“Waaark,” Pen-Pen said, waking Asuka from a dream; she was on summer vacation with no classes to teach. She was working on her Master’s Degree research, but it was slow and she could take her time, given she was only thirteen. She worked so hard, she deserved the extra sleep, dammit.

Pen-Pen was a penguin, her dear friend and companion, her greatest success, but also her greatest frustration. She’d made him sapient as her senior project but the process didn’t work on other penguins and she didn’t understand why. She hadn’t even intended to make him this smart, it had just happened.

Her ring, she felt, was likely connected.

She had refined a process created by the head of her committee for her Master’s degree, Dr. Pfizer. Refinements around when she’d started her final year had improved the process and she’d improved it more. But Pen-Pen was fully sapient; he was learning to read and could communicate simple messages with a special device that the school had made him, a collaboration between the engineering, biology, and computer departments.

“You’re supposed to be keeping the brats busy,” Asuka mumbled, turning over in her green sheets. The brats were her step-siblings, Edgar and Karin. She was stuck taking care of them while her father and step-mother were at work, until lunchtime, then she’d take them to daycare and go do her research.

For all that teaching teenagers could be hard, at least they never ran into the wall full-tilt or threw laundry around her classroom.

“WaaarRRK,” Pen-Pen said. Asuka interpreted this as ‘I am only one penguin and there are two engines of destruction and terror loose in our home’. Or something like that. She could usually sense the gist of what he meant, even without his communicator, which was strapped to his left front flipper.

Asuka rolled out of bed, stumbled to her closet, found clothing, then stumbled off to take a shower, praying Edgar would not try to join her this time. He ought to have some sense of modesty by age nine but she still had to chase him off every so often. Karin was only seven and thus only vaguely sapient by Asuka’s view of things. She also would try to join Asuka sometimes and at times simply shedded her clothing for no reason.

They had convinced Asuka she was having her tubes tied the second she was old enough for it. At least she didn’t have to help change their diapers any more. You’d think a nurse would be good at dealing with baby wastes, but her step-mother had tended to stick her with it.

This was among the many reasons Asuka did not like her step-mother, Barbara Hall.

“I CAN FLY!” Edgar shouted.

“DAMMIT!” Asuka shouted, running naked across the apartment, knowing he was going to kill himself somehow and she would be blamed and then Barbara would hold it over her head *forever*.

Leaving a trail of water, she found Edgar on the table on his stomach, a towel neatly tied to form a cloak, as he jumped up in the air, while watching some superhero cartoon.

“Is it bath time already?” he asked, confused.

“Yaay, naked time!” Karin announced, starting to strip.

“Don’t strip in front of your brother,” Asuka said wearily and dragged Karin to the shower, finishing the stripping in private and bathing her on general principles.

With Karin, you had to assume that if you stopped seeing her, she’d gotten dirty, as she loved to dig and climb trees and roll around on the ground. Every so often, she’d somehow trap herself on top of the refrigerator and need rescuing.

Edgar was… not stupid, but had no common sense. He was good at math, good enough to impress even Asuka, but he had no common sense and would likely accidentally kill himself before puberty, she feared. Or after, if he lived that long, which Asuka wasn’t going to gamble on.

Karin made happy noises as Asuka bathed her. Much as Asuka regarded this as yet *another* case of Barbara dumping

the care of *her* children on Asuka, she either did something right or didn’t do it.

She hoped to get some journal reading done while she babysitted, but now precious minutes were being devoured by the need to bathe someone who had already had a bath today, just in case.

Maybe I can get Kaji to come over; he seemed to love kids, though they made him sad. He was always kind to her siblings, who loved him as much as she did.

Kaji, she thought, blushing a little.

She dismissed the thought; focus on getting the brat clean, Asuka thought, carefully making sure Karin’s hair had been washed.

“Can we go swimming?” Karin asked.

“If you promise to be good,” Asuka said. She might as well go swimming. Pen-Pen loved it, it was the height of summer and it would mean lots of kids for her siblings to play with, thus reducing her need to monitor their every movement in case they destroyed another hundred year old vase.

She would be so much happier once she was old enough to move out and never had to run herd on her siblings again. I’m old enough to live on my own, she thought. But they won’t let me, dammit.

She was an adult but everyone persisted in treating her as a child, except her thesis committee, who actually respected her.

She pushed aside resentment, got the kids into swim suits, made some breakfast, ate it, got into one herself, then headed down with them for some fun.

*************

Rebuild of Neon Genesis SilmarillionA Tolkien Legendarium / Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover

By John Biles

Book 1: Red Sky at MorningChapter 3: Does the Sword Enjoy the Forge?

****************

Kameko and Shinji were busy studying hard that morning at the table at Misato’s. Kameko officially was staying with Dr. Akagi but had a permanent guest room made up for her at Misato’s now as well. For both of them, this was a kind of heaven, more affection than they were used to and lots of free time, though they both had a lot of work to do. Shinji was trying to get to where he could start school here once the summer break was over and Kameko was engaged in an intense language study with a special program used to teach languages by NERV’s Historical and Archaeological section. She made good progress, faster than those of older generations, but it would take months. She didn’t want to wait months.

There was a knock on the door; Huan ran to the door, with Shinji trailing after him. It turned out to be a German teenager, older than them, tall with long brown hair in a pony-tail, wearing a blue blouse and a knee-length blue skirt. Kameko guessed she must be Clotilda Kruger, elder sister of Conrad Kruger, friend of Kensuke, who had recommended her help to Kameko and Shinji. “You must be Shinji,” she said in Japanese; she had a strong German accent.

Shinji’s eyes widened. “Yes. Umm, who are you?”

“I’m Clotilda Kruger. Assuming Conrad didn’t hallucinate again, I believe you two are expecting me?”

Now Shinji covered his eyes for a moment, while Huan tried to climb up Clotilda, who gently fended him off and petted his head.

Kameko studied her; she didn’t look as smart as Kensuke said, but on the other hand, she knew Japanese and German, so that would do. On the other hand, Shinji kept noticing her chest, which wouldn’t do. Kameko’s could not compete. Of course, the woman was older and…

Kameko pushed it out of her head. Focus on learning, she told herself. Shinji’s not going to run off to some random German woman who isn’t even blond.

“Shinji, you like my new hair color, right?” Kameko said.

“Yes,” he said, dragging Huan back and letting Clotilda in.

“Okay,” Clotilda said. “My job is to provide practical experience. Languages are my gift.” She sounded very proud.

“Practical experience?” Shinji said.

“Drag her into places where she uses German or ends up embarrassed and unable to function,” Clotilda said.

Kameko stared, eyes wide.

“Think of me as a language drill sergeant,” Clotilda said. “Trust me, you’ll be grateful when it’s over. We’ll start by going out for lunch, later. For now, you can show me what you know.”

Which wasn’t much. Kameko licked her lips nervously. But she had to do this if she was going to fit in and function here.

“I’ll help too,” Shinji said.

“Good. Tell her, no kisses unless she asks for it in German,” Clotilda said.

Kameko stared.

Shinji stared.

“And none of that Japanese pretending not to notice things inconvenient to you crap. I’ve watched your TV shows, I know how it goes,” Clotilda said, hands on hips.

They both laughed nervously.

“Okay, let’s begin,” Clotilda said, clearly ready for action.

************

Asuka laid comfortably on the lounge chair in her red and white striped bikini, working on her tan and reading a journal on her tablet; there was a ton of research in intelligence augmentation to keep up with. She was finally getting caught up during the break with no homework to grade or lectures to write.

She hoped Kaji would come by but he was probably either on a mission, still asleep, or at NERV doing things. But you never knew. Best to be ready.

She became aware someone was watching her, namely one of her students, Sam Braun; his friends Ernie and Bert were here with Rosalinde (girlfriend of Bert) and Evelyn, all from Asuka’s homeroom class. The one she’d had for seventh grade, that is. She didn’t know if she’d have any of them for eighth grade, when it started in September. Ernie was posing by the pool side as if to dive and Evelyn was sketching him, while Rosalinde and Bert were swimming laps.

She adjusted her glasses and looked at Sam; she didn’t need glasses but they made her look older, which helped her get more

respect. He was only marginally taller than her with short brown hair and brown eyes and a lot of freckles. She thought he was really cute, but she couldn’t date one of her own students… though technically he was not her student now and she wouldn’t have him in the fall. But whatever the case, she had a pre-existing interest in Kaji.

A huge interest in Kaji, who kept playing hard to get to her frustration. She didn’t have much time to chase him.

Still, it was only natural for Sam to get a crush on a beautiful, intelligent, and wise woman like herself. Who wouldn’t? If they were male, anyway.

“Hey, Fraulein Langley,” he said. “Want to come swim with us?” He sounded hopeful.

She glanced at the kiddie pool where her siblings were playing with a swarm of kids under the eyes of four mothers and two fathers. That would keep the brats alive and happy.

“Sure,” she said. Just swimming was fine; she did it all the time with her students.

Kaji wouldn’t mind.

She soon showed them how it was done, swimming faster even than Bert, who was quite a bit taller than her. “So, do I get a prize?” she said jokingly. She’d expected to win. She generally did win, except against someone like Rei or Lars or a

professional adult swimmer. And that was with her only swimming casually.

By now, more kids had shown up, some from her class and some from other classes. Evelyn was still drawing Ernie, but they were all in the water.

“Hmm, we should do it again now that everyone’s here, and then the winner gets a kiss from all the losers of the opposite sex,” Bert said thoughtfully.

Rosalinda said, “Kiss someone else and I won’t be happy!” She crossed her arms at him.

“Okay, I can’t race, but the rest of you could do it,” Bert said, looking disappointed.

Asuka knew she shouldn’t say yes as she’d win and have to kiss someone, but… “I’m a teacher, I can’t kiss any of you. So I’ll judge,” she said.

Sam made a disappointed noise. Ahah, Asuka thought. Very clever, Bert. But I’m for Kaji.

Watching was not as much fun as being in it, but hanging out with people was nice. She didn’t get to do that much due to her peers also generally being her students.

So it was good to just have a little fun. And she’d show off her skills later. She knew they’d be impressed.

***************

Asuka rose out of the water, clambered onto the side of the pool, then bowed gracefully as her students applauded her magnificent dive. Everyone else had to show off, but it was clear they couldn’t match her grace. Sam was actually better than she’d expected, though, so she made sure to graciously applaud him.

Then she nearly fell in when a face rammed into her back by surprise. “Wanna dive,” Karin said to her.

“You’re too young,” Asuka said, frowning. If Karin killed herself trying to dive, she would be in huge trouble.

“Hey, kid, what’s your name?” Sam said curiously, kneeling by her.

“I’m Karin Langley and I have the best big sister ever! She can do anything!” Karin bragged.

Now Asuka felt embarrassed. “Thank you, Karin.”

“I can dive! Watch me!” Edgar said, executing a dive. While it was not a great dive, Asuka had to admit he could actually dive. Unlike Karin. But then, he was nine. She’d been able to dive as well as a high school student by then. She applauded politely. She did have manners despite what some people said.

“Your siblings?” Fraulein Fassbinder said. She was one of Asuka’s co-workers, teaching Classics and Modern Languages. Unlike Asuka, she wore a green and black one-piece, and she had her hair all bound up in a hair net.

Asuka jumped, wondering why she couldn’t notice anything today. “Hello, Fraulein Fassbinder,” Asuka said. “Yes, this is Karin, and that’s Edgar. They’re my step-siblings. Father remarried after Mother’s death.” She tried to say it lightly but it came out rather harshly. Much as she wasn’t happy about the whole affair, she didn’t want to air her family’s dirty laundry in front of a co-worker.

“You’re pretty,” Karin said to Fraulein Fassbinder, whose usual scowl now melted.

“Thank you, little lady,” she said, smiling. Then she stretched. “I have neither siblings nor children.” Fraulein Fassbinder sighed. “Though I’m hoping to find someone decent to marry or at least date here at the Geo-Front.”

“Good luck,” Asuka thought. And stay away from my Kaji.

“Pick me up,” Karin said to Asuka.

“Are you a baby? You don’t need to be carried,” Asuka said to her, frowning.

“Pick me up,” Karin said stubbornly, imitating Asuka’s own stance.

Fraulein Fassbinder laughed briefly and Asuka wanted to die. She looked at Sam, who now said, “I can pick you up.”

“Yaay, pick me up!” Karin said, arms out.

He picked her up and set her on his shoulders.

“Now take me in the deep water like Edgar!” Karin demanded.

Dammit, Asuka thought and ran and jumped into the water, going after Edgar. He hadn’t drowned yet, but Asuka knew he could find a way.

Like panicking when she came towards him.

She swam down towards him and caught him, then brought him up. “Edgar, stay in the shallow end with your friends,” she said.

“I’m a big boy! I can go deep!”

Asuka braced for Sarkowski to laugh, realized he wasn’t here and gave thanks to God. “Stay in the shallow end with your friends,” she said, swimming that way holding him.

“If I hate them, can I go in the deep end?” he asked.

Never, ever having kids, she thought.

Sam said, “Is she allowed in the water?”

“Only the kiddie pool.” There was a super-shallow pool for the littlest kids; it was fairly safe and had parents flocked around it.

“No, big pool!” Karin wailed as Sam put her in the kiddie pool.

Asuka got Edgar stowed away and then got out of the pool in time to see Fraulein Fassbinder execute a skillful dive, if not nearly so good as hers. Sam came up to her. “Mission accomplished.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Asuka said. “They’re a handful.”

