text: g in his ears. "Toji was transferred to another hospital with his sister. It's in Tokyo-2. He has just one leg." Yes, the athletic Toji has been robbed of his body by none other than Shinji. Why did his friend's Eva have to be possessed by an Angel?
  
  Hikari won't look him in the eyes. She glances at him, but she doesn't smile or confront him. The class representative liked Toji, more than Shinji realized. Sorry Hikari. I was too weak to save Toji.
  
  Rei stares out of the window instead of listening to the professor's lecture, but Shinji wishes she wasn't here. She's a gravestone of Rei, never letting him forget the moment of her death. Noone else wants her here either, though they are unjustified. Shinji's Rei killed the angel, but the result was Tokyo-3 flooding. The ocean took back mankind's greatest efforts, and the civilian casualties were massive. They all think this is the same Rei who caused their friends and families' death. The rebuild was quick, but family can't be replaced. Shinji knows that all too well.
  
  Asuka's empty chair forces the image of her exposed breasts to the boy. Behind all of her anger and her attitude is a girl, a young and broken girl. Asuka, are you hurt like me? Yes, she is. If Shinji was brave like her, then he'd try to kill himself, too.
  
  The bell rings. The class leaves for lunch, and Shinji tries to hide in the crowd. His head hangs low and his shoulders slouch. He eats lunch away from everyone else wallowing in his own misery and self-hatred. The boy's body may be at the school sitting on a bench, but his mind rests behind a wall of depression.
  
  Over the babble of schoolboys and schoolgirls, Shinji hears a grunt, Rei's voice. He looks up. She never grunts.
  
  Not twenty meters ahead of him, Rei lies on the ground. Blood oozes from her head, but she grabs her book and stands. Three boys circle her. One holds a wood club, maybe from a chair. Another one kicks her, but Rei doesn't fall this time.
  
  > protect Her
  "Hey!" Shinji charges at the gang without thinking. The students move their gazes to the brawl. All three boys are tall like Toji, and Shinji is weak from his miserable state; however, that doesn't stop him. He slams his shoulder into the boy holding the club. He misses and trips, slamming into the pavement. The predators laugh as as blood drip from Shinji's scraped arms.
  
  "Not so tough without your monsters," sneers one. He pushes Rei down. Her face refuses to move from its blank stare. Shinji stands, overwhelmed by rage. His body tells him to run, but this's a fight. He only runs before a fight.
  
  He sees white. It takes him a moment to realize that he's been clubbed in the back of his head. He drops to his hands and knees while the explosion of pain at last registers in his mind.
  
  Shinji hears cheering and shouting. He rises and his legs wobble. The three boys are held back by other students and a professor, but he cannot tell if the crowd cheers at their restraint or at his blood.
  
  "Aoi is dead!" shouts the boy who kicked Rei. Somebody takes Rei and the Third Child feels somebody steadying him.
  
  "Let's get you to the nurse," Kensuke says. They walk together behind Rei and Hikari. Shinji's mind drifts.
  
  He opens his eyes. He sees a car, Misato's car. She's driving, so every bump or swerve she makes causes spikes of pain to be driven into the back of his head.
  
  "Pilot Ikari awoke," says Rei. Shinji realizes that his head lies on her legs. Fearful, he tries to move himself away, but her grip is firm. "Stay there." He does. Her hands are warm.
  
  "I'm taking you both to NERV, Shinji." Misato sounds pissed. "You're fine, but the nurse was a dick."
  "Misato, I-I'm sorry."
  "Don't be."
  
  The car's engine roars, but Shinji concentrates on Rei's breathing. She asks, "Why did you help?" Her red eyes stare into his. She has almost a childlike curiosity in them.
  
  Why did he help? Did he think this was Rei? He wants nothing to do with this thing, but he fought to protect her and now he's resting his head on her lap. Shinji does not respond, since he has no answer.
  
  "I could've protected myself, but they were justified. They thought I was the Rei Ayanami who flooded Japan and killed their families. My suffering eased their pain."
  "They could've killed you." Shinji's surprised by the concern in his voice. She's hurt and her head has a bandage stained red.
  "Why did you not care before?"
  
  Shinji looks away. He hurt this copy. No, this is Rei. This is Rei! He hurt Rei. By trying to protect himself, wrapping himself up in a cocoon, he hurt this girl who cares for him.
  
