From: archer@senet.com.au (Oska Archer or 'Kon')
Subject: [Eva][FanFic] Daughter of Elysium [contains translations of new Gainax footage]


Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 22'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This fanfic I write out of my fondness for the Second Children. It
is an alternate-course-of-events story, with the point of divergence
being, I believe, entirely justified and not Out of Character for
anyone involved. That is, it must have been a very hard choice for
the one who had to choose between action and inaction. In any case,
I reckon the end is gonna justify the means.
It is important to realise that it begins just prior to the second
half of the episode, following the English subtitle (formerly "Don't
Be", but here-in, "Catalyst"). However, I need to borrow stuff from
the start to adequately set the scene.
For the movie continuity, may she and Shinji indeed try to live and
find heaven. For the TV series, may Souryuu Asuka Langley be happy
in her Instrumentality.

 *


The full moon shone through a wide gap in the clouds and the breeze
was gentle. It smelled of the sea. But then, the deck, the rooms,
the food and even luggage smelled of the sea by these closing stages
of the UN Fleet's voyage, and it was no longer a conscious factor.

  Asuka and Kaji lay on a wide blanket out in a clear area of the
aircraft launch deck of the _Over the Rainbow_. It was a relatively
relaxed atmosphere after a small midnight picnic.

  "A-a-ah," sighed Asuka, to break the silence. "Tomorrow we reach
Japan." Her tone was somewhat less than enthusiastic. "In the morning,
Misato is also coming... You know Misato from before she came to
Germany, right, Kaji-san?" she asked, having received no response.
"I don't really like her," she confessed, "I have to force my
happiness."

  Kaji lounged back with his head on his arms, gazing impassively
upwards. Asuka could be a cute kid, but when she decided it was time
for this small talk, he found it simpler to just let her go.

  "Che," she harumphed. "I've also been away from you for a while.
It's boring." She made a grumpy sound, then looked askance at him.

  This time he offered an answer. "In Japan, you can find a new boy-
friend. The Third Children is a boy, I was told."

  "Hmmph. I'm not interested in someone who might be a dork!" Asuka
definitely did not like when Kaji suggested such things. She looked
at him again, then, in one motion, rolled across the blanket and
stopped atop his chest.

  "I only love Kaji-san." She hoped it sounded sensual enough, as
she embraced his torso.

  His expression did not shift. "It's a privelige." He kept his
eyes off of her.

  Asuka was hurt. And angry. "Mo-o-ou! When will it be okay with you,
Kaji-sempai?" she almost shouted at his impassivity, looking up from
his chest. "To kiss? Or even do _that_?"

  "You're still a child. For such a thing, you need to become a
little more adult."

  "E-e-eh? That's so boring!" She was now feeling so frustrated and
upset, she felt strangely ill in her belly. But she pressed on,
sitting up and grasping the collar of her tight blue dress with both
hands. "I'm already adult enough!" And she tore it open, leaning
forward over him and exposing down to the edges of her bra in a
desperate attempt for his attention.

  "Already an adult!"

  She stretched the fabric wider apart. He wouldn't look.
  
  "An adult, an adult!!"

  "So LOOK AT ME!"

 *

  Oh God.

  ...Kaji-san?.. Mama?..

  They won't look at me.

  Don't they think I'm good enough? I _am_ good enough! I'll be
better than everyone else! I'll show them, everyone who wouldn't look
at me - I'll make them see how much better I am! I'll work hard,
harder and better than everyone!

  ...Mama's dead now. She isn't here to see me.

  She's dead.

  The entry plug hummed constantly while Asuka sat the harmonics
test out. The ambient sound was abruptly interupted by Ritsuko's
voice.

  "Can you hear me, Asuka? Your synchro rate has dropped a further
eight points."

  Her eyes were closed, but Asuka's jaw clenched as the doctor spoke.

  "Don't think about anything else, just concentrate the way you used
to."

  "I'm doing that!" Asuka lied.

 *

  SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Tochter aus Elysium

 *

  "No problems with Eva Unit 02's signals."

  "Connection and fusion of VAs are within normal limits. The field
of proliferation is within the expected range."

  Souryuu Asuka Langley, the Second Children and veteran pilot of
Evangelion Unit 02 stood upon the umbilical bridge and met the
stare of her alter ego. Nigouki rested neck-deep in the puce coolant.

  To herself, Asuka mused aloud, "Despite such a defeat, it's finally
back." Then, "You're my puppet, so move how I tell you to and don't
argue," she commanded. She gazed fiercely up, but no response,
however unexpected, was forthcoming.

  "Why would a _weapon_ have a mind? It would only be trouble..."
she said, more to herself. Ayanami Rei had never made any sense
before. Asuka wondered why the girl's last offering still troubled
her as it did.

  Unit 02 persisted in its silence.

  "Anyway," she continued with finality, "you will obey my orders."
With that, the girl realised the futility of her monologue, her
expression drooping. Though unwilling to concede the staring match,
after a moment she mumbled, "...I look stupid."

  Presently, the klaxon sounded. Asuka looked to the side, in the
direction of the command centre, as the announcement came: "Assume
level one alert! Prepare for aerial assault!"

  Asuka felt an unpleasant sensation in her throat as she realised
the gravity of her situation in light of what must be coming. She
wasn't stupid. Her synchro rate had been declining steadily - now
it was less than First's! - so what good was an Eva Unit to NERV
if it had an incapable pilot? It wasn't something she would even
let herself consider. Focussed on the danger at hand, she said,
alarmed, "An Angel? They're still coming?"

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
episode 22':      Catalyst

 *


  "The Angel is visually confirmed. This is maximum magnification,"
Shigeru reported. The long range veiw switched to a close up:
whatever the new invader was, it was big and it glowed. Kind of like
a post-modern design for a chandelier.

  Makoto said, "It's not moving from its orbit."

  "It's maintaining a constant distance from our position."

  "Does that mean it's looking for a place to land?" Misato wondered.
"Or that it's going to destroy us from up there?"

  "We can't attack easily from this position," Makoto offered.

  She replied, "Unless it comes into range, there's nothing we can
do. The Evas can't destroy an enemy which is in orbit." The bright
object hung on the main screen. "Rei?" Misato inqired.

  "She and Unit 00 are both in good condition," sids Maya. "They can
go."

  "Right. Sortie Unit 00. Prepare for extreme long range firing."
Misato looked up at the status display for the other Eva. "Asuka in
Unit 02, be ready to sortie as back up."

 *

  "Back up? Me? For Unit 00?"

  Asuka did not like the way this was going. First had never out-
performed her before. She didn't want tht girl to get the chance.

  "That's right," Misato replied patiently. "Take the rear guard
position."

  "This is a joke." None of them knew what this Angel could do. Why
would First be any more capable than Asuka? In any case, it was time
to make them all swallow their words and quit doubting her. "Eva
Nigouki, launch!"

  The acceleration hit.

 *

  "Asuka!" Ritsuko blurted. She was concerned for the success of the
battle, and the Second Children's lowered synchro-rate was not
encouraging.

  "It's okay," Misato said cooly, as the elevator powered upwards.
"Let her take point - if it's what she wants."

  Makoto was alarmed. "Katsuragi-sansa!"

  "If she fails this time," said Ritsuko, "Asuka will not be allowed
to pilot anymore."

  Maya looked back over her shoulder at her mentor. "The Last Chance?"

  The doctor leaned closer, examining the synchronisation data. "We
had better begin preparations to replace Unit 02's pilot, just in
case."

  Poor Asuka, Maya thought. "Yes Ma'am."

  Makoto ventured, "Excuse me, but can't Unit 01 go out?"

  "It will remain frozen," answered Misato. She did not dare to
glance back up at the Commander's dias. "Ikari-shirei's strict
orders." After such a thing, she thought, it's a good idea.

  The Commander, with his vice at his side, watched silently.

 *

  In the auditing department, at the end of the launch center, 
the Second Children sat in the cold, inoperative entry plug of
his own Evangelion. The hum of the exterior life-support power
feeds was the only accompaniment to his muddled thoughts.

  If I can't fight in this Eva, what am I doing here?.. Tousan.

 *

  The dim red lights blinked in a futile effort to pierce the gloom
which had befallen the wet city, but Unit 02 provided the natural
contrast as it stood poised. As a warning sound buzzed, a positron
rifle grew rapidly from an access hole before the Eva. It grasped
the barrel with one hand, while the other released and removed the
tall right shoulder fin.

  When the weapon was appropriately mounted, Asuka said to herself,
"If I have trouble with this, they probably won't let me pilot Unit
02 anymore.

  "You can't allow more mistakes, Asuka."

  Presently, the gun was positioned and steadied atop a building,
and Asuka was looking down the sight. The cross-hairs converged,
then fell apart, as the computer sought ineffectually to gain a lock
on its target.

  "Mo-o-ou! Come this way!" the girl growled impatiently. "Talk about
lazy!"

  Something happened, something she was utterly unprepared for. She
gasped even before the alert sounded.

 *

  Upon the screen, Unit 02 was bathed in radiance.

  "An enemy particle beam weapon!?" Misato was alarmed.

  "No," Shigeru quickly corrects, "there are no detected thermal
emmisions."

  Then Maya reported nervously, "There's abnormal readings in the
psycho-graph. Mental contamination is beginning."

  "The Angel's making a psychic attack?" voiced Ritsuko. "Impossible
- Angels aren't able to--"

  "GOD DAMN IT!" cried Asuka. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Her body
shivered. Something _powerful_ was forcing its way into her, trying
to reach her mind.

  In reflexive self-defence, she brought the rifle to bear. The first
shot sailed into orbit, passing mockingly close to the target. But
the girl could not concentrate, and her indiscriminate fire blasted
holes in the city skyline and surrounding hills.

  Her finger spasmed upon the trigger. Must kill invader!

  "Positrons dissipated," a technician from the ground crew called.

  "It's no use," said Shigeru. "It's too far out of range!"

  An audible, anguished scream came from the entry plug.
  
  "Unit 02's rifle is out!" he announced.

  "Beam analysis?" demanded Misato.

  "It's an energy oscillation pattern in a visible wavelength,"
Makoto said, frowning at Caspar's preliminary report:

      REPORT ON ENERGY DISCHARGE
    FIRED BY 15th ANGEL ON EVA-02:
                UNKNOWN
  POSSIBLE SIMILARITY WITH A.T. FIELD
             RECALCULATING

  "It's close to an AT Field, but we don't know much more."

  "How's Asuka?" asked Ritsuko.

  "Critical," Maya said, facing around. "The mental contamination
is crossing her ego border."

  "Iya-a-a!" Asuka immediately cried. She was trying to squeeze
herself together, close herself up, fight somehow the pain which
now ebbed but returned like an ice-pick to her heart before she had
the chance to recover.

  "My - don't come into me!!"

  'Strangled.'

  She cried out at the invasive thrust into her mind. Her Eva, in
reverse sympathetic response, seemed to be going through some kind
of seizure.

  'Hatred.' Not a voice in her head. It was like the single concept
seizing her mind and monopolising her conscious thought. It was
getting stronger.

  'Menstruation.' Unit 02's limbs and fingers were stuck out at
unnatural angles.

  'Shame.' She whimpered, trying to offer feeble defence: It's not
my fault I'm a girl--

  'Double Suicide.' The idea, the reality: it was all her mind was
allowed to see. "Iya!!" With its torso arching upwards, the segments
of Unit 02's helmet seperated, the slitted eyes glowing.

  'Invader.'

  "Iya!" The head tilted sideways, the Eva losing strength against
its foe. The eyes flickered.

  '...Comfortable.'
  
  "Don't rape my mind!" she cried desperately, unable to resist this 
invasive _thing_. "I'm begging, so don't enter and rape my mind!!"

 *

  Oh my God! "Asuka!" Misato called with worry.

  "Psycho-graph at maximum!" Maya yelled.

  "Yes," added Ritsuko, "her mental circuits are being destroyed. It
is too dangerous for her."

  Misato shouted, "Asuka, get back!"

  "No!"

  What? "Its an order! Asuka, retreat!"

  "No! Never!" she cried. She had her hands over her face. Her
clipped-back hair fell forward. "I'd rather die than retreat now!"

  "Asuka!" Misato gasped.

 *

  Meanwhile, something _was_ being done about the Angel. Within
minutes of Unit 02's apparent failure, the JSSDF's yet-to-be-returned
positron howitzer had been unpacked and transported to the surface,
and every volt of available electricity had been commandeered. Rei
in Unit 00 now carefully aimed the huge gun.

  "Accelerator synchronisation initiated."

  "Voltage increasing. Approaching pressure zone."

  "Compulsory focus convergence activated. Correction for the Earth's
rotation and gravity, 0.03."

  Rei stared determinedly down the sight.

  "Pressure in chamber has reached maximum."

  "Release final safety. All personel, prepare for firing."

  With a grunt, Rei pulled the trigger. Though it was a weapon of
pure directed energy, the recoil was hideous.

  The bright beam sailed up through the clouds, arcing towards the
Angel. A kilometre or two before it, the AT Field rang into
visibility. With a flash, the positron beam splayed and seperated up
the six vertices of the hexagonal manifestation, spraying over
seperately at an ineffectual distance.

  "No use!" said Shigeru. "There wasn't enough energy to penetrate
the AT Field from this distance."

  Makoto added, "But that is the maximum power output. We can't get
anymore!"

  "Unit 02's psycho-graph is weakening!" Maya reminded everyone.

  "What about the LCL mind barrier?" Ritsuko dared to hope.

  "Negative," the tech replied. "We cannot even hope for a buffering
effect!"

  The doctor said clearly, "Switch top priority to life support.
Don't allow the Eva to feedback."

  "Yes Ma'am."

  As she watched Unit 02 in its unnatural hunched posture, she mused,
Somehow, that light scanned Asuka's mind's wavelength and adapted to
it. Her brow narrowed: Impossible. The human mind - the Angel intends
to...

 *

  A little child, a girl. The child Asuka, crying, clutching a new
doll.

  Why am I crying? I swore to never cry again.

  She had ripped the head off that toy.

  "What's wrong, Asuka?" The little girl's father asked her. It's a
present from your new Mama. Don't you like it?

  "No!"

  "Why not?" he asked patiently.

  And she trod forcefully on the doll with a plug suited foot. "I'm
not a child! I'll grow up faster, I don't need stuffed toys!"

  'PAIN STEPMOTHER PAIN INSANITY PAIN.' It was digging up those
memories!

  "So look at me!" the little girl implored. "Mama! I beg you, don't
stop being my Mama!"

  'Nein       Todd.' The door opened.
        Sex

  "We'll accept death together!"

      Sex      Todd.' The door opened.
  'Nein

  "Mama! Mama! Please don't kill me! No!"
  
  'Nein   Sex  
                  Todd.' The door opened to the light.
  
  But then, "I'm not your doll! I'll think for myself, I'll live by
myself."

  I don't need Papa or Mama, the little girl thought. I'll live by
myself.

  "No!" screamed Asuka, trying to hold in the tears. "Don't make me
remember things like that! I want to forget those things! Don't dig
them up from my mind! I don't need such terrible things anymore!
Stop it already! Stop!..

  Silence.

  Then-

  Small stuffed feet, dangling and slowly turning. A doll, hanged.

  "Please, Asuka-chan," came Mama's voice. It was scary. It was
insane. "We'll accept death together!"

  "Un," her little voice agreed, "we die together. So don't stop 
being my Mama. Hey, Mama..."

  "...Mama?.. I don't know her." The woman's voice was cold,
disinterested. And the doll swung around, and grinned, and its
button eyes were evil.

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt exposed. "No! That's not me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt vulnerable. "No! That's not
me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt unprotected. "No! This is not
me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt ashamed. "No! This is not me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt naked. "No! This is not me!"

  It was a lonely place. A fog horn's bass rolled over the train
tracks. Asuka, plug suited, walked aimlessly across, looking around
hopelessly. At least this place was better than before.

  There was a figure, moving in the distance. Under that bridge!
Kaji-san?

  Asuka started towards him, but nearly lost balance when a stranger
knocked her aside. She tried to orientate herself, but more strangers
pushed past her. She was surrounded now, a torrent of dark, hooded
strangers, pushing her back as she fought futily against the flow.

