Why is it that Asuka is so fucking hard to draw? I was sketching her and
realized that I'd drawn Cardcaptor Sakura instead!
Recrudesce of Evangelion
Chapter 1: Book of Revelation
Shinji was napping soundly while Asuka read some magazine she had convinced Shinji to get her. He found himself back in that weird dream and one step away from walking into the red gateway. Shinji took a deep breath and stepped through. He felt a strange warmth embrace him as he stepped through. His body was enveloped in the portal and walked out of another portal just like the one he'd gone through. The place looked like a cathedral but red light shined inside, creating a darker feeling. The windows all had a red pentagram embedded near the top with different shades of red and orange lining the rest of it. Shinji walked deeper into this dark cathedral and found a massive pentagram over large a pool of blood. He looked over at the center of the pentagram and saw a sword held up horizontally on a stand.
Shinji stepped onto the pentagram but was suddenly thrown back. He landed on his back several yards away and got the wind knocked out of him. After scrambling back to his feet, he realized there was a man in black robes standing in front of the sword.
"You are not the one," he said.
"Who are you?" Shinji asked.
"I am the Guardian. You are not the one."
Shinji felt a burst of power fly at him trying to throw him out of the chamber. He stood his ground and raised one hand to meet it. The burst hit his hand and seemed to run into a wall. Shinji felt the pressure on his hand but kept pushing back. Finally the burst fell back and hit the man in robes. It struck a red shield before dissipating.
This time the man raised his hand and fire started coiling around it. He flung his arm forward and a stream of fire shot out at Shinji. The young man ducked and avoided the fire but to his amazement the fire seemed to flow his movements, bending down after him. Shinji started running towards the portal with the fire on his trail. He jumped into the red gateway and snapped awake.
Shinji shot up and gave a shout, scaring Asuka and making her jump.
"Don't do that!" Asuka screamed, "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry."
Asuka growled at the apology and returned her attention to the magazine. Shinji stretched and got up from the couch. It wasn't like he was really that tired, it was simply the fact that boredom had finally settled in. Neither he nor Asuka had that many books besides the ones the school issued, and anything Asuka had was usually in German. Shinji decided to search around again. Maybe Misato had something. There was a reluctance to go into the room of their former guardian, but one of them would have to someday. Shinji walked over and opened the door. It looked like any other room in the apartment except for the mess.
Shinji looked around the room and saw that Misato actually had a lot of books. He ran his finger over the bindings and found that most of them were mainly textbooks. There were very few books for pleasure reading. Suddenly, a large book caught Shinji's attention. He walked over and pulled it out.
"The Book," Shinji read out loud.
He opened it and realized that he was holding a bible in his hand. It felt rather strange, holding something that many people considered sacred text. Shinji started flipping over the pages and stopped here and there, reading a line or two. Finally, deciding that this was the only thing worth reading, he exited Misato's room and closed it. Shinji returned to the living room, not noticing Asuka eyeing him as he walked back in. He sat down on the couch and opened the book to a random page and started reading.
Asuka kept peeking at Shinji uncontrollably. She noticed the book he was holding and managed to make out the title. The idiot was reading the bible? Since when did he become religious? Asuka's thoughts then drifted back to that weird dream. She had been in a church and those people in there probably had been nuts or something. Who would wear those white robes? And why hide your faces? They didn't look like any of the religious orders she had learned about. Then again, most of the religious orders nowadays were radicals. People would reach for anything if the situation was desperate enough, and the Second Impact certainly fit the description.
Asuka's stomach chose that moment to start growling. Her face reddened slightly but she couldn't stop it. Her stomach was an involuntary muscle, something even Asuka couldn't control.
"You hungry?" Shinji asked, looking up from the book.
Asuka nodded, only half looking at him. She still tried to maintain a cool distance with Shinji. Shinji got up and laid the book on the table, using a piece of paper to mark his spot. He then proceeded to the kitchen to start cooking. Seconds after he'd left, Asuka literally pounced on the bible and opened it to where Shinji was. It was near the end of the book and Asuka had barely found the page where this part started when Shinji called to her.
"What do you want for lunch?" he asked.
"Just something!" Asuka replied, "I need food!"
Shinji didn't reply but the sound of the stove lighting up was all the answer she needed. Asuka took note of the page number and put the book back where it was. When she was back to her original location, her body started punishing her for her actions. Her arm, back, and legs ached and pained, causing Asuka to start whining softly. She didn't want Shinji to rush over and try to help her, for he couldn't. This was something she needed to do by herself.
The sizzling sound of food being cooked properly was about the only sound in the kitchen. Shinji finished making fried rice and started on some dishes. He hoped that Asuka wouldn't get too impatient waiting, but patience wasn't Asuka's strong point. Shinji finished the vegetable/meat combo and set the table. He returned Asuka to the living room and wheeled her in and placed her next to the table. The two ate the lunch Shinji had cooked up and Asuka put away two servings. The food was very good with the better ingredients and fresh vegetables. One thing Asuka had to admit was that Shinji could cook. It wasn't like she couldn't, it was just that she was too lazy to. Besides, she had Shinji there. Why did she need to do anything since she was technically crippled?
That wasn't exactly a happy thought but Asuka pushed it away. She spooned more food into her mouth and tried to concentrate on eating, not as easy as one would think it to be. Asuka's mind was racing and she couldn't calm herself down. That dream kept replaying in her head. Something was disturbing her about it, but what? It wasn't like any other dream Asuka had ever experienced before. This one was so different. What was that place? And why did she have that dream? Asuka shook her head and finished eating. There was no point to pondering the past.
Shinji cleaned up and wheeled Asuka back into the living room. He then returned to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes, giving Asuka time to look at the bible again. She flipped through the pages. This book had a lot of prophecies regarding the end of the world and the coming of Christ. Asuka was rather surprised that Shinji had found this book. It was an even bigger surprise that Misato had one, though she should have expected it. Misato did wear that cross, something Asuka knew was from Dr. Katsuragi, Misato's father. She continued flipping through the pages and found references to the seals and the two prophets, though since much of it was in kanji it was pretty hard to figure all of it out. It was a pity that this bible wasn't in English, though Shinji would probably be unable to read it if it was.
The turning off of the water alerted Asuka and she put the book back, again regretting having to move so much. Shinji returned and picked up the book. He held it in his hands for several seconds, causing Asuka to wonder about his sanity. Then he looked at her.
"Asuka, if you want to read it you can just ask."
"Don't presume anything about me, Third Child," Asuka replied sharply, "Besides, what makes you think I want to read it?"
"The book was moved."
Asuka swore under her breath. Shinji was rather observant and apparently paid great attention to details.
"So what, are you going to gloat?"
"Why would I?" Shinji asked.
"Because you figured out I wanted to read it, but I can't!"
"I could read it out loud for you," Shinji offered.
Asuka humphed. "Well, if you insist, I'm not going to stop you."
Asuka was looking away and had expected Shinji to start right away, but when the silence continued she looked back at him. Shinji had opened the book again and was reading silently to himself. This was not what she had expected. It was then that Asuka lost her temper.
"Well aren't you going to read it out loud!" she screamed.
Shinji looked up, surprised. "I thought you didn't want me to."
