the future. He straightened to turn away from the bed, but Rei's face caught his attention. Though her expression had been perfectly neutral only moments before, the corners of Rei's mouth had now turned upwards in a slight smile.

"Can the weapon wield itself?" Kouzou quietly asked.

Any answer was forestalled as the door slid open.

"I did not expect you to be here, Kouzou," Gendo said quietly, his words slow and precise.

Kouzou turned slowly, pretending not to hear the chill in his superior's voice and replied, "You aren't the only one who cares about her, Gendo."

Gendo snorted. "She is only atool, Kouzou. A pawn to advance the plan."

"Is that all she means to you?All she meant?"

Kouzou's effort produced arewarding flash of anger in Gendo's expression, but the Commander quickly brought himself back under control. He replied, "Perhaps she meant more, once. Perhaps. But it was only Yui's memory I'm sure of that now."

"You weren't sure before?"

Gendo ignored the response, instead saying, "It's too bad I didn't know where you were. You missed quite a show."

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Kouzou could only muster, "Eh?"

"Hojevah-Mahbra 4 collided with Mars less than an hour ago," Gendo said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Kouzou raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic gesture, but knew he couldn't respond. He had to keep the conversation going until he had a chance.

"Is that so? I never knew you cared for astronomy, Gendo. A new hobby, perhaps?"

Gendo's lips curled slightly upward in a sly smile. "An old one, actually," he replied. "Man has always watched the stars, hoping to find signs of the future in light from the past. Superstition, mostly, but many superstitions have a basis in reality. God occasionally heralds his greater deeds with signs in the heavens."

"I suppose that /would/fit with your obsession for prediction," Kouzou said, frowning. The gun was so close...

"Indeed. The stars have told me that my wait has ended."

Kouzou stiffened. The gun now seemed much too far away. "Gendo, I know what you plan to do," he calmly said.

"Do you?"

"I also know that there are alternatives. You could change the course..."

"But I will not."

"I know," Kouzou admitted. If only I could use the tools as well as he can, the professor thought, eyeing the impotent weapon on the end table.

Gendo pulled his hands out of his pockets, and Kouzou instantly saw that one of them held a silenced pistol."I can't leave any loose ends, Kouzou," Gendo said, his voice smug,"Forgive me, old friend."

Kouzou stared into Gendo's eyes, and for a moment he almost thought he could see the emotions hidden behind the orange lenses. The old professor stood as straight as he could, knowing he could never reach his own pistol, and fired the only shot he had left. He took a deep breath, and said, "No."

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

The darkness seethed, whirling with the tortured movement of malevolent shadow-draped shapes. The boiling gloom constantly brushed up against Rei's unprotected skin, a thousand unwanted caresses from scabrous hands. The crimson-eyed girl floated frozen in that blackness, powerless to defend herself against the grasping demons of her subconscious mind.

Rei no longer knew how long she had been the victim of this assault. It seemed almost timeless, a pressure on the borders of her being that had neither beginning nor end. Despite the weariness of her spirit, though, Rei felt something inside her that pressed her to endure. She almost felt as if she were gaining strength from a connection of some kind, though to whom or what she could not fathom.

Even so, she felt herself weakening, fading away from the fatigue of facing her violation. The connection that brought her strength seemed weakened and tenuous, and Rei expected it to disappear completely soon. She did not know if she could hold to existence after that. She did not even know if she wanted to.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared directly in front of her and a glowing ocean of particles began moving away from the center of her visual field.

Rei felt charged by a sudden burst of energy as the tenuous connection transformed from a mere thread into a great conduit, funneling power into her soul she could not have imagined scant seconds earlier. The violent darkness retreated from the blue glow that suddenly enveloped the pale girl, leaving her with only two figures.

"Ikari," she whispered, and both of them turned towards her.

"The time has come, Rei," one said, and as he spoke it seemed that the amber lenses shielding his eyes transformed into something else. For a brief moment, his face became craggier, his hair grey. Then it resumed the shape she had known all her life the familiar visage of Ikari Gendo.

"Don't trust a father like him," the other said, and as he spoke it seemed a woman stood behind him, a woman whose smiling face looked not unlike Rei's own. The phantom faded though, leaving Ikari Shinji standing alone.

