.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Auguries of Destruction

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


NERV HQ

In recent days, the mood at NERV had been rather citrusy—not in the refreshing manner of sweet lemonade and tangerines, which work well to ward away scurvy, but in the soul sapping sourness of biting into a lemon immediately after tasting sweets. Granted, in recent days, this was the norm for one Commander Ikari, who was…less than satisfied at the way the current scenario was playing out. His own convoluted tangle of plots and concerns aside, there was also the matter of the Human Instrumentality Committee to deal with, as that gaggle of old men always worried and fretted about their precious scenario, poking their noses into every nook and cranny of NERV out of insecurity.

After all, both the Commander and the Committee (not to mention a certain infamous hacker who also worked at NERV) subscribed to the old saying oft echoed by those in high places: "I know I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?"

It was a perfectly valid rule to live by (except perhaps if one was Helba and liked dropping hints, watching from the shadows, and generally amusing oneself while performing one's tasks, instead of becoming as an emotional monolith of stone or twelve and resigning oneself to manipulations from afar), especially in the current climate of suspicion and unease that permeated the city of Tokyo-3. After the loss of two of the three Children amidst the recent coma incidents, the disappearance of both Evangelion Unit 04 and the entire Nevada base was more than a little difficult to swallow.

Hence, the bridge staff of NERV was currently standing in the darkness, clustered around a holographic display panel to assess data coming back from aerial surveillance of the area where NERV Nevada had been. The display flickered to life, its high-resolution displaying in true fidelity—nothing.

"Vanished?" Sub-commander Fuyutsuki asked with a hint of incredulity, speaking aloud the question on the minds of all those present. "Did the Second Branch really vanish?"

"Yes," confirmed long-haired tech Shigeru Aoba, who would much rather have been playing guitar as part of a band instead of serving as a glorified code monkey. "The MAGI have confirmed the data from the reconnaissance plane…the Second Branch has vanished."

'Vanished, along with all hope for the S2 Engine evening the playing field against the Angels,' was his unspoken thought. 'But then, hope is really the worst of all evils, prolonging the torment of man.'

"Evangelion Unit Four, together with all installations within a radius of 89km from the test center, was annihilated," added Maya Ibuki, looking over the data on her console. "From the time schedule, the accident seems to have occurred during the experimental installation of the S2 engine."

"Do we have a cause?" asked Major Katsuragi, seeking a rational explanation for this disaster, as the Director of Operations was wont to do when sober. Since discovering Kaji's secret, and that something was indeed very rotten in the core of NERV, she had come to suspect the worst.

"There are over 32,768 possible combinations of causes, ranging from insufficient quality of material to a mistake in the initial stages of design," responded Maya, careful to keep her own inner thought of 'sabotage' to herself.

'Possibly or even probably organized by the Committee to keep the power of the Angels from falling into the hands of NERV, as the Old Men care not for human lives in their great game of gods.'

But of course, Misato saw through that to what she did not say.

"There's a chance of sabotage," the Major stated flatly, a verbal concussion bomb that silenced those in the room—but only for a moment, as others tried to find other explanations for the tragedy.

"It wasn't an explosion, but a disappearance," commented the bespectacled Makoto Hyuga, something of a caution to keep from jumping to conclusions, though he didn't quite believe the cause was mundane himself. In his other role as the assistant to the Queen of the Dark, he had learned that there was rarely such a thing as unplanned coincidences…and that anything that appeared to be so was immediately suspect.

'If working at NERV were more like a super robot show instead of this reality, perhaps I would find more enjoyment in it—right. The chance of things getting better anytime soon is about as likely to happen as Major Katsuragi asking me out on a date.'

"In all likelihood, EVA-04 was swallowed by the Sea of Dirac, just like Unit One earlier," Dr. Akagi noted dispassionately, having already expected something like this to happen.

Working at NERV in general for prolonged amounts of time tended to prove damaging to one's sense of optimism—working in the inner circle and plotting to bring about the end of the world usually proved outright fatal. Hence her blasé attitude about the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol, and coffee so strong it could probably work as chemotherapy.

