Summary: This is my take on the aftermath of Third Impact. I apologize if this story may seem unappealing, but this is my first fanfic. The only pairing in this story is Shinji and Rei, near the end. Please, read and enjoy, I hope.
Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or the First Ancestral Race, but I do own the characters Alpha Omega and Alpha Omicron, and the races Nightfire and Nufire.
There is nothing, nothing but the sound of waves, rustling over the sandy beach as the metallic crucifixes loomed over the deteriorating land. Onward in the distance, half of a gigantic, pale-white human head could be seen in the horizon. On the beach, the blood-tinted sea continues to rustle across the shore. Suddenly, as it retracts back into the ocean, three young teenagers emerge from its wake.
The one on the left is wearing a red, black and green Plug Suit, along with a pair of red A10 nerve clips, a gauze bandage over her left eye, and her right arm is bandaged to the brim. She had beautiful copper-colored hair, sapphire blue eyes, and silky skin.
The one in the center is wearing a simple buttoned short-sleeve white shirt, with navy blue jeans and white sneakers. He had short dark brown hair, cobalt blue eyes, and rather tanned skin.
The one on the right is also wearing a Plug Suit, albeit colored white, black and orange. She also had the A10 nerve clips, albeit white colored, also. She had rather exotic blue hair and red eyes, along with pale-white skin.
These three each played a part in the destruction of their world. The Warrior was killed to allow the destruction to begin. The Coward was chosen to make the decision to permit or stop the destruction. The Mother was the catalyst for the beginning of the destruction. No matter what they said, Asuka Langley Soryu, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami could not deny their parts in Third Impact. They had been chosen to serve as the new Eve, Adam, and Lilith. And there was nothing they could do about it. They would have to repopulate this desolate world as it slowly regenerated itself over the centuries…
Meanwhile, off in the distance…
On a hill overlooking the beach, two beings are looking down at Asuka, Shinji and Rei as they were still sleeping on the beach. One is standing up, looking into the sky, while the other is kneeling down, looking at the three children.
The one standing has his head obscured by a heavy black cloak; his body covered in a set of armor that looks like it came from the medieval times of England. There was a hilt stored on his belt, with a sword inside it. Black leather boots that looked no more than a day old obscured his lower legs and gauntlets obscured his forearms with bladed scallops extending.
The one kneeling looks the complete opposite of the one standing over him. He has a red bandana covering his forehead, and obscuring most of the top of his head. The only other thing he is wearing on his head is a pair of silver mirrorshade Aviator sunglasses. He was wearing a golden peace medallion necklace, a randomly tie-dyed T-shirt, black bellbottom pants, and blue sandals.
These two observers are members of the beings known as "The First Ancestral Race", the beings that created Adam and Lilith, the beings responsible for the creation of the Angels and humanity. They are of different sub-species, however. Even though they are brothers, they each have different philosophies. Beneath the cloak and bandana are glowing bodies, putting off differently colored ethereal glows; the one thing about the First Ancestral Race no one in the universe could ever understand was their collective literal lack of physical facial features.
The one who is standing is known as Alpha Omega. He is a Nightfire, the passive-aggressive warrior sub-species of the First Ancestral Race (hence the appearance of a warrior-traveler).
The one who is kneeling is known as Alpha Omicron. He is a Nufire, the more peaceful and hippie-like sub-species of the First Ancestral Race (hence the appearance of a 1970s hippie).
"So, Omicron, care to explain why we are here?" Omega spoke in a refined, English voice.
"We're here to give Earth a jump start in its regeneration. We're also here to take a large amount of the burden off of those three kids," Omicron replied in an American voice, not dissimilar to that of the pre-Second Impact singer Jimi Hendrix.
"Omicron, you know full well by now that we cannot interfere with the affairs of the human race."
"THIS IS DIFFERENT, OMEGA! Humanity has been wiped out, except for those three kids. They've been given a heavy burden; repopulate the human race while having to put up with this hellhole. I had a vision last night, and it told me that either way, unless we help them and restore humanity and Earth, those three will die, and humanity will be gone forever."
