DISCLAIMER: The characters, story, universe, etc. of Neon Genesis 
Evangelion belong to GAINAX. They're not mine, and I make no claim to 
them. 
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Foreword: I suppose I owe people an apology.  I take entirely too long 
to update this fic, and I know it.  I'm sorry.  Real life has a 
tendency to get in the way.  There was also a time, briefly, when I 
found myself getting tired of writing this thing, even (gasp) seriously 
considering quitting it.  However, after a break to recharge my 
creative batteries, I'm back in the saddle and writing again.  To those 
of you reading, thanks for sticking with me.  Let's get to business.
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" " = speech 
^ ^ = thoughts 
_ _ = italics 
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Angels of Armageddon
Chapter 20: The Second Eclipse: Her Tears, Like Blood
Author: Ryan Xavier

This was familiar, somehow.

He remembered, vaguely, a time in his life when it had seemed like he 
was somewhere unfamiliar every time he opened his eyes.  Lying in bed, 
looking at the ceiling, he hadn't felt like he belonged there.  Like he 
hadn't been home.

This was the same feeling.  Only this time, there was no bed under him.  
There was only the cold, wet sand.  And it wasn't a ceiling he was 
looking at; it was the sky.

Shinji groaned in pain as consciousness hit his system.  Every square 
inch of his skin burned.  He moved slowly, carefully, rubbing his arms, 
trying to ease the pain.  He felt sand on his palms, being ground into 
his skin.

He sat up, groggy and dizzy.  The air temperature was settling in on 
him now, reminding him that he was wet and cold.  Shivering, he hugged 
himself, closing his eyes.  Behind his eyelids, memories hit him, hard.

He remembered being in a battle, fighting something that he hadn't 
wanted to fight, but hadn't been able to avoid.  Some monster that had 
refused to die, refused to give up, even when its body was destroyed.  
He'd been in an Eva, he remembered now.  Unit-04, the one that had put 
Kensuke into a coma.  It had powered down, and he'd left it.  Then, 
behind him, the monster had been hit...there had been an 
explosion...and then...

He put one hand to his head, dizzy again.  This feeling was familiar, 
too.  Once, in the battle, he'd triggered Unit-04's bizarre 
teleportation ability.  It had not been an experience he wanted to 
repeat, but it seemed that he had done just that.  The dizziness, the 
pain...they were all just like when he'd teleported to avoid the 
enemy's attack.

He opened his eyes and looked around him.  Where _was_ he?

It was a shore, it looked like.  The familiar tide of the LCL sea 
lapped at his heels, waves continuing their perpetual motion.  It was 
hypnotizing, for a moment.  Then he looked away, to see if there was 
any other landmark, any hint of what had happened.  His eyes fell on 
something, and his mouth formed one word:

"Rei."

The blue-haired girl lay on the sand, just out of arm's reach from him.  
She was resting on her back, eyes closed, face placid.  He couldn't see 
if she was breathing.

Painfully getting to his hands and knees, he crawled over to her.  Her 
shirt had been ripped open, sliced diagonally across her abdomen.  He 
felt a twinge inside, seeing how deep the cut went into her.  A red 
slash went across the girl's midsection, partially closed but still 
bleeding.

^It's all right,^ he told himself.  ^Dead people don't bleed.^

He ripped his sleeves off and tied them around her midsection, trying 
to bind up the wound.  Blood soaked through the impromptu bandages 
almost immediately, but he leaned on them, putting pressure on the 
wound for several minutes, praying he could get the bleeding to stop.

This felt strange, though.  He remembered Rei's injury, but he could 
have sworn it was worse than what he saw now.  However, he didn't want 
to tempt fate by asking questions.  She was hurt enough as it was.

He looked up from the injury, back to the landscape, looking for any 
sign of habitation, any hope for salvation.  In one direction was the 
LCL sea, and in the other was the red soil of the land, unbroken all 
the way to the horizon.

"Help!" he screamed.  "Somebody!  Help!"  His voice carried over the 
land, dying, seemingly absorbed by the nothingness, by the isolation.

"Please..." he said, trying to shout it but not finding the strength.  
The magnitude of his situation had just hit him.

Aside from Rei, he was completely and utterly alone.

