2010-07-15 - The Truth

Johnny Domino spent well over an hour sitting hunched in front of his laptop, replaying the same 2-minute clip from the interrogation of Kozo Fuyutsuki over and over. The disc containing the footage arrived earlier in the day - the last package Domino will ever receive from Ryoji Kaji.

Yet, while the Agent sunk a considerable amount of time reviewing the video, he barely made any progress. He couldn't think straight, his head felt heavy. Ever since the treatment Kaworu Nagisa subjected him to, Johnny Domino felt something pressing in on his skull from the inside. A buzzing, a lump, a shadow of something beyond Johnny's comprehension.

It certainly did not help that in general, the young man felt as if someone chewed up his soul and spat it back out again.

And so, haggard and weary, the Agent stared at the clip. At this point he could recite it by heart, but he was no closer to finding a satisfactory answer to his plight.

Rei Ayanami was going to die. Time was running out. He could not find a way to save her. Gendo Ikari was going to kill her -- his entire plan was now laid down in front of Domino -- and despite everything, the Agent was utterly helpless.

Unless...

Johnny replays the clip again. The grainy vision of Fuyutsuki appears on screen. "Would you believe me if I told you Ikari was a man driven by love?", he inquired of his invisible interrogators. Then he shrugs with a sad smile. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?" Domino jumps ahead.

"Destruction is meaningless," Fuyutsuki says. "Ikari desires something far more selfish than that."

Domino jumps ahead.

"To reunite with his wife."

Domino jumps ahead.

"Yes. She is dead."

Domino replays it. "Yes. She is dead." And again, "Yes. She is dead." And again, "She is dead -- She is dead -- She is dead."

At approximately oh-two-hundred hours, Leo Stenbuck receives an official summons to appear before Agent Johnny Domino for questioning relating to his recent demotion. How odd. The tribunal has already come and gone, and punishment was dispensed. Is Domino trying to rub salt into Stenbuck's wounds?

The recent strains on Leo Stenbuck's soul might not be quite as literal - or malicious - as the strains on Johnny Domino's, but they're no less real. Even putting aside the actual demotions, the events surrounding it have been awfully harrowing... to say nothing of the recent revelation that Ralla Traln Triald is still alive, and, for some reason, flying for Katharon.

And yet, surprisingly, Leo isn't in a bad mood. He isn't in much of a mood at all. His transfer paperwork has been caught up in red tape; from what he's managed to learn via the snooping of Brough Grabbs, he's facing being shuffled into the Fraternity Unit, but there's been some sort of complication. Leo just assumes Jung doesn't want to deal with him.

He can't blame her, really. He's not sure he wants to deal with him, either.

So he spends his time staring blankly at the TV in his room - his suite, really - on Ame-no-Mihashira while he waits for everything to be worked out. Even the small bright point in his life recently, the formalization of his relationship with Latooni Subota, is overwhelmed by the gloom. It isn't like they get to spend any time together, after all.

The summons by - of all people - Johnny Domino is the first time he's left his room in days. He tries to convince himself it's good for him to get out, like Lat says, even if it is to deal with being mocked by a prick.

He's not sure he buys it.

Leo doesn't wait for permission to let himself in... but he does, at least, knock a few timses before he opens the door. He's done himself up in the full A-LAWS uniform, greatcoat and all, but his demeanor doesn't match the clothing. When he swings open the door, he steps into the frame, fixes Johnny with a dull stare, and says, curtly, "What."

Johnny Domino, unlike Leo Stenbuck, is not dressed in his full A-LAWS attire. The teal pants are about the only piece of the uniform adorning the Agent's body. Everything else can be summed up as 'socks' and 'black undershirt'.

Highly unprofessional.

Waiting inside his small quarters, sitting at his even smaller desk, the Agent plays absently with the pendant at his neck. A pendant that looks suspiciously like the control stick of a Gundam, in all its gaudy white, blue and yellow glory.

