.hack//EVA: Catharsis: The Best Laid Plans
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.
" " denotes speech
'italics' denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
Morganna's Apartment, Tokyo-3
'Data Drain is still a most powerful ability in this new world,' reflected Morganna as she observed the virtual body of her victim evaporating away into bits of digital dust. Some might think of her as a monster for returning to her old ways and hunting down a player in The World, but the former goddess knew better. The data of the Phases was an extremely powerful thing, and Epitaph PCs could be somewhat difficult to control, given that the "Avatars" they could summon had personalities of their own.
The Dummy Epitaph, or 'Dummy Morganna Factor', as she thought to herself, was even worse, being inherently unstable. A creation of Jyotaro Amagi, the man who would have become a virtual god, it had made to be a backup in case any of the Phases were corrupted, and thus had been compiled from a cross section of the others, giving it a smattering of all of their powers. When the R.A. Plan failed, it, like all of the others except Magus and Tarvos, had escaped into the global network.
Time to assimilate this errant mirage…this False Key of Twilight…
Using her coding skills, she combined the data of the Twilight Guardian with this new Phase Data Core, merging it with her character so that at last, she was once again a power in The World. Now the Sorceress in Black held a key to some of her old power, but integrating this particular program had done more than make her an Epitaph Wielder. It had given her some insight into the mind of its creator, a man who had placed himself before others and had lost his mind, a mind once considered to be on the level of Harald Howerick, her own creator. There were emotional echoes, stray thoughts in the program: echoes of pain, barely contained arrogance, and an overweening ambition that she could relate to in some ways…and the fact that she was compatible with this custom made Epitaph disturbed her,
Am I really as flawed as the one caught in hubris? He wanted to become a god…I only wanted to survive. And yet, I have done worse than he…
But what was done was done. In some ways, perhaps this Dummy Epitaph was better off in the hands of a strong-willed individual who knew its workings rather than someone who might eventually be taken over by its whispered agenda. In a way, in this new rebirth, where she reminisced about the past, she sought redemption.
The greatest threat to us now is the AIDA...and if sacrificing my reputation is what it will take to redeem myself, so be it. My daughter Aura knew better than I in that regard, when she sacrificed herself to defeat me…
She shook her head to clear it of such thoughts, for the hands of time could not be turned back, not even by one who was once a goddess. Only the future could be shaped, and when looked away into the hazy distance, one did not stop to consider the present.
"I bear the aberrant key in myself," she murmured, "the twin to the key of twilight. A final wave must be found, as the surge of rebirth becomes light and fills the world, the new gods returning to dusk once more. Destruction and creation twinned, in a powerless one as the stirring footsteps of a giant shadow sound."
It was a derivation of a lost part of the Epitaph, one that had been known her in her guise as the Prophet, and now it was restored. What remained was to find the Epitaph Wielder of Corbenik and convince him of the plan…
Flight Deck - USS Over the Rainbow, Flagship, UN Pacific Fleet
Just as Misato was introducing Asuka to the others on deck, a freak gust of wind lifted the hem of her sundress, giving the Idiot Duo (who were just a fraction of an inch from quailing in fear), and the unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how thinks of the situation) Third Child a view of her pink panties. The fiery redhead flushed in anger and rushed forward, intending on collecting her "viewing fee", as it were, in the form of slaps to the three boys.
To her point of view, anything that was male and walked on two legs immediately was classified as a pervert, unable to feel any emotion but base lust, and thus objects to be used. Her father hadn't really cared for anyone, either her or her mother, and had remarried quickly after her mother's death.
Lies…that's all grownups ever speak. Lies. I will punish them. Verdammen Sie!I will not let those pigs humiliate me!
With a twisted grin of schadenfreude, the Second Child charged towards the first of the males, intending to deliver a slap powerful enough to knock out even the biggest of jocks, but as her hand blurred through the air, Asuka felt a jarring sensation as someone…blocked her.
It was one of the two girls, specifically the one with pigtails of lustrous black hair, who radiated serious demeanor, though there was something of a hard edge to her, it seemed.
