Supervisor: Silpelit7
Final Genesis Evangelion Committee
An alternate universe fan fiction
"Alright. Now that everyone is here, we will begin the first activation test between Unit 00 and the Fourth Children." The Commander's voice rebounded through the otherwise silent room for just a moment. Then, the bustle of activity which followed destroyed any loose soundwaves which remained. The pilot's chair was lifted into the plug and set into the entry plug. The small grin on Ikari's face wasn't seen by anyone as the entry plug was inserted into the orange giant, the prototype artificial human, Evangelion Unit 00.
FIRST MUTUAL COMPATABILITY TEST
SUBJECTS: EVA 00 / MAXWELL KUMOHARU(4)
Kumoharu sat inside the empty cylinder, biding his time. The special clothing which the commander had referred to as a 'plug suit' bothered him to some extent. The material felt as if it was invisible since it clung so tightly to his skin. Although he would never admit it, he was ashamed that his body was so fragile. He often felt inferior to his peers because of his scrawny appearance, and this suit only multiplied the way he felt. The black material was some kind of elastic fabric. Vacuum held it so tightly to his body.
There was some kind of mechanical boom pierced the cylinder, and Kumoharu felt movement. It was disorienting, to feel the sensation of movement but to see none. When the sounds ceased, they were replaced with an even deeper silence. He assumed that the entry plug had been inserted into the EVA. He was inside one of the most powerful weapons ever created by Man. Kumoharu had been training for this moment for months and had prepared for much longer.
It felt odd, somehow different from the American plugs. Because of the angle of the pilot's seat, his rear end was on the same level as his feet. His knees were bent up slightly, probably to be able to push down on the pedals which were under his feet. The back of the seat was bent slightly back, just between comfort and clear sight. Within perfect reach of his hands were two handles and triggers, probably to fire weapons. Kumoharu found through examination that the handles also moved towards and away from him. Behind the chair was a compact bank of computers, and beyond that there was nothing remarkable about the plug. The walls of the plug were totally smooth.
A male voice suddenly filled the hollow area. "Filling entry plug."
As Maxwell had expected, the light orange liquid called LCL began creeping up his legs and torso. The first complete breath of LCL always caught him off-guard. He managed to supress a cough on this occasion. "Beginning A-10 nerve connection." There was a tugging feeling at Kumoharu's body for just a few seconds, but he merely looked forward. He didn't realize it, but his jaw had clenched quite tightly.
The LCL pressurization and subsequent visual uplinks surprised Kumoharu. During his testing in Nevada, a real activation had never been attempted. "The harmonics are not too bad, considering the information we got from the Second branch was quite patchy." A small holographic window of Akagi had appeared in the area to Kumoharu's left. "Synchro-rate is below 25 and seems to be climbing very slowly."
There were several long minutes after the screen disappeared from the LCL. Kumoharu tried not to be nervous, since he knew that would mess up the results of the testing. No one contacted him as the LCL de-electrolyzed and the plug was ejected. The Fourth Children found his own way back to the pilot's dressing room to wash off the remaining liquid. He could not shake off the feeling that he had lost something to that thing, Evangelion Unit 00.
----
Fuyutsuki stood at the railing of the command level in the Announcement Room, watching over the teams of techs analyze the information from the compatability test from earlier in the week. Synchro-rate and harmonics were barely above the standard of average, psychograph and other mental readings were a little unstable. Nothing out of the ordinary. So he was not surprised when the hidden phone rose out of the floor next to Ikari's desk. The Commander answered calmly.
"Please continue your observations," he stated before disappearing into the lower levels of the command room, the special elevator which led to the Committee's meetings. The old professor sighed nodded.
"Their first meeting in nearly three years... Although I can't help but think it is not a positive thing," Fuyutsuki silently noted.
Ikari took a seat in the pitch black room and waited for those old men who formed the Human Instrumentality Program Committee to be linked into their own positions. The men, whose names were all but unknown, appeared in their seats. The holograhps were bathed in different shades of light; only Ikari and the man to his opposite were under a normal lighting. Kihl Lorenz, the founder of NERV and originator of the South Pole expeditions, was the mastermind behind decyphering the Dead Sea Scrolls.
"Commander, this meeting, as we're sure you have assumed, is concerning the unexpected arrival of the Fourth Children," yellow stated snidely, his tone nothing if not demeaning in nature.
"If you're trying to deviate from our scenario, then you will be punished with death," blue added coldly.
"I assure you, I have done nothing to jeopardize the Committee's plans," Ikari Gendo said, emphasizing the word 'assure' ever so slightly. He had been manipulating people for a long time, and it had grown into a valuable skill.
