They found Kozo Fuyutsuki slumped over the Dead Sea Scrolls after the biohazard alert had been terminated. Since the system had detected an extremely virulent substance in the room which the Scrolls were kept it, the doors did not open until nearly a week later. Even then, all of those who entered wore hazmat suits and were extremely cautious about approaching the unknown factor, the body of Fuyutsuki himself. The room was air tight and environment controlled, so the cold, dry air had staved off decay thus far. This did not prevent the body from being a ghastly sight however, because when SEELE said something was extremely virulent, they meant it. Fuyutsuki's cause of death would later be attributed to multiple organ failure; whatever virus had been released had killed him quickly but probably not quickly enough. As they were removing his body from the room, a note fell from his once clenched hand. It was inspected by SEELE, determined to be of no value to them, then sterilized and sent to its intended recipient. It read, in the hasty handwriting of a dying man:
Regret is the specter of doubt.
I leave this world with no doubt,
and therefore, no regrets.
Give to Gendou.
Two weeks later Shinji Ikari arrived in Tokyo-3 with a single suitcase and a picture of Misato Katsuragi. It was perhaps the beginning of the end.
Or, as per Kozo Fuyutsuki's last thoughts before death greeted him, merely the end of the beginning.
Evangelion Terminus: Light the Way
63.59% of the Earth's adult population held their breath as the leaders of the world's three current superpowers prepared to make their final decisions. The combined might of each nation was poised to strike at a moments notice. The president of the United States cleared his throat to speak, and the UN conference room went utterly silent.
"As you may already know, there was an explosion over Siberia early this morning." The silence deepened. "Early warning systems detected a meteor approximately 250 feet in diameter passing through our part of the solar system some days ago. From its original trajectory, it would have passed by Earth with at least 200,000 miles to spare. Yet, it veered drastically off course some time last night, evading all of our orbital defenses only to detonate with the force of five N2 mines in the atmosphere at 3:44 AM this morning GMT. Initially, The Russian Federation suspected an Evangelion class attack from either The Chinese government or NERV Japan.. Well..." The president said shakily, "We have determined the nature of the assailant. Doctor Weller, if you would please."
A tall, clean shaven man with close cropped salt and pepper hair stood from a seat next to the president. He lifted a briefcase cuffed to his left hand and opened it carefully. Taking out a folder, he removed a single, grainy photograph, and a message marked with NERV's seal.
"Blood pattern detected as blue. It is an Angel."
Chapter 1: A Call to Arms.
September 17th, 2030 started out very differently for each of the three teenagers. They had all seen the previous night's emergency broadcast. They all had some idea of the disaster to come, yet, none of them knew what part they were to play in it.
The men in suits came at noon GMT. For the Sixth Child, this meant a very rude awakening at five in the morning. Antonio Guerra's home in Arizona was rarely quiet, but this morning it was extra loud. This was mainly due to his mother's screaming torrent of Spanish, telling him to get up because he was in serious trouble with the police.
"Well," thought Antonio groggily, "We're Mexican. Are we ever cool with the police?"
Stepping out of his room shirtless and yawning, the Hispanic teenager's jaw dropped when he saw the two large men in sunglasses and very expensive looking suits standing on his doorstep, a black, unmarked SUV still running in the street.
"Are You Antonio Guerra?" the man on the left said. Antonio visibly gulped, and chanced a look at his mother. She looked concerned, but nodded at him.
"Y-yes." He finally managed. The man on the right tapped a few buttons on a smartphone, and then gave a slight motion back to the SUV.
"You'll be coming with us then." said Left. Antonio looked like he was going to hyperventilate, and Right's features softened a bit. "Information is on a need to know basis right now, and you only need to know two things. First; you aren't getting arrested. Second, this has to do with your father's work."
Antonio looked confused.
"My Dad's a plumber." Left smiled thinly.
"Your biological father, Antonio."