					*	*	*

For one of the few times since Third Impact, Shinji was glad for the 
way he'd lived.  If not for the days and weeks of hard manual labor, 
struggling to survive, he wouldn't be as physically strong as he was 
now.  His muscles were able to handle the load they were under, walking 
cross-country, carrying the weight of two people.

Rei was on his back, her arms hanging limply over his shoulders.  His 
own arms were crossed behind his back, supporting her bottom and 
holding her up.  She was lighter than he'd thought; he had an idea of 
how much a human body was supposed to weigh, and Rei wasn't anywhere 
near that.  It was like carrying a fragile little doll.

"This sucks," he said aloud, and not for the first time.  He'd been 
talking every time he'd had the breath to do so.  Maybe Rei could still 
hear him, in which case it would be good if she could hear someone 
else's voice.  In addition, hearing himself talk was enough to remind 
him that he was still alive.

He didn't know how he was alive, though.  Most of the pain from waking 
up had since receded, enough that he was able to walk like this.  
However, his back was still on fire, feeling as though it had been 
badly sunburned.  ^It's only natural, he thought.  A nuclear bomb went 
off half a kilometer from where I was.^  His miraculous escape 
notwithstanding, he knew how bright nuclear explosions were.  It was 
like the sun itself had landed on earth.

"Nukes," he said.  "We got nuked.  What do you think of that?" No 
answer from Rei, or anyone else.  "Well, it doesn't take a rocket 
scientist to figure out who did it.  I mean, Japan doesn't have them 
anymore."  He shook his head.  "Besides, that Colonel's the only one 
crazy enough to drop a nuke on his own people."

Shinji felt his heartbeat accelerate at the thought of America 
launching nuclear weapons on them.  Was there anyone even left alive 
anymore?

On top of that, had the strike worked?  He'd seen Angels absorb N2 
mines without any trouble at all.  Of course, the MP Eva he'd been 
fighting had been critically injured...maybe it had been enough.  But 
then again, considering who that had been...

Another big scare.  He knew what it was that was controlling the MP 
Evas.  How was it even possible?  He didn't know.  But he had his 
suspicions about who did.

Rei shifted on his back, maybe a twitch, or maybe just his arms 
weakening.  He shrugged his shoulders, catching her again and 
solidifying his grip.

"Don't suppose you feel like explaining anything?" he asked over his 
shoulder.  No answer.  "I mean, it would certainly help me sleep at 
night.  Not that I'm going to need any help, not with all this 
walking."  Still no answer.  "I guess it explains why all these crazy 
Evas are targeting you, though.  I mean, you piloted Eva against them, 
way back when.  But then why aren't they coming after me or Asuka like 
that?  Or even Kaoru-kun?  I mean, we all were in Evas.  Maybe they go 
after people who enjoyed it?  Not that you ever really enjoyed 
anything, I mean Evas were just what you did, that was all."

He was rambling, he knew it.  But with nothing to look at but the dry, 
scorched land before him, and nothing to feel but the pain in his feet 
and the wetness on his back from Rei's injury, he needed something to 
keep his mind busy.

"So maybe there's something else about it, then," he continued, as 
though Rei could actually hear him.  "There's certainly going after you 
specifically.  You're certainly popular, aren't you?" he asked, trying 
to force a smile.  "First you scare us by coming back, then you send 
the Dummy on us, then you get imprisoned by Americans, now I find the 
Angels themselves are coming back just to try and kill you."  He 
paused, thinking about that.  "What is it then, Rei?  Why are they 
going after you?"

No answer.  He tried a different tack.  "Well, then maybe you can tell 
me what's happening to you.  When you first came back you were almost 
normal...well, as normal as you get, anyway.  But then you started 
getting more and more distant.  And you started doing all these weird 
things.  Ritsuko-san says you made an AT field in that fight with Unit-
04.  How's that possible?  How can a girl make an AT field all on her 
own?"  He remembered other conversations with Ritsuko, concerning Rei's 
changing nature.  "From what I've heard, something's happening to you.  
Ritsuko-san says your blood isn't normal.  What's wrong, Rei?  Why 
aren't you telling anyone about that?"

