.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Warped Meanderings

Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion (or of course, any other GAINAX series I might reference here).

" " denotes speech

'italics' denotes thought

'bold' denotes location names

'bold italics' denotes skill use


Θ Choosing Your Fate

Traveling on the moor was always a quiet, foggy affair, as two travelers cloaked in white made their way across the desolate plains, wandering to nowhere. Like apparitions, they seemed not to speak, communicating instead in looks, gestures, and signs that would not alert the overly aggressive fauna in the area to their presence as they kept on, specters drifting over a wasteland seeking diversion from the realms of thought.

Out of the dense mist sounded growls and dense footfalls, as monstrous mastiffs bayed, hounds howling at the distant moon, for they were feral dogs without a master hungry for a mouthful of unwary flesh. Vicious predators they, of misshapen forms and gnashing teeth, they prowled the lands, scenting out intruders and rending them limb from limb to sate an appetite for destruction older than the world itself.

Sensing the presence of a foreign body, a pack emerged from gloom and sprung—to be cleaved apart all at once by the whirring action of twin scythes – one born of a demonic shadow, one blessed instead by the goddess.

Against the might of two Flick Reapers of incredible strength, the efforts of the Shadowless Dogs, Olin Packs, and Heatwave Hounds ofΘ Choosing Your Fate proved rather futile, as the two figures in white whirled and slashed and sliced the air, warding away the mindless beasts that stood in their way, along with the cares and worries that bound them in their paths.

So journeyed Tomoyami & Zelkova, the Unyielding Shadow and the Heir to Net Slum, as they adventured in a place far from Mac Anu, two dothackers walking together as they sought to discover more about The World around them, ingraining its secrets and pathways into their minds in their explorations.

At the moment, they were chasing a flash of color in the drab field, pursuing a rumor of a mysterious ghost that could not be categorized: a waif roaming The World blind and mute, searching for something, but just what no one knew.

'That sounds very much like Reimeiki-chan…if I can find her, perhaps Skari will be gladdened…' one thought, her form cleaving through the mist as she advanced towards land's end—only to start at a sudden snarl, instinctively interposing her scythe between her and a rapidly hurtling Tribal Grappler from the edge of vision.

Whump! went the scythe, as the haft of her weapon slammed into the stomach of the AIDA puppet, the enemy springing back as if stung.

And then, the AIDA-infested Tribal Grappler was sent sprawling by the force of an attack from the air, as a shout of "Reaper's Dance" rent the air, with the golden-eyed Zelkova striking the infected one with the force of an avenging angel.

Clang! Swish! Thwack!

Weapons and fists sped to nearly imperceptible blurs, with the blue-silver haired boy calling out to his battle companion.

"It seems that Siarl is also interested in the rumors of this field…and if his servant, they may well be merit to them," Zelkova voiced aloud, weaving a tangled web of defense about himself with his weapon. "Proceed on to field's end…I will hold Aruna here."

"Are you sure?" the pigtailed girl asked hesitantly, looking for an opening where she could intervene to help protect her comrade. She did want to reach the end and find out the truth behind the rumors, and there was a part of her that did not want to have to face Aruna, but at the same time, she was loathe to abandon a friend, even if the friend in question was asking it of her. "I can stay behind to—"

"Go," the guildmaster of Moon Tree commanded quietly, his voice all but drowned out by the thrumming of his weapon as it sliced the air, the guttural cries of his opponent, and the metallic clashes of gauntlet and scythe. "Go and find what it is you seek…"

"Right," Tomoyami acknowledged simply, her cloaked form fading into the swirling mists as she took off at full bore toward where she knew the end to be. Formless shapes and shadows arose from the fog to strike at her, but as before, a rapid slash or two was enough to dispatch them as she ran onwards, breaking through the mobs of creatures in her way with sheer force of will—

To emerge at last in a clearing out of time, a sliver of land unfettered by the creeping mists, in the middle of which stood…

'The small silver-haired girl dressed in a red dress and cape, bearing a spider lily in her hands and an infinity brooch on her garments, her eyes perpetually closed as she silently appears and disappears…

"So Rumor was right…you were here all along…Lycoris," the pigtailed girl whispered, putting away her grim scythe as she approached the other. "But what are you doing here?"

