IN THE SHADED TWILIGHT

Gendo eyed the huge spears which had been placed behind him so Seele's six could see them Ritsuko was standing opposite it was just them and no one else. "Here are the two Lances of Longinus you wanted to see."

Seele One's male voice hit the air filled with surprise. "Those are not Lances of Longinus." Seele Two spoke her female voice filled with confusion. "The German girl made these?" Gendo blinked in confusion. "I do not understand they match the imagery we have and descriptions of the lances?"

Ritsuko looked up. "Yes Asuka made them." Seele Three's gruff male voice spoke. "These are not Lances of Longinus these are both Spears of Destiny!" Gendo turned eyeing two huge red lances with their two spear head parts though the bottom sections had gold and silver wrapping on them on each spear point. "I thought they were the same thing."

Seele Fours spoke her voice turning cold. "A very common misconception, scholars believe in texts that they are the same but in the Dead Sea scrolls they are not, the Lances of Longinus are destroyers they both destroy life and cause impacts. The Spears of Destiny are creators and life givers they are the equal and complete opposite to the Lances of Longinus whose other spear has still not been found though if it's as dead as its counterpart which you found in the dead zone and threw away then we have nothing to fear."

Ritsuko turned sharply. "Could these breathe life into the Lances of Longinus?" Seele Five's deep male voice spoke. "No only the former destroyer of worlds can and we know that, that was the German girl what we do not understand though is how a destroyer suddenly became a creator that is unheard of in any previous cycle."

Gendo pointed. "So these can't cause impacts?" Seele Six's female voice spoke calmly. "No they can't it is said in the right hands they can create life but how is just not stated or the existent but what is clear is they can stand up to a lances of Longinus and can be used as weapons against them."

Seele Three spoke again his voice filled with uncertainty. "You must do everything in your power to bring their creator back because if she can find a way to use them then the others Evangelion's pilots and their awakened souls can use their power to stand up to all of our enemies and they could also be used against Ouroboros's abominations as pure weapons." Gendo looked up. "We are currently using the Judas restraint which you disapproved of on unit 02 to bring the pilot back as we speak." Seele One spoke his voice sounding even. "It has to be so."

Ritsuko looked up. "You all don't fear that Asuka might just breathe life into the other dead Lances of Longinus if it is ever found?" Seele Five spoke his tone sounded unimpressed. "That is your arena not ours, Gendo has stated that the German girl can be controlled though his daughter, so long as that carries on we believe we have nothing to fear." Ritsuko folded her arm feeling a sneer form. "So you're just going to ignore the whole thing with Asuka eating an angel?"

Seele Six spoke her laugher hitting the air. "Disgusting and beautiful all at the same time a very powerful message to send to the other angels watching us and they will be watching now because they will not like the idea of the Spears of Destiny either, because they can hurt them just as much."

Seele Three's gruff voice spoke again. "Also the timing could not be more perfect as the world has it eyes on the battle they did not notice the news that Shigeo had a most unfortunate boating accident up in Naples where his parts were churned up by the propeller and that Kin's personal jet plane crashed in the Amazon. I've heard that since second impact it's become even warmer in that region of the world and the crocodiles and pythons have become even bigger and target human beings much more often."

He paused before speaking. "The world will no doubt have its eyes fixed here upon us until the German girls return, which is much to our benefit, we also have the added bonus that now all three of the six Evangelion's have now transcended taking on there stronger primal forms and soon the other three will follow and the final two will finally awaken."

Seele Two spoke her voice very calm. "The British and the German division have been torturing the traitors you sent. Though Makoto confessed to giving Ouroboros stolen angel DNA from the void we have no word of where the base is but they plan to keep them alive until they confess but both divisions admit that they have been hard to crack but they will get what they want in time."

Seele Four's voice hit the air as he spoke coldly. "We still have a world search out on the five other scientists with no luck at present but we will persist." Ritsuko looked up. "They must be found before Ankh or Ouroboros get their hands on them." Seele one spoke evenly. "They will be found mark my words even if we have to kill every man or woman who gets in our way regarding this issue."

