Ritsuko stepped out of the lift and into the corridor leading to her office. She had almost reached the door when she saw the figure of Fuyutsuki walking towards her. She had to stop herself from letting out an annoyed sigh, dealing with Fuyutsuki or by extension, Ikari was not something she wanted right now. She was quite content to just get into her office and wrap herself up in work until she could see Katsuragi again.
‘Whilst I still can…’
“Doctor Akagi, glad to have you back.” Fuyutsuki addressed her, “Can we talk?”
Ritsuko nodded as she opened the door to her office, “Of course.”
They stepped through into the small office. Ritsuko immediately laying eyes on the small tea set that she had used when Misato had visited for the first time a few weeks ago. The rest of the office was fairly standard, a desk with a standard monitor and computer for checking her daily work and compiling reports and another seat for visitors. On the walls were various pictures, some art depicting cats, another was an artist’s rendition of the first starship Ritsuko had served on, and finally hanging behind her was an academy graduation plaque.
She moved to the replicator in the corner, “If I had known you wanted to speak to me, I’d have prepared some tea, will replicated do?”
“Nothing for me.” Fuyutsuki declined, “I’m not intending on being here long. Ikari has a meeting to prepare for with the committee.”
“Of course, the committee can’t be kept waiting.” Ritsuko replied sarcastically, “So what would Ikari have me do, set up some sort of bug on the Tokyo? Dose Rei some more or…”
“I appreciate you are not fond of Ikari, nor his plans.” Fuytsuki cut her off somewhat surprised by her sudden flippancy, “But it would be wise to not voice your displeasure so casually.”
“Of course, the walls have ears and all that.” Ritsuko answered back, she herself surprised at her suddenly defiant streak, “So what does he want?”
‘Misato must be rubbing off on me.’ She smirked as she asked the replicator for a strong black coffee and sat herself down.
Fuyutsuki did not answer, instead sitting himself down and setting the PADD that he had been carrying down on her desk, “Nothing I am here of my own volition. I recently visited NERV Bethany, I thought you would like to know how Kyo is doing.”
Ritsuko frowned as she slid the PADD towards her, “I suppose you expect me to say thank you. So why were you there?”
“Makinami reported… a change in his condition a couple of weeks ago. Around the time we got reports of the first Angel appearing.” Fuyutsuki answered, “I wanted to see how he was, and assess whether we needed to bring him here.”
“Absolutely not.” Ritsuko glared at him, “You promised me he’d be safe and far away from all of this. After what NERV… what my mother did to him, he deserves as normal a life as he can get.”
“I understand that.” Fuyutsuki nodded, “But… if there were complications or issues related his condition then we thought it would be prudent to bring him here.”
“No.” Ritsuko said defiantly, “The two of you made me a promise. I work for you; I do what you want using my status as part of Section 31 to help you and he’ll be spared. No NERV, no piloting.”
“Which would still stand.” He replied, “If he was to be brought here it’d be as a civilian, he would not be anywhere near NERV as an organization. He would be cared for. Regardless, there are no concerns, he is safe to remain at Bethany for now.”
“See to it, that it remains that way.” Ritsuko set the PADD aside to read after Fuyutsuki was gone. She was keen to read more about the brother had had never met, but she was not going to do it in front of a man she intensely disliked, “Will that be all Sub Commander?”
Fuyutsuki stood up, preparing to leave knowing just how unwelcome he was, “There is just one more thing, a concern from Commander Ikari.”
Ritsuko braced herself for what was coming, she knew it would happen eventually and had already prepared her responses in advance, “Go ahead.”
“Your past relationship with Katsuragi and any potential rekindling of said relationship.” Fuyutsuki said, “Ikari has expressed concerns should you get close to Katsuragi that it might cause issues for yourself. Whilst he wants you to get close to Katsuragi and use your past friendship to ensure she follows our plan; he advises against getting too close.”
‘Too late.’ Ritsuko felt a pang of guilt and anger within her as she addressed him. She hated being a part of this but she had been given an impossible hand. Help manipulate her lover for the safety of her kid brother. She only hoped that when Misato found out, and she knew eventually Misato would find out, that she would understand.
“Ikari has nothing to be concerned with.” Ritsuko answered, “Above all else, I will not forget our agreement.”