  "I am sorry, Ayanami." Shinji blinks trying to hold back tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I want to be friends."
  "I have no friends."
  "No, you have me."
  
  Shinji closes his eyes. He reaches out his hand and touches Rei's arm. She gasps. Then, she takes hold of his hand.
  
  "Pilot Ikari?" she asks. Her hand grips him as if he could slip out of her grasp.
  "Yes?"
  "Call me Rei."
  
  The boy feels her hand tense. She is worried about what he might do. Don't worry. I will protect you. I won't hurt you anymore.
  
  "Call me Shinji, Rei."
  "Thank you, Shinji."
  
  "While this is great," says Misato, "Save your strength, both of you. You are friends now, but you're both hurt."
  
  Shinji feels happy. He did something good.
  
  > Kiel Lorenz
  Kiel sits behind his desk in the room where he plotted scenes and made decisions that altered the course of history. He has sat here when he and SEELE conducts their holographic meeting. He sat here when he finalized his plans for Second Impact. Now, he sits here staring at a picture of Unit 01.
  
  The Evangelions almost seem to appear out of thin air. One moment, the general populace knows about two, then there are three. For such giants, the units are almost like ghosts from another world.
  
  Evangelions aren't the only giant robots. Many in military ranks believed the Evas to be by definition flawed creatures. The units are organic and rely on a pilot; one who's a child no less. The Jet Alone program was supposed to be the herald to a new era, but their prototype was sabotaged. That much the company figured out, and they suspected it was NERV. Moreover, NERV came to the rescue with an Eva Unit and stopped the Jet Alone prototype from going into nuclear meltdown. The N2 engine was the safe option at this point.
  
  The Jet Alone project was defunded. Who could trust a robot that acts crazier than the organic death machines with their insane child-pilots? Everything went according to plan, but two visionaries funded the project in secret. Kiel didn't care, not until now.
  
  Russia and China saw a dark future, a time where the Angels are defeated, leaving NERV unchallenged. Like the Atom Bomb or the Abrams tank of time long ago, these were weapons that are unmatched on the battlefield. What could stand against the Eva?
  
  Jet Alone.
  
  Now, the first model of the series, Jet Alone Prime, hides underground waiting to be used. Neither of the two countries desired for the robot to be given to just one, so they agreed to wait until the second was created. What could go wrong? The project is beyond classified.
  
  SEELE knows. Gendo is stalling or incompetent, but it doesn't matter. We are ready, and I will acquire another pawn for our chess game.
  
  Kiel Lorenz, the head of SEELE, knows this is a strategic move. Infect Jet Alone Prime with a virus, as it was done once before. Then, send it at Tokyo-3. NERV has to deploy Unit 01, their only functioning unit with a semi-functioning pilot. Then, SEELE would find if the unit is up to its task.
  
  If the Evangelion Unit 01 wins, then SEELE would have a stable enough situation to start Instrumentality. If Jet Alone Prime wins, then NERV will be mocked and shut down. SEELE will take the pieces, including the remnants of Unit 01, and cause the Third Impact. The Human Instrumentality Project nears completion either way. Kiel knows he races against time. His body decays day by day. Already, he has more machinery than old, decrepit flesh.
  
  He desires for Instrumentality before he dies.
  
  > Coming Home
  Asuka stands, but her legs wobble. Her body has deteriorated from being in the hospital for so long. Who cares, anyway? A doctor mentioned Misato entered the hospital which can mean only one thing. She'll take her home. Everyone be damned if they try to stop the spitfire.
  
  The redhead must act as though she's fine, so she can have her chance. She knows her self revulsion for failing. She hasn't healed, but piloting Unit 02 will heal her. It has to.
  
  "Can you walk?" Misato asks, marching into the room. The woman looks drained. Her eyes are sullen, and her uniform could've been through a warzone.
  "Yes." Asuka stands at attention as if she's a soldier.
  "Then put this on." The woman takes off her military jacket, revealing a t-shirt underneath. She tosses the jacket onto the bed.
  "Arschloch, this is all you have to give me?" Her face reddens while she does her best to look infuriated instead of embarrassed. "I matter so little that you make me dress like a girl who screwed a soldier?"
  "I meant to get your clothes, but I had to take Shinji and Rei to the hospital."
  