"Then, the S2 engine has also..." Misato began, but bit back her words, unwilling to complete the sentence and accept that their greatest hope had—

"Vanished," confirmed Dr. Akagi, a hard-edged resignation in her voice. "With it, our dreams have vanished, too."

"It's because they force us to use something we don't really understand," the Major groused, shaking her head and sighing.

"Eva, too, is something like that," noted Ritsuko.

'Or the World to most people' was the silent thought of Maya, who simply stood by, watching.



NERV HQ, Virtual Room

With mighty clangs and whirrs and whistles, progressive scythe met dual swords, metal clanging off metal as two figures clashed, hurling themselves against one another with deadly force amongst the glass and metal spires of Tokyo-3. With a hissing shriek, their blades sliced air as they moved backwards, forwards, round and round, their weapons blurring as they swept through space, warp and weft weaving bounded patterns of warding to guard their circles of control.

Usually for their battles, the two combatants had to balance several limiting factors: range of motion, available maneuvering area, and time, able to gain one only by sacrificing another. But today, as they were improving reaction times and weapon skills, they had been freed from their tethers, allowing them to move as freely as they might desire, encumbered only by the surrounds.

With a howl, the Third Child charged, feet barely touching the floor as he leapt forward to deliver a powerful finishing blow—

Crash! Clang!

Only for the other to counter with ease, the blades of dual progressive knives blocked by the haft of a scythe, an armored boot lashing out—and halting as it crashed into a hexagonal barrier of orange light.

"Heh, using an AT Field already?" the Fifth asked in her sing song voice, kicking herself away from her assailant with her weapon poised to strike. "I thought your skill level to be better than that, Third Child!"

From the fifth flared a similar hexagon of light, crashing into and negating the Third's Absolute Terror field, leveling the battlefield once more.

"Now then, since that only works once…let's dance!" sang Hikari Horaki, lunging forward, putting her faith into skill and weapons as she executed a flawless reaper's dance, the blade of progressive scythe hissing as it rent the very air.

And once again, sparks flew, as the Third met her attack head on, their weapons blocking, striking, rebounding from one another, metallic clanks and bangs ringing out, mixed with the pitter-pat of a footstep forward or back as the battle raged on, to the accompaniment of ragged breathing and laughter in a syncopated staccato.

Nimble as cats, they pushed back from one another, each flipping backwards and landing in a ready position.

'There…an opening!'

Seeing a chance to finish this match quickly, Shinji Ikari danced towards his foe, twin blades swinging for the neck and temple—only to be flicked away by a deft movement of the scythe haft, feeling as if he had been punched in the gut, and only barely managing to evade the follow-up slash with the scythe's blade.

"You might be faster because of your better synch level and more practice, but don't count me out just yet," taunted the Fifth, whose counterattack was a furious gale of strikes. "You're not the only one with tricks to play."

Whirr! Clash! Bang!

Weapons crashed together in space filled with sparks, a killing zone created from thrust, parry, riposte, remise, where anything entering would be cut to pieces.

"You…you left that opening on purpose, didn't you?" the Third Child asked considering, as his blades twirled and shimmered like quicksilver in the air, fluidly flowing from striking to deflecting with now-practiced ease. "Tricking me into attacking at a spot you had already prepared a counter for."

"Naturally…your weapons move so fast that it's hard for my eyes to keep track of them," the pigtailed girl responded, amusement creeping into her voice as she pressed her attack. "What better way to hold you off then, than to leave openings on purpose so I know where to block?"

After the lengthy time spent drilling on versions of the various weaponry available in EVA-sized packages (to no one's surprise corresponding to the weapons they used in The World), combined with realistic portrayals of what speed and agility they might be able to use in EVA (taking into account synch ratios and battle experience) they had begun to develop a better understanding of tactics that would work best for them.

For Shinji, with the highest sync ratio of all the pilots (and very bad luck with projectile weapons, if his battles with the Fourth and Twelfth Angels were anything to note), dual progressive knives were ideal, as they were basic but flexible weapons that could be used in a number of situations. Granted, he also carried a positron rifle, but since most anti-Angel battles inevitably degenerated into melee combat (which the EVAs were best at), the lack of reach of his progressive knives was made up for by an edge in close-in draw and strike speed.

