To say Shinji wasn't a fan of hospitals was an understatement. For a long time, they had held bad memories of what happened after he piloted the Eva. Some lucky wins couldn't quite beat the uncomfortable feeling from him. The atmosphere hardly helped; they were so cold and clinical.

But Sakura's room was nice. The curtains were drawn open to let natural sunlight inside. The side table held a vase of flowers Toji kept dutifully fresh, a pink plush rabbit, a stack of books and a fresh glass of water. The smell of ramen flooded the room as she dug into the container of food Shinji had brought along. Since she had tried his ramen from the party, it had become a weekly habit to bring her something homemade.

"Your food's so good!" she praised.

Shinji reflexively rubbed his arm, "It's alright…"

Toji said, "If everyone tells you that its good, I think it's better than "good"."

"I guess but its not as difficult or special as everyone makes it out to be."

"That's because you're a master! So it comes easy!" Toji grinned.

Shinji blinked as he considered this, "I guess you're right," he conceded.

"I know I'm right!"

Sakura handed the container back to Shinji, "Thank you for bringing this. The food in here isn't all that great."

"I can imagine. The food in NERV's hospital is only just alright," Shinji paused and laughed nervously, "I would know..."

A nurse peeked her head inside, "Five minutes until Ms. Suzuhara's physical therapy. Wrap it up."

"I wish we could stay longer," Toji sighed.

"They said in a couple months I can maybe go home," Sakura encouraged him.

"Sure but it's gonna feel like forever."

She held her arms out for a hug which Toji reciprocated. He patted her back, "I'll come see you soon."

She smiled, "I know you will."

She withdrew from the hug and looked to Shinji, "Thank you for visiting too."

Shinji nodded, "It must get really lonely in here. I'll be sure to visit again."

The two left, the sun shining high in the sky. It was still early in the day. Toji stretched, glad for the sun after the chill of the hospital, "So what now? We can go over to Ken's?"

Shinji shook his head, "Sorry, I've got a thing at NERV. Some special cross-synch test."

Toji's eyes widened, "Like what you said happened with Kaworu a few weeks ago? They're messing around with Rei's Eva again?"

"Dr. Akagi says shes been developing some countermeasures so she can pull me out if something bad happens."

"They're putting you in Rei's Eva? Why not, like Asuka?"

Shinji shrugged, "I think it has to do with hers being the Production Model."

"I don't get why they have to do something like this at all."

Shinji shifted his glance around then admitted, "You didn't hear this but I heard it has to do with data collection related to an autopiloting system."

Toji tilted his head, "Autopilot? That sounds like a good thing."

"It does sound good," Shinji agreed, "But the whole thing makes me nervous for some reason."

---

"The test has you worried," Kaworu observed as him and Asuka walked to NERV.

Asuka grumbled. He frowned deeply and said, "I'm getting the sense there's a lot more than that on your mind."

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, gave the area a wide berth then asked, "Do you know a Mari?"

Judging by how Kaworu's eyebrows raised, he did indeed. He echoed, "You met Mari?"

"You do know her! Tell me everything you know!" Asuka leaned in as she insisted.

Kaworu raised his hands to defend himself, "I know of her but frankly not all that much. She sometimes shows up as a rogue agent, sometimes as a legitimate pilot but she never seems in the business of actually explaining herself."

"That's awfully convenient."

Kaworu frowned again, "Did I do something to hurt you? I'm telling the truth, I swear."

Asuka stared at him hard then asked, "After the eye Angel, you rushed off real quick. Why'd you do that?"

"I can't eat steak, I told you. So I figured it'd be fine if I went on home. I suppose I could have said as much."

"Yeah, since I thought we were supposed to be in this together, " a petulant note entered her tone and she noticed it, cringing when she did.

She hung her head, "We went and got ramen anyway. I should have told you that."

"I guess it's kind of both our faults. But it is my fault for not communicating all that well," he looked away, a wistful expression on his face, "It's not really often I get a stretch of peace like this."

She hadn't really thought about that. She idly kicked a stray rock, "I'm hoping its not the world winding up to punch us in the gut."

"I've got a good feeling about this one," Kaworu encouraged, "Granted...I've had a good feeling about a lot of loops but I dunno. Feels like having you on my side is gonna give us an edge."

"You think?"

