Evangelion: The Final Testament
Chapter 1: Prelude in C Minor
(Rei Ayanami wandered in what seemed just a little more than a vacant state along the ruins of the once glorious metropolis of Tokyo-3, down to the perimeter of the moonlit lake far beyond the boundaries that circled it. Her pale complexion made her skin appear to glow in the clear moonlit night. There was a still intensity in her crimson eyes, something cold and distant, staring blankly into the body of water.
Moonlight mirrored across the vast expanse of water, shattered into millions as the cold wind blew across the night air. The sounds of the night seemed to blend in the darkness, of the chirping with cicadas intermingling of the mechanical clanging on the city's outskirts far in the distance. She made no noise of her own, save for soft footsteps treading along the fine sand upon the waters edge.
Her eyes panned the landscape, her gaze falling in the distance, finding the remains of a lifetime swept from existence by the sands of time. Artifacts: evidence that at one point in time, there was life where once she stood. Pylons of concrete and steel, twisted in mangled wreckages, break the surface of the flat moonlit lake. At one point, these artifacts once denoted something great as they stretched forth, reaching to touch the skies. But that was a lifetime ago, in a time that lies beyond her memories.
Slowly she reached into her blouse pocket, pulling out a strange item. For several moments, she merely held it carefully in her hand, eyeing it, feeling it, wondering about its importance to her. She knew it wasn't hers, this broken twisted spectacle that she held. The frame was well out of shape, its lenses cracked, it would seem logical to have disposed of such a useless relic, having no outlived its purpose. Yet it drew out emotions within her, emotions she could not define, emotions that triggered a chain reaction of other emotions, raising questions in her mind.)
Rei: In what way are he and I alike?
(A boy's image appears in her mind. He was standing still, smiling, waiting for her. This was not a lifetime ago; she could still sense him, even though she knew that it could not be. Her gaze returns to the item in her hand.
Careful as if not to break the already sundered spectacles, she began to unfold the earpiece and raise it to her head. The broken lenses fell upon her vermilion eyes, the world around her coming into focus. Immediately she closed her eyes, unable to retain her new perspective. Her eyes did not open as her hand rose, gently removing the spectacles from her eyes. Again she felt the item close in her hand, small images forming in the darkness as her hand traced around the object. Finally she opened her eyes…)
(The moonlit scenery had vanished, something else taking its place.
From the distance, a golden orb edged across the horizon, painting the sky with a tint of ochre, indigo and cerulean. Slowly it rose, shadows stretching across the foreground. What little light revealed scorched earth, peppered with craters outlined with darkened edges. It stretched on as far as her eyes could see, beginning from the far horizon and ending near a river of red in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she saw what lay along the lake's banks opposite to her. She counted seventeen of them, all heading in her direction. Their faces were twisted in madness, half smiling, half flaring. Their brilliant colorless wings were outstretched, all holding an elongated spear in their hands. Small waves swelled around their feet with each step they took. Her hands began to shake as the beasts advanced.
She heard a loud voice. It sounded familiar, but she could not make it out. Her head turned again to the orb, the origin of the voice. There, in the distance in the focal point of the rising sphere, a silhouette rose with the golden orb. Squinting, she tried to make out the image. It was in vain, as suddenly, the orb brightened with the glow of a thousand suns. The scorched land, the bloodied ocean and seventeen giants all disappeared with a blinding light. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.)
(But nothing came.)
(A faint sound, a steady beat of dissonant clanging could be heard while a new sensation registered. It was water. Slowly her eyes opened, feeling the sharp bite of cold water rippling up and down her shivering form. She was bent over the water's edge. Staring into the moonlit surface of the lake, she found another person in the water, with two fiery scarlet orbs staring back at her from her pale face. Several heartbeats passed as she remained fixated on the waters surface. Then she pushed herself up and out of the shallow water.