"Look Third Child, get a clue. I'm trying to be subtle but it requires you to have some intelligence and common sense."
"So you do want me to read it?"
Asuka sighed. "I guess you aren't getting the clues. Yes, I want you to read it. Why? Because I need something to entertain me and I'm still having trouble with kanji. So, start reading."
Shinji turned back to the beginning of the book and started reading.
" 'This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything he saw. God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.' "
Asuka paid close attention to the words and found that they were rather familiar.
"Shinji, what book are you reading?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Shinji replied, "I'm reading the bible."
"No you idiot. The bible is divided into several books. Which one are you on?"
Shinji peered through several of the pages and found the title.
"Revelation," he said to Asuka.
Asuka nodded, expecting this. Revelation was the last book in the bible and was supposed to predict the ending of the world. A lot of people took it seriously and that was why there had been many protests against NERV because many religious groups believed that the Angels meant humanity no harm. That showed how much they truly knew.
"Do you know what that book is about?" Asuka asked.
Shinji shook his head.
"It's about the end of the world. Well, the bible was certainly proven wrong in this matter."
"Perhaps," Shinji said.
"What? What do you mean perhaps? You saw all that had happened! The world ended because of Third Impact, not because of God!"
"If the world ended, then why are we here?" Shinji asked.
"I'd like to know myself. Why did I get stuck here with you of all people!"
Asuka was simply repeating herself and even she knew it. Shinji chose that time to interrupt her rant.
"Do you want me to keep reading?" he asked.
"Fine," Asuka answered.
Shinji turned back to the book and continued reading for several minutes. To his surprise, Asuka fell asleep and slouched in her wheelchair. Shinji put down the book and walked over to her. Picking her up gently, he deposited her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. This gave Shinji some more time to read the book himself. So, this book was supposed to predict the end of the world? Well, let's see what it had to say about it.
The young man continued to look through the book of Revelation, carefully studying its words. Perhaps there was some comfort to be gained, or some wisdom to be gleaned. There had been many religious references in the things NERV used or did, and then there were the rumors regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls. But what was the answer? Perhaps he could find them.
Asuka was running away from dozens of the white robed figures. They seemed to sweep across the floors without their feet touching the ground. How that was possible Asuka did not know. She ran around another corner and stopped. It was a dead end. The robed figures appeared again and suddenly all of them had lances in their hands. These looked like the staff Asuka had seen in that strange room, though they only had one blade instead of two. The lead figure charged her, swinging its sword at her.
"No!" Asuka screamed.
She threw up her arms in a desperate attempt to save herself. Upon hearing a slashing sound, she opened her eyes and peeked out from behind her arms. The being was on the ground, its sword arm severed and on the ground. The thing clutched what was left of its arm and retreated. Suddenly the other figures in robes parted ways and the one in silver robes walked forward. She took off her hood and Asuka gasped. The woman standing in front of her was beautiful. Her features were perfect, her green eyes sparkling like rubies. Her brown hair also flowed down her back, disappearing into the robe.
"Leave her."
The robed figures bowed and backed away. They somehow disappeared, leaving no trace that they had existed. Even the bloody arm on the ground vanished without a trace. The woman approached Asuka but stopped when Asuka held her hands up again.
"Stay away!" she screamed, "I'm not going to let you kill me!"
"Why would I kill you?" the woman asked.
"Your follower did," Asuka stated, "You saw what I did to him and I can do it to you too."
"I saw what you did," the woman replied, "though how you did it is a mystery even to you."
Asuka froze, knowing the woman spoke truth. Right now she probably couldn't duplicate that feat.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"Want? I want nothing. I simply would like to know how you came here."
"Who are you?" Asuka asked.
"I am Eve."
Asuka nearly peed in her pants, though actually doing that in real life would have embarrassed her beyond recovery. This woman claimed to be Eve, wife of Adam and mother of humanity, or at least that's what the bible said. NERV had information that apparently proved that to be false. But what the hell was going on?
"What do you want?" Asuka asked again, suspicious of this woman.
"As I said before," Eve replied, "I want to know how you came here."
"I don't even know where here is," Asuka responded.
"Here is the Sanctuary," Eve said, waving her arm. They were suddenly standing in a garden. "The warriors of the Host rest here in between their struggles and battles. Here is where we protect the true Lance of Longinus."
"What? You mean that thing NERV used to kill Angels?" Asuka asked, shuddering slightly from the memory of what Arael did to her.
"Those, like the ones the false champions utilized, were simply replicas that Adam produced. Do you really think we would allow a sacred weapon that was dipped in the blood of the Messiah to fall into the hands of mortals?"
"Mortals? Ha! We defeated the Angels, remember?"
"Yes, you are one of the three, are you not? Perhaps there is a reason as to why you are here. Come."
The location changed again, this time to a meeting chamber. A rectangular table was in the center, surrounded by large comfortable chairs. Eve took a seat at the head and motioned for Asuka to join her. She took the seat on the immediate right of Eve.
"How much do you know about me?" Asuka asked.
"Quite a lot. I've been watching with interest, trying to see which one of you is the person I'm supposed to advise and protect."
"What? You don't know who you're supposed to help?"
"Of course not. There are three potential candidates, and you are merely the second one found. Shinji and Rei are the others."
"But Rei's dead," said Asuka, "Her head's in the lake, remember?"
Asuka shuddered at the thought of the giant head, simply there in the lake.
"Yes, I am well aware of the fact that Rei is absent. However, that means nothing in the long run. But that does eliminate her as a candidate, so it is merely between you and Shinji."
"And what am I to you?" Asuka asked.
"You are nothing right now," Eve replied frankly, "What you must understand is that without you awakening, I do not know what you are and cannot offer assistance of any sort."
"Oh, so me and Shinji are stuck in that hellhole formally known as Earth and you people aren't going to do anything?" Asuka snapped, "Aren't you affiliated with the Host, wouldn't God want you to help his people?"
Eve leaned forward on the table, her green eyes piercing into Asuka's head.
"Just because we are in the service of the Host does not mean we obey him. We obey the Messiah, and until you prove to me that you are indeed the Messiah, then you are nothing."
The straightforwardness of Eve's comments struck Asuka hard. Few people had ever dared to talk to her like this and she didn't like it. Asuka was about to explode again when suddenly another robed figure appeared next to Eve. It whispered something to Eve and she nodded, dismissing the being. It shimmered and disappeared from the room.
"I suggest you return to your world now," Eve said to her, "Perhaps we shall converse another time."
Asuka wasn't sure what was happening but all of a sudden she was out of the room and on a couch with blankets covering her. She looked around and saw Shinji sitting on the other couch, still reading the bible. He noticed that she had awakened and put it down again. Asuka had lost count how many times he had done that once he'd started reading.
"How was your nap?" Shinji asked.
"Fine," Asuka replied.
"I'm going out to look around the city some more. Want to come?"
"Yeah sure, why not."
She was pushed back into her room, changed without Shinji getting injured, and then pushed outside.
"Third Child, I think we should get one of those motor wheelchairs."
Shinji was too out of breath to answer so he simply nodded his agreement. After resting for several seconds Shinji started pushing Asuka down towards NERV. The infirmary should have one and there were several other things Shinji wanted to take care of too. They descended down into NERV, but glad that at least the elevators still worked. The power, again, was still on and the first place they stopped was the infirmary. It was there that they managed to find some motor wheelchairs. After trying out several, Asuka made her selection and started rolling down the hallway.
