Sekhmet: Double Feature! No Angel Fun Facts today though.
Susano-o: Character Development!
Sekhmet: Yeah! Matrix references! Now that I think about it, The Matrix would be even more of a masterclass film in the EVA world, because it doesn't have any sequels.
Susano-o: Paul references! Yes, it would be. Now where's the Angel facts?
Sekhmet: Wikipedia doesn't have entries for Leliel or Iruel. The best I could find for Leliel was Laliah, the Jewish Angel of the Night and Conception. Not an exact match but still feasible. Iruel is a straight no go.
Susano-o: Well Night does fit its theme of being a shadow.
Sekhmet: True. But conception? We gotta save that for later.
Susano-o: Oh yes, the Angel tree. Anyway on with the show!
Chapter 14: The Eleventh Angel, Iruel, and The Twelfth Angel, Leliel
Mary scooped up a shovel full of dirt, placed three peach pits inside, and covered it back up. True to her word a few days before, she was planting her cold treated peach pits in the countryside. She had also dragged Shinji along with her to help. They had been to a few sites she had marked on a map already, and this one was on a grassy cliff side. Mary's Walkman was playing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to accompany their work.
"And that should be the last one." She said, wiping her brow and pulling out the map. "The next site shouldn't be too far away, we could walk there." Though she pointed down the road, the foggy morning atmosphere obscured where she was pointing.
"Alright. We don't have a lot of these left." Shinji said, shaking the nearly empty pail of peach pits.
"Yeah this'll probably be the last site for now." Mary agreed. With this in mind, the two gathered up their tools and started walking towards the next site. It was quiet for a while, Mary's tape having ended and the crunching of gravel being the only sound.
"Mary, can I ask you something kind of personal?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, sure." Mary said.
"How do you control your daydreams?" He asked.
"Oh, how do I explain this?" Mary said, thinking a bit. "Ok. Say you're in a daydream. There's a spoon in front of you for example, and you can do whatever you want with it. Don't try and bend the spoon, because that's impossible. You have to look past it and see the truth."
"The truth?" He asked.
"That there is no spoon. Once you realize that, you realize it's not the spoon that bends, but yourself." She said. "Once you realize everything is an illusion, you can truly do anything you want."
"Ok, I guess that kind of makes sense." He said. It didn't really make sense, but it sounded like good life advice, weirdly enough.
…
(A few hours later)
"So," Isabelle groaned as she lounged over her ejected plug. "This sucks a massive hyena lady boner."
"Did anyone catch the number of the Angel that apparently started messing with the systems?" Adelise asked.
"It was the Eleventh Angel, Iruel," Rei explained from where she was swimming in the nearby pond.
"Told you we were at eleven and not twelve!" Asuka smirked pointing at Adelise as Mari brushed the LCL out of her hair.
"-But doesn't Israfel count as two?" Adelise asked scratching her head.
"I don't think so. It split itself in two, but it was only ever one entity." Shinji said covering his crotch.
"-Oh...I will have to change ze name on my Etsy store then," Adelise said shrugging.
"Wait what?" Asuka asked. "What are you selling on Etsy?"
"Plushies!" Adelise said happily. "I have been making plushies of zw Angels and selling then!" She explained. "Oh I wish I had my laptop, then I could show you them!"
"Hook me up with a Shamshel. That was my favorite." Mary said.
"That one impaled me," Isabelle deadpanned. "And why is it out of all the ones we fought the one that looks like a giant pernus is your favorite?"
"It's a planaria. It's my favorite flatworm." Mary said.
"Why do you have a favorite flatworm?" Asuka asked. "Why would you even know anymore than one?"
"Why DON'T you have a favorite flatworm?" Mary asked.
"I like ribbon worms," Mari added. "They're pretty and they swallow."
"Swallow prey whole," Isabelle finished. "God Mari does everything have to be a sex joke with you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mari smirked.
"Ok moving swiftly on," Shinji said with a sigh, then realized he didn't have a segway and left everyone in an awkward place.
"So I know we talked about this earlier but, what does everyone really want to be when ze grow up!" Adelise asked out of the blue. "I want to be a fashion model and clothing designer!"
"I dunno, something to keep my brain busy." Mary said.
