Chapter 13 - Fifth Child, Part 2: Tabris
EVA-Hangar, next mornig, very early
Kaworu looked up to EVA-02, smiling.
His feet lost contact with the ground when he ascended levitatingly until he hoovered
in front of the EVANGELIONs eyes.
"Now, follow me, mirror-image of Adam and servant to the lilims!"
EVA-02 started moving...
***
NERV-control center
"EVA-02 has been started!"
Misato nearly pushed her cup of coffee from the desk.
Does this has to happen at the end of my shift?
"What? Where´s Asuka?"
"At the testing center. Open channel."
"Misato which idiot is piloting my EVA? You´ve said..."
"Later, Asuka!"
The major interrupted the connection.
Neither Touji nor Hikari are within Central Dogma, and Shinji also hasn´t reported for duty,
yet.
"Who is it?`"
"The entryplug isn´t injected, unit two has no pilot!"
"No pilot? So it can´t be Nagisa also..."
"AT-field detected within Central Dogma!"
"Unit two?"
"No, MAGI are reporting a blue pattern! An angel!"
"No..."
The hangar-cameras zoomed in on Kaworu, hoovering in front of the red EVA.
That boy´s the last engel?
EVA-02 arrived at the central shaft, started descending, passed floor by floor.
Kozo Fuyutsuki stormed into the room, throwing away his headset via which he´d been
informed about the situation.
"Close all security gates! Each second is important! Start evacuating!"
Behind him Gendo Ikari appeared.
"The seventeenth angel... SEELE dared it to us directly..."
"The old men want to speed up the schedule by terminating us... I didn´t expect that..."
He stand down at his desk, open a channel to Terminal Dogma.
"Rei?"
It took a moment until Rei answered with sleeply voice.
"Yes?"
"The final angel is on it´s way into Terminal Dogma, with EVA-02."
"I won´t let him pass Heaven´s Gate."
She didn´t sound sleepy anymore but determinated.
"Take care of you. I´ll send unit one."
"Yes."
A lamp blinked.
"Shinji?"
"No, it´s me."
"Larsen..."
"I´m within the shaft, alas, EVA-02 has quite an advance."
"Keep moving."
"Yes, Sir."
"EVA-02 breaks into the second layer!"
Gendo opened a channel to EVA-01.
"Pursue unit two! It has to be stop at any cost! Shinji, the angel mustn´t reach Terminal
Dogma!"
"No, father, you must be in error! Kaworu can´t be an angel!" Shinji shouted.
Gendo was looking for words.
Misato entered the connection.
"It´s true, you have to accept it! You know who´s within Terminal Dogma!"
"Yes..."
***
Central Shaft
Kaworu looked up the shaft.
"Shinji isn´t following me..." he mumbled with a hint of relief.
"I don´t want to fight him..."
He didn´t see the lonely figure climbing the seemingly endless ladder like a machine.
***
Control center
"EVA-01´s descending in pursue of the target!" - "Unit one reaches the fourth layer!
Contact with the target!"
***
Central Shaft
You lied to me... you manipulated me... you are like father...
"Stop!" Shinji shouted when EVA-01 nearly had reached EVA-02.
Unit two turned around with Kaworu still hovering in front of its face.
"I´ve waited for you."
"Kaworu... stop!"
EVA-02 charged with progressive knife drawn. Shinji was just able to draw his own knife
to parry the attack, started a counterattack.
Asuka, I am sorry...
"It´s strange, what you lilims are willing to do to survive. I do not understand you..."
"Kaworu, please stop! I do not understand the reason you are doing this!"
The two EVAs were still wrestling, throwing each other against the walls, trying to find
the other´s weakness. Finally they lost their balance and fell down into the shaft.
***
Control center
"Both unit have reached the bottom!" - "Target approaches Terminal Dogma!"
"If unit one´s signal disappears..." Misato said without emotions, fully knowing the
true meaning of her words.