"Hold it," Shinji shouted, "I still have to check out a few things."
Asuka came to a halt and turned around.
"What else is there to see down here?" she asked.
"NERV ran a lot of secret projects that none of us knew about," Shinji answered, "I want to know what they were really up to."
"But why? NERV is finished and we have more important things to do. I mean, we do have to make sure we keep getting running water and food. Those things are more important."
"But what if we could bring everyone back?" Shinji countered, "That would be worth it."
Asuka opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She didn't really have anything against that, she realized. After giving Shinji a deadly glare, she rolled aside and waited for him to start moving. Apparently Shinji had realized why Asuka was mad at him and smiled at her. This only made her madder, but she refrained from insulting him. For now, she still needed his help in certain matters.
They walked through the many hallways and corridors and finally reached Central Dogma and the main office. The three supercomputers of the MAGI were all up for some reason. Shinji approached the one called Casper and found that an access panel had been opened. He crawled inside and disappeared, much to Asuka's annoyance. After a few seconds he emerged, dragging a laptop and many wires out with him.
"Someone left this in here," he said, "I think they didn't have enough time to remove it when the attack started."
"Oh just great. That thing is going to reveal everything," Asuka said sarcastically.
"Actually, it might," Shinji said, catching Asuka by surprise. "Someone set up a backdoor to the MAGI and I can access all of the files."
"Let me see that!" Asuka demanded.
She rolled over and leaned against the side of the wheelchair to get a better view. Shinji was bringing up files about the Evangelions. Most of the data on their design schematics were too complicated for either of them to understand, but apparently they truly were biomechanical combat units. Their body was like a massive organism, all with artificially grown muscles, skeletons, and a complex nervous system, or at least it seemed to be. Shinji dug deeper and found some of the more classified stuff. Apparently the nervous system also had a lot of computer circuitry running through it, enhancing reaction time and the amount of information that could be transferred from the brain to the rest of the body, including the entry plug.
"Look at this," Shinji said, pointing at a dot in the center of the EVA. "This looks like a core."
"An Angel core? What the hell are the EVAs?"
"Tools for starting the Third Impact," Shinji answered, "but there has to be more. How could they have created the EVAs? There was no way humanity discovered this by accident. But where is it?"
He started searching through more files, most of them simply statistical data. Asuka remained at his side, but she started to get bored. Finally she had it and started moving away. Shinji's head shot up at the sound of the motor.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to get another laptop and networking with yours," Asuka said as she moved away. "This is boring as hell and I need to do something. Might as well help you since you're so lost."
Shinji allowed a faint smile to appear on his face. Asuka seemed changed. She was actually volunteering to help him, though she did insult him in the process. Ah well, Asuka would always be Asuka.
Finding another laptop wasn't a serious problem. Asuka returned several minutes later with the cable and computer and hooked them up. She then proceeded to hook up her laptop to one of the consoles. Once done, she was able to use both to access information from the MAGI.
"Now this is much faster," Asuka said.
She typed in a search for information regarding the EVA series and soon found herself overwhelmed with information. Their designs she sent to Shinji for him to look over while the other mathematical stuff she examined herself. The stuff was incredibly complicated and much of it was beyond her. She moved past those and started looking at some kind of design. Apparently this pattern was the key to initiating Third Impact, though the amount of energy required to create and sustain it was astronomical. Then a thought occurred to Asuka. She quickly calculated how much total power an S2 organ could produce and then multiplied that by nine. From her calculations, they would just reach the necessary energy levels. There were also nine spots in the pattern, where she presumed the EVA series would be positioned.
Asuka smiled to herself, proud of her accomplishment.
"Shinji, I found something."
Shinji set his laptop down and walked over to Asuka. He looked over her shoulder and waited for an explanation.
"I think I know why the EVA series was so important," Asuka said, "You see, they needed to create this pattern out of solid light in order to cause some kind of chain reaction with all sentient beings on Earth. Well, that would have required a tremendous amount of power and the only way they could have gotten it was to use S2 organs. That was why they utilized the MP EVAs."
"But there has to be more," said Shinji, "They could have easily just built the S2 engines and then used a plane or something to get them into position."
"I think there is more," said Asuka, "The MP EVAs were different from ours, or at least mine. A lot different."
She brought up an image that showed one of the MP EVAs while it was undergoing construction. It showed what looked like tubes connected to the massive creature as muscle tissue was being grafted onto its bones.
"I'm not sure I see a difference," Shinji said, "though that is kind of weird."
"Idiot. Look at this."
Asuka placed her finger over some kind of writing on the image and Shinji leaned forward to get a better look, annoying Asuka as he made contact with her. He squinted his eyes and finally saw it.
"Lilith," he said.
"Right. From what I saw from the designs of Unit 02, they kept referring to Adam. I don't know about the other ones though. Maybe one of the other EVA units also have something to do with Lilith, but that's a wild guess."
"Just a sec," Shinji said.
He accessed another file and the name of all of the Angels appeared. Lilith was the second one on there. Asuka nodded.
"Makes sense. The EVAs are built from the Angels, though why the hell they were playing around with something so dangerous is beyond me. They're even dumber than you are sometimes."
Shinji ignored the jab as he had done many times before. He merely stared at the screen, unsure what to make of this new information. He returned to his laptop and continued his own search. It didn't take long to find it.
Ikari, Yui-Director of Project Evangelion. Affiliation, Seele, NERV, Gehirn.
Former head of research department on biomechanical combat unit Evangelion. Designed and engineered construction of EVA unit 01.
"Mother."
"What're you looking at?"
Shinji's head snapped up and he found Asuka looking at the picture on the file.
"Is that Rei's mother?" she asked.
Shinji looked closer and realized that the two did look similar. Well, that was to be expected.
"No. She's my mother."
"Oh," Asuka said softly.
She looked at the picture closely and realized that the woman's eyes were just like Shinji's. Though she did look like Rei. Were those two related? Asuka saw that Shinji had remained silent and took this as a sign that he was uncomfortable about this. This was something she could understand and rolled back to her console. This topic was too sensitive even for her to poke fun at. Then a thought came to her. Asuka typed in a search and found her own mother's file.
Soryu, Kyoko Zeppelin-Director of Project Evangelion: German Branch. Affiliation: Gehirn.
Former head of research department on biomechanical combat unit Evangelion, German Branch. Designed and engineered construction of EVA unit 02.
The information on her own mother was rather sketchy, much to her disappointment. One would think that NERV kept more information on its employees. Asuka tried digging deeper and found several layers of security. To her surprise, they all unlocked themselves. Whoever had been accessing the MAGI apparently was either very important or had hacked a backdoor into the system, not exactly easy. As Asuka read on, she became more and more disturbed. Apparently her mother had undergone a synchronization test while Unit 02 was still undergoing construction and something went wrong. While she did know something of this, actually reading the official report made it seem more real.
