.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Glimmering Mirage
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
Like a lighthouse on a rocky isle, casting brilliance out towards the horizon, so too did the city of Tokyo-3 give hope to all mankind. It was the last defense against the Angels, the city of science and technology, where man fought threats from beyond the stars for dominance of earth. A marvel of engineering and necessity, it sheltered the millions that called it home while glimmering in the sunlight—a thing of beauty symbolizing how mankind feared the darkness, and how, to survive, they chased it away with flames.
Without electricity, the works of man would sizzle out, impotent against the elements.
This was nowhere truer than in the apartment shared by Morganna and Lycoris, a sanctuary for the two that was unsurprisingly tech-heavy, given that the two had their origins in The World as beings related to the current Goddess of the Network. Spacious and airy, it was formed from the union of three apartments into one, outfitted with décor simple, yet elegant. In feeling, it evoked the atmosphere of wide-open spaces, with a few fantastical shapes here or there reminiscent of places from The World.
On first glance, one's eyes might be drawn to the little stuffed grunties that sat along the wall, or to the collections of books and paintings scattered around the apartment. The pictures all related to The World, some depicting each of the Root Towns as they used to be in the history of The World, some of the once and future "goddesses" together, and one of the "family" of Morganna, Harald Hoerwick, and Emma Wielant looking over their "progeny." The books ran the gamut from the epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Illiad, Titanomachy, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the Epitaph of Twilight itself, to plays by playwrights such as Shakespeare, and works of science fiction novels like Cordwainer Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind.
Seeing these more traditional accouterments, most would skip over the paper thin LCD screens that literally coated the walls, the wave field synthesis devices for precise recreation of sonic environments, and the computer cores seamlessly woven into the walls. Indeed, one room in the house was nearly identical to the virtual room that NERV had created, with neural interfacing, motion tracking and all. Normally, the simulation setting was one of the root towns of The World: R1, but currently, the apartment had reverted to the default: a mirror of the Creator's Room.
'Of course…the apartment has gone into power-save mode,' thought Lycoris, who had finished her report to Helba just as the power-grid in Tokyo-3 cut out. Luckily, as both of them were quite tech-savvy, each had invested in backup power systems for their dwellings, meaning that they had not had to cut short their meeting. 'Then again, this isn't so bad…it's peaceful here, as the city almost seems deserted because few people go out when the power is down.'
As for the silver-haired girl herself, she was enjoying the cool breeze and warm sun of late afternoon, standing on the balcony of her apartment, wearing a variant of the red dress and cape that had been her signature fashion for so long, the crimson ribbons in her hair fluttering in the wind as she smiled.
Gazing into the distance, she wondered if Shinji would come over soon, so they could spend the day together.
'The power outage does mean he logs out of The World, one way or another,' the Child of Twilight reflected, though her lips twisted downwards slightly as she recalled that phones would not work in a blackout. 'This means we can spend some time in peace…as long as the nagging premonition does not come to pass, of an all-consuming spider from the shadows.'
Asuka Langley Soryu's Residence, NERV HQ
"NANI?! A POWER FAILURE?! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO KICK HIS ASS!" screeched an irate German girl, cursing and swearing in extremely colorful language. "Verdammt! Herrgott noch einmal! Was für ein Haufen Scheiße! Tufel 'Dark Evangel!'"
Had words the power to kill, the Second Child would not have needed to pilot an Evangelion Unit at all. Rather, simply place her in front of an Angel, and vehement curses would have slaughtered the divine messengers, caustic verbal barbs eroding the light of the soul with the Absolute Terror fields they inspired. Fortunately for the Angels, however, and unfortunately for NERV's constantly overstrained budget (repairing war machines that were being constantly blasted by particle beams, run through by razor tentacles, or half-melted by magma did not come cheap), all her words managed to do was give Captain Katsuragi major headaches when she was (oh-so-frequently) hung over.
On the other hand, sales of the world's most common and popularly used psychoactive drug had spiked, with the irascible purple haired Director of Operations heavily contributing, especially after the installation of the new espresso machines that positively made the bridge personnel weep with joy.
"Did that baka actually think he could defeat me with that golden metal blob of his?" sneered the prideful Asuka Langley Soryu, turning up her nose at the very suggestion, as she ripped off her headset and tossed it against the wall, raging all the while.
Crack!
Unfortunately for her personal budget, even her personal M2D goggles, designed and manufactured with all the precision and durability that German engineering was well known for, were not built to withstand being flung against hard metal surfaces every day. While it had faithfully endured such abuses since first being purchased, there comes a time when in course of equipment lifetimes, enough is enough. The M2D goggles, worth about $500 for a standard model, shattered.
The Second Child was left gibbering in incandescent rage, her mouth working up and down in imitation of a fish as she shook, barely able to keep herself from slamming her fist into the wall (this not being to prevent additional property damage, as much as preventing her from breaking her knuckles).
"NIEN!" she shrieked, seething as she considered everything that had gone wrong in the past couple of weeks, beginning with her encounter in the First Child's hospital room.
'The Third acts like a complete pervert and kisses me, then I run into some stupid 'Dark Evangel' PKK, the power goes out when I'm about to kill him, and then now my M2D goggles have broken. This is all the fault of that BAKA HENTAI and that blunette. In fact, what right does he have to use the name 'Dark Evangel' anyway? That offends me, as the designated Pilot of Unit 02! That idiot clearly needs to be taught to respect his betters.'
After a few more moments of howling obscenities, pummeling available furniture, and focusing her anger so as to give her strength, the Red Devil took a deep breath and counted to ten, deciding that she needed a walk. Maybe she could find the Third Child and toy around with him, as the baka so richly deserved for yanking her chain.