Hikari, having a somewhat lower sync ratio (translating to slower overall speed and coordination), chose to use a Progressive Scythe instead, making the best of her situation by utilizing a fighting style that sacrificed speed for reach and power. Like the popular Flick Reaper class in The World, her style focused on flicking away enemies and pushing them away before they could get close enough to use melee attacks, weaving a nearly impenetrable wall of offense and defense that would confound most attackers. (And in the event that a ranged weapon was necessary, EVA-02 did boast a weapons pack in its shoulder, letting it use flechettes against a foe).

"Clever," the Third Child allowed, as the two pilots clashed once again, nearly equally matched due to the nature of their weapons and abilities. Granted, neither was using a berserk rage, but those were not exactly the easiest things to control once unleashed. "You've improved since the first time, when we faced off against the Fourth."

"Hard not to when I'm facing the legendary Third Child," the pigtailed girl replied with a smirk, fending off her opponent with fierce strokes of her own. "The one who has the highest sync ratio, the highest kill count, the great posterboy of NERV. I can almost see why Asuka was annoyed at you."

At the sound of that name, Shinji flinched, his movements faltering ever so slightly. Twas a slight motion, nearly imperceptible to the untrained eye—but it was enough, as Hikari's relentless assault batted away a hand held slightly off, with a sweep kick sending the brown-haired boy to the floor as she stood over him, scythe at his throat.

From that position, the Third Child considered his options, rapidly cycling various methods of escape or counterattack—but finding none. Opening his hands, he dropped his knives and smiled weakly.

"I surrender," he croaked out, urging the Fifth to remove her weapon from his neck with pleading eyes, which the pigtailed girl did after a minute, extending a hand to help her opponent to his feet.

"Well well, it looks like I win this particular match," Hikari commented wryly, letting a little smile play out across her lips—a smile that grew into a Cheshire grin. "The first time that I've managed to best you, despite your higher sync ratio and speed. Not quite number one anymore, are you?"

Shinji just rolled his eyes as he rose gracefully, giving the Fifth Child a firm handshake, and a grateful nod for the bit of assistance.

"Yeah well, don't get used to it," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to make the same mistake again next time."

"You mean flinch when I say Asuka?" the pigtailed girl asked, watching as Shinji just barely suppressed a wince. "Ha! So much for not making the same mistake next time."

"Well…fine," the brown-haired boy conceded, stepping back, picking up his blades and falling once again into a defensive stance. "You win that round…best two of three?"

"Alright, but speaking of rounds, where is…the Fourth?" Hikari questioned, not wanting to dignify the one called Kaworu Nagisa by speaking his name. "Is he going through another of his specialized tests because of his strange sync ratio?"

"No," Shinji replied, nearly spitting in distaste. "He's at the target range, gaining more proficiency with the positron sniper rifle he prefers to use. The same one he 'accidentally' shot me in the back with during the last Angel battle. He mentioned that since the prototype unit was the weakest of the EVAs in terms of melee ability, he would be best suited for a support role. The one problem is that I trust him about as far as I can throw EVA-01 with my bare hands—not at all, and the idea of him holding a powerful sniper rifle behind me is…"

"…unsettling, since I share the sentiment," Hikari agreed, bringing her scythe up to a defensive position once again. "He unnerves me more than a little, all the more so since I have trouble thinking of him as human. If ever there was a resident of the Uncanny Valley, he would be one."

With those last words, the two returned to their battle, practicing for a battle that was soon to come. Apparently, both NERV and the Committee were taking the risk of Angelic contamination of an EVA seriously, and so wanted their melee fighters well prepared for any contingencies in which this might happen. The 11th Angel had demonstrated the ability of an Angel to infect a simulation body, but had also shown that direct contact was required in order to possess a unit.

The key to their strategies was to minimize contact while maximizing damage potential, and once this was learned, to execute contingency plans to defeat a rogue unit in case such a scenario did come to pass.


NERV Medical

After the next battle, the two teens declared their grueling practice session over for the day, as their arms and legs were already screaming as if to protest the massive amounts of strain they had put through. It was one thing to have a battle in The World, where the mind was the only thing under stress—quite another to have a prolonged test of physical endurance that involved physical combat.

