Here we go! Sit down, strap in, and prepare for a long chapter!

She woke up. Had she been dreaming? She felt like she had been, and that it had been wonderful, but she couldn't recall what it had been about. Then, was she still dreaming now? If so, then this was incredibly real. The sand squishing between her toes and hands as she lay there, the salty smell of the ocean breeze tickling her nose. Was this truly a dream?

She sat up, albeit slowly. Her whole body ached as if she hadn't used it for months. Trying to stand proved impossible, and she fell back onto her butt. Her body felt weak, and her vision was hazy. Her throat was dry, and her stomach began to rumble. What had happened to put her in this situation? Where was she in the first place?

She turned around, digging her hands in the sand to move her body. It was still difficult for her to see, but she recognized the large buildings towering in the skyline. It was a city that she recognized easily, even with the apparent destruction.

This wasn't all though. Through her hazy vision, she saw a figure coming towards her. No, running would be a better explanation. She recognized them, this man. She tried opening her voice, but it hurt too much to speak right now. He seemed to understand something she didn't however, because he eased her worries.

"It's alright. I've got you. Everything is going to be okay."

He picked her up then, holding her against his body. She was incredibly light, so this proved easy. She wanted to say something, anything to this man that she thought she recognized, but he shushed her again.

Wordlessly, he carried her across the beach, and up the concrete steps to the world above. People, at least a hundred of them, were walking around on the road just above the beach. Hundreds of tents of varying sizes and colors were pitched along the road, some of them directly against the remains of destroyed buildings. Some glanced in there direction, but most of them seemed too busy to give them a second thought.

The man continued walking past all these tents. He seemed to know his way around the area well, and had a destination in mind. While still in his arms, she craned her neck around, looking at all the people going about their business. Nearly all of them were carrying something in their arms, or had backpacks slung over their shoulders. It was like a tightly knit colony it seemed.

"We're here," said the man suddenly, and she looked forward just as he ducked his head, stepping inside of a large tent. The canvas was green, and the sunlight which shined through created a murky green glow on the inside. There were several makeshift beds on the inside, and the man laid her down on one of them.

He glanced around the large tent, capable of allowing multiple people to stand upright inside of it, but one cursory glance around showed that there wasn't anybody else inside.

"Stay here, and don't move. I'm going to find someone to check on you."

She tried to say something again, but he was already leaving the tent. Without any other options, she closed her eyes and rested her weak body on the bed. She trusted this man that she thought she knew, but the whole situation baffled her. She recognized this city, the man, and even some of the people she had seen walking around, but everything else was confusing. What had happened?

Several minutes went by with her laying there, her eyes closed. Try as she might, she couldn't remember what had happened, even though she knew it was important. Before she could think of anything else though, she heard hurried footsteps, and the sound of a woman's voice.

"How was she?"

"Weak, couldn't speak, bit disoriented; same as everyone that has returned, though she recognized me."

"That's something at least. Well, let's see her."

The tent flap opened, momentarily piercing her eyes with the change in light. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the two distinct figures. One was the man who had carried her here, and the other was a woman. The woman, she recognized her from the short length blonde hair, though she hadn't seen her were jeans or a t-shirt in a long time.

The woman pulled up a chair to sit beside her and started examining her body. She checked her eyes, her arms, legs, heart rate, and reflexes. This was all rather sudden, but she let this woman continued the examination. She knew and trusted her, even though she couldn't place the name.

Apparently done with the examination, the woman turned to the man and said, "I'm gonna have you leave for a minute. I want to talk to her alone for a minute."

The man waved at her, understanding, and pulled something out from his breast pocket as he left the tent. This conjured up a strange memory for the woman lying on the bed, but she didn't know why. Reaching for the tent flap with her arm outstretched, she suddenly didn't want the man to leave, but the woman doing the examination placed something in her hand instead.

"Here drink this, but slowly."

She passed her a plastic cup filled with water, and she drank it slowly, sitting up slightly. Her throat didn't feel as painful anymore, and her body began to feel invigorated.

"Now," said the woman as she took the plastic cup away from her, "how do you feel, Misato?"

Katsuragi Misato opened her eyes wide, a rush of things returning to her mind, things that she had forgotten, which she shouldn't have. That's right, she was a major, part of the organization know as Nerv whose purpose was to prevent the annihilation of humankind from the beings known as Angels. And this woman in front of her was-

"Ritsuko...wha-"

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, and I have my own. But before any of that, how do you feel?"

Misato blinked, trying to formulate her thoughts. How did she feel?

"I don't know. My whole body is sore, and just moving my muscles hurts."

"That's typical from what we've seen so far."

"What?"

"Never mind, I'll get back to that another time. How are your memories? What do you remember?"

"..My name, yours, Nerv, the Angels, and...the Evangelions."

"What about the man who carried you here?"

That's right, that man who carried her. She also knew who he was, because he was somebody important to her.

"Kaji," Misato said.

"Good," replied Ritsuko. "Now, do you remember anything else? Something which happened before you woke up on the beach?"

"I...know I don't think so-"

Misato paused. No, she did remember something; it was coming back to her. The attack, the battle, the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke. Blood though is what came to the front of her mind. The rich acrid smell of blood. But it wasn't just anybody's blood, it was her blood, slowing dripping out of her body, and there had been somebody else there with her. Who was it? The face, a male, slowly came back to her, and she remembered that it was Kaji.

"I...died?" mumbled Misato. "Kaji and I died? How is that-"

"Focus Misato," said Ritsuko abruptly. "What else do you remember? Slowly, what else do you remember?"

"I...the hallway where we were, fighting back other soldiers. Other Nerv personal were there, assisting us, but we couldn't hold them off. It was only a matter of time until they broke through but-"

"What else? Why were you there in the hallway. Why did you stay there?"

"...an elevator, there was an elevator that we were guarding. We couldn't let them go down to the lower levels, but-"

Something sprang to her mind. They had been fighting, holding them off as best as they could, but the superior numbers and weapons were thinning there numbers. Then, the elevator door opened, and somebody stepped out. The face, who was it? It was a target for the soldiers, somebody that they were aiming for, that they had orders to kill on sight. But the person, no, it was a girl now that Misato remembered, wanting something, she wanted to help.

Against her better judgement, Misato had listened to the girls request, and led her to an emergency duct. Both her and Kaji let the other Nerv personal hold them back while they did this, but they knew they didn't have much time. What was it though about the girl? Misato knew her, had known her for years before everything at Nerv had happened. The blue eyes, the vivid red hair, the fiery attitude that no one could contain. And then it clicked.

"Asuka," said Misato loudly. "Asuka was there. We were there at the elevator because Asuka was there...and...Rei. The soldiers wanted to get to the Evangelion pilots, but we were there to stop them. But Asuka wanted to go out a fight, even though Unit-02 was badly damaged, and came up to the floor we were on."

"What else?" asked Ritsuko leaning forward.

"Kaji and I led her to an access tunnel that would allow her to get there, but we both knew we couldn't follow her, so we stayed there to hold them off."

"Why was Asuka so set on helping then, even though she knew Unit-02 was badly damaged?"

Oddly, the answer came quickly to Misato. When one thought of Asuka, they would immediately begin thinking about the person associated with her, the boy who had given up on his own humanity to protect her. Misato had known both of them deeply, had watched them grow together in her own apartment. She cared about both of there well beings, but he in particular cared about her to the point that he would willingly sacrifice himself to protect her.

"Shinji," mumbled Misato almost sadly. "She was going out to help Shinji fight the Mass-Produced Evangelions, even though hers was damaged, and I let her. What sort of a guardian am I?"

"You remember them then?"

"I do. They lived in my apartment for months, eating together, going to school together, fighting together. How could I forget that?"

Ritsuko stared at Misato for several seconds before finally standing up.

"Well, if you can remember all that, then it seems your mind is functioning properly. I don't want to tax you any further though, so I'm gonna give you some sleeping pills to help you rest."

"I don't want, or need rest. I'm fine," said Misato as she tried to get up.

"You do, just like everyone else. I've already asked you enough, so it's time you got some sleep. Even if you're coherent, your body still needs to recover."

"Wait Ritsuko. Answer me this at least. Are they okay, Shinji and Asuka...and is this what I think it is?"

Ritsuko eyed her for a second before letting out a sigh.

"As to the first question, both Shinji and Asuka are not here, and nor is Rei; all the pilots are missing. And the second question...it is as it seems, the results of Third Impact, or After Impact."

"If this is After Impact then, why are we here?"

Ritsuko shook her head and said, "I don't know, but that may be a question that only Shinji can answer."

Handing her another plastic cup filled with water and a small pill this time, Misato took the pill wordlessly and downed the entire cup of water, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Misato woke early the next morning after sleeping the entirety of the previous day away. When she opened her eyes, she could smell the familiar musky odor of tobacco filling her nostrils.

Opening her eyes, she saw Kaji sitting beside her in a chair, focusing on what appeared to be a large map detailing all of Tokyo-3.

"I would have thought that you would have given up that habit considering the situation," said Misato glancing at him.

"It's because we're in this situation that I needed one," replied Kaji. Looking away from the map, he asked her, "Feeling better today?"

"Yeah. Ritsuko was right, sleep was the best thing."

"She's normally right about those kind of things. Hungry?"

"Starved."

Picking something off the ground, Kaji passed her a bag of chips and a bottle of water. Misato seemed rather crestfallen at the small bag of chips.

"It's better to start off eating slowly, though we don't have much in the way of supplies in the first place, so this is all you can eat for the moment."

"Have you guys been scavenging the surrounding area?"

"Yeah, people have been doing it in shifts."

"How many people are here right now?"

"About one hundred and twenty, though this is only the count as of the morning. More keep returning everyday."

Misato had about a hundred different questions that she wanted to ask them, but she swallowed for the moment, slowly eating and drinking.

A short time later, Ritsuko ducked through the tent flap, entering the tent. She had large bags under eyes, and looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Something wrong?" asked Kaji.

"Patrols found ten more people about half an hour ago, and I've been running from one tent to the other checking them. I'm exhausted."

Sitting down on the bed opposite Misato, she took a large gulp of water and looked across to where Misato was laying.

"You seem better today at least. No disorientation, dizziness, nausea?"

"No, I feel better."

"Good, though I can't say I'm surprised."

"...Ritsuko?"

"Everybody that has been returning has had the same symptoms. Disorientation, can't speak, and there bodies have atrophied; it's all similar to waking up from a coma, or that we've been in suspended animation. I actually didn't ask you this yesterday Misato, but do you remember dreaming anything?"

"Yeah, in a way. I felt like I had been dreaming, or that I was waking up from a dream, but I can't remember what it was."

"Everybody else has had the same experience, but I suppose I should start bringing you up to speed on a couple things."

Clearing her throat, Ritsuko continued talking.

"It's been six days now since everybody started appearing on the beach, nearly all in groups. Myself and Kaji were in the first and second groups respectively. Everybody that has returned so far have all been Nerv employee. With the new group that just arrived recently, the total number of people here is one hundred and thirty."

"Is it possible that others have returned before us?"

"If they did, they didn't stay in the city. There have been no other signs of humans staying here before we started arriving. No, I'm sure that we are the first. Currently, we have people patrolling the beaches up and down in both directions since this area seems to be centered on where most are arriving. We've been scavenging for food as best as we can, but any perishables have long since deteriorated. I'm guessing that several months have passed since Third Impact happened at the very least, possibly as much as a year."

"Kaji said the supplies are low right now," said Misato.

"We're rationing everything as best as possible, but with more people returning every day it's becoming more difficult. If civilians start returning, I can only imagine the problems we'll begin to have. So far, everybody has been understanding, but if this continues, people may begin to clash over the simplest of things."

"I'm assuming you have a plan then?" asked Misato.

"I do, and it's a good thing you returned when you did. Kaji, show her the map."

Kaji handed the map over to Misato, and glanced over it, quickly noticing what the many markings on the map indicated.

"These are all access points into the Geofront," stated Misato.

"Exactly. The power grid is down across all of Tokyo-3, but the Geofront has its own generators and backups incase those fail. With a small party of Nerv personal, we should be able to get them running again. Getting the electricity back would be a moral boost, and there should be plenty of supplies down there as well."

"I assume that you want me to lead this expedition?" said Misato.

"Both you and Kaji. I'd go as well, but I'll have to stay here for the people returning. Besides, you're now the highest ranking person here at the moment."

"I am? What about the Commander, and Fuyutsuki?"

"There hasn't been any sign of the commander, and Fuyutsuki returned a few days before you, but he hasn't said much to me or anyone. He has relinquished his role as vice commander as well, so you're now the highest ranking member here."