“I have a younger brother, but he’s nine years younger. My folks held off on kids for fear the world would end, then they had trouble,” he said. “Your siblings seem like good kids.”

“They’re crazy and I don’t understand how they’re still alive,” Asuka said, watching Edgar and another boy bat an inflated ball around.

“I know, my brother keeps trying to climb inside the washing machine,” Sam said, shaking his head. Asuka watched his hair tumble, then asked herself *why* she was watching it and made herself stop.

I have a boy I like already, she reminded herself.

But getting him to help her run herd on the kids would be okay.

*****************

Asuka advanced and Rei gave ground, fighting defensively as usual, while Asuka tried to overwhelm her with her superior strength. Their practice blades clashed again and again, but though Asuka kept trying to lock Rei’s blade, Rei always slipped away from the contact. If ever Asuka slipped up, Rei darted in for the counter-attack. But mostly Asuka pushed her back and around the room.

This tended to be pretty frustrating, though; Rei was a slippery customer and Asuka preferred a straight-forward test of strength. Rei favored spears, which combined reach and defense; Asuka favored swords which let her bring her full strength to bear.

Asuka was strong, if not as strong as some her age; she appeared slight of build but her muscles had the unusual strength of her generation, made more so by HALO, though she did work out for strength.

Misato and a set of fencing and other weapons masters worked with them; they were quite high paid and Asuka had to admit they’d helped her a lot.

Unlike Rei, though, Asuka had yet to actually fight anything to the death. While she bested Rei in anything physical except swimming, Rei bested her in the arts of the mind in terms

of combat and weird spooky Rei powers, though Asuka was pretty sure she was *smarter*. But despite her strivings, she couldn’t open warded doors or win a psychic battle with Rei in the mental combat simulator.

“You can’t win, you know,” Asuka said confidently to Rei, who was now being pushed into a corner.

“Battle is not only about winning,” Rei said, tensing as she drew back into the trap.

Asuka pressed her assault, then knocked Rei’s sword away and tapped her shoulder. “Hah!” But this left her vulnerable to Rei slipping in, grabbing her shoulder, and throwing her. “HEY!”

“Rei, I will teach the lessons,” Misato said a little chidingly. “Nice throw, though. Asuka, don’t let your guard down. Our foes certainly won’t.”

“I had her,” Asuka grumbled.

“I know, you’re good. But don’t get overconfident,” Misato said. “You’re tough but our foes will be tough too.”

She told Asuka this a lot. “I don’t get why I don’t get to go into the Deeps,” she grumbled.

“I wouldn’t send either of you if I could help it,” Misato said. “What happens if you get hurt and can’t pilot when we need you?”

Asuka frowned. It was true, but it was a truth in the way. She wanted to see action. Instead, Rei got all the action and all the glory. Even though I can beat her!, she thought.

She wanted a chance to really prove herself; she’d been excited to go to Japan and then… nothing. Well, finding the armor was cool but they wouldn’t even let her go down into the tunnels *she* had found.

She felt she couldn’t really be an adult and get the respect she deserved until she showed she could handle adult responsibilities and battle was the highest one of all.

Barbara was treated like an adult and she only barely qualified as such! Asuka wanted respect.

Was that too much to ask?

***************

Kaji looked at Aoba Shigeru curiously. “A double date?”

“If you’re here. She has a roommate, roommate is on the market and she wants a double date for the first date,” Shigeru said.

“Sure, why not,” Kaji said. He wasn’t seeing anyone. “Just don’t tell Misato or she’ll show up and try to cover me in bees.” He wondered why Shigeru had asked him instead of his roommate Makoto.

Shigeru’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Probably not but it’s best to take no chances,” Kaji said. He was half-joking. Probably Misato wouldn’t do anything but he had eventually had to burn that one shirt to get the smell out of it.

But it should be fine.

Or Asuka might run into them, but hopefully she’d be busy with other things.

****************

Playing with Rei and Shinji was soothing after a good workout. Her violin, Shinji’s cello, and Rei’s viola wove a web of music and Kameko and Hedda were the spiders. Hedda was trying to train them all in dancing, but especially Kameko; often they played while those two practiced. Asuka had to translate Hedda and Kameko’s conversation due to the language barrier but it was trivially easy for her.

“No, no, no,” Hedda said, stopping while Kameko stared at the floor. “Look at my face.”

Asuka had to fight the urge to laugh when Kameko looked at Hedda’s ear instead of her eyes before she could translate for Hedda.

“My face, not Shinji’s,” Hedda said firmly.

Kameko looked at Hedda’s eyes, retreated a step and looked at Hedda’s chin.

Hedda sighed. “Shinji, can I put a sheet over you or something?”

Shinji stared at her in confusion.

“Can’t you just reverse positions?” Asuka said, amused.

“When you dance, there is only your partner if any and yourself and the music,” Hedda said firmly to Kameko. “Asuka, I need you.”

Hedda now danced with Asuka, who let her lead; dancing was fun and she hadn’t realized how good Hedda was. Asuka soon lost herself in motion.

“*That* is exactly right,” Hedda said.

“I’ll try to do better,” Kameko said weakly.

“No try, *do*,” Hedda said sternly.

Asuka was stunned; Hedda was normally rather laid back and funloving, not so… forceful. Pushing. But Kameko needed pushing.

If she had drive, this didn’t seem to be what triggered it. But Fuyutsuki wanted her to study it. Further, she was slowly getting better at getting HALO to react. Also, if you could use it

to unlock old barriers, it would be useful in the Deeps. Which was why Asuka wanted to upgrade her own skills.

They didn’t know when (or even if) the enemy would come in force. The Rangers might never be used, though she really hoped they would be. She wanted her chance to shine.

Kameko was more like dimly glowing, but Asuka had to admit that Hedda was shining.

They each took a turn with her, though Asuka noticed Kameko frowned while Shinji danced with Hedda. Understandable; she hated to see Kaji dance with someone else. Especially that idiot Mari. Fortunately, Mari was in France, training with France’s top-secret-but-not-really force that was trying to build a purely mechanical mech.

Unless they’d found the secret of the skeletal structure of the Rangers (and Asuka lacked said secret), she found it unlikely that Jet Alone would work. Mari’s tears of frustration would be *delicious*.

It was what the lunatic deserved. Stupid woman!

A cleanshaven man in his twenties stuck his head in; he wore a NERV uniform and Asuka vaguely recognized him. “Is Dr. Akagi in?”

Maya, who had been observing quietly, said, “She’s at a meeting, Mr. Harmon.”

He rubbed his forehead ruefully. “I hear that, I think of my Dad.”

“Why…oh,” Maya said, embarrassed. “I’ll tell her you came by.”

“We already have HALO,” Asuka said curiously.

“Boss wanted to see her,” Mr. Harmon said. “I dunno why she can’t just email Dr. Akagi.”

Maya frowned, then nodded and Mr. Harmon sighed. They exchanged knowing looks and then he left and Asuka wondered if they had a secret thing or what. She’d seen adults do that and they always denied it and it was another thing which was in the way of her being treated like the adult she deserved to be.

***************

“Karin, the remote control does not want to fly!” Barbara shouted, chasing her across the living room as Asuka finally got home; she could smell sphagetti being cooked, and something on the cusp of burning. Asuka sprinted past Barbara chasing Karin and reached the kitchen just in time to save the garlic toast. She sighed and got out the fixings for her father and step-mother’s salads. Asuka sometimes ate salad, but not with sphagetti. Barbara would eat her salad, feel hungry, then cheat on her diet again. And no one would stop her. Weak.

Barbara now returned as Asuka washed lettuce. “You are a lifesaver. Thanks, Asuka.” Barbara was taller than Asuka but

not tall, with curly blonde hair in a cloud around her heart-shaped face with twinkling blue eyes and a full figure. A figure she was struggling to keep from becoming too full as she loved food too much and exercise too little. She wouldn’t stick to her diet even though she was a *nurse*. How could patients trust a flabby nurse? Asuka didn’t know.

Her father didn’t push Barbara very hard, which was part of the problem. He was gone a fair amount and she tended to eat too much if he wasn’t here. Asuka had to spend way too much time ensuring Barbara’s kids didn’t pick up the same habits.

*Way* too much time.

“Did you have fun playing with your friends today?” Barbara asked cheerfully.

“It isn’t *playing*,” Asuka said irritably as she cleansed lettuce. It seemed all her life was nothing but cleaning lettuce for older people sometimes. “It’s a job and I am preparing to fight our enemies when they return.”

“Will they? What kind of enemy steals a planet, then just leaves you alone long enough to arm to fight them, then comes back?” Barbara asked. “I think they took what they wanted and left. We never even saw any aliens.” She shook her head. “And yes, I remember the creatures under the Geofront but they can’t even stand up to footsoldiers, let alone the full strength of Earth. And why would the aliens just leave them there?” she asked. She was stirring the sphagetti sauce.

Asuka grimaced and now began sorting kinds of lettuce and spinach into different bowls. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not in charge of NERV. Why do you work for NERV if you think we’re wasting our time?” she asked angrily.

Barbara sighed. “When you love someone, you follow their dreams sometimes. I can be a nurse anywhere, but he needs to be part of NERV, so he doesn’t go crazy.”

Because he blames the aliens for Mother’s death, Asuka thought. She knew better, though it made her want to break something to think of it. Her mother had just been too weak to live in the world made by the Vanishing. She hadn’t been able to go on.

Asuka refused to be that weak.

Nothing could or would break her, no matter how bad it got.

“Jump, jump, jump!” Edgar chanted.

Almost nothing.

Barbara took off running and Asuka stewed, wishing she wasn’t stuck with such a stupid step-mother. Traitor, she thought darkly, then carefully cut the grape tomatos Barbara favored; her father would want slices of regular tomato.

Asuka had done this so often, she could probably make their salads in her sleep.

A sleep punctuated by idiocy from her siblings and her step-mother running around trying to herd them and prevent them killing themselves again.

She continued doing her duty as her step-mother tried to cope with the kids.

***************

“Go do something fun,” Asuka’s father told her at dinner.

“What?” Asuka said, blinking.

“You’re on vacation. Relax a little, go see a friend, catch a movie, something. Because you’re tense and biting faces again,” he said sternly.

She frowned. “I’d have more free time if I didn’t have to run herd on the kids all morning.”

“Mooo,” Edgar said to his food as he picked at it.

“I’m running!” Karin announced, but Barbara intercepted her before she could go far.

“Just go relax tonight. I’ll do the dishes and everything.”

She decided to call Rei. They should do things. To bond. That was right. To bond. As battle-sisters should.

************** “Sorry, Kameko,” Hikari said apologetically as her armies

swept into Kamchatka, wiping out the last of Kameko’s forces. She now controlled a little of Africa, most of Asia and all of Australia. Kevin, allied to her, was positioned across North America and the rest of Asia, Shinji was holed up in South America, Rei controlled most of Africa and Asuka held Europe plus a few nearby bits of Africa and Asia. Lars was trying to advise Shinji, who had never played Risk before.

“If we don’t all team up, we die,” Asuka said to Rei and Shinji. “I can lead us to victory!” She and Rei had been caught in an endless war of mutual annihilation while Kevin and Hikari destroyed Shinji and Kameko. Caught between two grindstones, Kameko had been wiped out.

Kameko sighed and went to get a drink. “I’m not good at this kind of game.”

“I excel,” Asuka said confidently. “But I play this a lot. You’re good too, Hikari.”

“Thanks, I’ve never played it before.” Hikari studied the board and Asuka nearly got soda up her nose.

“You’re kidding, right?” Asuka said, surprised.

“Neither have we,” Shinji said ruefully; he was alive only due to Lars’ help. “Anyway, I agree to an alliance.”

“Just don’t ever play it with Conrad,” Kevin said. He began moving his armies.

“We will ally with the dwarves against the shadow in the east,” Rei said to Asuka.

“Dwarves?” Asuka said. “I am not a dwarf! I’m still growing!” Dammit. “I’m taller than you!”

“You lurk in your fortified stronghold and defend yourself,” Rei said. “Very dwarven.”

I’ve been too cautious, Asuka decided. I’m going to have to be BOLD.

“Why not play with Conrad?” Hikari asked.

“He’ll play like an idiot but he rolls so awesomely he sometimes wins anyway,” Kevin grumbled, clearly speaking of experience.

“Never play anything with dice with him,” Lars said, shaking his head.

Asuka began planning a *brilliant* strategy.

**************

Everyone else was playing spades and drinking some of Misato’s beer, while Rei and Asuka were *still* going at it. Asuka’s coordinated assault had gradually destroyed Kevin and

Hikari but Shinji had also been wiped out and then she and Rei turned on each other. Slowly, ever so slowly, she was wearing Rei down but it was taking *forever*.

“Why can’t you just die?” Asuka asked Rei.

Rei’s armies now stormed through North America but gradually wore down and lost momentum. “Likewise.”

“That’s kind of harsh,” Kevin said. “Teach.”

“Don’t call me ‘Teach’,”Asuka said. Time to invade Australia, where some of Rei’s forces were cut off.

Hikari said, “We really shouldn’t drink up all of Commander Katsuragi’s beer. We really shouldn’t be drinking.” She sounded guilty.

“It’s legal for me,” Kevin said, grinning. “And Commander Katsuragi said it was okay.”

