Untitled

NEON GENESIS
EVANGELION: R'
ILLUSTRATED ORIGINAL FICTION

Episode 52’ "BREATH / I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds . . ."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(It is a place of total darkness . . .

. . .

(Sounds of metal clanging . . .)

. . .

(Sounds of metal clanging . . .)

. . .

(Sounds of metal clanging . . .)

. . .

Rei: nn . . nnnn. . nngh?

(a distant metal ringing, carried to her ears by the seemingly ever-present LCL
fluid that surrounds her, can be heard through the blackness of Rei Ayanami’s
semiconscious daze, as the first child begins to regain her senses within the fluent
confines of the now silent entry plug of Evangelion unit 00 . . )

Rei: . .nn . .gnn . uuuuuuuuuaaaghhhh!!

(A choking whimper of total agony is heard, then, as the girl slowly becomes
aware of the residual nerve impulses assaulting her fragile senses. . .

That whimper soon becomes a desperate cry, as Rei Ayanami’s body
twists under forces unseen-the muscles in her arms and legs spasming at
full flexion, straining against one-another as the child writhes sharply in
desperate gasps for air . .)

Rei: (gasping) Uuuhhgg---!!

(Her body quaking with the overwhelming tidal wave of pain flowing through
her nervous system, Rei Ayanami hugs her arms to herself--banging her head
against the right edge of the titanium headrest beneath her, her teeth clenched
as she steels herself from the torment that wracks her wretched frame . . .)

Rei: -----!!!!!

(with each blow, the curtain of darkness encroaches ever closer upon her vision,
as a new wave of dizziness threatens to overtake the girl’s consciousness for a
second time. Ayanami struggles madly with each exertion, however--smashing
her head into the metal bulkhead with renewed force again,

and again,

and again . . . )

Rei: Huungh--!

( . . until finally . . .)

Rei: (gasping)

( . .the interface band atop the girl’s crown cracks--the rightmost bulbous
white node resting atop her skull losing its shape, as microcircuitry held within
are exposed to the liquid LCL and short out, sparking once or twice before
at last going silent. . .

. . . and freeing Ayanami from the shared agony of Evangelion Unit 00's darkened hell. . .)

Rei: (gasping) wh . .where . .

( As half-seen stars slowly begin to clear from her beneath her eyelids, the
first child opens her eyes--in the blurry haze that ensues, she can, eventually,
begin to make out the familiar curves and lines of the active entry plug's interior---)

Rei: . . .

(the girl manages to place an unsteady hand atop her forehead, supporting
herself upon one elbow despite the residual pain of the now relaxed muscles
in her limbs. . . As Rei’s glazed-over pupils begin to clear, so do the memories
of her ordeal, which slowly begin to resurface from the obscurity of her
subconscious . . .)

Rei: The .. the angel . .

(suddenly, as a new wave of awareness hits, Ayanami begins to slowly
emerge from her daze . . .

around her, the viewing walls of the entry plug are fields of black--no
information whatsoever being received from the cycloptic visual cortex
within the Eva’s head . . . around her, the module lighting is an amber hue,
signifying a switch to the limited power supplied by the internal battery . . .

Then, as the wave of disorientation slowly clears, the first child finds that
everything is at a rather odd angle--the fore section of the plug now pointing
30 degrees downward, the aft compartment now on a similar slant high
above . . . indicating that, for the moment, the EVA is still somewhat right side up . . .

turning to her control readout, the girl struggles to focus-uttering aloud
the information blinking insistently on the small view-panel before her . .)

Rei: N . .non functioning systems . . . minimal power to life support . . .

(shutting her eyes, Ayanami slumps back in her seat--a combined sense
of hopelessness and vertigo nearly overtaking her, she clutches her still
throbbing forehead, cognizant only of the anxious heartbeat ringing in her ears . . .)

Rei: . . .what?

(it is then, however, that the girl becomes aware of something else . . .

barely audible above the hum of entry plug’s the heating system,

and the beating within her chest . . .

the very noise responsible for her awakening,

it is the sound of weakened pounding resonating through the LCL . . .

. . not unlike the struggles of a small animal, banging helplessly against an unyielding
foot-thick steel barrier . . .)

(Rei at last opens her eyes, craning her neck as she turns in her seat,
trying to locate the source of the noise . . . what she sees, though,
is as perplexing as the nature of the sound itself;

for it is merely the aft wall of the entry plug. . . )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Several hundred meters high above . . . among the night-time ruins of Tokyo-1 . . .

The mobile command transport unit, housed within the belly of the massive
SCC Nerv VTOL craft, rests in a clearing beneath the now silent, crouched
form of EVA unit 01 . . . the titanic guardian’s protective R2 armor, once an
iridescent white, has taken on a much darker hue--scorched and charred in the
explosive aftermath of the destruction of the celestial invader, the armor’s now
brown and blackened ceramic coating belies that, quite plausibly,

the EVA within has been to hell and back . . .)

Misato: Tell the teams to start moving debris out of the way!
We’ve got to make room for the rigs they’re bringing in!

(Major Misato Katsuragi, head of the now successful assault mission,
barks these orders at the image of suited a support team leader on the
main viewer. The woman carries the helmet of her own HAZ-MAT
protective suit under her arm as she coordinates the new effort;
for, at this point in time, the mission’s purpose has suddenly changed from one of assault . . .
to one of search and rescue . . .)

Yuri: (whispering) why can’t we just air lift-

Hyuga: The machines are too big. . .anything beyond a flatbed transport
would cause damage to the equipment. That’s why this is taking so long . . .

(behind him, Katsuragi clenches a fist--)

Misato: We don’t have time---Unit 00’s already been down there for
four hours and they just NOW sent out the dirt-movers!!

Hyuga: T--The Tokyo 2 consortium insisted on outside contracting of the equipment . .

(the woman lets out an exasperated sigh, her eyes falling to her clenched hand . . .)

Misato: (mumbling, incensed) This is so pathetic! so much of this bureaucratic
                                            crap getting in the way . . so worried about protecting
                                            their own asses they don't give a DAMN
                                           about the fact that this is a rescue operation!

Yuri: . . .

Misato: What's their ETA?

Hyuga: It's still another four hours . . . they . . insisted that we send our
own operators to actually drive the vehicles . .

(the crew of the MCU collectively flinches as Katsuragi throws the helmet of her
HAZ-MAT suit to the floor, kicking it across the smooth steel surface in disgust . . .
the cuirass catches the edge of a nearby bulkhead, ricocheting with a loud CLANG
into a corner as the Major folds her arms, pacing back and forth behind the control team . . .)

Misato: Fucking politics. . . We'll see how they like it when we sit on
our hands the next time they want us to launch an EVA and save
their asses. . .!!

Hyuga: . . .

Misato: Yuri, what's Rei's chances for survival down there?