"I know Makoto Hyuga replied. "I will initiate self destruct, better us than humanity."
"I am sorry."
Suddenly the screens went blank.
"What´s that?" Misato shouted. "What´s the reason for the interruption of the video-
transmittion?"
"Another AT-field within Terminal Dogma, strenght unreadable!" - "Light wave, electromagnetic
wave and particles are shut out! We´ve lost contact to Terminal Dogma!"
"Maya?"
"The angel, unit two and one, all missing. No contact with the pilot!"
***
Terminal Dogma:
Shinji´s head hurt, as did his back and his hands under the LCL-soaked bandages.
"Kaworu..."
Slowly he got up, or better, made his EVA getting up.
EVA-02 laid motionless next to him at the shaft´s bottom like a marionett with cut wires.
He recognized the large corridor in front of him, at its end was the gate with a crucified
angel behind it.
In front of the gate Kaworu hoovered and gestured like he wanted to throw open the gate.
"Wait!"
***
Control Center
"Readings... Heaven´s Gate been opened!"
"Did the angel reach Adam?"
***
Terminal Dogma:
The gate opened by ghostly hands.
Kaworu levitated over the door step...
Was pushed back...
***
Control Center
"The AT-field within Terminal Dogma has contacted target´s AT-field! Repelled!"
"Another angel?" Misato asked.
"Not clear!"
High above at his desk Ikari closed his eyes.
***
Terminal Dogma:
Kaworu looked into the hall beyond the gate.
He felled the invisible barriere stopping him from approaching further.
He saw the source of the barriere, a young female lilim with blue hair and red eyes,
standing with clenched fist between himself and his destination, next to her another
lilim stood, an adult male, aiming at him with a gun.
She can´t keep the field of her soul at this strenght infinitly...
He saw the crucified figure, whispered its name:
"Adam, our father... must those born by Adam return to Adam? Must they be erased? Answer
me, father, tell me what to do... no... you are... you are not Adam... You are Lilith!
I see..."
All power seemed to leave him, slowly he lowered his height, touched the floor with his
feet soon.
"I understand, Lilith. You did call us... called us in the name of our father, to destroy
all of creation... to have your revenge on HIM... I won´t do your bidding!"
EVA-01 reached him, grabbed him with one hand and lifted him above.
He looked into the EVA´s eyes, knowing that he was also looking into Shinji´s eyes.
"Thank you, Shinji, for stopping me from doing a grave mistake."
"Kaworu, why?"
"We believed you lilims were keeping Adam imprisoned, believed you torturing our father,
believed that it was him calling to us. And so we came to set him free, come to pushish
you for your actions, come to eradicate you. When raw might proved useless, we started
exploring you, your bodys, your minds, your souls. Where by siblings failed, I succeeded,
I walked among you without being recognized for what I am. But my mask was too perfected,
or you would have been unable to stop me, or I would have walked across the door-step
without your friends ready to intercept me, or I would have reached Lilith in blind
happyness and initiated your destruction within knowledge of the deception."
If I keep existing others will have to die, sooner or later. But, the body I´m wearing
is able to die. To be or not to be, that makes no difference now anymore, death will set
my soul free."
"Kaworu, what are you talking about? I don´t understand."
"My final words. Now, please erase me, or you will be erased. And I don´t want you to die,
my friend. You mustn´t die."
He closed his eyes, awaiting his death.
Shinji stared at the boy in his EVA´s hand.
A small squeeze would be enough, just a simple pull at the controls...
You betrayed me... but were betrayed yourself... please, I don´t want to kill you... my
friend... why... why me...
He let his hurting hands go of the controls, just wished to simply be able to leave the
entryplug, walk away and leave everything behind.
"... can you hear me? Shinji?" a familiar voice came from the speakers.
Shinji looked up.
"Wolf? Where are you?"
Larsen stood next to the left foot of unit one, using his headset.