"But Ritsuko, you-"

"First and foremost, I'm a doctor and a scientist," said Ritsuko, cutting her off. "You want my medical or scientific opinion, that I can give. I'm not a leader, and these six days juggling both has wore me down. That duty is yours Misato, whether you want it or not. You commanded at Nerv when you had to, and this is no different."

Misato's eyes swiveled to Kaji as though asking her to back her up, but he just waived his hands in front of his face and said, "Don't look at me. I was never directly affiliated with Nerv in the first place, and only gave my support when it was needed."

"Useless," complained Misato.

Looking from one to the other though, she finally gave up.

"Fine, you win. I'll do this, but I want both of your assistance and help when needed.."

Two days later, when Misato was fully rested and her body had recovered, her and Kaji started on there way to the Geofront with six other people who had worked in the maintenance department. They walked at a distance away from the maintenance crew, letting them decide based on the map what emergency access to enter the Geofront from. In reality, there were many choices to chose from. Due to the attack on Nerv, all of the main access tunnels leading to the Geofront had been assaulted, most of the gates having been throughly destroyed, allowing large groups of soldiers to infiltrate. Misato didn't just plan on restoring power while they were there, but assessing the overall damage to the Geofront.

Based on the current path they were taking, Misato had an idea of where they were headed.

As she had assumed, they were making for a small building disguised as a retail store that in reality, was owned by Nerv. It was just one of the many buildings used in emergencies if the power grid across Tokyo-3 failed. She was sure that the thought of entering through one of the main gates had appeared in the minds of the maintenance crew, but they couldn't be sure how badly the damage was there. The coalition of soldiers could have likely destroyed the entrances, hoping to trap Nerv employees inside the facility, so this was a for sure option.

That being said, the building had suffered severe damage from the fight between Unit-01 and the Mass-Produced Evangelions. Much of the right side of the building had collapsed on itself, and broken pieces of brick littered the front entrance.

The eight of them stepped around the hazardous obstacles, and entered the darkened ruin, turning on their flashlights as they did. Misato had never actually been through this access point before, though she knew about it, and each of the maintenance crew certainly had used it before since it was their job to keep points like this operational.

The interior was a mess, with broken wooden shelves and a random assortment of objects. It was a cheap shop, like a second hand store, which made it not stand out, though this was of course the point.

Navigating around the scattered shelves, Kaji and Misato followed the crew who seemed to know this place even if they were blindfolded into the back where the employee lounge was. Opening a side door, they proceeded down a narrow staircase into the basement. Here, the brick and mortar store disappeared above them, and the walls were replaced by thick metal walls. It was like a small basement, about thirty feet in diameter, and devoid of anything except a single large metal door at the far side of the room. The door had a manual crank on it, similar to those seen on battleships. One of the crewman, presumably the strongest of the six, placed both his on the crank and began turning it, slowly opening the metal door and half a minute later, revealed a metal stairway that went down into the darkness.

"Commander?" asked the crewman who had just opened the door as he turned towards Misato.

Misato felt it would take sometime to get used to being referred to as the commander, but she nodded all the same, and took the lead down the staircase, followed closely by Kaji.

Many minutes passed with only the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls as they continued walking deeper under Tokyo-3. Slowly however, Misato began to feel a soft breeze hitting her face. Finally, the beam of her flashlight hit a door at the end of the long staircase. Turning the doorknob, it swung open, bathing her in warm sunlight.

The eight of them stepped out onto a small platform, several feet above the ground. Sunlight streamed down through the gaping hole in the Geofront, and for a moment, they took in the scenery. The grass, trees, and lake were all Misato remembered it as if she had just been here yesterday, and the pyramid of Nerv was no different. This wasn't entirely true however, as even from here, the aftermath of the damage done to the Geofront from the battle could be seen.

Turning towards the others, she beckoned them to follow her, and walked down the winding metal staircase. As she began reaching the bottom however, she noticed something unusual. The handrail, and many parts of the metal stairway were rusted brown and orange. Ritsuko had mentioned that the possibility of several months to a year had passed since humans had vanished from the earth, but was this amount of rust normal for that passage of time?

When she reached the bottom of the stairway though, something else struck her as odd. While a concrete path has once been here, and while it wouldn't be unusual for it to be concealed by the

overgrown grass, the grass was well above her head. Forty feet above the ground, it was more difficult to establish the height of things below you, but was this normal?

"It's bothering you too, isn't it?" said Kaji pointedly.

"So you noticed as well," mumbled Misato. "What do you think?"

"I've seen a lot more of the city than you have, and honestly, I think Ritsuko was being rather conservative in her assessment. The rust in particular worries me. I've seen many cars throughout the city who's paint has completely rusted off, and that would of course be because they're out in the open and get rained on constantly. The railing though is far enough away from the hole left by the N2 bomb that it would take a considerable amount of rain and wind to reach this point. Plants need both water and direct sunlight to grow, and the grass here will only get hit by the sun as its setting for maybe an hour everyday, which of course doesn't account for cloud cover. As we near the center of the Geofront, I'm guessing the grass will be even taller."

"Then how long do you think we were gone for?" asked Misato.

"I don't know," said Kaji, shaking his head. "But I think it's more than a year."

Misato didn't say anything, but she began worrying about the future. How long had they been gone? Could humanity realistically continue living in such a state?

"Well, one step at a time I suppose," said Kaji. "Before we start worrying about anything else, we first need to try and get the power back to the Geofront."

"Right," mumbled Misato, pushing her worries to the back of her mind.

Though the path was concealed by the grass, each of them had treaded on it enough times to know where it was headed, and it wasn't as if they couldn't guess. The large pyramid which was the most distinct landmark in the Geofront was what they were aiming for.

After several minutes of walking and fighting there way through the tall grass which reached over there heads, they finally reached the entrance to Nerv. The front doors had been smashed open, and what they at first thought to be more rust around the entrance, turned out to be dried blood. They were reminded again of the battle that had happened here, though for them, hardly a week had passed within their own memories.

"C'mon," said Misato as she stepped through the doorframe.

The automatic moving walkways were of course shut off without power, so they walked the length of the long entrance way, noting the many patches of dried blood, shell casings that littered the floor, and bullet holes that marked the walls. Misato couldn't help but inwardly shudder as she thought of the brutality orchestrated here.

They were on the ground floor, or what could be viewed as the very center of Dogma. With the elevators not working, they used an emergency stairwell that led further into the complex. At this point, Misato let the maintenance crew take the lead since they knew the in and outs of this place, and followed their lead.

The main generators and backup generators were in separate locations, and the maintenance crew didn't even bother to go for the main ones. It would be too much to hope that the soldiers hadn't manages to sabotage the main generators, but the backups would hopefully be fine.

Stepping into a narrow tunnel that ran the length of the Geofront, one of the many that was used by the maintenance crew to move around quickly, Misato and Kaji followed the others to a single door. One of the crewmen opened it, and they entered a large room.

Five enormous generators stretched to the end of the room, each nearly thirty feet tall, and twenty feet wide. Misato let her eyes trail over the large generators before her eyes moved to the maintenance crew who had already begun assessing the situation. Everything was manually operated in here, but the problem was that the back up generators were automatically supposed to start incase the primarily ones failed.

Misato stood there and watched as they began moving around the large room, the six of them examining each of the five generators. From the snatches of conversation she heard, it appeared that at the very least, they weren't tampered with. Slowly, the six of them went off in opposite directions after reaching some sort of agreement. Two of them began accessing panels near two of the generators, and examining the wires there while another entered a large man sized duct near another generator. Misato watched them begin working, and turned towards Kaji with a confused expression, wondering whether she was supposed to say anything to them, but Kaji was looking pointedly over Misato's shoulder. Turning around, Misato saw of the crew walking towards her, the only female in the group.

"Commander?"

"Just call me Misato," sighed Misato. "So, have you figured out what's wrong? Why haven't the backups started yet?"

"No," said the woman, shaking her head. "The generators themselves don't have any problems. It's difficult to be sure without a more thorough examination of the power grid, but we think that during the attack, something must have disrupted the backups from starting. All of the generators here run on hydroelectric power from Tokyo-3's bay, so somewhere along the line the connection was disrupted somehow."

"Do you have an idea for how long it'll take to get it back up?"

"Again without an idea of how sever the damage is here, or to the rest of the Geofront, we can't be sure. At the very least, the damage is centralized here. The cables run deep underground, so even with the destruction to the city, it wouldn't affect it on that end. Most likely the soldiers cut the power at some point, likely with help from inside."

Misato had long since known that there were infiltrators from Seele inside Nerv, so this didn't come as much of a surprise.

"Do you need more people to help with this?"

"As many as possible."

"Right. I'd already planned on getting an accurate damage assessment of the Geofront and Dogma, so I suppose this handles both cases. Don't push yourselves, and work in shifts to alleviate the work load. I'll send a few more personal down here when I return to the camp."

"Thank you comman-Misato."

The woman hurried of without another word, assisting the others with the workload.

"Not bad Commander," muttered Kaji with a slight smile.

"Don't you go talking like that as well," groaned Misato as she turned to leave.

Both of them left, walking back up the emergency stairwell. Misato had expected things to go a lot slower, but they had gotten here sooner than she had expected, and it couldn't have even been noon yet.

"Hey Kaji?"

"Hmmm?"

"Mind if we make a detour?"

"No, I don't," he answered, knowing fully well where she wanted to go.

Minutes later, they both stood in the middle of a hallway, staring a duct, and in particular, the dried blood that surrounded it.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it, muttered Kaji.

Misato didn't say anything as she continued staring at the dried blood. This was where both her and Kaji had once "died" yet here they were standing side by side again. It was a very surreal feeling to be staring at the spot where there deaths actually occurred.

"Did I make the right decision in letting Asuka fight?" asked Misato almost inaudibly.

"If you hadn't, she would have likely found another way."

"What would Shinji have said in that moment though? Surely he wouldn't have allowed it."

"Whatever he would have done doesn't matter, since you were the one to make the decision. Are you blaming yourself for what happened between them?"

No, Misato didn't think she was, not in that regard at least. However, she couldn't help but feel that things weren't right not having them here right now. Shinji and Asuka had just as much a role in things that were happening right now as Misato herself. Since they both weren't here though, Misato couldn't help but feel some twinge of guilt. If she hadn't relied on Shinji so heavily, or allowed Asuka to pilot Unit-02, would they be here? What had happened after she parted ways with Asuka in the first place?

"Misato?" asked Kaji, noting the worried expression on her face.

"...Sorry," she replied. "Just remembering some things. I think I'm ready to leave."

Kaji nodded, and followed Misato back the way they came.

It took them roughly two hours of backtracking there way through the Geofront and navigating there way through the city until they were back at their camp near the beach. Thankfully, Kaji knew the city fairly well even in its ruined state, so they made it back without much difficulty. The sun had just reached its apex in the sky when Misato found Ritsuko in her tent, going over a notebook she had been writing in recently.

"That didn't take very long?" said Ritsuko when she saw them enter through the tent flap. "I take it you didn't run into any problems?"

"That depends on what you mean," sighed Misato as she sank down into a foldable chair. "We found the generators without any difficulty, but the crewmen say it may take them sometime to get them up and running. They aren't sure what the problem is without a more thorough analysis of the damages done to Nerv and the Geofront, so I'll be sending some more personnel down there in the evening."

"Can't say I didn't expect that," shrugged Ritsuko. "Well, if it's any consolation, we've managed to get a few vehicles that were sheltered from the rain running, so we can begin sending more people to the Geofront. Besides that, there was something that was reported to me shortly after you two left."

"What is it?" asked Misato.

"One of our men has found what appears to be the remains of Unit-02."

Kaji could tell that Misato tensed up beside him, and thought for a moment that she was about to run out of the tent after demanding to know where it was, but she managed to keep calm.

"What is its state?" asked Misato hesitantly.

"He didn't give a very accurate picture in that regard. He's not one that normally associates himself with the Evangelions, so only knows of them from a very vague standpoint, but he gave me the directions to the remains."

"Where are they?" asked Misato, finally asking the question she had been wanting to ask from the moment Ritsuko told her this.

"I'll get to that in a minute," said Ritsuko, but when Misato went to protest this by opening her mouth, Ritsuko continued with, "there is something else I wanted to discuss with you before you leave."

Misato surely didn't want to waste anymore time talking if there was even the slightest possibility to discover anything which may have happened to Asuka, but she held her tongue.

"As you know, I've been fulfilling my role as a doctor and questioning every single person that returns and ends up back here in Tokyo-3. In doing so, I've been slowly able to piece together the events that happened during the attack on the Geofront, and have a fairly accurate understanding of what happened that day."

"What are getting at?" asked Misato, beginning to lose her patience.