Yuri: Not . . . not good. we've managed to pick up some very
low level power readings little more than half a kilometer below the
surface . . . but that's no guarantee that the entry plug is still intact.

Misato: We can't waste any more time . . .

Yuri: . . .

Hyuga: . . .

Maya: Major . . .

Misato: . . ?

(Katsuragi pauses, upon hearing the restrained voice of Maya Ibuki . . .
the woman's face is a mask of exhaustion as she points to a small map on
her personal readout . . .)

Maya: There is something we can do . . . but it won't be easy . . .
And central may not authorize it . . .

Misato: I don't care. Have you got a plan?

(Ibuki looks up from the display with a single nod . . .)

Maya: In a way, .yes . . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Moments later, inside the entry plug of EVA-01 . . .
Shinji Ikari blinks, regarding, with some slight confusion the
image of Misato floating to his right. . .)

Shinji: It’s about time! I--

(Suddenly, however, the child pauses in midsentence--)

Shinji: You want me to what??

Misato: Dig! you've got to take EVA-01 back into the target area and start digging
an accessory shaft next to the point where unit 00 disappeared. . .

Shinji: Next to--Why don't we just get her out--?

Misato: Because adding any more weight could destroy what's left of the EVA. Miss
             Ibuki's told me that the Entry module is the most heavily armored portion of the
             EVA's interior--if we can dig a big enough shaft next to the one Rei is in,
             we might be able to alleviate some of the pressure on Unit 00. . .

Shinji: What - Misato what do I dig with??

Misato: There’s nothing strong enough available yet, so you’ll have to do it by hand.

Shinji: By-hand?

(The boy looks incredulously at the image of the woman, then to the
rubble of the Shinjuku district, then back to Misato once more . . .)

Shinji: Then--Will unit 02 be digging too?

Misato: Shinji-

Shinji: . . . ?

Misato: . . . You’ll be going at this alone.

(Ikari seems to blink several times-not quite
comprehending the woman’s answer . . .)

Shinji: What? Misato, Why!?

(Katsuragi seems to become more than hesitant, her
eyes breaking contact with Shinji’s . . .)

Misato: . . . We don’t have a pilot.

Shinji: No Pilot?! But-

Misato: The sixth child injured himself in the plug . . .
Lyn won't be piloting for a while.

Shinji: But what about Asuka?

Misato: . . .

Shinji: (quietly) Misato . . .

(Misato, however, shakes her head, turning
her back the viewer altogether . . .)

Misato: She’s refused.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Meanwhile . . . in a small quarters area situated
on the backbone of the MCU carrier craft . . .)

Asuka: . . .

(The second child sits in a small, solitary seat set below the
lower end of the slanting metal ceiling of the craft’s armored roof . . .
the rubber sealant on her now dry plug suit clings to the chair’s
vinyl covering, creaking with every subtle movement the girl makes . .

. . .not surprisingly, this is among the only sounds to actually be heard in the room . . .)

Asuka: . . .

(Soryu does not so much as breath, as she sits there,
slumped in the seat, her tangled locks hanging about the sides of
her face in twisted, sullen-looking ribbons . . . The girl licks her
dried lips absentmindedly, and it seems she can only taste the
salt--

--for even this miniscule movement is followed by a noiseless
shudder . . .)

Asuka: . . .

(then, however, the solemn silence of the small room is rudely
disrupted by the sound of a door being pushed open . . . the
titanium portal squeals on its ungreased metal hinges, causing
the girl to wince involuntarily . . .

. . . but, strangely, she does not look up to regard this new
intruder upon her solitude . . .

. . . much to the interloper’s relief, however . . .)

Lyn: (swallowing) . . .

(Lyn Anouilh fingers the edges of his newly bandaged cast
cautiously as he steps inside, the boy unable to take his eyes off of the
slouched figure of Asuka Langely Soryu seated to his left . . .)

Lyn: . . . .

Asuka: . . .

(The child is nearly overwhelmed by the strained atmosphere
he has stepped into. . . And, it seems, can only stand there as it
quickly encompasses him . . .)

Lyn: . . .

Asuka: . . .

Lyn: . . .

Asuka: . . .

(For a long time, there is only the sound of coolant system to be heard. . .)

Lyn: . . .

Asuka: . . .

(Several seconds pass, and at last, Lyn begins to will his limbs
to move once again . . . it is with careful footsteps that he turns
in place, reaching for the metal doorhandle once more . . .

He is stopped, however, by a noise . . .)

Asuka: Sixth child . . .

(The boy freezes in place as Asuka’s nearly emotionless
tone reaches his ears . . . indeed, the words are barely above
a coarse whisper as they pass over her lips . . .

(Anouilh gazes uneasily at the girl out of the corner of his eye,
yet is somewhat surprised to see that despite her words,
she hasn’t moved a millimeter . . . )

Lyn: Look . . . A . . Asuka . . .

Asuka: . . .

(The boy begins to stammer an answer of sorts, his hand resting uneasily on the
handle of the hatchway . . .)

Lyn: Look. . . T-they made me get inside it . . .! I didn’t want to, but, I mean,
I had nothing to do with it . . . so . . look, please don’t kill me . .

Asuka: . . .

(The second child does not offer a response to these words,
however, and merely allows the boy to bask in the uneasy
silence that quickly follows . . .)

Lyn: . . . uh . . .

Asuka: . . .

Lyn: . . .

(Then however, the girl chooses to speak once more . . .

the words that come out, though, are the very last Lyn
Anouilh expects to hear . . )

Asuka: . .Good . . . work . . .

Lyn: . . .. ??

Asuka: . . .

Lyn: Um . . .t . .thanks . . .

(strangely, Soryu’s words seem to unnerve the 6th child anyway . . )

Lyn: . . .

(even stranger, though, is the fact that they do so,
Far, far more so than any amount of insult could have . . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rei: (thinking) S . . . s-casing . .?

(Elsewhere . . . over half a Kilometer below the surface . . .)

Rei: Unnnh . . .

(Rei Ayanami groans as faintness once more grips her senses-her
vision blurring momentarily as she collapses back into her seat,
clutching her forehead as the heavy pounding within begins to
hammer against the sides of her skull with greater and greater force . . .)

Rei: S . . .casing . . .

(upon the girls lips are the words stenciled on the aft hatch of the entry plug--still
an enigma to her jarred mind, the letters slowly begin to take meaning through her
fogging consciousness . . .)

Rei: s . .casing . . .

Rei: . . .

(gathering her will about her once more, Ayanami sits upright---fighting the
oncoming waves of vertigo as she turns, squinting at the source of the metal
clanging that has begun to grow weaker in the fluid filled recesses
of the entry module. . . )

Rei: Unh--

(The first child grunts as she pulls herself on weary arms from her seat,
wincing in pain as her leg slides over the small, sharp edge of the jutting
chair handle. the sudden pain in her thigh catches her by surprise, and
it is with a hard landing that she falls onto the curved steel floor below . . .)

