Chapter 17: New Arrival and The 15th Angel, Ariel
"What about this one?" Mary asked, taking one sample out and putting in another.
"Yeah, I like this one way better." Shinji said. The two were using the school computer and a rudimentary music creation program to make a plunderphonics piece, as Mary discovered her hobby actually had a name recently, and a collaboration was long overdue. One change of a sample ended up changing the piece completely.
"Great. I think it just needs some effects and it'll be finished." Mary said, bringing up said menu. She started by slowing down the piece.
Rei watched the two in rapt attention barely blinking or interacting with the two as the made their musical hybrid.
"About here?" Mary asked. The piece has become half its previous tempo.
"Maybe a little slower?" Shinji suggested. Mary shifted it down another ten beats. "Actually no, you were right the first time."
"Shift it up another five beats and drop the octave," Rei suddenly butted in.
Curious, Mary did exactly that. "Oh, that's cool. Thanks Rei." Rei nodded and continued to watch. "Last step, distortion. Tell me when it sounds good." Mary opened up the menu and slowly slid up the bar, the song getting slowly more muffled and far away.
"There." Both Shinji and Rei said at the same time. The bar stopped at about 3/7 of the way up. Mary saved the piece and played it back, recording their work on a tape.
Rei listened to the piece before standing up and walking out, leaving a small piece of paper behind. Shinji picked it up and read it.
"Meet me in this location tomorrow after testing, memorise this note then destroy it, do not speak of it as the walls have ears."
Mary peeked at the note over his shoulder. "Did you memorize this?" He asked.
"Yeah. You?" Mary asked. Shinji modded. "Good, and I know just how to destroy it." Mary snatched the scrap of paper and ate it.
"I don't think that's what Rei meant…" he said.
"It works though, right?" She asked, mouth full of paper.
….
"Hey Wondergirl heads up!" Asuka shouted spiking the volleyball towards her. Rei ran in and knocked it up high enough for Isabelle to slam it towards Mari.
"Whoop!" Mari laughed smacking it back. "Come on give me a challenge!"
"Oh with pleasure!" Isabelle chuckled smacking it back towards Asuka, who slammed in with all her force towards the back corner of the court.
"You're never beat our perfect teamwork!" Asuka laughed as she watched Rei and Isabelle juggle the ball to keep it up. "You can't win!"
Isabelle finally recovered the ball and sent it towards the net, Asuka smirked as she prepared to push it back over but Rei appeared in front of her and smacked it down hard. Asuka screamed as the ball flew past her, winning the game for Isabelle and Asuka.
"Winner winner chicken dinner!" Isabelle laughed as she grabbed Rei in a hug. "We are number one!"
"Yes," Rei said as she was shaken. "Now please let me go best friend Isabelle," Isabelle blushed and let her down.
"We lost," Asuka mumbled laying on the ground breathing hard.
"Yeah but we almost won," Mari said laying down beside her. "And next time we will," Asuka grumbled, but relented.
"I must be going now," Rei said, leaving another note beside Asuka's bag. "I will see you all tonight," She said jogging away as the others picked up her note, with Mari unfortunately disposing of it the same way Mary did.
….
"Ok now arms out," Adelise said holding a pin between her teeth as she walked around Rei in the new dress she was modeling. The top half was mostly fine blue mesh, and what wasn't was a darker blue fabric that was skimpy lace around the middle and a regular frilled dress on bottom. It had a red and white accent flower earrings as well. "Oh you look Magnifique!" Adelise said clapping excitedly. "Ze blue is a perfect compliment to your hair!"
"Yes," Rei said looking at herself in the 180 degree mirrors. "Your skills are most impressive."
"Oh thank you!" Adelise said blushing as she cleaned up her set up in their shared living room. "If you leave it in the other room I will finish taking it in."
"Of course," Rei said leaving the room to get changed, slipping the final note inside the dresses pocket for Adelise. Adelise found it and after memorizing it she threw it down the toilet.
….
"That's it everyone," Misato said smiling. "Congrats, you're all up by at least five points, Asuka you've taken the lead today congrats."
"Obviously," Asuka said with some fake posh in her voice as she fake inspected her nails. "I am the best after all," She said holding a straight face for about ten seconds before breaking down in giggles.
"You know," Isabelle said smirking. "In some games the winner is the one with the least amount of points, just thought you should know."
"Does it look like we are playing golf here nature girl?" Asuka asked rolling her eyes.
"Hmm Prog 9-Iron…." Mari muttered rubbing her chin.
"I'd hit a hole in one with an Angel head." Mary said.
