Disclaimer: EVA and all its characters and references are owned by Gainax. I don't own them and I would probably die of surprise if I made money off their ideas. Ideas, situations, and characters may unintentionally resemble others. Rock on. EVANGELION: Avatar By: OOPART Xephon -- 1: contraception Scene 1 Once again it was a bright and sunny day in the city of Neo Tokyo-3. High cirrus clouds floated overhead, nothing more than a faint background to the bright blue sky. The unusual quality of a manmade paradise was overridden by such a beautiful day. The temperature was even comfortable; those concrete and asphalt images were warm to the touch. Faint breezes passed over the mountains occasionally, more a justification for living than passing weather systems. Birds happily chirped in the trees that ran along the roads, although those trees had been planted by man, too. Tokyo-3 was less a city and more of something else, something indefinable. It wasn't necessarily a place for business or a place for people to live their lives. It was not heavily populated; there were no industrial complexes polluting the air; the highways leading into and out of the city were sparsely travelled. The city streets were a little crowded, more a result of traffic lights than of traffic. People walked along sidewalks, but many walked for the sheer enjoyment and not to transport themselves from one point to another. Tokyo-3 was not a place that seemed real. The city was so peaceful on this day, so quiet, so impassive. The rest of the world seemed to run by on its daily pace, leaving that city to go on its own path. It was almost as if the city was hiding something. Something said that the city was only skin deep, and underneath one could find anything at all. Perhaps some dark secret, or perhaps a mountain of gold. A wonderful dream. The people carried on their lives in this city as if nothing had happened. However, they all knew that it had occurred. The images that had been shown all over the television and newspapers had quickly turned the world's eye on this city of man. Everyone in the city knew that something unusual had happened, even the small children who could not begin to understand what had transpired in their backyards. The horror of the attack was not limited to Tokyo-3; a path of clean-ups led from the Pacific to the city. The government, both local and national, had been quick to cover up anything that may have been critical. A "monster" of unknown origins had attacked Japan, carving destruction until it was stopped by the Self-Defense Forces in Tokyo-3. The damage in the city itself was limited to an area of about 10 square blocks in the northeast corner of the city, an area that was now blocked off my the SDF and military police. People wondered why the monster had attacked, why it had come to that city, where had it come from; wondered why it had attacked now? Eye witness accounts recalled a second monster, described by some as a robot. However the officials denied a second one. Sitting in a cool classroom, staring outside at the perfect day, was a boy who had seen the second monster. He was known by his classmates as a transfer student, quiet, and a little strange. There were a few rumors flying around the boy, but nothing that was so outrageous as the simple truth. The boy did not pay attention as the ancient teacher rambled on about the Second Impact, did not even pay attention to the beauty of nature. His mind was elsewhere, remembering fragments of what had happened just a few days before. His dark blue eyes were almost out of focus, as though his mind was somewhere entirely different. He was confused, unconsciously asking questions. Always questions, but there weren't any answers for this boy. The monster's appearance and subsequential defeat affected the whole city. But this boy had been involved in a much deeper way than most of that city. Ikari Shinji, unwilling "pilot" of the second monster, pondered these questions that plagued his mind. He looked for answers to questions that had no answers. He barely understood his situation, and he did not want to acknowledge what was going on around him. Perhaps it had been a dream. But... That purple mask told him it was the truth. That purple mask he saw in his mind silently spoke to him. That purple mask... Evangelion... The beast which he had been thrust inside to control. The beast which had cost him so much. His former life was now over. Evangelion, his father, Katsuragi Misato, that odd girl... They were his life now. - Scene 2 Ikari pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. He wore them even though his vision was close to perfect,and anyone who had met Ikari knew that it was definitely not a fashion statement. The man simply wore the spectacles. Sitting behind that great cold desk, totally uncluttered, the figure demanded respect from any who approached him. His face was blank, though many thoughts passed through his head. Somehow, that blankness was filled with emotion. Pure undefinable emotion. A slight electronic click was followed by