"Having you here hasn't hurt me yet!"

They continued their walk to NERV in heightened spirits. Asuka said, "Let's talk about something more pressing. This cross-synch test and the Dummy Plug."

Kaworu nodded in agreement, "I fear Zero's response to Shinji. She's unstable."

"Too bad we can't just tell her to cool it and not go berserk!" Asuka scowled, "I can't help but feel like we're going through the motions. There should be more we can do! We know what's coming with the Dummy Plug."

A long silence passed between the pair, each remembering that as each day ticked by, the closer the true horrors crept on them. "A lot of this business is going through the motions, rolling with the punches, so to say. We're all closer though, that's got to count for something!" Kaworu pointed out.

Asuka tilted her head back as she considered this, "You're right. Shinji's not as much of a wet blanket and Rei's actually starting to resemble a teenage girl."

The pair once more walked in silence, Asuka only feeling a little more at ease. Would better relations really make that much difference in the long run? Shinji having more fight in him would make him a better fighter but there was going to be a point where they weren't so much fighting the Angels but being subjected to their whims.

Maybe Rei's burgeoning personhood might make her trust the Commander less. That wasn't too much wishful thinking, was it?

---

Nearly an hour later, the cross-synch test had begun. Rei was seated within the unfamiliar yet familiar Unit 01. It wasn't nearly as alien as she had expected. It was warm...and welcoming. Quite unlike even Zero's entry plug.

She had visited Unit 00 before this test. There, she stood before the behemoth, meeting her single eye. She whispered to it in the silence, "Please don't hurt my friends."

She had even felt foolish for vocalizing this. It wasn't as if she could respond. But the Evas were mysterious things and it listening to a simple request wouldn't even be the oddest thing one had done.

At the very least, it made Rei feel a little better.

"Rei, are you alright in there?" Doctor Akagi asked over the comm.

"I am alright."

"You seem restless. Please relax."

Rei frowned but closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander. A vision of a mountainous landscape came to her mind and before her eyes, they changed with the seasons. She too had changed. Her friends had been the forces to change her. Her upbringing had told her she must remain in a state of stasis and that change was not allowed. But she enjoyed it and it felt like an indulgent bit of rebellion.

The sky, blue. Fields, just outside the city, where one might even forget the trials of life. The sun, unique and never-changing. It was almost comforting, despite that.

Water, the lake outside of the city. It changed too, in the battles. Yet, water was comforting.

The blue lake water turned crimson and she frowned.

For quite some time, she had never dreamed. She would close her eyes and then wake up hours later.

But something happened within the last few months and she had begun to dream.

She couldn't say she understood all the images within her dreams but for some reason, a crimson sea was a central motif. Often, she'd be standing on the store or levitating above it. She was always made separate from it.

She hated the color red. It was the color of blood, the color of that mysterious red sea and yet…

But yet...an image of Asuka in her red plugsuit. Not all things that were red were bad. An interesting thought, one she'd have to devote more thought to. She tucked it away to revisit later.

Red was the color of blood, a thing she hated. She did not bleed, as other women did. Another image of Asuka, grumbling as she marched into the bathroom. Did this make her unlike Asuka? Would she think any less of her if she knew of her nature? The thought was terrible and she pushed it from her mind.

Her mind wandered back to her dreams and the wealth of imagery within. She looked down the street and, in the heat haze, was Shinji standing at a phone booth. Shinji was her dearest friend; the first person to reach out to her without expectation. He was often in her dreams...but for some reason, he was rarely happy. Terrible things happened around him and all she wanted to do was deliver him from them.

The last one of the pilot quartet came to her: Kaworu. The missing variable, the most mysterious of her companions. He said he was like her, but never quite clarified what that might be. They shared aspects of their appearances: pale hair and red eyes. What was Kaworu? He appeared and acted human but yet...was he like her?

And if he was like her, what was he and what did that make Rei Ayanami?

Her nature had never been hidden to her; after all, she was expected to be the one who'd usher in the Third Impact. Not quite human, not quite Angel, noticeably separate from her peers.

An image of Asuka's snarling face came to her, contempt plain on her features.

Rei frowned. Would Asuka hate her if she knew what she truly was?