There was a long pause. "Keel will not hold sway over this world ever again he brought this world to utter ruins in its last cycle. He also openly insulted the destroyer of worlds in human instrumentality believing his might was supreme to hers and she brought her violent, unhinged wraith down on all of us and turned all of our heavens to hell and tortured us which we believe led to the death of our thirteenth member as they never returned and their monolith crumbled to ashes."

Seele One spoke in an angry tone. "We do not want the destroyer of worlds to return in this life time and make us suffer again we want that side of her monstrous nature kept subdued using Gendo's daughter at all costs. Because her former self utterly hated and despised us all and she was a literal goddess of death who made the seas boils and caused earth quakes world wide along with causing every volcano to irrupt all at once as she plunged the world into darkness. She was not happy just to see the end of days played out normally instead she relished in destroying the world with her own hands and watching everyone die before pulling them into human instrumentality!"

8

Maya watched as the huge thin surround cylinders were bolted into place above the entry plug opening most of unit 02's climbing equipment had been taken off just so this huge machine could be put on. It was still locked and restrained and in the same place away from the others in the bay. She could see 00's team working to fit a new shoulder harness to fit the new form while the specialists were working around them refitting plating on its new jaws which were incredibly similar to 02 in terms in how they opened and how wide the jaw went.

Also where the upper and lower canines were seated in just the same place but they had fine curves and serrated edges its whole build though smaller was also very similar to 02. It was just the head and tail were massively different and the body was much leaner but nothing like 04 which was thin and long and whose jaws were long and deep and reminded her so much of an angler fish because of the thin knife point like teeth. She looked at Hayden who was lighting a cigarette as he watched the workers finish as the huge peace for the jaws was brought up in three sections she breathed in looking at the design. "This machine is a nightmare it's really over engineered."

Hayden walked over her. "No kidding Miss Ibuki no wonder they call it Judas, I swear I hate building Ritsuko's crap it's always so over complicated and I remember the medical team hated building Obrax they even said that Orion which you made was much better design wise because it didn't have so many unnecessary parts." Maya looked up. "Well this has to work." Hayden breathed in deeply. "Do you really think we can pull Langley out of there?"

Maya eyed him. "Yes I do and I will do everything to make it so." She turned slightly. "I know you and Asuka don't have a great history but I expect your full help on this regardless." Hayden raised his hands. "Yeah about that a lots changed recently in how I see her and I was going to speak to her next time she was sent out but I never got the chance. I mean she's just not that bratty kid anymore and she's real nice to Rei I've seen them together she so gentle with her it really surprised me I mean she loves that women really deeply just like Shinji loves Kaworu." He paused before speaking. "I had no idea that angel was in her head the whole time it just sounds like a nightmare."

Maya looked up the Nerv staff had only just been told the truth and the whole story with some parts left out of what had happened but the world press was still obvious and the German division though they could get through were getting frustrated as no one was telling Asuka's grandmother anything and she was getting frustrated by the lack of answers.

After this was all over she would ensure that Geraldina was told the full story without anything being left out as she had the right to know everything about Asuka had, had to go through recently and despite that it had been horrible that she had risen to the challenge.

She looked at him. "That's putting it mildly it was hell for her not just because he was awful and he tormented her but because no ones wants a third wheel in any relationship let alone one like him and believe me he was a massive creep." Hayden looked up. "So when the special ops were chasing her she was infected but they never got the angel out and it destroyed Obrax and sent 02 on a rampage because it messed with the partial AI personality."

Maya looked though she knew the truth was different the staff could never know about the unit's having souls. "That's accurate yes." Hayden blinked. "Oh I get that day now the one when she was shouting at Misato and said the AT field distorting was not her, I mean she must have thought it was Bardiel."

Maya looked up. "I don't believe it was ever Bardiel's the field in Antarctica was hers Bardiel had no AT field he was draining off hers like a parasite." She eyed Judas's schematic again. "So I believe it was her ability all along." Hayden breathed in his cigarette. "Well once she comes out we'll know for sure." He watched as the now completed mouth section cringed as it was forced inside 02's massive jaws he raised his hand "Hey be fucking careful with that!"

