Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. If i did, why would i be writing this fanfic when i can produce it, animate it, licence it and make oodles of money by selling it to fanboys would preferably (i think) watch it than read about it?
Unintended Consequences 04: Where it all begins
And lo and behold, the Messengers will return,
Arriving when the Messiahs come of age,
From the sea will come Sachiel, Messenger of water,
His coming will be shrouded in fire, death and destruction,
The very heavens will split, heralding his presence,
His foes will scatter as dust before the wind,
He will come, as will all his brethren,
Clad in their glory, to the fortress of Man,
Seeking to pay homage to the First Messenger,
And the Messiahs will judge the worthiness of the supplicants,
Guardians to Heavens Door,
Riding upon shadows of Messengers fallen,
Wielding powers that are their birthright,
The Messiah of the past will abstain, the spirit willing but the flesh weak,
The Messiah of the present cannot, separated by raging seas and tall mountains,
The Messiah of the Future will pass judgment,
And the Messenger will be deemed unworthy.
NERV Headquarters, Evangelion Cage Unit 00
11th February, 2015, 0950 hours
Standing behind the observation windows, Gendou Ikari observed the ginger colored Evangelion. Behind him, Ritsuko Akagi and her team began the startup procedures which would allow for the unit's pilot, Rei Ayanami, to synchronize with the behemoth. Touching an intercom control, he spoke directly to the pilot. "Rei, are you ready?" his tone holding something approaching affection that was normally devoid from his speech.
Watching from the rear of the room, Kozou Fuyutsuki knew the tone for what it was. Where others believed it was affection for someone who was what they thought was his 'favorite', he knew better. To Gendou, Rei was a tool. A favored tool undoubtedly. But a tool nonetheless. One that would be discarded just as casually as one did with trash once its purpose was served without a shred of regret or remorse.
He knew the true events that led to the demise of the first Rei and Gendou's involvement behind it. And he had done nothing. Impassively stood by as a little girl was sent to a brutal death. While he soothed his conscience by telling himself that the girl could never really die, a tiny voice persistently told him that it was no different from any other death. And he had allowed it to pass, all for the sake of humanities future. Guilt that never showed openly would follow him to his grave. Sometimes, he questioned himself. He may not have been directly responsible, but his hands were no less bloody. He wondered if he would be able to stay the course of Human Instrumentality as he followed the blood-soaked road towards it.
[Is this the right way?]
And he questioned himself once again as the unit went out of control.
XXXXXX50 kilometers from Tokyo-3, Kansai railway line
13th February, 2015, 1520 hours
Father called for me]
The carriage was sparsely populated, allowing the boy to think in
silence. So much had happened so quickly. The letter had been short,
the words clipped as if the writer was loath to waste words. Its
message direct and to the point.
Come to Tokyo-3. Train tickets are enclosed inside.
[Why does he need me?] No matter how he tried, he couldn't imagine that his father wanted him back for a joyous reunion. It was the only explanation he could come to. He was needed for something. Something that several years of abandonment did not count against. But for what? He didn't know.
You're leaving for Tokyo-3? Very well then.
[Fujiwara-san might have cared] But Fujiwara was gone now. He had said goodbye to him yesterday at his grave. The Hokage family didn't really care whether he was staying or going. They had raised neither protest nor helping hand to pack when he had informed them. To them, he was an extra, a burden. There was little point in staying.
[Reach for the future] Fujiwara's letter was becoming prophetic. Indeed, there was little point to dwelling in the past. There was nothing there for him. It was time to move on. He looked out the window as he pondered Fujiwara's last words. [But what does the future hold for me?] The only answers lay in his destination. Tokyo-3.
Rummaging around in his tote bag, he removed his SDAT player. [I wish I had my cello with me] he thought idly as he plugged the headphones into his ears. The cello and most of his clothes would be sent later once his residence was confirmed. Switching to track 25, he listened to the haunting strings of Bach as the miles passed by.
XXXXXXDeserted. That was an apt description for the place. Save for the single teenager at the phone booth and his slung backpack, there was not a single soul to be seen. Silence permeated the air. No sounds emanated from the surroundings, no roar of passing cars, no whistling of passing trains, no endless murmuring of voices. No shuffling of a hundred feet moving towards goals and destinations. Nothing moved. Nothing that gave sign of life. No aural or visual sign of humans that should have inhabited the city. All was deathly silent and still.
"Given the state of emergency, all lines have been closed"
Sighing, Shinji Ikari replaced the phone. No one had been around when he had arrived at the train station. Even the train had been devoid of occupants save for himself on the final stretch. And while waiting for his contact, a state of emergency had been declared. Unable to understand what was going on, he had tried contacting the number listed on the letter. As it was, the call never got through. "I guess I better start looking for a shelter."
Absently, he withdrew a small picture from his shirt pocket which held the image of his contact. On it, striking young woman in her early 20's posed for the camera; her face framed long mauve locks, sporting a cheeky grin, fingers flashing in a V sign. Mischief and life sparkled in her eyes. The words "P.S. Look over here" attached to a small arrow blatantly advertised her generous cleavage which her clothes did little to conceal. [And she works for my father...] He shook his head slightly. [What does my father do anyway?] Racy images ran through his mind before his conscience quashed them, berating him for a fool. Looking up from the picture a flash of color caught his eye.
It was a girl, no older than he. Short azure hair the color of the sky framed her head, skin paler than the finest porcelain. Crimson irises set within almond shaped eyes stared with unrelenting passivity. Garbed in a school uniform, she stood, watching him. Like the rest of the city, she neither moved nor made a sound. On the edges of his memory, something tickled, trying to compare the girl to faded imagery of a time long since past. And then, sound came to the city.
A brief tremor ran through the city, startling a flock of formerly silent birds to take to flight. Shinji looked up, tracing the avian creature's path. [What was that?]. Remembering the other living being in the area, he looked back to where the girl stood, wanting to ask if she knew what had happened. She was gone. [Where did she go?] There was no place for her to have gone. Not in those brief few seconds. He did not have long to ponder that curiosity.
Banshee-like wails alerted the boy as silvery shapes streaked over him as he instinctively brought up his arms in a futile attempt to protect himself. As the shapes shrieked by him, he turned his head to track their path. They disappeared around a building, deep thunderclaps announcing the end of their journey. [Missles? Are we at war?] The answer came all too soon.
Emerging from where the missiles had gone, a grey aircraft reversed into view, fire flashing from the weapon pods fixed beneath its wings, engines whining to give it the lift to stay in the air. The white lettering on its side announced its affiliation with the JSDF. Then its target came.
It was immense. Bipedal, what could only be called a creature walked onto the street, its frame easily reaching the tops of the tall buildings that surrounded it. In comparison, the fighters that attacked the behemoth were miniscule, insect-like. A brilliant purple beam lanced out from its outstretched hand, skewering a hapless fighter from nose to tail. As the doomed aircraft smashed onto the street, Shinji leapt out of the way, arms up to protect his face from debris. A deafening explosion announced the cremation of the fallen craft and the nauseating scent of burning jet fuel mixed with the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh filled the air. The tortured squeal of rubber close to him forced the boy to lower his arms.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shinji"
Turning his head to the sound, he saw a woman seated in a blue Alpine car, shades obscuring her eyes, one handed firmly gripping the steering wheel. Recognition flared in his eyes. It was his contact. "Miss Katsuragi?"
"Yeah, yeah!" she thumbed the passenger seat with her free hand. "Come on! Get in! Hurry!"
He didn't waste any time complying. Clutching his tote bag, he raced around the car, pausing only to open the door before diving in. He had barely lifted his feet of the asphalt when Katsuragi slammed her foot down on the accelerator, the car leaping into motion as it sped crazily away from the battle being waged between human and creature.
"What is that thing??"