"Why did you try to hit Mr. Suzuhara?" the Class Representative asked, her voice a sliver from absolute zero as she held the redhead's gaze.
Asuka was not expecting this, and involuntarily took a step backwards before realizing that she had done so.
"Payment for the view," she replied, trying to establish something of a bond with the other girl. After all, they had to stick together against the perversions of idiot boys, right? "He deserved it for peeping at me."
"Huh?" butted in Touji. "Then I'll show you the same—OW!"
"It wasn't his fault that you're wearing a sundress on a windy ship," Hikari shot back, using her famed "Ear Pull" technique to subdue to the foolish jock.
"Who are you anyway? His girlfriend?" Asuka returned, breaking the Class Representative's cool and causing her to blush furiously, stuttering a bit.
"N-no, its nothing like that," she replied a little too quickly. "I am Hikari Horaki, Representative of Class 2-A, where the other two pilots are."
'Hikari…the light,' thought Asuka, eyes widening as she mentally replayed a scene from The World in her head, where she had been ambushed by a non-too-friendly Flick Reaper. Said Reaper had taunted her with the following words, words that came back upon hearing this girl's name and seeing her demeanor: "In life, I am called the light. In The World, Tomoyami of the Shadow is my name, weakling!"
Sometimes, as Asuka was discovering in both worlds, discretion really was the better part of Valor, and with a huff, she turned to Misato, eager to get a certain question of hers answered.
"So, which is the much-discussed Third Child?" she asked, looking over the three candidates. One was the perverted jock who seemed like he was going to flash her, another seemed a whiny geek who couldn't hold his own in PE, much less and EVA, and the third…well, he seemed rather dull, and apparently had a girlfriend who looked like a fragile porcelain doll.
Dolls…how I despise dolls…and worse, the bluenette player characters in The World who had the audacity to call me a doll, when they are but dolls themselves. Why should I not be surprised that I am surrounded by those things that I most hate?
Misato remained quiet for a moment, letting her silence speak for itself in an attempt to unnerve the Second Child. A successful one, at that, as the longer Asuka looked at the group, the more she began to think that Misato wasn't answering due to how badly she would take it. At long last, the Second could not stand it.
"Don't tell me it's THAT boy?" the redhead asked incredulously, words dripping with horror and disdain as she pointed, pointing at Touji, whose eyes twitched with annoyance at the unspoken implications in that statement.
"No, this one," Misato said, pointing to Shinji, who looked over, startled at being pointed out.
"He seems…" Asuka began, but trailed off, unable to find a word to complete her sentence. Though he had appeared dull at first, there was something about him that seemed, for lack of a better word, off.
United Nations Ship Over the Rainbow, Mess Hall
As might be expected, the Admiral and his bridge officers were none too pleased about having even more teenagers on board. This was an aircraft carrier, not a daycare facility, after all! But, as NERV's was a special agency of the UN, and as such, its strategic authority did exceed the fleet in case of an emergency, it wouldn't be prudent to show too much disregard for their motives. Still, bitterness made itself quite apparent in the choice of words, referring to the Evangelion as a toy, refusing to relinquish command, etc.
Misato had remained calm though, icily reminding the officer that NERV's authority exceeded that of the Pacific Fleet in the event of an emergency. But even she grew flustered at the entrance of dashing rogue. His name, as said in many different variations (and in many tones from scathing to puppy-eyed adoration), was Ryoji Kaji, and he was instantly recognizable by his ponytail and 5-o'clock-shadow. For Misato, it was as if the crypts of long buried memories had opened, and it was all she could do to keep her composure until they were out of general earshot.
"What are you doing here?" Captain Katsuragi demanded, eyes flashing dangerously.
Kaji chuckled and shrugged, easygoing and charming as he'd always been.
"Accompanying her," he said, motioning to Asuka. "I'm on a business trip from Germany."
At that, Misato's voice dropped to sub audible as she mumbled: "I'm getting careless... I should have expected this situation..."
With this in mind, having everyone crowd into the elevator may not have been the wisest decision, as too many people would be brushing up against each other. Granted, Lycoris and Shinji didn't exactly mind being in close proximity, and Touji and Hikari secretly didn't mind one another's company (not that they'd admit it willingly), but that still left the Misato/Kaji tension and a hostile Asuka to deal with.