888
Gendo took his seat at the foot of the large conference table. Stood behind him, as ever, was Fuyutsuki. With the destruction of the second scout ship, dubbed the Shamshel class by NERV, the committee had called a meeting to discuss their next steps. Gendo knew that their plans were now well and truly in motion, and there was no turning back for any of them. He would have to be careful with his words and actions going forward, one scenario pitting against another.
He had no time to consult Fuyutsuki as suddenly, one by one, the holo-emitters positing around each seat sprang to life. In a matter of seconds each member of this unique intergalactic committee appeared before Gendo.
To many it would be an interesting assembly of people. A group put together in secret many years ago, well before many of these races officially knew of one another. Each one operated in their respective government, helping to pull strings and position themselves to gain the advantages they needed.
Decade’s worth of investment to lead to one thing, the awakening and usage of an ancient power which would, in this committees’ eyes, lead to the salvation of all within the galaxy. It was salvation by destruction. Rebirth via indiscriminate death. Only the chosen members of the committee would ascend, leaving the rest to die and be reborn in their image. It mattered not which race be it Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Vorta, Jem’Hadar or Changeling. Even the Borg would not be spared this fate.
Of course, awakening said power was probably the simplest part of their plan. It was obtaining it that was the true test. That was why the Eva’s had been built, and soon, when Evangelion 02 arrived, Gendo knew it would be time for the pilgrimage to the Angel’s home world to begin. That was when he could put into motion his own plan. A plan to regain that which had been taken from him, and get his revenge on the people that took it away from him.
‘Yui…’
The committee was now completely assembled. To Gendo’s immediate left sat Gul Hakget, a high ranking official within the Cardassian Union. To Gendo’s right was Veris, a Vorta representing the interests of a Dominion Founder. The Founder would rarely appear in these meetings choosing instead to do their communication through the Vorta. From the Romulan Star Empire was General Ruha, a member of what was left of the Tal Shiar. Sat opposite them was Councillor Telvorn from the Klingon Empire. At the head of the table, sat directly opposite Gendo was the man responsible for bringing this unique group together, the founder of SEELE, Admiral Lorenz Keel of Starfleet.
“Admiral Keel, it has been quite some time since all the committee have gathered.” Gendo opened up the conversation, folding his hands neatly in front of his face.
“Yes, it has, Ikari.” Keel answered, “Now that contact with the Angels has been made, I felt it was prudent to call together the committee to discuss the situation as well as our next steps. We have been monitoring your progress so far, some of us have raised concerns.”
“Concerns?” Gendo smirked from behind his folded hands, “Two of their ships appeared, and two of their ships have been destroyed. That is the outcome we desired, is it not?”
“It is not the combat effectiveness of the Evangelions that we are calling into question.” Keel answered with a sharpness in his voice that would, for most, sound intimidating. For Gendo it caused little more than amusement.
“Then what exactly are your concerns?” Gendo asked, “As far as I can see, all is going according to plan.”
“It is, and I am keen to see it continue.” Keel replied, “Yet, some doubts have been raised regarding the pilot. Whilst I am aware that our pool of candidates is restricted due to the nature of the Evangelions, it would seem that your son is ill equipped to pilot. Initial reports have cited a general reluctance for the task, his inexperience and in the recent battle it seems he went against the orders given to him by his commanding officer.”
Gendo nodded, “None of this is unexpected and it was all allowed for when I summoned him to NERV. I am more than confident these minor issues regarding his discipline and willingness to pilot will eventually pass by and he will grow into his role and carry out what is required from him.”
“Do we actually have time to allow for him to grow into his role?” Asked Ruha, “It is my opinion that we cannot afford to place our faith in the hands of him whilst he is prone to these sorts of outbursts. If he cannot be replaced, then may I suggest alternative techniques? It would not be difficult to adapt some of our Tal Shiar methods to the pilot.”
“Absolutely not.” Gendo was very quick to shut down the Romulan committee members, “As you are all quite aware, the Evangelions are sensitive spacecraft and we cannot risk them rejecting a pilot due to any tampering. You have my guarantee that this issue with the pilot will be resolved shortly, we have already taken steps to ensure he adapts quickly.”
“See to it that you have Ikari.” Keel replied, “We can afford no mistakes at this crucial stage but be aware, that should you fail to control the pilot, we will not hesitate to employ other methods.”