  She could still see the distant figure. He was receding, even as
she was carried backwards herself.

  One stranger stopped before Asuka, and looked up from under the
hood and she was red and she was her! All of the strangers were her
and now they grabbed and pulled at her and GIGGLED-

  "Help! Help me, Kaji-san!" she cried.

  -"You're still a child."
  
  In Misato's apartment, she let go of his arm as he and Shinji went
to the bedroom. She stared at the boy in horror.

  "Why are YOU here?" she screamed. "You did nothing!-

  Feeling miserable after moving her bedding to a seperate room that
night.

  "-You didn't save me!-"

  Unit 01 clutching Unit 02's arm in the chaldera. Feeling disgusted
with herself after kissing that boy, leaning over the sink.

  "-Though I didn't trust you to!

  "Nobody! Nobody! Nobody-y-y!"

  A crying, desperate child: "So look at me!"

  Asuka huddled naked in the playground. It was the difference
between nude and naked: she felt unprotected. Scared.

  "Are you lonely?" asked the child Asuka holding the toy.

  She was too scared to look up, too afraid to answer.

  "Are you lonely," it repeated, reaching for her.

  "NO!" And the child exploded in a cloud of stuffing. "Keep away!"
The head of the child's doll fell away. "I can live by myself!!"

  "Hey," said the head as it bounced. "Do you love me?"

  "Nobody touch me!!" Asuka cried.

  "Do you really love me?" it insisted.

  "I can LIVE BY MYSELF!"

  And the little child was back. Its face was a button-eyed doll:
the little Asuka was Mama's doll and it said "You certainly lie."

  Asuka screamed.

 *

  "...Contaminated.. my mind is." The girl sobbed into her knees.
"...Kaji-san!" She called hopelessly. "My mind's being raped!

  "What will I do? It's raping my mind!"

  The spent positron rifle lay uselessly on the ground. The red Eva,
slumped over, spiralled into inactivity, the glow of the eye-lenses
dying.

  EMERGENCY! blared one wall of the Control Center in red.

  "Unit 02 has ceased activation!"

  "The life support system has crashed!"

  And Maya saw the flat lines of the psycho-graph and yelled "Pilot's
mind is entering danger zone!"

  "Target position is constant," Shigeru updated everyone. "Relative
distance has not changed."

  Makoto added, "Probability of target coming into Unit 00's firing
range is 0.02 percent."

  "Could we airlift Unit 00 and try shooting from the sky?" Misato
muttered, trying to brainstorm. "No, that's no good. If the Angel
attacked during the approach, we couldn't protect the Eva."

  "I'll go out in Unit 01!" burst Shinji's voice over the radio.

  "No!" Fuyutsuki admonished. "The target has the ability to attack
the pilot's mind!"

  "We cannot allow an invasion of Unit 01," said the Commander from
behind his gloves.

  Shinji had only had slim hopes that they would let him help. He
kept arguing stubbornly. "But, If I'm not defeated, won't it be
okay?"

  "That is not guaranteed," replied his father.

  "But as this is, Asuka will--"

  "I don't care. Rei, get the Lance from Dogma."

 *

  The worst thing for Shinji was that he could believe what he was
hearing.

  "I Don't Care."

  Like you didn't care about Touji, you bastard! You nearly made me
kill him. You wouldn't let me stop, then, and you won't even let me
go now!

  And the man was again relying on Rei to make the next attack - with
some sort of _spear_? Just what the hell was going on?

  Ikari Gendou had had Touji needlessly incapacitated. He should have
known that Unit 03 was an Angel in the first place!

  Only Shinji himself seemed to give a damn enough about Asuka. He
couldn't trust his father to save her - and he _did_ have one
advantage: at the moment, Shinji was bigger than Gendou.

 *

  Misato was turning to warn the Commander of what she thought might
happen if Rei's Eva contacted the white giant in Terminal Dogma,
where she knew the Lance of Longinus to be kept. But Maya interupted.

  "Unit 01 is activating! Synchronisation is commencing!"

  Shigeru said, "The Pilot is maintaining a control block. We cannot
override!"

  "And with the SS Engine..." Ritsuko added.

  In NERV's auditing department there was an anguished, straining
noise, as the huge metal walls of the Cage began buckling. Then with
a mighty shock which sent waves of coolant crashing around, Unit 01's
eyes lit up brilliantly and its arms tore from their harnesses.

  With a determined cry from Shinji, the Eva twisted out of the Cage,
demolishing its main obstacles. Any remaining engineers were running
for their lives as the creature waded up out of the pink lake towards
the launching bays.

  Fuyutsuki began an order: "Lock down all launch pads and switch to
direct--"

  Unit 01's fist drove into the launching bay wall, at the exact 
height of the electrical conduits, with a wail of tearing metal,
severing the Control Center's direct access to all of the elevators
on the Eva's left. Then it turned around, gleaming and still dripping
coolant, and locked into the elevator.

  "Shinji-kun!" Misato called. "Don't go any further! We know it's
too dangerous!"

  "NONE OF YOU CARE!" He cried at them through the radio, with more
passion, more loathing than he had felt since nearly killing his
friend. "None of you know what its like to be trapped by one of
_Them_! You can do what ever you want, but I'm gonna be trying to
save Asuka!"

  At his mental command, Unit 01 shot up the launch tunnel with a
flash of electromagnetics.

  "Do it again," ordered Ikari in an annoyed tone. "Increase the
LCL pressure to maximum."

  Makoto swung around. "But that would just make him a sitting duck
for the Angel when he reaches the surface."

  "That's a point, Ikari-kun," said Fuyutsuki levelly. "We should
try to regain control of Unit 01 in some safer way."

  "Do it!" the Commander said with perceptible fury.

 *

  Rei in Unit 00 had already reached the bowels of Central Dogma.
She realised that she needed to hurry, since Shinji was now putting
himself in danger. However, she felt nothing more than the sense of
urgency.

  There it was: the main LCL plant. Heaven's Door opened for her Eva,
and it waded into the reddish-orange liquid. In the centre of the
expanse stood the huge red crucifix, and nailed upon it, Adam. The
mask of the seven eyes of God concealed its face. Where its lower
body would be was a multitude of misshapen legs. It bled slowly from
the wound in its chest, and the offending weapon was still there
were Rei had put it.

  The Eva gripped the Lance and pulled hard. It was embedded through
to the cross behind, and resisted, but when it was free, the wound
instantly healed. Unit 00 regarded the being as it briefly spasmed,
then its abdomen bulged out and its legs regrew violently, making
waves in the LCL.

  Unit 00 held the Lance of Longinus free.

 *

  Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the surface, and Shinji unlocked
the restraints and turned in Asuka's direction even as he felt the
liquid thickening around him. The plug camera feed showed him Asuka
in her Eva, tucked in a foetal ball and very still.

  "Asuka! Are you alright!?" he shouted even as the pressure made
his lungs start to ache violently and he lost his breath. "Asuka!"

  "Shinji-kun!" called Misato from another window. "Please stop it!
The Commander--"

  He glared at her, stopping her short, and barely, yet angrily,
gasped out, "She lived with... us for... months... ...and you..."
His tightly shut eyes twitched; the link broke at his instruction.

  God damn it... god damn it... god damn it!

 *

  "Pilot harmonics are rapidly fluctuating!" said Maya. The purple
Eva on the screen staggered with difficulty, stopping briefly almost
two-hundred metres from its silent red comrade.

  Fuyutsuki said heavily, "Let's hope Rei hurries."

 *

  C... can't breathe... damn machine! One more time, move! It's all
I want! I'll give everything, just do it! Move by youself, do it
without me! It's already too late! If you don't move, again there's
no point to this!

  I don't want her to die! SO MOVE!!!...  ...

  ...Kaasan?

 *

  Gendou opened his mouth to speak but there came a rumble from the
external audio. Upon the screen, Unit 01's form abruptly tensed,
crouched, then sprang forward towards Asuka's machine. Before anyone
could react, it had already entered the light.

  The Commander stood and leaned over his desk, but gritted his
teeth and stayed slient.

  The techs began reporting abnormalities in Unit 01's psycho-graph
as warning sounds again rang loudly. The mental contamination
borderline was swiftly passed.

  Misato stared in horror. It was all going hideously wrong. She
tried to think of something which had to be done so she could do it
in an attempt to get back on track. She swung around to the
Commander. "Ikari-shirei! We have to normalise the plug pressure -
give Shinji-kun a chance to fight what's happening."

  The man remained standing, but one side of his lip turned up in
something like a snarl. Fuyutsuki pretended to pay no attention.

  "Shirei, your own son!"

  "I'll have you ejected, Katsuragi!" he bellowed.

  She shut up, but held her glare on him for a second more.

  I never hated him until now.

 *

  "Hey... why do you pilot Eva?"

  "To exhibit my talent to the world of course!... What about you,
Shinji?"

  "I don't know."

  "'I don't know'? Are you stupid?"

  ..."You really are stupid."

  A little child, a boy. Shinji, his nose runny, a travel bag packed
beside him. Crying, deserted.

  Why am I crying? I thought I piloted so my Father would accept me,
but I was wrong. I was stupid! I don't know why I pilot Eva!

  Kaji stood in his watermelon patch, sprinkling with his little can
as artillery blazed futily in the background. "Now, there's something
you ought to do. Like having no regrets."

  "I wasn't going to pilot. I had never felt more sure in any
decision before, after my father told me to leave."

  Kaji continued looking away. "But you were not going to pilot Eva
and fight, because you were afraid to die."

  "But if I didn't fight, the Angel would have destroyed us all
anyway."

  "As I said, that is what is told. That was the explaination given
to you, but compared to the reality of facing Angels, it didn't seem
dangerous. You don't know what they are trying to do, but you could
have died fighting them."

  "So," said the child version of Shinji. "You have no reason to
pilot, but you have a reason not to."

  'Fear. Death.' Oh my God, It's inside me, in my mind!

  "_If I ever see you again, I'll say the words that I couldn't say
eight years ago._" The answering machine clicked and rewound the
tape as Shinji stared at it on the little dresser where it normally
sat.

  Kaji-san knew he wouldn't be here anymore! He still wanted me to
do the right thing, he still wasn't afraid. He knew, but he didn't
run away.

  'Mother. Death. ...Flee.' No! I won't remember that! That time...
it was the time...

  ...Kaasan. I can see you down there!

  "That's why I brought him. I want to show him how bright the
future will be."

  ...Emergency sirens blared around the small, confused boy. Where
had his mother gone?

  "Harmonics are unregistered! The pulses are caught in feedback!"
"Libido is approaching zero!" "Plug ejection has failed!" "The ego
border is degenerating! Pattern sepia!" "No life signs are register-
ing!"

  "Yui!" shouted Gendou in frustration. Everyone in the lab was
frantically trying to regain control. His father, the grey-haired
man and the lady were looking out in shock. Shinji knew something
was wrong, and looked up and around in confusion. 

  "...Why?" Gendou followed, looking more pained. Then his eyes fell
on Shinji, and took another expression.

  He could remember nothing more before running and stumbling,
crying, out of the door.

  No! Tousan killed her! I can't run away!

  Said little Shinji: "You need an excuse to hate your father."

  "Damn it, damn it, damn it! I hate him! Why does he do these
horrible things!?"

  'Father.'

  Shinji stood in his small but adequate room at his teacher's house.
Two small shreds of paper were clutched in shivering fists; the rest
of the letter was strewn over the floor. Shinji was calmer now, and
looked down. On an impulse, he knelt and went about collecting the
pieces. Presently, he had reassembled the message, most of which had
been blacked-out with texta. The only immediate word he could read
was a stark "COME!"

  "Tousan..." He rasped, reaching for the letter again--

  'Mother.'

  "Why did he make her die?"

  No! Kaasan... was smiling.

  'MOTHER.'

  "I don't even remember her face," he said quietly, gazing absently
at the featureless grave-marker.

  "I keep everything in my heart. That's enough," said his father.

  '...Mother.'

  "That's right! Kaasan is with me!" Shinji proclaimed to the back
of Rei's head, in the elevator. "I remember - she always accepted
me."

  The quiet voice. "You can't live with that only."

  "As long as Kaasan is with me, in my heart, I won't feel alone!
I don't need Tousan, I can live without him!"

  Rei turned her head. Her pale hair framed the wrong face - slit
of a mouth, buttons for eyes. The button holes held pupils which 
squinted demonically into him and the light was the colour of blood.
Rei was Tousan's doll and it spoke: "You certainly lie."

  Shinji screamed in horror.

 *

  "How's Shinji!?" Misato called.

  "His signs are being lost," said Maya, "nerve connections are
disrupted and failing."

  "Control access still blocked to all systems," said Makoto.

  "The energy output from the targets beam has increased almost
three-fold," Shigeru reported.

  Misato watches the screen. "Because it has to deal with two Evas
now?" she muttered.

  Makoto said, "Unit 02's pilot's EKG has dropped to 0.06."

  "Unit 02 is past the limits of the life support system," added
Maya. "But Unit 01 is autonomously trying to resist the failure,
despite the plug pressure."

  "Unit 01's plug has been super-pressurised for one minute nineteen
seconds," Makoto spoke quietly.

  Shigeru announced, "Unit 00 is passing through the 2nd Vent. She's
approaching the surface."

  The prototype rose, hunched, from the city floor, and the Lance
came into veiw.

  "That's the Lance of Longinus?" wondered Misato. The spear which
had impaled Adam down in Terminal Dogma. But what _is_ it? It doesn't
look like anything.

  "Unit 00 is in position to throw," continued Shigeru.

  Maya said with worry, "Unit 01's life support has undergone a sub-
system overload and is rapidly approaching the limit!"

  Misato made a decision. "Decrease the plug pressure. Now!"

  Makoto understood, and complied, dreading to hear the Commander's
voice. But if Katsuragi thinks she will take full responsibility for
this, she's wrong, he thought.

  Unit 00 stood in a wide stance as the ground techs announced,
"Target sighted. Error corrections have been made."

  "Countdown starts."

  And inside the plug, to the side, Rei saw Unit 01 stumble, then
straighten up and roar. Its eyes flashed brilliantly. It moved over
to Unit 02 with obvious difficulty, and pushed the other Eva with
considerable yet measured force.

  Unit 02 stumbled a few steps itself then fell and rolled away,
just out of the boundary of the light. Unit 01 remained, and it
turned to look to the heavens as it drew its prog knife. Abruptly,
the light intensified. Unit 01's hand trembled, now clumsily
brandishing the weapon, while the radiance started becoming so bright
that it drowned out all shadow and colour.

  "Ikari-kun!" let slip Rei, as she heard the final seconds of the
countdown, stretched her Eva's arms back, and then launched the
spear.

  As it tore threw the heavens, the now tightly coiled Lance roared.
It roared out of the atmosphere, leaving a great wake of heat and
sound. Then it hit the AT Field.

  The Field rippled into visibility again, with the Lance at the
centre. The weapon hung, immobile for a moment, then contracted, the
spiral coils flaring out to reveal a continuous vent which burst
forth with tremendous heat. The Lance accelerated, warping and
tearing the Field and piercing the bright Angel, which instantly
collapsed and vanished in a flash.

 *

  "Target destroyed," Shigeru announced.

  "Unit 01 is also free now," Maya said.

  Fuyutsuki leaned over. "The Lance of Longinus?"

  "It passed escape velocity," answered Makoto. "Its moving into a
lunar orbit." He didn't look back and up at the Sub-commander. He
did not want to see Ikari's face.

  "The Evas?" Misato barked.

  "Unit 02's psycho-graph has already leveled out, and her signs are
normal." Maya examined the data flowing over her screen. "Unit 01 is
still silent, and the pilot's signs are faint." She glanced anxiously
at Makoto.

  Ritsuko observed, "There was no synchronisation in those final
stages. The pilot is certainly unconscious."

  The Commander watched the proceedings without expression, yet
everyone could feel the tension.

 *

  "Power restored."

  Asuka did not hear the voice, but the visual feed re-engaged
anyway. Unit 02 appeared to have fallen onto its backside, and
against a building. The female pilot looked up belatedly, and saw
the slumped figure of Unit 01 standing where she had been, a prog
knife embedded vertically in the street.

