From: akaroth <akaroth@geocities.com>
Subject: [Eva][Fanfic] Requiem One

REQUIEM


Author's Note:  This is another re-interpretation of NGE.
It will, admittedly, begin in pretty much the exact same
way as the actual series; expect that to change quite a 
bit as time goes on.  That's about it.. 


ONE / THE THIRD


        "The first impact occured millions of years before mankind 
had ever set foot upon the earth.  A meteor collided with our  
world, seperating a part of the planet that we would come to know 
as the moon.  In addition, the impact initiated an Ice Age that wiped 
out virtually all life on the earth, including the gargantuan
Dinosaurs that had ruled the planet unchallenged for so many years.
The remaining life forms adapted to survive, and from this forced and
unexpected evolution humanity would arise.

        The second impact took place fifteen years ago, in 2000 CE, 
and is widely considered the greatest tragedy in the history of
mankind.  A previously unobserved meteorite inexplicably collided with
the polar ice caps, causing far more damage than its size might have
suggested by melting them and burying half the world beneath a new
series of oceans.  An estimated 2.8 billion perished in this terrible
cataclysm, and since then many governments worldwide have pooled
their technology to prevent such an event from ever occurring again."

                                     - Standard history text book
                                      definition of "Second Impact"

        "I have made the preliminary reports to all the proper 
authorities. The forms were all forged, placing the blame for the 
second impact on a small meteorite that avoided our detection
systems.  The lifeform that survived the explosion has been recovered,
as has the remaining genetic material of the lifeform that caused it.
We have already began to refer to them as 'Angels', as termed by the
Dead Sea Scrolls.  Yet it does not follow that the first two have come
together - or should be so destroyed.  What we will do with the
remains of the first angel is yet uncertain.  The second, however,
must be protected at all costs.  Humankind will not survive a third
impact."

                                    - Excerpt from the personal diary
                                        of SEELE chairman Keel Lorenz


        Operative Kaio sat alone in the dark, quietly sipping his
coffee.  The only source of light in the room was the hazy glow
floating off of the stacked consoles in front of him.  The speakers of
the massive computer gave off a muffled buzz, monotone and soothing.
At the moment, the coffee was the only thing keeping Kaio awake.
        The only object being tracked by the computer was a regulation
aircraft, probably transporting cargo.  There was nothing else in the
sky, nothing else within miles and miles that might cause problems.
Kaio had no reason to contact the aircraft, but he was tempted
nonetheless, simply to hear the sound of another's voice.  Much of the
time, observing the airways was dreadfully lonely, and sometimes Kaio
even forgot there was a world outside of the cramped room.  Sighting,
he drained his mug and gazed blankly at the screen.
        He was rather surprised, therefore, when the aircraft
contacted _him_.  "This is regulation aircraft 316-A, attempting to
communicate with Delta station monitor.  Are you there, monitor
operative?"
        Kaio nearly jumped at the sound of the voice.  Wiping his eyes
in an attempt to clear his head, he set down his coffee mug and
staggered over to the communications console.
        "Delta station operative here," he replied with as much effort
as he could muster.  "How can I help you, 316-A?"
        "Do you detect anything unusual in your airspace, operative?"
        Kaio frowned.  "Anything unusual?"  He stared into the large 
display in the center of the computer system, struggling to see
details with sleep-rimmed eyes.  But he could see nothing unordinary,
nothing threatening - nothing even in the air but the solitary 316-A.
        "There appears to be no unusual activity in Delta airspace,"
Kaio replied.  "Why do you ask?"
        There was an uncomfortable pause before the pilot began to
speak again.  "At the edge of your airspace, we detected what appeared
to be a UFO entering the atmosphere."
        Kaio was silent.  The pilot drew a long, shuddering breath
that revurburated throughout the the room.  "I didn't want to mention
it to you - but I had been so sure-
        "Sorry to bother you, operative."  The pilot concluded,
resolute.  The communication channel closed, the console dimmed and
Kaio was alone once more.
        A UFO? Kaio wondered.  His interest aroused, he bent down to
peer again at the large display, looking for something out of the
ordinary.
        He did not search in vain.  An object roughly the size of a
tall building had just entered Delta airspace.  The unusual thing was,
it wasn't travelling through the air at all, but rather along the
ground, like a vehicle of some type.
        What is that?  Kaio wondered to himself as he simeltaniously 
punched into the computer the same query.  The computer started to
track the object, to analyze it, and the soft hum of the inactive
speakers became a series of harsh beeps.  Kaio could feel an emotion
lurking deep within him - an emotion that his position rarely required
him to recognize.  He was afraid, and he could not explain why.
        Finally, after what could not have been more than a few
seconds but seemed an eternity to Kaio, the computer had determined
just what it was he was staring at.
        "Pattern Blue?"  Kaio questioned aloud.  He had never seen the
computer use this classification before.  He didn't even know it had
existed.  What the hell was a pattern blue?
        Confused, worried, and finally awake, Kaio leaned towards his
seat and grabbed the reciever of the jet-black phone stationed there.
He had the commander on auto-dial, so there was no need for him to
remember the number - something Kaio had never been good at.  After a
few rings, the other end picked up.
	"Hello?" came the commander's gruff voice.
        "Commander, this is Operative Kaio."  Kaio sat down as he
said this, his eyes fixated on the small monitor that displayed
classification.  "I've just recieved report of a UFO entering the
atmosphere - a report I wouldn't neccessarily believe under most
circumstances, but the computer located it and identified it as
'Pattern Blue'.  Now, I don't-"
	"Did you say Pattern Blue?" the commander harshly
interrupted, a faint note of panic in his voice.  "Are you absolutely
certain?"
	"Yep, I'm certain," Kaio replied.  "Look, I'll send you the
report on this thing." Deftly acessing the terminal across from him,
he ordered the data sent to the commander.
	The commander drew a sharp breath.
	"Commander," Kaio asked, "Just what _is_ Pattern Blue?  And
why haven't I ever heard of it before?"
	"Get out of there, Kaio," the commander said, his voice thick
with fear.  "Get out of there _now_."
	Kaio's blood froze.  He turned back to the location monitor, 
expecting the Pattern Blue object to have remained in position.  A
mere second later his eyes had found it - right outside of the
monotoring station.
	Suddenly the computer in front of him exploded.  Kaio
shrieked, dropping the phone and falling to the floor.  A huge hand,
wet and sleek and glistening, reached through the hole where the
monitoring equipment used to be.  Whipping rapidly around, the giant,
muscular arm tore apart the west wall of the building, raining debris
on Kaio and allowing him his first look at the bone-white, malformed,
expressionless head set into the creature's chest.
	"Please don't kill me," Kaio whispered.
	The huge beast opened its palm, and from the center came a
blazing light and a blazing heat.  The building collapsed, and
everything within it was utterly disentegrated by the hellish weapon
- there was not even enough time for Operative Kaio to scream.

	Commander Gendo Ikari's room at NERV headquarters was
immensely large, but completely barren apart from a solitary desk at
one end.  Ikari sat at that desk, his short, dark hair framing an
expressionless face, his eyes concealed by glasses that seemed to
constantly reflect light.  His hands were pressed together in front of
him, his elbows resting upon the oaken surface of the desk, his eyes
focusing cleanly into the distance. He was like this, unmoving, as
Subcommander Fuyutsuki entered.  Fuyutsuki, a tall  man with a sharp
face and greying hair, came to stand behind Ikari, staring into the
same distance, perhaps seeing the same apparitions.
	"Fifteen years," Fuyutsuki said softly.  "Has it really been 
fifteen years?"
	"We have dreaded this day for that long," Gendo intoned in his 
dark voice, a voice bereft of emotion.  "And we have prepared for it.
Our preperations have not been in vain."
	"The UN is requesting your advice pertaining to an initial 
military conflict," Fuyutsuki murmured.  "What will you tell them?"
	"Tell them to launch an all-out assault."
	Fuyutsuki was momentarily taken aback.  "That will never work.  
Normal weaponry can't penetrate an AT field."
	"This assault will demonstrate that more clearly than any
words I might give them.  We need their dependance more than their
support, and I am hoping this encounter will assure exactly that."
	"I would think our first priority would be defeating the
enemy," Fuyutsuki replied.  "How do you intend to do that without
a pilot?"
	"Contact Captain Katsuragi.  I will speak to her presently."
He paused.  "I will ask her to deliver me the Third Child."
	Fuyutsuki's expression was grim.  "I see," he said.  "He might
not wish to pilot the Eva."
	"He will have no choice."
	For a few seconds they were both silent.
	"Fifteen years," Fuyutsuki said, staring blankly into the 
darkness. "Fifteen years.. and the Third Angel has arrived."

	The military headquarters that the UN had established in
Tokyo-3 was far too small and far too hot for the liking of the
Commanders and Subcommanders stationed there.  The entire south wall
was occupied by a bank of monitors that, currently, depicted the
Third Angel striding towards Tokyo, ripping through streets and
buildings, occasionally pausing as if to examine its surroundings.
	"It appears to be searching for something," one of the 
Subcommanders mused.  "Perhaps it's searching for us."
	"Do we have Kanto and Chubu districts evacuated yet?"
another stationed at a control panel at the back of the room
questioned.
        "Mostly," a technichian at the front of the room replied.
"We've had reports of a few stragglers, but the majority of the
populace has taken refuge in the emergency shelters."
	"We don't have time to wait for the stragglers," the first 
Subcommander said.
	"Agreed," the Commander-in-Chief said, rising from his seat
and demanding the entire room's attention with his presence.  "If
there are any people left in those districts, they're going to die
regardless of whether we act now or not.  Commence the missile
launch."
	The technician swallowed, nervously adjusting the targeting 
systems. "Launching missiles.. now."
	On the giant viewscreen, the defense force could clearly
witness the simeltanious launch of eight missiles, the dark forms
rising to the sound of a siren that might just as easily have been
a banshee's wail.  They soared across the clear, blue sky with
frightening speed, approaching the demonic form shillouetted against
that sky in a matter of seconds. But these were just fleeting images,
caught only for a moment and then lost.  The screen image blurred, the
horizon filled with fire.
	"All missles hit the target," the technician reported.
	The image cleared sharply a second later, revealing the
ominous giant still standing.  There was no sign of the Angel having
recieved any damage at all.
	"My God," the technician murmured.
	"Target is still intact," the Subcommander in front of the
console reported.  "It's continuing towards Tokyo-3."
	"Shit!" the second Subcommander swore.
	"Commit all divisions at Atsugi and Iruma bases to the
battle," the Commander-in-Chief hissed.  "Do we have a second missile
launch prepared?"
	"We do, sir." the technician reported.
	"Launch," the Commander ordered.
	Once more, a series of projectiles hurtled through the air, 
propelled by the hope and fear of those bearing witness.  The first 
missile slammed into the Angel's body, but its step did not even 
falter.  The second and the third attracted its attention.  It placed 
its hand in front of the next missile heading for it, catching it and 
rending the metal casing apart before the weapon exploded.  For 
another terrifying second the monitor's picture was distorted by 
multiple explosions, and the overall result became unclear.
	"All missiles hit the target," a Subcommander reported.
	The monitor cleared.
	"Target is undamaged."
	"Damn!" the Commander-in-Chief screamed, slamming his fist
down onto his desk.  "Is the tank battallion responding?"
	The technician turned to face the Commander, her face deathly 
pale.  "Tank batallion has been wiped out, sir."
        "Already?" the Commander-in-Chief murmured, amazed. "Then we
are swiftly being backed into a corner.  Prepare for plan B."

	Captain Misato Katsuragi drummed her fingers against the
dashboard of her car in frustration as she sped through the abandoned
streets of Tokyo-3.  Large speakers placed throughout the city
mechanically repeated the evacuation warning, cautioning citizens to
retreat to the designated shelters.
	"Today, at twelve-thirty, a state of emergency has been
declared within Kanto and Chubu districts, around Tokai district.
Please take refuge in the designated shelters.  Repeat: Today, at
twelve-thirty-"
	Misato drove the car to a screeching halt, beating her fists 
against the steering wheel and screaming angrily.  In the distance,
she could hear the monstrous, lumbering footsteps of the Third Angel,
and the deafining explosions of the multiple weapons being borne full
force at it.
	Misato, her face pressed against the wheel, slowly turned her
head to stare in the direction of the noises.  The Angel was not yet
visible.  And the street was empty.
	"I told him to meet me here!" Misato growled.  Suddenly she
thrust open the dashboard compartment and removed a small sheaf of
papers.  The topmost document was a picture of a fourteen-year-old boy
with short black hair.  The document just below that was a personal
profile of the pictured child, listing his name, age, blood type,
traits, preferences, and about anything else one could concievably
want to know regarding Shinji Ikari.
	"Shinji Ikari," Misato murmured, staring at the picture.  "I
can't believe I missed you.. now of all times."  In the far distance,
she could imagine seeing the shadowy form of the Third Angel between
the buidings, creeping ever closer to the center of Tokyo-3.  "What am
I going to do now?  What am I going to do?"

	"All public phone lines are out of service because of the
state of emergency.  Please proceed to your designated shelter.  All
public-"
	Shinji sighed, placing the phone reciever back on the hook.
In his hand he held a small photo of an attractive woman with purple
hair and brown eyes.  It had been delivered by a messenger a short
while ago, along with a letter listing an address for him to wait at
for her.  The letter also said she was from NERV, his father's
organization, and that it was his father who had requested she go to
bring him.
        Fear and hope intermingled within Shinji.  He hadn't seen his
father for three years now, before he was sent to live with another
foster parent, a man who was also a teacher at his school.  He hadn't
lived with his father since shortly after his mother's death.  Shinji
had never forgiven his father for abandoning him, and hoped the reason
his father wanted him at NERV during this disaster was to ensure his
safety, because he still cared about his son after all these years.
	But a part of him feared that his father would be no different 
than he had always seemed, that he only wanted him at NERV because he 
had another purpose in mind.  If his father did have a use for him, 
Shinji couldn't imagine what it was, but the fear was present
nonetheless.
	Shinji was then taken from his reverie by the ferocious sound
of the artillery assault on the Third Angel.  Suddenly frightened for
his life, Shinji realized that he had better get to an emergency
shelter before the conflict came any closer to him.  He felt bad about
not meeting Misato, but also partially relieved that he wouldn't have
to face his father after all.
	Just as Shinji turned in the direction he believed the shelter 
to be in, he heard the manic roar of a car's engine.  It was faint at
first, but became more audible quickly.  Very quickly.  By the time
he had turned around again, he could clearly see the blue car
barelling towards him at a speed he didn't think cars could even
reach.  It roared by him, braked sharply, and spun around, moving up
beside him.
	Misato Katsuragi, seated at the steering wheel, threw open the 
passenger door.  "Why the hell weren't you waiting for me?" she
screamed.
	Shinji jumped, stunned.  "Miss.. miss.. Katuragi?  It's - it's 
just that you took so long in getting here, I thought I'd try and call 
someone to find out what was happening-"
	Another large explosion caused the earth to vibrate as Misato 
screamed "Get in!"  Shinji wasted no time and Misato tore sharply away 
from the area of danger and towards NERV headquarters.
	"Sorry for yelling at you back there," Misato said,
indescribably relieved that she had found Commander Ikari's son
unhurt.  "I can't say I blame you, what with that Angel out there and
all.  And I guess I was a _little_ late."
	Shinji frowned.  A _little_ late?  He had been waiting there
for nearly half an hour!  That wasn't what had attracted his
attention, however.  
	"Angel?" he repeated, confusedly.
	Misato looked at him.  "Ah, right, you wouldn't know about
that, would you?  Well, really, it's just what we call creatures like
that - we're not actually sure what they are.  Come to think of it,
I'm not precisely sure why we call them that, either."
	The conversation was interrupted by the harsh ringing of a 
phone.  Unhesitating, Misato's hand leapt for the cellphone between 
her and Shinji, only faltering at the wheel momentary (but a moment 
utterly terrifying to Shinji!).
	What a terrible driver! Shinji thought, and sighed.
	"Hello?" Misato said cheerfully, manipulating the reciever as 
best she could with one arm.
	"Captain Katsuragi?" came a voice Misato did not recognize.  
"This is NERV.  Do you have the Commander's son?"
	"I sure do!" Misato replied brightly.  "He's sitting next to
me right now."
	"How far are you from the Angel?"
	Misato frowned.  "Not _terribly_ far.  Why, is there something
I should know?"
	"The SSDF is switching to plan B."
	Plan B? Misato thought.  Something tugged at the back of her
mind.  I should know this..
	"I've heard of it, but can't recall the specifics right now.  
What's plan B?"
	"They're going to drop an N2 mine."
	"They're going to WHAT?" Misato screamed.  "Call them!  Get
them to call it off!  There are still people out here!"
	"It's already underway.  Get as far as you can, as fast as you 
can."
	"What's going on?"  Shinji asked, frightened.
        Misato slammed the reciever shut.
	Grimacing, she stepped on the gas.