She shook her head as if to shake off the feeling of disorientation. The cold wind blowing across the surface bit across her damp skin beneath her saturated uniform. Standing in mute silence, she eyed her broken likeness across the water. A few more heartbeats later, a small splash could be heard not far from where a ghostly apparition once stood, followed by the quiet footsteps leading hurriedly away from it, quickly disappearing into the quiet of the night.)
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(Elsewhere, hidden from the cool glow of a full moon…
a single patient occupied the expanse of the massive hospital room, lying beneath the thin neatly folded sheets of white. The only sounds to escape the comatose was the sharp rasping breaths of the respirator forcing air into her lungs via an intravenous chord through her neck and the steady shriek of the electrocardiogram confirming their success at prolonging her misery.
Her once deep cobalt orbs have faded several shades of gray since they last saw; the warmth in her skin had long since disappeared since it last felt anything. She had long since forgotten the cold harsh reality of what put her there in the first place. The humiliating failures that she had to endure, the crippling betrayals, the pain of loneliness. The nothingness of the past month was almost paradise compared to the hell she had once endured.)
(Then something changes
Across the room, the machine registered a sharp unexpected bleep, the graph jumping on the screen. It almost seemed like an accident as the interval on the machine registered nothing for what seemed like a short perpetuity. All of a sudden, it happened again as her entire hand jumped. The bleeps screeched from the machine, an omen of what was to come next as two crimson words appeared across the LCD screen)
WARNING: CONDITION CRITICAL
(It is then, with a shriek that is echoed across the glass windows, and hands reaching for the ceiling that Asuka Langley Soryu finally awakens. At once she shields her eyes from the halogen lantern hanging above, unused to the light. She then scans the surroundings around her. The modest white hospital gown, the neatly folded sheets upon her feet, the machines upon the side of her bed, it wasn't long until she deduced that she was in the hospital.
As her eyes slowly adapted to the light, she carefully lowered her arm and inspected her hand, noting the various tubes leading to and from her body. At first, she stares at them blankly, somewhat dazed from her long sleep. It didn't take long, however her eyes narrowed as her hand tightens around a chord attached to her arm and tore it with a spurt of crimson staining against her otherwise colorless shirt. She feels around her body for other chords, then finds the one attached to her throat. She reached for the tube as her fingers locked around it when all of a sudden she heard the pneumatic hiss to her left. Her gaze shifted accordingly and at once her grip slackens.
Her jaw dropped as she spoke in a breathless gasp.
Asuka: (weakly) M- Momma … Is that you?
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(Meanwhile, a few hundred meters above the service hospital was a darkened chamber filled with a dissonant droning and a hauntingly pale scarlet light filtering from the ceiling, barely revealing a middle aged man by wall of reinforced glass, holding a handset to his ear. Opposite to his end of the massive oak table was an elder man with, his raised brow questioning the progress of his superior officer's conversation. A long silence hung between the man before at last, Gendo Ikari responded.)
Gendo: Complications will only arise if you fail your duty. Do not complicate things for yourself
(He heard a nervous reply on the other end of the line, then returned the receiver to its base unit and looked up to find Fuyutski glancing at him quizzically.)
Fuyutski: (scoffing) Are you really going to go ahead with this, Ikari? This is a very dangerous game you're playing.
Gendo: Something you have known since the beginning.
(Gendo moved away and stared out of the glass down upon the evergreen canopies several stories below. The unchanging amber light filtering from above gave the underground cavern the appearance of everlasting twilight.)
Gendo: Fortune favors the bold, my old friend. I intend to use our strongest hand, to buy ourselves the time that we need to complete what we have more than fifteen years ago.
Fuyutski: (Rising from his seat) There can only be two outcomes from this, and you know it, don't you? Win and you get the resources and time that you need to complete the E-Project. Two months. Three at the most-
Gendo: That is all the time we need
Fuyutski: (scowling) Somehow I doubt that. I don't even want to think what's going to happen to us if this little stunt of yours backfires on us.
Gendo: My my professor, since when have you ever placed any faith in probability? Time and time again, we are faced with situations where our odds of survival were less than reassuring, however here we are, still living and breathing. Perhaps you should be a little more optimistic like Major Katsuragi… which reminds me… I have heard that she has lost custody of the Second Child, has she not?