"Well, when it comes to you and your visions, they have a strange way of coming true. If there's one thing I've never doubted, it's the fact that you're extremely clairvoyant, and that you never lie about anything. It's just that the Code of Non-Interference prohibits…"
"Omega, fuck the code. You've never broken it. You've always been a stickler for regulation, even though you resurrected the idea of chivalry with your soldiering on and your Code of Honor. Don't you think it's time to break the rules, for once?"
After hearing that statement, Omega turned away for a few moments to think about his response to Omicron's entirely correct statement. He was a chivalrous Nightfire, one of the few that actually believed in chivalry. He was indeed a stickler for regulation, often leaving several civilizations in the dust because of the Code of Non-Interference. Omega had decided that it was time to be like his brother for once…it was time to be a rebel.
Omega turned back towards his brother, and said,
"Fuck the rules, brother. Let us restore humanity the proper way."
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
With that last statement, Omicron stood up, and the two brothers began to levitate above the ground, and soon were floating above the cliff, hovering towards the three sleeping teenagers on the beach. After a few brief minutes, they arrive at their destination, and land behind the three teenagers.
Unfortunately for the duo, they saw that Shinji's eyes were beginning to open. Panicking, they communicated telepathically on what they plan they should improvise.
"Omega, what do we do now, man? I didn't expect this!"
"Calm down, Omicron. I sense an unusual high concentration of mental energy coming from Ikari. I believe I can communicate to him our intentions via telepathy. Perhaps I could give him a brief lesson on creation, as well."
"Yeah, I guess there's no harm in showing the kid the origin of the universe."
"In that case, I will show him the Creation Scenario."
"Go for it. Better act fast, though. The kid's opening his eyes."
With those closing words, they broke off their telepathic conversation, and saw Shinji staring at them, his mouth wide open. He looked like he was about to scream, when Omicron put his hand over Shinji's mouth, and psychokinetically stood him up.
"Listen, kid, we're not gonna hurt ya, okay? I'll let my brother do the explaining around here."
When Shinji heard a voice in his head, assuring him that everything would be explained, he decided to not scream, for risk of causing a distressing situation with Asuka, Rei, and these two strange men. Instead, he just stood there, waiting for an explanation.
"Okay, Omega, the kid's all yours."
"Thank you, Omicron."
With that, Omicron walked away from Shinji, and knelt down to Asuka. He took a look at Asuka's eye and arm, and decided to see what was under. He took a quick look, and didn't like what he saw. He could only imagine what the rest of her looked like after her battle with the Mass Production Evangelion "fuglies".
"Well, nothin' a little healin' can't take care of."
Omicron's right hand began to emit an ethereal magenta glow, and he waved it over her abdomen, healing the puncture wounds caused by the mass feeding of the Evangelion fuglies. Then, he waved his hand over her eye and right arm in rapid succession, healing both wounds, and restoring her to full physical condition without waking her up.
"Ah, one of the advantages of bein' a healer."
Shinji had been watching what Omicron did to Asuka, and was visibly amazed at his divine abilities. Shinji was about to ask out loud how Omicron could do that, when he saw Omega's hand stop his lips, and his head shook. Shinji could tell that this guy didn't like to speak with words, but with the mind.
"I see you understood my message, Ikari."
"Yes, I did. Who are you? Who's he, and how was he able to heal Asuka's wounds so quickly?"
"We are members of the alien species your father called the First Ancestral Race. We are brothers. My name is Alpha Omega. He is Alpha Omicron. We know who you three are by heart. So, now that we have introductions finished, I believe you are wondering why we, beings of divine power, have arrived on Earth after Third Impact had occurred. Am I correct?"
"You're right, Alpha Omega. I was kind of wondering that."
"Call me Omega, Ikari. I don't like being called by my full name. Well, to answer your question, it was in actuality, my brother Omicron's idea to appear at this time. We are of different sub-species of the First Ancestral Race. I am a Nightfire, the more passive-aggressive version. My brother is a Nufire, the more peace-loving version. We have different philosophies on duty and loyalty, but we agreed that you three should not have to suffer the burden placed upon you."