	"Plan B?" the first Subcommander repeated, incredulously.
"Are you absolutely certain, sir?"
	The Commander nodded, darkly.  "The damage done to the city
will be considerable, but the damage this monster will cause if
allowed to continue unhindered will be far greater.  If we halt it
here, we can still save Tokyo-3."
	The second Subcommander stood nervously.  "What about NERV,
sir?"
	The Commander-in-Chief scowled.  "As far as I am concerned,
Gendo Ikari is a madman.  I will entrust the city to him only if it is 
absolutely neccessary."  He turned to the technician.  "Make the 
preperations for an N2 launch."
	For a second, there was complete and utter silence in the
room, save only for the hum of machinery.  In that second, the
military command became aware of the consequences of the action they
were about to sanction.  This would be the first time an N2 mine had
ever been used in tactical combat; to a large degree, the weapon was
still experimental.  Using it would not only sacrifice a large part of
Tokyo-3, but would also signify that the military had run out of
options.  This was supposed to be the last resort.  If it didn't work,
then what?  NERV?  No one really believed NERV could do anything.
No one even remotely believed they could.
	"Yes, sir," the technician said quietly.
	While the preperations were underway, the only thing left for
the command staff to do was wait.  Obtaining the mine and moving it
into a launchable position would take approximately ten minutes, but
no one complained about the delay.   It was a period of solace in the
chaotic maelstrom, a period that, if the Angel survived, might not
come again.
        Finally, the silence was broken.
	"N2 standing by, sir," the technician reported, emotionless.  
	The Commander did not hesitate.  "Launch."
	One moment, the large display monitor portrayed the giant, 
sickening vision of the Angel, its bone-white face inhuman, 
expressionless.  The next moment, the visage was obliterated, the 
all-encompassing explosion completely consuming the Angel.
	"We've done it," murmured a Subcommander.
	"Fools," murmured Gendo Ikari from his vantage point in NERV 
headquarters, viewing the explosion with both contempt and
satisfaction.
	Minutes passed and there was no sign of movement, no sign of 
activity.  Unconciously, people began to applaud, to cheer, so
terrified of the possibility of the Angel's survival that they
ignored it.
	But the Commander-in-Chief did not stop them.  He, too,
shared that hope. He too was terrified of the the consequences of
failure.  And he was comforted by the applause, the celebration.
	Suddenly, the technician stopped dead in the middle of her 
cheering, staring with mute tension at a small readout by her station.
	 As more and more people began to realize this, the cheering 
stopped, the hope draining from the room like blood drains from a
wound.
	"It's not dead, is it?" the Commander asked softly.
	"We have a visual," a Subcommander replied, his voice shaking.
	The explosion had cleared.  To the command staff now staring
at the screen, the creature stading there was a thing born of
nightmares.  It bore one noticeable wound - its protruding, bony head
had been split into two, one piece of it set several feet below the
other.  It just stood there for minutes, staring into the
survellience device.  No one spoke.
	Then, the Angel moved.  It strode easily forth from its
standing position, resuming its movement through Tokyo-3.
	The Commander-in-Chief, pale as death, gestured to one of his
Subcommanders.  "Contact NERV headquarters," he murmured.  "Place
command of this operation in the hands of Gendo Ikari."

	Misato Katsuragi opened her eyes slowly.  There was a thin
trickle of blood coming from her nose, but it stopped when she dabbed
at it with her finger.  Aside from that, she didn't appear to be hurt
in any way, which she considered a miracle.  An N2 mine?  What were
those idiots thinking?!
	She turned over and found herself face to face with Shinji,
who didn't appear to be concious.  However, he didn't appear to be
seriously hurt, either - he wasn't bleeding anywhere, and had only
sustained a blow to the head.  She grabbed him and dragged him out of
the wrecked car, upended onto its side by the incredible explosion.
	Shinji began to stir as she set him down on the rough terrain.  
His eyes flickered, he sat up and he put a hand to his head.  He
looked at Misato with the clear, frightened eyes of a child.
	"What happened?" he asked, looking around in bewilderment.
"Did the mine go off?"
	"Yep," Misato sighed.  Shinji noticed that despite the
seemingly dire state of their situation she smiled at him
reassuringly. "But don't worry!  All we have to do is get the car
back on its wheels and it should be in good enough condition to
continue."
	Shinji put his hand to his head again, and noticed that it
hurt horribly.  Shinji resolutely ignored the pain, and followed
Misato around to the back of the car.  She set her back against the
roof and attempted to push it into its original position.  Shinji
stood beside her and started pushing as well, using all the might in
his small body.
	After what had seemed to Shinji an eternity of pushing, the
car fell back into place with a resounding crash.  Shinji winced, but
Misato just smiled and dusted off her hands.
	"That wasn't so bad!" she said brightly.  "Thanks very much
for your help."
	"Oh," Shinji said, flushing momentarily.  "You're welcome,
Miss Katuragi."
	"That's Kat_sur_agi," she said, her eyes flashing.  And then
she smiled again.  "But, please, call me Misato."
	Shinji smiled, though it was a little weak because his head
still hurt.  "Pleased to meet you, Miss Misato."
	"Pleased to meet you as well, Shinji Ikari." She gestured 
flamboyantly to the car.  "Shall we be off?"
	As Misato watched Shinji open the door and step inside she
could not repress a shudder.  My beautiful car, she thought,
horrified.  It was ruined.. and it was only a month old.. Where the
hell do they get off using an N2 mine without even _consulting_ NERV?!

	"I assume you authorized the usage of the N2 mine?" Fuyutsuki 
dryly asked Commander Ikari.
	"We required their total dependance.  I knew as soon as that 
measure failed they would have to choice but to fall back on NERV."
	"I still don't see how you intend to defeat the Angel.  Where
is Captain Katsuragi?  Impededed by the N2 blast?"
	"Katsuragi is notorious for being late," Ikari sneered.

	As the day continued, they got the car started again, but 
Misato's mood worsened.  Not only had her brand new car been totalled, 
but her dress had been effectively ruined by dirt, oil, and a small 
bloodstain.  The worst part of it all was, there were thiry-three loan 
payments still left on the car!  Thirty-three!  And it's already a
wreck!  God knows how much it's going to cost just to get it in
servicable condition, but I also have a further thirty-three payments
left!
	"Miss Misato?"
	And I was in such a good mood...
	"Miss Misato?"
	Misato was startled out of her train of thought, nearly losing 
control of the steering wheel.  "What is it?" she sighed.
	"Are you sure it was okay to steal those batteries?"
	"Ah," Misato paused for thought.  "Of course it was okay!
We're in an emergency situation.  I mean, we can't do anything if the
car doesn't run!"
	Shinji frowned.  "That doesn't make it sound any more legal."
	"Mmm.." Misato mused, searching for an excuse.  "I _am_ a 
government official, or an official of an organization linked closely
to the government. I may not always seem like it, but it's true.  So,
really, I didn't steal them - I requisitioned them!"
	That still didn't quite make sense to Shinji, but something
else she had said caught his attention.  "You work for NERV, right?"
	Misato nodded emphatically.  "It's actually attached directly
to the United Nations."
	"So you work for my father," Shinji said quietly.
	"Yeah, well." Misato shrugged.  "Did he ever tell you about
his job?"
	Shinji looked out the car window.  They were approaching a
car train, an elevator that took veichles below the surface.
Presumably they were drawing closer to NERV.
	"No," Shinji admitted, "but my teacher did.  He said it was
an important job protecting the human race."  He turned and looked
directly at Misato.  "Are we going to meet my father?"
	An announcement blared, and the car train began to depart, 
drawing Shinji and Misato deep underground.  
	"I'd certainly imagine so," Misato replied.  "Ah, that reminds
me."  She leaned over Shinji and deftly opened the glovebox,
withdrawing a thick sheaf of papers.
	"What are those, Miss Misato?"
	"This," she said, taking a small plastic card from within the 
stack of documents and holding it up to him, "is your ID Card.  You'll 
need it to get around NERV.  As you may imagine, security's a little 
tight."
	Shinji accepted the card cautiously.  It had his name, his
most recent school photo, and the NERV symbol emblazoned upon it.  He
felt very strange holding it.
	"How long am I going to be here?" he asked.
	Misato shrugged.  "Until the immediate threat's over, I
suppose."
	"Is that it?" he asked hopefully.  "He just wants me to be 
safe?  Does he expect there to be more monsters after this one?"
	"Ah," Misato said, leafing through the information she had
been given, "I'm also supposed to give this to you.  I nearly forgot."
She smiled apologetically.
	Shinji took the parcel Misato handed him.  Inside was a 
spiral-bound book with the words "Welcome to NERV" on the front in
clear, sharp lettering.  Just below that was the NERV logo and motto:
"God's in His Heaven / All's right with the world."
	Shinji flipped through it.  "It's about my father's work.
Does he need me to do something for him?"
	Misato looked at him helplessly.  "I'm not sure.  I was only
told to bring you."
	Shinji sighed, putting the book back in the envelope.  "He
never writes to me, or talks to me.. unless he wants something."
 	"He's a very cold man," Misato added.  "It must come with the
responsibility he has.  At least, I'd suppose it would.  Oh, don't
look so glum," she chided in response to Shinji's crestfallen face,
"I'm sure he'll explain it to you when you see him."
	Shinji felt himself growing more agitated now that the
inevitable confrontation with his father was drawing near.  The car
lift stopped abruptly, but Shinji hardly noticed it.
	"Hmm.." Misato mused.  "We must be entering the Geo-Front."
        "Geo-Front?" Shinji repeated, intrigued.  The lift began to
head downwards again, only one previously metallic side of it had been 
replaced with crystal-clear glass.
	Misato smiled.  Shinji gasped in astonishment.
	In Japan, there had always been a general shortage of land
before the Second Impact.  Back then, there had been some research
into developing Geo-Fronts - excavating enormous underground caves
for the placement of cities.  But it had always been determined both
ridiculously costly and dangerous, and the government had never
actually attempted the construction of one.
	At least, so Shinji had been lead to believe.
	Now, Shinji was staring into a real, live Geo-Front, an
enormous underground cavern excavated and terraformed so as to be a
feasable environment for human construction and habitation.  But
Shinji had never imagined one being so beautiful!  A huge lake had
been created at one end, and the huge artificial lights glinted upon
it like the deepening sunset might have done, had it existed below the
earth.  In the center of the cavern, several tall buildings had been
erected, the most prominent being a huge pyramid that appeared golden
in the somber light.
	"A real Geo-Front," Shinji sighed.  "It's wonderful."
	"This is NERV headquarters," Misato said, smiling, her voice 
suddenly filled with pride.  "It is the foundation for the rebuilding
of this world - and a fortress for all mankind.  This is our hope."

