To Him0nky2012: For as much as I think the 19th wasn't very creative either, I swear to God I've never found a storm Angel in fanfiction. Perhaps I've read too few fanfics, or you too many.
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Looking Back and Forward
About a week later
The sound of heavy machinery working around the city of Tokyo-3 can be heard miles away. The dramatic destruction brought by the 19th Angel's last attack has left the city in the edge of disappearing. Yet a small part of the city has survived, untouched by the attack: it is a small, almost meaningless park. Yet it represents more than just survival, it represents the ability of nature to continue living. It is a life example of the will to live. The same will that constructed the city, NERV, the Evas… all made because of the will to survive.
The park was renamed, now called "Life Park". Yet someone was not content with the name
"Why the hell "life park"?! Don't we count in this? Our names should be here Idiot!"
It is the voice of Asuka Langley Sohryu, clearly upset as she and Shinji walk through the park.
"Asuka, it's not our decision. If they want it to be named Life park then…"
"It's not fair! I mean, we are the ones who risk their lives in every battle with those things, and they go and take us for granted!"
"Asuka…"
"No, you know what? Just stay quiet!"
Shinji curses himself quietly: why did he invite her for a walk? Oh, yeah, because he was interested in her… well, now he had to deal with the consequences of going through the only park left in the city.
"Asuka, anyway, it's not that important. Remember: it's more important that you think good of yourself than everyone else"
Who was this Shinji who actually had some confidence on himself? Apparently Kaji had really talked some sense into him. Also, she had to admit this Shinji was better than the last one.
"Yeah, I mean they are all idiots in the end"
"Right"
Shinji relaxed for a second. This was definitely an improvement from her yelling at him all the time.
"They sort of remind me to my father"
"Why?"
"Because, when I was young, he abandoned me because he was seeking for his own good. This people are the same: always looking for what they like, bypassing what's important"
Asuka spends a few seconds quiet: Shinji never spoke about his father, and the hint of sadness in his voice was very clear. He was sharing some of his past, so why not…?
"Well, I have never liked my father, but not because he didn't care for me: he did. My problem was he didn't care for my mother"
Shinji understood she had to be talking about her real mother, not the one who called her once from Germany. The mother who had given birth to her.
"Why? Did they argue a lot?"
"No. My mother went through a disease, and it was declared she would probably die, so my father lost all hope or love for her. Then, when she died, he… no, sorry Shinji I can't tell you"
Asuka looks towards the ground, hiding her face from Shinji. Perhaps it's easier for the Third Child, but Asuka is still troubled by her past.
"You don't have to tell me, Asuka. We can just talk about something else"
"Well, then…what about that storm? I'm still mad because we didn't get to fight!"
"Well, just look at the consequences: Rei, Toji and Cremina are all in the hospital, and their Evas are seriously damaged. Did you want that?"
"It would have been funnier than just staying down there"
"Asuka, having fun is not the important part of piloting!"
"I know. I was just bothering you"
She gives the boy a grin, but Shinji doesn't see it, as he has come to a complete stop.
"Shinji… what is it?"
In the small lake that lies in the middle of the park, a massive, black and red colored piece of metal can be seen. It takes a while, but Asuka understands what the object is: it is the wrist of Unit 03, blood still covering it. The wrist was probably separated when the Angel made its last attack.
Shinji stands still, his mind frozen by the sight, as the memory of Unit 01 destroying the so-called thirteenth Angel comes to his mind. The images of blood and gore replay in his mind, until he manages to get a hold on himself.
"Asuka…let's go home"
The boy walk away from the sight, but Asuka doesn't follow. She waits a little, and then she runs to catch up. She grabs the boy's hand and stops him.
"Shinji… it's wrong to let it haunt you forever"
"..I… I know. But I just can't see it anymore… I still remember it…"
"Then let's make it easier. If I tell you about my problems, you tell me about yours. If you don't wan tot, then we do something else: we forget about it, and just stop looking at the past"
Shinji thinks about the girl's proposal: it's either conciliating with their past, or letting it go. But his past isn't something he wants to share, and he knows he will never forget it. So…
"That's it. You know what? I will make it even easier for you. I will tell you about my problems, and then you can choose."
"Asuka…"
"My biggest problem with my father was him not caring about my mother, yes. But that's because I always knew he gave up on her. The woman he is married to now was my mother's doctor when she was sick. Oh yeah, happens that my mother wasn't sick: she was… mentally wrong. Something that happened when she activated Unit 02"
It wasn't all the truth: she didn't talk about the doll her mother owned, or what the doll was to her… but that was out of the matter: it was something she would take with her to the grave.