  The rage in Asuka ends. Her stomach sinks. Did he try to kill himself as well? Is he dead? No, she shouldn't worry about that baka.
  
  Misato clenches her fists in anger. "Some kid bashed the back of Shinji's head with a club. It's just a small concussion. Promise me not to be loud around him, and you can go home."
  "Fine." She crosses her arms and huffs to make the point. "Baka Shinji always gets the best treatment."
  The major smiles. "That's my girl. Let's go."
  
  Asuka rips off the hospital gown. She already wears her undergarments, but she hasn't seen the rest of her clothes after arriving. Some idiot must've lost them or thrown them out. She sighs. The coat will do, so she buttons it up. It covers her rear with mere inches to spare.
  
  She hobbles after Misato. She feels the cramps in her legs, but this does not stop the Great Asuka Langley. She has done everything she could in the last three days to regain her strength. Her efforts come to fruition now.
  
  They wind through a few halls until Misato opens another door. Shinji looks up at them in a daze. He has a bandage wrapped around the back of his head and his elbows. Wondergirl sits next to Shinji.
  
  "What are you doing here?" asks Asuka. She glares at the doll.
  "I was injured," Rei says, "I will go home now. Shinji missed you."
  
  She bows in front of Misato and Asuka, then she walks away. If Shinji missed me, then he'd see me. Instead, I come to him.
  
  "I-I'm sorry, Asuka." Shinji can't even look her in the eyes. With hunched shoulders, he looks at the ground instead. "I couldn't protect you." He buries his face in his hands. As always, the child snivels around her. Almost nothing else irks her more. A more assertive Shinji would almost be tolerable, but this person is the very thing she hates the most. If it wasn't for her promise to Misato, Asuka would yell at him.
  
  "What were you doing with Wondergirl?"
  "Talking."
  "Ha, you two were playing doctor I'd say." She puts her hands on her hips and throws her hair back. I have to act normal. Shinji can't see me weak. No one can.
  Shinji becomes embarrassed. "No, she was being beaten. I, um, tried to help."
  
  How dare he say that! I was being fucking mind raped by an angel and Shinji was pleading to his father in order to be launched. He activated his Eva before in stressful situations. Was I not worth fretting over? Do I mean so little to you, flachwichser!
  
  "But you let me." Her voice seethe with bitterness. Shinji knows exactly what she meant.
  "I..."
  "That's enough, you two," says Misato sounding more like a major instead of their guardian. "We're going home. No arguing or I'll leave both of you overnight."
  
  The children go silent, and they remain that way on the ride home. Asuka expects the boy to steel glances at her legs, or her panties if he's lucky, but Shinji does not even try. He falls asleep, so Asuka sleeps as well.
  
  When they arrive home, Misato leaves. She tells them, "I'm getting takeout." It's a relief. Without Shinji's cooking, this is the only way to eat anything not poisonous. Some of the Angels were less deadly than Misato's attempts at making dinner.
  
  Pen Pen greets her before wandering off to his icebox. The penguin at least seems to like her presence. Shinji, on the other hand, sits on the couch never seeming to get comfortable. He sat there shifting his position when Asuka changed into her own clothes. He sat there when she used the bathroom. He sits there now.
  
  "You're different." Shinji looks more asleep than awake, fighting to keep his eyes open.
  "How?" She frowns.
  "You don't yell at me."
  
  > yell at Him
  "Oh, you Baka!" she yells. "Am I always supposed to yell at you? Is that what you think I'm like?"
  "S-Sorry." His voice sounds so pathetic. It angers her more.
  "Don't fucking apologize and answer my question!"
  "Uh, sorry. Um, what was the question?" She sees true fear in his eyes. Disgusting.
  "Who am I in your perverted eyes?"
  
  He stares at the floor. His breathing quickens. He's scared. The kid who killed Angels, way more than her, fears a fourteen year old girl. Asuka shakes her head.
  
  "Y-you are... uh... I'm..."
  "Spit it out!" She crosses her arms for emphasis.
  "Brave." He backs away, expecting to be punched.
  "Bullshit!" Asuka knows she's many things. A bitch, abusive, prideful, annoying. She lost her bravery when she was mind raped. She's just Asuka the girl now. A scared little girl, not that anyone will ever find out of course. She needs to maintain her appearance.
  
