Disclaimer: EVA and all its characters and references are owned by Gainax. I 
don't own them and I would probably die of surprise if I made money off 
their ideas. Ideas, situations, and characters may unintentionally resemble
others. Rock on.

EVANGELION: Avatar
By: OOPART Xephon
--
1: contraception

Scene 1

	Once again it was a bright and sunny day in the city of Neo Tokyo-3. 
High cirrus clouds floated overhead, nothing more than a faint background to 
the bright blue sky. The unusual quality of a manmade paradise was overridden
by such a beautiful day. The temperature was even comfortable; those concrete
and asphalt images were warm to the touch. Faint breezes passed over the 
mountains occasionally, more a justification for living than passing weather 
systems. Birds happily chirped in the trees that ran along the roads, 
although those trees had been planted by man, too. Tokyo-3 was less a city 
and more of something else, something indefinable. It wasn't necessarily a 
place for business or a place for people to live their lives. It was not 
heavily populated; there were no industrial complexes polluting the air; the 
highways leading into and out of the city were sparsely travelled. The city 
streets were a little crowded, more a result of traffic lights than of 
traffic. People walked along sidewalks, but many walked for the sheer 
enjoyment and not to transport themselves from one point to another.
	Tokyo-3 was not a place that seemed real. The city was so peaceful on
this day, so quiet, so impassive. The rest of the world seemed to run by on 
its daily pace, leaving that city to go on its own path. It was almost as if
the city was hiding something. Something said that the city was only skin 
deep, and underneath one could find anything at all. Perhaps some dark secret,
or perhaps a mountain of gold. A wonderful dream. The people carried on their
lives in this city as if nothing had happened.
	However, they all knew that it had occurred.
	The images that had been shown all over the television and newspapers
had quickly turned the world's eye on this city of man. Everyone in the city 
knew that something unusual had happened, even the small children who could 
not begin to understand what had transpired in their backyards. The horror of
the attack was not limited to Tokyo-3; a path of clean-ups led from the 
Pacific to the city. The government, both local and national, had been quick
to cover up anything that may have been critical. A "monster" of unknown 
origins had attacked Japan, carving destruction until it was stopped by the 
Self-Defense Forces in Tokyo-3. The damage in the city itself was limited to
an area of about 10 square blocks in the northeast corner of the city, an 
area that was now blocked off my the SDF and military police. People wondered
why the monster had attacked, why it had come to that city, where had it come
from; wondered why it had attacked now?
	Eye witness accounts recalled a second monster, described by some as 
a robot. However the officials denied a second one.
	Sitting in a cool classroom, staring outside at the perfect day, was
a boy who had seen the second monster. He was known by his classmates as a 
transfer student, quiet, and a little strange. There were a few rumors flying
around the boy, but nothing that was so outrageous as the simple truth. The 
boy did not pay attention as the ancient teacher rambled on about the Second
Impact, did not even pay attention to the beauty of nature. His mind was 
elsewhere, remembering fragments of what had happened just a few days before.
His dark blue eyes were almost out of focus, as though his mind was somewhere
entirely different. He was confused, unconsciously asking questions. Always 
questions, but there weren't any answers for this boy. The monster's 
appearance and subsequential defeat affected the whole city. But this boy had
been involved in a much deeper way than most of that city.
	Ikari Shinji, unwilling "pilot" of the second monster, pondered these
questions that plagued his mind. He looked for answers to questions that had 
no answers. He barely understood his situation, and he did not want to 
acknowledge what was going on around him. Perhaps it had been a dream. But...
That purple mask told him it was the truth.
	That purple mask he saw in his mind silently spoke to him.
	That purple mask... Evangelion... The beast which he had been thrust
inside to control. The beast which had cost him so much. His former life was 
now over. Evangelion, his father, Katsuragi Misato, that odd girl...
	They were his life now.
-
Scene 2

	Ikari pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. He 
wore them even though his vision was close to perfect,and anyone who had met
Ikari knew that it was definitely not a fashion statement. The man simply 
wore the spectacles. Sitting behind that great cold desk, totally 
uncluttered, the figure demanded respect from any who approached him. His 
face was blank, though many thoughts passed through his head. Somehow, that 
blankness was filled with emotion. Pure undefinable emotion. A slight 
electronic click was followed by a female voice.
	"Commander Ikari, the general is here for the scheduled meeting." The 
man tapped a small button built into his desk.
	"I understand. Tell him I will meet him in room 313B." Ikari's voice 
was cold and heartless, full of hatred.
	"Yes, sir." Ikari sighed almost inaudibly as he stood. As always 
those memories inhabited his mind. Often he took a step back and tried to 
rationalize his actions, only to fail. Long ago had he realized that it was 
impossible for a human being to find a pure answer to describe the reasons 
for actions. Thirty years had passed since that fateful day, the day his life
was forever marred.
-
Scene 3