An image of her, floating in a tube of LCL. This was her. The form that shaped her, the self that could be seen. Yet, there was something alien about it, about her. Her body felt fuzzy at the edges, almost like bits of it were melting away. The image of her faded into orange and something else was there, watching her.

No, someone else. Watching her with the practiced ease of a scientist studying a specimen. Who was it, beyond her self? Whoever was here with her felt like Shinji but distinctly wasn't him. She couldn't say she was comfortable with the prospect.

Dr. Akagi's voice broke her out of her pondering, "So Rei, how does it feel to be piloting Unit One for the first time?"

She glanced around the plug, "...it reminds me of Shinji...somewhat."

In the testing center, Ritsuko consulted the data. Her eyes widened, "Curious. Her sync ratio is nearly the same as with Unit Zero."

Maya chimed in, "I mean, Unit One and Unit Zero's underlying data patterns are very similar. In fact, aren't they nearly identical?"

"That's correct," Ritsuko said, "It's why she can sync with it so well. But it's impressive to see it in person and not just as a theory."

She turned back to the comm, "The test is finished, Rei. You can come out now."

"Yes, ma'am."

---

Unlike Rei, Asuka was having problems clearing her mind. Her talk with Kaworu had smoothed over some of her anxieties; though her paranoid runaway thoughts zeroed in on the idea he was hiding something from her even though she had no idea what that might be.

But now, within the entry plug, her anxieties changed. Shinji was waiting in the wings to board Zero, who was known to be unstable. Yet, the show had to go on; Dr. Akagi insisted on forging ahead and it appeared even the Commander—Shinji's father—agreed.

Unit One had apparently taken to Rei well enough so she hoped the inverse might be true. Shinji wasn't threatening and in a sense, she had worked with him before, albeit with Rei at the helm.

"Asuka, your ratio is fluctuating wildly. You need to relax," Dr. Akagi came in.

"I'm trying, damn it!" she snapped back.

Misato cut in, "Asuka, what's wrong?"

"I'm just...," she paused then grumbled, "...worried about Shinji."

There was a long pause. Then Misato giggled, "Worried about Shinji, huh?"

"It's not what you're thinking," she said.

"Now, now, Misato. Now's not the time to antagonize her," Ritsuko admonished her, "Asuka, we'll end the test and note down outside conditions affecting the test."

A familiar stab of fear cut through Asuka, "W-wait, I can try to calm down!" she cried.

"Asuka, don't worry," Ritsuko told her, "I'm sure things will be normal next time."

"Are you...are you sure?" she ventured, feeling very small voicing her concerns.

Ritsuko knitted her eyebrows together and assured her, "Considering the circumstances, its most certainly a fluke. It would only make sense the...unusual nature of the test might affect your score."

"Al-alright..." she trailed off, trying to quiet her pattering heart.

There was no reason to feel this way but old habits died hard. It was as Ritsuko said; outside factors. Things would just have to be normal next time.

As Unit 02 was shut down and Asuka ushered out, Misato suggested, "Maybe it would have been better if we had skipped out on Asuka's portion."

"I thought you would know her better," Ritsuko said, "Then she wouldn't be happy about being excluded."

Misato sighed, "I guess you're right. It just seems like a lot of wasted time and data for something that made her feel worse."

"As nice as it would be, we can't protect them from everything that may make them feel worse," Ritsuko sighed, "Cheer up, Misato. If this all goes well, they may never have to pilot again."

"Shinji will certainly enjoy that," Misato smiled...then frowned, "I still don't know all that much about this Dummy Plug thing."

"It's still in the development stage so you don't need to," Ritsuko said in a tone that confirmed to her she was being brushed off, "Like I've said: it's an autopilot. The technicals shouldn't matter that much to you."

In other words, shut up and stop asking questions. Misato forced herself not to scowl at Ritsuko. With how it felt like they were growing closer once more, it was easy to forget there was things her friend kept from her.

Like the true nature of the MAGI. It seemed everyone figured Misato didn't need to know certain things. She didn't need to know the nitty gritty of the MAGI or some new-fangled autopilot to kill the Angels so no one kept her in the loop. Her job was to direct the children, kill the Angels and that was where her knowledge must end.

...no time to dwell on that right now. Shinji was in the process of boarding Zero and the true test of the day was minutes away.