  "No, you never quit piloting. I did. You went into a volcano to kill an Angel. You refused to run away when Ariel was... um, hurting your mind."
  "Baka, I'm a pilot. I don't run away." It's all I have. "It's not an option for me."
  "I want to be like you, brave."
  "For glory?"
  "To protect you, even though you won't say you need it."
  
  The old Asuka would yell at Shinji, claiming she doesn't need protection. Her failures agiant the Angels and in her life prove otherwise. Instead, she says one word. "Goodnight." She closes her eyes, not wanting to be alone tonight. Not after being in that damn hospital so long.
  
  "Goodnight." Shinji doesn't leave either. He won't admit it, but he really likes having Asuka around again. She brings some life into his dark world. She'd hate it if she found out, but Shinji falls asleep staring at her. In his eyes, she's the best pilot that ever lived despite her breakdown, the best friend he ever had despite her hostility.
  
  Misato returns with the food, but her two children sleep on the couch. The woman smiles at the peaceful looks on their faces. She covers each of them with a blanket and kisses both of their foreheads. She spends the rest of the night drinking beer.
  
  > A Demon in the Night
  Rei dreams.
  
  She stands in a control center. The NERV staff rushes around her, but no one notices her. Most of the men and women have no face, just a sheet of skin; however, three are different. Major Misato, Ritsuko Akagi, and Maya Ibuki have faces. They direct the faceless.
  
  "What are you doing?" Rei asks, but they don't hear her. She sits next to Maya, for the young woman is nice to all the pilots. Perhaps she acts pleasant because she hasn't let age harden her soul. Maya's purity and disdain for violence is a refreshing change from the rest of the NERV staff.
  
  Ritsuko says, "Let's begin." The adults look outside, separated by a thick sheet of glass. Rei cannot see over the computers, so she tucks her legs under her body. From her increased height, Rei sees Asuka lying on the other side of the glass, submerged in a container. It is a synchronization test.
  
  "Sync levels at twelve percent," says a faceless one. Ritsuko shows annoyance, but Maya continues to watch the vital signs. From the stats on Maya's monitors, Rei notices that Asuka's heartbeat increases. She looks up and sees Asuka grimacing in pain.
  
  "Stop this," says the blue haired girl, but her voice doesn't register with the adults. The vital signs on Maya's monitors continue to spike. The heart races at a dangerous level. Asuka's brain pattern juts in all directions. The redhead is in danger.
  
  "Asuka is fine," Maya says. No, she is not fine. They must stop.
  
  Asuka opens her mouth trying to scream, but Rei cannot hear her. The glass is soundproof. Ritsuko scribbles in her notebook oblivious to the suffering she causes, and the vital signs plummet.
  
  "Stop, please." Rei raised her voice, but still nobody hears her. Asuka goes limp; her heartbeat stops. The Second Child is dead, but the others don't care.
  
  "Clear out the body. Bring in Shinji." Misato does not care that her ward had died.
  
  Rei stands in her chair. "No!" she screams.
  
  Her eyes open, greeted by the ceiling of her apartment. Rei breathes out hearing the sound of her beating heart. She lies above the bed sheets, for the night is warm and still. It was a dream. Shinji and pilot Langley are alive.
  
  Though, the dream held truth. NERV is emotionless like Rei, but they do not understand the other pilots. They never entered an Eva Unit and felt the weight of millions of lives, perhaps all humanity, resting on their shoulders. Instead, they will never be closer than behind the glass of the control center. This Rei never piloted, but the memories from her predecessor are stark in her mind. Piloting is suffering and pain.
  
  "You wear a bra and panties to bed," says a voice. Rei gasps and sits up. Her A.T. field covers her, but she turns it off when she sees the speaker, Gendo Ikari. Has he visited the other Rei before? This must be important. "Why?" he asks.
  
  Rei says, "Since my predecessor did not." Her predecessor wore either all or none of her clothes to bed; therefore, Rei wear's her undergarments. She desires to be different from the other one who held her name and body. Even if the choice is trivial like this, it establishes some form of identity to the young girl.
  
  They remain silent for a moment. Gendo stands at the side of her bed with his feet on top several old bandages. Shadow covers his body. The head of NERV says in the same emotionless tone that Rei uses, "I see you healed from your wounds." Not even a scar remains which bothers Rei. Neither humans nor the other Rei healed this soon.
  