Rei: (panting) . . .

(For a long time, Ayanami simply lies there--the pain in her leg compounded
only by the pain in her head, the girl attempts to collect herself underneath
the scarlet glow of the plug's emergency lighting. she gasps lungfulls of the
sanguinous-smelling oxygenated LCL fluid circulating about her, each breath
a monstrous effort until, at last, her heart slows again--allowing her vision to
finally clear . . .)

Rei: . . . unngh . .

(the pounding noise has now begun to die away, as Ayanami grips
for handholds in the plug interior: pulling herself up the module's
incline toward the object of her struggles, the strange bulkhead
marked S-CASING 001 . . .)

Rei: . . .

(After several seemingly endless moments, Rei's hand finally comes to rest
on the smooth contours of the metal panel--she is surprised, however, when
her fingers find purchase on a small indented handle above the letters . . .
soon, her mind registers that this strange thing, in fact, a hatch of some kind . . .)

(when the metal plate does not yield to a few experimental tugs,
Rei decides to look further: using the leverage of the indention to
pull herself to her knees. slowly, Ayanami brings her other hand about,
feeling along the surface once more, until her fingers catch the edge
of another handle;

this one, however, on the opposite side, facing the opposite direction. . .)

Rei: . . .?

(Regarding this strange panel again for a short moment, Rei tugs again--this
time, though, the latches yield with a loud metal click, locking into place as, around
her, the dim plug lighting changes from a dark red, to a amber yellow . . .

The girl is pushed back as a froth of gaseous bubbles wash forth from the
airtight seal along the hatch's edge, allowing the door to swing open with a
heavy metal creak . . .)

Rei: . .!?

(What comes next, however, is most unexpected of all. . .)

Tenkei: (sobbing) Ya ROH!!

(from within the confines of the darkened supplementary casing,
the childlike human neural complement, Tenkei, emerges--the small
boy's eyes filled with the traces of panic-stricken fear, he quickly
reaches out for Ayanami, falling upon her racked with sobs of relief . . .)

Rei: (gasping) Tenkei!?

(the girl is knocked on her back as the child embraces her about
the neck, burying his head in her shoulder as the tears of fright come
forth, his minuscule form shaking not unlike a terrified animal in her arms . . .)

(Rei finally manages to sit up, not quite cognizant of the situation . .. )

Rei: Are-- are you alright?

Tenkei: Rei . . . don't put me in . that place again . . .

Rei: . . .

Tenkei: (gasping) too dark . . .no . . . no touch . . .

Rei: . . .

(For several moments, the child rests in her arms--the terror of
darkened confinement slowly draining away . . .)

Tenkei: (shuddering) Rei . . . anna bid'e ruhi' min huna . . .

Rei: . . . ?

Tenkei: I want . . to leave . . .

(Ayanami, however, shakes her head--resting a tired hand on the child's cheek . . )

Rei: We cannot. . .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(High above . . . among the twisted corpses of buildings burnt in the
aftermath of the 22nd "angel's" destruction, a cloud of dust the size of
a city block wafts in the breeze, as the sounds of earthmoving on an
unheard of scale can be heard from across the city . . .

EVA 01 rests on its haunches--its charred R2 equipment glinting
brightly in the glow of the Iodine-Halogen floodlights illuminating the
site of EVA 00's disappearance. With the sounds of giant servos in
full flexion, the Unit's hands plunge into the earth--bringing up handfuls
of cement, dirt and rock in truck-sized clumps that it deposits onto
an ever growing pile to its left.

as the accessory shaft beneath it begins to increase in depth, Shinji's EVA
then falls to its knees, clawing its fingers into the dirt and shoveling it to the
side with a heightened urgency that is obvious even to the field operatives
manning the illumination around it . . .)

(Inside the Mobile command unit, meanwhile . . .)

Misato: How long will he be able to keep this up?

Maya: Unit 01's R2 integrity is dangerously low . . .
erm--from the damage it incurred during battle. . .

Misato: So he can't stay out there too long?

(Ibuki looks up at the monitor, where the image of EVA-01 can be seen . . .)

Maya: If he stays out there more than 30 minutes at a time, we risk severely damaging unit 01 . . .

Misato: What about unit 02's armor?

(Maya, however, shakes her head)

Maya; It's the same situation. The damage to Unit 02's equipment
is far more severe . . .

Misato: Can't you repair it?

Maya: Not here . . . while we have the necessary replacement
parts already prefabricated, installing them properly can only be
done in the containment cage. . . .

(Misato exhales slowly, glancing at Maya with obvious disdain . . .)

Misato: Have Unit 02 transported back to headquarters to have its
R2 equipment replaced. I'm keeping Shinji here . . .

Maya: Understood, Ma'am . . . but you'll have to give the armor at
least an hour to cool down for every half hour out there . . .

(dissatisfied at the news, the Major shakes her head . . .)

Misato: That kind of time is not something we have.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Meanwhile . . .)

Tenkei: Why . . . why aren't you moving?

Rei: Our air in here is limited. . . we must expend as little energy as possible.

Tenkei: Will they come to. .find you?

Rei: . . . it is our only chance. I can no longer synchronize with unit 00 . . . and the Eva
is too damaged to be of any use.

(the child lets go of the girl's hand, slinking away . . .)

Tenkei: You are afraid . . . .

Rei: . . .

(The girl falls silent . . . having been caught totally off guard by the
words of the small boy sitting sullenly on the bulkhead next to her seat . . .)

Tenkei: That is why you try to . . . stay living . .

Rei: (quietly) The will to survive . . . is the most basic of my instincts . . .

(Surprisingly, the child shakes his head--almost with disgust . . .)

Tenkei: You are afraid . . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Above . . .)

(Clouds of superheated steam pour from the surface of EVA-01's R2 equipment,
as the behemoth Evangelion immerses itself in one of the many lakes on the very
outskirts of the Shinjuku hot zone. HAZ-MAT suited rescue teams oversee the
cool-down from safe positions as the Evangelion kneels . . . strangely enough,
it seems that the rest is almost welcomed in the EVA’s unliving eyes . . .)

(Inside the MCU, Makoto Hyuga glances at his status screens, his
eyeglasses reflecting the illumination provided by the lit display . . . )

Hyuga: It's working. EVA-01's surface temperature is within 1000 Kelvin of the
recommended safety limit. .

Maya: The unit will have to remain like this for another twenty minutes or so . . .

Hyuga: (quietly) You should know that our timetable is nearing the termination zone
for EVA 00's life support . . . We won’t be able to afford to take many
more of these cool-down runs . . .

Maya:. . . I realize that . . .

(Hyuga is quiet for a moment, gazing at the numbers slowly
counting down on his control panel.)

Hyuga: the equipment from Tokyo 2 is still over two hours away. . .

Maya: . . .

Hyuga: By then . . . this will probably have changed from a rescue
operation to a corpse retrieval.

