+ NEON GENESIS EVANGELION +
At the dawn of the 21st century, the cataclysmic event that came to be known as - Second Impact - changed humanity's course forever.
Reports claimed that a meteorite crashed into Antarctica, melting its icecaps and permanently shifting the planet's axis. More than half of the world's population perished.
In the years that followed, climates migrated and thousands of natural disasters claimed the lives of an additional amount of people.
Organizations all around the world scrambled to save humanity from the brink of extinction, repairing damages and even relocating entire cities elsewhere.
Soon, these same organizations would be funded by their governments directly, granting them great militaristic, and even political power.
Over time, the promise to help the planet turned into a race for more control over this troubled world.
One organization - NERV - lead by the ruthless Commander Ikari, quickly rose to prominence as one of the most powerful militaristic forces in the world.
Another organization - SEELE - had waged war against NERV, planning to make their way to the city of - Tokyo-3 - where NERV HQ resided.
To the public, SEELE's motives for this conflict were largely unknown. Most chalked it up to imperialism.
SEELE fought their battles with their army of - Angels - a mysterious line of super soldiers that had emerged some time after Second Impact.
To the naked eye, they appeared to be seemingly normal humans. But upon encountering one, it was clear they were not like the average man.
And so, NERV created a new kind of platoon - Evangelion Units - to combat the Angels for the fate of their country.
The units comprised of 14 to 16 year old draftees, handpicked by the - Marduk Institute - who determined the best candidates for the job.
People were quick to question the ethics of sending such young souls to battle, but Commander Ikari would not back down on the mandatory draft.
With the amount of power he had gained over the years, it seemed the war would not end anytime soon.
Some had said that this conflict would be the one to bring about the true end of the world, while others claimed it would bring a new beginning.
Commander Ikari believed both these ideas to be true.
MARCH 2nd, 2015
NERV HQ, COMMAND CENTER
12:03pm:
The air was tense inside the Command Center, something its bridge bunnies had gotten used to by now. Down in the lower depths of the vast indoor space, holograms depicting the now-evacuated town of Rankoshi, where Unit-01 stood its ground against a company of their mysteriously named enemy.
The Angels.
Over at the battlefield they stood in, the unit fended off the enemy as best they could, and had been awaiting a much delayed pick-up from a team of rescue aircraft. All they had left to do was hold off the fearsome enemy just a little while longer, until their window of escape opened, allowing them to finally make their much-desired retreat. Try as they might, with all their firepower and advanced weapons and technology, the Angels were still able to gain more ground as they approached the unit.
"They're getting closer, Ikari." Warned Kozo Fuyutsuki, Sub-Commander of NERV.
"Then we will push back harder." Gendo replied as he observed the holographic images along with his right hand man from the top deck of the room.
The vastness of the Command Center was that of great proportions, the loud cacophony of dialogue between the bridge bunnies and high-ranking officers reverberating off the farther walls. On the decks they stood on, the barrage of different yells was quite overwhelming. But from a distance, no single word or voice was discernible from the other.
From afar, everyone's voices sounded like one.
Down on the lower decks of the Command Center, Major Misato Katsuragi, the operations supervisor of Unit-01, closely studied the holographic map and gave out orders based on the enemy's attack strategy. She was able to provide the platoon a bird's-eye-view of their situation within the safety of what some called 'the war room'. Misato then spoke into her earpiece, which communicated directly to her ground troops.
"Lieutenant Soryu, a small squad of Angels are attempting a flank to the left side of your position." She warned the 1st Lieutenant and on-sight Commander Officer of Unit-01.
"Affirmative!" She replied.
Unit-01 was Commander Ikari's favored platoon, being comprised of only the most skilled and battle-hardened soldiers NERV had trained. Every troop was to serve exactly 2 years in the battlefield, and all of Unit-01's personnel began their service in an entirely different unit. Only elite fighters ever made it to this platoon.
Commander Ikari always sent this unit out when he needed to give the enemy a tough opposition. But in their current battle, it seemed there was a misjudgement. What was believed to be a platoon of Angels the same size as Unit-01, was actually a company. They were outnumbered almost 2 to 1. Misato payed close attention to what the enemy was doing, and warned Unit-01 of it as best as she could.
"Incoming mortar rounds!"
With every order or warning Misato gave out, she could always hear a snippet of the cacophonous sounds of war going off in the back. To her, and the many others observing each battle the unit put up with, hearing such young souls go through the hell of war was always so disheartening. And yet, they had a job to do. These fighters had proven themselves worthy against the cruel Angels, and so they did what needed to be done.
"How far off are their pick-ups?"
"Emergency pick-ups are 2 minutes away from the landing zone. If they stick around much longer, they might not be able to make it to the aircraft!" Lieutenant Maya Ibuki responded.