000
They came for the Seventh Child during lunch hour at her school. It was raining that day, but it was always raining in what remained of the British Isles. Helen Guest was sitting at one of the cafeteria tables, a cluster of other students around her, watching something on the table intently. It seemed that the whole student body currently at lunch was waiting for whatever was about to happen at the table with Helen. There was a clatter of something hitting the table, and then a cheer exploded from everyone around the cafeteria. Even the lunch ladies were clapping some.
The agents looked around puzzled. It was several minutes before one of the teachers came around to speak with them.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" the teacher asked, quite curious as to why a pair of very well dressed secret agent types were in the school.
"Yes, you can. We were wondering what was with all the commotion earlier. Also, if you may, could you point out a Ms. Helen Guest to us? We need to speak to her. NERV Business." The agent flashed a badge.
"Oh dear." The teacher said. "Well, the whole thing has to do with Helen, actually. She has an odd habit of confronting bullies and other Na'erdowells in the school. She'll challenge them to a game of chance, and if she wins, they shape up. If she loses, she'll do whatever they want for a day, no matter what."
The agents looked at each other.
"Has she ever lost?" One of them finally said.
"Not to this day! She's had over 30 matches, each one a win."
The other agent paused for a moment.
"Then, well... Does she cheat? I mean, there's no way you can always win at dice."
The teacher smiled knowingly.
"She plays a different game every time. Dice, Poker, even a slot machine one time. She always wins. Here's the icing on the cake: She always has her opponent pick the challenge. She's truly lucky, or truly crafty. None of us can tell the difference."
000
At the New Vatican in Geneva, School is just letting out. The Eighth Child is to go from a day of learning to an evening of quiet contemplation, and unlike just about any other boy his age, he's perfectly fine with this. His name is Peter. Just Peter. He knows he was found and raised by the church, and that he is to be a man of God. No, not the God that man defeated 15 years ago, but the God that is in Heaven, whose son walked the Earth and gave us his teachings. Peter sometimes wondered though. He knew that his wonderings were wrong and unjust, but he still did it. Sometimes, when he was bullied by the other boys, or when he read about what was "Justifiability" done to heretics in ages past, or heard of another priest leaving the church, he just couldn't see why everyone believed so fiercely.
"How can you believe in God when we have never seen him? How can we believe in God when we have killed one? HOW CAN WE BELIEVE IN GOD WHEN HE DOES NOTHING FOR US?"
The echoes in his head had recently reached a fever pitch. He had resolved himself to talk to a Bishop about the matter, and his appointment was today. He was certainly scared, but he knew a man of true faith would put him on the right path again. As he rounded the corner to the Bishop's office, he saw two men dressed in black suits speaking to him. The bishop was obviously agitated, and when he saw Peter, his eyes widened. The two men turned, and seeing the boy, headed towards him. The Bishop yelled in faltering English.
"Do not lay a hand upon him! You can-not take him! He is not yours! He belongs to God!"
"Father." began one of the Agents in flawless Italian, "If he doesn't come with us, You'll be seeing God soon enough, and not on your terms. Now either the boy comes with us peacefully, or we take him by force." The Bishop paled, visibly deflating.
"Now, Peter, was it? Please, come with us. We have a lot to talk about on the plane trip."
000
In Tokyo-3, Japan, a single American sits in a darkened arcade. He plays a fighting game for hours, before finally leaving at nearly 10 PM. He walks back to a highrise apartment building, and after taking the elevator to the top floor, opens the door to an expansive condo. To his mild surprise, there are two men in black suits sitting in his living room waiting for him.
"Gentlemen, what can I do for you? I wasn't expecting guests, so I don't really have anything ready for you. I could get some coffee, or..." One of the agents removes his sunglasses and smiles at the American.
"We don't have much time for pleasantries, I'm afraid, otherwise I would take you up on the coffee. It's been a long, LONG day. We need you to pack your things and come with us. NERV America has officially requested your services, and they aren't going to take 'I'll be along later' for an answer. We're currently tracking the angel as it advances across the Pacific, and as we thought, it's going straight for NERV Houston. It knows what's there. We've found and gathered the Three we know of, and we hope we can stop it."
"So, what does NERV need me for? They know I'm just a wash-up nowadays." The man stated, hoping he wasn't right about why they wanted him back after all these years.