  The pain of her ordeal was overriding everything else, but why was
Shogouki there? It was only as she wondered this that she began to
hear Misato speaking.

  "Asuka! Are you alright?"

  She shivered, holding herself tighter, but said, "Why is Unit 01
there?"

  A pause, then, "Asuka. Shinji-kun tried to save you."

  The first thing that welled up was bitterness and she hissed, "Oh!
The Invincible Shinji-sama risked his--"

  The tone of Misato's voice which interupted was filled with such
frustrated anger that Asuka snapped her mouth shut immediately. "I
CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ASUKA! You refuse to retreat then can't even be
grateful for being rescued!? Shinji-kun might be near death right
now! He had no idea how to fight the Angel, and he will probably be
kicked out again for disobeying orders, and he still tried to save
you! Do you think he wouldn't thank you if YOU risked yourself to
save him!?" The voice paused for breath. Asuka was so shocked that
the Angel's invasion almost seemed distant now. "You know, Shinji-kun
was always on the receiving end of your acid tongue, Asuka, but he's
too nice to tell you the truth: that you are mean and selfish! Your
Father might not have loved you and your Mother might have committed
suicide, but you have NO excuse to treat others like dirt! Do you
understand!? And especially not Shinji-kun!"

  The radio link abruptly broke, and Asuka was left sitting in her
plug, gazing with wide, shocked eyes at nothing. Then she noticed
Unit 01 move, and as she focussed on it, the purple Eva swayed, then
toppled slowly, almost majestically onto its face, and lay deadly
still.

  Asuka heaved a sob, her eyes squeezed shut as the tears came
afresh.

 *

  The sound which woke Shinji up was that of the room's blinds being
opened. His eyes also opened a bit to see the familiar white ward,
and then Ayanami, who was gazing out into the light. He gasped and
they went wide.

  She began to turn to look at him.

  The memories. Too much. He screamed.

 *

 To Be Continued


_____
catalyst: n. a person or thing that causes a change.

I guess I better tell you something about the new bits, especially
those who haven't seen them. Up until Shinji makes his decision,
the parts you are not familiar with are what Gainax added. Except
for when Rei's positron beam impacts the Field - Gainax didn't bother
fixing that and it still looks crap. I was so annoyed that they
didn't fix it that I did so myself. Then, after the storyline
diverges, the Gainax bits are Lilith regrowing her legs and the
cool new spear/AT Field bit. The rest I made up.
My translation of the new bits' dialogue I did very carefully, but
I cannot guarantee accuracy. The rest of the dialogue, with some
modifications for accuracy's sake, is copyrighted to ADV, I guess.
And Eva is the Product of Gainax and the creation of Anno Hideaki.
I'm not profitting from anyone else's work, so if you try to sue me,
I'll go on a hunger strike.

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 1 of 3. Oska Archer, December 1998. C+C to archer@senet.com.au,
please ^_^


From: archer@senet.com.au (Vice)

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 22'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This fanfic I write out of my fondness for the Second Children. It
is an alternate-course-of-events story, with the point of divergence
being, I believe, entirely justified and not Out of Character for
anyone involved. That is, it must have been a very hard choice for
the one who had to choose between action and inaction. In any case,
I reckon the end is gonna justify the means.
It is important to realise that it begins just prior to the second
half of the episode, following the English subtitle (formerly "Don't
Be", but here-in, "Catalyst"). However, I need to borrow stuff from
the start to adequately set the scene.
For the movie continuity, may she and Shinji indeed try to live and
find heaven. For the TV series, may Souryuu Asuka Langley be happy
in her Instrumentality.

 *


The full moon shone through a wide gap in the clouds and the breeze
was gentle. It smelled of the sea. But then, the deck, the rooms,
the food and even luggage smelled of the sea by these closing stages
of the UN Fleet's voyage, and it was no longer a conscious factor.

  Asuka and Kaji lay on a wide blanket out in a clear area of the
aircraft launch deck of the _Over the Rainbow_. It was a relatively
relaxed atmosphere after a small midnight picnic.

  "A-a-ah," sighed Asuka, to break the silence. "Tomorrow we reach
Japan." Her tone was somewhat less than enthusiastic. "In the morning,
Misato is also coming... You know Misato from before she came to
Germany, right, Kaji-san?" she asked, having received no response.
"I don't really like her," she confessed, "I have to force my
happiness."

  Kaji lounged back with his head on his arms, gazing impassively
upwards. Asuka could be a cute kid, but when she decided it was time
for this small talk, he found it simpler to just let her go.

  "Che," she harumphed. "I've also been away from you for a while.
It's boring." She made a grumpy sound, then looked askance at him.

  This time he offered an answer. "In Japan, you can find a new boy-
friend. The Third Children is a boy, I was told."

  "Hmmph. I'm not interested in someone who might be a dork!" Asuka
definitely did not like when Kaji suggested such things. She looked
at him again, then, in one motion, rolled across the blanket and
stopped atop his chest.

  "I only love Kaji-san." She hoped it sounded sensual enough, as
she embraced his torso.

  His expression did not shift. "It's a privelige." He kept his
eyes off of her.

  Asuka was hurt. And angry. "Mo-o-ou! When will it be okay with you,
Kaji-sempai?" she almost shouted at his impassivity, looking up from
his chest. "To kiss? Or even do _that_?"

  "You're still a child. For such a thing, you need to become a
little more adult."

  "E-e-eh? That's so boring!" She was now feeling so frustrated and
upset, she felt strangely ill in her belly. But she pressed on,
sitting up and grasping the collar of her tight blue dress with both
hands. "I'm already adult enough!" And she tore it open, leaning
forward over him and exposing down to the edges of her bra in a
desperate attempt for his attention.

  "Already an adult!"

  She stretched the fabric wider apart. He wouldn't look.
  
  "An adult, an adult!!

  "So LOOK AT ME!"

 *

  Oh God.

  ...Kaji-san?.. Mama?..

  They won't look at me.

  Don't they think I'm good enough? I _am_ good enough! I'll be
better than everyone else! I'll show them, everyone who wouldn't look
at me - I'll make them see how much better I am! I'll work hard,
harder and better than everyone!

  ...Mama's dead now. She isn't here to see me.

  She's dead.

  The entry plug hummed constantly while Asuka sat the harmonics
test out. The ambient sound was abruptly interupted by Ritsuko's
voice.

  "Can you hear me, Asuka? Your synchro rate has dropped a further
eight points."

  Her eyes were closed, but Asuka's jaw clenched as the doctor spoke.

  "Don't think about anything else, just concentrate the way you used
to."

  "I'm doing that!" Asuka lied.

 *

  SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Tochter aus Elysium

 *

  "No problems with Eva Unit 02's signals."

  "Connection and fusion of VAs are within normal limits. The field
of proliferation is within the expected range."

  Souryuu Asuka Langley, the Second Children and veteran pilot of
Evangelion Unit 02 stood upon the umbilical bridge and met the
stare of her alter ego. Nigouki rested neck-deep in the puce coolant.

  To herself, Asuka mused aloud, "Despite such a defeat, it's finally
back." Then, "You're my puppet, so move how I tell you to and don't
argue," she commanded. She gazed fiercely up, but no response,
however unexpected, was forthcoming.

  "Why would a _weapon_ have a mind? It would only be trouble..."
she said, more to herself. Ayanami Rei had never made any sense
before. Asuka wondered why the girl's last offering still troubled
her as it did.

  Unit 02 persisted in its silence.

  "Anyway," she continued with finality, "you will obey my orders."
With that, the girl realised the futility of her monologue, her
expression drooping. Though unwilling to concede the staring match,
after a moment she mumbled, "...I look stupid."

  Presently, the klaxon sounded. Asuka looked to the side, in the
direction of the command centre, as the announcement came: "Assume
level one alert! Prepare for aerial assault!"

  Asuka felt an unpleasant sensation in her throat as she realised
the gravity of her situation in light of what must be coming. She
wasn't stupid. Her synchro rate had been declining steadily - now
it was less than First's! - so what good was an Eva Unit to NERV
if it had an incapable pilot? It wasn't something she would even
let herself consider. Focussed on the danger at hand, she said,
alarmed, "An Angel? They're still coming?"

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
episode 22':      Catalyst

 *


  "The Angel is visually confirmed. This is maximum magnification,"
Shigeru reported. The long range veiw switched to a close up:
whatever the new invader was, it was big and it glowed. Kind of like
a post-modern design for a chandelier.

  Makoto said, "It's not moving from its orbit."

  "It's maintaining a constant distance from our position."

  "Does that mean it's looking for a place to land?" Misato wondered.
"Or that it's going to destroy us from up there?"

  "We can't attack easily from this position," Makoto offered.

  She replied, "Unless it comes into range, there's nothing we can
do. The Evas can't destroy an enemy which is in orbit." The bright
object hung on the main screen. "Rei?" Misato inqired.

  "She and Unit 00 are both in good condition," sids Maya. "They can
go."

  "Right. Sortie Unit 00. Prepare for extreme long range firing."
Misato looked up at the status display for the other Eva. "Asuka in
Unit 02, be ready to sortie as back up."

 *

  "Back up? Me? For Unit 00?"

  Asuka did not like the way this was going. First had never out-
performed her before. She didn't want tht girl to get the chance.

  "That's right," Misato replied patiently. "Take the rear guard
position."

  "This is a joke." None of them knew what this Angel could do. Why
would First be any more capable than Asuka? In any case, it was time
to make them all swallow their words and quit doubting her. "Eva
Nigouki, launch!"

  The acceleration hit.

 *

  "Asuka!" Ritsuko blurted. She was concerned for the success of the
battle, and the Second Children's lowered synchro-rate was not
encouraging.

  "It's okay," Misato said cooly, as the elevator powered upwards.
"Let her take point - if it's what she wants."

  Makoto was alarmed. "Katsuragi-sansa!"

  "If she fails this time," said Ritsuko, "Asuka will not be allowed
to pilot anymore."

  Maya looked back over her shoulder at her mentor. "The Last Chance?"

  The doctor leaned closer, examining the synchronisation data. "We
had better begin preparations to replace Unit 02's pilot, just in
case."

  Poor Asuka, Maya thought. "Yes Ma'am."

  Makoto ventured, "Excuse me, but can't Unit 01 go out?"

  "It will remain frozen," answered Misato. She did not dare to
glance back up at the Commander's dias. "Ikari-shirei's strict
orders." After such a thing, she thought, it's a good idea.

  The Commander, with his vice at his side, watched silently.

 *

  In the auditing department, at the end of the launch center, 
the Second Children sat in the cold, inoperative entry plug of
his own Evangelion. The hum of the exterior life-support power
feeds was the only accompaniment to his muddled thoughts.

  If I can't fight in this Eva, what am I doing here?.. Tousan.

 *

  The dim red lights blinked in a futile effort to pierce the gloom
which had befallen the wet city, but Unit 02 provided the natural
contrast as it stood poised. As a warning sound buzzed, a positron
rifle grew rapidly from an access hole before the Eva. It grasped
the barrel with one hand, while the other released and removed the
tall right shoulder fin.

  When the weapon was appropriately mounted, Asuka said to herself,
"If I have trouble with this, they probably won't let me pilot Unit
02 anymore.

  "You can't allow more mistakes, Asuka."

  Presently, the gun was positioned and steadied atop a building,
and Asuka was looking down the sight. The cross-hairs converged,
then fell apart, as the computer sought ineffectually to gain a lock
on its target.

  "Mo-o-ou! Come this way!" the girl growled impatiently. "Talk about
lazy!"

  Something happened, something she was utterly unprepared for. She
gasped even before the alert sounded.

 *

  Upon the screen, Unit 02 was bathed in radiance.

  "An enemy particle beam weapon!?" Misato was alarmed.

  "No," Shigeru quickly corrects, "there are no detected thermal
emmisions."

  Then Maya reported nervously, "There's abnormal readings in the
psycho-graph. Mental contamination is beginning."

  "The Angel's making a psychic attack?" voiced Ritsuko. "Impossible
- Angels aren't able to--"

  "GOD DAMN IT!" cried Asuka. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Her body
shivered. Something _powerful_ was forcing its way into her, trying
to reach her mind.

  In reflexive self-defence, she brought the rifle to bear. The first
shot sailed into orbit, passing mockingly close to the target. But
the girl could not concentrate, and her indiscriminate fire blasted
holes in the city skyline and surrounding hills.

  Her finger spasmed upon the trigger. Must kill invader!

  "Positrons dissipated," a technician from the ground crew called.

  "It's no use," said Shigeru. "It's too far out of range!"

  An audible, anguished scream came from the entry plug.
  
  "Unit 02's rifle is out!" he announced.

  "Beam analysis?" demanded Misato.

  "It's an energy oscillation pattern in a visible wavelength,"
Makoto said, frowning at Caspar's preliminary report:

      REPORT ON ENERGY DISCHARGE
    FIRED BY 15th ANGEL ON EVA-02:
                UNKNOWN
  POSSIBLE SIMILARITY WITH A.T. FIELD
             RECALCULATING

  "It's close to an AT Field, but we don't know much more."

  "How's Asuka?" asked Ritsuko.

  "Critical," Maya said, facing around. "The mental contamination
is crossing her ego border."

  "Iya-a-a!" Asuka immediately cried. She was trying to squeeze
herself together, close herself up, fight somehow the pain which
now ebbed but returned like an ice-pick to her heart before she had
the chance to recover.

  "My - don't come into me!!"

  'Strangled.'

  She cried out at the invasive thrust into her mind. Her Eva, in
reverse sympathetic response, seemed to be going through some kind
of seizure.

  'Hatred.' Not a voice in her head. It was like the single concept
seizing her mind and monopolising her conscious thought. It was
getting stronger.

  'Menstruation.' Unit 02's limbs and fingers were stuck out at
unnatural angles.

  'Shame.' She whimpered, trying to offer feeble defence: It's not
my fault I'm a girl--

  'Double Suicide.' The idea, the reality: it was all her mind was
allowed to see. "Iya!!" With its torso arching upwards, the segments
of Unit 02's helmet seperated, the slitted eyes glowing.

  'Invader.'

  "Iya!" The head tilted sideways, the Eva losing strength against
its foe. The eyes flickered.

  '...Comfortable.'
  
  "Don't rape my mind!" she cried desperately, unable to resist this 
invasive _thing_. "I'm begging, so don't enter and rape my mind!!"

 *

  Oh my God! "Asuka!" Misato called with worry.

  "Psycho-graph at maximum!" Maya yelled.

  "Yes," added Ritsuko, "her mental circuits are being destroyed. It
is too dangerous for her."

  Misato shouted, "Asuka, get back!"

  "No!"

  What? "Its an order! Asuka, retreat!"

  "No! Never!" she cried. She had her hands over her face. Her
clipped-back hair fell forward. "I'd rather die than retreat now!"

  "Asuka!" Misato gasped.

 *

  Meanwhile, something _was_ being done about the Angel. Within
minutes of Unit 02's apparent failure, the JSSDF's yet-to-be-returned
positron howitzer had been unpacked and transported to the surface,
and every volt of available electricity had been commandeered. Rei
in Unit 00 now carefully aimed the huge gun.

  "Accelerator synchronisation initiated."

  "Voltage increasing. Approaching pressure zone."

  "Compulsory focus convergence activated. Correction for the Earth's
rotation and gravity, 0.03."

  Rei stared determinedly down the sight.

  "Pressure in chamber has reached maximum."

  "Release final safety. All personel, prepare for firing."

  With a grunt, Rei pulled the trigger. Though it was a weapon of
pure directed energy, the recoil was hideous.

  The bright beam sailed up through the clouds, arcing towards the
Angel. A kilometre or two before it, the AT Field rang into
visibility. With a flash, the positron beam splayed and seperated up
the six vertices of the hexagonal manifestation, spraying over
seperately at an ineffectual distance.

  "No use!" said Shigeru. "There wasn't enough energy to penetrate
the AT Field from this distance."

  Makoto added, "But that is the maximum power output. We can't get
anymore!"

  "Unit 02's psycho-graph is weakening!" Maya reminded everyone.

  "What about the LCL mind barrier?" Ritsuko dared to hope.

  "Negative," the tech replied. "We cannot even hope for a buffering
effect!"