"Shit, they're dead if they don't get out of there soon..." Misato said under her breath. "Pull back immediately, Soryu! Your escape vehicles are almost there!"
Communications with the ground troops had ceased for a few minutes, all of them now focusing on making it out of those grounds alive. Over to Misato's left, where a medical team kept an eye on every soldiers' heart rate and physical status, an alarm went off.
"Private Nakamura has suffered a direct hit!" One of them said as the examined their computer's depiction of where said troop had been hit. "Condition is critical! She's not gonna make it!"
'God damn it...' Misato thought. 'If we don't get them out in time, it'll be the second soul we've lost this month alone.'
Back over at the upper deck, Commander Ikari continued to observe the battle as he thought deeply about NERV's current situation. The war had been going on for a year now, and while NERV's efforts against SEELE's Angel army proved effective at first, the enemy was beginning to put up a tougher fight. NERV was funded directly by their government, for the sole purpose of ending this conflict.
There were growing concerns that NERV was failing its task, and that funds would be cut entirely soon enough. Though with their political power still running strong, they would likely not face any problems with their government anytime soon. However, public opinion of NERV's efforts were beginning to turn sour, and the Commander had only one more plan up his sleeve to finish this once and for all.
"Fuyutsuki, I think it's time." He stated flatly.
The Sub-Commander knew this would come up eventually, and already voiced his concerns on what Gendo was talking about. The time had finally come for the grand plan Gendo had been developing on the side, something Fuyutsuki had been hoping wouldn't be needed. But he knew there was nothing he could do to sway the Commander's decision. He quietly sighed to himself.
"So that's what we must resort to, then? That's all we have left?" He asked. "Is the boy even old enough to qualify for the draft?"
"Has been for a while now." Said Gendo.
He stood from his chair and took one last look at the images down below, depictions of fire and blasts going off in every direction. Unit-01 finally made their escape as the multiple aircraft took off. A casualty had been confirmed, yet another soul lost to this horrible war.
"Perfect time for it too. We're in need of a replacement." He added.
"So it would seem." Fuyutsuki replied. "And with Ayanami still on leave to make a full recovery, it'll be a much needed addition to Unit-01."
Gendo nodded, then turned for the elevator.
"Take command for me, Fuyutsuki. Dr. Akagi and I have a lot of work to do concerning Unit-01's new draftee."
It wouldn't be too long until Unit-01 would have a new face to get used to. But what would set this new troop apart from everyone else, was his training method. Something that had never been done before, but something Gendo strongly believed would work. Fuyutsuki couldn't even fathom the Commander's confidence in this project, but knew there was a lot more to it than just a new training method. Still, he had his doubts.
"Are you sure it will work?" The older man asked rather suddenly, just as Gendo pressed the button to call the elevator.
"Why of course, Sub-Commander. This has been in the works for some time now, it is finally time to get our life's work off the ground."
"But what of the boy's well-being?" Kozo asked again. "Does that not concern you? You haven't even seen each other for years..."
Then there was a short pause.
"You need not worry about such things, Fuyutsuki. He is just part of the bigger picture, like all of us here at NERV. All will go according to plan, I assure you."
The old man was still not convinced.
"Is there really no other way? Nothing we can do to put this extreme idea of yours off for just a little while longer?" Asked Fuyutsuki.
"Prolonging the inevitable is foolish. It is just a further means to make oneself comfortable with their situation." Gendo stated. "And comfort... is the downfall of man."
The elevator door opened.
"It is very possible that he is the key to ending this conflict." The Commander added. "And then at last, we can get on with our next phase-"
He entered the elevator and turned around, making eye contact with Fuyutsuki once again.
"-or rather, humanity's next phase." He finished with a smirk.
And then Fuyutsuki watched as the elevator door closed. Many thoughts ran through his head at that moment, but he had bigger problems to tend to. Commanding a battle always felt wrong to him, knowing of all the soldiers' great fear in such a hellish situation. Gendo's plan concerned him greatly, but if it was the only key to ending this horrible war, then he'd have to go with it.
'Are you really focused on ending this war-' He mused. '-or do you care more about securing your master plan?'
And then he thought of Unit-01's soon-to-be new recruit.
He knew that the events that were to unfold in the next few months would be something of a precursor to something big. Bigger than everyone at NERV, and even the world. The very world that was now in ruins, and full of sorrow and hate. The modern-day world, as Fuyutsuki knew it, was in completely shambles. Torn up and broken apart. What the world needed especially right now, was unity.
But it wasn't the kind of unity the Commander was thinking of.
'This should make for an interesting reunion...' He thought. 'I just hope they truly know what they're about to do to you, Shinji Ikari...'