"I´m down here."
"What shall I do? He´s an angel, I should kill him, reason tells me that this is the only
possibility... but..."
"What is your heart telling you?"
"I don´t want to kill him, he listened to me, he understands me. Kaworu´s my friend."
"I see. Lift me up."
"What?"
"Bring us up to same level, the Fifth Child and me. Maybe there´s a way..."
***
Control Center
"We´ve contact with Terminal Dogma again!" - "Both AT-fields are gone!"
"The angel?"
"No readings, Major!"
"Unit one?"
"Light damages, pilot´s unhurt. Unit two has suffered spinal cord damage."
On the screen they saw unit one, holding Nagisa within its fingers while Wolf Larsen was
slowly lifted up standing on the open palm of the other hand.
"Larsen, what are you doing?" Ikari shouted.
"I need ten minutes."
"The angel must be destroyed!"
"Ten minutes, Ikari! He might be the missing puzzle piece for our defenses."
Gendo hesitated.
"Ikari." Fuyutsuki whispered. "An angel, the last one..."
"You´ve got your ten minutes."
***
Terminal Dogma:
"Kaworu Nagisa... or what´s your true name?" Larsen asked.
Between him and the other one was an abyss.
Kaworu´s gaze pierced his eyes, tried digging into his soul.
Onthe first glance he found only darkness.
How can this be, a lilim without soul? Where is his soul?
He searched further.
And within the eternal darkness he found a bright flame, stretching into infinity itself,
towards another being.
A strong soul... like Shinji´s... strong enough for two...
"I am Tabris." he answered.
"Good, Tabris. I am Wolf. If I did unterstand correctly you don´t want to unite with...
ahm..."
"Lilith."
"Yes... Lilith anymore and eradicate us all?!"
"There´s no reason for doing so, for punishing you lilims anymore. Lilith rebelled against
GOD, whatever happens to her is HIS punishment."
"Hm, okay. Is there any other way for you to return... home?"
"My physical existance must be erased."
"SEELE did send you, didn´t they?"
"Yes. They betrayed me."
"And they will still try to finish what you´ve started. SEELE will try to conquer this
place and initiate Third Impact."
"They mustn´t."
"Good, I see, we´re talking the same language."
"They would kill Shinji."
"Is this important? Does this make any difference?"
"It´s important to me, he´s my friend."
"So, if you´d happen to find Adam, would you have to destroy everything?"
"Only if you were to be punished."
"Larsen, have you gone crazy?" Gendo Ikari´s voice was screaming into his ear.
Wolf grabbed at his headset to lower the volume.
"My ten minutes aren´t over yet, Ikari! - I see. Tabris, it´s not my part to finally decide,
but... if we hand over Adam to you... and find a way for you to return home... would you help
us against SEELE?"
"How do you lilims call it... a favor for a favor... yes, I will stay, if Shinji wants
me to."
"Of course, Kaworu, of course I want you to stay!"
Larsen touched his headset again.
"Now, Commander, what do you say?"
"It´s an angel, damned. We can´t trust him!"
"I don´t want you to trust Tabris... Trust Shinji..."
"Father..."
"You are asking me for quite a lot, Shinji."
"I´ll never again ask you for anything."
"I have to... think..."
Time went by.
Then...
"Shinji, remove the angel from Terminal Dogma, we´ll take over then. If he activates his
AT-field, he will be erased, tell him."
"Kaworu... he will live?"
"If he keeps to the pact."
Beyond Heaven´s Gate Kaji lowered his gun.
"I have just had a run-down of my complete life before my very eyes..."
***
Control center
"Trust Shinji..."
Ikari stared at his white-gloved scarred hands, knowing that everyone was staring at him.
"Just hope that we didn´t make a pact with the devil, Ikari..." Fuyutsuki whispered.
Gendo looked up. Despite the dark-tinted glasses Fuyutsuki saw the tears in his eyes.