  "Why are you here?" asks the girl. It must be important. She had always been ordered see Gendo, but he came to her tonight.
  "Everything I do is for a purpose. You were... fashioned for a purpose."
  "I do not remember being fashioned." She does not let him see that she worries.
  
  Rei tucks her legs back until her chin rests on her knees. Her almost nude fetal position would arouse many men, but somehow she knows it makes no difference to Gendo. The girl doesn't care what other men think anyway.
  
  "You are the third," says Gendo. "Do you remember the first?"
  "I thought the previous one was the first, but there's the faintest idea of another." There was another one of me? I wonder what she was like.
  "Ritsuko's mother strangled the first one to death when she was four."
  That girl was blessed. "Was she like me?"
  
  Gendo sighs which surprises Rei. This man could be replaced by a robot, and no one would notice. Now, he shows something even if it is small.
  
  "She was livelier than you, certainly more than the second. You should be thankful of her death. The child is why you can pilot Unit 00."
  
  Each Eva contains a soul, though NERV kept further information from the children. Rei covers her mouth with her hand, for the implications of Gendo's statement have dawned on her.
  
  "My soul was placed into Unit 00?"
  "Part of it was."
  "Is this why I am different?" Her voice shakes like a child who just saw her puppy die. I am not a full person. I have been torn in two.
  "Possibly, but there could be more reasons."
  "What are those?"
  
  Gendo readjusts his glasses. "Would you follow my orders if it would end all suffering?"
  
  > No
  Rei glares at the Commander. "You are Gendo Ikari, so no."
  
  He stands and walks out of the bedroom.
  
  Just as he passes the doorway, she says, "Wait." Gendo stops.
  "Yes?" he asks. The man does not turn around to face her.
  "Why am I not being forced?"
  "You aren't like the second Rei. She was loyal. I could tell her to do anything, and she would do it. You are not that way, and I am glad I recognized that. I need your full submission for my plan. It is the reason why I cloned you and came here tonight. I'm doing it all for your purpose, my purpose. You must be willing for that to happen."
  
  He walks away. Rei covers herself with a bed sheet. She closes her eyes to fall back asleep, but the girl's confused mind keeps rest from her all night.
  
  A single thought rolls through her mind. What is my purpose?
  
  > Healing
  Shinji opens his eyes. His head throbs, but pain is nothing new to him. His stomach grumbles. I'll make breakfast. Oh, wait. This is not my room. This is the living room. I fell asleep out here. On the other side of the couch, Asuka sleeps. Like Shinji, she's also covered by a blanket. The redhead's mouth lies open. Her chest moves up and down rhythmically. She has a childlike innocence on her face. Shinji reaches out to stroke her hair, but he stops. He won't take advantage of her.
  
  Guilt consumes the boy. The site from the hospital clouds his vision. He rolls over to face away from her. How could he have descended into such depravity?
  
  Shinji stands. He wobbles since he feels lightheaded. He regains control, but bumps into the couch. Asuka wakes up.
  
  "Ug, I can't believe I slept next to the baka Shinji," whines the girl.
  "Sorry."
  "If you say sorry one more time, I'll send you back to the hospital." Asuka jumps to her feet and raises her fist.
  
  Shinji widens his eyes before turning away from Asuka. Those scars, he saw her scars. Rage boils over in the redhead. She yells at him, "Look at me!"
  
  "Your wrists." The boy cries as he turns back to Asuka, but he can't look her in the eye. He instead stares at her feet, though he glimpses the mask of anger fall from the girl's face. Asuka fumbles with both arms, trying to find some natural way of covering her scars, but everything's forced. She folds her arms to hide them, but she looks like a lost little girl in the city. What happened to the confident Asuka?
  
  They remain trapped in their current states. Neither can remove their guilty, embarrassed face and replace it with a facade of contentment. The weight of the past few months drops on the two children, the two soldiers. Two sets of tears fall onto the floor, and no noise pierces the pure silence. The teens look up. Each sees a pair of eyes older than most adults. Asuka and Shinji want to run or hide, but neither finds the strength to move.
  