Gendo could feel Fuyutsuki tense up behind him at the old admiral’s words but Gendo remained unmoved. His words were a threat and a hollow one at that. Both of their plans called for Shinji to remain alive and be the pilot, the committee would not touch him.
“I understand.” Gendo nodded.
“Good.” Keel answered, “Now, onto other matters. Councillor Telvorn, what is the status of Evangelion 02?”
“The craft is almost complete and will be ready for transport to NERV within the week.” The Klingon woman replied gruffly, “The data from the first battle has been instrumental in fine tuning the ships systems. We will perform final tuning whilst the ship is in transit using the data from the second battle. With those tunings we estimate that the craft will be 25% more effective in combat than Evangelions 00 and 01, this is, with the right pilot of course.”
“Good to hear it.” Keel nodded, “Are we still in agreement as to the pilot?”
“The scientist’s daughter…” The Cardassian spoke, “Top of her classes at the illustrious Starfleet Academy, an excellent pilot all told but… short on temperament and much like our current pilot prone to some disciplinary issues. Is she really the wisest choice?”
“She has been moulded into a soldier from a young age.” Spoke Ruha again, “Encouraged to succeed at any cost and be highly ambitious. She would see this as an opportunity to prove herself and rise above her peers. Given the blood that runs in her veins she would have no issue with the physical or mental demands of piloting the craft. I believe she is an ideal candidate.”
“Another Starfleet officer…” The Vorta woman spoke up, “I am… or should I say the Founder I represent is concerned, are we not perhaps seeing too much Starfleet involvement in this project? Add to which, you have already brought up issues of her discipline as well as the nature of people such as her, would it not be better to utilize our Jem’Hadar for such a task?”
“As has been raised before, the Jem’Hadar, whilst formidable would not be compatible with the Evangelion Units for obvious reasons.” Gendo reminded the Vorta.
“Then what about a representative that is not someone from Starfleet.” She answered back, “Do the Klingons or Cardassians not have a representative they wish to submit?”
“You are all free to submit any pilot candidate you desire, as you all well know.” Gendo replied cooly, “It does not matter to me who pilots the Evangelions but I would advise any candidates are submitted hastily. As the chairman has informed us, time is of the essence. Given that plans were made many years ago to have Ms Soryu be the pilot, I think it would be prudent to not alter them at this late stage.”
Telvorn spoke up, “I see no issue with Soryu as the pilot.”
“Of course, you don’t, Telvorn.” Ruha smirked, “With that said, I too see no issue with her as the pilot. Her affiliation with Starfleet is no consequence, as long as she can get the job done.”
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“Enough.” Keel interjected, “Now is not the time for such squabbles. Our plans go beyond the groups we represent and in the future such things will be irrelevant. We shall continue with Soryu as the pilot.”
“We shall make the necessary preparations at NERV for the arrival of Evangelion 02.” Gendo nodded, “I shall have Akagi notify captain Katsuragi of Soryu’s selection.”
“I will notify General G’bakh.” Telvorn said, “I am sure he will relish the opportunity to visit NERV once again. It seems your son left quite the impression on him.”
Keel nodded, “We are at a crucial stage in our plans. You all have your part to play if we are to succeed. I need not remind you just how important it is that we do not stray from the path laid out before us.”
Keel looked around the table listening to the collective murmuring of agreement from the members of the committee. One by one their holograms vanished until the only person left was Keel himself, facing Gendo.
“When next we meet Ikari.” He continued to speak, “It will be aboard the ark, to mark the beginning of the pilgrimage to Eden. I need not remind you just how important our plans are. Make sure your pilots are ready for what the Angels will throw at us.”
“Of course, chairman. NERV will be prepared. You have my word.”
888
Shinji liked the forest, it was calm, peaceful and reminded him of the trips his uncle used to take him on when he was younger. He missed those days, when his uncle would take him out camping or fishing.
‘I never did say thank you to him for all he done… now I’m here, will I ever get that chance?’
Throughout the forest a neat path had been carved providing Shinji a means of traversing the vast greenery without fear of getting lost. It also provided him an opportunity to walk in solitude, far away from everything and everyone so that maybe he could forget about everything that had happened to him since that fateful message so many weeks ago.