When Leo Stenbuck arrives, Domino's hand clasps the pendant tightly. The once-Captain grates on Johnny. He grates on Johnny so very much. The Agent didn't make this decision lightly, the decision to contact Leo. It was a bitter pill to swallow, made slightly easier thanks to the fact that the notion did, in fact, cross Johnny's mind in the past.

He spent a while wondering if he would still seek to save Rei, should it become apparent that the Rei to be saved would not be his, but Leo Stenbuck's. The sheer fact that the only way Domino could even describe the other Rei was as 'belonging to Leo' proved enough to irk Domino. And Kaworu, with his words, warning Johnny not to play God... and Noriko, telling Johnny that Rei Ayanami must die...

Has the whole world gone mad? Is Johnny the only one who cares enough to want to save Rei Ayanami?

But then, there might be another.

It takes a moment longer after Stenbuck speaks before Domino reacts. Then, slowly, the young man turns to stare at Leo with a look that borders on a glare. "Stenbuck," he says, voice hoarse.

"Let's get something straight. I don't give a fuck about your demotion. I don't care how you messed up or why. I called you here because of /her/." If Leo doesn't get who 'her' is, well. He's a fucking moron. "Now get in here and let the stupid door shut itself before someone hears us."

Leo's eyebrows raise, if only a little, at the vehemence in Johnny's voice... but despite it, and despite his words, he remains rooted firmly in the doorway for several beats, staring silently at the Agent. Maybe he's having second thoughts about staying, now that the true nature of the summons has been revealed. Maybe he's thinking about just leaving.

Maybe he's just being a prick.

Whatever the case, eventually he does step into the room and let it close behind him. "You look like shit," he comments as he moves into the room... or, well, not so much into it as along it, moving to the wall next to the door to learn against it, fold his arms over his chest, and let his head droop forwards.

"She's dead," he continues coolly. "Get used to it. I had to." It's a lie, of course, and he knows it; if he were really over Rei, things would be... easier. But he can't help but be a dick. It even makes him feel a little better.

As the seconds tick and Leo Stenbuck remains rooted in place, Domino's stare evolves into the full-fledged glare it wanted to be from the very beginning. Is Stenbuck an idiot? Did they lower his IQ along with his rank? Or is he being an asshole?

Johnny isn't sure if he wants to call the whole thing off, considering this is the attitude Stenbuck is going to adopt, or whether he wants to do the opposite and push forward just to spite the younger man. When Leo finally steps inside, the Agent chooses the latter option.

And then Leo says he looks like shit, and Domino feels the urge to kick Leo the hell out of his room.

And THEN Leo says Rei is dead, and Domino feels the opposite urge to push forward no matter what.

Ugh, Johnny can't think straight.

"No," he says with apparent distaste. "She isn't dead yet. I don't know what shit Ikari's been feeding you, but I've been keeping tabs. She isn't dead yet. .....she will be -- but she isn't yet."

Pushing his chair back, Johnny rises to his feet. He finally releases his grip over the pendant, letting it dangle freely as he begins pacing. "Do you know what Ikari is planning, Stenbuck?" The young man doesn't wait for an answer. "Of course you do. You told Latooni, didn't you? He plans to destroy the world. Those were-- those were your exact words, in fact, weren't they?" There is something slightly neurotic in the way the Agent paces, hands gesturing as he speaks.

"But, tell me, Stenbuck. Do you know how?"

Domino pins Leo with a piercing gaze. "Do you know WHY?"

It isn't that Domino's words aren't of interest... but, for some reason, Leo finds his mannerisms much more interesting. At the sound of the other man rising out of his chair, Leo lifts his head just enough to watch Johnny pace around the room. One of his still raised eyebrows crooks up even farther. Is this dude /on/ something, now?

Or maybe, he has to admit, this is just how he looked to everyone else after Rei died. Like a raving nutjob.