	An hour later, they were lost.
	They stood at a four-way junction somwhere inside NERV
headquarters. All four of the passageways were conveyer-like in
function and appearance, meaning the hour of wandering had not really
been tiring, just frustrating. 
	Inside, many of the headquarters' passageways were more 
reminiscent of a factory than a military organization.  Shinji 
occasionally caught glimpses of immense rooms that looked as if they 
might be for storage or testing.  The storage or testing of what,
though?
	And Misato.. Shinji sighed.  For someone who worked there (and
as a Captain!), she didn't seem to know the place very well.  Right
now she bore an expression of bafflement, quizically searching the map
she held in her hands.
	"I'm kind of new here," she explained apologetically.
	"I think that we've been here before," Shinji said upon
further examination of their surroundings.
	"Wait!" Misato said, something having caught her eye.  "A 
communications terminal!"  She ran over to the small
computer/telephone combination embedded into the south wall and slid
her ID through its access slot.  "I can contact Ritsuko with this!"
	"Ritsuko?" Shinji asked.
	"A friend of mine.  She works in the technical department.  
We'd probably have to speak to her before seeing the Commander
anyway."  Misato smiled knowingly.  "She's helped me around here
before."
	Ten minutes later, after Shinji and Misato had been directed
to the technical department, a door in front of them opened and a
slim, attractive woman with a white coat and short blonde hair stepped
out.  She wore a half-smile, but her eyes flashed.
	"Captain Katsuragi?" She sounded shocked.  "Did you get lost 
_again_?"
	Misato grinned sheepishly.  "Ah.. sorry, Ritsuko."
	"We are short on both hands and time," Ritsuko continued
sternly.  Then she looked at Shinji.  "At least you brought the Third
Child.  Nice to meet you.. Shinji?"
	"You as well, Miss Ritsuko," Shinji replied.  But he was
confused by something she had said.  "What did you mean, though, when
you said-"
	"I'll answer your questions on the lift," Ritsuko said.
"Right now, we're a little pressed for time.  There is an Angel
running loose in Tokyo-3 right now!"  She headed off in a seemingly
random direction, and Shinji and Misato ran after her.
	"Then we're going.. where?  Into the cages?" Misato asked.
	"Well, of course," Ritsuko responded.  "Where else would 
Commander Ikari be at a time like this?"
        The three stepped through a doorway into a lift with dark grey 
walls.  Ritsuko slid her ID through a slot and the lift began to move 
downwards.
	"Does this mean you're preparing for.. launch?"  Misato
queried uncertainly.  "I heard Unit-00 wasn't operational yet."
	"Well, there actually is a chance it will work.  Granted, the 
chance is point zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero one."
	"So it's not operational?"
	"Dont be insulting.  The chance isn't zero.  But, it doesn't 
really matter because Unit-00's being frozen."
	Misato's eyes widened.  "He's going to use Unit-01, then?  Is
it safe?  And who's going to pilot it?  Not-" Misato stopped for a
second, horrified.  "Not Rei?"
	Ritsuko pressed her lips together  "We might not have a
choice."
	Misato's eyes flashed.  "Rei's in no condition to board that 
thing! If that madm-"
        "Watch it," Ritsuko interrupted cooly, indicating Shinji -
who, for his part, stared at both of them with awe and terror.
	"I don't understand," Shinji said.  "Who's Rei?  And what's 
Unit-00?  What's it have to do with my father?"
	Both women fell silent.  Shinji looked from one to the other, 
desperately seeking an answer to his questions.
	"I don't know where to begin," Misato finally said.  "I think 
your father will explain it to you."
        As Misato finished speaking, the lift slowed to a stop and the 
doors slid open to reveal pitch blackness.  Shinji could make out
nothing in that bleak void, and it terrified him.
        "It's all right," Ritsuko said, stepping out of the lift and
onto a solid floor in the midst of the darkness.  Shinji followed
reluctantly, slightly pushed on by Misato.  Suddenly, Shinji wanted
to run.  He wanted to turn around, re-enter the lift, and get out of
here.
	If only I could run, Shinji thought.
	The lift doors closed behind them, cutting off even that dim 
source of light.  Now Shinji could make out nothing at all.
	Shinji desperately wanted to run.
	"Lights," Ritsuko called out clearly.
	The room was flooded with light.  The darkness was banished,
the gargantuan monstrosity being held there now visible.  Only its
head and shoulders were apparent - the rest of it was submerged in
some kind of liquid.
	At first, it appeared to be some sort of demon.  Its face was 
certainly demonic; a ghastly horn protruded from its forehead, and its
firey, yellow eyes were narrowed in anger.  Closer examination
revealed that its skin was a dark purple metal, that its visible
joints were constructed.
	"It's a face!" Shinji cried, terrified.  "It - it's a giant 
robot!"
	"This," Ritsuko said, a note of pride in her voice, "is the 
multi- purpose humanoid fighting machine Evangelion - a weapon
humankind has developed to fight the Angels."
	"This is my father's work?" Shinji asked.
	"Correct," a voice from the top of the room answered him.
	Shinji instantly turned in the direction of the voice.
Despite having hardly ever seen his father, and having not seen him at
all for three years, somehow he could recognize the voice perfectly.
	Commander Gendo Ikari stood on a large platform above the 
Evangelion's head, his hands at his side, his eyes obscured by the 
bright lights reflecting on his glasses.
	"It's been a long time," he said.
	"Father.." Shinji murmured.
	Gendo turned to Ritsuko, gazing down upon her from his lofty 
position.  "Prepare Unit-01 for launch."
	"What?" Misato cried.
	"We don't have a choice," Ritsuko said sharply.  "Unit-00 is 
still too unstable for a real combat situation."
	"But we don't have a pilot!" Misato protested.  "You can't-
you can't let Rei board that thing!"
	"That is why you were told to bring him here," Ritsuko
replied, indicating Shinji.  "The Third Child."
	"You can't be serious," Misato gasped. "Rei couldn't sync with
Unit-00 for a full seven months!"
	"He doesn't have to sync with it," Ritsuko said quietly.  "All
he has to do is try."
	"But-"
	"Captain Katsuragi, this city is currently being ripped apart
by an Angel.  The first Angel that has appeared on Earth in fifteen
years.  The military has just thrown everything they have at it - to
absolutely no effect.  We have to try something, Misato.  If we don't,
we're all going to die.  And you're right - we _can't_ use the Second
Child.  So the Third is our only hope."
	Misato choked on her reply.  As much as she hated to admit it, 
Ritsuko was right.  Shinji was their last resort.  Their only hope.
	Shinji heard all this and was terrified.  He never should have 
come.  He never should have trusted his father.  He would never, ever 
trust his father again.  He caught himself on the verge of tears.
        "Father!" he cried out, hoarsely.  "Why did you bring me
here?"
	"You know why I brought you here," Gendo replied, cold and 
distant.
	"Then you actually want me to pilot that - that thing?  You
want me to fight the Angel?"
	"Correct."
	"Why?" Shinji screamed. "Why can't Misato do it?  Why can't
you?  Why do I have to do it?"
	"Not everyone has the ability to pilot Eva.  A branch of our 
organization is dedicated to finding those who can.  You were the
Third one we found.  You are the only one in this room with the
ability to syncronize and control an Evangelion.  Does that answer
your question?"
	Shinji felt as if he had been punched in the stomach.  The
only thing that kept him standing was his anger - his anger at his
father for destroying his world in a matter of hours.  Anger at
himself, for ever having trusted him.
	"What do you mean by that?" Shinji gasped. "You left me!  You 
didn't want me!"
	"I called you now because I have a use for you."
	"I've never even seen this thing before!  You can't possibly 
expect me to pilot it!"
	"We only want you to try, Shinji," Ritsuko said softly.  "No
more than that."
	"Get into it or not," Gendo said, "but do it quickly.  We're 
running out of time."
        Shinji did not respond.  Shuddering, he stared blankly at the 
floor, tears coursing down his face.  Nobody else spoke or moved; they 
were frozen, waiting for this young boy's decision that their lives
might very well hinge upon.
	The silence was broken not by words, but by a huge explosion.  
The room shook, impacted by something powerful enough to even affect
the buildings in the Geo-Front.
	"It's close," Gendo said.
	"Shinji, we have no time," Ritsuko murmured urgently.
	Shinji turned away, towards Misato, his eyes wide, pleading.
	"Get in, Shinji," she said.
	Shinji was horrified.  He turned back to the floor.  "Why did
I trust you?" he moaned, and it was not clear who he was talking
about.  "Why did I come here?  Why did I come?"
	"Why _did_ you come here, Shinji?" Misato asked.  "Shinji,
please don't run away.  Not from your father, and not from yourself."
        "I understand what you want, Misato.  But it doesn't make
a difference.  I can't pilot that thing!  I can't do it!"  He covered
his face with his hands, sobbing pitifully.  Shuddering violently, he
dropped to his knees, weeping.
	An aura of despair filled the room.  Misato turned away in 
disgust.  Ritsuko sighed.  Gendo turned away, recognizing that Shinji 
was beyond convincing.  But he had prepared for this as best he could.  
Using one of the communications terminals nearby, he contacted his 
second-in-command.
	The tall, grey-haired man's visage was instantly visible on 
screen.
	"Fuyutsuki," Gendo said.  "Wake Rei."
	"Rei?" Fuyutsuki repeated, surprised.  "Is she in any
condition to pilot?"
	"She's not dead yet," Gendo said coldly.
	A minute later a soft, whispered voice came over the speakers.  
"Yes?"
	"The replacement turned out to be useless."
	"I understand."
	"Reconfigure Unit-01 for Rei!" Ritsuko shouted.  Immediately 
there was a buzz around the room.  The tech teams, not having
anything else to do, launched immediately into action.  Shinji, 
however, did not move.  He remained where he was, kneeling, his head 
down in front of the monsterous Evangelion.
	In the midst of the chaos, a small team of staff wheeled in a 
fourteen-year-old girl in a stretcher, half her face and her right arm
covered in bandages.
        Shinji looked up at the misplaced sound.  The girl was the
most unusual looking person he had ever seen - her skin was pale
white, her hair was light blue.  Strangest of all, her eyes - now
focused into space, as if she was suffering pain - were red.. like
rubies.. or blood.
	This is Rei, Shinji thought, and they're going to make her
pilot that thing instead of me.
	How could they do that?
	Suddenly the room shook again, as it had previously done when
the Angel located the Geo-front.  This time, however, the room did not
stop shaking.  Indeed, the vibrations became more and more fierce as
time went on.
	"It's found us!" Ritsuko screamed.
	The girders and pipes running along the ceiling began to break 
free of their fastenings.  Shinji screamed and covered his head as he
saw the rain of material decend upon him.  Chaos took hold of the room
as every technician and officer present moved to get out of the way.
Shinji did not.
	"Shinji!"  Misato screamed.
	With a thunderous crash, the fragments of the ceiling hit the 
floor below.  Rei was knocked from her stretcher, gasping, coughing.
	Shinji looked up, terrified.
        Directly above him a huge hand acted as a shelter from the
shower of debris.  The Evangelion had, of its own accord, placed its
hand over him, protecting him.
	"Impossible," Ritsuko murmured.
	The Angel's assault had stopped.  Shinji did not even think -
his purpose was clear in his mind.  He rose to his feet and ran across
the hard floor of the containment area and over to Rei.  He knelt
beside her, and for a moment held her in his arms, unsure of how to
help, of what to do.
	Rei's eyes were closed in pain.  She gasped repeatedly, as if 
short of breath.  Finally she started to cry out, her screams filling
the room.
	Shinji held up his hand to his face.  It was covered with
blood.  Her blood.
	Would they still make her pilot the Eva?  They couldn't, he
told himself.  But he knew deep within himself they would still
attempt it.  They had no choice - if the Angel was not defeated, they
would surely all die.
	Shinji lowered his head.  He could not let Rei into that
thing.  For some reason, he had also been given the potential to pilot
it, to combat the Angel.  But he still wanted to run.  He wanted to
pull the darkness over  him and take refuge in the silent peace of
death.  He didn't want to face this.
	But he had no choice.  He couldn't let Rei do it.
	I mustn't run away, he told himself, closing his eyes.
	I mustn't run away.
	Rei was sobbing, collapsed against him.
	I musn't run away.  I musn't run away.  I musn't run away.  I 
musn't run away.  I musn't run away
	I musn't run away.
	I musn't run away!
	"Father!" Shinji screamed, raising his head.  "I'll do it!
I'll pilot it!"  Tears were running down his face once more.
	From his vantage point above his son and the gargantuan 
Evangelion, Gendo smiled.

	The Evangelion was swiftly readied for battle by the
experienced team of NERV technicians, who had long practiced the
launch routine but who had never launched an Eva into a combat
situation, nor imagined they would ever have to.
	Shinji was placed into a large, white, cylindrical object he
was told was called an "entry plug".  Once he was inside, the plug
would be inserted into the giant robot and from there Shinji would be
able to control it mentally.  At least, they hoped he would be able to
control it.
	Shinji sat in the entry plug uncomfortably.  He was positioned
in a strange seat that felt neither comfortable nor the opposite and a 
strange handgrip with a trigger protruded from the wall in front of
him.  That wall also appeared it could function as a monitor of some
type.
        They had also fixed a strange pair of objects to Shinji's
head.  They were about the size of hairclips, but they were intended
to increase the potency of his mental link with the Evangelion.
	When the plug finally began to move, and Shinji knew they were
inserting it, an odd kind of fear came over him.  What would it be
like to be inside that thing?  To be part of its thought process - to
control it with your thoughts?  Would Shinji still be aware of
himself?  Or, once inside, would he _become_ the Eva?
	The entry plug shuddered to a halt.
	High above the Evangelion, the operators in the control booth
monitored the process rigorously.
        "The plug has been secured," Maya Ibuki, a high-ranking
technical officer, reported.
	"Commence LCL injection," Ritsuko ordered.
	Suddenly Shinji found a strange, transparent liquid seeping in 
the entry plug, submerging his feet and proceeding to rise above his 
knees.
	"Ah!" Shinji cried. "What is this?"
	Ritsuko's voice came over a set of speakers installed in the 
plug. "It's all right.  It's Link Connction Liquid, designed to enable 
direct contact with Eva.  Once your lungs fill with LCL, it will
supply you with oxygen directly."
	Shinji held his head above the liquid as long as he could, but 
finally he was submerged.
	Ritsuko smiled.  "Don't worry - you'll get used to it soon."
        "I think I'm going to be sick," Shinji replied.

	"Transmitting power to curcuits."
	"The connection to the A10 nerve is operational," Maya
reported.
	"Can we get a sync rate yet?" Ritsuko asked.
	"Got it.  Sync rate is.. 41.3 percent."
	"Incredible!" Ritsuko said.
	"All harmonics values are normal."  Maya nodded, satisfied.  
"Everything is under control."

	Below the control center, Misato Katsuragi stood staring up at 
the giant robot now positioned on the launch pad.  The pad would shoot 
the Eva up through a huge, metallic chute, ultimately ending within a 
large building designed to recieve and release the Eva into Tokyo-3.  
From there...
	Misato could hear orders shouted all around her, but she could
not take her eyes off the demonic visage of the Evangelion.  Shinji's
inside that thing, she thought.  Does Commander Ikari really believe
he can beat the Angel?  Or is this simply a delay, a sacrifice, until
better methods can be arranged?
	Finally, the last of the Eva's lock bolts were released.  One
by one, the layers of armor that prevented entry through the launch
chute slid to the side, unblocking the path to Tokyo-3.  The Eva was
ready to launch.
	"Shinji," Misato whispered, although neither he nor anyone
else could hear her, "Come back alive."
	Then the Eva was gone.  The launch elevator, gleaming with its 
safety lights, hurtled the weapon towards its purpose without mercy.  
Misato watched its departure unblinking, the lights on the elevator 
gleaming like starlight, growing fainter and fainter with distance, 
until finally becoming one with the darkness above.




End of Part 1

----

From: akaroth <akaroth@geocities.com>
Subject: [Eva][Fanfic] Requiem Two

REQUIEM


Author's Note:  This is another re-interpretation of NGE.
It will, admittedly, begin in pretty much the exact same
way as the actual series; expect that to change quite a 
bit as time goes on.  That's about it.. 