Maya: . . . Don't talk like that. You've always assumed the worst in these
situations.

Hyuga: (quietly) don't think that I don't hope for the best, Maya. Being on top
hasn't made you forget that . . .

(Ibuki merely shakes her head . . .)

Maya: "On top" is not half of what it's expected to be. In the end, you feel all
the more helpless.

Hyuga: Now, who is assuming the worst?

Maya: (sighing) Then that makes two of us.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rei: How do you know . . .?

Tenkei: It is in your touch.

Rei: What are you? How do I know you?

Tenkei: You know me for . .what I am.

(Ayanami sits up, glaring at the small boy seated not
more than a meter from her . . .)

Rei: But What are you? I’ve only met you recently . .. yet I feel I have known you longer.

Tenkei: I am Tan'kai . . . I live . . to make whole the one called Rei . . .

Rei: Why?

(not surprisingly, the child smiles as he answers . . .)

Tenkei: Because you are like mother.

Rei: . . ? I don’t understand . . . what is this attachment you have for me?

Tenkei: . . .

Rei: Why don’t you answer?

Tenkei: I live to become one the one called Rei. The one like mother.

Rei: What mother?

Tenkei: . . .

(The child’s eyes fall to his hands, as the girls question hangs in the LCL, unanswered.
Tenkei remains like this for a long time, as Ayanami pushes further . . .)

Rei: Why have you chosen to risk your life for me?

Tenkei: . . .

Rei: What is your purpose?

Tenkei: . . .

Rei: (quietly) What drives you to complement me . . .

Tenkei: It is me.

(The child seems to struggle with the word as he says it—
forcing it from the depths of his conscious mind in a tongue he still strives to understand . . .)

Rei: . .!?

Tenkei: You do not understand heart, because you are not whole.

Rei: . . .

Tenkei: But it still exists . . in your nature.

Rei: . . .You're not making sense . .

Tenkei: A’na Tan'kai. I am . . . I must complete . .the unwhole. . .

Rei: . .

Tenkei: That is the purpose . .of my life.

Rei: Your—purpose?

(It is then, gazing at her with glazed eyes that send an all too
familiar shiver coursing down the length of Rei’s spine, that the child smiles . . . )

Tenkei: I am unwhole, too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(High above . . . as the first traces of the approaching day begin to
make themselves known above the scorched and blistered landscape of Tokyo 1 . . .)

Yuri: Major Katsuragi?

(Yuri Furikawa wanders through the corridors of the MCU—a status panel
clutched tightly to her side, the woman looks about curiously, calling the name
of her superior with growing concern . . . the hallways are empty, save for the
occasional passing technician, HAZ-MAT suited personnel . . .)

Yuri: (thinking) where is she . . .?

(It is not until Furikawa reaches the airlock, however, that the question is answered . . .

For, inside, stands Katsuragi—her back turned to the door as she gazes out the
small portal window on the opposite side, a twisting snake of smoke wafting from
a small cigarette held betwixt her fingers . . .)

Yuri: Major Katsuragi—um—it’s against regulations to smoke in a . .
        controlled atmosphere—
        . . .
        . . .
        um . .

(Yuri pauses in midsentence, as her foot encounters the remains of a
PIN-POM smoke detector on the floor . . . the small device, it seems,
has been on the business end of an unfriendly heel grinding . . .

taking note of this, then, she realizes the utter futility of her phrase . . .)

Yuri: Never mind . .

Misato: I know what the rules say . . . But at times like this I can’t help it.

(The woman gazes down at the small smoldering object
in her hand, noting to herself--)

Misato: (quietly) What can I say . . .I need one every time I’ve been screwed over . . .

Yuri: (coughing) Well . .um . .yes . . . I’ve . . I’ve been sent to tell you . . . that . .um

(Curious at the woman’s hesitation, Katsuragi turns—
casting an inquisitive gaze at the young technician . . .)

Misato: Tell me what?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Mere moments later, however . . .)

Misato: When the hell did that command come in!? did you verify it?!

Yuri: Yes ma’am—

(The MCU control center personnel are jarred from the tedium
of the digging operation as Katsuragi storms in, a look of sheer
disbelief painted all over her face . . . She retains these features as
she grabs a small telephone receiver from the console next to Makoto . . .)

Misato: Hyuga! I’m here, you can patch me in!

(The woman takes a deep breath, as the connection is completed . . .
within seconds, the sounds of Commander Fuyutsuki’s voice can be heard,
tinny from the linkup, on the other end . . .)

Misato: Sir, this is Major Katsuragi---I’ve just been given an odd set of orders—

Fuyutsuki: I understand your reaction, Major, but the orders were very real . . .

Misato: But—then—

Fuyutsuki: You are to cease all digging operations until further notice.

Misato: BUT--!?

Fuyutsuki: You were not authorized to put Unit 01 in that kind
of Danger. Despite the importance of Unit 00 and the Ev.N
Complement, They do not outweigh that of Unit 01.

Misato: But SIR! The pilot—

Fuyutsuki: Our calculations indicate that the pilot may no longer even be alive.
                I’m sorry, Major, but we can’t justify putting Unit 01 and its pilot in
               further danger on the simple possibility that the first child may have
                survived—

Misato: but we don’t know for sure--

Fuyutsuki: You are to wait until the equipment from Tokyo 2 has arrived—

Misato: But sir we’ve already surmised that by then it will be too Late!

Fuyutsuki: (interrupting) you HAVE your orders, Katsuragi!

Misato: I . . .I . .

(The entire crew of the MCU has, incredibly, fallen quite still in the
light of this swift and merciless exchange. . . looks of sympathy can be
seen on the faces of certain personnel as Katsuragi gazes about futily,
seemingly for some answer, somewhere, to the situation . .

And it is then, in fact, that one does arise—
in the eyes of Makoto Hyuga, seated next to her.

With flat determination, Katsuragi returns her mouth to the phone--)

Misato: You'll have to forgive me Commander, but . . .
            I’ve just been informed that this line is not secure.
            Therefore, I am under orders to disregard any
             and all commands that have come through—

Fuyutsuki: Now wait a minu--*///*

(Despite his protests, Fuyutsuki is cut off, as Misato pulls
the phone away from her ear—yanking the cord roughly from its socket
in the control panel with a spiteful force, before disgustedly tossing the device
unceremoniously to the floor . . . )

Misato: (thinking) WHY is it that command is so quick to pronounce
                            people dead in the field!? Especially Rei!
                            And Commander Fuyutsuki of all people--
                            This makes no sense!!

(She looks around a bit, then, as the sheer tenseness of the moment fades—
only to find herself now the sole focus of twenty or so utterly bewildered stares.
The woman’s reaction is, at first, a type of controlled embarrassment . .

Next to her, however, Makoto continues looking down at his control panel,
seemingly oblivious to the awkward tenseness that has now become as thick
as the air in the room . . .)

