Chapter 01: The Arrival
September 13th, 2000, Antartica, cruiser of the Katsuragi expidition
Keel Lorenz and Gendo Ikari stood at the back of the Katsuragi expidition cruiser, still contemplating what had happaned a mere hour ago. They were leaving behind the continent of Antatrica, which was sinking into the depths of the sea which had now turned red, a frozen wasteland now forever destined only for the depths.
Gendo Ikari was a man in his early thirties at the time. His skin was a dark shade, and his hair was brown and usually uncombed. His eyes appeared to be sharp, but had a certain caring feel to them. If only he knew that in years to come, his eyes would be masked by the dark shades and his eyes will have lost their kind-like touch, forever trapped in a glare that would mirror the pain of his soul. He wore a think green jacket and trousers adorned with fur, and his boots were made of hard leather.
Keel Lorenz, leader of the SEELES society seemed mostly the same as he would in the advent of Third Impact. His face were wrinkled and old, and his eyes were covered by glasses, who in years to come would be replaced by visors who will fix his complete blindness, which at the year 2000 was still only partial.His face was once again in a constant scowl, as if he's displeased with everything and everyone. He wore a thick leather jacket, like Ikari, except his was long and managed to cover his legs, as well. The ends of the jacket were tucked into the boots, and the jacket was long enough to not rip apart by this.
Lorenz looked at Ikari longingly until he said:
"So you believe me now?" He asked.
"I'll never be truly sure if I should believe you." Ikari replied. "If nothing else, I believe the Scrolls."
"It's the same thing in my eyes," Lorenz said and looked at the red sea, "I work according to the Dead Sea Scrolls to ensure mankind achieves it's pinnacle of existence. You saw that Angel, Ikari... He was the one who fed off the Tree of Life. It's tremendous power comes from that... Mankind fed off the Tree of Knowledge, but it is still far from being the epitome of the perfect mind. There is still so little we understand, and so very much to learn."
"I can see your enthusiasm," Ikari said with a wry grin. "But I believe we should keep out of this buisness. You saw what happaned with Adam, there. Who knows what the consequences could be? For all we know we did irreparable damage to the planet's very axis. We pratically beat the hole in the ozone to ruining the Earth's axis."
"Sacrifices must be made for things to go on correctly." Keel said. "Perhaps even the dead will join us in Third Impact."
"Perhaps." Ikari echoed the old man's words, " The planet's not even started suffering with Second Impact, and you're already planning a Third. And 'perhaps' the dead will join. But even if not, you don't mind. You gotta break some eggs, right?"
"Yes, if you will." Keel said. "But what did you think of that thing?"
"Hmm." Ikari paused in thought. "There isn't really so much to say without more in-depth analysis. What we encoutered there is Adam, the first Angel. The Spear seemed to have an intresting effect on him... But it didn't do what you perdicted, did it?"
"How was I supposed to know Adam would self-destruct?" Keel asked. "The Dead Sea Scrolls predict when they come, but not when they'll do."
"Still.." Gendo said, looking more disturbed. "That embryo... I wonder if all Angels come from Embryos."
--- --- ---
May 28th, 2004, GEHIRN HQ in GeoFront
A white haired, pale small boy walked into the command center of GEHIRN. The boy's face was sharp and his eyes looked all over the place, as if the boy was in a panic.
Kozo Fuyutsuki, the Deupty Commander of GEHIRN, looked at the boy disapporivingly and glanced at Gendo, who went into the Command Center after him.
"I thought you, of all people, would know that this place isn't meant for children, Ikari." Said Fuyutsuki
Fuyutsuki was an aging man, seemingly in his fifties at the time. His hair was greying already, and he seemed like a rather serious person. Once a professor at Kyoto university, he had already been not only a collegue, but a friend to Gendo Ikari and his wife, Yui. However, he was never above criticising Gendo.
Gendo just said quietly, "It was a request from SEELE."
"SEELE.." Fuyutsuki mumbled with a touch of bitterness. "Who is this child anyway?"
"His name is Kaworu Nagisa." Ikari said. "He's originally Japanese, though his family was relocated to England before the N2 Mine was dropped on Tokyo-1. One intersting detail is his birthday."
"His birthday?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"September 13th, 2000." Ikari said, his eyes full of intent.
"Second Impact." Fuyutsuki said. "Well, that's rare, but not impossible.."
"SEELE told me to make sure he comes to no harm." Ikari continued. "And there's not much SEELE wouldn't be willing sacrifice. They've also confirmed he has the potential to be a pilot."
Fuyutsuki rubbed his chin and looked at the child. The child stopped looking around and stared at the old man's face.
"What do you want, sir?" The four year old asked.
Fuyutsuki was almost surprised. That voice sounded so intentful, so aware. He never knew any children who appeared to be this serious.
"He's been pretty calm." Gendo said. "Let's just have him stay around for a while."
Fuyutsuki sighed, a sign of approval.
"How are the preperations for EVA 01's Contact Experiment going?" Ikari asked.
"They are going well." Fuyutsuki replied, "The technicians tell me it's all gonna go as schedueled, and the experiment should take place next week, as planned."
"Good." Gendo said and took his seat on the Commander's chair.
"Gendo.." Fuyutsuki asked, somewhat weaker. "Are you sure you want Yui to go through with this?"
"No." Gendo replied. "But it's her decision... I wish it was mine, but..."
Fuyutsuki sighed again.
"I hope you won't have a kid running around here in the experiment, at least." He said.
--- --- ---
March 19th, 2015, Flight to Tokyo-3
Kaworu Nagisa looked at the small collection of news clippings he's collected before leaving England. He's looked at the largest one, the one from September 14th, 2000. The day after his birthday. The day after Second Impact. It described a small meteor, travelling at near light-speed hitting Antartica and melting the ice-caps.