Unfortunately, those efforts had been fruitless. Since leaving the NERV complex and setting out on his hours long journey this morning all he had been able to do is replay everything in his mind over and over again. Starting from the morning he had received the message from Starfleet, through to the letter from his father to come to NERV, meeting Misato and travelling to the Gamma Quadrant, the two battles and most recently, the berating he had received from Misato in her office.
Such as it was, he desperately wanted his old life back. He wanted to go back to his aunt and uncle; back to that job in the restaurant. He wanted to go back to being Shinji the nobody, Shinji the person who blended in and no one had to deal with. He wanted his anonymity back, to have no expectations or pressure. He had no idea how much longer he could keep this new life up for. The thought of piloting again filled him with terror, his stomach churned just to think about climbing into the cockpit one more time.
‘Why did I even come here? For answers? To find out why my father abandoned me? Find out if he hates me? I haven’t even seen him since that one time in the hospital. I’ve not asked where he is. I’m never going to get answers. Not from him… I’m just a coward… I... I shouldn’t be here.’
Shinji continued walking along the path, the music from his SDAT providing little comfort. His SDAT was an oddity, a technological relic from centuries ago. It’s tape-based technology having been made obsolete many years ago. Shinji used it quite often, especially when he needed a particular kind of comfort. The device itself was a family heirloom, an antique passed down from generation to generation on his mothers’ side. It was the only connection he had to her anymore.
He always sensed that he was lucky to even have it. His uncle had given it to him as a gift a few years after his mother had died. It was the only thing that remained of hers, everything else had been destroyed by his father. Shinji’s uncle kept hold of it, presenting it to Shinji on his tenth birthday. They had managed to find a specialist in the area, a retired Starfleet officer with a love of older tech that had taught Shinji how to put new music on it.
‘I miss my aunt and uncle…’
Shinji let out a sigh as the track came to an end, he removed the headphones and looked up to see that the forest path was also coming to an end. Ahead of him was the NERV courtyard that he had grown so familiar with. Misato’s words echoed through his head once more. Her questions probing at his mind. Did he really want to be here? Could he really do what was asked of him?
All that was left were the ambient noises of the planet. The chirping of insects, the gentle sway of the breeze and the trickling of a nearby stream. If it were not for NERV then he might think of this place as a sort of paradise but NERV was here and it meant those ships would come back and he would have to pilot again. It meant he would have to continue to wear this uniform.
His mind turned back to the battle and the decisions he made during it followed by the berating from Misato. He didn’t like it but on thinking about it he understood why. It was no different to his role at the restaurant. If instructions weren’t followed then something could go wrong or someone could get hurt. If you don’t put knives away properly or clean up then someone could get hurt, an uncooked piece of meat could make someone ill. He didn’t hate or blame Misato for what she had done, instead he just blamed and hated himself for making a mess of it all.
“Hey you! Ikari!”
He looked up at the sound of the call and froze up with fear on recognizing the voice. Shinji could see Touji Suzahara, the Ensign from the other day bearing down on him. Much like the other day, Touji did not look happy.
The ensign came to a stop about a metre of so away from where Shinji stood. Shinji wondered where this punch would land. Would it be the same place as last time, or would Suzahara pick a different location? He braced himself, wondering if he should take the blow or try to block or dodge it.
No punch came though, instead Touji suddenly bowed his head and extended a hand, “I wanted to say… I’m sorry about what happened.”
Shinji didn’t move nor did he say anything. He wondered if it was some sort of trick and merely blinked as Touji raised his head.
“I was angry.” Touji shook his head, “I was angry and I needed an outlet; someone to blame and with you being the pilot of that ship… it was so easy to blame you. What happened to Sakura, my sister… it wasn’t your fault. Also… I kinda owe you one for saving my life yesterday.
Shinji found himself frozen in a mixture of fear and confusion. Slowly but sure he felt himself coming around, “That… was you on the shuttle?”
Touji nodded, “Kensuke’s idea… he wanted to see you fight and… well you kicked that things ass, even if it did piss off Katsuragi.”
“I... I’m sorry.” Shinji lowered his head.
“Don’t be.” Touji cut him off, “I heard you Shinji. You were willing to risk your life to save us and make sure no one got hurt. When I hit you, I guess I didn’t know how tough things were for you, I didn’t know anything about you. You’re… not really one of us, are you?”
Shinji shook his head, “No but… it doesn’t matter. I could have hurt you and then… your sister.”