TWO / UNFAMILIAR CEILING


        One of the most difficult things for a parent to do is
convince her child that the monsters lurking in the shadows of their
imagination are just that - shadows, creatures invented by their
fears, apparitions, unreal.  Thus, one of the most difficult moments
in the life of an adolescent is the day he discoveres the harsh
reality masked by these lies; the day he stares into his fears and
discovers that monsters do, indeed, exist.
        Shinji faced that moment now, staring blankly out of his
cockpit into the crumbling streets of Tokyo-3, his entire being
penetrated by the bleak visage of the Angel, standing mute,
motionless, confused by the appearance of the new target.  But Shinji
knew its confusion wouldn't last.  He felt as if he was sealed in a
coffin, being slowly buried alive.
        The speakers embedded into the entry plug suddenly came to
life.  "Shinji."  Misato's voice filled the small chamber.  "I want
you to try and make the Eva walk.  Think only of walking.."
        Shinji nodded, confirming to himself his intentions.  He had
to try; he had to fight or he would die.
        "Walk," he murmured.  He focused his mind on that one
purpose.  He pictured the Eva lifting its foot, bringing it through
the air and setting it down again.  But it did no good; the robot
remained as unwavering and immobile as a statue.
        "Walk.." he hissed.  He closed his eyes, and this time
allowed his mind no distinctions between his self and the robot.  It
was easy, frighteningly so, to submit his will to the Eva.  When he
next thought, he thought of himself walking.
        The Evangelion took a step forward.
        "It's walking!" Ritsuko cried with excitement.
        The Eva took another step forward.  And another.  And then it
misstepped and fell forward, the Eva tumbling towards earth.
        The Angel wasted no more time.  It broke suddenly from its
position and strode towards the falled Eva murderously.
        "Get up, get up!"  Shinji screamed.  He placed a hand before
him and propelled himself off the ground, the Eva performing the
actions in his stead.  The robot rose just in time for Shinji to see
the Angel stretching forth its hand, grabbing the Eva's arm.
        The Angel gripped the limb tightly, causing bolts to break
and metal to fold upon itself.  Shinji gasped in pain.
        "Shinji!" Misato cried.  "It's not your arm!  Remember that!"
        Shinji did not hear her, not could he differentiate between
the Eva's arm and his own.  He grit his teeth, the pain beyond any
other he had previously experienced.  He tried to ignore it, to
command his Eva to fight back, but the pain was too much.  He stared
into the blank face of the Angel and knew he looked upon death.
        Ritsuko cursed.  "Where are Unit-01's defense systems?"
        "The system is not responding!"  Maya replied, trembling.
"AT field has not engaged."
        "Shinji.." Misato whispered.
        The Angel, as if gloating, callously drew his arm back,
twisting his grasp, snapping the left arm of the Eva in two.
        Shinji screamed.
        The Angel released its grasp, and instead grabbed the head of
the Evangelion as it stumbled forward.  From its black hand came a
sudden light and a sudden heat.  The metal plating of Unit-01's head
shuddered under the assault, and Shinji clutched his head with the
one hand that remained to him in his mind.
        "The front area of the head has been damaged!"  Maya reported
urgently.
        Again, the Angel sent a vicious beam of energy into Unit-01.
Again the Eva shuddered and made no move to resist.  Again.  Again.
        "The armor can't take much more!" Ritsuko hissed.
        "Shinji!"  Misato called.  "Can you hear me?  Shinji!"
        "No response from pilot," Maya whispered.
        Another energy beam swept out from the Angel's palm, but this
one did not merely damage the armor.  The terrible weapon penetrated
it, slicing cleanly through the robot's head.  To the horror of the
onlookers, blood began to pour from the wound - a river of blood,
gushing from the head of the Eva, pouring through the streets.
        "No!"  Misato screamed.  "NO!"
        From inside the entry plug, Shinji gazed dully, unseeing at
the flow of blood eminating from the robot's head - from his head.
I should've run away, he thought.  Then he was swallowed by the
blackness.

        Shinji opened his eyes with a start.
        He was alone, lying on his side, surrounded by a bright,
white light that illuminated his surroundings.  He was swathed in
white sheets, lying upon a soft, comfortable matress.  Charts at one
end of his bed had been placed as a monitor of his progress. Somehow,
he had survived.
        Breathing softly, Shinji turned his face to look upon the
ceiling.  Ever since he had been a child he had fallen asleep with
his eyes on the ceiling.  After a few years at any one location, he
came to know the ceiling intimately, able to recall every facet and
irregularity of it in his mind.  One of the greatest shocks he
recieved every time he was moved to a new home was his view of the
ceiling before he fell asleep.  A new, distant view.  It was symbolic
of the changes in his life.
        "An unfamiliar ceiling," he whispered, and tears came to his
eyes.  Everything he had known to be true, all the circumstances that
had dictated his life had been destroyed.  Shaking, he turned away,
lying on his side, even though he knew he would not be able to fall
asleep.

        Keel Lorenz, chairman of Seele, sat back in his chair, gazing
out into the dark conference room.  Each member of Seele was present
at their own desk, illuminated by a pale light above them.  The
lights were all of different colors, each representing a different
country that belonged to the worldwide organization.  If any one
organization could be considered to control the planet, the honor of
that distinction would undoubtedly fall to Seele.  They were
responsible for deciding the future of mankind - a terrible burden to
bear.  Each member's face was marked by sorrow and anger - save for
Lorenz's, whose visage was masked by the darkness.
        He was beyond that.  He was beyond any emotion.  His eyes, or
the electronic implants that had replaced them, scanned the room
impassively, unconcerned but aware.
        "The Angels," he said loudly, his voice reburvirating
throughout the room, "have returned.  Unannouced.  Unforseen.  It is
a miracle we defeated the Third.  Had they come but a year earlier.."
he left the thought unfinished.
        "Disasters always strike without notice," the yellow member
noted quietly.
        "The fact remains," Gendo Ikari said, seated across the room
in the position of a guest member, "we did defeat the Third Angel.
And we will defeat the others, as well - once we have recieved Units
Two and Three and their pilots."
        "That will take time," Lorenz hissed, "and we cannot predict
the arrival of the Fourth Angel.  I expect Units Zero and One ready
to engage it upon its arrival."
        "Unit-01 will be ready," Gendo acknowledged, "but the pilot
of Unit-00 is still recovering.  She is not currently in a fit state
to pilot."
        "Can you do it, Ikari?" the green Seele member called,
threateningly, challenging.  "Or do you take this money - money
recieved at the expense of entire nations - and squander it, treating
the project as so many toys fit for your son to play with?"
        Ikari did not answer.  "The public must not know about this,
Ikari," Lorenz stated, gazing directly at NERV's commander.  "I hope
you will dispose of this evidence and control the information quickly
and appropriately."
        Gendo nodded.  "That matter has been taken care of."
        "And there is still another matter in the hands of NERV."
Lorenz withdrew a pale folder from his desk, thumbing absently
through the report contained within.  "The human complimentation
project.  This is our highest priority.  The only reason we even need
defeat the Angels is the threat they pose.. to this."
        "I have not forgotten it," Gendo said, adjusting his glasses
with a gloved hand.  "That, I believe, would be impossible."
        "Despite the Angel attacks," the blue member maintained, his
countenance stern, "it is the Complimentation that must remain our
highest priority.  It must not fall behind schedule."
        "I understand," Gendo said, staring upwards, seemingly
through the ceiling itself.  "Humanity has no more time."

        Ritsuko Akagi was a much more cautious driver than Misato.
She turned carefully and drove slowly through the streets of Tokyo-3,
Captain Katsuragi lounging beside her in the passenger side of
Ritsuko's blue truck.  They had just finished inspecting the
aftermath of the Angel's attack, and were on their way back to NERV
headquarters.
        Misato leaned relaxedly against the fabric of her seat for a
second, then leaned forward and began fiddling with something Ritsuko
could only see out of the corner of one eye.
        "What are you doing?" Ritsuko asked, irritated, and unable to
take her eyes off the road due to heavy traffic - traffic prompted by
the evacuation of the shelters and the repair crews.
        "Looking for the air conditioning," Misato replied.  An
instant later she flicked a switch, and a cool blast of air came from
the vent in front of her.  Misato leaned back again with a contented
sigh.
        "The air conditioner is, in my mind, the greatest achievement
of humanity," she said.
        The traffic began to pan out, and Ritsuko found herself able
to turn to face Misato.  "Did you know Shinji recovered
conciousness?" she asked.
        Misato looked up with interest.  "Really?" she replied.  She
paused a second, her eyes focused into the distance, dwelling.  "I
meant to visit him this morning, too.  I wanted to check on him." She
sighed heavily.  "I completely forgot.. how is he?"
        "No _external_ wounds," Ritsuko replied, "but his memories
are a little confused."
        Misato drew in a sharp breath.  "It's not-"
        "No," Ritsuko interrupted hurriedly, "no sign of mental
contamination.  It happened too suddenly for that.  It's just the
severity of the burden imposed upon his cranial nerves - he may take
some time recovering."
        "His _mind_," Misato corrected.  "He's a human being, not a
machine like the MAGI or the Evas."
        Ritsuko did not reply.  She looked straight ahead instead,
turning her attention to the primary task she was responsible for -
driving.  They passed by a huge weapon being transfered throughout
the city by construction crews, its gunlike barrel gleaming in the
sunlight.
        Misato looked at it, enraptured.  "If the Evas and this city
function properly, we'll win," she said, and sounded convinced.
        Ritsuko smiled, but there was a hint of derision in it.
"That's certainly an optimistic point of view - especially
considering the circumstances involved with our first target."
        "Yeah, well-" Misato stopped and thought a second.  "It's not
optimism so much as hope.  If we don't win, we die.  And if we're
devoid of hope, there's no reason for us to keep living.  Hope is a
necessecity for human life.  And I have faith in humankind - that's
why I believe we'll win.  I wouldn't be here otherwise."
        Ritsuko considered this, then nodded.  "Yes.. I see what you
mean."  She turned to Misato.  "It's nice talking to you, Misato.
It's very.. refreshing."
        "People are too cynical nowadays," Misato muttered.
        "Perhaps they have a right to be," Ritsuko said quietly.

        It was several hours before Shinji had the courage to leave
his bed.  Carefully avoiding looking at the ceiling, he swung himself
off the edge and placed his bare feet onto the cold, hard floor.
After a short time searching under the pale window light, he found a
pair of slippers.  There was a venitian blind positioned above the
windowframe, and Shinji jerked the cord quickly, dismissing the
intrusive sunlight.  He lay back against the wall, comforted by the
still darkness.
        A minute later he cautiously turned the doorknob set into the
wooden door of his room.  Before stepping out, he made sure his
white, sheetlike hospital robe was fastened securely.  He felt
vulnerable and sickly wearing it, but it was better than nothing.
        The corridor beyond his room appeared as though it might lead
to some kind of afterlife.  One side had various doors set into it at
room-sized intervals, wheras the other was pure glass, and cast a
luminescant glow upon the hallway.  Shinji stepped out across the
floor and stared out the window directly opposite his room.
        The window presented a view that was decidedly unspectacular
- a good part of the hospital building was visible, as were some
buildings in the distance, but nothing more.  But that image quickly
faded from Shinji's vision - he suddenly noticed a pale reflection of
himself was visible in the glass.
        Shinji looked confusedly at this ghost of himself.  He put
his hand to the glass, and his double mirrored the action precisely,
their palms making contact.  This is wrong, Shinji thought.  I
shouldn't be here.  I shouldn't be alive.
        I died, he thought, grasping within his fragmented memory for
answers.  I was killed by - killed by an Angel.  It put its hand on
my forehead and-
        The boy on the other side of the glass looked small and
frightened and alone.  Shinji turned away from him.  He backed away
from the window and began walking down the corridor, quickly, his
head down and his eyes focused on the floor.  He didn't care which
direction he was going.
        Suddenly a familiar and unusual sound reached his ears.  He
looked up just in time to see a doctor wheeling someone by on a
stretcher.  Shinji stepped aside, allowing the patient to pass.
        He recognized the girl on the stretcher.  She lay prostate,
her arm and face still bandaged in the places they had previously
been.  Her face was expressionless, emotionless.  As she passed
Shinji, she looked at him with her one visible eye.
        Her eye was red.. like blood.. like her blood.  Shinji could
not avert his gaze.  She was the reason he had piloted the Eva.. to
save her from the pain.   He nearly laughed, thinking back on it -
she couldn't possibly have fought the Angel in her condition.  Better
that he had died fighting it.
        But he hadn't died, had he?  The stretcher wheeled past him,
taking its inhabitant elsewhere.  Shinji turned to the window behind
him, staring into the streets of Tokyo-3, and staring into himself.
        Rei.  Her name had been Rei.

        Misato looked around the hospital waiting room with
trepidation.  It was nearly empty, with a few lonely people in white
gowns staring gloomily into space or at the lone television installed
in the upper right corner of the room.  Then the small figure at the
back, staring at the floor, caught her eye.
        "Shinji?" she asked, walking across the room towards him.
        Shinji lifted his head.  "M-miss Misato?" he asked.  He
looked weak and shaken, but intact.  He even attempted a smile.
        "Come on," Misato said, smiling, offering him her hand.  He
took it uncertainly, and she helped him to his feet.
        "Where are we going?" he asked.
        "Why, to find you a place to live, of course," Misato
replied.  "We'll have to pick up your clothes first, though."
        Shinji nodded, and swallowed.  Misato looked at him with deep
concern.  He had been badly upset by the experience, that much would
be certain.  No one could live through something like that and not be
affected, regardless of whether they were concious or not.
        Misato looked into Shinji's eyes.  He looked away for a
second, uncomfortable, but she caught and held his gaze.  "Will you
pilot Eva again, Shinji?  There will be more Angels, we know that for
sure.  But we can't force you to do it."
        "I don't have a choice," Shinji murmured.
        Misato sighed.  She didn't know what else to say to him, how
else to comfort him.  She felt miserable for being part of what was
being done to Shinji, what had been done to Shinji, but what else
could she do?
        Taking his hand again, she led him out of the waiting room.

        They drove in silence to the allotment building of NERV
headquarters, where residency was doled out and monitored.  They
climbed a few flights of stairs before emerging into a large, bleak
room, barren save for a model of Tokyo-3 in its center.  A man behind
a desk with a computer on it was the Residential Officer, who helped
Shinji to find a place of residence.
        "Yes, block six is quite nice and-" the man looked, puzzled,
at the ID card Shinji had handed him.  "Are you commander Ikari's
son?"
        "Yes, he is." Misato answered for him.
        "Well, then, won't you be living with your father?"
        "No, I don't think so," Shinji said quietly.
        "Hmm, well."  The man turned to his computer and typed in a
series of commands.  "Alone it is.  In block six.  I'll just print
you up a Resident's Card."
        "Alone?" Misato interrupted.  She wasn't sure Shinji was in
any state right now to actually live by himself.  "Are you sure,
Shinji?"
        "Sure," Shinji said, shrugging.  "I'm used to it."
        "Mmm," Misato considered.  "I have a better idea.  I think
you should move in with me instead."
        Shinji's eyes widened.  "You, M-miss Misato?" he stuttered,
taken aback.
        "Certainly!" Misato beamed.  "I mean, I live alone, and
there's more than enough room in the apartment for someone else.  And
these circumstances are incredibly stressful for one so young as you,
Shinji - I'd feel more comfortable if you had someone to guide you
through them."
        The Residential Officer looked skeptically from the woman to
the boy.  "Is this all right with you?" he asked, his eyes finally
coming to rest on Shinji.
        "Uh, yeah, I guess so," Shinji replied awkwardly.
        "Then it's settled!" Misato grinned.  "Ah, you'll need my
Resident's Card, of course," she said, rifling through her pockets
and finally handing it to the man.
        Shinji gazed with wide eyes at the model of Tokyo-3.

        Presently, the two left the building and climbed back into
Misato's badly damaged car.  Misato, true to form, was reckless at
the wheel, but there was very little traffic now that most of the
Angel's mess had been cleaned up.
        "Of course," she explained to Shinji, "we'll have to stop at
the convienience store first.  We'll really have to stock up for
tonight."
        Shinji looked at her quizzically.  "Uh, why, Miss Misato?
What's happening tonight?"
        "Why, your homecoming celebration!  Granted, it'll be just
the two of us, but that doesn't mean it has to be any less of a
celebration!"
        Shinji, to his surprise, laughed at that.  "That's very nice
of you, Miss Misato.  I've never had a homecoming celebration
before.." he said, smiling.
        Misato grinned.  "Then this one will have to be extra
special.  And you don't have to call me Miss, y'know.  Just Misato
is fine."
        "Er.. okay.. Misato."
        "That's better," she said, nodding.  "And there's one other
place I want to show you before we go home."
        "Oh?" Shinji asked. "Where?"
        "It's a surprise," Misato replied.  The next second, the
phone rang, and Misato once again found herself grappling with the
wheel while trying to open the reciever.
        "Hello," she said.
        "Misato!" Ritsuko's voice came clearly through the electronic
device.  "Have you set Shinji's residence up yet?"
        "Erm, well, I wanted to speak with you about that," she
replied, eyeing Shinji warily - who was, at the moment, staring out
the window of the car.  "As you can imagine, he was pretty badly
shaken after the Angel's attack, so.. I decided to look after him."
        "What?" Ritsuko gasped.
        "He's just moving in with me.  Don't get so worked up - it's
not like I'll have an affair with the kid."
        "That goes without saying!" Ritsuko cried, stunned.  "What
the hell are you thinking?"
        Misato held the reciever away from her ear to avoid hearing
Ritsuko's tirade.  "She never could take a joke," she confided to
Shinji.
        Shinji's face was bright red.