Minutes later, Asuka had staggered into the control center with her school clothes on, damp hair and a general grumpy air about her. She stopped by Kaworu who asked, "You doing alright?"

"I'm alright!" she snapped.

He frowned, not sure what to say to soothe her worries. Rather than say anything, he turned away to pay attention to the screen. He frowned as Maya announced the beginning of Unit Zero's test.

---

Shinji did not like the entry plug of Unit Zero. Unlike his own, it felt cold, hostile and unfamiliar. Or only mostly unfamiliar; there was a familiar note here that itched at the edges of his perception. Perhaps that was the last vestiges of Rei's prescience. He wanted to find comfort in the feeling of his friend but it radiated a chill that warded him away.

Outside the entry plug and in the control center, Misato watched this all with a critical eye. She hadn't liked the idea at all, especially after the incident with Kaworu. She had even protested the idea but Ritsuko insisted the experiment had to go on, that it had been planned for far too long to simply stop it.

Misato didn't get why they had to do this part at all. It was clear Unit Zero was only ever going to accept Rei as its pilot. Nor could she wrap her head around how this would help them develop an autopilot. She looked to Ritsuko, "How is it?"

Ritsuko didn't even look up from the screen, "As I thought the sync ratio is lower than that of Unit One. But this is still good data."

Maya nodded, "Harmonics are so far normal."

Misato looked back at the prone form of Unit Zero. Her mind wandered back to the "Dummy Plug" or what Ritsuko called the developing autopilot. In any other case, she'd be happy about anything that took the children out of the equation. But with how secretive everything was around it and the risks they were taking...she couldn't help but hold reservations towards it. What was the Dummy System and was it simply an autopilot?

If it was simply an autopilot, wouldn't she be told more about it instead of relegated to her position of Operations Director and thus, deemed outside the "need to know"?

Something inside Unit Zero stirred. Shinji stiffened, surprised at the sudden feeling. He couldn't describe it any other way other than the feeling of being underwater and something very big swimming by him in the darkness. He felt even smaller than usual.

The thing prodded at him, a ghostly pressure over his eye. He hissed and clapped one hand over it, "What...what is in here? It's trying to get inside of my head!"

Images of Rei flashed through his brain. Her in her school clothes staring down at him, silhouetted by the sun. Now, her standing in her plugsuit, before they faced the Fifth Angel, silhouetted by the moon. The images cycled through, so fast that he could only see the one thing they shared: Rei. He murmured, "You feel like Rei..."

A memory of him turning and looking down the deserted street. There in the heat haze was Rei, who he had never met at the time. She seemed sad. And when he looked away, she was gone.

From the darkness, the thing stirred once more. Shinji didn't know how but it felt like the thing was about to pounce.

Another image came, him looking down at Rei from a great height. She looked up at him and spoke quietly, too quietly to realistically hear. Yet, he knew her words, "Please do not harm my friends."

The thing paused then recoiled. The Plug was quiet again. Then it wasn't as Misato's voice came crackling over the comm, "Shinji! Are you alright?"

"I-I think so..." he said quietly, looking around the Plug as if it held more answers.

"What happened?!"

"I-I really don't know."

Ritsuko's voice came next, "We're ending the test here. After the...interference we'll call it, your sync ratio dropped like a rock."

Misato marched over to Ritsuko after she turned off the comm, "What just happened there?!"

Ritsuko looked at her coolly, "If I had to hazard a guess, the Eva was in the beginning stages of going berserk but, for some reason, stopped and then outright rejected Shinji. I am as confused as you are why it did that."

Misato searched her face for any sign she was lying. Since she outright admitted she had no clue, she was inclined to believe her. She turned away, "Let's just get Shinji out of there."

When Shinji finally left the locker room, he was nearly pounced on by Asuka. "Are you alright?" she cried.

He paused, surprised by her outburst. Before his very eyes, she masked it with crossed arms and a haughty expression, "I mean, I heard Unit Zero started to act up."

Kaworu, who had accompanied her along with Rei, said, "We were rather concerned."

"I could tell…" he rubbed his arm anxiously, "I don't really know what happened but I guess what matters is it didn't go all the way berserk."

"I asked it not to."

They all turned to look at Rei. She clarified, "I asked my Eva not to harm any of you. She must have listened."

Shinji blinked in surprise, "So it understood you."