Asuka frowned. She wasn’t drinking because it wasn’t legal for her, even if she was an adult in every meaningful way. “You’re too young, Hikari. You should stop.”

Hikari put down her bottle and pushed it away. “You too, Lars.”

“Oh man,” he grumbled, but stopped. Rei had not been drinking and the rest were legal.

Kevin just grinned at Hikari. “What?” she said, flustered.

“Oh, nothing,” he said cheerfully.

She frowned at her cards, then laid down the six of clubs.

He laid down the seven of clubs and took the hand, laughing.

“Kevin, you went LOW,” Lars said, aggravated.

Kevin’s jaw dropped and Asuka couldn’t help laughing.

**************

Rei would not die. She was down to part of Africa and South America and Asuka could not get her to *die*. She was tired, Rei was tired, everyone else was groggy, Kevin was asleep on the floor, and Lars kept mumbling in Norweigian.

“I’m so tired,” Hikari mumbled.

“You can just sleep here,” Commander Katsuragi said groggily from the doorway.

“But what will people think?” Hikari said plaintively.

“I said here, not Shinji’s bed,” Commander Katsuragi said, amused. “Rei, I’ll take over for you. Go make a bed for Hikari since you’re alert.”

“Hey!” Asuka said.

“Just call it a tie, then,” Commander Katsuragi said cheerfully.

“You could make the bed and I could crush Rei,” Asuka said, staring her in the eyes.

“I’ll make it,” Hikari said, rising wobbily.

“Kevin, wake up, man, it’s time to go home,” Lars said to the table leg near him.

“Ten more minutes,” Kevin mumbled.

Asuka rose and yawned. “I guess it is late. Hikari, I’ll help you, then I had best go home.”

“That was fun,” Kameko said. “We should do more fun things.” She yawned. “Later.”

An idea now began to grow in Asuka’s mind but would come to fruit later, when she was less tired.

**************

“Security council meets to discuss NERV’s funding for the next fiscal year,” the TV announced as Hikari blearily stumbled into the living room, drawn by the smell of food, the next morning. “Dr. William Russet, US Ambassador, called for an

expansion of resources for the Ranger program, but it faces heavy criticism due to its high cost relative to current needs.”

“Well, dammit,” Commander Katsuragi said from in the kitchen. She was wearing shorts and a bra and a hat (indoors!) but no shirt (for some reason). Shinji was also in the kitchen, trying not to notice as he mixed up batter for pancakes.

Hikari said, weakly, “Shouldn’t you have a shirt on?”

“I’m decent,” Commander Katsuragi said.

Shinji mumbled something incoherent.

But now Commander Katsuragi went and threw a shirt on, then got a beer.

How could someone who… she could totally see Commander Katsuragi at one of her Dad’s parties.

“Oh, don’t leave half-drunk beer lying around,” Commander Katsuragi said to her. “Huan may knock them over.”

“I’m sorry. Do you want me to cook?”

“Sure, you can help Shinji while I check my messages,” Commander Katsuragi said, running to her office room. “And drink up that beer!”

She didn’t see any beer sitting around half drunk, so she drank the last one of one of the six-packs in the fridge while she made breakfast. It was only when she was in the middle of cooking sausage that Hikari realized she’d stayed over at a boy’s house.

Admittedly not with the boy and his guardian was here too.

She could never tell her father, who fortunately was out on a trip.

“You want beer or orange juice for breakfast?” Shinji asked her.

“For breakfast?” Hikari said, eyes wide. She’d only drunk the one as a favor to Commander Katsuragi.

“Misato doesn’t care,” Shinji said. “I’m having orange juice, though.”

Good as the beer was, Hikari said, “Juice me too.”

As she made breakfast with Shinji, she felt weirdly domestic, like they were married. She told herself to stop imagining things. But this was kind of how she hoped mornings with her husband would be one day. Except more romantic.

Shinji wasn’t bad looking but he had a girlfriend and there was someone she liked anyway.

She’d been seeing Touji more but nothing seemed to happen. Except swimming, which admittedly was fun.

She wasn’t sure what to do next. “How did you and Kameko meet?”

“At school,” Shinji said. He began cutting orange pieces. “I walked her home one day and things took off from there.”

She made a note of that for future reference, carefully squeezing the admittedly brief tale of the two from Shinji in case it had useful hints.

Walking her home would risk Touji meeting her father, but she would think of something.

***************

“You look happy,” Asuka said to Fraulein Fassbinder; she had taken the kids to the pool again, having realized this easily kept them busy and let her get some sun. She could easily work on catching up on journals on her tablet while keeping an eye on them with the help of the usual morning parent brigade.

Fraulein Fassbinder did a series of stretches. “I have a date Friday.”

“Congratulations,” Asuka said. “Another teacher?”

“It’s a double date, my roommate Heidi and I are going out with two guys from NERV.” She paused. “Oh, you probably

know Heidi’s date, being a pilot as I think he works on the bridge.”

“Aoba? Hyuuga?” Asuka asked.

“Aoba Shigeru,” Fraulein Fassbinder said. “And I’ll be going with Special Agent Ryoji Kaji. Do you know him?”

Asuka felt her heart leap off a cliff. She totally panicked, not knowing what to say.

Fraulein Fassbinder sighed. “That bad?”

“You’re better off hiding under your bed,” Asuka said frantically.

“Well, I can’t back out now,” Fraulein Fassbinder said ruefully. “I haven’t had a date in too long, anyway.”

DAMMIT, Asuka thought.

**************

“She’s crazy,” Asuka told Kaji at his office. “She will make you crazy. Super-picky, harsh, judgemental… you’d best run for the hills.” She tried to play it cool but even she could tell she sounded a little hysterical.

“I’ll watch out for her evil ways,” he said, amused.

She didn’t want amused. “Don’t laugh at me!” she said.

“I’m laughing near you,” he said, lying.

She stormed off angrily, then whipped Rei’s ass in weapon practice.

**************

Aoba Shigeru raised an eyebrow at Asuka as he sat in his tiny office, doing paperwork on his computer. “It’s not in my power to stop them and why should I?”

“She’s terrible for him! It would be the apocalypse!” Asuka said frantically.

“He’s over twice your age and if he ever kissed you, I would castrate him myself,” Shigeru said sharply. “Get over your crush, it’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not a crush! I love him!,” Asuka said. “If I could just get a chance, I know it would work!” She kicked the wall, then stumbled.

“You two okay in there?” Hyuuga Makoto shouted from his office.

“We’re fine!” Shigeru shouted back.

“I can’t concentrate with all this shouting!,” Maya shouted.

Shigeru laughed. “So she shouted it,” he said, stretching back in his chair.

“Don’t mock me,” Asuka said angrily.

“If I mocked you, you’d know by your tears, but you’re just a kid, so I’ll hold back,” he said, smirking. “Anyway, go bug someone else. I have work to do, kid.”

Her eyes lit up and she stormed up, trying to loom over him. He felt his skin shiver and the hairs on his arm stood up. He felt like he was being pushed and suddenly his muscles clenched and the urge to flee was strong. How she was suddenly so scary, he didn’t know but he didn’t give up easy.

“Go away,” he said tensely. “Hit me and I will report you and we’ll see if you keep your precious pilot status.” He was shivering and trying to hide it.

She stormed out and he felt his body relax, but his nerves jangled for another twenty minutes.

***************

“Rei,” Misato said to her in her office. “I have a mission for you. It’s difficult, but I can’t do it because I don’t know anyone your age.”

Rei, in her plugsuit and about to go for Ranger tests, leaned forward a little and cocked her head slightly.

“Asuka needs a boyfriend so she’ll stop obsessing over Kaji. Before she does something crazy. I know it is not your forte and maybe you should subcontract, but you’re the only woman I can trust for this job.”

Rei blinked, then blinked again. “Me?” She sounded utterly baffled.

Misato sighed. “Or something. I gave her a lecture about harassing Shigeru, but something has to be done. I’m going to have to go make sure Kaji isn’t encouraging her, either.”

“I will do my best,” Rei said but her voice lacked the usual crisp professionalism Misato expected of her. She hated to ask Rei, who was possibly the worst person for this, but Kameko hardly knew anyone yet and Misato only vaguely knew anyone else of that generation.

Misato hoped she hadn’t just made things worse.

*************

Kensuke, Conrad, Touji, and Shinji were knee-deep in Space Piracy IV when Conrad’s father came in with Rei. Arnuld Kruger was middling in height and both strong and stout from a long life of too much beer but also lots of manual labor. He was a machinist for NERV, helping to make parts for the Rangers.

“Hey, Conrad, there’s a girl here to see you,” he said, smiling in the way of fathers.

Rei was wearing a red cap for the Nuremberg soccer team, a t-shirt for said team which was two sizes too large, a knee-length plaid skirt and high boots. It looked like the content of someone else’s closet had jumped on her and forced her to wear it. Conrad stared at her; she was really cute but she looked odd tonight.

“Hey, Ayanami,” Touji said, wondering what was up.

“Oh good, Aida also,” Rei said, satisfied. “I require your minds.”

“My mind?” Conrad said, confused as his ship blew up on screen, and now the massacre started with everyone distracted.

“And our bodies?” Kensuke said hopefully.

“I already have a body apt for my purposes,” Rei said flatly.

“Damn,” he said.

“Umm, sure, would you like a drink?” Conrad said, wondering what was going on.

“Tea,” Rei said, so he got her tea and himself another coke. He and Kensuke sat at the table with her while the other boys tried to fight the scenario with just them and died a lot.

“What’s up?” Conrad asked her. Beyond your fashion catastrophe. Conrad knew that if *he* could tell an outfit looked terrible, it was god-awful.

“The ceiling,” Rei said, then looked at them expectantly.

“It’s a metaphor,” Kensuke said.

Conrad looked at the ceiling. “What’s wrong with it?”

Rei sipped her tea, frowning. Then she said, “I begin to see why Sarkowski struggles.”

“Oh, it was a joke,” Conrad said, making himself laugh.

Kensuke said, “Are you trying to find some good jokes for his birthday?”

“He already had his birthday in April,” Conrad said. He knew that sort of thing.

“I have been ordered to find Langley a boyfriend. I know nothing of such affairs,” Rei said. “You are both boys who know boys.”

“And I’m what, a tree?” Touji said, frowning. Then he shook a fist at the TV as his ship blew up.

“You do not collect boy lore,” Rei said to him.

“What is ‘boy lore’?” Shinji asked.

“Gossip,” Conrad said, laughing. “Okay, Rei, we can help you. You came to the right people.”

They began working out a list with her and going over it.

*************

Dinner had been a disaster; Asuka’s bad mood had wrecked everything again. Pieter Langley didn’t know what to do. She’d chewed on her siblings, him, his wife, everyone. She’d even bitched about the existence of potatoes, even though his wife’s potato pancakes were one of her best recipes in his opinion.

He’d sent her to her room but he could feel her brooding even as he sat on his bed with Barbara crying. The girl could be so vicious. It wasn’t Barbara’s fault that Kyoko had died.

She was a good wife and a good mother and tried to be a good mother to Asuka, but Asuka just treated her as a chewtoy.

And from what he knew of teens, this was going to get worse before it got better.

Dammit.

As he held his wife, the doorbell rang.

Great, guests, he thought.

“I’ll get it!” Edgar shouted. Edgar and Karin had bounced back quickly, thankfully. Asuka hadn’t yelled at them much.

Then he heard Edgar say, “She’s been banished to her room for being *bad*.”

He sighed and kissed Barbara and went out to the living room, finding Ayanami Rei, the first of the Ainarilsen, the Pilots of the Rangers. She always creeped him out a little.

“Hello, Ayanami-san,” he said in Japanese. “Edgar, I have it,” he said in German, ruffling the boy’s hair.

Edgar said, “I like soccer!” in German.

“Good,” Rei said to him. She watched him go.

“What’s going on?” he said. “Do you know why Asuka is in such a foul mood?” She often didn’t need a reason; she’d never really recovered from her mother dying. It had made her a very strong girl but she didn’t know how to control and restrain the fire inside her.

He feared it would burn her up.

Rei paused, stared at nothing, eyes somewhat glazed, then snapped into focus. “Is someone hurt?”

“That’s my problem,” he said. It was only emotional. Asuka had never hit Barbara but… Emotional damage was harder to heal.

She nodded. “May I see Asuka? We must talk.”

“Sure,” he said. It couldn’t hurt.

**************

“Go AW…” Asuka paused and stared at Rei’s outfit. “What the fuck is that?” She pointed at Rei’s outfit.

“Clothing. I am dressing casually,” Rei said.

Well…. It’s not formal, Asuka thought. “I see.”

“That is good,” Rei said.

A few seconds of utter silence ensued, while Asuka sat up on her bed, then went and pulled out her desk chair for Rei, who sat down.

“Lars, Sarkowski, and I are going to the movies on Friday night. Would you like to come with us?” Rei said.

“What, a double-date? I can’t date one of my students,” Asuka said. “And there’s someone I like already.”

“I am not dating Lars, so you do not need to date Sarkowski. Just friends,” Rei said. “I can invite more boys and girls if you like.”

Well, she needed something to take her mind off things, she decided. So she didn’t have to think about Fassbinder and Kaji.

DAMMIT.

*****************

Asuka was not sure how exactly Hikari had taken over everything, but was happy to let her herd everyone, while she just enjoyed herself. She kept thinking about Kaji and wanting to kill something but then her students would distract her. She was grateful for that.

