text: onvince himself.
  
  Rei sees two scared children. Asuka has not found her lost confidence, and Shinji cannot forget Kaworu or Toji. Rei feels scared too. She does not want her friends to die; she does not want to die either. They mean so much to her. Shinji has always been there, in his own way, for her predecessor. Now, he cares for her as well. Asuka might not hate her anymore, and Rei might like the redhead.
  
  Rei walks to the two and outstretches her arms. She hugs both of them. "You are my family." First Shinji then Asuka return the embrace. Hugs are wonderful, warm. Then, they let go.
  
  Without a word, the three walk together to their Eva units. Each teen steps into an entry plug. The tubes fill with LCL fluid as Rei clears her mind. Everything around her flashes different colors, and Rei and her Eva sync together.
  
  Hello? We don't have much time. Can you hear me? I am the third; you are the first. I need your knowledge.
  
  She feels nothing but the normal psychosis. Each Eva has its own personality, and this one seems murderous, unhinged. Rei did not know why, but now she understands.
  
  You're a little girl strangled by Ritsuko's mother. I know how it feels, to die yet live. We are the same. We share the same soul. Am I the logic and you the emotion? Is this why we're so broken? Gendo did this. Do you hate him like I do?
  
  She hears no response. The girl sighs.
  
  "Your sync ratio's almost fifty percent," says Misato, "Great job!"
  "Thank you. The girl hides her disappointment. "How is the Second Child?"
  "Hey Ritsuko! What is she at?" Rei hears voices in the background but cannot tell what they are saying. "Holy fucking shit! She's at forty-seven percent! Better than last time. Asuka, did you hear that?"
  "Of course I'm better!" Through the video feed, Rei sees Asuka smiling and squirming like an excited little girl.
  "We'll send you all out in a moment, okay? Shinji's still getting in."
  
  Rei closes her eyes. She has to keep her distance from the Eva. Shinji and Asuka can take their minds closer, but this one swallows up whoever tries to sync too deep. That may be the reason she cannot hear the Eva.
  
  If I allow my mind to sink into her, then I will lose control, and no one would want a rampaging Eva. If I don't, then nothing will change. I need to know my purpose, but I can't let my friends down. They need me, now. There's always a later time.
  
  "Shinji's in," Misato says. "Since we don't know what path the Eva will take, all of you will wait above the GeoFront."
  "Why did we get inside now?" Asuka must have spent dozens of hours perfecting her whining tone.
  Dr. Ritsuko voice comes on the speakers. "The Angel's speed varies, and it's using an A.T. field to fly. We can't risk being unprepared, since the Eva has an S2 engine."
  "So, it's an Angel?" Shinji's former mask of confidence has fallen. He shows worry. "What life signs are you reading?"
  
  Nobody replies. Rei pulls up the video feeds. Asuka almost overflows with confidence, like when she was first fighting the Angels. Shinji may vomit into his LCL at any moment.
  
  Maya says, "Shinji, we can't get any readings. A person cannot survive months without food. He must be dead."
  "No!" he shouts, "This is what happened with Toji! I will not do this again!"
  
  Last time, Shinji's father used the dummy plug after he refused to fight and, with Shinji inside, made Unit 01 rip Toji's Eva apart. He then threatened to destroy their HQ. He will crack again unless an outside variable changes the situation.
  
  "Fool!" shouts Asuka in more rage than Rei ever heard, "Don't break the fucking plug! Destroy the core, and this sheisse will be over!"
  
  Shinji doesn't say anything, but he calms down. His breathing slows. The Evas launch, sliding through the tunnels to the night sky. Rei plugs the umbilical cables into her Eva and sits. Asuka and Shinji do the same.
  
  "Tell us if you have any updates." Shinji's voice sounds weak, but there may be the slightest bit of confidence as well.
  "We'll leave the lines open," Misato says.
  
  They wait. None of the teens say anything. Rei takes this time to attempt contact again.
  
  Hello? Listen to me. You knew the second one of us. She synced with you countless times, so you must have an idea of what she knew. What is my purpose? What does Gendo plan to do with me? I have to protect my friends from myself.
  
  Nothing responds.
  
  Rei closes her eyes. She should rest, for she slept for an hour before being called to duty. Shinji and Asuka should yell at each other any moment too, but Rei does not wish to mute them. These may be the final words she'll ever hear them say.
  
