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"Kuhl of the Shore, is it?"
At his question, the youth in the distance—features still partially obscured under the unnaturally thick mist surrounding the woods lined shore—turned towards him.
"They told me to try my luck here, saying this is a place that won't turn away motherless children." He raised his voice. "So…is it alright for me to be here?"
Before the other boy showed any reaction, a lose sheet of newspaper drifted by, sticking to the speaker's foot and reducing him to nervous, excited giggles.
"Gosh…! To think I'd get to again recite my first words to you…only it's in Japanese this time."
Removing the German newspaper—dated 27 April 1945—from his shoe, he who now remembered he was more than just Ikari Shinji wiped the emotional tears off of his blurring eyes, and faced his reunited mate with what he hoped was his biggest, bravest smile.
"At long last…I'm back."
He reached both arms towards his utmost significant other.
"Welcome me back? Kuhl?"
"So this is why we need that umbilical cable locked in place…"
Makoto's vocal musing drifted over the tension-thick air of the Command Center within the NERV Headquarters, its entire massive structure currently being pulled forward by Unit 02 via said cable like it was an oversized trailer.
"The LCL medium within Lilith offers almost 90% less resistance than water," supplied Maya, typing through relevant calculations at her workstation. "So Unit 02 can actually use its A.T. Field projections to move the detached HQ forward with it."
"Considering how none of us have enough willpower to manifest an adequate propeller for the massive HQ, this will have to do," quipped Shigeru, all the while pulling up a satellite close up video of SEELE and its immediate surroundings onto the front screen.
A ray of light—originating from what looked like a blurry disturbance of LCL—could be seen spearing down upon SEELE, now twitching under its effect like a giant pinned worm.
"At this pace, Unit 01 will still reach SEELE before Unit 02," said Fuyutsuki, noting the EVA's steady advancement towards SEELE from another direction.
"SEELE should fall within the HQ's external defense system's shooting range before that," asserted Ritsuko through the numbers pulled up at Maya's station.
"And our positron sniper rifle—currently connected to said system—just so happened to be pre-charged prior to our return," intoned Misato, harden gaze upon live feed of the Final Judgment. "Though…judging by the Seventeenth's heavy-handed approach, SEELE just might be effectively subjugated without us having to do anything."
On screen, the young version of Lorenz—literally put under the spotlight—looked a picture of defeat after being dealt the "Top Secret" reveal.
Ahead of the battle-ready HQ, Unit 02 continued its steady advance towards the light-speared SEELE. While a daunting sight at first glance, closer observation may reveal signs of fear-betraying hesitancy marring its current posture.
"Kaji…this is just like what happened to me back when I fought the Fifteenth.
"The light…it pried into the most private parts of my person. It twisted my private moments and…forced me into admitting to be some desperate…pathetic...!
"It…defiled me! I cried out for you in the plug, not knowing you were a-already…"
"Asuka, I'm here, I'm alive…and so are you."
"Kaji…"
"As long as you're alive, you will have the chance to recover from whatever damage others tried inflicting upon you. The shame of defeat, of suffering humiliations that should've been beneath you…all that shall pass the moment you got your chance to prove those who tried devaluing you wrong. Living on, you'll always have the chance to show the world what you're really made of.
"You'll always have the chance to overcome defilement as you heal and reshape your ego growing up."
"…Kaji, you sound like you really know what you're talking about."
A telling pause followed in this telepathic exchange. And then…
"Asuka…as long as you, your enemy, and the opportunity for you to get back at said enemy exist…everything will be all right."
"…I understand, Kaji. From now on, you and I will help each other to take down our common enemy!"
Posture sharpening up, Unit 02 growled against the surrounding LCL as it "unfurled" it's multiple "wings" of A.T. Field projections in further empowerment of its forward momentum.
"—allelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelu—"
Cast under divine light, the accused was displayed naked on his knees. In the backdrop, blocks of text scrolled across a large screen baring intimate details of his past—just like his body—to Humanity's scrutinizing gaze.
[TOP SECRET—BEHIND THE CASE OF KEEL LORENZ
[The Origin of Keel Lorenz
[A. Publicly Released Information: Data Unavailable.
[B. Generally Recognized Information: Chairman Keel Lorenz, now serving as the head of the Human Instrumentality Committee, the five-man subgroup of SEELE which directly oversees NERV's Evangelion project (as well as their secret Human Instrumentality Project), and functions by working through the UN and secretly pulling the strings of world governments, is of European Origins.
[C. Confidential Information: Keel Lorenz was originally Kuhl of the SeaShore, leader of the Coral Children, a Third Reich wild boy gang occupying Edelweiss Bay, Wilhelmshaven.
[D. In-Depth Information: It was through his experiences in the Coral Children that Kuhl gained the two triggers that pushed him into becoming SEELE leader Keel Lorenz: the tragic death of his lover—the male Coral Child Blue (Ikari Shinji's past life)—that gave him his subsequent hard cynicism, and the key to accessing a Vatican Bank account harboring a colossal sum of off-record Nazi Looted Assets—that which became the seed money for his joining and reviving the global cult/cabal SEELE.]