Fuyutski: (smirking) Yes. Her foster mother transferred here ten days ago. She has been working on the next generation A-10 unit in our laboratories in Berlin. She has also challenged Misato's custody of the child which Misato readily relinquished… given her failure to care for both Shinji and Asuka. Now that Asuka has woken up, she would probably take her home with her to Germany.
(Gendo paced down the glass and lifted his gaze to the steel plated ceiling above.)
Gendo: Rina Cortez will not be going anywhere. She will remain in Tokyo-03 to complete Kyoko's work which she also inherited from Kyoko alongside her child.
Fuyutski: Her curse…
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(Amber rays of twilight filtered through the tiny cracks of his tightly shut blinds, dimly illuminating the room around him, revealing boxes stacked along the walls. It almost seemed like déjà vu to him: had it really been six months since Asuka marched into this house and took over his room? At times, it would feel like an eternity when she tortured him around the kitchen for breakfast, but over the last month, the house had been so quiet without her. Shinji would have given anything just to hear her voice again.
Misato had packed the boxes late last night, but she never told Shinji why she did it, and he was too scared to ask. But it couldn't be what he was thinking, she would tell him if something had happened to Asuka. No, this was different, but what. After a spending a moment longer on the subject, Shinji finally gave up, leaving the room with his thoughts, and hoped that wherever Asuka going, that she would leave him too far behind.)
(Halfway out the door, Shinji then heard the front door sliding open. Misato had come back home. Deciding that there was nothing left to lose, he paced up the hallway to meet the woman, finding her in the living room with a plastic bag of take home food and a weakened smile across her face.)
Misato: Hey Shinji! Has anyone come by to pick up the things yet?
Shinji: (weakly) About that, Misato-
Misato: Uh, can you turn the TV on while I set up the plates? They're about to make an announcement.
Shinji:About what?
(Misato ignored this as she headed for the kitchen to fetch some plates)
Misato: It should be on the news channel… damn where is that serving bowl…
(Her voice trailed off as an anxious Shinji decided to learn about it himself, pacing towards the television and flipping on the switch. With a high pitched hiss, the screen came to life as a young female reporter stood in the foreground with what seemed like the front lawn of Tokyo-2 City Hall lying in the background. He listened carefully to the reporter's voice.)
Announcer: …merica, the UK, France and Germany. In addition to these G8 nations, various multi-national corporations have poured trillions of dollars into the reconstruction of Tokyo-3, a sign of their commitment to0 the reestablishment of the once jewel capital of Japan. Increased security is high on the priority list in order to prevent a similar tragedy which wiped the technological marvel off the face of the map more than two months ago. Head of reconstruction, Chairman Yoshiyuki Sada-
T H U D!
T H U D!
T H U D!
(Shinji's gaze shifted towards the door where a loud banging threatened to rip out the door from its frame. Somberly he reached towards a small panel to his right, pushing a button. He heard the air rush by as the door slid open and saw a pair of large men by the opening. Judging by their overalls and the logo plastered on it, they must have been the men to collect Asuka's possessions.)
Shinji: (nervously) Hi!
Removalist 1:Yeah, hi! We're here for some boxes.
Shinji: Uh- this way-
Woman:Wait! You men go on ahead… I wish to talk to the young man for a second.
(Shinji froze as a woman's voice cut in. The two men brushed passed him revealing a young woman behind them, her appealing face marred with a large scar.
The woman seemed very young, probably in her early twenties judging by her complexion. She wore a tidy white blouse beneath a flowing overcoat and a black pleated skirt. To Shinji, it would have seemed as if she had arrived from a funeral, but something else told him otherwise. It must have been because of her smile.)
Woman: You really are a handsome young man
Shinji: Th- thanks… but I really should help them ou-
Woman: They'll be just fine, however you really are too conscientious. Asuka must have taken advantage of you.
