After Evangelion
Chapter 11
A fan fiction based on the universe of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and manga series created by Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and Ikuto Yamashita.
Fan fiction written by Jaxson Jaguar
Disclaimer time, I do not own any reference to the Neon Genesis Evangelion. Hideaki Anno created the world of the Neon Genesis Evangelion, to include NERV, the Eva's, the characters, and places originally seen in the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and manga. This fan fiction will contain original characters of mine but I'll do my best to keep the interaction between my characters and the original characters to a minimum.
This fan fiction is if anything my way of finding answers to questions left unanswered by the last Eva movie. This fan fiction will follow an international team whose mission is to find the Magi computers and get them up and running. The secrets lie at the bottom of a crater created by Third Impact. Amidst the team are three specialists who were once selected to be Eva pilots they now journey to the place where all the answers lie.
"Where do I begin?" Markus asked as he stared at a bottle of light beer.
The three had since left the hospital and met up at a bar just out side of the Impact Zone. Markus and Kelly ordered light beers even though it was a rare event when Markus drank. Albrecht ordered their best import after ranting about how Japanese beer was beneath him. Markus settled on his stool and began his explanation.
"After the incident at Area 51 my mother left NERV and took me with her. For a while it seemed like we had escaped from them. A few years after Third Impact, right before I went to college they found us, either because they wanted to or they had to. NERV had become a shell of it's former self and was now looking for it's former technicians to, I guess, rebuild under the puppet mastery of the United Nations. A month later I went to college and that's when I realized that the UN and NERV wanted me just as much as they wanted my mother." Markus explained as he kept trying to drink the beer but as always could never really do it.
"Well of course they wanted you." Albrecht spoke up.
"The same reason they wanted me because we were both on the list to be pilots." He explained.
"True, but it was clear they no longer needed me as a pilot. To old I guess. Anyway, they found out what classes I was taking in college and through them introduced me to Dr. Hurwitz. It was Dr. Hurwitz who convinced me to rejoin NERV. So while I attended classes I also went through NERV training… Again." Markus said as he finally took his first sips of the beer.
"That doesn't tell me why you rejoined that damn organization." Kelly reminded him while turning up her beer.
"The same reason why I'm here working for the U.N. I wanted answers. My mom wasn't going to tell me, Gabriel wasn't going to tell me there are only three people who can give me what I want and their names are Balthazar, Melchior, and Casper. The MAGI. I learned of this expedition while Gabriel was trying to recruit me. I knew I had to get in on it so I rejoined and am now here." Markus added as he attempted to take another sip of his beer.
"Me I did it for the money." Albrecht said as he finished his drink.
"Look, you are here for the same reasons I am the only difference is you don't have an I.D. card that says 'God's in his Heaven. All's right with the world.' " Markus said as he put down the bottle and turned to Kelly.
"Yes I kept this from you. I shouldn't have but I did. I was falling for you and I didn't know how you would react. I'm sorry Kelly." Markus said, as he looked her dead in the eyes.
"When I saw that card I didn't know what to think. I can actually understand why you didn't, why you couldn't tell me. I believed that you would tell me the truth when the time was right. I decided to let it go under the pretext that our relationship was still new and we were aloud to have secrets no mater how big or small. I guess to nights little episode was set off by my wanting to know more." Kelly responded.
"Should I leave you two alone because it appears to me that you two are about to get all, how you say, lovey dovey on me, and frankly I would rather get sick off too much alcohol than this. " With that Albrecht excused himself and took a cab back to the Impact Zone.
Markus and Kelly stayed at the bar for a little while longer talking about the situation at hand and gaining a better understanding of each other's motives.
"I just wish you would have told me." Kelly said as she propped her head up with her hand and staring at her drink.
"I couldn't. Well not at first anyway. I know how that sounds but especially when I found out that you were one of the children and that your parents were killed. How could I tell you that I was still with NERV? I don't think that is something you bring up on the first date." He explained.
"I guess, so I take it you trust me now." She said turning to look at him.
He smiled and caressed her cheek.
"With my very life." He added as he gently kissed her.
With that the two paid for their drinks and stumbled out the door. It was only a short walk back to the impact zone. They managed to make their way back to the dorms. As they walked through the front door and headed toward the stairs Kelly flashed a sly grin let go of his arm.
"You know I'm still a little pissed at you. So while I have forgiven you and will allow you to continue to date me I'm afraid we will not be sleeping together tonight, blue boy." She said trying to keep a straight face.
Markus just shook his head and smiled.
"Girl even if I wanted to, and trust me I really want to, I doubt I'd be up to it tonight." He said as he started to climb the stairs.
"So men do have some self control. And here I thought that was just a rumor." She said as she continued to tease him.
At that moment Markus would have wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and share a night of passion. But that night would have to wait. They were both to tipsy to enjoy it and to top it off Markus had the early stages of a migraine.
"Goodnight Kelly." He said as he walked up to her, but as he passed her he stole a beer flavored kiss before turning into his hallway and on to his room.
