Darkness,when had Asuka last left her room? She didn't remember,she really couldn't,all she did know was that days had passed and even then only because Shinji would leave every morning and arrive every afternoon to sleep alongside her,were it not for his presence she was sure she would have said only seconds had passed since the confines of her mind had been violated,broken into by the unholy force of the Angel.
She hated it,she hated it as much as she hated herself,with such vehement passion that she wished she could just kill it,kill it and then herself,just so things would finally be over,just so she could be at peace.
But she was weak,too weak to even jump off the balcony like the useless little girl she was,too afraid of hurting Shinji even when she knew it would be better for him not to be stuck to someone as worthless and tarnished as she was.
Maybe it was because she was afraid he would become like her,that he too would become bitter and arrogant like she had when she found her mother dangling from the ceiling with her arms hanging to her sides and that doll,that damned doll,by her side.
Maybe that was why,maybe she was just being selfish,but she knew she wouldn't kill herself,she knew she couldn't,for his sake if not for her own,she would stay and she would live despite the fact that she had no wish to do so.
It was her curse,her punishment.
"Good night Asuka."Shinji mumbled from beside her.
"G'night."She replied,her voice hurting from disuse.
What is a person,is something that is born a person? I was not born,i am a creation of man,i am not the original. Ayanami Rei,that is the name of this person,this soul. No,that is not the name of the soul but the name of the body,the body which it also does not belong to Ayanami Rei but to Yui Ikari,a recreation,an imperfect copy of one that was in of itself imperfect.
"Second series...the Ayanami type."Rei said as her hand lay on the glass,her eyes looked at the nude form of her clones, lifeless,empty. "An imperfect recreation of the first series."
"A more perfect copy could not be made."Fuyutsuki commented as he stood with his back turned to her,typing away in one of the terminals in the room. "With only a part of Lilith's soul in our possession the body was bound to become more imperfect, the body is a representation of the soul after all."
"That is correct,the body is a representation of the soul. My soul is inhuman and thus so is this body."She said. "The body cannot be human as long as the soul is not,i am not human."
"But you can certainly be considered a person."Fuyutsuki said,clicking one button and causing the clones' form to be hidden behind the cover of darkness yet again.
"The time is coming,i can feel it."Rei said,Fuyutsuki nodded.
"It will soon be at hand,the finalization of our plans."The older man said.
"Ikari Gendo,a secret mode, the things of which are not meant to be revealed to the world,was utilized." The chairman of the council of Seele said.
"Indeed. Not to say that the first was allow his liberation before our appointed time,it would do well for you to remind yourself that he is being kept under our close surveillance,our talk with him did not provide us with new information." The second said.
"The first's actions were a necessity to ensure that the angel was defeated."Gendo said.
"And that is the only reason you still have your chair,Ikari." The seventh reminded him.
"Indeed,your action was simply far too risky,doubly so when the spear of Cassius could have been used to destroy the angel in orbit." The chairman said.
"Yes,the spear of Cassius,the power of creation. There is no need for it within the project for human instrumentality. Only the lance of Longinus is required." The fourth added.
"Your actions as the chair of Nerv have been too bold." The third said. "You risk bein-"
He was interrupted by the ringing of a phone, Gendo removed it from his desk and put it in his ear. "What is it Fuyutsuki?I'm in a meeting...ah,i see."
Gendo rose from his seat. "I'm afraid we will have to retake this conversation at later time, an Angel has appeared."
"If your position still remains at this 'later time'" The third reminded him,his form then faded as he left.
"Ikari Gendo...what are your plans. Do you plan to betray us?To betray Seele." The chairman asked. Did you truly find nothing in the guide stone of Adam...or was that too another lie?
Misato's eyes were focused on the street as she rode her car toward the headquarters. "Deploy unit 00 in gate 36 and send unit 8 along with it into gate 37!"
"Understood Ma'am,what about unit-02?"
"For more that it hurts me to say,Unit-02 is useless,keep it and Asuka in backup."Misato said,eyes turning toward the Angel as she hang up.
