The End of Hedgehog's Dilemma, Part I: Evolutionary Angel (Written for Gob Hobblin)

NGE characters belong to their respective owners.


Chapter 2

Power, by popular Lilin definition, was the ability to control and affect others at whim.

"I had hoped to solve this peacefully, but that is not possible now." Visible straining with the effort of maintaining his confident, commanding tone of voice, the decrepit leader of SEELE barked out his order to those in control of the JSSDF. "Take over the entire headquarters directly, at once!"

/"Yes, of course . . ."/ The voice on the other side of the line sounded audibly hesitant. /"But, about your proposal to open up the GeoFront in that manner . . . you see, entire squads will have no time to retreat from the affected area . . ."/

"Is that supposed to be a problem?"

/"N-No. Your will shall be done, honored Sir, in Japan as it is Globally."/

"Good."

Thus how the Gates of Hell came to open wide over the expanse of Tokyo-3.


Inside the infiltrated parking lot, the following conversation could be heard echoing against the bloodstained, bullet-marred walls:

"Damn! They're trying to prevent physical contact between Shinji and EVA-01.
There's no time to lose . . . Quick, Shinji . . . (pause) Do you want to run away, or go to Eva? - Pick one! (longer pause) If we stay here, we'll die for nothing!

"Help me, Asuka . . . Help me . . ."

". . . You're hiding behind a girl at a time like this!? Running from reality . . . and lying to yourself - all just to make yourself feel better? Doing things half-assed is the worst thing you can do! You, get back on your feet! Stand up!"

"No . . ." Being forcibly dragged up by Misato - who just murdered three people right in front of him –- Shinji kept his head down, stubbornly refusing to look at the woman. "Let me die. I don't want to do anything."

"Stop talking like a spoiled brat!" Appearing more anguished than simply angry, the Major now was shouting right against her charge's ear. "You're still alive, aren't you?! So, do all you can to keep yourself alive . . ." Anything further the woman was saying was effectively blocked out by the weak child, holding on to his misery with much stubborness.

'. . .exploited a girl in her coma . . . killed the only one I've ever loved. There's no goodness in me, only dishonesty and cowardice. If I can only hurt people, then it's better if I don't do anything at all. I won't anything no more . . . I won't . . . not even for you . . .

' . . .Kaworu-kun . . . why?'


'Everything happens for a reason -– even global cataclysms as engineered by power-hungry fanatics.'

Standing upon troubled waters, upon the submerged ruins of Tokyo-3, the Angelic ghost -– appearing as the pale youth he was in life - spoke on languidly despite the military aircrafts and tanks currently wrecking havoc in the background.

'Back then, the Earth had been direly affected by my Seed Form's combustion from the Contact Experiment. As always, those few people in power had made the whole world pay the price for their own selfish ambitions. Yet, with a Seed's leaked life force having altered the planet's atmospheric elements, all Lilins killed in the event, along with those passing after them, were thus preserved against disintegration even in the absence of their individual AT Fields.

'All Lilin dying since September13 year 2000 could become a part of the Collective Consciousness; in other words, SEELE's mad plans for Human Instrumentality may be the only chance for these fatefully departed to be reunited with their loved ones.

'All have been gathered here for this chance, today.'

Unaffected by the rough waves from stray mini-missiles impacting the lake, the insubstantial Angel shoved his hand right through his own chest, from where he smoothly drew out a red orb –- one that was aglow with innumerable moving dots 'swimming' within. Eyeing the orb's contents with something like cherishment in his gaze, he offered it to the maidenly apparition (appearing to be) standing in front of him.

'In the end, it is you who are their Mother Seed, not I,' said the Angel, noting how the long rolls of loosened bandages encircling the maiden's uniform-clad frame were continuously fading in and out of view. 'To help them, or not; the choice is yours . . . Ayanami Rei-san.'

Ayanami Rei –-the spirit of Ayanami-Rei the Second Incarnation, to be exact - eyed the vibrant light dots moving within the orb with apparent interest . . . and wariness.

'If I allow this, and let the people in power execute their version of Human Instrumentality . . .'

'The Lilins in power will indeed be the ones to kick start the process, yet it will be our version of Human Instrumentality coming to pass.'

'But . . .'

'You know this will hurt your Ikari-kun,' stated the third apparitional being present: a young albino child who would have appeared identical to Rei II, if not for her being younger of looks yet also older of bearing. 'The pilot's acute emotional trauma is needed for the recalling of the Lance with Unit 01 – why else do you think neo-Adam here pulled that stunt at Terminal Dogma?' She had her piercing red eyes on the 'older' Rei, who went downcast under the sting of her glare. 'You know, also, that everyone you've ever cared about will be suffering badly during the violent transitional period before the joining.'

'Ikari-kun . . .'

Rei II voiced the name to herself, like it could grant her more certainty. 'What would Ikari-kun want me to do?'

Reading the girl, the Angel offered his piece. 'You can think of it this way: what would Ikari-kun need you to do?' Rei II's red eyes (one of which periodically obscured under the flashing bandages) widened as if in startled realization (even as Rei I's rolled with irk); looking into those eyes, the Angel continued on. 'How long do you think he can go on like this? Running away from people at the slightest provocation, yet also defining himself solely upon their reaction towards him . . . and it's not just him, the Lilins around him –- many of whom you've befriended in your lifetime - are faring no better.' Tallish flames flared in the background, their infernal haze coloring up the Angel's pallid features with fiery shades. 'There is an unsolvable dilemma forcing members of the Lilin Race to eternally hurt and reject one another. An evolution is the only thing that can set these people free from their self-imposed sufferings.' The flames intensified from where they burned behind him, reducing the Angel's edgy, wiry figure into a stark, almost theatrical-seeming silhouette. 'Without this evolution, all Lilins will continue to die generation after generation, all without having ever truly lived.'