"They've commissioned you as a Colonel and placed you in charge of combat operations. You're the best they know of when it comes to killing Angels, even if, well..."
"I get it, I get it. Gimme half an hour, and I'll be down with what I need. Just give me some breathing room in the meanwhile, alright?"
"Colonel" Thomas Rydell put some classic rock on his stone age MP3 Player, and got to work packing, as he hummed along to the music. Through the rest of the evening, from the car trip to the airport, to the plane ride, and through the eventual mission briefing, one thought lingered in his mind.
God help me, Katsuragi, I've taken your job.
000
Already halfway across the pacific, the Angel glides smoothly over the red ocean, the water roiling below. A dissonant chorus fills the air around the Angel, and it calls out to the stars.
I have found him. I have found our father's brother. Come, brothers, and rejoice, for I have found him.
There is silence for a the heavens themselves thunder.
We have heard you, brother. We shall come, and we shall rejoice in oneness once more.
The angel cruises in silence for a time.
And the Lilium?
The heavens boom.
Purge the sinners from the house of God.
The Angel picks up speed, its glorious mission to be fulfilled.
000
New Houston was a large city, even by pre-Second Impact standards. With nearly 12 Million residents, the city was a sprawling metropolis. Even without the benefit of the Gulf of Mexico, there were still things going for the city, namely, the safety associated with having the world's second Geofront and NERV's current headquarters situated in close enough approximation to you that no-one would ever try and attack. It never occurred to most people that the reason NERV wanted Houston to be safe was because there was something EXTREMELY dangerous being kept there.
People rarely trifle with the details, especially when there are lots of nice government jobs to be had.
Late that night, the Seventh and Eighth Child were escorted off their respective airplanes, exhausted, jet lagged, and utterly confused. They'd been given a basic rundown of what was happening, but not any more than what the press knew about the Angel. By the time they had made their way to the Geofront, both Helen and Peter, though in different subway cars, were both about ready to simply keel over. In fact, as the subway pulled up in synch on either side of the NERV rail terminal, they stumbled out at about the same time.
However, Helen had the raw misfortune of being in heeled shoes at the time of her pick up, and as she stumbled out, one of her shoes gave up the ghost and she fell headlong into Peter. With a deft spin at the sound of the heel snapping, Peter barely managed to steady himself and the girl, saving them both a nasty tumble. Sighing in relief, Peter tried to get her back on her feet, only then seeing that it was a young woman he was holding... Embracing... err...
Her face was right next to his. That was awkward. What was more awkward was that his hand was on her rear, trying to keep her from falling over.
"Could I please get a hand over here?" He manged, utterly red in the face.
"Seems you've got the situation under control, big guy." Said the Agent who had escorted him back from Geneva. "You might try buying her dinner next time you wanna feel her up though."
Peter went from beet red to somewhere approaching "Steam out the ears". The girl, now dead weight in his arms, was snoring softly.
"God, what have I done to deserve this?"
000
Meanwhile, Antonio, who had arrived hours earlier, was staring at a 30 foot tall Gunmetal gray and matte black face hovering above a pool of Orange liquid.
"So, this is my 'Father's' work?"
Dr. Weller nodded to him.
"So, what, I have to Pilot an Evangelion?"
Dr. Weller nodded again.
"You crazy man. No way in hell I'm gonna step into that thing just cuz you want me to. I know what happened last time you put kids like me in those things to fight Angels. Only one of 'em ever made it back."
The Doctor sighed.
"Do you want everything you have ever known and loved to vanish in an instant? Do you want the summation of mankind to be erased instantly, and eternally?"
"Not really, Vato. But you gotta get someone else, alright? I'm just not feelin' it, okay?" Antonio's neck hairs bristled every time he looked at that face. It seemed to be leering down at him, mocking him.
"We do have others. There are supposed to be Five Children. You are the Sixth Child, first of this generation. The Seventh and Eighth are on their way right now, and we are still looking for the other two. But we need you as well. Nobody else can Pilot this Unit but you. It was made for you, on your father's orders."