"Fine, I can see that you are anxious for me to hurry through this, so I'll say this much at least. Something happened at the end of the battle between Unit-01 and the Mass Produced Evangelions, likely helping to create the situation that we are now in."

"And Shinji-"

"Was likely at the center of it all," finished Ritsuko. "I do not know what happened during that moment since everything was chaotic on our end, and the command center was being overrun at the time. Unfortunately, we have very little knowledge of what happened after both Unit-01 and Unit-02 engaged the Mass Produced Evangelions."

"So Asuka made it to Shinji's side," spoke Misato.

"She did. Both yours and Kaji's efforts weren't in vain."

This helped to improve Misato mood slightly, but she still had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Without Shinji here though, we don't have anyway of confirming this," said Misato suddenly.

"Well, true," sighed Ritsuko. "There are many things I would like to ask him if I got the chance. Well, that's all I wanted to say, but I expect to hear something reassuring after you investigate Unit-02."

"I will," said Misato as she stood up to leave. She glanced over at Kaji, thinking that he would accompany her.

"Sorry," he said, "I've got something other matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you this time."

"Right," said Misato, thinking that she would have preferred his company of she was honest. She didn't know what she expected to find, but she wanted to be prepared for the worst.

After Misato had left however, Kaji turned to Ritsuko and asked, "How long do you think we've actually been gone for?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"You can't honestly expect people to not be able to not put two and two together. The decomposition of food, oxidizing of metal, plant life that has grown in abundance without humans hands to tend them. Six months is hardly long enough for these things, well, the food wouldn't take long I suppose, but other than that..."

"You weren't secretly affiliated with Nerv for nothing I see," sighed Ritsuko."

Standing up, she left the comfortable feel of the chair, and stepped into the open sun while Kaji followed her. All around them, people continued moving, each of them shouldering some burden that they were assigned. That last remnants of humanity has been reduced to scavengers.

"I don't honestly know how much time has passed, and that is what makes me worried the most," whispered Ritsuko.

"You don't even have a guess?" asked Kaji.

"More than a year I think. If we can get the power back, then I may be able to get a rough estimate, but that's all."

Kaji and Ritsuko watched the many Nerv employees continuing working around them, both wondering how humanity could continue functioning as such.

Using the map Ritsuko had given her, it didn't take long for Misato to arrive by vehicle. She was driving a green jeep that somebody has found during the many travels through the ruined city, and Misato was thankful for this. On foot, it would have taken her several hours.

From where their camp was on the beach, it was difficult to tell how bad the state of Tokyo-3 was. While driving though, Misato began to realize just how bad the damage was. A large part of the city had of course been destroyed when Unit 00 was contaminated and subsequently destroyed, but the ensuing battle between Unit 01 and the Mass Produced Evangelions had turned this section of Tokyo-3 into a wasteland similar to apocalyptic movies. The destroyed remains of buildings lay on there side. Entire sections of roadways had been gouged out of the earth, and large indents into the ground indicated where the Evangelions once stood.

Misato took all this in as she drove, carefully navigating her way around the ruins until she reached the area that the map indicated where Unit 02 was. As Misato stepped out of the jeep though, she couldn't help but inhale sharply at the sight before her. Calling it the remains of Unit 02 didn't do it justice: there was almost nothing left of the Evangelion.

Initially, Unit 02 had been severely damaged by Unit 01 and Shinji as they fought while descending into Terminal Dogma. Tabris, the last Angel had of course been controlling it at the time, and Shinji had seen no way of subduing it then to tear off both its arms. After the battle, Unit 02 had been repaired, but only to the point of the right arm functioning again, and Asuka had left to fight with Shinji in this damaged state. But that state couldn't compare to what Misato saw now. The only way of describing it was a savage mangling.

Unit 02 was nearly unrecognizable. The entire chest cavity had been ripped open, the large organs long decayed, and the ribcage had been ripped apart, pieces of bone littering the ground beside the fallen Eva Unit. The right arm had been torn off, though within Misato's vision, it was no where to be found. Both of the legs had been stripped clean of flesh as though carrion birds had defiled the body. The skull however was missing from the body, the head flung to the side where it lay on the ground. Two large punctures where the eyes were supposed to be went in one end of the skull and out the other. The top of the skull looked to have been crushed by a blunt instrument or a large fist, and the flesh had of course long decayed away, the metal red armor laying around the broken skull.

Misato felt a certain fear welling up inside her as she looked at the husk which was once Unit 02, long destroyed during the battle with the Mass Produced Eva Units. However, there was still one thing that she didn't immediately see, and that was the entry plug.

Quickly jumping back in the jeep, she starting driving around the corpse of Unit 02, searching for the entry plug. What did she expect to find? Misato wasn't sure whether she even wanted to find it or not, worried what the inside might tell her. However, if there was even the slightest possibility she could learn something about Asuka, she felt it was her duty to do so.

Driving in a large radius around Unit 02, she slowly began enlarging the circle she was driving in, but began to lose hope of ever finding it. When she was about to give up though, she spotted a cylindrical object far away from where Unit 02 lay. Speeding up, she realized why she hadn't seen it sooner since the white entry plug would certainly have stood out in the ruins.

Stepping out of the jeep, she slowly walked towards the object, nearly buried in the dirt. The white had faded, replaced with a rusted hue, but Misato could see the words "Unit 02" plastered on the side though the letters were faded. Walking around the side, she tried pulling on the release that would open it, but it was firmly rusted closed. Misato stared at it for several seconds, knowing that it was futile to try to open it by herself. What she needed to do now was return to camp and get a team out her to open it.

As she hurried back to her jeep though, she felt that something was bothering her. Where were the Mass Produced Evangelions that Asuka had certainly fought? Where was Unit 01? What had happened to Shinji?

Hundreds of questions began floating around Misato's mind, nearly all of which she couldn't find an answer for.

Unable to find an answer, she had no choice but to return to camp, dreading what she might find after the entry plug for Unit 02 was opened.

When Misato returned, she barged into Ritsuko's tent while she was talking to a patient who has recently been found on the beach earlier that day, and was immediately ordered out until she was done. When Ritsuko finally came out of the tent, she found Misato standing there impatiently waiting for her.

"You're back quicker than I anticipated. I take it you found something.

"Speaking hurriedly, Misato said, "Unit 02 is...there isn't much left. I don't know what happened during the battle, but it is unsalvageable, but that's not the important part. I found the entry plug, but it's rusted shut. Ritsuko, I need you to help me assemble a team to get it open. Whatever tools you need just find them, Asuka may-"

"Misato, even if we could assemble a team this quickly with the right tools and factoring in the little light left today, a week has passed since people started returning, and even if Asuka was trapped in there, she's likely-"

"Don't! Please don't say that..."

Even though Misato said this, she recognized how hopeless it was to believe Asuka was waiting in the entry plug for rescue. LCL fluid could function as water in dire need, and passed through the lungs mimicking oxygen, but a week without food...that was pushing it.

"Even if she isn't there, some sign of her, that's all I want."

"Even if it's something you don't want to see?" asked Ritsuko.

"...Yes," replied Misato.

Ritsuko watched her for several seconds before she sighed and said, "Alright. But it may be a few hours before everything will be ready. It just so happens that somebody found a hardware store earlier today and came back with a few things just as a precaution. I'll send a few more people back to grab a list of things we'll need."

"Ritsuko?"

"I'll be coming as well. I trust you, but I'd planned on seeing Unit 02 myself, so I think this kills two birds with one stone."

"But what about affairs here? What about the people returning?"

"I'm not the only doctor that Nerv employed. They should be able to handle things even if I'm away for a few hours."

"Ritsuko, I-"

"Get some rest if you can in the mean time. You look like you need it."

Leaving her with that thought, Ritsuko left Misato alone in front of the tent after she went back in. Though she was anxious, Misato knew that sleep would be best right now. There was no point worrying over something which may or may not occur, but on the off chance that it did...

Pushing that thought away from her mind, Misato found a small tent tucked away in a corner of the encampment, laid herself down on an empty sleeping back, and fell into a restless sleep.

It felt like she had only just laid down, when Kaji shook her awake two hours later.

"You look horrible," said Kaji after Misato sat up, yawning widely. In truth, she had only managed to get about half an hour of sleep, and ended up lying awake, tossing and turning for most of the time.

"Is Ritsuko ready?"

"Yeah, she had me come and get you, and also told you to put something warm on. It's likely gonna be a cold night."

Handing her a jacket and some warmer clothes, Kaji stepped out of the tent and waited for her to change, smoking while he waited. When Misato stepped out, she glanced over at him, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and took a long drag on it.

"I thought you quit," said Kaji, surprised by this action.

"I needed that right now. My nerves are shot."

Handing it back to him, Misato spotted Ritsuko walking towards then, dressed similarly as she was.

"You awake?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go. I want to at least get there before the sun completely sets."

Ritsuko drove, with Misato riding shotgun beside her in the same jeep she had driven earlier. Kaji stayed behind at the camp, taking care of a few things on his end, deciding to leave it to them. Behind Ritsuko and Misato, five more vehicles drove at a distance behind them, each of varying makes, models, and colors. Ten more people were accompanying them, each an engineer who had hands on experience working with the Evangelions.

By the time they reached there destination, it was already dark out, and they parked the six vehicles around the entry plug, the headlights shinning on it to provide light. The ten workers got out of their vehicles and started pulling out tools from crowbars, to buzz saws and blow torches.

Misato watched then start working around the entry plug, but noticed that Ritsuko had wandered over to the wreckage of Unit 02 and was examining it using a flash light she had brought. Hurrying over to her, she saw that Ritsuko was closely examining the skull.

"Well, you were certainly right in that this is unsalvageable, but I'm glad I saw it myself."

Misato saw that Ritsuko expression was darkened however, and the beam of her flashlight was closely inspecting the two gaping holes where the eyes had once been.

"Misato, unless I'm very mistaken, I think the damage to Unit 02 was done after it was already incapacitated."

Misato's expression froze, but she managed she give a low reply.

"What do you mean?"

"These two points here, I think they were done by a Lance of Longinus."

The Lance of Longinus, capable of breaking through an Angels AT-field and destroying its core instantly. However, if said thing was used against an Evangelion, it would effectively disrupt the pilots synchronization, possibly killing the pilot, and where the two holes were.

"...No...Asuka," spoke Misato in horror.

"The cranial nerves were severed, originating from the back of the skull. It was thrust in from here."

"...Ritsuko..."

"I don't think there can be any denying it..."

Then Asuka was-

"But," said Ritsuko cutting off Misato's voiceless cry, "keep in mind that both yourself and Kaji died, yet here you are standing next to me."

"Ritsuko, what are you saying?" said Misato, holding back her tears.

"Only this. You died, yet here you are. There is something, some sort of phenomenon that happened here that I can't explain. Third Impact has apparently occurred, so why are we alive then? Even if Asuka did die, there is a strong possibility that she could come back just as you and Kaji did, and you aren't the only ones. Plenty other of our personnel died, only to return."

"So, something like...God made this happen?"

"Something more physical than that I think, or a being that could be considered a god. Don't forget Misato, Shinji is not only human, but has Adam's DNA in him. I think he had some hand in whatever happened...this miracle if you will. I've also noticed that neither the Mass-Produced Eva's, or Unit 01 is here, though what's happened to them, I don't know. Either way, don't give up hope on Shinji or Asuka. Somehow or another, they'll turn up eventfully, I believe."

At that moment, they heard a loud call from where the crew was working. They had managed to cut open the entry plug, though it had predictably been empty. Misato saw it for herself, but the only thing left was a small amount of LCL fluid which trickled out of the cut they had made. No sign of Asuka, or any possibility that she was ever even here.

Without any other options, the group went back to the campsite, but Ritsuko was thinking about Shinji, and his possible relevance to Third Impact. There was still much that she didn't know, but also some that she hadn't told Misato. Shinji having Adam's DNA was essentially the catalyst that could have triggered Third Impact, but something else was required of course. Was it Shinji himself which had caused everybody to return, or was it that other being?

Ritsuko looked up to the darkened sky, wondering how far away from the truth she was.

The days passed by slowly, as Misato started getting used to being called the commander. Ritsuko and Kaji helped out her where there assistance was needed, but ultimately, the decision fell on her.

The third day after they had opened Unit 02's entry plug, Misato received a report on the status of the Geofront and Dogma. Besides the destruction that Unit 01 and Shinji had caused while destroying military installation and the top part of the pyramid being blown off, the rest of the Geofront was largely in tact. Rations had been found within Nerv capable of supplying them for many months, but this was of course only on the assumption that everything was strictly for Nerv personnel. As there numbers continued growing, and civilians eventually started appearing, rations would start to dwindle. With this in mind, Misato decided to start planning for the inevitable future.