Thus resolved, the Second Child walked to the door, and slammed it open—to reveal a strange boy standing in front of her residence, another of the doll-like abominations she so detested. With pale skin, crimson eyes, and silver-hair, he resembled no one as much as the First, even if he did have an oddly satisfied smirk on his face as softly hummed Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."
'He's mocking me—just like that doll by Mama's side, he's mocking me!'
Quick as a snake, she acted without thinking, hand blurring through the air as the irascible redhead reached out to deliver a slap powerful enough to knock the intruder off his feet—but somehow, the doll-like boy was able to nonchalantly dodge, taking hold of her wrist after the fact.
"Your speed and combat training are indeed most impressive," the other nearly purred, looking deeply into Asuka's eyes. "Clearly with such spirit, you must be the renowned Asuka Langley Soryu, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. Defeating three Angels, one of which while in a volcano, another using B-Type equipment underwater…your exploits are the stuff of legend!"
"Hmph, that's only natural…I am the best, after all," she sniffed arrogantly, somewhat mollified by the words calculated to stroke her ego pleasurably, some of her anger abating. "The great Second Child, undefeated in combat in all The World."
"Ah yes, The World," the grey-haired boy replied, quirking a slender eyebrow as his gaze drifted to the shattered M2D on the floor. "It must be a popular game indeed for so many to play, and it is an honor to meet such a powerful individual as yourself. The game fascinates me, as it is a wonderful example of how Lilim manage to prevail against terribly unfair odds, using their emotions, using their pain to grant them such power. I am sure you are the type that would show newbies and annoyances the rules of reality, am I right?"
His words manner should have set off all sorts of alarms in her head, but her ego just felt too damned good to let the compliments go, so suppressing the twinges of discomfort.
"Just so…they need to be taught a lesson before they go and spoil someone's day with incessant requests for help, idealistic preaching about PKing, or just getting in the way by not knowing the rules," the Second Child found herself agreeing, as she looked over the stranger. 'He's not that bad looking, better than that—wait, I don't need anyone—stop thinking like that!' "So who might you be? Have you come to replace the worthless First?"
"Astute and powerful, as well as lovely. I like that," the boy commented in dulcet tones, causing Asuka to blush ever so slightly, the sight of which only intensified that smug smirk of his. "You are correct; I am Kaworu Nagisa, the Fourth Child, designated pilot to Evangelion Unit 00. Like you, I come from NERV Germany…it is nice to see another Deutschlander here, and to speak the mother tongue, isn't it?"
'Ah, good, another German,' Asuka thought with glee. 'I can get along with them so much better than any of those…others.'
"Ah, Sie heiße Deutsch?" the redhead asked, eyes lighting up at the thought of another comrade in this strange land. "Well then, Viel Erfolg! Let's hope you do better than the First, instead of being a rogue little puppet."
"Danke Schön!" Kaworu replied to the well wishing, his smirk softening slightly as his hand slid from the Second's wrist to twine with her fingers. "To be honest, I have not seen much of the city, and I find that I cannot do much more while trapped in NERV HQ during a power failure...so I would be most honored if would you deign to show me around Tokyo-3. I would like to see the place I am protecting and who better than the most beautiful girl in all of Japan to accompany me on my walkabout?"
"Heh, don't get too cocky, Fourth Child," the Second reproved, turning her nose up into the air, but not letting go of the other's hand. "I don't go out with just anyone, you know."
"Won't you indulge me as a fellow German? It does get lonely here in the Geofront without company."
"Hmph, well, fine, I need to take a walk outside anyway, so come if you want," Asuka said at last, pulling the Fourth along with her, as if trying to leave him behind. To her surprise, the silver-haired boy matched her stride for stride.
"I understand, so this is what the Lilim would consider a date," he murmured, altogether too close to her ear for her comfort.
"BAKA! This is not a date!" the flustered Second reacted automatically, attacking with her free hand even as she blushed. Imagine her embarrassment when the vaguely amused Kaworu caught the offending appendage with ease and began caressing her open palm. "Wh-what are you…?"
"How forward of you on this 'not a date'," the Fourth Child answered mildly, exaggerating the appropriate words. "Your body language would indicate that you have something you desire in this situation. Might it be this?"
Her eyes widened in shock, as in a classic performance of part of the Masochism Tango, the Fourth Child leaned his face down to hers, lips coming within millimeters of capturing hers when he pulled back, looking all too smug for his own good.
"Wait, what—!"
"Come on, you were the one who wanted to go out," Kaworu said, releasing her palm and cutting off her protests by pulling her towards an exit to the Geofront. "I'll even buy you a new set of M2D goggles, to show my thanks."
"Hmph, fine," she acquiesced at last, looking at him defiantly as face and body burned. "But don't expect me to enjoy—mmph!"
This time he did kiss her, deeply and without warning, silencing any further protest as he pulled her tightly to him. Suddenly, rational thought came to a screeching halt, as sensation overwhelmed her faculties—then vanished, so quickly she wondered if it had really happened.
"Don't worry, I won't."
Misato's Apartment
It was strange how silent the apartment could be without electricity, since the omnipresent sound of the refrigerator chilling countless cases of beer had ceased. Misato wasn't home, still at NERV as usual, while Shinji sat motionless in his room, asking himself whether or not what Eris had said in The World had any significance.
