Chapter 11
Finale
Maya step out of the personal carrier. "Move out!"
A squad of UN Troopers quickly marched out and began to assume defensive positions. Maya glanced up the street. Debris was everywhere. The squad slowly began to move forward amongst the debris, guns drawn. Maya followed farther back.
"Ma'am!" shouted a trooper. "Over here!"
Maya raced to where the trooper was standing. Sticking out of a pile of debris was an arm, a female arm.
"Quick dig!" order Maya as she began to dig into the pile. Several other troopers joined her. After a minute, the coughing form of Sayoko was pulled out. Sayoko let out a groan and then looked at Maya.
"Sorry about dropping in like this......"
Maya smiled, "Are you alright?"
Sayoko slowly stood up. "Yeah, nothing a few band-ads and a nice bath won't fix."
"LOOK OUT!!!" Maya and Sayoko turned to see several troopers diving out of the way as Loki burst forth from a pile of debris.
"Back to work." said Sayoko. She straightened her helmet and flew straight at Loki. Loki ducked out of the way. He quickly rolled across the ground then turned his hands toward Sayoko, firing off a force bolt. Sayoko raised her shield, just barely deflecting the bolt. The bolt continued on, smashing into a nearby building. Maya and the troops dove for cover. Maya quickly scooped up her radio.
"Commander!"
"What the hell is going on out there!?" came Misato's voice.
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Misato stared at the screen as it registered 2 very powerful Type Purple patterns.
"Sayoko is here battling another god." came Maya's voice.
Skuld perked up. "She's fighting a god? Describe him."
"Well, he's...." Maya proceeded to describe the God in question. As Maya spoke, Skuld began to turn a deep red, getting a seriously pissed look on her face.
"THAT'S THE BASTERD THAT SHOT HER DOWN!! THAT'S LOKI!!!" shouted Skuld.
Misato stared at Skuld, "You sure?"
"DAMN RIGHT I AM!!"
Misato turned back to the screen, "Maya, assist Sayoko any way you can."
"Roger."
"Ma'am?" Misato turned to see that the Sub Commander had returned. "Concerning my earlier comment? I would like to cancel it."
Misato gave the Sub Commander a funny look, "Any reason why?"
"Ma'am, I currently have no problem with Miss Wishbringer being here." He said nodding to Skuld.
Misato smiled, "Very well. See if you can send more troops to Maya, she's going to need them."
"Yes Ma'am."
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"Urd?" asked Morgan, "What are you doing?"
Urd was scrambling about under the SysOp terminal.
"I'm trying to reattach this terminal to Yggdrasil." Urd said, "Then maybe we can stop that......thing."
Morgan nodded and turned to the giant display screen. She watched as the demon army tried to take out Eva 01 without much success. She then noticed something on one of the other displays.
"Hey Urd? What is that?" she asked pointing.
Urd looked up at the indicated screen. Her eyes widened a bit.
"There's a program running! It can't be!"
"What do you mean? You said yourself that Yggdrasil was running."
Urd scrambled over to the SysOp terminal. She smacked it several times, but it remained dark. "That program was not running when we got here." Urd glanced at the data on the screen. "According to that....it started the moment that Touji's Eva blew up."
Morgan stared at Urd. "What does that mean?"
Urd shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't know." She then dove back under the terminal. "Maybe once I get this running we might get some answers."
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Mara watched as assault after assault was destroyed or knocked away by Eva 01. They had even tried throwing the demon-sized lances that they had recovered from the rogue demons, but they were small pinpricks to the huge Eva. It was beginning to look hopeless. Mara was about to call Urd when a strong wind began to blow. The dark clouds over heard began to swirl. With a loud roar, and thunder bolt slammed into the ground near Mara. Flames burst forth from the impact. When they cleared, Hild appeared with several Demons behind her. Mara quickly bowed.
"Milady."
Hild motioned for her to rise. Hild then turned and stared at the Eva.
"So that is Eva 01, the most feared of them all."
"Yes Milady." replied Mara quietly.
Hild began to float off the ground. "Time to see what everyone is afraid of." Hild raised her hands above her head. Energy crackled between them. She moved her hands before her and a massive force bolt shot out towards the Eva. Eva 01 turned and saw the bolt heading towards it. It's AT/Demon Shield flew up. There was a massive explosion as the force bolt slammed into the shield. When the smoke from the blast disappeared, the Eva was laid out on the ground. Demons all over began to cheer as Hild floated down to the ground.
"Perhaps not as fearsome as it was thought, eh Mara."
Mara gave Hild a smile. "Perhaps, Milady."
The sound of a hundred Demons gasping caused both Mara and Hild to turn around. Eva 01 slowly rose from the ground, without a scratch on it. Mara began to take several steps back. She looked at Hild. A smile began to creep across Hild's face.
"I love a challenge."
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"Urd!"
THUNK!
"Ow!! Dammit what now!?!" Urd crawled out of the access and stared at Morgan. Morgan pointed towards the screen. Urd turned to the screen and gasped in shock.
"Mother?!" Urd grabbed the microphone. "Mara! What the hell is my mother doing here?!?"
"I'm not entirely sure," came Mara's voice, "She just sort of showed up." The screen flashed bright white as 01 blocked another force bolt from Hild. "But I think she's getting mad. She's been blasting away at that Eva and has yet to even make a dent in it." As if to prove Mara right, Hild let off yet another powerful force bolt, which knocked the Eva over, but did nothing else. Urd moved back to the terminal to continue working, when the ground began to shake. Urd looked back to the screen.
"What the hell is mother doing Mara!?"
"It's not her! This is something else."
"URD!" shouted Morgan. "That program!"
Urd turned and looked at the screen with the program data.
"What is it doing?" she asked.
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"Rei? Rei? Wake-up! Rei?"
She could hear several voices. Yet they seemed distant, as if through a fog.
"I'LL wake her up!" came a familiar female voice.
SMACK!
Rei's eyes shot open as the pain on her cheek registered in her brain.
"OW!" she turned and looked to see Asuka standing next to her. "What the hell was that for?" Then a memory stirred in Rei's head. "...Uhh..Wait a second. HOW can you be here? I saw you....."
"Yeah, so did I." Rei turned to Shinji sitting on the floor on the other side of her. He was staring at her wide-eyed. Just beyond him stood Touji. Rei looked about, taking in her surroundings. Except where the children were, the rest of the room, if it was that, was dark.
"Where are we?" asked Rei.
"Don't know." said Touji. "I woke up here and walked around for a long time, didn't find a thing, and then Asuka appears out of nowhere, followed by Shinji, then you." Touji looked down at the ground. "I suppose you lost to the Eva also."
Rei nodded her head. She looked back at Shinji. He was still staring at her.
"What?" she asked. Shinji walked up to her and carefully pulled her bangs out just enough so that she could see them. They were blue. Rei stared in shock, then turned to Asuka. "My eyes are they..."
Asuka slowly shook her head. "Red."
"What the hell happened?"
"Well, for starters, you all died." The children all turned to see a familiar figure step into view.
"Kami-sama!" they all shouted.
Kami-sama raised his hand, "Not exactly."
"Well then, who are you?" asked Asuka.
"Well, I am Yggdrasil."
"Huh?"
"In some ways, I'm like the Magi. But I'm much more advanced." replied Yggdrasil. "To a point, I can run the entire world without assistance, but since the world is constantly changing, I don't. But enough about me, I suppose your wondering why you're here."
"Well duh." replied Asuka.
Yggdrasil smiled at Asuka, "We'll aren't you a feisty one."