The big snag was the movie. Most of the guys wanted to see some movie where things blew up. This was actually Asuka’s choice too. The ladies were mostly voting for a movie about love and small business management at a clothing store. Shinji ended up with the deciding vote which he cast for his girlfriend’s choice, though she could tell he wanted explosions.

He’s whipped, she thought.

It turned out fairly enjoyable, though Bert and Rosalinda kept kissing in the dark and so did Shinji and Kameko and Kevin stole a kiss from Hikari and then she accidentally kissed Rei in the dark. Asuka *really* didn’t need all these reminders of snuggly stuff. She wasn’t able to stop Sam stealing a kiss from her, even though her lips were *supposed* to only be for Kaji. He was, at least, a good kisser. Admittedly, she didn’t have a lot to compare him to.

Then they went back to Conrad’s for poker; it was a ton of fun and she finally forgot her problems for now. Though by the end, she drank enough coffee, it was 3 AM when she finally clonked out.

*****************

Karla Fassbinder stumbled home, having had a fairly good date. She didn’t sleep with anyone on the first date, even someone charming like Kaji, but Heidi was in Shigeru’s bed, even though Shigeru’s roommate Makoto didn’t have a date and would have to listen. Kaji had driven her home.

But she had kissed him.

It was odd how young it made her feel.

I’m not old enough to feel unusually young, she thought, happy and horrified at once.

Certainly nothing like Asuka’s ramblings. Must be some bad past experience, she thought.

***************

“Waaark!” Pen-Pen finally dragged Asuka out of bed.

“I’m sorry, just exhausted,” she mumbled.

“Out of the fridge,” Rei said in the kitchen.

“I’m hungry!” Karin said. “Feed me!”

“It is not meal time, you will bloat,” Rei said flatly.

What is Rei doing here, Asuka wondered.

“Waaark,” Pen-Pen said. This meant her parents had gone out, leaving Rei in charge.

But why was Rei even here to be in charge?

Once clean, she came out to find Rei with each of her siblings locked in an arm. “Do they drink coffee?” Rei asked. She sounded dubious.

“Oh God no,” Asuka said, horrified by the thought of them on caffeine. She got herself some cereal and milk. “Did you have fun?”

“Yes,” Rei said, then took out her tablet and showed a news story to Asuka.

NERV was opening a display in Nuremberg of life forms it had revived and other projects. Asuka read excitedly. While they were on vacation, this was the *perfect* field trip.

It would take some persuading but she was sure she could do it. As they’d need security and so on.

***************

“We can’t send both of you,” Commander Ikari said. “But it would be fine if you took some of your students. I’ll have security go with you, of course. But since the Rangers do not yet have any foes to fight, we can afford to let you go, if you don’t mind talking to news people.”

“Oh, I’d be happy to help with publicity,” Asuka said. “Thank you, sir.”

“Your dedication to your teaching craft is commendable,” Commander Ikari said, relaxing a little. “Ladyfinger?”

Asuka took one for the road.

**************

“Oh, you’re in Shigeru’s band too?” Heidi said to Makoto at lunch; she’d stayed over night at their place after her date with Shigeru. Makoto was used to this sort of thing as he’d roomed with Shigeru since they both came to the Geofront. He’d had guests himself once or twice but things never seemed to work out for long to his frustration.

And while he still would have happily dated Misato, she was his boss now and even when they’d been in college, she’d never been serious about anything. So he was trying to not think about her but not always succeeding.

“Drums,” Makoto said. “Shigeru’s a better musician.”

“He and Lucy keep our electronics running too,” Shigeru said; he was wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt; it was Saturday and he was slobbed out.

Heidi was middling in height and build with short, curly brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a jaunty green hat all the time, Makoto had noticed.

“You should come see us next weekend,” Makoto said.

“I might do that,” she said cheerfully. “I bet you get a lot of groupies.”

“Too many of them are too young,” Shigeru said, frowning. “But yes. I just have to get Lucy to run their photos so we don’t end up with anything that will get us in trouble.” He sighed. “At least my worst nightmare didn’t come true.”

“You didn’t fart loudly, yes,” Makoto said, amused.

Heidi laughed, leaning back in her chair and shaking like an earthquake.

“Thanks, man, I wasn’t going to mention it in front of Heidi,” Shigeru said, face in hands. “I meant Asuka doing something crazy to try to stop us.”

“Who?” Heidi asked.

Shigeru explained as Makoto munched on his apple slices. He had a sandwich, fruit and milk, his usual lunch. Makoto had

no lactose intolerance unlike many adults of his homeland and loved it.

“How cute,” Heidi said, smiling, then worked on her own sandwich carefully and delicately.

“Young love makes me barf, twice as much if I have to get involved in the bullshit,” Shigeru said, frowning. “We practice tonight, right?”

“Yes,” Makoto said.

Shigeru moved the conversation back to music for the rest of lunch.

***************

Kameko wasn’t so sure going to the party with Clotilda was a good idea. It was a chance to practice German but she wasn’t very good yet and surely drunk people were not ideal for it. With huge effort, she’d persuaded Clotilda to let her bring Shinji. Clotilda had feared that Shinji would make it too easy for her to avoid speaking German.

Kameko was pretty sure that she needed rather more study before she was ready for this. Especially since Clotilda soon started getting drunk and dancing with boys.

However, she and Shinji found a card game being run by one of Clotilda’s classmates, a boy named Berthold Koenig. She thought he was rather handsome with black hair and blue

eyes and a pleasant smile; he wore a fancy white formal shirt and nice slacks, fancier than anyone else and had a necklace tucked into his shirt. Some sort of gem set with wings on each side was under it.

“I… you…” She struggled for words as he shuffled two decks together; they had seven players; the rest were all Clotilda and Berthold’s age.

“Kameko is learning German, please be patient with her,” Shinji said to everyone.

Jeff, a tall redhead, said, “I know how she feels. I was like that two years ago.” He studied his hand, frowning.

A song about trains began to wail; it had been all country music all night. Shinji and Kameko were not big on country.

Gunther, tall and blonde, confidently discarded a card, then took a swig of his beer; he was actually a year younger than Berthold or Clotilda.

Everyone is so tall, Kameko thought.

Berthold looked at Kameko. He held up a card questioningly.

She threw down two but that wasn’t it. She pointed to his necklace. “Thing.”

He blinked, then took it out; the well cut emerald caught the light and was very beautiful; it was set into silvery ‘wings’. The carving was delicate and beautiful and it carried a feeling of age with it. “Lovely,” Kameko said, then felt she was five. There was something special about it, though. It reminded her of the rings she wore of her own design. But much, much prettier.

Berthold had to pass it to everyone. Sarah, short and dark haired, especially oohed and ahhed over it. “This is so beautiful, it almost shines,” she said.

The gem reflected the light so well, it seemed to almost make its own light through its many delicately cut facets.

“I know,” he said. “Father left it to me.” He looked somber. “Father died saving Mom and I during the Vanishing War when riots set our homes on fire. We would have died if not for the medics who got to us. Which is why I want to be one, some day.” He donned the necklace. “He put it on me when he took me out of the building,” he said softly.

Sarah kissed his cheek; his eyes widened and she giggled. “We should do strip poker.”

“Not with the kids,” Jeff said to her.

Shinji made incoherent noises while Kameko wondered what was going on.

Shinji did not explain.

Then they got down to playing.

***************

Unused to beer, Kameko was drunk as a skunk and Clotilda wasn’t much better and Shinji was hammered also. They sang loud songs on the way home in Japanese, then Clotilda passed out on the couch and Kameko ended up sleeping on Huan’s bed while he took her guest room.

Then they all had horrible hangovers in the morning.

However, Jeff had invited them to come play cards with them some time, as they played every week and Kameko had said yes. It had been good practice, though she really had not been ready for it. Not this fast.

But Clotilda insisted she’d only learn by getting in too deep.

That was certainly too deep.

***************

“Needs more cowbell,” Touji’s father said sagely.

“Thanks Dad. For nothing,” Touji said, aggravated. He, Kensuke, and Shinji were jamming. But the world did not have many drums, keyboard, and violin pieces and their effort at improvisation had probably just woken the dead.

“Try some Depeche Mode,” Jiro Suzuhara said.

“I don’t want oldies,” Touji said.

“They’re great and very popular these days,” Jiro said stubbornly.

Because nostalgia for pre-war days was in and Jiro’s generation had money to burn.

Shinji felt embarrassed he’d asked them to jam with him but then they couldn’t find something good to play. He felt this weird urge to do things with people that came and went. It was pretty strong at the moment. Feeling this way was rather confusing after a long life of lonerdom.

There was a knock on the door; it was Bert with Rosalinda in tow. She had a trumpet and he had an electric guitar with speakers. “I heard there was ROCKING so I came a’knocking,” he said.

“Oh YEAH,” Touji said.

“Not too loud,” Jiro Suzuhara said, futilely.

“Bert’s the best musician ever!” Rosalinda said excitedly.

“Sure am, baby,” he said, then kissed her. “Let’s rock!”

Jiro eventually had to flee, but Ingrid came out and sang, improvising lyrics with great skill; it was one of her knacks.

It was chaos, but Shinji, to his surprise, liked it. His adventurous side grew a little stronger.

*************

“Eighty-five percent chance of success,” Node Olorin announced.

“Eighty-three percent chance of success,” Node Aiwendil announced.

“Eighty-five point three zero one five,” Node Merlin reported.

They had undergone enough disasters in the last decade of trying to synch people to Rangers or even just exposure to HALO that they now had an elaborate model which allowed them to estimate the safety of such events.

The reason Dr. Akagi had just run the test was that she was trying to understand what exactly had happened in the cave in Japan. Without any pre-extant DNA record, Ritsuko couldn’t be sure if the changes in Kameko were superficial or fundamental, but now her hair was red and she had grown substantially stronger. She could only make a guess from talking to Kameko and doing some simple lifting experiments, but she estimated a twenty percent increase. This did not actually make Kameko very strong, even by the standard of a woman her age. Hedda

had grown stronger by the same amount, and faster as well. Rei, on the other hand, did not seem to have undergone any physiological changes.

“Not bad odds,” Hedda said, studying the monitor and trying to understand all the displayed data.

“We’ll need permission from your father,” Dr. Akagi said. She frowned. “That’s still a fair chance of something bad, you have to understand.”

“I never imagined myself as a dancing locksmith but if that’s what these old artifacts want, I’m cool with that,” Hedda said, stretching. “It shows they had taste.”

She definitely could affect HALO, though they were trying to understand how exactly that worked; with music, it seemed keyed to the vibrations, but dancing didn’t produce that kind of effect. It did at least match up with old lore books, though; the historical section had found depiction of some dances which Hedda had somehow learned in dreams.

“Time for the daily growth experiment,” Dr. Akagi said.

One of their ongoing experiments was with some hydroponic crops. One of the records had a dance to encourage the growth of crops. They now had an ongoing experiment with performing this daily for some hydroponic potatoes; the potatoes appeared to be growing about 15% faster than the control potatoes. This made Dr. Akagi’s inner rationalist cry, but the rest of her was intrigued, as was Asuka.

They’d experimented in the past with growing crops in HALO, but while the results were incredible (a week’s growth in one day), HALO was too expensive and rare to do on a large scale.

But anyone could dance.

Even if it was just the young generation, that was still a lot of potential dancers.

Dr. Akagi was pretty excited about it, and she didn’t get excited easily.

**************

“You want me to dance with a penguin,” Hedda said to Asuka, just to be sure.

“Waaark,” Pen-Pen said.

“Sorry, I don’t speak Penguin,” Hedda said amused.

They were in Asuka’s laboratory where she worked on her master’s research, which largely involved penguin uplift experiments, trying to duplicate what she’d done with Pen-Pen. A dozen non-sapient penguins lived here and failed to become more intelligent to Asuka’s frustration.

Pen-Pen now began tapping the device strapped to his wing. The machine spoke with Makoto’s voice, saying, “I am as intelligent as you.”

Hedda jumped, eyes wide. “Holy shit.”

“Do not treat me as an animal,” Pen-Pen said, slowly typing it out.

She rubbed her forehead. “Okay, I get it. But I totally… I don’t even know what to do. I don’t know any penguin related dances. Half the time, I can’t even remember what the dances I dream are supposed to do.”

“I don’t know,”Asuka said. “But we’ll experiment.” Hard as this may be to explain to her thesis committee.

“How long did it take with Pen-Pen?” Hedda asked.

“It took nine months for him to undergo the full change,” Asuka said. “But there were signs early on and the later subjects don’t get them. I’m guessing he has some genetic trait which made him more suitable but I haven’t been able to isolate it yet.”

Hedda rubbed her forehead. “Well, let’s find some music he likes and I’ll try to improvise.”

She had not expected to dance with a penguin today, but she would figure out something. Hedda was a good improviser.

***************

Hikari handed the stack of papers to Asuka. “Permission slips all signed for those going.”

Asuka had wanted to take no chances, since they’d be leaving the GeoFront. “Thanks, Horaki,” she said.

“Here’s the itinerary,” Hikari said and they began going over it together, while snacking on food supplied by Barbara; they were at Asuka’s living room table.

Barbara hovered nervously, trying to be a good hostess.

This pleased Hikari as it fit her sense of how to host things. Asuka had a nice respectable family, the kind she wished she had; her father was drunk with his friends right this minute.

Asuka is so lucky to have a nice family, Hikari thought.

She now noticed two kids poking their head through the doorframe, peeking in. “Hi there,” she said to them. “You have siblings?” she asked Asuka.