'Then . . . the suffering they will be put through . . . ?'

'In the Lilins' own words of wisdom: no pain, no gain.'

'I understand now.'

Mind made up, Rei II reached for the offered orb. ' Everyone for whom I have piloted the Eva, the world of people who gave me my reason for being . . . I want to do this for them, now. I will bond with them once more, every one good or bad, dead or alive." Her voice lowered as to be almost inaudible. "Yes . . . even him.' Cupping this accumulation of all deceased souls in both palms, cherishingly, the girl then pressed it against her own chest in a cradling gesture . . .

. . . before 'exploding' outwards in seemingly innumerable multitudes of herself, with each and every doppelganger now holding one distinct person by hand. Together, these duos all drifted weightlessly upwards like winds-carried dandelion seeds, rapidly covering the aircraft-filled skies under their vast swarm (none of those living could yet see them, of course), before dissipating off in all directions just as quickly.

'Damned gullible four year old.' Rei I clucked her tongue in disgust from where she remained upon the lake's turbulent surface, prior to cutting at the Angel with her glare. 'So good at pushing people's buttons . . . must've been quite some upbringing you've had over at SEELE, Brother.'

Said Angel offered the curt 'little girl' a narrow-eyed smile.

'I assume you also agree with what I'm doing, or you wouldn't have granted me access to your third incarnation's psyche.'

'Our objectives are the same, so far. But, if you think you can make me –- all three of me - do all the work, then take over control of my Seed Form yourself afterwards . . .'

'This will not happen,' the Angel assured this first incarnation of the Ayanami Rei Series. 'Lilith is Lilith even with Adam's embryo absorbed within. I shall remain as but one participant out of many during the upcoming Instrumentality.' The girl, however, held onto her reservations.

'A participant who retains an individual will strong enough to rival mine is just bad-' Alerted, she glanced up and at the N2 bomb rapidly coming down right at them. '. . . Guess it's too late to fuss over the details now-'

*Splash . . . !*

Everything, physical or psychic, was then obscured under the powerful detonation that immediately vaporized the entire flooded Tokyo-3 area, leaving the GeoFront underneath violently opened up, and NERV HQ vulnerable to the hail of missile strikes immediately following the bombing.


Under the lake was a red giant asleep. Inside the giant was a child cocooned under mental trauma. The giant was getting bombed by depth charges; the child within was at risk of dying.

". . . I don't want to die . . . I don't want to die . . ."

Unnoticed by the child –- curled up in a tight, trembling ball –- was the presence of a pale spirit who used to be her colleague and rival in life; the maiden was accompanied by two ghostly apparitions that looked like one woman grotesquely 'bisected' into two halves.

One of the halves, the one with lunacy in her one wide-eye, was continuously spewing words from her half-a-mouth:

'. . . die . . . die for me . . . Die! Die for me . . . die . . .'

As if hearing the halved-woman's psychic urging, the child continued on with her desperate mantra:

". . . don't want to die . . . I don't want to die . . ."

'How . . . unlike her,' commented Rei II, keenly studying the helpless little girl Asuka Langley Soryu now was reduced into. She then turned towards the seemingly saner half of the woman, who was silently watched the redheaded girl in apparent anguish. 'Are you certain you want to intervene now? Very soon, Unit 02 shall disintegrate under the stronger explosives the JSSDF are about to utilize. With no synchronization, Pilot Soryu's physical death - inevitable due to the upcoming Instrumentality - would be far less painful than in the alternative you proposed.'

' My daughter is a fighter,' stated the saner half of the woman, her one eye narrowed with conviction. 'She is a brave little girl who grew up fighting her way through all the trials of life. She had been winning all the way, even while hindered by her father's selfishness and my insanity. Her fighting as an EVA Pilot had saved many lives worldwide. She will not go down without having the chance to fight.'

'Should Pilot Soryu get up and fight with Unit 02, SEELE will deploy the S2 Engine-equipped Eva Series,' Rei II reminded the woman. 'Pilot Soryu has no chance of winning against them. She will suffer the pain of failure, as well as the physical violence sure to-' The woman cut her off, firmly.

'No pain, no gain. This here . . . it's not her real self. My daughter cannot go into Instrumentality thinking herself a frightened coward –- not after all the heroic accomplishments she had been through so much to achieve in life.' She then turned towards Rei II with barely concealed anxiousness. 'Ayanami-san, even though you and my daughter had never been the best of friends . . .'

'We've fought side by side,' stated Rei II, a measure of passion now apparent behind her seemingly wooden front. 'I will help you help your daughter, Zeppelin Soryu-san.' With that, she joined hands with the split halves of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, pulling them together such that they began to merge . . .

'Asuka!' The rapidly merging Kyoko called out to her daughter, urgently. 'You're still alive! You mustn't die yet! You must live!'

Gradually sensing the loudening call of her mother's spirit, Asuka slowly began to uncoil from her previous fetal position. Her blue eyes, seemingly seeing past the plug's darkened confines towards some brighter, happier space or time, slowly brightened with growing, undeniable, joy.

"Is this . . . is this where you've been all along?" The once despairing girl broke into a broad, jubilant beam now illuminating her very features. "MAMA!"

EVA Unit 02 - and most importantly, its Pilot - had awakened at last.


To be continued . . .?