  > Evas Versus Eva
  NERV almost completed the evacuation. The entire city's on lock down, and UN forces help with clearing out the remaining few. About a month ago, the city was destroyed. Now, it's normal, so it seems natural to destroy it again.
  
  Hours tick by, and Misato has gone over her plan a dozen times. On the eastern horizon, the slightest amount of sunlight shines. The Eva should be here in minutes, and the three pilots stand holding their guns with other weapons lying at their feet.
  
  Shinji has a single image in his mind, when his Eva crushed Toji's plug. It left Toji crippled for life, with one leg. It sickens him. His father installed the damn dummy plug without telling him, and he activated it! The boy watched as his Eva tore through Toji's infected one. Unit 01 destroyed the core, and there was no reason to continue fighting; however, Gendo did not stop. Shinji screamed and begged, but he wouldn't listen. Then, his Eva ripped out Toji's plug and squeezed until it broke.
  
  Relax. He has to be relaxed before the battle. The boy remembers the other boy he hurt in his Eva, Kaworu. He killed him. His friend died at his hands.
  
  Kaworu loved music. Shinji taps his fingers on the Eva's controls imagining each finger as a note for Ode to Joy. He heard Kaworu hum it before. Shinji hums the notes, not caring that the communication channels are open. When he finishes he feels sad, sadder than before. He can't fix his past.
  
  A voice comes over the channels. It's soft, gentle. If Shinji couldn't see Asuka's lips moving through his monitor, he'd never believe it was her.
  
  It's not singing, but it's not speaking either. The next words of Ode to Joy are spoken in some cross between the two. "Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein? Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein." Asuka's words flow across all who hear them. In this single moment in time, no one stands on a battlefield. Instead, they are members of an audience.
  
  Shinji doesn't know Germen, but he can hear the message from her tone. She cares. Behind the girl's mask of anger lies someone who cares.
  
  "Thanks Asuka." He smiles.
  Asuka nods.
  "The Angel is approaching from the east!" Maya says. "Visual contact any second!"
  
  The Evas face eastward. Shinji breathes in and out. He will not run away, and this pilot will not be hurt even if he's dead. The sun crests over the horizon. Morning has arrived, but in that crest Shinji sees a sparkle.
  
  "It's in the sun," he says. They aim waiting for it to come in range.
  "Shinji." Rei's voice is calming. He notices she switched to a private line.
  "Yes?"
  "Do you speak German?" Why would she ask that?
  "No."
  
  The Angel grows larger. Shinji sees its color, silver. Its frame appears identical to Toji's. It makes sense, since both were American built.
  
  Rei says, "I know the translation in our language. 'Whoever has created an abiding friendship, or has won a true and loving wife, all who can call at least one soul theirs, join our song of praise'."
  "What?"
  "That is what Asuka spoke. We should focus on the battle now."
  
  Shinji shakes his head. Was Asuka telling him something again? He'll find out later. Now, he needs to protect the others. They stand side by side.
  
  "Twenty seconds until target reaches firing range," Ritsuko says. "Fifteen now."
  
  The enemy has no weapons, but a berserk Evangelion is far more dangerous. They have to kill fast. Its mouth gapes open as if it's hungry. That thing better not be berserking.
  
  "Ten seconds," Ritsuko says. "Five seconds."
  "Prepare to engage." Misato sounds scared. "Fire!"
  
  The three Eva's light up the night with their torrent of bullets. They tear through the air but stop in front of the Angel. It has a strong A.T. field. The monster lets out a roar. The sound shakes the earth, and the pilots scream clutching their ears.
  
  Asuka lets out her own war cry and fires her two bazookas at Unit 04. Shinji and Rei unsheathe their Progressive Knives. These should penetrate the A.T. field.
  
  "Asuka," Misato says, "Use your knife."
  
  As Unit 02 arms itself, the Angel drops from above as if it's some kind of hawk hunting mice. Shinji leaps out of the way. Unit 04 crashes through the ground and into the Geofront's dome below. The three Evas leap after it.
  
  A small crater forms around the feet of the enemy when it slams into the ground. Rei lands on her feet, but the other two aren't as graceful. The monster lunges for Shinji, but Rei tackles it from behind. She stabs its neck to behead it. Her knife cuts into its flesh, but the creature rips her off of its back. It unplugs Unit 00's umbilical cord and rips through its chest armor. It punches into Rei's chest, causing blood to gush out of the wound. She crumbles to the ground.
  