The people there had no idea what had happened and after she came out she had become mentally crippled. But there were other theories too, like somehow she'd lost herself in the EVA and never fully returned. Asuka remembered when Shinji had been absorbed into Unit 01. Had something like that happened with her mother? Was she still in Unit 02? No, they'd retrieved her. But then again, she'd never been the same even before she committed suicide. Asuka shook head, trying to driver those thoughts out of her mind. Though she'd come to accept the past thanks to Unit 02, she still was slightly afraid of it. Reading all this stuff didn't help either. She forced herself to keep going, if only to try to understand why her mother had gone insane. She still loved her, but something had happened and Asuka was determined to find out what.
Shinji had stopped looking for information on his mother. Instead he was focusing on the Third Impact. There'd be time to look for answers to his personal problems later. In a way this was another way for him to run away, though this time it seemed as if he had a real reason to. The truth was within his grasp but there was something else out there that would help him get to the final truth that he wanted. And thus he kept searching. More and more information piled up on the Third Impact, the possible effects, the contingencies that would be carried out if this attempt failed, as well as how the MP EVAs would be used to carry out the original plan. However, one thing was for sure. Lilith was the key to everything. It was the second Angel that was the key to the human Third Impact. Adam was the key to the Angel Third Impact. There was more to it than that though. People had kept manipulating these events to get what they wanted and it wasn't even Seele's plan to create a perfect being. It was his mother's.
It is very difficult to accept that your own mother could have been a monster, someone willing to wipe out all of humanity just because it had come to an evolutionary standstill. But in truth, that was what this information was telling him. His own mother had come up with the scenario that Seele had followed, though her husband was the one that finished it. Shinji felt sick. Both his parents had had a role in bringing an end to all that made humanity what it was. With no suffering, there would also be no happiness. One would think that Yui Ikari would have understood that. But why? Why had she done this?
Shinji pried deeper and found himself nearly overwhelmed with everything that the Third Impact involved. Most of the information was meaningless to him except for one item. Unit 01.
"What do we have here?" he muttered to himself. "Oh my god."
Lilith. That one word started a chain reaction within Shinji's mind. It all made sense now, why his father wanted to ensure that Unit 01 survived at all costs. But Asuka said that Unit 02 had something to do with Adam. What about Unit 00? He accessed the designs and quickly found his objective. Adam. So Unit 00 and 02 were associated with Adam somehow while Unit 01 and the MP EVAs were associated with Lilith. Was that the only difference? No, there had to be more. The MP EVAs were like Unit 01, but they weren't identical. If they were, Unit 01 would have been expendable and for some reason everyone thought it was too valuable to lose.
Both Children were getting tired at looking all of the data so Shinji and Asuka downloaded most of the files onto their laptops and left. Shinji ended up carrying both laptops even though Asuka didn't even have to walk. Her excuse was that they'd hurt her lap since she was still aching all over. Shinji didn't bother trying to convince her otherwise for two reasons; one, she might be telling the truth, two, she would bite his head off if he started arguing with her.
They came out of the Geofront and went back to the apartment. Shinji started dinner while Asuka continued reading the files, not because she wanted to but because she had nothing better to do at the moment. After about ten minutes Asuka rolled into the dining room and enjoyed a very tasty dinner.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji laid down on the bed and pulled the cover over himself. Thoughts of the day's events ran through his head, the information about the MP EVAs and Third Impact, things about his mother and Seele. But was it all worth it? Was it even possible to reverse the events of Third Impact? If it was, would it be possible for two teenagers to pull it off? The world was full of uncertainties, that he was sure of.
He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, but he was now back in that weird dream. But this time, it was a nightmare. Large creatures had pulled themselves out of the lava lake somehow, creatures that looked like massive reptiles but also slightly insectoid. They moved across the platform using four massive legs, each one with a large claw on the end. Their heads were like that of the ancient dinosaurs, though a bit flatter. The creatures roared a hideous sound before charging. As they got closer, Shinji could see that them in far greater clarity. Their main body was actually broken up into two parts attached by the torso. One suddenly stood up on its two hind legs and roared again, causing Shinji to jump back.
At this point he started running. He sped across the bridge and barely avoided getting skewed by two of the things. Three other monsters blocked the entrance to the next bridge but he had no choice but continue to run. A look of concentration was on his face as he dashed towards the bridge.
"A leap of faith," Shinji said to himself.
He jumped and suddenly flew right across the monsters and landed on the platform across the bridge. It was a surprise that he even made it across, and a greater one he didn't simply trip on the landing. The moment his feet touched the ground, Shinji was ready to go again. However, this time the creatures were charging at him.
Shinji didn't know what the hell he was going to do against these things. Suddenly his entire body started emitting a dark blue aura. Not knowing what it meant, he charged at the lead creature, screaming like a madman. Executing a karate chop, Shinji was shocked to see his hand cut right through the creature's claw and slice into the thing's head. It screamed in pain and fell, dead. Shinji jumped back, ready to continue the fight. However, for some reason, the monsters backed away and the glow around his body dissipated.
The man that had tried to kill him before shimmered into existence a few feet away from Shinji. The young man quickly assumed a combat stance, though how effective it would be without the aura was questionable. To his surprise, the man knelt before Shinji.
"Hail to you, my lord."
A suspicious and surprised look was on Shinji's face. What was this man trying to pull? He didn't relax and stayed in the stance.
The man got up and, seeing Shinji still ready to attack, tried to soothe him.
"I apologize on the attempt to attack you, my lord," he said, "I had mistaken you for someone else, someone who threatens us."
"And why should I believe you?" Shinji replied.
"Because I am your servant. Ask me of something and I shall answer."
"What is your name?"
"I have many. To the Jews I was known as Abaddon, to the Greeks I am Apollyon."
"The Destroyer," Shinji said in surprise.
"That is what your people would call me," Apollyon said.
"And you're also a servant of Satan. Why should I believe you?"
"I am no servant of Satan. I am the advisor and servant of the Antichrist. Please do not make such a mistake again."
Shinji was stunned. This man had said that he was Shinji's servant, but also said that he was the servant of the Antichrist. Did that mean he was the Antichrist? No, that was impossible!
"I'm not who you say I am," Shinji said defiantly.
"Your memories have faded with the passing of time," Apollyon said, "I do not doubt that you remember nothing. However, you are who you are and there is no running away from that."
Shinji's eyes narrowed dangerously. Only two other things could get him as angry as he was now, saying he was like his father, or someone insulting his mother. It could be said that this being had done the former, but even Shinji knew that his father wasn't the Antichrist, though he was close. The Antichrist was much worse.
"You can't run away from destiny," Apollyon said, "It is your destiny to rule."
"Perhaps," Shinji replied, "but as the Antichrist I would be destroying all that I love. That is one thing I cannot do."
Suddenly Shinji felt as if he was ripped from that location. He found himself back in his bed, slightly woozy and aching all over. Was the dream real? Maybe. But he hoped that it was not.
End of Chapter 1
Finally figured out the trick in drawing Asuka. If you screw up her eyes, then you're dead. Eyes and hair are the two most important distinguishing parts of an anime character and I finally got it down. Kind of.
All of my stories are kind of moving along slowly. I'm almost done with Scenario 10 of Adaptation, I just need some way to conclude the chapter. Unfortunately, motivation for that story is starting to get drained. I've already finished three chapters of my Starcraft story but hopefully I'll finish Scenario 10 soon.
