Ikari adjusted his glasses before rising from his chair and walking over to the back wall of his office. The wall opened and revealed Eve’s chamber, the beast slowly breathing in its eternal slumber. “I see.”

Fuyutsuki waited for a few moments before Ikari continued.

“Then we must proceed before another Angel arrives,” he said calmly.

Fuyutsuki bowed slightly and turned to leave the office. He would not be part of this more than he had to be.

As Fuyutsuki left, Ikari activated the comm on his desk, having stepped back to it, and spoke into the receiver calmly. “It is time. Collect the key tomorrow and bring her here,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” a male voice replied firmly.

“And one more thing.”

“Sir?”

“The boy will attempt to interfere, stop him with any means necessary.”

“Yes.”

Cirus came back to his apartment and immediately turned on his small computer at the coffee table beside the chairs he normally sat in. As it turned on he put his coat on the rack and fixed himself a drink and sat back down in front of it. He keyed in his password into the SEELE archives and started a search for ‘Eve’.

Nothing came up for that, and so he tried ‘Ikari’. A profile came up for Commander Ikari, Shinji Ikari, and then all the other Ikari’s that worked for SEELE and NERV in alphabetical order after them. Cirus opened Gendo’s profile and read through it. There was nothing there either.

Cirus sat back and thought for a moment before another idea came to him and he leaned back, typing in ‘Second Angel’ into the search space. A window came up requesting further authorization.

“Level eight clearance, hmm? They don’t want their people finding out about this,” he commented with a dry smile as he typed in the authorization. He wasn’t supposed to have it, but in his line of work one had many things he or she wasn’t supposed to have.

Two possible answers came up. One code-named ‘Third Impact’, the other ‘Project-7’. Cirus opened up the profile for Third Impact first. It described the procedure to be used with Unit 01, the Lance of Longinus, and the mass-produced Eva series.

After reading through that and finding no mention of Eve, Cirus went back and opened up Project-7. This depicted a very different route to Third Impact. The Angel Eve would be used as the conduit once a human gateway was bonded with it. Upon the completion of the bond, Eve would undo what Lilith had done, bringing all of humanity back into one essence, one being.

Cirus read the narrative gravely as he thought about what Ikari was willing to do to Rei. And what for? To evolve humanity? It seemed that even SEELE admitted they were going backward and not forward.

He read down further and found Eve’s resting-place. Cirus’ eyes widened slightly as he leaned back. My G’d… it’s been there the whole time?

He opened up the map and found out how to get to the massive chamber and its general structure. It was well over two hundred meters wide, and about one hundred and fifty meters high. From back to front the chamber measured three hundred meters. Catwalks and elevators ran all through it like a massive facility.

Cirus closed down the computer and folded the screen down slowly. I’ll get her out this city in the morning. That will buy me the time I need, he mused as he stood up and walked into the bedroom.

It was fairly late at night, around eleven or so, and Shinji and Asuka had gone to sleep some time ago because of school the next day. This left Misato alone and awake drinking a beer at the kitchen table. At least the alcohol will put me to sleep eventually, she thought dryly.

The phone ringing made her perk up and she leaned back from her seat to pick it up. “Yes?”

“Katsuragi, it’s me,” Kaji’s voice answered.

“Kaji, what are you doing calling this late?” Misato asked, though her pleasant surprise was obvious even over the phone.

Kaji sighed. “I’m afraid it’s a favor I need to ask of you,” he admitted up front. “And it’s quite big.”

Misato sobered up, in more than one way, and her face became serious. “What is it?” she asked calmly.

“I can’t say over this line, can we meet?” Kaji replied.

“Now?” she asked back slightly shocked.

“I’m afraid so, can we?” he repeated.

“Y-yeah, sure. The usual place is still open I think,” she answered, a bewildered expression remaining on her face. What could have Kaji so upset?

“Good. Thank you, Katsuragi. See you there. Bye,” he replied.

“Bye,” Misato got in before they both hung up. She sat back in her chair with a creased brow and a thoughtful frown. Without really thinking of why, Misato reached up for her jacket, which was hanging on the wall close to her chair, and made sure her gun was in it before putting it on, writing a note for Shinji and Asuka, and leaving.