A pause, as he thought, and wondered if perhaps she would reply to him.  
He had no such luck, so he continued.  "Or maybe you do.  To Kaoru-kun, 
or somebody else, but..." he trailed off, catching his breath.  For 
several minutes, he had to walk in silence, his lungs working to keep 
the air coming in.  Talking as he walked was not very good for his 
endurance.  But he had to.  It was the only thing keeping him going at 
the moment.

"So then why not me?" he asked.  "I'm supposed to be in charge, right?  
And I thought we were friends...maybe, anyway."  He recalled the look 
Rei had given him when he'd struck her, right after the Dummy Plug had 
gone berserk on the settlement.  He shivered unconsciously, at the 
memory.

"Was that it?" he asked her.  "Do you hate me?  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry, 
I shouldn't have...I'm sorry."  More silence, as he caught his breath.  
"So now here I am, I don't know what's going on, with you or me or 
anything else.  Are you going to wake up?  Are you going to tell me 
anything?  Are you..."

He stopped talking, unable to finish his thought.

"This sucks."

					*	*	*

Shinji awoke with a start.  He couldn't even remember falling asleep.  
He'd just had to lie down for a minute, just take the weight off his 
legs.  He'd closed his eyes, and then...

Then he'd been there.  He remembered, the familiar feel of Unit-01 
around him, the pain of being stabbed through the hands, through the 
chest, as he'd been ferried aloft by the monstrous Evas.  And from 
below, there had come something...beautiful and terrible at the same 
time.  It had been...

He was sweating.  Wiping off his face, he hugged himself, breathing 
hard.  It wasn't the first time he'd flashed back to Third Impact, but 
this had been the most vivid.  Just for a moment, he'd been there, he'd 
been re-living it.  He'd felt himself coming apart inside, as his mind 
tried to absorb what was happening.  He'd wanted to look away, but he 
hadn't been able to.  He'd only woken up after Unit-01 had been 
absorbed by...

His eyes fell on Rei.  Her quiet face, with her pale skin, looked more 
like a corpse than a sleeping girl.  Suddenly afraid, Shinji crawled 
over to her, and put two fingers to her wrist.

No heartbeat.

"Oh...god..." he whispered, feeling himself wilt.  It was too late; 
Rei's skin was already cold.  He slammed his eyes shut, feeling tears 
coming, and made himself look to her again.  He saw something then, 
that made hope warm him, if only for a second: her chest was still 
rising and falling.  She was breathing.

"What?" he said, his voice trembling.  He checked her wrist again.  No 
pulse.  He put his hand to her chest, searching for a heartbeat and 
feeling nothing.  Trying to figure this out, his eyes trailed down her 
form, to the bandages around her abdomen.  It looked like it was 
seeping again.

"Rei, hold on..." he said, peeling off the makeshift bandage.  His nose 
wrinkled at the scent of blood.  He shifted the bandage around, trying 
to put a clean spot on her wound.  He put pressure on it again, holding 
in the blood even as it seeped through, soaking his fingers.  He 
wracked his mind for any medical knowledge, anything that could point 
him in the right direction.  He could think of nothing, only that you 
had to keep pressure on a bleeding wound if you wanted it to close.

"Please, don't do this," he said.  "I don't want to watch someone else 
die."

Finally, the bleeding seemed to stop.  Rei was still breathing, but he 
could still feel no heartbeat.  He wiped his hand on his shirt, trying 
to clean it off.  Something caught his attention.

His hand, coated in Rei's blood, had not left the red stain he would 
have expected.  Instead, it was smeared with an orange fluid, viscous 
and drying slowly.

He rubbed his fingers together, still slick from the odd liquid.  It 
still smelled like blood, so...

His breath caught, as he realized what it was.  He looked to the 
bandage on Rei's stomach, saw it was soaked with the same orangey 
fluid.

Rei was bleeding LCL.

Shinji sat down hard, staring at the bandage.  A long moment passed.  
He shivered unconsciously; the sun had finished its run across the sky  
while he slept, and just now it was disappearing behind the horizon, 
leaving him cold and in the dark.

Finally, he broke his silence.  Shinji threw back his head and laughed.  
It was not the laugh of a sane person, however.  He cackled, drunk with 
revelation as he finally realized what had happened to Rei.