        The day progressed quickly.  The sun, a fiery, glittering orb
in the sky, was slowly dissolved and retracted by time's unceasing
march, transformed from a burning apparition to the serene source of
a peaceful, golden light.  Shinji stared out the car's window,
following with his eyes the soft patters traced upon the clouds by
the sun's slow decent.  They had, quite a while ago, finished
purchasing supplies.  But Misato did not yet want to return home - a
home that, Shinji supposed, would soon be his own.  There was one
more stop she wanted to make - her 'surprise'.
        The car came to a halt unexpectedly.  Misato stopped in the
middle of the road - there were no buildings or habitations of any
type nearby.  Shinji looked around confusedly.  The one
distinguishing feature the area posessed was what might have been
considered a lookout point - a protruding section of the highyway
that people could stand upon, surrounded by a stoic guard rail.
        "This is it?" Shinji asked.  Misato nodded.
        Shinji opened the door and stepped out of the car.  He strode
across the desolate highway towards the outcropping, the sunset
casting an enormous shadow behind him.  Misato followed, closing the
door quietly and coming to stand beside him at the railing.
        A faint breeze touched Shinji's cheek as he gazed out into
the distance.  He was staring at Tokyo-3 - a city constructed of
metal and glass and hope.  It might have been a beautiful view, but
Shinji couln't tell.  He had never seen a more desolate looking city
in his life.
        "It's a very lonely place, isn't it?" Shinji asked quietly.
        "There's not many people, no," Misato replied. "But they've
just finished reinhabiting the city - which means they'll start to
rebuild it soon."
        Shinji scanned the horizon carefully, his eyes staring deep
into the city.  Misato stood beside him, silent, the golden light of
the sun reflected in her eyes.  How long they stood there soon became
meaningless to Shinji.  There was a sense of lonliness here, yes -
but also a sense of peace.  Here, he was at last free from his
thoughts, free from his tortured self.  Here, he could just let his
mind drift away.
        Suddenly, he was shaken from his reverie.  He stared
meticulously at the city out of the corner of his eye.  Had there
been movement?  For a second, he swore he had seen one of the
buildings shift slightly in position.
        "Ah," Misato observed.  "They're rebuilding now."
        As Shinji watched, the previously miniscule buildings of
Tokyo-3 left their foundations and stretched upwards, towards the
sky.  Huge metal panels set into the ground slid open, revealing
new constructs previously hidden within the earth.
        "It.. it's growing.." Shinji gasped in astonishment.
        Now the city was fully constructed - a gleaming mass of iron
and glass and towering skyscrapers.  People began to enter the
streets again, the repositioning of their city finally completed.
No matter how inhabited or technologically advanced the city became,
there was no disguising its foundation of hope.  If anything, it
became more evident.  The golden light glittered majestically off the
newly created spires.
        "It's wonderful," Shinji said quietly.  "I hadn't imagined it
like this.  It no longer seems lonely at all."
        "This is the city you protected, Shinji," Misato said
solemnly.
        Shinji stared at the gleaming buildings, unblinking.  The
wind blew softly against his face.

        Night fell quickly after sunset, and Misato and Shinji
arrived home in the darkness.  The beams of light eminating from the
car's headlights cut through the blackness, announcing their arrival.
The majority of the residential space in Tokyo-3 was contained in
huge apartment buildings, and Misato's was no exception.  The
building towered above the small car in the night.
        "We're here!" Misato announced.
        Shinji crept carefully out of the car and out into the poorly
lit street.  Misato led him through the glass doors, into the
sparsely fashioned lobby and up to a sleek, metal elevator.  Misato
pushed the button for the third floor and the machinery began to hum
with the activity operation required.
        "I'm sure you'll love it," Misato said brightly as the
elevator climbed upwards.  "That reminds me - your stuff should've
been delivered by now.  I'll help you set it up."
        "Okay," Shinji said.  He was not confident in his ability to
handle these circumstances and yet, in retrospect, he was beginning
to believe living here was preferable to being alone.
        A small sound went off and the elevator doors opened.  The
corridor they stepped out into was brightly lit, but murky and
foreboding to Shinji nonetheless.  Misato hummed as they walked
along it, a rousing, lively tune Shinji decide to ignore.  Finally,
Misato stopped in front of a door.  She opened it triumphantly.
        "Well, it looks like your stuff's here," Misato observed,
indicating a large pile of boxes situated just beyond the entryway.
Labels on the side indicated that they were, indeed, property of
Shinji Ikari, and whether each contained furniture or personal
belongings.  Shinji had very little of both.
        "Actually, I've only recently moved into here myself, so it
should be no problem to get you set up," Misato chatted happily as
she stepped across the threshold.  Shinji, however, hesitated briefly
before entering.
        "Shinji!" Misato said, turning to face him.  "This is your
home too now, y'know.  You don't have to be shy about entering."  She
smiled.  "Come on in!"
        Shinji's foot passed through the doorframe, followed rapidly
by the rest of his body.  "I.. I guess I'm home," he said.
        "Welcome home, Shinji!" Misato tossed her shoes off and
strode forward into the shadows of the apartment, turning lights on.
Shinji started to follow her, stepping into the kitchen.
        "Ah, the place's a little messy right now, but just ignore
it," Misato said apologetically from the living room.
        Shinji stopped abruptly, staring incredulously at the sight
his eyes beheld.  The kitchen had been utterly trashed; dishes piled
up in the sink, and the tables were covered with instant meal boxes,
whiskey bottles, and beer cans!
        "A little?" Shinji gasped.  How did she live like this?  What
an untidy woman!
        "Um, sorry about that," Misato's voice was audible across the
apartment.  "Just toss the food in the refridgerator."
        Shinji took the food he had carried from the car and threw
open the fridge.  To his horror, it was completely filled - with
beer!
        I've never seen so much beer in my entire life!  Shinji
thought, disbelieving.  He looked back in the direction Misato had
headed.  What kind of life does she lead?  Fifty gallons of beer?
        "Miss Misato?" Shinji called.  "The refridgerator is full."
        "Is it?"  Misato replied, her voice muffled.  "Well, just
leave it on the counter for now.  I'll deal with it once I've
finished changing."                                   
        "Changing?" Shinji wondered.  He slid his head around the
kitchen wall, looking into the living room - and saw various articles
of womens' clothing littering the ground, presumabely in a path
leading to her bedroom.
        "Gah!" Shinji cried, quickly retreating back into the
kitchen.  Confused and amazed, he sat down on a chair and waited for
her to finish.

        Twenty minutes later, Misato had finished changing and they
had resolved the problem regarding the lack of space within the
fridge.  Misato had simply removed a sizeable portion of the beer,
saying something about having to drink it all to prevent waste.
        This, Shinji supposed, was his homecoming party.  It
basically consisted of a plethora of instant, microwaveable foods and
a vast selection of beer for Misato to drink.
        "Woo-hoo!" she said after taking a long swig.  "Now that's
the stuff!"
        Well, it wasn't that bad a homecoming party, considering it
was Shinji's first.  But it wasn't exactly what he had expected.
        "What's the matter?" Misato asked, noticing Shinji picking at
his meal.  "Don't you like it?"
        "No, it's fine," Shinji said quickly, "It's just that.. I'm
not used to this kind of food."
        Misato took another sip of beer.  "You have trouble coping
with new experiences, right?" she asked.
        "Er.." Shinji said.  "I suppose you could say that."
        "But don't you think there's something nice about this?"
Misato replied.  "About sharing a meal with others?"
        "Yes," Shinji said.  "It's less lonely."

        After the meal was finished, it was readily apparent that
Misato's place was not in the most spectacular condition.  It was in
dire need of straightening out - and would be, likely, in similar
need after every meal.
        In anticipation of this, Misato drew up a chart after dinner,
citing who would be responsible for which chores on which days.
However, it had not yet been filled in with names; the squares were
all blank.
        Shinji listened attentively to as Misato explained her idea.
"What I propose," she said, "is that we have a game of paper-rock-
scissors for each empty slot on the chart.  The loser of that match
would then be the one designated to that position, and we'd write
that name there.  Sound good?"
        "Er.. I suppose so," Shinji said.  Why, he wondered,
couldn't they just divide up the chores evenly?
        "All right then," Misato said.  "First slot - ready?  Go!"
        Shinji hurriedly thrust out his closed fist.  Misato grabbed
hold of it eagerly.
        "Ha!" she smirked.  "Paper beats rock, Shinji.  Guess you're
doing that one!" She scrawled Shinji's name down for Sunday breakfast
duty.
        By the end of the determination, Misato has lost a total of
five times.  There were, all told, twenty-eight slots on the chore
sheet.
        "Hm.." Misato said, examining it after pinning it on the
wall.  "I guess you were just unlucky, Shinji.  Still, it was a fair
decision process, and I'm glad we've got it out of the way."  She
turned to face him.  "This means you're cleaning the kitchen today.
Well, make sure and do a good job.  I'm having a bath!"

        Shinji lay quietly in the darkness of his newly furnished
room, positioned uncomfortably on his side, facing the blank wall
next to him.  The wall was devoid of markings, silent and empty.  It
was like many walls Shinji had seen before in his life.  He almost
felt comfortable staring at it.  Perhaps, he thought, I'll learn to
sleep like this.
        Unconciously, he curled up into a fetal position, huddling
beneath his sheets.  The warmth of the bed and the darkness of the
room - they reminded him of something.. Shinji had felt himself die
inside the Evangelion - felt his head torn apart, his soul extracted
and diffused.  Why and how had he survived?  And why was he here?
Sleeping in a room he had never before slept in, staring at a wall as
bleak and empty as the void within his heart.  Why could he pilot
Eva?  Why him?  Why Rei?
        Shinji shifted suddenly in frustration, unable to lie
comfortably in this position any longer.  He would lie on his back,
and if that meant he had to look at the ceiling - so be it.  Or
perhaps he could just close his eyes.
        However, he never got that far.  His head jerked too quickly,
too spasmatically, and his forehead connected with the wall.  He sat
bolt upright, suprised by the sudden pain.
        As he stared out into the shadows of his room, a drop of
blood seeped from a small cut on his forehead, trickling down his
nose.  This sensation was familiar to him.
        Shinji bit his lip to keep from crying out.  He thrust his
head into his hands, sobbing, shuddering with the pain.
        He began to remember.

        The collected technicians and officers monitoring Unit-01's
battle with the Third Angel stood in horror as the Angel sliced
cleanly through the Eva's head with it's energy attack.  The huge,
robotic creature reeled backwards, its enormous hand clutching its
head, writhing in agony, mimicing the pilot.
        "Head damaged!" Maya Ibuki screamed, monitoring status
reports with shaking hands.  "Extent unknown.  Trouble maintaining
activity."
        "My God," a technician reported, his voice strained and
wavering.  "The synchrograph has reversed!  Pulse readouts are flowing
backwards!"
        "What?" Ritsuko screamed.  "Cut the circuits!  Now!"
        "I can't!" Maya wailed.  "It's refusing the signal!"
        "The monitoring system just shut down," another technician
cried.  "Pilot's condition is now unknown.."
        The huge Evangelion dropped to its knees.  Its one good arm
shot out in front of it, preventing its head from collapsing into the
pavement.  The open wound still bled profusely, the creature's
lifeforce cascading into the streets of Tokyo-3.
        "Halt the operation!" Misato screamed.  "The pilot's
protection is our highest priority!  Eject the entry plug now!"
        "Didn't you hear what I just said?" Maya threw off her
static-filled headphones, and stared at Misato.  "It's refusing our
signal!  We have no way to contact it!"
        "It's dead," Ritsuko whispered, staring at the giant
monitoring devices with tears in her eyes.  For a second, no one
spoke - a silence that was like the silence of a tomb penetrated the
room.  Then Ritsuko slammed her fist on the console before her.
        "God DAMN IT!" she screamed.
        Misato turned away, her eyes moist.  This had been their hope.
Their only hope.  The first Evangelion sent into actual combat with an
Angel - utterly destroyed.  Even now, the Angel was rending the giant
robot apart, tearing off its armor.  Ritsuko had collapsed, sobbing.
All those years of work..
        And Shinji.. Misato felt her stomach clench.  "We have to be
able to do something!" she turned around shouting.  At least death
would free her from the responsibility for Shinji's fate.
        "Wait," Maya said, her hands positioned carefully upon her
console.  "I'm getting a reading."
        Ritsuko looked up, wiping her eyes.  Misato stared at Maya,
hope coursing through her.
        "What kind of reading?" Ritsuko whispered.
        "Every kind," Maya murmured, awestruck.
        Misato turned to stare at the screen.  Without warning, the
Eva's eyes glimmered, a powerful light illuminating them.  It hung
suspended by the Angel's grasp a second more; then its good arm shot
out, grabbing hold of the Angel's wrist.  It twisted violently,
sadistically, and the limb was torn asunder.  The Angel dropped its
foe, stunned, and backed away.
        "Can you eject the plug now?" Misato asked.
        "No," Maya replied, her voice small and frightened.  "It's
still not responding at all.  And there are still no signs of the
pilot."
        Misato's eyes opened wide.  "Do you mean it's acting by
itself?" she questioned, her voice incredulous.
        Ritsuko stood, calmly, smirking, once more in control of
herself.  "I can't tell you what's happening, Misato," she said, "but
I do know this - we're going to defeat that Angel."  Her voice
dropped slightly.  "That Eva's gone berserk."
        "What?" Misato gasped.
        Then the Evangelion screamed, and its scream was like that of
the demon it resembled, agonized and vengeful.  Misato covered her
ears involuntarily at the sound of that harsh lament, and found her
knees shaking and her stomach weak.  The Eva stretched out its
wretched stump of a left arm and, horribly and wonderfully, began to
regrow it.  But it was not the dull purple of metal, but the pale hue
of flesh.  The new limb was wholly organic.
        "Incredible," Ritsuko murmured.
        Howling, Unit-01 leaped through the air, visciously lunging at
the momentarily retreating enemy.  It collided with the monster's
torso and clawed savagely at its bony, portruding head. There was a
sickening snap, and it was rent in two once more, a strange colored
blood flowing from the hideous wound.
        "What happened to the Angel's AT field?" Misato gasped.
        "The Eva neutralized it," Ritsuko grinned.  "It's generating
its own AT field now."
        The Evangelion lashed out again, gripping the Angel's other
arm with its newly-formed hand and ripping it from its socket, casting
it unfeelingly into a building.  The Angel, little more than a torso
and legs, staggered backwards, attempting to retreat, but the Eva
grabbed it and threw it to the side, sending it crashing down into
another section of Tokyo-3.
        "My God.." Misato whispered.  "What happened to Shinji?"
        "Unconcious," Ritsuko replied.  "I hope."
        But Shinji was not unconcious; nor was he dead.  He had awoken
during the battle, and he now stared, in complete and utter agony, at
the decimation the Eva he did not control was inflicting upon its
enemy.  Never in his life had he seen anything so horrific as this, or
been in so much pain.  His only thought was Stop.
        Stop.
        Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop.
        The Eva did not stop.  It gripped the ribcage of the Angel's
torso and rent it apart, shattering the black flesh and covering the
robot with blood.  Now, a deep red orb was visibe, set into the middle
of the Angel's chest, gleaming and shining and soaked with blood.
        Furiously, the Eva began to attack it, raining blows down into
its center.  The gem shuddered with each hit, chipping and cracking.
        The Angel's body convulsed with each attack and for the first
time it began to scream.  It roared in agony, a high-pitched, forlorn
sound that froze the blood.  A technician observing the fight turned
away and began to vomit, unable to stomach the conflict.  Misato's
knees nearly gave out, and she clutched a table to keep from falling.
        As the Angel's core began to erode, it convulsed a final,
erratic time.  With this movement, it leapt into the air, its flesh
reforming to grip the Eva's head.  But it was a futile gesture.  The
Eva coldly took a step backwards and swung its outstretched fist,
connecting solidly with the cracked, blood-red orb and shattering it.
        The Angel exploded.  An enormous halo of white light enveloped
the combatants, annihilating all percieved traces of either on the
monitoring devices.
        Nobody spoke.  Nobody moved.  There was nothing to say, no
words that could possibly express the inhumanity of the spectacle they
had just witnessed.  But they had won.  Ritsuko's prediction had been
correct.  The Eva had, indeed, defeated the Angel.
        But to do it like that.. Misato choked.  "Is the Eva still
intact?" she asked, her voice shaking with the effort.
        "Yes," Maya murmured.
        As this was spoken, the explosion cleared, revealing the Eva
on its knees.  It had been very badly damaged, but it was intact, and
possibly still functional.  There was no sign whatsoever of the Angel.
It had been utterly obliterated.
        "Pilot's life signs confirmed," Maya said.  "The Eva is still
in working condition, but a little beat up."  She drew a long,
shuddering breath, then turned to Ritsuko.  "I guess we won."
        Ritsuko nodded.  She was totally in command of herself and
the situation once more.  "Bring the Evangelion in for repairs.
Rescue the pilot and have him brought directly to the hospital."
        "The pilot's protection is top priority!" Misato shouted, but
no one really paid her any attention.  People were already leaving,
seeking activity to take their minds off the events they had just been
privy to.
        Misato sighed.  "Thank God he's alive," she murmured.  If he
had died and she had lived, she would not have been able to live with
herself.
        Even now, she was not sure she could live with herself.  But
they had won.  Lives had been saved.  That was all that mattered,
right?
        In her head she could still hear the Angel scream.

        Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock on the
door of his room.  The noise was accompanied by a voice.  "Shinji?"
Misato asked, hesitantly.  "May I come in?"
        Shinji sighed, wrapped up in his sheets.  He didn't respond.
He didn't particularily care.
        The door slid open and Misato's form was shillouetted against
the light of the hallway.  Shinji turned away, huddled in his
bedclothes, feigning sleep.
        "Shinji," Misato said, "I want you to know something.  No
matter what anybody says, you did something admirable yesterday.  You
saved the lives of many, many people.  You can be proud of yourself."
        She paused, waiting for a reply.  Shinji remained facing the
wall, staring into it, his eyes wide open.  He did not speak.
        Misato lowered her head.  "Good night, Shinji," she murmured,
and then she closed the door.
        Shinji was left, once more, alone in the darkness.  In his
mind, he considered Misato's words.  He thought back to Tokyo-3 as he
had seen it with her - bright and shining, like a newfound hope.  He
thought back to Rei, and how he kept losing himself in her eyes.  He
thought of his reflection, the pale ghost that was no ghost no longer.
He had survived.
        But now what?  Could he possibly pilot an Eva again?  Was it
worth it - the lives saved by his hand?  Was humanity worth his
suffering?  Did the world deserve this chance, this chance that would
be bought with the blood of children?
        Slowly, Shinji turned away from the blank, unforgiving face of
the wall.  He lay straight, his back against the matress, his eyes
focused directly upwards.
        Somehow, he thought he recognized the ceiling.






End of Part 2

----

From: akaroth <akaroth@geocities.com>
Subject: [Eva][Fanfic] Requiem Three


REQUIEM


Author's Note:  This is another re-interpretation of NGE.
It will, admittedly, begin in pretty much the exact same
way as the actual series; expect that to change quite a 
bit as time goes on.  That's about it.. 

The entire series thus far can be found at
www.geocities.com/area51/dimension/4212/eva/


THREE / HEDGEHOG'S DILEMMA


        The first time Shinji climbed into a plug suit, he hated the
way it felt.  It was a large, unusual piece of clothing that expelled
the air within it when a small button on the wrist was depressed.
This allowed the suit to conform to the body of the wearer.  It felt
cloying and restrictive and manipulative.  He hated it.
        Now, as Shinji climbed into the entry plug for what felt like
the thousandth time, it no longer seemed that way to him.  It was
still a burden, but no more so than his natural layer of skin.  It
felt natural for him to wear it, acceptable.
        But he still hated it.
        "Good morning, Shinji!" Ritsuko greeted him warmly through the
speakers of the entry plug.  Shinji sat dejectedly in the seat, not
looking up or in any other way reacting.  "How are you?"
        Shinji spoke in a voice that he did not recognize as his own.
"I'm fine.  I'm used to it, now."  He swallowed nervously.
        "Well, that's good," Ritsuko replied.  "Ah, appearance
positions, emergency power sources.. locations of weapon depots and
recovery spots - have you memorized them all?"
        Shinji went over each item in his mind, straining to visualize
the information correctly.  "I think so, yes," he replied.
        "Well, then," Ritsuko said, "Shall we continue with the
simulation?"
        "I guess so," Shinji said quietly.  He didn't much want to use
the simulator again - he didn't much want to pilot Eva again.  But he
had no choice.
        Suddenly the display monitor in front of Shinji flared into
action.  It portrayed an image of Tokyo-3 in bright daylight, the
buildings retracted and the city in a state of emergency.  The
piercing sound of evacuation warnings was barely discernible in the
distance, but hinted at the terrible conflict to come.
        When the Angel appeared, it did not creep forth from the
horizon but flew upwards from the ground, suddenly and unexpectedly
arriving in Shinji's view.  It was, cosmetically, virtually identical
to the Third Angel, or was at least as close a computer simulation
NERV could manage.  Shinji had become desensitized to the vision of
this dread enemy by now.
        Instantaneously, Shinji aimed his Eva's weapon at the monster
and pulled the trigger.  The powerful gun fired a large volley at the
creature, the force of the recoil surprising Shinji and throwing his
aim off.  The weapon's fire sailed harmlessly over the Angel's head.
        "Don't be so impatient, Shinji," Ritsuko chided.  "Wait until
the onboard computer has a lock on the target before firing.  Wait
until the Evangelion declares a target.  Then aim the at the target
and pull the trigger."
        "Aim at the target and pull the trigger," Shinji repeated
monotonously.  He stared fixedly at the two target indicators that
moved into the center of the display, ultimately converging on top
of the Angel, overlapping and locking.
        Shinji grit his teeth and squeezed the trigger.  The huge
piece of weaponry once again released an incredible spread of bullets
- but this time Shinji's aim was true and the projectiles sank into
the unreal monster's flesh, flinging it backwards and leaving it
collapsed and motionless on the ground.
        "Well done!" Ritsuko said, but even as she said those words
another mock Angel rose from the retracted city, silent, unmoving but
somehow deadly.
        Shinji was tempted to fire upon the it the instant it came
into view, but restrained himself, remembering Ritsuko's words.  The
computer locked, and Shinji aimed carefully before firing.  The Angel
was defeated, but another instantly rose to take its place.
        "Aim," Shinji reminded himself.  Again the Angel fell, and
again another viscous apparition was summoned.  Again.  Again.  Again.
Again.  Again.  Again.  Again.  Again.
        "Aim the target in the center.. wait.. pull the trigger,"
Shinji repeated to himself, over and over, like a benediction.
        Again.  Again.  Again.  Again.

        Maya Ibuki watched, fascinated, through the glass of the
observation chamber at the Eva down below.  To her, it appeared to
be standing in a blank room, a fake weapon in its hands, firing it and
behaving as if it was real.  A series of thick, black, cables ran from
the chamber into the Evangelion's frame, transmitting the elaborate
signals that made up the simulation.
        "I'm amazed," Maya said, her short brown hair touching the
glass, her brown eyes gazing beyond her own reflection.  "How can he
cope?  He's so young."
        Ritsuko sighed.  "I'm afraid that all he does is whatever
others tell him to do," she said.  "That's how he survives - not
questioning his orders, not listening to his feelings."  She stared,
plaintively, into the glass.  "We're killing him, you know.  Eva
destroys those who pilot it."
        The Eva fired its empty, useless weapon into space.

        Misato lay, prostrate, in her room, tucked deep within her
covers.  She felt herself on the edge of sleep, teetering on the verge
of darkness and peace.  She sighed relaxedly, allowing the feelings
of comfort and silence to overwhelm her.
        Suddenly, her world of silence was shattered by a harsh,
discordant banging at her door.  In actuality, the sound was more
similar to Shinji's meek, quiet knock, but it had the same effect
upon her sleep-deprived mind.
        "What is it?" she screamed, thrusting her head out from
beneath the covers.  She saw nobody around.  "What?!"
        The door of Misato's room slid open a minute amount, allowing
Shinji to peer past it and into the room.  "Er.. it's morning, Miss
Misato."
        "I don't care," Misato moaned, placing her pillow over her
head.  "I worked the late shift last night and I only got in a few
hours ago.  I don't have to be back again until this evening.  Please,
let me sleep!"
        Shinji nodded and closed the door.  Misato sank back into her
lazy refrain, withdrawing deeply and solemnly beneath her sheets.  The
next thing she knew, she had been awoken by the incessant ringing of
her phone, and the clock had been set about five hours ahead.  Or
perhaps five hours had actually passed, though she was still tired as
hell!  Sighing, she reached over and grabbed the receiver, knowing she
couldn't afford to miss an important call.
        "Yes?  Hello?" Misato murmured.
        "Misato?" Ritsuko replied, on the other end of the phone.
        "Oh, it's you, Ritsuko," Misato said, yawning.
        "How've you been?"  Ritsuko asked, a note of concern in her
voice.  "Are you getting along with him?"
        "Him?  Oh, Shinji," Misato tried to clear her sleep-addled
mind by rubbing her eyes.  Actually, just talking on the phone was
helping her to regain consciousness.  She stood up, supposing she
should be waking up around now anyway.  "Well, he's been at school
for a few days now, but I don't think he's getting used to it."  She
pulled on a robe and she spoke, crossing the room and opening the
door.  She walked into the kitchen, still holding the portable phone
against her ear.  There she stopped.  "Oh, no.."
        "What is it?"
        "Oh," Misato sighed.  "Nothing, really.  It's just that Shinji
left the phone I gave him here," she said, staring at the black,
unused portable phone lying on the kitchen counter.  "I guess he just
doesn't use it.  I'm not sure, but I think he has no friends."
        "Hmm.." Ritsuko pondered, considering the situation.  "I can
believe that.  Shinji doesn't seem like the type who'd make friends
easily.  Have you ever heard the story of the hedgehog's dilemma?"
        "Hedgehogs?" Misato asked. "The thorny ones?"
        "Yes.  If a hedgehog wants to give his warmth to other
hedgehogs, the closer he approaches, the more they injure each other.
It's the same with some types of people.  The pain he feels makes it
difficult for him to enter any relationship where he might be
rejected."
        Misato nodded.  "In time, as he grows up, he'll learn to
handle others' feelings more carefully.  This will be the most
difficult part."
        Ritsuko was quiet a second before she spoke again.  "Misato,
these children aren't going to grow up.  They probably aren't going
to live longer than another year."
        Misato's body went rigid.  Her mind went blank.  She had
known that, of course - but, now, after taking Shinji under her wing,
it hurt to be reminded of it.  A lot.
        "Don't ever tell me that again, Ritsuko," Misato whispered.

        Shinji stood upon the sidewalk, staring upwards at the large
building that was his destination.  The school was well-constructed,
and brightly lit by the sun, but it was an object of mortal terror to
Shinji.  Still, he supposed, it was better than being inside Eva.
Sighing, he faced forwards and advanced up the path into the large
structure.
        There were not nearly as many students in this school as there
has been in Shinji's last.  As Shinji walked through the halls, he
would occasionally pass classrooms that were entirely unused, the
population insufficient to fill them.  This was due to people fleeing
the city, a trend began ever since the attack of the Third Angel.  No
amount of cover-up initiated by NERV could prevent knowledge of the
monstrous invader from becoming public.  Why, there were even rumors
that the second impact had not, in fact, been caused by a meteorite at
all..
        Just then, Shinji was suddenly jostled by a student as they
passed each other.  The larger child, traveling with two other
friends, laughed as Shinji fell to the ground, reeling from the
purposeful blow.  Shinji grit his teeth and ignored them.  He was used
to this kind of behavior.
        When Shinji arrived at his classroom, the lesson had not yet
started.  The students within were undisciplined and rowdy, screaming
and shouting and fighting.  One boy was making planelike noises and
moving a model airplane through the room - an event being videotaped
by another boy with glasses.  There was no sign of the teacher.
        Shinji sat down in the desk he had occupied yesterday.  On top
of every desk, there was a small, red computer used primarily for
schoolwork.  However, they could also be used for communications, and
students often used them to carry out extended conversations in the
middle of class.
        Shinji placed his chin on his hands, staring around the
classroom  Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rei - Rei
Ayanami was her full name.  She was like him, sitting alone, without
friends.  She still bore the bandages that marked her as wounded, but
seemed to be in better shape, staring vacantly out the window her desk
resided by.
        Shinji wondered if he should talk to her.  He wondered if she
would want to talk to him.  Shinji turned his head to the side,
scanning the classroom, wondering where the teacher was.  Suddenly,
the boy with the videocamera was stopped by an imperious-looking girl,
demanding something or other.  Shinji listened to their conversation,
unconsciously at first.
        "Kensuke!" the girl screamed, trying to attract his attention.
        The boy with the videocamera - Kensuke - reluctantly put it
down.  "Yes, class rep?" he responded, grudgingly.
       "Did you deliver Suzuhara's homework, as I asked?"
        "Uh, well," Kensuke faltered, "There didn't appear to be
anyone at Touji's house."
        The class rep was indignant.  "Then why didn't you just drop
it off?  I-" she halted abruptly, seeing Kensuke lower his gaze, and
she seemed to realize something.  "Kensuke," she began again, more
softly, "I thought you were Suzuhara's best friend!  Why don't you
want to see him?"
        "I-I.." Kensuke stammered.  "I'm not sure, but he could be
badly hurt."
        The girl's eyes widened.  "But they said that no one was hurt
in the giant robot incident!"
        Shinji looked up.  Giant robot incident.. they were talking
about Eva!
        "Impossible!" Kensuke maintained.  "You saw the explosion,
didn't you?  The units of not only Iruma and Komatsu, but of Misawa
and Kyushu were mobilized.  I'm sure there were at least ten or
twenty people injured, and at least one casualty-"
        Shinji turned away.  He had never even considered that people
might have been hurt in the conflict!  The buildings his Eva had
callously destroyed - what if there had still been people in any of
them?  And the explosion - how much of Tokyo-3 had been damaged by
that?  Had it hit any evacuation shelters?  Oh, Christ.. had it?
        "Touji!" Kensuke suddenly cried.  A tall, well-built student
with short black hair stood in the doorway.
        "Suzuhara!" the class representative shouted.
        "Where's everybody gone?" Touji Suzuhara said.  "There's been
a drop in attendance since I've been away."  He strode into the
classroom and sat on a desk beside Kensuke.
        "Can you blame them?" Kensuke asked.  "There was a real war in
this city!  I'm surprised the whole district hasn't evacuated."
        "Hm.." Touji mused, staring out a window.  "I would have
thought you'd be pleased to see a real war."
        "Well, I am, sort of.  How've you been, though?  You've been
absent for a while.  Were you involved in the incident?"
        "Not personally," Touji said, and his voice dropped audibly
in tone.  Only Kensuke was close enough to make out what he was
saying.  "It was.. it was my younger sister.  She was buried under a
pile of rubble during the incident.  She's alive, but she's been in
the hospital ever since." Touji swallowed and looked at the floor.
        "That's terrible," Kensuke murmured.
        "I'm the only one she has," Suzuhara said.  "My father can't
desert his post now that this has begun.  If I didn't stay with her,
she would've been all alone."  His voice grew darker, furious.  "I
found out it was the goddamn pilot of the robot that knocked down the
building.  He totaled an entire section of the city.  Our own
defender killed over twenty and injured over forty."
        Kensuke drew in a breath.  "That many?"
        "The pilot must have been drunk," Touji sneered.  "How the
hell did he ever get chosen?"
        "Mmm.." Kensuke said.  "That reminds me.  Have you heard about
the new transfer student?"
        "Transfer student?" Touji asked.
        "Yeah," Kensuke replied.  With a flick of his wrist he
indicated Shinji, his head on his desk and enfolded in his arms.
"That's him there.  He transferred here while you were gone.  He came
here just after the incident!  Understandable that people are leaving,
but why would he want to come here _after_ the battle?  Don't you find
that strange?"
        Touji was about to reply, but then the teacher finally
entered.
        "All rise!" the class rep shouted.