He eyed them. "It took us three hours to do that refit and do the modification because this thing was made to fit in 01's mouth and jaws not 02's so don't beak it!" He shook his head. "I know once Asuka's get out of there I know that we are going to spend the next two weeks cleaning up the parts of Bardiel we missed from the teeth." Maya looked up. "You don't sound surprised."

Hayden turned to her. "I've worked on unit 02 since it got here nine years ago nothing surprises me anymore, only surprise I got was how much she put in the units stomach didn't think you could shove two thirds of an angel down there." He smirked. "Oh yeah and they made it clear that stomach imitates the pilots stomach in that they are interconnected so the Evangelion will not stop eating until the pilot is full so boy can that woman eat. Also all remarks aside about the eating I'd rather clean this thing's teeth than have been part of poor team who had to clean up his remains, I heard it wasn't a very pleasant experience for them this time around."

He laughed. "They're used to picking up angel parts that have had cannon fire not having to rope a whole Evangelion's guts up and carry it away, granted Mari tour up the UN Alpha test unit very badly but it was nothing compared to what Asuka did to Bardiel they said it looked like some apex predator's left over dinner remains when you're out on an African safari." He turned seeing that Maya was looking at him with concern. "I think that's cool by the way I wasn't in any way saying that Asuka was wrong to rip him up like she did."

Maya breathed in deeply. "I'm so glad to hear that, because I think a lot of people don't understand how miserable he made her feel and how much he got into her life. Yes it was very brutal, violent but he pushed her to her limits and she gave him no quarter." Hayden watched as the huge pipes where brought down and attached the shoulders as the huge upwards cylinders poking out of the mouth on either side were attached to these piles as well. "I assume this is just the building part, next you guys have to calibrate all of the software?"

Maya looked up as more piping was attached to the shoulders close the entry plug opening and the three massive rioting magnetic coils which would pull up the plug in to its half way position where lowered on to the cylinders and carefully attached one by one. "Yes but then that entry plug has to be pulled out the magnetic coils should ease it out to the half way point but we have to be really careful with it so it's going to be very slow."

Hayden breathed out the black smoke of his cigarette. "So how does this machine Judas work again?" Maya looked up. "Once it's turned on it should link with the partial AI personality and turn it off. Which should allow us to bring Asuka's back in one piece, it should be instant if it works but it's never worked from what I've heard." Hayden eyed unit 01. "Yeah I heard they tried it on Yui years ago but got nothing I heard that Kozo's doing as he had this machine built despite that she was already dead."

Maya breathed in deeply. "Yeah well we are hoping that it will this time because we think that Asuka won't want to stay." She paused choosing her next words carefully knowing they were in part a lie. "We've been told that theoretically once the core has taken one person and caused their death the partial leaning AI works out that it doesn't need another so it spits the second person back out because it learns that what's it done is wrong."

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Hayden spoke his voice filled with confusion. "Yeah but 02 didn't suck in Asuka's mother its drove her mad it like it stole her mind." Maya turned slightly. "We think it still got some thing though hence why it won't want another person." Hayden looked at the small woman. "Ah okay I get you, well I just hope it works."

He turned stubbing out his cigarette as he eyed 02. "I still don't get why Asuka would stay there in the first place though? I mean Rei's is out here she isn't in there, unless that partial AI personality is screwing with her mind but even then I think after Bardiel she would know that her mind is being messed with." Maya looked at 02's face ironically she was just as curious about that too, why was Kyoko keeping Asuka there?

Granted she wanted to see her but she could have let go hours earlier or maybe she had it wrong maybe things inside the core didn't happen quickly maybe time was different inside. She turned to him. "Yeah I was curious about that too I think it must be the partial AI personality messing with her. It's probably showing her Rei or something but that's very much to our advantage because once we break that illusion she'll come out instantly and we can pull her body back up and it will re-materialize inside the entry plug"

8

I can smell alpine forests gods I love that smell I remember when I first met Rei and Shinji when I came over from Germany and we were eating at the table and I kept on smelling those pines trees and I was so confused and then I realized it was on Rei. I couldn't believe it and I was going to ask her about it but then my sexuality knocking at the backdoor got in the way and I came out with some rude crap about how she didn't speak and I asked if she was mute.

