Disclaimer: During my break, I managed to procure the rights to Evangelion and Godzilla. (Ownership will become official on April 1st, 2004).
Author's Note: Terribly sorry for the delay. Getting this chapter done along with everything else I was doing took longer than expected. It's most likely going to be a long time before the next chapter is out too. Until recently, I've been working on three stories (this one included) simultaneously. Fortunately, finishing my zoids fic has knocked that number down to two. I am also working on a Rurouni Kenshin fic that, as I said, will be premiering on Anime Admirers. Until the next time, I hope you like the latest chapter to Evangelion: G.
Chapter 12: Revelations of the 19th
Ritsuko looked up from the schematics for Unit 14 and observed the Eva itself. Currently, the massive creature was immersed in cryostasis fluid. She had been trying to catalogue the myriad of changes that Unit 14 had undergone. Its chin spike had vanished and the horn on top of its head was much shorter now. The Eva's spine was now slightly contorted, which had made it difficult to fit the locks of the holding cage into place. However, through an overnight feat of engineering, they had managed to do so. There were other changes also. Unit 14's hands now ended in a wicked set of claws each. The most notable change was the massive protrusion on its back that Ritsuko had learned served as a powerful cannon.
Ishiro hadn't been much help. He had been rubbing his temples with his free hand ever since he extracted himself from the entry plug. He had barely been able to explain to them what exactly had happened as far as he could tell. Ritsuko frowned as she thought back to the debriefing.
"A second soul?" said Gendo, raising an eyebrow, "Are you certain, Pilot Saegusa?"
"No, in fact I've been lying the whole time" grumbled Ishiro sarcastically, massaging his head.
"Just because you complain of a headache does not mean that you can be curt with me Pilot Saegusa," said Gendo, his tone more than a bit irritated.
"Actually," growled Ishiro, "Since you can't complain of a headache, I get to be curt with you if I so desire."
"What is this second soul?" asked Fuyutsuki, seeking both to disarm the confrontation between Ishiro and Ikari as well as find out more information.
"Strangely enough, the second soul belongs to the original Godzilla," said Ishiro.
"But how?" asked Ritsuko.
"From what I've been able to learn from the files," said Ishiro, "An unintentional effect of the Evas' creation is their ability to hold the souls of living things. You could say they are soul depositories. All the soul needs is some sort of tangible connection to the Eva. In this case, the G-Cells in Unit 14 are what drew Godzilla's soul into the Eva."
"I thought those cells came from Biolante," commented Ritsuko.
"They did," answered Ishiro, "But you have to remember, Biolante was the result of a splicing experiment that involved G-Cells; ones from the original Godzilla. This explains why Unit 14 has Godzilla's soul as well as Erika's."
"What happened to the Eva when Godzilla's soul took over," Asuka wanted to know.
"I don't exactly know," replied Ishiro, "But my best guess is that when Godzilla's soul moved into the void left by Erika's departure, the Godzilla genes in the Biolante cells that were spliced with Unit 14's began to assert themselves and almost achieved a state of dominance. I believe that the process would have continued had Erika not returned to the Eva."
"So every time Erika leaves to bring Biolante down to Earth, Godzilla's hold over the Eva becomes stronger," observed Shinji.
"That's right," agreed Ishiro.
"So we risk Godzilla taking over every time Erika leaves Unit 14," added Misato. Ishiro nodded.
"Dr. Akagi," said Gendo, "I want you to catalogue the changes that have occurred in Unit 14. I expect a complete report on my desk by this time tomorrow."
"I believe that I will require the assistance of Pilot Saegusa in order to do so," said Ritsuko.
"My apologies Dr. Akagi," said Ishiro, "But right now my brain is host to a full orchestra percussion section playing in Fortissimo. I will have to decline for the night and will join you in the morning."
Ishiro's predictions about the G-Cells asserting their dominance had proved to be accurate. There was indeed a newly formed imbalance in the three-way ratio between the rose, human and Godzilla genes making up the Biolante cell samples, an imbalance that favored Godzilla's genes.
The task would have gone along much quicker had Ishiro been there. Having piloted the Eva himself while also getting to know the Eva as well as Ritsuko did, he would have known exactly where to look for what changes, which would have saved them a considerable amount of time. However, without Ishiro's knowledge, Ritsuko and her meager staff were forced to go over Unit 14 in its titanic entirety with a fine-tooth comb, picking out every little thing that had changed since they had last examined it. As a result, Ritsuko was very tired, and agitated.
I'll get you for that Ishiro, Ritsuko thought irritably.
Unfortunately for him, Ishiro's return to his sparsely furnished apartment only furnished more headaches as the Cosmos greeted him. Ishiro was reminded of the even greater problems looming in the future, which only brought on even worse headaches. God, he thought to himself as he herded the two tiny girls into a box to take outside, why I couldn't I have been a normal psychic and read minds or predict futures? We ESP guys get stuck with all the hard work.
Once he was out on the roof, he resumed the conversation with the Cosmos that he had started before agents from Section 2 had come to take him to a meeting with Gendo Ikari. Already, his nearly overtaxed senses had informed him that this area was unsupervised by NERV, which gave him all that he needed in order to conduct his conversation with complete secrecy.
"I understand the direness of this situation," said Ishiro curtly before the Cosmos could start, "But I have had a busy night and would like to get some sleep before the good doctor requests my presence in the lab again. So you must understand when I say that I would like to keep this short."
"You have overextended yourself," said Mona calmly, "We only have a few more points to cover. Then you can get your much-needed rest. There is still time yet and Mothra is slowly gaining strength. She has told us that she may be able to help, but will not be able to enter the fight herself."
"This is a matter of great importance," Lora reiterated, "You and your allies must be free to focus entirely on the matter that is to come. This means that all other conflicts must be resolved."
"What?" growled Ishiro, "Do you think that if I just asked politely Battra will kindly make an appointment to come back and attack after we have dealt with our alien invader. I don't think so."
"Battra is one whom we know well," said Mona, "He is not unreasonable when approached in the right way. Furthermore, this new monster presents a threat to Earth herself, which may goad Battra in coming to your aid even."
Ishiro sighed and rested his forehead in his left hand, his right weighed down by the cylinder of LCL. That reminds me, he thought, I should be able to remove it tomorrow. With that thought out of the way, he turned to the Cosmos. "What do you suggest I do to make peace with Battra?"
"Give him that which he seeks," said Lora as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I can't do that!" exclaimed Ishiro, "If Battra delivers Lilith to his creator; we humans might as well kiss our asses good by."
"You are mistaken if you believe that Battra seeks to destroy humanity by initiating Third Impact, as you humans call it, through Lilith," said Mona simply.
"What does Battra want with Lilith then?" asked Ishiro.
"Simply to return her to their mutual mother," answered Lora.
Ishiro turned this thought over in his mind. If that was the truth, and Ishiro knew better than to think that the Cosmos would ever lie to him, then he could remedy all their Battra problems with ease. In truth, only one obstacle remained; Gendo Ikari. The man's dedication to initiating his own form of Third Impact would prove a significant stumbling block. He was likely to utilize Shinji, Asuka and Rei in order to stop Ishiro.
"What do I do then?" asked Ishiro, "To deal with the problem that is posed by Gendo Ikari?"