"Then how do you explain his sudden arrival in Tokyo-3?" red asked in outrage. "It seems like you even brought him there from the Alaskan territories! How much of our money do you plan on frivolously wasting, Ikari!"
"We also recently learned that you have already had this Fourth Children attempt an activation test with the prototype Unit 00, which already has a designated pilot. In addition, it wouldn't be surprising to see you use Unit 01 as well. I don't see how you believe you can fool us into thinking that he is of no use?" the deep voice of Lorenz questioned.
"Of course he is useful, even at this early stage. The activation of Unit 00 with the Fourth Children went smoothly, with no malfunctions. At the current time, he has no concrete position. However, I believe his value will become magnified with time and serve his purpose," Ikari responded strongly.
"Do not try to go over us in this matter. It was proven in the initial Project EVA testing that people with that specific genetic abberation, which that child also carries, cannot successfully utilize an EVA," blue pointed out.
"That testing was also marked inconclusive, if I remember correctly, because of the small number of subjects with the 'abberant' genes," rebutted the Commander.
"Ikari, you will respect our chain of command," said chairman Kihl. "That is all we shall speak of such matters at this time."
--
Gospel of the New Century EVANGELION: Abberance
Chapter 02: Defence Mechanism, Artificial Human EVA
--
"Misato-san, you're saying I will also have to get into the other one?"
Maxwell sat across from the captain at a local hamburger joint. Western-styled fast food chains had prospered in the post-Impact Japan, due in part to a major overhaul of the healthiness of the food. The UN had set much more strict rules concerning such things. After all, the preservation of a healthy and fit Mankind was important.
"Yes, that's what the Commander wanted. Unit 00 already has a designated pilot, so it's only natural to let you test Unit 01 as well," she said nonchalantly. Misato sat back and gazed blankly across the restaurant, observing its patrons.
Kumoharu, on the other hand, was hunched over his cheeseburger. It was the center of his attention even though he had no interest in it besides food. If he only concentrated on the burger, he wouldn't have to make eye contact with anyone, which gave him a great deal of security.
"I was told at the Second Branch that I would pilot either Unit 03 or 04, which were almost totally constructed when I was there last. But it was just a supposition, I guess..." he trailed off.
There was a long moment of silence as Kumoharu pondered over his meal. "Hey, you're afraid of contact with unfamiliar people, aren't you?" Her voice was nearly a whisper, just barely loud enough for her companion to hear. His head snapped up, expecting her to be sneering at him, judging him. Instead, he found her still looking across the establishment at nothing in particular.
"I guess... You could say that's true," he admitted, eyes falling back down towards the table. "I can't handle rejection. So I just avoid them altogether."
"Sounds like you've given it some thought."
"I don't mesh with people very well," he quickly countered, hoping she would end her questioning. He felt uncomfortable speaking about himself, even if she was his superior.
"So you just don't talk to them?" she asked softly. Misato had known people like him in the past; shy ones who needed a gentle touch and a listening ear. She felt bad for him. He was supposed to save the world by piloting EVA, but he couldn't even talk with another person?
"No. I can't remember the last time I approached someone just to talk." His voice was hushed and unusually soft. The usual sharpness of his eyes seemed to melt away just a little.
"Not even a cute girl you liked?" He noticeably blushed and looked away from Misato again.
"No, that's too embarassing. I went through a tough time after my father's death... I just don't know how to feel those kinds of things anymore. It even feels awkward to smile, and I felt like I looked strange doing happy things. So I just taught myself not to show anything."
"I think it shows that you have a lot of self control." The boy shrugged his slumped shoulders.
"Not really. I get nervous talking to anyone, like my brain moves much faster than my mouth. I stutter a lot... It's pathetic," Kumoharu sighed.
"You're doing OK now." Misato thought he blushed again, but it might have been an illusion.
"Yea, well... Some people are just easier to talk to, I guess," he explained, trying to find an easy way out of the situation. "Plus since I'm not really used to Japanese, I have to think about what I say anyway... I just don't feel comfortable around people."
"Oh. Don't you every feel lonely?" This kid was good at making excuses for himself.
"Yea," he sighed, resting his chin on a hand. "Sometimes."
"Like right now?" There was something about Misato's face that reminded Kumoharu of someone else, but he couldn't remember... He simply nodded and took another bite of his burger. He wasn't going to put himself into a position where he would possibly tell Misato something he didn't want her to know.