To the actual, eventual questions, Leo merely shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe he wants to be in charge. Maybe he's crazy. Maybe he's just evil. Does it matter? Either way, I'm going to stop him."

Unconciously, at the talk of stopping Gendo, Leo unfolds his arms and lowers his right hand to rest on the golden revolver in its holster on his hip.

Johnny's mannerism is indeed abnormal. This is not the same Johnny who once managed to stare Leo down when the latter was pointing a golden revolver at him. The same golden revolver Stenbuck is now putting his hand on.

Domino's eyes dart from Leo's face to the revolver and back again. The Agent doesn't want to have that weapon pointed at him a second time. He doesn't think he'll be able to handle it. No, actually... he /knows/ he wouldn't be able to handle it. It might be a good idea if Johnny kept himself in check, not giving the once-Captain an excuse to actually draw his gun.

"Ah," says Domino, wagging a finger. "You don't know. You, don't, know."

The Agent resumes pacing, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "Okay, I've got a joke for you. Tell me if you've heard this one before."

"An entity known as Adam is residing underneath the GeoFront. The Angels, the ones who keep attacking Tokyo-03, they were born out of this entity. All this while, the Angels were trying to return to Adam. Attacking Tokyo-03, they tried to break into the GeoFront and merge with the entity who birthed them."

"And the reason they are doing it is because... the moment they merge with Adam, all life on this planet will die. That's all an Angel wants to do - merge with Adam and kill us all. But WAIT!"

Johnny makes a sharp turn, affixing his glare on Stenbuck once more. "Don't laugh yet. That's not the punchline, no, that's not it." The young man resumes pacing.

"Let's go back in time a little. Gendo Ikari creates a clone made out of Angel DNA and human DNA. Whose DNA does he used for it? His wife's DNA. That's a very important detail, remember that."

"Now, you posit that Ikari is planning to destroy the world. That is patently absurd. Have you ever stopped to think what a logistical nightmare it would be, for one man -- one organization -- to try and destroy the whole world? It's fucking insane! Oh, but wait, he has an Angel, doesn't he? His very own Angel, cloned and nurtured. So then, how is he going to destroy the world? The very same way the Angels would have done it, had they managed to break into the GeoFront. He is going to merge Rei Ayanami with Adam."

Johnny stops and looks at Leo. "Are you with me, so far?"

The thing most impressed upon Leo, as Johnny's 'joke' goes on, is not that Johnny appears to be coming really-for-real unhinged, in an honestly almost scary way. It doesn't quite crest the hump,of course; between Yazan Gable and Michael Trinity, Leo has spent a distressing amount of time with psychoses of all flavors, and while Johnny's neurotic behavior is certainly unnerving, he doesn't seem dangerous.

No, the thing that Leo gathers the most is that the Agent knows an whole lot of very important information. It's kind of mysterious, really... he's not sure even Latooni knows some of this stuff, and he /knows/ he didn't, or at least the parts he did know - or suspect, like Rei being half Yui Ikari - he wasn't really able to fit into a big picture.

Begrudgingly, Leo admits to himself that maybe Johnny Domino is actually pretty good at his job.

But Johnny Domino isn't the only one who knows things.

When Johnny stops to make sure Leo is still following him, the young man lifts his head further, frowns, and states, simply, "That can't be right. Rei wasn't made with Adam... she was made with Lilith." Whatever /that/ means. "And why would he do the same thing he spent the last two years working to stop? He could have just let an Angel get to Adam."

Johnny Domino blinks.

And then he blinks again. And then, in a moment of being taken completely off-guard, he blurts, "What is Lilith?"

Johnny's surprise elicits a moment of hesitation from Leo, and then he blurts, obviously also surprised, "What, you don't know?"

Well, shit.

Johnny Domino stares at Leo some more. His lips are parted, frozen in a state of soundless shock. "No," he admits after a time. "I don't." There's the barest tinge of venom in this admission. This is followed by the Agent taking a deep breath.

