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

NGE characters belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 5


Within the raging beast on high was a ghostly mother, and under her ethereal influence, her perturbed child . . .

'She loves you, she loves you not . . .

'In the end, should you even care?

'The only thing that matters is how you feel about her, in spite of all she had done . . . or, should I say, because of it?

'How do you really feel about Asuka, Shinji?'

"Asuka . . ."

A flicker of something at a corner of the screens caught his attention. Glancing up, the pilot of Unit 01 saw what appeared to be a sky full of ravenous vultures, many of which holding onto pieces of a carcass between their claws and beaks; it took him a while to realize the vultures to be colossal and under metal armory, and the one of the carcass pieces was the head of Unit 02 . . .


Deep down within Terminal Dogma, Lilith's Avatar –- having just gained full memories plus Adam's embryo - jolted at sensing the gut-retching scream from the one human being she cared for above all others.

'Ikari-kun . . . !'


Meanwhile, in another realm . . .

'Let go of me you freak!' Straining, Asuka nonetheless failed to get out of the vice-like hold the Angel had on her. 'I don't want to see this, I-'

'You will watch,' said Tabris, his quiet voice coming through clearly in spite of Shinji's screaming coming from the 'scene' in front of them. 'The ego of a Lilin male is breaking down at the knowledge of your brutal demise. Is that not the highest compliment a Lilin female can receive?'

The girl gritted her teeth in impotent rage at those cruelly mocking words. 'You . . . !'

More scenes fade into view from all around the two, displaying an array of sights and sounds: Unit 01 bursting free of its restraining plates and transforms into a cross of light; the Spear of Longinus pulling free of the moon and shot straight for Unit 01, stopping at the throat, the Mass Production Series raising their own Spears to crucify the Eva, lifting it higher and higher . . .

'Look,' purred the Angel, his breath cool against her ear, 'the Mass Production Unit that slaughtered you and your mother has since captured Unit 0. They will be making a sacrifice of it to bring about the Third Impact. Very soon, Shinji-kun too, shall cross over to our side. How will this reunion between the two of you play out, I wonder-' A shrill, abrupt scream now tearing its way out of Asuka's throat cut him right off; Asuka, who was now thrashing about like a cat on fire. 'Soryu-'

'MAMA!' cried the hysterical girl for the one and only entity upon whom she had been drawing strength from all along. 'Mama-MAAMAAAAAAAAAAA! MA-' And the girl got stunned into silence by this abrupt scene change she suddenly found herself caught within. Just like that, the Angel was no longer there restraining her; she was now left on her own in a new, highly familiar place.

'This is . . .?!'


"The egg of Lilith . . . the genesis of human life . . . the Black Moon . . ."

Quiet voice almost inaudible from amidst the chaos within NERV's Command Centre –- now rocking as per the shockwaves induced by the EVA Series' Anti-AT field –- Fuyutsuki spoke as if only to himself.

"We have no desire to return to that empty shell . . . but even that now depends on the will of Lilith."


"It seems to have begun . . ." said Gendo, his attempt to appear calm at this crucial moment made his person appear even more wooden than usual. "Rei, take me to Yui's side."

Eyes on this man, whom she had loved throughout her first two human incarnations to heartbreaking results, Rei hardened her heart, and tightened her flesh around his intruding hand . . .

"What!?" Before Gendo could even react, he had already lost his entire right arm to her sucking flesh.

"I'm not your doll," stated Rei, making clear her first act of defiance against the NERV Commander, as she absorbed Adam before rejecting what she did not need from the human.

"Why!?" asked this man so used to getting whatever he want from her, who now was assailed by the pains she knew he must be feeling.

"Because I'm not you," replied Rei, feeling the pulse from Adam's embryo now beating within her as she regenerated her lost arm. With that, she turned her back on this man who ceased to be of importance to her, and made for Lilith.

"Rei...!" The hoarse, pitiful cries of the wounded man grew increasingly distant as she continued to elevate up and towards Lilith's chest. "Please! Wait for me . . . Rei!"

"No, Ikari-kun is calling me."

"Rei!"

'Well chosen, Sister,' said the Angel, continuously emitting telepathic signals through the embryo Rei now harbored within her vessel. 'And now, you have only one last, final step to go . . .'

Bearing Adam's flesh and spirit within her, and facing the masked, expressionless, grand vessel of her own Seed Form, Ayanami Rei the Whole mentally steeled herself to embrace the inevitable.

"I'm home."


'WELCOME HOME'

Such were the words as printed upon the carpet beneath her feet.

Taking in the familiar, non-descript renovations around the place, Asuka soon concluded that she was indeed at home; her father's home, to be exact, as this was the den he made with that home wrecker responsible for her mother's suicide-

" . . . am a mother before I'm a woman . . ."

' . . . Mama . . .' That voice – so distinctively lifelike, and physical, had Asuka jumping from the shock of unexpected joy. Hurriedly, she ran up the stairs and towards the family bedroom, the door of which she passed right through in her current spirit form. 'MAMA! Mama, you're alive-'

" . . . so don't think I'm doing this out of something as petty as revenge," stated Kyoko –- looking the picture of a vengeful ghost with her disheveled hair and patient's robes - as she slowly pulled back from her former 'doctor', now reduced to a twitching, foaming at the mouth mess on the carpeted floor. "I'm not; I'm doing this for my daughter." Bloodshot eyes glinting, she advanced upon Langley, now backed fearfully against the wall. "Do you think I will have scumbags like the two of you also entering Instrumentality with my daughter? After the hell you've both already put her through with your selfish actions?"