"I do trust my son."
next: five against the world
EVA-Hangar, next mornig, very early
Kaworu looked up to EVA-02, smiling.
His feet lost contact with the ground when he ascended levitatingly until he hoovered
in front of the EVANGELIONs eyes.
"Now, follow me, mirror-image of Adam and servant to the lilims!"
EVA-02 started moving...
***
NERV-control center
"EVA-02 has been started!"
Misato nearly pushed her cup of coffee from the desk.
Does this has to happen at the end of my shift?
"What? Where´s Asuka?"
"At the testing center. Open channel."
"Misato which idiot is piloting my EVA? You´ve said..."
"Later, Asuka!"
The major interrupted the connection.
Neither Touji nor Hikari are within Central Dogma, and Shinji also hasn´t reported for duty,
yet.
"Who is it?`"
"The entryplug isn´t injected, unit two has no pilot!"
"No pilot? So it can´t be Nagisa also..."
"AT-field detected within Central Dogma!"
"Unit two?"
"No, MAGI are reporting a blue pattern! An angel!"
"No..."
The hangar-cameras zoomed in on Kaworu, hoovering in front of the red EVA.
That boy´s the last engel?
EVA-02 arrived at the central shaft, started descending, passed floor by floor.
Kozo Fuyutsuki stormed into the room, throwing away his headset via which he´d been
informed about the situation.
"Close all security gates! Each second is important! Start evacuating!"
Behind him Gendo Ikari appeared.
"The seventeenth angel... SEELE dared it to us directly..."
"The old men want to speed up the schedule by terminating us... I didn´t expect that..."
He stand down at his desk, open a channel to Terminal Dogma.
"Rei?"
It took a moment until Rei answered with sleeply voice.
"Yes?"
"The final angel is on it´s way into Terminal Dogma, with EVA-02."
"I won´t let him pass Heaven´s Gate."
She didn´t sound sleepy anymore but determinated.
"Take care of you. I´ll send unit one."
"Yes."
A lamp blinked.
"Shinji?"
"No, it´s me."
"Larsen..."
"I´m within the shaft, alas, EVA-02 has quite an advance."
"Keep moving."
"Yes, Sir."
"EVA-02 breaks into the second layer!"
Gendo opened a channel to EVA-01.
"Pursue unit two! It has to be stop at any cost! Shinji, the angel mustn´t reach Terminal
Dogma!"
"No, father, you must be in error! Kaworu can´t be an angel!" Shinji shouted.
Gendo was looking for words.
Misato entered the connection.
"It´s true, you have to accept it! You know who´s within Terminal Dogma!"
"Yes..."
***
Central Shaft
Kaworu looked up the shaft.
"Shinji isn´t following me..." he mumbled with a hint of relief.
"I don´t want to fight him..."
He didn´t see the lonely figure climbing the seemingly endless ladder like a machine.
***
Control center
"EVA-01´s descending in pursue of the target!" - "Unit one reaches the fourth layer!
Contact with the target!"
***
Central Shaft
You lied to me... you manipulated me... you are like father...
"Stop!" Shinji shouted when EVA-01 nearly had reached EVA-02.
Unit two turned around with Kaworu still hovering in front of its face.
"I´ve waited for you."
"Kaworu... stop!"
EVA-02 charged with progressive knife drawn. Shinji was just able to draw his own knife
to parry the attack, started a counterattack.
Asuka, I am sorry...
"It´s strange, what you lilims are willing to do to survive. I do not understand you..."
"Kaworu, please stop! I do not understand the reason you are doing this!"
The two EVAs were still wrestling, throwing each other against the walls, trying to find
the other´s weakness. Finally they lost their balance and fell down into the shaft.
***
Control center
"Both unit have reached the bottom!" - "Target approaches Terminal Dogma!"
"If unit one´s signal disappears..." Misato said without emotions, fully knowing the
true meaning of her words.