"Visual contact confirmed I guess..i wonder what fresh hell you have in store for us?"
"Unit-00 launched,unit-08 launched!"
"Both units are holding at interception point Alpha."
"JSSDF has confirmed no operational aid once again."Aoba said. "Not surprising considering what happened with the 15th angel.
"So this is it.."Maya commented. "The seventeenth Angel,the last among them all."
"It's probably got something hidden up it's sleeve,we need to be careful."Hyuga said.
The door to the bridge opened with a hiss,Misato rushed in.
"Where have you been?"Ritsuko asked,though there was no malice in her voice.
"I don't have an excuse,what's the status?"Misato asked.
"It keeps shifting between patterns blue and Orange."Maya said.
"Is it like the fifteenth then?"Misato asked with clear worry in her voice.
"Unlikely."Ritsuko said. "The fifteenth showed no pattern blue signs at all while this one is simply shifting between them,it's likely that it's form is not wholly physical but at least partially so."
"That only means our side can't be the one to attack first."Misato commented. "Damn it."
Evangelion unit-00,it's pilot looked outward at the angelic form of the seventeenth angel,officially it was meant to be the last among them all but she knew better. Only counting the first Seraph as an Angel do we reach the number 17...there is one more angel to be fought after this.
Which meant she had to survive,she had to survive at least this battle. She had other reasons for this of course,but most important of all was the fact that her battle wasn't over,she still had purpose as an Evangelion pilot.
"Rei,we're going to be observing it's status for a while,got it?"Misato asked in the other end.
Her eyes closed. "No,it's coming."
The Angel's form turned into that of a hole in the sky, unit-08 opened fire with it's assault rifle,missing every single one of it's shots as the halo broke itself and charged at her,piercing through her,no,the Eva's,AT field in a mere second.
"Target has entered into contact with the Eva!"Maya shouted.
"What?"Misato asked with wide eyes, "Has it's AT field been disabled?"
"No,it's been pierced in a specific area and is quickly fading!"Maya said.
"Unit-08,open fire!" Misato ordered.
"No effect,this thing's pretty much invincible!"Shinji cried out as his bullets did quite literally nothing to the angel.
"First Armor layer has been breached,the target's began first phase physical contamination of unit-00!" Maya said.
"Damn it,this is too dangerous!"Ritsuko cried out.
Who...me?The Zero within the Eva? No...someone else,someone who is not null,not Zero...someone who is not me.
Red,a color she hated.
Who are you...an Angel,the creatures we call angels,those who have spoken to me before?
"Don't you want to be unified with me?" It asked.
No,i am null,Zero. I am I,not you.
"If you are null you are nothing,there is nothing to be replaced." It said. "It's already too late,you and I will become one, we will save mankind."
That is not my desire.
"I shall give you part of my mind...this emotion Pain,your mind has pain"
Pain?No,not that,something different...loneliness,yes,loneliness.
"Loneliness,i don't understand?"
The cold,you hate the cold,like I do.
"The cold...what do you speak of."
Through those I love..through others I have healed the pain,we are many but you are alone,that is the cold with which you suffer,the great cold that comes from the absolute barrier of the mind,the AT field. That,the AT field, is loneliness.
"You look into your own mind,full of sorrow. We will heal the cold, for us all. We will become many."
Rei opened her eyes,it was raining..no,she was inside the entry plug...she was crying.
"Tears...these are tears..I'm crying...but why?"The pain returned and she remembered. "Oh...i don't want to leave,not just yet."
The back of unit-00 burst into a fleshy substance,a gray goo that represented each of the last angels.
"Shinji,you need to do something,you need to save Rei!"Misato shouted.
Shinji dropped his rifle and removed his knife,charging at the angel,it easily weaved in between the attacks he sent, digging into his chest.
"The Auto-ejection system has been activated by the angel!"Maya cried out.