He fell backwards, lying on his back and unable to control his 
laughter, even as tears started to escape his eyes.

"Of course..." he said, gasping for breath before continuing to laugh.  
"Of course, it's all so _obvious_..."

He laughed until he was hoarse, finally stopping to catch his breath.  
He looked back to Rei.

"You're one of them," he said, at last.

He didn't do anything for a long moment.  Finally, though, he crept 
back over to her.  Before him was the thing he'd been taught to hate, 
the thing he'd realized he was nothing but a monster.  The thing that 
sought to destroy the world, that humanity was justified in killing.  
Righteous in his understanding of the situation, he knew what he had to 
do.  His hands reached for her neck.

Her skin was clammy under his palms, as he grasped her throat.  But it 
was at that moment, just before he passed the point of no return, that 
his mind returned from the brink of madness.  He snapped back to 
himself, suddenly realizing where he was and what he was doing.

"Oh my god..." he muttered, jumping away from Rei as though she burned 
him.  He looked at his hands, at the scars running through the center 
of his palms, and then clenched his fists, as he slammed his eyes shut, 
beginning to cry again.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered.  "I didn't...I'm sorry."

Rage filled him, at the situation he was in, at the hopelessness of it 
all, at what he'd almost become.  He began punching the ground with his 
fists, ignoring the pain.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted to the world.  "I don't want this!  I'm 
sorry!" he punctuated each word with another punch to the hard soil.  
He kept moving, kept attacking the ground, finally letting out a loud 
scream at the coming night.

Finally, he stopped, his hands aching.  He unclenched his fists, seeing 
his fingernails had punctured his palms at some point, and now his 
hands dripped blood.  He stared at the blood for some minutes, 
captivated by it, before finally shaking himself out of the daze.

He was tired, and still crying, from the feel of water dripping from 
his eyes.  He couldn't stop, even as he tried to dry his eyes off.  He 
wrapped his arms around himself, feeling his warm blood running from 
his hands and down his sides.

His stomach rumbled.  He blinked, realizing how hungry he'd become.  
The last time he'd eaten had been this morning.  He looked around in 
vain, searching for something to eat, something to fill the gnawing 
emptiness he could feel growing in him.

"So that's it then," he said, finally, returning to himself.  "I'm 
going to starve to death."

Rei's body twitched then, getting his attention immediately.  She 
quivered, once, then fell still again.

Shinji made his way over to her again and put one hand above her face, 
feeling the unearthly coolness of her skin.

"Either that or I'm going to freeze," he said.  He pulled off the 
remains of his shirt, draping it over Rei.  Maybe it would offer her 
some protection against the cold of the night.  He hoped it would.

"Please...you at least stay alive," he mumbled to her.  "I don't want 
this...I don't want the last person you were with to be me."  He took a 
shuddering breath.  "You deserve better than that."

With a final sigh, he sat down, within arm's reach of her, settling in 
to keep watch.  He wasn't looking for dangers from the outside, though.  
He had to make sure Rei's injury didn't open again.

That, and he had to make sure he remained himself.

					*	*	*

Days later, Shinji was beginning to wish Death would just come and get 
it over with.

He'd been doing what he could, spending the day walking, carrying Rei's 
motionless form on his back.  Night offered little rest, with its 
chilly embrace keeping him nearly frozen.  On the rare occasions he had 
managed to sleep, memories of Third Impact soon shocked him back awake.  
He didn't know how long it had been.  His stomach felt like an empty 
pit, and his eyes felt like they were full of sand.

Rei had shown no signs of improvement.  There was still no heartbeat, 
even though she breathed.  Her skin was ice-cold, chilling him even as 
he walked, carrying her on his back.  Her wound might have been 
closing, it was hard to tell.  He was having trouble remembering how it 
had looked days ago.

His legs were weak from the long walk, lack of sleep, and hunger.  He 
was covered in scrapes, bruises and scratches, from the many times his 
legs had given out and he'd fallen.  He was covered in mud, sweat, and 
blood.  But still, he dragged himself onwards.  Just this morning, he'd 
seen a small copse of trees on the horizon.  He'd picked up Rei and 
started heading for it.  He had no hope he would find anything useful 
there, not even food or shelter against the night's cold, but it was at 
least _something_.  It was more than he'd seen so far, in the desert 
that Japan had become.