As one could guess, the club that Misato, Kaji, and normally Ritsuko, all went to during the weekends was not exactly full on a Thursday night at eleven o’clock. Misato walked in and looked around until she saw Kaji in the far back corner raise his hand up and wave for her. She walked over to his table and sat down. “So are you going to tell me what all this is about now?” she asked as she sat down across from him on the right side of the table.

Kaji nodded. “Commander Ikari has been keeping some new secrets…”

Rei awoke at seven thirty the following morning, as she usually did. After cleaning herself up as needed and dressing, she fixed herself a simple breakfast. She was prepared for school. She had a quiz and a test in math and science, but it was of little concern to her so she ate without bother. She rarely had trouble with mathematics or science.

When the doorbell to her house rang, she quickly looked up at the clock. Cirus had never come before five in the afternoon, and no one else came by unless it was to call her to headquarters. Rei slowly got up from her seat at the kitchen table, walked out into the hall, and down to the door. She looked through the eyehole, and saw a NERV intelligence officer standing there with two partners behind him to either side.

A chill caught Rei, but she didn’t let it distract her. She quickly turned from the door and back into the kitchen, where a back door would be waiting for her.

The man outside motioned to the left and one of his companions quickly went around to the back of the house.

Rei gawked at the back door as she was about to open it, and quickly relatched it before turning and hurrying back into the kitchen. She froze again when the other two agents were standing at the kitchen exit, the other entering through the back door behind her. Rei looked from the two agents over her shoulder to the other with a creased brow.

“Miss Rei Ayanami, correct?” the agent who had been standing at the front door asked calmly. He had short, light-colored hair and was wearing dark glasses, as were all of them, and a business suit.

Rei shook her head slowly as she turned, putting the agents on either side of her instead of ahead and behind. “I will not do this,” she said calmly. “We are not here to harm you. Please do not resist,” the agent behind the leader said in a similar tone.

“Leave,” Rei replied firmly, looking at him specifically. She backed up slowly to the island of the kitchen and found the hilt of a knife with her left hand. She gripped it and tensed her arm. She would not let them do this.

“Detain her, but no damage,” the leader ordered.

The other two agents advanced steadily, but Rei lashed out at the lone agent on her left. He stepped back and she hopped forward, gradually getting closer to the back door herself.

The lone agent lunged for her and she slashed down with the knife. He caught her arm by the wrist and held fast as the other agent came up behind her and restrained her arm with one arm while holding a cloth to her mouth with the other. Rei had gasped from the surprise of the second agent and realized too late that the cloth was laced with chloroform. She strained against the agent holding her arm despite her rapidly failing consciousness.

“Damn it! She’s strong,” the agent complained in a strained voice as her arm forced him down.

“Don’t hurt her,” the leader said firmly as he saw the other agent reach up with his other arm.

The agent obeyed, but continued to reach up before he could pull the knife from her grip.

Rei’s eyes started to close, but she fought the urge as well as she could. Her body suddenly went limp and slumped down in the agent’s hold. He pulled away the cloth and pulled her up to her feet before picking her up in his arms.

The leader nodded his approval before the trio set back out to their sedan and put Rei in the back before getting in themselves and driving off quickly.

Cirus walked up to the small gate that led to Rei’s house. He stepped through it and walked up to her door, but saw that is was slightly open. He pushed it open and looked in.

“Rei?” he called once.

When no response came back Cirus’ face slackened. My G’d… already?!

He whirled around and leapt over the gate as he broke into a run toward NERV headquarters, his feet sailing underneath his body and his coat billowing. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed a preprogrammed number.

“Hello?” Yachi asked from the other end.

“Get this line secured, do it now,” Cirus replied quickly as he ran.

“Done, what is it?” Yachi answered more soberly.

“She’s gone, they’ve started already!”

“What?! Damn it! We can’t act that fast!”

Cirus whipped around a city-block corner and almost ran a jogger off the street. “I know, that’s why I’m heading in alone now. The procedure won’t take long for them to implement.”

“Are you insane? You can’t help her if they kill you before you even get close, you know it will be crawling with security forces looking for you,” Yachi reminded him quickly.

Cirus would have growled in frustration, but he was running to hard to do so. “Just do what you can and so will I.”

“…This isn’t like you, Cirus. You’re not used to being this stupid so you don’t know how to handle it,” Yachi admonished him.

“I don’t have time for this Yachi, just do what you can! Don’t call me back,” Cirus reminded Yachi quickly before hanging up the cell phone and replacing it in his pocket.