"Z-Zeppelin . . . no! Wait!"

"Kiss your sanity goodbye, 'Dear'."

'Mama . . .'

"Asuka . . ." Only at her daughter's call did Kyoko finally noticed the girl's spirit being present –- right as her cheating former husband started convulsing from what appeared to be a fear-triggered heart attack. "I . . . I thought you'd be elsewhere right now."

'No . . .'
The girl, whose once joyful smile had now frozen into a macabre mask twisting her small face, started backing away. 'None of this is real . . . just like that time when that Angel violated my mind; something like this can't be happening . . .not happening . . .'

"Asuka, let me explain-"

'NOOOOOOOO!'

Breaking into a frantic run - passing through walls and buildings as she did so - Asuka's traumatized spirit fled her home, past other places real or imagined, and into a long stretch of darkness: one seemingly cluttered up with . . . rolls of seated people?

'-suka! Asuka!'

Hands reached out from the darkness to hold her in place. Hysterical, the girl flailed and kick out blindly in the dark, striking against what appeared to be a multitude of people . . . and some fat, short creature frantically flapped its stubby wings about . . .


". . . damn . . . damn . . . damn . . . damn . . .!"

Trapped inside Unit 01, Shinji could only stare helplessly down upon his palms, now marked by the stigmata mirroring those of the EVA's spear-pierced hands.

Even having closed off his heart, his mother still had forced her way into it. Even powerless, the powers that be still were determined to keep him at the storm's eye . . . or was it their sacrificial altar? In the end, he could no more block out the pain than he could escape the machination-

'Ikari-kun.'

The telepathic message, so distinctively vapid and crisp, came accompanied by the appearance of this gigantic, organic-seeming mass now bulging out from the clouds and at his EVA. Against his wishes, the boy found himself recognizing the creature now straightening up to its full, towering height in front of him.

"Ayanami . . . Rei . . . !?"

And the white giant, bearing the clone's image, opened her red eyes as she reached for Unit 01 with both hands . . .


' . . . Pen-Pen . . . ?!'

'SQUAWK!'

Hysteria fading as she gawked at the penguin's unexpected appearance, Asuka then slowly glanced around to see herself in familiar company. 'Misato . . . ? Dr. Akagi? KAJI-san?!' The adults all appeared relieved at her finally being able to register their presences.

'Hey . . .' cooed Kaji, gently wiping off her tears, 'it's okay now . . .'

'Thank god she's come back to her senses,' sighed Ritsuko, fixing her disheveled bleached hair.

'Why is Asuka's transition so much more traumatic than ours. . .' frowned Misato, before calling to somebody behind them. 'Nagisa! What is the meaning of this?'

'. . . what?!' The girl whirled fearfully around to see that Tabris freak now standing right behind the group, with none of the grownups seemingly in fear of him. 'H-How'd you . . . why'd they . . .'

'I apologize, Soryu-san.' The albino's red eyes were narrowed in an infuriating smile as he glanced down upon her. 'I guess I have been bullying you a bit - jealousy is a Lilin flaw I've unfortunately been afflicted with during my Avatar stage. Then again, having a distraught leading lady makes for a more dramatic movie, don't you think?'

'Movie . . .' Only now did Asuka notice that she was in a huge theatre of sorts, with the audience's area shrouded under darkness, while the movie screen shone brightly with vibrant colors . . .

. . . depicting numerous deformed Rei-ish heads sprouting upon what appeared to be the Mass Production EVAs' white surfaces, with shots of Shinji's fear-twisted face flashing by for good, grotesque measure.

/"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"/ screamed the pilot, clutching madly, futilely at the controls. All the while, some giant version of Rei was also present, as it reached for the tiny (by comparison) Unit 01 with that vapid smile on its face. /"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHH!"/

'Shinji . . . !' Looking away from the macabre scene, Asuka noticed now Misato and Co all appeared to be strangely, troublingly unfazed by the drama displayed onscreen. She turned to glare hard at the pale Angel –- obviously the one behind everything. 'Tabris! You-'

'Shhhh.' The Angel actually had the gall to silence her with a finger to his lips. 'Not now, Soryu-san.' His red eyes remained upon the screen, upon Shinji.

/". . . no . . . no . . ."/ Having apparently ran out of breath, the boy now had curled up into a trembling ball on his seat. /". . . no . . . no . . . no . . . no . . . no . . . no . . !"/

'Are you okay?'
asked the Angel aloud, conversationally, as though the one on screen could hear him.

Strangely, the one on screen did look up as if hearing his voice.

/"Is that where you've been all along?"/ asked Shinji, whose expression now had turned into one of wonder . . . and growing joy. /"Kaworu-kun?"/

'The hell . . .?' muttered Asuka, more baffled by the adoration she saw in Shinji's eyes than how the giant Rei now had transformed into a giant Tabris.

The idiot had not even looked at her like that back when they tried kissing, so why . . .?

* 'Ours is a friendship that blossomed while you were in slumber.' *

Could it be . . . could that idiot possibly have . . . ?

'I see I'm not the only one jealous for of Shinji-kun,'
mused the Angel, looking so smug that Asuka wanted to throttle him regardless of his obvious powers. 'Somehow, this knowledge comforts me.' On screen, the giant now had the willingly surrendered Unit 01 cupped in its hands, before abruptly reverting into its former Rei-like appearance. 'Now then. . . let the real drama begin.'


To be continued in The End of Hedgehog's Dilemma, Part II: Hedgehog Messiah