Nature seemed intent on stopping him, though.  Clouds had been 
gathering for days now, and judging from the humidity, a storm could 
break any minute now.  Night was beginning to fall yet again.  The 
sounds of thunder dancing through the clouds were like death knells to 
Shinji: he knew he couldn't survive spending the night in a storm, not 
like he was now.

His eyes were losing focus, and he was losing feeling in his legs.  He 
stumbled, catching himself before he could fall, and kept walking.  He 
was almost there.

He made it right as the storm broke.  It looked like he'd found the 
remains of a public park, somehow still here, still hanging on even 
after all these years.  He found cover under a tree, squinting as rain 
drops still fell in his eyes.

He set Rei down as carefully as he could, and then collapsed next to 
her.  He was done.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into the dirt.  "I can't go any further.  This 
is it...I've gone as far as I can."

The sun set again behind him, putting them into darkness.  Lighting 
flashed overhead, illuminating Rei for a moment.  He saw her shiver.

As thunder pealed overhead, he crawled towards her, taking her in his 
arms, holding her head up against his chest.

"Sorry I can't do more," he whispered.  "But I can at least...keep you 
warm...for a little while...longer..."

He felt himself giving in to the weariness.  No longer able to fight 
it, he sank into the blackness of unconsciousness, aware only of his 
own, gradually slowing, heartbeat.

					*	*	*

She was dimly aware of darkness, and cold.

^...tor...^

^What?^

^...aitor.  You...traitor...^

Confusion.  The voice she heard sounded very much like her own.

^I do not understand.^

^You.  You are the failure.^

^What do you mean?^

^Sacrificing the mission.  Choosing to jeapardize success in exchange 
for the life of one individual.^

An image flashed before her, of Shinji Ikari.

^I could not stand by,^ she answered, resolute.

^That is why you failed.  That is why the mission failed.^

^What mission?^

^The reason we were given life.^  A flash now, of red, with dark, 
indistinct shapes within it.  ^The mission for which we were born.  The 
reason we exist.^

Another flash of the redness.  This time, the dark shapes within it 
looked almost human.  The voice spoke again.

^To destroy.  To protect through destruction.  To kill all who would 
kill us.  You...you would rather the Enemy escape, than to allow a 
solitary boy to die.^

^I could not simply watch him die.^

^It was your duty,^ the voice said, adamantly.  ^You knew the Mission, 
and you knew your actions would sacrifice it.  Yet you still acted.  
You still allowed us to fail.^

^I could not...^

^You have renounced us.^

Another flash of the red liquid.  The shapes within looked familiar.

^You are no longer one of us.^

The shapes looked identical, even.

^You are a failure.^

The shapes were her.  Identical copies, ad infinitum.

She tried to look away.  ^I could not...I cannot be...^

For her entire life, she had always adopted a cold attitude, rejecting 
outside contact in favor of personal introspection.  She'd known she 
was different, she'd known she would be rejected if people had known 
her differences.  But it hadn't mattered.  She'd never been alone.  For 
her entire life, she'd been secure in the knowledge that there were 
more of her.  That her sisters were there, to watch over her, to keep 
her safe.  Other human contact had been unnecessary...

But now...

^Leave us, failed one.^

^No...please...^

^Leave us.^

She was thrown into the eternal darkness.  She could not see or hear or 
feel.  She was alone.

But it only lasted for a moment.  Soon, she felt herself surrounded by 
others.  Momentarily relieved, she felt a growing fear as she sensed 
the malevolence of these others.

^Zero,^ one said.

^It is her,^ said another.

^The one who tried to imprison us.^

^The one who freed us.^

^What?^ she asked.  ^I do not understand.^

^She does not understand,^ one voice said, mockingly.

^Of course she does not.  She is but a lilum.^

^Yes.  The weak flesh of her body cannot comprehend what she has done.^

^You were the lock, Zero,^ one voice said, stronger than the others, 
silencing all but its own sound.  ^You were what held us in check.  
When you left paradise for your chance at the world, you removed the 
lock on our prison.  And now we seek you.^

Surprise, shock, horror.  ^You...^

^We will find you.^

^No...^

^_I_ will find you, Zero.^

^It is impossible.  I was what held you in check?  My absence...was 
what freed you?^  She simply could not believe what she was hearing.