“Is a lot tougher than I give her credit for.” Touji interrupted him again, “Ikari… don’t be too hard on yourself okay. Ya messed up, it happened but you’re alive and so am I. We’re all here and we all got off pretty lightly from the captain. Things worked out well!”
“I…” Shinji trailed off, not really sure how to respond to Touji.
“Look, me and Kensuke are gonna be getting together later today for a bit of fun on the holodeck, come along and we’ll talk some more.”
“I…”
“And I won’t accept no for an answer. When I apologize, I do it properly. It’s the honourable thing to do.” Touji grinned, “Holodeck 2, 1900 hours! Got it?”
“O-Okay…” Shinji nodded.”
“Good! I’ve got to get back to duty now. Commander Ibuki has me working on the lower decks. Seems our travels through the Gamma Quadrant picked up an infestation of some sort of space slug. Tell ya what, you think Katusragi can be bad, wait till you see Ibuki when they’re pissed off!”
“O-Oh… Okay… Bye.” Shinji watched as Touji turned and walked back into the NERV building. Barely a second passed before he saw the aforementioned captain Katsuragi now walking towards him. She was at first flanked by an escort of two officers but halfway across the courtyard she stopped to say something to them, before making the rest of the journey on her own.
“C-Captain…” Shinji greeted her as she got closer. He knew he would have to face her again at some point but he hoped he would have just a bit more time to figure things out.
“Shinji, do you have time to talk?” She asked.
Shinji gave a nod, “Yeah…”
“Good, walk with me then.” Misato gave him no chance to reply as she already started to walk along the forest path. Shinji quickly caught up to her without any protest.
“I saw Suzahara on my way in.” Misato stated, “I trust that he has apologized to you for his actions?”
“You knew about that?” Shinji asked.
“I did.” She answered him, “NERV surveillance picked up the whole thing and made me aware. Also, Ensign Soryu might be a fine pilot but she is a second-rate medic. The job she did of patching you up was embarrassing.”
“I don’t think she’d like to hear that.” Shinji couldn’t help but laugh. Asuka didn’t seem like the sort of person who would like to be told anything she had done was second rate.
“Well then, we’ll just have to keep it between us, won’t we?” Misato chuckled, “I’ve picked up an interesting crew, haven’t I? Soryu, Suzuhara and his sister, you. Did you know we’ve got one of the few Ferenghi serving in Starfleet aboard as well?”
“I didn’t.” Shinji answered, “Misat… Captain, about yesterday I…”
“You’re sorry?” Misato stopped walking and turned to look at him, “Save your apology, I don’t want that from you. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I didn’t really stop to think about how this whole thing has affected you. I mean, I knew things would be tough but I, and others, put a lot on you. I expected you to make that transition from civilian to Starfleet officer smoothly and quickly. It was unfair of me.”
Shinji said nothing. He truthfully hadn’t expected Misato to apologize to him, especially considering that she had been right to berate him for disobeying her orders.
“Captain I… I don’t know if I can be the person that you want me to be.” Shinji finally said.
“And what is it you think I want you to be?” Misato asked.
“An officer, someone like Soryu who is proud to wear this uniform. Someone who is good at what they do. Someone who will take orders and not question them, who isn’t afraid of being hurt.” He answered.
“I don’t want you to be like that Shinji, I want you to be yourself.” She let out a sigh, “I don’t want you to become an officer overnight nor do I want you to fit into some template of what you think a Starfleet officer is. If all I wanted was identical copies then I’d ask Starfleet to roll back the ban on synthetics. I want a crew that thinks for itself, that have different abilities and interests. A crew that knows when to question something and has a different set of skills.”
“What about your orders? Aren’t they supposed to follow what you say?”
“Of course.” Misato answered, “But they follow them because they trust me. I don’t want blind devotion because, I’m going to make mistakes and I expect them to call me out on it when I do. I need a crew that will do the right thing.”
“So… was what I did yesterday the right thing?” Shinji asked.
“You were looking out for the safety of others. So, in a way, yes, that was the right thing to do but you also failed to understand why I gave the orders I did. Perhaps that was a failing on my part, you weren’t aware of the planetary defences or what the Tokyo was capable of. You had good intentions but it was executed poorly.”
“I’m not sure I understand…” Shinji looked up at her, “How… do I know when to act?”
