A/N: I just started my first year of college and this took awhile to getting around to after settling in but here's the next chapter.
Chapter 3: Enlightenment I
A few minutes earlier…
All she could feel was pain, a lot of pain… and she hated it. It was like someone had drilled a hole into her chest cavity with a molten iron pole. and then left her there as if they wanted her to die from severe internal burning and blood loss. Suddenly, she felt something protruding from her back, releasing an electric feeling throughout her body. Leaving her momentarily stunned, unprepared for the next sensation. Something then got shoved into the hole in her chest causing a wave of new and even more intense pain. She was brought back to reality by an announcement that projected through the cage she resided in.
"Core insertion complete. Electrical levels remaining within the safety zone. Now moving to final phase. Begin chest plate installation."
Arika's attention focused on the scientists and engineers working to move the chest plate armor into place. She could feel her arms and shoulders held in place by thick, metal bindings. Her legs and waist were similarly bound to a hard surface. With subtle movement, so as not to alert the people around her, she tilted her head down, getting a view of her lower body. She could see her reflection in an orange-red liquid that reached just below her chest. Looking on with horror, she could see that everywhere, except for her chest, which held a spherical red gem, was covered in purple, green and black armor, similar to that of unit 00. Covering her head completely was a helmet with a jagged mouth line and a single horn rising from the center of the forehead.
'No. This can't be happening!' her mind screamed in denial.
If anyone could have seen her facial expression, they would have noticed the shift from fear to pure rage. As the engineers prepared to install the chest plate armor, the restraints around the giant began to groan. Without warning, they started to break one by one. Everyone panicked and fled the chamber as Arika, now unit 01, broke free of her prison. Letting her pain be known, she roared out a cry of anguish. However, instead of a human shout, all the engineers and scientists heard an ear piercing low toned screatsh. A scientist in the control booth yelled, "Ejecting the power cable!" A Thunk resounded through the cage as the massive cable detached.
"One minute of internal battery remaining!"
Feeling the electrical sensation lessen, Arika realized that her ability to move was starting to wane. As she approached the control booth, with her tormentors inside, she reared back for a punch. She decided that she'd make them pay for turning her into a biomechanical abomination. Unknow to her, no one in the control room except the blond scientist and the commander, knew about the new evangelion's origin. Gendo Ikari smirked from his position.
'Finally. Unit 01 is born to serve its role in the senario. Let the child have its tantrum. for it won't affect the course of events. Soon the third child will be called here and then everything will fall into place. And so it begins. Soon I'll be with you again Yui.'
Unit 01 pounded the booth with punches, damaging the test cage wall and cracking the viewing widow's glass. With each punch, however, her strength faded. Her last strike bounced off the wall next to the window almost harmlessly. Her arm then fell to the side. Feeling her legs give out, she slumped over crashing to the cage floor and drifted into a deep sleep.
Or that's what seemed to happen on the outside.
Arika slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on a flat surface. Looking up she saw a normal sky with clouds, only tinted red. Sitting up and turning her head about, she could see a horizon in the distance. She also noted that there didn't seem to be anything else sharing the space she currently was sitting in.
"Where am I and what is this place?" she spoke aloud, hearing her voice echo.
However, she didn't expect to get a response.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
Standing up and turning around, she saw a woman who looked to be in her late twenties wearing a lab coat over a simple dress. Her hair was dark brown, and reminded her of Shinji's. Yet something was off about her appearance as well. Dark red patches, like wounds, stained her clothing and covered the exposed skin of her body. Small ones pockmarked her face. Her form also appeared to be astral as it had some transparency to it. However, a calm aura radiated from her. despite her looking frail and on the verge of death. Arika suddenly realized that standing in front of her was Shinji's mother, looking as she had ten years ago when she died. With some hesitation, Arika asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Mrs. Ikari would you?"
"Indeed I am, and yet I am not at the same time. I'm merely a remnant of her soul and thoughts. Yui Ikari's dying wish if you will, manifested by the will of the all mother, in a clone of the second angel, Lilith's core… And who might you be young Lilum child, now the beast called Evangelion?"
"I'm Shimizu Arika, a close friend to Mrs. Ikari's son Shinji."
The remnant looked momentarily lost in memory at the mention of the woman's child, before exclaiming, "Oh that's great! My dear Shinji has gained a girlfriend in my absence. One that is true to the heart and saved him from great peril! She is deemed worthy in my eyes to be a companion of his choosing."