"Fine. There's Adam," the Agent raises up a hand, palm cupped upward. "And there's Lilith." The second hand comes up, similarly cupped, as if holding an invisible ball. Domino looks between his hands as he tries to work this out. "Lilith - another Angel. Rei is made of-- of Lilith? Not Adam. Adam is under the GeoFront. Has been there all along? Birthed the Angels who kept going after it. And Rei isn't Adam." Johnny narrows his eyes.

"She was cloned before the Angels started attacking Tokyo-03. Lilith didn't attack Tokyo-03. Adam was there. Lilith wasn't drawn to Adam? Rei is Lilith. That means," the mute sound of a penny dropping is the sound of Domino suddenly getting a clue. "That means Lilith came before. That means Lilith came /before/, that goddamned asshole!" Johnny crushes the invisible balls in his hands, looking as if he's about to stomp on the floor. He doesn't, of course, but it sure looks like it.

"Why didn't Ikari let the Angels reach Adam if he wanted to destroy the world?" No longer invested in his hands, Johnny's attention returns to Leo. "I'll tell you why: because that's NOT what he /wants to accomplish/!"

Although he doesn't say anything, and he manages to keep it mostly off of his face, Leo is extremely relieved that Johnny doesn't push him for information about Lilith. He sure as hell doesn't have any information about her - it? - after all, and the last thing he wants to do is bring it up and then admit he doesn't know anything about it. That'd just be embarrassing.

At least this way, Leo can hope Johnny assumes he knows everything and will simply bring it up again if there's another contradiction.

Appropriately enough, he remains silent still through Johnny's ongoing - if briefly detoured - explanation, and outburst about 'that goddamned asshole,' whoever /that/ is. Maybe whoever Johnny got his info from? It's tough to say.

"If he's not trying to destroy the world, then what /is/ he trying to do?" Leo demands, scowling. "Obviously it's something bad, or we wouldn't be having this talk. If you know, then just spit it out."

Johnny Domino slowly shakes his head. "..no, no.. no, no no... something bad, something bad... no."

The Agent takes a step towards Leo.

"They let you pilot an Evangelion unit, didn't they?" What the hell does THAT have to do with anything? "Did you know, Leo Stenbuck, that Evangelion units are alive? I discovered it by accident, a long time ago. It wasn't until recently, though, that I found out-- and this is important -- I found out there are souls inside the Evangelions. Or-- or, brainwave patterns," the Agent makes a dismissive gesture, "pick whichever semantics you prefer."

"The point is, NERV has the ability to manipulate what makes a person - a person. And they can copy, or.. or transfer, somehow, that /thing/... into Evangelions, or clones. And that," Johnny pauses for a moment, tapping a finger to his lips. Then he concludes, "THAT is Metaphysical Biology. And with the right tools, even death can be defeated. And Gendo Ikari stopped the Angels from killing all of us because he had no intentions of destroying the world."

"Quite frankly, I don't think he even gives a fuck what all happens to this world. All he wants is to reunite with his /dead wife/!"

Judging from the complete lack of surprise on Leo's face when Johnny reveals that the Evangelions are alive, it's likely that he already knows. The bit about 'metaphysical biology', though, that's new to him... although, again judging from his expression, it seems to confuse him more than it intrigues him.

At the revelation that Gendo is trying to reunite with his dead wife, Leo outright scoffs. That's ridiculous, obviously. What's he going to do, bring her back from the dead? It's one thing to... to do what they've done, but to do that... it's just impossible.

... isn't it?

But... a few years ago, there were no such things as aliens for him, either. There was no La Gias, either. No magic. No elves. If you had asked him, he'd have said those things were fake. Impossible.

Leo drops his gaze to the floor for a few seconds, possibilities racing through his mind. Then he lifts his eyes back to Johnny, and demands, "How?"

