Disclaimer: You know the routine, I don't own Eva. If I did I'd have a turkey dinner every night.

Red Earth

A Tale About Redemption by Chesed

Prologue: Letting Dreams Go

Two figures stood face to face before an elevator, both of them dying in different ways. Something happened that was not supposed to have happened. The taller spoke three words, and the shorter figure looked up sharply, stunned. The first figure spoke again and looked expectantly at the second until it nodded, then something on a silver chain was passed between the two. A quick shove from the adult was the only goodbye exchanged, and a silent promise in the heart of a boy was the only lingering sign of affection.

Kensuke Aida stared out the window of the run down fourth story apartment his family had rented after they had fled from Tokyo 3. His face was solemn as he pointed his camera out the window. He looked like he had at his grandfather's funeral while paying his final respects.

Due to the large number of refugees, the landlords of Tokyo 2 had raised prices dramatically and the few that could afford them were lucky to find an apartment at all. Many slept in rec centers or gymnasiums while they tried to get their possessions stored in any way possible. It had gotten so bad that some schools were closed briefly so that former residents of Tokyo-3 could live in the classrooms. The smell of unwashed bodies replaced the smell of chalk and cafeteria food, and the whispers of frightened and uncertain families replaced the sounds of lectures.

Kensuke's new home was five simple rooms. Stained off white walls and broken down appliances graced the kitchen and bathroom, and Kensuke avoided those areas as much as possible. It depressed him to know that he would be living like this for several months or perhaps even years. His new residence felt like it was decaying. Of course, his old one was probably under water now, he didn't know.

Fortunately, the Aida family, which amounted to the sum of Kensuke and his father, had managed to retrieve some of their possessions before they fled. They had furnished the living room and two bedrooms to remind them of home, though Kensuke wasn't sure if the pain the memories brought was worth it. The things they had used were nothing special, a worn brown leather sofa, a dresser with a picture of his mother in an imitation silver frame on it, a small oak dinner table with two simple chairs, things like that. They were enough, though.

Kensuke's room itself was filled with manga and survival gear, and the walls were covered with posters of everything that Kensuke once found cool or exciting, which had been a lot. Now he hardly ever looked at it any more. Occasionally he would retrieve a small box filled with DVDs from the upper shelf of his closet and just spend time watching them with an odd little smile on his face as the light from the TV danced off his glasses. He no longer read mangas or played soldier, but he still treasured the memories of his all too brief time in Tokyo 3 when he was still a Stooge with Shinji Ikari and Toji Suzuhara.

He hadn't heard from Shinji or Toji in a long time, and he tried to keep himself from thinking that they had passed on, though sometimes such thoughts slipped through his mental barriers. He had a terrible feeling about Toji, who was still receiving medical treatment in Tokyo 3 when Unit-00 self-destructed. Information about damage to the Geofront had not been released by Nerv, and his father's computer was no longer a source since he had quit his job. He tried calling Toji's hospital room once a few days after he left. The line was dead.

Shinji had simply disappeared after the incident that resulted in Toji's loss of an arm and a leg. He had stopped coming to school, stopped calling, basically had stopped existing. He had called Hikari while Asuka was staying at her house to inquire about his friend before the 16th came, but Hikari merely said Asuka hadn't said a thing about Shinji. She was too overwhelmed by her own problems. Kensuke considered himself a friend of Shinji's, but he thought that Asuka was the stronger of the two pilots, and if she was doing bad then Shinji must have been doing much worse.

So Kensuke stood there, staring out a cracked window in the direction of Tokyo 3, where thirty minutes earlier he had seen a giant pillar of fire rise.

An N2 mine detonation? For a while he had wondered if another angel had arrived, but there was no mention of it on the news, though he did not really think that Nerv's influence would allow them to say anything. Then he had seen nine gigantic black Eva-transports fly overhead carrying what looked like faintly reptilian white monstrosities, and soon afterwards television and radio announcements from the Japanese government had told the citizens of the country to return to their homes and that the prefectures around Tokyo 3 were now under martial law. This meant a curfew, where anyone traveling outside without express permission would be shot, so Kensuke resisted the urge to leave his home to find a better viewing point. Nerv was under attack, though by who or what he didn't know, but a lot of people would be dying. He felt impotent, helpless to do anything but watch, and his chest hurt as his heart screamed at him to do more. His friends might somehow still be alive, but they would soon be dead if they weren't already .