"Asuka…"
"So well, that's my story. I know it's pretty sad, but if I don't admit it and move on, I will always be hunted by it. It's wrong to keep such things with you forever"
"I… I guess I will tell you. When I was young... my mother died because she herself activated Unit 01, because she was absorbed by it, because she merged with it. I have talked to her, or at least I think so, when I'm inside Unit 01. She has always given me strength, but she once told me this was her idea from the beginning. So… she killed herself so she could remain with me inside the Eva. Because of that I guess I'm sort of mad at her, because she abandoned me, and then my father did the same"
"Shinji…"
"Then I thought that by piloting I could finally be important to my father, but he just chose to betray me. He lied to me, and I believed him…"
"Shinji…"
"Can we go home now, Asuka?"
The hurt in his voice is also expressed in his face, as tears threaten to leave his eyes. Asuka gives him a silent nod. Perhaps it hadn't been a total success, but he was slowly allowing his secrets to be shared.
NERV's Fourth Branch-UK
Inside the massive, underground complex that forms the Fourth Branch, the so-called construction plant of NERV, a man walks through the hall that overviews the containment cages. The man in question owns long brown hair, pale skin and a pair of cold black eyes. The man takes out his NERV id and, for a second, the name can be seen on the card. He is Professor Albert Kazegawa, the man behind both Custom Evas. Kazegawa makes his way through the containment cage, nearing the incomplete Evangelion that lies in the cage. It is his personal duty to oversee the development of his creations: the Second Mass Produced Evangelion Series.
"You know, I never thought I would see you working with Evas any longer, Professor" The voice is a cold, knowing one. It is the same voice that crossed SEELE's meeting room a few days before. It is the voice of Keolan Lentai.
"Mrs. Lentai, how…surprising of yours to be here"
"Don't lie to me Kazegawa. You want me out of here already, don't you?"
"Well, it's not like you are a very pleasant presence"
"Can't argue with that"
The woman walks near the Eva, intend on taking a look at it. The Eva is different from any other one: a mix of the production models and the first Eva series. The whale like head is gone, replaced by one similar to that of Unit 03. In similarity of the 5th and 19th Angel, the Eva is armed with a small positron rifle on its left arm. Like the first series, the massive back packs hide the wings of the Eva. The rest of the design is the same as in the first series, yet something different can be noticed: the Eva is somehow skinnier, showing a smaller armor platting.
"It seems sort of… fragile"
"It lacks of the standard armor platting, as it uses a very thin one to defend itself, but you assured me the new dummy plug system would be able to deploy an AT field, so it should compensate"
"Yes, the new system. Those made in shape of Kaworu Nagisa don't work very well with this new series, so SEELE and my company prepared a new. I must say, I expect it to work perfectly this time"
The man nods in silent agreement as he watches the contiguous containment cages. In each of the other five cages lies another Mass Produced Eva of the new series, all of them still incomplete. His work had been limited to designing and building them, but in his work he had found out the true reason for such amount of Evas: they were to, eventually, be used to "evolve mankind".
"What use can my Evas have in the evolution of mankind?"
"Kazegawa, that's no subject to be discussed. You know about the Instrumentality Project, so stop asking stupid questions"
"To use the power of Angels and mankind's own wishes to join in one, single mind, complemented by each other. That's the data I found, but it's pretty unspecific"
"There's no need for specifics. The project will join all human minds into one, that's all you need to know."
"I've heard from Jeyn Lentai that Ikari has a different view of the project, so SEELE is considering betraying Ikari."
"SEELE's plans are none of your business. But now that you know, I guess I can let you find out some. In the end, Ikari will probably try to implement his own concept of Instrumentality before us, so SEELE will answer"
"As in a…armed answer?"
"It could be implied"
"Then NERV is going to fight against SEELE. Is that what you are telling me?"
"No: Ikari is going to fight against the rest of mankind."
"Ikari? Why?"
"Because NERV will our ally at the last moment: all Mass Produced Evas will be the all-mighty sword that will be brandished by SEELE. That's your work: you are the blacksmith that forges the weapons of SEELE."
"It's a poetic way to say I'm the one who makes the guns here"
"Guns kill, but Evas will be the salvation of mankind"
"Then tell, which Eva will save mankind"
"The Eva Series and Unit 01"
"Why unit 01?"
"Have you ever read A Brave New World?"
"Yes"
"Then you understand the process of human conditioning?"
"In a way, yes, but…"
"There are not buts in here, Kazegawa. Just as people are created and raised for specific jobs in that world, Ikari has raised his son, the pilot of Unit 01, to be the human that will initiate Instrumentality"
"So a kid will be the salvation of humans?"
"With SEELE behind him and the Eva Series on his side"
"What about the other Children?"
"That is for my daughter in-law to decide"
"Why Jeyn?"
"Because she will be the one to drive Instrumentality before handing it over to the Third Child, so the destiny of the other Children will be on her hands"
"So you are telling me… that another son of mine could die in the hands of Jeyn Lentai?"
The woman doesn't answer, merely leaves the cage, leaving Kazegawa alone. He is left to think and wonder: Jeyn Lentai will drive Instrumentality in the beginning, so the fate of all pilots will be on her hands, his last son included.