"You have no idea." muttered Shinji. Asuka glared at her husband, but then returned her stare to Yggdrasil.
"Basically, you were chosen."
"Not again!" shouted Shinji. "The last time I was chosen, the fate of the world was in my hands!"
"Well, it's not the fate of the world, it's the fate of heaven."
Asuka threw her hands up in the air. "Oh like that makes it any easier."
"Excuse me." Everyone looked down to where Rei was sitting. "Can you explain why I returned to my original form?"
"Well actually, you haven't. You see, your soul was Lilith. You soul still basically is Lilith, but since your transformation, it became more like that of a mortal human's. Therefore, the resulting mixing of souls, much like the mixing of DNA, produces this form."
"Oh. I think I understand." Rei stood up and looked at Yggdrasil. "So, Why are we here?"
"Well, as I said you were chosen. It was written long ago that..."
"Oh god...not another prophecy," muttered Shinji. "Weren't the Dead Sea scrolls enough?"
"You're a nice kid, but please, STOP INTERUPTING! Now where was I?"
"It was written..." replied Touji.
"Right. It was written down by one of my first programmers that the Guardians of heaven would arrive when the heavens entered a time of darkness." Yggdrasil looked at each of the children. "I'd say that qualifies as now. In addition, there were several other factors. I believe you all have experienced unexpected powers. Telepathy for one?"
The children all nodded. "That is a result of piloting the Evas, which are basically the clones of the 'Angels'. When you pilot, you also are in contact with the 'Water of Life', what you call LCL. That has also affected you."
"What is going to happen to us?" asked Shinji as he stood up and moved next to Asuka.
"You will be returned." replied Yggdrasil. "But not as you were. As you were defenders of the earth, so will you become defenders of heaven. You will be given full knowledge and access to the powers that you currently have, and those that you will receive. You will be more powerful then the greatest of the gods, second only to Kami-sama." Yggdrasil's face became very serious. "Use your powers wisely, listen to your what your heart tells you, and you will do fine."
Yggdrasil turned from the children as four columns of light engulfed them.
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"Something is activated." said Urd. "Yggdrasil is drawing a lot of power to somewhere."
"Urd! Look!"
Urd raised her head and looked at the screen. Where each of the Children's Evas had fallen, a column of light appeared. Everyone on the battlefield stopped and watched in awe. Even Hild and 01 stopped to looked. Forms began to appear inside each of the columns. These forms began to take shape. Urd gasped in shock as she looked at the figure who now floated in the nearest column.
"Mara? Are you seeing this?"
Outside Mara stood shocked as she looked from one column to the next.
"But they....they...how?"
Inside each of the columns were the children. All looked as they had before, except for Rei whose hair had turned to its original blue color. Each were dressed in the white and gray robes of the gods. The columns faded away, leaving the children floating above the ground. Rei opened her eyes first, showing they too had returned to their original red. She looked over at Eva 01 and raised her hands. A force bolt shot forth from them, heading towards a collision with 01. 01 raised it's AT/Demon Shield. The force bolt slammed into the shield, and blew through it as if it was never there. The bolt ripped into the upper shoulder of the Eva, twisting it about. Hild floated to the ground next to Mara.
"I spent 10 minutes blasting away at that....thing, without even leaving a mark. And then she returns from the dead....and does that!" Hild shook her head and looked at Mara. "Did I miss something here?"
Mara watched as each of the other children began to wake up. Each fired a force bolt at 01, all found their mark.
"Apparently, I missed it too."
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Sayoko ducked into an alleyway as a force bolt flew past. She peered around the corner to see Loki coming towards her, looking very cross. Several UN troopers popped out and began to fire their machine guns at Loki. A blue shield flickered into existence, deflecting each shot. Loki waved his hand, a stiff wind blew the troopers off their feet and sent them hurtling down the street. Sayoko pulled her head back and leaned against the wall.
'Ok....This is not good.' Sayoko took a couple of deep breaths. 'Ok Sayoko, this is it. Let's do it.'
Sayoko burst around the corner and raised her hand. She fired off several force bolts at Loki. Loki took the bolts head on. He flew backwards, crashing into a mailbox. The box exploded, filling the air with hundreds of letters.
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor blasted god..." muttered Sayoko. She slowly approached the box. A pair of legs stuck out from a large pile of letters.
"Well," sighed Sayoko, "That ended rather nicely."
"Think again." Sayoko was lifted off her feet as she was hit point blank by a force bolt from the pile of letters. She hurtled through the air, crashing into the windshield of a car 300 feet away. Sayoko slowly lifted her head, watching as Loki got up and began to walk towards her. He had only gone about 20 feet, before darkness claimed her.
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Urd continued to work on the terminal, while Morgan told her what was happening on the screen. On the screen, Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Touji flew about, blasting away at the Eva. Slowly, the hits began to tell on the Eva as it began to respond slower to each attack.
"What the hell happened to them?" Morgan finally asked.
"I'm not sure yet," came Urd's muffled voice. She pulled herself out and stood in front of the SysOp terminal. "But I plan to find out." She looked up at Morgan. "Cross your fingers." Urd flipped a switch on the terminal. It flickered a few times before going black.
"Stupid piece of.." Urd kicked the terminal. With a bang the terminal and it associated panel came to life.
"YES!" shouted Urd. She quickly brought up several status reports. Her eyes widened.
"Well? What is it?" asked Morgan.
"Whatever that program was.....its old, very old." Urd looked at Morgan. "Kami-sama might know what it is."
"Where's Sayoko?" asked Morgan. "We haven't heard from her in a while."
Urd quickly typed into the terminal. A new window appeared on the screen. It showed a street in Tokyo-2. A figure was walking up the street, flashes of blue were seen as other figures fired guns at him.
"Well, we found Loki." Urd said, venom in her voice.
"Um Urd," said Morgan, "Look at that car in the upper right."
Urd glanced to the indicated corner. A figure lay in the windshield of a car. Urd zoomed in on the figure.
"DAMMIT THAT BASTERD!!" Urd's face became red with anger.
Morgan took several steps back from Urd. "What are you going to do?"
Urd looked at Morgan, "Ever heard of the Ultimate Termination program?"
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Misato and Skuld watched in horror as Loki slowly walked towards the car where Sayoko lay. Maya's voice continued to come over the speaker.
"Keep firing at him! We need to stop him before he gets to her!"
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Misato to no one in particular.
"I'm sorry Ma'am," said the Sub-Commander quietly. "Nothing in our current arsenal can hurt him. It would take an act of..." His voice trailed off as he stared at a monitor. "God?" he finished, though it was a slightly higher pitch then Misato had ever heard from him.
Misato turned to look at the monitor he was watching. "What is that?"
Skuld turned to look. She recognized it immediately. "It's a gate."
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Hikari and Belldandy sat on the balcony outside of the apartment, their reasoning had been they wanted to watch for the returning Evas, in the meantime they talked about the past. Inside the apartment, Peorth and Keiichi sat with Yui, waiting for a phone call.
"So Keiichi prevented the Lord of Terror from hurting Skuld," asked Hikari, "by jumping into it?"
Belldandy nodded, "After all the nasty things she said to him, he still stood up for her."
Hikari sat back, "Sounds almost like Shinji and Asuka. So what happened next?"
"Well, to defeat the Lord of Terror we had to..."
A bright flash appeared in the sky, the darkness swirled about a circle of light in the sky. A column of light shot down from it and began to center itself on an area of the city.
Hikari turned to look at Belldandy, whose eyes were wide with shock.
"What is that?" asked Hikari.
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Loki was 100 feet away from Sayoko when the sky above him exploded into light. He looked up to see the gate high above him. Within minutes, he stood within a column of light.
"Gungir." He muttered. "How?"
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Urd stood in before the SysOp chair. In front of her, a podium rose from the ground, a large button stood out on top. Urd stared ahead at the main screen, its cross hairs locked onto Loki.
"Good Bye Basterd!" She brought her hand crashing down on the button.
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The circle of light seemed to pull in on itself before spiting forth an enormous ball of blue energy. It hurtled downward, picking up speed. Loki stopped walking and watched as the energy ball came towards him.
"Celestine my friend, Perhaps I'll finally get to see you again." Loki closed his eyes as the energy ball slammed into him. Within seconds, his form vanished into the ball, which glowed a bright blue before it collapsed upon itself, leaving no evidence that Loki had ever been there.
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Loud cheers sounded in the control room after Loki was defeated. Misato smiled and turned to Skuld. Skuld watched intently on the screen as Maya ran over to Sayoko.
"She's alive!" came Maya's voice, "But she's out cold, and will probably have a really bad headache. We're bringing her in."
"Thank-you." replied Skuld. She turned and looked at Misato.
"Is it all over?" asked Misato.
Skuld was about to answer when the phone next to Misato rang. Misato picked it up.
"Hello?" Misato asked questioningly. A smile broke out on her face as she turned and handed the phone to Skuld. "It's for you."
Skuld grabbed the phone. "Skuld speaking."
"Hey there Brat."
Skuld's eyes widened. "URD!"
"I would like to announce that the phones in heaven now work. Now hold on to your seat, things are about to get even better." There was a click as Urd hung up. Skuld put down the phone and looked at Misato.
"What was that about?" asked Misato.
"I'm not sure." said Skuld. Suddenly, she began to feel light headed. She saw Misato's eyes widen and watched as she took several steps back. Skuld looked down and saw a circle beginning to appear around her feet. That circle spread out and then lifted off the ground becoming a column. Skuld began to slow rise within the column. She closed her eyes as she felt her entire body tingle. From outside of the column, the command staff watched as a bright light enveloped Skuld. When the light vanished, Skuld floated there in her goddess robes. Her Goddess marking flared into existence with another flash. Slowly, Skuld floated back down to the floor, and the column of light vanished. Skuld stood still for several seconds. Misato moved closer to Skuld.
"Are you alright?"
Skuld opened her eyes and gave Misato a big smile. "I haven't felt this good in years. Come on, Let's go meet Sayoko when she arrives."
"LOOK!" shouted Maya.
The screens that showed the views from outside revealed the dark clouds clearing out, letting the sun shine onto the city for the first time in a week.
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Back in heaven, Shinji floated next to Asuka, Rei and Touji. They watched as Eva 01 slowly began to return to its feet.
"It just won't give up." said Asuka. "Everytime we hit it, it gets right back up."
"Because we need to hit the core." said Rei.
"So what do we do?" asked Touji. "Force bolts don't seem to do a damn thing to it."
Rei turned backed to look towards the Main Building. * Urd? *
* Yeah? *
* Do you know of anything we can use against 01? *
* I really don't think.......Actually wait, maybe. Check the area where 01 burst out, is there a long red pole like object either in there or in the rubble? *
Rei glanced towards the building, specifically where 01 had appeared. Just within view through the hole was something red. * I think so. What is it? *
* (sigh) That is the Lance of Longinus. Use that. *
* How? * asked Rei.
* If you got the powers I think you do, you should be able to move it telepathically. *
Rei looked to the others. "You heard?" The others nodded.
"But how are we going to get the Lance and then toss it at the Eva?" asked Touji. "It'll be able to see it and avoid it."
"We will distract it." Rei turned and looked at Shinji. "You will get the lance and will hit the core."
Shinji looked surprised "Me?"
"Who better? Besides, I think you've earned the right."
"Yeah! Take it out Shinji!" shouted Asuka.
Shinji looked back towards 01. "Alright, Let's do it."
The others flew towards 01 while Shinji flew back towards the building. Finding the Lance, he waved his hand and it lifted free from the building.
"HEY YOU!! BIG AND UGLY!!!" shouted Touji as he flew around the front of the Eva. The Eva stared at him. "Your mother was a Angel!!"
Rei and Asuka stopped and stared at Touji. 01 also seemed taken aback.
"And not one of those nice ones either!! One of those big ugly mother fu..."
"Touji you moron!" shouted Asuka. "The Evas WERE made from Angels!!!"
"Oh yeah." Touji turned back and looked at 01. "Gendo Ikari's your lover!!!"
01's eyes glowed bright red and it let out a loud roar as it swiped at Touji. Shinji had heard everything as he flew back, the lance following him.
'Maybe there's still a bit of mom left in it.' He shrugged and began to maneuver around, trying to get a clear shot at the core. Rei and Asuka joined Touji in flying around 01. 01 keep trying to swat them as if they were flies. After 01 just missed her, Asuka began to taunt the Eva in German. Shinji smiled at a particularly rude comment involving how a rock was it's intellectual superior, only Asuka didn't put it as nicely.
'Maybe having these powers isn't that bad.' thought Shinji, 'At least I can understand her now.'
Shinji continued to wait for a clear shot. Finally, the moment arrived. Shinji concentrated and pointed. The Lanced turned and ripped through the sky, slamming directly into 01's core. The core shattered into many fragments, each fragment began to glow. 01 fell backwards to the ground as each fragment detonated. A massive fireball engulfed the Eva and the area around it. When the flames finally died down, 01 lay, broken on the ground. Smoke drifted from the Eva. The children floated over it, looking for any signs of life. When none came, they went off towards the Main Building. Minutes after they had moved off, a cloud seemed to come forth from 01, it drifted low to the ground before vanishing over the walls and leaving heaven.
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Several hours later,
Kami-sama sat in his chair in the council room. Since his office was destroyed, he decided to conduct his business from here until it was rebuilt. The other surviving council members were also seated, 5 chairs remained vacant however, most notably being Loki's. Also in the room were Belldandy, Skuld, Mist, Peorth, and Urd, the first 3 having been called up shortly after Kami-sama was freed from the bakelite. Also present were Hild and Mara. Hild had been the one who had happily blasted the Bakelite, frowning when she realized that Kami-sama hadn't been blasted as well. Also present were Asuka, Shinji and Touji.
"It being tradition that each branch of heaven be represented by 2, I have named several replacements." Kami-sama proceeded to name 4 of the replacements. "The fifth replacement I have chosen comes from the Norse branch." He turned towards the Norns. "I have decided that Belldandy should fill that seat."
Skuld, Urd and Peorth all turned and stared at Belldandy. Belldandy stood in shock.
"Me? You want me to be on the council?" she asked.
"Yes." replied Kami-sama, "You will of course immediately be promoted to Class 0 Goddess."
"But, what about Keiichi? What about......." Kami-sama raised his hand, silencing her.
"You're allowed to commute. We don't spend the entire time in meetings." Kami-sama smiled at her, "Besides, it looks bad if a Goddess can't keep her promise to be with someone forever." Kami-sama turned to the other council members. "If there are no objections? Then all 5 will be approved immediately. Next, we must discuss the former pilots." Kami-sama turned and looked at the children. "I would have preferred all 4 of you to be here, but Rei is otherwise occupied with my Granddaughter." Kami-sama stood up and walked towards them. "You 4 have been chosen for a very important assignment. On earth, you were to protect mankind from the 'Angels'. Here, you will protect all of the heavens, and thus, also earth."
"But, don't the Valkyries guard Heaven?" asked Asuka.
"Yes, they do." Kami-sama glanced over at Mist. "But they were unable to do so this time." Mist stiffened slightly. Kami-sama turned and looked back at the Children. "No one could foresee a god disabling the power system. You 4 will be unique in that your powers do not rely on Yggdrasil. You are also unique in that your powers are vastly greater then any other in heaven, besides myself." Kami-sama stood before the children. "I won't lie to you, this is a great responsibility that you have been given. There are many perks to being what you are now, but there are also many downsides to it as well. If any of you have any doubts, tell me now. It is still possible to return you to your previous form."
"You said we would protect the heavens?" asked Asuka. "Does that mean we'll have to live here? I mean, what about our lives on earth? Our friends?"
"Belldandy was and has been able to perform her role as Goddess while on the earth, as has Skuld. I have no problem with you remaining there." Kami-sama's face became serious. "But I do see a time when your life on the surface will become one of sorrow, as your friends pass on. That is inevitable, a path that all mortals eventually face. Eventually, you will have to live here, for it would raise to many questions in the eyes of others for your 'youthful' looks when you reach what would normally be 'old age'. I await your answer."
Asuka looked at Shinji. Shinji took her hand and faced Kami-sama. "If Asuka would agree, then count me in." Asuka turned to Kami-sama and nodded. They then looked at Touji. He had a troubled look on his face.
"What is it?" asked Shinji.
Touji looked at him in the eyes. "Hikari. If I agree, what happens to her?" Touji looked towards Kami-sama.
"I have long since determined that true love can conquer anything that gets in its way." Kami-sama said. "And we just so happen to have two experts on this available." He turned and nodded to Belldandy and Mara. "One who fell in love with a mortal, and another who went to great lengths to divide them." Kami-sama then smiled. "If you have any further doubts, I'm sure my Granddaughter would also be happy to answer them."
Touji thought for several minutes. He saw on several occasions how much Belldandy loved Keiichi and vise versa. He had also heard from Sayoko and Skuld on many occasions what Mara had tried to do. Finally he made his choice.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"Very well." replied Kami-sama, "I all ready talked to Rei before she went to Sayoko, she has also agreed. Now to you two." Kami-sama turned to Hild and Mara. "Hild, I know that we have never truly gotten along. I would like that to change. The rogue demons that escaped are still a threat to both you and to us."
Hild nodded, "I agree. What do you propose?"
"An exchange, one god goes to hell and one demon comes here, thus we are both kept appraised of any situations."
Hild smiled before she nodded, "That is acceptable, and I do have a Goddess in mind."
"I know you do. But I would ask you to consider her feelings, for I will not force her to go. As to the Demon, I leave it up to you, but I expect you to have the same considerations for that Demon."
Hild's smile faded slightly, "Whatever you say." She looked towards Urd. "Urd-chan, could I speak with you a bit?"
Urd frowned slightly and was about to refuse when she got nudged by Belldandy.
"Urd, Give her a chance. She is your mother." Belldandy said quietly.
Urd let out a sigh "Alright Mother, let's talk."
Kami-sama watched mother and daughter leave before he turned his attention back to the children, or more specifically, Asuka and Shinji.
"I know you've been here before. The last time you were here, you were mortals, that meant that there was little that you would be allowed to see, however this time it's different. There is someone who would like to see you two very much, and I am happy to say that I now can allow it."
"Someone here in heaven wants to meet us?" asked Shinji confused. "Who?"
"Well, actually, one of you knows her quite well." replied Kami-sama with a smile. He turned to the main door which slowly opened to reveal a middle aged woman with red hair. Asuka's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mama?"
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Consciousness came back slowly to Sayoko. She felt totally drained of power. She slowly opened her eyes and looked off to her right. She lay on a bed in a room entirely of white. She immediately recognized where she was, and closed her eyes with a sigh.
'Heaven. Well, I guess we won then.......I just wish I knew what happened after I hit the car.' She tried to get up, but felt a weight on her left arm.
'This is becoming too regular.' "REI WAKE-UP!" She opened her eyes and looked to her left.
A head of blue hair moved off her arm.
'Wait....blue?'
Sayoko stared in shock as the hair shifted to reveal Rei's smiling face. "What? No 'Angel Attack'?"
Sayoko continued to stare. "What happened to you!?! When did you go blue again?"
Rei smiled again, "Well, while you were out, Shinji, Asuka, Touji, and I all became the Guardians of Heaven. As to my hair..." Rei shook her head and the hair changed to brown hair. When her eyes came up, they were blue. "That's easy to fix."
Sayoko's mouth moved up and down for several seconds before words finally emerged "You?! Wha??? Huh??"
"We all accepted." continued Rei, "So now, if something happens that the Valkyries can't handle, we get called in."
Sayoko held her head in her hands. "Rei, we have got ALOT to talk about."
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Misato paced about the clearing with Hikari. Keiichi stood off to the side watching. When Misato was close to Keiichi she looked up at him and spoke.
"Are you sure they said this clearing?"
"Yes, Belldandy was very precise on the location." replied Keiichi, "Though she did say she wasn't too sure on the time."
Misato glared at him and then resumed her pacing. A rustling noise caused Keiichi to turn. Yui and Ritsuko step out into the clearing. Yui watched Misato pace before turning to Keiichi.
"No sign of them yet?"
"No not yet but..." Keiichi's voice trailed off as the ground in the center of the clearing began to glow. A small circle of light appeared that reached up towards the heavens. It began to expand. It reminded Keiichi of the return gate that had tried to take Belldandy away from him so long ago. With a bright flash, a group of people appeared within the circle. As the circle faded, the faces of the people could be seen. Keiichi smiled as he walked over to hug Belldandy and his daughter. Yui was greeted by her son, daughter and a very happy daughter-in-law. Touji and Hikari stood looking at each other for a long time before they ran to each other. Misato stood back with Ritsuko sniffling. Ritsuko handed her a Kleenex.
"Thanks." said Misato as she blew her nose.
"Maya did want me to give you a message," said Ritsuko, still watching the scene before her. "Kaji will be back tomorrow."
"Good," replied Misato, "He's been gone for too long. We have a lot of things to discuss."
Ritsuko smiled, "I'm sure you do. So, should I tell Maya she'll be in charge for a week while you and Kaji.....have your discussion?"
Misato turned deep red and tried to come up with an appropriate response. None came.
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Later that night, Rei and Sayoko sat on the roof of the apartment building looking up at the sky.
"So how did your mom take it?" asked Sayoko.
"She was surprised and shocked," replied Rei, "But she understands and is even proud of us."
"Why was Asuka so happy? I haven't seen her that happy since Shinji proposed."
"Apparently, she was able to talk to her mother while we were up there."
Sayoko glanced over at Rei, "Is that why she's planning to go up there with Shinji at least once a month?" Rei nodded. Sayoko turned back and looked at the sky. "Well, I'm happy for her. Hopefully she can put those events from her childhood far behind her now."
"Perhaps." replied Rei. "So what happens now?"
"Well, Mom said that Heaven would be repaired in about 2 months, Urd is going to visit Hild in hell for a month or so." Sayoko shook her head. " I still can't believe my mom is now a Class 0 goddess."
"What about the rogue demons?"
"Grandfather said not to worry, they're probably still trying to sort themselves out. We may not hear from them for years. Let's not talk about that for now. Right now, I want to relax."
Rei was quiet for a second. "You know, a phrase keeps popping into mind, it seems to fit."
"What's that?"
"'God's in his heaven, All is right with the world.'"
Sayoko smiled remembering the NERV motto. "That it is Rei, that it is."
The 2 then resumed staring at the stars high above them.
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Finale
Maya step out of the personal carrier. "Move out!"
A squad of UN Troopers quickly marched out and began to assume defensive positions. Maya glanced up the street. Debris was everywhere. The squad slowly began to move forward amongst the debris, guns drawn. Maya followed farther back.
"Ma'am!" shouted a trooper. "Over here!"
Maya raced to where the trooper was standing. Sticking out of a pile of debris was an arm, a female arm.
"Quick dig!" order Maya as she began to dig into the pile. Several other troopers joined her. After a minute, the coughing form of Sayoko was pulled out. Sayoko let out a groan and then looked at Maya.
"Sorry about dropping in like this......"
Maya smiled, "Are you alright?"
Sayoko slowly stood up. "Yeah, nothing a few band-ads and a nice bath won't fix."
"LOOK OUT!!!" Maya and Sayoko turned to see several troopers diving out of the way as Loki burst forth from a pile of debris.
"Back to work." said Sayoko. She straightened her helmet and flew straight at Loki. Loki ducked out of the way. He quickly rolled across the ground then turned his hands toward Sayoko, firing off a force bolt. Sayoko raised her shield, just barely deflecting the bolt. The bolt continued on, smashing into a nearby building. Maya and the troops dove for cover. Maya quickly scooped up her radio.
"Commander!"
"What the hell is going on out there!?" came Misato's voice.
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Misato stared at the screen as it registered 2 very powerful Type Purple patterns.
"Sayoko is here battling another god." came Maya's voice.
Skuld perked up. "She's fighting a god? Describe him."
"Well, he's...." Maya proceeded to describe the God in question. As Maya spoke, Skuld began to turn a deep red, getting a seriously pissed look on her face.
"THAT'S THE BASTERD THAT SHOT HER DOWN!! THAT'S LOKI!!!" shouted Skuld.
Misato stared at Skuld, "You sure?"
"DAMN RIGHT I AM!!"
Misato turned back to the screen, "Maya, assist Sayoko any way you can."
"Roger."
"Ma'am?" Misato turned to see that the Sub Commander had returned. "Concerning my earlier comment? I would like to cancel it."
Misato gave the Sub Commander a funny look, "Any reason why?"
"Ma'am, I currently have no problem with Miss Wishbringer being here." He said nodding to Skuld.
Misato smiled, "Very well. See if you can send more troops to Maya, she's going to need them."
"Yes Ma'am."
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"Urd?" asked Morgan, "What are you doing?"
Urd was scrambling about under the SysOp terminal.
"I'm trying to reattach this terminal to Yggdrasil." Urd said, "Then maybe we can stop that......thing."
Morgan nodded and turned to the giant display screen. She watched as the demon army tried to take out Eva 01 without much success. She then noticed something on one of the other displays.
"Hey Urd? What is that?" she asked pointing.
Urd looked up at the indicated screen. Her eyes widened a bit.
"There's a program running! It can't be!"
"What do you mean? You said yourself that Yggdrasil was running."
Urd scrambled over to the SysOp terminal. She smacked it several times, but it remained dark. "That program was not running when we got here." Urd glanced at the data on the screen. "According to that....it started the moment that Touji's Eva blew up."
Morgan stared at Urd. "What does that mean?"
Urd shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't know." She then dove back under the terminal. "Maybe once I get this running we might get some answers."
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Mara watched as assault after assault was destroyed or knocked away by Eva 01. They had even tried throwing the demon-sized lances that they had recovered from the rogue demons, but they were small pinpricks to the huge Eva. It was beginning to look hopeless. Mara was about to call Urd when a strong wind began to blow. The dark clouds over heard began to swirl. With a loud roar, and thunder bolt slammed into the ground near Mara. Flames burst forth from the impact. When they cleared, Hild appeared with several Demons behind her. Mara quickly bowed.
"Milady."
Hild motioned for her to rise. Hild then turned and stared at the Eva.
"So that is Eva 01, the most feared of them all."
"Yes Milady." replied Mara quietly.
Hild began to float off the ground. "Time to see what everyone is afraid of." Hild raised her hands above her head. Energy crackled between them. She moved her hands before her and a massive force bolt shot out towards the Eva. Eva 01 turned and saw the bolt heading towards it. It's AT/Demon Shield flew up. There was a massive explosion as the force bolt slammed into the shield. When the smoke from the blast disappeared, the Eva was laid out on the ground. Demons all over began to cheer as Hild floated down to the ground.
"Perhaps not as fearsome as it was thought, eh Mara."
Mara gave Hild a smile. "Perhaps, Milady."
The sound of a hundred Demons gasping caused both Mara and Hild to turn around. Eva 01 slowly rose from the ground, without a scratch on it. Mara began to take several steps back. She looked at Hild. A smile began to creep across Hild's face.
"I love a challenge."
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"Urd!"
THUNK!
"Ow!! Dammit what now!?!" Urd crawled out of the access and stared at Morgan. Morgan pointed towards the screen. Urd turned to the screen and gasped in shock.
"Mother?!" Urd grabbed the microphone. "Mara! What the hell is my mother doing here?!?"
"I'm not entirely sure," came Mara's voice, "She just sort of showed up." The screen flashed bright white as 01 blocked another force bolt from Hild. "But I think she's getting mad. She's been blasting away at that Eva and has yet to even make a dent in it." As if to prove Mara right, Hild let off yet another powerful force bolt, which knocked the Eva over, but did nothing else. Urd moved back to the terminal to continue working, when the ground began to shake. Urd looked back to the screen.
"What the hell is mother doing Mara!?"
"It's not her! This is something else."
"URD!" shouted Morgan. "That program!"
Urd turned and looked at the screen with the program data.
"What is it doing?" she asked.
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"Rei? Rei? Wake-up! Rei?"
She could hear several voices. Yet they seemed distant, as if through a fog.
"I'LL wake her up!" came a familiar female voice.
SMACK!
Rei's eyes shot open as the pain on her cheek registered in her brain.
"OW!" she turned and looked to see Asuka standing next to her. "What the hell was that for?" Then a memory stirred in Rei's head. "...Uhh..Wait a second. HOW can you be here? I saw you....."
"Yeah, so did I." Rei turned to Shinji sitting on the floor on the other side of her. He was staring at her wide-eyed. Just beyond him stood Touji. Rei looked about, taking in her surroundings. Except where the children were, the rest of the room, if it was that, was dark.
"Where are we?" asked Rei.
"Don't know." said Touji. "I woke up here and walked around for a long time, didn't find a thing, and then Asuka appears out of nowhere, followed by Shinji, then you." Touji looked down at the ground. "I suppose you lost to the Eva also."
Rei nodded her head. She looked back at Shinji. He was still staring at her.
"What?" she asked. Shinji walked up to her and carefully pulled her bangs out just enough so that she could see them. They were blue. Rei stared in shock, then turned to Asuka. "My eyes are they..."
Asuka slowly shook her head. "Red."
"What the hell happened?"
"Well, for starters, you all died." The children all turned to see a familiar figure step into view.
"Kami-sama!" they all shouted.
Kami-sama raised his hand, "Not exactly."
"Well then, who are you?" asked Asuka.
"Well, I am Yggdrasil."
"Huh?"
"In some ways, I'm like the Magi. But I'm much more advanced." replied Yggdrasil. "To a point, I can run the entire world without assistance, but since the world is constantly changing, I don't. But enough about me, I suppose your wondering why you're here."
"Well duh." replied Asuka.
Yggdrasil smiled at Asuka, "We'll aren't you a feisty one."
"You have no idea." muttered Shinji. Asuka glared at her husband, but then returned her stare to Yggdrasil.
"Basically, you were chosen."
"Not again!" shouted Shinji. "The last time I was chosen, the fate of the world was in my hands!"
"Well, it's not the fate of the world, it's the fate of heaven."
Asuka threw her hands up in the air. "Oh like that makes it any easier."
"Excuse me." Everyone looked down to where Rei was sitting. "Can you explain why I returned to my original form?"
"Well actually, you haven't. You see, your soul was Lilith. You soul still basically is Lilith, but since your transformation, it became more like that of a mortal human's. Therefore, the resulting mixing of souls, much like the mixing of DNA, produces this form."
"Oh. I think I understand." Rei stood up and looked at Yggdrasil. "So, Why are we here?"
"Well, as I said you were chosen. It was written long ago that..."
"Oh god...not another prophecy," muttered Shinji. "Weren't the Dead Sea scrolls enough?"
"You're a nice kid, but please, STOP INTERUPTING! Now where was I?"
"It was written..." replied Touji.
"Right. It was written down by one of my first programmers that the Guardians of heaven would arrive when the heavens entered a time of darkness." Yggdrasil looked at each of the children. "I'd say that qualifies as now. In addition, there were several other factors. I believe you all have experienced unexpected powers. Telepathy for one?"
The children all nodded. "That is a result of piloting the Evas, which are basically the clones of the 'Angels'. When you pilot, you also are in contact with the 'Water of Life', what you call LCL. That has also affected you."
"What is going to happen to us?" asked Shinji as he stood up and moved next to Asuka.
"You will be returned." replied Yggdrasil. "But not as you were. As you were defenders of the earth, so will you become defenders of heaven. You will be given full knowledge and access to the powers that you currently have, and those that you will receive. You will be more powerful then the greatest of the gods, second only to Kami-sama." Yggdrasil's face became very serious. "Use your powers wisely, listen to your what your heart tells you, and you will do fine."
Yggdrasil turned from the children as four columns of light engulfed them.
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"Something is activated." said Urd. "Yggdrasil is drawing a lot of power to somewhere."
"Urd! Look!"
Urd raised her head and looked at the screen. Where each of the Children's Evas had fallen, a column of light appeared. Everyone on the battlefield stopped and watched in awe. Even Hild and 01 stopped to looked. Forms began to appear inside each of the columns. These forms began to take shape. Urd gasped in shock as she looked at the figure who now floated in the nearest column.
"Mara? Are you seeing this?"
Outside Mara stood shocked as she looked from one column to the next.
"But they....they...how?"
Inside each of the columns were the children. All looked as they had before, except for Rei whose hair had turned to its original blue color. Each were dressed in the white and gray robes of the gods. The columns faded away, leaving the children floating above the ground. Rei opened her eyes first, showing they too had returned to their original red. She looked over at Eva 01 and raised her hands. A force bolt shot forth from them, heading towards a collision with 01. 01 raised it's AT/Demon Shield. The force bolt slammed into the shield, and blew through it as if it was never there. The bolt ripped into the upper shoulder of the Eva, twisting it about. Hild floated to the ground next to Mara.
"I spent 10 minutes blasting away at that....thing, without even leaving a mark. And then she returns from the dead....and does that!" Hild shook her head and looked at Mara. "Did I miss something here?"
Mara watched as each of the other children began to wake up. Each fired a force bolt at 01, all found their mark.
"Apparently, I missed it too."
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Sayoko ducked into an alleyway as a force bolt flew past. She peered around the corner to see Loki coming towards her, looking very cross. Several UN troopers popped out and began to fire their machine guns at Loki. A blue shield flickered into existence, deflecting each shot. Loki waved his hand, a stiff wind blew the troopers off their feet and sent them hurtling down the street. Sayoko pulled her head back and leaned against the wall.
'Ok....This is not good.' Sayoko took a couple of deep breaths. 'Ok Sayoko, this is it. Let's do it.'
Sayoko burst around the corner and raised her hand. She fired off several force bolts at Loki. Loki took the bolts head on. He flew backwards, crashing into a mailbox. The box exploded, filling the air with hundreds of letters.
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor blasted god..." muttered Sayoko. She slowly approached the box. A pair of legs stuck out from a large pile of letters.
"Well," sighed Sayoko, "That ended rather nicely."
"Think again." Sayoko was lifted off her feet as she was hit point blank by a force bolt from the pile of letters. She hurtled through the air, crashing into the windshield of a car 300 feet away. Sayoko slowly lifted her head, watching as Loki got up and began to walk towards her. He had only gone about 20 feet, before darkness claimed her.
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Urd continued to work on the terminal, while Morgan told her what was happening on the screen. On the screen, Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Touji flew about, blasting away at the Eva. Slowly, the hits began to tell on the Eva as it began to respond slower to each attack.
"What the hell happened to them?" Morgan finally asked.
"I'm not sure yet," came Urd's muffled voice. She pulled herself out and stood in front of the SysOp terminal. "But I plan to find out." She looked up at Morgan. "Cross your fingers." Urd flipped a switch on the terminal. It flickered a few times before going black.
"Stupid piece of.." Urd kicked the terminal. With a bang the terminal and it associated panel came to life.
"YES!" shouted Urd. She quickly brought up several status reports. Her eyes widened.
"Well? What is it?" asked Morgan.
"Whatever that program was.....its old, very old." Urd looked at Morgan. "Kami-sama might know what it is."
"Where's Sayoko?" asked Morgan. "We haven't heard from her in a while."
Urd quickly typed into the terminal. A new window appeared on the screen. It showed a street in Tokyo-2. A figure was walking up the street, flashes of blue were seen as other figures fired guns at him.
"Well, we found Loki." Urd said, venom in her voice.
"Um Urd," said Morgan, "Look at that car in the upper right."
Urd glanced to the indicated corner. A figure lay in the windshield of a car. Urd zoomed in on the figure.
"DAMMIT THAT BASTERD!!" Urd's face became red with anger.
Morgan took several steps back from Urd. "What are you going to do?"
Urd looked at Morgan, "Ever heard of the Ultimate Termination program?"
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Misato and Skuld watched in horror as Loki slowly walked towards the car where Sayoko lay. Maya's voice continued to come over the speaker.
"Keep firing at him! We need to stop him before he gets to her!"
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Misato to no one in particular.
"I'm sorry Ma'am," said the Sub-Commander quietly. "Nothing in our current arsenal can hurt him. It would take an act of..." His voice trailed off as he stared at a monitor. "God?" he finished, though it was a slightly higher pitch then Misato had ever heard from him.
Misato turned to look at the monitor he was watching. "What is that?"
Skuld turned to look. She recognized it immediately. "It's a gate."
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Hikari and Belldandy sat on the balcony outside of the apartment, their reasoning had been they wanted to watch for the returning Evas, in the meantime they talked about the past. Inside the apartment, Peorth and Keiichi sat with Yui, waiting for a phone call.
"So Keiichi prevented the Lord of Terror from hurting Skuld," asked Hikari, "by jumping into it?"
Belldandy nodded, "After all the nasty things she said to him, he still stood up for her."
Hikari sat back, "Sounds almost like Shinji and Asuka. So what happened next?"
"Well, to defeat the Lord of Terror we had to..."
A bright flash appeared in the sky, the darkness swirled about a circle of light in the sky. A column of light shot down from it and began to center itself on an area of the city.
Hikari turned to look at Belldandy, whose eyes were wide with shock.
"What is that?" asked Hikari.
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Loki was 100 feet away from Sayoko when the sky above him exploded into light. He looked up to see the gate high above him. Within minutes, he stood within a column of light.