'Eris has said time and time again that the next time Skadi or I met, it would be our deaths—but I don't know if it was her that made Skadi a Lost One,' The Third Child wondered to himself, his mind quite troubled by the thought. 'The Asuka might overreact a lot, and not like…wait, in the hospital, she said that Ayanami got what she deserved…so it doesn't matter. The only way to bring her back is to defeat Eris, and that is what I'll have to do…'
"Wark! Wark! Wark!" came the warbling cry of a warm water penguin, which had come through the open door of his room and was now pecking at his pants. Knowing that this would not cease, and that the creature was more than capable of continuing until the Third was black and blue all over, Shinji quickly gave in to avoid further injury.
"Alright Pen-Pen, I'll make you something to eat," he relented, patting the penguin affectionately on the head as he roses and tramped over to the kitchen. 'Thank goodness for the simple problems in life, like Misato being hung over, or Pen-Pen being hungry. It takes my mind off AIDA-PCs, Angels, and more complicated things, even if only for a while.'
His life had never been quite normal, after all, not since the day he was born. From all the abandonment and loss in his life, it seemed that destiny was shaping him to become an anti-hero of sorts, doing what he had to do for the sake of the world. By now, he was coming to understand that his father didn't really care about him, but he knew that other people did.
'That's right…I promised Remeiki that I'd go visit her once I logged out,' the Third Child recalled with a smile, feeling a bit more secure as he headed out the door.
Morganna's Apartment
In the span of lifetimes, people changed, events transpired, and the world itself would change. Each mortal lived, floating within the great ocean of space-time, through a myriad of fractured moments, along the path of spider lilies—with all remaining fleeting memories that would soon fade, shimmering with warmth, yet evanescent, the only true souvenir of past.
In the lazy time that most called afternoon, a young girl watched the world go by, hair shining like fire as she was bathed in the sun. To her, each shard of time was precious, poignant memories all, despite where the path might one day lead. She had already walked the lily-lined path of no return once in her life, as her nature would allow her no less. And sometimes, she yearned for the places she had been: the unchangeable home town that had been the Aqua Capital; the place of adventure carved from the impossibly tall spires of stone and hidden above the clouds called the Weaver Guardian, where the great winds howled incessant through day and night; the great Ariel City, a flying fortress ensconced in the sky; the Cultural City, a place of streets and canals, of shops, bars, and parks—a place of people bathed in eternal night; and the Relic City, the holy city of shrines.
'Destiny…some called it a City of Destiny, a place where one could take the future into one's own hands…and yet in the grand scale, everything is lost, like tears in the rain…'
Standing on the balcony of the apartment she shared with her distant mother, the Child of Twilight was herself a set of contradictions and enigmas, all bound up with her nature, and what she might in time become. Elegant and pure she might seem to some, sharp-tongued and quick-witted to others, but there were things in her past that scarred her still, even if she was no longer of the world where she had first been born.
"Alas the truth unbeknownst," she murmured, placing her hands over her heart, as she quoted the Epitaph, "awaiting her at journey's end, eternal mourning for her land…"
The sound of footsteps clip-clip-clopping on the pavement below caught her attention, and the girl named Lycoris looked down, to see the rapidly approaching form of Shinji Ikari, who had apparently kept his promise to visit her after all.
'But I wonder which of Light's great trees will you choose…Kether or Chokmah in the dead world of Indieglut Lugh…? And will your choice hold salvation or destruction in the end?'
She mulled over these shifting thoughts as she walked to the door, opening it just as the Third Child leaned forward to knock—subsequently causing him to lose his balance and send both of them tumbling to the floor in a tangled heap, that to anyone else would have been an extremely compromising position eliciting cries of "This isn't what it looks like" and nosebleed gushers.
"I-uh-you, came over-uh—" While Shinji Ikari may not have been quite the accidental pervert that someone like, say, Keitaro Urashima always ended up accused of being, his stammer and blush skills were second to none. All the more so when he found himself on top of a lovely young woman who just so happened to be his girlfriend, with the two of them alone in her apartment. Truly, the light of a N2 mine was no match for the blaze of his cheeks.
"Yes, I'm happy you came too, Ecchi-kun," Lycoris teased with a mischievous tone, pouting and giving him a wide-eyed expression. "But do you really have to be so forward every time we meet? Do you only like me for my bo—mmph! Mmm…"
Fortunately, the Third Child had picked up a little more self-confidence in the time that he and Lycoris had been together, and so he delivered one of the time-honored "shut up kisses" to stop the teasing. His girlfriend was witty and clever, true, but if she couldn't speak from lack of rational thought…then she'd be his equal, since he was intoxicated by simply being this close to her.
When the kiss ended after several minutes, both of them were flushed, with the two looking deeply into each other's eyes almost shyly. While they had kissed before on quite a few occasions, it had always been the silver-haired girl who had initiated, not he, so this time was special.
"I was hoping you'd do that," she murmured into his ear, wrapping her arms about his neck and pulling his head down to hers. "That's the first time…you kissed me like that. But since you don't have much practice, why don't we try that again, hmm?"
Dazed by her words, Shinji could only nod, the slight movement bringing their lips together once more.
Entrance to NERV HQ
Great steel doors warded the entrance to the main access way to the Geofront, allowing through only those who had a valid NERV ID, or who knew the override code for the door. Normally, this meant quick, efficient passage through the gates, allowing workers to come and go with ease, but today—
"God's in His Heaven…All's right with the world. Riiight…evidently not, if the doors won't open," muttered a somewhat irate Maya Ibuki, swiping the defective piece of plastic through the reader once more, to no avail. 'First, I get hit on by Kaji, then apparently Siarl was sighted and two of my dothackers attacked, and now there's a power failure…could things possible get any worse?'
The mousy brunette happened to glance at the blood red logo emblazoned above the blast doors, with the NERV motto and a fig-leaf.