Z98
Recrudesce of Evangelion
Chapter 1: Book of Revelation
Shinji was napping soundly while Asuka read some magazine she had convinced Shinji to get her. He found himself back in that weird dream and one step away from walking into the red gateway. Shinji took a deep breath and stepped through. He felt a strange warmth embrace him as he stepped through. His body was enveloped in the portal and walked out of another portal just like the one he'd gone through. The place looked like a cathedral but red light shined inside, creating a darker feeling. The windows all had a red pentagram embedded near the top with different shades of red and orange lining the rest of it. Shinji walked deeper into this dark cathedral and found a massive pentagram over large a pool of blood. He looked over at the center of the pentagram and saw a sword held up horizontally on a stand.
Shinji stepped onto the pentagram but was suddenly thrown back. He landed on his back several yards away and got the wind knocked out of him. After scrambling back to his feet, he realized there was a man in black robes standing in front of the sword.
"You are not the one," he said.
"Who are you?" Shinji asked.
"I am the Guardian. You are not the one."
Shinji felt a burst of power fly at him trying to throw him out of the chamber. He stood his ground and raised one hand to meet it. The burst hit his hand and seemed to run into a wall. Shinji felt the pressure on his hand but kept pushing back. Finally the burst fell back and hit the man in robes. It struck a red shield before dissipating.
This time the man raised his hand and fire started coiling around it. He flung his arm forward and a stream of fire shot out at Shinji. The young man ducked and avoided the fire but to his amazement the fire seemed to flow his movements, bending down after him. Shinji started running towards the portal with the fire on his trail. He jumped into the red gateway and snapped awake.
Shinji shot up and gave a shout, scaring Asuka and making her jump.
"Don't do that!" Asuka screamed, "You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry."
Asuka growled at the apology and returned her attention to the magazine. Shinji stretched and got up from the couch. It wasn't like he was really that tired, it was simply the fact that boredom had finally settled in. Neither he nor Asuka had that many books besides the ones the school issued, and anything Asuka had was usually in German. Shinji decided to search around again. Maybe Misato had something. There was a reluctance to go into the room of their former guardian, but one of them would have to someday. Shinji walked over and opened the door. It looked like any other room in the apartment except for the mess.
Shinji looked around the room and saw that Misato actually had a lot of books. He ran his finger over the bindings and found that most of them were mainly textbooks. There were very few books for pleasure reading. Suddenly, a large book caught Shinji's attention. He walked over and pulled it out.
"The Book," Shinji read out loud.
He opened it and realized that he was holding a bible in his hand. It felt rather strange, holding something that many people considered sacred text. Shinji started flipping over the pages and stopped here and there, reading a line or two. Finally, deciding that this was the only thing worth reading, he exited Misato's room and closed it. Shinji returned to the living room, not noticing Asuka eyeing him as he walked back in. He sat down on the couch and opened the book to a random page and started reading.
Asuka kept peeking at Shinji uncontrollably. She noticed the book he was holding and managed to make out the title. The idiot was reading the bible? Since when did he become religious? Asuka's thoughts then drifted back to that weird dream. She had been in a church and those people in there probably had been nuts or something. Who would wear those white robes? And why hide your faces? They didn't look like any of the religious orders she had learned about. Then again, most of the religious orders nowadays were radicals. People would reach for anything if the situation was desperate enough, and the Second Impact certainly fit the description.
Asuka's stomach chose that moment to start growling. Her face reddened slightly but she couldn't stop it. Her stomach was an involuntary muscle, something even Asuka couldn't control.
"You hungry?" Shinji asked, looking up from the book.
Asuka nodded, only half looking at him. She still tried to maintain a cool distance with Shinji. Shinji got up and laid the book on the table, using a piece of paper to mark his spot. He then proceeded to the kitchen to start cooking. Seconds after he'd left, Asuka literally pounced on the bible and opened it to where Shinji was. It was near the end of the book and Asuka had barely found the page where this part started when Shinji called to her.
"What do you want for lunch?" he asked.
"Just something!" Asuka replied, "I need food!"
Shinji didn't reply but the sound of the stove lighting up was all the answer she needed. Asuka took note of the page number and put the book back where it was. When she was back to her original location, her body started punishing her for her actions. Her arm, back, and legs ached and pained, causing Asuka to start whining softly. She didn't want Shinji to rush over and try to help her, for he couldn't. This was something she needed to do by herself.
The sizzling sound of food being cooked properly was about the only sound in the kitchen. Shinji finished making fried rice and started on some dishes. He hoped that Asuka wouldn't get too impatient waiting, but patience wasn't Asuka's strong point. Shinji finished the vegetable/meat combo and set the table. He returned Asuka to the living room and wheeled her in and placed her next to the table. The two ate the lunch Shinji had cooked up and Asuka put away two servings. The food was very good with the better ingredients and fresh vegetables. One thing Asuka had to admit was that Shinji could cook. It wasn't like she couldn't, it was just that she was too lazy to. Besides, she had Shinji there. Why did she need to do anything since she was technically crippled?
That wasn't exactly a happy thought but Asuka pushed it away. She spooned more food into her mouth and tried to concentrate on eating, not as easy as one would think it to be. Asuka's mind was racing and she couldn't calm herself down. That dream kept replaying in her head. Something was disturbing her about it, but what? It wasn't like any other dream Asuka had ever experienced before. This one was so different. What was that place? And why did she have that dream? Asuka shook her head and finished eating. There was no point to pondering the past.
Shinji cleaned up and wheeled Asuka back into the living room. He then returned to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes, giving Asuka time to look at the bible again. She flipped through the pages. This book had a lot of prophecies regarding the end of the world and the coming of Christ. Asuka was rather surprised that Shinji had found this book. It was an even bigger surprise that Misato had one, though she should have expected it. Misato did wear that cross, something Asuka knew was from Dr. Katsuragi, Misato's father. She continued flipping through the pages and found references to the seals and the two prophets, though since much of it was in kanji it was pretty hard to figure all of it out. It was a pity that this bible wasn't in English, though Shinji would probably be unable to read it if it was.
The turning off of the water alerted Asuka and she put the book back, again regretting having to move so much. Shinji returned and picked up the book. He held it in his hands for several seconds, causing Asuka to wonder about his sanity. Then he looked at her.
"Asuka, if you want to read it you can just ask."
"Don't presume anything about me, Third Child," Asuka replied sharply, "Besides, what makes you think I want to read it?"
"The book was moved."
Asuka swore under her breath. Shinji was rather observant and apparently paid great attention to details.
"So what, are you going to gloat?"
"Why would I?" Shinji asked.
"Because you figured out I wanted to read it, but I can't!"
"I could read it out loud for you," Shinji offered.
Asuka humphed. "Well, if you insist, I'm not going to stop you."
Asuka was looking away and had expected Shinji to start right away, but when the silence continued she looked back at him. Shinji had opened the book again and was reading silently to himself. This was not what she had expected. It was then that Asuka lost her temper.
"Well aren't you going to read it out loud!" she screamed.
Shinji looked up, surprised. "I thought you didn't want me to."
"Look Third Child, get a clue. I'm trying to be subtle but it requires you to have some intelligence and common sense."
"So you do want me to read it?"