"Acknowledge the truth about who you are," said Mona, "And you will find that neither he nor those he uses as his tools will hinder you."
"You already know the truth of you and your legacy," said Lora, "Now is the time to put it to use."
"But now you must rest," said Mona, "You need to regain your energies for the struggle that is to come."
"I thank both of you," said Ishiro, giving the Cosmos a small bow, "I will take into consideration what you have said."
He cautiously ushered the twin ferries into the box and carried them down into his apartment. After depositing them carefully on a convenient table, Ishiro fell face down onto his bed and slipped away into a world of dreams.
Once again, the anonymous men that formed the core of SEELE had gathered. There they debated the recent turn of events.
"The appearance of these three new kaiju is very disturbing," said one.
"What is even more disturbing is the truth of their goal."
"In addition to this, Pilot Saegusa has reinforced the fact that Unit 14 is dangerous to us all."
"With the power to summon the creature called Biolante at will, he will become even more dangerous."
Keel interrupted them. "It also appears that we may not be able to initiate Third Impact anymore."
A chorus of questions and denials arose at the pronouncement. After all, Third Impact was what these men had strived for their entire lives. They had spent untold amounts of resources in order to realize this, their greatest dream. To hear that it was threatened so simply was chilling to be sure.
"I do not mean what you think," said Keel, "A meteor is on a collision course with Earth. It is simply a matter of nomenclature."
"Very amusing Keel," said one dryly.
"Is that all you have to tell us?" asked another.
"Not really," replied Keel, "But meteor shows possible signs of intelligent control."
"What do you mean?"
Keel smiled grimly, "The meteor was not originally heading for Earth, but ever since it emerged from the asteroid belt, it has corrected its course on several occasions."
"It seems we have been wise to keep at least one eye on the stars," observed one of the other members, "Or else this new twist might not have become apparent to us."
"So what is our course then?"
Keel's smile widened. "What it has always been. We wait, and learn to use what happens to our profit."
"What are you doing up Asuka?" asked Shinji as he joined the girl on the balcony.
"I just couldn't sleep," replied Asuka sullenly.
"The nightmares?"
The redhead shook her head sadly. "They haven't gone away. And they keep getting worse. I have this feeling like something really bad is going to happen soon."
"Try to get some rest," said Shinji, resting his hand on her shoulder, "I wouldn't be able to stand it if you went back to the way you were. I can't stand seeing you so distressed."
"I'll try," said Asuka.
Shinji took her hand and led her back to the room they shared. Asuka settled back down on her futon and tried to go back to sleep. Shinji reached over from where he lay and took her hand in his.
"Sleep," he whispered to her, "I'm right here."
Asuka closed her eyes. However, when she drifted off, the nightmares were there again, even more terrible before. And even though she felt Shinji's presence beside her, it wasn't enough to restrain her fear.
The base was silent in the early morning hours. Ishiro opened the door to his lab. The time had come to find out whether or not his hard work had paid off. Carefully, he began to undo the bolts that held together the canister around the end of his right arm. After draining the LCL, Ishiro realized that he could feel his fingers. He flexed them carefully, still unable to see them while the canister was in place. As far as he could tell, they were slightly stiff from being newly formed, but time would remedy that. Now it was time for a visual inspection.
The last bolt came free and the canister fell apart to reveal a perfect looking human hand. So far, so good, he thought. But appearances can be deceiving. In order to know whether or not Ishiro's new hand was safe, he would need to take skin samples, blood samples, bone samples, muscle samples, and samples of just about everything else to ensure that it was not flawed in some way.
About halfway through the tests, the door behind him opened and Ritsuko came barging in. "Ah Dr. Akagi," he said, "What can I do for you?" He was too distracted to read her mind at the moment.
"So this is where you've been hiding," growled Ritsuko, "Because of you I had to completely look over the Eva and catalogue its mutations ALL BY MYSELF!"
Ishiro turned around and grinned rather sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that Dr. Akagi. It's just that I remembered that my calculations predicted that my hand would be fully formed by today. So I decided to remove the LCL canister and conduct the tests necessary to find out whether the treatment worked."
"And…" growled Ritsuko, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, so far, so good," was all that Ishiro could say, "I'm about halfway done."
"And I suppose that you would like me to leave you to your work," said Ritsuko in resignation.
"Correct." Ishiro had already turned back to his tests and had hardly heard her last statement.
Ritsuko groaned in frustration and stalked out of the room. The door hissed shut behind her and Ishiro returned his full attention to his studies.
It had been a long, night, so Shinji and Asuka had both slept in late…very late. It was noon by the time either of them woke up. Shinji was glad to see that Asuka had slept through the remainder of their late night. But still, that troubled expression remained on her face.
"Was it bad?" he asked. Asuka nodded silently at his answer.
After checking his clock Shinji announced that he was going to prepare lunch/very late breakfast. As he left to do so, Asuka went and took a shower. Misato was already out and at work. Naturally, there would be a literal mountain of paperwork for her to fill out with regard to the attack of the three kaiju that had attacked the previous night.
It was Sunday, which meant there was no school. The two children had the day to themselves. Shinji called Touji and asked if he wanted to come over while Asuka did the same for Hikari. The two came over rather quickly.
They spent the rest of the day talking, playing video games, watching TV and doing other things that most normal teenagers would do. Both Shinji and Asuka were quite glad for the change of atmosphere. Both of them noticed how much closer Touji and Hikari had apparently become. After some teasing and wheedling, they found out that the two had actually started dating.
"That's good to hear," remarked Shinji. He was glad for both of them.
"I still don't know what you see in that stooge," Asuka told Hikari playfully.
"Well," replied Hikari, blushing slightly, "He may be a big lunkhead, but he's the nicest guy I ever met."
"And the only one who could ever survive going out with the classroom rep," joked Touji.
"You watch your manners Touji Suzahara," growled Hikari, shaking a warning fist at him. A second later, all four of them burst into laughter.
Night had at last fallen. Ritsuko had returned to her home for some rest, something she rarely ever got enough of. Most of the staff, save the night shift, had left for the evening. Only a few minor techs and security remained.
Getting past security was not a task of great difficulty for Ishiro. He walked down the darkened halls, his infrared vision giving him a clear view, despite the lack of light. As he walked, his mind reached out, finding those men on the other side of the cameras that watched every inch of every hallway. With a simple flip of a mental switch, Ishiro sent them into a state of temporary unconsciousness. They would not wake up until the entire task was over and done with.
As for the occasional guard who patrolled the corridors, Ishiro simply froze the man's mind long enough for the psychic to get past and out of sight, before letting the man resume his rounds as if nothing had happened. From those same guards, Ishiro mentally downloaded a map of the entire Geofront's security system, enabling him to avoid laser triggered, pressure plate, and motion sensor alarms as well as human surveillance. He did the same thing to the men who guarded the doors to the holding cages. Ishiro reached the holding cage for Unit 14 without tripping a single alarm.
The young man strode out onto the walkway that was created from the Eva's joined restraints. Reaching the center of the walkway, he turned to peer directly into the angular eyes of the black Eva. He had been planning this ever since he had finished his tests much earlier. Ishiro knew better than to try to hijack an entry plug. That would require that he control someone's mind and use them to operate the controls that would inject the entry plug. That method would create a whole plethora of unnecessary risks. He wasn't sure he could control a foreign body and keep track of surveillance systems and patrol patterns and alarm locations and wiping the minds of any security he came across. There was also the risk that his chosen pawn would break free from his mental control. Humans were such weak-minded imbeciles, but with sufficient distraction one could defeat even Ishiro's mental strength.