"You have been given apurpose, Rei... a purpose you must fulfill. Do not waste time with these foolish things," the elder Ikari retorted, the traces of grey fading into and out of his hair once again.

Shinji slowly reached out towards her, a slight smile on his face. "You don't have to be lonely, Rei," he said. An image of her filthy apartment momentarily flashed in front of Rei's eyes, quickly resolving once again to the glowing void and the two Ikaris.

"What should I do..." she muttered, glancing from the Ikari she had known and trusted to the one she did know and trust.

"You should obey orders, as you always have," Gendo commanded, his face stony.

"I think maybe... you should smile," Shinji suggested, his hand still extended towards the blue-haired girl.

The decision took only a moment, as years of mental discipline showed their benefit.

Ayanami Rei smiled, and the darkness evaporated.

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

Gendo casually tossed the syringe away from the bed, not caring what happened to the vessel now that it had served its purpose. As the wire-thin needle bent itself on the plastic tiles, Gendo pressed the cotton gauze down on the puncture site in Rei's arm. It would not do for any of the drug to leak back out of her veins-its nature left little room for error. As he waited, the Commander allowed his gaze to wander up from the inside of her elbow towards her face.

Rei's face; Yui's face. Gendo had suffered through ten years of nearly unbearable torture to have Yui, his/Yui, so close, near enough to touch... and yet not there at all. Tonight, though, Gendo's eyes did not mistake the pale blue hair for brown, the milky skin for rose. /Tonight, at last, it ends, he thought, staring at the young girl who at once embodied his anguish and promised to deliver him from it.

Realizing that the injection would soon take effect, Gendo stepped back from the metal-railed bed. Just as he did so, Rei let out a strangled scream and bolted upright in the bed, her body twisting painfully as she fell forward, bent double. Another convulsion sent her crashing into the rails so strongly that the entire bed rolled several centimeters to the left. She continued to thrash around wildly for several seconds before she at last collapsed in a shuddering heap in the middle of the bed.

Satisfied that the drug had taken effect, Gendo stepped forward and grabbed Rei by her hospital gown, lifting her from the antiseptic sheets. "The time has come, Rei," he said,"You must fulfill your purpose."

Rei's eyes fluttered open, and she stared dully at the man who had ruled her life. With a wheezing voice, she protested, "I am... not... your doll."

Gendo smirked and lifted the girl bodily out of the bed, untroubled by her feeble attempts to fight him off."If you say so," he said, half dragging the girl towards the door. As he reached it, he dropped Rei to the floor, where she made several ineffectual attempts to lift herself up while he removed the silenced pistol from his pocket. He checked the clip, and decided that eleven bullets would probably be enough to clear the way to the elevators. "Don't struggle so hard, Rei," the Commander whispered as he knelt down to pick her up again. "The drug Iused to wake you up will disrupt your motor nerves for some time yet."

Slinging the girl over his shoulder, Ikari Gendo kicked the door open and stepped out into the hall.

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

"Touji, are you even paying attention?"

The crippled boy nearly jumped, startled out of his reverie by the voice of his girlfriend. Seeing Touji's momentary distress, Hikari stepped out from the racks of dresses and wrapped an arm around him. "Are you all right, Touji?" she asked, tightening the hug for a moment.

"Yeah," the former jock replied, "I... I'm just thinking."

"Worried about Shinji and Rei?"

"Yeah... I guess."

"You don't need to worry, big brother!" Anita said, clamping onto Touji's leg. "Shinji'll get better!" In a less sure voice, she added, "Right, Ken-kun?"

Her question did not get an answer. The color drained from Kensuke's face, and he put an arm out against the wall of the department store to steady himself.

"What's going on here?" Hikari demanded, looking at the two boys. "Are you hiding something from us?"

Touji shook his head and put an arm around her shoulders, saying, "No, Hikari... I just... have a bad feeling, tonight..." He gazed out the window at the crowded streets, just as he had been doing moments ago, looking for the strange old man. I must have imagined it, he thought, I'm just worried about Shinji, and it's making me see things. He shook his head, and continued, "It doesn't matter, though. Let's... let's go buy some get-well presents for Shinji and Rei."

"Presents?" Anita asked hopefully.

"Not for you, kiddo," Touji chided, "But maybe if you're good..."