“Oh yes. Edgar, Karin, come over here.”

They both looked nervous, but Asuka picked up Karin in her arms and Karin now relaxed. “This is Edgar, and this is Karin.” Asuka ruffled Karin’s hair and she made happy noises. “They’re Barbara’s kids,” Asuka said. “Can they snack too?” she asked Barbara.

Barbara relaxed now. “It’s fine.”

The kids descended on the food like the Visigothic hordes.

“Not that much!” Barbara said frantically, now regretting it.

It took some effort to restrain them, but Hikari couldn’t help but laugh. What a happy family, she thought. She was envious.

***************

“I hear you lurking,” Asuka shouted later; she was on her bed, once again reading research on uplifting animal intelligence. A researcher in Florida had made a breakthrough with cats which intrigued her. For some reason, it only worked on Persian cats, though.

Barbara came in hesitantly. “Your friend seemed very nice,” she said to Asuka’s feet.

“Horaki is very nice. She liked you and the kids,” Asuka said, still reading the article. “She was the class rep for my homeroom this past year.” The process greatly increased the trainability of the cats, who could learn more complex tasks than ordinary cats. Motivating them, that was another question.

“I… I’m glad to see you with a friend over,” Barbara said, shuffling on her feet.

Asuka sighed. “Thank you.” She could argue but she wasn’t in the mood and just agreeing would get the woman to go away quicker. “Do you need me for something?”

“No, just… no,” Barbara said. “Enjoy your reading.” She hurried out.

Asuka continued to read, then her mind drifted to Kaji and Fraulein Fassbinder. She grimaced, but shook her head. The game wasn’t up yet. She wouldn’t give up this easy.

But she needed to focus on work right now.

With effort, she banished their existence from her head and went back to studying.

*************

Shinji stood in the monitoring room with Kameko, Dr. Akagi, and Maya, along with many technicians. They were observing the growth of Unit-02; it was creepy as it seemed to basically grow from the inside out. Which meant it had no skin yet and was all freaky muscle tissues of odd colors, though the HALO it soaked in made it hard to tell its true color.

“When will it be ready?” Kameko said, holding Shinji’s hand firmly and shivering.

Shinji was shivering too; looking at it made his nerves jangle and his skin had goosebumps. It was creepy.

“Christmas,” Maya said. “At current growth rates.”

“Dr. Akagi, brain activity is spiking,” one of the technicians said. “Motor activity centers.”

“It has an engine?” Shinji said; he thought they were biological.

And now, slowly, the head began to turn to face towards the chamber from which they viewed it. Even though said chamber was far away and they were viewing it by camera and monitor.

“Shut it down,” Dr. Akagi said, now worried. The Rangers had enough independence to do things like balance themselves without a pilot but this was enough to worry her. These things had to be kept zombies with no will of their own or they would be hideously dangerous. “Scan for Blue Sign.” Her greatest fear was that somehow a Wraith would get control of one.

“Orange Sign levels are up, no sign of Blue Sign,” another tech reported. Maya rushed to his station, working with him.

Shinji stared into its eyes as it gazed at them; he and Kameko couldn’t look away, frozen in place.

“Motion ceased,” another technician reported. “It’s resisting.”

Dr. Akagi stared it in the eyes, undaunted, but noticed Shinji and Kameko. “Don’t worry, it’s under control,” she said.

It had better stay under control, she thought.

And then one of its arms began to slowly move.

Shinji felt the urge to play something but his instrument was in the music room where they had been earlier. Kameko felt the urge to dance but fought it, fearing it would be trouble.

And then, suddenly, Shinji understood. It was lonely. How a giant bio-robot could be lonely, he didn’t know but Shinji knew loneliness with the intimacy of a lover. Words came to him unbidden.

“Hello, darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk to you again.” Shinji lacked the voice training to be a great singer, but he had the necessary sense of rhythm to do a decent job. He began to sing, unable to stop himself.

Kameko began to sing along and soon the entire room was singing; even Dr. Akagi gave in, feeling the music embrace her and guide her.

Slowly, Unit-02 relaxed and ceased to shift in its growth tube and sank back into its usual slumber.

“Strong reaction in the tank, forming a stable orange sign matrix around it,” the technician said. “Some sort of fractal structure, I think.” He peered at the data on his monitor.

“Have the MAGI run an analysis,” Dr. Akagi said. What has the boy done and can we duplicate it, she thought. And why did it start moving on its own when Unit-00 and -01 never did except as reflexes?

That worried her.

Shinji would not have thought on his own of using that song as a lullaby but it felt right. It didn’t feel so alone; he could tell somehow. And he felt good having helped it.

“I am sealing this incident,” Dr. Akagi said to everyone. “Tell no one. Maya, see about getting them home. I am going to report to Commander Fuyutsuki.”

“Am I in trouble?” Shinji said weakly.

“No,” Dr. Akagi said. “But I don’t want to create any panic. So keep your mouth shut on it.”

He nodded.

Kameko frowned, wondering exactly how non-sapient the Rangers really were.

************

“Anything cool happen at work?” Kensuke asked; he always tried to get every detail from Shinji.

“Totally normal and boring,” he said nervously.

Kensuke smelled blood in the water as Touji got Space Piracy IV fired up.

Conrad could tell but wasn’t going to pry. “They know yet when 02 will be ready?”

“Christmas, roughly,” Shinji said, relieved.

They fired up the game; they were close to finishing the second campaign but last time they’d been blown to bits by Reavers while trying to escort food to the front.

“C’mon, something cool must have happened,” Kensuke said. “I can tell you’re hiding something.”

“I’m not hiding anything!,” Shinji said frantically.

He managed to hide what happened but not that something *did* happen.

******************

While Clotilda was not enthused about hanging out with fourteen year olds when she could be hanging out with her friends, she’d agreed to Kameko’s request to come to a ‘party’ organized by Hedda for Kameko to meet girls from the class she would be in. When it turned out Hedda’s dad had bought them beer, she got more enthused.

And really, this was the kind of environment Kameko needed to work on her German. Friendly peers who could help her. And Clotilda was there to make sure there was no cheating and help Kameko if necessary.

Also, once the game of Monopoly really got going, Clotilda’s competitive instincts came over and age became irrelevant in the face of the need to bankrupt everyone.

Her prime opposition was Gretchen Adler, who had curly strawberry-blond hair and usually looked intense. She was a very good player. Everyone else was just bumbling around with little sense of strategy. Evelyn Scott, in fact, seemed driven more by her sense of aesthetics than strategy, though she had twice managed to cut off Clotilda from monopolies she wanted by lucky rolls and the whims of her aesthetics.

Kameko didn’t talk much, though Clotilda prompted people to talk to her and everyone was, thankfully, friendly, as Clotilda had noticed that while Kameko had fits of boldness, her lack of language skills was making her shy.

This was going to be a painful evening for her in that regard, but Clotilda knew it would help her in the long term.

“Are you really growing potatoes with dancing?” Gretchen asked Hedda.

Hedda put her beer down. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Damned if I know how dancing can make crops grow but I guess that’s why they had all those old traditional may dances and things.”

Evelyn now looked curious. “Can you show us?”

Hedda rose and began to dance, twirling and kicking. Fuck, she’s good, Clotilda thought, watching her and feeling frustrated. Everything came so easily to Conrad’s generation; he hardly studied while she’d worked her ass off.

On the other hand, he had no job and now NERV was paying her a lot of money to help Kameko. So HA. Suck on that, lazy brother!, she thought.

Then she wished she was graceful enough to dance like that. Especially when Kameko joined Hedda; she was visibly a lot less skilled but still better than Clotilda. Soon everyone was dancing together; they even dragged Clotilda into it.

It was actually kind of fun.

*****************

Shinji rubbed his forehead. Commander Fuyutsuki kept asking him the same questions about the incident over and over from slightly different angles. He had the vague feeling of being in trouble, though the man seemed friendly. “It just seemed like the right song. I don’t know,” he confessed.

Commander Fuyutsuki typed for a few seconds; he was sitting behind a computer and taking notes as they went. “Try listening to this.”

It was a male voice, singing in some language Shinji didn’t know. But the words sent shivers through him. He could not help but see visions of great forests stretching skyward and deer roaming the woods, while he watched from among the trees. Wolves stalked the deer and Shinji watched in horror, though the music tried to persuade him this was the proper order of things.

He couldn’t help but remember those dead soldiers he’d seen back in Japan and he shivered. “Make it stop.”

Fuyutsuki hit a button and frowned. “What is wrong?”

“I’ve seen enough death already,” Shinji said, shivering. “The poor deer.”

Fuyutsuki got the odd look Rei sometimes did, where it was like he wasn’t there, and then he said, “You eat meat too, you know.” But his voice was gentle.

“I don’t run it down in the woods and kill it when it’s just hanging out,” Shinji said urgently.

“Wolves take the old and the sick and the lame, before they can slowly suffer and die, unable to take care of themselves. There is no malice in it. As the deer eat the plants and the plants eat the soil and drink of the sun’s light,” Fuyutsuki said. “It is sung into the very fabric of the world.”

“Yes, but seeing it… It reminded me of the dead soldiers,” Shinji said. And now he felt kind of guilty for eating meat. He’d never really thought about it.

“That is completely different. Those wolves had been twisted from their role by the werewolf, a… a creature created to lead them astray. But I see why it bothers you,” Fuyutsuki said kindly to Shinji. “The hunt is part of the fabric of life, in many ways, from the hunt for food to the quest for knowledge. It is more than just getting food, it is the entire drive to seek and to find.” He sounded remarkably passionate about it.

“Like Dr. Akagi,” Shinji said thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Fuyutsuki said with a clear admiration. “But your nature, I suspect, heeds a different call.”

He played a series of musical pieces, reading Shinji’s reactions and making notes. Shinji’s favorite piece made him think of a little club with himself, Rei, and Asuka up on the stage playing for a group of people who were dancing and enjoying themselves. He surprised himself with that.

Fuyutsuki finally let him go, but Shinji decided he ought to try and find another violin player, so they could have a string quartet. The idea of playing at a club intrigued and scared him at once.

But weirdly, it was a good kind of fear.

*****************

Gendo studied the report as Fuyutsuki lounged in the comfy guest chair in Gendo’s office. Fuyutsuki was drinking an iced coffee, a concept Gendo considered an abomination against Eru and man alike. “So he didn’t like Orome’s piece,” he said softly.

“He responded best to the one evoking Este,” Fuyutsuki said to Gendo. “Hedda liked the one for Nessa best, but that really isn’t very surprising.”

“There must be more like them,” Gendo said. “We must find them.” He looked thoughtful. “But she’s actually been visited by Nessa.”

“I am surprised, but pleased,” Fuyutsuki said, gesturing with his can of cold coffee. “If the Valar are training people, even if only in dreams, it will be a great help to us. I feared they would remain totally idle until too late.” He sighed.

“They will remain idle. They have worn out,” Gendo said sadly. “The world grows old and so do they. They may arm Valinor, but that will be it. We are on our own, old friend.” He sighed.

“Can you blame them? I know the temptation. They have tasted failure too many times and cannot forget past failures. These bodies do have their advantages. Remembering everything is a bane as well as a boon,” Fuyutsuki said, finishing his can and carefully placing the can in the trash. “I can’t even

remember what it was like to remember everything now, very well.”

They both got a far away look in their eyes.

“None of this will matter if the security council ends up cutting our funding,” Fuyutsuki said.

“We cannot allow that,” Gendo said, and they began brainstorming on how to avoid it.

******************

Rei had to stay in the Geofront so they would have a pilot on duty, just in case. But Asuka had almost everyone else in her class plus their hangers on and her siblings all assembled on a fine Saturday morning to catch the train to Nuremberg. She also had a security squad, commanded by Olga’s father, Captain Berg, to her surprise.

“I wanted to go see it anyway,” he told her. “So I took command of this.”

She hoped this didn’t reflect hidden knowledge of doom she wasn’t proxy to.

“I hate to have to ask, but…,” Asuka began.

He sighed. “I know. I’ll keep her and Suzuhara apart.”

Okay, Asuka thought. Let’s do this.

**************

Rei stared through the monitor at Unit-00.

“Nothing, ma’am,” the technician said to Dr. Akagi.

No sign of it responding or acting on its own. What had happened before? Dr. Akagi didn’t know and it seemed unduplicatable.

No one had ever synched with 02. Was that it? But it wasn’t safe to have someone try when it was still growing.

Dr. Akagi frowned and decided to check over the records of the growth of Unit-00 and 01 again.

****************

Kameko and Shinji sat next to Bert and Rosalinda, each couple busy holding hands and talking. Well, mostly Bert and Rosalinda talked; Shinji was more a listener and had to translate for Kameko and Kameko felt awkward.

The train blared a constant stream of hits from the eighties and nineties; they were used to this as anywhere frequented by adults tended to do this. Bert frowned at the ceiling as one song played. “The singer isn’t bragging about how his girlfriend goes to the bathroom all the time, right?”

Shinji and Rosalinda both stared at him; Kameko, baffled, stared at them staring at him. “I think he’s talking about ‘party’, not ‘potty’,” Rosalinda said, then adjusted her glasses. She was good at languages and hoped to be a writer one day. Recently, she’d tried her hands at song lyrics because her boyfriend wanted to be a rocker and she assumed they’d be together forever.

Bert relaxed. “Good.” He rubbed his forehead.