Hyuga: (flatly) You know the records will show that the line WAS, in fact, secure . .

Misato: Er—well, Hyuga, um . .I’m counting on you to—

(with a but a smirk and slight wave of his hand, however,
the young man silences her. . .)

Hyuga: Say no more . . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Meanwhile . . . in the spacious command office at NERV . . .)

Fuyutsuki: Hello!? Hello! Dammit!

(The sound of a telephone being slammed onto the desk of the
supreme commander can be heard loudly echoing off the walls of
the room, as Fuyutsuki stands, shaking his head . . .)

Fuyutsuki: . . .

(The man contemplates the repercussions silently, for a moment,

before, without warning, another shadow steps from the
shroud provided by the massive doors opposite the desk . . .)

Gendo: Quite a problem, eh?

Fuyutsuki: Hmm!?

(The older man turns around to see, standing upon the symbol of the
Sephiroth etched into the floor, his younger counterpart staring at him through
a familiar pair of tinted lenses and sharp, piercing eyes.

Kouzou seems to stumble over his words for an instant, before an
explanation seems to assert itself on its own. . . .)

Fuyutsuki: it . . .it’s Major Katsuragi. She’s being insufferable . . . not to mention insubordinate . .

Gendo: (quietly) speaking of which . .

Fuyutsuki: . .?

Gendo: I do not recall giving the order to have Unit 01 extracted . . .

(strangely, the sub-commander turns his back again, glaring at the
younger man out of the corner of his eye . . .)

Fuyutsuki: . . . I considered it . . a momentary lapse in
                your judgment . . . I was merely doing my job. . .
               Contrary to what you have or have NOT decided to
                tell me, The Eva is still of vital importance.
                Too many have died to see that go to waste now.

Gendo: Really . . .

(Ikari straightens his glasses, approaching the desk with an oddly relaxed gait . . .)

Fuyutsuki: EVA 01’s welfare is still among our top priorities, is it not?

Gendo: Indeed . . . One would think you’d come to value it even more than I . . .

Fuyutsuki: . . .

Gendo: But it is of no consequence. I wish to recover the Ev.N complement, at
as high a cost as necessary . .

Fuyutsuki: But not unit 01 . . .

Gendo: (coldly) of course not.

Fuyutsuki: The Ministry from Tokyo 2 called . . .

Gendo: Did they now? and what was their answer?

Fuyutsuki: They’ve decided they don’t want any involvement whatsoever.

Gendo: I assume no explanation was given . .

Fuyutsuki: None.

Gendo: Very well. Allow Major Katsuragi to continue with her operation. The assumed
consequences of her actions will only drive her to move with haste, which is in
all our best interests.

Fuyutsuki: And if she fails?

Gendo: I think the course from there is quite obvious, Commander.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Misato: How much time did that buy us?

Maya: I’m not sure . . .not that it’s going to matter.

Misato: . .? what do you mean?

(meanwhile, back within the confines of the MCU . . )

Maya: (sighing) We reasoned that at about this point in our time-frame,
The pilot of unit 00 will be experiencing the first signs of SDE . .

(Misato cocks her head to the side, regarding the
statement with obvious question--)

Misato: What’s that?

Maya: A Sensory Deprivation Experience . . .

Misato: . . . ?

Maya: when a human body is denied . . . something as fundamental as
            a normal range of movement, a pure supply of air, and is immersed
            in an environment of white noise similar to the interior of an entry plug
            . . . the mind has a tendency to create sensory input where there is none. . .

Misato: Like claustrophobia . . . ?

Maya: Not necissarily. Hallucination is the most often result of an SDE . . .
Our analysis found that the pilot of Unit 01 experienced several such
delusions when he was trapped within the EVA . . .

Misato: (Breathlessly) inside the angel . .

Maya: (nodding) We’ve found that SDE’s tend to be of a very serious nature in
                              the EVAs . . . most often, they involve visions of . . . death . . .
                             It took weeks of therapy to free Shinji’s mind
                              from the after-effects of his experience. . .

(The woman shuts her eyes, shaking her head)

Maya: In the end . . . the SDE could prove to be as dangerous
psychologically as lack of oxygen, a serious injury . . or worse.

Misato: Are you saying—this sort of thing could be—fatal?

Maya: It’s all within the realm of probability . . .
when the pilot is alone inside the EVA.

Misato: But . . . But Rei isn’t alone in there . . . what about that Tenkei thing . . .

(Then, however, Katsuragi’s eyes widen--)

Misato: Shit, does that thing have to breath the LCL too?! We didn’t take that into account!!
How much oxygen do they have?

Maya: The Ev. N complement exists in a separate chamber called a
            "supplement casing," where it s . .um . . immersed in a nitrogenous
            liquid . . . It’s plasma is already oxygen rich, so it draws nitrogen
            from the surrounding environment to supplement its internal
            biology, which is very different from a normal human's
            . . .the casing was designed by Dr. Akagi herself…

Misato: . . .

Maya: And Even if she were to bypass the barrier between the
two chambers . . . The Complement would only serve to
heighten the seriousness of an SDE . . .

Misato: How in the world could it do that??

Maya: That kind of interaction is the very nature of the Ev.N. . .

Misato: What . . . what kind of thing does that?

Maya: That, Ma’am, is beyond my explanation.

(sighing with exasperation, Misato shakes her head—
looking away from the young lieutenant, to the viewscreen behind . . .)

Misato: From now on, tell me these things BEFORE the fact . .

(Ibuki cannot help but turn red . . . but the woman remains composed . .)

Maya: (embarrassed) yes ma’am . . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Elsewhere . . .)

Rei: S . .Stop . . .!

Tenkei: . . ?

Rei: T . . Take . . . take me . .out of here . . .

Tenkei: Rei . . .

Rei: (gasping)

Tenkei: Rei . .

Rei: (thinking) the noise . . . it’s everywhere . . .

(Rei Ayanami’s voice falls silent as she listens to the dull, resonant
hum of the entry plug machinery engulfing her every aspect . . .
The girl’s eyes seem to go wild—gazing at the same, round
interior walls on either side with slowly heightening anxiety . . .)

Rei: (thinking) Everywhere . . . nothing . . . there’s nothing outside . .

Tenkei: . . ?

Rei: Nothing but darkness . . . darkness . . .

Tenkei: Rei . . . Rei stop . .

Rei: (thinking) I hate the darkness . . hate the warmth . .

(The girl coughs once, her eyes squeezing shut as the first signs
of an unearthly roaring are heard within the farthest reaches of her mind . . .)

Rei: Darkness . .warm darkness . . warm . .darkness . . .

I . .I hate the warm darkness . . .

So alone . .among many . . .

lifeless . . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-(flashback)-

(The sensation is one of floating—tumbling down, then rising upward—
in a void of darkness, and a limbo of warmth . . .