As the entrance to NERV headquarters loomed up ahead, Cirus could see the security guards patrolling. He stopped, breathing powerfully and leaned against a building. He had to think of something and fast.

Rei groaned and stirred awake. Her eyes opened to a metal grating below her and she realized she was leaning against the wall in the corner of a very small place. She put her hand up against the wall and slowly stood up, but a shake in the ground made her stumble back down. Her mind cleared and she looked up and around.

Commander Ikari looked down at her calmly from the controls to the lift she and he were on. Two agents were standing behind him in the cramped little lift as it slowly moved down at an angle. Rei looked up and out and saw nothing but black. “Where are you taking me?” she asked quietly.

“To Eve,” Ikari answered calmly as he pointed ahead.

Rei pulled herself up again, able to resist the urge to stumble with the motion, and looked out over the small railing all around the lift, which was running along a wire with a pulley system. What she saw made her mouth open slightly and her eyes widen.

A massive beast, apparently laying down on its back with its upper body rested loosely against the back wall of the massive room in which they were, was resting before her as they slowly drew closer. Its lower body was like a large dome with four massive appendages leading up and out from it before landing back down on the ground like spider legs. The head was very long with a human-like façade at the end. Combined with the leathery gray skin, the beast was an eerie sight. Rei saw a small circle of railing down on its chest, stuck in the flesh of the creature around a certain point in the exact center.

“What of the boy?” one of the agents suddenly asked.

Ikari adjusted his glasses quite calmly. “If he attempts to interfere do as I said before, notify security to detain him on sight. If he resists, lethal force is authorized.”

Rei looked at Ikari with a deeply concerned expression on her face. “No, please don’t.”

Ikari looked at her dismissively. “He is a pest at this point, Rei, you should focus on more important matters.”

Rei’s brow creased in a pained manner as she looked down at her hands, which were gripping the railing. “I will not do this,” she said firmly if quietly.

“You must,” Ikari replied.

“I will not!” she responded vehemently as her frame curled in slightly.

“You must,” Ikari repeated calmly.

From the ground of the massive chamber, near Eve’s first pair of legs, Dr. Akagi looked up at the lift slowly moving toward the Angel’s chest. Her eyebrows came together and she looked back down. Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki was down there with her and his eyes remained on the small object on the line.

“How can we do this to her?” Ritsuko finally asked quietly.

Fuyutsuki didn’t answer, he continued to look up calmly at the lift as it drew to a stop above Eve. G’d forgive me.

The lift stopped and then lowered until it was six feet above the encircled part of Eve’s chest, which was roughly five feet wide in diameter.

The front of the lift opened out like a gate and swung to the side. Ikari turned toward Rei and motioned down in the circle.

Rei shook her head and backed against the wall of the lift. “…Please…” she pleaded softly, her eyes fearful.

Ikari looked at the two agents and they advanced, taking Rei up by the arms and walking her to the opening in the front of the lift. They held her so her toes were sticking out over the edge and she looked down. She strained against their grip and tried to pull back into the lift, but she was in too awkward a position to do anything.

“Put her in,” Ikari ordered calmly.

The two agents pushed Rei further out so that her knees had to bend to keep her toes touching the lift. She struggled powerfully. “No, please! I do not want to!”

Ikari looked at her as she looked back at him desperately. “You must, it is why you were created.”

Rei shook her head as the agents finally pushed her out and eased her down beyond her ability to resist. They finally let go and Rei fell into the circle. She instantly sank to her waistline with a quick intake of breath. It was cold, like ice, but it held her fast. Her hands couldn’t even pull out of the liquid as much as she tried. Suddenly tendrils shot up from Eve and wrapped around Rei’s arms and coiled up her torso tightly. Rei gasped and breathed in quick bursts because of the cold. No… no… no… please don’t do this, she kept repeating in her mind as he eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Ritsuko’s brow relaxed as she monitored the data. “She’s not being absorbed. She doesn’t want to bond with Eve, so it can’t.”

Fuyutsuki was privately relieved. Pull yourself out, child. You are strong, you can do this.

Ikari frowned slightly as he saw this for himself, but nonetheless closed the lift’s gate and moved it back to the side wall from which it had come before he and the two agents stepped off of it.

Rei let out a quivering breath as her frame shook. Cirus… please help… I do not know what to do now, she begged silently.