Arika started to blush after hearing the joyful statement but then frowned, remembering her predicament. She was now an armor-clad abomination, no one knew where she was, she didn't know where she was either, and Shinji was probably alone again needing help and worried sick about her disappearance.
"Unfortunately, he's alone again and probably wondering where I've gone. I promised that I'd be there for him if he needed help. What kind of friend am I if I can't support him in his time of need?!"
"Alas yes," the Yui remnant sighed. "He's alone again without your soul to guide him, child, but I don't think that will stop him from trying to be a better person in your absence."
It continued in a less emotional tone, "And to answer the question on your mind, we are in the plane of existence within an angel's-excuse me, an Evangelion's core. Here, thoughts are free to be heard by all individuals and souls appear as their heart's will. However, souls can only be here for three reasons. One, they can be forced here, Yui Ikari for example. Or two, they willed themselves here through their angelic power, like the all-mother did with me. Or three, the soul of the body, this core resides in willed themselves here, which I think happens to be your case. Further proof lies in the form of your presence here."
Looking down at herself, Arika saw that she now resembled a combination of the lithe young woman she was her new titanic form, wearing the black suit she was forced into with her new ruby red core in the center of her chest. If she could have seen her face, she would know that her aquamarine hair was still just below shoulder length, but her once deep blue eyes had now taken on a subtle purple hue. A feeling of urgency rose in her mind as she looked back to see the remnant's form begin to flicker.
"It seems I only have minutes now before I completely fade from all planes of existence." it addressed as a hopeful but sad look crossed its face.
"W-What do you mean your fading?! You can't go yet, I just met you here! I'll be alone again!" Arika cried.
In response, the remnant returned to Yui's personality and stated, "I'm sorry that I can't stay much longer but as we both know, I'm supposed to be dead. However, by the will of the second angel, my soul's disappearance has been delayed until now for a reason."
Though Arika was still stricken with sadness, she couldn't argue with that fact. Yui Ikari's time was up, and what was left of her soul needed to pass on and be at peace. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Arika looked again at the remnant bringing a sad smile to her face. Much to her surprise, as if the jumbled mess of mother, women, and scientist became one, it-no, she-donned a look of determination and sagely spoke to Arika one more time.
"What matters now Lilum child, is that you hear our final message. Do you care for Shinji? Because if you do then, as his mother, I want you to protect him. Protect him from the will of his own father. The man we once knew has fallen far from grace and will do anything, even bring about third impact. if he could see us again. However great dangers are yet to come. Fifteen children of the first angel Adam will come to this city in retaliation for humanity wronging the all-father. Each one is unique in its own way, but beware, while some may have strength. others may clash with the power of 'thunder'. Wipe them out before they reach the all-mother's domain or else all that what was and is will cease to be. Should you conquer Zeruel the angel of might and persuade Tabris that humanity should live on, then the all-mother will give you her blessing and reveal the untold truth of your existence. When the time is right, you must seek her out. Let her remember you exist. With this I leave you to face the false prophecy of Seele's dead sea scrolls. Farewell Shimizu Arika. May you live through the end of days."
And with that, the remnant faded. leaving Arika once again alone, to ponder its parting words.
"Fifteen children of Adam… Zeruel angel of might… Tabris… the all-mother's blessing… Seele's dead sea scrolls… There's just too many things I must do! And what does she mean 'the untold truth of my existence?' What could I possibly not know about myself? Though when she said 'the end of days', that scares me. Could she be talking about third impact?"
The very thought of it sent a shiver up her spine. Supposedly, the second angel Lilith would have some answers for her once she made contact. However, for now there was not much to do besides thinking and sleeping. Deciding to test her possible new abilities, she forced her senses to the outside. Ever so slowly, the scenery inside the core vanished and the world around her faded into existence. In her limited range of view, she could see that she had been brought to a different location than the one where her transformation occurred.
On some of the walls were signs that read cage seven. In front of her was a wide catwalk spanning the width of the space with restraint arms running from it attached to the area between her neck and shoulders. Looking down, she saw she was almost neck deep in that red-orange liquid from earlier. As she attempted to move her arm, she felt not only resistance from the liquid, but weight against her shoulders, as well. Out of the corner of her eye on either side, she could see a long shape, somewhat like a pylon, of black mixed with green connected to each shoulder. These shoulder pylons were were bolted in the cage wall, restraining her arms. However, these restraints seemed less restrictive. They looked as if they just barely kept her in place. Her feet also felt locked to the floor below the liquid.