  > Fight!
  Shinji and Asuka attack the enemy as if they're the same body. Both scream. Shinji stabs the right arm; Asuka stabs the left one. The Angel shrieks in pain. They tear their knives down from the elbow to the hand, splitting both of its arms in two. Blood splashes on the ground.
  
  We'll do this! He stabs at its right eye.
  
  He never connects. Its A.T. field pushes him back. Shinji tumbles through the air and crashes on the ground. His head bangs the side of his entry plug with a crack. How far away has he fallen? Before he can answer his question, the boy falls unconscious.
  
  > Misato Katsuragi
  A massive A.T. field pushes back at the two pilots. Asuka dodges the blast by meters, but Shinji's body hurls across the sky like a ragdoll. The Angel slaps Asuka when she stands again, and her neck twists from the impact.
  
  "Pilots Ikari and Langley are unconscious!" Maya shouts. That poor girl shakes like a leaf. Misato glances at Ritsuko, but the blonde seems just as afraid. This might be the only time where having the Dummy Plugs doesn't seem like a revolting idea.
  
  Misato runs through all of their remaining options. The only thing they've got that could stand up to the Eva is their Evas. Self destructing the base could also work. Damn it! They need to occupy that bastard just a little longer.
  
  "Shoot it! Do it with anything we've got." Misato sees some of their artillery firing, but there's not much of it in their open dome. It's all up top.
  
  The Angel runs to their HQ, but it's not to the access to Terminal Dogma, the deepest level of their base. Lilith lies there, so the Eva desires to unite with the Angel to cause third impact. Then why the fuck is it coming right towards us? "Everyone evacuate this room now!" The others hesitate for a moment, so the major throws Maya out of her chair. Because of her motivation, the others run. She won't.
  
  Misato pulls up multiple screens. She stumbles to the ground from an explosion, rocking the ground like an earthquake. Propping herself up, she tells the MAGI computers to flood the unpopulated walls with Bakelite. When Hyuga slams the door behind him, she sighs. The soldier has done her duty; the mother has one last act for her children.
  
  She whispers to herself, "Shinji, Rei and Asuka, I love you." The monster rips open the paneling, letting some of the natural light inside. It almost seems irked to find one human commanding everything. She takes out her pistol and fires. The bullets do nothing, but it does put the creature's attention on her. It's as she hoped, a few more seconds gifted to Asuka.
  
  Fitting, I was the only survivor from ground zero of the Second Impact. Adam's explosion killed everyone else, but I survived. Now, Adam's spawn has come to take what should've been his. It's okay. Soon, I'll be with Kaji.
  
  The Angel brings its foot down to smash Misato like a hammer smashes a nail, but she manages to press one final command. Her other hand flips off the Eva as she screams, "Don't mess with my kids!" The control center explodes. Unit 04 stumbles back into the clearing.
  
  Maybe she could've done something different. If she stopped drinking, would her kids be happier? If she could've saved Kaji, would they know what to do? Who'll look after them now?
  
  She'll never see Rei laugh. She'll never teach Shinji to drive. She'll never watch Asuka grow into a full woman. No, she's settling for this. It was a fun year. For the first time in her life, she had a family. She made a family. One day, maybe one of them could heal enough to start their own. That'd be so sweet, but it's something she'll miss.
  
  Major Misato Katsuragi, legal guardian of pilots Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley, operations director at NERV, and proud mother of three dies with a smile.
  
  > Fire
  Shinji is out for now. Rei might be dead. Sheisse, I'm the only one, like last time. The Angel has handicaps since both arms are mangled, but Asuka's fear almost cripples her more. No! I will not fail again!
  
  An explosion pushes Unit 04 out from the command center. Asuka shoves herself up from the ground and charges at the Angel. It's covered by an A.T. field, but she won't be stopped.
  
  "I am fire!" she screams. Her knife stabs a whole through the Eva's A.T. field. Like a crowbar, her hands pry it open. "I burn everyone I know!" She hacks away at its chest armor with her knife. A part of the chest scraps off exposing the S2 engine. "I hurt everything!" The Angel's eyes glow.
  
  "Asuka!" Maya yells. Wait. Is she crying? "The Eva went berserk. It regenerated its arms!" It did. Like Shinji's Eva, this one can regenerate. She stabs down to its core, but hands grasp onto her arm. No, I'm so close!
  
  "I have to kill this thing!" Her arms are burning. The A.T. field is shaking while the ground below them disintegrates. Nothing makes sense, but she has to kill it.
  