The red light indicating that the DVD of his camera was filled came on, and Kensuke detachedly popped it open, removed and encased the old DVD, then placed a new one in it and pointed it once again out the window in the direction he thought the fighting was taking place. He was just in time to see a massive flash of light then an enormous purple cross erupt over the horizon. His eyes were blinded by the flash, and for a moment he braced himself for a shockwave before remembering that Tokyo 3 was more than thirty miles away. It was scarier than the N2 mine that had gone off earlier, and he felt his legs tremble as the cross shaped explosion continued to burn in the sky. It didn't look like any weapon of man. It reminded him of something the angels would use. Its color reminded him of Unit-01 as well, had Unit-01 finally gone berserk to the point where it would turn on Nerv? That would also explain why they were deploying so many soldiers, from the few vague implications dropped by Shinji and Asuka, the brief reports on the news, and the information he obtained from his father's computer, he gathered that Unit-01 was the most powerful of the Evas. If it had gone berserk and turned against man, few things would be able to stop it.

Kensuke did not know, and a part of him was glad he didn't know because he wasn't sure if he could handle it. Another part, the part that had been the fantasy filled otaku, was envious that his friends had made and were making a difference in the world while all he could do was watch. He had been cast aside by those he cared about. They had lived his dreams. One of the most terrible days of his life was when he found out Toji was an Eva pilot. He had truly begun to grow up on that day, and before long he was the last of the Three Stooges.

He didn't notice his father coming him behind him until the middle aged man laid a hand on his shoulder. Kensuke jumped a bit, surprised by the sudden contact, then looked up from his video camera to Shiroh Aida, a man who five years ago had looked like he wasn't older than thirty. He now looked like he was going on sixty, with ten of those years appearing on his face in the last month. They simply stood there, listening to the distant sounds of combat. Father and son exchanged a look, and a silent understanding passed between them. Both were saddened to leave their lives in Tokyo 3 behind, but they knew that everything changes, and that sometimes all you can do is just try to survive.

Twelve men entered twelve rooms in their office buildings and estates, and once again the council convened. As each man entered their own communications room, it faded into darkness and seemed to grow larger as the monoliths which represented their coconspirators appeared. While they had never actually seen each other in person, and some of them had never seen the others at all, they were comfortable with this arrangement. It made them hard to identify. This time was different, it was not to plan for their victory but to salvage what they could from a failure.

They had already removed every trace they could of their existence. Computers had been infested with viruses, records had been stolen and destroyed, and many people had gone missing, including one middle aged Japanese woman that used to work with a certain perpetually unshaven Ministry of the Interior agent. Everything that could be done to ensure their safety had been done, and now it was time to plan for the future.

Immediately after the failed attempt to unite mankind had been another meeting. It had been filled with shouting and even a few threats of violence for anyone who betrayed the council to save their own hide. The fighting was especially bad after SEELE-7, in an angry and righteous tone of voice, declared that their failures came from their own lack of vision and selfishness. A few moments later, SEELE-5 snarled that he was trying to shift blame away his own stupidity and carelessness regarding the failed attempt on the MAGI which he had been in charge of. This lead to SEELE-7 declaring that he was leaving the council and any attempts to prevent him from doing so would be met with death. SEELE-1 had calmed him down however with a few cold remarks about his childish behavior, and he had agreed not to do anything rash in a hesitant and nervous tone of voice. Not even the most powerful men in the world could contend with the will of Keel Lorenz. SEELE-7 had continued to come to meetings since then, but he did not speak unless directly spoken to, and a few of the more observant members noted that his voice had changed slightly since the incident. None of them dared to comment on this.

They had dealt with some problems in spite of their fears. The first and foremost of these was what to do about Shinji Ikari. He had been most responsible for their defeat, going against all of the prophecies to rise out of the depths of Nerv just in time to witness the Second fall. In the depths of his agony, he had gone berserk, and had managed to completely destroy five of the nine Evas beyond repair, destroying any hope of completing the ritual. He had only fallen when a lance replica had struck him through the abdomen to leave him collapsed beside Unit-02. It had been Keel's hand who saved him, deactivating the Mass Production Evas even as they moved in for the kill. This had not been done out of mercy, Ikari's son was necessary to fulfill their version of the Third Impact and his loss would be even greater than that of the series.