She gave this really unimpressed look like I was an idiot in hindsight I might have kept my trap shut had I of realized that all of my stuff was going to end up in Misato's house that night and that my room was going to right next to hers but right opposite Shinji's. Because that night was so hard as I'd been rude to the both of them and suddenly I was having to live with them and I didn't like it because I'd preferred to be alone. Because then no one could hurt me and I started getting really hostile towards the both over time and started bullying and picking on them.

Once I figured my sexuality I just went straight after Rei and that alpine smell it drove me wild and not in a good way more in a lustful pushy way but now the feeling isn't that way anymore. It makes me feel relaxed, content and very much at peace and I feel like I can open up in Rei's presence but that because that's were I was at peace at my step parents in there pine forests.

At first I went there alone to get away and be myself but as Mari and I got closer she joined me there and we used to talked about things that meant a lot to us I was so happy and now whenever I hug Rei and breath in that smell I'm happy again.

Asuka watched as the darkness faded once more and she was suddenly surrounded by towering pine trees and a star lit night sky. She closed her eyes breathing in the smell deeply before opening her eyes slowly watching as the fireflies danced in the darkness. She looked down seeing that she was in her casual clothes again she slowly knelt down feeling the grass under her fingers only to hear the sudden painful cries of a child off in the distance.

She stood up walking towards them as they got louder and more painful only to catch sight of a little child with red hair sitting alone in a little red dress with small polished shoes and white socks, the little dress had a white bow at the font and the hair was tailed up with little red ribbons. She breathed realizing that it was herself again but she was six years old.

She slowly knelt down opposite speaking softly. "Hello." Her small child self turned her blue eyes going wide as she suddenly got scared and tried to crawl away. Asuka eased up her hands. "Hey easy now, I'm not going to hurt you." Her child self stared at her as she spoke her voice filled with fear. "Get away from me monster!"

Asuka blinked realizing that it was her left eye that was causing the reaction. "It's my left eye right?" She watched as her young self stopped showing confusion. "It looks strange and scary to you." Her child self nodded keeping her distance. "If you come closer you can have a better look my eye won't hurt you." Her child self wiped away her tears giving her a cold look. "I'm not meant to talk to strangers my mama always told me that."

Asuka looked at her. "I'm not a stranger I'm you." She eased up her red hair. "If you look closely we have the same hair colour and my right eye is the same colour as yours." Her child self stayed back not buying it for a second as she spoke coldly. "Just because you have red hair and one blue eye doesn't mean you're me." Asuka smiled inwardly. "Yeah but don't you have a scar under your right sock, you know from when you fell out of the tree?"

Her child self blinked in surprise as she moved her small hand down pulling down her sock eyeing the scar which was thin and long and recent she eased up her trouser leg pulling down her own sock catching sight of the long healed scar which she remembered had needed stitch's. "See it's just like yours."

Her younger self blinked before walking towards her, her wide eyes filled with curiosity and fascination as she spoke. "You're me?" Asuka pulled her sock back up sitting down watching as the little girl got really close to her. "Yes at least who you'll be one day." Her younger self eased a hand up touching her face as she looked at her pulsing left eye. "Does your eye hurt? I mean its so weird looking." Asuka gave her a smile. "Not at all, it feels warm."

Her child self blinked. "What it's like being grown up, it's just I want to be an adult?" Asuka took in a deep breath. "Being grown up is hard but it can be rewarding." She paused before speaking. "But sometimes I miss being a child like you." Her younger self's face turned to confusion. "Why adults have more fun, they can do whatever they want." Asuka shook her head. "Yes but adults are really just big kids themselves sometimes in that they can be childish and cruel."