(Suddenly, Shinji's gaze turned from bashfulness to determination as he stepped up to her, narrowing his eyes.)
Shinji: A- Asuka! Just how do you know about her?
(At this, the woman's smile simply widened.)
Woman: I guess she didn't talk about me, did she?
(He remained silent, at which she shook her head and extended him a hand.)
Woman: I am Asuka's… old caretaker-
Misato: What she's trying to say is that… she's Asuka's step-mother.
(Shinji's hand froze just short of clasping the woman's hand as he threw a backwards glance, finding two young men carrying boxes out the door where Misato stood with a vacant gaze, the same kind she gave Ritsuko a month ago, the kind of look that froze the very blood in his veins, his hand dropping to his side. This woman was supposed to be Asuka's mother? But she couldn't have been? She wasn't that much older than she was, and judging by her olive skin and long jet black hair, she must have been a guardian at most.)
(Shinji didn't know what to think or do, only to step out of the way between two warring parties.)
(Misato's gaze fell to the floor as her voice broke.)
Misato: (solemnly) You're Mariana, aren't you?
Woman: My mother called me Mariana. I'd rather that you call me Rina like Asuka does.
(It was then that Shinji noted something in Rina's words that forced him out of silence, grabbing Rina by the hand.)
Shinji: Asuka! Is… is she alright?
Rina: (blinking for a second, then smiling) I came by to tell you that Asuka woke up this afternoon. She's still a little weak from all that IV meals that they've been feeding her, damn cheap bastards… but once they've finished observing her for a week or so, she should be coming home again.
Shinji: Then why are you taking all her stuff? If she's coming back-
(The boy pauses, feeling a hand fall upon his shoulder. He quickly looked up and found Misato behind him)
Misato: Asuka won't be coming back.
Shinji: …
Misato: …
Shinji: …
Rina: (nervously) Now don't be like that, Misato. Of course we'll come by once in a while to visit, and if you want, you can drop by our apartment any time you want to.
Misato: That's nice, Rina. I think we will take you up on your offer.
Rina: (looking up) well, it looks like the grunt work's done. I'll see you at your test tomorrow, Shinji.
Shinji:(surprised) W-wait! How'd you-
Misato: Rina… will be working closely with us from now on as your personal psychiatrist. She's here to make sure that nothing wrong happens to you.
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(Several hundred meters below, Gendo rarely ever visited this section of the headquarters, he rarely ever needed to. A strange eerie feeling always came to him as he paced these halls, though his matter at hand called for him to ignore his instinct. He then stopped as he arrived to a dull metallic door, marked only above with red writing
like blood)
Solitary Confinement Cell 0001
(The Commander regards it for a moment as a smirk came upon his face, turning to the keypad, pushing a series of keys. With a slight hiss of pneumatics, the door slid open. The room inside was in complete darkness, lit only by a slight glow of a crimson crest and motto on the side of the wall. Light from outside poured through the new opening, his shadow stretching far into the room, darkening the slight outline of a woman sitting on a chair, facing away from him, in the far end of the room.
The smell of stale air flooded out as he stepped through the opening, allowing the door to slide shut behind him. For a long while, he merely stood there and watched as her head turned slightly. He couldn't see much through the darkness, though from the faint light of the crimson glow to the side, he found the figure's tangled locks faded, covering her eyes. Not that he wanted to see them. He did see however, a sly smirk appears on the side of her lips.)
Ritsuko: (darkly) Either you've come to finish me off
Gendo:…
Ritsuko: … or you've found another use for me.
(The old man smiled at this. He closed his eyes and shook his head.)
Gendo:I have come to give you an offer you simply cannot refuse.
Ritsuko: …
Gendo:You will return to your previous position as Project Coordinator, reasonable accommodation and reasonable compensation for your effort-
Ritsuko: And if I refuse?
(The silence that followed was deafening, which each click of his heal pounding loudly against Ritsuko's ear. Gendo knew that sensory depravation could do this.)
Gendo:As I said… it is an offer you cannot refuse.