  The doctor said clearly, "Switch top priority to life support.
Don't allow the Eva to feedback."

  "Yes Ma'am."

  As she watched Unit 02 in its unnatural hunched posture, she mused,
Somehow, that light scanned Asuka's mind's wavelength and adapted to
it. Her brow narrowed: Impossible. The human mind - the Angel intends
to...

 *

  A little child, a girl. The child Asuka, crying, clutching a new
doll.

  Why am I crying? I swore to never cry again.

  She had ripped the head off that toy.

  "What's wrong, Asuka?" The little girl's father asked her. It's a
present from your new Mama. Don't you like it?

  "No!"

  "Why not?" he asked patiently.

  And she trod forcefully on the doll with a plug suited foot. "I'm
not a child! I'll grow up faster, I don't need stuffed toys!"

  'PAIN STEPMOTHER PAIN INSANITY PAIN.' It was digging up those
memories!

  "So look at me!" the little girl implored. "Mama! I beg you, don't
stop being my Mama!"

  'Nein       Todd.' The door opened.
        Sex

  "We'll accept death together!"

      Sex      Todd.' The door opened.
  'Nein

  "Mama! Mama! Please don't kill me! No!"
  
  'Nein   Sex  
                  Todd.' The door opened to the light.
  
  But then, "I'm not your doll! I'll think for myself, I'll live by
myself."

  I don't need Papa or Mama, the little girl thought. I'll live by
myself.

  "No!" screamed Asuka, trying to hold in the tears. "Don't make me
remember things like that! I want to forget those things! Don't dig
them up from my mind! I don't need such terrible things anymore!
Stop it already! Stop!..

  Silence.

  Then-

  Small stuffed feet, dangling and slowly turning. A doll, hanged.

  "Please, Asuka-chan," came Mama's voice. It was scary. It was
insane. "We'll accept death together!"

  "Un," her little voice agreed, "we die together. So don't stop 
being my Mama. Hey, Mama..."

  "...Mama?.. I don't know her." The woman's voice was cold,
disinterested. And the doll swung around, and grinned, and its
button eyes were evil. "_Who_ are you?"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt exposed. "No! That's not me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt vulnerable. "No! That's not
me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt unprotected. "No! This is not
me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt ashamed. "No! This is not me!"

  "Souryuu Asuka Langley," she said, introducing herself confidently
to the class. "Nice to meet you."

  "Are you stupid?" she snapped at Shinji.

  There was an Angel attacking the fleet! "Cha-a-ance!" she sneered.

  "So LOOK AT ME!" and she tore her dress open in a desperate attempt
for his attention.

  Asuka saw these in horror, and felt naked. "No! This is not me!"

  It was a lonely place. A fog horn's bass rolled over the train
tracks. Asuka, plug suited, walked aimlessly across, looking around
hopelessly. At least this place was better than before.

  There was a figure, moving in the distance. Under that bridge!
Kaji-san?

  Asuka started towards him, but nearly lost balance when a stranger
knocked her aside. She tried to orientate herself, but more strangers
pushed past her. She was surrounded now, a torrent of dark, hooded
strangers, pushing her back as she fought futily against the flow.

  She could still see the distant figure. He was receding, even as
she was carried backwards herself.

  One stranger stopped before Asuka, and looked up from under the
hood and she was red and she was her! All of the strangers were her
and now they grabbed and pulled at her and GIGGLED-

  "Help! Help me, Kaji-san!" she cried.

  -"You're still a child."
  
  In Misato's apartment, she let go of his arm as he and Shinji went
to the bedroom. She stared at the boy in horror.

  "Why are YOU here?" she screamed. "You did nothing!-

  Feeling miserable after moving her bedding to a seperate room that
night.

  "-You didn't save me!-"

  Unit 01 clutching Unit 02's arm in the chaldera. Feeling ashamed
of herself after kissing that boy, leaning over the sink.

  "-Though I didn't trust you to!

  "Nobody! Nobody! Nobody-y-y!"

  A crying, desperate child: "So look at me!"

  Asuka huddled naked in the playground. It was the difference
between nude and naked: she felt unprotected. Scared.

  "Are you lonely?" asked the child Asuka holding the toy.

  She was too scared to look up, too afraid to answer.

  "Are you lonely," it repeated, reaching for her.

  "NO!" And the child exploded in a cloud of stuffing. "Keep away!"
The head of the child's doll fell away. "I can live by myself!!"

  "Hey," said the head as it bounced. "Do you love me?"

  "Nobody touch me!!" Asuka cried.

  "Do you really love me?" it insisted.

  "I can LIVE BY MYSELF!"

  And the little child was back. Its face was a button-eyed doll:
the little Asuka was Mama's doll and it said "You certainly lie."

  Asuka screamed.

 *

  "...Contaminated.. my mind is." The girl sobbed into her knees.
"...Kaji-san!" She called hopelessly. "My mind's being raped!

  "What will I do? It's raping my mind!"

  The spent positron rifle lay uselessly on the ground. The red Eva,
slumped over, spiralled into inactivity, the glow of the eye-lenses
dying.

  EMERGENCY! blared one wall of the Control Center in red.

  "Unit 02 has ceased activation!"

  "The life support system has crashed!"

  And Maya saw the flat lines of the psycho-graph and yelled "Pilot's
mind is entering danger zone!"

  "Target position is constant," Shigeru updated everyone. "Relative
distance has not changed."

  Makoto added, "Probability of target coming into Unit 00's firing
range is 0.02 percent."

  "Could we airlift Unit 00 and try shooting from the sky?" Misato
muttered, trying to brainstorm. "No, that's no good. If the Angel
attacked during the approach, we couldn't protect the Eva."

  "I'll go out in Unit 01!" burst Shinji's voice over the radio.

  "No!" Fuyutsuki admonished. "The target has the ability to attack
the pilot's mind!"

  "We cannot allow an invasion of Unit 01," said the Commander from
behind his gloves.

  Shinji had only had slim hopes that they would let him help. He
kept arguing stubbornly. "But, If I'm not defeated, won't it be
okay?"

  "That is not guaranteed," replied his father.

  "But as this is, Asuka will--"

  "I don't care. Rei, get the Lance from Dogma."

 *

  The worst thing for Shinji was that he could believe what he was
hearing.

  "I Don't Care."

  Like you didn't care about Touji, you bastard! You nearly made me
kill him. You wouldn't let me stop, then, and you won't even let me
go now!

  And the man was again relying on Rei to make the next attack - with
some sort of _spear_? Just what the hell was going on?

  Ikari Gendou had had Touji needlessly incapacitated. He should have
known that Unit 03 was an Angel in the first place!

  Only Shinji himself seemed to give a damn enough about Asuka. He
couldn't trust his father to save her - and he _did_ have one
advantage: at the moment, Shinji was bigger than his father.

 *

  Misato was turning to warn the Commander of what she thought might
happen if Rei's Eva contacted the white giant in Terminal Dogma,
where she knew the Lance of Longinus to be kept. But Maya interupted.

  "Unit 01 is activating! Synchronisation is commencing!"

  Shigeru said, "The Pilot is maintaining a control block. We cannot
override!"

  "And with the S-tsu Engine..." Ritsuko added.

  In NERV's auditing department there was an anguished, straining
noise, as the huge metal walls of the Cage began buckling. Then with
a mighty shock which sent waves of coolant crashing around, Unit 01's
eyes lit up brilliantly and its arms tore from their harnesses.

  With a determined cry from Shinji, the Eva twisted out of the Cage,
demolishing its main obstacles. Any remaining engineers were running
for their lives as the creature waded up out of the pink lake towards
the launching bays.

  Fuyutsuki began an order: "Lock down all launch pads and switch to
direct--"

  Unit 01's fist drove into the launching bay wall, at the exact 
height of the electrical conduits, with a wail of tearing metal,
severing the Control Center's direct access to all of the elevators
on the Eva's left. Then it turned around, gleaming and still dripping
coolant, and locked into the elevator.

  "Shinji-kun!" Misato called. "Don't go any further! We know it's
too dangerous!"

  "NONE OF YOU CARE!" He cried at them through the radio, with more
passion, more loathing than he had felt since nearly killing his
friend. "None of you know what it's like to be trapped by one of
_Them_! You can do what ever you want, but I'm gonna be trying to
save Asuka!"

  At his mental command, Unit 01 shot up the launch tunnel with a
flash of electromagnetics.

  "Do it again," ordered Ikari in an annoyed tone. "Increase the
LCL pressure to maximum."

  Makoto swung around. "But that would just make him a sitting duck
for the Angel when he reaches the surface."

  "That's a point, Ikari-kun," said Fuyutsuki levelly. "We should
try to regain control of Unit 01 in some safer way."

  "Do it!" the Commander said with perceptible fury.

 *

  Rei in Unit 00 had already reached the bowels of Central Dogma.
She realised that she needed to hurry, since Shinji was now putting
himself in danger. However, such reasoning did not occur to her in 
such a way, and she felt nothing more than the sense of urgency.

  There it was: the main LCL plant. Heaven's Door opened for her Eva,
and it waded into the reddish-orange liquid. In the centre of the
expanse stood the huge red crucifix, and nailed upon it, Adam. The
mask of the seven eyes of God concealed its face. Where its lower
body would be was a multitude of misshapen legs. It bled slowly from
the wound in its chest, and the offending weapon was still there
were Rei had put it.

  The Eva gripped the Lance and pulled hard. It was embedded through
to the cross behind, and resisted, but when it was free, the wound
instantly healed. Unit 00 regarded the being as it briefly spasmed,
then its abdomen bulged out and its legs regrew violently, making
waves in the LCL.

  Unit 00 held the Lance of Longinus free.

 *

  Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the surface, and Shinji unlocked
the restraints and turned in Asuka's direction even as he felt the
liquid thickening around him. The plug camera feed showed him Asuka
in her Eva, tucked in a foetal ball and very still.

  "Asuka! Are you alright!?" he shouted even as the pressure made
his lungs start to ache violently and he lost his breath. "Asuka!"

  "Shinji-kun!" called Misato from another window. "Please stop it!
The Commander--"

  He glared at her, stopping her short, and barely, yet angrily,
gasped out, "She lived with... us for... months... ...and you..."
His tightly shut eyes twitched; the link broke at his instruction.

  God damn it... god damn it... god damn it!

 *

  "Pilot harmonics are rapidly fluctuating!" said Maya. The purple
Eva on the screen staggered with difficulty, stopping briefly almost
two-hundred metres from its silent red comrade.

  Fuyutsuki said heavily, "Let's hope Rei hurries."

 *

  C... can't breathe... damn machine! One more time, move! It's all
I want! I'll give everything, just do it! Move by youself, do it
without me! It's already too late! If you don't move, again there's
no point to this!

  I don't want her to die! SO MOVE!!!...  ...

  ...Kaasan?

 *

  Gendou opened his mouth to speak but there came a rumble from the
external audio. Upon the screen, Unit 01's form abruptly tensed,
crouched, then sprang forward towards Asuka's machine. Before anyone
could react, it had already entered the light.

  The Commander stood violently and leaned over his desk, but gritted
his teeth and stayed slient.

  The techs began reporting abnormalities in Unit 01's psycho-graph
as warning sounds again rang loudly. The mental contamination
borderline was swiftly passed.

  Misato stared in horror. It was all going hideously wrong. She
tried to think of something which had to be done so she could do it
in an attempt to get back on track. She swung around to the
Commander. "Ikari-shirei! We have to normalise the plug pressure -
give Shinji-kun a chance to fight what's happening."

  The man remained standing, but one side of his lip turned up in
something like a snarl. Fuyutsuki pretended to pay no attention.

  "Shirei, your own son!"

  "I'll have you ejected, Katsuragi!" he bellowed.

  She shut up, but held her glare on him for a second more.

  I never hated him until now.

 *

  "Hey... why do you pilot Eva?"

  "To exhibit my talent to the world of course!... What about you,
Shinji?"

  "I don't know."

  "'I don't know'? Are you stupid?"

  ..."You really are stupid."

  A little child, a boy. Shinji, his nose runny, a travel bag packed
beside him. Crying, deserted.

  Why am I crying? I thought I piloted so my Father would accept me,
but I was wrong. I was stupid! I don't know why I pilot Eva!

  Kaji stood in his watermelon patch, sprinkling with his little can
as artillery blazed futily in the background. "Now, there's something
you ought to do. Like having no regrets."

  "I wasn't going to pilot. I had never felt more sure in any
decision before, after my father told me to leave."

  Kaji continued looking away. "But you were not going to pilot Eva
and fight, because you were afraid to die."

  "But if I didn't fight, the Angel would have destroyed us all
anyway."

  "As I said, that is what is told. That was the explaination given
to you, but compared to the reality of facing Angels, it didn't seem
dangerous. You don't know what they are trying to do, but you could
have died fighting them."

  "So," said the child version of Shinji. "You have no reason to
pilot, but you have a reason not to."

  'Fear. Death.' Oh my God, It's inside me, in my mind!

  "_If I ever see you again, I'll say the words that I couldn't say
eight years ago._" The answering machine clicked and rewound the
tape as Shinji stared at it on the little dresser where it normally
sat.

  Kaji-san knew he wouldn't be here anymore! He still wanted me to
do the right thing, he still wasn't afraid. He knew, but he didn't
run away.

  'Mother. Death. ...Flee.' No! I won't remember that! That time...
it was the time...

  ...Kaasan. I can see you down there!

  "That's why I brought him. I want to show him how bright the
future will be."

  ...Emergency sirens blared around the small, confused boy. Where
had his mother gone?

  "Harmonics are unregistered! The pulses are caught in feedback!"
"Libido is approaching zero!" "Plug ejection has failed!" "The ego
border is degenerating! Pattern sepia!" "No life signs are register-
ing!"

  "Yui!" shouted Gendou in frustration. Everyone in the lab was
frantically trying to regain control. His father, the grey-haired
man and the lady were looking out in shock. Shinji knew something
was wrong, and looked up and around in confusion. 

  "...Why?" Gendou followed, looking more pained. Then his eyes fell
on Shinji, and took another expression.

  He could remember nothing more before running and stumbling,
crying, out of the door.

  No! Tousan killed her! I can't run away!

  Said little Shinji: "You need an excuse to hate your father."

  "Damn it, damn it, damn it! I hate him! Why does he do these
horrible things!?"

  'Father.'

  Shinji stood in his small but adequate room at his teacher's house.
Two small shreds of paper were clutched in shivering fists; the rest
of the letter was strewn over the floor. Shinji was calmer now, and
looked down. On an impulse, he knelt and went about collecting the
pieces. Presently, he had reassembled the message, most of which had
been blacked-out with texta. The only immediate word he could read
was a stark "COME!"

  "Tousan..." He rasped, reaching for the letter again--

  'Mother.'

  "Why did he make her die?"

  No! Kaasan... was smiling.

  'MOTHER.'

  "I don't even remember her face," he said quietly, gazing absently
at the featureless grave-marker.

  "I keep everything in my heart. That's enough," said his father.

  '...Mother.'

  "That's right! Kaasan is with me!" Shinji proclaimed to the back
of Rei's head, in the elevator. "I remember - she always accepted
me."

  The quiet voice. "You can't live with that only."

  "As long as Kaasan is with me, in my heart, I won't feel alone!
I don't need Tousan, I can live without him!"

  Rei turned her head. Her pale hair framed the wrong face - slit
of a mouth, buttons for eyes. The button holes held pupils which 
squinted demonically into him and the light was the colour of blood.
Rei was Tousan's doll and it spoke: "You certainly lie."

  Shinji screamed in horror.

 *

  "How's Shinji!?" Misato called.

  "His signs are being lost," said Maya, "nerve connections are
disrupted and failing."

  "Control access still blocked to all systems," said Makoto.

  "The energy output from the targets beam has increased almost
three-fold," Shigeru reported.

  Misato watches the screen. "Because it has to deal with two Evas
now?" she muttered.

  Makoto said, "Unit 02's pilot's EKG has dropped to 0.06."

  "Unit 02 is past the limits of the life support system," added
Maya. "But Unit 01 is autonomously trying to resist the failure,
despite the plug pressure."