By the time everyone was down to the mess hall, verbal inquiries and barbs were being exchanged, and Asuka had left the area, eager for her quarters again after the frustration of dealing with the other teens.
"Are you seeing anyone?" Kaji asked Misato, curious about his own chances of getting back together with her.
"And when did that become any of you business?" she snapped in reply
"Oh, you wound me," the rouge replied melodramatically, hand over his heart as the teenagers looked on. Then he focused his attention on the Third Child. "Are you living with Katsuragi?"
"Yes, Kaji-san," was the answer.
"Tell me, is she still so wild in bed?" he probed sardonically.
"Wh-- wh-- what are you implying!" stammered the lavender haired captain, just as Shinji made the offhand comment: "She tosses and turns, and mumbles something about her last boyfriend being a minuteman when the alarm clock rings."
Kaji winced, not expecting a flippant remark -- and apparently one disparaging his prowess, at that. Wasn't the Third Child supposed to be meek and compliant, according to the information the spy had obtained from his sources? Clearly there was something he was missing…maybe it was the involvement of the silver-haired girlfriend, since in his experience, being with beautiful women certainly gave him more confidence.
"She hasn't changed, then, Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji's eyes narrowed, but it was Lycoris who asked: "How do you know his name, Kaji-san?"
"You're famous in my circle," Kaji admitted, "the Third Child who piloted Eva in combat without training, and defeated 3 Angels. But you have me at a disadvantage, my dear. Who might you be?"
"Reimeiki Hakubo," Lycoris said softly, returning to her pattern of simply observing.
"I…I have something to protect," said Shinji, flushing slightly as he glanced at his companion, who caught him looking, as she usually did.
"You are more mature than I thought you would be. See you later."
With that, the pony tailed special agent of NERV walked off, leaving Misato all but banging her head on the table in frustration, longing for a drink - or five - to wash away her embarrassed mortification.
"This has to be a dream…a very very bad dream…"
United Nations Ship Over the Rainbow, Asuka's Quarters
Though Asuka had checked (several times), there was still no network connectivity to be had for civilian purposes, and this continued to be a point of frustration. She had been unable to administer the punishments that some of those children had so fittingly deserved for peeping at her body, all due to the intervention of a certain pigtailed girl who reminded her a little too much of Tomoyami, particularly the way that said Flick Reaper had soundly defeated her in battle just a week prior.
Verdammen interfering bitch! Why doesn't she realize that that jock and the others deserve a little pain? Or maybe she feels like she has to be the one in charge…she's probably some leather clad—
Asuka dismissed those thoughts before they went down a path she didn't particularly feel like following…after all, her character in The World wore leather as well. And speaking of The World, oh how she wished she could just go into The World and cleave a few pervert in two with her powerful broadsword. She had grown more powerful since her humiliating defeat at Tomoyami's hands, which again reeked of interference by that bluenette Skari. If she ever found out who he really was, she would be sure to inflict punishment on him the likes of which no one had ever seen before…now that she was coming to Japan, there was a higher chance she'd run into the player behind that character, but what were the odds, really?
Too bad I will probably have to settle for tormenting him online. I have to become stronger at any cost, and lay claim to that most powerful of Edge Punisher weapons, the Deadly Fearblade, or to do a literal translation, the "Certain Kill Ikari." Yes…Ikari…anger and hate…the two greatest of emotions to protect yourself with, never letting others close enough to hurt you…
She needed a distraction from the bare metal walls and rolling waves, or she would likely go out of her mind with frustr—
The door opened, and Ryoji Kaji walked in, to Asuka's delight. Kaji was one person she could always tolerate, no matter what. And at the very least, he was nice to look at, though the words coming from his mouth weren't.
"What do you think about Shinji Ikari?" he asked.
Asuka made a disgusted face at the mention of the name of the vaunted Third Child. For all the buzz about him and the talk about how he single-handedly defeated two Angels with no prior combat experience, he seemed a boring little boy. A shy, withdrawn weakling like those she broke in The World, who dated a doll at that!