XXXXXXA maze. An endless flow of corridors, turns, forks, junctions and lifts greeted the boy as he followed Misato Katsuragi, as she had introduced herself earlier, through the immense underground facility the briefing documents said was called NERV [My father works here? What does he do?]. Through their brief flight from the creature and close brush with death, he had been given snatches of information.
An Angel. No divine messenger from the heavens, it was instead, the hellish creature that had shrugged aside the best efforts of the JSDF to stop it in an insane orgy of destruction. He had seen as the JSDF flung their best weapons at the angel to no effect. And somehow, NERV, the organization his father was involved in, had known about this terrifying being. [But how did they know? There's so much I don't know.]
For untold minutes they walked, never meeting another soul, the halls eerily empty of any other human presence, silent, still and dead. Misato paused in her long strides, as if in indecision. [We're lost aren't we?] As if the thought had been the catalyst, a door hissed open, revealing a blonde woman in a doctor's coat and a peeved expression on her face.
Her words matched her expression. "You're late Captain Katsuragi."
XXXXXX"Father created that?" incredulity painted Shinji's face. The lady doctor, Ritsuko Akagi, who had found them, had led them through the confusing maze of passages, only to stop on a darkened walkway. The lights had been activated and he now stared at an immense armored face, the remainder of its body hidden beneath a strange purple liquid.
A voice boomed from above. "That is correct"
Looking up, Shinji saw the owner of the voice. Silhouetted by a light behind him, standing on an overlooking ledge was the man who he had not seen for so very long. Gendo Ikari, his father. "It's been a long time."
XXXXXX[He wants me to pilot it] For several minutes he had stood in silence, unable to respond as two sides warred within his mind. One part of him wanted nothing more than to leave this place, leave the battles, leave that cold, callous, uncaring man he called his father and his ludicrous request. Another part of him rejoiced in the bare fact that his father needed him, even if it was only to serve as a combatant.
[He needs me] A tiny seed of joy grew within the boy. He was needed. He was wanted. Needed by the man he thought had thrown him away so many years ago. He wanted to do what to accept. He wanted to do as he was asked. To be accepted. He opened his mouth to speak.
[Only to fight] Anger flared anew, scorching the joyous plant that had grown. He wasn't really needed. He was called for a ridiculous reason. To fight, and most likely, to die for someone who was more of a stranger than a father. [Why should I do anything for him?] His fists clenched and his mouth snapped shut. It was ludicrous. He wanted to reject him. To spurn that uncaring caricature that called itself human and his sire.
[Don't run away from your past] A fragment of a much read letter. A farewell letter. A letter from both friend and mentor. That was the only reason why he had not rejected the request outright. He would not run away. He would face his past. But it was insufficient to tip the scales. The past was closed to him, but the future remained uncertain, wavering like a mirage in the desert, becoming many differing images. He hesitated, unsure of how, indeed if he wanted to take that step forward. In frustration, he ground his teeth.
Vaguely, he was aware of Misato's hand on his shoulder, saying something to him, yet he paid it little heed, lost as he was in that battle between past and future.
XXXXXX[So he cannot decide yet] Patience was something that came easily to the hard-bitten man. One does not labor for over a decade with a singular goal without patience. In other times, Gendou would have been content to wait for the recalcitrant child's decision. He had not refused, but he had not accepted either. Time was not on his side. And he could wait no longer.
[Then he will need to be prodded] A finger depressed a button on the console at his side. "Wake Rei"
"Are you certain?" Fuyutsuki's worried visage came into view on the other side of the screen.
His face was set in its customary grim lines. "At least she's not dead"
XXXXXX
Pain.
It is familiar. I have been injured. Grievous harm was suffered when
the EVA rejected me during the initialization test. But the pain is
more intense now. A sharp sensation on my left arm. Rationale thought
is becoming easier. I am awakening.
Motion. The feeling of passing wind on skin. I am moving. But I do not move. The rattle of wheels on smooth metal. I am being moved. I am needed somewhere.