  "Unit 01's plug has been super-pressurised for one minute nineteen
seconds," Makoto spoke quietly.

  Shigeru announced, "Unit 00 is passing through the 2nd Vent. She's
approaching the surface."

  The prototype rose, hunched, from the city floor, and the Lance
came into veiw.

  "That's the Lance of Longinus?" wondered Misato. The spear which
had impaled Adam down in Terminal Dogma. But what _is_ it? It doesn't
look like anything.

  "Unit 00 is in position to throw," continued Shigeru.

  Maya said with worry, "Unit 01's life support has undergone a sub-
system overload and is rapidly approaching the limit!"

  Misato made a decision. "Decrease the plug pressure. Now!"

  Makoto understood, and complied, dreading to hear the Commander's
voice. But if Katsuragi thinks she will take full responsibility for
this, she's wrong, he thought.

  Unit 00 stood in a wide stance as the ground techs announced,
"Target sighted. Error corrections have been made."

  "Countdown starts."

  And inside the plug, to the side, Rei saw Unit 01 stumble, then
straighten up and roar. Its eyes flashed brilliantly. It moved over
to Unit 02 with obvious difficulty, and pushed the other Eva with
considerable yet measured force.

  Unit 02 stumbled a few steps itself then fell and rolled away,
just out of the boundary of the light. Unit 01 remained, and it
turned to look to the heavens as it drew its prog knife. Abruptly,
the light intensified. Unit 01's hand trembled, now clumsily
brandishing the weapon, while the radiance started becoming so bright
that it drowned out all shadow and colour.

  "Ikari-kun!" let slip Rei, as she heard the final seconds of the
countdown, stretched her Eva's arms back, and then launched the
spear.

  As it tore through the heavens, the now tightly coiled Lance
roared. It roared out of the atmosphere, leaving a great wake of
heat and sound. Then it hit the AT Field.

  The Field rippled into visibility again, with the Lance at the
centre. The weapon hung, immobile for a moment, then contracted, the
spiral coils flaring out to reveal a continuous vent which burst
forth with tremendous heat. The Lance accelerated, warping and
tearing the Field and piercing the bright Angel, which instantly
collapsed and vanished in a flash.

 *

  "Target destroyed," Shigeru announced.

  "Unit 01 is also free now," Maya said.

  Fuyutsuki leaned over. "The Lance of Longinus?"

  "It passed escape velocity," answered Makoto. "Its moving into a
lunar orbit." He didn't look back and up at the Sub-commander. He
did not want to risk seeing Ikari's face.

  "The Evas?" Misato barked.

  "Unit 02's psycho-graph has already leveled out, and her signs are
normal." Maya examined the data flowing over her screen. "Unit 01 is
still silent, and the pilot's signs are faint." She glanced anxiously
at Makoto.

  Ritsuko observed, "There was no synchronisation in those final
stages. The pilot is certainly unconscious."

  The Commander watched the proceedings without expression, yet
everyone could feel the tension.

 *

  "Power restored."

  Asuka did not hear the voice, but the visual feed re-engaged
anyway. Unit 02 appeared to have fallen onto its backside, and
against a building. The female pilot looked up belatedly, and saw
the slumped figure of Unit 01 standing where she had been, a prog
knife embedded vertically in the street.

  The pain of her ordeal was overriding everything else, but why was
Shogouki there? It was only as she wondered this that she began to
hear Misato speaking.

  "Asuka! Are you alright?"

  She shivered, holding herself tighter, but said, "Why is Unit 01
there?"

  A pause, then, "Asuka. Shinji-kun tried to save you."

  The first thing that welled up was bitterness and she hissed, "Oh!
The Invincible Shinji-sama risked his--"

  The tone of Misato's voice which interupted was filled with such
frustrated anger that Asuka snapped her mouth shut immediately. "I
CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ASUKA! You refuse to retreat then can't even be
grateful for being rescued!? Shinji-kun might be near death right
now! He had no idea how to fight the Angel, and he will probably be
kicked out again for disobeying orders, and he still tried to save
you! Do you think he wouldn't thank you if YOU risked yourself to
save him!?" The voice paused for breath. Asuka was so shocked that
the Angel's invasion almost seemed distant now. Almost. "You know,
Shinji-kun was always on the receiving end of your acid tongue,
Asuka, but he's too nice to tell you the truth: that you are mean
and selfish! Your Father might not have loved you and your Mother
might have committed suicide, but you have NO excuse to treat others
like dirt! Do you understand!? And especially not Shinji-kun!"

  The radio link abruptly broke, and Asuka was left sitting in her
plug, gazing with wide, shocked eyes at nothing. Then she noticed
Unit 01 move, and as she focussed on it, the purple Eva swayed, then
toppled slowly, almost majestically onto its face, and lay deadly
still.

  Asuka heaved a sob, her eyes squeezed shut as the tears came
afresh.

 *

  The sound which woke Shinji up was that of the room's blinds being
opened. His eyes also opened a bit to see the familiar white ward,
and then Ayanami, who was gazing out into the light. He gasped and
they went wide.

  She began to turn to look at him.

  The memories. Too much. He screamed.

 *

 To Be Continued


_____
catalyst: n. a person or thing that causes a change.

I guess I better tell you something about the new bits, especially
those who haven't seen them. Up until Shinji makes his decision,
the parts you are not familiar with are what Gainax added. Except
for when Rei's positron beam impacts the Field - Gainax didn't bother
fixing that and it still looks crap. I was so annoyed that they
didn't fix it that I did so myself. Then, after the storyline
diverges, the Gainax bits are Lilith regrowing her legs and the
cool new spear/AT Field bit. The rest I made up.
My translation of the new bits' dialogue I did very carefully, but
I cannot guarantee accuracy. The rest of the dialogue, with some
modifications for accuracy's sake, is copyrighted to ADV, I guess.
And Eva is the Product of Gainax and the creation of Anno Hideaki.
I'm not profitting from anyone else's work, so if you try to sue me,
I'll go on a hunger strike.

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 1 of 3. Oska Archer, December 1998. C+C to archer@senet.com.au,
please



From: archer@senet.com.au (Vice)

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 23'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This story is as much a serious drama on its own as an attempt to
furnish those who missed out on Gainax's redone episodes with a
translation of what happens there-in. If you haven't read episode
22', this won't make much sense.
Be aware that I am using another different title for this part
(formerly "Namida", here it is "Nukegara").


 *

  SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Tochter aus Elysium

 *


  The room was dimly lit, but the form of Asuka's body lay upon her
bed in the stillness, in short shorts and a light T-shirt. She lay
on her front with her face partly in her pillow, clutching it with
both arms. Her eyes closed yet holding a pained expression, her mind
swam in the world between life and sleep.

  Since the attack, doing anything had been hard for Asuka. The
memories were hard to hold back - she had broken down several times
when the recollections had attacked and overwhelmed her. It had
become her natural reaction to wander or sit in a dazed state, her
brain not allowing her to think too deeply about anything. It was not
that easy, though. That night, she could not even start eating her
dinner before shivering violently and running to her room.

  It might have been the distant sounds of reconstruction which
roused her, but as she regained consciousness she, again, remembered.
A miasma of memory, an assault on every sense. She turned over onto
her back, an involuntary physical response, as her eyes began
watering. Her lids hung, her brow relaxed but showing her internal
suffering, as her blue eyes stared at but did not see her ceiling.
Instead, she saw herself as the Angel had exposed and lain it before
her. Naked, defiled and defenceless, yet truthful. The true Asuka:
weak; lonely; helpless. Scared.

  I don't want to remember anymore, she consciously told herself for
about the fifth time. Maybe the conviction was stronger this time,
because straight away, an image blocked out everything else about her
ordeal: Unit 01, standing, yet slumped, then toppling as if dead,
having tried to take the blow for her.

  "Sh-shinji..." Her lips barely moved, she could hardly hear herself.
She stared, forlornly and clearly now, at the ceiling.

 *

  Kaji Ryouji's voice was now not painful to Misato, but since moving
the phone into her beer can-littered room, this was the first time
she had listened to his message again. Her head rested upon her arms
and she gazed at the machine, listening, but no longer hearing,
listening to the tiny gears of the microtape player as much to the
voice of the man she had known.

  "...There's one more thing I need to trouble you with. There are
some melons I was raising. I'd be happy if you could take care of
them. Shinji knows where they are..."
  
  It clicked presently, and beeped. She did not move.

  A phone that doesn't ring... she thought. Even Kaji had to rely on
Shinji-kun...

  As she watched it, the phone rang, and her eyes widened. After a
second, she answered.

  "Yes, hello?... Oh, right... Yes?... So, how is he?... Oh..."

  She paused for half a minute, hearing some explanation. "I see...
Well, yes. I'd like to visit him... I understand that... Yes, thank
you. Thank you for calling me."

  Misato hung up. The sadness showed on her face.

  Shinji-kun... Can't you show me where the watermelons are?

 *

  "Asuka, I'm coming in," Misato said softly before opening the door
- wide, so the room would be bright enough to see in. She entered to
find the girl on her back, dried tears faint on her face. Misato
stood at the foot of the bed.

  "How are you?"

  Asuka took a few audible breaths before quietly replying. "All right.
Hungry." Misato didn't expect the strange, resigned sincerity in her
voice.

  She paused again, then simply stated, "The hospital called.
Shinji-kun's physical condition is fine now, but he isn't..." Well,
you'd know better than me, Asuka.

  Asuka did not yet have anything to say to that.

  "We'll go and visit him tomorrow, okay?"

  "...Okay."

  Misato regarded the girl. The encounter seemed to have drained all
of the life from her. It sort of reminded Misato of her own child-
hood. The woman knew that left to her own, Asuka would end up doing
harm to herself. "Come on. Get up, we'll have something to eat."

  With Misato's urging hands, Asuka swung tiredly from her bed, and
they left the room.

 *

  The night had not yet brought sleep to Rei. She lay upon her own
bed in the darkness, but her mind was elsewhere.

  All she had done was turn to see Shinji. It had been after the long
emergency treatment which the technicians had rushed him to, similar
to the preliminary encounter with the Fifth Angel, but far more 
serious. With no other engagements, Rei had gone to watch over him;
doing so seemed natural to her. She had been nothing less than
shocked by the way he reacted upon waking to her presence.

  He had screamed his lungs empty, taken a breath and screamed again.
Over and over. His eyes had locked on hers, dilated, terrified. After
a second Rei had fled the room to get the nurse. She had not dared
go back in with the medical staff. The boy had stopped presently,
but it had still rung loudly in her ears.

  It was a strange, new feeling for Rei. Over the course of their
active duty at NERV, she had learned to trust Shinji deeply. Though
not consciously aware of it, she had recognised a bond with him very
early on. And now he rejected her.

  Rei squeezed her eyes shut. She just did not know what to do.

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
episode 23':      Nukegara

 *


  "THE LANCE OF LONGINUS - IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOVER IT," boomed
one of the voices, apparently from a towering ebony slab. The
monolithic representations of SEELE surrounded the occupied desk of
Ikari Gendou in the darkened holographic meeting chamber.

  "WHY DID YOU USE IT?" asked another.

  "ARE YOU AWARE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF THE EVA
SERIES YET?"

  "Destroying the Angel was more important," the man replied. "There
was no other way."

  "'NO OTHER WAY'? YOU SHOULD COME UP WITH A BETTER EXCUSE."

  The image of the Commander's phone began ringing as another
commented, "YOU ARE DISRESPECTFUL TO THE COMMITTEE THESE
DAYS."

  "Fuyutsuki, we are in the middle of deliberations," Gendou said
when he had answered. He listened to his executive, then replied,
"Understood."

  He put the hand set into his draw and shut it, announcing, "There
is an Angel approaching. Let us adjourn for now."

  "YOUR SEAT WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU."

  Commander Ikari left the meeting.

  "IKARI... WILL YOU BETRAY SEELE?" wondered the Chairman.

 *

  "I'll be there in 15 minutes," Misato told Headquarters through
her mobile phone. "Sortie Unit 00 through the thirty-second gate."
She paused, glancing sideways at Asuka in the passenger seat. The
girl was looking better than last night, dressed in clean dark 
slacks and a maroon shirt, but dejection was still upon her face as
she lay limply in the bucket seat. "No, there's no point trying Rei
in Unit 01. All the simulations indicated activation was not
possible, and it is still technically in quarantine. I don't have
the authority to release it anyway. Bye."

  Abruptly, the hills obscuring her view passed, and Misato could
see, between the tall roadside trees, a huge floating ring of white
light. "Visual confirmation of the Angel..." she mumbled, then turned
to her charge. "Hey..."

  Asuka had realised what Misato could see. But she was not in a
hurry to look for herself. Her eyes were cast lower. After a moment,
Misato took one hand off the wheel and gave Asuka's shoulder a gentle
squeeze, in just the way to say, "Hang in there."

 *

  Rei's blue Eva roared up and out of the launching bay.

  "Zerogouki launched, deploying to the intercept position," came
the announcement.

  "Target will be acquired presently," said Shigeru.

  Makoto reported, "Unit 02 is prepared as backup, awaiting pilot's
arrival."

  "No," said the Commander. "Prepare it for launch." He glared back
at the stares he received. "It may have to be used as a decoy."

  "Y-yes, sir."

 *

  Misato had parked her car and hurried to the entrance. Now she was
at the main gate, and she and her charge had to part company. She was
about to leave the girl when she was given pause for thought. Misato
looked at Asuka.

  I've been leaving things until its too late these days... she
reflected.

  "Asuka," she said, "I have to get to Operations now and you have
to get suited up. But, I want you to know that, after what's happened
recently, I'm sorry I make you keep doing this, even though I need
you to."

  Asuka listened then nodded. Her face was still set in gloom.

  "Listen. Do your best. As long as you can ride Eva, we're all
counting on you." With a reassuring smile, Misato trotted up one way.

  With a quiet sigh, Asuka set off in another.

 *

  The next announcement said: "Target has passed the Goura final
defence line, and is floating above Oowakudani Valley, rotating at
a fixed position."

  "Target's AT Field is still active," reported Makoto, as the main
door zipped open.

  "Where have you been?" Ritsuko asked over her shoulder, as Misato
ran in.

  "I don't have an excuse," she stated, then asked, "Status?"

  Shigeru answered, "At a stalemate."

  "The pattern is changing cyclically from blue to orange," added
Makoto.

  "What does that mean?" Misato already had the feeling that they
were not getting anywhere at all.

  "The Magi indicate it's impossible to tell," Maya replied.

  Shigeru expounded, "There is insufficient data for an answer."

  Ritsuko listened just as intently as the Major did while gazing
up at the image. A gigantic ring, composed of a pair of complimentary
spiralled ribbons. The doctor remembered where she had seen something
similar. While studying molecular biology back in Kyoto, she
had done a fair amount of work with bacterial DNA, and this Angel
looked just like those molecules appeared in micrographs: a circular
double-helix. But she was reminded of something else, something from
those recombinant DNA experiments at the Institute. Special,
disconnectable rings of DNA, called plasmids, were often used to
insert new genes into a host's chromosomes. Ritsuko had an odd
feeling about this latest adversary. "However," she voiced, "I'm
sure that form is not fixed."

  "We can't really take the initiative..." stated Misato.

 *

  Crouched in her Eva, Rei was watching the target intently. In her
intuitive way she knew this one was different. It may have been her
self-discipline as a pilot, but she was also fully concentrated upon
her task. Her mind was free from distractions.

  "Rei, keep observing it and stay ready," Misato instructed.

  She knew that was no use. "No," she disagreed. "It comes."

  All of a sudden, the circle solidified and, with a flash, separated
in one place to form a long, thick line of light. One end whipped
around and accelerated towards Unit 00.

  Misato cried, "Rei! Fight back!"

  "It's too late!" responded Makoto.

  The Angel ploughed through the Eva's Field as if it had not even
manifested, straight into its abdomen. To Unit 00 and Rei's credit,
she remained standing, and retaliated instantly by stretching a
section of the long body across the muzzle of her sniper rifle and
letting it have a few shells point blank. Rei knew it was futile,
though, and there was no effect. Furthermore, just as the Angel
had penetrated and begun spreading inside Unit 00's front, it now
spread into the hand which gripped it.