"So, where's my old man, then? Mom says he died right after I was born. You said this was made on his orders, so where is he? What kind of ass doesn't even call his own son?"
"The kind that's been dead for 15 years."
Antonio's mouth made an 'O'.
"Your father had cancer. It was the incurable kind, and by the time he found out about it, he had six months left to live. So, in a gambit and a rush of what even I might be convinced to call Mad science, your father created the world's second fully functioning AI supercomputer; The Quincunx. It was modeled directly after his own brain, and it's probable it has more potential processing power and learning capability than the MAGI.
Antonio just looked confused, and Weller added.
"Your father more or less turned himself into the supercomputer that's been running our base for the last 15 years."
"Now you're making sense."
A klaxon blared for a moment, and a man's voice echoed throughout the hangar.
"All personnel, the Angel is approaching. T-minus 3 hours 15 minutes before it arrives at base. All noncombatants are to find shelter. This one is going to get messy, folks."
"I need to go back up to the bridge. Antonio, you can try and get some sleep, or you can get acquainted with the Evangelion's control systems. I personally suggest the latter, because at least then you'll have some idea of what you're doing when you go out there. " the Doctor turned to leave.
"Is 'not going' an option?"
"I wish it was, Antonio, I wish it was."
000
Up on the bridge, Colonel Thomas Rydell gave an appreciative whistle.
"Just like the one back in the old Geofront. The more things change..." Of course it was the same as the old one, since they'd used the exact same Geofront construction plans and everything, but... It sure did feel strange being back here. And here of all places. Thomas always thought his place would be on the battlefield to the day he died.
Guess not, eh, Katsuragi?
He looked over his command station. Brand new. There was even plastic wrap covering his chair. He removed it and sat down, the chair not even squeaking under him.
He turned on the computer in front of him. He had to be on the bridge since they were under Alert status 1, but he'd go crazy with boredom if he had to just sit there for another 3 hours.
Dammit, where was it again? No, not here... Not that folder either... Come on, come on...!
Jackpot.
Sitting in a file that should've been deleted years ago was a folder with a gibberish name. Inside were old documents written in Japanese, and... A folder labeled "Battle strategies" in English. Opening the file, Thomas found exactly what he was looking for: a cache of ancient flash games. Opening some kind of Tetris knockoff, he began humming to himself.
Maybe I should start drinking, too. No, that level of similarity would just be creepy. I'll hold it off to this for now. We'll see what happens in a few weeks though.
000
New Houston had been safely evacuated by 3:10 AM, the estimated time the Angel would arrive at. The streets were barren, the traffic lights blinked red in all directions, and all was quiet.
Then the chorus of dissonance began.
If anyone was still above ground, they would have heard a voice boom in their minds.
Hear me Lilium, I call for the day of reckoning.
Spawn of the Traitor, Progeny of the Deceitful.
Your kind shall be reduced from whence it came
Ashes to Ashes, and Dust to Dust.
For I am Abruel, The Power of God.
And none shall stand before me unbroken.
"What the hell do you mean Unit 09 isn't reacting to the Eighth Child? I don't know how to fix it, but for Christ sakes DO IT. The Angel's right over us and if we send out Antonio alone, shit is gonna hit the fan." Thomas slammed the phone next to his chair back down on the receiver. Why did the Director have to be on NERV Luna at a time like this? He hated responsibility.
"Alright," He muttered to himself. "The Sixth Child is ready to go. The Seventh Child is out cold asleep and we can't wake her, and the Eighth Child's Evangelion won't react to him. Absolutely awesome." Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Do we have a visual on the Angel yet?"
"Yessir."
"Put it on the main screen, no Zero Wing references please." Everyone looked at him, a bit baffled.
I hate it when they don't get my jokes.
The main screen did in fact turn on, showing a gigantic V-wing like being hovering right over the ground level entrance to the Geofront. From the lower levels of the bridge, one of the lower ranking officers called out: "AT field pattern is changing!"