"I know Makoto Hyuga replied. "I will initiate self destruct, better us than humanity."
"I am sorry."
Suddenly the screens went blank.
"What´s that?" Misato shouted. "What´s the reason for the interruption of the video-
transmittion?"
"Another AT-field within Terminal Dogma, strenght unreadable!" - "Light wave, electromagnetic
wave and particles are shut out! We´ve lost contact to Terminal Dogma!"
"Maya?"
"The angel, unit two and one, all missing. No contact with the pilot!"
***
Terminal Dogma:
Shinji´s head hurt, as did his back and his hands under the LCL-soaked bandages.
"Kaworu..."
Slowly he got up, or better, made his EVA getting up.
EVA-02 laid motionless next to him at the shaft´s bottom like a marionett with cut wires.
He recognized the large corridor in front of him, at its end was the gate with a crucified
angel behind it.
In front of the gate Kaworu hoovered and gestured like he wanted to throw open the gate.
"Wait!"
***
Control Center
"Readings... Heaven´s Gate been opened!"
"Did the angel reach Adam?"
***
Terminal Dogma:
The gate opened by ghostly hands.
Kaworu levitated over the door step...
Was pushed back...
***
Control Center
"The AT-field within Terminal Dogma has contacted target´s AT-field! Repelled!"
"Another angel?" Misato asked.
"Not clear!"
High above at his desk Ikari closed his eyes.
***
Terminal Dogma:
Kaworu looked into the hall beyond the gate.
He felled the invisible barriere stopping him from approaching further.
He saw the source of the barriere, a young female lilim with blue hair and red eyes,
standing with clenched fist between himself and his destination, next to her another
lilim stood, an adult male, aiming at him with a gun.
She can´t keep the field of her soul at this strenght infinitly...
He saw the crucified figure, whispered its name:
"Adam, our father... must those born by Adam return to Adam? Must they be erased? Answer
me, father, tell me what to do... no... you are... you are not Adam... You are Lilith!
I see..."
All power seemed to leave him, slowly he lowered his height, touched the floor with his
feet soon.
"I understand, Lilith. You did call us... called us in the name of our father, to destroy
all of creation... to have your revenge on HIM... I won´t do your bidding!"
EVA-01 reached him, grabbed him with one hand and lifted him above.
He looked into the EVA´s eyes, knowing that he was also looking into Shinji´s eyes.
"Thank you, Shinji, for stopping me from doing a grave mistake."
"Kaworu, why?"
"We believed you lilims were keeping Adam imprisoned, believed you torturing our father,
believed that it was him calling to us. And so we came to set him free, come to pushish
you for your actions, come to eradicate you. When raw might proved useless, we started
exploring you, your bodys, your minds, your souls. Where by siblings failed, I succeeded,
I walked among you without being recognized for what I am. But my mask was too perfected,
or you would have been unable to stop me, or I would have walked across the door-step
without your friends ready to intercept me, or I would have reached Lilith in blind
happyness and initiated your destruction within knowledge of the deception."
If I keep existing others will have to die, sooner or later. But, the body I´m wearing
is able to die. To be or not to be, that makes no difference now anymore, death will set
my soul free."
"Kaworu, what are you talking about? I don´t understand."
"My final words. Now, please erase me, or you will be erased. And I don´t want you to die,
my friend. You mustn´t die."
He closed his eyes, awaiting his death.
Shinji stared at the boy in his EVA´s hand.
A small squeeze would be enough, just a simple pull at the controls...
You betrayed me... but were betrayed yourself... please, I don´t want to kill you... my
friend... why... why me...
He let his hurting hands go of the controls, just wished to simply be able to leave the
entryplug, walk away and leave everything behind.
"... can you hear me? Shinji?" a familiar voice came from the speakers.
Shinji looked up.
"Wolf? Where are you?"
Larsen stood next to the left foot of unit one, using his headset.
"I´m down here."