  "Target has physically contacted Unit 00," confirmed Shigeru.

  Misato asked Maya, "Zerogouki's AT Field?"

  "Spreading, but being penetrated!"

  The Angel had done what Ritsuko had feared. Was it trying to
combine biologically with the Eva? "Is the Angel trying to achieve
first level contact with Unit 00?"

 *

  Having dropped the rifle, Unit 00 now struggled with its assailant,
vainly trying to pull the writhing length of light out of its body.
It fell against a hillside, weakening as the Angel redoubled its
spreading intrusion.

  In the plug, Rei felt the pain sympathetically and gritted her
teeth. But more than that, symptoms of the invasion spread over the
front of her own body. As the mental centre of her Unit, she could
sense the presence of the Angel as it passed within.

 *

  Maya shouted, "This is dangerous! Zerogouki's biological parts are
being penetrated!"

  "Unit 02?" Misato barked.

  "Nigouki is ready, and the pilot is on her way to the hangar now,"
said Shigeru.

  Ritsuko looked the displays over. "This _is_ dangerous. Those parts
are already five percent fused."

  Misato gritted her teeth. Hurry, Asuka!

 *

  It was definitely with her now. On the outside, Rei spasmed,
strained, gasping from the pain which was spreading throughout her
form, but inside, she was meeting her attacker.

  Who's that? ...Me. Me in the Eva?

  The alien tried to communicate. It was like static.

  ...No, I feel someone other than me here.

  It tried again, getting closer this time.

  Who are you? ...An Angel. A person we call an Angel?

  It had figured it out. There it stood, up to the thighs in a pool.
A pool of LCL. It looked like Ayanami Rei.

  "Shall we become one?" it asked, face lowered.

  Rei, floating before her image, answered simply, "No. I am me. Not
you."

  "Okay..." it agreed, "but it's already no use."

  It took only a moment for the intrusion to spread over Rei's
plugsuit, and to creep over the edges of her face. She stared forward
impassively.

  "I'll share my heart with you," the Angel told her. "I'll share
this feeling with you."

  There was little Rei could do. But for whatever unfathomable
reason, she tried her hardest not to respond in kind.

  It raised its face, smiling. "Does it hurt? Hey," it insisted,
"does your soul hurt?"

  "Hurt?.." Rei considered. "No, that's not it." The nature of her
situation dawned upon her. "...Loneliness? Yes, it's loneliness."

  "Loneliness? I don't understand."

  "To hate being alone," Rei explained. "There are many of us, but
you are by yourself, and you hate it," she told the alien. "That's
loneliness."

  It remained smiling at her. "That is _your_ soul. Your own soul is
filled with sorrow."

  And Rei knew. She opened her moist eyes as the drips fell upon her
lap. She stared down, her eyes widening in despair.

  "These are... tears!" she realised. "I'm... crying?"

 *

  With a sudden shriek and crunch, the armour over Unit 00's arched
back burst open and the Angel's new form grew forth. It became
broader as it rose, spiralling upward to tower over the battle-field,
and sprouting multitudes of what looked like claws and antennae. It
even appeared to have clusters of triangular eyes.

  Misato was alarmed. "Rei!"

  "Unit 02 rising to the fourth elevator, ready to launch," came the
worried announcement.

  "Hurry! Launch!" Misato shouted. In a moment, the Eva rose to the
surface and the lift tower opened. "Spread your Field and rescue
Rei, quickly!

  Unit 02 stood still upon the platform.

  "Move out! ...Asuka, what's wrong?"

  Maya whirled, saying, "It's impossible, the synchro rate is barely
registering!"

  Misato made a noise but kept her teeth together.

 *

  Asuka tried the handles a couple more times.

  "It won't go..."

  She had not known how to safely attack the Thirteenth Angel, and
had had to eject when her Unit was itself attacked. The Fourteenth
had taken her best then beaten her cleanly. She had been no match for
the Fifteenth, her fragile mental barriers shattering permanently
under the siege upon her mind. How could she pilot her Eva at all
anymore?

  She sighed a bit, looking up and ahead at the current struggle.

  That last Angel had taken Shinji, too. So...

 *

  Misato, with the rest of the Operations staff, waited breathlessly.
Unless Rei could find an angle herself, this was their last chance.

  "Please, Asuka..."

 *

  "Do your best," Misato's words popped into her head.

  Asuka took a deep breath. Her brows knitted, though not in her
former confidence, but still with a hint of her old determination.

  It isn't even aware that I'm here. I can do better than this! she
proclaimed inwardly, grasping the handles purposefully. I _have_
to...

  Her jaw tensed with her trace feeling of conviction ...Damn Angel.
"At the least, look at me!"
  
  Unit 02's head raised, slowly.

  With a sudden motion, the free end of the Angel's body twisted
around and flew towards the red Eva.

 *

  Startled from the pain her body was infused with, the Angel's new
intent grabbed Rei's attention. She looked back, wondering, "Nigouki
Pilot?"

 *

  It was speeding right towards her, but she was still in the
elevator building and could not move fast enough. Asuka yelped; Unit
02's hands rose to protect its head just as the Angel reached her.
It crashed backward through the tower wall, across the block,
and came to a jarring stop on a wide road.

  It... moved! I can still...

  Unit 02 was almost on its back, gripping the glowing tail above in
both hands. The Angel had hideous strength.

  "No! Not now!" Asuka shouted. Nigouki scrambled and got a leg
beneath itself. With its pilot grunting from effort, the Eva hoisted
itself up, stumbling back a bit as it continued to hold the Angel
away. It was only then that Asuka had time to realise what was
happening to the hands.

  Just as with Unit 00, the Angel was visibly invading through Unit
02's hands. They strained to maintain grip. But inside, Asuka stared
in horror at the feedback reaction from this process. Her own gloved
hands, curled around the handles, were deforming, almost bubbling,
with bulges of red moving around on their own. She could not believe
her senses; she heard sounds as of distant laughter.

  "Asuka!" Misato's voice jolted her through the link. Her gaze still
stayed on her hands, but she listened as Misato ordered her to fight
back with the Progressive Knife.

  Letting go of the Angel quickly with the right hand, Unit 02
retrieved the weapon and plunged it deep into the glowing string. A
scream seemed to echo loudly as blood sprayed forth, but it gave way
disconcertingly fast to quiet murmurs and sighs. Asuka could not look
away. The bulges in her gloves were growing, forming eyes - faces!
They looked up at her, some reached for her with rudimentary arms.
Asuka's own arm was locked straight as she tried to hold her hand at
arm's length.

  "It hurts." She thought she heard the First Children's voice!
"Nigouki Pilot..." She did not know, it sounded like many voices,
yet all the same. A faint, terrified squeak escaped her throat.

  The voices descended into giggles as Asuka finally tore her eyes
away, to see what was coming next.

  The end of the Angel bulged and grew, dimming to off-white, and
formed the head and torso of Ayanami Rei.

  It smiled and reached for Nigouki's head. Asuka's first scream
caught in her throat, but after a gasping breath her terror resounded
through the radio connection.

 *

  "Do I wish to hurt her? Or..."

  Though almost overcome with the further waves of pain, Rei
continued to look on. She did not want to accept what she already
knew was happening. Through a grimace, Rei continued, "Am I so alone?
That my soul would want to become one with her? Does my soul just
need _someone_?"

  She watched as the other end of the Angel rose and gently embraced
the head of Unit 02. A jarring agony hit Rei and she curled forward,
but she had already reached a conclusion.

  "No!"

  Zerogouki followed suit and curled, straining briefly before the
abdominal armour crunched and parted, revealing the Eva's dull red
core.

 *

  The Operations level was as frenzied as the battle-field. There
had been a brief bout of optimism when Asuka's synchro rate had
jumped suddenly to almost safe control levels, but the following
turn of events had everyone back on edge.

  Maya took a split second to examine the new data, then announced,
"AT Field has been reversed! It will be penetrated immediately."

  Ritsuko looked from her portage to the main screen. "To _hold_
the Angel?"

 *

  The reversed Field had its effect instantly. The waving, towering,
newly formed Angel was violently sucked back down into its point of
origin on the straining Unit 00. The other end of the original body
yelped when it was torn away from the red Eva (which slumped,
unmoving) and snaked back the way it had come, the Rei-figure
flailing at its end.

  Unit 00 leaned back and the core bulged even larger, with the
penetrating end of the Angel immediately below it, before bursting
with a horrible tearing sound. It inflated, becoming a dull grey
skin colour, while the string of light was also sucked, faster and
faster, into its base. When this process was complete, Unit 00 lay
helplessly upon its back, appearing grotesquely pregnant.

  "The Field has reached the limit!" Maya reported worriedly. "It
cannot maintain the Core!"

  Misato could not help but yell, "Rei! Abandon the Unit and escape!"

  "No," came her soft voice through the link. "Without me, the AT
Field will disappear. I can't leave!"

  Upon the status screen, in bright red, appeared,
  
  MODE: D

  "Rei..." Misato breathed, stunned, "you'll kill yourself?"

  With echoing reports, the Eva's horrifying, bloated stomach
imploded upon itself until it was no more than a flatness inside a
wide gash upon Unit 00's front.

  Maya almost cried, "The Core has collapsed! Critical pressure
exceeded!"

 *

  The tears streamed freely as Rei looked behind her and her eyes
widened upon her final realisation. Her face was a mask of despair,
and she gasped.

  Ikari-shirei.

  He would not save her this time. Instead, he would replace her.

 *

  For a split second nothing happened. Then the Eva reached into the
air, levering itself into a standing position with one hand as it
groped forward with the other. It moaned in an infantile fashion,
before abruptly shining bright white. The umbilical cable vaporised
due to the proximity. A ring of light, much like the original Angel,
yet also reminiscent of a halo, coalesced and contracted above the
head.

  The glow increased and Unit 00's exact form changed. Though the
glare hid any features, Zerogouki now looked like a giant Ayanami
Rei. Then, it exploded.

 *

  Within the enormous blast stood Unit 02, protected from harm by
its passive AT Field. And within, Asuka stared into the maelstrom.

 *

  Shigeru was the first to find his voice, presently announcing,
"Target... destroyed."

  Misato stopped gaping at the screen. "This operation is officially
over. Go to first stage alert," she ordered.

  "Roger," said Makoto. "Changing to condition Yellow immediately."

  "Unit 00?"

  "The Entry Plug was not ejected." Maya tried to keep her voice
level.

  "Rescue the pilot. Hurry."

  "You mean, if she's alive."

  Misato had been shivering. Tears were already welling. It had just
happened too fast! She heard Ritsuko and whirled to glare at the
Doctor. She had her faced turned away.

  Damn you!

 *

  Asuka continued to stare. She had forgotten her hands. She had
forgotten even that she could still work her own Eva.

  What happened!!?

  She did not understand what the Angel had done. But for whatever
reason, the First Children had beaten it. By destroying her Evangelion,
and herself.

  She began to cry, the LCL suddenly bitter in her throat.

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Episode 23':     Rei III

 *

  Third New Tokyo, one of the most technologically advanced cities
in the world, had been conceived in the middle of the previous decade.
Under the direction of Gehrin and with the full financial might of
the United Nations, the small, isolated city had been built, using
an apparently natural geological feature as the subterranean housing
for the many skyscrapers, being all but finished by 2015. But apart
from being the City of Science, Tokyo 3 had been designed for only
one ultimate purpose. Up till now, it had not failed in this. Now, it
had failed, and become the Third Ashino Lake.

  Every reconnaissance chopper in NERV's control was sweeping over,
above the swiftly filling crater. What twisted remains of the city
there were were being buried in the rising waters. Only the outlying
suburbs, the settled foothills and the areas further up the valley
were intact. That still had not stopped the start of a massive
exodus.

  The R&D and Security departments of NERV were concerned with none
of this. It had taken only half an hour to locate and secure the
mangled entry plug of Unit 00, nearly twenty kilometres from ground
zero of the explosion. Akagi Ritsuko was on the scene five minutes
later. Wearing the standard radiation/anti-contamination suit, she
was beckoned to one of the gaping tears in the side of the white
shaft by a similarly dressed officer.

  She looked in, and did not like what she saw. I wish you could
forgive my detachedness, Misato, she sighed inwardly. "This is top
secret. Salvage the plug and dispose of the parts concerned."

  The staff leaped to action, working with the organised dedication
which NERV demanded of them.

  This is all I can do. Appreciate it, she continued to herself,
almost bitterly, ...because I know I will regret it.

 *

  "AT LAST WE HAVE DEFEATED THE ANGELS, AS FAR AS THE
SIXTEENTH."

  Twelve members of SEELE; a dozen unreflecting slabs. This meeting
did not include the Commander of NERV, though it did concern him.

  "NOW THERE IS ONLY ONE ANGEL LEFT ACCORDING TO THE DEAD SEA
SCROLLS OF SEELE."

  "THE TIME IS NEAR," boomed Keil Lorenz. "THE WAY HAS BEEN LONG,
WITH MANY LOSSES."

  "RIGHT. WE LOST THE LANCE OF LONGINUS, THEN WE LOSE UNIT 00."

  "THIS IS SUFFICIENT REASON TO REMOVE IKARI."

  "HE MUST UNDERSTAND WHY WE RETURNED FUYUTSUKI ALIVE."

  "WE NEED A NEW SACRIFICE AGAINST IKARI."

  "AND ONE WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH," concluded the chairman.

 *

  It was night time. Asuka lightly clutched the rail of the apartment
balcony, gazing out over the calm, rippling water were once nestled
the Third New Tokyo City. The ebony dome's clear stars reflected
serenely and their light danced in Asuka's sad eyes. She only looked
away when she heard Misato exit her room.

  The woman presently stood to Asuka's side. Misato could not see
any traces of tears on that face. Yet, with its blend of Japanese
and European features, it still appeared mournful.

  Asuka glanced back at her fleetingly. "Misato..." she voiced.

  "Yes?"

  "What happened?"

  She sighed. "You've always known that you were risking your lives
piloting Eva. But the main goal is defeating Angels--"

  "No, I mean..." The red-head raised her hand, staring upon it as
if she had found something entirely different in its place. "That
Angel... and the First Children... Which one attacked _me_?"

  Misato replied after a moment, quietly, "'The Magi could not
correlate the data' - the technical division told me that. There was
practically nothing left to study... I don't even know if the plug
was found yet." She stopped before she could begin rambling at the
child, and since she was, in any case, very tired. But the latest
Angels have been so... unconventional, she mused.

  "I can't cry for her," Asuka spoke softly. "I didn't know her.
We've been in the same position all this time, and I never knew her."

  "Rei..." Misato felt she needed to offer something, feeling very
sad as she chose her words. "...Was a good girl." On some unconscious
cue Misato stood closer and held Asuka's shoulders under her arm. She
offered no response, continuing to stare at the waters. Disillusioned,
Misato let go and left the room.

  I feel more lonely than ever, she reflected heavily.

 *

  "Chow chow. Good morning. Did you bring your child? Oh, but I'm
sure you had a son..."

  "This is not Shinji. I've decided to take care of an acquaintance's
child. Her name is Ayanami Rei."

  Hello, Rei-chan...

  I didn't know then, mused Ritsuko. With her stockinged legs
crossed, she sat in the solitude of her office. Only the permeating
hum of NERV Headquarters' vast machinery accompanied her reflections.

  She stared distractedly at her set of little cats.
  
  Ayanami Rei. The well of souls. All of what you are is shaped by
your purpose. Without Ikari, or Kouzou, or me or NERV, you are
nothing. Yet if you die, I must replace you. Ritsuko shifted her
gaze to her laptop, tapping a key to get rid of the screen saver.
A scanned photograph was set as the desktop: herself, with the face
of a senior high school student; her poor mother; and the Commander,
looking so much younger with his old glasses and no beard.

  My mother worked it out but she never told me. After what happened
to her, it was Ikari-shirei who let me in. That was when he needed me
most.

  One more Angel to go. Does he need me anymore?

  All of a sudden, she felt something cold pressed against the back
of her skull. The hand Ritsuko had her face propped upon fell away
in her brief surprise, but she swiftly regained her composure and
sat straight in her chair.

  Do the Old Men want me now?

  "Co-operate and you will not be harmed."