Shinji laughed, then explained it to Kameko who laughed. But when she laughed, everyone else on the train stared at her. She did her best to stare back, until they quit.

****************

Olga was busy playing a game on her phone with her friend Heilwig from the basketball team when a song came on with a really odd sounding singer. To her surprise, her father looked rather sad, though it sounded perky; it was in English, so she could only make out parts of it, but to her surprise, one of the other adults on the train with them started singing along.

And then another and another and even her father tried, though he was no great singer. The kids stared at the sudden outbreak of something they’d only expect to see in a movie.

They did recognize the look though; it was that kind of far away look adults got when they thought about things from before the Vanishing. Things none of the younger generation

knew or understood. But it had a powerful hold on the survivors.

Hedda rose and began dancing in the aisle, apparently improvising the dance as she went along. Olga watched how graceful she was and felt envious. Hedda wasn’t pretty but she could dance up a storm and she moved so utterly fluidly with perfect control. Olga felt awkward in her ever-growing body. Every time she thought she was used to her height, she got more height. It gave her big advantages in sports, but every so often, she screwed up because she couldn’t trust her body to stay the same and old habits got in the way.

Though she hadn’t hit a door frame with her head for a while, thankfully.

Olga suddenly intensely missed her mother, but fought the urge to cry. Heilwig looked sympathetic and patted her shoulder. This required some reach as while Heilwig was tall for a girl her age, she wasn’t a mountain like Olga. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “Maybe we should try to get her for the team next year. She moves so well.” She sounded envious.

Olga knew Hedda; she had all the discipline and work ethic of a drunken bum. Show up to daily practice? That would happen when the sun went out.

But she could just do this without even needing any practice, Olga thought. That really annoyed her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Hedda. Or help feeling envious.

The song ended and Hedda bowed and everyone applauded. Then Evelyn pointed out the window. “Look!”

They looked and they could see a rainbow streaking down across the sky to Nuremberg as if pointing to gold hidden there. Stunned silence was followed by Biyu Wang saying, “But the weather is totally wrong for it.”

“It’s a sign the Irish are coming with their leprechauns,” Kevin said. Some people laughed, most didn’t know what he was talking about. Olga couldn’t help but laugh a little as she did know the tradition. And had eaten the cereal at times.

Things went back to normal, but now Olga’s Dad got his phone and made a call, which made her nervous.

**************

Gendo was about to head to New York to testify to the Security Council, when he got a call from Andrea Onyango; she was the MAGI Operator for the secondary bridge crew, currently on duty. “Sir, we got a call from Captain Berg. A rainbow happened in weather not suitable for it, apparently in response to people performing on the train to Nuremberg.”

“Have him send Fuyutsuki and myself a list of who was there. And see if VINGILOT noticed anything,” he said. “If there is any sign of Blue Sign, call me immediately, otherwise, it can wait.”

“Yes, sir,” she said and hung up.

Gendo did not want an attack at this time, even if it would make arguing for creation of new Rangers easier. If the Red Book was correct, they likely had another five to seven years before anything scaled to need a Ranger showed up.

At current speeds, that would give enough time to build enough Rangers to have a fighting chance. And train up pilots. He wished that PALANTIR would finish deducing who the pilot of Unit-02 should be, though, so he could lay his greatest worry to rest.

A worry which recent events had made more pronounced.

He had some ideas of his own, but having to work with VANDA put limits on his autonomy. Without their resources, however, he would be unable to keep NERV running as it needed to. But even VANDA had only so much power in the modern world. It had grown too big for any group to control things as once a few leaders could do. Even in the world’s fallen state, men worked great miracles and finally were coming into their own.

Just in time for this world to end.

He put such concerns aside and began focusing on how to ensure NERV’s survival.

*****************

There were a handful of teens and college students at the station who began cheering when the group got off the train, chanting Asuka’s name and taking pictures. Captain Berg had been worried that RangerWatchers would make a scene, so he’d posted security. Fortunately, the group was neither large nor rowdy.

Also as he expected, Asuka ate it up and delivered an impromptu speech, then led the small crowd in singing the NERV anthem.

He then hustled her off before her head could get any bigger. He also quietly took Olga aside as they prepared to get in the vans he'd arranged to be there. “Olga, if there is trouble, I want you to be ready to hustle the kids along as we’ll be pinned down dealing with the trouble. Do not try to fight anyone unless you have no choice. But I’ll need someone to ensure that none of your classmates try anything crazy.”

She nodded, looking very serious. “Of course, Dad.”

He smiled and patted her shoulder. They fought a lot lately, but he knew he could count on her in a situation like this. “And no fights with Suzuhara, no matter what. Just ignore him.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, glancing off towards Suzuhara, who was in a cluster of boys busy yammering about sports and the park they were going to.

That was his other great worry, that the two of them would riot and start bigger trouble. All these fights… He didn’t know if he just was doing something wrong or if it was because of Rachel dying or what. Or maybe just teenagerdom; he’d gotten in a lot of fights for no reason at her age.

He hadn’t realized how much he leaned on his wife until she was gone. Now he felt permanently off-balance. He’d dreamed of her the night he brought Olga Rachel’s knife. He could hardly remember it but it left him with both a little bundle of joy and also a sense of loss. I’ve lost so many people over the years, he thought. I’m not an old man, he thought. Not even quite forty yet. What it would be like by the time he reached the age his grandfather died at, seventy-nine, he didn’t know.

He felt old. And he hated it. Being surrounded by the energy and vibrancy of youth, it made him feel older. But it also made him smile a little. They weren’t lost in the past yet. Everyone singing… it had made him happy to connect to so many. But at the same time, he knew clinging to the past was unhealthy. But with a future so dark and hard to predict, it was hard to resist the temptation.

He ended up riding in a car mostly full of boys, except for the two girls with their boyfriends. Whatever their names were. One of them was dating Ikari’s son, Shinji. And the other boyfriend… “You play guitar, right?” he said to the boy.

“Yes, sir,” the tall boy said seriously.

“Any good at singing?” he asked.

“Umm.. I’m a lot better at guitar, but I don’t have it with me,” he said apologetically, looking confused.

Captain Berg felt the urge to listen to something new, but maybe the radio would have something new.

He found a station of new music on the radio, and… he didn’t like it.

The kids loved it.

I hate getting old, he thought.

***************

Nuremberg was a quieter place than it had been before the Vanishing; noisy oil-burning vehicles had been largely replaced by electric vehicles, and fewer people had cars. Even areas not torn up by the chaos after the Vanishing were not as prosperous in some ways as they once had been, though in others, perhaps more advanced.

They spent the rest of the morning sight-seeing, hitting the science museum (which focused on Nuremberg's historical connection to astronomy), several old churches (such as St Lorenz-Kirche, in the gothic style), and hitting the German National Railways Museum (whose restaurant provided them with lunch).

Through it all, Captain Berg and the security men hovered around them, keeping away others and sometimes getting angry glares from people herded out of the way of the kids. It was a strange feeling for all the kids, most of whom had never had a security detail before.

Local news showed up after lunch and Asuka gave an impromptu interview, urging support for the expansion of the Ranger force and telling everyone to study hard. She rather enjoyed it, though Kensuke kept trying to tell her what to say. Sure, his father was a big wig in PR for NERV but that didn’t make *him* an expert.

Admittedly, the advice wasn’t bad but it was like he didn’t trust her to speak in public! Given Asuka had been ten when she had her first interview, she felt herself an old hand at this.

And it ended in cheering from the audience which had built up, so she felt she had it well in hand. They then headed for their two main destinations, Tiergarten Nurnberg (the city zoo) and the Botanical Gardens.

The zoo was a mixture of forest and natural style enclosures for the animals; it was the largest surviving zoo in Europe and had been around in various forms for over a century. NERV had some animal species it had revived on display here.

Touji looked into one of the enclosures at... "Are those some kind of... no, they can't be cows."

"Bison," Asuka said. She was in her element here and loving it. Loving it to the point that she now told Touji more about bison than he EVER WANTED TO KNOW.

Hikari laughed a little as Touji squirmed. So did Kensuke, who was busy filming the whole trip and now took this opportunity for a close-up.

Asuka's enthusiasm indeed seemed infectious; the zoo took up more time than they planned because every time she launched into one of her talks, everyone stopped and listened; indeed, she soon had a flock of miscellaneous visitors following her too.

To say she was loving this would be an understatement. Asuka gloried in showing off and this was her specialty, biology.

NERV had a special exhibit here of animals they'd managed to revive from extinction. There were three species on display: giant elephants, who were utterly huge, scarlet pipers (a kind of bird), and 'mighty horses', though most of those present couldn't see any difference between these and ordinary brown and dun and black horses.

“What makes these horses so special?” Kevin asked.

One of the horses now came up to Shinji, studying him. Shinji looked back at him, smiling a little. He started to reach towards the horse, then stopped, looking nervous.

One of the zoo wardens studied them curiously. “Have you worked with horses?” he asked.

“Yes, I grew up in farmland,” Shinji said.

She brought him a brush and he began brushing the horse’s mane while it nickered happily.

The warden said, “They’re exceptionally intelligent and strong. And fast.”

Olga studied them wistfully; she’d always wanted to ride a horse. But she didn’t know how and the zoo was probably not the ideal place to learn.

“You want to try riding him?” the warden asked Shinji. “They’re trained for riders.”

Shinji licked his lips nervously, looked at Kameko, then said, “Sure.”

Asuka watched them race around the pen and hoped this was safe as she would be killed if Shinji got hurt. Okay, killed was an overstatement but she’d be in big trouble. But Shinji soon was laughing and enjoying himself and now everyone looked envious. Especially Olga.

“You’d probably just crush it if you rode it,” Touji said to her.

“Kiss my ass, Suzuhara!” she shouted angrily.

The usual riot would have erupted if Asuka and Captain Berg hadn’t quickly moved in and pushed them away. Berg took his daughter, whispering to her, and now she looked very embarrassed.

“Touji, that was pointlessly cruel,” Asuka said to him. “Learn some manners or I’ll send you home and it’ll be on the news how you couldn’t behave.”

“But…” he spluttered.

“I’ll keep him out of trouble,” Hikari said.

“Thanks,” Asuka said. She wanted this to go smoothly, and student on student violence was *not* smooth.

****************

“He enjoyed it sir,” the zookeeper said to Gendo on the phone.

“Good,” Gendo said. “I thought he would.” He smiled a little. If only dealing with the security council would be this easy.

***************

Shinji kissed Kameko again while everyone was looking at the giant elephants. Ernie seemed fascinated by the model giant

elephant by the edge of the elephant enclosure. It had a small fortress with archers on its back.

Shinji’s blood was pumping and he felt so alive, more so than usual. Kameko made happy noises as they kissed, bodies pressed together, and he didn’t care about anything else, though he regretted she couldn’t have ridden with him.

Now he wished he could have a horse in the Geo-Front, but really, where would he ride it?

But that was sense and he didn’t want to be sensible. Part of him wanted to ride across grassy plains and see the mountains rise before him and explore the hills, just him, his horse, Kameko and the sky and the wind and the rain.

He felt wild and free and it was a glorious (and for him unusual) feeling. He wanted something exciting to happen. To have an adventure.

Of course, crossing half the planet, seeing countries he’d never seen before, that was an adventure. But it wasn’t the same. The Geo-Front was different, but not that different.

“Now that’s a heffalump,” Kevin said, then was disappointed when no one laughed but Evelyn. He got more laughs when he began pretending to be an elephant.

But now one of the giant elephants began to come his way and he fell silent, looking nervous.

It took a large drink of water, then hosed him down with it.

Everyone laughed uproariously, while he stared, but then began to laugh as well. He began flailing around exaggeratedly until finally the laughter faded and they moved on.

*************

Heilwig watched the flight of the scarlet pipers, very small birds with bright red feathers and high pitched voices; they sung constantly in complex patterns. She wished she knew more about music.

“The scarlet pipers were produced through basically getting some similar surviving bird species to give birth to them, using genetic manipulation of eggs,” Asuka said. “They seem to really annoy dogs as they make their music on frequencies too high for most humans to hear.”

“I can hear dog whistles,” Heilwig said. “Their music is beautiful.”

“I know,” Hikari said. “They’re really enjoying this summer day.”

Hardly anyone else could hear the birds, though Lars did as well, and Asuka could, though she couldn’t hear dog whistles.

Suddenly, they all flew over to the side of their enclosure where Hikari was and began to fly in formation. Everyone stared and Hikari turned red. Hikari and Asuka, but no one else,

could hear them singing a song of praise to the queen of the skies. Given nothing like this had ever happened to Hikari outside a dream, she didn’t know what to do.

Asuka, on the hand, looked at Hikari curiously. “You understand them?”

“I think so,” Hikari said. “I never… what is going on?” she said to Asuka.

Asuka had a feeling she’d found an experiment she needed to conduct. Oh yes.

*****************

The rest of the trip went smoothly. Asuka let Sam kiss her, though she wasn’t sure this was wise, but he was just… she didn’t really have a good excuse. It felt good but she told herself not to do it again. Not when she had Kaji.

Asuka and some of the others had a late night pool party at her complex once they got back; she had to call Fuyutsuki on the phone and talk to him about Hikari’s experience but it went quickly. She was busy whipping everyone at racing… everyone but Rei… when Fraulein Fassbinder came walking up in a blue blouse and a knee-length green skirt, looking all made up but by herself. “Hello, Asuka,” she said. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, I did,” she said a little defiantly. “I had a great time at the park.” Dammit, what does she have that I don’t, Asuka wondered.