  "Ahh!" She clutches her left arm. Her Eva's was snapped in two. I'm going to die.
  
  Her mind drifts back to Shinji. His dumbass face fills her thoughts. Asuka wanted to beat him because he's the pilot who can match her skill. He beat her in the Eva, so she chose to beat him outside their units. Even then, he was the pilot to kill the final Angel, even though it hurt him beyond words. He's just a boy; I'm just a girl. What am I even doing here? Baka Shinji, you need to live. Here's my parting gift.
  
  Asuka ignores the pain. She lets the monster grab her Eva, and she cuts off its head with a single swipe. The headless Eva rips into her, tearing off armor and chuncks of flesh. Asuka feels it all.
  
  Mama, I found some friends. I'm gonna die for them.
  
  Her entry plug ejects. What's happening? Her connection to her Eva severs. The tube flies through the air and crashes on the ground. Her body pounds against the sides of the plug. When it lands and the LCL fluid drains, she opens her eyes, but only sees through one. Her left eye stings. She coughs out blood and her ribs feel broken.
  
  Asuka crawls out of the plug through a gaping hole. She sees her Eva on the dirt, bleeding. Shinji and Rei are still on the ground. The headless Eva walks to the injured girl. It's going to squish her like a bug, a maggot. What an arschloch!
  
  Unit 00 roars. Its wounds heal. The blue Eva charges at the Angel. They tear each other apart. Blood flies in the sky, but their bodies regenerate. Rei bites off the enemy's left arm.
  
  The core! The Angel's core is glowing! That damn bastard will self destruct! Well, I'm almost dead anyway. Rei might survive. Shinji will. The baka sleeps during my last battle. Ha, that's funny. Hey, the Great Asuka Langley will end with a bang!
  
  The girl chuckles and coughs up more blood. She collapses to the ground, waiting for an explosion. Explosions are quick and easy.
  
  She hears some roars. An Eva runs. Maybe Shinji got up. Bang! Oh, there's the explosion. Asuka smiles. Her last thought is of that stupid... friend. They'll stay friends no matter what happens.
  
  > Chapter 3: Sacred
  Rei feels useless, helpless. She sees no point in thrashing against the controls, because her unit has no power. The umbilical cord broke, and the batteries are destroyed. Outside, she sees Asuka struggling against Evangelion Unit 04. Shinji has not stood up. He may be dead. Soon, Asuka will be too. Their enemy has gone berserk, so all of its wounds have healed.
  
  Shinji's Eva has activated without any power before. I should try to do so. I see no harm if this unit goes berserk, it just needs to kill the Angel.
  
  She reaches out with her mind, even though there is no connection. Rei Ayanami, I know you are with me. We are of the same kind, the same person. Feel me. Do you not sense my fear? My friends will die.
  She hears no response.
  "Wake up," she says.
  She feels nothing. Asuka's arm snaps in two. She doesn't have much time left.
  "Wake up!" she yells. Was this the first time I ever yelled?
  
  Rei no longer sits in an entry plug. She sees a dark void; everything echoes. She's alone in an eternal expanse of nothingness. It seems familiar; she felt alone for a long time.
  
  A form materializes before her, a little girl, Rei. Is she even six years old?
  
  "You annoy me." The youth's voice echoes, she sounds unhappy. "I want to be left alone."
  "I hate loneliness." The living Rei takes a step to the young Rei. "It hurts."
  "I have been hurting my whole life and my whole death. It is not fair." The girl refuses to look up, and her face is cast with shadow.
  "I wish to save Asuka. I need you. She suffers."
  "The second Rei hated her. I feel the same way."
  
  Images of the Second Child's torment rush through her head. Her cheek stings from a slap. Her ears ring with words intended to hurt. The previous Rei's befuddlement shakes her.
  
  "I understand Asuka. Look through my thoughts."
  "Oh, I see."
  
  The girl looks up. Her eyes are large, far too large. They bug out, bleeding insanity, and the little girl smiles in a twisted way.
  
  "I must save her," the older Rei says. "I cannot force you to help me."
  "I thought you wanted to know your purpose."
  "I do, but their lives mean more than the reason I live."
  
  The crazed girl floats closer to Rei. She feels her predecessor's cold breath on her face.
  