'Yes, of course, the fig leaf, with which humans hide their nakedness after eating from the Tree of Knowledge and being barred from the Tree of Life,' she thought, 'a perfect metaphor for the AT field that separates us as individuals.'
This time, realizing that something was probably wrong with the reader, the level-headed bridge tech opened up a hidden panel on the wall and input the requisite override code to open the door. Yet again, nothing happened. No ker-clunk of the door unlocking, no snap-hiss as a door slid open, nothing.
Suspecting that there was something amiss in the grander scale, Maya took out her cell phone, nodding sagely when she saw that there no reception in the area.
'This shouldn't be possible, since the only way there would be a loss of coverage is if the power went out, and the Geofront has main, auxiliary, and backup power, as it was designed to be self-sufficient, even if isolated from the outside world,' mused the brunette, sighing as she realized what this must have been. 'Sabotage…Agent Kaji is ahead of schedule. I'll just have to find another way into—'
A low flying buzz caused her to look up, distracting her from her thoughts.
'What now?'
"ATTENTION!" an amplified rang out from the fighter plane. "This is the Third District Japan Air Self Defense force. An unidentified object is currently approaching this area. Residents, please report to your designated shelters immediately. This is not a drill."
Maya had to forcibly suppress a loud groan as she gritted her teeth. Apparently, the demon Murphy had struck again, even invoking the aid of a celestial rival to make her life miserable. Well, that was it then, there was no help for it…
'I still have one last means of communication, and if power really has gone down, any reserves will likely be routed to the MAGI and Central Dogma,' the bridge tech recalled from operating procedures. 'This means that this is the best chance to get a signal through without risk of interception.'
Tucked into her pocket was a private mobile radio-communications device (colloquially, a walkie-talkie) of extremely high quality, the best one could buy on the civilian market. Designed like a watch, with 5 km range and voice activated operation, it was usually inconspicuous and linked to only one other device. Normally, she would only use it if there was an emergency, and then, never so close to NERV HQ, since the risk of signal interception was so high, but during a power outage…
She ducked around a corner and spoke in a harsh, commanding tone that very few would have expected of her.
"Bith, we have a problem."
Morganna's Apartment
After some time had passed, the odd couple of Shinji Ikari and Lycoris finally managed to break off their "practice session", closing the door and moving on into the main room of the apartment, just enjoying each other's company. His reaction to the residence was fairly predictable, in the same style of shock and awe as evidenced when he had visited Ayanami's apartment, just for a completely different reason.
'This is…so very clean and spacious…and it seems like the walls are—wow…Reimeiki-chan's place is just surreal,' was all his mind could come up with, stunned by his surroundings. 'Is this how people live in Germany or something?'
Sensing movement, his gaze flickered to the walls, where he gasped to see what seemed like the city of Mac Anu in full color and depth. And in a prominent spot was—
"Reimeiki-chan…is this…?" he trailed off, already fairly sure of the answer in his mind.
"Yes," she replied after a moment or two, a wistful expression gracing her visage. "That is a picture of my family…including my father Harald Hoerwick and my mother Emma Wielant."
Shinji's eyes goggled at the two names Lycoris had so casually let slip.
"You mean…the creator of The World and the author of the Epitaph of Twilight?" he asked, almost disbelieving. Yet, the silver-haired girl had often referred to The World as a second home and understood the Epitaph as if she'd grown up with it, so it was possible. Something else also bothered him as well. "And what is Aranami-sensei doing in the picture?"
"Yes…they were my parents," she whispered, not exactly speaking a lie. Without them, she would never have been born, after all. "As for Aranami-sensei, it's…complicated. She was…like an older sister to me, until my father died, his soul taken by The World. But she and I are related, and right now, she's my guardian. I do have another sister though..."
"Aura," Shinji breathed, supplying the answer.
"Yes, Aura," confirmed Lycoris. "She's actually my younger sister, though you can't tell from the pictures, can you? This is her as a little girl, and this is her grown up. Father always used to call her the shining one—I was the one that was never wanted."
She kept better control of herself this time, not wanting her lover to fret over her too much. Besides, the silver haired girl had to say something about her past sooner or later…
"This is…Aura?" the Third Child mumbled, glancing at the pictures he was being shown. The most prominent figure was a girl with white hair curling around her face, extending into a massive ball of fluff stretching past her waist, wearing white. "I can see the family resemblance…it's the hair, isn't it? Even if each of you seems to have your own little quirks, like what colors you prefer."
"Yes. I like the color red, Aura liked the color white, and Aranami-sensei likes the color black," Lycoris murmured gently. "The liminal sisters of twilight, Father used to call us…Aranami-sensei as dusk, myself as twilight, and Aura as the dawn. This probably also explains why my character in The World looks the way it does, because it was created long ago—it survived the fire because it is linked to the game's black box. This is Aura in her form as a goddess…"
The new picture slid before his eyes showed a young woman with light blue eyes wavy lavender hair that fell past her shoulders. She wore a fluidly flowing dress, with a white shawl and a silver infinity brooch.
"This looks…"
"…very much like I'm wearing now, right?" the silver-haired girl asked, gesturing to her red ensemble of dress, cape, and infinity brooch. "Well, we are sisters, just as Rumor said…even if I am alive here, and she only within The World."
"…only within…The World?"
"Five years ago, Aura died in this world, her soul being absorbed into the world network to stop the Second Network Crisis," she said, her petite form trembling all the while. "Inside The World, she confronted the phase called Corbenik, sacrificing her existence and individuality—I wonder if she knew she would be reborn as a goddess?"