She breathed in deeply. "I know it's not good for you right now I know you feel very alone but always remember you are good and there are people in your future who will love and care about you." Her child self was suddenly crawling in to her lap looking up at her wide eyed. "Really I'm going to meet nice people who like me?" Asuka looked down as she sat in her lap. "Yes you are and it's going to be great." She raised her hand. "Your going to be an Evangelion pilot and you'll be piloting the machine that mama built and you'll be so doing so much good with it."

Her child self was suddenly grabbing at her t-shit. "Really it's just I want so much to be pilot?" She looked down her smile fading. "But right now my sync is lower than the others children's they think I won't pass the program." Asuka felt a wide smile. "Things will change believe me and always remember you can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it." She stroked her younger self's hair. "Never ever forget that."

Her child self's look slowly changed to wide eyed and happy as she spoke. "You're really nice." Asuka leaned closer to her. "So are you." Her child self moved putting her arms around her neck giving her hug she moved putting her arm around her holding her gently as she looked up slightly at the star light before closing her eyes slightly holding her child self tighter. "Never let anyone make you feel that you're less." She breathed in as everything burst into silver and gold light once more as her mother's voice spoke in the distance. "Come to me now Asuka you're ready." She breathed in slowly and deeply as she spoke calmly as everything faded away. "I'm coming mama."

8

Hayden looked up as 02 head suddenly pulled up slightly as its four eyes came on blasting out intense green light as it whole body shuddered for a second before it stopped as the light faded away and it eyes turned dark again. Ritsuko's voice hit the air filled with anger as she looked down over from the higher ledge at him. "I told you not to turn on Judas's power we are not ready up here!"

Hayden eased up his hands as he eyed the control panel in front of him. "I didn't turn on anything it turned on, on its own!" Ritsuko breathed in deeply eyeing Maya who ignored her as she carried on running the software calibrating it. She moved closer to the ledge which meant she could see 02's face up close she breathed in speaking in a cold whisper. "What the fuck are you playing at Kyoko?"

She moved a step closer but not to close. "Yeah don't think I don't know you're in there, your just playing dead." She folded her arms. "What are you holding Asuka there to spite me now?" Maya looked up speaking coldly. "You know maybe she just wants to spend time with her daughter and it has nothing to do with you, ever thought of that?" Ritsuko eyed unit 02. "What a wonderful sickly family reunion that will be." Maya carried in typing. "I think you're just jealous." She paused before speaking evenly. "I mean Kyoko had Asuka under difficult circumstances and despite this she made the best of a bad situation."

Ritsuko eyed unit 02 again as she folded her arms. "Yeah look how that turned out for her, she got sucked inside this fucking animal." Maya looked up as she started to run the syncing codes which had taken hours to sync since they were made for 01 and not 02 which had a very different sync pattern. "No like Yui and Kiko she was brave and she took the risk and I bet you'd never step inside that entry plug first time since it takes great courage and sacrifice." Ritsuko turned eyeing her in disgust. "Neither would you."

Maya looked up. "No I probably wouldn't but I'm guessing Yui and Kiko never even knew about the sisters Dai and Cho you keep in the Omega and Beta training units. I also read in your reports, that was your late mother's work but her units were deemed failures due to poor sync, as their souls have no real emotional link to the pilots." She breathed in deeply. "Hence Yui, Kiko and Kyoko stepped in to build the next three and now all inhabit them." She breathed in sharply. "But I'm guessing they didn't end up there by accident, I'm thinking that you and Gendo worked out that mothers somehow respond better to pilots."

She eyed the read outs. "I do wonder though why not fathers?" Ritsuko breathed in deeply. "My mother believed that mothers even useless mothers do care on some levels even if they can't express it and being inside the cores allows them to slowly overcome their issues they had when they were alive and therefore they can bond better with the child in question."

She raised her hand. "I'm not saying that you can't put fathers in, but the program just deemed mothers more suitable." She looked up. "Seele felt that there could be serious consequences to putting a negative father in but they have never stated as to what, only that it would only work well if the father figure was positive." Maya looked up. "So that would have counted out Asuka, Mari, Shinji and Rei since they have difficultly with the father figures in there lives and only Kaworu and Toji had positive ones though short lived."