a female voice. "Commander Ikari, the general is here for the scheduled meeting." The man tapped a small button built into his desk. "I understand. Tell him I will meet him in room 313B." Ikari's voice was cold and heartless, full of hatred. "Yes, sir." Ikari sighed almost inaudibly as he stood. As always those memories inhabited his mind. Often he took a step back and tried to rationalize his actions, only to fail. Long ago had he realized that it was impossible for a human being to find a pure answer to describe the reasons for actions. Thirty years had passed since that fateful day, the day his life was forever marred. - Scene 3 "Huh?" His voice echoed. The boy blinked quickly, then rubbed his eyes. Satisfied that his eyes were fine, he looked around. Cars, cars, cars... Dim lights... an elevator in the corner... sloping pavement... He was in a parking garage. He suddenly realized that he was holding something in his right hand. There was a set of keys and a small plastic device with a couple buttons on it. He recognized the symbol on one of the buttons and pressed it. A car directly to his left chirped twice. The boy looked around again. "Hello?" he called. For some reason he felt joy when no one responded, and his left arm began to tingle. Almost naturally he grabbed one of the three keys on the keychain in his hand, and he got into the car. The vehicle started immediately, a deep rumble that was the sound of power. The boy realized that the car was a manual even though he had already released the emergency brake and put the car into reverse. He noticed a piece of paper sitting on the passenger seat as he rolled through the garage. Picking it up, he saw that it was a map. The boy slowly looked over the face of the map. It appeared to have directions written on it, and he assumed that it led from the parking garage to somewhere else. Somewhere he was supposed to go. First, however, he decided he was hungry. After a bit of driving, he found a small internet cafe. He walked in, sat at an empty computer station, and ordered a cup of coffee and a poppy seed muffin. He browsed over world news, reading about troubles in other lands. The coffee was a little grainy, but he drank the whole cup anyway. He had no money in his pockets, so he reached for his wallet. Very slowly, he pulled open the folds, almost as though he were dreading the contents. Inside his wallet were 900 yen, something that looked like a credit card, and a driver's license. A license for a boy named Kawano Ichiro. Age: 16. Date of Birth: 01 October 2030. For some reason the address was severely smudged and unreadable. "That figures," he said quietly. For some reason he felt like he couldn't remember anything that had happened in a long time, kind of like when a TV show is on but you don't watch the program, then try to remember later. Every detail seemed to be there, but was too hazy to decode. However, the boy did instantly recognize the face as his own. The black hair hung low in his eyes and over his ears, although the dull green eyes stood out from the shadow. The long face, strong chin, and protruding cheek bones were distinctly masculine. He left the cafe after paying the paltry sum, he decided to check out the map. It described a moderate city, though the name was nowhere on the paper. Ichiro leaned his head back and stared at the sky through the open sunroof. The next few moments were much a blur to the boy. Almost immediately after he closed his eyes, a deep click was followed by a breeze of fresh air. The car's passenger side door had opened! Ichiro sat up straight in his seat and looked to his left. He was bewildered to find a middle-aged woman with long, light brown hair, who's arms seemed to be covered in tattoos. "Are you in the mafia?" the boy asked in a panicked tone. "Shut up!" the woman yelled. She pulled a small handgun out of her jacket and put it to Ichiro's left temple. She pushed his head so his face was forward. He could barely see her outline in his peripheral vision. Of course the boy was scared senseless and shut his trap. "Drive!" "W-where?" he asked quietly. She grabbed the map from his hand and pushed it into his line of sight. "Here! Drive here!" She was pointing to the spot that had been defined as his goal. Then the map disappeared. "But... I don't know how to get there." "I'll direct you. Just go. Now!" "But I-" "Go right!" Ichiro pulled to the road, looked right, then began to look left. The barrel of the gun pushed his head back. "It's clear. Go now!" A thousand thoughts and emotions were running through Ichiro's head, although not many were perceptible in his state of shock. The rest of the trip went similarly. The woman slowly became calmer, as did Ichiro. The trip took the pair to the outskirts of the unnamed city, to a small one-story concrete building with tiny rectangular windows. The building had a nearly flat roof with black shingles. The entirety of the structure was painted a very plain light gray. The paint was clean, and looked as if it was relatively new. There was one door, and six parking