Chapter Text
Wednesday, 21 October 2015, Leliel’s Void
EVA-01’s life support had run out. The LCL within the entry plug was murky and red. Shinji Ikari’s vision was fading.
Suddenly, a light shone forth through the darkness. Shinji felt arms wrap themselves around him. He heard a voice like a little girl’s:
“Daddy, I’m scared! Where are we? Where’s Mommy?”
Another voice, still a girl’s, but older, almost a woman’s, spoke.
“S̸̜̰͒̏h̴̖͋ï̴̥̭ñ̶͎j̵̖̓͂ḭ̷̥͋ ̶̰̌I̵̩̲͝k̸͉̓̅á̴͇ȑ̸͚͠i̴̙͂̈́,̷͙͗́ ̷̙͘Ḯ̵̖͐ ̸̪̙̅h̵̖̱͌̂ä̸͚́̒v̷̞̲̔͑e̸̖̣̒ ̶̝̟̅l̶̹͎̎̾e̷̞̮̒a̷̧̭̋̆r̴̤͍̒n̸͔̞͠ę̵͕̋̕d̸̗͌̄ ̷̼̼̈́͂ṃ̶̋͋ū̸̗̍ċ̸̼̯h̴̺͗ ̶̖̌f̸͇̀̓r̸̰͒ͅo̵̗͊m̶̰̀̕ ̶͈̐͜ÿ̶͉́o̸̦̼̾̕ṳ̴̄.̴̹̹͋̌ ̴̯̇̋G̶͍͋ǫ̵͈͊o̷̢̫̒̋d̶̜͒b̶̺̀y̴̼̖͝e̵̻͛.̶̥̃̚” A red orb grew from the light. Shinji could barely make out EVA-01’s hand reach out to grasp it…
NERV Bridge, Tokyo-3
Misato Katsuragi was worried. Shinji’s survival was considered secondary to the retrieval of EVA-01. The N2 mines were about to be dropped onto Leliel. Or… Leliel’s shadow. She was still confused by Ritsuko’s explanation.
Suddenly, Leliel went from zebra-striped to pitch black. It shuddered as deep blue cracks appeared along it.
“Angel’s AT Field deteriorating! Blue pattern no longer detected!” Ibuki cried out.
The cracks began to ooze with the Angel’s blood. Pieces began to fall out and down onto the ground. Misato didn’t know what to think.
That is, until she saw a purple and green leg.
“It’s Shinji! Cancel the N2 mines!” she said.
EVA-01 fell limply from Leliel’s corpse.
The Next Day
“Doctor, we opened the plug, but… It’s better if you just come along,” an engineer said.
‘Shit, what’s wrong?’ Ritsuko thought, ‘Is he dead?” The engineer led her to the hatch. Shinji was breathing, be it shallow and irregular, but that wasn’t the concern.
In the plug with him was a four-year-old girl crying her eyes out.