"When I was about your age, I went through a traumatic experience that caused me to cease any communication for nearly a year. So I kinda know what you feel, that ache in your heart that wants intimate contact more than anything else, and at the same time pushes everyone away. But for whatever reason, I got over it, and now I am pretty outgoing. As I'm sure you can tell."
"Yea."
----
"Genetic Disorder Silpelit?" the lieutenant asked slowly. She had never heard of such a disorder; such biological things were not her forte. However, judging by her superior's tone, Ibuki Maya would be learning much more on the subject.
"It's a very rare loss of function type mutation which was only first documented after the Second Impact. In the initial testing of the first EVA prototype in 2005, the original test pilot was found to have this disorder. Somehow, the lower functions of the brain which are necessary to correctly synchronize with an Evangelion are replaced with a set of disjointed instructions. None of the normal things that a human goes through are affected except for REM sleep." Akagi sat down and placed the clipboard down.
"But the Fourth Children synchronized with the EVA, right?" Ibuki probed.
"That's true, and that's why this is a problem for us. According to the available information, he should not have been able to activate EVA-00, let alone achieve a 29 synchro rate. We have to do more testing with him to determine the cause of this abberance. It's possibly an evolutionary leap forward, caused by the sudden changes which afflicted the world after the Second Impact."
"E-evolutionary?" Maya stuttered, her eyes widened. Ritsuko waved a hand in the air.
"Just a thought, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll find out more in time. After all, he'll be the first person who's undergone this type of experience."
"How awful..."
"Don't feel bad for him. He made it clear to Commander Ikari that he would comply with anything we asked of him. Also, prepare a DSM-V-TR for him tomorrow."
As the doctor and her subordinate began planning the next day's revised test schedule, Maxwell was following Commander Ikari through the bowels of Central Dogma in silence. He made no note of the direction or any attempt to remember the jumbles of numbers on the various hallways and doors which they had passed through.
At the end of a particularly dark hallway was a door which caught Kumoharu's eye, mainly because that was where Commander Ikari had stopped.
'ARTIFICIAL EVOLUTION LAB #3'
The door suddenly slid open; the young man hadn't noticed Ikari swipe his passcard. Inside was a circular room, wih some kind of large glass tube housed in its center. Above the tube were various types of odd connections and machines spreading up into the ceiling. Small halogens housed above the cylinder were the only sources of light.
Maxwell pushed his glasses up his nose just a bit, unsure of Ikari's intentions. "Rei." The Commander's deep voice resonated through the room over and over as the cylinder in the room suddenly became transparent. Kumoharu's eyes widened for just a second before he quickly turned about face. There was a naked... girl inside the cylinder! Ikari's footsteps moved towards the center, and the whoosh of equalizing air pressures followed.
Judging by the sound of fabrics he heard, Kumoharu guessed that the girl was getting dressed. Of course he didn't dare turn around to check, especially since it was the commander's daughter. The deep sound of being surrounded by machinery was the only thing he heard for what seemed like a long moment, until the sudden feeling of someone touching his shoulder startled him.
He turned around quickly. Sure enough, the girl from the tube was standing before him, her outstretched arm falling slowly to her side. Kumoharu noticed her hair and eyes first, before he even realized she was wearing a sleeveless white plugsuit. She looked up at him, her cold eyes reminding him of the gaze he saw in the mirror.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly, her eyes never breaking contact with his own. Strangely enough, he found that he was stuck on her.
"The Fourth Children," he responded slowly. He had never referred to himself as such before, and it felt awkward. "Maxwell Kumoharu." Her eyes softened and she seemed to sigh just a bit. "And who are you?"
"Ayanami Rei, the First Children," she said serenely. "I've missed your company." She seemed suddenly saddened when Kumoharu gave her a very confused look. She turned back towards the commander and said, "He does not remember."
"Rei, Kumoharu; in time things will become more clear to both of you. For now, though, just try to do your best," Ikari said.
In the depths of Maxwell's mind, the state of mind which had remained dormant began to stir. He didn't realize it, but merely felt a kind of nostalgiac deja vu. Ikari Gendo was counting on his awakening. He was, after all, insurance.
----
"He seems to lack a certain kind of humanity," Akagi stated matter-of-factly.
"How so?" Captain Katsuragi looked over her shoulder at the doctor, who continued going over her notes concerning the psychological and mental testing that the Fourth Children had undergone earlier in the week. Misato always thought Ritsuko looked strange when wearing her glasses; they seemed to magnify the tiredness which seemed to plague NERV's staff in those days.
