Flags and Briefs

Rei III

"Who are you?" I ask blankly, only to have my eyes go wide as I notice what's coming out of my back. Wings!

"As for the first . . . I came here to help believe it or not," the man dressed in a business suit says. I only partly register what is being said, being that at the time more occupied with staring wide eyed at the appendages that somehow had sprouted from my back. "Flag of truce?"

The last I believe had been directed to my sister and the twin I will find is NONE other than the Angel Lilith herself! Or should I say another reality's version of the one Angel that I . . . thought had been my one and only destiny to merge with in order to initiate Third Impact (and Instrumentality in order to save the human race in some fashion or form from extinction).

Whatever the case, I find that I have shivers and dread when I glance her way a bit, so instead concentrate more on . . . more immediate things: my wings.

Touching one of the red wings, I find much to my chagrin that the feathers are as soft as the blue ones my sister has. I feel hands gently guide me over to a spot to sit down . . . which is good considering my knees feel decidedly weak at that moment in time.

What the name of Mother Lilith has happened to me?! I find that I'm beginning to shiver here in reaction to all this (a feeling that I don't really like feeling: fear and uncertainty in massive quantities). What is going to happen to me?

"Shh. . . .it's okay," my sister says softly, hugging me lightly and rocking me back and forth. "We'll . . . work this out and fix things as best we can. Trust me on that, little sister. Please."

. . .

This is actually helping.

"Sister, what's happened to me?" I ask softly, looking straight into my sister's eyes in fright. My wings flair a little bit and tremble in sympathetic reaction to the confusion and fright I still feel.

If Shinji . . . if ANYONE should see me like this, what will they say and do?

Lilith

That . . . .is a good question, all considered, she's genuinely confused and lost here. Not knowing that it was her brief contact with my body that must have done this to her and I find that I cannot . . . hate these people (I now remember it having been TWO bodies having hit me from behind).

Somehow, I am beginning to believe that this had been an . . . .accident?! Just how in the name of God and all his Servants and Messangers could mere chance have derailed Instrumentality as it had begun? I mean, once begun it would be impossible to stop, right? God's will be done and all that, right?!

Why did this happen?

"If I may be so bold I believe that I should answer that question," this . . . odd caucasian man says from the side, standing besides this . . .

Unit 01's Entry Plug? Shinji?!

"Stop!" the man shouts, stepping between me and the entry hatch, preventing me from opening it up and seeing just WHO should be within. "If you do that right now before the plug has a chance to purge itself of the LCL, the sudden pressure differential between the inside and outside once time resumes will KILL Shinji Akari."

. . .

That's nonsense! Of course the plug automatically purges itself after having been removed from it's Eva unit to avoid such a danger. I'd been in on that particular part of the design for the Evas back during my Yui Akari incarnation so I should know that!

. . .

"Excuse me, did you say 'when time resumes'?" I ask skeptically.

Before beginning, he shrugs slightly and pulls out a pen from a pocket and attempts to drop it. It . . .just stays in place, not falling after he releases it.

It's just HOVERING! How? I don't see or feel anything like . . . some kind of Angelic ability at work here (and even as I am now I should think I'd be able to detect such things).

Come to think of it, now that I'm no longer fully concentrated on my . . . twins I must say that Gendo Akari (my treacherous husband), has been oddly silent since my declaration of no longer being his puppet.

!

He's not moved at all? Frozen like a statue?

Okay, let us just say that now that this strange man is speaking that I'm VERY inclined in listening. And the tale that this man tells . . . is a frightening one indeed!

And if I interpret rightly what my blue winged twin says, during several attempts at interrupting, she and her friends (family?!) had been attempting to contact this . . . this freak. Something about trying to prevent hostilities from fully erupting between his group and various other faction back from where they'd teleported accidentally away from Rei III's Tokyo 3.

"Yes, I am aware of that but know this," the man says softly, drawing out a few s sounds (sign of speech impediments). "But considering who one of your adopted uncles is, being from Galefrey and all that, perhaps you should talk to me in more . . . .detail about this when next we meet? Or should I say next for you and first for me . . . being that time travel is involved?"

Okay. I can believe in a lot of things, even the idea of there being parallel worlds (and other mes) out there. However, when he gets to the last part as to just WHY he had chosen to freeze time about us here. . . it a bit hard to take. That and rather hard for me to even believe. Especially this last part. When my world here got . . . transplanted to another realm here, the laws of . . . the way things work changed.

Angels as they exist. . . . As I know they exist as having been one myself until . . . the imprinting my twin over there did upon me, cannot exist here. The S2 engine (amongst other things) went against the laws of nature here in the WORST possible manner.

. . .

I was going to DIE in flames just as I made contact with my rightful form? Because of some kind of Unity effect. Only by the incredible odds of me being sucked up along with my twins over here had prevented it.

"Oh . . . but pull the other one now," I begin to say sarcastically, only to be interrupted by a voice that . . . I know somehow. Never actually heard it, in the flesh but ALL Angels know it.

A Rule is speaking! And with . . . . emotion in the voice?!

"He's correct," a voice says from off to the side. "Sir, you task and obligation is done. Please leave for a moment until I signal for you."

"Yes SIR!" the man practically shouts, falling all over himself to comply

The hairs on the back of my neck are now all standing up straight. And while even this odd man is showing more than a bit of trepidation at the being now amongst us, my twin with the blue wings is smiling.

"Nice to see you as well Rei," the Rule says, smiling (actually smiling!) back. "Pardon though while I talk with Lilith here."

"Or would you prefer I call you Rei . . . or even Yui Akari?" the Celestrial asks gently. "Unlike your twins over there all three names apply directly to you as a person, my dear former Angel."

1. "I also have rather similar business with Rei III," the Rule adds, looking over at the red winged twin of mine. "A matter of the Champion Question, shall we say?"

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