So just like Demian, Dorian will die because of Lentai's ambition
Bu Instrumentality is his last hope: if SEELE had promised him anything, it was the power to see his son again, Demian. Perhaps, Instrumentality could return him Dorian, the son who had escaped from him.
Because, in reality, he had lost both of his sons when Judas killed Demian. Instrumentality was his last hope.
Next day-School-IIA classroom
"Stand, bow, sit"
The command was followed every morning when the teacher came in, as everyone prepared themselves for the school day: it would be a torture, but the students had found some ways to avoid getting bored: chit-chatting through the laptops system was their common entertainment. Talk was mainly now about the last battle in the city: it had been impressing to be locked for hours and then see the remains of the city scorched by a storm.
(Script Format A/n: It's instant messenger, don't blame me for using script)
(I will be using the initials of every name for the script)
AS: Idiot, you there?
SI: Yeah
AS: Good, we have some things to talk about. Misato said we have a synch test today, so once we get out of here; we've got to run to NERV
SI: I know
TS has entered the conversation
TS: A synch test? Count me in!
AS: It's not for you stooge! Misato called for me and Shinji!
TS: Yeah, "Misato" called you two to be together in the test…
AS: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!
TS: Oh, nothing…lovebirds
SI: Toji, knock it off.
TS: Okay… but I'm going to the test anyway
AS: You weren't called for it!
TS: Still, I know I have to go.
AS: I swear stooge, if I see you around there…
TS: I will go anyway.
SI: Let him go, there's no point on worrying
AS: Grrrrgh, all right! He can go! But don't do anything stupid down there, jock!
AS has left the conversation
TS: What's her problem? Can't tolerate some competition?
SI: She is just that way…
NERV- Gendo's Office
"Professor Albert Kazegawa sent word of his progress: apparently, the second Eva series will be ready in a few months, so the old men must be making their plans already"
Fuyutski's voice can be heard in the office as he gives his report to Commander Ikari
"The second Eva series… the dummy plug for those things was accepted by Kazegawa? It's pretty surprising"
"Kazegawa doesn't know the nature of the new dummy plug, so chances are he approved it without any knowledge of it's secret"
"Our scenario is still untouched: the second Eva series won't be a problem if we retain the Custom Evangelions and their pilots"
"So, as long as we own enough Evas you think we own the advantage?"
"An Evangelion piloted by a human has the power to deploy an AT field, go berserk, be part of a strategy and other uncountable functions that the Mass Produced Evas don't own. As long as the Evangelions can hold the Mass Produced Series away from Terminal Dogma, we will win"
"What about Unit 01? We won't be able to use it to counter attack the Eva Series, so I would say it's 5 against fifteen"
"We know that Kazegawa brought down thee of those things without any combat experience, so why should we worry?"
"But… Instrumentality is still at risk. Perhaps it's time to take some precautions, avoid possible scenarios"
"What's your point, Fuyutski?"
"Albert Kazegawa informed me that Jeyn Lentai will in charge of initiating Instrumentality on SEELE's side. So, I say we should get rid of her before she turns into a threat"
"Fuyutski, according to the British standards, how many Evas are complete?"
"In British eyes, only two"
"Then it's necessary to complete the other four, or else we won't stand a chance when the time comes. For that, we will need Jeyn Lentai. Plus, it will give us an excuse to keep one of the pilots away from piloting"
"Which pilot?"
"When the time comes, we will know"
"Ikari, what's your true thought now?"
"I'm thinking of the future, my friend. I'm thinking of our view of Instrumentality. All of the delays are necessary for us to evolve humankind"
Thinking feverishly, Fuyutski leaves the room.
If Jeyn Lentai drives Instrumentality before the Third Child, there might be a chance we won't have anything to work with when the time comes.
Control Room
The room is quiet as everyone leaves for the moment, the screens go off and a silent figure, mixed up between the people who are leaving, enters the room. It is the figure of Rei Ayanami, carrying two cards in her hand. One, belonging to her, and the other one, belonging to Jeyn Lentai. During the briefing before battling the 19th Angel, she had managed to steal the id card. Now, she was in front of the know-it-all MAGI to find out the truth.
She types silently, trying to remain unknown. She types until the MAGI asks for her security clearance. Typing the code in the card, the system welcomes Jeyn Lentai, ignorant of the true user. The card gives the girl Alpha level clearance, a level here she will easily find her answers.
Search: Angel
A massive response, including a detailed description, appears, but she finds her answer in a more simple area: a list of the detected Angels. The first one, defined as Adam, appears to be a massive giant of light, very similar to the Evangelions. The description is brief, as most of the data is about his involvement in the Second Impact. He was declared destroyed after the Second Impact.