But the virtual ghost did not respond, either with movement or in words, remaining in place unseeing.

"Lyco," Tomoyami tried again, walking over next to the fragment of Lycoris to address her more insistently. "There's an AIDA-PC on the field who is probably here to get you, do you understand?"

Still no response, as the pigtailed girl was forced to take measures into her own hand, seizing the one who looked like her friend in an attempt to shake her to awareness.

And at last, there was a voice, if one that sounded only in her head.

"Are you searching for the end?" the words of Lycoris sounded to the mind of no one in particular. "The end may not come in the way you expect. Even so, do you still search for it?"

"Yes," replied Tomoyami, after a moment's consideration, "wherever the road may lead."

The briefest hint of a smile, and then a strange light flared out in the field, warping Tomoyami and Zelkova back to Mac Anu, as the red-clad ghost girl vanished to a destination unknown, with the AIDA-PC Aruna left behind in the swirling mists.



Net Slum Tartarga

Upon the control deck of the Net Slums, the two queens stood in quiet contemplation, discussing their next moves in great game. By their own admission, both the fallen Goddess of dusk and the Queen of the Dark were working towards their own ends, though for now, those purposes happened to coincide (if forcibly made to do so at one point). Neither wished for the destruction of The World, and they each seemed to have a vested interest in shaping the young dothackers, especially as these were also two of the three Children qualified to pilot EVA.

'Wielding the power to save or destroy in both worlds, within them holding both preservation and ruin, as is the lot of each individual,' mused the Mistress of the Net Slums, her red robes fluttering in the wind. 'I do not particularly enjoy having to use children to advance my plans, but this is what must be done.'

"It seems that your daughter is not quite as quiescent as she seems," the hacker queen said to her dark counterpart. "Especially now that the Child of Dawn has arrived, and before the Bearer of the Bracelet, at that. Which brings up the open question of your past…"

"So it does…" the other replied simply, her face remaining impassive at the news. As expected of the fallen Goddess, she had expected that this very contingency might occur, as her past was something that would indeed raise several questions. "Though it is not truly my past that will concern him in the end, but the past of the Child of Twilight and her destined fate…I wonder if he will accept her knowing her true origins?"

"He has changed from what he used to be, the scared and skittish little boy who might so easily run away from pain," noted the Queen of the Dark, an enigmatic smile gracing her features as she spoke. "You saw this as well in the evidence of B-ST form, did you not?"

"Yes, embracing even his shadow in order to grow strong, becoming the void to accept that which is hidden away inside of him. That much, I did indeed witness," Morganna responded archly. "But whether or not that will be enough…you know of my lack of faith in humanity, even the designated Children."

"…because you know of the dangers of AIDA and loss of control first hand, and you have seen how willing most mortals are to sacrifice their souls for power in this world?" the Queen of the Dark asked in reply. "I cannot deny that much is true, but also undeniable is that the Child of Twilight has entrusted that certain little boy with her fate, and that ultimately, it is by his will that this struggle will end."

"So it seems, at any rate," the fallen goddess voiced noncommittally. "Though I dislike leaving my affairs in the hands of others, and I will accomplish what I set out to achieve ere the end. And speaking of roles, should you not be on duty at the moment?"

But the Queen of the Dark only chuckled lightly.

"Indeed, but my task today is to retrieve and brief the Fifth Child, so I am actually very near your location," the hacker queen said with a trace of amusement. "In fact, I have simply been waiting for the results of a certain query to complete."

Just as she spoke, rings of azure light shimmered into existence, bearing with them the form of the Flick Reaper Zelkova, a white-clad boy who was not only guildmaster of Moon Tree, but heir to Net Slum as well.

"Rumor was correct, it seems," the boy spoke without preamble, a strange brightness in his golden eyes. "A fragment of the Child of Twilight was indeed present on the field Θ Choosing Your Fate, and as suspected, one of Siarl's agents was present there as well. Fortunately, Tomoyami and I were able to stall him for long enough for the fragment to relocate itself, though we have lost track of it since."