"So that's why you always cried…because of what happened to your sister," Shinji whispered, putting his arms around the silver-haired girl and just holding her for a time. "And now, she's disappeared from The World, right?"
A brief nod was all the confirmation he needed to hear, as he held her tightly.
"My mother…died when I was very young as well," the Third Child recalled, thinking of the day when his parents had taken him to GEHRIN, what NERV had once been called. "Her mind and body were absorbed by EVA 01 during an early activation experiment."
"Isn't that the purple robot you pilot?" the girl asked intently, pulling back to look at him quizzically. "How do you find the strength, when you know what happened in the past?"
Shinji only smiled faintly, as he embraced his lover once more.
"I could ask you the same thing—having so much happen, and yet going back to The World."
A silence of sorts ensued, with all still except for their mingled breaths.
"It is my bond to all people, to my sister, to the world," Lycoris said at last, closing her eyes and resting her delicate frame against the brown-haired boy. "It is something precious to me, even with all that has happened—a place of poignant memories. That's what 'lycoris' means in the language of flowers, memories."
"As for me, I pilot because…I'm too scared to run away," the boy sighed, honesty overcoming him. "Because it's something only I can do, and if I don't then people will get hurt. But mostly, I pilot because I swore to see things through to the end, and because there are people I want to protect. I just want to know why the Angels keep attacking us, keep coming to Tokyo-3?"
"The messengers of God," the silver-haired girl replied distantly, thinking of the past, "The Angels are much like the phases of the Wave, and monsters of legend. They're afraid—afraid to die, and so seek out what can threaten them, or are called by something to this place. Tokyo-3 is like a giant of light standing on a hill, where the seeds of the tree of knowledge have finally borne fruit—they come here because they're scared, because some power threatens them and they feel their only recourse is to find it before it wakes."
"How—?"
"At least, that's what I think from what I know of the Wave," she murmured, falling silent. The two remained in silence, each leaning against the other, until a loud buzzing from outside interrupted their moment together.
"This is the Third District Japan Air Self Defense force," broadcast a loud metallic voice. "An unidentified object is currently approaching this area."
"Angel Attack," Shinji whispered, going pale. "Do you have a shelter nearby?"
Lycoris nodded.
"It's not too far from here, let's go," she said, moving as quickly and efficiently as her character in The World.
Both teenagers left the apartment, preparing to go their separate ways when with a horrible screech, a van pulled up in front of them. In the driver's seat was—
"Lt. Hyuga?" Shinji asked uncertainly.
"Ah, Ikari Shinji, she said you would be here," the bridge tech replied, as one of the rear doors slid open. "Get in, both of you, we have to get to NERV ASAP."
As soon as they had gotten into the vehicle, the door slammed shut, and Makoto Hyuga showed that his driving skills could (and did) rival Misato Katsuragi's when they had to.
Streets of Tokyo-3
Lt. Makoto Hyuga, one of the bridge technicians of NERV, had just been minding his own business, enjoying the sunshine while retrieving a co-worker's laundry for her, when he received the shock of his life. First, a plane had buzzed by, with the announcement that an unidentified object was on its way to Tokyo-3 (the city where unidentified object = Angel, whereas in old Tokyo, unidentified object = Godzilla, at least in the movies). Then, the private wrist-mounted radio communications device (watch radio) that he wore for old time's sake had buzzed to life, with an unexpected voice issuing from the other end.
'It seems that my old employer is alive and well, and moreover, that she has business in Tokyo-3.'
He was rather startled when the voice had ordered him to commandeer a vehicle, informing him of the power outage and giving him the locations of the Third Child and his fellow bridge tech Maya Ibuki before falling silent. Out of habit and long conditioning, he immediately obeyed, stopping a van that was urging civilians to remain calm and follow the example of Takahashi Nozomu, whoever he was.
'It is definitely a wonder how quickly others listen when a NERV ID is shown,' he mused, as he sped through the streets of Tokyo-3, the broadcast announcement having been changed from "stay calm" to essentially "This is an emergency vehicle." 'I wonder how a power outage could have happened though, in this city, the pinnacle of modern science.'
Putting those thoughts aside though, he followed the directions he'd been given, arriving at his first destination in time to pick up the Third Child and his silver-haired companion. Scarcely had they boarded, when Makoto zoomed off once again, driving at a frenetic pace through the empty streets until they came to the usual entrance of NERV HQ.
"Don't get off here," he said brusquely, forestalling any attempt to disembark. "The power grid is down, so the readers aren't working. We're just here to pick up someone else."
To Shinji's surprise, the person who opened the door and got in was Maya Ibuki, one of the other bridge techs of NERV.
"Hello, Ikari-kun, Hakubo-san, and thank you, Makoto," the mousy brunette greeted with a friendly smile, as the vehicle peeled off once again, this time headed for what seemed like a blocked off tunnel. "How did you know I was here?"
"My superior informed me of your location," was the entirety of what bespectacled tech said, whereupon Maya smiled faintly. 'Good, he doesn't know who I am yet.'
"Hey wait, this is a dead end, you know!" one of the civilians in the car suddenly realized, seeing the wooden board stretched across the tunnel mouth grow ever larger in view.
"That's fine," declared Makoto's intensely focused voice, "It's an emergency, and we're going in!"
"OK," another of the civilians replied, but she changed her tune as soon as the car crashed through boards and into the pitch-black of the abandoned access tunnel without stopping. "No! Wait! I take it back! Stop it!"
'The Geofront certainly looks…different without power,' Shinji thought, observing the scenery speeding by so as not to focus on the prospect of imminent death. Piloting Evangelion units into battle against units, facing down PKs, those he could accept the risks from those, as death was an occupational hazard in his non-OSHA compliant workplace—dying from the driving of someone like Misato (or apparently Makoto when he unsealed his skills) was not in his scenario.