"What?!"Ritsuko shouted and suddenly the plug of Shinji's unit was flying through the air at ungodly speeds,and then the plug around him went dead. The last thing he could see was the image of the Angel piercing unit-08's chest.
The form of the angel's other end morphed into that of Rei's upper body as it ripped into the chest of unit-08,revealing it's core and reaching into it with a giggle.
"Unit-08 is starting to get contaminated!"Maya shouted.
"It's bringing out the mental imprint left in it by it's pilots."Ritsuko commented. "but..why?"
Rei looked as the form of unit-08 was pierced.
"Is this my wish?"She asked herself. "To become one with pilot Makinami?"
Images of the girl flashed in her mind. An image of their first meeting,an image of them talking,an image of the picture she'd drawn for her,image after image,going by faster than she could process them,they strengthened her resolve.
"No..."Rei said as she pulled the Angel into herself.
I don't want to go...Rei thought to herself as the Angel bulged outward. I don't want to go. Rei thought to herself a she pulled it into herself,revealing the auto-destruction mechanism in the process.
I...
"It's time to go..Onesan." A child-like voice,gleeful and happy,an embrace of someone she didn't know she missed and then,light.
"Everyone...thank you"
Tokyo-3,the symbol of human perseverance,the city of man's creation and it's greatest achievement. One moment it was there and the next it was consumed, consumed by a second sun. A star lighting itself and blowing it all away in a single moment.
The city of man's creation,along with the first of the Evangelions was blown away.
For three seconds,three mindbogglingly excruciating seconds,there was silence in the bridge of Nerv..just silence,nothing else,no worried outcries or reports or nothing,just silence and horror as they watched the city and their pilot with it,blow up in a flash of divinely white light.
And then,Hyuga spoke. "Target has been eliminated."
Misato's fists were shaking at her side,clenched with enough strength that few droplets of blood fell onto the ground. "This operation is finished...move into level 2 alert."
"Understood."Aoba said. "Status is being changed to yellow"
"Unit-00..report on it."Misato ordered.
"No entry plug ejection was recognized, otherwise...the entire unit was evaporated in the blast." Maya said.
"Rescue the pilot as quickly as possible,hurry!"Misato ordered.
"You mean if there is still one." Misato's eyes snapped toward Akagi,prepared to tell her she was a monster until a single tear fell out of the doctor's eye,being wiped away as quickly as it appeared.
A charred entry plug,people in hazmat protection suits surrounded it,a 'keep out' line was kept all around it,one of the men in suits looked at the doctor to his side.
"Doctor Akag-"He began.
"Scavenge the plug,dispose of the remains,this one is useless for us."She said,a certain sadness clear in her voice.
Shinji was unusually silent,he didn't move,he didn't make a sound,one would mistake him for being asleep,were it not for his ever so constant and loud breathing.
"Shinji..."Asuka called out to him. And she needed not say anything else.
"Ayanami is dead."Shinji replied. "That's what happened...Ayanami died in that battle."
"I see."Asuka replied,short,cold. What a bitch I am. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be,it's not your fault."Shinji said. "It's just...the tears won't come. She's dead and yet the tears won't come...it hurts."
She reached out for his hand,he grabbed onto it. And the tears still did not fall.
Fuyutsuki and Gendo looked on at what once been the center of the dummy plug system.
"Rei...the reason for my despair and yet the object of your hope."The older man said. "The final iteration is about to arrive...how will you justify this?"
"There is no need for justification."Gendo said. "The final time will soon be at hand,the last of the angels will soon arrive and with him the human instrumentality plan will move on to it's last phase."
"As will ours."Fuyutsuki said. "And yet Yui does not awaken."
"It is best that she does not, I would rather she gaze upon a renewed world,free of the sin of second impact."The commander said.
"Both that and of the machinations of Seele."Fuyutsuki added. "This will surely change politics as well."
"A thing we will soon be forced to pay close attention to."Gendo agreed. "But for now...plan Bet proceeds as expected."
Shinji picked up his phone.