"How…terribly inconvenient," the fallen goddess muttered, mildly annoyed at the reported events. "Was there any contact between the AIDA and the fragment? The power of the Epitaph calls to AIDA, and we of the past are nothing if not walking embodiments of that power."

"No, although Tomoyami seemed troubled after we returned to Mac Anu," the little boy related, tilting his head thoughtfully. "With her lips shaping the question: Do you search for the end?"

"The end…that might not come as one expects," completed the Queen of the Dark, eyes widening almost imperceptibly. "It would seem that she was the one who made contact with the girl in red, though what repercussions this will have are for now unknown. We will also have to take additional precautions to erode Siarl's observational capabilities. Very well…and the status of your other project?"

"Rumor was right that Tomoyami would be a useful ally."


Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School, Classroom 2-A

The students of Class 2-A were well aware that they were quite fortunate compared to most others in the school. Not only did they have the advantage of having a young teacher, one who enjoyed her job and actually spoke on interesting topics instead of rambling on about Second Impact, but their homework and classwork involved playing the popular MMORPG called The World (with subscription fees subsidized at school expense!), something they would have done anyway.

Today was a prime example of that, with the students given a day to work on their World projects in class, an assignment in which they were free to play The World as they liked, as long as they reflected on the experience of their gameplay, linking it to the psychological discourse of the year (largely related to the construction of persona and one's reactions to alterations in the environment). As long as they put in some effort, Aranami-sensei tended to be very reasonable, even as she gave helpful suggestions and made a few requests here and there.

'Except to those of us who are dothackers,' thought a strangely drained Class Representative Hikari Horaki, logging out from The World after an experience that left her feeling somewhat bewildered. 'The demands made upon us are much harsher and more urgent, since we know more than most how what happens in one world can affect the other.'

Sometimes, the pigtailed girl wondered just what The World meant to Aranami-sensei, and how it was that she knew so much about it and the Epitaph when CyberConnect Corporation itself seemed to know little enough. Perhaps it was the fact that their teacher had known Harald Hoerwick personally? Or perhaps…might she be related to EmmaWielant?

'But Wielant had no relations…and anyway, I'm more curious about the fragment of Lycoris we found in the field…the red-clad ghost girl who did not see nor speak, standing in a clearing in fog, and touching my mind…'

Alas, her thoughts were interrupted by the PA system deciding to carry a message it was intended for, instead of a fragment of music from the popular film Star Wars.

"Attention, Hikari Horaki of Class 2-A," a voice blared over the intercom. "Hikari Horaki, you are expected in the Principal's office immediately."

Reacting promptly, she slipped off her headset, jumped to her feet and left the room, with the announcement and subsequent hasty escape once again inciting interest in the rumor mill.


Principal's Office, Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School,

Like a queen holding court in her throne room, Maya Ibuki sat and waited for her quarry within the the Principal's Office of Tokyo-3 1st Municipal Junior High School. As the Director of Project E, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, had been rather busy lately, the mousy brunette had graciously volunteered to notify the Fifth Child of her selection as such, taking one thing off of her superior's massive workload. The very grateful doctor had agreed, returning to work on a virtual world simulation to deal with some of the Human Instrumentality Committee's concerns.

'I think that the Children will find this particular simulation very interesting,' the bridge tech thought to herself, her face sporting a most Helba-like smirk.

In her pocket was a P-COM portable computer and M3D headset, which she had been using to access The World just moments before, confirming the activities of the Fourth Child online, as the player behind Siarl needed to be monitored to ensure his continued cooperation with NERV.

'And more to the point, to see what affect being infected with AIDA has upon him, as within him is a very dangerous power…from what is known, he was infected even before Asuka, so long term effects would show up in him. Granted, Morganna is watching him, but if I did not at least put forth an effort, I would not be the Queen of the Dark.'

In the midst of Maya's reverie, the door opened and closed quietly, with the pigtailed Hikari Horaki entering and coming to stand before her.

"Excuse me, I am Hikari Horaki…I believe you called for me?" the Class Representative asked of the mousy brunette.