The mind of Rei Ayanami can see nothing here—a curtain of blackness
as thick as the eyelids’ skin covers her vision . . . from around her come
the sounds of unearthly echoes, not unlike those to be experienced when
immersed in an ocean of water . . .

. . . or of LCL . . .

The body’s galvanic skin receptors fire off occasionally, in the mind.
The sensation of something cold, soft, and smooth brushing against an
arm, or leg, is often felt within the curious nirvana of the unseeing shroud
. . . occasionally, the strange, tickling sensation of something much finer
is felt, the feather-like touch of something covered with hair . . .)

Rei: (thinking) The warm . . . Darkness . . .

(It is then that there is a short gasp . . followed by a soundless scream,
as Ayanami opens her eyes . . . to find herself staring into her own lifeless face . . .

Within the Dummy-plug core containment tank, the girl finds herself
surrounded by dozens of such vacuous creatures . . . her own body caught in a
tangle of limbs from the lifeless vessels around her, floating freely
in the yellow LCL fluid that is their matrix. . .)

Rei: . . .!!!!!!!!!

(Shuddering a silent gasp of utter human revulsion, the girl
pushes away the inert form before her . . . this only serves to
propel her into the flailing limbs of another, however, which
only brings the girl yet closer to her mind’s brink . . .)

Rei: . .(gasping) . . ..

(Ayanami struggles like this for a perceptive eternity,
choking on the heavy liquid that sustains her life as , all
of a sudden, the gloved digits of something warm and
very much alive wraps about her arm—bearing her
upward at incredible speed, into the blinding world of light above . . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rei: (shuddering) cold . . .

(Slipping out of her daze for a moment, Ayanami
claws at the color of her plug suit, shivering with a
psychosomatic chill that exists only within the reaches
of her tormented mind . . .)

Tenkei: Rei---Rei, stop!!

(The child’s words go unheeded, however, as
Ayanami slips even further—her shivers fading with her consciousness . . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rei: -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Why does this seem so familiar to me . . .?

What?

My first memory . . .

The Liquid?

My first thoughts . .

Coherence?

My first touch . . .

Feeling?

My first taste . . .

Saline?

My first smell . . .

Blood.

Sanguine

Lilith.

I sensed her first . . .

Understandable.

As I do now . . .

Yes.

It is Lilith whom I experience now . .

Yes.

You Are Lilith?

In a way, Yes.

How can you be speaking to me?

I speak from within.

Within the EVA?

Within you.

Me?

For you are, what you perceive.

Then you are---

The Lilith within you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Elsewhere . . . high above the fluid-filled prison
that is the entry plug of Unit 00 . . .)

(EVA 01 crouches in the dirt—the lines and corners
of its armor smeared with pounds of mud and clay, the
exhaustion of the pilot is apparent even in the gigantic guardian’s slouch . . .)

Shinji: (panting) . . .

Misato: (over the comm.) Are you alright, Shinji?

(The third child puts a heavy hand to his brow to steady the
lightheaded fatigue now threatening to end his mission prematurely . . .)

Shinji: (panting) How much . . . how much further?

Misato: you’re a little more than two thirds of the way down . . . Shinji . . .

Shinji: . . ?

Misato: The equipment from Tokyo 2 isn’t going to get here. . .

Shinji: What? Why?!

Misato: The city . . . they won’t let the heavy machine workers leave.

Shinji: . . .

Misato: Someone doesn’t want us to retrieve Unit 00 in time.

Shinji: Misato . . .How much longer does she have?

Misato: . . . An hour. Maybe less. You’re her only chance.

Shinji: NNNNGH . . .

(It is without further hesitation that the boy grunts in exertion -- willing the
EVA-forward once more—allowing its metalshod fingers dig into the
earth yet again with a renewed vigor. . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Elsewhere . . .)

Rei: -:-:-:-:-

-(flashback)-

(The sterile walls of a padded cell can be seen on all sides, as a
small figure dressed in a simple, blank nightgown sits on the floor in the very center.

The girl’s skin, a pale hue that is nearly as gray as the walls around it,
shines cleanly in the soft-light of the fluorescent fixtures above. This is
only sharply contrasted, however, by the two dull red orbs that are the
creature’s eyes—these, in turn, stare vacantly at the door directly ahead of it . . .

from their perspective, the world is still a newborn blur—indistinct and
unidentifiable shapes can be seen looking at her through the small square
of glass on the opposite side of the heavy steel portal—obscured faces and
heads of hair that seem to sit and gaze for a moment, then move on about
their business . .

All except one . . . this one has a different shade of hair than the rest . . .
so much so, that the girl has come to recognize it quite well from the others . . .

For this one has a head of yellow hair.)

(This one is also the only one to actually enter her small chamber
. . . speaking to her in familiar intonations and glances as she writes
upon something held in her hands . . .

And it is the memory of this one, strangely, that strikes the most
fear in the child’s heart . . .before her eyes fall once more to the floor,
and a small, half empty glass of water placed next to her feet . . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(When it comes, Consciousness is sudden, and painful . . .)

Rei: (coughing) . . .

Tenkei: Rei . . . wake, please . . .

Rei: (coughing) . . .

Tenkei: What is wrong?

Rei: The . . .unngh . . the air . . . the LCL . . .

Tenkei: . .?

Rei: I’m . .running out . ..of air . . .

Tenkei: Rei, I want to leave now—

Rei: (coughing) . . .

(With every drawn gasp, Ayanami gags on the waste
atmosphere in the LCL fluid, thrown into a fit of coughing
and choking that makes her chest tighten and her lungs burn . . .)

Tenkei: Rei . . . please, I want you to live!!

Rei: (coughing) live . . . I can’t . . .

(weakly, the girl realizes something clutching her hand with
gentle desperation . . . she turns, only to find Tenkei’s fingers
grasping hers, his yellow eyes narrowed in obvious fear . . .)

Rei: (coughing) We . . . must wait for . . .

Tenkei: (desperately) Ya Roh! La’azim Taish!

Rei: (coughing) we . . . can’t . . . leave . .

(As the girl’s vision begins to tunnel over, her last
sight is that of the Ev. N. Complement . . )

Rei: C . . . . . . can’t . . .b .. . Breath . . . . .!

(her hearing having long since faded, she can merely
see his lips forming desperate words as he squeezes her
hand with every frantic cry . . .the only sound to be heard being the
ever-loudening roar in her ears and mind . . .)

Rei: . . .

Tenkei: . .Rei . . . You have to live---

Rei: ----

Tenkei: (quietly) You have . . to . .
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(somewhere else . .

Far, far removed from the terrors of the real world . . .

the scene’s moment has now finally become clear in Ayanami’s mind,
as the surroundings of her ego’s form have at last taken on a familiar shape . . .

And strangely (enough so that the mental representations within actually
take note of its significance), it is the dimly lit, afternoon interior,

of a hospital room . . .