"I see...very well,I'll be there soon."He said,hanging up the phone a moment later. "So...that was it for her after all."
He sighed.
"Ayanami Rei...your sacrifice might be forgotten by the world,but not by me."
A hospital room,a hospital room in which she did not need to be,Rei looked at her hands...the hands of someone..someone who was human, her hands, Rei.
"She is dead."Rei said. "Ayanami...has died."
A man entered the room,dressed in an uniform that she recognized well,he handed her a few documents before speaking.
"Good morning miss,how are you in this morning?"The man asked.
"I am good."She replied,looking down at the paper. "Adoption forms...for which reason?"
"The cover story for your change of name,you are to be adopted by commander Ikari."The man said. Rei picked up the pen that had been given to her along with the documents and signed them.
"Ikari Rei...that is...my name."Rei said,not speaking to the man but to herself.
"Yes...the Ayanami types will be disposed of soon enough." The man said. Rei nodded.
"Thank you." She replied.
Rei sat in one of the hospital's chairs. A few steps could be heard echoing down the hall as a new person approached.
"Hey."Shinji greeted,his voice wasn't hostile or cold,it was just normal.
"Good morning Brother."Rei greeted. "Unless...you do not wish for me to call you as such?"
Shinji shook his head. "No,i don't mind."
Then he leaned against the wall and there was silence before he spoke again. "So..you're the new type."
"I've been dubbed Ikari-type by commander Ikari."She said. "He will adopt me."
"I see.."Shinji smiled. "That's good,i can call you my sister now."
"That is good...this is odd."Rei said.
"It is."Shinji agreed.
"You have yet to call me a doll this time."Rei said,a hint of humor in her voice.
"Great,so this one's got a sense of humor."Shinji said,rolling his eyes with a small smile in his lips.
Rei laughed,actually laughed,slightly at this. Shinji looked at her with wide eyes and then..something else,he noticed her eyes.
"Rei..."He said,she looked at him and this confirmed his suspicion. "your eyes..they're blue."
Rei's eyebrow rose,Shinji took out his phone showed them to her. "Blue..."
"Well..they suit you."Shinji said, smiling. "They're the same shade as mine and mother's as well."
"I see..I'm glad."Rei said. "Let us go home then."
Shinji nodded. "I cleaned up your room,hope you don't mind that."
She shook her head. "I appreciate it."
Her room,not Ikari Rei's,but Ayanami Rei's,the second series, the Ayanami type's. She walked over to the desk and opened the drawer,exploring things that were not hers but that also were. A drawing, a drawing she remembered her other self giving to Makinami,the fifth child,the original pilot of Evangelion unit-08.
"She...cared for her."Rei said,her eyes locked into the drawing. Then there was a piercing sound, she looked at her hands, the drawing was ripped in two. Why..why had she done that? Then,it hit her, envy,she envied her other self for having the connections she did not have.
"I'm...sorry."She said,putting the two pieces of the drawing back down as a few tears fell down toward it.
"Hey Misato...can you tell Rits...'i'm sorry' as well?"
A cluttered apartment,a woman who is still wearing her uniform after one day, looking at a phone that doesn't ring, her mind is elsewhere, to the person she'd lost,to the man she'd lost. The person she loved and yet had been unable to admit so, the person who'd always sought out the truth no matter the cost.
She sighed,her doorbell rang, she got up and walked toward it,opening it to reveal the black haired figure of a woman donning a familiar uniform.
"Section two?"Misato asked. "What's the matter?"
"Oh,this has nothing to do with the job."The woman commented casually. "I just didn't bother to change."
"I see."Misato said. "Do I...know you?"
"No,but we do have a mutual acquaintance."She stretched her hand. "I'm Atago Ibuki, special agent. A pleasure to meet you major."
Misato shook the woman's hand. "Misato Katsuragi,though you probably already knew that."
The woman,Atago,nodded. "Yes I do,I'm here to give you something."
"Well..come in,don't mind the mess."Misato said, taking a step to the side and revealing the mess behind her.