Kelly eventually made her way to her floor and was starting to feel thankful that Markus didn't play along and pursue her. She had always felt that she played a good game of hard to get, most guys she knew liked it when she acted like that but tonight proved that Markus was not most guys. As she stumbled into her room she made her way to the window. A cool evening breeze always helped when she was intoxicated.
As she opened the window a cool breeze blew in from across the lake. It came in from the direction of the ocean as it had a hint of salt on it. The sweet aroma and cool feel surrounded her as she slid out of her clothes. She slipped on a loose fitting tank top and as she began to close her windows she looked down and small the figure of a girl looking up at her.
"Hello Rei, how have you been?" She said half out of it. She closed the curtains and fell into bed.
Early the next morning, Yukino Kano along with Gabriel met in her office for a briefing with SEELE. As before the steal shutter lowered over her window, her door sealed shut, and a part of her floor moved back revealing a large projection monitor. Once the room was dark holographic images of the original members of SEELE appeared.
"Your late with your report Kano." SEELE 1 spoke up.
"Yes, we haven't convened since the German incident. I hope you have been making progress despite the news we have been receiving from out agents." SEELE 5 added
"Gentlemen I assure you that despite the set backs we are well on schedule. The MAGI are proving more problematic than usual but never the less we are progressing." Yukino assured the group.
"And what of your research Dr. Hurwitz? Word on the grape vine is that the skull is registering blue. What else are you keeping from us?" Asked SEELE 3.
"From what data we gathered the blood type of the skull is in fact blue. What's even more disturbing is that tissue is starting to reform. My team has been working on ways to stunt the growth before it can create and A.T. field." Gabriel reported.
"This is most unsettling, I hope you have prepared for the worst. This world can not take another impact, it barely survived the last one." SEELE 1 added.
"I assure you gentlemen that all the necessary precautions have been taken to keep the skull from becoming a fully formed angel. We are also poised and ready to destroy it if need be." Yukino said reassuring the council.
"Have you made plans to excavate Terminal Dogma? Speaking of which have you found the remains of the Eva's?" SEELE 4 asked.
"Not yet." Gabriel spoke up. "But we are in actively making plans to send another team down there. We want to learn from the Germans mistake. As for the Eva's we are still doing scans of the lakes floor." He reported.
"Can you confirm this Ms. Kano?" SEELE 2 asked.
"I have the sonar ships going over every square inch of the late twice, and as far as the excavation is concerned I agree with Dr. Hurwitz. We don't want to hurry into such a potentially dangerous mission. Careful planning is a must in this situation." She said as she leaned forward and brought her hands up to her face. Her glasses reflected the light thus hiding her eyes behind a white glow.
"Very well Ms. Kano. This council trusts your judgment for now. But rest assured we would be requiring you to give us weekly updates on what is going on. The same goes for you doctor. Should anything out of the ordinary occur we are to be notified immediately, understood?" SEELE 1 said in a more stern voice in order to emphasize the importance of the matter.
"That goes with out saying." Yukino replied rather coldly.
"Very well then we shall reconvene next week or sooner depending on the situation. Good day Ms. Kano." With that the holograms disappeared and the room reverted back to normal.
"I swear those old dogs should be replaced. This is not their NERV anymore. The council needs new blood with new ideas. The only good thing is that they are patient in their old ages." Yukino ranted as she turned her chair around and looked out her window.
"Patients, I don't think anyone has that anymore. Honestly I fear unearthing the Eva's." Gabriel commented.
"No you don't fear the Eva's as much as you fear their pilots. They are not children anymore. The last thing these three will want to do is climb in the entry plugs again." Yukino replied.
"Well that is why we chose these three. They merely tasted what was possible then had it all snatched away. We will use that to get them back in. Otherwise they'll just refuse and leave." Gabriel pointed out.
"Should they chose that path, I will consider them the smartest people here." Yukino said as she leaned back in her chair.
Meanwhile back at the warehouse Marcus, with the help of some headache pills, continued to mull over old hard drives and microchips. Equipped with a soldering gun, goggles, gloves, a special mask that fed him oxygen, and Ritsuko's notes he continued to repair every little piece of the MAGI, a task that was becoming more and more tedious. Marcus, not wanting to kill himself, decided to only take on the more challenging jobs. However this morning the jobs seemed more challenging.
Aside from the hang over the thought of Kelly plagued his mind. He was starting to feel that their relationship was truly progressing. Especially when you consider the fact that she still wanted to be with him after she learned he was with NERV. This led to him wanting to drop what he was doing and run to her. But the thirst for knowledge and answers was doing a surprisingly good job at surprising any and all sexual frustrations. However it goes without saying that this was a losing battle.
As he took off his gear to wipe away the sweat from his brow and get in a good stretch his vision shifted toward to his right and there Kelly appeared as if from nowhere.
"Working hard or hardly working?" She asked with a smile.
She was wearing a black skirt with a navy blue button up top, along with her usual lab coat. Her hair was braided down the back as if to complete the package.
"Working hard wishing I was hardly working." Markus responded as he stood up to stretch his back.
"Well I hope your hungry I picked up some stuff from the cafeteria." She said as she held up some bags with food trays.
"It's lunch time already?" Markus asked as he looked at his watch.
