Munich, 6:04 a.m.

72 hours after the incident

Misato’s footsteps echoed through the dimly lit and almost deserted corridor. Here and there, she encountered a few technicians or scientists from the emergency response team. However, most of them had already left the former St. Mary’s Hospital and headed back to Japan. They would have loved to take Asuka and Shinji with them, put them in tanks, break them down into molecules, examine them, and put them back together again. But Misato had powerful arguments against it. Very powerful ones. That’s why she was now carrying her coffee in her left hand. Her right hand was bandaged and rested on her laptop bag, which hung over her shoulder.

When she entered the large conference room, Robert was already sitting at the large white table in the middle. In front of him were a steaming cup of coffee, a glass of water, and a notepad. Cold light shone down from the ceiling. The blinds covering the four windows were closed. She was cold because no one had bothered to turn on the heating in the abandoned hospital that served as their temporary base. And even if they had, Misato had her doubts as to whether the heating still worked.

Robert looked up when Misato entered the room. „How’s your hand?“

She sat down opposite him, carefully set down her coffee, and then awkwardly fumbled for her laptop. „It’s been better. How’s your head?“ Robert had only suffered a few scratches on the outside, but the sonic grenade had knocked him out for almost two days.

„It’s been better,“ he said. „And your victim?“ He nodded toward her bandaged hand.

Misato grunted. „I’ll apologize when I’m back in Japan. He only has a broken nose. I got a reprimand, blah blah blah, and so on.“

Robert grinned and took a sip of coffee.

„The two of them have been through enough,“ Misato continued. „I’m not going to put them back in some test tanks after two days.“

„Asuka asked about you after she heard you broke a scientist’s nose,“ Robert said.

Misato paused briefly in her awkward attempt to dial into the video conference with Ritsuko using only her left hand. She looked up. „And Shinji?“

Robert sighed. „Shinji is… Shinji. He hardly talks,“ Robert continued. „He plays with the kids, bakes, helps with the cooking. But at night…“ He shook his head. „At night, I can sometimes hear him screaming. We had to move them to the basement because he would always wake the kids up.“

„Damn…“ Misato said.

„Asuka understands,“ said Robert. „She’s pissed off and would have loved to kill you, but she’s more of a soldier than Shinji.“

Misato nodded.

„Which doesn’t make it any better“, said Robert.

„I know!“ Misato rubbed the bridge of her nose. „God, why couldn’t Shinji have cut off that damn Tsubame’s head a few minutes earlier, before she blabbed everything about Operation Morgenstern?“

„I’d be just as pissed if I’d been used as a murder weapon without my knowledge.“

Misato snorted and grimaced as if she’d taken a sip of stale beer. „Please, Robert. We’re still at war. Just because there aren’t any skyscraper-tall monsters anymore doesn’t mean we’re living in safe times. You’ve read the report on Operation Morning Star now. Mors Caeli was on the verge of becoming a real threat back then. We had to do something. The world was in chaos and LICHT had just learned to walk.“

Robert raised his hands defensively. „I’m just saying I’d be pissed, not that I don’t understand you.“

„Besides, LICHT needed funding, and what better way to attract sponsors than with EVA units that still work?“

Robert scribbled circles and other shapes on his pad. „And at the same time, you showed the world that LICHT still has two of the most powerful weapons in the world.“

„Which probably no one can or wants to operate anymore…“

Silence filled the small room, interrupted only by the tok-tok-tok of Misato’s keyboard as she slowly entered her login details.

„Shinji was right about something,“ Robert said after a while.

„About what?“

„That LICHT is just a nicer name for NERV.“

Misato grimaced. „I know,“ she said quietly. „Do you think that makes it any easier for me? I ordered them to ‚decontaminate‘ an entire village. I signed the order.“ She stared at her bandaged hand. „And now they know. And they hate me for it. Rightly so.“

A loud sound came from Misato’s laptop: the connection to Japan was now online. Misato sat up straight and ran her fingers through her hair. Shortly thereafter, a shaky, transparent hologram of Ritsuko appeared at the end of the table.

„Ritsu!“ Misato said. „You look well!“

„Good morning, Misato,“ Ritsuko said. Several gray strands had crept into her otherwise blonde hair, and she was wearing her white lab coat as usual. She looked at Misato briefly through her glasses. „Unfortunately, I can’t return the compliment.“

„Ha, thanks. Charming as always.“

Ritsuko turned her gaze to Robert. „Good morning, Brunner-san. How’s your concussion?“

„Hey!“ said Misato. „You didn’t ask me how my hand is!“ She demonstratively raised her right hand and waved it around.