On the bed, lies a still form covered from head to toe with a pale blue
sheet . . . the cloth has taken on an orange hue in the late-day sun, the
body beneath it long since having stopped moving, speaking, or breathing . . .

in the chair next to the bed, however, sits the shadow of a small female
child—clutching a schoolbag to its chest, its eyes locked on the figure
under the bedsheets . . .

For a moment, all is silent . . .

but then--)

Rei: -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Rei: What of the child?

Chibi-Rei: What of him?

Rei: What is he? Where does he come from?

Chibi-Rei: . . .

Rei: What attachment does he feel towards me. . .

Chibi-Rei: Can you truly be so ignorant?

Rei:?

Chibi-Rei: The attachment for you . . . is ingrained into his being. You know this.

Rei:. . .

Chibi-Rei: From the very first moment his eyes found yours, you have known this. Both of you have.

Rei: But what IS it?

Chibi-Rei: For a thought to be fleeting . . . it must never be considered.
You wander aimlessly, hoping to find yourself and your purpose,
as one hopes to stumble upon the meaning of life itself.

Rei: . .

Chibi-Rei: In the final iiteration, however, you are merely an automaton in their
eyes—the normal ones—your incompleteness as glaring to them as your
quiet desperation.

Rei: . . .but . .

Chibi-Rei: . .but. . .

Rei: . . .

Chibi-Rei: To him, however . . .you are all. In his eyes, you are everything.

Rei: Me?

Chibi-Rei: The greatest mystery to a child is his mother.
For Heaven lies at a mother’s feet.

Rei: But I am not—

Chibi-Rei: what is mother?

Rei: . . .

Chibi-Rei: A mother learns, from being a child, the true wants and needs of her own.
A child learns, when it becomes a mother or parent, the importance of that
understanding.

Rei: But I am not his mother . . .

Chibi-Rei: But you are like her.

Rei: . . .

Chibi-Rei: Yet, you are blind to that which is key.

Rei: What?

Chibi-Rei: Even now . . . as you approach death . . .

Rei: What?

Chibi-Rei: Don’t you see? Your roles are reversed . . .
Though he sees you as mother . .

Rei: . .

Chibi-Rei: He exists to care for you. such is his purpose.

Rei: Why me?

Chibi-Rei: Because you . . . are without a mother.
And always have been so.

Rei: . .

Chibi-Rei: What you lack, he embodies . . .

Rei: Sadness . . . fear . .

Chibi-Rei: Pure Emotion.

Rei: But I know these feelings!
I know sadness, I know fear!!

Chibi-Rei: . . .

Rei: I know . . crying . ..

Chibi-Rei: Do you . . .or . .

Rei: . .?

Chibi-Rei: Or do you simply know others’ definition?
What you have learned, you adopt.
Like an order . . . or a command.

Rei: . . . If . . I am willed to . . . I . . .

Chibi-Rei: That will must be your own.

Rei: . . .

Chibi-Rei: It is what he embodies in you, that is most vital.
You are . . . equilibrium.

Rei: what he embodies--in me?

Chibi-Rei: You posess what he lacks, and lack what he posesses.
to fill one another's void--to allow one to complete the other
this is complementation.

. . .

. . .

(For a moment, there is only the quietude of listless thought which
reigns in the unending darkness of Rei’s gradually fading consciousness
. . . as absence begins to encompass all, however, the spirit becomes
aware of yet another . . . this one, different from the rest . . .

and it is then, with a flash brighter than the noon sun, that the venue of
Rei’s psyche suddenly changes—in a crowded park, seated on the
concrete step before a large, gurgling fountain. . .

it is here, that the new interloper makes himself known . . .)
. . .

Tenkei: Rei . .

Rei: . . ?

Tenkei: Can you hear me . . . ?

Rei: You . . .

Tenkei: Yes.

Rei: You speak to me with a different voice.

Tenkei: (sighing) It is myself. it is what I strive to become. The Ego, burned away,
to reveal the knowledge beneath.

(The child gives a warm smile as he finishes his sentence, giggling with delight . . .)

Rei: Tenkei, what are you?

Tenkei: (smiling) I think you know . . .

(curiously, the image of Rei Ayanami gazes about the setting in
which it has been placed—as children run and play, screaming with joy
and excitement, under the watchful eye of parents and older siblings . . .
from time to time, a couple can be seen, sitting together on a park bench,
enjoying the warmth of a sun that exists only in Rei’s mind’s eye . . .)

Rei: I have never seen this place before . . .

Tenkei: This is a place I have drawn from my memories.
Memories I do not recall living. I have envisioned
this place, for the comfort that it brings my heart.

(The boy gazes at the children for a moment, before turning his eyes down)

Tenkei: The reason for that feeling is unknown to me . . .

Rei: What are you. . . ?

Tenkei: . . .

Rei: Tell me.

Tenkei: I am one who was created solely for complementation.
To complete the incomplete.

Rei: . . .

Tenkei: I’m like you in a way . . .it’s funny . . . I am unfinished, in my own way . .
without you. I am human, and I am not.

Rei: You are . . .

Tenkei: We are two, both created, for different reasons, with similar goals. I must grow . . .
I have much to learn, to see . . . you are the only one who can guide me.

Rei: Why only me?

Tenkei: Because you chose me.

Rei: . .?

Tenkei: Because you are like mother.

Rei: What is mother?

Tenkei: What is Rei?

Rei: . . .

Tenkei: I had hoped . . .I would grow to understand Rei better. But . . .

(Ayanami, strangely, finds herself feeling cold as the boy’s voice trails off . . .)

Rei: But . . .?

Tenkei: But, that hope is now in question.

Rei: What are you saying?

Tenkei: You will yet live, Rei Ayanami. My purpose . . .I promise.

Rei: What do you mean?

(strangely, the child frowns--looking at the girl for a long time, before answering--)

Tenkei: I will show you . . I am not afraid.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(It is then . . . among the still silence]
of the now inactive Entry plug interior . . .

. . .

. . .
the sound of short breaths is heard—coming
from the lips of the first child as she stirs, slowly,
from the absolute depths of her reverie . . .)

. . .

Rei: . . . . ?

(The girl looks about disconnectedly for a moment . . .
her eyes only able to focus on the contours of the walls and
machinery around her, as the cobwebs in her head begins to clear at last . . .)

Rei: . . I . .

. . .

I can breath . . .

(The words come in a short whisper of disbelief, as she sits up—
strangely, the child finds that all sense of vertigo has seemingly
passed altogether, as well . . .)

Rei: (thinking) . . how . . . ?

(It is then, however, that the girl notices a slumped form in
the shadows at the fore end of the entry plug.

Curled into a small humanoid ball, is the figure of the Ev.N
Complement, Tenkei . . .

now completely motionless, the child shows no sign of
recognition—it merely sits there, oblivious to the world and Rei’s awakening . . .)

Rei: . . Tenkei?