Ritsuko:…
Gendo: Perhaps you need a little more time to think about my offer?
Ritsuko:Oh gee, give me a second to think about it…
Gendo: Hmm
(Ritsuko snorted, pulling herself up to her feet, eyeing Gendo acidly)
Ritsuko: I'll do it.
Gendo: Very well. You willreport to lieutenant Ibuki at 043-
Ritsuko: What did you do?
Gendo: …
Ritsuko: Stop treating me like a child, Gendo.
Gendo:But that is how you wish to be treated, is it not?
Ritsuko:(growling) The committee's got enough shit to bury NERV and everyone attached to it, you included. But by the look of things, it looks like they're willing to turn a blind eye at us… at least for a while longer.
(He was slow to respond, grinning inwardly)
Gendo: It seems that I owe you as much.
Ritsuko:Damn right-
Gendo: It is called mutually assured destruction, a strategy inspired by the Cold War which has guaranteed peace for over 40 years in the 20th century and has paved the way for man's near annihilation in the early 21st century.
Ritsuko:(angrily) You blackmailed the committee? You're playing with fire, Ikari, and you're going to get us all burned.
Gendo: Interesting analogy you have raised, old friend.
Ritsuko:(furiously) I'm not your-
Gendo: In Greek mythology, it was Prometheus who brought the gift of fire to humanity by stealing it from the Zeus, the king of the Gods. He was infuriated by Prometheus' treason, that a mortal has stolen their treasure, their secret that it warranted one of the most horrendous penalties.
Ritsuko: (scoffing) I already know this story.
Gendo: The God of the Forge Hephaestus bound Prometheus high upon a cliff where a giant eagle fed on his liver, but this is not the end of his misery. To prolong his suffering, Zeus would restore Prometheus at night so that the eagle could once again feed upon his liver in the morning. His suffering ended only when Heracles freed him from his bondage. He too incurred the wrath of the gods.
Ritsuko: What is your point with this?
Gendo:Over two millennia, man has sharpened his mastery over the flame to the point the where he has challenged the power of Zeus himself… I intend to use our research into the E Projects to reach what man has sought since his conception.
Ritsuko: …
Gendo: …
Ritsuko: Which is?
Gendo: (grinning) To reach god… and become him.
(It is at this that Ritsuko manages to gather enough strength to smirk at the man that has imprisoned both her body and soul.)
Ritsuko: You've always suffered delusions of grandeur… you just can't see it, can't you?
Gendo:…
Ritsuko:You are the eagle…
Gendo:…
Ritsuko:… and Prometheus…
Gendo: …
Ritsuko:… is your son.
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(Several hundred kilometers away…
A rickety old four wheel drive ground to a halt not far from an encampment near the edge of a large body of water. Its occupants were struck silent by the breathtaking spectacle before them. The first rays of light lit the landscape with a warm tint of lavender mingling with burgundy in front of them over the horizon.
There was enough light to bathe the spectacle in a dusty haze of ochre. Sheer climbs of cliff faces rose around them their peaks covered with rugged edges, all of which were devoid of any signs of life, save for the odd shrub scattered among the stony outcrop. It was much like the edge where they stopped, a sandy valley carved between either side of the inclines on the western side of the water. The water itself, seemed more like a river, a lake even, glowing a strange cobalt as the sun's early rays shone above clear water. It seemed to glisten with a strange aura that neither passenger could explain, only feel.)
(After a long silence, both exited the vehicle, one made her way to the back of the vehicle, hauling a large sack, the other made his way towards the encampment, seeing that their presence was already known. With this, he raised his arm and waved at the group ahead of him.)
Balthazar: Not a bad setup you've got goin' on here, old taima.
(He squinted as he notices a silhouette leave the tent, hurriedly making its way towards him. Pulling down the brim of his khaki hat, he smiled and extended his hand. As the silhouette approached, he recognized a familiar face as a smile grew. Through the dim light, he saw another man, a little shorter than he was, though obviously more advanced in years)
Balthazar: G'day Dougie.