„Good morning, Dr. Akagi,“ said Robert. „My head is throbbing like after a night of heavy drinking with Misato.“ He winked. „But it’ll be fine.“

Ritsuko nodded. „Good.“

„How I’m being ignored,“ said Misato, lowering her hand again.

Ritsuko looked at Misato. „I have no sympathy for accidents you cause yourself, Misato.“

„Ouch,“ said Misato.

„How are the kids?“ asked Ritsuko.

„You tell her, Robert. They won’t talk to me anymore.“

„Ouch,“ said Ritsuko.

Misato grunted. Robert took a sip of water before speaking. „Touji and Hikari are doing well under the circumstances. Physically, Touji will probably only have a scar, but he can kiss his potential soccer career goodbye. The mental shock will take longer to heal, but they have each other.“

„And Asuka and Shinji?“ Ritsuko asked.

Robert leaned back in his chair and sighed. „Asuka took the truth about Operation Morgenstern faster than Shinji, which was to be expected. I think he’ll be struggling with it for a few more weeks.“

Ritsuko nodded briefly. „All four of them are living with you at the moment, right?“

Robert grinned. „Yes, we’ve opened a small post-traumatic healing center. We have the space and it doesn’t bother us. My children are entertained all day and it’s a good distraction for everyone.“

„Very well,“ said Ritsuko. Her hologram image shrunk and now hovered a few inches above the table. The image was replaced by a map showing a bird’s-eye view of the Mors Caeli’s hideout. Next to it were some data and figures. „I’ll send you the full report after our meeting. Let’s start with the crime scene. We’ve cleaned it up and decontaminated it as much as possible.“

„In other words, torched it,“ said Misato.

Ritsuko nodded. „Exactly. The remote location of the inn played into our hands. The nearest village is a good twenty kilometers away, and the nearest large town is about fifty. We described a scenario to the authorities there involving drug abuse and arson. We spread the rumor that the inn had long been used as a drug den. The rumor will circulate for a few weeks and then be forgotten.“

„Who owned the inn?“ Robert asked.

„A shell company owned by Mors Caeli,“ Ritsuko replied. A photo appeared in the hologram. It showed a company logo: a green fir tree on a white background. Below it, also in green, was written: Waldesruh Immobilien. „We are still in the process of determining the exact addresses and data of this shell company, but it is proving difficult. Mors Caeli has hundreds of such companies in dozens of countries. And the inn was purchased over a year ago. So they had been planning this for quite some time.“

„Were there any survivors?“ Misato asked.

Ritsuko was silent for a moment. „No. Shinji was thorough.“ A list of names appeared in front of them. „However, it was only a small group. We were able to identify twelve people, including Tsubame Sakurako.“

„What did you tell the families?“ Robert asked.

„The truth: that they were members of a terrorist organization that had planned and carried out an attack on high-ranking LICHT members. And unfortunately died in a raid.“

Robert nodded.

„Most of the relatives were naturally shocked and completely unaware,“ Ritsuko continued. „LICHT will send them a small settlement. But a few knew about it and have been summoned for surveillance and questioning.“

„Have you found the mole yet?“ Misato wanted to know.

„Not yet. The taxi driver was in on it, that much we know. But unfortunately, he died suddenly after we stormed the inn.“

„Suddenly and unexpectedly, of course,“ said Misato.

„The equipment was not something you can easily buy on the black market,“ said Robert. „Bakelite mines, jammers, sonic grenades.“

„Correct,“ said Ritsuko. „But our shadow men at Mors Caeli report that Tsubame acted on her own. Even Mors Caeli knew nothing of her plan.“

„Internal disputes?“ asked Misato.

„Perhaps. We’re watching it.“ The company logo disappeared and Shinji and Asuka’s medical reports appeared side by side. „Let’s get to the real reason we’re meeting.“

„I’m curious,“ Misato said. She picked up her coffee and leaned back in her chair.