  Shinji says, "I'll g-get breakfast." Asuka nods. She sits at the dining table while Shinji looks through the fridge. Neither child feels hunger; they feel empty. Still, they act as if some form of their routine exists.
  
  Shinji puts the takeout from last night on the table. They eat, sitting at opposite ends of the table covered in beer cans. Both wipe away their tears. Everything is my fault. If I only tried to save Asuka, none of this would've happened.
  
  "One more ride, and everything will be better." Asuka looks up surprised as if she didn't intend to say that out loud.
  Looking down at his food, Shinji asks, "What if it won't be?"
  "I think we know the answer." Asuka points to her left wrist.
  
  A door opens. Misato's moaning travels through the whole apartment. She must've drunk too much last night, but at least she's up. When the major enters the kitchen, she appears better suited for the beach than her own house. She says to the two, "It's good to see you up so early. I got the day off, not the night, but still I'm with you today, a Saturday." She sits in a chair the wrong way, so that her front leans against its back. She smiles at her children.
  
  "Thank you for the food," Shinji says. Asuka takes another bite.
  
  "You two look like shit." The teens freeze when they hear her words. With their attention on her, she continues, "I am concerned for both of you."
  "I'll be better when I pilot again," says Asuka. Shinji doesn't do anything.
  "Today, I have the sole goal of making you two feel better. Asuka, Shinji, what do you want?" Shinji can't look either woman in the eye. Misato shifts her gaze from one child to another.
  "I want to get better. I'm weak." Shinji nods in agreement.
  "It's settled then. Today, we are going to take a walk outside, get some fresh air, have a change of scenery." She claps her hands. "Let's get ready!"
  
  Shinji and Asuka drag their feet to their bedrooms. The boy changes his clothes.
  
  She could be my older sister. She's just fifteen years older than me, yet Misato is so mature. She lost her father at fifteen, but she's fine now. I'm a mess that only makes others' lives worse.
  
  Little does Shinji know, but the major sits in her room waiting for the children to get ready. She clutches the cross that used to be her fathers. She thinks of how these children, except through their cloudy and painful memories, have nothing to remember their mothers by. To Shinji especially, she's the closest thing to a mother he ever had. He was too young when his mom died due to a classified accident with Unit 01, Shinji's Evangelion.
  
  She sighs. Misato didn't take in Shinji due to noble reasons. Help him because she saw herself in the kid. Here was a boy who lost his mother and has a father less loving than even Rei is. Now, she will forever be a part of his life, the parent that she never had and that he need so much.
  
  Asuka... She's another matter entirely. Misato misjudged the girl. She's like an injured stay dog, growling an biting at everyone, lashing out becasue of her own pain. She needs love and care, but her ferocious fangs keep others away. The major doesn't care, not anymore. No wound will be big enough to stop her from helping Asuka.
  
  Misato wipes away a few tears and puts on a smile. "Let's go!" she calls out.
  
  > Maya Ibuki
  First lieutenant Maya Ibuki walks past the towering Evangelion, but she cannot help herself from stopping and staring at it. Unit 00 was the first of all the Evas, a prototype. Still, it survived hell for far too many times. Rei self-destructed the giant, so now they are rebuilding it. It's a miracle of modern science.
  
  "Why are you still here?" says Maya. Nobody notices her words, since they're too busy working on the organics or the machinery. She doesn't dare to think of the cost. They're rebuilding the Eva from nothing but bits and pieces scraped from the ground. If there were more Angels, then this would be a logical choice; however, there are no more. Thus, rebuilding Unit 00 is illogical. Commander Gendo is anything but illogical, so there must be some piece of information she doesn't know.
  
  Maya huffs and leans back against the handrail. If she fell over, she'd be the one scraped from the floor. The walkway stretches across two sections of their base, but it is so tiny compared to the Evangelions.
  
  She sees Ritsuko scribbling away on her notebook, though the blonde doesn't see her. Maya walks back to her station away from the scientist. She used to idolize the woman, her sensei. Ritsuko is a woman of science; this world is one of science.
  
  The Second Impact should've caused a total collapse. Most of the southern hemisphere's population was killed instantly. With the climate changing and the rising sea levels caused by the gaping hole that used to be Antarctica, the other nations proceeded with their only consistent action. They warred. When they stopped, the world was in a perpetual state of collapse. Just under three billion people were alive.
  