The hills above Tokyo-3 had there fair share of small towns and homes, but the majority of it was farmland. Tokyo-3 had been built with the imagined possibility of it being the only remaining city on earth incase the Angels targeted the rest of the earth. Because of this, Tokyo-3 was supplied entirely by its own agricultural surroundings, eliminating the need for foreign imports.

Misato sent out a team of people to the hills to inspect the land, fearing that they may have to start planting from scratch, but was surprised by the news she received when they returned. Though much of the fields were overgrown with weeds and nature had claimed back much of the civilized land, most of the fields were teeming with food still. With the change of seasons, fruit would fall from the stems and the seeds would become buried in the ground as animals trod upon them and water fell. Certain root based vegetables would need to be replanted, but they had returned at a time where the winter was just ending, and spring starting. Misato once again wondered if whatever force has brought them back had planned this all along. It certainly made things easier for her.

Finally, nearly a week after they had inspected Unit 02, Misato was greeted by the woman from the maintenance crew who has sped into the camp driving a red truck. The news couldn't have been any better: the backup generators were finally working. Misato couldn't help but smile at this news, and the people near her that heard this news began cheering. Electricity and running water: everybody had missed these daily necessities for the short time they had been without them.

With the thought in mind that she should organize groups to go to the Geofront to relax for a while, Misato entered Ritsuko's tent. She was examining a large notebook that had notes about every patient that she had examined. At the very front of the notebook were numerous numbers, all of which had been crossed out and then finally at the very bottom was the number five hundred and seventy-eight, circled in red ink.

"So this is what we're to as far as our population goes?" asked Misato.

"Yeah," said Ritsuko as she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up.

"So have you heard?"

"I'm assuming by the cheering that the back up generators have been fixed?"

"They have. I was thinking of sending groups of people down to the Geofront to relax and what not. God knows I could use a shower myself. With this amount of people though, I suppose we should start setting up residencies inside the Geofront."

"Either that our start rebuilding Tokyo-3's infrastructure."

"Isn't it a little soon for that?"

"No, you're right. We still have a while before that begins. So what's next?"

"That was actually the main reason I came to see you. The electricity and water may be working again, but Nerv's network, the computer systems, are still down."

"I figured as much. I suppose they'll need my help in that regard."

"How soon can you get them back up?"

"If it's a simple matter of rebooting the system, about a day. Why though? They can't be of much help."

"I've actually been thinking Ritsuko, whether we our the only humans here."

"What do you mean?"

"You said when I first came back that currently it's only Nerv employees that our returning, so what about the other branches? What about our facilities in the United States and Germany?"

"...I hadn't thought of that, but you raise a good point. It is possible, though I assumed since this is where Third Impact initiated from, that we would bear the brunt of humanities reappearance, though it is possible. Am I correct in assuming you want to contact them via the computers satellite uplink?"

"That is my intention."

"It could work, assuming that Nerv's satellites are still orbiting of course, but I'd be careful as well. Leaving the branch in Germany aside, the United States branch may no longer be under our control. Don't forget that before Tokyo-3 was attacked, each branch was suppressed, and while we know that Germany gave up without a fight and they were sympathetic to us, the United States may be different. I think they have long been in control by Seele."

At Ritsuko's words, Misato narrowed her eyes. "Ritsuko, do you think it possible that Seele could hinder us again?"

"I don't know, but I can't rule it out. Seele is composed of the twelve most powerful men in the world, and though whatever they hoped to accomplish with Instrumentality is likely no longer possible, they may hold contempt for us. For now though, I don't think we have to worry about

them. It will take time for even them to rebuild the power they once had. Meanwhile, I suppose I should head to the Geofront and get started on the computer systems. What are you gonna do?"

"I'll sort out a couple things here, then I plan on going somewhere I've been meaning to for a while."

"Where's that?"

"My old apartment."

After creating a rotating schedule of people visiting the Geofront, Misato drove to her old apartment. She asked Kaji whether he would join her, but he declined. Misato wasn't sure whether he was being considerate to her, since he likely knew why she was going there, but she had wanted him there all the same.

As she drove into the spot she normally parked at, she glanced up to her apartment building. The right side of it was completely destroyed by what she guessed where shells fired from artillery, but her own room appeared unscathed.

Walking up the steps, each seemed heavier than the rest. When she approached her door, out of habit, she reached for her keys, but obviously didn't have them. As she began wondering whether she'd even be able to get in, she saw that the door was already open, but that parts of the door were damaged, riddled with bullet holes. It appeared that the soldiers had come her searching for both Shinji and Asuka at some point.

Pushing the door aside, she stepped into her old apartment and spoke to nobody-

"I'm back..."

Her apartment was destroyed. The living room had been ran sacked, the couch was molding and had numerous bullet holes covering it, and the TV had been shattered. The window itself was also damaged, likely letting the rain in.

The kitchen was little better. The table had been kicked against a corner, and the three chairs were laying upside down, one of the chairs missing its legs. The refrigerator was left open and empty, an all the cabinets were swinging open, the pots and pans that Shinji had bought lay scattered on the floor.

Her own bedroom had likewise been destroyed. Her bed was thrown against a wall, feathers from the mattress littering the carpet thanks to the bullet holes that riddle the mattress. Her dresser and had been turned over, her clothes scattered across the floor, and fragments of glass lay on the ground where he mirror had been shattered. The life that she had once had here was likewise gone.

Leaving her room, she entered the only one that had any stuff left in it, and dreaded the worst. Opening the door, she couldn't help but feel angry at the site she saw. Asuka's room had been ransacked in every way imaginable. Her bed was in tatters, the pillow and mattress torn apart by a stream of bullet holes. Posters that she had hung on the wall had been ripped down. Her

wooden dresser had all the drawers ripped out of it, everything from shirts, pants, and underwear were strewn across the floor. The window that her bed rest under had been shattered, and the curtains had been torn and ripped apart. For some reason, Misato felt more angry here than even her own room. She hated to think of somebody going through this room, destroying everything that Asuka held dear.

As she thought that however, something sprang to her mind. Quickly, she began searching the room, checking on, and under the bed, moving the dresser out of the way, and picking up every article of clothing. Finally, she found what she was looking for under a red shirt. They were no longer within the case, but the earrings that Shinji had given Asuka from the souvenir shop at the aquatic museum were still intact, the blue eyes of the two dolphins gleaming even in the dimness of the room. Misato couldn't help but smile as she examined them, remembering how embarrassed Asuka was when Ritsuko, Kaji, and herself had seen Shinji and Asuka out on what could have been considered a date. It felt like that had happened an eternity ago. She didn't know whether she would ever see Asuka again, but if she was allowed that privilege, she would give these to her.

Pocketing the earrings, she left Asuka's room and paused just as she was about to leave. Glancing over at Shinji's room, she hesitated, unsure whether she wanted to enter. So many things had led to him leaving, and so many memories existed within this space. Misato had been there guardian for a short time, but had watched then grow together. She wished for those moments, wanting to turn back the hands of time to happier moments when they had all lived together. But fate was a cruel thing.

She had made her decision though. Her old life was behind her, and there was no possible way of reclaiming it. Leaving behind everything she had ever accumulated in her life, she left her old apartment with nothing but the earrings.

Misato awoke early the next morning before the sun had even fully risen, and was currently speeding through the remnants of Tokyo-3. She had been awoken by an engineer who had been working on the cleanup of the Geofront, one of the many. The engineer had been contacted by Ritsuko using the newly reestablished communications within the Geofront, and that she wanted Misato to come to the command center as soon as possible. As such, Misato was hurriedly driving through Tokyo-3, making her way to one of the many gates that connected it to the Geofront.

With nearly a thousand Nerv employees now available to work, they had begun cleaning up the devastation that had been left as a result of the attack. All the gates had been cleared of debris and rubble as well as the many military vehicles. Some of the these were still working, so those personnel experienced with such things had begun storing them on the off chance they could be used.

Driving through one of the largest gates, Misato went deep underground before passing into the Geofront, parking her car in one of the many underground parking lots, and then used the stairs to ascend to the command level. Many of the elevators were still not working, but this was a matter of sabotage instead of lack electricity.

Each person she passed greeted her in a polite manner, and Misato was glad to see that Nerv was essentially functioning once again, even under these strenuous circumstances. Finally arriving at the commander center, Misato immediately spotted Ritsuko working at one of the three main Nerv computers, the Magi, developed by Ritsuko's mother.

"How's it coming?" asked Misato as she approached Ritsuko who was currently in a sitting position while her eyes were focused on a laptop in front of her.

"Alright, all things considered. Coffee?" she then asked, pointing to pot casually plugged into an outlet against the wall. "I just finished brewing it."

"Thanks," said Misato, thinking it was exactly what she needed. She couldn't help but smell the stale smell of tobacco filling the air and noticed an ashtray not far from Ritsuko with several cigarettes crushed within it.

"Have you slept at all yet?" asked Misato after she had filled a cup.

"For about two hours earlier, but taking a shower woke me up the most." replied Ritsuko.

"I'll have to make it a point of doing that myself before I leave. So, what was it you wanted me here for? Did you manage to make contact with another branch?"

"No, but I haven't actually tried yet either. This is something else."

Setting the laptop on the ground, Ritsuko walked around to one of the other Magi, and came back hefting a large stack of paper, and set them down in front of Misato.

"What is all this?" asked Misato as she knelt down to get a closer look.

"Though the computer systems may have been off, they still catalog every date logged, no different then how a personnel computer accounts for the days passed after you haven't turned then on for a few days."

"Then what is all this paper for."

"Unfortunately I haven't managed to get the graphical displays up yet, but the system just finished rebooting a few hours ago. I tested a print log to make sure they were functioning properly, and all but Casper is working properly. I suspect there may have been some corrosion in the copper wires, but will be easily replaced. After testing the print log however, I tried something else, and got what you see in front of you."

"And what is this exactly?"

"Check the log on that first paper and you'll understand what I mean Misato."

Misato did so, looking at the first line. The writing was so small that she had to squint slightly to see it. At the top of the page was the date-

"September 09, 2015," she spoke slowly, beginning to realized what she was seeing.

"The date that Nerv was attacked by the coalition of nations. I first ran this on Balthasar, and then Melchior, but I got the same results."

Misato had stopped listening however, and had already begun frantically going through the large stack of papers. Every single line after the last logged date had only a single dash marking each subsequent day that passed. Eventually, Misato tore through the stack to reach the bottom quicker, and read aloud the next date logged.

"March 02, 2022."

Misato stared long and hard at this date, hoping that the words displayed would suddenly shift to something that she could wrap her mind around, but Ritsuko spoke instead.

"I've been through the pages multiple times already, but there isn't a single date besides those two. The date there, would be today, the first time the computer systems were turned on in-"

"Almost seven years," Misato spoke for her. Seven years? How was that possible? Even if it had been two years, Misato could have wrapped her mind around that as much as she wouldn't want to believe it...but seven...

"Ritsuko," started Misato, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "is it possible that this is somehow wrong?"

"It's possible, but fairly remote. Without Casper online, I can't be one hundred percent sure, but my mother built the Magi to compliment yet clash with one another. Without all three, a general consensus can't be reached, but since both Balthasar and Melchior reached the same conclusion, I believe this date is true. It would explain what we've seen with regards to the environment."

"But why? Almost seven years without humans on earth, why that long?"

"I don't know, and I have to admit that it is hard to stomach this truth, but Misato, the real reason I wanted you to personally see this and couldn't trust anybody else is because we can't let people know about this, not a single person. It could quickly destroy everything that we've accomplished in this short time."

Misato wanted to say something in this regard, but knew that Ritsuko was right. They had to keep this in the dark for the time being, but it would eventually come to light. The evidence was after all, all around them, and many people had already wondered about this very thing.

"What about Kaji?"

"You can tell him, he can handle this much without a problem."

"What about the other computer systems here at Nerv though? Plenty of personnel computers will show the same dates."

"Before I fully bring the systems back up, I'll write an algorithm to change all the systems to a more...feasible date, and I've already begun confiscating any laptops around the Geofront I find. I

know that it's only a matter of time before this gets out, but we can limit the fallout by rebuilding everything in the meantime. Of course, the possibility of the other branches finding out about this are very high, though that's of course if other humans exist on the planet besides here."

"And how soon do you think we can try and contact the other branches, the one in Germany at the very least?"

"Once Casper is fixed, and the algorithm written, I can try contacting them via satellite communication. If I can identify the problem with Casper, then I'd estimate three or four days."

"...well, I don't think I could ask for more from you right now. Thanks for letting me know, and try and get some sleep if you can; your eyes are bloodshot."