Finally, even if Ishiro managed to force someone to inject his entry plug into Unit 14, Ishiro would have to release control in order to synch with Erika, which would enable the person to sound an alarm. Once that was done, Ishiro could easily be subdued by compressing the LCL in the entry plug, the tactic that had once been used to stop Shinji after his breakdown after fighting the 13th Angel.
Fortunately for Ishiro, he had other options. This would be less effective, but in the long run, it would be safer. And so, the young psychic put his plan into motion.
Ishiro reached out with his mind towards Unit 14. Erika.
I am here. Erika's voice was faint; difficult to hear with his mind, but it was contact nonetheless.
It is time to do what we should have done a long time ago, said Ishiro.
I will do as you ask my friend, came the reply.
Then let us go and end this.
Metal groaned and screeched as the Eva strained against the restraints. Ishiro carefully climbed onto Unit 14's shoulder, and from there, climbed to the top of the Eva's head, where he was able to get a firm grip on the horn that projected from Unit 14's grim visage. Once he was secure, Ishiro began to meld his mind and soul with Erika's as best he could from the outside.
With a final shriek, the restraints gave way. Unit 14 lashed out with both fists, ripping apart the wall in front of them. The Eva plunged through the newly created opening. Already, alarms had begun to wail, signifying that Unit 14's escape had not gone unnoticed. Unit 14 continued to plunge through barrier after barrier, with Ishiro clinging on for dear life, until it finally came to its primary objective, the shaft leading down into terminal dogma. Without hesitation, the Eva stepped over the edge and descended down the shaft. With a creative application of the Eva's AT field, Ishiro slowed the titan's descent.
Gendo Ikari rushed into the command center with Fuyutsuki trailing behind. "Report," he ordered one of the unfortunate officers still on duty.
"We're not exactly sure sir," replied the frightened man, "Unit 14 has broken from its restraints and is currently descending into Terminal dogma."
"Contact Ishiro, tell him to stop this immediately."
"We can't contact him sir," replied the tech, "The entry plug isn't even inserted. As far as we can tell, the Eva is acting on its own.
"Lock down the facility," Ikari snapped, "Do not let that Eva reach terminal dogma. Call the pilots and get them here immediately!"
Shinji awoke to the sound of a phone ringing. A few seconds later, the ringing stopped as Misato picked up the phone.
"Hello," she said wearily into the receiver. "What!? Alright, I'll bring the kids down right away."
Misato burst into their room. "Shinji, Asuka, wake up!" she exclaimed.
"What is it?" asked Asuka groggily.
"Unit 14 has gone rogue and is heading for Terminal Dogma," replied Misato hastily as she pulled the two children to their feet and pulled them out the door.
"Can't I at least get dressed?" demanded Asuka.
"No time, you two are ordered to report to your Evas immediately!" Without another word, Misato pulled the two unfortunate children out of the apartment, into the elevator and into the car. The whole time, Shinji could only think one thing. Not again.
Barely a minute after it had begun its descent, Unit 14 encountered its first major obstacle, a series of titanium steel alloy shutters that stood between it and Terminal Dogma. Since Karou had made his attempt at reaching Lilith, the barrier had been strengthened considerably to make it much more difficult to get through. Unit 14 touched down on the first of the shutters.
"That won't stop us," growled Ishiro. Unit 14 lifted its foot and brought it down hard on the first set of shutters. Metal groaned and a massive indentation appeared in the door. Unit 14 brought its foot down again. This time, its foot punched through the metal, revealing the next set of shutters down below. Crouching down, Unit 14 wrapped its fingers around the edges of the hole and began to pull. The Eva quickly ripped the first set of shutters apart.
Ishiro hissed impatiently. "This is taking too long."
Unit 14 crouched, froglike on the edge of the hole it had created. Carefully, it lowered its shoulders until it was able to point the massive cannon on its left shoulder straight at the next barrier. Ishiro clung to his perch with all his strength as Unit 14 tilted its head along with the rest of its body. Within the barrel of the weapon, swirling masses of energy began to collect. A sphere of energy shot out from the cannon and slammed into the shutters below it. The blast ripped apart the next set of shutters without even slowing down. The shot was angled slightly, so the blast only managed to penetrate the next two sets of shutters before it crashed into the wall of the shaft, a huge fireball blossoming outward from where it had connected.
Unit 14 dropped down and through the ruins of the first line of defense. It landed on the fourth set of shutters. Once again, the Eva ripped apart the steel barrier with its hands. This time, it simply dropped down to the next set and repeated the process.
Blast them again, Ishiro instructed.
I cannot, answered Erika, It will take some time before I can charge up energy for another shot.
Oh well, thought Ishiro, Save it, we're going to be needing it for our own defense soon.
I can't believe this, thought Shinji, It's happening all over again.
Shinji waited for the entry plug to fill up with LCL. Unit 01 was being rushed through the preliminary stages of launch. In the holding cages on either side, Unit 02 and Unit 00 were going through an identical process.
All Shinji could think about however, was Karou. In his mind's eye, Shinji saw the face of the boy, the Angel in disguise, as Unit 01 slowly squeezed the life out of him. Shinji couldn't stand to go through this again. He wouldn't be forced to kill another friend.
"Shinji…Earth to Shinji," Ritsuko's voice finally reached Shinji's ears, "Focus will you. You can't synchronize properly if you're distracted."
In the command center Misato muttered under her breath. "You can't blame him."
In Unit 02, Asuka looked over towards Unit 01's holding cage. "What's happening Shinji?" she whispered.
In Unit 00, Rei was silent as she wrestled with feelings of her own. Never before had the 1st child experienced the feeling of betrayal before. She could not help but be angry at Ishiro for deceiving her like this.
He said he was my friend.
"Deploy the Evas," ordered Ritsuko. Units 00 and 02 moved to respond to the command. However, Unit 01 remained motionless. "Shinji, move," snapped Ritsuko.
"I-I can't," stuttered Shinji, "I can't do this."
"You can and you will," said Commander Ikari simply.
"I won't kill another friend."
"Shinji," said Misato, "This is something that has to be done. If you don't act now, everything, everyone you know and care about will be destroyed."
"I just can't!" yelled Shinji.
"Then I'll do it," snarled Asuka. Unit 02 jumped into the shaft leading downwards. Unit 00 wasted no time in following suit.
Behind them, Unit 01 hesitated upon the brink of the abyss. Finally, it too joined them in pursuit of Ishiro and Unit 14.
Ritsuko studied the data coming from Unit 14. "Ishiro's synch ratio is much lower than usual."
"It must be because he's operating the Eva from outside," suggested Maya. Ritsuko nodded in agreement.
Ishiro looked up the way they had come from. "We've got company."
Unit 14 had finally broken through the last of the security shutters and was now dropping, unimpeded down the shaft towards its final destination. Looking up, he spied the three Evas now descending towards his position. "The time of reckoning is now at hand," he remarked wryly.
What shall we do? asked Erika.
"Nothing, for now," replied Ishiro out loud "I want to see if they are truly committed to confronting me."