"How," the Agent repeats. "That's it, isn't it: how. The million space dollar question."

Honestly, a few minutes ago, Johnny Domino had no fucking clue. But now he has enough pieces of the puzzle, and the full picture is almost complete. Bobbing his head up and down, Domino begins, still as neurotically as before.

"Ikari cloned Rei. He used Angel DNA. If an Angel merges with Adam, we all die. That's not what Ikari wants, no no no. If that's what he wanted, he would've-- he would've allowed the Angels to reach their target, like you said. No, it's something else. He has something up his sleeve."

"And if we assume... no-- yes, yes, if we assume that the Angel DNA that was used to create Ayanami is /different/... we might be on the right track. Because Lilith isn't like the other Angels. She came before. All the Angels that wanted to join with Adam appeared recently - were incubating until recently. And they were all born from Adam. Lilith, you see-- yes, if we go by that, Lilith... Lilith is a /different breed altogether/."

The Agent stops there, a smile beginning to invade his face. He got it. By Jove, Johnny thinks he got it. Pressing a hand to his forehead, the young man slowly passes his fingers through his hair. "My god. That's it. Leo Stenbuck, this is it. He isn't going to merge an Angel born out of Adam with Adam. He's going to merge /Lilith/ with Adam! And that won't kill us at all. No, it won't kill us. Do you see?" A tongue darts out as Johnny wets his lips. Is he making any sense? It's so hard to think. His head is so heavy. What did Kaworu Nagisa do to him?

"Someone told me... yes, someone told me that Ikari is trying to dissolve individuality. And with Metaphysical Biology, he could do it on a small scale. Manipulate souls, put them inside his Evangelion units, breathe life into clones. But the procedure... it's not-- the procedure wasn't perfect. You know this better than anyone. When Rei Ayanami died, she died. The next one that came along was different. She had all the memories but none of the feelings. Isn't that right?"

Once again, Johnny doesn't wait for an answer.

"But then, if Ikari could perfect this procedure... he could reunite with his dead wife. Her soul -- the genuine article -- will be available to him. Not some pale mimicry, but the real thing. But, Leo Stenbuck, but, but, but... science isn't at this point yet. Oh no, the procedure isn't perfect at all."

"It would be like trying to perform brain surgery with stone-age tools. The stage Metaphysical Biology is at right now does not allow Ikari to accomplish his goal. So what does he do? He's going to fucking brute force it! If he can't reach the single piece of candy he wants from a jar full of cookies, he's going to just smash the whole thing and let it all spill to the floor so he can claim his prize. That's what he's going to do, Leo Stenbuck. That's why he cloned Rei using his wife's DNA. He's going to use her to break the jar. Merging Lilith with Adam, reuniting with his dead wife..."

And here's the punchline, the entire reason Johnny Domino called Leo Stenbuck to begin with: "And-- yes, you know, Stenbuck. If he can reunite with his dead wife... you can see Rei again. /Your/ Rei."

Leo does his best to keep up with Johnny, but it's hard; the explanation is a little rambling, and the subject matter is very confusing and convoluted, and, really, this is all assuming they're even on the right track, and that's a pretty big 'if.'

But... the things Kaworu said...

SOME TIME AGO

Kaworu steps forward again. Once more, he gets right in Leo's face, but this time, there's nothing particularly sexual about it. It's more... intimidating. But Kaworu still seems so calm, so in control, so... fucking... smirking. "You and Latooni and your little friends... you ask questions, but they're so... /small/. Maybe I am Rei. Maybe I'm not. Or maybe you're just hoping I am, and missing the forest for the trees. You've been inside that tin can they keep the first one's soul in. You've felt what it's like to /come together/ with her in a union that I /know/ is unlike anything you've ever experienced in your wretched little life, although I'm sure you think the sex is a fine substitute. Think about that, Leo. You and Unit-00X are parts of a whole. Rei's soul -- souls -- whatever -- they're each just parts of a whole. Gendo Ikari and his dead wife... I think you can guess where I'm going with this."