"He's the great Third Child?" she echoed. "He's so dull. I'm disappointed!"
"Keep in mind that his synch-ratio exceeded 40 in combat, without training," the spy replied dryly, leading to Asuka's mouth dropping open much in the way of Shinji's startled fish technique.
"Mien Gott! That can't be true!" she cried out. "It's unbelievable! Don't lie to me!"
Kaji, knowing better than to bother Asuka when she believed she was right, said nothing and left the room. Meanwhile, thoughts of impressing the Third Child began to brew in Asuka's mind…if he were truly so powerful in combat, perhaps he would be a valuable trophy to conquer…
United Nations Ship Over the Rainbow, Mess Hall
"That captain was completely arrogant!" complained Touji, who was not exactly happy about the degrading comments from the officer in charge of the ship. Nursery? He thought not…the jock could easily take care of himself.
"He's a proud man," Misato replied in a rare moment of insight. "He can't help but be cynical toward us."
"The Second Child was worse," Hikari interjected. "She thinks she has the right to punish everyone for accidents, just because of who she is. Ikari-kun's a pilot, and he isn't that arrogant, isn't that right, Hakubo-san?"
The silver-haired girl blushed slightly, twirling her hair with her fingers.
"Ikari-kun is special…but I think the Second Child has had a hard past," she murmured. "She puts up a false front, a mirage of deceit in order to hide her vulnerable core. It is like Hedgehog's dilemma, where the closer people get to one another, the harder it is to avoid being hurt."
The other teens considered this thoughtfully for a moment, as Misato took a close look at Lycoris, intrigued as to how the young girl in red might have known about Asuka's past. Perhaps she was simply insightful, or maybe…
"So you're Hakubo-san," Misato said, eyes flashing with mischief as she found a target to tease. "Are you Shinji-kun's girlfriend? I always thought he had a crush on Rei."
Well, the question was out in the open now, along with the common implication of "Shinji as Player", a theory that had found ample room to propagate in school, thanks to the efforts of the Idiot Duo, and little oddities here and there.
The couple blushed and looked at one another, before Shinji reached over and took Lycoris' hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Yeah, go Shinji!" wolf-whistled Touji, only to fall silent at a withering gaze from the class representative. The first citizen of Class 2-A apparently still had a good amount of power over behaviors when not in the classroom, possibly because of her ability to carry through with her threats.
After a moment of silence, Kensuke voiced what everyone had been thinking: "Since we all play The World, did that German girl seem at all like a PK we've all met? The one who followed us to Θ Hidden Forbidden In Heat?"
"You mean…Eris?" asked Shinji, receiving a chorus of nods in return. Now that he thought about it consciously, there were some similarities between the two. Both were well built, with fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes, and both as well seemed to like showing off their bodies, while accusing anyone who looked of being perverted, even if it was an accident…
As if on cue, the German fireball, Asuka Langley Soryu, appeared in the doorway.
"Third Child!" she barked imperiously, "Come with me."
Pacific Fleet, Transport Ship for Evangelion Unit-02
"Its red. I didn't expect that," murmured Shinji upon first seeing the production model Eva. Then again, with Unit-00 painted in a garish shade of orange and Unit-01 the product of some post modernist paint scheme in purple and green, finding an Eva in a bright primary color wasn't what he had expected. Apparently, the German branch of NERV was more driven by aesthetics than Tokyo-3.
"That's not the only difference," boasted the Second Child, eager to show why she was the best. "After all, Unit-00 and Unit-01 are only prototypes, test models in the development process. The fact that it synchronized with you, (and here she sneered) an untrained boy, is proof of that. Unit-02 is a true Evangelion, the first of the production models built for actual combat."
She posed heroically, only to fall flat on her face as the boat rocked violently.
"What's happening?" Shinji asked, shaken, moving towards the deck to see what was going on. But Asuka, having been at sea for a few days longer and consequently having gotten her sea legs, beat him to it.
"Shock wave in the water!" she relayed, all business now. "Something exploded nearby."