Cirus quickly decided what his course of action had to be. Without any options left to him, he walked straight for the main entrance. Hold on, Rei. Please G’d, hold on.

The two security guards there came together to meet him, noticeably wary. “Mr. Trent, we have to ask that you come with us,” the one on Cirus’ right requested as he came toward them.

Cirus calmly raised his eyebrows at the guard. “Oh really? Why is that?”

The two guards raised their guns. “We have to insist.”

Cirus nodded calmly and started to step forward. His hand shot out and grabbed the right guard’s gun barrel. He turned his upper body and dodged back as the left guard threw out the back of his gun at his head. The attack flew over Cirus’ arm and hit the other guard powerfully enough to knock him out. Cirus wrapped his arm around the inverted gun and then kicked the other guard in the back of the head twice firmly, dropping him without a sound. Cirus took the card off of the one of them and used it to open the door. Only an idiot would use his own card at this point.

The moment Cirus stepped through the doorway fire ricocheted off the walls around him. He dived back against the closed door and pulled his handgun from his pocket, wishing he’d taken one of the guards’ rifles when he had the chance.

More guards were firing from both directions down the hall and Cirus only had minimal cover in the cut-off walkway beyond the entrance he’d used.

Needing to take the hall to the left, Cirus flung against the left side of the walkway and opened fire down the right hall; he couldn’t afford to have guards at his back as he ran. He fired two shots, both hitting their marks and knocking the guns from the guards’ hands down the hall. Cirus rolled out of the walkway along the ground, slamming himself into the far wall as he returned fire down the left hall at the guards there. He used up three shots without a hit and so he started to run forward.

He saw the guards readjust their aim—they were hiding behind a T-junction down the hall on either side—and kept running. The guard on the right opened fire first. Cirus leapt to the right as the shots flew past him and pinged off the wall. Cirus spun as he dove down and to the left while the other guard opened fire. Cirus sprang back up into a run as the guards tried to aim and he quickly drew close to them. He spun around as he reached the T-junction, flinging one leg out as he did. His heal caught the guard on the left, now on his right, in the head, knocking him down and out before he landed and kicked the other guard in the head before he could turn around. Learning from his previous error, Cirus took one of the rifles and an extra ammo clip from the guard on his right before quickly running down the hall in the same direction.

Mentally running his route through his head as he ran, Cirus confirmed that he had about a hundred yards of hall left to travel before he reached the chamber, and then he had to make it to Rei.

His mind was brought back to the present abruptly, when, as he rounded a turn, more shots rang out. He dove back to the ground. Recovering quickly, he fired down the hall to the left with the rifle blindly. Using the time his return fire bought, Cirus ran around the curve and charged the guards again. He put the rifle’s shoulder strap over his neck and spun it back around his body, handling his handgun as the guards fired at him. He dodged his body to the left, leading with his hips, and fired from his left hand at the two guards standing out in the open hall.

Cirus heard one of the guards say something to the other, but didn’t realize what until he saw the other guard reach for his radio. Without having time to plan more effectively, Cirus ran forward and shot the guard with the radio in the leg, sending him to the ground before he could say anything.

The other guard quickly raised his rifle and fired, but Cirus had already started dodging and lunged forward, gut-punching the guard before gripping his gun and pulling him forward by it, kneeing him in the face. He stomped the radio into pieces, briefly meeting the wounded guard’s eyes, and took off.

A few meters more and Cirus came to a four-way junction. He ran around to the right and down that hall. When he heard the klaxon suddenly start blaring he stopped running and mentally raged in frustration. All of the doors he needed to get to would be sealed tight now.

But he had to keep trying. He broke into a run again and finally reached the first door he would need. He tried the guards’ keycard, but it required a security code in addition. Cirus instantly pulled the card out and aimed his gun point-blank at the controls. He fired once, blowing them apart. The door flew open vertically up and down and Cirus stepped through. They really should prepare for a siege, he mused to himself allowing a slight smile as he continued to hurry.

This hall was darker and more resembled a ventilation shaft than a hall. Cirus continued to run, his shoes bringing metallic bangs from the grating underneath his feet. He was very, very close now…

Ikari calmly watched the events transpire over the security cameras. He was down with Dr. Akagi and Vice-commander Fuyutsuki at the monitoring station. When he saw the door fly open in response to Cirus blasting the controls to pieces he looked at Dr. Akagi. “Seal the remaining entrances, lock them down.”