"What shall I do? He´s an angel, I should kill him, reason tells me that this is the only
possibility... but..."
"What is your heart telling you?"
"I don´t want to kill him, he listened to me, he understands me. Kaworu´s my friend."
"I see. Lift me up."
"What?"
"Bring us up to same level, the Fifth Child and me. Maybe there´s a way..."
***
Control Center
"We´ve contact with Terminal Dogma again!" - "Both AT-fields are gone!"
"The angel?"
"No readings, Major!"
"Unit one?"
"Light damages, pilot´s unhurt. Unit two has suffered spinal cord damage."
On the screen they saw unit one, holding Nagisa within its fingers while Wolf Larsen was
slowly lifted up standing on the open palm of the other hand.
"Larsen, what are you doing?" Ikari shouted.
"I need ten minutes."
"The angel must be destroyed!"
"Ten minutes, Ikari! He might be the missing puzzle piece for our defenses."
Gendo hesitated.
"Ikari." Fuyutsuki whispered. "An angel, the last one..."
"You´ve got your ten minutes."
***
Terminal Dogma:
"Kaworu Nagisa... or what´s your true name?" Larsen asked.
Between him and the other one was an abyss.
Kaworu´s gaze pierced his eyes, tried digging into his soul.
Onthe first glance he found only darkness.
How can this be, a lilim without soul? Where is his soul?
He searched further.
And within the eternal darkness he found a bright flame, stretching into infinity itself,
towards another being.
A strong soul... like Shinji´s... strong enough for two...
"I am Tabris." he answered.
"Good, Tabris. I am Wolf. If I did unterstand correctly you don´t want to unite with...
ahm..."
"Lilith."
"Yes... Lilith anymore and eradicate us all?!"
"There´s no reason for doing so, for punishing you lilims anymore. Lilith rebelled against
GOD, whatever happens to her is HIS punishment."
"Hm, okay. Is there any other way for you to return... home?"
"My physical existance must be erased."
"SEELE did send you, didn´t they?"
"Yes. They betrayed me."
"And they will still try to finish what you´ve started. SEELE will try to conquer this
place and initiate Third Impact."
"They mustn´t."
"Good, I see, we´re talking the same language."
"They would kill Shinji."
"Is this important? Does this make any difference?"
"It´s important to me, he´s my friend."
"So, if you´d happen to find Adam, would you have to destroy everything?"
"Only if you were to be punished."
"Larsen, have you gone crazy?" Gendo Ikari´s voice was screaming into his ear.
Wolf grabbed at his headset to lower the volume.
"My ten minutes aren´t over yet, Ikari! - I see. Tabris, it´s not my part to finally decide,
but... if we hand over Adam to you... and find a way for you to return home... would you help
us against SEELE?"
"How do you lilims call it... a favor for a favor... yes, I will stay, if Shinji wants
me to."
"Of course, Kaworu, of course I want you to stay!"
Larsen touched his headset again.
"Now, Commander, what do you say?"
"It´s an angel, damned. We can´t trust him!"
"I don´t want you to trust Tabris... Trust Shinji..."
"Father..."
"You are asking me for quite a lot, Shinji."
"I´ll never again ask you for anything."
"I have to... think..."
Time went by.
Then...
"Shinji, remove the angel from Terminal Dogma, we´ll take over then. If he activates his
AT-field, he will be erased, tell him."
"Kaworu... he will live?"
"If he keeps to the pact."
Beyond Heaven´s Gate Kaji lowered his gun.
"I have just had a run-down of my complete life before my very eyes..."
***
Control center
"Trust Shinji..."
Ikari stared at his white-gloved scarred hands, knowing that everyone was staring at him.
"Just hope that we didn´t make a pact with the devil, Ikari..." Fuyutsuki whispered.
Gendo looked up. Despite the dark-tinted glasses Fuyutsuki saw the tears in his eyes.
"I do trust my son."
next: five against the world