Asuka sighed. "I guess you aren't getting the clues. Yes, I want you to read it. Why? Because I need something to entertain me and I'm still having trouble with kanji. So, start reading."
Shinji turned back to the beginning of the book and started reading.
" 'This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God's servant John so that John could share the revelation with God's other servants. John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything he saw. God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.' "
Asuka paid close attention to the words and found that they were rather familiar.
"Shinji, what book are you reading?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Shinji replied, "I'm reading the bible."
"No you idiot. The bible is divided into several books. Which one are you on?"
Shinji peered through several of the pages and found the title.
"Revelation," he said to Asuka.
Asuka nodded, expecting this. Revelation was the last book in the bible and was supposed to predict the ending of the world. A lot of people took it seriously and that was why there had been many protests against NERV because many religious groups believed that the Angels meant humanity no harm. That showed how much they truly knew.
"Do you know what that book is about?" Asuka asked.
Shinji shook his head.
"It's about the end of the world. Well, the bible was certainly proven wrong in this matter."
"Perhaps," Shinji said.
"What? What do you mean perhaps? You saw all that had happened! The world ended because of Third Impact, not because of God!"
"If the world ended, then why are we here?" Shinji asked.
"I'd like to know myself. Why did I get stuck here with you of all people!"
Asuka was simply repeating herself and even she knew it. Shinji chose that time to interrupt her rant.
"Do you want me to keep reading?" he asked.
"Fine," Asuka answered.
Shinji turned back to the book and continued reading for several minutes. To his surprise, Asuka fell asleep and slouched in her wheelchair. Shinji put down the book and walked over to her. Picking her up gently, he deposited her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. This gave Shinji some more time to read the book himself. So, this book was supposed to predict the end of the world? Well, let's see what it had to say about it.
The young man continued to look through the book of Revelation, carefully studying its words. Perhaps there was some comfort to be gained, or some wisdom to be gleaned. There had been many religious references in the things NERV used or did, and then there were the rumors regarding the Dead Sea Scrolls. But what was the answer? Perhaps he could find them.
Asuka was running away from dozens of the white robed figures. They seemed to sweep across the floors without their feet touching the ground. How that was possible Asuka did not know. She ran around another corner and stopped. It was a dead end. The robed figures appeared again and suddenly all of them had lances in their hands. These looked like the staff Asuka had seen in that strange room, though they only had one blade instead of two. The lead figure charged her, swinging its sword at her.
"No!" Asuka screamed.
She threw up her arms in a desperate attempt to save herself. Upon hearing a slashing sound, she opened her eyes and peeked out from behind her arms. The being was on the ground, its sword arm severed and on the ground. The thing clutched what was left of its arm and retreated. Suddenly the other figures in robes parted ways and the one in silver robes walked forward. She took off her hood and Asuka gasped. The woman standing in front of her was beautiful. Her features were perfect, her green eyes sparkling like rubies. Her brown hair also flowed down her back, disappearing into the robe.
"Leave her."
The robed figures bowed and backed away. They somehow disappeared, leaving no trace that they had existed. Even the bloody arm on the ground vanished without a trace. The woman approached Asuka but stopped when Asuka held her hands up again.
"Stay away!" she screamed, "I'm not going to let you kill me!"
"Why would I kill you?" the woman asked.
"Your follower did," Asuka stated, "You saw what I did to him and I can do it to you too."
"I saw what you did," the woman replied, "though how you did it is a mystery even to you."
Asuka froze, knowing the woman spoke truth. Right now she probably couldn't duplicate that feat.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"Want? I want nothing. I simply would like to know how you came here."
"Who are you?" Asuka asked.
"I am Eve."
Asuka nearly peed in her pants, though actually doing that in real life would have embarrassed her beyond recovery. This woman claimed to be Eve, wife of Adam and mother of humanity, or at least that's what the bible said. NERV had information that apparently proved that to be false. But what the hell was going on?
"What do you want?" Asuka asked again, suspicious of this woman.
"As I said before," Eve replied, "I want to know how you came here."
"I don't even know where here is," Asuka responded.
"Here is the Sanctuary," Eve said, waving her arm. They were suddenly standing in a garden. "The warriors of the Host rest here in between their struggles and battles. Here is where we protect the true Lance of Longinus."
"What? You mean that thing NERV used to kill Angels?" Asuka asked, shuddering slightly from the memory of what Arael did to her.
"Those, like the ones the false champions utilized, were simply replicas that Adam produced. Do you really think we would allow a sacred weapon that was dipped in the blood of the Messiah to fall into the hands of mortals?"
"Mortals? Ha! We defeated the Angels, remember?"
"Yes, you are one of the three, are you not? Perhaps there is a reason as to why you are here. Come."
The location changed again, this time to a meeting chamber. A rectangular table was in the center, surrounded by large comfortable chairs. Eve took a seat at the head and motioned for Asuka to join her. She took the seat on the immediate right of Eve.
"How much do you know about me?" Asuka asked.
"Quite a lot. I've been watching with interest, trying to see which one of you is the person I'm supposed to advise and protect."
"What? You don't know who you're supposed to help?"
"Of course not. There are three potential candidates, and you are merely the second one found. Shinji and Rei are the others."
"But Rei's dead," said Asuka, "Her head's in the lake, remember?"
Asuka shuddered at the thought of the giant head, simply there in the lake.
"Yes, I am well aware of the fact that Rei is absent. However, that means nothing in the long run. But that does eliminate her as a candidate, so it is merely between you and Shinji."
"And what am I to you?" Asuka asked.
"You are nothing right now," Eve replied frankly, "What you must understand is that without you awakening, I do not know what you are and cannot offer assistance of any sort."
"Oh, so me and Shinji are stuck in that hellhole formally known as Earth and you people aren't going to do anything?" Asuka snapped, "Aren't you affiliated with the Host, wouldn't God want you to help his people?"
Eve leaned forward on the table, her green eyes piercing into Asuka's head.
"Just because we are in the service of the Host does not mean we obey him. We obey the Messiah, and until you prove to me that you are indeed the Messiah, then you are nothing."
The straightforwardness of Eve's comments struck Asuka hard. Few people had ever dared to talk to her like this and she didn't like it. Asuka was about to explode again when suddenly another robed figure appeared next to Eve. It whispered something to Eve and she nodded, dismissing the being. It shimmered and disappeared from the room.
"I suggest you return to your world now," Eve said to her, "Perhaps we shall converse another time."
Asuka wasn't sure what was happening but all of a sudden she was out of the room and on a couch with blankets covering her. She looked around and saw Shinji sitting on the other couch, still reading the bible. He noticed that she had awakened and put it down again. Asuka had lost count how many times he had done that once he'd started reading.
"How was your nap?" Shinji asked.
"Fine," Asuka replied.
"I'm going out to look around the city some more. Want to come?"
"Yeah sure, why not."
She was pushed back into her room, changed without Shinji getting injured, and then pushed outside.
"Third Child, I think we should get one of those motor wheelchairs."
Shinji was too out of breath to answer so he simply nodded his agreement. After resting for several seconds Shinji started pushing Asuka down towards NERV. The infirmary should have one and there were several other things Shinji wanted to take care of too. They descended down into NERV, but glad that at least the elevators still worked. The power, again, was still on and the first place they stopped was the infirmary. It was there that they managed to find some motor wheelchairs. After trying out several, Asuka made her selection and started rolling down the hallway.