Everyone on the bridge looked on with terror as the angel morphed from a simple flying configuration, to a bipedal form that would be more capable of fighting an Evangelion. Thomas always wondered why they looked so surprised After a while, it just became a habit to expect nearly everything. Boy, they'd be in for a shock when they saw something really unusual.
...Like, when seconds later, NERV Houston Switched to Auxillary power, and every light across the city went out. Framed against the night sky was a colossal being wrapped in pure plasma, its mere ambient heat enough to melt skyscrapers as it passed.
"Dammit! So they're not gonna go easy on us, huh? Well, let's pull out all the stops for them, too! Bring the Rail guns around and give 'em Hell!" Thomas barked.
"Sir, the Rail guns are offline! We can't get power anywhere but here! It's almost like... The thing is draining our electricity faster than we can produce it!" said Lieutenant Royce Folkertz, directly below Thomas on the bridge.
Thomas slammed his fist on his desk.
"Is there any way to deploy Unit 06? We've got no other choice right now but to send him up."
"Sir," said Lieutenant Maxwell Todd, "The Magnetic lifts are out of service, and with the Evangelion units in storage, their batteries are virtually empty. Not to mention, the Angel would perhaps just drain them of power if they came anywhere near it.
Think. Think, Come on! Channel that Katsuragi! Come on crazy plan, COME ON!
"What do we have for backup power supplies? I'll need everything that isn't keeping the base functions of the Quincunx running. If this is gonna work, We need to act fast before the thing bleeds us any more!"
A few quick calculations, and Lieutenant Alex Hayer rattled off a series of numbers.
"In English please!"
"We've got 15 minutes of full operational power left, 22 hours on Auxillary."
"How much sheer wattage could we send out if we let it all in one burst?" Thomas had a mad grin on his face. Anyone who had seen him like this knew it meant trouble.
"I, uh... About 1.2 Terawatts, Sir. That's emptying everything we've got and then a little, with just enough to keep the Quincunx online in sleep mode."
"How long will that burst last?"
"I don't know... Maybe 40 microseconds? 50 tops. Permission to speak freely sir?"
"Granted."
Why the hell are you asking- Oh God. No way. You can't seriously be thinking of-"
"That," Thomas said, "Is exactly what I am thinking of."
000
In minutes, the power flow from the entirety of NERV was shut down, and the generators stopped sputtering under the strain and resumed normal operation. All of the power in NERV, from heating and cooling to Hydroponics, was placed in a series of backup circuits. After nearly 10 minutes of charge up time, the bridge was dark except for a smattering of computer terminals.
"Release the charge."
The entire bridge clustered around the sole video feed from topside. An electric crackle went down the screen, and then a rather perturbed looking Angel, wondering why it was coming up dry, got just over a Terawatt of pure electricity to the face. It sparked, crackled, and screamed in a choir of agony before launching itself into the night sky. There was a brief moment of silence, and then the night became day. A twisted, burned mass of Angel fell out of the heavens, landing several miles outside New Houston proper. As systems began to flicker back to life one by one, A hoarse cheer rose from the bridge bunnies. Then, a strangled yell.
"Still detecting AT field Signature! It isn't dead yet!"
A voice exploded in their minds and raw fear crawled down their spines.
Spawn of Lilium! Salt of the Earth!
You have debased my form with your mockery of God's Lightning.
I shall not fail, I shall not falter
My purpose is clear
You will be annihilated
Utterly
and
completely
ANNIHILATED.
As the lights came back on fully on the bridge, they could hear the muffled sobs of some of the crew.
"We're... Going to die. All of us." said Lieutenant Samantha Rey. She collapsed crying into her chair, and if Thomas had to guess, most of the bridge was about to do the same.
"Alright. So, we're going to die, are we?" He said lightly.
"So WHAT? So what if we do! We all go eventually, some sooner, some later. Maybe all of us at once, if that goddamn monster gets its way. I'll tell you this, though! No way we're going down crying in some damn hole in the ground! As long as those kids are alive, we've got a chance. Patch me in to Antonio!"
With a few taps on the keyboard, Lieutenant Hayer patched Thomas through.
"Hey, Kid. I hear you don't want to pilot that thing. Right?"