“Kaji had to go interrogate someone but we had a good time until then,” she said, sighing happily.

Sam now came up and kissed Asuka quickly, then said, “Hi, Fraulein Fassbinder. I hope you had a good time.”

Fraulein Fassbinder gave them the ‘what cute kids’ smile; Asuka wanted to kill someone for that. “It was nice. Enjoy your party; if it wasn’t so late, I’d probably join you.” She yawned. “I really am getting old,” she said, then sighed.

“You still look hot!” Kensuke shouted.

She rubbed her forehead. “Aida, do you have any manners?”

“I cannot tell a lie! You should go get a suit and join us!” Kensuke said.

Hedda now dunked him and they vanished out of sight.

“Another time. You all have fun.” She headed out and Sam now turned Asuka around to face him.

“Come on, we have to have a race, so you can whip me and feel better,” he said, grinning.

“It doesn’t work if you tell me you will lose in advance,” she grumbled.

“Let’s arm-wrestle!”

He looked surprised to lose that but Asuka couldn’t help but grin. He kept it up, trying to distract her and she appreciated that.

As a result, she didn’t get really depressed until after the party when there was no Sam, just her bedroom and Pen-Pen passed out on the couch with Karin using him as a pillow.

She threw a blanket over them and went to bed, wishing something would happen to let her show her strength.

*****************

Hikari patted Pen-Pen on the head. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

“WaarkkkK,” he said, which she could tell meant ‘Please don’t pet me on the head like a dog.’

“I’m sorry!” she said, amazed she understood.

They were in Asuka’s lab at NERV, which was equipped for doing genetic research and manipulation. However, they were just putting birds on the tables so Hikari could try conversing with them.

She found she could talk to all of them, but most didn’t have much to say beyond the very simplest of conversations. They also understood her within the limits of bird minds. Which was to say, they usually didn’t understand much.

Further, other animals didn’t work, only birds.

Fuyutsuki arrived partway through this. “Sorry to butt in.”

“It’s okay, sir,” Asuka said and explained everything to him.

Fuyutsuki looked thoughtful. “We are going to need a special bird.”

Pen-Pen hit some buttons on his speaker and it said “I am a special bird.”

“You are,” Fuyutsuki said. “I did not mean to give offense.”

“Apology accepted,” Pen-Pen indicated after more button punching.

“You can speak freely, I understand you,” Fuyutsuki said to Pen-Pen.

“WwwwaaarkK,” Pen-Pen said, which all knew meant ‘That makes things much easier.’

“Do you ever dream of birds?” Fuyutsuki asked Hikari.

“Sometimes,” Hikari said a little warily. Her dreams of being the sky queen were kind of silly. Childish. But so much fun.

“It has been a very long time since the scarlet pipers sang,” Fuyutsuki said softly. “Here on Earth. It must have touched some chord in your soul.”

“They hailed her as queen of the skies,” Asuka said.

Fuyutsuki nodded, looking thoughtful. “Do you play an instrument?”

“I am okay with the flute but not great,” Hikari said.

“I am a piano man myself,” Fuyutsuki said. “Though good with the harp. Let me see about getting each of you an instrument.”

***************

This is how Asuka and Hikari ended up playing a piece, accompanied by birds. Asuka smiled brightly as did Hikari as scarlet pipers flew around them, singing merrily, accompanying their tune.

A small bottle of Halo reacted, swaying to the music.

“This will merit further study and her working with your group, I think,” Fuyutsuki said. “If you can spare the time, Frau Horaki.”

“I will make the time,” Hikari said. If she could help NERV, even just with doing weird things with birds, she wanted to help.

“Very good,” Fuyutsuki said. “Thank you, Asuka, for bringing this to my attention. I have further news for you as well. Frau Horaki, I will see you later. Let me call someone to see you out. Asuka, please come with me.”

***************

Asuka followed Fuyutsuki through the Geo-Front. She hoped that it was a call to battle. She wanted to *do* something.

Kaji was there, friendly but not happy, though he wasn’t unhappy with her. “Hello, Asuka,” he said. He and Fuyutsuki and Commander Katsuragi were all waiting for her in a conference room. To her surprise, Kensukie’s father, Aida Satoru, was there too.

“Hi, Kaji,” she said, perking up.

“We have an important mission for you. You’re going to address the Security Council,” Fuyutsuki said. “They want to talk to a pilot and you are the obvious choice.”

*That* made her feel good. “I will give the greatest speech of my life,” she said, banging her fist on the table.

“I knew you’d rise to the occasion,” Commander Fuyutsuki said and Asuka beamed brightly. “Aida-san has written a speech; you can go over it with him. Kaji will be heading up the guards for you; Aida-san will accompany you and handle publicity matters.”

“I suppose Rei will be staying here in case of emergency?” Asuka said.

“Yes,” Commander Katsuragi said. “It’s not likely anything will happen but we’ll take no chances.”

Finally, a chance to prove my mettle, Asuka thought. Because public speaking is one of my talents, she thought.

Yes!

***************

Kaji was surprised that Asuka spent the whole flight in deep conference with Aida instead of hitting on him, not that he minded it. It just surprised him. She and Aida pored over the speech, rewrote it, rewrote the rewrite, then she performed it to Kaji and the other guards, got feedback and made more changes.

It was an unusual experience for him; he’d never seen her so serious outside of doing pilot things. But then, he’d never seen her teach.

She looked older than usual. The fake glasses probably helped with that. She looked serious and it made him feel better about the talk they had to have. He’d hoped she’d give up on the crush without him having to say anything but it was only responsible to make sure she moved on to someone her own age.

But not yet. Let her have her triumph first.

He was quite sure she would triumph.

****************

The security council was much older than Asuka, but she dominated the room anyway with her powerful voice. “Ladies and gentlemen of the security council, I am the Second of the Ainarilsen, the Pilots of the Rangers. I have spent my life training for the battle we all know will come, when the aliens who stole Venus and smote our world on the day of the Vanishing return. Every day the Geo-Front skirmishes with their servants belowground. Now is not the time to abandon the preparations for the day of war which must come. Even the orbit of our world has been changed by them. Slowly we spiral away from the sun, and if we abandon the work of NERV, it is unlikely that we will be able to find a way to save this world from a slow death by ice.”

She soon had them hanging on her every word; Aida watched, envious. His ring made him a very great speaker, but Asuka was even better. She could probably sell snow to an iceberg, he suspected.

“Our countries have been laid waste because of the hands of our enemies! We have lost friends and family and fellow citizens, colleagues and rivals and neighbors,” Asuka said, and there was murmering and nodded agreement. “My mother is dead because of the Shadow! Our enemies recently made an attempt to assassinate me, thwarted only by the valiant efforts of NERV security,” Asuka continued. “But NERV does not just fight. Crops have higher yields and old life forms have been reborn through the technology we have pioneered.”

She now launched into a quick science lecture with pictures and quick video clips, working her audience up to a renewed appreciation of NERV’s scientific work.

Methodically, she made her way through everything it did, then concluded by a slideshow of those who had recently died in NERV’s service. “Please don’t let them have died in vain,” she said. “I know it is not easy to fund NERV. Many of you come from devastated nations who urgently need more help. We want to help you to make a better tomorrow too. But it takes a long time to build up a military force and we need to do it now, while we still can. We must stand together through this long night, united as never before. Look at everything we’ve accomplished. It is all made possible by the past support of every nation on Earth. We need you. Give us what we need to protect you, so that children can run and play and you can live your lives in peace. I know it is hard to sacrifice more. I am young and it is easy to be impatient to want it now. But I have gotten this far by reaching to my higher nature and learning control and discipline. I have given up my life, my childhood for mankind’s safety. I

only ask of you the money we need to stand as your shield wall.” Aida could see she had them now.

“My hand is ready for the work, but only you can fill it with sword and shield. Please vote for Resolution 3238 to provide funding for the creation of Unit-03 and Unit-04. Thank you,” Asuka said, concluding her speech.

The resolution was put to a vote. Overcome by the power of Asuka’s speech, they voted to approve it. Asuka smiled in triumph. She felt this the greatest day of her life.

***************

Ambassador Warwick swirled his wine around in his glass, smiling; he, his sister, China’s ambassador, Fang Chen, and Germany’s ambassador, Keele Lorenz, were having lunch with Gendo in New York at a café he owned in a private room. “Well, I see I have a challenger. To Asuka Soryuu-Langley, long may her golden tongue overcome the foes we cannot!”

They clinked glasses and Gendo said, “Well, the council said yes but now we have to make their bosses actually cough up the money and not stonewall. They can’t publically back down but they can make life hard. And some of those ambassadors are likely to get fired because they went against their instructions in their enthusiasm. In the long term, we’re going to have to find a way to change the mind of Zimbabwe, Bermuda, and India. And likely some others.” He grimaced. “Bermuda. On the Security Council.”

“It is a very silly system,” Master Fang said. “But it’s what we must work with. There are too many mortals and a limited number of us. I do have good news.”

“Go on,” Keele said, picking at his roast pork.

Gendo dug into his own pork and noodles while listening with interest.

“I am pretty sure that the Arkenstone still exists, though it is likely buried… wherever Erebor is now.” Master Fang said. “The last dwarves to leave it sealed the tombs and collapsed the old delvings. It’s buried deep but if we can find it, it will be of use to us.”

“The Dwarves will want it, whenever they resurface,” Maria Warwick pointed out.

“They will have to know about it and if we’re careful, they’ll never find out,” Master Fang said. “Mind you, now we must find it.”

“Any luck on the one lost in the Earth?” Keele asked.

“I will let you know,” Master Fang said, then sighed and started eating.

Gendo was frustrated by the setback here. But you could only do so much to push the mortal world now. Ordinary humans were used to controlling their own destinies and would not submit to the great. Not so blatantly as times past.

But there was no use crying over spilt milk. He would find a way to press forward. Somehow.

*****************

Asuka had a feeling of now or never, except that there were always at least two other people around when she was near Kaji. In fact, it wasn’t until they got on the plane to go home that he took her aside.

“Asuka, I know you have a crush on me but I am too old for you and I am dating someone else now,” he told her. He sounded quite determined.

She grimaced. “I am an adult!”

“It’s not even legal,” he told her, handing her the information he’d printed out on German laws. “And I am not a very good boyfriend. As Misato will tell you.” He sighed. “I am likely to die young, anyway.”

“I don’t care about any of that!” she said frantically. “And Fassbinder, she’s no good for you!”

He kissed her forehead. “I can only be a big brother. You were magnificent before the council. But I am too old and you are too young and you can do better.”

She began crying. “I don’t want better. I want YOU,” she told him.

“I’m sorry, but I love someone else,” he lied. He liked Karla but it wasn’t love. But if it helped Asuka get over it, he’d say it was. She needed a clean break. That was always the way. “I like you but I don’t love you and it’s best we not see each other until you can get over me, once we get back.”

She yelled at him and fumed the rest of the way but it was for the best, he told himself. He also quietly called Pieter and warned him Asuka would be breathing fire.

***************

Pieter Langley was waiting when Asuka got home, looking ready to commit murder. “You were great,” he told her. “I am very, very proud of you.”

She opened her mouth, shut it, then closed her eyes. She breathed hard for a few seconds, then said, “Father, thank you. I think… I think it worked.”

He came and embraced her, feeling her tight in his arms. “Didn’t they pass the resolution?” he asked.

“I just have this bad feeling like the world is going to take everything good away from me,” Asuka said, trembling in his arms, eyes closed. “Where’s Barbara?”

“She and one of her girlfriends are taking a few days off since I was supposed to be out flying and they took the kids to Berlin to be all touristy. But after they’d left, my flight got

cancelled due to grass getting sucked into the engine, so I’m here. I was thinking we’d hit a steakhouse to celebrate your victory.”

“Shouldn’t you be with Barbara and your kids?” Asuka asked softly.

“Even when you love each other, it can be good to get away from each other. And I wanted to spend some time with you since we hardly ever get to any more,” he said to her. He was absentee father too much but he needed to fly, to move around, so he didn’t dwell on past disaster too much.

“Tell me you love me,” she said urgently, clenching him very tightly.

“I love you,” he told her. “You don’t always make it easy, but I love you.”

“I’m not the one who flushed Mother’s memory down the toilet as soon as possible after she died!” Asuka said angrily.

“Which one of us likes to complain she was weak?” he said sharply and she winced.

“Do we really want to wreck the first day we’ve had together with just us in… months and months… on the same fight we have once a week?” he said.

She grimaced. “Fine, let’s go to the steakhouse.”

This, unfortunately, simply led to having the same fight as usual at the steakhouse and her storming off afterwards.

Well, at least I got Barbara out of the line of fire, he thought. She had unused vacation days, anyway. And by the time she got back, hopefully he could get Asuka to calm down.

*****************

Bert, Ernie, and Sam were having a jam session at Bert’s place, with Rosalinda trying to sing for them, when Asuka showed up to their surprise. She was wearing all black; black blouse, black short pleated skirt, high black boots, black eye makeup, black gloves and a black bag which had a bottle of whiskey.

They stared at her in shock; the only not black things were her skin, her ring and her hair. “You okay, teach?” Ernie asked; she looked like she’d been crying.

“Bert, can you play This World Is a Crapsack?”