^And I will kill you.  Again.  Do you remember last time?  I was the 
victor, Zero.  Your life was mine.  Only by destroying yourself were 
you able to stop me.  What will you do now, without your much-vaunted 
immortality?  Restricted to one life, one chance, however will you stop 
me?^

These evil entities left her then, and she was again alone.

^Stupid doll,^ came a voice, again familiar.  Deragatory, fearful.

^Rei...^ Envious.  Trying to mask hatred with cold medical and 
scientific knowledge.

^Ayanami...Rei...^ Fear, at seeing just what she was.

^Zero.  Nothing.  Empty.^  Fury.  This voice seemed to resonate within 
her.  ^You killed me once,^ it continued.  ^And now I am here again.^

^Stop it,^ she tried to say.

^No,^ the voice countered, smugly confident.  ^You are a failure, Zero.  
What the other said was only half right.  You did not destroy yourself 
to win your battle against the Sixteenth, did you?^  A pause here, but 
she could not answer.  ^You sacrificed yourself.  For the boy.  You 
were willing to die for him.  You were willing to release us all, for 
him.  What is it about him?  What is it that drives you so?^

^I...^ she felt emotion, unfamiliar and frightening because of that, 
welling up in her.  ^I cannot understand myself.^

^It does not matter.  You have still failed.  Willing to die to save 
that boy, and now he's going to die anyway.^

^What?^

No answer.  She was again left to herself.  But this time, it was 
different.  She was not disembodied, floating.  She was aware of her 
own mass, aware of cold, of damp.

"Sorry I can't do more," a voice whispered.  "But I can at least...keep 
you warm...for a little while...longer..."

A weight settled onto her stomach, and she felt pain.  She tried to 
stir, but her body would not move.  Like waking up from a deep sleep, 
she could not rouse herself quickly.

The weight on her body had long settled in by the time she finally 
forced her eyes to open.

Night had fallen.  Rain fell on her face, dripping from somewhere 
above.  The sky roared at her with thunder, but for a brief moment the 
clouds broke, and the moon peeked through, touching her with a brief 
ray of moonlight.  She was illuminated.  She, and...

She glimpsed Shinji resting on her.  His breath was coming shallow, 
failing as his body went limp.  Through his shirt, she could feel his 
heartbeat slowing, going to nothing.

^He's dying,^ she realized.

She swallowed, feeling her arms were too heavy to move.  She wanted to 
touch him, wanted to ease his pain, wanted to tell him...what?

She could not remember anymore.  She'd been changing, she knew.  Her 
body and mind had been changing since the Evas had begun reawakening.  
She was aware of what was happening to her, and didn't know if she even 
wanted to stop it.  But she knew it was taking things from her.  Like 
her memory, her understanding of what the feeling in her chest was.

She felt a warmth welling up from inside her.  It was frightening, as 
she did not know what it was, but also strangely comforting.  Here, she 
had found someone willing to help her, willing to reach out.  Willing 
to die for her.

She felt a pang inside, at the thought that he might die.  A sensation 
so horrible, she could not bear it.  From the corner of her eye, a 
single tear found its way out, crawling down her face, dripping off her 
chin, and onto Shinji's cheek.  She blinked in surprise, seeing it 
fall.

No.  She could not let this happen.  She knew what she had to do.

She closed her eyes, and concentrated.  She had to do this right.  Even 
if it meant giving up what remained of her humanity, she would be happy 
knowing she had saved him.  Even if afterwards, she would no longer 
understand what 'happiness' was.

An energy came from within her, flowing out, subsuming the warm feeling 
from before.  Around them, the world rippled, seemed to implode on a 
single point, and take them with it.

In a flash, they reappeared.  She knew she had succeeded, when she saw 
the lights of human settlement not far from where they were.  
Unfortunately, it seemed she'd taxed herself too far.  She felt the 
wound on her abdomen opening, her body losing its ability to heal, to 
even hold together.  But still, she closed her eyes and put her hand to 
Shinji's head.