"How many of ze angels even had separate heads?" Adelise pondered. "One...two?"
"Alright all of you," Misato said sighing with a smile. "Come on get cleaned up so we can get to dinner."
It wasn't meant to be though. The Angel alarm rang throughout the base and a visual popped up on screen. To be fair, this one looked the most classically angelic yet. A being of pure light, but not overtly humanoid, it looked to be a large pair of geometric wings attached to a small body orbiting above earth. It was oddly beautiful.
"Umm," Shinji mumbled looking at the screen. "How are we gonna fight that?"
"With a giant bow and arrow I guess. Or a rifle." Mary guessed.
"Can't, it's too high to hit with either positron rifle," Maya explained. "Even compensating for the Earth's rotation we'll likely miss by over 20km."
"Is it doing anything?" Adelise asked.
"Negative, it's just floating there."
"Well as long as it stays there, we have time to make a plan, right?" Adelise asked.
"Yes, IF we have time," Ritsuko emphasized.
…..
"Alright everyone in position?" Misato asked. A chorus of yes answers followed.
"I like the rain. It's relaxing on the glass." Mary said.
"It would be more relaxing if there wasn't another threat to our lives hanging over us," Isabelle said shrugging as she adjusted the sight on her positron rifle.
"Maybe. But it is nice." Shinji said.
"Yeah," Asuka said looking at the small glowing spot in the sky that NERV had determined was the Angel. "I agree, it's rather calming," She said calmly.
"That's all well and good, but let's light this candle!" Mari said, gesturing to the Angel up above, and then it happened. A bright beam of light came down through the clouds and put a spotlight on EVA 2 and Asuka.
"AHHHHHH!" Asuka screamed as she writhed around in pain, blindly firing at the Angel above. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
"Asuka!" Mari screamed running towards her girlfriend.
"No!" Misato screamed. "Don't enter the light or you'll be trapped in its effects!"
"What's happening?!" Isabelle shouted.
"The Angel is using a psychic attack!" Misato said. "Her mental contamination is reaching critical levels, Maya pull her out!"
"I can't!" Maya shouted. "The Angel's attack is disrupting the electrical signals!"
"We need to help her!" Adelise shouted.
"If it's attacking her mind….Adelise! Remember that thing we did before? There is no spoon?" Shinji asked.
"Oui!" Adelise replied. "Everyone we must use our AT-Fields!"
"What? How will that help?" Mary asked.
"Our AT-Fields are made of our consciousness, we can use them to project ourselves into Asuka's mind!
"So what? We just touch her or-" Mary started before Shinji's spirit grabbed her and pulled her out of her body. "Aaah! No no no no no!"
"What the bloody!" Isabelle screamed as Adelise pulled her out as well. Followed by Rei and Mari, leaving five disembodied spirits floating above their EVA's.
"What do we do now Shinji?" Adelise asked as they nervously watched Asuka suffer.
"To go in her brain, we have to get into the beam, so everyone get in." Shinji explained.
"Can you like guide us?" Mari asked as she floated around trying to move forward. "I can't move!"
"You just will yourself to go forward. There is no spoon, you can do whatever you want." Adelise said, and shot forward. Mari grumbled but with a pinched face forced herself forward towards Asuka.
"Asuka rescue mission is underway!" Isabelle shouted grabbing Rei's hand and flying the two forward. Mary streamlined her body as much as possible and flew into the light. Shinji followed suit.
But there was a problem. Once inside, they were dispersed at random, thrown into a black endless void where nothing could escape.
"Where is everyone!?"
"Hello!?"
"Come on we need to get back together!?"
"How?!"
"All I see is black. I wish I could just see! Oh!"
"What is it?"
"I see a light in the distance!"
"Me too! I'm gonna follow it."
""That's me…"
"I don't know how, but I made a light."
"Follow the white one!"
"They're all white though."
"Try to make them different."
The original light suddenly turned a rich fiery red, revealing the silhouette of Asuka curled up in a ball in the void. Another light popped up nearby, a royal purple that illuminating Adelise. Soon another light appeared, a sunset orange. Mary was the one who had it. The fourth light was a grassy, calm green. It illuminated Shinji in its soft glow. Next a bubbly pink light silhouetted Mari as she moved over to hold Askua's light. A soft luminous white formed next as Rei came into view. The final light was a deep chocolate brown that soon formed into the shape of Isabelle hovering above Mari and Asuka.
"Ok, now what?" Isabelle asked, her voice echoing throughout the void. "How do we beat this thing!"