"He never left Antarctica. It wasn't him"
She continues her search and comes to the next Angel: the image shows a pink colored, massive human shaped Angel crucified in a cross, yellow blood flowing from a wound in its chest. The Angel is named Lilith, and most of the info talks about the importance of this Angel in Instrumentality. Rei knew about Ikari's plan, but she wasn't allowed to talk about it, let alone inquire in the MAGI database. The next lines have the answer she is been looking for:
The Second Angel managed to escape from Terminal Dogma shortly after the death of Yui Ikari. The last records of the Terminal show the Angel still locked in the cross, then the records go blank, and next thing the Angel has escaped the Terminal, intend on destroying Unit 01. Lilith was contained by young Pilot Rei Ayanami, a four year old. The Angel managed to shortly reach Unit 01 before being contained, and it has been implied that some of the abnormalities in the Unit's behavior are due to this contact. Pilot Rei Ayanami piloted Unit 00, this being the only time this incarnation ever piloted.
Incarnation?
The only time that incarnation piloted?
But, why incarnation?
An incarnation is the physical appearance of a respective consciousness in a body or place, regardless of it being the correct place or body.
That was the definition she knew, but how did that apply to her?
She didn't know, but at least it explained her some of her doubts: the dreams she had. Many times she had dreamed of situations that seemed familiar to her, the most common one being her, coming out of a liquid of sorts, struggling to breathe, as thousands of red eyes stared at her, female giggling being the only sound in the room.
An incarnation… is that why I think my life just started one day when I was fifteen?
Because she was definitely fifteen the last time she had seen those red eyes look at her.
"All personnel from the Control Room please return to your respective terminals, a synch test will be held at 1700 hours."
Rei is startled by the command, and quickly runs away from the room, closing the search I the process. Soon after her, the common occupants of the room start arriving: Ritsuko, Maya, Shigeru and Hyuga. She manages to escaper the room by hiding underneath uncountable desks, and she makes her way towards the lockers room.
Lockers Room
"Ummm, Toji. My name is Toji Suzuhara"
Toji shakes Dorian's hand as the two meet for the first time. It's surprising how interested the Sixth Child is on this newcomer. But it didn't caught him off guard: Jeyn had threatened to replace him for another pilot, so he knew there had to be another child. Yet what surprises him the most is the number: he is the Fourth Child, not the Ninth.
On Toji's side, he can only be perplexed. Kensuke had managed to find out about this kid: apparently, he was a prodigious Eva pilot that came out of nowhere. Yet Shinji had told him that Dorian was not a talkative person, so it didn't make sense that he just went up to him and introduced himself.
"Suzuhara…"
"Yes?"
"Why… why are you numbered the fourth?"
While preparing his answer, Toji saw Shinji freeze next to him.
"I… I was chosen as the Fourth Child because I'm not exactly new on this: I piloted Eva long time before you came, but I only did it once"
Then the Fourth Child was the one who had almost lost Unit 03. Jeyn had told Dorian about a "pilot who allowed Unit 03 to be possessed by an Angel". So, this was the pilot who was attacked by an Angel inside his Eva… a very clever trick.
"Suzuhara, about…"
"All pilots report to the Entry Plugs"
As the command said, the three pilots went to the plugs, just like the female pilots next to them.
Control Room
"What's the point of a mix-up test?" Misato's voice was clearly annoyed: her only free evening in the whole week had just been screwed by a synch test.
"Currently, none. All of the Evas and pilots are on perfect state, so there should be no need for one pilot to use another Eva" Ritsuko didn't understand: what was the point of such a test now? It had been directly ordered by Commander Ikari, so some sort of motive had to be under all of this.
"If the order came from Ikari, there's nothing we can do. Only follow the command. Plus, I think the results will be very interesting" Jeyn made her own comment, clearly more interested in the test
"You think something interesting will happen?"
"It's about Evangelions. There's always something interesting going on with them"
Since when the woman who hated Evangelions chose to care about them?
"Doctor Akagi, all pilots are ready"
"Get me in com. With them"
The screen reveals six new small windows, as each one gives her access to one of the pilots.
"Okay all of you, there's been a change of plans: Commander Ikari has directly ordered to turn this into a mix up test: you will abandon your respective plugs and go to a new one. Each will be assigned to a different Eva"
Deep inside her, Ritsuko hoped the words: "Ikari ordered" would avoid any confrontation.
"WHAT?!"
But Asuka was Asuka; there was no way around that.
"Asuka, it's a direct order from the Commander, you will abandon the plug, or we will get you out of there ourselves and you will not participate of the test"
Ritsuko chose to be direct: it was going along the order or getting out of here. Apparently, she managed to get Asuka quiet.
"But…"
"Asuka, either you stay and do as ordered, or you get out of here"
Finally giving up, the girl left the plug.
For once, I have to thank that man for saving me a fight with the devil.
"Okay, now, we are going to put each one of you in a different plug. The MAGI will decide the most useful combination"
Some typing was heard around the room, as they prepared the decision. Then, the MAGI gave its selection.
"Rei"
"Yes?"
"You are to enter Unit 06"
"All right"
If anything, the girl showed only a slight feeling of surprise: Unit 06 was supposedly a Custom Eva, so chances were she wouldn't get good results.