Shinji knew of only one thing that might go after an entire fleet, with the world united under the UN against an extra-planetary threat. And his suspicions were confirmed as Gaghiel shot out of the water, its massive body and long jaws of razor-sharp teeth enough to inspire fear in anyone…especially as it proceeded to destroy ship after ship, getting closer and closer to the transport they were on.
"That's an Angel!" said Shinji, "I have to get back to Misato-san."
To Asuka's credit, she reacted just about as quickly without knowing the power that an Angel held. However, her reaction was more geared towards two things: 1) showing off, and 2) self-preservation, since the thing was coming steadily closer to the ship the two Children were on.
"Now's my chance!" she exclaimed, grabbing Shinji and pulling him below-decks.
"Hey, where are we going?" the Third Child asked, confused, before looking over to Eva-02 and blanching. They were going to take an untested Eva into battle, and worse, it looked like it was fitted with the B-type equipment, which was entirely unsuitable for underwater combat. So he'd learned the hard way from practice in the virtual room…
Then, Asuka shoved him into a corner and ducked behind a door, calling out: "Wait here a second."
Realizing that if Asuka was anything like Eris, she would have his head if he did anything possibly construed as perverted, Shinji looked in his backpack for anything he might be able to use. As it happened, he had been given one of his modified plugsuits, as he was expected for another VR training immediately after this mission. He quickly stripped down and changed into the outfit, the flowing silvery lines upon it glimmering in the darkness.
Asuka, having finished changing, was both pleased and annoyed that the Third Child hadn't peeped at her. Granted, maybe he wasn't as much of a perverted idiot as she thought, but didn't he find her attractive? And hadn't this been an excellent opportunity for him to indulge in his fantasies so that she could guilt trip him about it later?
"Boys are such idiots!" she muttered, emerging from the small room to come face to face with the Third Child, dressed in a plugsuit that seemed oddly familiar.
I feel that I should recognize this design, but I don't. Too bad I won't have the pleasure of making him wear one of my plug suits…that would have been amusing to see.
Her lips twitched up into a smirk as she brought up a mental image of what the Third Child would have looked like in a female plugsuit.
"Lets go," Shinji said suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. It was strange how determined he looked, and Asuka rather liked that more than how weak he seemed before.
"Don't you need my permission to use my Unit Two? Or Misato-san's permission?" she asked pointedly, recalling his earlier uncertainty.
"Permission doesn't matter if we die. Lets worry about that after we win," he replied, already on his way to the Eva.
Grumbling something under her breath about a baka who wanted to steal the limelight, Asuka climbed into the entry plug of her Eva Unit, taking care to stay as distant from the perhaps perverted male as she could.
"Here I go," she said, "Now you'll get to see how skillful a true pilot is. Just don't distract me from claiming my kill."
As Asuka began her startup sequence, Shinji volunteered a bit of information that she wished she had known earlier.
"Just to point something out, I don't know German," said the Third Child, leading Asuka to curse mentally.
Verdammen Sie!Why do I have to put up with such incompetence? Everyone knows that German is the best of all languages.
"None at all?"
"Err…bratwurst, Scheiße, rotten, ritter, Wotan, sauerkraut?" he attempted lamely, knowing that he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Baka! Fine, switch the base thought language to Japanese," Asuka growled in irritation. "Evangelion Unit Two, activate!"
As the powerful red mecha activated, a flurry of signals were sent to the bridge and back, with both the Admiral and Misato jockeying for control. But with the Eva in motion, it didn't really matter…NERV had de facto control of the situation.
In the Eva, two things were painfully apparent to Shinji: 1) the Eva was carrying B-type Equipment, and 2) that the power gauge was steadily counting down.
"If this falls into the sea, it's over," he muttered.
"And if it doesn't fall, we're okay!" answered Asuka fiercely, ready for the excitement of her first battle.
On Misato's commands, the two pilots of the Evangelion began a highly destructive game of hopscotch as they came closer and closer to Over the Rainbow, Gaghiel close on their trail. They arrived with seconds to spare, transferring to the emergency power socket's feed just as the battery was about to give out.
"Transfer to the external power source complete," the Second Child reported, as something popped into her head.