'An empty hall, hollowed from a black moon—the black box from which souls come,' was Lycoris' thoughts on the matter, as she found it similar to the Creator's Room in The World in some ways. 'Hidden from the surface world, yet colonized by this realm of shadowed ones…the Navel of Lake, the place that hides heaven.'
Maya simply remained calm, rather thankful that her associate had been in range of her communications device.
They sped on, a point of light hurling itself unto the darkness, through roads and corridors, until finally—CRASH! BOOM! Impact.
In the contest of unstoppable force vs. immovable object, the result is generally a massive explosion. In the same way, the final barrier baring entrance to NERV's control room splintered and blew apart, as the car careened to a halt in the center of the vast room, the staff nearby cowering in fear.
Fulfilling his duty, Lt. Hyuga threw the emergency brake and leapt out of the car, saluting as he made his report.
"An Angel is coming now," he reported. "I suggest that Eva be readied for a launch."
Behind him, Maya exited the vehicle, and moved to stand aside her associate.
"I have visual confirmation of the Angel, and second the suggestion."
Commander Ikari, the Bastard King of NERV, nodded gruffly and turned to his former teacher, Sub-commander Fuyutsuki.
"Fuyutsuki, I'm leaving everything to you," the severe man announced. "I am going to the cage to prepare the Evas for a sortie."
The old man fractionally raised an eyebrow.
"You mean that you'll operate them manually?" the Sub-Commander asked askance, with a hint of incredulity in his voice.
"We have a diesel generator for an emergency," the Commander replied, preparing to leave.
"But we have no pilots—"
He was cut off by the sound of an unexpected voice.
"One just arrived…Father."
NERV HQ Access way, Route-07
After the earlier set of incidents, the Second and Fourth Children had been steadily making their way towards the surface, nearly making their way out of the Geo-front entirely when a car had sped by above them, warning of an impending Angel Attack.
"It does not normally take this long to get from headquarters to the surface," Kaworu mused aloud, glancing at his red-headed companion. "Are you quite sure this is the right way?"
"Baka! Of course I'm sure," Asuka Langley Soryu responded in a huff. "I've live in the Geo-front, I should know."
"…so you say, so you say," the enigmatic grey-haired boy murmured, rolling his eyes.
"Why are you so hung up on every word I say?" the Second Child asked, tone low and dangerous, as if a cornered animal about to attack.
"Because I enjoy the sound of your voice…," the other responded, following the path she took. "The way you have overcome pain, avoiding contact of the first kind at all costs. You seek to be ignorant of others, never being betrayed or hurt, even if you are fragile. Because you are worthy of love."
"Love?" the redhead repeated, stopping in her tracks, pretty sure she was not going to enjoy what she was going to hear.
"I mean, I love you."
Of all the verbal ammunition that could have been employed against the proud Asuka, the three little words oft discussed and seldom spoken proved super-effective, being the verbal equivalent of the positron cannon that had blown apart Ramiel.
A heavy silence hung in the air between them, before Asuka, being the dark action girl she was, stepped forward and slapped the Fourth with a resounding—well, it would have been resounding, if he hadn't simply caught her wrist again.
"B-b-baka! What are you saying?!" she protested, cheeks burning in the dimness.
"Be quiet for a moment," the other spoke, suddenly becoming more businesslike. "I hear a voice."
Sure enough, the familiar voice of one bridge technician or another echoed in the distance, as a swift light sped past.
"An Angel is coming, repeat...an Angel is coming, repeat, an Angel is coming now!"
As the warning faded away, the two looked at looked at each other.
"Why don't we settle our personal business later, after the Angel is dealt with?" Kaworu Nagisa asked in that silky smooth voice of his, releasing his hold on the Second's wrist.
"Heh, that's the first smart thing you've said today," the redhead snarked, happy to dodge having to reply to the embarrassing statement the other had said.
They began to walk back along the way they came, with Kaworu attempting conversation to a reluctant Asuka.
"Tell me, what do you think Angels are?" the one who was really the Angel of Free Will asked. He was rather curious about what she should say, considering that he was one of the aforementioned beings.
"Eh? What're you babbling about at a time like this?" she asked harshly, intending to berate him for wasting her time and energy with this failed outing.
"The Angels," the grey-haired boy repeated with a smile. "The messengers of God…why is it that we fight them? From the point of view of the greatest pilot, that is."
"Unidentified things are invading us," the Second Child huffed. "So it's only natural that we'd have to fight to protect ourselves."
Continuing on through the drab metal passageway, they came to a branch in the path, with Asuka, the nominal party leader misremembering from which one they had come.
"Two paths diverged in a yellow wood," Kaworu quoted from the famous poem. "Though this place is not yellow, nor a wood. So, from whence did we come, great leader?"
"It was…to the right," Asuka recalled uncertainly, "Yes, to the right, I'm sure of it."
"I may be mistaken, but I believe we came from the left," the Fourth Child tried to correct, only for the Second's temper to flare again.
"Don't try to confuse me! You were the one who asked me to take you around, so you'd better follow me," she scolded him, whereupon the grey-haired Nagisa raised his hands in mock surrender.
"As you wish…dear Bringer of Strife."
Asuka took two steps forward, then whirled about, staring at the enigmatic other fiercely.
"How in the hell do you know that name?" she hissed threateningly, looming over him with sheer force of personality.
"You do know you are one of the most famous players in The World, right?" Kaworu of the Seashore mildly pointed out. "When you mentioned that you played The World and that you were from Germany, I knew you must be she, as your power and skill are evident in both worlds."