Ritsuko did so efficiently, but her face showed no positive emotion.

Ikari then turned to look at Koso. “Fuyutsuki, notify the security force in this chamber to use lethal force.”

Fuyutsuki’s brow creased, but he activated the comm system with his index finger and slightly leaned down to the receiver. “Security, you are to use lethal force. I repeat… shoot to kill.” As he looked back up at Ikari, who was intently watching Rei, his eyes tightened. You’re giving her no chance at all, Ikari.

Cirus came to the next door and shot the controls, but the door stayed closed. He took the rifle and rammed it into the door powerfully, but quickly gave up when he only hurt his hands. He looked around quickly and saw a pipe running along the back wall. He gripped it, and wrenched it free of the wall with a single powerful tug before ramming it between the two halves of the door and wedging in further. He pushed down but it wouldn’t move. He redoubled his effort and shoved down with his full upper-body weight and strength, his voice straining. The door parted slightly and then rushed open, slamming Cirus into the grating at his feet. Not waiting to catch his breath, Cirus picked up the rifle and ran down the new hall.

Hyuga, Maya, and Ayobi were at their stations in the command center running through basic diagnostics. They were of course completely unaware of the cataclysmic occurrences attempting to transpire and be prevented beneath them.

Unaware, that is, until Misato and Kaji ran into the command center.

“Hyuga, Maya, Ayobi, we need your help,” Misato said quickly, trying to regain her breath.

Yachi had called Kaji the moment Cirus had hung up and so Kaji had told her. They’d made up the difference with Misato’s car in their rush to NERV headquarters.

“What is it?” Hyuga asked, slightly bewildered by the sudden activity.

“There’s no time to explain, where is Ikari?” Kaji asked seriously.

“The Commander, Vice-commander, and Dr. Akagi have not been seen today, sir,” Maya answered.

Misato stepped up to Hyuga’s side and pointed at his screen. “Bring up a full map of NERV headquarters.”

Hyuga did so. “What are you looking for?”

“Find Ikari’s office first,” Misato replied.

Hyuga punched in another command and the map zoomed in. Misato pointed down at the massive chamber behind and below Ikari’s office. “There, what is that according to the computer?”

“Storage facility, ma’am, there’s nothing there,” Hyuga answered slowly, still having no clue as to what was going on.

Kaji shook his head. “Activate the security cameras in there.”

Ayobi nodded and did so and his eyes widened substantially as his head sunk down at the screen. “My G’d… Is that an Angel?!”

Hyuga and Maya suddenly understood what was so serious and immediately started activating sensors and controls.

“There are security forces all over it and there’s a small structure on the Angel,” Hyuga reported.

“All of the entrances to the chamber have been locked down,” Maya added. She looked closer at the screen and her eyes widened slightly. “And Dr. Akagi did it.”

“Why?” Misato asked quickly.

“What the…?! Has Cirus gone mad? He’s taken out six security officers and is trying to get to the chamber. He’s proceeding down hall G-34 now,” Hyuga answered.

“They’re trying to keep him out,” Maya elaborated the obvious.

“Can you override Ritsuko’s command, Maya?” Misato asked seriously.

Maya looked up in shock. “I-I don’t know, but why?”

“They’re trying to start Third Impact using Rei, and Cirus is trying to stop it. So are we,” Misato answered firmly.

Maya looked back down at her screen and took a moment to start working, but did so and accelerated quickly. “I can, she used a very weak code… I don’t know why,” Maya explained with a shaking head.

“Ritsuko doesn’t like this any more than we do, Maya,” Misato explained.

This made Maya work faster.

“I don’t see how Cirus can do this, there are over forty security units in there and according to the Magi comm records they have orders to use lethal force if Cirus gets there,” Hyuga explained doubtfully.

Maya smiled slightly. “I did it, and I hid the sequence from the chamber’s console. They should think they’re still closed tight,” she explained.

“Excellent work, Maya,” Misato replied with a flashed smile. “Can we do anything else to help him?” she asked the other two techies.

“Not from here,” Hyuga answered calmly.

Misato looked over her shoulder at Kaji. He nodded once. “He can handle the rest, but lets keep an eye on things,” he responded.

Misato nodded her agreement. Don’t get yourself killed, Cirus. She wouldn’t want that.