"I want to work at the UN," Asuka said proudly. "Finally get them off their asses and helping people!"
"Wow," Shinji said smiling. "That's quite a change for you Asuka."
Asuka blushed. "Well it's not my fault you baka's have turned me so soft!" She shouted before sitting back down to let Mari finish brushing her hair, all while mumbling to herself.
"I'm gonna be a housewife," Mari answered, much to the surprise of everyone.
"Umm ok," Shinji answered.
"What?" Mari questioned.
"N-Nothing! It's just…" Shinji stuttered out.
"I guess none of us saw you wanting to go that route." Mary said.
"What you thought I was gonna be a high class stripper or something?" Mari asked.
"Yes," Was the collective answer.
"Not gonna lie, thought about it," Mari shrugged. "-But then I remembered I like lounging around all day doing nothing while getting paid, so I decided I'll stay at home and raise some kids instead."
"What she means is she'll be living at my house for the rest of her life," Asuka grumbled.
"Aww are saying you wouldn't like that Queenie?" Mari asked rubbing her chin into Asuka's head.
Asuka blushed and covered her face. "I didn't say that," She mumbled, Mari just giggled.
Isabelle leaned over to Mary. "So they're totally gay? Right Peaches?" Mary nodded in response. "Cool, I'm gonna explore the world!" She exclaimed. "See all the hidden wonders!"
"You can try, but I think half of them were pure myth." Mary said.
"Atlantis!" Isabelle responded as if it shut down her point.
"I want to open a bakery." Shinji said.
"What why a baker and not a chef?" Asuka asked. "You're like, the best cook."
"Well yeah, but cooking is just a hobby, baking is my passion." He replied. A look crossed Mary's face, like she was falling in love with him all over again. Isabelle just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well that just leaves you Rei."
Rei said nothing as she kept floating in the pond. "I will most likely be taking over as Commander of NERV once I have reached adulthood."
"Sounds boring Blue," Isabelle noted. "You don't want a family or junk like that?"
"I do not need one," Rei said turning to face the other pilots. "You are my family."
Isabelle's face went bright red. Mary made an exaggerated "awww" noise that Adelise quickly copied along with clapping her hands rapidly. Asuka rolled her eyes "Stupid Wondergirl, saying it all cute like, I can't just say no to that," She mumbled. Mari giggled and nodded at Rei.
Shinji said nothing as he climbed out of his pod and went over to Rei. "Yeah, if you want, we'll be your family," He said holding out his hand with a big smile. Rei's eyes went wide, but she slowly climbed out of the pond and took Shinji's hand anyway.
….
"So," Isabelle said as she watched Shinji stir dinner. "That was boring as sin."
"Yeah, but at least that Angel was defeated." Shinji said.
"Yeah and we didn't have to do anything," Mari said shrugging as she rolled out some dough.
"And it led to a nice conversation." Adelise said.
Rei nodded as she snuggled into Asuka's side, who grumbled but let her do it without question.
"Aww, that's cute." Mary said. Asuka pouted but didn't do anything about it.
"Hey kiddos," Misato said opening the door and falling onto the table with a sigh, everyone quickly shot into action, getting her dressed down and handing her a beer that she quickly chugged with a sigh. "Thanks," She smiled looking much more awake.
"No problem mom," Isabelle before quickly covering her mouth.
"What did you say?" Adelise asked.
"Yeah, what was that?" Mary asked.
"Oh nothing!" Isabelle shouted to cover up her mistake. "So who wants pie? Anyone want pie? I want pie," She said trying to walk away, only for Misato to grab her wrist.
"Hey," She said smiling. "It's ok kiddo." Then Isabelle's face went red as Misato pulled her into a hug.
"Group hug!" Adelise yelled glomping Misato from behind. The rest of the children gathered together around the two.
….
"Mari you can't fall asleep during Synch tests," Misato sighed rubbing her temples. "And Mary, please stay in this reality, daydreaming messes up the results."
"Alright alright," Mari grumbled rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry ma'am…" Mary said rubbing the back of her neck.
"Ok, tests are almost done," Misato said grabbing the results. "Barring any...abnormalities," she said looking at the two. "Shinji currently has the highest score."
"Yay!" Adelise said clapping her hands. "Magnifique!"