"And I think before you do anything else, you should take a shower, or a bath might be more relaxing," smirked Ritsuko.

"Yeah, I should," said Misato with a sigh. "Keep me updated if you find anything."

"Will do," said Ritsuko as she turned back to her laptop.

After finishing this conversation, Misato took the stairwell down to one of the lower levels where the residential areas were. These were largely for important personnel or diplomats.

As Ritsuko had suggested, Misato took a bath, forgetting what this sort of relaxation felt like. From the moment she had returned, it had been one thing or another and she was glad to have time to herself, time to think. Food was the biggest problem right now, and while the fields above Tokyo-3 had been a great discovery, was it truly sufficient to keep them alive for long? There were plenty of canned foods that could be found just scavenging the stores, but how long would that last, especially with people returning every day. Fish was something they could acquire in large quantities as far as meat went, but the Nerv personnel weren't cut out for that sort of work.

After spending nearly half an hour soaking in the bathtub, Misato stepped out and dried herself off, glad that there was a hair dryer available to her.

Leaving Nerv didn't take long, and she was soon back at the camp, already getting reports as she drove to her own tent, which had been designated as the commanders tent.

As she pulled up and parked near it, she spotted Kaji sitting on a chair just outside her tent, smoking a cigarette and reading a book.

"Any good?" asked Misato as she stepped out of the jeep.

"Not really, but it helps pass the time," sad Kaji as he set it down.

"Come in, I have something to discuss with you," said Misato as she passed him and ducked into the tent.

Kaji followed, and just as he stepped into the tent, he said, "You took a shower I see."

"It was a bath actually, and how did you know?"

"I could smell the shampoo."

Misato wasn't sure how to reply to that. She hadn't forgotten the relationship she had once had with Kaji, or the words spoken between them just before they had died, but now wasn't the time to dredge up past feelings.

"I was with Ritsuko."

"So I heard. And? Did she manage to get the computers up and running?"

Misato then launched into the discussion that she had had with Ritsuko, ending it with the reality of how much time had passed since they were last on the earth. Kaji didn't say anything, but he didn't look particularly shocked either.

"You don't seem surprised."

"I am, but I also somewhat expected this. It accounts for the changes that we've seen."

"Ritsuko said the same thing, but what I want to know is why? Why seven years? Why have we returned now?"

"Who knows," shrugged Kaji. "And does it really matter even if seven years have passed? Sure, rebuilding everything is going to take time, likely several years altogether, but we're back, so there's no sense worrying about why, or how. The only thing we can do now is move forward."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"I do. Whether this was all planned or not doesn't matter to me all that much."

"That may be your opinion, but I can't help but worry."

Silence engulfed then as Misato and Kaji sat beside each other. Slowly, Kaji glanced over at Misato and saw that she was bent over, looking at the ground. He wasn't sure where his feelings lay with regards to her right now, but felt that he should at least try and comfort her. Raising up his right hand, he rested it on top of her head, and gently leaned her body towards his.

"Right now, do what only you can do, and let other people shoulder the rest of the burden. You may be the person everybody is looking towards for help, but don't forget that you're not alone. You have both myself and Ritsuko to help you along this path."

At that moment, footsteps approached the tent, and someone began calling for Misato. Straightening herself up hurriedly, Misato turned back towards Kaji and whispered a quick, "thank you," before she left the tent to attend to more important matters.

Kaji continued sitting alone in the tent, waiting for his own moment to get up. Some people knew of his and Misato's prior relationship, but it was best to not start any rumors.

"Even though I said that, I feel like Misato needs more than just myself and Ritsuko to help her," he mumbled.

Standing up, he left the tent and looked up to the blue sky.

"Hurry up and return you two," he said.

Time passed slowly for the people who had returned, but they all soldiered on. Nerv employees continued returning, and soon their numbers had reached over one thousand. Truck loads of fruits began being shipped to both the Geofront and the camp, but the majority of it was kept at the Geofront for preservation purposes. Most people had begun creating residences in the Geofront, but a contingency was kept at the beach for the people that kept returning. Nearly a month after the first humans had reappeared on the beaches however, one day, nobody had returned. Patrols were expanded to cover more of the beach, driving up and down the beachfront, but nobody was found. At this point, Ritsuko deduced that they had reached the end of the Nerv personnel who would be returning. While the number was smaller than the dossier list of people that Nerv had employed, Ritsuko guessed that civilians would begin returning soon.

The computers were up and running, and all the dates had been configured to show the date as late March in 2017, though it was really 2022. While they had managed to connect the Nerv computers to the satellites circling the earth that were affiliated with Nerv, they had not managed to get in touch with the facility in Germany. Despite this, Misato still tried to contact them once a day without fail. On the bright side, they had managed to find a couple radios capable of long distance communication via satellite. Misato and Ritsuko both had one with them at all times incase of emergencies, and the rest were split up between the Geofront and the campsite.

As March ended, and April began, the first civilians returned. Ritsuko had gotten a call from one of the patrols on the beach notifying her of this, and had immediately left the Geofront, getting in touch with Misato as she did do. Misato had been away on a trip north of Tokyo-3 where somebody had found a large farm of Japanese cows, most of which were old, but food was needed after all. Before Misato could make an adequate decision however, she was pulled back to the camp in a hurry.

Arriving at the camp nearly an hour after Ritsuko had informed her, she took the familiar path to Ritsuko tent, but paused as she heard unfamiliar voices coming from inside. She was fluent in both English and German as foreign languages, but she didn't understand what was being said, though she recognized it as Chinese.

Quietly, she poked her head into the flap, and saw Ritsuko sitting beside a man who was laying on a bed, and another unfamiliar man sitting beside her. When Ritsuko noticed her presence, she said something to the guy beside her and stood up, greeting Misato, and the two of them stepped outside.

"What's going on?" asked Misato the moment they had stepped away. "Is that man laying down the civilian?"

"He is, though I didn't account for the possibility of a language barrier."

"Is he Chinese? I thought I recognized some of the words."

"He is, and it's a good thing that we have a few employees who are Chinese, otherwise we might have had a problem. He was violent when the patrol first found him, and they nearly had to drag him back to the camp, but that's understandable."

"How is he doing?"

"Better now. Once somebody was found to translate, we managed to calm him down, and then I began explaining things to him."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth, or part of it at least. Nuclear holocaust wouldn't suffice, so I only gave him enough information that would convince him. Basically the vaguest about Third Impact and Nerv's role as well as its affiliation with the United Nations, though I left out everything about the Evangelions and Angels. He was skeptical at first, but having a fellow countryman reassuring him helped."

"So how do we go from here?"

"That's actually the good news. From talking with him, we've learned that he was part of a small fishing village off the coast of the South China Sea. He knows a lot about fishing, so I think we can guarantee a sizable income of fish if more like him return."

"Ritsuko that's-"

"Exactly what we needed, I know. I'm almost positive now that something is, or has, prearranged all this for us. I think we can assume that the first civilians that will be returning are those who's skills are related to agriculture or food production in some way. How were the cows?"

"I don't think they're something to eat. A couple corpses were found in the field, and a lot of them looked sickly, though I'm no farmer, so I'm not sure."

"At least we'll have fish," sighed Ritsuko.

"Once more farmers return, we can start worrying about rice and fruit production, though rice should be first. Any luck with the other Nerv facilities?"

"No, and I'm starting to think that it won't be possible."

"If there is some other force at work here though, surely they would have accounted for an overcrowding problem here and food shortages if we get to many people."

"...You have a point. Suppose I'll keep trying. In the meantime, we just have to wait for more people that can assist with food production to return."

"That's all we can do," said Misato, but she was wondering something else. If the Nerv employees had stopped returning, and civilians would now begin reappearing, then where were Shinji, Asuka, and Rei?"

The civilians began returning slowly in twos and threes, but soon, nearly ten would arrive in the beach every day.. Due to the possibility of language barriers, Misato had decided that the patrols would now consist of people that were fluent in multiple languages. As the civilians continued returning though, it became apparent that nearly all the civilians were from Asian backgrounds. With this in mind, Ritsuko began guessing that Tokyo-3 would manage the civilians from Asia, the German branch would be in charge of Europe and the Middle East, and that the United States branch would be in charge of North and South America.

Finally, around mid April, a month and a half since humans had returned, Ritsuko managed to get a secure satellite communication with the Germany branch situated in Berlin. Calling Misato to the Geofront immediately, she arrived at the commander center late in the evening after receiving a report about the first fishing haul.

Stepping out of the elevator doors which had recently been fixed, she walked over to Ritsuko who was waiting in front of a computer. They only had voice communications operable for now, but even this was a massive improvement.

"Have you talked to them at all yet?" asked Misato as she approached Ritsuko.

"Just brief greetings. The mans name is Alexander, though Alex is fine he said, and he's in charge of the research center in our German branch."

"When was the call received?"

"About thirty minutes ago. Nobody else knows about this."

"Good. I'll take it from here."

Taking the seat that Ritsuko had just vacated, Misato flipped a switch on the control panel, turning the communications on.

"This is Major Misato Katsuragi currently in charge here in Tokyo-3. Can you hear me Alex?" spoke Misato into the microphone.

"Loud an clear," came the return voice. Judging by his voice, Misato would place his age anywhere between thirty-five and fifty, but she wasn't about to ask. She had more important things to discuss.

"Can you give me a status report on the situation over there."

"Yeah, I'm just glad we've managed to get in touch with other humans." Clearing his voice, Alex continued. "It's been twenty-one days now since the first humans, Nerv employees I should say, started returning. The city is mostly intact, but, the water levels of the river Spree which runs

through Berlin have risen, so certain sections of the city have flooded, but this is also where people started returning from. Currently we have a little more than five hundred people here, and most of our efforts were initially devoted to securing food and other supplies. Afterwards, we began wondering about the possibilities of other humans, particularly in Tokyo-3 living and decided to try contacting you. Owing to the coalition of nations attack against us however, and our surrender, both our computers and power generators were taken off line, and we've only just managed to get both online within the past three days.

"Do you have stable food production?"

"As it stand, we're currently rationing things, but if civilians start returning, we're not sure how we'll fair."

"We've already got civilians on our end returning, but all of them so far have been fisherman."

"What we need is people with agriculture experience more than anything. Most of our people are engineers. But what are things like on your end? What happened to Gendo Ikari? Why isn't he in charge? I've heard of you Major Katsuragi, and Dr. Akagi, and I can assume that you know the most about what happened in Tokyo-3."

"How much do you know?"

"If you mean about Third Impact the Evangelions, and the Angels, then I suppose I know the same as you did. I wasn't part of the team that initially developed the Evangelions, but I was part of the team that helped with Unit 02's development. What happened at Tokyo-3 though when it was attacked?"

Misato paused and glanced over at Ritsuko. She just shrugged however; there didn't seem to be any problem telling him the entire story, so Misato recounted everything she could remember, and what she had been told about the attack on Tokyo-3.

When she was finished, Alex was silent on the other end for a moment before he confirmed something.

"And this is After Impact then?"

"Yes."

"But you have no idea why humans have returned?"

"We think there is something at work which we don't understand which has either planned all this out, or is moving things as we speak, but we don't know why we have returned or how."

"...And I assume that you have realized what the date is?" asked Alex quietly.

"...We have," said Misato, "but currently only three people including myself know of this."

"It looks like I was right in keeping that to myself," mumbled Alex. "So what are your plans currently?"

"Food production is still the most important, but once we have that at sustainable levels, we plan on restoring Tokyo-3's infrastructure."

"We have similar goals, though food is the most pressing concern."

"I think once the civilians return, you won't have to worry about that. From what we've seen, whatever force brought us back, is also assisting us."

"I hope that's true," said Alex.

They continued talking with each other for nearly an hour. Discussing the possibility of joint operations, or simple visits, but they each had their own problems to worry about currently. Eventually, they settled on discussing changes once a week and left it at that, but Misato had one last thing to add.

"Have you heard anything from the United States facility in Massachusetts?"

"No, and I was going to ask you the same actually, but I take that to mean you haven't either?"

"No, and if by chance they do try and contact you, do not answer under any circumstances. We have reason to believe that they may have leaked information about us to the coalition of nations. If Berlin is back, then it's enough to assume that the site in Massachusetts is as well."

"Very well, I'll keep that in mind."

Saying their goodbyes, both Misato and Alex returned to their duties, but Misato quickly turned to Ritsuko and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, but it seems like we can trust him."

"I was thinking the same thing, but it's probably best to keep a couple things to ourselves." Misato had deliberately left out anything referring to Shinji's abilities during the battle since this was still a subject that not many people knew about.

"Well, I'll check back in with Alex in a week. How much of the Geofront has been rebuilt?"