"So, what you're saying is that all Nightfire are honorable, courageous and chivalrous? And that all Nufire are hippies, wear peace medallions and have glowing magenta colored skin…wait. What burden are you talking about?"
"You, Soryu, and Ayanami have been chosen to be the new Adam, Eve, and Lilith respectively. You three have been chosen to repopulate this world from scratch."
"WHAT? YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I HAVE TO SCREW ASUKA AND REI OVER AND OVER UNTIL THE HUMAN RACE IS REPOPULATED? I…I CAN'T DO IT! IT'S TOO MUCH TO HANDLE!"
"Calm down, Ikari. As I was saying, we have decided to take the burden off of your shoulders. We are going to use our powers to restore humanity, and restore Earth to a pre-Second Impact condition. We feel that it is in our duty to assist our brothers and sisters."
"Brothers and sisters?"
"We created all life in the universe, and the Angels and Terrans have been our finest creations since they took their first breaths. We consider all beings we create to be our brothers and sisters. Now, you are in need, and we have come to help."
"Well...you sound sincere, Omega. And Omicron did get rid of Asuka's wounds like they were nothing…"
"Wait. His work is not yet done. Look over there."
Omega pointed his finger in Rei's direction, instructing Shinji to look there. He saw Omicron kneeling down on Rei, his right hand apparently fused to Rei's abdomen, until Shinji could see the hand emerging with a red sphere in his hand. It was Rei's Super-Solenoid Organ, somehow removed from her body. Then, Omicron put his left hand over Rei's abdomen, and a surge of energy flowed through her body. After a few brief moments, the infusing of energy stopped, and Omicron stood back up, satisfied with his work.
"Hey, kid, before you scream, all I did was take out her Angel organ and replace it with a normal girl baby-maker organ. For a Nufire like me trained in healing, it's pretty damn simple, kid. Don't worry, she'll be fine. In fact, she'll be more human than she ever was."
"Okay, Omicron. As long as I know she's okay…she's the only part of my mother that I have left."
"Hey, kid, I can understand that. I made sure nothin' bad happened to her, kid. Alien hippie I may be, but liar I am not. I'm a certified Nufire medic."
"Alright, Omicron. Thanks for giving Rei full humanity, and thanks for healing Asuka."
"No prob', kid. It comes with the job. Besides being a divine extraterrestrial hippie, helpin' and healin' people is the only other thing I really enjoy."
"Now…Omega, how do you intend to restore the world to a pre-Second Impact state within only one day? Earth was created in six days. What makes you think you can do it within six minutes?"
"Just…trust me, Ikari. Trust me, and you shall see."
Then, Shinji could no longer feel Omega inside his mind. Instead, he watched as Omega walked over to Omicron, and said,
"It is time, brother."
"Right."
Omega lifted off his cloak hood, and revealed his head. It too had an ethereal glow, like Omicron's, except that it was glowing orange instead of magenta. Shinji guessed that individual Nightfire were colored in different shades of orange, and that Nufire were colored in different shades of magenta. He was surprised that they had no faces, but left them to their work. The two aliens walked towards the sand, knelt down, and picked up a handful of the sand. After that, they stood up, outstretched their hands, and blew the sand out of their hands like a gust of hurricane winds.
"Nothing's happening. What is supposed to be happening, Omega?"
"Don't worry, Ikari. All will be explained soon."
And, like Omega had promised, Shinji's question was answered. Suddenly, the sky began to turn from a dark shade of violet-black to a light shade of sky blue. The clouds began to revert from gray to their normal white color, and the purple moon that was once there was being replaced by a bright, yellow sun.
"You see…Shinji, by infusing the sand with our powers, we have spread our healing across the globe. Soon, the entire world shall be healed, and the Sea of LCL shall be no more. Humanity shall continue onto its original course: to become beings like us one day, naturally."
"Will everyone come back? Even my bastard father?"