Anita beamed at her brother and clung even more tightly to his leg.

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

Gendo dumped Rei from his shoulder into the corner of the elevator, ignoring the groan of pain that warbled from her lips. Reaching underneath the collar of his shirt, Gendo lifted out aslender silver chain. At its end dangled a steel ankh with odd serrations along the longest arm. Gendo inserted it into a hole in the panel, and then hit asmall button marked with a red omega.

As the elevator began to move, Gendo calmly ejected the empty clip from his pistol, simultaneously pulling areplacement out of the inside of his officer's jacket. In a single smooth motion that revealed hours of preparation, Gendo inserted the new clip, cocked the pistol, and fired it into the electronic eye at the top of the elevator.

Lowering the gun, Gendo realized that the temperature in the cabin had increased several degrees. Warily, he turned towards Rei, grunting with relief when he saw she had not moved.

He then smiled, realizing that her skin was glowing.

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

"The first failing of Eden occurred because Lilith agreed to serve the Enemy early on," Kaoru explained, the words rattling rapidly out of his mouth as he paced the hospital room in agitation. "As a result, she and Adam were incompatible. Since Adam still walked in light while she did not, Lilith was expelled. Eventually, life began to spring from her, but neither she nor her children were able to become one with Adam. Nor can those descended solely from her synchronize with Eva, made from Adam. Only those descended from Lilith's first children, who shared the seed of Adam, could pilot the Evangelions. All the pilots, to some extent, were/natus de Adamo/. But Adam's seed entered mankind too long ago. Becoming one with the Eva... being absorbed into it... should be impossible for alilim..." Suddenly, Kaoru froze.

"Oh Allah," he muttered,"I have been a fool."

"What?" Shinji asked.

"I have the answer..." Kaoru began, but the wailing of alarms prevented him from explaining.

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

"Angel detected descending to Terminal Dogma!" Shigeru screamed.

Makoto whirled. "What?" he shouted.

"AT field pattern blue detected in an elevator descending to Terminal Dogma," Shigeru repeated."It's intermittent, but clearly identifiable!"

"Damn!" Maya said, and buried her face in her hands.

"Where is everyone?" Makoto asked, realizing that none of the commanders had arrived. "Shigeru, cut the power to that elevator!" he cried.

"Not working!" Shigeru replied, having already tried that. "Whoever's in there is using a command key. Only the Commanders and Major Katsuragi have the authority to override it!"

"Then get a hold of them!" Makoto screamed.

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

"Proceed immediately to shelters. This is not a drill. Danger imminent. Proceed immediately to shelters," the PA system droned. People were running every which way, the streams of humanity swirling madly in a maelstrom of chaos. Buffeted by the crowds, Hikari, Kensuke, Touji, and Anita tried to make their way towards an appropriate shelter.

"Damn all these jerks who didn't bother to learn the escape routes," Touji muttered. He nearly fell as one of the confused adults accidentally kicked his artificial leg. Hikari reached out and caught him, nearly falling herself as she tried to support the crippled boy.

"We have to make sure we don't get separated," she said. "Kensuke, take Anita's hand, will you?"

The otaku complied, grabbing the little girl's hand gingerly, then squeezing it tightly as another collision with an adult nearly tore her away from the tiny group. "Almost there," he whispered into the young girl's ear. She turned to him and nodded. Her eyes were wide with fright, but she was not crying.

At last the four children came to the large doors of the sanctuary. Touji led them into the huge elevator, then pulled them over to a corner. Within seconds the lift had filled completely with people, and it began its descent to the city bunkers.

"What's going on?" Anita asked. She had spent so long in the hospital that she had missed nearly all the previous combats.

"It's an angel attacking," Touji said. "The Evangelion pilots will take care of it," he added reassuringly when he saw the fright in his little sister's eyes. Hikari nodded and gave the girl a hug to calm her.

Kensuke, however, shook his head."Without Shinji and Rei, how can they defeat it?" he wondered.

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

At the sound of the alarms, Ritsuko quickly stepped out of her apartment and started down the hallway. Her shadow from the JIA was behind her in a second, saying, "Let's get to the shelter."

"No."

"What?"