	"Huh?" His voice echoed. The boy blinked quickly, then rubbed his 
eyes. Satisfied that his eyes were fine, he looked around. Cars, cars, 
cars... Dim lights... an elevator in the corner... sloping pavement... He was
in a parking garage. He suddenly realized that he was holding something in 
his right hand. There was a set of keys and a small plastic device with a 
couple buttons on it. He recognized the symbol on one of the buttons and 
pressed it. A car directly to his left chirped twice. The boy looked around 
again. "Hello?" he called.
	For some reason he felt joy when no one responded, and his left arm 
began to tingle. Almost naturally he grabbed one of the three keys on the 
keychain in his hand, and he got into the car. The vehicle started 
immediately, a deep rumble that was the sound of power. The boy realized that
the car was a manual even though he had already released the emergency brake 
and put the car into reverse. He noticed a piece of paper sitting on the 
passenger seat as he rolled through the garage. Picking it up, he saw that it
was a map. The boy slowly looked over the face of the map. It appeared to 
have directions written on it, and he assumed that it led from the parking 
garage to somewhere else.
	Somewhere he was supposed to go.
	First, however, he decided he was hungry. After a bit of driving, he 
found a small internet cafe. He walked in, sat at an empty computer station, 
and ordered a cup of coffee and a poppy seed muffin. He browsed over world 
news, reading about troubles in other lands. The coffee was a little grainy, 
but he drank the whole cup anyway. He had no money in his pockets, so he 
reached for his wallet. Very slowly, he pulled open the folds, almost as 
though he were dreading the contents.
	Inside his wallet were 900 yen, something that looked like a credit 
card, and a driver's license. A license for a boy named Kawano Ichiro. Age:
16. Date of Birth: 01 October 2030. For some reason the address was severely 
smudged and unreadable.
	"That figures," he said quietly. For some reason he felt like he 
couldn't remember anything that had happened in a long time, kind of like 
when a TV show is on but you don't watch the program, then try to remember 
later. Every detail seemed to be there, but was too hazy to decode. However, 
the boy did instantly recognize the face as his own. The black hair hung low 
in his eyes and over his ears, although the dull green eyes stood out from 
the shadow. The long face, strong chin, and protruding cheek bones were 
distinctly masculine. He left the cafe after paying the paltry sum, he 
decided to check out the map. It described a moderate city, though the name 
was nowhere on the paper. Ichiro leaned his head back and stared at the sky 
through the open sunroof.
	The next few moments were much a blur to the boy. Almost immediately 
after he closed his eyes, a deep click was followed by a breeze of fresh air.
The car's passenger side door had opened! Ichiro sat up straight in his seat 
and looked to his left. He was bewildered to find a middle-aged woman with 
long, light brown hair, who's arms seemed to be covered in tattoos. "Are you 
in the mafia?" the boy asked in a panicked tone.
	"Shut up!" the woman yelled. She pulled a small handgun out of her 
jacket and put it to Ichiro's left temple. She pushed his head so his face 
was forward. He could barely see her outline in his peripheral vision. Of 
course the boy was scared senseless and shut his trap. "Drive!"
	"W-where?" he asked quietly. She grabbed the map from his hand and 
pushed it into his line of sight.
	"Here! Drive here!" She was pointing to the spot that had been 
defined as his goal. Then the map disappeared.
	"But... I don't know how to get there."
	"I'll direct you. Just go. Now!"
	"But I-"
	"Go right!" Ichiro pulled to the road, looked right, then began to 
look left. The barrel of the gun pushed his head back. "It's clear. Go now!" 
A thousand thoughts and emotions were running through Ichiro's head, although
not many were perceptible in his state of shock.
	The rest of the trip went similarly. The woman slowly became calmer, 
as did Ichiro. The trip took the pair to the outskirts of the unnamed city, 
to a small one-story concrete building with tiny rectangular windows. The 
building had a nearly flat roof with black shingles. The entirety of the 
structure was painted a very plain light gray. The paint was clean, and 
looked as if it was relatively new. There was one door, and six parking 
spaces in front of the building. Not one was occupied before they arrived. 
"Park the car and don't move." Ichiro slowly moved the car to a spot near the
door. He noticed that all the windows were mirrored, and nothing inside could
not be seen. The door was unremarkable. "OK, I am going to take the gun off 