Vision. I am in the EVA bay. The lights painfully bright. There are people. A boy, no older than I am, stands close by, his eyes confused. There are others. Misato Katsuragi, Ritsuko Akagi, but above all, Gendou Ikari, the man who both created me and is my commander.
"Rei...our only back-up is useless. You must pilot the EVA again."
I have been ordered. I move to obey. "...Yes sir"
Pain wracked her body as she rose from the bed. Muscles screaming in silent protest as they grudgingly obeyed her commands to rise. She had barely lifted her frame to a sitting position when the entire room shook. She could not track all that had occurred in the resulting chaos. The bed shifting, people staggering, debris falling. She was falling. Her bound arm making contact with the cold metallic floor. Sparks of pain shot through her arm as a soft gasp broke free from her lips. Through the pain filled haze, she could make out the boy, reaching out towards her. An expression etched on his face that she had only seen once in her life.
Cradling her in his arms, Rei felt a flash of sensations, but it passed before she could identify it.
"Hang on!"
Another tremor shook the base.
With a tortured groan, several metal beams broke free, tumbling towards the both of them. Death clearly promised in their rapid descent.
The boy raised his free hand in defense. The feeble limb would provide little protection from the falling death. [It matters not. I can be replaced] A shape rapidly moved. And darkness consumed everything.
XXXXXXLoud crashes and splashes announced the arrival of the steel beams. He had been braced for death and excruciating pain as the beams had crushed him beneath their weight. Instead, the entire affair remained painless. [Am I dead?]
"It moved on its own?" A voice. Awe threaded through it. Misato's voice.
"That's impossible! The plug isn't even inserted!" Another voice. Incredulity and disbelief. Ritsuko's voice.
Opening his eyes, Shinji expected to see his ancestors, an endless void that awaited the dead, a tormented plain where tortured souls writhed, a heavenly plain where angels of the human sort lived in harmony. Anything but the scene that greeted him. Instead of passing from the realm of the living, he was still very much alive, cradling the girl in his hands. [I'm alive? But...how?] It was then that he realized it was darker now.
Looking up, he saw a massive hand protectively hovering over him. [Where did... it's from that robot!] Indeed, the armored limb was painted in the same hue as the head of the machine and trailed off into the liquid which hid the rest of its body. The feeling of something warm making its way down his arm brought his attention back to the girl.
Blood. It trickled down his arm. Not his blood. Hers. It was her blood. Her blood that ran down his arm. The coppery scent assailed his senses. [So much blood] Her bandaged arm and head had begun to gain a crimson tint, the tell-tale stains only hinting at the extent of injuries that she had suffered.
It was then that he recognized her. Short blue hair, a crimson iris staring from the uncovered eye. Pale skin even paler now. [It's her! She was at the station! But how? How did she get so badly hurt? And she is to pilot in this state?] Through his mental turmoil, a memory came unbidden to his mind, its imagery blurred and faded with time but regaining clarity in an instant.
It was a face. Not her face. Another face. Twisted with pain but set with determination. A resigned yet grim edge shone in brown irises. Grey hair slick with water. Blood freely pouring from a shoulder wound. Fujiwara's face. The face of a mentor, a friend. He had run then. And Fujiwara had died. None had held him to blame. No-one but himself. [If I run now, it will be the same as back then.] Determination crystallized and his resolve firmed. Doubts and fears faded like mist before scorching sunlight. He had made his decision. He gently eased the girl onto the floor. His one free hand clenched into a fist. He wouldn't let another die. He wouldn't fail another. He would run no more.
"I'll pilot it."
XXXXXXEND OF CHAPTER 04
A/N: And so we come to the Conception arc of the story. I realize that this chapter isn't as soul-touching as the last one but there really isn't much that in the first episode that is really material for heart-tugging stuff. Still, I hope that this chapter is a passable piece of work.
On a side note, I still haven't figured out this blasted formatting. All the changes I make to this thing keeps getting ignored. Oh well, i hope you, dear readers, don't mind.
One more thing. Please review. Writers like me thrive on it. Good or bad.