Ritsuko whirled on the large security man and stared coolly into his opaque sunglasses. "If we go into the shelter, then there's a good chance neither of us will come out alive. I'm not ready to die yet. Are you?"

The security man's face lost its expression of shock, settling back into its impassive professional mask."Where would you have us go, then?"

Ritsuko turned back around and started down the hallway again. "I don't give a damn where you/go," she called. "But /I'm going to NERV."

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

Shinji grabbed the interface clips out of his locker and tucked them into his hair just as Makoto charged into the locker room. "Shinji," he called, "There's no time to change!You have to get to Terminal Dogma immediately!"

"What's happening?" Shinji asked, already headed towards his cage.

"The Commander... he betrayed us," Makoto replied. "He put all the Evas except yours in cryostasis, and now he's taken an angel directly into Terminal Dogma."

Shinji stopped, stunned by the news. Suspicion flashed into his expression and he asked, "Where's Rei?"

"We don't know, Shinji."

"Shinji," Kaoru said,"You have to go now. Like Hyuga-san said, there's no time."

Shinji nodded. "Come with me," he said, starting to move again. "You can boost my synchronization if we need it, and your unit's in stasis."

Kaoru nodded and slid his own clips on, following Shinji as quickly as he could. Both boys clambered into the entry plug, getting only mildly rattled around as it was lifted into position.

As the synchronization initiated, Kaoru felt a brief wave of nausea, something he had never experienced in Units Two or Five. Something inside the Eva itself resisted his integration. But he was /natus de Adamo/, one who could easily synchronize with any Eva, at least in theory. He could think of only one explanation, a hypothesis confirmed when Shinji briefly embraced the fallen angel.

In that moment, the nausea dissipated, and Kaoru became aware of an unusual warmth in the entry plug. It might have been the simple presence of two bodies, but in his heart Kaoru knew better he had experienced this sensation before. Under his breath, he muttered,"Shekina..."

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

The blue sports car screeched to astop in the parking deck of NERV, but the wailing of the alarms overpowered the squealing tires. Misato and Asuka vaulted out of the coupe and charged towards the door. While Asuka swiped their cards, Misato pulled out a large pistol and cocked it. In response to Asuka's questioning stare, Misato replied, "Just in case."

The door opened, and they were off.

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

EVA-01 stood motionless on the shore of the LCL lake in Terminal Dogma. "Come on, move!" Shinji grunted as he tried to will the machine-monster forward.

"Shinji, you're still synchronized... why aren't you moving?" Makoto called.

"I don't know!" Shinji shouted. He looked towards the center of the lake, where Gendo stood impassively at the base of the giant crucifix. Rei was crumpled on the ground next to him. The Commander had the air of a man waiting for a train he knew would be on time, and regarded the motionless Eva without anything resembling fear in his eyes.

"We do not have time to try anything with Eva," Kaoru said quietly. "We have to try and save Rei ourselves."

"Our-ourselves?" Shinji asked. He took a deep breath, then said, "I guess we don't really have achoice."

Shinji ejected the entry plug, and EVA-01 fell still. Kaoru opened the hatch, and both boys splashed out into the lake of LCL. Kaoru felt an eerie chill as he came up knee-deep in the pool where his body had fallen last time he was here. Shinji fell onto his face, and Kaoru helped him up.

"Run on!" Shinji shouted. "I'll catch up. We've gotta save Rei!"

Kaoru nodded and took off, hearing Shinji start up behind him a moment later. Kaoru concentrated on the blue-haired girl, who shivered violently at the foot of the crucified white giant. Blood trickled from the girl's nose, and bruises were beginning to spread on her arms and legs. As he neared the massive cross, Kaoru could see that Rei's breathing was very shallow.

Belatedly, Kaoru noticed that Gendo was removing something from his jacket. The boy was so surprised to see what the object was that he stumbled and skidded forward in the LCL. That stumble saved his life, because the first bullet that Gendo fired went above the fallen angel's head.

But as Kaoru struggled to stand he saw that Gendo had corrected his aim. As Kaoru got to his knees, he found himself looking straight down the barrel of the small, silenced pistol.

Gendo smiled...

...squeezed the trigger...

...and Shinji purposefully stepped in front of his friend. The bullet shattered a lower rib, then ricocheted upward through Shinji's left lung and lodged in his spine.