"Congrats Shin-Man," Isabelle said giving him an air five.
"As best friend Isabelle told me to say, that is on fleek," Rei said.
"No," Mari deadpanned. "Good job though."
"Congrats." Mary said, sounding more impressed than congratulatory.
"Yeah you're doing good," Asuka said proudly. "Maybe one day you'll be as good as me, score isn't everything after all." She joked.
Not used to all the praise he was getting, Shinji was a bit overwhelmed. "Well, uh, thanks everyone." He stammered.
"Ok guys get ready to clear down," Misato said smiling, before the angel alarm went off. "Change of plans, get those plugs in the EVA's stat!" She ordered. "The 12th Angel as appeared!"
….
"You didn't tell us we'd be fighting a giant Zebra Cake." Mary quipped, gazing upon the Angel. It was a giant sphere with a zebra pattern, casting a shadow across the ground like a moon would an eclipse.
"All hail the Zebra moon," Mari joked clinging to a building as she watched the orb fly by.
"Ha ha. Just be careful, surround it and don't attack it until I give the clear." Misato said sarcastically.
"Understood," Isabelle said setting up a sniper post on top of a nearby building.
"Hang on I need to switch out my plug," Asuka said. "Give me a few seconds then I'll be in position."
"Rei and me are in position," Adelise acknowledged as the two stood on a building, prog weapons at the ready.
"Ready." Shinji and Mary said from the ground, brandishing rifles.
"Alright everyone, get ready, set, now!"
Rei and Adelise quickly attacked, slashing their weapons in an attempt to neutralize the AT-Field and do some initial damage while Mary and Shinji unleashed an assault on the sphere with continuous rifle fire.
"My turn!" Asuka laughed as she revved up her Minigun and raining all hell on the Angel.
Rei and Adelise's weapons seemed to glide through the flesh like it was water, Mary, Shinji, and Asuka's bullets passed right through, nearly causing a friendly fire incident if they hadn't noticed and dodged in time.
"What the-!?" Asuka yelled diving behind a building.
"An intangible Angel? That's complete bull!" Mary said, also dodging.
As if it were a disturbed hologram, the Angel vanished. Just as suddenly, the pool of shadow darkened and expanded, causing everything underneath it to start sinking into it, including the people on the ground.
"Damn it!" Isabelle screamed jumping across the sinking building. "Mari grab someone!" She shouted.
"On it!" Mari yelled jumping across a building to snag the two closest people. "Mary Asuka grab on!" Both took a hand and were hauled up the building.
"Blue, Aqua, Shin grab on!" Isabelle shouted snagging Rei's hand as Rei grabbed Shinji and Adelise, who clung to each other. "Hold on!" She screamed firing her jets for more leverage as she ripped Rei out of the black pool, but the other two wouldn't budge. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Isabelle screamed as the two started sinking lower.
"Rei, let go," Gendo said calmly.
Rei's eyes went wide at that order, but with a glare at Gendo she tightened her grip and pulled harder. "No," She groaned in pain as she was pulled in two.
"Rei let go please before you're sucked in," Adelise pleaded. Rei ignored her and pulled harder, nearly sliding back into the blackness when Isabelle's jets suddenly ran out of fuel, if not for the timely intervention of the other three all four would have gone in together.
"Hold on you stupid idiots!" Asuka screamed grabbing Rei around the waist. "We'll get you out!"
"Stop it your guys before we all go in!" Shinji screamed. "It's better for two people to die than all of us!"
"Or none of us!" Mari yelled. "Can we get a fucking jet Misato!?"
"We're trying!" Misato yelled back in fear as she watched Rei's feet hover inches above the blackness that had swallowed Shinji and Adelise up to their chests.
Before anyone else protested, Shinji and Adelise let go, and the darkness swallowed them up whole.
"No!" Rei screamed completely out of character as she was pulled back by the rest.
"You fucking idiots!" Asuka screamed at the now stopped void, Isabelle and Mari quickly grabbed the ranting woman to stop her from jumping in after the two. Mary's ensuing scream conveyed an entire range of emotions, but mostly sadness and rage.