(with clumsy arms, the girl manages to rise from her seat—
crawling in a manner that is agonizingly slow and difficult toward
the slumped form of the small child that has, strangely, still shown no signs of life. . .

it is when Rei reaches him, however, that the reasons for this catatonia
at last begin to become clear. . )

Rei: . . ?

Tenkei: . . .

(as she places a hand under his chin, Ayanami finds the child’s
face to be a mask of sheer serenity . . . a peaceful smile and half-
closed eyes in a look that, in its utter, passive, unassuming joy, Causes a wave
of uneasiness to ripple through Rei’s soul . . .

That uneasiness soon vanishes, however . . .

only to be replaced by dreadful reality . . .)

Rei: . . . .TENKEI!!!!!

(For it is then, that Rei’s eyes fall to the child’s arms. . .

where, in the crook of his right elbow, are signs of a self-inflicted trauma—

a deep gash, most likely from one of the jutting bulkheads near the plug seat,

penetrating directly into his a major artery . . .

it is from this wound, that his LCL life fluid streams away from his body,

intermingling with the ambient LCL fluid in the chamber,

and into her lungs,

. . . sustaining her life . . .

by allowing her to breath . . .)

Rei: ----NO!!!!!!

(The Girl’s hands immediately fall to her mouth, as her
insides twist in revulsion of the sudden comprehension.
Ayanami’s mouth exudes forth a stifled moan of denial
and despair, as she recoils from the boy’s lifeless form . . .

Rei: (groaning) please . . . no . . .

(It is the only word which Rei finds herself capable of saying—
a denial of what her eyes and mind tell her is the stark, wretched
truth. Indeed, as the girl falls weakly to her knees, her back
against the opposite wall of the plug, she can do nothing
but watch . . .

Rei: . . . no . . no . .

(The world of the entry plug seems to distort and unwind, as Ayanami’s gut
tightens ever further. It is with partial effort that the girl
attempts to stifle her fear, unable to take her eyes from
the lifeless form of the boy before her. . .

Rei: ?!

(But this, too, is futile as, all of a sudden, the same world is
jarred with unfathomable force, and the entry plug tilts forward.
The current of the liquid held within shifts wildly, then,
as the all-too familiar dizzying sensation of sudden rising is felt by
the surviving pilot within . . .)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinji: I’ve--?--!!---Misato! I’VE GOT HER!!

Misato: PULL!!

(It is with insurmountable strength that Evangelion Unit 01
pulls at the blackened and charred remains of EVA
Unit 00, freeing it from its earthly grave as house-sized chunks of
stone and rubble tumble around it. . .

(Unit 01climbs the wall of the accessory shaft, carrying its
cargo by its arm. Inside the MCU, the crew’s demeanor is a
mixed one of both disbelief and awe, as the EVA is at last
born back to the surface—

These feelings are soon joined by a sense of revulsion, however,
as UNIT 00's withered form comes into view. . .

The EVA's every limb is crushed, nearly beyond recognition.
Exposed tissue on its body having long since turned black
in the unforgiving radiation that surrounds it, the dried,
shriveled remains look not unlike a corpse thousands of years old--)

Misato: M . . .Maya, any word on the pilot!?

Maya: . . .

Misato: . . Maya?

(Grabbing her HAZ-MAT helmet, Katsuragi looks to the young
woman on her left, only to find that her eyes are locked on the image
playing out on the main viewer. At first, the major cannot even begin to
gauge the woman’s reaction—

But then, she notices Ibuki’s trembling hands . . . and it is then that she understands . . .)

Misato: Shinji—get them to the safe zone as quickly as possible.
I’ve got a rescue and recovery team already standing by—

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Moments later . . . in an area set far, far removed from the
"hot zone" of ambient radiation . . .)

Rescuer A: Make sure the airlock is sealed around the entry hatch!

Rescuer B: Affirmative—I’m reading safe levels . . .

Rescuer A: Then open her up!

(A swath of coolant steam pours forth as the seal to the entry
plug is opened—the doorway itself is surrounded on all sides by
the plastic walls of a makeshift airlock system that leads to the large
Recovery transport waiting closeby. A Team member dressed in
the protective armor of the Hazardous Materials suit can be seen
inside—prying the hatch free with the utmost haste . . .)

(Almost at once, as the doorway is at last pried open, he is inside—disappearing from view
of his teammates entirely . . .)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(Moments later, . . .

tires screech loudly as another of the six-wheeled transports arrives on the field.
As it comes to a stop, the figures of Major Katsuragi, Yuri Furikawa and Maya Ibuki emerge . . .)

Misato: (loudly) Have you found any survivors?!

(a distraught looking team leader is there to greet them, then.
His face, it seems is quite pale . . . as if having seen a ghost . .)

Rescuer A: Yes sir.

Misato: What about casualties . . .

Rescuer A: . . . I . . . I’m not sure.

Misato: What?

Rescuer A: In there . . . see for yourself . .

(As the man says this, he indicates, with trembling hand, the Rescue and
Recovery Transport not twenty feet away. . .)

Misato: Yuri, start assessing the damage to the EVA--

Yuri: Understood.

Misato: let's go, Maya. . .

(Almost at once, the two officers make their way to the airlock,
emerging inside the detox quarantine chamber within seconds later, with
their helmets in hand . .)

(And it is here, that they see their first welcome sight in what has been hours . . .)

Misato: Rei!

(the girl is seated on a steel table, her plug suit in a small
pile next to her, her form covered only by a large blanket emblazoned with the
Nerv crest draped over her shoulders. . .)

Misato: Are you alright?

( Ayanami makes little movement in response to Misato’s
voice, however . . . the child, it seems, is only interested in her
hand, which she gazes at through despondent eyes . . .)

Misato: Rei --- can you hear me?

(It is when Katsuragi approaches her, that the first child
finally lifts her eyes . . .

and it is here, then, that Misato must take a step back— for the look
in Rei Ayanami’s face is not one of relief,

It is one of pain.)

Misato: R . . Rei . .

(Katsuragi nearly reels, then,

as the girl before her shudders—then gasps,

then, to her continued disbelief,

buries her face in her hands—her body wracked with sobs of grief . . .)

Rei: (crying) His Purpose . . .my . . .life . . .

(It is at that moment, that Misato takes notice
of the table in the far corner,

where, covered with the same kind of blanket, another form lies. . .)

Rei: (gasping) I was afraid . . . he was not . . .

This one, however, seems deathly still . . . and it is Maya,
not Misato, who approaches it . . .)

Maya: . . .

(Ibuki utters not a solitary word as she pulls the top of the
cover away, revealing, underneath, a lifeless form-- a shock of white hair,
a pale face . . . and a smile like the sun . . .)

Misato: Good god . . Maya . . is --!?

(But Maya, however, merely nods---her voice cold and
mechanical as she gazes down at the body which has affirmed the worst of her fears . . .)

Maya: (quietly) Yes. Major.

Misato: . . .

Maya: This is Tenkei.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued . . .