The Gehenah wastelands, Israel: 05:00 local
A desolate and inhospitable canyon of ash and dust, hardly the place one would expect to find anything of historical importance, yet this valley now housed a excavation team working almost round the clock to unearth the mysterious site that SEELE archaeologists had recently discovered. A massive series of interlocking rings of grey-blue metal buried beneath the rock of the valley floor. Although the scientists didn't know it, this was the very gate of hell, a portal to the foreboding dark plane...
Tokyo 3, NERV Housing Compound B, room 777: 02:15 local
Asuka hated her life... that was now an official scientific axiom. She had been awoken at two AM... and was now being rushed out to some crazy person's dojo in the middle of night. Ooooh but it didn't stop there, no... now she was in a small car with the cry-boy and the blue haired looney. Misato had said only that Gendo had decided they needed further training in hand-to-hand combat. On top of all that there was the still stinging memory of the mysterious attack the previous morning. All in all, this was shaping out to be a wonderful day.
The car turned sharply onto a dirt road, the lights of the fortress city fading mutely in the distance to their left. The three young pilots stared blankly into the dark blanket of the night, gazing sleepily at the shade like world that retreated from the glow of the car's lights and then wrapped back together behind. Pushing deeper into the wastelands outside the sheltered heart of the city, they where now surrounded by the results of the fifteen year battle. Dust and rock, boundless tracks of devastation, the scars of a battle the young warriors had yet to understand. Turning again, the city's faint remaining glow now to their backs, they begain the assent up a winding track to the dojo's walls. Soon the building itself came into view, lit by strange green torches. It was a massive structure of stone and wood unlike any the eva pilots had ever seen in the short years of their lives.
Stepping out of the car, Shinji stared at the man standing coolly in the doorway of the dojo. He was dressed in traditional Chinese attire and he held himself like a man of import. He's emerald eyes swept over each of them in turn, first Shinji, then Asuka, Rei, and at last Misato. "Misato-san, We are grateful for your co-operation, but only pupils may enter, you must return to the city." Misato nodded and, turning the car back towards the faint glow of a rising sun, began the long drive back to Tokyo 3.
"come young ones, it is time for you to learn the truth" the man said leading them into the dojo
passing through the doorway, Shinji saw that at the back of the large training room another man stood, and this one, was already well known to Shinji, it was the man he had seen with "Duo" on the train the week before, Heero himself.
"So... you are the great children of the planar war?" the man asked, his head tilting slightly to his left as he eyed Asuka and Rei, "I admit I am impressed, you are all in excellent physical shape, however..." his voice dropped a note in timbre "I wonder if mentally you are as acutely prepaired?" he paused... seeming to be gathering his thoughts, "For your first lesson, each of you must try to land a hit of any kind upon me... I will not make any attacks until one minute has passed"
He stepped back, dropping into a fighting stance and turned towards Asuka, "You're up first, lets see what you can do"
Asuka didn't have to be told twice, with a shout she shot forward her foot coming up in a wide arc to Heero's head, but it never connected, for in one fluid sweep he moved under the incoming foot, slide in an oblique path to Asuka's side and then back-flipped away, landing cleanly a few feet to her right. The young german girl turned and sent a blind-side punch towards Heero's chest, but again was unsuccessful. Finally, as she attempted a high round house kick, she heard the other man yell "Time" and before she could register what had happened Heero had spun out of the path of her foot, twisting to one side, performed a sweep with his leg knocking her of her feet and then did a handstand spin-kick that sent her flying into the padded mat a good seven feet away. She stared in awe, she had only seen a blur of movement! But she was certain that she had been hit twice... yes the pain deffinately indicated two hits. Whoever this man was, she thought he was the most impressive fighter she had ever seen.
"Either of you want to have a go?" Heero asked, two heads shook in unison.
"good, now follow me..."
passing through a doorway in the back of the training room the entered a small chamber void of any furnishings...
"please be seated... I want to tell you a tale I believe it is time for you to hear"
Heero looked slowly from Shinji, to Asuka, and then to Rei, wondering how they might take the bombshell he was about to drop. He had never been one who liked surprises himself, especially this kind. Unbidden the image of the young girl with the bear came into his mind, and he had to fight back those ancient memories to focus on the current problem. Here he had before him three young minds, and the first three of the seven seals, he could not, no, would not let his twisted brother Lucifer have them. Smiling sadly he bagan to speak.
"You have been told that the angels are here to destroy mankind. That they are sent by God to burn away the human race You have been told you are fighting for the very survival of the human race." Heero paused frowning, "And Yet, if that were so... why are you still here?" the pilots blanched, what was he saying? "Does it not seem odd that an all powerful creator of the universe would be loosing to his creations? Why not simply will you out of existence? Why the elaborate angel attacks?" as Heero paused to stand up, Duo continued the discussion "We wonder, just how much you really know about the beings you are fighting?" Heero felt a twinge of sorrow at there now deeply pained faces "Not all angels are your enemies... We are not your enemies"
Shinji blinked "What do you mean?"
This time a red haired man was the one who answered, "We are servents of God, the "angels you have been fighting were not... its as simple as that"
A blonde then entered the conversation "And you are not the only one's being misled... even Gendo is being drawn on by your true enemy... not God, but the Devil himself"
Asuka stood up her hands on her hips "And just who are you to know about shit like that?"
Heero looked at her angered face, he could feel the flare of power coming from her soul. Such potential wasted on a false cause he thought. Then an Idea formed. They may just be able to use more than just the gundams after all... Smiling he lifted his hand... and six pairs of trench-coats fell to the ground.
"Someone who knows angels better than anyone else"
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AN time!!!! WAIIIIIIIIII!!!
Ok fans... here is the first part of the four part dojo scene BWAHAHAHAHAHA cliffy!!
The second half might be awhile in coming... I have a new job and it's a very constraining one as far as free time... so it could be after Christmas when part 17 hits the net... but in the meantime, please read and review.... The plot bunnies will thank you for it