"Hold it," Shinji shouted, "I still have to check out a few things."
Asuka came to a halt and turned around.
"What else is there to see down here?" she asked.
"NERV ran a lot of secret projects that none of us knew about," Shinji answered, "I want to know what they were really up to."
"But why? NERV is finished and we have more important things to do. I mean, we do have to make sure we keep getting running water and food. Those things are more important."
"But what if we could bring everyone back?" Shinji countered, "That would be worth it."
Asuka opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She didn't really have anything against that, she realized. After giving Shinji a deadly glare, she rolled aside and waited for him to start moving. Apparently Shinji had realized why Asuka was mad at him and smiled at her. This only made her madder, but she refrained from insulting him. For now, she still needed his help in certain matters.
They walked through the many hallways and corridors and finally reached Central Dogma and the main office. The three supercomputers of the MAGI were all up for some reason. Shinji approached the one called Casper and found that an access panel had been opened. He crawled inside and disappeared, much to Asuka's annoyance. After a few seconds he emerged, dragging a laptop and many wires out with him.
"Someone left this in here," he said, "I think they didn't have enough time to remove it when the attack started."
"Oh just great. That thing is going to reveal everything," Asuka said sarcastically.
"Actually, it might," Shinji said, catching Asuka by surprise. "Someone set up a backdoor to the MAGI and I can access all of the files."
"Let me see that!" Asuka demanded.
She rolled over and leaned against the side of the wheelchair to get a better view. Shinji was bringing up files about the Evangelions. Most of the data on their design schematics were too complicated for either of them to understand, but apparently they truly were biomechanical combat units. Their body was like a massive organism, all with artificially grown muscles, skeletons, and a complex nervous system, or at least it seemed to be. Shinji dug deeper and found some of the more classified stuff. Apparently the nervous system also had a lot of computer circuitry running through it, enhancing reaction time and the amount of information that could be transferred from the brain to the rest of the body, including the entry plug.
"Look at this," Shinji said, pointing at a dot in the center of the EVA. "This looks like a core."
"An Angel core? What the hell are the EVAs?"
"Tools for starting the Third Impact," Shinji answered, "but there has to be more. How could they have created the EVAs? There was no way humanity discovered this by accident. But where is it?"
He started searching through more files, most of them simply statistical data. Asuka remained at his side, but she started to get bored. Finally she had it and started moving away. Shinji's head shot up at the sound of the motor.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to get another laptop and networking with yours," Asuka said as she moved away. "This is boring as hell and I need to do something. Might as well help you since you're so lost."
Shinji allowed a faint smile to appear on his face. Asuka seemed changed. She was actually volunteering to help him, though she did insult him in the process. Ah well, Asuka would always be Asuka.
Finding another laptop wasn't a serious problem. Asuka returned several minutes later with the cable and computer and hooked them up. She then proceeded to hook up her laptop to one of the consoles. Once done, she was able to use both to access information from the MAGI.
"Now this is much faster," Asuka said.
She typed in a search for information regarding the EVA series and soon found herself overwhelmed with information. Their designs she sent to Shinji for him to look over while the other mathematical stuff she examined herself. The stuff was incredibly complicated and much of it was beyond her. She moved past those and started looking at some kind of design. Apparently this pattern was the key to initiating Third Impact, though the amount of energy required to create and sustain it was astronomical. Then a thought occurred to Asuka. She quickly calculated how much total power an S2 organ could produce and then multiplied that by nine. From her calculations, they would just reach the necessary energy levels. There were also nine spots in the pattern, where she presumed the EVA series would be positioned.
Asuka smiled to herself, proud of her accomplishment.
"Shinji, I found something."
Shinji set his laptop down and walked over to Asuka. He looked over her shoulder and waited for an explanation.
"I think I know why the EVA series was so important," Asuka said, "You see, they needed to create this pattern out of solid light in order to cause some kind of chain reaction with all sentient beings on Earth. Well, that would have required a tremendous amount of power and the only way they could have gotten it was to use S2 organs. That was why they utilized the MP EVAs."
"But there has to be more," said Shinji, "They could have easily just built the S2 engines and then used a plane or something to get them into position."
"I think there is more," said Asuka, "The MP EVAs were different from ours, or at least mine. A lot different."
She brought up an image that showed one of the MP EVAs while it was undergoing construction. It showed what looked like tubes connected to the massive creature as muscle tissue was being grafted onto its bones.
"I'm not sure I see a difference," Shinji said, "though that is kind of weird."
"Idiot. Look at this."
Asuka placed her finger over some kind of writing on the image and Shinji leaned forward to get a better look, annoying Asuka as he made contact with her. He squinted his eyes and finally saw it.
"Lilith," he said.
"Right. From what I saw from the designs of Unit 02, they kept referring to Adam. I don't know about the other ones though. Maybe one of the other EVA units also have something to do with Lilith, but that's a wild guess."
"Just a sec," Shinji said.
He accessed another file and the name of all of the Angels appeared. Lilith was the second one on there. Asuka nodded.
"Makes sense. The EVAs are built from the Angels, though why the hell they were playing around with something so dangerous is beyond me. They're even dumber than you are sometimes."
Shinji ignored the jab as he had done many times before. He merely stared at the screen, unsure what to make of this new information. He returned to his laptop and continued his own search. It didn't take long to find it.
Ikari, Yui-Director of Project Evangelion. Affiliation, Seele, NERV, Gehirn.
Former head of research department on biomechanical combat unit Evangelion. Designed and engineered construction of EVA unit 01.
"Mother."
"What're you looking at?"
Shinji's head snapped up and he found Asuka looking at the picture on the file.
"Is that Rei's mother?" she asked.
Shinji looked closer and realized that the two did look similar. Well, that was to be expected.
"No. She's my mother."
"Oh," Asuka said softly.
She looked at the picture closely and realized that the woman's eyes were just like Shinji's. Though she did look like Rei. Were those two related? Asuka saw that Shinji had remained silent and took this as a sign that he was uncomfortable about this. This was something she could understand and rolled back to her console. This topic was too sensitive even for her to poke fun at. Then a thought came to her. Asuka typed in a search and found her own mother's file.
Soryu, Kyoko Zeppelin-Director of Project Evangelion: German Branch. Affiliation: Gehirn.
Former head of research department on biomechanical combat unit Evangelion, German Branch. Designed and engineered construction of EVA unit 02.
The information on her own mother was rather sketchy, much to her disappointment. One would think that NERV kept more information on its employees. Asuka tried digging deeper and found several layers of security. To her surprise, they all unlocked themselves. Whoever had been accessing the MAGI apparently was either very important or had hacked a backdoor into the system, not exactly easy. As Asuka read on, she became more and more disturbed. Apparently her mother had undergone a synchronization test while Unit 02 was still undergoing construction and something went wrong. While she did know something of this, actually reading the official report made it seem more real.