"Dogma is mostly repaired, though we haven't checked the very lowest levels yet, so we can't be sure. Other that, the Geofront needs some repairs to its foundation due to Unit 01 tearing up the soil, and of course the hole from the N2 bomb needs repairing, but that will take several months. With more civilians returning everyday, we may be able to speed up things if they are engineers or construction workers."

"Things are progressing smoothly so far."

"If the United States facility is up and running however, we need to be careful. Seele could be taking action soon."

"What can they do from across the ocean though?"

"Launch fighters with tactical nukes for starters."

"Are you suggesting we start preparing defenses for ourselves?"

"It's only a thought, but I don't think they'll go that far to destroy us."

"I'll have to consider it I suppose," sighed Misato, adding it to her list of things to keep in mind. They knew they weren't the only humans on earth anymore, but humanity still had a long ways to go before it returned to its glory days.

Five days later, on the 20th of April, Misato received an urgent communications from Ritsuko. She hasn't specified what it was, only that Misato's presence was required, and that not even Kaji could come. So, before the sun had even appeared on the horizon, Misato was stepping into the jeep she frequently drove, and sped her way to the Geofront.

Misato could tell from Ritsuko's voice that something was wrong. She hadn't said what, but the waver in her voice was undeniable. Had the United States branch tried to contact them? Had Seele been involved somehow? Questions continued erupting in Misato's mind, right up until she stepped out of the elevator and into the command center.

Ritsuko was standing beside one of the main consoles, her eyes roving over the screen, and she didn't even notice Misato until she stood beside her.

"What's wrong?" asked Misato. "Is it something to do with Seele?"

"No, and I almost wish it was. Just under an hour ago, the Magi detected an anomaly which they identified as pattern blue."

Misato froze, thinking that she had misheard. "Ritsuko, the Angels are-"

"Supposed to be gone, I know, but they may not be either. Tabris was supposed to be the last one, but the Magi are correct. It was only for a brief moment, but it's been confirmed."

"Where at?" asked Misato, trying to keep calm.

"North of Kyoto about ten miles."

Misato didn't say anything, running this alarming information through her head. An Angel here? But why now of all times? It didn't make any sense. And why Kyoto and not Tokyo-3?

"Ritsuko, what are we gonna do about this?"

"...I was actually hoping you had an answer, because I've no idea how to handle this. No Evangelions means we haven't the power to suppress it, and even if we did, there isn't any children which fit the criteria required to pilot one."

"So what do we do?"

Sighing, Ritsuko said, "The way I see it, we have two options. We can either ignore this, pretending that it never happened and hope for the best, or we can send a specialized team to investigate this."

"I don't like either option. Leaving the first aside, how would we explain going to Kyoto?"

"Make something up of course, if we go that route. If an Angel were to come here suddenly, it would spell the end of what we've accomplished. Wide spread panic, people killing each other, though of course we may all die."

"So you're saying we have no other option but to investigate this?"

"Basically," replied Ritsuko with a small smile.

Misato didn't know how to deal with this situation, and for the first time, wished that they still had the Evangelions. It was impossible to fight an Angel without them after all. Even so, they needed to know more about this either way, especially if it posed a threat to them.

"I'll need to assemble a team then, people that have had experience during the attack and that can follow orders to the letter. It'll need to be a small team, eight people at the most, and well outfitted."

"Weapons?"

"Precautionary at the most; the conventional weapons we possess won't even phase an Angel. Can you get me a list of the most experienced people that have returned?"

"I'll get on it, but it sounds as though you plan on taking part in this as well."

"I do. I'm not gonna bunker down here and wait to hear reports."

Ritsuko looked like she disapproved of this, but didn't say anything further on the subject, only nodding.

The following day, Misato had ten people in her tent, the eight that she had selected based on the roster that Ritsuko had drawn up, and one other person who she rather hadn't known of this.

The eight men were all in there thirties, with the leader of the group nearly forty. They were all dressed casually for now, but that would change as soon as they set out. Basic combat gear had been chosen that emphasized movement over protection. They were there to investigate after all and not fight a war.

Misato went over the operation, giving very minute details about everything. It was strictly on a need to know basis, so all of them were in the dark until they got close to there destination. While each was given a radio, they were only used for communicating with each other or her.

After giving her orders, she told them to go wait until she was done dealing with a few things and after they left, she rounded on the other person who had been waiting for her.

"What are you doing here Kaji?" asked Misato clearly irritated.

"What, no thanks for tagging along?"

"Did Ritsuko put you up to this?"

"You guessed right, and I can't blame her for telling me. She was worried about you, as am I."

"So no matter what I say, you plan on following me?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever. If you're set, then let's get going."

Leaving the tent, they stepped into Misato's jeep and started it. Misato didn't bother with combat gear like the eight soldiers, and only had a sidearm which she had stashed in the glovebox. Kaji brought a sidearm with him as well, but neither believed that they'd be required to use it.

Leaving the campsite, they drove into what remained of downtown Tokyo-3 to the spot they had agreed to meet with the soldiers. There would be three vehicles, two of which were Humvee's with light armor plating used by the opposing soldiers during the attack on Nerv. It could stop low caliber bullets, but anything else would rip through it like paper. They had been prepared in secret so as not to alarm the rest of the population or create unnecessary questions, so they were meeting them at this undisclosed location.

As Misato drove around the corner where she had specified the location however, she immediately stopped on the brake, bringing the jeep to a sudden stop. Something was clearly wrong, and Misato didn't need to tell this to Kaji.

Eight vehicles were all parked on the street, but there was clearly something missing. Getting out of the jeep, Misato and Kaji walked over to the vehicles and peered passed them, when Misato suddenly swore.

"God damn it," she groaned.

The two Humvee's which should have been parked waiting to leave, and the eight soldiers were no where in sight.

"Fuck!" Misato shouted, her voice bellowing to the sky. Where the hell were they? Running back to the jeep, she grabbed the satellite radio out of the jeep and tried contacting.

"This is Misato! Where the fuck are you?" Unfortunately, all she got was static.

Chucking the radio back into the jeep, she grabbed the gun out of her glovebox, and using the butt, smashed the windows in of the eight vehicles that were left there, hoping to find some evidence. All the casual clothes that the soldiers had been wearing earlier were discovered, but there was no note or anything for where they had gone.

Grabbing the radio again, she call Ritsuko multiple times until she was nearly screaming before Ritsuko finally picked it up.

"Misato what-"

"My team is gone! Disappeared! They took the Humvee's and left!"

"Slow down Misato. Tell me what happened."

"Because of you pushing Kaji onto me, the eight soldiers disappeared with the Humvee's before I got here."

Ignoring what Misato said about Kaji, Ritsuko asked, "Have you tried contacting them on the radio."

"What do you think I just tried before I contacted you!?"

"So what are you suggesting, desertion?"

"I don't know, and they can't know where to even go since I never told them."

"Is it possible that they learned somehow?"

"I don't think so but-"

Misato paused, suddenly having an idea.

"Ritsuko, you said before that the computers log every time that they're used. Can you check something for me?"

Understanding what she meant, Ritsuko hurriedly checked, and came back with the bad news.

"Yesterday, at eleven at night, there was an unauthorized log. During this time, there was a communication log between someone at the command center, and an outside source. Unfortunately I can't pull it up. The other side deleted any traces of the conversation."

"We should have been more careful," said Misato in anger. "This is likely related to Seele."

"It seems so. But what does Seele hope to gain from this?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Keep digging and see if you can find anything about the source of the communication, I've got some catching up to do."

"Got it," said Ritsuko.

Disconnecting the call, Misato jumped into the jeep and started the car, putting the gun back in the glovebox. Kaji followed, who had been silent so far, but now he spoke his mind.

"You may want to keep that nearby as you might need it."

"You don't think it'll come to that, do you?"

"It's possible that all the soldiers are involved in this, or it might just be one of them. If so, the commanding officer would be the most likely. Either way, it's best not to take any chances."

Agreeing with this judgment, Misato kept the gun on the dash of the jeep as she sped passed the abandoned vehicles.

There was a certain nervous energy that filled the two Humvee's as they barreled there way along the highway separating Tokyo-3 and Kyoto, something which the leader couldn't help but notice. The sergeant had been employed at the Nerv branch in Tokyo-3 for five years, and he was close to pushing forty now. He had been part of the peace keeping force within the United Nations before being reassigned to work at Nerv, and while Nerv had its own personal security team, it employed very few soldiers.

Glancing around the Humvee, he examined the three others that were with him. He knew them of course, though this was only with regards to their accomplishments and past. He had been part of a very small team that had defended the command center during the attack on Nerv, but had never entered combat with the people here. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them, but so was the way things played out. Still, as the commanding officer, they were required to follow him, even if they didn't agree with his decisions.

The initial problem of course came with Major Katsuragi's orders. He had to silence her somehow, at least to prevent any radio chatter. To do this, once all of them had geared up and were waiting for her to arrive, he decided to tell them the truth of this operation, that they were investigating the possibility of an Angel being found. Sometimes the truth, even if it was undesirable was the best way to gain trust. While some questioned him, he answered that the major had given him the extra details beforehand, and that she requested him to relay her orders to them once gathered. This raised some questions, but they believed their superiors orders. In doing so, he was able to turn off all the radios to prevent any of them checking this explanation of his.

Still, investigating the possibility of an Angel wasn't something the others had expected, and they were doing whatever they could to keep there mind of it. Some chewed gum, some smoked, while some simply fidgeted in their seats. This was all fine as most soldiers, however much they would deny it, would be nervous going into combat. But a job was a job, and if they could get all the antsy feelings out beforehand, so much the better. He didn't need to deal with a mental breakdown.

Time was not on his side however, and he knew he only had about ten minutes to carry out the mission he had received before Major Katsuragi interfered.

Misato nearly rolled the jeep multiples time as she sped along the corners doting the highway between Tokyo-3 and Kyoto. Kaji tried to calm her down several times, but this seemed to only anger her further. She was seething at how she could have let this happen. The sergeant had something else he intended to do, some other orders that he had received. Even if Seele was involved with this, what did they hope to accomplish by viewing this Angel? It didn't make any sense!

Maybe there was something in Kyoto that Seele wanted? Was it possible that one of the Mass-Produced Evangelions had somehow ended up there, or worse, had Unit 01 finished its battle there? If that was true, then they would have seen more destruction leading to Kyoto, but the landscape was largely intact. No, it had to be something else.

She has the catch up to the Humvee's. She wasn't sure what she could accomplish with only herself and Kaji, but maybe she could persuade them to turn back from whatever they were trying to accomplish. If it came to armed combat, she wasn't sure how useful two handguns would be against soldiers that had training ingrained into their very souls.

More than an hour later, the two Humvee's entered the city limits of Kyoto. The last portion of the drive had been far easier than expected as the road ways were largely clear of cars that had been pushed off to the side. The sergeant wondered about this, but didn't mention it to the others.

Merging onto a different highway, they started heading north. The sergeant had the coordinates and he directed the driver, one of the other soldiers in the direction to head. Soon, civilization began to disappear behind them and farmland sprung up alongside them.

They drove for another five minutes before the sergeant ordered the driver to turn off, taking an off ramp up and taking a right onto a two lane road. The area here was wide open, with farmland stretching on either side of them. Driving for another five minutes, they passed a sign indicating they were entering a small town.

"Five minutes out," declared the sergeant. Sticking his hand out the window, he gestured with his hand to the Humvee behind them that they were five minutes away from the site. Including himself, the other seven soldiers started preparing, checking their automatic rifles, the gear that was strapped to them, and assisting each other as needed. The nervousness was starting to disappear, replaced with a cold calm.

Taking a left, they entered the small town, hardly paying attention to the small buildings they passed. Ascending a small hill, they entered a residential area, but quickly turned right, and up another hill. Passing under a group of trees, the houses disappeared from their sight, and trees lined them on either side, rows of them going up into the hills above them. Driving for another minute, the first Humvee turned right onto a narrow road.

"Thirty seconds," said the sergeant, simultaneously gesturing out the window to the Humvee behind them.

It was almost time.

Misato turned onto the highway, gunning the jeep forward and directing it northward. She hadn't seen any sign of the Humvee's, but while passing the many cars which were crunched against the guardrail on the way here, she felt that something was amiss. Even if the Humvee's had managed to push the cars off to the side, it would have slowed them down considerably. So what was the answer to this then?

"Hey Kaji?"

"Hmm?"

They had been relatively silent with each other while Misato drove, but now she wanted to talk.

"...If something happens to one of us-"

"Don't mention something like that. Besides, I'm starting to get a feeling of deja vu that I don't like. Just continue driving. Whatever happens, happens."