"Indeed I did, Ms. Horaki," the bridge officer acknowledged, smiling as she rose to her feet. "My name is Maya Ibuki, a First Lieutenant at NERV, and I am here to notify you of your selection as the Fifth Child. You are to be the replacement for the comatose Second Child."

Blood pounded in the pigtailed girl's head as she stepped back involuntarily, fighting to keep a neutral expression on her face as she listened to the tech.

'Fifth Child…but that's what…Aranami-sensei called me…how did she know? I mean, she has to be a hacker of considerable skill to associate so closely with Helba, but how could she know of what happens in NERV?'

"…why me?" Hikari asked of the mousy brunette before her, curious about not only that, but why the woman before her carried herself not like a low ranked officer, but a noble of some sort. "Why not somebody else? And for that matter, why are all the EVA pilots teenagers? Why not choose someone older and more experienced?"

"Several reasons were identified," Lt. Ibuki replied evenly, "among them your strength of will, your similarities to the Second, and your connection to the Third Child. I regret having to use the youth of our generation as well, but the fact is that no one born before Second Impact is compatible with the Evangelions. The exact reasons why this is so are classified."

"I see…" noted the Class Representative. "So why should I accept NERV's offer? I've seen what piloting did to Ayanami, Soryu, and Ikari-kun…"

But the bridge tech did not choose to reply directly, instead reverting to her normal repertoire as Queen of the Dark, answering questions with questions.

"Some time ago," Maya Ibuki murmured, her voice soft and resonant in the quiet room, "I was at Tokyo-3 General hospital, where I was visiting one of my old friends from several years ago, a young man who has unfortunately become a Lost One, falling into a coma while playing The World. On my way out, I happened to pass by the room where you and Ikari-kun were visiting a friend of yours…and I happened to catch the end of your conversation. As I recall, you said, 'when push comes to shove, we stand and fight, showing no mercy even to ourselves when it comes to what needs to be done.' "

The bridge tech smiled sadly then, looking past the class representative as if she didn't exist.

"Right now, Ikari-kun walks his path alone towards the end, with the Fourth Child an unknown quality," the mousy brunette said more sympathetically. "And though he is indeed a remarkable Child, called Slayer of Angels by many of us, he cannot do this alone, any more than of the dothackers could have brought back the Lost Ones."

Hikari reeled, not quite expecting her conversation to have been overheard by anyone else, much less having the word dothacker brought up by someone at NERV.

"The dothackers…?" she repeated tonelessly, watching Lt. Ibuki carefully to see what she would do.

"Yes, the dothackers," the bridge tech confirmed with a nod. "A group that I was a part of five years ago, when the first bearer of the bracelet ushered in the Age of Aura."

"You…?"

"Yes, me, though I don't look like much do I?" Maya Ibuki asked archly, gesturing to herself dismissively. "I'll tell you this: we never wanted to be heroes. We just did what we had to do in the fight against the Wave, contributing as best we could. So, will you do your part?"

"Very well then," the girl said, bowing her head. "I will accept the position of Fifth Child. What will be required of me now?"

"Come to NERV after school with Ikari-kun, as there will be a virtual training room scenario for you to participate in, as well as sync tests to take care of, Ms. Horaki," the bridge tech said at last, giving the Class Representative a look of almost fond regard. "And Ms. Horaki, Welcome to NERV."



NERV Headquarters, Tokyo-3

It was Hikari's decided opinion that the corridors of NERV would never qualify as conducive to morale, much less win any awards in interior decoration. She had been reasonably impressed by the existence of the Geofront, and the extent to which Tokyo-3 extended into the earth, but having reached NERV Headquarters, the pigtailed girl was much less enthused.

Sterile and cold as any hospital, the hallways of NERV seemed to leech life away with how Spartan they were, a labyrinthine system of twists and turns in which it would be exceedingly easy to become lost, even if one had spent some time trying to familiarize oneself with the surroundings.

Fortunately for the brown-eyed girl's first experience with the underworld passages of the special agency, she had Shinji Ikari as a guide, and his sense of direction was notably better than Misato's had been upon the young boy's introduction to piloting.

'Then again, he has been here considerably longer too…the only remaining member of the original pilots.'