  Science saved the day. Evangelions were built, a city survived through far too many Angel attacks, and humanity has a beacon of hope over a decade after the Second Impact. Maya idolized the world's savior, and she idolized the symbol of science. Ritsuko is the very embodiment of a scientist. Cool, calculating, and productive are her character traits.
  
  She chose the wrong idol. Ritsuko is evil. Misato told her of what was held, what Ritsuko held, in the Dummy Plug Plant. Rei bodies were everywhere, waiting to be filled like the current pilot. Was the Rei she always knew a clone? Was there ever an original? Maya may never know, for Ritsuko killed all other Reis. There was no productivity, no calculation in the act. Shit, there was no mercy either. Her idol acted out of petty jealousy.
  
  Maya has no idol, not anymore. She simply does her job and tries to find what other secrets NERV hides. The work is tedious, but no one can know for her own life's sake. No, it is not simply for her life. Rei, Shinji, and Asuka need a voice besides Misato's that shows sympathy.
  
  Units 02 and 01 wait for their pilots. Unit 00 seems to only increase in the speed of its repairs. Gendo is far too cunning to waste resources. Maya will be ready to help the children, no matter how hard that might be, for something is coming.
  
  > Pushing Away
  Asuka staggers through the city. She feels the burn in her legs and chest, but she pushes onwards. In fact, she likes the suffering, since she deserves it.
  
  Shinji walks besides her, huffing. The boy has deteriorated to a lesser extent than she has. Misato runs around the teens, calling out taunts and encouraging words. Some may look on and see a personal trainer with two sheltered, wimpy children.
  
  Asuka glances at her wrists again. The scars have faded into her skin, but the two light streaks are noticeable if one looks close enough. Scheisse, will they stay there forever? The thought of going to class sickens her. To them, she is the Great Asuka Langley, an exotic foreigner with a beautiful body and a fiery temper. If they see her now, then she'd become Failed Asuka, a suicidal freak who looks more dead than alive.
  
  "We're almost home," cheers Misato, "The last one inside does the dishes!" She runs ahead, faster than either child can manage. Weeks ago, they would've kept pace. No, they would've left that woman in the dust.
  
  Asuka stays a few paces ahead of Shinji. He always does the dishes. Even though she'd force him to regardless, the girl does not want the humiliation of finishing behind the baka. The two teens run and hobble down the street and up their apartment's stairs. Shinji passes her at the stair's final step and has a clear shot to the door. Asuka trips him, so he stumbles. She enters the door before Shinji. Misato claps for them with a goofy smile.
  
  "You win," Shinji says between his huffs. He leans over and puts his hands on his knees.
  "Of course. Just be glad your bandages are off. You'd be farther behind then, so don't you dare complain." She pushes her hair back and wipes of the sweat from her forehead. She needs a shower.
  "I won't." He straightens himself back up, but his eyes look dead.
  
  Asuka feels something, a strange emotion. Verdammt, this is empathy, isn't it? Right now, Shinji should not be left alone. Then again, she shouldn't be either. "Misato, I'm going to watch TV. I don't feel like sweating anymore."
  "Are you sure?" Misato asks.
  "Yes. I'll shower later."
  
  She leaves the two behind and plops herself on the couch. The baka will come in soon. She turns on the television but doesn't change the channel, for she freezes when she sees the scars again. Why am I so worried about this? It is on my mind all of the time. Baka Shinji caused this. He pointed it out. Why did he even notice?
  
  She stares at the screen, enjoying the anger that seethes within her. She has felt guilty, worthless, and useless for too long. Anger is a welcome emotion. She focuses on Shinji, imagining his face being smashed by her fists. He'd cower and whimper because he's a doormat.
  
  "Hey Asuka." Misato sits on the couch. "You look beautiful." Has she ever called her that word before?
  "I want to watch this show in silence." Shinji hasn't come yet. Has he become so weak that he can't sit in the same room with her?
  "It's almost silent."
  
  Asuka turns the volume up and looks away from Misato. Some commercial rambles about its product.
  
  "If there is anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you." Misato takes hold of Asuka's hand, but she pulls away.
  "Leave me alone, dummkopf. I'm tired."
  "I am more than just a major and your guardian. I went through horrible things at your age too."
  