At first the council had called for the boy's blood, in spite of what that would mean, but Keel's harsh and commanding words had stayed their desires for revenge, and in the darkness of the council chambers a new plan was made. Not to destroy the boy, but to enlist him. They worried that Shinji would kill himself the first chance he had, now with a purpose he would live. They worried he would fall out of his control as he got older, if he was directly under their thumbs he would be much more easily manipulated. They expected it would take another fifteen years before they could attempt to complete the ritual again, at that time Shinji would be twenty nine, four years before the age Gendo had been when he had begun his involvement with GEHIRN.

"Let it begin. Much has been lost but will soon be recovered. Bring in the Child and let us offer him… redemption", Keel's harsh voice rang out in the illusionary chamber. In the depths of the Ministry of the Interior in Tokyo 2, a door opened, briefly shedding light onto the floor of the council chamber. In the door were the silhouettes of an emaciated young boy flanked by broad shouldered men. The boy was pushed inside and the door was slammed shut. From above, a single beam of light came down and illuminated him in a circle of radiance. His hair tangled, unkempt, and still had flecks of LCL in it, his eyes were blank, and his shoulders were slumped. A few bruises covered his cheeks where his questionings had gotten violent. Faintly visible beneath his thin white t-shirt were bandages that wrapped around his torso. His left kidney had to be removed after receiving massive trauma from the lance that pierced his Eva. If he noticed his scrutiny, he gave no indication of it. He simply stood there, rocking from side to side slowly like the pendulum of a clock. But as the voices boomed out, his head jerked up and his eyes widened, growing ever more horrified as they continued.

"The Second Child has fallen, lost in a coma, never to come out. You were cowardly and weak when she needed you the most. YOU HAVE FAILED!"

"The First Child is gone, most likely dead in the depths of Terminal Dogma to a JSSDF commando. You were so busy wallowing in self-pity that you couldn't find her and tell her to hide!"

"Misato Katursagi is dead! Lost! Gone! She sacrificed herself for you, and you repaid her by failing to even protect those she cared about. Your hands are covered by the blood of the innocent. Tell me, do you keep her cross to comfort or to condemn you?" Tears began to form at the edges of Shinji's eyes, and his mouth began to open, trying to stutter out denials even as the accusations rang true in his ears. One of his hands touched the silver chain around his neck that carried all that remained of his guardian.

"Your father is dead. Gendo Ikari was killed by the JSSDF who slipped into Terminal Dogma ahead of your father while his private elevator was transporting him there. You never got to confront your father and tell him how you felt, whether it be love or hate. You are unworthy of a family!"

"Over seven thousand dead. Seven thousand men, women, and children. People who were mothers, fathers, children, husbands, wives… you failed them all. No one could ever love you now. You are alone." Keel's voice once again was felt throughout the room, and at these words Shinji's hands flew up over his ears he crouched down, his knees pressing against his nose. The moment he did this two suited men came out of the shadows. They grabbed him by his wrists, lifted him up off his feet, and pulled his hands away from his ears. He simply hung there between them, crucified. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs, but his teeth were clenched together in agony.

"Not all is lost, however…" Shinji's head remained hung low towards the ground.

"There is still hope for you. Hope which you do not deserve, but we will offer it because those who are dead do deserve it." Shinji twitched slightly, his fist clenching for a moment in the hand of one of the agents, but he remained unresponsive.

"We offer this hope to you…" The voice became almost benevolent. Shinji looked up slightly, and tears began to fall from his eyes. He deserved no hope, merely condemnation, his head sunk again.

"The road is long and hard. You will have to kill your heart and be damned in the voices of the world. But you already are going down that path. If you agree, at the end of the road, you will have everyone back… Everyone. Think of it, a second chance is rarely given, but you could see them all again and more. You would never be lonely or have to suffer this pain again… if you don't, you will be still be hated and alone, but nothing will come of it." The benevolent, reasonable tone continued.

The boy looked up, still hanging by his arms, and for a moment he seemed to be gathering himself. The committee paused, giving the child time to collect himself. The sound of a throat swallowing was heard, following by a stuttering, tearful voice.

"How… h-how… can you d-do… this? I don't… deserve… any. I just want… t-to… d-d-d…die." The boy began to look wilder, coming slightly out of his shell for the first time since his Eva had been struck down. His voice raised in pitch, growing louder and shriller, yet the stuttering began to fade as well.

