Disclaimer: If I owned Gainax the movie would be out by now. But since I don't...well, it isn't out.
Reign of the Tabri
"If the Final Messenger is defeated by the neglected son it shall come to pass that the children rule all."- Dead Sea Scrolls, Chapter 17
Chapter 1: Setting the Table
1 Week After Death
As he looked out the window of his personal VTOL the Sub-commander could only sigh. There was so much destruction here, and for so little. NERVs 2nd branch could be seen outside, or at least what was left of it. It had been completely destroyed after an apparent Sea of Dirac had appeared here. All that was really left was an 89 km crater.
Kozo Fuyutsuki was here to observe a funeral of sorts. Now that all the angels were dead there wasn't a lot for him to do but go to ceremonies. There were funerals for all who had died in the angels attacks… and NERV PR said it looked good for the commander and sub-commander to be at these. Gendo, being the cold hearted-bastard that the sub-commander knew him to be, had refused leaving it on the sub-commander to go to all the funerals.
The biggest funeral of all was to be held here at the former NERV 2. There were no bodies to bury, but loved ones still wanted to have someplace to visit.
The sub-commander heard a crunch outside and realized that during his musings they had landed. He gathered the few possessions he had on him, a speech and his cellular phone, and made his way outside. Surprisingly there was no one waiting.
'Stupid PR,' he thought 'they make me go this whole way and there aren't even any cameras, what a waste of time.'
One thing was for sure someone's head would roll for this.
Still, might as well make the best of this. He headed down towards the temporary shelter that had been set up. The soldiers their at least would be from NERV, possibly dragged all the way from Japan just like him.
When he arrived he was surprised to see quite a bit of activity. Techs were running around shouting about various things. Kozo walked on until he reached the command tent. Inside he found Director Ito in somewhat of a panic, slumped on his desk.
"Oh thank God you're here sub-commander!" he screeched in a high pitched voice "We don't have any idea how to deal with this problem I mean how can we what with all this-"
"Calm down and tell me what happened." interrupted Fuyutsuki.
Director Ito blinked in surprise, "You mean you weren't told on the way here!" he exclaimed.
"No, I received no communication from the base until I arrived here."
Sitting more upright the Director remarked more professionally, "Ahem… At approximately 9 hundred hours this morning an unknown assailant bypassed our security and made it into the crater. At this time we have been unable to locate said person."
Fuyutsuki looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, "And now can you tell me why this is important?"
The Director nodded. "Sir, the crater created by the…um…explosion is nearly entirely smooth."
Fuyutsuki waved his hand as if to tell the Director to go on.
The Director did go on, "Sir, there is no cover down their. We should be able to see him from a VTOL easily. The problem is we can't. We even know he hasn't left because of the cameras we have set up."
The sub-commander was now thuroughly perplexed. If what the director said was right how come the intruder hadn't been apprehended, or at the very least seen?
The conversation was then interrupted by a wailing noise coming from the outside of the tent. Soon however it was overshadowed by the screams of surprised techs.
The sub-commander and Director rushed outside and were greeted by a truly amazing sight. High in the air above the crater was an inky black hole. It looked almost exactly like the angel Leliel had but with one difference.
Were Leliel had appeared parallel to the ground, this hole was perpendicular.
As soon as he saw it the sub-commander gasped. 'Another Sea of Dirac!' he thought 'but how is that possible? All the angels are gone; there is nothing on this world that could create this. Unless…impossible!'
As if on cue the wailing was replaced by a great bellow spreading out from the black hole. And then from inside of the hole a pair of silver hands reached out. They were soon followed by thehead of a monster. A body and legs soon followed. All was covered in a dark purple goo.
Fuyutsuki's facial expression was one of terror mixed with astonishment. Even covered in the goo the shape was recognizable to him."E..Eva Unit 04!" he managed to gasp out. 'How?' he thought.
By now the whole Eva was free and the huge Sea of Dirac began to spiral into itself.