The people there had no idea what had happened and after she came out she had become mentally crippled. But there were other theories too, like somehow she'd lost herself in the EVA and never fully returned. Asuka remembered when Shinji had been absorbed into Unit 01. Had something like that happened with her mother? Was she still in Unit 02? No, they'd retrieved her. But then again, she'd never been the same even before she committed suicide. Asuka shook head, trying to driver those thoughts out of her mind. Though she'd come to accept the past thanks to Unit 02, she still was slightly afraid of it. Reading all this stuff didn't help either. She forced herself to keep going, if only to try to understand why her mother had gone insane. She still loved her, but something had happened and Asuka was determined to find out what.
Shinji had stopped looking for information on his mother. Instead he was focusing on the Third Impact. There'd be time to look for answers to his personal problems later. In a way this was another way for him to run away, though this time it seemed as if he had a real reason to. The truth was within his grasp but there was something else out there that would help him get to the final truth that he wanted. And thus he kept searching. More and more information piled up on the Third Impact, the possible effects, the contingencies that would be carried out if this attempt failed, as well as how the MP EVAs would be used to carry out the original plan. However, one thing was for sure. Lilith was the key to everything. It was the second Angel that was the key to the human Third Impact. Adam was the key to the Angel Third Impact. There was more to it than that though. People had kept manipulating these events to get what they wanted and it wasn't even Seele's plan to create a perfect being. It was his mother's.
It is very difficult to accept that your own mother could have been a monster, someone willing to wipe out all of humanity just because it had come to an evolutionary standstill. But in truth, that was what this information was telling him. His own mother had come up with the scenario that Seele had followed, though her husband was the one that finished it. Shinji felt sick. Both his parents had had a role in bringing an end to all that made humanity what it was. With no suffering, there would also be no happiness. One would think that Yui Ikari would have understood that. But why? Why had she done this?
Shinji pried deeper and found himself nearly overwhelmed with everything that the Third Impact involved. Most of the information was meaningless to him except for one item. Unit 01.
"What do we have here?" he muttered to himself. "Oh my god."
Lilith. That one word started a chain reaction within Shinji's mind. It all made sense now, why his father wanted to ensure that Unit 01 survived at all costs. But Asuka said that Unit 02 had something to do with Adam. What about Unit 00? He accessed the designs and quickly found his objective. Adam. So Unit 00 and 02 were associated with Adam somehow while Unit 01 and the MP EVAs were associated with Lilith. Was that the only difference? No, there had to be more. The MP EVAs were like Unit 01, but they weren't identical. If they were, Unit 01 would have been expendable and for some reason everyone thought it was too valuable to lose.
Both Children were getting tired at looking all of the data so Shinji and Asuka downloaded most of the files onto their laptops and left. Shinji ended up carrying both laptops even though Asuka didn't even have to walk. Her excuse was that they'd hurt her lap since she was still aching all over. Shinji didn't bother trying to convince her otherwise for two reasons; one, she might be telling the truth, two, she would bite his head off if he started arguing with her.
They came out of the Geofront and went back to the apartment. Shinji started dinner while Asuka continued reading the files, not because she wanted to but because she had nothing better to do at the moment. After about ten minutes Asuka rolled into the dining room and enjoyed a very tasty dinner.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji laid down on the bed and pulled the cover over himself. Thoughts of the day's events ran through his head, the information about the MP EVAs and Third Impact, things about his mother and Seele. But was it all worth it? Was it even possible to reverse the events of Third Impact? If it was, would it be possible for two teenagers to pull it off? The world was full of uncertainties, that he was sure of.
He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, but he was now back in that weird dream. But this time, it was a nightmare. Large creatures had pulled themselves out of the lava lake somehow, creatures that looked like massive reptiles but also slightly insectoid. They moved across the platform using four massive legs, each one with a large claw on the end. Their heads were like that of the ancient dinosaurs, though a bit flatter. The creatures roared a hideous sound before charging. As they got closer, Shinji could see that them in far greater clarity. Their main body was actually broken up into two parts attached by the torso. One suddenly stood up on its two hind legs and roared again, causing Shinji to jump back.
At this point he started running. He sped across the bridge and barely avoided getting skewed by two of the things. Three other monsters blocked the entrance to the next bridge but he had no choice but continue to run. A look of concentration was on his face as he dashed towards the bridge.
"A leap of faith," Shinji said to himself.
He jumped and suddenly flew right across the monsters and landed on the platform across the bridge. It was a surprise that he even made it across, and a greater one he didn't simply trip on the landing. The moment his feet touched the ground, Shinji was ready to go again. However, this time the creatures were charging at him.
Shinji didn't know what the hell he was going to do against these things. Suddenly his entire body started emitting a dark blue aura. Not knowing what it meant, he charged at the lead creature, screaming like a madman. Executing a karate chop, Shinji was shocked to see his hand cut right through the creature's claw and slice into the thing's head. It screamed in pain and fell, dead. Shinji jumped back, ready to continue the fight. However, for some reason, the monsters backed away and the glow around his body dissipated.
The man that had tried to kill him before shimmered into existence a few feet away from Shinji. The young man quickly assumed a combat stance, though how effective it would be without the aura was questionable. To his surprise, the man knelt before Shinji.
"Hail to you, my lord."
A suspicious and surprised look was on Shinji's face. What was this man trying to pull? He didn't relax and stayed in the stance.
The man got up and, seeing Shinji still ready to attack, tried to soothe him.
"I apologize on the attempt to attack you, my lord," he said, "I had mistaken you for someone else, someone who threatens us."
"And why should I believe you?" Shinji replied.
"Because I am your servant. Ask me of something and I shall answer."
"What is your name?"
"I have many. To the Jews I was known as Abaddon, to the Greeks I am Apollyon."
"The Destroyer," Shinji said in surprise.
"That is what your people would call me," Apollyon said.
"And you're also a servant of Satan. Why should I believe you?"
"I am no servant of Satan. I am the advisor and servant of the Antichrist. Please do not make such a mistake again."
Shinji was stunned. This man had said that he was Shinji's servant, but also said that he was the servant of the Antichrist. Did that mean he was the Antichrist? No, that was impossible!
"I'm not who you say I am," Shinji said defiantly.
"Your memories have faded with the passing of time," Apollyon said, "I do not doubt that you remember nothing. However, you are who you are and there is no running away from that."
Shinji's eyes narrowed dangerously. Only two other things could get him as angry as he was now, saying he was like his father, or someone insulting his mother. It could be said that this being had done the former, but even Shinji knew that his father wasn't the Antichrist, though he was close. The Antichrist was much worse.
"You can't run away from destiny," Apollyon said, "It is your destiny to rule."
"Perhaps," Shinji replied, "but as the Antichrist I would be destroying all that I love. That is one thing I cannot do."
Suddenly Shinji felt as if he was ripped from that location. He found himself back in his bed, slightly woozy and aching all over. Was the dream real? Maybe. But he hoped that it was not.
End of Chapter 1
Finally figured out the trick in drawing Asuka. If you screw up her eyes, then you're dead. Eyes and hair are the two most important distinguishing parts of an anime character and I finally got it down. Kind of.
All of my stories are kind of moving along slowly. I'm almost done with Scenario 10 of Adaptation, I just need some way to conclude the chapter. Unfortunately, motivation for that story is starting to get drained. I've already finished three chapters of my Starcraft story but hopefully I'll finish Scenario 10 soon.
Z98