Douglas: Ah! G'day Bazza! Ya lookin' a lil' rough 'round de edges…
(the old man firmly grabbed his confidant's hand and shook it. Releasing his grip, he began to lead his companion to the tent.)
Balthazar: Bloody oath, that fuckin' shit box's suspension was shot to hell. I feel like Muhamad fuckin' Ali after 3 hours in that tub… say, my ear's kinda funny. Feel's like I'm on a plane or somefin'.
Douglas: It's da pressure, Baz. We're about a quarter mile beneath sea level after all, but you'll get over it.
(He laughed as he looked over his friend's shoulder at the young woman struggling with a large bag at the back of their vehicle)
Douglas: I see ya brought lil' El wid ya... Not so lil' anymore though is she?
(Balthazar didn't stop as he turned to see the young woman hauling a large sack over her shoulder not far behind then turned back to his friend, careful not to embarrass herself by falling over the sand)
Balthazar: It's been yonks, Doug. El's not the little girl playin' house anymore. She's got 'dem blokes linin' up for her on campus. She really takes after her mum, ya know.
Douglas: Yeah, time sure does fly… how old is she now?
Balthazar: Eighteen in two months... said that she'd rather spend the night under a blanket of stars than celebrate in the big smoke.
Douglas: (smirking) She really said that?
Balthazar: Well those weren't really her words-
(Balthazar smiled at his friend as he entered the marquee, lit by dozens of kerosene lanterns. Taking his hat off, he looked around to find several strange faces staring back at him, all wearing smiles. His older friend walked over a wooden table and pulled out a chair)
Douglas: Ya look stoked, Baz.
(The man nodded as he sat down. His older friend moved down a corner of the marquee to where a large icebox was located, he opened it and pulled out a can. He then tossed it to the younger man and looked around the room.
Douglas: Just our piece of home in the sand.
(His younger companion pulled the ring-tab on the can and quickly raised the container to his mouth and took several large gulps of the cold beverage. He heard a subtle muffle of cloths being dropped and deep breathing behind him. A soft murmur came over the occupants as they looked behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was his daughter as she dropped the huge burden from her back onto the sandy floor)
Balthazar: Is dat everyfin', hon?
Douglas: Well… we kinda left the kitchen sink back in DC but…
(The elder man started laughing, startling the young woman into silence)
Douglas:Looks like she'z takin' more after her mother than ye. She's even got the yank accent.
Balthasar: Den ya see who duz da talkin' 'round da house most a da time.
(Douglas smiled inwardly as he turned to face the young girl)
Douglas:Ah! Elise! Gud ta have ya wid us.
(Once more, he dug into the icebox with both hands, he produced a less intoxicating drink in one hand and a can marked with VB in the other. He casually tossed the former item to the girl, who skillfully caught it in one hand. He pulled the ring-tab off his, causing a froth to start fizzing out of the gaping hole.The young woman ran her fingers down her sandy short brown hair as she smile at her old friend, laughing just a little.
Elise: Yeah, it's good to be here… I guess…
(The old man raised the can above his head, not unlike a toast to the new arrivals.)
Douglas: Now dat you're both bloody 'ere, let me just say on da behalf of everyone, welcome to Mare Mortuum…the Dead Sea.
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To be continued
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Author's notes
Yes, this piece is a redo of my original work... and a lot of redoing to say the least. Those of you who started reading it before would have noticed 3 things
1) This is written in script. I just find it easier to write THIS piece in script, as you guys will see later on. It's easier to read, easier to understand, and quite frankly, I love script.
2) There are nowhere NEAR as many ACCs in this as there was in the original. That means more time with your favourites.
3) I didn't blow up Tokyo-3. That right, they'll be spending a little more time in Japan, which means things will take off like most other fics. I found that relocating chars was just both too hard to do and places too many changes that it alienates the reader from the piece.
Anyway, I hope that you liked the changes that I've made. Please tell me what you thought about them...
And if you're writing about the aussie accents, I'm sorry, alright?