"Asuka"
"What?"
"You will enter Unit 00"
"But Unit 00 is a prototype, I would…"
"Asuka, pull any more crap and I will get you out of the test!"
Shutting up, Asuka gives in: she finds a small comfort in the chance to defeat Wondergirl in her own Eva.
"Okay, Shinji"
"Yes?"
"You are set to pilot Unit 02"
He gulps before going to the plug: Asuka won't forgive him for piloting her Eva.
"Suzuhara, Lentai, you two will exchange Evas"
Both of them go the respective Eva, leaving Dorian behind. He gulps as he finds out his assignment.
"That leaves you to pilot Unit 01, Kazegawa."
Unit 01, the same Unit that had gone berserk at least twice, the same that had mercilessly destroyed Unit 03, the same that had vanished it's first pilot: there was a reason why Jeyn called it "the animal" when she was at home.
"All…right"
The kid can't take away the fear in his voice, while in the Control Room, Jeyn grins as she hears him, detecting how scared he is
"So maybe he really is the coward I called him once"
"Let's start the test"
Entry Plug- Unit 00
"This plug looks pretty archaic" Inside of Unit 00, Asuka does nothing more than complain. Comments on the simplicity of the Eva are common, yet she doesn't seem to achieve very good results.
"Asuka, your synch is stuck on 70.7 percent. For as much as you don't like the Eva, we need you to do your best"
She closes her eyes, allowing the feeling of synch to flow freely. It was a common feeling: the sensation of the Eva's body coming under control of the pilot, it was something she achieved everyday on Unit 02. But there was something different about the Unit.
"Asuka, your synch is on 75.2 percent. I would say that's enough for today"
But the girl doesn't move from the plug. Everyone wonders why until they hear a light snore: she is asleep.
In her dreams, she is simply doing the same: piloting. It was common for her to dream of such moments: piloting was the best part of her life, or so she believed. Everything was fine until something bothered her: the dream changed, the images turned into something different.
Dream Sequence.
Her view had changed, as now she viewed the common wall of a bathroom, and felt the water from a shower spray flowing from above her. She had no control of what happened, she was only able to see. She saw as she got out of the shower and dried herself with a towel. But as she looked to the mirror, it wasn't her blue eyes returning the look
They were two red eyes: the eyes of Rei Ayanami.
Control Room
"Doctor Akagi!" Shigeru's voice was filled with concern
"What is it?" Came the reply of Ritsuko
"It's the Second Child! The psychograph shows increased mental activity and a new wave patron!"
"WHAT?!"
"Well, apparently, the Eva is penetrating the dreams of the girl" Sid Jeyn, not really caring about it. Actually, she seemed morbidly interested in the abnormality.
"Eject the plug! Get her out of there!"
Asuka's Dream
As Rei dried herself, she was only able to watch. Se heard a distant sound of a door opening, but Ayanami didn't seem to notice. As Rei opened the door, she caught a figure standing in the room left of her: it was Shinji. He stood there, his eyes wide open, looking at her, holding a pair of glasses in his hand. Rei walked up to him and snapped the glasses out of his hand. As he flinched, he lost his balance, his handbag opening the upper drawer of the furniture behind him as he fell on top of Ayanami. All of the girl's undergarments fell over them, until she noticed that something was wrong.
Trying to hold on to the floor, Shinji's hand grabbed something else. Otherwise known as Rei's breast.
Outside of the Plug.
Asuka woke up as she noticed she was out of the plug and some figures were around her. She managed to hear Misato's voice
"Asuka, are you all right?"
"Where's Shinji?"
"What?"
"Tell where Shinji is"
"He's still inside of the plug"
"It's all right. I can wait a little"
She stands up and walks out of the place, going to the lookers room. She has managed to do a good test: her first try on Unit 00 and she managed to beat Wondergirl. But what she found in the Unit was another subject.
She stood outside the boy's lockers, waiting to get her revenge.
Entry Plug-Unit 01
Kazegawa is still inside the plug, waiting for his own results. Yet there 's something disturbing in the plug: like if his own fear was there, as another person.
"Damn: first I find out Demian is inside Unit 06, and now I'm stuck here with God knows what else"
On the other end of the com. Jeyn's voice answers back to him:
"It's not only God who knows: actually, the answer is pretty simple"
"Then who else is in the bloody Eva?"
"The resident soul"
"But who is the resident soul then?"
"Kid, I have already told you. Let's do it simple for you: who can be the resident soul?"
"Whoever piloted this Eva?"
"Yes. Now, who has piloted this Eva?"
"Ikari, and…"
"Well, I guess that's where you don't know, right? Well, it's not like I have told you. Okay, so, who else worked on Project E related to this Eva?"
"Why should I know?"
"Because you have the knack of over listening when I speak on the phone. Happens that I know you are there, kid"
With a face that can only mean BUSTED, Dorian continues to speak.
