Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Evangelion characters, story plots, or quotes
This story starts out as a chronicle and summary of the Eva TV series, but if you notice, you start to see things that I creatively inserted in order to smoothly branch it off into my own Altered Universe. Hope you enjoy it.
The Great War
This is an historical record of Humanity's last, great effort to defeat the destructive alien forces that were dubbed "Angels".
It began at the end of the 20th century A.D., when a research team found a giant being that they christened "Adam" in Antarctica.
The researchers foolishly tried to contain and control the god-like being. Adam exploded, melting the polar ice and subsequently flooding the earth. The seas rose an astounding 180 feet in a matter of moments. All low-lying and coastal countries were drowned. Over half of the total population of the world was extinguished. This catastrophe was called the Second Impact.
The research team was wiped out, except for one survivor: a young girl named Misato Katsuragi, daughter of the research team's leader. For over a year she remained mute; horror-struck at what she had witnessed first-hand.
Adam, though weakened, was not dead. Nor was he alone. There was a second Angel: Lilith. Together, they were the key to Third Impact, the end of the world. Man began experimenting with the Angels' corpses and discovered many things: One, Angels possess a sort of force field that was christened an Absolute Terror Field or AT Field for short. Two, Angel's DNA is rudimentarily similar to Human DNA, with only a few differences.
Third, and most importantly, man created a god-like being of their own. Created in the image of Adam using his DNA, Humanity created a living, sentient, cybernetic organism that was code-named "Evangelion".
Years passed. Man foolishly believed the Angels to be gone for good. Then, in the year 2015 A.D., the Angels returned.
The Third Angel attacked, easily overwhelming the conventional forces of the United Nations. Not even the UN's ultimate weapon, the powerful N2 explosive charge, was sufficient to defeat the Angel.
The only hope was Evangelion. The Prototype model, Unit 00, had been damaged in an activation test, but the Test model, Unit 01, was useable. Eva Unit 01 was mobilized, piloted by Rei Ayanami, the First Child. During the first scrimmage with the Angel, the Eva was defeated, and the pilot was badly injured.
The government agency responsible for the Evangelion Project, called NERV, was forced to find an alternative.
Commander Gendao Ikari, head of NERV operations, summoned his only son, Shinji Ikari, as a reserve pilot. Shinji, the Third Child, deployed in Unit 01 and engaged the Angel. At first, the fight went poorly, and Unit 01 sustained massive amounts of damage. Then, the ground crew lost all feedback from Unit 01. They assumed it had deactivated.
To everyone's surprise, Unit 01 reactivated, but it still wasn't responding to any controls. Unit 01 had gone berserk. While berserk, it regenerated most of its damaged parts instantaneously. Then, it tore through the Angel's AT Field, and smashed its core. The Angel, desperate to take its foe down with it, wrapped itself around Unit 01 and self-destructed. Eva was undamaged in the blast. Pilot Ikari sustained mild psychological trauma during the assault.
The Fourth Angel resembled a large, flying insect. Its offensive capabilities consisted of two long, laser-like tentacles. Shinji once again deployed in Unit 01 to engage the enemy. He engaged the Angel in hand to hand combat and plunged his progressive knife into the Angel's core. The Angel's core cracked and the Angel died, just as Unit 01's internal battery ran out of power.
The Fifth Angel was a flying fortress. Its shape was like a giant polyhedron diamond. This Angel's AT Field was incredibly strong. Its primary weapon was a particle cannon that could blast through almost anything in its path, and its range was incredible. When Shinji deployed to engage it, it fired on him and struck Unit 01 squarely in the chest plates, melting all but a few layers of armor. Had the ground crew not recovered the Eva as swiftly as they did, Shinji would have died.
While they waited for Shinji to recover from the massive trauma he sustained, the crew at NERV planned how best to kill the Angel. Unfortunately, as they planned, the Angel centered itself overtop of NERV HQ and began to drill through the ground and armor plating that separated the Geofront from the surface.
NERV planned to execute a long-range attack on the Angel, since its AT Field only responded to close range threats. Their plan was to use an experimental particle accelerator cannon that they borrowed from the SSDF as a sniper rifle and have Unit 01 try to blast the Angel from several miles away.
Once Shinji was revived and briefed on the plan, and repairs to Unit 01's armor had been made, they deployed for the mission area. Unit 00 was to provide cover in case Shinji missed his first shot. Unit 00 was given a special shield made from the heat resistant belly of a space shuttle. It wouldn't provide cover for long, but it would hopefully provide sufficient time for Shinji to reload.
As Shinji made his first shot, so did the Angel. Their energies warped each other, and both shots missed their marks. The Angel fired another shot before Shinji was ready, but Rei and the shuttle shield were there. The shield was failing, and Unit 00's armor was starting to melt. Shinji made his second shot, and hit the mark, blasting a hole clear through the Angel.