It seemed that the key to Asuka's AIDA-infested heart was apparently through her ego.
"Really?" she asked, smirking. "And what sorts of things do they say?"
"I'm sure there's no need for me to repeat the glowing praises of The World, or the rumors of which you have no doubt heard, but it is said that you are a goddess of battle who has never met her match," the boy replied, conveniently forgetting to mention anything about blue-haired players, dolls, or his own identity in The World.
"Hmph, then I guess they're not complete idiots after all," Asuka allowed, as they made their way along the access way, coming at last to a door. "Ah, here we are now!"
With a fierce "kiya!", the Second Child kicked opened the portal before her, the light of the outside world streaming in to reveal—a massive arachnid with many eyes, the one on its belly gushing forth some form of black liquid like an open wound.
"Aiiiie!" she yelped, pulling the door closed with a resounding clang! Of course, her pride would not allow her to admit she was mistaken, so she justified herself by saying, "Well, we received visual confirmation of the Angel, so let's be on our way."
Evangelion Cages, NERV HQ
After a great deal of effort on the part of the staff of NERV (including Commander Ikari, and surprisingly, his son), two of the three Evangelion units had been prepared for combat. Evangelion Unit 00 had not yet been tested with the Fourth Child, and as much as NERV had benefited from the million to one chance of Shinji activating Unit 01 on his first try, they were not about to risk it again. An Angel was more than enough to deal with without the threat of a berserk Eva.
With rope and tackle, pulley and winch, the staff members had maneuvered the entry plugs into position for insertion and attached the auxiliary battery packs. Now all that remained was to wait for the arrival of another pilot—Shinji was present, and he did have a track record for defeating Angels on his own, but it was normally best to have backup.
By now, the Third Child had suited up and had mentally prepared himself for the fight to come. There was no use in chanting his usual mantra of "I mustn't run away," for where was there to run to? Without power, escaping the Geofront was no simple matter, and he couldn't run anyway, not with those he had to protect here.
'That's right…I'm right here, the Dark Evangel is right here…'
Catching sight of the silver-haired Lycoris, who had been standing over to the side (as there had been no hands to spare to escort her to a more secure location), Shinji walked over to her with a wan smile.
"Well, I'm off again…another life threatening battle. This time, I'll protect you, ok?" he asked, cupping her cheek briefly and looking into her eyes.
"You'd better come back to me, Ecchi-kun," Lycoris quipped, golden eyes boring into his blue. "At least if you want to live up to your nickname at all."
Flushing once more (which he would thankfully attribute to the heat, as the impacted life-support systems of the Geofront had led to the air becoming stale and muggy), the Third Child only nodded.
Just then, a panicked voice called out over the speaker system: the target has halted just above the Geofront.
"Hurry the preparations!" ordered Dr. Akagi, who along with Commander Ikari, were overseeing the manual preparation of the EVA Units. "There's no more time. We cannot afford to wait for the other Children any longer. All hands, prepare for launch!"
"Ready Eva-01 for launch!" barked Gendo, gesturing for Shinji to board the entry plug, which the Third did without fuss or hesitation.
With the help of the staff, Shinji Ikari climbed into his entry plug, seating himself within the throne of the soul with a strange fire in his eyes. The plug was inserted, auxiliary power sources equipped, lock bolts removed—and with that Evangelion Unit 01 was launched, or at least, was released in time to tear off its restraints and crawl to the enemy's location.
"We're ready, let's move out!" came the order.
"To look ahead to tomorrow, to look backward to the past, one must live in the focus of the now," Shinji recited, steeling himself for yet another solo battle. It would be his first solo operation since the battle against the Fourth, but this time, he was not afraid. He had the experience of the virtual room to aid him, had people counting on him, and those he wanted to protect. 'I can do nothing but look ahead, to advance…'
Standard armament for this battle included two progressive-knives and a rifle, amazingly like his usual equipment load out both in The World and in the virtual room. It was too bad that magic couldn't exist as well, so he could just use a paralysis spell on the Angel, but one couldn't have everything, after all. And though he was on battery power, the Third Child had often practiced under time constraints, especially in the days before the Second had arrived.
'I'll win this fight for you Ayanami…because you have helped me as a pilot, and as a friend.'
Having made his way out of the cage, Shinji found himself experiencing firsthand the downsides of launching a mecha without the energy to trigger a launch catapult, and without convenient access corridors. Indeed, just like in a science-fiction film, the only means of access to the launch shaft was a narrow maintenance tunnel.
'Eh, I've been in worse dungeons in The World…this isn't so bad…'
After a minute of crawling through the cramped duct, he finally spotted his objective.
"Vertical shaft in sight," he muttered to himself, kicking open the blast door that blocked his way. It fell quite a ways with a loud clang!, but he paid it no note, since of greater concern was his flying leap—there! Now he was in the middle of the shaft, bracing himself from falling with his Eva's arms and legs, climbing slowly up towards the distant light.
"4 minutes remaining to battery power, I'd better hurry," he mumbled, looking up as a spray of something rained down the shaft, some of it landing on the pylons of his EVA. Where it touched, it hissed and burned away the armor, and Shinji began to feel a burning sensation in his shoulder blades.
'The Angel is attacking with acid, and I can't dodge it or I'll run out of power… I don't have a choice if I'm going to be able to reach it in time. Deploying AT Field…'
Drain on the batteries suddenly increased, and Shinji found himself redoubling his efforts to climb upwards.