"Damn, time flies when you're busy." He commented.
"Only if the work is either engaging or spaced out. I can not tell you how many research projects I worked on that dragged on forever but when it was all said and done only took a few hours." She added.
They exited the lab and headed to the roof for some fresh air. The roof of the warehouse was turned into sort of an out door break room. Some tables and chairs with shade umbrellas dotted the roof and in the center were a couple of vending machines offering the usual water, sports drinks, energy drinks, soda, and assorted snacks. The two got some water and sat next to the railing on the edge of the roof.
"It's beautiful today. Not too hot, a nice cool breeze. It's nice." Kelley commented as she stared at the sky.
"My mom would often tell me about when she was growing up in Florida. She said that during the fall and winter the sky would be the most amazing blue you had ever seen. The best was on the colder days because it made you forget that your face was stinging from the cold moist air that was blowing." He said as he ate some rice from the bento Kelly had gotten him.
"You think will ever experience seasons again?" Kelly asked as she scooted closer to him.
"Who knows, maybe another impact would bring the world back to normal." He theorized.
Up in Hokkaido Shinji and Asuka were starting to settle in to their recently renovated inn. Misato was napping in her room giving her parents some alone time. They chose to spend it relaxing in the natural hot spring.
"I guess it goes without saying that we will not be opening this place up to tourist any time soon." Shinji said as he made himself comfortable.
"It's a shame this place would make a lot of money. People are attracted to inns like this. It has an authentic feel to it that many tourists are looking for when they visit." Asuka responded as she put her towel away and waded into the water next to Shinji.
"Any idea how long we'll have to stay hidden like this?" He asked as she sat next to him.
"Well at least it's not so bad. I mean I do worry about Misato. She was starting to make friends and live a normal life. I suspect it will be awhile before we can give her that again." She explained.
It may have been the steam, or perhaps the feeling of the world closing in but in a rare moment of surrender Asuka rested her head on Shinji's shoulder, which he responded by wrapping his arm around her.
"I'm not going to let what happened to us happen to her. She disserves better, she's innocent in all this. I love her, and I love you Asuka." These words always made her feel uneasy. It wasn't so much Shinji showing a little backbone and acting like a responsible father, it was Ikari Shinji saying that he loved her Asuka Langley Soryu. After all she put him through. The verbal and psychological abuse, everything, he forgave all that and truly loved her like no one else ever did. Her only response was to bury her head in his chest and respond… "Arigato, Shinji. My love." She said as tears began to form in her eyes.
Elsewhere on the island Touji and Hikari had found the location where the picture was taken. The view was in fact spectacular but provided nothing more than a dead end.
"It's gorgeous." Hikari said as she looked out at one of the few remaining snow capped peaks left in the world.
"It doesn't help though. This was a stupid idea I shouldn't have pursued this." Touji complained.
"Well as glad as I am to hear you come to your senses, we might as well make the best of it. Common you're too young to be a stick in the mud, let's enjoy ourselves. The kids are miles away, we got money to burn, lets relax and have a little fun. You know like what happily married couples do." Hikari teased as she took his arm.
He thought about what she said and realized she was right. They hadn't really had much time alone since their last child was born and she had a point they were still young. Just the sight of his wife with a new found energy and spark put a smile on his face.
"Oh is that a smile? Has the stern stone statue finally cracked?" She teased as they walked back to the car.
"You know I got an idea." He said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"How about you and me go and buy some expensive sake, find a nice little inn with a hot spring and see where things go from there?" He suggested with a smirk.
" I knew I could change your mind and mood." She said as she reached up and kissed him.
They drove around a bit and soon found a place that sold top quality sake. The clerk told them about an old inn with a natural hot spring that had been recently been renovated. He told them that the owners had moved back in and might be offering rooms. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to ask the couple decided to take the clerks advice and set out to find the inn. The sun began to set as they finally found the place.
Meanwhile Shinji and Asuka reluctantly decided to get out of the hot spring. The dried off and did some minor cleaning to part of the spring. Before leaving they add a special water purification chemical as well as some minerals to the water. As they got dressed they heard the bells over the door ring.
"I hope someone's here this place looks a little more quiet than it should be." Hikari said as Touji rang the bells over the door.
"I think I saw some lights on so there's bound to be someone here." Touji said as he gave the bells another ring.
"You think it's someone from the UN?" Shinji asked.
"I doubt it. If it were they wouldn't bother ringing. It's probably some tourist. I guess we should have put a sign out front." Asuka explained.
"Should we answer?" Shinji asked as he slowly inched closer to the door.
"Just open the door enough to tell them we don't have any rooms." Asuka suggested.
"Common I know there is someone there I could have sworn I heard voices." Touji said. Just then he heard the floor boards creek as someone approached the door. He stood back in preparation for the door to be opened.
Shinji approached the door and extended his hand to slowly and cautiously open the door.
To Be Continued.
I'M BACK! I know some of you missed me, maybe two of you who actually followed this fan fiction. Well this one's rather slow but trust that things will pick up soon. It maybe awhile till chapter 12 is up but I'll try not to make the gap as long as it has been. So as usual read and review your comments are appreciated.