"I suppose she did. I...hadn't really thought she would or listen to me," Rei said.

"...thanks," he smiled, "For telling your Eva that."

"Whatever the case, I think we all better get outta here and head home," Asuka said.

Rei spoke again, "I am needed for further tests so I cannot accompany you."

She frowned deeply, "It's like you're always here but..alright. See you later."

Rei watched them as they gave her their farewells and walked off. She stayed there in the hallway until they were gone then turned away to put her plugsuit back on. She was needed now to reconfigure her Eva. Her work seemed to never be done.

---

NERV never quite went to sleep, even at the late of night. A complex web of technicians, researchers, engineers and all kinds of other workers meant the base was always alive in one way or another, no matter the time of day. It got quiet but never completely silent. Two of these who were still awake was Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutski.

If someone saw them in the Commander's office but didn't hear them, they might think they were having a casual conversation. A shogi board was set between them and between moves, Fuyutski would glance at his book, reading a passage until it was his turn once more. He moved a piece and said, "So the last Angel deviated somewhat from what we expected. It attacked us internally yet seemed to go down easily to our human ingenuity. What do you take from that, Ikari?"

Ikari hummed in thought, "I'd dare say the method of how Iruel was killed hardly matters. After all, the Dead Sea Scrolls do not delve in how the Angels may be killed—only that they are."

"I heard the Committee doesn't see it that way."

Gendo exhaled through his nose. He had a meeting with them a mere hour before. They wanted to go over what had happened already but, when they came to Iruel, they had complaints.

"Facts concerning the Tenth Angel include a wild rumor of an Angelic invasion of NERV headquarters," one of the men had read off during the meeting.

"An Angel invading NERV headquarters shouldn't have happened yet," another grumbled.

"There are multiple references to such an invasion occurring," Gendo explained coolly, "But one did not happen."

"Are you telling us we have false information?"

"No Angel invasion took place. You are free to look over our records from the day."

Another one of the men said in a low, sinister tone, "Speak with caution, Ikari. Making false statements to this conference is punishable by death."

"As I said, you are free to examine the MAGI's recorders. There is no such evidence of such an event," Commander Ikari offered.

The head of the conference, Keel, finally spoke, "Fine then. The manner and details hardly matter, as long as the tenth Angel has been dispatched. We will leave aside any deception on your part."

Both men stared each other down, steely hidden gaze to steely hidden gaze. Keel added, "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life. There is no need to alter the script, Ikari."

Commander Ikari answered, "Of course. Everything is proceeding according to SEELE's script."

In the present, Fuyutski commented, "How do you think they came upon that information in the first place? Do you think there's a leak?"

"Unfortunately, I'm sure of it."

Ryoji Kaji...it was little secret to the Commander that his spy was beholden to other parties. And he would have been inside the base when the alert happened. He didn't know yet if the spy was answering to SEELE, the Japanese government or both...but then again, the difference between those two was negligible, with how SEELE had their fingers inside the government.

"What do you believe we should do about him?" Fuyutski answered.

"...nothing," Gendo decided, "His use to us outweighs the danger he currently poses at the moment."

Behind his hands, where the Vice Commander couldn't see, he allowed himself a grin, "The Committee may complain all they want but there is nothing they can do."

"Still, I don't think its wise to provoke them. I fear they may already have a piece in play on our side of the field."

"I'm aware. The nature of their pawn is still unknown to me but I have...ideas on how to remove him from play. Or at least, minimize his effectiveness."

"I see. What of the Adam Project?"

"It proceeds as planned."

"And the Lance?"

"Is going as planned. Rei is carrying out the operation."

Deep in the underbelly of NERV, Unit Zero operated as normal once more. Her and her pilot strode with dutiful purpose into the deepest layer of the Geofront. Unit Zero walked through the doors and into the LCL Production Plant's lake, the boat floating there rocking perilously. Unit Zero's target was the sole occupant of the chamber.

Whether Lilith was conscious for sure, none knew. If she was, she'd be in pain, being nailed up to a cross in such a blasphemous display. The pilot paused before her, feeling a melodic song in her head. There was just the slightest hint of a voice within it, of someone talking to her in what could have been a fond tone.

It felt as if the voice was beckoning her forth.

She shook it off, raised the Lance of Longinus and drove it into Lilith's chest.

The song went quiet.