On hearing the news of Hikari's selection as the Fifth Child, the Third Child had been both shocked and relieved to find that his friend had been chosen as the Fifth Child instead of NERV sending another strange candidate from overseas. Shocked that someone else he knew might be getting involved with his dangerous life…but relieved that it wasn't someone like the aforementioned Second or Fourth Children, who he had not enjoyed working with.

'In some ways, it is reassuring to be able to work alongside a fellow dothacker, someone I can trust with my back, unlike Kaworu, who I trust only to betray me like in the last battle,' the boy mused silently. 'He's plotting something, but I don't know what…all I know is that I feel better with Hikari standing with me than him.'

For Shinji had not forgotten the events of the battle against the Twelfth Angel, and all that had transpired then—including having to save Asuka from the Angel, only to be shot in the back by Kaworu in EVA-00. Granted, the after action report had reported it as an accident, but after everything, Pilot Ikari had his misgivings.

"So, how did the sync test go?" he asked of his new comrade in arms.

"Not nearly as well as you did your first time," the Fifth Child quipped wryly. "But then, you are the legendary Third Child whose sync ratio exceeded 40 percent on his first sortie. Mine was just over 30 percent unfortunately, but at least I did well enough to move EVA…."

'Well, a little better than just move EVA, all things considered,' Hikari thought to herself, mulling over what had happened. 'I wonder if the virtual room work I've done with Aranami-sensei had anything to do with this, since we use A10 neural clips in both cases…'

After quickly showering and changing following the test, the two now were walking along the cold metal hallways once again, en route to Dr. Akagi's office for a special training scenario. Apparently, Hikari's first day at NERV, though it did not involve being thrown into combat, would be quite packed, including an introduction to everything available/expected of the Pilots of NERV.

Lock in step, they arrived there to find the ever-personable Maya Ibuki, who both Shinji and Hikari found less intimidating than Dr. Akagi, as she actually took an effort to relate to them, instead of obviously reeking of secrets.

"Hello, Pilots Ikari and Horaki," the mousy brunette greeted with a smile. "Dr. Akagi is setting up your test chamber at the moment, but she asked you to change into these specially modified plug suits."

She held out the modified suits in question for both Children to take, both with flowing silvery lines embossed on them vaguely like circuitry or ancient runes, reminiscent of costumes in The World. Shinji simply accepted his, but Hikari frowned upon catching sight of hers.

'The World…the original virtual room is in Aranami-sensei's residence—and Helba passed on the information on how to make one to NERV. That and since the Obsidian Knights all look like Dr. Akagi, does that mean that…Helba works at NERV?'

"Is something wrong?" Maya asked with concern. She could sense that the Fifth was a little uncomfortable, but wasn't quite sure as to why.

"Sorry, Ibuki-san," the Fifth Child apologized, blinking twice. "It's just…that, this reminds me of an experience in The World, when I first met—well, I'll just ask this: is Dr. Akagi Helba?"

Maya found herself both relieved and annoyed by the question, since it meant that her identity as the Queen of the Dark was secure, but at the same time, she did wonder why everyone thought it was the faux blond who was the great hacker.

'I suppose I've set up my cover a little too well…then again, there are reasons for it, reasons of survival and execution of plans. Just as Morganna has chosen to hide her true nature in plain sight by admitting the obvious but hiding the important, so do I. She and I are indeed two queens in our own way…'

So the bridge tech just shook her head with a smile, laughing. The cool sound echoed through the room and shattered the tension, setting all three of the people in the room at ease once more.

"Not to my knowledge," the mousy brunette answered when her laughter had died. "And I work rather closely with her, so I think I would know. Now hurry up and change, or Ritsuko might just get frustrated enough to use one of her probes on you."

Though she spoke in jest, both the Children apparently had no desire to be pierced with probes and needles, setting a new land-speed record as they changed, dashed through the door, and passed into a sea of endless white, with no obvious walls or edges…giving a curious sensation of being adrift in the ocean of the mind.