Antonio nodded silently.
"Well, I can understand that. How about we have a quick chat before you go out? I think it might help.
"What do you mean you understand it? You're sittin' there all safe and sound while I haf'ta go out and kill the damn thing!"
"I say that I understand, because I do understand. Evangelions are frightening. I was just as scared as you were the first time I piloted one."
Every single head on the bridge turned in unison. A chorus of "What did he just say"s echoed from every part of the room, and Antonio looked disbelieving over the screen.
"No way."
"Yes, Way."
"You mean you were... Were the one who beat up ADAM and saved the world? That is crazy, homes."
"The very same. And let me tell you, those things are freaky. But that just makes you the bigger man for actually piloting it." Antonio paused for a moment, deep in contemplation.
"Will saving the world get me laid?"
"Damn Skippy. So, will you go out there and save humanity, or will you keep messing around and asking questions? We've got time for questions later, but there won't be a later if you don't hurry and kill that Angel."
Antonio nodded.
"Alright then, I'll do it. Get me ready."
000
"LCL Pressure normalized!"
"Plug Depth holding steady!"
"All Synaptic connections stable!"
"Synchronization rate at 49.6%! That's a miracle for his first Synch!"
"All Systems Green! We are clear for Launch!"
"Alright! Evangelion Unit 07, Launch!"
The magnetic rails blasted the Evangelion up to the surface at hundreds of miles per hour. With a sudden halting jerk, Unit 07 cleared ground level. Several blocks ahead of it was the still smoking, still regenerating Angel. The magnetic locks on the Eva detonated, freeing it.
"Can you hear me Antonio? This is Thomas. First thing's first, get a feel for walking, then kick its ass. Once you get the basic motions down, then try actually fighting. Don't try any fancy stuff you hear me-" Before Thomas could finish his sentence, Antonio had successfully performed a standing backflip. As he stood there on the bridge with pursed lips, the Pilot brought out the progressive knife.
"Oh God homes, they come with knives? Too. Damn. Sweet. You should have told me that earlier!"
Eying the Angel in front of him, Antonio brought up the knife and got into a crouch.
"You're goin' down, Puta."
The Angel lunged at Unit 07, and Antonio deftly evaded it, slicing across the angel's arm with the Prog knife. It left a shallow gash that began to smoke from the monster's rapid regeneration.
"So how do I kill this thing? Looks like my knife isn't doin' much!"
Thomas chuckled over the voice comm line.
"You have to aim for the core, hotshot. Break it, and you kill the Angel."
"Sounds easy. Is it the big red thing in the middle?"
"Probably. Be careful though, sometimes those things have-" A brilliant flash lit up the view screen and Antonio let a a muffled "HHGGURRRRK" before Unit 07 was tossed back several blocks by a massive cross shaped beam.
"-Lasers." Thomas finished, sighing. "Kid, you better end that thing fast. You lost your cable in that last one, you've only got a few minutes of battery life left."
Antonio rose and winced.
So I guess I feel what the robot feels. Makes sense. Okay, let's mop this thing up!
He gripped the controls and dashed forward, shoulder tackling the angel and sending it sprawling. With a vicious kick to the monster's side, he flipped it over, exposing the core.
A voice shot through Antonio's mind, and his blood nearly froze.
Filthy Lilium! How dare you assume the form of God!
You shall be punished by the heavens themselves
They shall make right if I cannot!
Know only that you prolong your death by choosing this route
True salvation lies in surrender to the power of God
Only then shall you be cleansed of the sins of your mother!
"Pendejo, your first mistake was coming here-" Anotnio growled, jamming the prog knife into the Angel's Exposed core.
"Your second was insulting a Mexican with a knife!" And with that, Antonio turned the prog knife on and twisted. With a chorus of suffering, the Angel contorted up into a ball, and then exploded in a suitably dramatic fashion. Blood rained down, and everyone on the bridge cheered.
"Lordy, what have I gotten myself into." Thomas muttered as he slumped down into his chair.
"At least we're off to a better start than last time, right, Katsuragi?"