A shocked silence loomed over the crater and surrounding land. The only sound was peices of the purple goo falling off the Eva in huge globs.
Finally, when the Sea of Dirac was nearly completely gone, the Eva brought up its head and roared. Techs clutched their heads all over. Fuyutsuki barely heard it. He had noticed two very strange details about the Eva. Not only was its entry plug not inserted but standing on its palm was a man.
The man's red eyes stabbed into Fuyutsuki as if they could see straight into his soul. He smiled and then spoke in an impossible amplified voice "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"
Kozo took a step back in fear.
Then theman turned back towards the Evangelion and his lips moved as if he was speaking to it. Kozo would have given quite a lot to hear whatever it was he said. The Eva then began to walk away from Fuyutsuki. Kozo reached out his arm as if to ask the Eva to stop but if it received his mental plea it ignored it.
Another uncomfortable silence followed. It was not broken until the Eva was almost out of sight.
"Holy shit!" exclaimed Director Ito.
The camp seemed to immediately start to move again. Techs scrambled to find out how the Eva had returned, who was piloting it, and most importantly of all were it was going.
Hundreds of miles away in the geofront there was a phone. What it looked like isn't really important but the fact that it's in Gendo Ikari's office is. Soon this phone would ring with a long distance call from the US.
10 days After Death
They gathered once more.
"How is this possible!" demanded one. Its appearance was of a black monolith with the letters SEELE 7 emblazed on it.
"It would appear that the intruder into the area was the man described to be being held by the Eva." remarked another of the monoliths, number 3 this time.
"Indeed," spoke the leader of the others "How is it that our defenses were bypassed by this man?"
As another, number 10, was about to speak SEELE 1 spoke again, "Bah, it doesn't matter. What's important is how he managed to get Unit 4 back."
"And what of what he said?" asked SEELE 12.
"Yes, 'payback's a bitch, isn't it?'" quoted SEELE 4, "But who will he pay back?"
"I fear we will find out all too soon," spoke the gruff SEELE 11, "since he has escaped with the Evangelion, at least for the moment."
"Yes!" spoke SEELE 7 once more "How is it he managed to elude all of our tracking devices!"
"With that Evangelion he will be able to do much more then simply avoid detection. He could level countries before we stop him." added SEELE 6.
"We must find Evangelion Unit 4," spoke 1 "But we also have other matters that need attending. SEELE 8, how goes the construction of our Mass Production Evangelions?"
The meeting resorts to basic reports to quell the members fear. None will speak of it but the reappearance of Unit 4 has scared them all deeply. It was not in their scenario. Of course, neither was the second branches disappearance, but still…
Unbeknownst to all of the members assembled their secrecy has at last been broken.
A packed auditorium filled with people of all ages. The all sit at rapt attention listening to a speaker. All seem bent on his every word, as if war could be proclaimed on his whim. It very well could be.
Well, all seem bent on his every word save one.
She sat in a balcony alone on a nicely padded chair. Two other chairs sat next to her, left for comrades now gone.
She still listened. Just not like the others. She could not agree with what this speaker had to say. She had no desire to spread the blood of this…boy.
No matter what they said that was what he was. Even if he had killed her father he was still a boy. She could not wholly hold him responsible for what he had done. He had been too manipulated.
Down on the stage of the auditorium "…He must be avenged!" The speaker was ending this tirade and went straight into another. "And for those simpletons who consider themselves a secret society, pathetic that they are…"
The girl in the balcony could only watch on in displeasure. She felt pity mixed withher other emotionas the orders for multiple strikes were placed, the targets completely unsuspecting. She'd have to speak to him before she left. He could stop this madness… but probable wouldn't. She sighed. 'I'll have to then,' she thought 'unless Rob pulls something out of his ass at the last minute.' She winced at that unpleasant image.
The speaker began to wrap up everything now and soon he was walking off stage to the thunderous applause of all present. Even the girl clapped, it was a great speech even if she didn't agree with it. She got up and went down to the backstage.