  "You are you because you are you, Rei," she says in an impassioned tone.
  "That makes no sense."
  "We are conscious beings because we are. It is a fact. Your meaning is not determined by anyone else but you."
  "Then, what is Gendo's purpose for me? I don't want to be his. I wish to kill him for what he has done."
  
  The little girl claps her hands as if she watches a circus. Somehow, she smiles even wider.
  
  "Good!" she exclaims. "Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."
  "Is that from the Dead Sea Scrolls? It sounds prophetic."
  "Sort of. Gendo used it once in front of the second Rei, but I interpret it in my own way. The master is Gendo Ikari. The purpose is Instrumentality."
  "What is Instrumentality?"
  "Well, I can activate, but you must promise to kill me, forever. I wish to die like the second one of us. I felt her in that moment, and she was happy to die; however, I can also tell you about Instrumentality. Choose one. Don't choose the latter, for things are set in place. It will lead to inconsistencies and a sad ending."
  "How do you know?"
  "Do you know that I know? Make your choice."
  
  > save Your Friends
  "Save my friends," Rei says to her younger counterpart.
  
  The little Rei kisses the older Rei on the forehead. She feels the gratitude coming from the dead girl.
  
  Rei returns to reality, the entry plug. The Eva powers up. She feels it going berserk, so her fellow clone has all of the controls; however, the First Child does not care. Asuka and Shinji must stay safe. That is all she cares about.
  
  Her Eva charges at the enemy, a headless monster like some demon from Hell. Both extend A.T. fields. They clash. Two monsters tear each other apart like rabid dogs. Each Eva regenerates flesh moments after it's ripped off. Rei feels every tear and screams.
  
  Her Eva sinks its teeth into the enemies arm, biting through muscle and bone until it thuds on the ground. Rei tastes blood in her mouth.
  
  Unit 04's core glows. It will self-destruct! Central Dogma may be leveled, but Shinji's Eva should endure the blast because of it's A.T. field. Rei looks for Asuka. She looks so tiny outside her entry plug, but Rei sees her bleeding. She will die!
  
  Unit 00 initiates its own self destruct and surrounds the two Evas in an A.T. field. The Angel pushes back with its field and races to explode first, for it would be more destructive.
  
  Rei stares at Asuka again. Unit 00's A.T. field won't protect her friend, not well enough. I am the Angel Lilith, am I not?
  "Yes, you are." Her Eva struggles against Unit 04.
  "Then she is my family, for all humans are from Lilith."
  "Yes, they are Lilin, born from Lilith. The Angels we fought are from Adam."
  
  Rei activates her A.T. field, not caring who realizes that she is an Angel. The field covers Asuka, hugging her like a mother embracing her daughter.
  
  I will protect my family, Lilith's children, my friends.
  "Ah, good choice! Farewell. I wish that you'd live. You seem pretty good at it, but I need to contain the blast. Well, I hope you'll enjoy dying like me. I am free!"
  
  "Rei Ayanami!" Shinji yells, sounding desperate.
  
  > Love and Death
  Shinji opens his eyes. Some voice is yelling at him and everything hurts. What happened? He's submerged in LCL fluid. Rei! Asuka!
  
  "Shinji, get up!" Who is that? Oh, it's Maya. He stands. "The Angel and Rei are about to self destruct. Save her!"
  
  Shinji runs to the two remaining Evas. Unit 02 bleeds onto the ground, but Rei and the enemy wrestle. Blood gushes out of both. Rei hasn't ejected yet. She must still be inside the Eva.
  
  "No, not again!" he shrieks. She self destructed once to save him and she died. Unlike last time, no more clones exist to let her come back to life. "I will not fail you!"
  
  The Evas could detonate at any moment, but he's so close. Every step shakes the earth. His Eva claws through the two A.T. fields.
  
  "Rei Ayanami!" he screams. Shinji rips out her entry plug and shields it in his A.T. field. Then, he sees white. His ears ring.
  
  It seems to last for an eternity, but it stops. Unit 01 stands, clutching Rei's entry plug. Neither Unit 00 or Unit 04 move. They're two pools of blood.
  
  Shinji sees Asuka on the ground. How is she alive outside of the Eva? She had nothing to protect her.
  
  Around him, the landscape burns. The GeoFront and their HQ are torn apart. Is Misato okay? Unit 01 collapses over Asuka, so his body will protect his friend. Then, his Evangelion turns off. Rei's plug slides from his hands and onto the ground next to Asuka.
  
  Shinji feels tired. He kept his friends safe, but the pilot of Unit 04 died. The boy closes his eyes.
  