Glancing around the cage, Arika found that no personel seemed to be in with her. She listened for any noise to alert her of someone's presence, but the place was dead quiet. Only the faint sounds of machines running in the background could be heard. Despite this, she felt the subtle pressure that told her she was being watched from an unknown location. She pondered but decided that doing something rash like attempting escape would bring unwanted attention, so she opted to wait patiently for something to change or someone to walk through the door to the cage.
As time went on, boredom set in. Every now and then, she'd try to move a few of her muscles so she didn't get stiff. Once she tried to speak aloud, but all that came out was a intangible growl. Taking a nap didn't seem to work either. She'd close her eyes only to wake a few minutes later. As she contained to do nothing, apprehension, eagerness and eventually fear began manifesting in her mind. The gravity of her situation began to set in. No one was around to talk because it was probably night, no one would be able to understand her anyway, and now she was dying from isolation and boredom.
'Here I am, stuck as some giant human-like monster covered from head to toe in armor. Everything I feel about my body is off. I have no apparent hunger or thirst, and my energy feels limited, but my strength is infinite.'
If anyone could have listened, they would have heard her voice become more desperate and filled with anguish.
'Nearly nothing about me even feels remotely like my gender anymore! ... apart from my hair… Even that feels different! Like someone took scissors and cut it short! Stranger, I can feel the presence of the core in my chest! More importantly, it's probably been weeks. No, months since Shinji last saw me. He's probably worried sick and still doesn't know where I am, let alone what's happened to me! What am I going to do?!'
Her thoughts ended as she broke into sobs. Eventually, she cried herself in to another deep sleep.
Many months passed, but only two things of note happened. During the time, Nerv attempted the first pilot activation test of unit 01, which went off without a hitch, even though Arika was dormant inside the core. Also, Nerv staff was replaced so that no one knew of the evangelion's creation. FInally, Shinji had had enough, "Today," he told himself, "I stop waiting and wondering. Today, I find Arika."
He started by asking his sensei for her potential whereabouts, but he got no information relevance. Recalling Akira telling him that she used to live in Tokyo 2, Shinji went there and began to ask around. Through the day, he went from door to door, and street to street, even asking strangers passing by, giving a brief description each time. He went for days on end, covering a different section of the city each time. However, while he got some answers, most of the responses were worthless. Some people said she was homeschooled but only saw her every now and then. Others thought they had seen her lately, even the other day. These hints turned out to be red herrings leading him nowhere. A homeless man who Shinji had passed several times during the day gave him some unwanted advice, "Ya should'a just given up kid. See'n how much y'er try'n to find this lady friend of y'ers. I'd hate to break it to ya, but you'll find nut'n more here. Go on home kid."
But Shinji kept going, searching every nook and cranny he could find. He told himself he would not stop until he had a solid answer, but his obsession was starting to wear on him. After searching for nearly two weeks and covering most of the city, he decided he'd try one more time. He felt his luck was running dry and time was running out.
"Nothing. Not one person in this damn city knows where Arika is. Hell, with all the searching I've done for the past two weeks, I could've been just a few feet away from her residence."
He continued his journey back in silence, but with each step his frustration built until it reached a boiling point. Making matters worse, it dawned on him that one of the main reasons he couldn't find a trace of her was because he was looking in the wrong place. Kicking a pebble on the sidewalk as he stepped, he yelled out, "It's hopeless! The world is just too big to find just person who is important to me! Why did I even try when it all amounted to nothing?!"
A familiar voice played in the back of his head, calming him. Now now Shinji. Cheer up. Being pessimistic about it isn't going to get you anywhere…"
"Arika … " he sighed, calming down.
"Just who exactly are you?"
Looking up he found himself back at his "home" and in front of the mailbox. Looking at the box, he saw once again the indication that there was mail. Slowly he walked over, took his key out from his pocket, and unlocked the box. Inside was what looked to be a few manuals and a letter. Opening the envelope, he found an id pass with his picture and a piece of paper with the current date, 2015, with all but two lines of text blacked out. Shinji hadn't thought his heart could sink any lower, but it did. For the text simply read
"Come." "I have a use for you now."
At the same time, alone in the cage, deep inside of Nerv, sat the purple and green behemoth. If one were to listen closely, one could hear the faint sounds of crying as the feeling of foreboding set in. Something was coming. Deep in the waters of the pacific ocean, danger was hurtling towards Tokyo 3.
A/N: This concludes the intro and sets the stage for the canon. Where's Shinji going? Will Arika wake up? What could this danger possibly be? Who knows? Find out next in Chapter 4: Angel Attack.