"I don't… deserve a-any of this. I-I'm horrible! I'm wretched! I'm weak! I'm stupid! I BETRAYED EVERYONE! I… I WISH I HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!" The roar faded, followed by the sounds of crying. In his office, unseen, Keel smiled.

"Yet you do deserve something. You have suffered so much at the hands of others and received nothing in return. You were abandoned, unloved, and hated. Yes, you were and are weak, but there are reasons for this weakness. We offer you strength, and the hope that one day you will hear those three words, 'I love you.'" The tears continued to fall from Shinji's face, and he remained silent. Could he want this? Could he be here? The questions filled him. Then he remembered how he felt when Kaoru said he loved him. He wanted to feel that way again.

"Wouldn't you like that?" A barely audible affirmative answered him, and once again a cruel, predatory smile graced Keel's features. He enjoyed manipulating people, though he rationalized this pleasure by saying it was what was best for mankind.

"But you are not the only one who deserves this, all of mankind does. For there is much suffering in the world. You have seen this, yes? You heard it when Misato cried for her lost love, when Toji Suzuhara talked about his sister, in the loneliness and misery that seemed to fill the faces of everyone around you. Yes, there is indeed much suffering, and we will be the ones to save mankind from it." Shinji seemed to nod a bit again. The world suffered, everyone suffered, him most of all, but if he could help… maybe he could be forgiven?

"Your father has opposed us in this. He sought revenge on the world for the death of his wife and your mother. We admit that we were responsible for the attack on Nerv central." Shinji looked shocked for a moment, then suddenly anger filled his eyes and his whole body began to tremble. The two guards that were holding him up glanced down at him then glanced at each other from behind mirrored sunglasses, but returned to staring forward once again when Shinji did nothing more than that. Keel knew that the next few moments were crucial, if Shinji did not know about SEELE's involvement, he might find out later and feel betrayed and thus would become unusable. If he knew, he might reject them outright. Thus Keel was forced to reveal a bent truth.

"The attack was not originally meant to be an attack, however. Your father was going to do something horrible. His master plan was almost complete, and it would end with a Third Impact more horrific than any the angels could make. Your father saw mankind as unworthy and decided they would be a suitable sacrifice if he could be reunited with his wife." Shinji once again looked confused, but the anger remained.

"There was to be no violence, but your father decided to trade the lives of everyone in Nerv for a distraction while he initiated the end of the world. Misato, Rei, Asuka… all of them went to their deaths to protect him. Even you were scheduled to die to the Lances of Longinus." The anger seemed to fade slightly, and once again the weak, pitiful voice that made Keel smirk came forth.

"H-how?"

"You knew that an angel was kept in the depths of Terminal Dogma, yes?" A slight nod answered him. "What you did not know that your father possessed a second incapacitated angel that he planned to unite with the first to end the world. Everyone died to stop our forces from preventing this. Nerv was his tool for a revenge that went beyond cruel. It is a miracle that we are alive today, and even death for those you love was better than what he had planned. They wait for you to bring them back…"

"Father…" The boy murmured then hung his head.

"Yes, you have his blood in your veins. Is it not your obligation then to try to make up for the pain he has caused? Are you going to run away again? There is no one left to run to, no where left to go. Your life would be nothing more than a shadow spent in mourning. You would be too weak to do penance for yourself and for him."

Shinji looked at the twelve monoliths, still disoriented, frightened, and devastated, but he felt a slight hope growing in his chest. He didn't deserve love or anything else, but other people did, and maybe he could be the one to give it to them, and afterwards he could have them back. Maybe they'd even forgive him. He didn't know very much about who these men were or why they offered him this, but he was simply too shattered to even begin thinking that they had ulterior motives. He looked around slowly like an old man, then murmured that he wouldn't run away. Keel folded his hands in front of his face and smiled.

"Excellent… you will be taken to Tokyo 2 where you will resume your education. You will live under the care of our organization. Do as we say, and in approximately fifteen years you will embrace your destiny… and you will see all of them again."

Authors Notes: I don't have a whole lot to say. It's going to be a long and interesting ride from here on out, and I hope you enjoy it. Also, I'd like to thank D, my pre-reader, and everyone over at EFML who gave me comments and criticism. This story wouldn't be much without them.