"So Ikari-kun was once Blue before he is Ikari-kun," pondered the Rei stationed at the Class 2-A Witness Box aloud. "Just like how I was once the 'second' Ayanami Rei…before that, the 'first' Ayanami Rei…."
The Seed clone's existential wondering went largely ignored by her human classmates, all focused on another matter of far greater relevance to them.
"Kensuke." Toji, staring ahead at the text screen, appeared neutral of voice and expression as he addressed his buddy without turning around. "What you told us earlier on about these last century Wild Boy gangs…"
Kensuke, for his part, had sweating glistering upon his flushed face as he blinked uncontrollably. "Y-You mean about that thing they d-did to survive Nazi Germany?"
Hikari's gaze upon Shinji—now alternating between the appearances of his two incarnations—was filled with pained empathy. "Then…poor Shinji-kun…had he really been Lorenz's…gang member in his past life…was also…?"
[Coral Children
[A. Publicly Released Information (Wilhelmshaven circa 1945): A Third Reich wild boy gang based in Wilhelmshaven. Members refer to themselves as Coral Children.
[B. Generally Recognized Information: Marking the Edelweiss Bay as its turf, Coral Children thrived on homosexual prostitution and petty crimes around the Wilhelmshaven naval port.]
"Damn…" chorused Toji and Kensuke, both quickly ssshhhh-ed downed by Hikari. She was, however, unable to prevent the rest of Class 2-A (minus Rei, apparently still deep in thought) from letting out their collective "…urg…!".
At the Prisoner's Dock, Keel's trembling hands clenched into tight fists.
[Coral Children possess military grade weapons presumably robbed/stolen from their patrons, which ranged from Hitler Youth to Nazi Officer, and was regarded as a fear-worthy force by the locals. On top of teen boys, Coral Children defied Wild Boy tradition by also having girls—mostly female military brothel escapees—as their members. Unlike their male counterparts, female Coral Children were not prostitutes. Kuhl allowed them to be contributing members by aiding in the nonsexual side of the gang's operation.]
"Going by this, Lorenz seemed like a somewhat decent kid back then…" commented Hikari. Her words had a few of their female classmates nodding in agreeance.
"He still ended up becoming this world-destroying monster in front of us," pointed out Toji. "So let's all keep our sympathy in check alright?" The other boys grunted in support for his unwavering stance.
[C. Confidential Information: The Coral Children operated under the protection of the Nazi Kriegsmarine Großadmiral, who took Kuhl as his top catamite. It was through his liaisons with the Großadmiral that Kuhl gained access to the Nazi Gold that eventually gave him the means to reinvent himself as a global power player after WWII.]
"My military-fanatic mind would be far more focused on terms like 'Kriegsmarine' and 'Nazi Gold'… if not for that one eye-catching word sticking out from the rest," bemoaned Kensuke, shaking his head.
[D. In-Depth Information: TBA]
"…for which I'm glad," muttered Hikari, gazing away red-faced.
"Yeah." Toji crossed his arms while shivering somewhat. "Like, do we really need in-depth info on the danky experiences of some random kids from the old guy's yesteryears?"
[Edelweiss Bay
[A. Publicly Released Information (Wilhelmshaven circa 1945): A set area along the wooded shoreline of Wilhelmshaven which the wild boy gang the Coral Children had marked as their turf circa 1945.
[B. Generally Recognized Information: The Edelweiss Bay, while a brothel from where most of the Coral Children's sex work took place, was also known as a sanctuary beyond even Nazi law enforcement.
"Here we go with the sex stuff again…" groaned Kensuke, echoed by those other students around him.
[C. Confidential Information: The sanctuary status of Edelweiss Bay was largely based upon the Großadmiral's protection over Kuhl—his catamite—from behind the scenes. This sanctuary was conditioned upon Kuhl and the Coral Children submitting themselves to the sadistic Großadmiral and his close confidants' brutal rape upon demand.]
Hikari had since covered her eyes. "Too. Much. Information."
"Do we really need to know about the old guy's rapey past just to judge him for what he does now?" grumbled Toji in growing impatience. "How is any of this relevant to a trial about crimes against humanity, of which he is plain guilty?"
[D. In-Depth Information: The sole reason Coral Children-controlled Edelweiss Bay was able to exist in Nazi Wilhelmshaven was entirely because of Kuhl's relationship with the Großadmiral. Once it became apparent that the Kriegsmarine can no longer push the Allied forces back from Wilhelmshaven, the sanctuary over Edelweiss Bay collapsed under a Nazi military invasion purging the Coral Children—all members deemed deviant—on site prior to the German forces' retreat from the losing frontline.]
"Taking no prisoner…" Kensuke's eyes narrowed underneath his glasses. "Just like SEELE's attack on NERV."
"Imagine reenacting the same tactic your enemy once used to kill all your childhood friends," snorted Toji in disgust. "Fucking monster."
"But how did Lorenz survive the Nazi purge order? He was only a kid back then."
"If only those useless Nazis could've off-ed him back then."
Toji's harsh words had Hikari turning towards him, wide-eyed.