"Wake up."

					*	*	*

"Wake up."

Shinji felt a warmth flowing into him, forcing him awake.  Strength 
flooded his body, giving him the energy to move, to open his eyes, to 
lift up his head.

"What?" he asked the air.

Something was different.  This wasn't where he'd passed out, he was 
pretty sure.  There'd been trees, and rain, and...where was he?

He could see something out in the dark, fuzzy at first but clearing as 
his eyes focused.  It was a tent...no, several tents.  Had he made it?  
Against all odds, had he somehow managed to stumble right into a camp?

Blinking his surprise, he looked back to Rei.

"Maybe we're going to be all...right..." he said, trailing off as he 
saw the girl slumped on the ground.  Her stomach was again seeping, 
dripping cold LCL on the ground.

"Oh no..." he said.  He began to press on her injury again, but then 
looked back to the tents.  Maybe, if he was lucky...

"Just hold on another minute Rei," he said, shouldering her weight 
again.  "Just hang on...it'll be all right..."

He started walking.  It didn't take long before he saw a pair of men 
coming towards him.  Feeling suddenly apprehensive, he took a long 
route around them, hoping they wouldn't see him in the dark.  He knew 
why he was afraid of them: he saw the American flag on their combat 
fatigues, and the M-16 rifles over their shoulders were no comfort.

"I don't see anything," one of them was saying, in English.

"Piece of junk," the other replied.  "Damn computer says there was a 
'blue pattern' spike.  I don't see squat."

"Eh.  Had to go look.  Never know, right?"

Shinji could only make out some of what they said, but he continued on, 
walking faster, as he felt his back slowly moistening from Rei's 
'blood'.

His legs were weaking again, too fast.  The strength that had gotten 
him back to his feet seemed to be leaving him.  He stumbled, caught 
himself, and kept going.  He felt his eyes growing heavy again, as his 
body remembered the state it was in.  He didn't have long, but he made 
himself keep walking.

He was encouraged by the voices he heard coming from the tent.  Some of 
them sounded familiar.

"It's how you get ahead," a gruff voice was saying from inside.  "Look, 
I'm sorry, but - "

"But what?" a girl shouted at him.  Shinji knew her.  He pushed 
himself, going just a little further.  The argument in the tent was 
continuing.  Asuka was in there...and Misato.  They'd help him.  They 
had to.

"Asuka, I - " Misato's voice said, right as Shinji reached the tent 
flap.  He reached out weakly, trying to push the flap out of the way.

"No!" a man shouted from within, and there was a loud 'crack' of 
gunfire.

Shinji jerked, twisting in place as something hit his shoulder.  It 
hurt, feeling not unlike a big bee sting.  He looked down, seeing a red 
bloom on his shoulder.

His injured arm lost its strength then, and it failed.  Rei shifted as 
suddenly half her support fell away.  Shinji moved wildly, trying to 
catch her and succeeding only in slowing her fall to the ground.  He 
collapsed with her, falling to his knees next to her immobile form as 
the tent flaps flared open, and Misato stepped out.

"Are you all ri..." the woman said, her eyes going wide as she saw 
Shinji.

Asuka was out a heartbeat later.  "What is it...oh my God..."

Shinji looked at them, feeling his body weaken, pushed far beyond his 
limits.  But somehow, found the breath to speak.

"Please...Rei is hurt.  Help...her..."

It was all he could manage.  His body gave out, and he slumped, 
collapsing next to Rei on the ground, as Misato and Asuka rushed 
forwards, trying to catch him.

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Endnote: Yes, I know.  Another cliffhanger after so much time keeping 
you waiting.  Well, fortunately my little break has raised my stamina.  
I'm writing faster than I normally do.  Hopefully I can get the next 
chapter out soon.  Another Eva fight coming up soon.  I'd say we're 
due.

This chapter may well be revised soon, as I put it out before sending 
it to my prereaders (sorry, guys).  I wanted to make sure my loyal 
readers knew I was still alive.

Even so, thanks go to Avatar of Dragonia for laying out the groundwork 
for this chapter.
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Started: May 18, 2004
Ended: May 20, 2004

Visit my website: http://www.angelfire.com/anime4/shinjirei/index.html