  He dreams. The clacking of the train tracks reverberates underneath the boy. It's evening, and the entire world seems bathed in a red light. Except for the girl opposite of him, Shinji is alone.
  
  Shinji asks, "What are we doing here?"
  
  Rei sits with her hands resting on her lap. The sun set behind her, so he has to squint whenever he looks at her. Something doesn't seem right. It's as if this isn't real.
  
  Rei answers in her monotone voice, "Why did you save Rei?"
  "I love you. Um, why am I not in a hospital?" His words echo.
  "Even if she cannot love you back?"
  "You can love."
  "Rei is more than a Lilin."
  
  Why is she speaking in the third person? Lilin, that word sound familiar. Where did he hear it before?
  
  "Kaworu used that term to describe us. What does that mean?" Shinji shifts in his seat.
  "It means human, to be born from Lilith... the second Angel."
  "Does that make us the spawn of Angels?"
  "Kaworu was the seventeenth. There are eighteen Angels, two gods. Only Adam and Lilith have the power to change the world or to save it."
  
  Shinji looks down and starts crying.
  
  "I cannot forget Kaworu. We were... brothers."
  "He died to save the Lilin. Kaworu is the true son of Adam, fully god and fully Lilin. Now, the true daughter of Lilith, fully god and fully Lilin, must make the same choice."
  "Who are you? You are not my Rei."
  
  Shinji looks up and squints. Through the sunlight and shadow, he sees two glowing red eyes.
  
  "Who are you!" He backs up against the wall.
  "You are approaching the right path, the right ending for Lilin. Shinji Ikari, I am your friend and an enigma created by a possible future. She may be me soon."
  
  The Third Child opens his eyes. The room is white, and he smells putrid disinfectant. Three heart monitors beep. His body aches, and an IV drips into his arm. Shinji glances to either side. To his left, Asuka sleeps. Only a part of her flowing red hair isn't covered by the bandages. Her skin appears pale, like that one horrible day a month ago. To his right, Rei sits in a chair. Her eyes are open, staring at him.
  
  "Hey," he croaks. "Did the pilot survive?"
  "No." Rei looks down and shakes. Why, from fear? "Misato bought us time. She died."
  
  She woke up every morning and drank a beer letting out a prolonged "Yeah!" when she finished. She always tried to make them laugh or put them in awkward situations. She is the only reason why Shinji doesn't live alone. She was the one who came up with the plans to kill the Angels. She was the one who mediated arguments between him and Asuka. She was so full of life. How can she be dead?
  
  Shinji cries like a little boy who just lost his mother. Fuck it, he is a little boy who just lost his mother. Why? He failed. He fucking failed! If he could've kept on fighting, not be knocked on his ass, then Misato would still be alive!
  
  He feels two arms wrap around his waist. He cries into Rei's shoulder. He cries until he can't cry anymore.
  
  Taking two deep breaths, he asks, "How's Asuka?"
  "She's not well." The girl squeezes him tighter. "She may not wake. Shinji, I'm scared."
  "How bad is she?"
  
  The girl does not reply. She closes her eyes as if it could transport her to another world, one without pain.
  
  "God damn it!" Shinji shouts. "Will she live!"
  "They said concussion. Massive internal bleeding. Ten ribs and the left humerus are broken. Slight burns on her right side. Her left eye is destroyed. They say she'll be dead by tomorrow."
  "No, I failed her!" cries the boy. He covers his face with his hands.
  "I failed her."
  
  The two stare at the redhead. Shinji thinks about all the moments he spent with her. He made her cry, he kissed her, and they fought for their lives together. He will not survive without her, not now.
  
  Shinji stands. He yanks out the IV and stumbles to the side of Asuka's bed. He props himself up by grabbing onto the side of the bed.
  
  "Hey. Hey," he says to his friend. She does not stir. He leans his head on her shoulder. "Asuka. Asuka. Asuka. Please wake up. Wake up." Asuka doesn't respond.
  "Wake up! Wake up!" His voice cracks. He sounds like a bumbling mess. "Call me a baka like you always do!" Grief swells inside Shinji. Asuka may never open her eyes again. "Oh please, wake up!" He weeps. Not Asuka! Not her too!
  
  Shinji shouts through his sobbing, "I need you! I can't continue without you! Asuka, I love you!"
  "Baka." Asuka opens her eyes.
  
  Shinji looks up at the girl. She grimaces in pain, but she smiles.
  