"Enough!" Misato shouted slamming her hand on the console. "All of you get back to NERV ASAP!" She ordered. "Ritsuko! Start analyzing this thing now! You two get me Shinji and Adelise's vital signs! Maya I want a way to counter this thing by yesterday!"
"Yes ma'am!" Was the collective response.
….
Rei stared at her hand with a dead look in her eyes, since coming back she hadn't said a word to anyone, quickly retreating into the depths of NERV to process what had happened on her own.
"Rei."
And then he had to appear.
"Yes Commander Ikari," She said without looking up.
"You disobeyed a direct order," He said without any inflection in his voice.
"Yes," Rei answered just as cold.
"You know your worth in our plan," He said taking a step forward. "-Yet you continue to form bonds and connections against my orders."
"Yes," Rei said again finally looking up as fire filled her eyes.
"You don't need them," He started before suddenly being thrown back against the wall.
"I will form whatever bonds I want," Rei said as she walked over to Gendo, only to be thrown back herself as Gendo uncovered his hand, revealing the embryo of Adam.
"You will do what I say!" He yelled, Rei unfolded her AT-Field cancelling the two out.
"I will do what I want!" She yelled standing up to her full height. "I am not your doll anymore!" She screamed. "I am Rei Ayanami! And I am alive!"
A pregnant pause filled the room, broken up only by Rei's heavy breathing as she worked to get herself under control. "I will fight the Angels," She said in a much calmer tone. "And I will stop SEELE," She said looking down at Gendo. "-But I will not end this world, and you will not either, for as long as I exist I will protect the people I love."
With that Rei turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Gendo alone with his thoughts.
….
"There's no way this is real. Ha ha, funny joke brain, now let me out." Mary rambled in a rather unhinged manner, scratching her arm through her plugsuit.
"Damn it!" Asuka screamed thrashing another locker door. "Those two fucking idiots! Stupid useless wastes! If they had just held on for another second!" She ranted ripping the door off its hinges and chucking it into the shower area with a primal screech of rage.
For once, Mari actually looked kind of scared. "Queenie, calm down. Misato said that they're in stable condition, and if they stay in life support mode, they'll be ok for a while. And Mary, stop scratching your arm, you'll hurt yourself."
"That's the idea." Mary said, scratching harder.
"Well stop it!" Asuka screamed turning her anger on Mary. "Get your head back down to Earth Space Cadet!"
"I'm trying, but it's not working! Dammit, pain usually works!" Mary said, though she did stop scratching.
"Both of you calm down, ok? Everything is going to be ok. In a few hours, they'll find a way to pull them out, and it'll be like nothing ever happened." Mari said, though she wasn't convinced herself.
….
Isabelle had to climb, she had to get out of here and get somewhere high up, she had to go high up and think.
"Hey," A voice said as she explored the outside of NERV headquarters.
Isabelle turned around and saw Kaji watering a watermelon garden. "Oh hello," Isabelle said nervously looking around.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I need to get to a high place," She muttered. "I need to get away."
"Ah right, heard what happened," He said with a small sad smile. "Don't worry though, Misato and the rest know what they are doing."
"It's all my fault though," Isabelle said shaking her head. "If I had just been faster."
"Hey you can't think like that," Kaji said setting a hand on her shoulder. "If we focus on the whys and the why nots, then we'd never advance," He said smiling. "We learn, and then we keep moving forward."
Isabelle let what he said wash over her as she slowed her breathing. "Thanks," She said with a small smile. "I needed that."
"My pleasure," He said turning back to his garden as Isabelle left to go find her friends.
….
Shinji and Adelise sat in their pods. It's all they could do. Inside their pocket dimension, all that existed outside their EVAs was a white expanse of nothing. It had been almost 27 hours, and basic life support systems were starting to shut down. The LCL was clouding, and it was slowly getting harder to breathe.
"I am scared," Adelise said sobbing.
"Me too." Shinji agreed, his body shaking with every breath, laden with tears and emotion.
"What is this place?" She asked hugging herself close. "It is so empty."
"I don't know. The inside of an Angel? A pocket dimension?" Shinji asked. "I don't know if I even want the answer."
"I want to leave," Adelise sobbed. "I don't want to die."
"It's going to be alright. I'm sure that they're working around the clock to get us out. I know Isabelle and the others wouldn't let them not." Shinji said, trying to reassure her. Adelise just sobbed harder.