"Well, I've heard of another Doctor Akagi, but you said she killed herself. Then there's Fuyutski and Ikari, but they are alive. But you also said…"
"Um?"
"You also talked about another woman, she had a short name, I think?"
"Yui. The woman was named Yui. She designed Unit 01, and tested it herself. She died during that test, you know? So…"
"So she is trapped inside of Unit 01?"
"I don't know kid, that's for you to find out. You could try actually synchronizing with the Eva, as you current synch is barely on 40.6 percent"
Bothered by Jeyn's comment, the kid focuses not on the Eva, but on that Yui woman. Perhaps looking for her will give him a better synch. Yet he knows looking for a dead woman will bring him no good he feels a natural curiosity.
"Who are you?"
The voice, deep and distant, startles Dorian: apparently, he found what he was looking for.
"I'm… I'm Dorian… Dorian Kazegawa."
"The kid from England?"
"…Yes"
"Why are you here?"
"I was… ordered to pilot this Eva"
"You shouldn't. Unit 01 is a dormant monster: any other pilot besides Shinji will be forced to die"
"It's… only a test"
"I died on one of those" tests""
"Are you Yui?"
"Yes. But that's none of your concerns: you should get out of here."
"Why did you die?"
"Because I wanted the best for my son: a future"
"You died for him to have a future… that doesn't make sense"
"So what if it doesn't"
"It was very selfish"
"Selfish? No. Selfish is choosing without taking other people into consideration. My choice was all for my son's best"
"But do you think it was his best?"
"Happens that you aren't really an expert in the subject, Dorian Kazegawa"
"What? Of course I'm not, but neither are you. At least, I think of the other people's feelings before acting"
"Really? Is that why there are two graves outside of your home in London?"
Control Room
"Danger! Unit 01 is directly attacking the Sixth Child psyche!"
"What?! It's attacking it?!"
"It's breaking his mental wave pattern!"
"EJECT THE BLOODY PLUG!"
The sound of armor plates being broken can be heard as the plug jumps out of the Eva's back: the plug has been ejected, bringing the Sixth Child into safety.
Unit 02-Entry Plug
"Shinji, you will have to abandon the plug. The test is been suspended: Asuka and Dorian have already been damaged by the test" Misato's voice gives the command to abandon to Shinji, but he seems sort of reluctant: he finds a strange comfort in the plug.
"All right"
"It will take a couple of minutes to get you out of there, so just wait a little"
He sits back and relaxes, the smell of LCL no longer bothering him. He also finds another smell: it's the familiar fragrance of Asuka, mixed with the LCL and the rubber from a plug suit.
His thoughts continued to drift off to Asuka: her face, her smile, the many fights she had with him, and the good moments: the look of gratitude when he saved her in Mount Asama, the kisses they had shared (excepting the first one: a total fiasco) and their talk in the park yesterday. As he replays Asuka's voice in his mind, another similar one makes its own statement.
"What do you want with her?"
The voice vanishes as another image projects in his mind: it's a woman lying in a bed, holding a red haired doll in her arms. She is trying to feed the doll as though she was a young girl playing, yet she also talks to the doll:
"If you don't eat all of your food, that girl will laugh about you" The woman pointed someone outside of the hospital room: it was a little girl, her hair red and her eyes blue. It took him a while, but Shinji recognized her to be Asuka, in a younger moment.
Next thing he knew, the image changed again. He was seeing everything from above: he could see the same Asuka running towards a room, yelling words of joy: she talked about her being now a pilot, not needing the world anymore, that she was now happy and fine, but as he looked at her destination, he saw that those statements were gong to change.
"Asuka, don't enter!!"
Too late.
The girl walked inside the room to find the woman and the doll hanging from a pair of ropes, clearly dead.
"Shinji!"
Shinji wakes up to find Misato's face yelling at him, clearly mad.
"How the hell did you fall asleep in five minutes?!"
"I… I'm sorry, Misato"
"It's fine Shinji. Just go change and we will go"
He stands up and goes to the looker room, not knowing of the danger that lies outside of the room.
Few Minutes Later.
He walks out of the locker room, Dorian following behind him, but he doesn't go too far.
SLAP!
The palm of Asuka's hand slapped Shinji's cheek, clearly trying to hurt him. Only one word escapes the girl lips
"Pervert"
"Asuka… what did I do?"
"Oh, you know what you did, you little hentai!"
"I don't know"
"Don't lie to me!"
"If I did something, I don't remember it!"
"You freaking grabbed Wondergirl's breast Idiot! That's what you did!"
"What?! How the hell do you know that?! You weren't even in Japan!"
"So what if I wasn't?! That doesn't give you any reason to just go and grab another girl's breast!"
"Sohryu? You make it sound as though he already had a girl by then, but he said you weren't even in Japan" Dorian's comment could only give him one single destiny:
THUMP!
Once again, Asuka's fist impacted directly against Dorian's head.
"You shut up, bloody English! And you, you better start begging me, Third Child, because I'm going to make you pay for this!"
