Chapter One – Falling from the heavens into despair / From sacrilege a life is given anew

Cold.

Freezing pain.

Winds that tear the skin from your flesh.

Is this your heaven, Sjinji Ikari? You're solitude? Your resting place?

"YES!"

Do you wish to die here?

"Yes! I…I mean no! No!"

But the pain, it is great. Why bear it?

No response, Third Child?

Look Third Child, a playground. A swing sways lazily in the breeze. Children hop continuously on a sea saw. Old men talk of better days. New mothers gab eagerly amongst each other.

Then it is all consumed in a fiery wrath.

Four capsules orbited around the lunar planet. Two of them were barely large enough to hold a human, while the others were large enough to hold a colossal weapon. The weapon they held were the EVAs.

For many months the four capsules had floated as useless objects, caught in the low gravitational pull of the Moon. The advanced engines and calculating systems stored on the capsules ensured they would not wander into infinite space.

If there was any intelligent life outside of Earth, that inhabited the stars or deep space, they would have been no doubt caught in awe by these attractions. And there would be little doubt that these supposed life forms would have been caught off guard when the capsules ceased to orbit the moon. Small engines activated themselves, to point them towards their target.

They were pointed for Earth.

Portions of the capsules melted away to reveal large engines. The newly awakened machines roared so loudly a beast would have been caught off guard. A blue hue surrounded the engines, preparing themselves for their last voyage, and they sped off towards the Earth.

There is only the realm of darkness in Asuka's mind. The illusion of the hanging doll slowly appears, her malicious smile that of death.

The head separates from the doll. Its form collapses on the ground. Asuka is crying, her knees pulled up to her chest. She doesn't want to see anyone or anything. She would rather be stranded alone in her depression than be forced to actually converse with a soul.

But there were those who would not be satisfied with such a conclusion.

The Third Child shivered horribly as the voice instructed him a second time: Look again Third Child; a woman. She is beautiful and cared for you very much. She says something to you, to run away.

Then there is more bloodshed. She falls, clutching a wound. She mutters something intelligible before you are wisped away.

All of a sudden, Shinji is returned to the play ground. It had been restored. Nothing has changed. The children still play. The old men still talk. The mothers still gab.

There never was an explosion.

In the Saint Almarea base, Lady Hamae twirled her hair around her finger, her delicate features hidden behind a white Victorian mask. She wore the uniform of the Earth's ruler, SEELE. After the Seventeenth, and final, Angel was murdered, the EVAs and their pilots went missing. So, SEELE conquered the world in the name of justice, and peace. After all, if Humanity could not reach the status of God, they could at least be ruled by those who nearly reached that state.

The Lady saw an interesting figure on the screen. Four unidentified objects were heading for the Earth, at a very high speed. At the rate they were going, they would enter the atmosphere within a half hour.

She curled her lips seductively behind her mask. They were here.

In the darkness of Asuka's mind, a child approached the pitiful soul. 'Do you want to live?'

"No! I don't want to live! I wanted to die, but they found me! Now I don't know where I am, or who I even am anymore! Am I dead? Alive?"

'Do you want to live?'

"No."

'Do you want to die?'

She didn't hesitate for a moment. "No."

'You want everything and nothing. This is impossible. No one can have everything and nothing. Now, which of these do you want?'

"I want nothing! I don't need anyone to survive."

'Why is that?'

"Because! I am Asuka Soryu!"

Look once more Shinji Ikari: a man in a white suit. His skin glows as if he was God. His hair is snow white, but his face does not look a year over twenty. His smile gives peace. His hands are crossed in a peaceful position. He is waiting for someone. He turns towards you and smiles. He moves over to the other side of the bench, to make room for you. Sit, Third Child.

"Is this heaven?" Shinji didn't have an idea as to why he decided to ask that question. He didn't believe in God, so why would he believe in a Heaven?

The man smiles.

'No'.

"Where am I then?"