'Maybe…hmm, radio disabled, life support…disabled. I should have enough oxygen to last for this fight, even if the LCL gets stale. There are people counting on me…Reimeiki-chan is down there. I can't retreat.'
The torrent of acid rained down in sheets, but finding no purchase on the EVA (due to the AT field), settled for searing the sides of the shaft instead. But however much he blocked out, he would encounter more, as the EVA's hands and feet braced itself against the now-corrosive surfaces. His own hands hurt, stung, burned, but he gritted his teeth and continued on—pain hadn't stopped him during the Fourth Angel battle, as pain hadn't stopped Ayanami during the battle against the Fifth, and so it wouldn't stop him here.
"3 minute remaining"
He climbed further, letting the fight or flight reaction fill his body with a surge of adrenaline as he came within range of the Angel's AT field. He would need it in order to withstand the next few minutes, as the moment his field neutralized the Angel's, he would have to go on the offensive.
'Expanding field to max strength, eroding phase space…center the target, pull the switch!'
Bringing the rifle up and forward, Shinji fired, emptying the entire magazine of explosive flechette rounds into the enemy, as acid dripped upon his vulnerable form, searing his Eva's flesh, melting through his mech's armor with an audible hiss. But he did not relent, did not stop moving forward, until finally he emerged from the pit, armor half melted, 1 minute remaining to battery life.
Quickly, he dropped the empty rifle down the shaft, switching to dual prog knives as EVA 01 made contact with the street and rolled out of the way of the acid slinging central eye of the arachnid-like creature.
The Angel roared in pain from its injuries, turning about to face him, when Shinji launched EVA 01 into the air, and onto the Angel's main body, straddling it with his legs.
"Now…DIE!" he hissed through the pain, using both prog knives to slash at the Angel with a strength born of fury. The first slash cut through the tough hide, the second tendon and musculature, the third internal organs, and the fourth revealed the core. Time was running down, with 30 seconds to go, as he plunged both knives down into the core, sparks flying as the vibrating blade sliced through the protective outer shell of the core, as the spider thrashed and flailed like a wounded bull, trying to throw him off.
But the Third Child held on, and as the battery died, the prog knives penetrated—the core cracked, and the target went silent.
Down below, shouts of celebration rang from the gathered crew out.
"He did it! The Third Child did it!"
"Hmm…" If one looked closely, one might even see the hint of a smile on the Commander's face as the gruff man disappeared back to his office.
Unnoticed amidst all the commotion, the cover fell from a ventilation duct, with Asuka and Kaworu following to land in a tangled heap.
"Ugh," the Second Child said, before shaking it off and turning to the nearby Dr. Akagi. "Asuka Langley Soryu, Pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, reporting for duty."
"Oh, it's you two," the bottle blond said dismissively. "You can go, the Third has already defeated the Angel."
"What...?" Asuka whispered, eyes widening in shock. 'Verdammt Invincible Shinji! Why did you do this to me? Humiliating me once again by stealing my kill…why does he get all the credit? I'm the best pilot! ME! Why doesn't he just DIE?!'
Outskirts of Tokyo-3
After the seemingly-endless tedium of paperwork, debriefings, congratulations, and recovery operations, Shinji Ikari had finally been released from duty, while the rest of NERV worked to restore power to the city. It had been a long day, what with the blackout, the confrontation with Eris, the battle against an AIDA, and then a solo battle against this spider-like Angel, but in the end, he found himself to be content. As he left, he was joined by his silver-haired lover Lycoris, who had been waiting for him, and together, they had walked hand in hand to the outskirts of the city, enjoying the gentle breeze at twilight.
Eventually, they had come to a grassy knoll not too far from the city limits, where they reclined side by side, sharing one another's warmth as they watched the stars come out, twinkling one after another.
"It's ironic how beautiful the night can be without the pollution of artificial light," Shinji remarked, looking over at the girl beside him, thinking her the brightest of them all.
"And yet so many people are afraid of the dark," Lycoris murmured in reply, before a constellation piqued her interest. She reached out, pointing at what had caught her eye. "Do you see that formation?"
When he nodded, the silver-haired girl continued, all the while snuggling closer to him.
"It's called the Northern Cross, or Cygnus the Swan," she explained, "and its myth was that when Phaëthon, ill-fated son of Apollo, was struck down by Zeus, his remains were scattered all around the river Eridanus. A king named Cycnus was his relative, and in wanting to give him a proper burial, dived again and again into the river of the underworld to retrieve his parts. Just as your father does care about you, even if he doesn't show it much…"
"My father?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes…since now I've met yours, as you've met mine," the silver-haired girl whispered quietly.
"When…?"
"The Inverted Castle," was the gentle response. "Do you remember what happened after you pulled your weapon from the stone?"
"The rippling room with the upside-down man who asked about his daughter?" Shinji recalled, his eyes widening in realization at who the daughter might have been.
"Yes, those fragments are all that remain of my father, and he was asking of Aura," Lycoris sighed, shaking her head. "She's the reason he went into The World, even letting himself be transformed, because he cared about her that much."
"Oh…" Shinji found himself without anything to say, and so relaxed in the company of the one he loved, listening to the sounds of their breaths intertwine.
After a time, the Child of Twilight broke the silence with a question
"…do you know what my favorite star is?" she inquired, looking over at her boyfriend to see him shaking his head. "The blue-and-golden double star that forms the head of the Cygnus, the star they call Alberio."
"Blue and golden…like the color of our eyes," Shinji said with a smile, drawing Lycoris close to him in a warm embrace.
The breeze fluttered around the two lovers, its soft caress at once soothing and chilling. Shivering a little, they cuddled close to one another, enjoying a moment of peace outside their troubled lives.