  "I understand." She stood, turning and seeing the three security
agents who had slipped into her office like cats while her back was
turned and her mind elsewhere. One led the way as the other two
followed her out. They all looked the same, generic black suits and
opaque glasses. But to Ritsuko -

  Not SEELE agents? They're using _our_ men?

 *

  The ever-echoing thrum of Terminal Dogma rolled past and around
Ikari and Fuyutsuki as they looked up at the cylinder, empty now
save for the clear LCL. 'REI' was etched into the uppermost metal
ring partition, above the glass.

  "Rei..." the old professor spoke. "She's the product of my
despair... and now, she may well be your hope."

  Ikari continued to stare upwards.

  Fuyutsuki added, "In any case, it's impossible to forget her."

 *

  The phone rang again. Misato looked at it from the pillow of her
forearms. She had not cleaned up - around her rested dozens and
dozens of empty cans. If anything, the mess had been added to. For
a moment, she regarded the new interruption to her withdrawn
reflections with disinterest.

  Losing pilots... losing Evangelions... could it be possible that
the Angels will win? But then her eyes widened as she realised: It
might be the hospital, something about Shinji-kun!

  She answered. It was the hospital, but the news took her by
complete surprise. After the information was relayed, the other end
hung up, and Misato was left looking at the receiver, considering.

  I should tell Asuka...

 *

  Asuka had given up trying to pick her way through the disaster area
of Tokyo-3's suburban remains. There had certainly been many
interesting things strewn through the wreckage, but she was not
prepared to touch anything which was, until yesterday, part of some-
one's home.

  So now she walked along much closer to the shore, a stretch which
was more flattened and cleared, literally swept clean by the
proximity of the latest disaster. She did not have to concentrate on
making a path for herself, and her mind returned similarly to
wandering.

  I was supposed to protect this city... she still looked back at
the former suburbs. The scale of the abrupt change to the life of
the city was too large to fully comprehend, but it did its best to
weigh on Asuka's mind. All of a sudden, a tattered fragment of
familiarity snapped into focus, and she realised she was looking at
what was left of Horaki Hikari's house.

  She had an urge to run over, perhaps inspect it. What for? she
sighed. Her shoulders reslumped. I'm glad she survived. I suppose
she'll send a postcard when her family's resettled...

  But there was an undeniable feeling she was aware of. Presumably
since Asuka's former class's population had dwindled significantly,
not to mention the news of her failure in the second last battle,
Hikari had rung shortly after Asuka's ordeal to offer her friend
support.

  At the time, she had had nothing to say. After ten minutes of
little more response than mumbled, half-hearted reassurances, Hikari
had wished a good night and hung up. Later on, it had crossed Asuka's
mind that she may well find ready solace in staying over at the class
representative's house. But something quite strong had stopped her.
She knew what it was now.

  She resumed her walk. Baka-Shinji is stuck somewhere in hospital
because he tried to help me. I'd just have brought Hikari down if I
had run away to her, she reflected simply, gazing forward. I don't
want to hurt anyone else.

 *

  Ayanami Rei stood, wrapped in familiar bandages, staring unblink-
ingly down a particular hospital corridor at a particular door, for
as yet unknown reasons.

  "Miss, you can go now," a nurse's voice said gently from the side,
and the blue-haired school girl turned and left.

 *

  Rhythmic clanging. The sun beat down on the deserted suburb. The
lonely room 402 was just as Ayanami Rei had supposedly left it. Light
shafted in obliquely as she looked forward while standing before the
mirror. Last shreds of bandage coiled from her arm onto the floor.
There was something fundamentally familiar about the face which
stared back through the dirty window at the girl. She turned, her
eyes sweeping over the beaker of water and other miscellany, lain
out on a thin sheet upon her dresser, which held no meaning. To her
side there was her chest-of-drawers, the top underwear drawer yet to
be shut. She walked over in her black socks, and picked up the metal-
rimmed pair of old cracked glasses in both hands, and started to
squeeze. Her grip was firm and she twisted as she steadily increased
the pressure to either sides of the lenses. The sound of glass
straining against the rims grated through the air, but for Rei there
was no emotion involved. No satisfaction in destroying this pair
of spectacles. She stopped, silently wondering at the reaction just
brought out of her by this object. Her vision became dreamy, and
drips of liquid presently fell upon the glasses in her hands.

  "These are... tears!" she realised. She bowed her head
involuntarily. "It has to be the first time I've seen them, but I
feel that it isn't.

  "...I'm crying." She still gripped the glasses protectively while
rivulets formed over her white cheek. "Why am I crying?"

 *

  "That's right," Ikari spoke into his receiver. "Status quo for the
First Children. No restrictions are necessary. This also applies to
the Third. Just watch her."

  "But the fact that Rei is alive could cause trouble with Kiel-
gichou and the others," Fuyutsuki worried. He stood beside the
commander in the dimness of the main office.

  "I have given an alternative to the Old Men of SEELE. Don't worry
about it."

 *

  "WE WISH TO PROCEED CALMLY." SEELE 01, the 'sound only' visage of 
the Committee's chairman loomed over Akagi Ritsuko. Nerv's department
chief of technology stood straight, and completely unclothed. "WE DO
NOT WANT TO DISGRACE YOU."

  "I feel no disgrace," she proclaimed defiantly, her expression
serious.

  "A STRONG-WILLED WOMAN INDEED." The voice came from any one of
the ring of monoliths as far as Ritsuko could tell. "IT WOULD BE
NATURAL FOR IKARI TO KEEP HER CLOSE."

  "HOWEVER, IT WAS IKARI HIMSELF WHO SENT YOU TO US."

  "HAVING REFUSED THE INTERROGATION OF THE PILOT OF UNIT 00,"
boomed
Kiel, "HE PRESENTED YOU AS HER SUBSTITUTE, AKAGI-HAKASE."

  Her brow furrowed. ...Rei's substitute, am I?

 *

  Only two test plugs had been lowered into the stasis fluid today.
  
  "Sinusoids are concurrent. Harmonics have steadied back at starting
levels."

  "Re-start data collection."

  Ibuki Maya did not sit, but stood, watching the displays of the
harmonics lab. A clipboard was clutched to her front. She did not
let her nervousness show as Makoto and two other technicians went
about the tests.

  Where could Sempai have gone?

  "Pulses have nominalised," one of them announced.

  "Let's see." Maya looked over Makoto's shoulder at the read outs.

  "Not too promising, huh?" he commented.

  "This is not good," she agreed. "Asuka's levels are back below
operational minimum. Its as though they hadn't risen at all during
the last fight."

  "What could it be? Unit 02's interface has been completely
recalibrated to optimised levels," said Makoto. "There was no
contamination; and there was still enough synchronisation before
deactivation for Asuka to protect herself with the AT Field."

  Maya turned one of the pages of her clipboard. "It might be the
danger factor again. But we definitely can't depend upon the pilot
coming through at the very last minute." She studied her printout.
"What about Rei?"

  "Her harmonics levels are normal. Impressive, after what she went
through."

  Maya did not look at him. Of course it didn't affect her, she mused
sourly.

  "But..."

  "Right. We'll need to see if she can synchronise with Unit 01.
Take her plug off-line and load the 01 harmonics data."

  "Roger."

 *

  The interior of Rei's plug was lowered into nothing more than the
dim redundancy lights. She waited, only breathing gently; body-
temperature LCL flowed in and out between her slightly parted lips.
After four minutes the lights powered back up. Rei immediately felt
the difference.

 *

  The pitch of the machinery's hum changed. "Establishing
connections."

  "Feedback already detected in thirty-eight percent of the
circuits," Makoto reported.

  Maya gritted her teeth, swinging around one of the chairs to get
at the interface. "Don't increase plug depth anymore. Let's see,"
she considered the information. "This is different. The system purge
theoretically should have eliminated all of the nerve contamination.
But this data looks more like before, when Unit 01 wouldn't accept
Rei _or_ the dummy plug..."

  He looked across to his colleague. "So we're back where we
started."

  "Hopefully," Maya looked down at her fingers hovering above the
keys.

  "What about Asuka in Shogouki?"

  "I think its possible, though Akagi-hakase has told me the data
doesn't promise anything." She sighed. "There was a rumour that a
new pilot had been found."

  "The Fifth Children?"

  "If we can't get Unit 01 working with what we have, then we still
may have a last option..."

  "Can you hear me?" came a girl's voice through the closed PA. She
sounded concerned

  "Asuka," Maya answered, regaining her composure, "the test isn't
finished yet. Please concentrate until its over."

  After a second of silence, Asuka asked, "I just wondered who is
in the other plug. I thought Shinji was still hospitalised."

  Maya realised this would finish the exercise, whether she liked it
or not. "No, its not him. Its Rei in there."

  "Wha... ...First?"

 *

  Quiet, expressionless, seeming purely mechanical, Ayanami Rei
opened the change room door, entered, and closed it. She started
over to her locker so as to change out of her plug suit, but was
interrupted by the presence of another girl in the room.

  The red-headed girl was of around the same age, already in her
normal clothes - blue shorts and a white short-sleeve shirt - and
standing beside the bench with a lost look upon her face. Rei did
not know this person, or feel any need to do so... yet there was
the familiarity that she had felt about everything on this day, as
if she had seen it all in a dream.

  But there was something else. For all Rei's ignorance of this
girl's identity, something told her that Souryuu Asuka Langley, the
Second Children, was different now.

 *

  Asuka met Rei's eyes for a moment before the First Children
continued to the lockers. Asuka looked down, trying hard to decide
on what to say.

  *SLAP* You _are_ a doll! You look like one, and I've really hated
you all along! ...Everyone! I hate everyone!

  "I'm sorry," she blurted, overcome with regret about what she had
said that time.

  "About what?" came the inevitably quiet voice. Rei was already out
of her suit, and in the process of arranging the blue dress over her
blouse.

  Asuka sighed. She probably doesn't even remember. "Um, what I
really want to say is thank you," she continued after a  minute, 
shutting her locker door gently. "You destroyed your Eva, and could
have died just to save me."

  "Oh, did I save you?"

  "You don't remember that!?" Asuka's jaw had dropped. In all her
reflecting about what had happened, and trying to understand how she
felt about it, she had forgotten what actually annoyed her about
this girl.

  "No, I just don't know," replied Rei. Completely dressed now, she
closed her own locker door. "I think, probably, because I am the
third."

 *

  The sign on Misato's door had gone unread for over a day:

   IN THE MIDDLE OF WORK
     Sorry, but don't
        call on me.

  Ryouji Kaji's disembodied voice almost echoed around the demolition
site that was Misato's room. Jumbo cup ramen containers and stands of
iced tea cans were evidence of Misato's new determination.

  "This is part of the truth that you wanted to know. I sent the same
thing thirty-six different ways, but they probably won't reach you.
Only this capsule is guaranteed to reach you. This is all I have. It
is up to you how you use it. The passcode is our first memory.

  "Well, take care."

  Misato finished typing as the message ended. It was very clever of
him to record it and set it up on a timer, she had thought when it
first appeared on the machine. She held up the little access chip,
the legacy her past lover had left for her.

  I've stopped worrying about the phone that doesn't ring... she
reflected. Then she looked at the objects on her desk. The capsule
she had discovered. He must have put it where he wanted it that night
after all. Probably when she was asleep. But he had timed his message
so well with her body's rhythms...

  And the gun. Her brows furrowed as the beginnings of tears
threatened. She finished the thought aloud: "Now that I've accepted
you heart."

 *

  "IS IT REALLY ACCEPTABLE TO RELEASE AKAGI-HAKASE?"

  "SHE ISN'T LIKE FUYUTSUKI. RETURNING HER WILL BENEFIT US."

  "A WOMAN OF IMPORTANCE TO THE EVA PROJECT. LET HER BE OF USE
TO US
FOR A WHILE."

  "JUST SO. FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND."

  "THERE WERE TO BE EIGHT EVANGELIONS CONSTRUCTED."

  "SO THERE REMAIN FOUR MORE..."

  "THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THIRD NEW TOKYO IS A GOOD REASON TO
ACCELERATE THE PROJECT," concluded Kiel Lorenz. "ON THE DAY OF THE
SERIES' COMPLETION, THE PROMISED TIME WILL BE AT HAND."

 *

  "Hello?"

  Having been in her room for the last couple of hours, Asuka had
noted that the apartment was deserted when she emerged to answer the
phone. She would not have bothered if she had not been distracted by
the day's events - indeed she was surprised when she found her hand
upon the receiver.

  "Just listen," came a female voice. "I have called off your
surveillance. You are free to come out now."

  "Akagi-hakase?" she blurted in reply. But then she remembered
something. "Wait, um, I met First again today and--"

  "I said don't talk. There will be a car out front in two minutes.
Be ready." The line disconnected.

 *

  It was echoey down there, and noticeably colder. Asuka was vaguely
conscious of the feeling of having at least miles of solid rock
surrounding her in every direction. There had been tension during
the brief journey here, but she did not know what Ritsuko was
planning. The one time Asuka had tried to renew her inquiry, the
woman interrupted with, "Don't ask me. You will see for yourself."

  From the shadowed entrance they had come through, the girl watched
Akagi Ritsuko entering an access code. The doctor, herself,
concentrated on getting the long string of numbers entered correctly.

  She concluded by swiping her card's magnetic strip through. An
error message answered. And again, she felt a gun's muzzle pressed
into her back.

  "No use," Misato spoke seriously, "without my pass."

  Ritsuko's startled expression melted to resignation. "I see.
Kaji-kun arranged that?"

  "I will see the secret of this place with my own eyes."

  "Fine," replied Ritsuko glancing back, then nodding her head in
the direction of the door. "But with her as well." 

  Misato noticed Asuka. She swore inwardly, thinking, I'm so sorry
Asuka. I have to do this now, but I never meant you to get involved.
Her expression never wavered. "Fine," she answered.

 *

  If the trip to headquarters had been tense, it was a tea party
compared to the atmosphere in the elevator. Asuka hardly dared move,
let alone interrupt the silence. She glanced around only after the
initial shock of the rapidly shifting events had subsided. But she
was forced to continue glancing out of the cage every so often, just
so she could believe what she was seeing.

  The elevator shaft apparently ran directly down the centre of an
enormous cylindrical cavity (the bottom section of 'Central Dogma',
Asuka guessed), and dim illumination showed the walls of the place
as a hexagonal framework, seemingly embedded in hewn rock. It looked
like a beehive. Asuka wondered if it was natural...

  The lift ride eventually ended and Ritsuko led them out wordlessly
and down a short corridor, to a door which she immediately opened
and entered. All that Asuka could catch before she followed was a
glimpse of an inverted triangle design on the door frame.

  The doctor turned on the lights. The room looked more like a
psychiatric hospital ward than anything to Asuka.

  "What is this place?" Misato finally asked with a hint of
irritation.

  "Ayanami Rei's room. This is where she grew up."

  Asuka looked about with wide eyes. All sorts of laboratory
equipment was strewn around in no obvious order. There was a steel-
framed bed. A changing screen. There was English writing on the
walls.

  "Down here?" she wondered. All by herself, for her whole childhood?

  "Right. She was born here. The light and water which constitute
Rei's mentality are a reflection of this place."

  With no-one else?..

  "Akagi-hakase, I did not come to see this."

  "I know, Misato."

  They promptly left the room. Ritsuko strode to the end of the
next passage and out of that part of the complex. It was dark, yet
Asuka could feel a wide expanse around her. The doctor flicked a
switch as they passed a control board. Misato and Asuka saw what all
the space was for.

  They tried to keep up with Ritsuko as they looked down. Below the
gangway they walked across was a series of circular pits in a flat
metal surface. They were interconnected by narrow canals. The females
walked along at a considerable height, so the scale was deceiving,
but what was in the pits gave an idea.

  Asuka looked carefully at one large, dirty object... a helmet. "Is
that an Eva!?" she exclaimed.

  "The first one," said Ritsuko tiredly. "A failure. Disposed of ten
years ago." She turned her head to follow the gazes of her audience.
There were many more than just that specimen. Countless crushed and
tangled remains lay pitilessly at the bottom of those dim crevasses.