"A meteor.." Kaworu almost spat from anger. "As always, Lilim keep the guilt away from themselves, when it they who should be judged for Second Impact."
Kaworu sighed and placed his head against the seat. There was a movie being played. He really enjoyed looking at mankind's society. Sometimes humans did something really good, and it was worth watching. But this movie was all the more enjoyable, beacuse of the song played in the background. "The Ode to Joy". That was his favourite song, and in his eyes the grandest of mankind's creations. He had known the song ever since he was a small child, and had heard it countless times since, in every chance he could. Each time, he marvelled at the song's beauty, the synergy of the instruments and the choir, but most of all, the fact Lilim were the ones who crafted this beautiful piece of art. If anything was good in mankind, it would certainly of been their ability to craft such beauty merely by thinking and working to acheive a goal.
The movie ended about half an hour before the plane landed, and Kaworu began reading through the articles once again, trying to find exactly where SEELE had lied and where they had allowed the truth to be revealed. He was very disappointed to find out that the only things they didn't lie about were the obvious facts, the facts anyone can see. By the time he had gone through the 8th article, the plane was almost at Tokyo-3's airport. He took off the seat belt several minutes later and disembarked the plane into took the first breath of Japanese air he had taken in a long time. It smelled of blood. Both that of Lilim and that of Angels. It was rather sickening. He wondered if this was only here in Tokyo-3.
Kaworu Nagisa was fifteen. He was considered tall for his age, almost abnormal. Everyone who didn't know him for what he was thought he was albino- His skin was very pale, his hair grey and his eyes were a threatening red. He was very thin, which somehow seemed to fit with him being as tall as he was. He wore black trousers and a white, buttoned shirt under which he wore an orange T-Shirt.
The boy stretched and sighed. It was late in the afternoon when he arrived, and a tinge of red was already licking at the bottom of the horizon. He began walking out of the airport. He didn't have any luggage, NERV was to provide for him, and he had nothing worth keeping. At least in his eyes.
The Fifth Child walked through the mostly abandoned streets of Tokyo-3. After more than ten Angel attacks, almost everyone had left Tokyo-3 for a place more safe. But then, is anywhere except for Tokyo-3 really safe from the Angels?
"No." Kaworu told himself with a wry grin. "Especially not now."
And indeed, much of Tokyo-3 was being rebuilt, or simply left at rubble. He wondered if NERV had already stopped caring about wether or not places will be rebuilt or not. Both they and SEELE know the end is near. Kaworu had grown to believe that almost all of mankind had felt the end was nearing, and that what loomed ahead might not be a bright future. Humanity's fate seemed sealed; if Kaworu succeeds, they are doomed. If SEELE succeeds, they are still doomed. If Gendo Ikari, whatever motives he may have, succeeds, they are doomed. How poor they must be... They are thrice-cursed, and are not even fully aware of it!
Kaworu's walk through Tokyo-3 led him to a beach. The sun was already setting, and coupled with the beach it was beautiful... It was enchanted, everyday magic. Humans may be able to replicate Angels, replicate themselves and replicate much of nature's work, but never will they be able to recreate this eternal beauty.
Kaworu sat on a rock on the beach and looked at it. Several moments later, he noticed someone sitting next to him. A boy, around his age. He had bright skin, and short brown hair, and dressed much like he did. He had reminded him of someone he had met earlier in life.
The boy seemd too disturbed to notice, and Kaworu was partially hidden behind another rock. So Kaworu dived into the boy's mind.
Kaworu had read many minds. It mostly came to him as thoughts or flashes of memories. Kaworu understood, as time passed, why this was all he could read: People's minds resisted. There was only so much you can extract from a mind before you are forcibly pushed out. And going into people's minds and memories was what other Angels specalized in, so he only had limited power when it came to breaking into other people's minds. When he was young all he could pull out was a name, a string of words, an image. Now he could take out two sentences. He could know one's enitre family. He could see one entire memories of the past week. And so, Kaworu dived into the child's memories...
shinjiikariyuiikariayanamireigendoikariasukalangelysoryulabclonesreiangelsunit01
And then Kaworu's consiousness was shot out of the boy's mind.
Suddenly, the boy's familarity seemed natural-he was Gendo Ikari's son. Gendo Ikari was the head of GEHIRN, before it was disbanded and replaced by NERV in 2010... Shortly after his first meeting with Lorenz. This was, then, Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. His mother's name was Yui Ikari, a name he knew all too well. And he seemed to have a connection to Rei Ayanami, the quiet and detached First Child who piloted Evangelion Unit 00 before it was destroyed by Armisael, the sixteenth Angel... Even though his trust of her was replaced by a deep fear, a fear of what she is. He had lived in the same apartment with the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu, a vulgar girl from Germany who piloted Unit 02. But there were also emotions- Shinji's loneliness. He felt alone and neglected, loved by no one. His mother perished, his father cares not for him, Rei frightens him and Asuka dislikes his attitude. He seeks an answer to the question all man asks-why can't people understand one another? Why do I have to be hurt? Why can't people care for me, love me? Am I undeserving? Is this fate?
This truly was the first time someone else's emotions managed to shake Kaworu's heart. He felt close to Shinji, although he never spoke to him. Shinji felt like the one worthy human in the whole Lilim-infested Earth.
Kaworu didn't want to startle the child, but needed to make this presence known. So he begun to hum the only song he could hum-Ode to Joy.
Shinji turned his head and stared into the eyes of the one he didn't know, his foe and would-be hater, the Angel who loved him more than any man on Earth.