Ritsuko turned slightly. "Yes but what troubles me is Ouroboros's three abominations because I doubt they cared who ended up in those cores and I think they'd shove any family member they could get in there and there might be more than one person per core and that is not normal the cores are meant to function best with only one person."

She looked up. "Plus I dread to think what Ankh would do if they could create an Evangelion." She looked up as a vertical wing shot past in the upper tunnel that led down the void. "What's going on up there?" Maya eyed her tablet seeing that Misato had messaged her. "They finally found Bardiel's tongue, they're about to bring it down so it can be deep frozen along with what was left of him."

Ritsuko watched another vertical wing shot past though this one was dragging the huge blue tongue and was being shadowed by another vertical wing. "You mean the parts Asuka didn't like." She turned watching as the code flew up on the screen opposite. "You're running that code wrong!" Maya looked up sharply. "How's about you stay out of my work, I've been working with Evangelion's for years I know each units entry plug code of by heart." Ritsuko tapped her finger stopping one line of code. "That one is wrong!"

Maya grabbed her tablet. "No its not it's been like that since Asuka's left eye changed! It also doesn't affect her sync in any way so it's not a problem and I did check it's not Bardiel but then you would know this if you had spent any actual time with the pilots but you don't do that anymore you prefer your office high up Nerv's food chain."

Ritsuko pulled out a cigarette lighting it not caring how spiteful her next words were. "Tell me are you still hung up us and what could have been?" Maya felt a cold smile form Ritsuko was going for the low blow which was to poke fun at her sexuality and her former crush on her because she'd lost the argument and she knew it so she was being petty. "No I'm actuality I'm glad I dodged the bullet."

She put her tablet down opposite typing into the holographic screen. "I mean you wouldn't have been that great of a girlfriend anyway, you're mean, cruel and when I think about it, I think you would have still crawled back to Gendo and cheated on me anyway because you love power more than people." She carried on typing not looking up. "Plus I'm sure somewhere in Nerv there is a much better person than you waiting for me."

She looked up enjoying the look of utter disdain on the other woman's face. "Have fun with Gendo though and if he ever betrays you, don't ever come running to me because that ship is not waiting for you, it left a very long time ago after you called me unnatural and dirty little lesbian."

Ritsuko breathed in adjusting her suite as she spoke coldly. "I have better things to do than listen to you! Call me when you're finished." Kaji watched as Ritsuko pushed past him in anger vanishing from sight he had heard the last part of that conversation. He put his hands in his new loose Nerv jacket's pockets as a smile formed on his lips as he spoke playfully. "I had no idea you could be that brutal Maya."

Maya eyed the code making a very fine adjustment. "It's my size and stature it throws people off." Kaji felt his smile widen. "Clearly..." He looked at 02's face before turning to Misato's office where she currently sleeping as she chosen to stay for as long as it took to get Asuka out. She had heard that all of the others were at Asuka's house currently taking care of Rei who was really miserable and heartbroken. "You know I don't think Gendo will ever betray Ritsuko he loves her in his own twisted way, plus she always cleans up his shit up and the media and news like her way better than him and he has way to many enemies and she keeps them all at bay yeah we all hate it but it's the sad truth that she's the better of two evils."

Maya looked up. "That's sadly true but I merely said it because I just want to make sure that the message is loud and very clear that I want nothing of her and I'm not hung up on her anymore since I've moved on." She felt a smile form. "I heard about you and Misato though, congratulations." Kaji felt a coy smile form. "Thank you."

He looked up as he spoke. "It's been a very long time coming." Maya eyed unit 02's read out. "Well I think some relationships take time, it's just how it goes." Kaji nodded. "That is true." He felt a sly smile form. "You know Misato was talking about helping you out and getting you a girlfriend the other day." Maya turned to him shaking her head. "Look I know she means well but I'd rather not force it, if it happens it will happen." Kaji raised an eyebrow. "I understand but if you change your mind we'd both be happy to help." Maya looked up slightly feeling her smile widen. "Thank you I'll keep that in mind."

End of part 64

Silvermoonlight