He walked off stage very happy with himself. He had them eating out of his palm. Just three more to convince to join him and he would have the whole conclave. Nothing could have spoiled his mood right then. Except for perhaps the news that someone had beaten him to the kill.
Ow! How he wanted to bath in the blood of this enemy. The one that had killed his father. He wanted to kill him more then anything ever.Just to kill the one called…
His train of thought was thrown off by her coming up to him. He stopped in his tracks. This one could not be bought over with plans of revenge. Sweetness would not work either; she was practically the queen of that despite her youthful appearance. She appeared to only be about eight or nine but he knew better. She was much better then that and only looked that way so others would under estimate her. Well, since sweet words wouldn't work…
"Looking just a bit angry today Leslen." He remarked with acruel grin.
The girlmet his grin and raised him a scowl, "You'll go against father's wishes for personal prowesses once more, will you Michel?"
He returned again with a smirk, "I don't have time to argue with you about this anymore. We will attack in a week and we all must be ready when it is time." He started walking past her again to meet with his closer followers.
As he passed by her shewhispered "Yes, I suppose that is true… I'll be sure to tell him to be ready."
Michel's face contorted in anger. There was no doubt in his mind who the he was. Then as quickly as it had angered, his face calmed. "Yes, why don't you tell him of my plans? I'm sure he'll be delighted to here what his desertion has caused."
Leslen seemed to collapse inwards at this statement. With another smirk Michel began to walk away once more. This time he wasn't stopped.
He reached his private rooms a few minutes later. Inside he sat down with his private "cabinet". "Reports." he ordered stiffly.
A large woman with dark red hair passed him a report first. He read it quickly and then looked back up at her. "Has this been confirmed?"
"Yes High Brother Michel. It seems that it happened nearly two weeks ago but out spies had been unable to report."
"Have them killed. If it took them that long to get the reports to us they are worthless. Now leave me, all of you." The cabinet members got up and left some still with reports in hand. He had no need to reiterate the orders he had given. The infidels would be removed with no questions asked.
He sat back in his chair. 'So, Rob would challenge me would he? Best not let Leslen learn of this.' he thought.
A pond surrounded by thin forest. A rock skips across the pond. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8 skips and it lands on the land across from the thrower. He leans his head back on the grassy hillside. It is night, a peaceful time here. Not like in other place were this would be a time of fear.
So…they go to kill him. It was surprising it took them this long to get to it. It had been what,fifteenwhole days since father's death? He thought for sure Michel would simply have shown up in Tokyo-3 and simply slain him long before now.
'Wouldn't be cruel enough,' he supposed.
His ideology was all screwed up now. Once, when father had still been alive he had been sure of what to do. He had upheld the power of the conclave with honor. Now, he both wanted to save and damn this child of circumstance.
Leslen had said she would try to something to stop them. She would too. He had spoken to her a few hours ago. She had called him a betrayer of father's hope when he had refused to fight.
It hadn't hurt then but now it sure did. Blue eyes cried.
A few minutes later he sat up. He could do something. Save Leslen from Michel's sure wrath if nothing less.
And perhaps more. He could think about doing more on the way their. As he got up he thought 'I've been dormant for too long. It has to have been a month since I last left here. No more. My friends need me, now to just find them.' He began a six-thousand mile treck to Tokyo-3. He'd decide more of what to do on the way.
Theyoung manwas blond with blue eyes. He stood about 5' 6" and was rather skinny. To the untrained eye he appeared 16. To the trained eye…well if they were trained to tell true age they knew him anyway. He'd make it to Tokyo-3 in six days. He'd know what to do when he got there.
'Stupid honor' was his last thought before he began his journey.
The table is set. The pieces have begun to move. Were to only they can tell, if even they can. On one side is the Conclave, another NERV, a third is SEELE. Are their more? Who can tell? Does anyone else even care? You answer the third and I'll answer the first two.