Misato glanced over at him briefly before returning her eyes to the road. They were almost there Misato knew, but she was slightly afraid of what she might find when they got there.

The two vehicles slowly descended the hill. The soldiers were now on heavy alert, ready for anything which might suddenly try and attack them, but the sergeant was relatively calm. His eyes were locked on a house barely visible through a group of trees at a fork at the bottom of the hill.

They turned left slowly, seven weapons pointed out of the various windows of the Humvee's, looking through the dense trees.

"I think I see something," suddenly said one of the soldiers near the sergeant.

"Pull into the driveway here," said the sergeant checking the magazine in his rifle one final time.

The two vehicles pulled into the driveway, parking alongside each other. The house in front of them was two stories and had grey siding with two windows facing the driveway. The yard was moderate in size, but they hardly noticed these things. All eyes were locked on a figure standing in the middle of the driveway.

The soldiers slowly stepped out, each of their guns pointed at the figure. None of them had expected this development, none except the sergeant at least. Striding forward ahead of the other seven, he kept his gun trained at his target and asked in a loud voice that everyone in the vicinity could hear.

"Are you the Angel we were told to capture?"

The person didn't respond, but the other seven soldiers tensed themselves, gripping their guns tighter. They hadn't expected the Angel to be a person, but they didn't rightfully understand what

an Angel was in the first case. It was likely trying to deceive them by posing as a human is what their minds told them. Tension filled the air as they stared at the figure standing before them. The figure looked just like a young man, but they all could tell that something was off about him. Sweat began dripping down their faces, and they slowly adjusted their aim to the figures head.

"I'll ask again," started the sergeant, "are you-"

"I'm only going to give you one chance. Leave now," spoke the figure quietly, but his voice carried in such a way that each of the soldiers knew. The figure had his hands in his pockets, but his words spoke volumes of what would happen if they tried anything.

Many of the soldiers paused, second guessing what they were doing. What about Major Katsuragi? Shouldn't they wait for her until they do anything?

The sergeant felt the other soldiers beginning to waver, but he had to give them a push forward.

"We can't wait for Major Katsuragi, we don't have the time to consider other options. This...thing, who knows what it could do if we let it go. Tokyo-3 will be in danger if we don't stop it here and now."

The sergeant knew otherwise of course. What his real purpose here was something which he couldn't tell the other soldiers. He had received orders to capture, or failing to do so, kill this thing, this human at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing everyone here.

He had heard rumors, rumors about the special existence of this thing that Nerv had done its best to conceal from the lower employees. He had other superiors however, who told him the truth. Everything was just a ruse, a fabrication that Nerv had created, but this thing was still special, that much was apparent. He was ordered to capture it, or if that proved impossible, to kill it. He had no idea what his superiors wanted this thing for, but that it was unique in someway. He had been promised a special position in the new world that they would be creating, and he was sick of his current life.

"It seems like you won't listen," said the figure with a small sigh.

At his words, a strong wind blew through the driveway, shaking the pine trees and bushes. His shaggy hair blew in the wind, and his eyes seemed to darken suddenly.

Readjusting his own rifle, the sergeant aimed his gun at the figures head. Motioning to the men behind him with a jerk of his head, eight fingers slowly depressed the trigger on eight automatic rifles and...

Fired.

Bullets erupted out of the cylindrical barrels of the automatic rifles, each carving a path through the air towards the figures head. In less than a second, the figures head would explode, brain matter and skull fragments scattering across the ground and painting the garage door behind him a bloody red. At least, this is what was supposed to happen.

A flash of orange exploded around the person, a dome projecting around him. The bullets instantly vaporized as they came in contact with the strange energy. The soldiers had barely fired their guns before they were given time to react to this absurd phenomenon, but the person in front of them was still standing, unscathed. He hadn't even moved, gave no inclination that he had even done anything, but the strange dome surrounded him completely; his hands were still in his pockets.

"Don't let him faze you! Keep firing!" bellowed the sergeant.

The initial shock quickly wore off, and the soldiers continued firing, bullets whizzing through the air. For all their attempts though, it was altogether pointless. The orange dome destroyed the bullets the moment they came in contact with it.

Spending all their bullets in the first magazine, they began reloading, but this was when the person struck back. Like a whip with a mind of its own, a large spear thrust out from the middle of the dome, weaving its way at high speeds until it struck its target, impaling one of the soldiers that was having difficulty reloading. His body was raised up in the air, blood dripping out from the large hole in his abdomen, and then flung almost casually away where it struck a nearby tree. His body lay motionless as blood continue flowing.

"Shit!" exclaimed the sergeant. "Spread out and surround him! Don't bunch up!"

The soldiers spread out in all directions, surrounding the person, continuing to fire their guns. A hail of bullets erupted around the figure, but the orange dome protected him from every direction.

'Shit!' thought the sergeant as he watched the impossible sight before his eyes. 'This wasn't how things were supposed to be. What the fuck were those people saying that it was all a lie!?'

As he thought this however, gaps started to appear in the dome. The soldiers briefly thought that they had finally begun wearing down the strange dome and began adjusted their guns to aim for the narrow gaps that opened up, but each time the bullets were deflected as the gaps were shorn up. It was like they were being taunted, or that the strange orange energy had a mind of his own.

Next second, the dome shifted. From the center, a circular blade similar to a saw blade whipped outward, still connected to the dome, darting its way to one of the soldiers. Screaming wildly, a flurry of bullets assaulted the orange blade, but to no avail. The blade bisected the soldiers body at the waist, cutting him cleanly in half. A fountain of blood erupted from the two halves that were cut, as his upper half went flying through the air, his finger still squeezing the trigger where it eventfully fell to the pavement with a thud. His lower body fell backwards, the legs sticking outwards, blood dribbling down the driveway.

The remaining soldiers began to be panic stricken, firing wildly. This thing, this monster was picking them off without a second thought almost casually as though he didn't even view them as living beings. How were they supposed to fight something like this? How was anybody supposed to stand up and deal with this situation?

Quick as a flash, there thoughts were interrupted as a large wall surged outward from the center of the orange dome, crashing against another soldier. The gun he held in his hand was crushed instantly, and the arm which held it spiraled backwards as a sickening crunch filled the air. He didn't even have enough time to scream while the bones in his arm were crushed, since his entire body was being pulverized like a butcher flattening a piece of raw beef.

The wall sent his body flying backwards, the lightweight armor he had offering no protection. His torso contorted, the organs inside him crushed under the immense pressure, and his ribcage collapsed on itself, puncturing both his lungs. Blood spilled out of his mouth, or what was vaguely recognized as a mouth since his face was nothing but a bloody husk. His skull fragmented in multiple places, the blood vessels in his eyes popping as he went reeling backwards through the air. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The remaining five soldiers watched this in horror, unable to move or make a sound as they watched another of there comrades fall. Regaining his senses, one of the soldiers screamed in fury, and then grabbed something that was attached to his vest.

"Die you fucking monster!" he screamed as he pulled the pin on of the frag grenade, reeling his arm back to throw it. Suddenly, he felt a feeling of weightlessness assault his right arm. Why should that be? He had thought he swung his arm forward intending to throw the grenade at the monster in front of him, but now he didn't feel anything from his right side.

His eyes caught something in the air, and he glanced upwards just in time to see something spinning through the air and then land at his feet. It was an arm and at the end was a grenade tightly clutched in a hand. Wondering where it had come from, he glanced to his right side, his face draining of color as he saw flesh and bone sticking out of his shoulder. As realization dawned on him, he opened his mouth to scream, and then the grenade went off at his feet.

His severed arm instantly disappeared, and the flesh on his legs was ripped off, fragments of metal from the grenade peppering his entire body. Coupled with the blood flowing from his shoulder, he dropped to the ground and passed out from blood loss, dying in a matter of seconds.

This wasn't the only casualty as a result of the grenade. The soldier who was closest to him, who stood perhaps ten feet away wasn't caught in the initial blast, but the shrapnel from the explosion peppered his body all the same.

Chunks of metal cut into his arms, legs, and gouged out deep rivets in his face leaving it pockmarked. He screamed shrilly as blood began pouring down his face, turning his vision red as it got into his eyes. He dropped his gun and his hands grabbed at his neck were a deep laceration had cut into his throat; blood began bubbling out of his mouth, silencing his screams.

Completely paralyzed with fear over his impending death, he didn't even notice the multiple orange blades which came whipping towards him until they had pierced his chest, destroying his internal organs and effectively putting him out of his misery.

In less than five minutes since they had started shooting, the soldiers numbers had dropped from eight, to three. The sergeant couldn't believe how quickly there numbers had dwindled.

Sure, he had been prepared to lose a few, but not in this short of a time. This creature in front of him was inhuman, and he knew now that he had been lied to.

The words 'retreat' were half formed on his lips before he heard a sudden scream come from his left. One of the soldiers had clearly lost what little mental restraint he had maintained, and had dropped his gun, running at full sprint back to the Humvee's parked at the end of the driveway. The second soldier followed without so much as a glance at him, and the sergeant admitted that the operation was a failure.

Turning and running back himself, he watched the first soldier jump into the driver seat, and thought that he would immediately gun in backwards. The second soldier clambered up into the cab, swinging alongside the driver, and then the sergeant reached the vehicle, jumping in as well. There were only two seats in front, but the sergeant didn't even want to waste an extra second to open the side doors. All three of them were crammed into the front, the second soldiers sitting on the center console.

"Get us the fuck out of here!" screamed the sergeant to the first soldier. The words were hardly even out of his mouth when the engine started, and the Humvee jerked backwards.

A shrill sound enveloped their ears however, as though someone had just taken nails to a chalk board, and the three of them stared ahead horror struck at what they saw. Though the figure hadn't bothered moving an inch even when they had scrambled to leave, the orange dome was no longer surrounding him, but a narrow blade of energy had traveled towards them at a speed they couldn't perceive, and had pierced the Humvee's engine compartment.

"It won't move!" said the first soldier as his foot repeatedly stomped the gas.

The sergeant opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut short as his eardrums rumbled again, and a certain wetness assaulted the left side of his face. At first he thought his left side was sliced into and that his blood was now spraying all over the Humvee, but he was only half wrong.

The soldier next to him, the one who had been sitting in the center, his skull had been cloven in two, bone fragments and brain matter splattering the windshield. The top of the Humvee had been cut into, the metal sliced easily as though it was butter until the narrow blade of orange energy cut into the soldiers skull.

The sergeant felt bile coming up his throat as he saw the steady drip of blood flowing from the dead soldiers skull, but the driver had had enough. He scrambled out of the Humvee, falling face first onto the pavement and began running as far away as he could.

The sergeant rolled out moments later, and quickly glanced over at the second Humvee, but the engine compartment had already been destroyed at some point. Glancing back up the driveway, he saw the figure still standing there, hands deep in his pockets and a casual smirk on his lips. Air rushed by the sergeant, and he thought he felt something like a bullet narrowly miss his skull, but the figure wasn't aiming for him.

The other soldier had long left the property of the house, running across the narrow road and into the row of trees on the other side. He zigzagged left and right, darting between trees,

hoping that without a direct line of sight, he couldn't be injured; he didn't even notice that he had soiled his pants at some point during the past few minutes. Finally feeling that he had run far enough, he paused against a tree to catch his breath, and looked back over his shoulder. He couldn't even see a glimpse of the house or the road, and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning away from where he had come, he took one step, and then fell face forward into the dirt with a cry of pain.

He couldn't pick himself up and didn't understand why this was until he managed to role over, and saw both his legs lying on the ground two feet away from him. He screamed again, but his voice was cut off sharply as a flash of orange erupted in front of him, and his head went sailing through the air.

When the scream was cut of suddenly, the sergeant knew that he was the only one remaining. Slowly, he turned to face the figure who was still standing at the top of the driveway. There was no longer any dome surrounding him, almost as though he was inviting the sergeant to attack him. At this point, the sergeant knew that he would never leave here alive, but at the very most, he could do his damnedest to kill this thing.

Swinging his gun around in a flurry, he squeezed the trigger, aiming only around the person without precisely aiming at his face. Flashes of orange erupted one after another as each of the bullets fired from his gun was struck down. It was almost like he was predicting the trajectory of the bullets and destroying them as such. This monster just kept defying the sergeants common sense more and more each time.

Running forward, he continued spraying bullets wildly, some of which ricocheted off the driveway, or struck the walls of the house. He was inching closer now to the figure, nearly within distance to strike with his fist. When he reached a certain distance, the orange dome came down, sealing him inside of a closed space along with the monster. Now only a mere five feet away from his target, he squeezed the trigger, believing that no being could possibly stop a bullet from this distance.