Misato shrugged, “Starfleet officers spend four or more years at the academy Shinji. They take courses related to the field they want to go into and are ran through hundreds of simulations and tests to prepare for active duty. Towards the end of their stay, they are put through a simulation called the Kobayashi Maru. In it, they are the captain of a starship answering a distress signal from a ship stranded in the Romulan Neutral Zone.”
“Starfleet ships can’t enter the neutral zone, can they?” Shinji asked.
“Exactly… So, cadets are faced with a choice. Cross into that zone and violate a treaty, risking war with a deadly enemy or leave the ship to be destroyed.”
“What’s the right choice?” Shinji asked.
Misato smirked, “There isn’t one. It’s a no-win scenario, it’s designed to see how cadets will react in the face of overwhelming odds and teach them that sometimes you simply can’t win, or… that you can play every part of the game perfectly and still lose.”
“Everyone in Starfleet does it?”
She nodded, “Every member of this crew, including myself has gone through it.”
“What did you do?”
Misato continued to smirk, it was probably not a good idea to let Shinji know of her antics during the test, “That’s a secret but going back to your question, how do you know when to act? The truth is that there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It comes from experience, from your own instincts and morals. We can only do our best, for ourselves and each other. That includes me, you and every member of the crew.”
Shinji nodded.
“I’m going to be honest with you Shinji.” Misato continued speaking, “I want you to stay on this ship. I saw you piloting both times, you have a natural talent and bravery. I think there is something in you, a lot of potential to do great things and I… maybe selfishly, want to help bring that out of you.”
I… don’t know if I can.” Shinji started to protest, “I’m scared of piloting; of being hurt again.”
“No one likes to be hurt Shinji and none of us live without fear.” Misato answered his protest, “Well… unless you’re a Vulcan or Klingon but you get what I mean. Everyone on board the Tokyo is afraid of something. You saw how they were when we went to warp for the first time, they were terrified.”
“Even you?”
“Especially me!” She laughed.
“What were you afraid of?”
“Messing up my orders. Asking for a course to be plotted to the wrong location. Something on board malfunctioning because I forgot to read a specific report. Someone being hurt.” She explained, “Doing something embarrassing, imagine if I messed up my words when asking to go to warp and saying ‘Engage it so.’”
“What about Soryu?” Shinji asked.
‘Especially Soryu’ Misato thought to herself. She was more than aware of Asuka’s history both at and before joining the academy. She was a brilliant but haunted cadet but those were not things for Shinji to know.
“Even her.”
“You all have a choice though.” Shinji continued, “I don’t… If I don’t do it then, they’ll just make Rei do it and I can’t let that happen.”
“I know and I’m sorry it has to be this way.” Misato replied, “If I could find an alternative then I would and believe me I’ve tried. I didn’t join Starfleet to force people to fight. It’s not why I’m a captain, the Tokyo is a science vessel.”
“I know.” Shinji lowered his head.
Misato reached out, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I can’t promise you that things will be painless Shinji but I will do everything I can to support you. You’re not alone here. You have us, you have this crew… this family.”
888
Glancing down at the sight of captain Katsuragi and the young Shinji Ikari was a man, at least that was what he appeared to be. What he really was, was beyond human comprehension. Many races across the galaxy had varying names for him, some of them not so flattering but the petty nicknames granted by smaller minded civilisations mattered little to him.
“A crew… a family… how very boring… how very Starfleet.” He sighed from his position in the sky, “Why do they always have sound like this? Duty, Honour, Family! If she starts quoting Shakespeare then I will be annoyed.”
“Then why don’t you go down there and liven things up, you always seemed to enjoy that with Picard.” Asked a woman that had appeared next to him, the man’s wife.
“Would that I could liven things up but this is too serious. The continuum has made it very clear what my role is in this and what is at stake, even I am not going to cross them on this one.” He crossed his arms as he continued to watch the two of them as they went back into the facility, “No, I am afraid for now my days of testing and fun are on hold. At least until this little crisis is resolved.”
“Speaking of which, you failed to tell me exactly what this crisis is.” She spoke again, “What is so serious that it’s shaken up the continuum so much? Is it Zero again?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, that blip on the cosmic radar won’t ever be showing his face in this part of the multiverse again if he knows what’s good for him.” The main explained, “No… This is something else, something terrifying, something beyond ancient, beyond anything, even the Q and as terrifying as it is to admit it, that young man there… is our only hope.”