"Greetings Pilots," intoned a voice from above, Dr. Akagi's from the sound of it. "You are here today both to introduce Pilot Horaki to the virtual room, and because the Human Instrumentality Committee is worried about the risk of the Angels taking over an EVA. As before, your A-10 neural clips and specially modified suit have synced with this simulation, so that what happens here will seem very real to you."

"A risk of Angels infecting EVAs?" Shinji repeated. 'Hmm…the Committee did seem rather concerned about the possibility, but could it really happen. I guess if an Angel could enter The World, it's certainly not impossible…'

"Yes," came another voice from behind them. This belonged to Kaworu Nagisa, who too was outfitted in one of the special suits. "I myself will be your antagonist, representing the Angel infected EVA, which will have certain added abilities due to the infection. Pilots Horaki and Ikari will be cooperating to oppose me."

'Angel infected EVA…added abilities?' Hikari asked herself, narrowing her eyes. 'This seems suspiciously like what happens in the case of AIDA infecting a player…if Helba really does work here, is she just trying to give us extra practice in fighting AIDA-PCs?'

While she was thinking things over in her head, Dr. Akagi was going over the basic rundown of what would transpire, noting that since piloting Eva is largely based on one's ability to stay focused in combat, this simulation was designed to train reactions and responses. In this, one will not be in an Eva…rather, one will be the Eva, with equipment customized to preferences and a simulated AT field.

"Choose your weapons," came the voice of Maya Ibuki from above. "But be careful…you can only carry a few, and while a HUD will help you to target and aim. So tell me…what do you need?"

"And Shinji—no requests out of the Matrix, please," Dr. Akagi added, remembering his quip of "Guns…lots of guns" from the first time the Third Child had used the chamber.

"Hmm, ok…I'll take two progressive knives and a positron rifle," he replied, as the weapons appeared before him in a neat pile.

"Very well, and your selection, Pilot Horaki?" the disembodied voice asked from above.

"A progressive scythe, if one exists," requested the Fifth Child, smiling as one of those clawed weapons appeared in her hands. And then, almost as an afterthought…she decided to add something else. "And then a progressive knife, for backup."

"Pilot Nagisa will not need to arm himself, as the simulated infected EVA has the ability to reshape its limbs into weapons at need," the good doctor noted, as a simulated Tokyo-3 flared into existence around the Children, leaving the dothackers facing off against a figure shot through with black and red streaks.

As the simulated EVA-Angel roared, the Third and Fifth Children shared a determined look before rushing into battle, blades drawn, AT-fields extended.

'This will be just like the battle against Eris in the Arena…'

'Angel or AIDA, I don't care…I will not lose!'


NERV Second Branch, Nevada

In a testing facility not too different from the EVA Cages of NERV First Branch, technicians swarmed around the silver Evangelion Unit-04. Said unit, the third of the production models (preceded by Unit 02 and 03 respectively), was the testbed for the experimental S² Engine, a power generation system that would theoretically eliminate the operational time limit for an Evangelion.

10 seconds.

Like the others in its series, this Evangelion represented part of the hope of humanity, a clear example of how those who had imbibed the Fruit of Knowledge could willingly use the abilities of even that which they hated in an attempt to survive.

9 seconds.

The best example for this was the EVAs themselves, shadows born of the First Angel Adam that bound by armored restraints and turned against their brethren.

8 seconds.

But unlike their progenitor, they had up until now lacked S2 engines, and thus needed to rely on an external power source to supplement an extremely limited internal battery supply (which lasted perhaps five minutes at full operational capacity).

7 seconds.

Thus, research on S² Engine technology had gone forward, speeding up considerably when a nearly intact core had been recovered after the battle with the Fourth Angel.

6 seconds.

NERV Germany had taken the leadership role in reverse engineering the technology, and had eventually succeeded in creating (or at least repairing a damaged copy of) one of the engines which were so sorely needed.

5 seconds.

Today was the fateful day when their efforts would bear fruit, when the super-solenoid engine would be installed into Unit-04, and if successful, into the rest of the EVA series.

4…3…2…1

Power from the outside flowed into S² Engine, bringing it to full generation capacity—

Contact

And then something went disastrously wrong, as EVA-04 and everything in a radius of 89 km around it vanished as if none of it had never existed in the first place.