"No matter what kind of questions we asked him, he seemed to be completely free of prejudice. In addition, with the exception of human contact, it would seem that this kid isn't really afraid of anything. He lacks cowardice, I suppose. It's so strange... but I think he'll make a good pilot."
"You mean test subject," Misato countered. Ritsuko looked up from her papers for just a second before letting a little yawn escape. "He doesn't have an EVA. You knew about Unit 01's pilot before, didn't you? So why is he still scheduled to attempt an activation in Unit 01?"
"Ikari Shinji, the commander's own son... Yes, I knew as soon as it was decided by the Marduk Institution."
"What is that supposed to mean! How was the Fourth chosen before the Third?" Katsuragi took a quick step at the doctor's desk and slammed her hands down on it. "Why wasn't I informed of this before? Answer me!"
"You didn't need to know, so there was no reason for it," Akagi calmly responded. "Now, I'm done briefing you on the Fourth. I need to get to the second test lab for the compatability tests. I would suggest that you follow."
Maxwell Kumoharu, the increasingly contested Fourth Children, was sitting in the entry plug again. Already he was hardened inside and out, his eyes sharpened and his heart cold. This was his job, to pilot EVA. He had no other reason to be in the NERV organization. Because of this he was determined to succeed. He had taken a look at Unit 01 before changing into his black plug suit. The huge horn and jutting chin... EVA truly were monsters.
As the bridge operators gave out their usual instructions and updates, Kumoharu did not listen. This time would be just like Unit 00. The activation would go smoothly. It had to. He suddenly remembered the words of the base commander in Nevada.
' "Now son, I mean Pilot Maxwell, piloting EVA is something that not everyone can do. You are special. We have to use you, even though you're just a kid. Using children to defend ourselves against an unknown enemy is a shameful thing, but as an honorary member of the United States military, you have the obligation to succeed. You're a strong young man, and nothing can stand in your way if you wish it so." '
"Nothing can stand in my way," Kumoharu quietly repeated in the LCL. Things seemed to grow dim in the entry plug, even though the levels of activation continued on. His head suddenly throbbed... then his whole body. The darkness began to surround him, but he gladly accepted it. The throbs which were his blood beating through his body were the only thing he could feel.
He shivered a bit as his extremities began to tingle. Pain receptors in his fingers and toes began firing soon after, spreading up towards his trunk like a fire. Kumoharu had never experienced such an odd kind of hurt, so he continued to endure it.
--
"Unit 01, activation successful! However, all communication with the pilot has been severed!"
"Video and audio links, plug suit communication, and as connections to the pilot are unavailable!"
"Try to reconnect!" Akagi ordered. The three lieutenants typed away at their keyboards.
"Unable to do so," Aoba quickly responded. "It's being blocked by the EVA itself!"
"That's not possible!" Misato shouted. "That's it. Emergency entry plug ejection!" Klaxons and warning lights flooded the room suddenly. The EVA remained activated and unmoving, staring back through the test lab's observation window.
--
The throbbing and pain ceased suddenly, replaced by an unfamiliar warmth. 'Am I dead?' he thought.
'To be dead... Huh, things would be much easier this way...Oh well.'
There was a light above him, a light so beautiful that it put Kumoharu in complete awe. Something came out of the light, a being of serenity, and reached out towards him.
'Who are you? Ayanami?' was all he could say as the body of light touched his face. Immediately, his body was filled with such a crippling sadness.
Then it was all gone. The sadness, the warmth, the body was gone, replaced with the same dark. The solid form of the entry plug returned soon enough.
Maxwell Kumoharu, Fourth Children, had a tough time extracting himself from the plug. The subsequent shower was unsatisfying. His clothes seemed coarse, or maybe his skin was just damaged.
He had successfully activated Unit 01. Just as Unit 00, he felt as if a part of himself had gone missing inside that thing.
The six minutes of silence which occurred were a mystery to everyone. Even the pilot seemed to be very obtuse when asked about any details concerning the blackout. EVA-01's datalogs were equally unhelpful.
Fuyutsuki sighed and placed a tile down on the Mah-jongg board. "The Fourth... He still troubles me. First, the questions about his disorder. Now, the missing minutes inside EVA-01."
"He is an Abberance. Thankfully, we found him before the old men did. With his connections to those events ten years ago... Hm."
"So you finally have found someone who agreed to being used when confronted with such a question?" Ikari cleared his throat just a little. "Oh, no," the professor groaned. "You haven't spoken with him, have you?"
"I will, sooner or later," Ikari sighed as he placed a winning tile on the board. "Things will slowly begin falling into our hands."
END Chapter: 02