        The lesson passed slowly for Shinji.  He listened attentively
to the teacher's explanations, but the man was long-winded and seemed
completely oblivious to whatever else was going on in the class.  All
around Shinji, students were laughing and giggling and holding
detailed conversations through their desktop computers.  The sole
exception was Rei, who didn't seem to be paying attention to anything
but the view outside her window.
        "That was when the hardest trials of the human race began,"
the teacher noted, sketching out a vague timeline on the board.  "In
the last year of the twentieth century, a meteorite from outer space
collided with the Antarctic continent.  It melted the polar ice caps,
causing terrible consequences that altered the state of the planet
earth.  The water level in the oceans rose, burying part of the world
beneath them.  The earth's axis fluctuated, causing abnormal weather
patterns throughout the world.  Fifteen years later, the human race
is still in danger of extinction.  The massive amounts of currency
spent by governments worldwide to repair the damage has been
responsible for economic instability and even anarchy in smaller
countries where millions go starving."
        Some of the things the teacher said sounded vaguely important,
and Shinji tried to pick up on them.  However, just then his computer
displayed a small symbol in the upper right hand corner Shinji knew
indicated an incoming message.  Shinji stopped listening to the
lesson and moved trembling fingers to acknowledge the message.  Who
wanted to speak to him, and why?
        A moment later the computer posed him a question.
        IS IT TRUE YOU'RE THE PILOT OF THE ROBOT?
        Shinji's eyes widened.  How did they know?  How _could_ they
know?  His gaze darted around the room, trying to find possible
senders of the communique, but the only responses he received were
girls giggling and pointing.  He turned back to the screen, blushing.
Were they trying to embarrass him?  Because he'd come in so recently,
and after the conflict - they'd tease him for that.  They couldn't
possibly suspect a child would be responsible for such a task!  No,
they were trying to humiliate him.. that was all anyone ever wanted.
        But they won't this time, Shinji thought, almost smiling.
        YES, he typed.
        Immediately several students in the class stood up, shouting
something in amazement.  The class began to completely ignore the
teacher, talking, arguing amongst themselves.
        "I told you!" one student screamed.  "My father told me they
get kids to pilot those things!"
        The only student unaffected by the response was Rei, who sat,
as before, with her chin propped up on one had, staring out the
window.
        "Settle down, please!" The teacher raised his voice,
attempting to remind the unruly students of his authority. "Please,
be quiet!  I don't know what's gotten into you, but we have a
lesson to complete!"
        The students obliged, whispering and giggling and staring at
Shinji.  Somehow Shinji felt even more humiliated now.  Looking back
at his computer screen, he saw he now had five or six messages, with
more appearing quickly.
        HOW WERE YOU SELECTED?
        I'M NOT SURE, Shinji replied.  THEY ONLY USE CHILDREN
THOUGH.. I THINK.
        WERE YOU PUT THROUGH ANY TESTS?
        NOT BEFORE THE FIGHT, BUT I TRAIN NOW.
        WHAT'S THE COCKPIT LIKE?
        I THINK IT'S TOP SECRET.  IT'S SMALL THOUGH.
        WERE YOU FRIGHTENED?
        YES.
        There were many, many messages, but Shinji responded to them
all.  It was the first time he had ever had people in the school want
to talk to him - and he was enjoying it.
        WHAT'S THE ROBOT CALLED?
        I THINK IT'S CALLED EVA, BUT THAT STANDS FOR SOMETHING LONGER.
THEY ALSO SOMETIMES CALL IT UNIT ONE.
        WHAT'S IT'S DEADLIEST ATTACK?
        I THINK IT'S THE KNIFE.. IT VIBRATES AND CAUSES AN ULTRASONIC
WAVE.  IT'S CALLED A PROGRESSIVE KNIFE.
        INCREDIBLE.
        YOU'RE THE PRIDE OF OUR SCHOOL, YOU KNOW THAT?
        Shinji sat back and blushed again.  They must not know about
Rei, then, he thought.  Maybe he shouldn't have told them.  Maybe he
wasn't supposed to.
        But he didn't care.  The feeling he possessed right now was
one of the greatest feelings he had _ever_ possessed.  He was liked;
popular.  He had to suffer in the Eva, so there had to be some reward,
some payback.  And this was it.  He actually felt happy.
        He was about to look it another message when a loud, piercing
noise signaled the end of the class.  The students immediately leaped
forward from their seats, talking, laughing and oblivious to the class
rep, who was screaming at them to wait for the teacher's dismissal.
        "Where do you live, Shinji?" A girl asked him.
        "Do you live in the old section of town?" another specified.
        "Umm.." Shinji said, rising from his seat.  "I live with the
Operations Captain.  I'm not sure what section it's in.  I haven't
been around much."  He carefully departed, surrounded by a throng
of students all asking him questions.
        At the back of the class, Touji Suzuhara stared at the
withdrawing figure, hatred in his eyes.

        Shinji quickly became frustrated with the constant questions,
and when lunchtime came around he only wanted to be alone.  He felt
liked, popular, but also pestered and violated.  He stole through
the empty halls of the school, looking for a quiet spot to eat and
think.
        As he rounded one corner, he noticed two students stepping
from behind another corner to follow him.  Shinji carried on more
hurriedly, but it seemed like they were keeping pace to match with
him.  Or was it just his imagination?  There was a door leading
outside, and Shinji made for it.  He fumbled with the handle for a
few seconds before realizing it was locked.
        Shinji turned around and went back the way he came, but the
two were already there.  The larger one caught Shinji's shoulder,
and then, without warning or provocation, punched Shinji on the face.
        Shinji collapsed on the ground, terrified and a agony.  Tears
were escaping from his eyes, which he wiped with the back of his hand.
        Touji Suzuhara looked, satisfied, at the child lying on the
floor.  "Sorry, transferee, but I had to hit you.  I owed you one."
He said, smirking.
        Kensuke Aida stepped beside him, staring at Shinji as he rose
to his feet.  "Sorry but his younger sister was crippled by your
robot.  That's how life is, I guess.  You hurt someone, you eventually
end up getting hurt back."
        Shinji choked, unable to believe what they were saying.  If
they knew.. if they had any idea.. he stood, facing the boy who had
hit him.
        "I didn't want to pilot the damn thing!" Shinji screamed.
        Kensuke opened his mouth to say something, but Suzuhara
instantly thrust his arm forward and hit Shinji once more.  Shinji
fell back, sprawling against the wall.  Touji walked away, not looking
at the crumpled form again.  Kensuke took a final, uncertain look at
Shinji, then followed his friend.
        Shinji clutched his jaw, shivering and agonizing.  He couldn't
believe it.  There was no escape, was there?  He was meant to suffer.
Shinji Ikari, the boy God took out his frustrations on.  He was
bleeding from a cut on his lip, so with unsteady movement he got up
and moved towards the bathroom.
        Inside, he sat down and wept.

        Shinji didn't go to any of his other classes that day.
Instead, he remained in the small room, slumped against the wall,
only once moving to wash a small amount of blood off his face.  In one
sense, this felt worse than piloting Eva.  These were the very people
he had suffered to protect.  He had been pushed to the brink of death
- he had been pushed further than he had ever imagined he could be
pushed.  And for what?  There was still a bit of blood on Shinji's
mouth.
        It was near the end of the day, or so Shinji figured when
he heard a harsh, blaring siren that sounded not at all similar to
the ordinary school bell.  Shinji had never heard the sound before,
but he instantly knew what it was.  An evacuation siren.
        Another Angel, he thought, burying his head in his hands.
Already.
        He wondered what would happen if he didn't rise, if he just
stayed there.  They'd probably send someone to look for him, he
thought.  Or maybe they wouldn't.  Maybe they'd just make Rei fight
the Angel.
        Would Rei do it?  He couldn't do it, if he was Rei.  But she
didn't even seem like a human being, the way she was treated - the way
she acted.  She almost seemed as if she had been brainwashed.
        Suddenly Shinji thought of himself after about a month of
this, and wondered if he would be the same.  He could already feel
himself breaking.  Would he still be an individual at all?  He was
crying again, but he was angry, angry at Rei, but more angry at
whatever had done this to her.  What was doing this to him.
        Finally, after maybe ten minutes since the siren had started,
he got up and left the bathroom.  He couldn't let Rei suffer - and he
couldn't let her die fighting that Angel.  If the Angel won, Tokyo-3
would be destroyed, surely.  A voice at the back of Shinji's mind
told him he wasn't in any better condition to fight the Angel than
Rei, but he didn't care.  As long as he was the first to die.
        He stood in the hallway outside for only a second before he
heard the voice of an older man calling his name.
        "Shinji Ikari?" The tone was questioning, uncertain.
        Startled, Shinji spun around.
        "Shinji Ikari?" The speaker was an adult, but not that old.
Late twenties, perhaps.  He wore a suit and sported a day's growth of
beard and a perpetual smile.  "You _are_ Shinji Ikari, aren't you?"
        "Uh.." Shinji paused a moment.  Was this man from NERV?  "Yes,
I'm Shinji Ikari."  Hurriedly, he wiped his eyes.
        "I've been looking all over for you!"  the man said.  Suddenly
he stopped and stared at Shinji.  "Did someone hit you?" he asked.
        Shinji turned away.  "Um.. well.." he didn't know what to say.
"Yes," he finally whimpered.
        The man stooped to examine Shinji's face.  "Looks pretty bad,"
he said, gravely.  "You should put something cold on that.  I'll get
you something before we leave."
        "Leave?" Shinji said, jerking his head around.  "Where are we
going?  Who are you?"
        "I'm sorry," the man said, standing.  "I should have
introduced myself."  He offered his hand to Shinji.  "The name's
Ryougi Kaji, but my friends usually just call me Kaji.  I work for
NERV, as you probably guessed."
        Shinji took the hand somewhat miserably, though Kaji smiled
at him.  "Then there's another Angel," he stated.
        "Well, yes," Kaji said, nodding grimly.  He stared with
concern at Shinji for a second.  The young boy before him was
frightened and in pain.  "If you're not up to it, Shinji, you don't
have to do it.  You can just back away."
        "No, I won't!" Shinji screamed.  "If I do, the people here
will be slaughtered by that thing!"  He started shaking, and stared at
the ground.  "I'm the only one who can do it," he whispered.
        Kaji drew a deep breath.  He stooped down beside Shinji.  "I
don't know what it's like to pilot Unit-01.  I can't pretend to know.
But it must be terrible." He put his hand on Shinji's shoulder,
reassuringly.  "If you're determined to do this, Shinji.. have you
ever had a beer before?"
        "What?" Shinji asked, looking at Kaji with surprise.
        "A beer.  Have you ever had one?"
        "Well, uh.. no," Shinji said, confused.
        "Look.  After this is over, once you've defeated the Angel -
I'll take you somewhere, just the two of us, and buy you a beer."
        Shinji stared, shocked, for a second.. then smiled.  He hadn't
meant to, but he couldn't help it.  "I - I guess so," he said.
        Kaji grinned.  "I find that no matter what your problem, it
can be mended - at least temporarily - with a drink or two."  The
siren was still blaring - it seemed strange to Shinji that they were
both standing here, oblivious to the entire crisis, when Kaji had been
sent to fetch him!
        "Ah.. shouldn't we be going?" he asked meekly.  He didn't want
to go - in fact, he quite liked Kaji - but he had no choice, and was
feeling a bit more confident now anyways.
        "Ahm, I guess so," Kaji said, rising and stretching relaxedly.
"But only," he said, casting a stern eye on Shinji, "If you're feeling
up to it."
        "I'm feeling better," Shinji replied.  He stood beside Kaji,
the siren's wounded cry reburvirating through his head.
        "Well, let's go then!" Kaji said, and led Shinji out of the
school and then to the front of it.  He walked beside Shinji, careful
not to fall ahead or behind.  Shinji was amazed.  He hadn't imagined
he'd ever meet a NERV employee like Kaji.  Even Misato.. Misato was
too messy.  And too loud.
        "Where's.. where's Ayanami?" Shinji asked, looking up at Kaji.
        "She's gone on ahead," Kaji replied.  He gestured to a car
parked in the school's driveway.  "You'll be taking that car to NERV,"
he said.
        "You're not coming?" Shinji asked, surprised and slightly
betrayed.
        "No, I'm sorry," Kaji said, stroking his chin absently.  "I'm
supposed to stay behind and make sure the evacuation is complete.
Good bye, Shinji," he said, taking the young boy's hand a final time.
"And don't forget about that beer!"
        Shinji shook the hand uneasily, but found it in him to smile.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
        Kaji looked surprised.  "Why, you're welcome!" he said, and
waved a final time at Shinji as he walked away.  Feeling much better
about himself, Shinji climbed into the car and shut the door.  The
driver automatically began his journey towards the underground complex
of NERV headquarters.