And if they attack?
Then we shall not hold back. This is far too important to risk the completion of our task over something as minor as friendship.
You regard friendship as minor?
It is in comparison to the greater issue here. Whether they are my friends or not will not matter if it means they will get in the way of what it takes to save the human race.
You are beginning to sound like the elder Ikari.
Ishiro scowled and did not reply. I will never be like that bastard, he thought to himself. He returned his thoughts to the matter at hand. Unit 02 was first and closing quickly.
"Ishiro," Asuka's voice, magnified by the Eva, boomed around him, "Surrender now.
"I am sorry," replied Ishiro as calmly as he could, tightening his grip on Unit 14's horn, "But I cannot do that. This is something that I must do.
"How could you betray us like this you asshole!" Asuka nearly screamed.
"How do you know that this is a betrayal?" Ishiro asked, trying to keep his tone even, "For all you know, I could be trying to save us all, which I am."
"What exactly are you trying to do?" asked Asuka, she was beginning to calm.
"I intend to free the Angel that is hidden beneath us. I am sending Lilith home."
"You cannot do that," Unit 00 had now caught up to them. Like Asuka, Rei hesitated to attack.
"I can and I must," replied Ishiro, "There is more at stake here than you realize. In order to be fully prepared for what is to come, Lilith will be a peace offering of sorts, to appease Battra and his creators."
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Unit 01 had finally joined them.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Shinji looked on, baffled, as Ishiro calmly began to explain to them what he meant.
"That is exactly what I am talking about, Earth," replied Ishiro. Seeing that they didn't understand, he opened his mouth to continue.
The feed from the outside was cut and Ishiro's voice vanished within the cockpit. Instead, Gendo Ikari began to speak to them through the comm. "Pilots! Do not hesitate! Destroy him now!" Tension was audible in the Commander's voice.
"Not until we understand what's going on Commander," snapped Asuka.
"Rei!" said Ikari, a hint of desperation appearing in his voice, "You will do as I say. Kill Pilot Saegusa NOW!" Shinji gaped, he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he had ever seen or heard his father show emotion. What was causing him to become so expressive all of a sudden?
"I too desire to know more of this," said Rei evenly.
Gendo almost lost it then and there. "PILOT AYANAMI! I GAVE YOU AN ORDER AND YOU ARE TO OBEY IT!"
"I will not," said Rei simply. Shinji, along with Asuka, couldn't help but gasp. Commander Ikari expressing emotion was one thing. Seeing Rei refuse a direct order from him, especially one so forcefully administered, was almost impossible to envision.
"Shinji," Gendo's tone was now pleading, "It is up to you to stop him. Stop him now!" Nobody had ever known the Commander to plead. It was almost completely inconceivable.
"I can't," replied Shinji, not yet.
It appears that you have run out of pawns Ikari, Ishiro's voice was suddenly audible, but no longer in the form of sound.
"How are you doing that Ishiro?" asked Shinji.
Telepathy has always been one of my strong points, replied Ishiro.
"You're telepathic?" Asuka was incredulous.
I am more than telepathic, was the answer, I am more than you realize.
"What are you?" this time, Rei was asking.
I am the 19th Angel.
In the Command Center, Misato covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. Ritsuko managed to choke out a strangled "what." Maya had frozen altogether. All across the Command Center, technicians and officers were either talking in dismayed whispers or staring dumbly at the image on the multi story view screen that floated over the bridge. Everywhere, people were visibly shaken by Ishiro's pronouncement.
Commander Ikari was positively livid. Misato had never seen anyone so angry. She could see the rage burning in his eyes even through the dark glasses he always wore. It was Maya who finally broke the silence.
"But how is that possible?" she asked, "How can he be the 19th Angel. We haven't even encountered the 18th yet."
"That isn't true," said Ritsuko softly.
There is truth to what Dr. Akagi has to say. Ishiro's mental "voice" was able to reach them all the way up in the Command Center.
"You mean we've already seen the 18th Angel?" asked Misato, incredulous.
Of course you have. You see the 18th Angel every day. You see it when you look in the mirror in the morning. You see it when you talk to your friends and family. You see it in everyone around you. Ishiro's cryptic answer was enough for Misato.
"You mean we…?"
"Yes," answered Ritsuko for Ishiro, "We, humanity, are the 18th Angel. But that still doesn't explain how Ishiro can be the 19th."
I believe it does. As you have already noticed, I possess abilities beyond those of mere humans, abilities that could only come as the result of the advancement of our species. Ishiro's tone was smug.
Gendo was stunned by the concept. "But the scrolls said that human evolution has ended, that man has gone as far as he can."
And so he has. But I am more than a human. I am the next step in human evolution. And when that occurs, the one who has evolved ceases to be human and becomes something more. Therefore, I am simply the next Angel in line.
"I will not let you succeed," growled Gendo, "I have come too close to realizing my goals for you to stop me." He turned to the monitor in front of him. "I order all pilots to attack and destroy the 19th Angel…NOW!"
Asuka couldn't figure out what to do. Ishiro had just declared himself to be the 19th Angel, a death wish if there ever was one. Her purpose, Shinji's and Rei's purpose, was to destroy the Angels at whatever cost. She remembered what Shinji had told her about Karou, about how his friend turned out to be an enemy in disguise. She didn't know if she could bring herself to kill Ishiro, the boy who had done so much for them, even if that meant that he would be bringing the world to an end.
I will do no such thing, Ishiro's voice rang in her mind.
"How?" she asked.
I'm telepathic, remember. I was able to read your thoughts as you thought them.
"How dare you invade my privacy like that?!" Asuka nearly screamed.
I apologize, but it's hard not to. Having now knowledge of matters psionic, you humans learn no control over your thoughts and emotions. And to people with my particular brand of receptiveness, you might as well be shouting your innermost thoughts at me at the top of your lungs.
Asuka was distracted by yet another alarm going off in the cockpit. That must mean they were close to Terminal Dogma, where this thing Ishiro called Lilith was kept.
"What is Lilith?" she asked.
Lilith is the second Angel, though Shinji and Misato know her as Adam.
"You mean that thing down there isn't Adam?" both Misato and Shinji asked at the same time.
Yes. Lilith has been in NERV's possession for a much longer time than Adam. The real location of Adam is…
"Enough!" shouted Gendo over the comm. "I forbid you to say anymore!"
The right hand of Gendo Ikari.
"How is that possible?" asked Misato.
It was Ritsuko who answered that question. "The truth of the matter has to do with the truth of Second Impact and the Katsuragi expedition."
"You too!" snarled Gendo, whirling on Ritsuko. The man now looked fit to kill. "If you say anymore Dr. Akagi, I will have you executed on the spot for insubordination."
"You will do no such thing Commander," replied Ritsuko calmly. She then went on saying what she meant. "We humans were the true cause of Second Impact. Your father, Misato, and his team had found the first Angel. They attempted to reduce Adam into an embryo so that they could take him when they left Antarctica. However, there was a reason the 1st Angel was so large. Adam's body had accumulated a colossal amount of energy. And in order to reduce him into an embryonic form, all that energy had to be released, resulting in the explosion we know as second impact. The surge of power melted Antarctica's icecap and flooded the world. Later the event was blamed on a meteor and the truth of the matter was only known by a select few.