"Ah,i don't mind, doesn't look worse than mine,believe me." Atago joked.
As they walked in Atago took something out of her coat's pocket.
"Before he passed,Kaji asked me to give you something."The black haired woman capturing the major's attention.
"He...did?"She asked. "What is it?"
"This 'he called it his 'last will'."Atago replied,handing her a pen-drive. "I'm not allowed to look at what's inside it,it would get me into trouble I'm not willing to get myself into but...i think you're the kind of person who doesn't mind trouble,aren't you major?"
No response,Misato simply looked down at the small object she'd been handed.
"Well."The Agent began. "I'll be leaving then. Good luck in finding your truth, major."
She nodded. "Thank you."
The door closed and Misato put the pen drive in her computer.
"Heya...Misato, the way to the truth which I've sought was sent to you by 37 other methods,but if this much of a risky bargain had to be taken then none of them worked...well,it's up to you on how to use the truth in the end...the passcode is our first memory..if I'm still alive by some miracle..I'll tell you those words I promised I would in the last message...goodbye."
She inhaled,exhaling moments later. "I'm not upset anymore Kaji...because you've given me your heart."
"I must question this decision." The twelfth member of Seele said. "Not questioning the pilot,it's too risky."
"The pilot would bring us no new information we are aware of how she survived,she is a nephilim just as our agent is." The first said. "All such questioning would do is delay our plans further,no,this will not occur. We are proceeding to the final phase of the plan."
"You mean to discard the original 17th already?" The fifth asked.
"They will not be expecting it,much like us Ikari has no means to know that one more angel was predicted within the scrolls of the dead sea. We had assumed this angel was all lilim,in truth it is simply Adam's reincarnation."
"Or...it could be possible that Seraphs truly exist." The Seventh said. "The data we received from the supposed 15th angel was highly irregular after all."
"Do not dwell on pointless speculation,the gospel contained within the scriptures of the dead sea is absolute,unmistakable and unquestionable. The 18th will perish and from him mankind shall advance to unite with Lilith, our ascension is soon at hand."
Ritsuko's key-card passed on the access toward terminal dogma. Only to be denied.
"uh?"Ritsuko questioned,looking at her card to ensure it was still valid. Then,the sound of a gun's safety coming undone.
"It's no good,without my code you're not getting in there."The voice of Misato could be heard saying from behind. Ritsuko sighed.
"So,this is Kaji's doing I'm assuming?"Ritsuko asked,the major nodded. "Typical off him to pawn things off to me in such a manner."
Another sound,yet another gun's safety coming undone.
"Drop the gun Misato." A young voice,that of a younger man, Shinji Ikari's. The major's eyes moved toward him,widening in surprise as she saw a gun be pointed at her.
"Shinji?"She asked herself"What's going on?"
"The secrets of this place will be revealed to you,but first you need to lower your gun,we're on your side as well."Shinji said,Misato visibly relaxed,lowering her weapon ever so slightly.
"Very well.."
The elevator went down,descending through the depths of the Geofront before arriving at one particular location. A messy room that looked quite unlike anything Misato had seen before,it was truly eerie.
"This is the place Rei was born."Ritsuko said. "The coldness of her personality, the broken nature from which she is made,it all comes from this room."
"I didn't come here to see this ."Misato said with a hint of annoyance.
"I know as much,Misato."
A graveyard,an endless amount of discarded bodies and bones. But not those of humans,no,these were dead gods or,better said,unborn ones.
"Eva?"Misato asked herself.
"The first 15 failures."Ritsuko said. "Most were disposed of ten years ago, some were kept for research in the artificial evolution laboratory until it was destroyed by the first berserk incident. It's also here where the remains of the first unit-01's body are kept."
"After the failure of the first test."Shinji commented. "The one who killed my mother."
"Shinji..."Misato whispered.
"In the end it was for the best,the core was still usable."The doctor said, Misato was about to give an offended interjection when Shinji nodded in agreement.
And then,a room, the center of the dummy plug system.