"What?" he asked, sticking by his take on the matter. "Our world will literally be saved had that freak died early."
[Blue
[A. Publicly Released Information (Wilhelmshaven circa 1945): A Coral Child, and Kuhl's lover. He was 14 years old when he died saving Kuhl during the Nazi invasion of Edelweiss Bay.]
A number of Class 2-A students groaned in unison at the reveal.
"Oh, Shin-man…"
"Of all the people Shinji-kun could have sacrificed his life to save, it just had to be the enemy of Mankind…"
"Blue." Rei spoke aloud to her classmates without turning her steady gaze away from the text on screen. "Ikari-kun was Blue back then."
Getting what she said, the teens all quieted down, though many still appeared disgruntled.
[B. Generally Recognized Information: The last Child to join the Coral Children before the Gang's extermination by Nazis, Blue's entry into the gang involved him—]
CLANG!
The exposition came to an abrupt end as Keel flung his visor at the text screen, which shattered in a dramatic shower of glass shards, some of which ended up raining upon him—as evidenced by the red cuts appearing upon his exposed, sweat-drenched skin. Humanity—priory aloud with vocal singing and speculating—was rendered silent in the aftermath of his violent outburst, leaving his heaving breath all the more audible in the ensuing dead air.
"SEELE showing signs of aggression!"
Shigeru's exclamation followed SEELE swiping it's long tail at the source of the ray of light, predictably hitting just LCL. The resultant liquid shockwave nonetheless ended up slamming in their direction, impacting the sizable HQ to ground-shaking, laptop-rattling effects.
"All physical components of HQ exterior intact!" reported Maya, hurrying through the system's data reports.
"…was I too optimistic?" pondered Misato, eyes darting between the video screens displaying—with updated technical analysis—the dual concurrent levels of reality. "How much longer till SEELE fall into our effective shooting range?" she asked raising her voice.
Makoto hurried to check. "If Unit 02 can keep up its current pace…less than a minute!"
"Magi suggest we begin locking aim on SEELE starting at the 50% accuracy zone," supplied Ritsuko, busy helping Maya sorting through the numbers.
In the physical realm, SEELE had since coiled up on itself like an agitated caterpillar. From the other direction, Unit 01 was sailing right into SEELE's strike range.
Misato made her decision then.
"Load up the Positron Rifle."
Trembling from rage and hysteria, Keel—still basked under Tabris' ray of light—had his head hung low mentally steeling himself, prior to finally speaking up aloud:
"…you've overthrown me. You can now publicly expose and degrade my person however you wish.
"But don't you dare expose them… expose him to their callous, judgmental bystander gaze just to serve your personal agenda!"
A fist to the ground punctuated his last word, followed by Keel lifting his head to reveal bloodshot blue eyes glaring up at Tabris' luminous, impassive figure.
"Tabris, you who possess only the Fruit of Life…you are a fool.
The statement failed to incite any visible reaction from the stony Angel. Keel bared his gritted teeth.
"Do you really think that just because you can somehow skim through my memories, that you would have my expertise on this 'Lilin' world?"
He clasped a hand soundly against his bared chest.
"My Fruit of Knowledge is beyond your reach—human experiences can only be gained by living through them."
That had Adam's split widening his red eyes. Snorting, Keel's bitter gaze swept across every inch of the creature's pristine form, noting how its entirety was groomed to perfection as per his dictation.
"In your fifteen years pampered-up at SEELE HQ, you haven't lived this world. You've learned NOTHING about what people are really like!"
Still locking gazes with his judgmental creation on high, the still-kneeling creator spread out his own human arms in a defiant, wing-like gesture.
"Wider than the river that divides men and women, deeper than the gulf between Angels and Lilins, the animosity existing between people divided by opposing self interest is something an Angel like you simply cannot comprehend!"
The accused then pointed his accusing finger at the crowded Gallery.
"Do you think these people's nature will allow them to lend support to your 'Shinji-kun'? Like you want them to? After you've stupidly exposed him to be my Blue, a bona fide Wild Boy?!"
The finger swiped sideways to stab at the Class 2-A Witness's Box.
"Even his so-called friends in this life are regarding his tragic past incarnation with narrow-minded disgust!"
"Those were the days, Kuhl."
That familiar voice—coming substantial instead of disembodied, and close—shocked Keel into breaking eye contact with Tabris, as he whirled to face that familiar person currently standing right on the Dock, right beside his naked, kneeling self.
"…Blue!"
"…Shinji-kun!"
The fearful alarm in Misato's shrill outcry currently mirrored that of everyone else's in the Command Center.
The NERV Crew watched, stunned, as a giant ghostly being—one shaped like a delicate Caucasian youth—now protruded from out of Unit 01's lower thoracic region, its white flesh obscuring the once exposed red core. Wearing what looked like a dreamy smile on its fine-featured face, the being began reaching towards SEELE with both slender arms….
. . . to be continued?
Endnotes: Readers may notice how the format for the Top Secret Keel Case File is the one used by The Classified Information (Kimitsu Jouhou) from the Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 video game ;-)