"Adam and Lilith were the first two Angels. It is they who spawned all the other Angels that we know. Adam was the creator of the 3rd through 17th Angels while Lilith, the mother of humanity, is our creator.
"NERV's purpose has never been the prevention of Third Impact, but rather, the instigation and control of Third Impact. We could not allow the other 15 Angels to join with Lilith because to allow such would result in our destruction. Only by joining of Adam and Lilith with a human as a catalyst, could Third Impact occur in a way that would result in humanity's ascendance.
"However, an ordinary human was too weak to be such a catalyst. We needed someone who could bare the burden of joining with both Lilith and Adam and bringing about Third Impact. We needed someone with the blood of Angels." Ritsuko looked pointedly at the image Unit 00.
"Rei," Shinji said, voicing his thoughts out loud.
"Did you know this?" Asuka asked Rei.
"I did," replied Rei, "My purpose has always been to bring about Third Impact."
While that was the plan of NERV's backers, added Ishiro, Ikari had other ideas.
"You can't possibly know…" Gendo snapped.
Oh but I do know, replied Ishiro calmly, I've known since the first day we met. That day, I delved into the deepest darkest holes your fiendishly perverted mind could conceive and found the truth of your goals Ikari. That is why the particular human whose cells were used in Rei's creation belonged to your wife.
"Stop this," hissed Gendo.
Your intention was never to advance human evolution Ikari, Ishiro went on, You were willing to crush humanity beneath your heel if the need arose in order to be reunited with your beloved wife.
Gendo Ikari no longer had any answer.
Now it is my turn to explain myself, said Ishiro, And I will start by posing a simple question. If Lilith is the mother of humanity, who then, is Lilith's mother?
Shinji mulled over the question for a moment. Then his mind went back to that conversation between him and Ishiro in America. "You mean the Earth?"
Exactly; Lilith, like Battra, was a creation born of the Earth's life force. Lilith then created humanity in all of its various stages with her blood. Humanity developed too far for the Earth's taste and she created Battra as a sort of reminder that she was not to be trifled with. However, humanity continued on its destructive path and eventually committed the ultimate act of sacrilege. They took their own mother and pinned her to a cross in the caverns of Terminal Dogma. In order to punish mankind and retrieve her daughter at the same time, the Earth sent her three avatars, living manifestations of her power. Battra, the avatar of the sky, Manda, avatar of the sea, and Baragon, avatar of the land, were all summoned for the sole task to getting Lilith back and punishing any humans who stood in their way. Thus, I have decided to stave off any further conflict by returning Lilith to her rightful creator. I will remove Lilith from this hole and give her back to the Earth.
"I will not allow it," said Gendo.
You no longer have a choice in the matter Commander.
"Pilots, destroy the 19th Angel now," ordered Commander Ikari.
The response from the three pilots was simultaneous. "No."
"I won't hurt my friend just because you have your own selfish goals father," said Shinji, for the first time, standing directly against the wishes of his father.
"And I'm not going to sit and wait for you to kill us all," added Asuka.
"We are no longer your pawns," finished Rei.
Gendo whirled on Maya. "Lt. Ibuki, activate the dummy plugs now!"
Maya froze, completely unsure of what to do. Quietly, she turned to the one person she trusted most. "Well?" she asked Ritsuko.
Ritsuko looked down at Maya and shook her head. Maya turned back to Gendo. "I will not," she said as calmly as she could manage.
"Then I will do it myself," hissed Gendo. He rushed over to the console. Maya yelped when Gendo knocked her out of her seat and onto the floor. Commander Ikari began to type frantically on the keyboard until he heard the familiar click of a gun safety being disengaged.
"Stop right there," ordered a voice, cold as ice. Gendo Ikari turned around to see Misato Katsuragi pointing a gun right at his head. Misato took a deep breath and continued. "You are hereby under arrest for conspiracy to initiate Third Impact. You are relieved of all duties as Commander of the NERV organization and will be held until further notice."
Gendo turned in his seat and looked pleadingly at his Fuyutsuki. The Sub-commander looked on dispassionately and said nothing as security came forward. After removing the pistol Commander Ikari kept stowed beneath his jacket, they lead him away to the cell blocks.
Fuyutsuki turned back to the screen. Old dreams die hard, he thought sadly, But I know that this is what Yui would have wanted. "Ishiro Saegusa," he said, "You are now free to proceed with full sanction from NERV. Pilots Ikari, Sohryu and Ayanami will assist you."
I thank you sir, came Ishiro's soundless reply.
Fuyutsuki then turned to the bridge. "Disable all security measures," he ordered, "Let them pass."
Finally, all four Eva units touched down in Terminal Dogma. There before them, Lilith hung, suspended from the cross that had kept her imprisoned all this time. Over her head was the seven-eyed mask that represented the SEELE organization. Unit 14 strode up to Lilith and looked upon the giant being. Ishiro smiled as he beheld the mother of all humanity, and himself.
"It is time to take you home," he said softly. Unit 14 reached up and began to carefully remove the large nails that pinned Lilith's hands to the cross. As the first nail was removed, a hole was left that slowly oozed out LCL. Then, the hole vanished in the blink of an eye. It appeared that Lilith's regenerative powers were a match for even Godzilla's.
Unit 14 removed the second nail. Then, with the assistance of the other three Evas, they began the long process of hoisting Lilith up the shaft they had descended through. The task would take many hours and the pilots would have to be careful with their charge.
"Isn't it dangerous to allow contact between the Evas and Lilith?" Fuyutsuki asked Ritsuko, "Particularly with Units 00 and 02."
"Not really," replied Ritsuko, "While contact with one who was born of the flesh of Adam or Lilith is necessary to instigate Third Impact, the armor that the Evas wear serves more than just as a protection. As we saw when Unit 01 went berserk battling the 14th Angel, the armor serves to contain the true power of the Eva. In the opposite sense, that same armor is meant to prevent actual physical contact between the Evas and Lilith, or Adam, should such an incident occur."
"I see," replied Fuyutsuki, "So there is no need to worry then."
"There is always a need to worry," commented Ritsuko, "Saegusa and the others must be careful for more reasons than one."
The ascent was long and difficult. It did not require much of Ishiro's concentration, though. Free to focus on other things, Ishiro reached out to contact the one whom he needed to talk to. Battra was difficult to find and Ishiro's thoughts roamed over a great deal of the Earth before they finally found the armor-plated moth. He was resting in the lands far north of Japan and recuperating from the wounds he had incurred in the latest battle with Unit 14 and Biolante. The first, and last, avatar of Earth would need a great deal of time to recover from the damage of that fight.
Battra, Ishiro inquired carefully, not sure of the mental strength and fortitude of this being, nor sure of the creatures wariness of mental intruders.
Battra was not capable of responding with words. The kaiju seemed to communicate on a level that transcended psychic communication. Ishiro couldn't even begin to describe it to himself as he tried to decide how to tell Battra his intentions.
Somehow, Battra already knew them, and before Ishiro had even realized this fact, the black moth was winging his way towards Tokyo 3 to collect his sister. Once Ishiro realized this, he was able to retreat back into the confines of his own mind and sigh with relief, this last and most important task of his done.
It took approximately two hours to carry the limp form of Lilith up the shaft from Terminal Dogma. Once in the main section of the base, it was a simple matter to load Lilith onto a platform and launch her up to the surface. After taking the time to get an entry plug for Unit 14, Ishiro and the dark Eva supplied an escort.