Both male's look at each other, both sharing a silent decision. In a fraction of a second, they turn around and run, trying to escape their executioner.
"GET BACK HERE YOU TWO!"
Control Room
"Is it safe to continue?" Misato's voice can be heard over the whole room
"It doesn't really matter: Ikari ordered directly again, we have to continue" Ritsuko can only give her a fact for an answer
"What about them three? They must be pretty shaken right now, yet the Commander said we must go on"
"There's probably no risk for them: Units 00, 01 and 02 have always been the most difficult to deal with. Actually, the MAGI predicted a 12.4 percent chance of the pilots suffering mental abnormalities during the test"
"You think they will get any symptoms from this?"
"Besides knowing too much about the other one, nothing else"
Not understanding the meaning of her words, Misato looks back at the screen: the remaining three pilots are still stable, yet the sense of danger doesn't abandon her. There's something naturally wrong with putting a pilot in a different Eva.
"Probably, this Evas are just like their pilots: fearful, introverted… yet when the time comes, they show their true power"
"Misato…"
"Yeah Rits?"
"We have to continue"
Looking at the screen again, the two women wait, still looking for any danger.
Misato's Apartment
Asuka is at the balcony looking into the distance, her mind too furious to think something coherent: not only she has fond out Shinji's perversion, but now she has to stand up to the English idiot who chose to come over and visit after the test.
Why the hell did he came over for? It's not like we are so freaking interested on him.
"Liar, you still want to know why he is such a good pilot" The answer came from the back of her mind
HE'S NOT A GOOD PILOT! He's just lucky
Lucky? He's got three Evas and one Angel on his count. I would say nobody can be that lucky.
And how the hell am I supposed to interrogate him?
How did you make Shinji talk?
It was different: he is Shinji; it's not so hard to talk with him, but that British…
At least try: there is no point in standing here and arguing with you.
She enters the room and notices he lucky: the two kids were in the subject of piloting. Both are holding a cup of tea. She sits and grabs the remaining cup from the table.
"Shinji?"
"Yes?"
"Ummm, you see… I was, you know, bringing back some memories, and had a little flashback of that time at the volcano, when you dove to save me"
It was her most clever trick: that was probably the only time Shinji had done something really good inside of an Eva, so it wouldn't be painful to talk about it.
"Ah, that once. Well, it's not like it was such a big deal…"
"It's impossible for an Eva to just place itself in such pressure and come out unharmed. Did you really do such a thing Ikari?" Asuka's trick worked: the English was talking.
"Well, I didn't really think about it, just jumped to stop her from sinking, so I guess it isn't like an act of bravery or something…."
"But you jumped without thinking it? That's got to be brave, Shinji" Asuka continued to play along the trick.
"I don't think I would even think about jumping in such case, so I guess you are pretty brave Shinji" Dorian's comment gave Asuka her key.
"You wouldn't jump, British? For no one at all? Cremina perhaps?"
"I don't really know. But, well, you don't until you are actually there, in front of the crack, right?"
"Have you ever done something like that in an Eva, Dorian? Something rash and stupid?" Shinji asked
"More like something that I didn't think at all. It was in London, first time I piloted in a real situation"
"The thing with those mass produced Evas?"
"Yes. I was sent to stop them, and to be honest, I was getting my ass kicked. Out numbered as I was, I didn't really stand a chance. They were just about to… devour me or something, when I heard someone talking to me. I figured it was Mrs. Lentai, so I thought she was going to give some useless advice. She didn't, she told me something different"
"What?"
"She told me that perhaps, I really was the coward she called me once. I don't know what came over me then, I just remember… anger, fury, and before I knew it, I had ripped those things apart."
"So you just blew them?"
"My father gave me a pretty long lecture after I blew them: they were set to be part of a 9 Eva Mass Produced Series, but they were reduced to six."
"Interesting. Hey, what about Unit 06? Anything interesting about it?"
Dorian freezes for a moment, Asuka's question surprising him. In his mind, the voice of his brother sounds again. It was the memory of their brief encounter during his capture by the 18th.
"Well… sort of. When I'm inside it, I always get the feeling that there's someone else with me. It happened to me inside the Test type today too"
"Unit 01? What about it?" Shinji asked his voice filled with a strange concern.
"It felt very similar, like if that Yui-person was still around…"
Shinji's cup makes a deafening noise as it hits the table, shattering into pieces. Yet he doesn't even stare at it, his look is focused on the Sixth Child.
"How do you know her name?"
"What?"
"How do you know her name?"
"I… Lentai told me?"
"Did you… speak to her?"
"To that Yui person?"
"Yes"
"I… I did. She asked who I was, and apparently she already knew the answer."
"Did she say something else?"
"No"
It wasn't a complete lie: she hadn't actually said anything; she had been answering Dorian's questions. Plus, his talk with that woman hadn't been an especially good one.
"Really? Nothing more? Not even a whisper?"