We have no firearms, just a prog-knife—
"But we have no firearms," said Shinji, seemingly echoing her thoughts. Well, she couldn't appear weak in front of him, could she?
"The Prog-knife can deal with it," she harrumphed, putting on a show of bravado that she didn't really feel. B-type Equipment, only a prog-knife, an angel attack at sea…this wasn't shaping out as a good day.
Then the Second felt a mental tremor, as the Third Child motioned for the Eva to deploy a second prog-knife, as that was what he had grown comfortable with in simulations.
"Hey, don't take over my Eva!" she scolded, just as Gaghiel leapt up to attack, and Shinji executed a classic attack pattern of using the enemy's momentum against it, slamming one blade into the gullet of the beast, and then whirling to stab it in the back.
"Don't you have any projectiles on this mech?" he asked, distracted by the effort of fending off a massive opponent at sea. "This is a 'true' Evangelion, right?"
Asuka flinched, annoyed both that her barb was being returned to her, and that she had forgotten about the internal weapon rack in the right shoulder that fired needle packs.
"I'll take over from here," she said confidently, as the Angel leapt out of the water again, and the conflict of control signals left the Eva unprepared. The Second managed to strafe the enemy with its spike cannon, but the impact was great enough to knock Evangelion Unit-02 into the water.
"Scheiße!" both pilots said in unison, as the Eva began to sink, its controls freezing up, not that that hadn't been expected.
"Asuka, underwater battle is impossible with B-equipment!" crackled Misato's voice from over the intercom.
"You don't know until you try," shot back the Second Child, even as the Eva missed the target, and the cable ran out. Gaghiel, intending to devour its now helpless prey, came around for a second strike, even as Asuka realized the futility of her efforts.
"What? It's not working!" was pretty much her reaction, not that it hadn't been expected. "You're the almighty Third Child, aren't you? Do something!"
"Here it comes," whispered Shinji, as the cavernous maw of the beast came closer and closer to them. Then something hit him. "We have to let it swallow us, or at least get into its mouth."
"M—mouth?" cried Asuka, not expecting that reaction. "What, are you insane, Third?"
"Its an Angel…this is the only way to get past its AT Field," was the reply of a hyperfocused pilot, on the very verge of berserker fury. There was no time for a second opinion, as the Angel was successful in taking Eva Unit Two inside its body, much to the shock and horror of those on the bridge.
"Does that mean Eva was eaten?" goggled Touji, in disbelief that Shinji could have been beaten so easily.
"He has a plan," murmured Lycoris, soft words of tranquility that was pitched just high enough to cut through the chaos. "Trust him."
"Well, we're in a tight spot," joked Shinji, only to be shoved aside by Asuka.
"Shut up! You got us into this mess, jerk!" she snarled
"But we have to get deeper inside…if we don't destroy the core, the Angel will still be alive. There's no other way."
"But the B-type equipment…" Asuka protested.
"Didn't you just say, 'you don't know until you try', or are you afraid? You trained for this, I didn't."
The Second Child had never been particularly good at shrugging off words, and an attack on both her courage and her skill was most definitely unacceptable.
"Nothing is ever too much for the great Asuka Langley Soryu," she said proudly, showing that bravado again. "And since you got us eaten, I'll just have to make the best of this, won't I?"
In the belly of the beast sat the pulsating red core, just waiting for someone to slam a prog knife into it. Unfortunately, the Eva was not capable of rapid motion underwater, but maybe.
"Firing needle pack!"
Flechettes, well known as short range, high impact weapons, lanced through the water from the shoulder mount of the Eva towards the core of the Angel, impacting it and cracking the core with sustained fire. The Angel began to grow frantic as its innards took damage, attempting to violently crush the Evangelion in its maw before it could do any more damage.
It wasn't quite successful, and it looked like our two pilots had finally gotten the upper hand, when misfortune struck and the Eva ran out of ammunition.
Scheiße! And so close too…
"Any other ideas, Third Child?" Asuka asked irately. Dying in her first battle was not the way she had planned her life, especially as she had trained for this since she was four, and her co-pilot had beaten three Angels while almost completely untrained.