'Here'.

"Where is here?"

'Here is there'.

"Damnit, stop making things up!"

'Heaven is what you make of it'.

"Who are you?"

'I am I, me is me. I am many things, because single things eventually become one. I am the person who is simply here to guide.'

"Rei?"

The spirit child sighed in frustration. 'That is why you are here. That is why you are lost. That is why 02 refused to let you pilot it.'

"I am strong! I don't need anyone."

'You apparently need the EVA.'

"I'm useless without it!"

'It is merely a tool. A tool does not control the wielder.'

"Just shut up and let me die!"

'Why?'

"Because…if I do, I won't have to suffer. Because others won't make me suffer."

'Who caused you suffering?'

"Everyone…"

'Or did you cause it to yourself?'

"Shut up…shut up!"

"Soldier," the elegant lady said in her plain but tranquil voice. One of NERV's guards turned to her and saluted, just as much out of lust for her voice as much as respect for her command. "Are there any soldiers patrolling the area?"

"Yes ma'am. Colonel Kalem is on his way back from Earth from his inspection of the Liberi Fatalis as we speak."

"Ah, good. Are there Full Metals on aboard?"

"There should be, knowing the Colonel. He is always ready for combat."

"Inform him of the objects coming his way. Have him destroy them at once."

The soldier saluted his superior. "Yes ma'am!" He turned to face the intercom, ordering a fellow soldier to find the Colonel's frequency.

Lady Hamae knew that the intruders would not be destroyed so easily, despite the Colonel's skill and honor. They would be wounded, certainly, but beasts of that power could never be destroyed that easily.

She twirled her elegant hair some more. They must strike fast, and corner the beast before it has the chance to strike back.

The pilot flicked the switch to off. He turned to his Colonel, Marcus Kalem. With his long brown hair and almost divine features, the soldier appeared as if he was taken right from the works of Tolkien. But looks alone does not redeem respect, and indeed the Colonel's command and love for his fellow soldiers had earned him the respect of all who had served under him.

"What should we do Colonel?"

"Prepare two of the Sariels," the warrior said rather emotionless, as if it was plain as day, "the Lady did give us orders to eliminate this threat, and we must comply."

The child approached the weak German. 'If you opened your mind to it, the EVA would let you pilot it."

"I tried!"

'That was when there were Angels.'

"Then I have no use. I'm worthless!"

'Others don't think so.'

"Who? Tell me!"

'Shinji.'

"Shinji?"

'No. I am not Rei. She has not left her final mortal shell yet'.

"Who are you?"

'Someone you would call an angel'.

Shinji was shocked at the revelation. "A…angel!"

'Not the ones that you were trained to kill. I am one to guide you'.

"What's your name?"

The man smiled. 'I need no name. Call me what you wish'.

"Why am I here?"

He shrugged. 'Because you want to be'.

"I just want to die."

'Do you now? Are you sure'?

The answer seemed obvious. "Yes!"

'I thought you decided to stop hating yourself'.

He dipped his head low. "I thought I could. But now, I just want to rot."

'Why? There is still a life for you to claim'.

"What life?"

'A life to fight for. A woman to fight for'.

"Asuka?"

'Perhaps'.

The NERV pilot turned to Kalem. "What should we do Colonel?"

"Prepare the two Sariels," the warrior said rather emotionless, as if it was plain as day, "the Lady did give us orders to eliminate this threat, and we must comply."

"But Sir, shouldn't you be taking at least two guards with you, as per protocol?"

"I am. I am taking a Ramniel…"

"But Sir, that's a land based Full Metal!"

He rose up, and two of his fellow pilots did so likewise. "I always prefer a challenge." With that, they left for the hangar.

Of the fourteen Full Metals that were stored in the transport, only four were in the hangar, three of them the massive, lizard like Sariel models. Sporting an almost reptilian tale, and an armored head that was too similar to that of a dragon of ancient myth, the Sariels were weapons of the sky. The usually navy blue colored weapons were the most dangerous thing to ground troops, with their ability to perform hit and run tactics with amazing ease.