"I had an idea, even if it's a long shot. We need to do something so utterly human that the Angel can't comprehend it and it explodes." Adelise said confidently.
"It's just crazy enough to work!" Isabelle agreed. "Now what do we do!"
"...Lets have sex." Mari said, no pause and plenty of flirtation in her tone. If any of the others were drinking, it would have resulted in a six way spit take.
"Are you high?!" Isabelle shouted. "You're expecting us to all just fuck without any provication!" Everyone's lights tinged red, but Shinji and Mary's especially so.
"Look how are these things supposed to understand sex!" Mari asked. "It's literally the most basic human concept!"
"...I mean she is right," Adelise said blushing. "It will at least confuse it."
"...I don't have an argument but I'm still uncomfortable." Mary squeaked.
"This is fucking insane but ok," Isabelle grumbled.
"I-I-I guess if it's the only way out…" Shinji stammered.
"...Very well," Rei said calmly. Asuka just whimpered and nodded furiously. "However before we start, how are we to have sexual intercorse without genitalia?" She asked gesturing to her featureless silhouetted form.
"Umm," Mari mumbled. "Maybe we all just...hold each other?" She suggested.
"What, like a big hug or something?" Mary asked.
"I guess?" Mari said unsure.
The seven silhouettes came together into a hug, and then their lights exploded in an aurora of colors.
Shinji gasps as he felt the closeness of his fellow pilots, a deep understanding that they would be there for him and wanted him there no matter what.
Mary shuddered as she was overwhelmed with a feeling of grounding. Never had she felt so present in the situation, so grounded to reality. It nearly made her cry.
Adelise sobbed as she felt herself fill up with feelings of being alive, not since she was younger had she felt more like a living person than she did at this moment.
Asuka was blown away. Not only did she feel better about the present, but she felt at long last like she was accepted by the world. It made her weep where she stood.
Mari felt her heart race, the world felt right for once, her insanity had been washed away in a flood of emotions that she had never been able to fully comprehend before, it was scary but also exciting.
Isabelle burst into tears as the feelings of love and want coated her like a warm blanket, she felt wanted and it was amazing.
Rei...Rei felt human...It was overwhelming to feel human after spending her entire life as something less than a human. She could feel water running down her cheeks as she latched onto these feelings like a starving dog, determined to never let go.
…
Somewhere in the Rei tanks, a small embryo formed. As if it were a time lapse of an embryo forming into a baby, and then into a 14 year old boy that otherwise had Rei's features.
...
"What's happening!?" Misato shouted.
"We don't know! Their ratios are going haywire! Contamination levels are through the roof yet there's no signs of a blue pattern!" Ritsuko answered.
"Major the Angel is moving!" Hyuga yelled. "It appears to be attempting to leave Earth's orbit!"
Up in space, the Angel wailed and screamed in confusion and pain, trying desperately to get away in time before it twisted around in agony before exploding into a shower of sparkles.
"The Angel has been defeated!" Maya said happily.
Misato let out a loud sigh of relief before looking at back towards the screen where the pilots were trying desperately to get out of their EVA's and into a hugfest. "Great, now how did they do it." She mumbled.
…
"...so are we gonna talk about this?" Shinji asked nervously.
"No," Asuka said firmly crossing her arms, before setting her head down on Shinji's shoulder with a small indignant noise.
"I know I'll be talking about this in my dreams." Mary said.
"That was...pretty good," Isabelle said blushing as she and Rei snuggled on the couch.
"Now I know why people smoke after sex," Mari joked as she brushed Adelise's hair.
"I feel like I am glowing!" Adelise yelled giggling like a loon.
Rei said nothing but the small blush on her face and the smile that hadn't left since they got home told them everything she was thinking.
"Yeah…" Shinji said smiling as he set his head on Asuka's. "I think we're good."
….
"...I must show you something," Rei said the next day at breakfast. "Please get dressed and follow me."
"Oh?" Mary asked, looking up from her plate.
"Yes," She said without emotion. "...come along."
….
"This way," Rei said leading them through the depths of NERV. "This area is Terminal Dogma, the most secret area in NERV, no one but the Commander, Sub-Commander, and Head Scientist may come down here."
"Uh, that sign says we'll be shot on sight…" Shinji pointed to a sign nervously.
"Ignore it, guns are Illegal in Japan," Rei said walking them into another room, a small child's room.
"Where are we? Why does this room feel haunted?" Adelise asked.
"...This is my room," Rei answered.
"You live here?" Mari asked.
"Lived," Rei corrected. "This was my room for my first 13 years of life."