"No. We have decided to keep the members of SEELE and the entirety of the JSSDF in the Pit of Lost Souls. There, they shall writhe in pain and agony for eternity. Your father was already dead, Shinji. Evangelion Unit 01 ripped apart his upper torso and ate it. His lower torso and legs are still in Terminal Dogma."
"Well, at least I know I'll never see them or him again. Maybe I can get my life in order now. Maybe I can stop being a wimp, and stand up for myself when I need to. I may butt heads more with Asuka, but I don't care. I'm not gonna run away anymore."
Omega was surprised by Shinji's statement. He thought he would have to show the boy the "Creation Scenario" for him to grow a spine, but even though it was no longer necessary, he decided to show Shinji anyway.
"Shinji, what I am about to show you, no human has ever seen. You are about to see how the universe began, how it continues, and how it will end. It is known throughout the universe…as the Creation Scenario."
With those words, Omega put his hands over Shinji's temples as Earth continued to be restored to a beautiful planet again. Suddenly, Shinji could see what looked like an endless amount of images in his mind. The experience was almost overwhelming, but he could make out what he wanted to know. He saw the proven "Big Bang"; he saw the cosmic gases begin to form physical planets; he saw the First Impact, which created the Moon; and the images continued, until they stopped. Shinji was surprised where the images had stopped. They had stopped on September 13, 2000. This was the date of Second Impact.
Suddenly, everything began to rewind slowly, but surely, showing Second Impact as it happened and before it happened. After a few brief moments, the Creation Scenario stopped playing in Shinji's mind. He saw it end before Second Impact had occurred.
Omega removed his hands from Shinji's temples, and Shinji opened his eyes to a sight he hadn't seen in a long time. He saw a beautiful sky, a shining sun, lush green plants, and a sparkling blue ocean. He realized that what was happening with the images he saw was that Omega and Omicron's restoration of the Earth had erased Second Impact and Third Impact from the timeline.
"So…you changed history, so the Creation Scenario was changed as well?"
"Bingo, kiddo. We changed Earth so that Second Impact and Third Impact never happened. Everybody's still the same since you met them, and they all retain their memories of the original timeline, but Earth has changed drastically. Mother Nature is back in tune with herself, the seasons will be returnin' to normal, and everythin' is right with the world, kiddo."
"There is still much healing to do, Shinji, but I have absolute confidence in humanity's ability to pick up the pieces and rebuild. We've already given them a head start. Look over there."
Shinji saw Omega pointing over the horizon, and there, Shinji saw a sight he never thought he'd never see again. It was Tokyo-3, completely rebuilt, refurbished, and no longer a defensive city.
"Thank you…both, for all you've done for us. For all of humanity."
"It was our pleasure, Shinji. I believe we should be taking our leave now. We can detect several armored vehicles and cars heading for this very beach."
"I understand, Omega. I hope we meet again, someday. I'd like to get to know you more."
"Thank you…my brother."
Omega extended his hand for a handshake, and Shinji gladly took the gesture, shaking Omega's hand with an unusual vigor.
"Hey, kiddo, don't forget about me, huh?"
"Of course not, Omicron. You gave Asuka and Rei back their lives, well, sort of. You got them on a good start. Peace."
Shinji raised his right hand, and made the peace symbol with his fingers. Omicron returned the gesture with the same symbol, and gave Shinji a friendly noogie.
"See ya, guys."
"Farewell, Shinji Ikari. You are Adam…no more."
With that, Omega put back on his hood, and he and Omicron stepped away from Shinji, who had a real smile on his face for the first time in a long time. The brothers kicked off of the ground, and hovered in mid-air slightly. They began to float upward, waving goodbye to Shinji as they continued to float, until…they were gone.
Shinji was just looking to the sky, thinking about everything that had happened within the last thirty minutes. He had been the first human to meet the First Ancestral Race. He had seen their great power being put to benevolent use. He had seen the creations of the universe occur, and had seen the Second and Third Impacts erased from history. In these last thirty minutes, Shinji Ikari had not only been in the presence of gods; he had grown a spine as well. He wasn't gonna take any shit from anybody anymore, no matter who was the one giving him shit.