        The Fourth Angel varied greatly in appearance from the black,
humanoid Third.  How it had arrived in Tokyo-3 was general uncertain;
the assumption was that it had traveled through the atmosphere like
the Third.  However, it bore no legs, nor any arms.  It was largely
red, blood-red; not pitch black as the Third.
        Subcommander Fuyutsuki stared at the viewscreen in the UN
headquarters, contemplating.  NERV was now in command of the military
operations - but Commander Ikari was absent, preoccupied with other
business.  A terrible coincidence that the Fourth Angel should arrive
on this day.  It was also surprising that the Fourth Angel had
arrived so soon after the defeat of the Third.  If they had to
intercept Angels at this rate, they needed Units Two and Three, and
they needed them quickly.
        "Status of noncombatants and civilians?" Misato Katsuragi
asked, standing grimly behind Fuyutsuki.  She kept her gaze fixated
on the viewscreen, observing their dread opponent.
        "Reports indicate that the evacuation has been completed,"
a technician replied.  "We can now begin the transformation of
Tokyo-3."
        "Do it," Fuyutsuki commanded.
        Almost the instant the order had been given the bright and
shining towers of Tokyo-3 began to retreat into the ground, sheltering
themselves from the destructive power of the Angel.  The strange thing
was, at this point, the Angel didn't seem to have any destructive
power at all.
        "It's strange, but it almost looks to be.. searching for
something," Misato said, staring intently at the Angel.  "It must be
drawn to NERV somehow.  The last one attacked Tokyo-3 as well."
        Fuyutsuki nodded.  He knew exactly why the Angels were drawn
to NERV, of course, even if Misato didn't.  "Are we ready to launch
an Eva?"
        "Almost, sir," Misato said.  "Unit-01 should be ready for
launch shortly."
        "Just make sure it launches," Fuyutsuki remarked dryly.  "I'd
rather we engage the Angel _before_ it reaches NERV.  Just to be on the
safe side."

        This was the second evacuation in as many weeks, and the
students in Shinji's school were already getting tired of it.  They
stood at the shelter, taking, laughing, giggling.  Or, Touji thought,
perhaps it's their fear that makes them this way.  Maybe they just
want to forget their fear.
        Touji was scared.  Deathly scared.  He had just hit the pilot,
for God's sake!  Just an hour ago!  He couldn't imagine his timing
being any worse.
        A voice crackled over the speakers installed in the walls.
"Primary and Junior High School students, please group yourselves
by class.  Resident, please group yourselves by block."
        Some people moved in response to the orders, but not many.
Touji remained by Kensuke, who stood taping a news broadcast playing
on a monitor.
        "At noon today," the anchorwoman stated, "a state of special
emergency was declared for the Kanto and Chubu districts, near the
Tokai district.  More detailed information will be reported as it is
received."
        Suddenly, the screen went black.
        Kensuke put his camera down, disappointed.  "Great, another
news blackout.  I wonder what goes on out there that they don't want
us to see?"
        Touji shrugged.  "Beats me.  Two robots fighting.  I can't
imagine why they wouldn't show it.  If we're going to die, shouldn't
we be the first to know?"
        Kensuke paused for a minute, nodding.  Then he turned to
Touji.  "I have to see this, you know."
        Touji turned around, surprised.  "See what?"
        "The battle?"
        "But the news channels are blocked."
        "Then I'm leaving the shelter."
        Touji stared, stunned.  "You can't go out there!  You'll be
killed!"
        Kensuke shrugged.  "If he loses we'll be killed in the shelter
anyway.  I might as well see it first."
        "You're a fool," Touji cried.  "We're not going to die.  What
do you think NERV's sole purpose is?"
        "And what do you think NERV's fighting machine is?" Kensuke
asked.  "It's the robot the transferee pilots.  Last time he protected
us, and you punched him for it.  Twice!"
        Touji winced.  "Don't remind me!  You think I don't know that?"
        "If he didn't want to pilot that robot, we'd all be killed,
Touji!  Don't you feel obligated to watch his struggle?"
        Touji sighed.  "I don't suppose I have a choice.  You really
want to see this thing, don't you?"
        Kensuke grinned.
        "Class rep," Touji called.  "Class rep!"
        A stern-looking class rep came over to the two, expecting
trouble.  "Yes?" she asked.
        "We need to go to the bathroom."
        The class rep looked in disbelief.  "Both of you?"
        "Yes, that's right."
        "It's too late  Why didn't you go before?"
        "Didn't need to then.  We really need to now."
        The class rep sighed.  "Ah, all right.  But be quick about it."

        Twenty minutes later, Touji and Kensuke were running up a
series of stone steps set into the side of the mountain the shelter
was built under.  The view from that height - a view neither of them
had ever laid eyes on before - was breathtaking.  The dying sunlight
cooled and glimmered off of the sullen form of the fortress city, and
sparked deeply upon the bloody form of the Angel.  Kensuke shivered
with excitement, struggling to bring his camera's focus upon the
pristine, haunting image.
        At the top of the staircase, there was a large, grassy knoll
which the two perched upon, breathing heavily.
        Touji stared transfixedly at the image of the Angel.  "So
that's what the enemy looks like, huh?" he murmured.
        Kensuke stared in the same direction.  "Yeah.  I wonder how it
attacks... I suppose we'll find out, though."  His voice was unsteady,
betraying the intense excitement the experience was bringing him.
"This is amazing.  It was well worth the struggle to get here!"
        Suddenly the lights on a large building - one of the few
remaining in Tokyo-3's submerged form - glimmered incessantly,
drawing both boys' attention.  A huge sliding door on one side of the
construction retreated, and the Eva's gigantic, devilish form was
visible.
        "Wow," Kensuke murmured, keeping his camera focused as best he
could.  "It doesn't look like I expected it to."
        Inside the entry plug of Unit-01, Shinji sat calmly, his
attention focused entirely on the coming conflict.  His jaw no longer
hurt - he no longer felt any sense of Shinji Ikari at all.  He was one
with Eva.
        Shinji raised his enormous rifle.  The Angel before him didn't
seem as fearsome as the Third had.  It behaved like the Third,
confused by his arrival, apparently staring directly at him - though
it didn't have a discernible head.
        Shinji remembered Ritsuko's words to him.  Her lesson, now
that he was back in the entry plug, lingered within his mind like a
benediction.  He waited calmly, breathing deeply, as the targeting
cursor in front of him obtained a lock on the Angel.
        He strode forward, weapon in hand.
        The cursor locked.  He fired.
        The Angel crumbled before the fire, blood vessels rupturing
and showering the city.  Touji and Kensuke watched, stunned, as the
Angel thrashed violently before collapsing to the ground.
        "They're organic," Kensuke murmured, horrified.
        Shinji crept closer, weapon in hand, attempting to examine
the remains of the fallen Angel.  It had collapsed across a street,
and demolished several sets of buildings - but they were evacuated.
They had told him so.  Shinji waded through the wreckage and the
rubble, and stared at the Angel.
        Shinji raised his weapon, aiming directly for the monster's
chest.  As the target locked, he heard a second to consider its
strange appearance.  It was almost like an insect, or perhaps an
undersea creature, standing as if it were human.  Instead of arms,
it bore stubby protrusions that didn't seem to be of any use at all.
How had it planned to attack him?
        A split second before Shinji fired again, the Angel recovered.
>From its shoulderlike protrusions two beams of energy materialized,
their appearance like that of lasers by their movement like tentacles
or feelers.  Just as Shinji pulled the trigger, one swept fiercely
through the weapon, shattering it and causing an explosion that
impeded Shinji's vision for a second.  Before he could even recover
from the shock the monster wrapped its feelers around the robot and
flung him through space.
        "My God," Kensuke screamed.  "It's coming right for us!"
        The robot landed heavily in the grassy hill Touji and Kensuke
were perched upon, its joints screaming with the impact.  The two boys
could only stare in mortal terror at the enormous fighting machine
which had landed twenty feet from them.
        "Shinji!" Misato cried through the plug's speakers.  "Shinji,
the Angel has severed your umbilical cord!"
        Shinji looked up in alarm.  The umbilical cord was the Eva's
power supply.  Attached to the back of the robot, it ran all the way
back to NERV's power source.  But now that he was not longer receiving
that power-
        "You're on internal battery power," Misato explained, her
voice shaking.  "But you only have five minutes of it."
        Shinji glanced down at a new display that had appeared.  It
was a numerical readout - four fifty three.  Four fifty two.  Four
fifty one.
        Five minutes.  It would have to be enough.
        Shinji struggled to his feet.  However, as his view scraped
the horizon, his eyes came to fixate upon a tiny pair of figures
huddled on the mountainside.  For a second, he was unable to believe
what he was seeing.  Students.  Students from his class!  Right in
front of him!  And he recognized them..
        The realization was like the blow to the face he had suffered
at their hands.  One second, he had been someone better than Shinji
Ikari - an avenging angel fighting for the good of humankind.  Now,
seeing this before him, he was reminded of who he was - a small,
frightened boy trapped in a larger shell that was not his own.
Without the Eva, he was nothing.  A target hated by all he came into
contact with.
        Gritting his teeth, he slowly forced himself back into the
mindset of his Eva.  If all he was was Eva, then Eva was all he had
left.  It was his job to save the lives of the citizens of Tokyo-3 -
no matter what they thought of him or did to him.  If he let that
get in his way, he knew he would break.  This was all he had left.
        Suddenly, Unit-01 hurtled into action.  The giant robot
ran at the Angel, blocking its path to his two classmates.  He
grappled with the grotesque creature, trying to force it away from the
hill, push it back into the city.  At this close range, the Angel
could easily strike the robot with its feelers - and maliciously
inserted them into the chest of Unit-01, the energy weapons cleanly
emerging on the weapon's other side.  Two thin streams of blood seeped
out from the wounds.
        "What's he doing?" Touji shouted, shaking with fear.  "He
can't fight that thing at close range!  He'll be killed!"
        "He's trying to keep it away from us," Kensuke whispered,
lowering his camera.  "He's trying to protect us."
        Shinji was in agony once more.  He felt as if the Angel's
tendrils were inside his stomach, writhing and cutting and burning.
It was all he could do not to vomit.  Slowly bringing his torso
around, he turned in the direction of the two children and pointed
with his left arm, begging them to run.
        But they only stood there, gazing in mute horror at the
conflict.  Then a tendril removed itself from the Eva's body and
instead wrapped itself around its outstretched arm, constricting around
it, and finally crushing it with a sickening snap.  Unit-01 reeled
beneath the blow; the arm fell limp, useless.
        The two onlookers ran.  For the first time Shinji could ever
recall doing so in Eva's cockpit, he smiled.  But it was a pale,
sickly smile and bereft of any hope or innocence.  Two minutes, five
seconds remaining.
        The Eva reached down with its right arm - its only remaining
arm - and withdrew from a compartment situated on its leg a long,
gleaming knife.  The weapon was called a progressive knife, and was
the robot's deadliest weapon.  It, when activated, vibrated with
ultrasonic frequency, creating shockwaves to assault whatever it came
in contact with.  In one swift, deadly move, Shinji drew the knife,
activated it, and shred open the chest of his enemy.  The severed
flesh hung limply to either side of the separation, blood oozing from
the wound. There was a faint glimpse of a red crystal beyond.
        Over the entry plug's speakers, Misato was saying something.
She might have been telling him to retreat.  He had one minute and
twenty-six seconds left.  If he ran out of power before the Angel
died, he would be rent limb from limb by this creature.
        Both feelers were back in his body, writhing and bleeding and
hurting.  But it only fueled Shinji's rage.
        Screaming, he swung the progressive knife in a murderous arc,
the knife penetrating the Angel's core with a metallic scraping sound.
The Angel made a sharp hissing noise as the blade entered its chest.
The orb began to shudder under the ultrasonic wave, chipping and
cracking beneath the assault.
        Fifty-three seconds.
        The Angel writhed wildly, understanding now the deadly embrace
it was caught in.  Its tendrils whipped wildly around, cracking and
dissolving metal plating but, more importantly, slicing through muscle
tissue and striking vital organs.  Shinji fell to his knees, vomiting
blood.  But he would not give up consciousness.
        Forty-two seconds.
        Shinji's mind corroded in that foul embrace.  Everything,
absolutely everything within him was pleading him to stop, begging
him to slip into the darkness.  But he would not stop.  He would
not give in.  He would hold onto this pain like a beacon, use it to
direct his assault.  If it would be the death of him, so be it.  He
had nothing left.
        Twenty-six seconds left.
        Misato was screaming at him, but Shinji couldn't hear her.  He
didn't care.  All he heard, all he felt was the blood roaring in his
veins.  He plunged the knife farther still into the creature's chest.
Its core shuddered and cracked - but did not give in.
        Ten seconds left.
        Shinji screamed - he had just enough energy left to scream.
        The creature was eviscerating him from the inside.
        Nine seconds left.
        Eight.
        Seven.
        Six.
        Five.
        Shinji let out a final, heartbroken wail and collapsed, his
mind unrecognizable to himself.  He had failed.
        Four.
        Three.
        Two.
        One.
        Neither creature moved.  The Eva remained motionless, with its
knife penetrating the Angel's core.  The Angel's tendrils had vanished
into the air as if they had never been.  It's core was finally,
utterly breached, killing it.  But Shinji never knew it.

        The rain fell softly on the streets of Tokyo-3.  It came
quietly and thoughtfully, not hard but enough to create a noticeable
cascade streaming down the street.  Touji Suzuhara stared miserably
out into the rain, searching it for the answer to his dilemma.  He
felt twisted inside, bent out of shape.  He felt empty, and he didn't
know what to do to fill the void.
        "It's been three days," he murmured to no-one in particular.
        Kensuke, typing maniacally on a keyboard behind him, looked
up at the sound of his friend's voice.  "Yeah," he now replied,
sadly.  "We were really raked over the coals for that.."
        Touji interrupted him.  "Since he's been at school, I mean."
        "Who's he?"
        "The transferee, of course!  Who else would I be talking
about?"  Touji sighed, retreating back to his melancholy thoughts.
"I wonder how he's doing.."
        Kensuke stared at Touji, surprised.  "You're worried about
him?"
        Touji stood up.  "Of course I'm worried about him!  That..
that things nearly tore him apart!"  He stopped, suddenly, as Kensuke
handed him a small piece of paper he had just printed.  "What's this?"
        "The transferee's address," Kensuke replied.

        Misato had gone to visit Shinji in the hospital every day
since his battle with the Fourth Angel.  But he hadn't woken up.
After three days, he was still unconscious, his mind still on the
verge of collapsing.  Even so, she wasn't sure what she'd say to him
once he woke up.  How could she comfort him?  Or was he beyond
comfort now?
        On the fourth day, she opened the door to Shinji's room and
found it empty.
        "He left some time last night," the nurse on duty explained
her hands spread across her desk.  "He took his clothing and just..
left.  It's not like we could stop him.  I didn't even know who he
was."
        Misato didn't know what to say.  What was there to say?  She
called NERV, of course.  They said they would start to look for him.
But she didn't really believe they would find him.
        It was Ritsuko who had told her Shinji wouldn't live another
year.  When Misato got home, she locked herself in her room and cried.






End of Part 3