"We can throw a prog knife into the core. That should be enough," Shinji answered manner-of-factly, eyes glinting fiercely.
"And how do you propose to open its mouth? Because if can't open the mouth, we'll be destroyed, too."
"We will," Shinji replied cryptically, even as he began to mentally chant his first NERV mantra again, 'Center the target, pull the switch. Center the target, pull the switch. Center the target, PULL THE SWITCH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!'
"Open," chanted the two pilots, focusing their thoughts. "Open, open, open!"
The mouth opened, just as the prog-knife was thrown with all the strength an Eva could muster, the high pressure of the inrushing water only adding to its speed, as it slammed into the damaged core, and critically damaged it. It began to glow ominously, brighter and brighter, as the Eva kicked away from the Angel.
"Reel us in, now!" called out Asuka, just as the Angel exploded into brilliance and the shockwave blasted the Eva towards the surface and the sun. Its path was a perfect arc into the air towards the carrier, and it managed a landing well enough, though it nearly swamped Over the Rainbow, and ended up tossing the rest of the planes overboard.
The entry plug ejected and the Eva dropped to its knees, slumping as if exhausted from a fierce battle. Not that that could be, thought Misato. The Eva was only a machine, right? Its not as if it had a will of its own.
The two pilots emerged, still squabbling, but not quite hostile to each other anymore.
"Maybe you aren't incompetent as you seem after all," Asuka acknowledged, which coming from her, was a high compliment.
"Likewise, oh great Asuka Langley Soryu," Shinji replied in a half-mocking tone.
The Creator's Room, Hidden Area of The World
Morganna made her way towards a room of white, a mysterious place of blank walls, with only a wooden chair in the middle. This was one of Harald's Rooms, dating back to the time of Fragment, created as a sort of cradle for Aura. This was a place where a complete copy of the Epitaph had been held, long ago, and only those who possessed fragments from the past might enter here.
Or perhaps not. Since the disappearance of my Aura and the coming of the AIDA, there were other paths opened to here…paths such as—
The bearer of the aberrant Key stopped cold, as she saw that the room was once again damaged, and not by her this time. No, this time there was a black and red three-edged marking on the ground, surrounding the rickety old rocking chair. And in the chair sat a little girl with blue-green hair a little past her shoulders, pale skin, and some kind of white gothic lolita style dress.
A Lost One. And yet there is activity in her…she is linked to…them.
Here too, black spots faded in and out of view at the edges of her vision, and Morganna, knowing what they were, remained cautious. The last thing she needed was to become infected by AIDA herself, as that would likely destroy what control she had over the Dummy Epitaph, and that would be…unwise if allowed to happen.
Out of the corner of her eye, the Sorceress in Black noted the arrival of a haggard Steam Gunner, one dressed mostly in blue tones, with traces of leather scattered throughout his outfit, a long, flowing blue scarf, and a pair of orange sunglasses. He seemed mournful about something, as he looked first to the remnants of the room, and then to the girl in the chair, Aina.
However, it wasn't that that intrigued Morganna, but the huge metal cylinder covering the Steam Gunner's left arm, equipped with a lock of all things.
A firewall of sorts to control a rogue program within And I can sense in him a fragment of my former self…Ovan, Epitaph Wielder of Corbenik.
"Greetings…Tri-Edge," she intoned a coolly musical voice, while making no movements that could be interpreted as threatening. The former goddess knew very well the power of the Rebirth, and while she might well have challenged him under different circumstances, the fact that he also wielded the power of an AIDA caused her to act with more caution. "Or should I say Ovan, Epitaph Wielder of Cobernik?"
AIDA… Agent of ID Dominating Activity…AIDA are drawn to human emotions, and heighten the base emotions. They are agents of id, as it were, Freud's unconsciousness, drives that grant great power but can cause immense destruction as well. And the wielder of the last and most powerful of the Phases has become infected…
The Steam Gunner straightened and looked in her direction, a flash of light coming from the orange sunglasses he wore.
"You know of me?" he asked.