Shinji then removed the entry plug from Unit 00 and pried open the hatch, burning his hands in the process. After seeing that Rei was all right, Shinji wept from release of tension.
Shinji and Misato were called away to pick up and escort the new Eva Unit 02 and its pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child. They were under orders to escort the Evan and pilot back to NERV HQ.
While still at sea, the Sixth Angel attacked. Shinji and Asuka worked together in Unit 02 to try and defeat the aquatic Angel. They finally defeated the Angel by having two UN battleships self destruct inside the Angel's mouth.
Asuka was a harsh girl, having grown up after watching her father abandon them, then watching her mother go insane, eventually hanging herself. Asuka hardened herself and pushed herself fanatically to be the best at everything. By the age of 14, she had already earned her college degree.
From the beginning of their association, Asuka marked Shinji as a sort of rival to her being the best. They would have to put aside their personal differences to defeat the next Angel.
The Seventh Angel had the ability to split itself into two synchronous twins. The only way Shinji and Asuka could defeat it was to synchronize perfectly with each other and execute a simultaneous attack on both halves. Using this strategy, the two pilots were able to defeat the Angel, though they got very tired of being around each other.
The Eight Angel presented the people at NERV with a unique opportunity to capture an Angel in its infancy. Unit 02 was outfitted with heat-resistant gear and dropped into a volcano to retrieve the Angel. While Unit 02 attempted to capture the Angel, it hatched. Asuka defeated the Angel, but a death-throw attack severed the cables that connected Unit 02 to the surface. Asuka and her Eva would have sunk into the lava and been crushed by the pressure had Shinji not been standing by in Unit 01. He bravely thrust Unit 01's unprotected hand down into the lava and grabbed Unit 02. Asuka was shocked that Shinji cared enough to save her.
The Ninth Angel struck during a massive power outage that crippled NERV HQ. This Angel was relatively weak compared to most of its predecessors. Its only attack was an acid that it oozed out of its body. Its AT Field was weak enough that Shinji was able to defeat it with a single volley from his rifle while Asuka and Rei covered him.
The Tenth Angel was the first of the orbital Angels. It used its AT Field as a weapon, dropping portions of it as bombs. Eventually, the Angel dropped itself out of orbit, right onto Tokyo-3. The three Evas used their own AT Fields to catch the Angel and neutralize its AT Field. Then, using a progressive knife, Unit 02 killed the Angel.
The Eleventh Angel was truly unique. It was a computer virus that the Evas were powerless to combat. The Angel began to infect the Magi supercomputers. Only through the quick thinking, and quicker work of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi were the Magi salvaged and the Angel destroyed.
The Twelfth Angel was perhaps the most unique of the first Angels. It had two bodies: a spherical form that floated above the ground that served as a distraction, and the shadow on the ground, which was actually the Angel's body. This Angel possessed an inverted AT Field that engulfed its targets and transported them to an alternate dimension of sorts.
Eva Unit 01 was consumed in this manner. The NERV crew frantically tried to find a way to rescue Shinji. While they tried to find a way to save him, Unit 01 berserked again and tore itself free of its prison, destroying the Angel in the process.
The Thirteenth Angel was uniquely terrifying in its own way. This Angel was parasitic, able to take over mechanical constructs. The construct it chose was none other than the newest Evangelion: Unit 03. This new Eva had a new ability: the arms were able to stretch and extend. It was piloted by the Fourth Child, Toji Suzuhara, one of Shinji's school classmates. During the maiden activation, the Angel took over, trapping the pilot inside the entry plug.
Units 00 and 02 were dispatched to intercept the Angel. They were soundly defeated, leaving Unit 01 to face it alone. Once Shinji found out that the pilot was still trapped inside, he refused all orders to destroy Unit 03.
Frustrated, Commander Ikari ordered that control of Unit 01 be switched over to the experimental new "dummy plug" system. The dummy plugs, as the name implies, are a sort of auto-pilot system that is not held back by the complications of emotions. Unit 01 fights back against the Angel, literally beating it to a bloody pulp and tearing to pieces. The pilot, Suzuhara, survived; though he was badly injured when Unit 01 crushed his entry plug.
The Fourteenth Angel was one of the toughest that the Evas would face. Once again, Units 00 and 02 were mobilized first. And once again, they were both defeated. Unit 02 had both of its arms and its head cut off by the Angel's razor sharp tentacle arms. Asuka's pride was severely damaged by this defeat.
Shinji was very angry, and launched in Unit 01. He was about to defeat the Angel, when Unit 01's internal power ran out. Then, something happened that no one could have predicted. Shinji's synchronization ratio jumped to over 400, an impossible situation that actually happened. The Eva reactivated, tearing the Angel apart and actually consuming parts of it. One of the parts the Eva consumed was the Angel's Super Solenoid Engine. The S2 Engine is the part of the Angel that gives them an unlimited source of power. Now, Unit 01 had an S2 engine inside of it, and no longer required an outside power source.