'I would almost—almost, but not quite, prefer a sync test to this practice…its rather tedious, but at least I can just sit in my plug and rest,' the Third Child thought to himself as he paced the ever familiar hallways to the male locker room. 'Then again, this is actually fun, seemingly an extension of The World, where I can apply practical combat skills…it's just too bad I can't use magic.'

He chuckled, sharing a knowing look with the Fifth Child just before the pigtailed girl split off to head for her own locker room. Advanced NERV might be, but in possession of unisex locker rooms they were not.

'I actually enjoy this training much more than the sync tests,' Hikari mused silently. 'Especially since this is "active sync training", linking us to the simulation through the EVAs and allowing us to choose weapons to suit our strengths instead of just assigning them. Either they are not as harsh as they used to be, or they are trying to get every advantage they can, since they lost Ayanami and Soryu.'

The two Children proceeded to their locker rooms, showered, changed, and then met up outside, where they headed together to NERV Medical, where they normally would pay a visit to their friend Rei Ayanami before heading home. Usually, the corridors were fairly silent, with the only conversation that having to do with business (except if Kaji was around, in which case there would probably be a stream of protests from his next would be target of seduction), but today, the sterile hallways abounded with dispirited mutters and rumors, with content rivaling even the infamous rumor mill of Class 2-A.

"They say that Unit-04 was lost in a massive explosion…" mentioned one passing tech to another, rather oblivious to the presence of the passing Children.

"Yeah, along with all of NERV Second Branch in Nevada," the other reflected, "there go our hopes for a more even battlefield."

"And now, after the Americans screwed up that test, they're sending over Unit-03 to us."

"Heh…almost make you wonder what's going to happen to it, and what poor sod is going to have to pilot it. It is technically the fourth EVA, and you know the significance of the number four, don't you?" the second tech asked, moving away almost out of audible range.

"Yeah…as they say, four is death, as we saw with EVA-04, where the name enough was enough to cause an accident," the first acknowledged, his last words drifting to the Children's ears as they walked away. "But if you're that superstitious, I wonder what you think of the Fourth Child, and what kind of 'death' he will bring or suffer."

While one didn't have to be superstitious to work at NERV (though whether belief in Angels, the divine, or the power of numbers was indeed merely superstition remained to be seen—as the Dead Sea Scrolls did predict 16 attacking Angels, which was indeed four squared, so perhaps the notion of the number four as bad luck held true), it certainly helped one to prepare for the worst, and in these grim times, any bit of help was likely helpful, since it took divine power to fight divine power (with the EVAs the best examples of this, being essentially clones of the First Angel in armored restraints—it had been seen well enough what happened when the EVAs loosed the binds of reason and went berserk, doing the impossible).

It was also a testament to how used to seeing the Third and Fifth Child most were that they had become almost part of the scenery for most of the staff at NERV, at least the ones who did not know them personally. In any case, Shinji and Hikari managed to make their way to NERV Medical without further ado, though they slowed when they caught snatches of conversation drifting from their destination.

'Kaji-san's voice…and Misato's,'thought Shinji, recognizing the ones who had spoken and signaling for his companion to stop. 'What are they talking about, I wonder?'

And indeed, in the room of Rei Ayanami stood a certain rogue spy and a purple-haired Director of Operations, seemingly oblivious to the Children's approach.

"In the booting test of Unit three at Matsushiro, the Sixth will be used as the pilot," relayed Special Investigator Ryoji Kaji, looking unsurprised as ever.

"The Sixth?" repeated Major Katsuragi, "The Sixth Child was found?"

"Rather say selected for best psychological impact—you do know who is pulling the strings, and from where the candidates are chosen," the unshaven man commented en sotto voce. "With the exception of the Fourth, as he comes to us directly from the Committee."

"From the Committee…how very interesting," the major allowed. "So who is the selected Child?"

A faint rustle, as if someone were extracting a piece of paper, and then a moment of silence.

"That was almost anti-climactic, so it is that child," Misato murmured, eyebrows knitting together as she wondered just what NERV was up to now.

"Yes, and the pilot himself was officially notified earlier today," the Special Investigator affirmed, just as the Third and Fifth Children came through the door.