"Is this...the core of the old dummy plug program?"Misato asked, Ritsuko nodded.
"Yes,sadly we never managed to make it work with even 5 years worth of work but..I'll show you the truth of this place."
A click of a button and the cover for the clones came undone,revealing their dozens of forms.
"What...is this?"Misato asked, Shinji was the one to answer her.
"The second series,the Ayanami-type clones." At the mention of Ayanami,the clone's eyes snapped toward him.
"So..the core for the dummy plug was going to be..."Misato's eyes widened,the gun in her hand began to shake.
"Indeed,the second series of clones."Ritsuko commented. "It never did come to pass,it's thankful,the system was never the most humane."
"And these are just..just.."Misato couldn't even get out words as she looked at the clones.
"Dummies,dolls,tools."Ritsuko said for her. "Does it surprise you?It's something Shinji has known for years,but I'll admit,he was shocked at first too."
"How can...how can you just admit to doing something so sickening with that much ease?!"Misato yelled,her hands shaking from rage.
"It's only natural Misato."Shinji replied. "Man gets used to this situation,and ours is this one,one were we have to call human bodies nothing more than a 'series' for the sake of our own survival."
"In a way Eva too is a representation of those things,a false god created from the flesh of true ones for the sake of our own survival."Ritsuko added. "Mankind is wicked Misato,you most of all should know this, the punishment of 15 years ago was much deserved. Even so,for as wicked as we are..."
"We are also unwilling to die."Shinji finished. "So we're willing to become monsters if it means we can save our species and all it stands for,good and bad."
"That is Evangelion."Ritsuko said.
"The curse of Eva..."Misato said,lowering her gun to her side and absently turning on the safety. "So this...this is what the curse of Eva is."
"Indeed..ones who are forced into pain,hardship and unspeakable acts." Ritsuko clicked a button.
The bodies around them began to giggle as they came undone in a bloody show. Misato looking around in horror at this. "What are you doing?"
"Putting Rei Ayanami to rest, with this she will finally be free from the curse of Evangelion."Ritsuko said,a smile in her face. "At least in death she will have her freedom."
"So..that Rei,the Rei that's out there..."Misato began.
"Is not Ayanami Rei,not an Ayanami type of the second series but the first of the Ikari types,the third series."The doctor said. "A perfected form of the second,one whose soul belongs only to herself."
"Second..third,what happened..to the first?"Misato asked.
"The first series..it's clones were attempted to be infused with artificial souls,created from nothing..these failed, from them was created only two successes,one of which later died and another of which would become Ichijo Rei,she too would die,but much later.."Ritsuko said.
"The Ichijo series..."Shinji commented. "The very reason for my despair..."
"Come,there is something else to be shown."Ritsuko said,stepping into the elevator leading to the deepest portion of Terminal dogma. The white giant struck to a cross and with a spear struck into it's flesh.
"Adam..."Misato commented.
"No...Lilith."Shinji said.
"L-lilith?"Misato asked,looking at Shinji with wide eyes.
"Just as the Angels came from Adam,so did mankind come from Lilith,even if less directly."Ritsuko explained.
"Our primordial life giver,the creature known as Lilith,the opposite to Adam."Shinji said. "And the reason this place was chosen as the last fortress for mankind."
"Then why..why do the angels come?"Misato asked,Shinji shrugged.
"Some mistake her for Adam,some,like the last two,just want to play with the human mind,some wish to help mankind,some wish different things all together."Shinji commented. "All that matters is that our words are true,this is Lilith,in the very depths of terminal dogma lays the key to our salvation."
"Salvation?"Misato asked. "Wasn't that..that the last of them,the last of the angels?"
"No."Ritsuko said. "Something greater is coming..and our salvation,our endgoal is soon at hand."
"Katsuragi-san."Shinji said,looking at her and reaching out his hand. "Please...help us fix the mistake of second impact...help us heal this broken world and destroy the curse of Eva!"
AN:And that's it for this chapter,hope you enjoyed.