"No Shinji"
With a defeated look, Shinji lowers his head. Once again, Asuka felt the smell of a lie: just like she lied to defend herself, or Shinji to set apart from everyone, Dorian was lying, intend on hiding something.
"I… I've heard that sort of thing too. I was lying inside of Unit 02 when the 15th attacked, and I heard my mother. Or better said, I heard memories of her, of how she used to ignore me. I… I hated it, I hated being a child, because my mother didn't care for me any longer. I know she was inside Unit 02 when Arael attacked, and I know she… intervened in my memories. It was awful. I felt like if, once again, she was there, ignoring me, being cold to me."
Both young men are silent at the girl's declaration. Asuka was sharing a piece of her private memories with them, so it was only fair they did the same. It was al Asuka's little plan: give and take. She had willingly given for them to take; now they had to give. And considering Shinji had already done it, it was Kazegawa's turn.
"It's pretty painful to remember, but it's a part of my past. If I don't come to terms with it, it will just haunt me for ever, right?"
"Yes"
Dorian doesn't answer, as he's awfully quiet.
"What about you English? Anything to say?"
It was his turn. But he knew he couldn't back out: perhaps he didn't like Asuka, but betraying their small moment of truthfulness would be the worst thing he could do. He didn't have a choice: he had to talk.
"When… when I was younger, I remember hating my younger brother. Everybody just loved everything he did; he used to beat me at anything, despite being a year younger. But it all changed then, because my mother died of decease, and he was left pretty…shaken"
A confessionary. Nothing else could be said: they were in a confessionary, a place to just tell and be judged. Yet they had just started talking willingly.
"So... your brother was truly better in everything?"
"Everything. Except the one thing I will always regret: piloting"
"Why? You were prepared for this, right?"
"I chose to become a pilot, but I still regret it sometimes. My brother followed me in that decision, and that was the biggest mistake he could make"
"Why?"
"Haven't you heard? He died in the first test: when both Unit 06 and Judas were tested for the first time"
Realization dawns on Shinji and Asuka: this was the last piece that completed the puzzle of the boy, Unit 06 and Judas. Demian Kazegawa died inside of Judas, piloting Unit 06 at distance.
"Dorian, does that mean Demian is inside Unit 06?"
Dorian freezes at Shinji's question: he has always lived ignoring his past, for it filled with hatred and pain, yet now he had to talk about it.
"Yes"
"Have you ever talked to him?"
"…Once, when the 18th captured Unit 06. I was passed out when he did I think, but he gave me the strength to wake up."
"You think? I have always thought I depend more on myself than anyone else, yet sometimes other people give me strength." Asuka said
"Other people can only hurt, but the pain they inflict on is the motive behind your strength"
"Such a dark view of the world he has" Thought Asuka
"I don't think it is that way: other people give you the power to go on, or at least that's what I think" Shinji said
Once again, silence falls over the room. Asuka already knew that Shinji wasn't especially brave himself, so it was only logical that he needed other people to give him strength. Dorian wasn't in agreement with Shinji, but he knew objecting would be pointless.
"I know that when my father abandoned me, I found a little comfort in my teacher…"
"ENOUGH! You two know what? We have spent too much mourning over our past. This is it! From now on, we have to let go off it!" Asuka finally broke the quietness of their voices.
"Sohryu, people remember the past to avoid committing the same mistakes…" Dorian started
"Did you learn from your past?"
"Yes"
"Well then, if you already learned, why do you still remember it? You have already come to terms with it, so let it go"
For a second, both males share the same look at each other, finding an agreement.
For as much as Asuka is making a very rushed decision, she is right.
They can't live mourning over their pasts forever, they have to learn and go on.
And so, they agree.
"All right Asuka"
"Perhaps you are right, Sohryu."
"Then that's it, we will just deal with our past and let it go, all right?"
Miraculously, Asuka gives both of them a smile and they smile back at her.
It is perhaps the beginning of a better future.
Or so they thought.
Unknown Location
The darkness of the room is suddenly disturbed as the 12 sound only monoliths come to life and the table in the middle of the room shines with white light revealing the chairman of the council, Lorenz Keel.
"It's been decided?"
"Yes. Jeyn Lentai has agreed. She will carry out the second part."
"When?"
"The scrolls indicate the following text: "Once the first herald finishes his part, rebuilding the mind of the sons of mankind, the second herald shall start the next step: Death."
"Meaning that we will have to wait until Ikari "rebuilds the mind" of the Children"
"The first herald of Instrumentality, Gendo Ikari, will have to do our will again"
"Then, Jeyn Lentai will take over, bringing us all into Death"
"After her, the third herald will initiate the Rebirth of mankind"
"And finally, the fourth herald, The Judge, will take us beyond Rebirth"
A sound of agreement runs through the room. For the council of SEELE, Instrumentality is now a fact. Waiting is the only thing they will have to do.
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BTW: Once again, if anyone knows about that damned Eva-r password, please tell me.