"Hello Misato-san, Kaji-san," they greeted in unison, with the older officers returning the greeting, as Shinji spoke up.

"Is the rumor that Unit-04 was lost true?" the Third Child questioned, wanting to know the truth behind the rumors. "I heard there was an accident and that it, as well as NERV Second Branch, was destroyed."

A heavy air descended in an already somewhat uncomfortable room as that question was asked.

"Yes…it is true," Misato allowed after a moment. "Evangelion Unit-04 is gone, but we will be ok here. All three units are working fine, and the pilots and staff are excellent."

Shinji and Hikari shared another one of their somewhat skeptical looks, as they had doubts about at least one of the pilots, but that was something for another time.

"And what of Unit-03?" Hikari asked, thinking back to the snippet she had heard in the hallways. "That is being sent from the US, right? So who is to be the pilot, the Sixth Child?"

"Well, about the pilot…" the purple-haired Major began hesitantly, but Kaji beat her to the response.

"Does the name Suzuhara mean anything to you?" the unshaven spy said suddenly, observing the reaction of the Children to his question.

Other than a narrowing of the eyes, the Third Child did not react, as if he had already expected this outcome, while Hikari was a little more shaken, but not particularly surprised.

'Curious…but how could they know? Or perhaps something has already happened to Suzuhara beforehand that made them suspect that this might be the case? Might it have something to do with their roles as dothackers?'

"I apologize for saying that so abruptly," Kaji voiced, an easy and disarming smile on his face one again. "But if you come with me, I'll show you something interesting in this city of glass and metal. Misato, I'll take my leave of you now."


Kaji's Watermelon Garden

The environment now was about as different from the steel-lined corridors of NERV as one could manage, as the children and the spy crouched down in a patch of dirt, looking over at green vines, on which grew—

"Are these watermelons?" Shinji asked, surprised that the rough-looking man would take the time to grow something like these.

In reply, the unshaven man just smiled.

"Don't you think they're cute?" Kaji said, raising an eyebrow. "This is my hobby, but please keep this secret from the others. Making something or growing something is wonderful, as we can see and learn many things through it."

"It can bring pleasure," Hikari broke in, a distant expression on her face. "But also pain…Kaji-san, you grow these?"

"Yes I do," the spy acknowledged, patting one of the melons lovingly. "Do you hate pain, I wonder?"

"I don't particularly care for it," responded Hikari, wondering where this line of conversation was going. "But it is worth enduring pain, and understanding the pain of others to reach a better outcome."

"It is interesting that you say so," spoke the man called Ryoji Kaji. "As one knowing many pains is kinder to others, and kindness is much different from weakness. This is something that Asuka never grasped, which is why I suspect she fell victim to AIDA so easily."

So casually said, his statement had profound implications, as it was a tacit admission that he knew his audience to know what AIDA was, which meant that a knowledge of their online identities and roles as the dothackers.

"Kaji-san," Shinji said evenly, looking at the man curiously. "How do you know about AIDA? Are you…?"

"A dothacker?" the spy answered questioningly, registering the Children's fractional widening of their eyes. 'They have become quite good at what they do…war has trained them well…' "No, I have not the honor. I simply work for a…mutual friend of ours, a certain queen of the slums."

"So do you know just who—"

"Unfortunately not, as she keeps her secrets better even than NERV—and better than any of us, it seems, Dark Evangel. It is a pleasure to more properly meet the Bearer of the Bracelet in person, and his companion, the Unyielding Shadow."

"And you..."

"She calls me Fili. Fili the White."


En Route to Tokyo-3

High in the sky above the Pacific Ocean, an aerial transport flew toward Matsushiro, bearing underneath it the bulky black form of EVA-03.

"This is Ecta 64 calling Neopan 400," called a voice over the radio. "Confirm cumulonimbus clouds in your immediate flight path."

The pilot of Neopan 400 confirmed the presence of the thunderclouds, but was certain that it posed no hazard.

"This is Neopan 400," he responded. "Cumulonimbus clouds confirmed. Barometer indicates no hazard. We'll maintain course, and are expected to arrive on schedule."

"Ecta 64, roger and out."