Who?
Shinji looked around. "Who said that?"
It's me.
I am you.
One has another self inside within oneself.
The Self is always consisted of two selves.
Shinji raised an eyebrow at that "Two?"
The self who's actually watched by others and
the self who watches itself.
IKARI Shinji in your mind.
IKARI Shinji in KATSURAGI Misato's mind.
IKARI Shinji in Souryuu Asuka's mind.
IKARI Shinji in AYANAMI Rei's mind.
IKARI Shinji in IKARI Gendou's mind.
Any IKARI Shinji is different from each other,
but each of them is true IKARI Shinji.
You're afraid of IKARI Shinji in other's mind.
Shinji growled at that. "I was, but not anymore," He insistend. "I know I have people who will see me as who I am."
You hate to be hurt.
Who's bad ?
Father who deserted me.
"My dad is a dick," Shinji said back. "-But I don't need him anymore."
... by deceiving yourself ?
"I'm not listening to you," Shinji snapped covering his head.
Unless you continue to think you may not change yourself,
you can't live on.
You has been closing your eyes and turning your ears deaf
against anything you did not want to know.
Shinji growled and tried to think of anything else. It was then that he recalled a previous conversation with Mary.
"Don't try and bend the spoon, because that's impossible. You have to look past it and see the truth."
"The truth?"
"That there is no spoon. Once you realize that, you realize it's not the spoon that bends, but yourself. Once you realize everything is an illusion, you can truly do anything you want."
"There is no spoon…" he muttered. Was this all fake? If this is all an illusion, then maybe he could project his way out? But how would that work? Would he imagine an AT Field, or become it? Well, it couldn't hurt to try, right? Closing his eyes and casting his hands in front of him, he tried to will a barrier into existence.
"Shinji?" Adelise said softly.
"Yeah? Wait, how did I get here?" He answered. He found himself directly in front of Adelise, not knowing how it happened.
"Oh no, I am hallucinating," She said crying.
"No, this is real. I don't think joint hallucinations exist. That's not the point though! Adelise, there is no spoon, this is all fake!" Shinji said. "All you have to do is will your way out! At least, I think that's how it works…" Adelise just kept crying. "Look, I'll show you. I come to you to bring today, not a luscious rose bouquet, I don't have tulips or even lillies, so accept this spoon please. " He manifested a small spoon and placed it on her head.
Adelise's head retracted as her eyes went wide.
"THE PROPHECY IS TRUE…"
She saw everything, from the beginning of time itself to the formation of the first lifeform, the molecules of the world and worlds beyond their own, she was Adelise, and she saw it all. Wether shrouded in darkness or scorched by the light of the sun, she observed it all with an attention to detail once thought to dwell in the eyes of God and God alone. she was the shadow in corner of your room while your trying to sleep. she abducted aliens! SHE WAS JACK SKELELINGTON, SHE WAS THE KING OF THE MOTHERFUCKING PUMPKIN PATCH BITCH! YOU THINK YOU CAN FUCK WITH HER?! SHE WILL BURN YOUR SO CALLED EMPIRE DOWN IN A BIBLICAL BLAZE OF GLORY AND PISS ON THE ASHES OF HER CIGARETTE, BECAUSE YOUR NOT EVEN WORTH, HER TIME ANYMORE! AND YOUR NOT FOOLING ANYONE WITH THAT FAKE ASS GOLD CHAIN THAT YOU BOUGHT AT THE MALL FOR LIKE $15!"
Then the spoon fell off her head and everything returned to normal, except she too was astral projecting.
"Oh zat felt strange," She said rubbing her head.
"See? There is no spoon, no concrete reality here." Shinji said. "So let's get out of here. Our friends are waiting for us.
…
"We aren't gonna bomb the Angel!" Misato screamed.
"It's our only way," Ritsuko said trying not to look at her.
"Well then find another!" Misato said angrily. "We aren't sacrificing those kids!"
Rei's face scrunched up for a second before relaxing as she raised her hand. "Why don't we use the Lance-" Then the Angel exploded. Well, more accurately, it rumbled like bending metal, then two EVAs ripped their way out in a bloodbath of vile terror.