Soon after Omega and Omicron departed, a large number of Hummer SUVs, APCs, and a blue Renalt Alpine A310 arrived on the beach. Shinji was still looking up at the sky, looking at the new life ahead of him, when Misato wrestled him down to the wet, sandy ground with a hug.
"Shinji, I'm so glad you're safe! What happened?"
"I'll tell you when you're smart enough to believe me, Misato…and when you're crazy enough to believe in crazy myths," Shinji said with a chuckle evident in his voice.
"Did you just make a joke at my expense, Shinji?"
"Yes, I did, Misato."
"Well…either way, I'm glad you're alright," Misato said with tears in her eyes.
"I'm glad I'm alright, too," Shinji replied with a warm tone.
Soon after, Rei woke up from the sunlight in her eyes, and stood up, looking at the sun. She could no longer feel the Super-Solenoid Organ in her abdomen, but instead felt a normal human reproductive system. She didn't know how it happened, but that wasn't the only thing that changed. When she looked at Shinji, a small blush began to form on her cheeks. Rei finally understood why she always felt so comfortable around this boy she had always called "Ikari": she was in love with him. She just didn't realize it because of her misplaced loyalty in her former Commander. Rei just hoped that it wasn't too late to confess to Ikari.
Rei walked over to Shinji, who was still in Misato's death grip of a hug, and put her hand on his right shoulder. Misato finally let go after seeing Rei with a smile on her face, and walked over to Asuka, who was snoring rather loudly.
"Hi, Rei. Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not alright."
"Rei, you're speaking in contractions. Are you alright?"
"I…I think I am in love with you, Ikari. I don't know what to say or do or…"
However, Shinji locking his lips with hers cut her off. The two wrestled tongues for quite a while, seeing who would have the final dominance over the other. After a few minutes, they stopped kissing, with gigantic blushes overrunning their cheeks.
"Ikari, why did you do that?"
"Tell you the truth, Rei, I've had quite the crush on you for a while. I didn't say it because I knew that you wouldn't understand it, since your knowledge of human emotions was poor. However, now that you seem to have an understanding of emotions…I…love you, Rei Ayanami."
"I love you too, Shinji Ikari. I'm glad it wasn't too late."
"Me neither."
The two embraced each other in a soulful hug that seemed to last forever. They had never felt more comfortable or more loved than at that moment. However, their moment was cut short by Asuka's rather loud, obnoxious snoring.
"Well, now I know what else you had to put up with besides Soryu's insults, Shinji. She is a very heavy sleeper, isn't she, darling?"
"Yeah, she is. You know, she would've looked a helluva lot worse looking, thanks to those EVA fuglies…but some new friends of mine helped her and you out."
"Who are these friends, Shinji? Can I meet them?"
"Someday, Rei. Someday…when humanity is ready."
Shinji just stared up in the sky, looking at the bright future ahead of him and Rei. They were going to have a beautiful life together, and it was thanks to two kindred souls. Shinji would never forget them, nor would they forget him.
Before Shinji left with Misato, Rei, Asuka (who was still sleeping and snoring) and the rest of the NERV agents, he heard one more message in his head. It was Omega, giving "the big goodbye". Shinji was in the back of the Renault Alpine, with Rei lying on his shoulder, when he heard Omega's "big goodbye".
"Humanity is a great people, Shinji Ikari. They wish to be. They once lacked the light to show them the way. However, Third Impact gave them that light. The effects may have been erased, but the memories of those who experienced it firsthand will last a lifetime. Many people will not be the same after these events…but I have confidence in humanity's ability to soldier on. They always have. I wish you luck, Shinji Ikari. You have a great life ahead of you. Don't give up your dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may be. Treat Rei with respect always, and you two will be together for your entire lives. Goodbye…and good luck."
"Goodbye, Omega," Shinji said as he stared out of the window of the Renault Alpine, heading back to his home at the apartment.