"Oh dear…" Adelise whispered.
"Yes, but this is not the important bit," Rei said. "This is more for context," She explained turning on her heel to walk down the hall to another room, this one she stopped in front of before opening the door. "...Before we go in, know that no matter what...you will always be my friends," She whispered before opening the door. The room was completely black, save for a console in the center. Rei took a deep breath, and flicked on the lights. All around the edge of the room was a huge tank of LCL, and submerged were possibly hundreds of clones of Rei. Asleep at first, as soon as a sound reverberated through the room, they all awoke and looked to the pilots.
"...What the…" Isabelle whispered before looking nervously at Rei. "Blue...what is all this?"
"...This...this is where I was born…" Rei answered, staring at the large brain-like machine taking up most of the room's ceiling.
"This-are all of these you?" Mary asked, blown away by the revelation.
"They are all clones...like me," Rei explained. "I am nothing more than an Angel Human hybrid, made by NERV...I am not even the first..." She said shakily. "...I am sorry I lied to you all," She said closing her eyes and looking down, fists clenched so hard that her knuckles were turning white. "I understand if you don't want to see me anymore."
"Adelise, do you know what this means?" Mary asked.
"Yeah ...infinite friends!" Adelise said, and the two rushed to a portion of the tank to look at them.
Rei looked up in shock. "What?" She asked confused. "Y-You aren't...horrified?"
"No why would we!" Adelise said smiling as she waved at the Rei clones.
"Don't get me wrong, we have questions… I have SEVERAL questions," Mary said, raising her finger. "-but no, horrified is far from what I feel."
Rei blushed as she looked around to her other friends, Mari and Asuka were looking confused as well, but they didn't look scared, and Isabelle was blushing up a storm but kept her eyes locked with Rei's, never wavering. "I...thank you…" She said finally looking down with a smile.
"It's nothing. Really I was expecting something much worse…" Shinji said.
Rei nodded. "Thank you, but unfortunately we cannot keep them," She said pulling a nearby lever. The Reis convulsed, and started falling apart like sugar in water.
"Aww, what?! But infinite friends!" Adelise and Mary whined.
"They are also the basis for the dummy plugs," Rei explained. "With them gone, they can't make anymore." Mary and Adelise whined, but didn't object further.
"Hey, what about that one?" Shinji asked. One of the clones had not dissolved, and was slightly bulkier, with swimmer's muscle.
"...that is not suppose to be there," Rei said nervously fishing the clone out of the tank.
The clone, that they realized instantly was a boy when they picked him up, stood in the tank looking slightly dazed before locking eyes with Rei and smiling. "Hello sister," He said with a small wave.
"Sister?" Mary asked.
Rei blinked… "I am uncomfortable with this situation."
"Ah I am terribly sorry, I didn't introduce myself." The clone said. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Ray."
"Rei?" Adelise asked.
"No with an AY," Ray corrected.
"Oh, well...nice to meet you." Adelise said, blushing up a storm.
"Nice to meet you all too," He said smiling.
"H-How did you get here!?" Asuka screamed.
"Oh that's very simple," Ray said taking a wobbly step out. "I was created by you all."
"...Created how?" Shinji asked warily.
"From your emotions," Ray explained. "Your emotional bond combined with my sister's Angel DNA created a new hybrid soul like her, that new soul became me."
"...what? How does that work?" Adelise asked.
"Angels are not born, they are made," Ray answered. "So with sister being half angel I was able to be made from your outpouring of emotions and thoughts, just as all other Angels are made."
"...so does that make you our son or…?" Mary asked.
"No," Ray responded quickly. "And I would prefer if you didn't think of it that way," He said smiling. "I am Ray, and I am myself."
Isabelle finally snapped out of her confusion and turned to Rei. "So...What do we do with him?"
Rei responded by putting her face in her hands. "Honestly Best Friend Isabelle, I have no idea."
….
"So Rei," Hikari said. "Why didn't you tell us you had a cousin?"
"Because I hate him," Rei deadpanned. "He will not stop referring to us as siblings due to our shared looks."
"He's not so bad." Mary said.
"He is annoying," Rei respond.
"Don't be like that sister," Ray said sitting beside Rei and chuckling. Rei just ignored him.
"Attention students!" The teacher yelled. "We have a new student joining us today."
In walked a student, pale and lean with Snow White hair and cranberry red eyes. A small smirk never left his face.
"Hello. My name is Kaworu Nagisa. It's nice to meet you." He said with a small wave. He scanned the room, and his eyes fell on Shinji and Mary.