spaces in front of the building. Not one was occupied before they arrived. "Park the car and don't move." Ichiro slowly moved the car to a spot near the door. He noticed that all the windows were mirrored, and nothing inside could not be seen. The door was unremarkable. "OK, I am going to take the gun off your head, but I'm not putting it away. When I tell you to, get out of the car and put your back towards the building. You hear me?" Her voice was very even and controlled. "Yea." As Ichiro turned off the car and climbed out, he heard the woman mumbling. A few moments later, he heard the other door slam closed. "Go ahead." Ichiro got out and turned 180 degrees to his right. Based on the sound produced when the woman moved, it sounded like she was wearing hard-heeled shoes. Not long after the sounds of walking stopped, there was a small click and a slight 'pfft!'. More shoe-sounds, then... Ichiro yelped and nearly fell down backwards when the woman suddenly grabbed his collar. "Come on, come on." "Hey! What're you-" "Just be quiet, kid." The woman pulled him backwards up to the building, then let him go. "Keep facing that direction, away from the building." Ichiro heard some jingling that sounded like keys. Sure enough, there was a slight creaking noise, and then the woman grabbed his shoulders. "OK, now. You are going to turn around and go inside. There should be three doors inside, with a panel to the right of each door. Go to the far left door. The panel will have a keypad and a few other colored buttons." She moved one of her hands from his shoulder, then he felt a paper being pressed against his chest. He grabbed it. "There are instructions on the map in the right top corner." "Umm... Why don't you just do it?" "Don't ask! Just do!" Suddenly she swung him around to face the building again, staying behind him the whole time. "Just go to the door on the left and enter what's written on the map, OK? You got me?" "Yea, OK... I'm going." Ichiro slowly stepped inside the doorway. The inside of the structure was covered in dull grey metal tiles. Just as the woman had said, there were three doors with panels to the right. He went directly to the left door and examined the map again. He hadn't noticed the handwritten note on the map before, but then again he hadn't really looked at anything except the route he had taken. "Let's see... Eight, six, eight, nine, one, one, zero, zero, zero, seven, three, six, G Blue, G Red, H Blue, G Red." He pressed the buttons as he read them. He waited patiently for something to happen. After a long, tense moment, a quiet beep emitted from the keypad. The door quickly disappeared into the floor, and a rush of cold, pressurized air rushed past the boy. Just as soon as the door opened, a much colder touch graced the back of his neck. "Don't move! I'm going to blindfold you." "But, why-" "I said don't ask." "OK, fine." The boy put up no resistance as the woman tied a piece of black cloth around his head, totally obscuring his eyesight. She grabbed his right arm and began to pull. Kawano tried to remember which way he was being tugged, but eventually he gave up. He was totally lost, his sense of direction totally skewed. Ichiro lost all track of time and space in that unknown place, being led around by a woman who he knew only as abductor. Oddly, he felt at ease, not nervous at all. It seemed to the boy like he was being led down, maybe underground. And sometimes when he heard doors slide open, there were whooshes of cold air. Kawano had no idea what was going on at all, but he didn't really make any effort to try and figure out his situation. He began to hear electronic voices making nonsense announcements. They sounded kind of military in nature, but not really... Suddenly he felt himself pulled to a stop, then a doorway closed behind him. This room was relatively noisy, with many voices. "Ah, Kawano-san, you are finally here." "Who are... you?" the boy asked slowly. "Just a man, Kawano-san. Just a man." "Why am I blindfolded?" Just as soon as he had spoken those words, the blindfold was removed. "Kawano Ichiro, welcome to NERV." "N-NERV? What's-" A man in a black suit stepped forth from the darkness, clobbering the blinded boy. Ichiro collapsed to the ground. A somewhat annoyed expression came over the boy's abductor. "Was that absolutely necessary, Commander?" "It was agreed by general consensus that this was the best plan of action. Were you not part of the voting group?" His words were cold and heartless, as usual. "I was. But that doesn't mean I voted in favor of this," she spat, motioning to the unconscious boy at her feet. "Excessive force is not always the answer, Commander." With the slightest hint of spite in his voice, the Commander of the NERV special organization replied, "There was a time when you would have disagreed with your previous statement." She frowned slightly, but inside she was beginning to feel that same old rage rise up. Saluting her superior, she asked to leave. Asuka Soryu clenched her fist after the doors had closed. "He's just like his father."