"Gungir." He muttered. "How?"
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Urd stood in before the SysOp chair. In front of her, a podium rose from the ground, a large button stood out on top. Urd stared ahead at the main screen, its cross hairs locked onto Loki.
"Good Bye Basterd!" She brought her hand crashing down on the button.
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The circle of light seemed to pull in on itself before spiting forth an enormous ball of blue energy. It hurtled downward, picking up speed. Loki stopped walking and watched as the energy ball came towards him.
"Celestine my friend, Perhaps I'll finally get to see you again." Loki closed his eyes as the energy ball slammed into him. Within seconds, his form vanished into the ball, which glowed a bright blue before it collapsed upon itself, leaving no evidence that Loki had ever been there.
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Loud cheers sounded in the control room after Loki was defeated. Misato smiled and turned to Skuld. Skuld watched intently on the screen as Maya ran over to Sayoko.
"She's alive!" came Maya's voice, "But she's out cold, and will probably have a really bad headache. We're bringing her in."
"Thank-you." replied Skuld. She turned and looked at Misato.
"Is it all over?" asked Misato.
Skuld was about to answer when the phone next to Misato rang. Misato picked it up.
"Hello?" Misato asked questioningly. A smile broke out on her face as she turned and handed the phone to Skuld. "It's for you."
Skuld grabbed the phone. "Skuld speaking."
"Hey there Brat."
Skuld's eyes widened. "URD!"
"I would like to announce that the phones in heaven now work. Now hold on to your seat, things are about to get even better." There was a click as Urd hung up. Skuld put down the phone and looked at Misato.
"What was that about?" asked Misato.
"I'm not sure." said Skuld. Suddenly, she began to feel light headed. She saw Misato's eyes widen and watched as she took several steps back. Skuld looked down and saw a circle beginning to appear around her feet. That circle spread out and then lifted off the ground becoming a column. Skuld began to slow rise within the column. She closed her eyes as she felt her entire body tingle. From outside of the column, the command staff watched as a bright light enveloped Skuld. When the light vanished, Skuld floated there in her goddess robes. Her Goddess marking flared into existence with another flash. Slowly, Skuld floated back down to the floor, and the column of light vanished. Skuld stood still for several seconds. Misato moved closer to Skuld.
"Are you alright?"
Skuld opened her eyes and gave Misato a big smile. "I haven't felt this good in years. Come on, Let's go meet Sayoko when she arrives."
"LOOK!" shouted Maya.
The screens that showed the views from outside revealed the dark clouds clearing out, letting the sun shine onto the city for the first time in a week.
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Back in heaven, Shinji floated next to Asuka, Rei and Touji. They watched as Eva 01 slowly began to return to its feet.
"It just won't give up." said Asuka. "Everytime we hit it, it gets right back up."
"Because we need to hit the core." said Rei.
"So what do we do?" asked Touji. "Force bolts don't seem to do a damn thing to it."
Rei turned backed to look towards the Main Building. * Urd? *
* Yeah? *
* Do you know of anything we can use against 01? *
* I really don't think.......Actually wait, maybe. Check the area where 01 burst out, is there a long red pole like object either in there or in the rubble? *
Rei glanced towards the building, specifically where 01 had appeared. Just within view through the hole was something red. * I think so. What is it? *
* (sigh) That is the Lance of Longinus. Use that. *
* How? * asked Rei.
* If you got the powers I think you do, you should be able to move it telepathically. *
Rei looked to the others. "You heard?" The others nodded.
"But how are we going to get the Lance and then toss it at the Eva?" asked Touji. "It'll be able to see it and avoid it."
"We will distract it." Rei turned and looked at Shinji. "You will get the lance and will hit the core."
Shinji looked surprised "Me?"
"Who better? Besides, I think you've earned the right."
"Yeah! Take it out Shinji!" shouted Asuka.
Shinji looked back towards 01. "Alright, Let's do it."
The others flew towards 01 while Shinji flew back towards the building. Finding the Lance, he waved his hand and it lifted free from the building.
"HEY YOU!! BIG AND UGLY!!!" shouted Touji as he flew around the front of the Eva. The Eva stared at him. "Your mother was a Angel!!"
Rei and Asuka stopped and stared at Touji. 01 also seemed taken aback.
"And not one of those nice ones either!! One of those big ugly mother fu..."
"Touji you moron!" shouted Asuka. "The Evas WERE made from Angels!!!"
"Oh yeah." Touji turned back and looked at 01. "Gendo Ikari's your lover!!!"
01's eyes glowed bright red and it let out a loud roar as it swiped at Touji. Shinji had heard everything as he flew back, the lance following him.
'Maybe there's still a bit of mom left in it.' He shrugged and began to maneuver around, trying to get a clear shot at the core. Rei and Asuka joined Touji in flying around 01. 01 keep trying to swat them as if they were flies. After 01 just missed her, Asuka began to taunt the Eva in German. Shinji smiled at a particularly rude comment involving how a rock was it's intellectual superior, only Asuka didn't put it as nicely.
'Maybe having these powers isn't that bad.' thought Shinji, 'At least I can understand her now.'
Shinji continued to wait for a clear shot. Finally, the moment arrived. Shinji concentrated and pointed. The Lanced turned and ripped through the sky, slamming directly into 01's core. The core shattered into many fragments, each fragment began to glow. 01 fell backwards to the ground as each fragment detonated. A massive fireball engulfed the Eva and the area around it. When the flames finally died down, 01 lay, broken on the ground. Smoke drifted from the Eva. The children floated over it, looking for any signs of life. When none came, they went off towards the Main Building. Minutes after they had moved off, a cloud seemed to come forth from 01, it drifted low to the ground before vanishing over the walls and leaving heaven.
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Several hours later,
Kami-sama sat in his chair in the council room. Since his office was destroyed, he decided to conduct his business from here until it was rebuilt. The other surviving council members were also seated, 5 chairs remained vacant however, most notably being Loki's. Also in the room were Belldandy, Skuld, Mist, Peorth, and Urd, the first 3 having been called up shortly after Kami-sama was freed from the bakelite. Also present were Hild and Mara. Hild had been the one who had happily blasted the Bakelite, frowning when she realized that Kami-sama hadn't been blasted as well. Also present were Asuka, Shinji and Touji.
"It being tradition that each branch of heaven be represented by 2, I have named several replacements." Kami-sama proceeded to name 4 of the replacements. "The fifth replacement I have chosen comes from the Norse branch." He turned towards the Norns. "I have decided that Belldandy should fill that seat."
Skuld, Urd and Peorth all turned and stared at Belldandy. Belldandy stood in shock.
"Me? You want me to be on the council?" she asked.
"Yes." replied Kami-sama, "You will of course immediately be promoted to Class 0 Goddess."
"But, what about Keiichi? What about......." Kami-sama raised his hand, silencing her.
"You're allowed to commute. We don't spend the entire time in meetings." Kami-sama smiled at her, "Besides, it looks bad if a Goddess can't keep her promise to be with someone forever." Kami-sama turned to the other council members. "If there are no objections? Then all 5 will be approved immediately. Next, we must discuss the former pilots." Kami-sama turned and looked at the children. "I would have preferred all 4 of you to be here, but Rei is otherwise occupied with my Granddaughter." Kami-sama stood up and walked towards them. "You 4 have been chosen for a very important assignment. On earth, you were to protect mankind from the 'Angels'. Here, you will protect all of the heavens, and thus, also earth."
"But, don't the Valkyries guard Heaven?" asked Asuka.