The Sariels could not hold their own in combat, however. They would be decimated under the shower of bullets. Never to be weakened by any sort of disadvantage in their army, NERV and SEELE created the Ramniels. Dark green in color, the Ramniel were eerily similar to the EVA 00 in that it had a single, round eye. It was bulkier than its ancestor, however, but that was its purpose: to act like a tank for the Sariels so that their airborne cousins could do all the damage. Of course, the Ramniels were equipped with the latest in armed technology, but its bulky weight wouldn't allow it the maneuverability of other Full Metals, even with a small jet pack.

Cranes lifted two Sariels and the single Ramniel to the ground, the mechanized beasts bending over to let the pilots get into its chest, and the cockpit respectively. The weapons beamed on with pride. Despite the fact that these Full Metals were not living weapons like their ancestors, the fact that they looked alive gave a sense of superstitious fear to those not knowledgeable of the technology that fueled the weapon. One of the pilots driving the transport opened the hatch. The Sariels went out first, intent on protecting their beloved Colonel.

'There is hope yet for you'.

"I did something horrible to her. She could never forgive me."

'She already would'.

Off in the distance, the soldiers could see the approaching invaders. The fire of the atmosphere was already heating them. As much as he knew it would not occur, Kalem wished that the capsules would be obliterated. His senses proved the stronger, as he saw that the capsules moved through the invisible wall of fire. They would not be decimated without outside assistance.

Kalem was intent on remedying that fact.

"Move in, on my orders!" he addressed his personal guards. They nodded in agreement, and moved in ahead of their commander. Soon, the soldiers were nearly on top of the massive objects. He was about to order a barrage upon the massive capsules when he saw two smaller ones, puny in size to their Full Metals, orbiting each of their larger siblings. Deciding that those were the pilots, he ordered them to be shot.

But he realized them too late: a tube sprung out of the massive capsules, and the smaller ones slipped into them. Kalem cursed under his breath. "Open fire on those carriers at once!" he ordered, and without hesitating, the soldiers fired a horde of bullets on the carriers.

Their efforts, however, were at best ineffective and totally meaningless: the capsules increased their speed threefold. By now, a glimpse of the landmass below was somewhat in sight beyond the dense clouds.

'He is waking up soon. He is going to fight again.'

"I don't care about stupid Shinji!"

'Why?'

"Because he beat my synch ratio! The ratio that I worked for years to earn! And he just beat it out of dumb, good for nothing luck!"

'So, you decided to hate everything, and everyone?'

"Yes!"

'But you went to visit Shinji when he was in the hospital after that encounter with the Angel.'

Asuka mumbled something illegible. 'I beg your pardon?'

"Because I cared about him! I was worried, all right!"

'Despite the fact that he was weak? A coward, even?'

"Yes!"

'Would a weakling have risked his life to save you from the magma?'

"He was probably ordered to…'

'He wasn't.'

"Then why didn't he try to save me when that Angel was screwing up my mind?"

'His EVA was not ready. He would not have been able to get to you in time.'

"He could of have thought up of something…"

'He would be dead. And if by some miracle that he did manage to save you, what would you have had done?'

"Yelled at him…called him stupid…"

'Precisely. Why do you keep pushing him away?'

"Because he's a fool! Because he can't see that he's weak! Because —"

'He is just like you.'

"Yeah…"

"Am I dead?"

'No. Merely waiting to awaken'.

"Is Asuka dead?"

'No. She too is merely waiting to be awoken from her nightmares;.

"Are you God?"

'Would it matter if I was? I am simply here to guide. Who I am or was matters little in the long run. You still have a purpose Shinji. It is time to make use of it.'

"What do I have to do?"

'Awaken'.