  "How long until I die?" Her voice shakes, almost a whisper. Shinji cries, but he doesn't know if it's tears of joy or sadness.
  "Soon. Misato died."
  "Sheisse, we failed. I do... argh... sorry, the pain." She whimpers. "Never be, ah. Never be a doormat again, or I'll come out. Fuck, this hurts. I'll come out of the grave to kill you myself."
  
  She reaches out with her arm, trembling. She rests her hand on his head and rubs her fingers through his hair. He shivers from her touch.
  
  "Kiss me," she says.
  "What?"
  "Kiss me like a lover. I... Ah!" She pauses, the pain too much to bear. "I want you to... remember me... after I die. I want t-to know how love feels."
  
  Shinji looms over Asuka. His eyes stare into hers. His tears fall and intermingle with hers. He lowers himself down to Asuka. They kiss. They kiss out of love; they kiss goodbye.
  
  Asuka closes her eyes, enveloped by sleep again. Shinji sobs. Rei watches, tears pouring down her face.
  
  > Kiel Lorenz
  Kiel Lorenz stands in front of the Evangelion. It's the last one built, the twelfth of SEELE's private series. "Twelve represents the perfection of god's rule on earth," the old man says to no one, "Fitting."
  
  NERV smolders in shambles. Gendo Ikari has been given too much time already. One Eva exploded, the other has a nearly dead pilot, and they require the final one for the Human Instrumentality Project. Lilith was preferable, but Gendo intentionally lost the Spear of Longinus. No matter, Unit 01 is a synthetic Lilith, so it can use synthetic spears. It should be no problem. Their plans with Unit 04 were successful in every way.
  
  Kiel steps into the entry plug. He takes a small risk since the Eva series is not invincible. Unit 01 could still destroy one or two, but the risk is worth the reward. Godhood is worth any risk, any sacrifice.
  
  The Eva unit does not sync with the old man. The Dummy Plug instead takes control. Kiel chuckles. His life's work has born him fruit, so all he must do is harvest. With billions dead and countless lives ruined, SEELE's reward is due.
  
  Twelve Evas, all powered by S2 engines, take off. Each carrying a member of SEELE's council, they fly through the air like vultures searching for a carcass. In mere hours, they will be above even god.
  
  > Maya Ibuki
  Maya Ibuki cries under a desk in the fetal position. Misato died. Misato died. Misato died! They no longer have an operations director. Her fellow computer technicians look horrible. Makoto Hyuga stares at their old, backup control center with dead eyes. Shigeru Aoba lists off reasons why Misato's death wasn't in vain, but he's trying to convince himself. Even Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki seems saddened.
  
  What about the children! Shinji and Asuka have lived with the Major for such a long time. She's almost like their mother. Rei just moved in. Shit, I should've stayed behind instead of Misato. Then, they could still have their mom. I was a coward; Misato was brave.
  
  An alarm goes off. Red lights flash. "A virus is invading our system!" Aoba has stopped talking to himself and is typing away at a keyboard. Maya pulls out her laptop. Damn, this virus is worse than the Angel that attacked their systems.
  
  Where is it coming from? Damn, that's the source? "The MAGI from our other branches are attacking us!" she says. "I can't hold them off!" Within seconds, all of their communications and visuals collapse. "We're deaf and blind, commanders."
  
  Ritsuko types faster than a human should manage. Within moments, the virus stops advancing. "I can't take back what's destroyed, but this should hold them off for a couple of hours. There's nothing more I can do but delay them." She wipes sweat from her forehead.
  
  "Prepare Unit 01 for activation," Commander Iraki says.
  "Are we gonna be physically attacked?" asks Hyuga in a rare case of having a spine. Just talking to their commander gives Maya the creeps.
  "Of course." The words come out of his mouth as if he's noting how water is wet. "SEELE has come to destroy us. It seems logical, since they see that all of their pieces have fallen in place. Someone contact the UN forces. Tell them that twelve Dummy Plug Evangelion powered by S2 engines will attack shortly."
  "The Eva series?" Maya gasps.
  
  All people stop moving. Just one, more primitive S2 Eva almost destroyed all three of theirs. Now, twelve are coming to fight just Unit 01?
  
  "Yes, they wish to cause the Third Impact. No questions. Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, I promote you to Captain and operations director. Destroy the combatants using their cores or Dummy Plugs." Their leader stands and walks away.
  "W-What are you t