When Lilith and Unit 14 emerged well outside of the city, they found Battra waiting for them, hovering almost serenely over the horizon. With gentleness bellying his fearsome appearance, Battra gently fastened all six of his claws into Lilith's body. At first, Ishiro was afraid that Lilith might have been too much for Battra to carry alone. However, he was soon proved wrong as the armored moth lifted the 2nd Angel as if she weighed less than a feather and departed with all haste. Ishiro watched them until they were little more than specks on the horizon. When they vanished altogether, he guided his Eva back to the launch platform and descended.
"Now what?" asked Ritsuko as they group sat in the debriefing room. NERV was in an uproar over the arrest of Commander Ikari and his subsequent removal from command. Even Ritsuko, Misato and Fuyutsuki couldn't seem to conceive of NERV being without the cold-hearted man in charge.
"What indeed?" agreed Ishiro. His thoughts, however, had nothing to do with the recent upset that had overtaken the structure of the organization. Even though he had been the one to organize the latest developments, he was at a loss for what to do next. NERV's greatest trial would be upon them soon. Despite knowing this, Ishiro was unsure as to whether or not he should inform his friends and colleagues at NERV. I need to speak with the Cosmos again, he thought, I also need to find out more about this thing myself before I present my friends with the information I have been supplied already.
"There is little that we can do at this time except wait," said Fuyutsuki, now the acting Commander of NERV. Even after the tremendous upheaval of Gendo Ikari's unseating, Fuyutsuki remained completely calm. "Until you are needed," he continued, "You are free to return home, for the time being. I will inform you once we have sorted everything out."
The Pilots, Misato, Ritsuko, and various members of the senior staff, filed out of the debriefing room. Ishiro didn't even pause to say goodbye to his friends as he headed straight for home.
Not that Ishiro was foremost in the thoughts of Shinji or Asuka. "My clothes are ruined!" exclaimed Asuka as she looked at her sleeping attire, completely soaked in LCL. Shinji's garments were in a similar state. Fortunately for them, the staff facilities included showers for staff members who spent long periods of time on active duty. Showers were also part of the pilot support facilities as cleaning the LCL off of the children was a frequent necessity.
Rei was neither troubled by her own disheveled state nor that of the other children. She was more profoundly affected by Ishiro's odd behavior. Ever since Ishiro Saegusa had arrived, Rei had observed that the 6th Child was rarely the quiet or shy type. That he was being so curt disturbed her somewhat. However, when she realized her own need to return home, she realized that she could sympathize quite easily with Ishiro.
It wasn't until Ishiro entered the front door of his apartment that he came to a realization of how much his experiences that day had drained him. The instant he set foot inside his home, waves of overwhelming dizziness assaulted the psychic. Ishiro managed to stagger into the bedroom, oblivious to the presence of the Cosmos in the living room. The two tiny women quite understood the trials their host had just been through and decided between the two of them that it was best to let him rest. Ishiro collapsed onto his bed, not bothering to change out of his clothing. He closed his eyes and instantly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
While Shinji, Asuka and Misato hadn't been worked nearly as hard as Ishiro during the incident, they were no less tired when they returned home. After all, being awakened in the middle of the night was rarely ever what one could call an invigorating experience. Thus, they were quick to retire back to their respective rooms and drift off to sleep as quickly as Ishiro had.
Rei entered her now clean apartment and prepared to retire for the night. The blue-haired girl had to admit that the night's events had been draining and that she was badly in need of rest. Rei was quite glad that she would have the opportunity to sleep in the next morning and not have to worry about synchronization tests or even school. It was an odd feeling. Rei was used to getting setting a pattern in her life and acting it out automatically. Things like sleeping in did not factor into her pattern and were never done. That Rei was making such sudden variations to her way of life was, to her, another sign of the awakening of her humanity. For some reason, the thought was quite pleasing to her.
SEELE was in an uproar. The recent events surrounding the loss of Lilith had thrown the once well organized council into complete and utter chaos.
"How could we have allowed the 6th Child to work himself into a position to completely defuse our plans!" screamed one.
"All that we have worked for is now in vain!" roared another.
"NERV and Saegusa must be punished for this offense against us!"
"Death is the only future awaiting them!"
"That is quite enough!" Keel yelled, shouting to be heard over the group. The disorganized yelling and rumbling slowly dissolved into silence. "We are not defeated yet," he announced.
"How?" demanded one of the other members, "Lilith, the key to Third Impact has been lost to us. Without her, the Instrumentality of Man will be forever out of our reach."
"Untrue," countered Keel, "Lilith may be gone, but we still have Unit 01. Ikari is still in possession of Adam. And even if he wasn't we still have Units 02 and 00 acting as substitutes. We still have all the pieces necessary to bring about Third Impact. The time has come for us to take them from NERV and bring this about ourselves."
"How do you propose we do this?" asked another member.
"Mobilize the Eva series," ordered Keel.
The moon hung in space, orbiting around Earth constantly, its motion unchanged for eons. The surface of the moon was still home to several of the spacecraft that had landed on it in the 20th Century. However, mankind hadn't turned its eyes to the heavens with more than a cursory interest for fourteen years now. And they hadn't thought about reaching for their closest neighbor for over half a century.
That is not to say that the moon was empty. Rather, it now housed a new arrival. A gigantic shaft of dark metal jutted from the cratered planetoid's surface. It resembled two long bars of metal, twisted around one another. Towards the end that was embedded in the ground, the two individual strips of metal that seemed to compose the main shaft divided to form a forked tip. The object was at least a hundred meters long. The Lance of Longenus, which had been used to slay the 15th Angel, remained, entombed seemingly forever on the lifeless surface of a world that suddenly seemed so very far away.
And yet, not far enough; for high above the moon's surface, an enormous dark mass glided almost majestically over. Its shape was roughly ovoid, making it look like a giant egg, whose shell was composed of thousands of rocks and boulders, all pulled together to create a greater mass. Tumbling end over end, the asteroid made its apparently unguided approach towards the blue-green planet before it. However, its approach was anything but unguided.
As the meteor passed overhead, the Lance rocked in its resting place, as if it were being pulled upon by some unseen force. With each passing second as the rock overhead shortened the distance between the Lance and itself even further, the metal shaft's vibrations intensified. Finally, as the asteroid passed the point closest to the Lance, the weapon finally wrenched itself free from its resting place. It slowly began to accelerate, tumbling uncontrollably, but was unable to close the distance between itself and the asteroid. Finally, as the object pulled away, the forces acting on the Lance weakened, and then disappeared altogether. But it had been done. The Lance of Longenus was now free from the moon's gravitational field and was now returning to the place of its origin; Earth.
Ishiro awoke more refreshed than he had been in days. Looking at his right hand, Ishiro was relieved to see that there were no changes from the previous day, save that his hand did not look nearly as new as it had when it had first been revealed from within the canister of LCL that had provided the perfect environment for its regeneration.
"I wonder if Suzahara will be willing to act as my next test subject," mused Ishiro. He decided to think on it another time. Right now, he needed to concentrate on the more immediate problem.
"I guess I will have to take a better look of what we are up against," he said to himself.