The child approached the tear stricken Asuka. 'Are you ready? The world needs the EVAs and their pilots again. It is engulfed in conflict. Will you accept the task? Will you accept pain and suffering as well as happiness and joy? Or will you stay here forever, hurting yourself and so many others?'

"…I'm ready."

'Then awaken.'

The Colonel switched his Full Metal's rifle for a missile launcher. The speed that they were descending was shaking his Suit widely, and the Ramniels never were known for their accuracy. Regardless, Kalem took his time. Precision was everything in the battlefield.

Finally, he fired, the missile roaring towards the slower moving target. The cruiser screamed in protest, and rolled faster towards the Earth. Smoke escaped its grip. Kalem eased himself a little bit more. He took his aim on the other survivor, and was prepared to fire when he and his soldiers heard a deafening roar. He quickly turned to see that the cruiser was ripping itself apart from the inside. Something was escaping its hold…and it was powerful enough to rip through metal in the atmosphere.

The image of the monster was confirmed another assault later. The top half of the rolling cruiser was split apart, revealing a Full Metal the Colonel had never seen before. More monstrous than mechanical, it had massive shoulder pads that reached for the sky, and its purple armor was as much flesh as it was shining metal. Where an immobile mouth should have been was an almost demonic jaw. Stray canines overlapped the gray lips of the beast.

On its arm was printed the words EVA 01.

The beast stood up, almost using the falling cruiser as an air board. Where there should have been a jetpack was a wide circular device, with a wide wire coming out of it loosely and penetrating into its spine. The beast stared at the three NERV soldiers with its demonic eyes.

Then it leaped, its claws outreached, intent on tearing the Full Metals limb from limb. The other soldiers, more out of shock than reflexes, moved flew out of the way. The soldiers fired, but the bullets bounced off the armor. Rifles would have no effect on this monster.

"Move in!" he ordered. "Surround it. Use hand to hand weapons!"

"Will that work sir?"

"I don't know, but our guns aren't!" Seeing his point, they charged in, giant chainsaw-blades drawn. Hearing a new series of sounds, Kalem looked up. Three more Sariels saw the beast emerge and were closing in to aid the famous Colonel.

Right when the reinforcements approached the second, undisturbed cruiser, it shattered, another of the beasts awakening from its slumber. It was nearly identical to the first, minus its scarlet armor. In the same place as the first monster, the words EVA 02 were painted. Four green eyes stared back at the surprised soldiers.

It sprung at its prey, a soldier too caught in fear to avoid the assault. Claws dug into the camera-eyes, digging upwards until gears and oil flew upwards. It just as quickly penetrated the chest of the Full Metal, oil seeping into its fingers. With a deafening roar, the monster ripped the Suit in two, explosions thundering around its hands. Oil spread all over the monstrosity.

"My god…" the horrified Kalem muttered. He turned his Ramniel towards the other enemy, but saw that instead it was right on top of him. Or nearly at the least. The Ramniel raised its massive shield, which endured the series of assaults the purple monster gave him. He swung his shield arm, and the monster fell down. Seeing the cable, he reached for a blade. He struck at the cable slicing it in half. The monster roared defiantly, insulted that it had allowed someone to harm it.

Screams echoed in behind him, the second demon already decimating the reinforcements. Kalem was alone, right in the middle of two inhuman creatures who didn't give a second thought to abominable slaughter. He had only one choice. Speeding towards the mutation, Kalem spun his blade into his off hand, and stabbed it in the shoulder. It prepared to strike, but by now the Earth's gravity was slowing it down too much. It had not yet adjusted to the limitations of Earth.

Kalem increased the output of the jetpack, increasing the speed they were both descending. When they reached the point of immobility, Kalem ejected from the Ramniel, and watched as the two creatures were swallowed by the sea. Despite his victory, he sighed. Nothing as powerful as those monsters could be defeated just by plunging into the sea, and the pilots surely escaped.

He pulled a microphone from his helmet, and called the transport to pick him up. This was only the beginning.