A flash of orange came down suddenly in front of him, and his gun exploded. Before the bullet had even exited the barrel, it was sliced in two, the gun falling apart in his hands. The firing mechanism had sparked the bullet forward, but since the bullet was sliced, it exploded, and the sergeants fingers were caught in the ensuing explosion, the tips of his right hand mangled into bloody lumps.

The sergeant screamed, and took a step back, but adrenaline was pumping through his body with no thought to his own safety. His left hand darted down, grabbing the pistol holstered at his hip. He swung it up, intending to fire, but before he even had a chance to squeeze the trigger, it was cut in two.

Not relenting, he screamed in fury, threw the broken gun to the side, and swung his fist forward. His fist made contact, but it wasn't with the person in front of him. An orange wall sprang up in front of him, which his fist made contact with. Instantly, the bones in his hand fractured, and the skin surrounding the bone peeled away, blood beginning the flow from the multiple wounds.

Howling in pain, he instead aimed a kick high, but suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards. His equilibrium was thrown off as he kicked, and didn't realize that the leg he had been kicking with was no longer attached to his body, causing him to fall over. Screaming once again when he saw his detached leg lying beside him, he began crawling on his hands and knees away, but was of course still encased in the orange dome.

He felt searing pain in the back of his remaining leg, and saw that it was pierced by that same orange energy. Unable to move, all he could do was stare across the driveway to the humvee's and the bodies of the other soldiers. The driveway had long turned slick with blood.

Doing his best to turn around, he felt the muscles on his legs tearing as he turned to face the hateful monster. When he finally got turned around, he was surprised to see that the person had finally moved, and was now standing before him, looking down almost pitifully at him. This angered the sergeant immensely, thinking that this thing could even understand how he felt at this moment.

"Fuck you," he managed to utter through half closed lips.

Next second several flashed appeared around him, and both his arms were pinned to the ground, orange stakes imbedded into his arms. At this point, his body was so numb with pain that he could barely feel anything at this point. His higher functions, namely his brain, we're finally shutting off.

He longed to spit on this persons face, but didn't think he had enough energy left. So he opened his lips to say something.

"Fuck yo-"

His chest was suddenly impaled, both his lungs crushed instantly, blood spewing out of his lips instead of words.

"I did warn you to leave, though you didn't listen. So this is what happened," spoke the figure with a slight sigh as though he himself was weary with all this.

The sergeant wasn't listening however, his eyes glazed over, death slowly approaching.

He didn't even feel any difference as the thin orange blade pierced his neck.

For the sergeant, darkness closed in on him. The trees fades, the house faded, even the figure in front of him faded until he was laying in a pool of his own blood surrounded only by darkness. He could only wait until he finally died, and closed his eyes, waiting for said moment. Finally, he felt white light pierce through his closed eyelids, and knew that he was dead...

.

..

...

...But his eyelids now opened. Sound and smell returned to him and while he couldn't move his body he could take in what surrounded him. But, it didn't make any sense as to why he was here. He...he had died...so why was that figure still standing there motionlessly with his hands in his pockets still?

Suddenly, the sergeant vomited, while simultaneously his bladder emptied, soiling his pants. Around him, the other seven soldiers were lying on their backs or stomachs, each of them either vomiting, shitting, pissing themselves, or a combination of all three. Not a single one of them was injured, and all their guns lay forsaken on the ground beside them. The guns still had the initial magazine in them, and not a single bullet had been fired. How was this possible?

"So...I'll ask you once again. Leave, and don't come back," spoke the figure with a sigh.

None of the soldiers had the ability to respond, each of them still remembering how they had each died.

"Though I suppose you won't be able to move right away. Either way, something else is coming."

After his words, moments later, the sound of an engine roaring could be heard from what appeared to be far away. The sound grew louder, and tires began screeching as the vehicle slowed down as it approached its destination. Seconds later, a vehicle swung into the driveway, but slammed the breaks when it saw the two Humvee's parked in front.

Misato and Kaji jumped out of the jeep and quickly glanced at each other, unsure what to expect. Each of them has their pistols drawn as were prepared for the worst, but something was bothering each of them. Slowly, they inched there way along the Humvee's, and then Misato saw the bodies of the soldiers sprawled on the pavement. At first she thought they were dead, but the moans that escaped there mouth disproved this. She noticed the vomit and smell of excrement, and questions began appearing in her mind, but Kaji brought her out of this.

"...Misato..." mumbled Kaji, his gaze directed up the driveway, while his gun hung limply at his side.

Slowly, Misato followed his gaze up, passed the collapsed soldiers, and to the person who stood at the top looking down on them with a slight frown on his face.

"...Shin...ji...?" spoke Misato, not believing what she was seeing. But no, this couldn't be him, this person was far older, taller, and more mature it seemed. Shinji was only fifteen years old after all.

"How do you know my name?" the person spoke suddenly.

"...Shinji...its me...Misato?" Some sort of expression seemed to pass over his face, but Misato couldn't tell what it was.

"Are you with these soldiers?" he gestured to the men lying on the ground nearly comatose.

Misato opened her mouth to say something, but closed it slowly. She got the idea that Shinji had done something to these soldiers to make them like this, but she didn't know what. She still couldn't believe that Shinji was here, or why he was older, but she understood that Shinji was wary about them. Had the soldiers tried to do something?

The sergeant was listening in to this conversation even though his body still hurt to much to move. The Major knew this person, who she called Shinji, but he didn't seem to recognize her. He didn't understand what was happening between them, but he did potentially see a way out. In his peripheral vision however, he caught movement in the upstairs window, and saw the curtain flutter briefly. Was somebody else in the house?

"I'll ask again. Are you with these soldiers?"

There was something stifling in the air now as the person spoke, and Misato felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff. What was wrong with Shinji? Why didn't he recognize her?

"I'm going to assume from your silence, that you are, which means that you're just the same as them," he said gesturing to the soldiers. "I'll give you time to gather them up and leave, but if you try and approach me, or even talk to me, I'll-"

He stopped short as the sound of a sliding door opened and closed sharply from the side of the house, and then running feet announced the presence of somebody else. Misato felt herself inhale sharply as she saw a woman with long red hair round the corner and march straight towards the man standing in the driveway.

"What are you doing?" she asked pointedly towards the man, giving a brief glance in Misato's direction.

"I thought I told you to stay inside until it was safe," he said with a frown.

"Things have changed," she said again pointedly.

"But what about-"

The woman with red hair silenced him with a look, and then glanced down the driveway towards Misato and Kaji standing there dumbstruck at the two arguing with each other. Slowly, the woman began walking towards them, giving a wide berth to the soldiers who still lay on the ground, but the man hadn't finished talking yet.

"Asuka!"

"Cool it Shinji. I'm fine," the woman spoke as she drew near to Misato.

She approached Misato, ignoring the man behind her who was still staring at Misato and Kaji. As she reached them, Misato saw that they were close to the same height now, and this somehow put it all in perspective. Even though she was older however, the face, the blue eyes, and the vivid red hair was all very familiar to her.

"It's good to see you again...Misato," spoke Asuka with a wide smile.

Misato couldn't do anything but hug her, feeling tears form at the corners of her eyes, so pleased to see Asuka again.

Behind them, Shinji frowned, but then let out a low sigh, scratching his shaggy black hair. Well, it seemed like they knew each other, so it wasn't a problem. Besides, Shinji thought Asuka had mentioned Misato's name before, and he had a vague memory of something he had seen in the past long ago.

The sergeant took all this in from the moment the newest woman, Asuka, had appeared to now. Somehow, they all knew each other, but it didn't make any sense to him. One thing he did notice, was that his body had started moving however. Slowly, he could begin to feel life returning to his arms and legs, and anger started to surge through him. He had been humiliated beyond belief, and now only wanted to cause harm to the person who had done this. His rifle was too far away to reach, but he still had the pistol at his hip.

Sitting up suddenly, he grabbed the pistol from his waist, and pointed it at Shinji. Misato and Kaji froze, and then Asuka turned around to see this spectacle, but didn't feel any fear, and simply watched how things would play out.

"You do realize that is pointless," frowned Shinji as the sergeant pointed the gun at him.

"That may be so, however-"

He swung the pistol around, and pointed it at Asuka who was behind him.

"What about now?" he asked. "Even if I can't harm you in one way, I can certainly harm you in another way."

Shinji didn't move, but he felt a seething anger beginning to develop in his chest.

Asuka didn't move either, even though she was being threatened. After all, she trusted Shinji.

"Just one false move and I'll-"

The sergeant didn't get any further: the gun was split in two as,, coming apart in his hands. A flash of orange had erupted in front of him as Shinji had effortlessly used his AT-field to disarm him. The sergeant gaped wordlessly as the weapon crumbled, not believing what had happened.

Kaji felt angry as well, and took half a step forward before Asuka held out her arm to stop him.

"Let Shinji deal with this," she mumbled.

Shinji did so, walking forward towards the sergeant, all sense of forgiveness disappearing from his eyes. When he was directly in front of the sergeant who was trying to move away from him, even though his legs didn't work, he let out a heavy sigh and said-

"I can forgive you for threatening me, because honestly, you can't do anything to me. However," and here, his eyes flashed a deadly scarlet, "it's an entirely different thing if you threaten a person I love."

A flash of orange appeared in front of Shinji, and then like a guillotine, swung down to meet the sergeant. The sergeant screamed, and then fell backwards, his head hitting the driveway as his eyes rolled upwards into his head.

Silence engulfed the area, and even the other soldiers were silent after watching this unfold.

"Shinji, you didn't," Misato finally spoke.

"No, I didn't kill him, just knocked him out. Though I imagine his dreams are rather unpleasant right now."

Relaxing slightly, Shinji glanced over at Asuka. She was smiling at him slightly, and then walked over to him. When there eyes met, Misato could tell that many things had happened between them, and that they were far closer now then when they were only teenagers, but she was surprised when Asuka kissed Shinji briefly. Even Kaji had his mouth agape slightly at this.

"Thanks," said Asuka.

Shinji nodded, and then glanced back to where Misato and Kaji stood.

"I suppose there are a lot of things to share, but for now we should-"

He was about to mention what to do with the soldiers, but he was interrupted by the sound of the sliding door alongside the house opening again.

Both Shinji and Asuka's eyes whipped over to the corner of the house, and then Asuka glanced quickly at Shinji before trotting away to where the sound had come from.

Misato and Kaji didn't know what to make of this, but Misato saw that Shinji's expression had turned rather stony.

Shortly, Asuka came around the corner, but she wasn't alone this time. As what came into view quickly appeared in Misato and Kaji's eyes, they both realized what they were seeing.

In Asuka's arms was a small child of four years, that had shoulder length red hair and brown eyes.

Standing beside Shinji now, Asuka glanced over at him slightly worried, but the child in her arms was staring wide eyed at the soldiers lying on the ground, and Misato and Kaji who were standing several feet away from them.

Finally, Misato broke the silence and asked, "Shinji...Asuka...is that?"

"Yes," said Asuka not looking at Misato, but now staring at the child clutched lovingly in her arms. "This is mine and Shinji's child, Alena."

Shinji nodded wordlessly, his eyes focusing on the two people beside him, the two that he cared most about in the entire world.

Across from them, Misato and Kaji stood motionlessly, letting this slowly sink in, but in a far corner of Misato's mind, she felt a sudden dread welling up inside her that she couldn't explain.

In the words of Deckard Cain, "Stay awhile and listen!" (Cause I'm gonna ramble)

First off, Welcome to those of you joining in for the first time with this chapter. For those that have stuck with me through these past few years, Welcome Back. The second part of Two of Us is just starting, and I hope everyone got a decent shock about several things from this chapter.

To put this in perspective, the initial workings of this chapter first began to formulate in my mind back in 2010 when I was writing Sorrowful Winter, and for those that have read that, yes Alena is the name I used for Shinji and Asuka's daughter back then, and it's the name that I stuck with all the way to this point.

As I began writing this however, the more and more I began to realize the scope in which this chapter would cover, as little things started cropping up through the cracks. I initially wanted Misato to learn about the passage of the seven years from seeing Shinji and Asuka, which would have been a much greater shock, but the thing with the computers and technology that was left over didn't seem realistic to just gloss over. Maybe it had something to do with me rereading The Stand in tandem to writing parts of this, but I'll leave it at that.

This chapter is long, and some may call it absurdly long, but I ended up not finding a satisfactory spot to cut it in half, and I've had the ending planned out for months, which seems proper to have it end as it does. I can honestly say that I'll never have a chapter be this long again.

Anyway, I'll end things here, and go to sleep since I have to work tonight.

(As a side note, this chapter was written almost entirely on my phone, and while I've proofed it several times, it's very likely that it still has some great autocorrect errors (My favorite being dome to some)).