„Shinji’s case is unique,“ Ritsuko began, projecting his neurological scans. „But not inexplicable.“

A timeline appeared. „Four years of fighting Angels. Each collision left traces, AT Field residues, alien wave patterns, Angel contamination on a microscopic level. His body has learned to recognize, sense, and understand these fields.“

Misato nodded slowly. „A kind of… training?“

„Conditioning. Combined with years of LCL exposure and neural synchronization conditioning by the EVA. His brain developed pathways—patterns that understand AT fields not just as an external force, but as… a concept. As a fundamental principle of separation and protection.“

The hologram switched to Shinji’s brain activity during the incident. Red pulsing areas literally exploded. „When Asuka died, his ego border collapsed. Absolute panic. Total terror. At that moment, his subconscious reached for the only protection it knew.“

She enlarged the critical moment. „Not the EVA. Not a machine. But the idea itself. The AT Field, the barrier between self and dissolution. His will was so strong, his despair so absolute, that his body overrode physical limitations. He manifested an AT Field out of pure willpower. Because he didn’t want to stop existing. Because he couldn’t let her go.“

Robert rubbed his temples. „So now, please explain that for bodyguards who haven’t studied physics.“

Misato grinned. „Asuka’s supposed death has awakened Shinji’s superpowers!“

Ritsuko snorted. „Yes, that’s about right.“

„Well, I can work with that,“ said Robert. „So what happens now? He’s probably at my house right now, baking cookies with the kids. What happens if he burns himself or gets hurt? Do I have to worry that he’ll decapitate my family with his orange superpowers?“

Ritsuko shook her head. „No. The AT field isn’t a constantly active protective shield. It’s an emergency response. Like adrenaline during a fight or flight. Only… more extreme. As long as Shinji is emotionally stable, nothing will happen. The neural trigger thresholds are set for life-threatening situations. A burned finger isn’t enough.“

Robert visibly relaxed. „So I don’t have to worry about him tearing my kitchen apart?“

„Only if they try to take Asuka away from him,“ Misato said with a grin.

Ritsuko nodded. „Exactly. As long as no one dies or is seriously threatened, his AT field remains dormant. He’s not a ticking time bomb.“

The hologram changed again and Asuka’s report came to the fore.

„Asuka Soryu Langley was clinically dead for three minutes. Penetrating heart wound, pericardial tamponade, critical blood loss. The soul basin was an act of desperation, no rescue, just delaying the inevitable.“

Asuka’s report gave way to a graphic of overlapping colored waves and patterns, similar to Shinji’s. „Her soul matrix began to decohere. The waveform fragmented, dissolved into the LCL. We lost her.“ The graphic showed a dissolving red structure.

Misato swallowed. „But she’s alive.“

„Because something intervened.“ A blue-shimmering waveform appeared. „The MAGI registered an external soul signature. For 47 minutes. The patterns show a 96.4% match with Rei Ayanami’s last records before her disappearance.“

„Rei.“ Misato’s voice was little more than a whisper.

„Or what’s left of her.“ Ritsuko enlarged the interaction between the two waveforms. „We don’t know what happened during that time. No records, no data, just the wave patterns themselves. Asuka doesn’t remember anything specific. Or doesn’t want to share it.“

The hologram showed the blue form enveloping the red one, rearranging it, reassembling it. „Then the reconstruction began. Not repair. Recreating. Cell by cell, synapse by synapse. Her DNA is identical, but gene expression has changed. The telomeres are longer. The neural connections more efficient. All trauma markers—erased.“

Robert leaned back. „An Asuka 2.0.“

„Well put.“ Asuka and Shinji’s report shared the space in the hologram again. „Interestingly, the process also reversed the EVA-induced sterility. In both Asuka and Shinji – presumably triggered by his AT Field manifestation. Reproductive functions fully restored in both.“

For a heartbeat, there was dead silence. Then Misato and Robert exploded simultaneously.

„WHAT?!“ Misato exclaimed. „They can have CHILDREN?!“

„Holla!“ Robert said.

Ritsuko looked back and forth between the two, genuinely confused. „Yes? That seemed rather… secondary to me, given the resurrection?“

„SECONDARY?!“ Misato stood up. „Rits, they both thought they could never—“

Robert leaned back, a broad grin on his face. „That… that’s wonderful. They deserve it. After everything they’ve been through.“

„Oh.“ Ritsuko blinked. „Oh. Yes, that… that is important to them, isn’t it?“ She adjusted her glasses. „Then someone should probably tell Shinji and Asuka.“

Robert slumped back in his chair and laughed incredulously. „Sometimes, Dr. Akagi, sometimes you forget that you’re working with people.“

Ritsuko coughed. „Indeed.“

Last chapter…