Kaworu steps forward even closer. This is like one wrong move from legally counting as a kiss. "Everything is connected, Leo, and I mean that in a way I'm not even sure you'll understand. Every/one/ is connected. Now think about that. And then think about what it means to destroy the world."

That's when Kaworu comes forward sharply and kisses Leo on the mouth like the prick that he is. (Ed note: This part is replayed solely for the fanservice. Girls for miles in every direction suddenly swoon.)

NOW

Johnny has to be right. He /has/ to me. Rei... he can see Rei again. Rei said he would - the third Rei did - before this whole thing was over. Leo blinks rapidly as the wheels in his mind start to spin. Gendo can't find his wife to bring her back because he... doesn't know where her soul is. He can't just pluck it out of... well, Heaven, presumably. Or Hell. Either way.

But Rei... Rei isn't in the afterlife. Rei's in Lilith. He knows where Rei is. He can bring her back.

Leo lifts his hands to his mouth to rub vigorously at his chin, staring into the middle distance as he desperately tries to piece together a plan. Eventually, his eyes refocus on Johnny, and he says, simply, "I have to find Lilith."

There was a moment where Johnny's heart threatened to leap out of his chest. A moment in which Leo Stenbuck silently contemplated everything that Domino had said up until now, and the Agent had no clue what to expect.

This was his last ditch effort to save Rei -- any Rei. A desperate gamble, hoping that Leo Stenbuck would believe him. Hell, does Johnny even believe himself? He has to. After all the work he did, all the details he dug up, all the effort he invested... to be wrong at this juncture would literally mean that it's game over.

And so Johnny believes. And now he waits to see if Leo believes as well.

And he does.

Thank. Fucking. God.

Although, in the same breath, Stenbuck brings up Lilith again. The Agent isn't sure what to make of /that/. "What do you mean?"

Leo stares blankly at Johnny for just under a second before he realizes that, oh, right, despite the fact that there are a bunch of things Johnny knew that he didn't, there's some things for which the opposite is true.

"Rei - the... last Rei - told me that..." Leo begins, dropping his arms and crossing them over his chest again. "She told me that when... Rei, when my Rei, died, she didn't... her soul went back into Lilith. Wherever she- wherever it is. Back to where it came from."

"So if I find Lilith, I find Rei's soul," he explains, a little hesitantly. When he actually says it out loud, it sounds impossible again. Crazy, even. "Which means I just have to figure out... how to get her out. How to put her soul back into... a body. Or... or something."

Yeah. Definitely impossible and crazy.

Fuck.

Her soul went back to Lilith? /What/.

Is it because Rei's DNA is partly Lilith's? Johnny has no clue. He is going to go with a tentative 'yes' on this one, if only because he doesn't know any better.

"I... see."

Domino swallows. Regardless of this odd curveball presented to Johnny in the form of Lilith -- a piece of information the Agent had no clue existed up until a few minutes ago -- at least Leo Stenbuck is now on the Agent's side. And really, that's all that matters.

"Okay, fine, Lilith. NERV has Adam locked away. And they used Lilith to clone Rei. I think they're the most likely address. If anything, they should at least know where this Lilith is, assuming they don't have it already. I'm going to have to dig around some more, and," and talk to Amuro Ray, "and..."

The Agent bites at his lower lip.

"..and. If... when you see Rei... your Rei. Tell her--" hesitation. "..tell her I'm sorry. Sorry that I couldn't give Rei--my Rei--what she wanted. I hope..."

Johnny hopes that Leo will be able to give Ayanami what Domino failed to.

The request earns Johnny another brief stare from Leo... but then, perhaps surprisingly, he nods. "Yeah. I'll do that." He hesitates for a beat, and then adds, "Don't... beat yourself up over it. In the end, she's getting what she really wanted, at least."