The Fifteenth Angel was another orbital Angel. This Angel's attack was a beam that invaded and destroyed the victim's mind. Asuka is the unfortunate pilot caught in the beam. As she put it: "It's raping my mind!" That is the best way to describe the phenomenon. Asuka was left in a near vegetative state.
Rei was sent in Unit 00 to retrieve the Lance of Longinus from Terminal Dogma. Unit 00 hurled the Lance at the Angel, obliterating it. However, the Lance was lost in lunar orbit.
The Sixteenth Angel looked like an enormous halo of light. Its AT Field was of incredible strength. With Asuka in a hospital bed, Rei and Shinji were left without back-up. Rei engaged the Angel first. The Angel began to invade and merge with Unit 00. As Shinji deployed, the Angel's other end tried to do the same thing to him. To save Shinji, and destroy the Angel, Rei decides to sacrifice herself and self-destruct Unit 00. Shinji bravely reached out and tore Rei's entry plug out of Unit 00, scant seconds before its core implodes and destroys the Angel and the Eva. Shinji spread his AT Field to full power and shielded them both from the blast. Rei never thanked Shinji for rescuing her, but it was only because she didn't really know how to express it.
The Seventeenth Angel, the last of the First Wave, took on a Human form. His name was Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child. He became the pilot for Unit 02. There was something unique about him: he could choose what his synch-ratio would be.
His relationship with the other two active pilots was strange, to say the least. Rei sensed something about him instantly, stating rather bluntly that she didn't trust him. However, with Shinji, he formed a bond instantly. Shinji began to trust him.
Kaworu eventually showed his true colors, taking control of Unit 02 and descending into Central Dogma. Shinji and Unit 01 were immediately dispatched in an attempt to halt the Angel's progress. Shinji felt betrayed. His newest friend turned out to be the enemy. He caught up with Kaworu at the entrance to Terminal Dogma.
Shinji engaged Unit 02 and defeated it, then seized Kaworu in Unit 01's giant fist. Shinji's cockpit recorder captured the following segment of conversation:
K: "It is my destiny to live forever, though my survival will bring final destruction to the Human race. However, it is possible for me to be killed, and whether I live or die makes no great difference. In truth, death may be the only absolute freedom there is."
S: "What are you? Kaworu, I don't understand what you are talking about, Kaworu."
K: "This is my wish: Please, destroy me; me, and all those who will come after me. Otherwise, you will be destroyed. Only one life form can be chosen to evade the destruction and seize the future. And you are not the existence which should die. You need the future; it is what you live for. Thank you, Shinji. My life was meaningful…because of you."
Kaworu had spent enough time as a Human, around Humans, that he understood what it meant to be a Human better than any Angel ever had. Though it destroyed him to do it, Shinji ordered Unit 01 to crush Kaworu. Thus, the Seventeenth Angel died.
NERV's difficulties were far from over. SEELE was enraged that NERV had foiled their plot to initiate Third Impact. They sent in military forces to take over the facility. NERV soldiers fought back bravely, but the primary concern of the command center was the safety of the pilots and their Evas. Asuka was placed in Unit 02's entry plug and positioned at the bottom of the lake in the Geofront. Shinji and Rei were launched in Unit 01.
No one is exactly sure what took place, but Asuka managed to come out of her state of mental collapse and re-synch with her Eva. It activated to full battle readiness and engaged the UN forces' heavy armor and artillery.
SEELE, in desperation, mobilized the Eva Series to destroy Unit 02. The Eva Series, nine units all operating on the dummy plug system, attacked Unit 02. Asuka was able to use her AT Field offensively, but the Eva Series was too tough for her to defeat alone. Shinji and Rei came to her aid, pitting two Evas against nine. The internal recorders of Units 01 and 02 captured this segment of conversation:
S: "Asuka, are you all right? How are you holding up?"
A: "As well as can be expected, you idiot! Do you have Wonder Girl in there with you?"
R: "Affirmative."
S: "Here they come again!"
Sounds of charging footfalls and crashing
Screeching and crunching sounds (presumably Evas being destroyed)
A: "Shinji! Behind you!"
S: "Got it! HeeeeYAHHHHHH!"
Explosion
R: "Ikari, look right."
A: "I've got him!"
Two explosions
Crunching and splattering sounds
S: "Only one more! Let's go!"
Crunching noise (presumably the sound of an Eva's head being smashed)
End of recording
NERV dispatched its own strike force to eliminate SEELE. Using an N2 charge, the NERV strike team obliterated SEELE's headquarters.
Weeks passed. The team at NERV believed that their troubles were finally over. Weeks turned into months, and the public celebrated the end of the Angels. Shinji knew the truth, though. The truth was that the true war for Humanity was only just beginning.