“I can play the hell out of it,” he said, looking at the whiskey; he wanted to try it but if his parents found them drinking whiskey, he would be crucified.

“Get cups, everyone take a shot of whiskey, we are going to sing the hell out of it,” Asuka said dolefully.

Bert got disposable cups and some coke and the resulting mixture was horrible and throat-burning but it left him feeling ready to rock the hell out of this planet.

“Dad is going to kill me if he finds out,” Ernie said dolefully.

“He won’t,” Asuka said.

Rosalinda’s eyes crossed as the mix went down her throat. “I need lyrics,” she said to Asuka.

Asuka’s tablet handled that. Soon they were rocking like crazy. Asuka was not singing up to her usual standard of skill but her passion made them all feel a little crazy, as they raced through a series of either doleful or angry songs. Bert was glad his folks were at a party or else they would have all been killed by now.

She alternated trying to suck Sam’s face off between songs and finally when it got close to time for his parents to come home, Bert had to kick everyone out, though he was kind of worried about Asuka. She never had said why she was so mad, but…

Damn, she’s hot like that, he thought.

You’re a lucky man, Sam, he thought.

He felt less lucky himself when the cops showed up and bitched him out for making too much noise. Fortunately, they

didn’t come in. Then his parents yelled at him and he got grounded for three days.

***************

Asuka woke up on the couch with Sam on the floor, both of them under blankets.

Her father said, “Feel better now?”

Her head ached; she had a hangover from hell. “Need water,” she mumbled.

“Also, you’re too young to drink and need to set an example for your students,” he said to her. Then he got her water.

“Can’t you muster any sympathy?” she grumbled.

“Not after you bit my face off for trying to be nice to you, yesterday,” he said. “Your friend can stay for breakfast.”

“Thanks,” she said, chugging water. “Kaji dumped me,” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

He knew better than to think she would change her ways but he sighed. “You’re welcome. Want to try going somewhere nice for lunch? We can talk about it if you want.”

“Can Sam come?” she said.

Kids bounce back quick, he thought, though he’d noticed her with Sam before. It would likely mean this relationship would crash and burn once she didn’t need the rebound reassurance.

But he was a nice boy who had gotten her home without taking advantage of her. And he didn’t want yet another fight.

“Sure,” he said. “I really am proud of your speech,” he told her softly.

“Thanks, father,” she said softly, then clutched her head.

“See, that’s why I don’t drink much any more. Be responsible,” he said sternly. “Wake up Sam, then go get a bath; breakfast in 20.”

He went to get it in motion.

***************

Asuka kissed Sam. “I don’t know if school rules will let us date once the summer is over, but at least for the summer, I think we can do what we want.”

They were hanging out and watching TV after breakfast, while her father went shopping.

“Only the past and present are real; the future is only a possibility,” he said. “I’m willing to give that a try.” They

kissed again and Asuka lost herself each time they kissed, able to not think about Kaji AT ALL.

Sam was smarter than him, anyway, as shown by their discussion of the problem of free will that ensued.

Along with kissing.

****************

Kameko felt very grown up, playing poker with Clotilda’s friends at Jeff’s family’s place. Jeff’s parents were very nice and largely left them all to play cards all evening, once a week, supplying the kids with snacks then going out on a date. Poker didn’t require too much talking, so she could handle it, and the beer and snacks were good. Plus, they played for low stakes so she wouldn’t go broke.

Shinji was really good at bluffing, in part because he tended to look calm no matter what his hand was. She could read his bluffs but the others couldn’t.

“You should invite Conrad,” Jeff told Clotilda. “I know he loves cards.”

“We’d all go broke and have to sell your cat to pay him back,” Clotilda said.

The fluffy white Persian cat hissed at her and she hissed back and it fled.

Shinji laughed at that. “Raising?” he asked Clotilda.

She grimaced. “Fold.” She threw her cards down. “How about you, Kameko?”

“I raise five,” Kameko said, feeling stupidly proud for saying it right. She slid the coins across.

“Ummm…,” Berthold studied his cards. “Fold.”

Kameko thought he was a little too cautious. Though it did minimize his losing, it also meant if he held on, he had a killer hand and couldn’t milk people for full value as they would know and run for the hills.

Her hand wasn’t the best, but she was going to try to be bold. She wanted to be more bold and this was a safe way to do so.

Eventually, she got everyone else to fold and took down the rest and felt quite pleased with herself. One step at a time, she told herself. I can do this.

She wished at that moment that the summer could go on for a very long time. But either way, she wouldn’t give up. Hard work had to pay off, right?

*****************

Bert smiled at the book. “Sweet, more tunes!” Asuka had given him a book of sheet music for guitar as an apology for getting him in trouble.

She was over at Bert’s, dressed normally in a t-shirt and jeans, holding Sam’s hand. “I was going to get Ernie a girlfriend but they were out at the store,” she teased.

“You should totally ask out Gretchen before the summer’s over,” Bert said to Ernie, sitting on his bed; they were all crammed into his room with Rosalinda on the bed by him, Ernie at his desk and Sam and Asuka leaning on the wall.

Ernie, who was no good with women even by the standards of fourteen year olds and was a preacher’s kid with his father constantly riding him about the dangers of lust, babbled incoherently.

Then they headed to the pool to have some fun.

*****************

Asuka still wanted a chance to show herself in battle. Real battle. But now that she’d calmed down and moved on from Kaji (as she told everyone in sight), she felt her speech had really shown her mettle. So she felt somewhat better about herself.

And really, it was best that the aliens not show up until they had more Rangers.

So for now, life was good.

Except that Karin was covered in flour for no reason and now had escaped the apartment.

But this was life as normal for Asuka. *****************

The Wall of Night which separates Valinor from the Void which preceded the existence of the world is both physical and spiritual, material and immaterial at once. When Eru removed Valinor from the circles of the world, changing a once disc-like world into a round (sort of) sphere, many things changed.

What once formed the western rim of the world now was its own world, linked to Arda proper only by the hidden path, the Straight Road, which would lead travelers from the fully material world of man to Ekkaia, the Encircling Seas, in which Valinor now floats, along with its smaller companion, Tol Erresea, the Lonely Island, which sits in the ocean off the eastern shore of Valinor.

The Wall of Night circles Valinor physically and Arda proper spiritually. It is everywhere and nowhere at once on Arda, protecting the vast universe by keeping out the Void, yet so close that nothing ever is quite entirely free of the Shadow which dwells within it. It is invisible to any but those with strong spiritual senses. But on Valinor, you can see it, rising like a wall around the Encircling Seas, forming a huge dome; the

stars exist at once in the sky of Arda and on the surface of the Wall of Night, reinforcing it.

East of Valinor, this dome stretches far beyond the edge of Tol Erresea into the far east, but to its west, the wall descends to touch the sea only a short distance away. During the day, when the sun crosses the sky, you cannot see it at all, but at night, you cannot escape it. Yet Varda’s stars keep its horror at bay.

The western portions of Valinor are more thinly settled than the easterly portions, for dwelling too close to the Walls of Night is not pleasant. Yet the Halls of Mandos stand near the uttermost west and on that western shore sits the home of Nienna, looking out on eternal night and upon the Door of Night, through which Morgoth was hurled when he fell condemned at the end of the War of the Silmarils.

With keen Elven sight, you could see both the entrance to the Halls of Mandos and Nienna’s smaller, simpler home from the hill on which Gil-Galad, once High King of the Noldor, stood. The Halls spilled north and east for miles from the simple structures which had first been erected by Mandos when the Valar had come to the land of Aman. Much of the construction was new, hastily built to accommodate the series of ever increasing waves of the dead of recent years, though being Elvish make, this still left it works of great beauty and sadness, even from the outside.

Gil-Galad had not seen it in millennia, even by the time-keeping of Valinor, where the Valian year is about the length of ten years on Earth. He had dwelt there for a time, after he fell in

the War of the Last Alliance on Arda at the end of the Second Age. And now it was the Seventh Age, and that age raced towards its ending.

He should not be happy about it, but he was. He had needed a very long rest after his years on Middle Earth. Unlike his father Orodreth, he had been born there. Born to war, lived in war, died in war, though there had been times of peace. He was born to fight.

There was nothing to fight here.

Intellectually, he knew the horrors of war and did not wish others to experience them. But to his frustration, a part of his heart was glad to hear the call to action. For his life here had utterly lacked purpose. No longer High King of the Noldor, he had drifted aimlessly, unable to find a good use for any of his skills, for they were oriented to leadership and war in a land with a surfeit of the former and no need for the latter.

But now he was needed and he moved with a vigor he had lacked for many years. Watchtowers were being constructed along the western shore, for it was here that the Second Prophecy of Mandos said the attack would come. Here it was that Valinor drew closest to the Walls of Night, which soon Morgoth would breach.

He had taken ship and sailed to the Walls and studied them; it was not a long distance to sail and even his eyes, less adept to such things than some of his brethren, could see they grew weaker. There were five great cracks in the Walls of Night, not

big enough to let anything through… he hoped… but signs of doom to come.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully; he kept his brown hair long but his beard short and neatly trimmed; too long a beard got in the way of helmets and eating. He would need a fleet, but convincing the Teleri to move to this side of Valinor was difficult; they would need a haven, ships would have to either circumnavigate Aman or else be built on this side. But the forests tended to grow sparser as you came this way and time was short.

One of his aides, Helcawin, tall and slender with unusual blue hair and blue eyes and very pale skin, stood nearby, sketching out a map. She wore one of the black and silver uniforms he’d designed for his growing army; it was a little severe but he thought simplicity was best. One of his major problems was a lack of good maps, and she was one of those helping him to make up that lack.

“What do you think of that bay down the coast?” he said to her.

“Probably ideal for a naval base, assuming both that we have time to make one and that anyone who knows how to make ships ever agrees to move there,” she said, frustrated. “If Ulmo ever comes back from the sea, perhaps he can influence them.”

Ulmo was out on the waters somewhere, doing something, and his lack of knowledge of where, what, or why frustrated Gil-

Galad. The Valar in general seemed to be moving slowly, when Gil-Galad increasingly felt speed was needed.

Most of them had taken on old looking forms, though it wasn’t true age, he hoped. They seemed able to move with vigor when they had to. And Tulkas, Nessa, and Vana still looked young.

Nessa and Vana, however, had specialties of little use in war in Gil-Galad’s opinion. Dancing and laughter were not going to defeat Morgoth’s armies. Tulkas was out there helping to build an army, on the other hand, and Gil-galad was grateful for that.

But would there be enough time? No one in Valinor had fought in a real war in millennia, unless you counted the poor souls in the Halls of Mandos. Many of the dead from the recent tide still dwelt there, but many were too traumatized to offer any advice.

It was a pity they could not be given new flesh here, as the Elves could be. Or at least he assumed they still could not, as the Valar had not announced any such plan, much as it would be helpful. The numbers of his kind had grown but slowly over the millennia, though they had grown. But they were dwarfed by the great tide which had flowed into and overflowed the Halls of Mandos in recent times.

And yet even more humans than that still dwelt on Arda. Humans of kinds he had never seen or only glimpsed a handful of times in his long life on Arda.

To his surprise, Helcawin suddenly turned and saluted someone behind him. He blinked and turned, finding an old man, long-bearded and clad in white robes and a white hat with a red ribbon around the base of its conical peak, before it spread out into a wide brim that shaded the face of Olorin, one of the Maiar. He walked with a staff and was accompanied by a young man, Alassenyere, who wore a grey tunic and brown leggings and soft brown boots. He had grey hair despite his age and pale skin and red eyes which made even Gil-Galad a little nervous.

“Good day,” Olorin said cheerfully; he looked happy today.

“Uncle,” Alassanyere said to him, bowing.

“I think I am your nephew, technically,” Gil-Galad said to him. “Since my grandfather Angrod is your father Aegnor’s brother.”

“You are my elder,” Alassanyere said, turning and studying the sea. “You can see far from here.”

“We’re planning a watchtower,” Gil-Galad said. “Are you on the way to the Halls of Mandos?”

“Yes, I must speak to some of the dead, though I am loath to disturb their rest,” Alassanyere said, turning back to him. He carried himself with a grace and dignity unusual for one his age.

“If the rumors I have heard are true, they know much we should learn,” Helcawin said. “They have worked great

wonders upon Arda, metal birds that fly and carry people, swift iron horses, cities that hold… millions of people.” She sounded amazed.

“As with all things, those wonders have their price,” Olorin said sadly. “But yes, you can learn many things from men.” For a moment, he seemed far away and sad, but then he shook it off.

The pace of change there upon Arda was now lightning quick, whereas Valinor had changed little since his arrival. Or at least any changes were so slow and subtle that he had not really noticed them. But he would think on that later when it was time to rest.

“Good luck on your journey,” he told them. “I’m sure Mandos will be happy to see you.”

“Thank you,” Olorin said. “It may be a good while before you see us again. I will be out and about, stirring people to action.” He still wore the Ring of Fire, Gil-Galad noticed, though its powers were now gone. But it made a good symbol.

“Many need a fire lit under their feet,” Gil-Galad said to him.

“I shall tell Uncle Mandos you are well,” Alassanyere said.

“Thank you,” Gil-Galad said a little nervously. Seeing a mortal refer to the Valar as ‘Aunt’ and ‘Uncle’ was strange to him but Nienna either was the boy’s mother or acted as such.

Gil-Galad wanted to know the whole story yet found himself wary of asking.

The two soon departed and Gil-Galad returned to his work, for there was so much to do.