your head, but I'm not putting it away. When I tell you to, get out of the 
car and put your back towards the building. You hear me?" Her voice was very
even and controlled.
	"Yea." As Ichiro turned off the car and climbed out, he heard the 
woman mumbling. A few moments later, he heard the other door slam closed.
	"Go ahead." Ichiro got out and turned 180 degrees to his right. 
Based on the sound produced when the woman moved, it sounded like she was 
wearing hard-heeled shoes. Not long after the sounds of walking stopped, 
there was a small click and a slight 'pfft!'. More shoe-sounds, then...
	Ichiro yelped and nearly fell down backwards when the woman suddenly 
grabbed his collar. "Come on, come on."
	"Hey! What're you-"
	"Just be quiet, kid." The woman pulled him backwards up to the 
building, then let him go. "Keep facing that direction, away from the 
building." Ichiro heard some jingling that sounded like keys. Sure enough, 
there was a slight creaking noise, and then the woman grabbed his shoulders.
"OK, now. You are going to turn around and go inside. There should be three 
doors inside, with a panel to the right of each door. Go to the far left door.
The panel will have a keypad and a few other colored buttons." She moved one 
of her hands from his shoulder, then he felt a paper being pressed against 
his chest. He grabbed it. "There are instructions on the map in the right top
corner."
	"Umm... Why don't you just do it?"
	"Don't ask! Just do!" Suddenly she swung him around to face the 
building again, staying behind him the whole time. "Just go to the door on 
the left and enter what's written on the map, OK? You got me?"
	"Yea, OK... I'm going." Ichiro slowly stepped inside the doorway. The
inside of the structure was covered in dull grey metal tiles. Just as the 
woman had said, there were three doors with panels to the right. He went 
directly to the left door and examined the map again. He hadn't noticed the 
handwritten note on the map before, but then again he hadn't really looked at
anything except the route he had taken. "Let's see... Eight, six, eight, 
nine, one, one, zero, zero, zero, seven, three, six, G Blue, G Red, H Blue, 
G Red." He pressed the buttons as he read them.
	He waited patiently for something to happen. After a long, tense 
moment, a quiet beep emitted from the keypad. The door quickly disappeared 
into the floor, and a rush of cold, pressurized air rushed past the boy. Just
as soon as the door opened, a much colder touch graced the back of his neck.
"Don't move! I'm going to blindfold you."
	"But, why-"
	"I said don't ask."
	"OK, fine." The boy put up no resistance as the woman tied a piece of
black cloth around his head, totally obscuring his eyesight. She grabbed his
right arm and began to pull.
	Kawano tried to remember which way he was being tugged, but 
eventually he gave up. He was totally lost, his sense of direction totally 
skewed. Ichiro lost all track of time and space in that unknown place, being 
led around by a woman who he knew only as abductor. Oddly, he felt at ease, 
not nervous at all.
	It seemed to the boy like he was being led down, maybe underground. 
And sometimes when he heard doors slide open, there were whooshes of cold 
air. Kawano had no idea what was going on at all, but he didn't really make 
any effort to try and figure out his situation. He began to hear electronic 
voices making nonsense announcements. They sounded kind of military in 
nature, but not really...
	Suddenly he felt himself pulled to a stop, then a doorway closed 
behind him. This room was relatively noisy, with many voices. "Ah, Kawano-san,
you are finally here."
	"Who are... you?" the boy asked slowly.
	"Just a man, Kawano-san. Just a man."
	"Why am I blindfolded?" Just as soon as he had spoken those words, 
the blindfold was removed.
	"Kawano Ichiro, welcome to NERV."
	"N-NERV? What's-" A man in a black suit stepped forth from the 
darkness, clobbering the blinded boy. Ichiro collapsed to the ground. A 
somewhat annoyed expression came over the boy's abductor.
	"Was that absolutely necessary, Commander?"
	"It was agreed by general consensus that this was the best plan of 
action. Were you not part of the voting group?" His words were cold and 
heartless, as usual.
	"I was. But that doesn't mean I voted in favor of this," she spat, 
motioning to the unconscious boy at her feet. "Excessive force is not always
the answer, Commander."
	With the slightest hint of spite in his voice, the Commander of the 
NERV special organization replied, "There was a time when you would have 
disagreed with your previous statement."
	She frowned slightly, but inside she was beginning to feel that same 
old rage rise up. Saluting her superior, she asked to leave. Asuka Soryu 
clenched her fist after the doors had closed. "He's just like his father."