"Yes, they do." Kami-sama glanced over at Mist. "But they were unable to do so this time." Mist stiffened slightly. Kami-sama turned and looked back at the Children. "No one could foresee a god disabling the power system. You 4 will be unique in that your powers do not rely on Yggdrasil. You are also unique in that your powers are vastly greater then any other in heaven, besides myself." Kami-sama stood before the children. "I won't lie to you, this is a great responsibility that you have been given. There are many perks to being what you are now, but there are also many downsides to it as well. If any of you have any doubts, tell me now. It is still possible to return you to your previous form."
"You said we would protect the heavens?" asked Asuka. "Does that mean we'll have to live here? I mean, what about our lives on earth? Our friends?"
"Belldandy was and has been able to perform her role as Goddess while on the earth, as has Skuld. I have no problem with you remaining there." Kami-sama's face became serious. "But I do see a time when your life on the surface will become one of sorrow, as your friends pass on. That is inevitable, a path that all mortals eventually face. Eventually, you will have to live here, for it would raise to many questions in the eyes of others for your 'youthful' looks when you reach what would normally be 'old age'. I await your answer."
Asuka looked at Shinji. Shinji took her hand and faced Kami-sama. "If Asuka would agree, then count me in." Asuka turned to Kami-sama and nodded. They then looked at Touji. He had a troubled look on his face.
"What is it?" asked Shinji.
Touji looked at him in the eyes. "Hikari. If I agree, what happens to her?" Touji looked towards Kami-sama.
"I have long since determined that true love can conquer anything that gets in its way." Kami-sama said. "And we just so happen to have two experts on this available." He turned and nodded to Belldandy and Mara. "One who fell in love with a mortal, and another who went to great lengths to divide them." Kami-sama then smiled. "If you have any further doubts, I'm sure my Granddaughter would also be happy to answer them."
Touji thought for several minutes. He saw on several occasions how much Belldandy loved Keiichi and vise versa. He had also heard from Sayoko and Skuld on many occasions what Mara had tried to do. Finally he made his choice.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"Very well." replied Kami-sama, "I all ready talked to Rei before she went to Sayoko, she has also agreed. Now to you two." Kami-sama turned to Hild and Mara. "Hild, I know that we have never truly gotten along. I would like that to change. The rogue demons that escaped are still a threat to both you and to us."
Hild nodded, "I agree. What do you propose?"
"An exchange, one god goes to hell and one demon comes here, thus we are both kept appraised of any situations."
Hild smiled before she nodded, "That is acceptable, and I do have a Goddess in mind."
"I know you do. But I would ask you to consider her feelings, for I will not force her to go. As to the Demon, I leave it up to you, but I expect you to have the same considerations for that Demon."
Hild's smile faded slightly, "Whatever you say." She looked towards Urd. "Urd-chan, could I speak with you a bit?"
Urd frowned slightly and was about to refuse when she got nudged by Belldandy.
"Urd, Give her a chance. She is your mother." Belldandy said quietly.
Urd let out a sigh "Alright Mother, let's talk."
Kami-sama watched mother and daughter leave before he turned his attention back to the children, or more specifically, Asuka and Shinji.
"I know you've been here before. The last time you were here, you were mortals, that meant that there was little that you would be allowed to see, however this time it's different. There is someone who would like to see you two very much, and I am happy to say that I now can allow it."
"Someone here in heaven wants to meet us?" asked Shinji confused. "Who?"
"Well, actually, one of you knows her quite well." replied Kami-sama with a smile. He turned to the main door which slowly opened to reveal a middle aged woman with red hair. Asuka's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mama?"
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Consciousness came back slowly to Sayoko. She felt totally drained of power. She slowly opened her eyes and looked off to her right. She lay on a bed in a room entirely of white. She immediately recognized where she was, and closed her eyes with a sigh.
'Heaven. Well, I guess we won then.......I just wish I knew what happened after I hit the car.' She tried to get up, but felt a weight on her left arm.
'This is becoming too regular.' "REI WAKE-UP!" She opened her eyes and looked to her left.
A head of blue hair moved off her arm.
'Wait....blue?'
Sayoko stared in shock as the hair shifted to reveal Rei's smiling face. "What? No 'Angel Attack'?"
Sayoko continued to stare. "What happened to you!?! When did you go blue again?"
Rei smiled again, "Well, while you were out, Shinji, Asuka, Touji, and I all became the Guardians of Heaven. As to my hair..." Rei shook her head and the hair changed to brown hair. When her eyes came up, they were blue. "That's easy to fix."
Sayoko's mouth moved up and down for several seconds before words finally emerged "You?! Wha??? Huh??"
"We all accepted." continued Rei, "So now, if something happens that the Valkyries can't handle, we get called in."
Sayoko held her head in her hands. "Rei, we have got ALOT to talk about."
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Misato paced about the clearing with Hikari. Keiichi stood off to the side watching. When Misato was close to Keiichi she looked up at him and spoke.
"Are you sure they said this clearing?"
"Yes, Belldandy was very precise on the location." replied Keiichi, "Though she did say she wasn't too sure on the time."
Misato glared at him and then resumed her pacing. A rustling noise caused Keiichi to turn. Yui and Ritsuko step out into the clearing. Yui watched Misato pace before turning to Keiichi.
"No sign of them yet?"
"No not yet but..." Keiichi's voice trailed off as the ground in the center of the clearing began to glow. A small circle of light appeared that reached up towards the heavens. It began to expand. It reminded Keiichi of the return gate that had tried to take Belldandy away from him so long ago. With a bright flash, a group of people appeared within the circle. As the circle faded, the faces of the people could be seen. Keiichi smiled as he walked over to hug Belldandy and his daughter. Yui was greeted by her son, daughter and a very happy daughter-in-law. Touji and Hikari stood looking at each other for a long time before they ran to each other. Misato stood back with Ritsuko sniffling. Ritsuko handed her a Kleenex.
"Thanks." said Misato as she blew her nose.
"Maya did want me to give you a message," said Ritsuko, still watching the scene before her. "Kaji will be back tomorrow."
"Good," replied Misato, "He's been gone for too long. We have a lot of things to discuss."
Ritsuko smiled, "I'm sure you do. So, should I tell Maya she'll be in charge for a week while you and Kaji.....have your discussion?"
Misato turned deep red and tried to come up with an appropriate response. None came.
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Later that night, Rei and Sayoko sat on the roof of the apartment building looking up at the sky.
"So how did your mom take it?" asked Sayoko.
"She was surprised and shocked," replied Rei, "But she understands and is even proud of us."
"Why was Asuka so happy? I haven't seen her that happy since Shinji proposed."
"Apparently, she was able to talk to her mother while we were up there."
Sayoko glanced over at Rei, "Is that why she's planning to go up there with Shinji at least once a month?" Rei nodded. Sayoko turned back and looked at the sky. "Well, I'm happy for her. Hopefully she can put those events from her childhood far behind her now."
"Perhaps." replied Rei. "So what happens now?"
"Well, Mom said that Heaven would be repaired in about 2 months, Urd is going to visit Hild in hell for a month or so." Sayoko shook her head. " I still can't believe my mom is now a Class 0 goddess."
"What about the rogue demons?"
"Grandfather said not to worry, they're probably still trying to sort themselves out. We may not hear from them for years. Let's not talk about that for now. Right now, I want to relax."
Rei was quiet for a second. "You know, a phrase keeps popping into mind, it seems to fit."
"What's that?"
"'God's in his heaven, All is right with the world.'"
Sayoko smiled remembering the NERV motto. "That it is Rei, that it is."
The 2 then resumed staring at the stars high above them.
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