Creation began on 01-31-21
Creation ended on 02-11-21
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Shinji, the Psychic Child: Goodbye, Mother
Terminal Dogma had seen worse than the last time Shinji had ever seen it. The sight of the creature that had been impaled to the cross long before he ever came to Tokyo-3, still a horrible sight that most children would have nightmares about, was no longer present. Instead, Shinji was face-to-face with the cybernetic nightmare that was Unit-01, except it looked more gruesome, like whatever organics used in its design had overwhelmed the mechanical aspects and mutated. It was half-submerged in the large pool of LCL, its arms slammed into the ground beside Shinji, as if keeping it from falling into the pool completely, and its eyes looking more like eyeballs with green irises than glowing orbs of light. Its mouth moved slightly, opening up like it often did when expressing itself…and Shinji heard that awful voice he could no longer stand to hear.
"Welcome back, Shinji," the depraved voice of Yui Ikari uttered through the Eva. "You've been away for such a short time, but I knew you couldn't keep away. You were destined to return. And I see you didn't bring the Suzuhara girl or Unit-04 with you. It doesn't matter; they were of minor concern. You will suffice. Now, we can achieve the bright future for all humanity, just as I've shown you."
"All you showed you was a hellish nightmare from which there is no awakening," Shinji retorted, "and I'll never help you achieve anything like that, now or ever."
The Eva's eyes glared as they locked onto the boy.
"What…what did you say?" She demanded from Shinji, her tone shifting to one of anger. "Did you just talk back to me?"
"That's right, Eva…Mother," he responded. "Yes, Mother, I am talking back to you."
The Eva leered as Yui spoke, "Shinji…don't let these losses distort your thinking. Everything happens as it must. We can still have a bright future for all of humanity, including the ones that were lost. This is your destiny."
"I'm already at the end of my line here. I'm running on fumes…and every last one is going to be spent putting an end to the miserable story that is the Ikari family. There's only one future for both of us, and that's the path of darkness that we both have to take. We both have blood on our hands and we have to atone for that."
"Shinji, don't do this. Don't think like this!"
"Think like what, Mother? There's nothing left to think about. Toji's dead. Kensuke's dead. Hikari's dead. Asuka's dead. These are…people whose lives were cut down because of NERV and the Eva, because of you and Father…and you exploited them… You can't hide your thoughts from me, even with the Eva. Your intentions sicken me. You based everything you worked for, everything you sacrificed for…thinking I'd lead people to a better future…simply because I was your son. I'm not going to lead anyone into any future, no matter what you believe. I don't care about the future. Everyone has suffered because of secrets that were purposely kept, by people that had no right to make decisions that hurt them in ways there's no forgiveness. Those that remain…have to be able to go on without the people that caused them the most harm."
"How dare you, Shinji… How dare you go against me?!"
The Eva started to shake as its arms raised up over Shinji. But Shinji wasn't afraid of it or his mother. There was nothing left to fear…except what awaited them on the other side.
"You were supposed to lead us to the bright future I showed you! But you turn against me!"
Shinji? Shinji heard Nabiki's voice and saw her astral form beside him.
"Nabiki," he uttered, "you shouldn't be here. It's unsafe."
Nabiki looked up at the purple Eva, seeing the monster it had become, just as it sprouted a red sphere from its chest.
Ugh! She gasped, looking away from it.
"Come here, Shinji," Yui raised her voice as the Eva's right arm came close to Shinji. "Come here and do as you were intended!"
The arm reached out to grab him, but Shinji braced for it.
SMASH! The arm exploded into pieces and was pulled back from the boy, ruined to the elbow.
"It's time to close this story," Shinji told his mother, his hair rising as he levitated off the game. My heart's about to call it quits here. I can already see the darkness closing in on me. However long I have left here, I will put an end to this.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands push him forward on his back. He looked behind himself…and could see Toji and Kensuke, followed by Hikari, Asuka and Rei.
"Shinji, stop!" Yui yelled as her son's eyes started to glow like white fire. "Please, stop! Listen to me! Please!"
Shinji extended his arms to the Eva, intent upon destroying it, body and soul.
"Shinji…please…we can save everyone… Please…just…listen to… Don't do this…" Yui tried to implore her son, but he wasn't having any of.
"Goodbye…Mother," he told her, and blood started bleeding out his ears. "Aaaaurgh!"
He released telekinetic waves from his body that tore through the Eva's entire nervous system.
"Rrrraaurgh!" The Eva roared as its nerves and muscles felt like they were on fire. "Rrrrrraaurgh!"
It felt like it went on forever…until it was over a minute and the Eva was slammed against the red cross where Lilith was once stuck to, its eyes and core looking like a hardened, fractured dull substance. Whatever life that lingered within this artificial behemoth had finally been forced out, never to return to it or this mortal realm.
Shinji, blood bleeding from his ears, nose and eyes now, felt like he was suspended in the air in Terminal Dogma, his body limp and his organs barely doing anything to keep him alive.
Ahh, he thought, feeling a little girl's arms hold onto his back and sides. Nabiki?
Shinji! The girl cried.
Nabiki… I will…die now. It's all over now.
No, Shinji, please! You can't die. Just hold on! I'll send help! Just hold on!
Please…I'm very tired now. My body's all burnt out; I'm beyond help. Please…just allow me to die now. But…just know that…nobody will be…coming after you now. Everyone that…tried to cause you suffering…are all gone now. Maybe you can…get on with your life now.
Yes. You made that possible. Everyone that tried to hurt us all are gone now. They're all gone and they're never coming back. You saved me. Thank you. Just make sure my brother doesn't get lonely where he is.
Heh-heh… No pro…no problem, Nabiki. I'm…really glad that I…got to meet you.
Shinji's body then fell to the ground.
Shinji? Nabiki called out to him, unable to feel his mind or heart any further. Shinji?
But try as she might, the boy wouldn't respond.
Shinji! She cried, and Evangelion Unit-01, the red cross, along with nearly everything else in Terminal Dogma, shattered into countless pieces.
-x-
Fire burst from the lower levels of NERV HQ, spreading across the inner workings of the paramilitary organization's location. The walls fractured and shattered, the metallic pyramid crumbling down in on itself as Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko escaped onto the grounds of the Geo-Front. They looked back and saw the base becoming a memory, along with everything and everyone that ever worked in it. The MAGI, the commander's office, the Eva cages, every last inch of NERV HQ, including its darkest secrets, all reduced to debris.
"It's all gone," the faux-blood woman sighed in defeat; all her research, all her work, just gone.
"Yeah," Fuyutsuki agreed with her, but for different reasons.
-x-
Misato watched as Nabiki curled up in Shinji's futon, tears escaping her eyes.
"Is he…" She tried to ask her, and the girl nodded her head up and down.
"Shinji's gone now," she revealed.
Misato turned away and buried her face into Kaji's chest as he held her in his arms. She had lost her two wards, the two young teens that had been forced into a life of violence…and it wasn't the Angels that killed them. It was…people that killed them. They were all each other's worst enemies when push came to shove…and both pushes and shoves had been harder than she could ever admit.
Kaji could only hope that Shinji, Asuka, Rei and the others that had suffered because of this madness were in a better place.
Outside the building, Rion looked up at the night sky. It was almost beautiful…but it was saddening because he saw a star disappear from it. He knew that it was one representing Shinji. His very existence had been…snuffed out.
What now for everyone left? He wondered. How do we move past this?
To be continued…
A/N: Be on the lookout for the final chapter.