"Be cautious," Mona's voice piped up from by his bed. Ishiro yelped and rolled over to look at the two tiny fairies that had come into his room. He quickly put a finger to his lips and used his senses to determine whether anybody monitoring him had heard Mona. Apparently he was lucky and nobody noticed.
You two have got to stop masking your presences from me, scolded Ishiro, I nearly had a heart attack and I'm not even fifteen. He scowled and continued. Refrain from speaking out loud while you are within the confines of this apartment. I cannot begin to factor all the possible things that might happened if NERV discovered you two. They could quite possibly try to capture you for study. And I certainly don't need you calling Mothra down on Tokyo 3, especially with what's about to happen.
My apologies, replied Mona, We will refrain from using any vocal means of communication while we are on the premises.
Thank you, said Ishiro, Now, what were you warning me about?
I was warning you to be cautious of probing our foe with your powers. He is powerful both physically and mentally, answered Lora.
Thanks for the warning, replied Ishiro, But I can handle just about anything where psychic matters are concerned. He smirked. This won't be very difficult at all. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to focus. I'm about to reach across the vastness of space.
Ishiro closed his eyes and concentrated. Gradually, he felt his ties with his form loosening, and his consciousness catapulted outwards, leaving his physical body far behind. While he couldn't actually see it happening, Ishiro felt his mind leaving the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere and heading out into the darkness that lay beyond. Out there, he encountered what he was looking for. It glowed like a great black beacon to his mental eyes, an oxy moron if he had ever seen one. Its soul was darkness incarnate. Never before in his life, had Ishiro sensed something so innately evil. It chilled him to the very center of his being.
I am more than prepared, he thought to himself, trying to find the courage and bravado to continue, I am more than a match for a mindless brute of a kaiju. With that last thought, Ishiro plunged in, shaping his probe like a lance of psychic energy and sending it streaking into the center of the dark mass.
It only took a fraction of a second for the unfortunate boy to realize the depth of his mistake. The instant he had penetrated into the dark mind, his foe responded with terrible power. A backlash of dark energy smashed into Ishiro's mind and sent him reeling. Even as he was still recovering, a second attack followed upon the heels of the first, threatening to consume his conscious self altogether. Fortunately, Ishiro managed to weather the second blow. He mustered all of his strength and continued inwards, hoping to plow past any more mental defenses.
Surprisingly, no further attacks came his way. As Ishiro pushed deeper into the creature's mind, he felt a dramatic increase in power. Finally, when the human reached the center of the great monster's consciousness, he was nearly knocked away by the sheer energy that emanated from the center of the beast's being. It was only then that Ishiro realized that this thing was not even aware of him yet. The attacks he had felt on the outskirts of this thing's mind must have been a reflexive defense. Ishiro cringed inwardly when he tried to envision what kind of attack the kaiju would be capable of should he become fully aware of Ishiro's presence.
It was at that moment that he noticed that the mind had suddenly become quite aware of him. In that instant, the counterattack plunged him directly into blackness.
Shinji was making breakfast. Asuka had seated herself at the table. A few moments later, Misato joined them. Just as Shinji was about to plate the omelets he had made, the temperature in the room seemed to plunge. So shocked was he at the sudden change, that the 3rd Child nearly dropped the plates of food. Goosebumps formed across his skin and his hair stood on end as some sort of powerful negative force seemed to flood the room. It was a chill that struck his very soul.
Behind him, both Asuka and Misato were experiencing a very similar chill. Misato completely lost her grip on the beer can she was holding, dropping the whole thing to the floor. She had gotten this same feeling when she had found out about Kaji's death. It was suddenly like every single one of her nightmares had come to life.
Asuka's reaction was even more dramatic. She seized the edge of the table in both her hands as her muscles tensed. The girl fought against the impending convulsions in her stomach as it threatened to reject a breakfast she had not yet consumed. Asuka felt the bile rising in her throat and would have tried to run to the bathroom to release it had that same sensation not completely frozen her in place. It was the feeling she had gotten when she was a little girl, when she came into her mother's room, only to stumble upon her mother, slowly swinging from side to side, suspended by the rope around her neck. It was the feeling she had gotten not so long ago, when her mind was raped by the 15th Angel. It was everything horrible that ad ever happened to her and then some.
Rei gasped and dropped to her knees. She had just emerged from the shower and was dressing when the feeling hit. Rei felt her blood turn into ice. The whole thing threatened to stop her heart altogether. Gathering up her willpower, Rei Ayanami struggled against the sensation, attempting to force it off her with the strength of her will. But, she slowly felt her defenses weakening beneath the crushing force of whatever it was behind this strange attack.
All across Tokyo 3, people were experiencing that same sensation. It was as if someone had dropped a bomb of pure negative energy. Humans throughout the city felt as if their souls were being frozen. For some, the awesome attack was too much to bear. The elderly, the weak of heart and mind, many children were struck down by the powerful mental blast that reverberated throughout the city and radiated across most of Japan. Then, in an instant, the strange power vanished and everything seemed normal again.
The incident had occurred over the course of a few short seconds. However, it had seemed to last much longer to all those who experienced it. Some were already beginning to take it as a portent of something terrible to come.
When Ishiro finally returned to consciousness, dusk had fallen over Tokyo 3. With a groan, he sat up in bed and looked around. He felt much drained and his head throbbed continually. "What hit me?" he muttered.
That was extremely reckless of you, thundered a voice in his head. Turning to look around, Ishiro's gaze fell upon the Cosmos. Both of them looked quite irritated. You could have been killed, Mona's voice pounded again.
"Stop shouting," groaned Ishiro out loud, forgetting for a moment about his own abilities.
Lora's voice entered his mind. This time, it was much quieter. You have suffered a powerful psychic blow. As a result, your mind will be quite sensitive to mental contact for a while, seeming to amplify any form of psychic contact.
You are quite lucky that your psyche wasn't shattered altogether, scolded Mona, that counterattack was so powerful that it engulfed the entire city as well as yourself. It even ended several lives.
Ishiro had lost track of the conversation. Both his body and his mind were almost completely out of commission. Mere seconds later, the boy fell back onto his bed, darkness overcoming him.
The King of Terror was extremely proud of his work. The foolish human had sought to penetrate HIS mind. That human had paid quite dearly, sharing its punishment with a number of its compatriots as well as itself. But that was not the source of the creature's satisfaction. The only reason he had not annihilated the human intruder was because he had other plans for the monkey. At the same moment he had attacked, he had sown his seed into the human's mind. All that seed had to do was wait for its master's call to germinate and spread. Then, the human would be his!
When Ishiro came to for the second time, he felt slightly better. Night had passed and morning had replaced it. The day was already growing old and it was approaching noon. As he staggered out of the bedroom, Ishiro went first to the refrigerator. He had not eaten for over twenty-four hours and he was very hungry. Silently, the Cosmos watched his every move.
After filling his stomach, Ishiro turned to regard his guests. They both looked quite solemn. What's the matter? he asked.
The day has arrived, was all that Lora could say. Ishiro's jaw dropped. The time had already come.
He will come with the fall of night, added Lora.
Ishiro sank back into his seat. "It's too soon," he moaned, "Much too soon."
Inside Central Dogma, alarms were going off throughout the facility. Ritsuko rushed into the Command Center. "What's going on?" she demanded.