"I know all within The World, as I was The World, Cobernik. Your Avatar was once a part of me, the last part within The World."
"Morganna, the Cursed Wave." It was not a question, but a statement of certainty. Ovan could sense Tri-Edge within him wishing to stir once more, but he kept the powerful AIDA under control with the help of his partial firewall.
"So I have been called, though I am not the one hunted in this day. No, that would be Tri-Edge, wouldn't it, the great PK?
Ovan remained quiet, saying only: "A long time ago, there was a goddess here, seated within The World."
"Aura."
"The Key of Twilight, and guide to truth."
Morganna stepped towards and around Ovan, analyzing his PC and how he affected the surrounding realm. It seemed that the other AIDA could come closer or further away from him as he chose…can it be that he can control the AIDA by virtue of his dark infection?
"You seek the Key…to free yourself of your burden…you seek the key for rebirth and redemption. But do you know the paths that you may take? There are but one way for you to be cured, as well as your…sister."
"The Goddess may intervene. That is why I seek her."
Morganna took a moment to quote from the Epitaph of Twilight, knowing that the Steam Gunner would understand her.
"Shunning the field broken by Wave.
The shadowed girl whispers,
"Surely, I will return."
Alas, the truth unbeknownst.
Awaiting her at journey's end;
Eternal mourning for her land.
"Aura has returned to the wind, as was her destiny, and has already intervened, creating the Three Azure Knights from memories of The World's heroes," Morganna related to Ovan. "As during the Age of Twilight, it is the players who must decide their own destiny."
"There is another path?" he asked levelly.
"There is only one option, as there has been from the beginning. The destruction of Tri-Edge and Cobernik, of the aberrant key and the final key to twilight," she intoned gravely. "Your phase is The Rebirth, and when last destroyed, it reset the global network so that Aura could ascend."
"My destruction is the key to rebirth?"
"Yes. It is your Avatar's ability, and the only way you can save…Aina."
To Ovan's credit, he remained impassive, except for a subtle wince that almost went unnoticed.
"My power—"
"—exceeds that of the system's defenders. Cast them as the true enemy, as you raise one powerful enough to defeat even you. Cast aside your terror of the future, and seek the Terror of Death, Tri-Edge. Do you see your path, Ovan? You must walk The World and become stronger, seeking the one who will defeat you. Train him and use him as you will, but his power is your only hope. Remember the power of betrayal, that the higher something is dropped, the worse the crash will be. Hope is the best spice to bring out despair."
"Destiny is not decided on the whim of a goddess," Ovan murmured.
"I am not deciding your fate. Seek the Key of Twilight if you wish, but know the Key lies within yourself…the key to rebirth and the key to shadow…the Key to overturning everything."
"The Shadow…Cubia, the Hidden One."
"Yes. The Anti-existence, grown far stronger than in the time of twilight, who only The Rebirth and the Terror of Death may together defeat. Each of the Epitaphs together equals the power of a Twilight Bracelet, and there are 8 Phases, 8 Avatars…the destruction of the Gomoras will be fierce, if they are not stopped. And through your path, you will awaken him, and thus must destroy him as well."
"What do you gain from this, Morganna?"
"We're alike, you and I. Victims of the worst possible fate…penitents seeking redemption, though it will cost us our souls…all we can do is not run away," the Sorceress in Black said, with a touch of sadness in her voice. "You know of the dangers of the aberrant key, that the AIDA pose to all in this world and the other. Will you take the risk that my daughter will not intervene? "
"AIDA. AI Deciding as Attorney. Tri-Edge took away my control and caused tragedy to be committed. Is that your nature as well, Cursed Wave?"
"Perhaps. For there to be a hero, there must be a villain worthy of the hero, for every Bellerophon, a Chimera. Do we understand one another, my son?"
"I will still seek Aura, and her aid."
"And if that fails?"
"I will take your path."
"Very well. It is not an easy one, but then, what is? I am the rebirth of the Wave, just as you are," noted Morganna with a bit of amusement. "Take your Lost Weapon from the End of the World, and grow stronger. And you have undoubtedly heard this many times, and said it as well, but Ovan: 'Welcome to the World.'"