  Asuka stands. Shinji is nowhere in site, and her anger has boiled over. Now, it erupts, and anything that crosses paths with the flame will burn. It happens to be Misato.
  
  She shouts, "Oh, and you're such an amazing woman, willing to help little me with life. You're a drunken tramp who's so horrible that she scared Kaji away!"
  
  Asuka leaves slamming her bedroom door closed. Misato is left wondering what she did wrong and stinging from the pain. Kaji loved her, but he's dead. Asuka lashes out when in pain, so she didn't mean those words in her outburst. Everything's fine.
  
  Misato feels a tear falling down her cheek. Then, why am I crying? The woman goes to her bedroom and closes the door. What else can she do?
  
  Shinji pokes his head out from the kitchen. Only Pen Pen wanders around the house. He groans realizing that he should enter one of their bedrooms to help them, but he does not. The boy and the penguin sit on the couch and watch television.
  
  After a few minutes, Misato exits her room. They talk about trivial things like the weather and school. They don't mention anything that hurts, but they say nothing that heals.
  
  Shinji knows what will happen for the rest of the day. He'll cook dinner, Asuka will come out, the three of them will talk with a voice raised a time or two, they'll go to bed, and Shinji will listen to his SDAT player.
  
  His prediction proves to be correct.
  
  > Train Car
  Rei is the third, and three is a good number. Rei is also the last, and being last comforts her. When she dies, her death will be final. The thought must be worrisome to others, but they never had the experience of coming back to life. It was unpleasant.
  
  Now, Rei rides a train full of people. Like blood traveling through the body, the train takes people to vital places like work or school. Rei boarded the train for school. The rhythmic sound of the train reminds her of a beating heart.
  
  Men wearing suits and holding suitcases have faces that range from tired to detached. A few children grumble. Are they wishing for a longer weekend? The train is hit by a small jolt. Someone falls onto the floor of the train car, and she hears a familiar mumble. Rei glances in that direction.
  
  Asuka glares down at Shinji with her hands on her hips, and her face twists into a scowl. She looks cross, even Rei can see that. Shinji stands. Neither has noticed her. In the entire train car, only one section of seats lie open. Rei moves onto the rightmost of the three. She waits for them to walk by, knowing they must sit by her.
  
  "Wondergirl?" Asuka says the words with venom. "Shinji, let's go." She takes him by the hand, but he breaks free and sits next to Rei. "What are you doing?" The redhead stomps her foot, but when neither Eva pilot reacts, she groans. She sits next to Shinji.
  
  The boy jitters. He does not look at anything for too long. "S-Sorry Asuka," he says, "But I thought we could t-talk."
  "Talk about what? How much we kiss Gendo's ass?"
  
  Asuka acts hostile. Why? Perhaps today is a bad day for her, but going to school for the first time in weeks may be the variable causing the situation. To test her hypothesis, Rei decides to start a conversation to gain more information.
  
  Not realizing that Asuka was not being literal, Rei answers her question. "I do not kiss Gendo's buttocks." The two other children strain to hear her words over the train's noise.
  
  Asuka shakes her head muttering, "Du fickfehler." Shinji tries to sink into his chair. His shoulders slouch and he looks down. Is he embarrassed about being pressed against two girls or is he afraid of a fight? Both seem possible.
  
  Asuka fidgets with her hands. She tucks them at her sides, elbowing Shinji in the process. He grunts. Rei notices two pale lines on the redhead's wrist. Perhaps she feels embarrassment for trying to commit suicide? That action does not fit Asuka's public character.
  
  Deciding not to mention the scars but wishing to continue the conversation, Rei says, "Let me stay with you."
  "What?" they exclaim in unison. They both look at her with wide, surprised eyes.
  "Safety in numbers."
  
  Both of them nod. Shinji rubs his forehead. Though it no longer has a bandage, it may be causing him discomfort.
  
  Did she just lie? Yes, Rei lied. She has no fear of hostile students, but she wishes to be with the one who hates her and the one who loved her predecessor. Asuka also needs her acquaintances, if Shinji and Rei qualify, around her. She seems unpredictable at the moment. Does this make me manipulative? Asuka called the other Rei manipulative, though her sketchy memories could be wrong.
  
  "I don't want your sour face around me," Asuka says in a proud tone. Shinji says nothing.
  
  > fabricate a