"A meteor is about to enter Earth's atmosphere," Makoto shouted over the clamor.
"It's predicted to land just outside of Tokyo 3," added Maya.
"I'm already ordering the civilian evacuation," said Shigeru, "They'll all be in their shelters by the time this thing hits."
"I want the pilot's down here immediately!" shouted Ritsuko.
"Done!" replied Maya.
"May I ask why?" inquired Fuyutsuki as he joined them. As always, the man seemed unnaturally calm.
"We can't afford to take chances," replied Ritsuko, "This is the most secure area. I don't want to lose any of them."
"An excellent choice," said Fuyutsuki, nodding.
"Now what?" grumbled Asuka as they rode the car train down into the geofront.
"I have no idea," said Shinji. He was riding in the back seat with Ishiro and Rei while Asuka rode up front with Misato.
"We just received a report that a meteor is about to impact just outside of Tokyo 3," answered Misato, "Ritsuko wanted you guys down here where it's safer." When Misato had gotten the call from NERV, she collected all the children post haste, as she was responsible for making sure that they made it down into Central Dogma.
Shinji noticed that his two companions seemed unusually pensive, Ishiro especially so. "Is something the matter?" he asked the 6th Child.
To his surprise, Ishiro nodded. "Yes," replied Ishiro, "Something very bad is about to happen. I know it."
"Is this part of being psychic," Asuka wanted to know. Ishiro nodded in response. "That can't be good," she said in response.
Ishiro felt another hand rest atop his. He turned his head and looked at Rei. They exchanged no words, only a silent glance that spoke more than their mere voices could convey.
Shinji broke the silence. "Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday morning?"
Ishiro nodded. "What was that?" asked Asuka.
"Yesterday morning, I attempted to use my psychic powers to contact the creature in the meteor…"
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Misato, "You mean there's something alive in that rock?"
"Yes," replied Ishiro, "And it is quite hostile. When I attempted a mental probe, it retaliated. That retaliation was so powerful that it dropped a psychic bombshell over the entire city and then some."
"So the thing in that meteor was the cause of this," said Asuka, "But what is it?"
"I think you have a fairly good idea," said Ishiro evenly.
"What?" Asuka was taken aback.
"What do you mean Ishiro?" Rei asked.
"I know that you've been having nightmares recently," Ishiro said to Asuka, "They didn't perchance involve a nasty monster spreading death and destruction now did they?"
The gasp from Asuka confirmed Ishiro's presumption.
"How did you know about that?" demanded Shinji. The car train came to a stop as it finally arrived at the parking lot. Misato drove her car out and found a parking space.
Ishiro answered as they were getting out. "You could say I was eavesdropping on Asuka's nighttime terrors."
As he closed the car door and turned away, Ishiro walked into a full bodied slap that nearly threw him to the ground. Asuka stood in front of him, livid with rage. "You bastard!" she hissed, "Stay out of my head."
Rubbing to sore spot on his cheek Ishiro ignored her last remark. "I also received information like you did," he said after a moment.
"You had dreams too?" asked Rei.
"No," replied Ishiro, "But I received my information from the same source."
"And what source might that be?" Misato wanted to know.
"That I am afraid I cannot tell you," said Ishiro, "My information wishes to remain anonymous."
They left the car and began making their way through the base. About ten minutes later, they arrived at the Command Center.
"I see that everyone's here," said Ritsuko, "Good."
"Commander," Misato said to Fuyutsuki, "Ishiro has just informed me that there might be a kaiju inside that meteorite."
"How could he possibly have any idea about what that thing is?" wondered the new Commander.
"Ishiro claimed to have achieved psychic contact with it. Its counterattack, according to him, was the source of yesterday's incident."
Fuyutsuki paled noticeably. "That explains a great deal."
"Our analysis sets the time of impact at about 6:37 PM," interjected Ritsuko.
"What about the civilian evacuation?" Misato asked.
Shigeru answered. "All civilians in the predicted affected area have reported to their shelters. All we have to do is wait."
"Where is the meteor now?"
"Right now it would be directly over the eastern edge of the pacific ocean," replied Makoto, "It's coming straight in so that when it finally enters our atmosphere, it will be almost directly over the impact point."
"That makes sense," said Misato.
"It doesn't seem possible that a kaiju would be locked inside a meteorite," mused Ritsuko.
"It is possible," replied Ishiro, "During the 80s and 90s, two of the kaiju that attacked Japan had their origins in outer space."
"Which ones were they?" asked Ritsuko.
"The last one was a space born clone of Godzilla," answered Ishiro, "Scientists were unsure of his origins. However, several theories exist on how G-cells could have entered outer space and gone through the alterations necessary to become an entirely new entity that was an altered version of the original Godzilla. The most likely one to date is that when Biolante, who was created from G-cells, went into orbit around the Earth as a cloud of pollen, some of her spores detached. Over time, one of these spores was infected with a sort of crystalline organism, which copied the genetic template and began to develop into a new version of Godzilla. For reasons still unknown, Space Godzilla, which he was dubbed, was preprogrammed to return to Earth and eliminate the original. Fortunately, Godzilla, acting in concert with the robot that was originally designed to destroy him, was able to kill the monster."
"So this might be another Space Godzilla," said Fuyutsuki.
"It's possible," said Ishiro, "Space could be contaminated with any number of G-cell samples. All it would take would be another gathering of the right circumstances and another space monster could be born from those detached cells. It's unlikely though, as space is a vast place, compared to the number of G-cells that are probably out there."
"You mentioned a second monster," interjected Misato, "What about him."
"That monster," responded Ishiro, "Is our most likely suspect. He was the first space monster to hit Earth. He arrived in the early 90s. He was called King Ghidorah."
"That sounds like something out of an old Japanese legend," said Shinji, who had been listening quietly for the last few minutes.
"That's where the name came from," replied Ishiro, "King Ghidorah looks like something directly out of a fairy tale. He's a great dragon of tremendous size. My mother told me that he could spew lightning and cause hurricane force winds. Coincidentally, or maybe not so, King Ghidorah arrived on Earth disguised as a meteorite."
"What do you suggest we do?" asked Fuyutsuki, "You are the official expert on kaiju within NERV."
"We can only wait right now," said Ishiro, "We will have to fight King Ghidorah head on with the Evas. Conventional weapons are even less effective against him than against Godzilla."
"Very well then," said Fuyutsuki. He turned to Ritsuko. "Prepare all Eva units. In six hours, we will prepare to go to battle against whatever this meteorite brings." Turning to the pilots, he said, "Eat, rest, and prepare yourselves."
As he turned away, Ishiro felt a queer stabbing pain in the back of his mind. The young man quickly shook it off as he went to join his fellow pilots in the mess hall. He couldn't afford to be distracted by minor aches and pains. He was quite sure that, despite his abilities, he had no idea of the trials that were to come. But he would find out soon enough.
Author's notes: Many events in this chapter are a response to the constructive criticism that I have made the character of Ishiro without character flaws, something essential in any fictional character. As much as it is a stabbing blow to my pride to admit it, my critics were correct. I have tried to add some flaws now, with more to become apparent later, in hopes that I can improve the content of this story greatly. And thus, I have started with a healthy dose of arrogance on Ishiro's part. If anyone as suggestions on how I can further develop my OC's character, please feel free to share them with me. I'm always looking for a little helpful input.