That being, of course, to stop existing. It's not a very bright thought, which shows in the grimace on Leo's face.

It does not show, however, in how he pushes his way off the wall, steps closer to Johnny, and... holds his hand out to shake hands??? "Thank you," he says, bluntly. "For the information. Maybe... maybe you're not as much of a jackass as I thought you were."

You know, after actually saying that rather personal tangent about being sorry, and failing to give Rei what she wanted, Johnny is starting to feel very uncomfortable. Even when Leo nods instead of saying something snide, the Agent can feel his face going somewhat red, his thoughts a whirl of embarrassment.

Such is life when one lends himself to speaking impulsively. Domino liked it better when he had more control over his words, before Kaworu took that control away from him.

When Stenbuck actually steps forward to shake hands, Johnny Domino suddenly wants to dig a hole and hide in it until the world ends (which shouldn't be too long now, all things considered!). Averting his gaze from the once-Captain, Domino mumbles something awkwardly. The young man is basically looking everywhere /but/ at Leo. Which is why, when he reaches out to shake Leo's hand, the first attempt misses, and the Agent gropes blindly at the air. Ugh, double embarrassment.

Johnny grips Stenbuck's palm with a vengeance, shaking it while feeling extremely self-conscious.

And it is then, as he looks past Stenbuck, that Domino sees her.

Rei Ayanami, standing at the doorway to his room. Johnny Domino stops shaking Leo's hand, stops fidgeting, stops breathing. All he does is stare.

Leo quirks an eyebrow as Johnny gropes blindly at his hand. Shit... maybe he /is/ on something, or losing it, or... whatever. Either way, of course, there's not much Leo can do to help him... suffice to say, he has bigger fish to fry.

But he keeps his hand steady, and Johnny finds it on the second try. Hands are shaken... and then Johnny freezes up and stares past him. Leo, who is beginning to become oddly frustrated with Johnny's increasingly strange behavior, opens his mouth to say something...

... but he never does. A spot of electric blue catches his eyes, and his gaze shifts past Johnny. He leans slightly to the side to get a better look, and is greeted with the sight of... Rei Ayanami, sitting demurely on Johnny Domino's bed.

Much like Johnny, Leo freezes up; his eyes widen, his mouth hangs open, and his grip on Johnny's hand suddenly tightens to an uncomfortable degree.

A tiny gasp escapes Johnny Domino's mouth, the result of Leo's tight grip. This is, however, simply a reflex. Johnny isn't paying enough attention to the pain in his hand to acknolwedge it beyond the subconscious level. All his attention is focused on the vision of Rei Ayanami.

Why was she there? HOW was she there? Was he going crazy? Is Kaworu Nagisa behind this? Is Rei behind this? Is Gendo? He should talk to her. He should go after her!

Rei Ayanami disappears.

Johnny Domino feels a sudden dizziness, as if someone punched him in the head.

"..he did it," he chokes out. "That son of a bitch, he did it."

Domino has no clue how he knows, but he /knows/.

"We're out of time."

Leo doesn't know what's weirder; Johnny's sudden insistence that they're out of time, or the fact that Leo was thinking the exact same thing before Johnny even said anything, as soon as he blinked and the vision of Rei faded.

"Yeah," he agrees quietly, releasing his death grip on Johnny's hand and dropping his arm to his side. For a beat, he just stands there; for a brief instant, he doesn't look so much determined and irate as... well, terrified.

"I have to go," he says suddenly, voice hardening, and without a moment of hesitation he turns and heads for the door, his haste evident in his walk, seeing as how it's less of a walk and more of a powerwalk. Perhaps even a hustle.

Less than a minute after Leo Stenbuck takes his leave, Johnny Domino is also seen rushing out of his room. He is now in full A-LAWS gear, most of it having been haphazardly thrown on his body.

TO BE CONCLUDED...

THIRD IMPACT!