  She dismissed it. "It's nothing but a garbage dump." And after a
moment, they entered the next section of Terminal Dogma. At the end
of a narrow antechamber, Ritsuko stopped to enter a code number into
a recessed pad, and then they made their way through the opened door.

  The room was black, but also circular, except for a couple of lines
of romaji letters around the circumference, a metal cylinder in the
centre filled with what Asuka knew must be LCL, and the ceiling which
was simply lost in shadow.

  "So," Misato said, looking upwards, "this is the source of the
dummy plug?"

  "I'll show you the truth," replied the eerily calm doctor. She
activated a hand control she had drawn from her lab coat pocket.

  The walls of the chamber were actually glass which clarified,
becoming perfectly transparent. Behind them was the orange glow of
LCL, and dozens of naked girls with the face and hair of Ayanami
Rei.

  "No way!" Asuka shouted in disbelief. In unison, all of the Reis
turned their eyes on her. "It's a lie..." she gasped, stepping back.

  Misato was similarly incredulous. "It can't be true! Eva's dummy
plug is--"

  "That's right," replied Ritsuko. "These things will become the
cores of dummy plugs. This is their production factory."

  "This is..."

  "These are dummies," she continued. "And merely spare parts for
Rei.

  "Humans found a god, and so tried to obtain it. Humanity was
punished as a result. That was fifteen years ago. The god which
they had found was gone. But they tried to resurrect the god them-
selves. That was Adam. A Human was made from Adam so as to be close
to Godhood.

  "And thus, Eva."

  Asuka was barely following this explanation. "Do you mean," she
asked with dreaded comprehension, a faltering voice, "that Evas are
human?"

  "Yes. They're human, because Eva, which did not start out with a
soul, now has a soul of a human. All of those are salvaged."

  A human soul? Something began turning in Asuka's mind.

  "However, the vessel which contains a soul in the true sense is
Rei. Only she has a soul, whereas none of these _vessels_ have souls.
The Room of Guaf was empty. They have no souls, they are just useless
_things_. They're abominable, so I'll destroy them."

  With a beep, a roaring began deep in the machinery of the place,
and the bodies of Ayanami Rei spontaneously broke apart and started
to sink.

  Was that laughter just in Asuka's imagination?

  "Hey," cried Misato, aiming her pistol, "do you understand what
you're doing!?"

  "Of course. I'm destroying," Ritsuko said, satisfaction in her
voice. "They're not human, just things with human shape. I lost _him_
to such things - I couldn't win." Her voice rose as she lost her 
composure. "When I focused on him, I could bear any humiliation. I
don't care about my own body! But he... he--"

  "I understood..." Misato whispered.

  "I'm a fool - just like my mother, a complete fool!" the woman
paused to calm her voice. "You can kill me if you wish. It would be
a welcome release."

  Misato lowered the gun. "If that is your wish, you really _are_
stupid."

  The doctor fell to her knees, and her sobs echoed louder and
louder.

  "Eva has a soul." "In that puppet?" "You must be aware of it."
Asuka looked on in astonishment for a moment longer as what First
had said came back to her, before the question finally took form
in her mind.

  "Wait a sec!" she moved forward to stand over the blonde. Misato
made a half-hearted attempt to restrain her, but she carried on.
"If my Nigouki really had a soul put in it, then where did such a
thing come from?"

  Ritsuko's crying quietened before she managed to look up. But away
from her companions. "I think Shinji-kun had almost worked it out.
Of course, the soul in Unit 01 is much more alive. But have you never
felt anything in your entry plug, Asuka?"

  The girl stood straight. "What do you mean? It feels safe, warm -
like a womb."

  Misato's eyes narrowed. "Asuka, you shouldn't--"

  "Why do you think _she_ lost her mind, Asuka, before she died?"
Ritsuko asked challengingly, her stare meeting Asuka's, and watching
the awful flower of comprehension begin to bloom on the red-head's
face.

  Asuka let out a small gasp.

  "...N-no..."

 *

 To Be Continued


_____
Nukegara: Japanese for 'husk'.

The new Gainax bits are the new Angel growing out of Unit 00's back,
the Rei bits at the other end of the Angel (although it was Shinji
who had to deal with that) and some stuff which Maya and Misato say.
Rei's encounter was also subtly changed, but it was mainly visual.
In the new version, too, Ritsuko is standing in the SEELE meeting,
the Terminal Dogma elevator sequence and the Eva graveyard are
different, and there's a bunch of interesting images overlaid on
the Rei aquarium as Ritsuko is delivering her little speech.
Everything else you will recognise from the old episode, unless it
is what I have changed or expanded upon - like the bit with Ritsuko
getting captured. I plead creative license there. I'm not particularly
satisfied about keeping it so close to the original, but I wanted
to transfer as much of the new stuff through as I could.
Credit must go to the Literal Translation Project, which helped me
where ADV failed (though I must acknowledge _that_ company as well).
And Eva is the product of Gainax and the creation of Anno Hideaki.
Come on, how is anyone gonna make money from writing this stuff?

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 2 of 3. Oska Archer, February 1999. C+C to archer@senet.com.au,
please




From: archer@senet.com.au (Vice)

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 24'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This is available in HTML at my homepage.
Again, it won't make sense (may even seem
stupid) to read this if you haven't read the last
two (which I've reposted for your convenience).

 *

 SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Tochter aus Elysium

 *


It was that time, in the bathroom. She had felt that no one could
have faced such overpowering odds as she did then. Always, always,
her problems had taken priority over whatever anyone else had to
deal with. But that time...

  The plug hole loudly choked down the first gouts of mineral-
saturated bath water before being silenced by the steady flow, and
the rippling level began its gradual fall. Asuka held the small plug
limply beside her wet thigh. She stood, watching and waiting. The
cold water with which she had rinsed the soap away ran down and dripped
from her as she stood with a resigned look on her face, yet also one
which hinted at quietly endured pain. Her damp hair clung around her
eyes.

  "How disgusting," she said quietly. "Who'd want to bathe in the
same water that Misato and Baka-Shinji have bathed in..?"

  The mist-filtered light danced upon the receding water in lieu of
any answer.

  "Who'd want to use the same washing machine which has washed
_their_ underwear..?"

  The liquid continued its illuminated, perpetual motion.
  
  "Who'd want to use the same toilet as _they_ sit on..?" Her brows
furrowed and she scowled at the silent reflections. "Who'd want to
breathe the same _air_ as them?"

  A final second of silence was all her temper could endure. Her
voice trembled. "I hate Misato," she said. "I hate Shinji. I hate
First even more!" She fought back tears. "I hate Papa, I hate Mama!
But..." and she clutched her forearm across her aching belly as her
voice nearly rose to a shriek, "I hate myself the absolute worst!"

  Her tearful rage at the world for doing _this_ to her, finally,
_physically_ exploded. She swung a foot at the rinsing bucket even as
her pain seemed to blind her, squeezing her eyes shut and screaming,
"Oh God, I can't take it any more! Why me!!? Why me-e-e?"

 *

  The fourteen-year-old girl sighed shakily.

  "I didn't mean it," came choked out words before she could realise.
She thought she had spoken far to loudly, and looked around guiltily.
But her gaze returned to the pale, unconscious boy lying in the
hospital bed beside her chair.

  He had been like this for so long, it seemed, and had woken up only
once, briefly, the morning after the Fifteenth Angel's attack. Asuka
had been almost as incapacitated then; this was the first time she
had come to the hospital. Misato had of course told her that Shinji
would not be responsive.

  What was it like for you? she thought, looking upon him forlornly.
Misato said that the Angel attacked you with far more power than it
did me...

  I'll understand if you just stay like that forever.

  His body was not connected to any monitoring equipment: a few days
in the automated medical rig had repaired the damage from the super-
pressure of the plug LCL. He breathed normally; all that belied his
condition was the surreptitious nutrient drip feeding to his arm.

  Well, at least you'll be safe here, she mused, recalling clearly
how Shinji seemed always to take the brunt of the past Angel attacks.
She stood, pulling at the waist of her dark slacks (which contrasted
with her yellow NERV-issue pull-over). But she did not look away from
her helpless colleague.

  That would have been me, she told herself.

  "But I can't cry for you, Shinji," she told him, before turning
for the door. There're no tears left.

 *

  Misato sipped at the lukewarm coffee and leaned upon the control
panel. After a moment she noticed Makoto's hands: they rested
motionless on the keyboard. He was staring oddly at, or more
correctly, _through_ his monitor.

  "What's bothering you, Lieutenant?"

  His distraction was broken, but he did not look up at her. "It's,
well, it's not just one thing, but... aren't we running out of Evas?"

  The Major sighed. "One more Angel to go, or so they've said." She
sipped with a grimace. "Two Evas left, one won't accept any other
pilot, the other can barely be activated. And the dummy plug system
seems to have been a failure after all.

  "We might have depended on the last two Production Models from
Germany, but that program has been quietly scrapped." Misato looked
back at her subordinate. "And there's been no official word on the
_others_."

  Makoto had first informed his Major of the existence of a Mass
Production Model Eva series, but rumours had spread around head-
quarters fast. There was no indication, however, of the project's
completion date or when (or if) the new ranks would arrive at NERV.

  "And that would still leave us without pilots," Makoto added.

  Misato thought of the Third Children. "The extent of Shinji-kun's
mental trauma is practicibly immeasurable. He's never been so
completely defeated."

  "Post-situation analysis by the Magi showed that the Enemy's
attack had adapted to his mind's signature so intimately that it
could introduce whatever it wanted into him," said Makoto. "He
could not have distinguished his mind from that of the invading
mentality. Whereas the Angel only scanned over the Second Children's
mind."

  Putting her NERV mug down, she said, "From what I can tell from
her report, the attack caused the surfacing of many of the memories
of her childhood which she had subconsciously repressed. And she's
still only a child - can we blame her for her current performance?"

  After a brief silence, "Still, we have one option left."

  Misato hmmed in response. Today, the Fifth will mysteriously arrive.
But who will he replace?

 *

  For the first time in over a week, Asuka stood (still in civvies)
before the head of the submerged, red Production Model.

  It can't be true, can it?

  She looked up into its foreward opticals with an uncertain frown,
but looked away after a moment.

  Asuka's mother had always had time for her when she was very
little. She knew this, though remembering anything clearly was hard.
It was what made it all the more painful when Mama changed.

  When she had to stay at the hospital.

  When she wouldn't talk to her.

  When she took that _doll_ as her daughter.

  It was, litterally, as if Mama had lost her heart.

  Is it true? she asked the Eva again, then mused: First would know.
But how can I talk to that _thing_? I was right all along. She is a
doll...

  But a doll with a soul.
  
  _Like Eva._
  
  "It doesn't matter now," the girl mumbled, intentionally interupting
her train of thought. "I won't be able to pilot again, so I'll never
know."

 *

  The evening sun shone deep gold on the waters of the newest Ashino
lake. The calm conveyed by the gently lapping water upon the rubble-
strewn shore contrasted almost ironically with the recent devastating
violence of the lake's formation, a scene which was still fresh in
Asuka's mind's eye, as she gazed out over it. The cicadas were
subdued tonight.

  A doll... she thought. She had left headquarters and the geofront.
Left to get some fresh air, she had told herself.

  No. Many dolls. They died, but they weren't ever alive. Did the one
which saved me die? Whoever she is now, I can't bear to see her. Not
now. But there's no one else. Misato...

  I didn't know Misato was the kind of person who points guns at
people who are meant to be her friends.

  I can't see them. I can't pilot. What can I do?

  Someone was humming.

  The tune evoked memories from her early childhood as she could not
have done by herself; not many, and not at all vivid, but they were
happy memories. For a moment she was able to escape the situation she
had found herself in. Indeed, despite it all, the song let her take
a moment of peace for herself.

  She looked to the side to see that it was a boy who was humming.
The first thing she noticed that he was dressed in the boy's uniform
of her school, like Shinji always was. He sat atop a submerged,
ruined statue, leg bent, with his arm draped over it, his faced
turned away, towards the sun. As Asuka stared he finished, and
turned to her.

  The dusk light cast a glow over his silver hair. His red, soflty
reflective eyes met hers with confidence. The wide-mouthed face held
an expectant expression while he gestured with his hand: _your turn_.
Without really thinking about it, Asuka began to sing:

  "Freude, schoner gotterfunken,"

  She took half a second to clear her throat properly.

  "Tochter aus Elysium,
  wir betreten feuertrunken,
  Himmlische, dein Heiligtum."

  A second of silence followed, then the boy, looking out over the
water again, sighed contentedly. "Songs are nice, aren't they?" he
spoke. A soft voice, to Asuka. She agreed, inwardly.

  "Songs are the height of Lilim culture," he continued. "They touch
the heart, and offer relief in the midsts of a person's most lonely
moments." He looked at her again. It was so long since she had seen
anyone so happy. "Don't you feel so, Souryuu Asuka Langley?"

  Her curiosity caught up with her. "How'd you know my name?"

  "Forgive me, but your fame as an Eva pilot has spread quite far."

  She looked upwards to avoid appearing sheepish, but still smiled.
"Oh. That's true, of course." After another second, she inquired,
"And you would be..."

  "I'm Kaworu. Nagisa Kaworu." he said with a deep breath. "I'm like
you, one of those selected: the Fifth Children."

  She was genuinely suprised. "The Fifth?"

  "You can call me Kaworu, Souryuu-san."

  "Ah, well, just call me Asuka," she replied. What a strange guy...

  He laughed lightly.

 *

  "The Fifth Children has just arrived."

  Misato and Makoto rode into the geofront on the express elevator,
inside her blue coupe, for the evening shift. Makoto remained serious
as his Major sat back comfortably.

  "Nagisa Kaworu. All of his records were erased," said the woman.
"Just like Rei."

  "The only thing we do know is that his date of birth is that of
Second Impact."

  Misato kept her voice neutral. "A child sent directly to us from
the Committee. There's definitely something else here..."

  "The Fifth's Marduk Report information is classified. So I
surreptitiously investigated the Intelligence Division's data..."
Makoto admitted.

  "A very dangerous thing to do!" Misato said, sounding more
concerned than she really was. Makoto could handle himself.

  "And I learned this:" he leaned over conspiratorially.
"Ritsuko-san's whereabouts."

  Misato did not show any outward response, and Makoto changed
subject. "How will we go about the Fifth's Synchro test?"

  "For today I'll refrain from any tricks." Misato allowed herself 
a little mirthless smile. "Let's just see his real ability."

 *

  The familiar hum of a harmonics test. Maya and Makoto, supervised
by the Sub-Commander and Misato, monitored the Magi's test systems.
The bay window opened to a veiw of deep pink regulating coolant,
filling to acertain level one of the high white chambers of NERV's
central facility. Test plugs for the three present pilots were half
submerged beside a jetty of metal grating.

  The plug-suited children, with relevant information, were visible
on seperate monitors, accompanied by their harmonics and synchro-
nisation progress. Standing sinusoids of the spectrum's every colour
progressed continuously, overlapping and interfering in steady
patterns.

  "Lower it 0.3 more."

  "Yes sir," said Maya.
  
  "Are these readings correct?"

  "There are no errors detected in the Magi's system," said Makoto.

  "It's amazing that this boy can synchronise with Unit 02, and to
such an extent," Fuyutsuki voiced, "without any core preparation."

  "I just can't believe it," blurted the young female leiutenant. "I
mean, it isn't possible on this system..."

  "It's a fact." Misato stared at the partially immersed test plug,
still labelled as Unit 01's. Both the Fifth and Second Children were
being synchronised with the same Eva's personal data - that of
Nigouki. For whatever reason, this new child had synched almost
immediately -  and so highly! - with the last remaining Production
Model.

  "Near-negligible mental contamination and the highest syncho-rate
we've ever seen with an Eva. We must accept the _what_, and then
investigate the _why_."

  Sempai would know what's going on, Maya said to herself.

  "We've learned all we can for now," said Fuyutsuki. "The most
important thing to see is if this pilot can operate Unit 01."

  "Swapping personal data and switching over the systems now, sir."

  The harmonics test was ended and then recommenced swiftly, steadily
bringing up the virtual nerve linkage between the Fifth Children and
Unit 01. Upon the closed-circuit display, unnoticed by the technicians,
Nagisa Kaworu's confident grin wavered, replaced by an expression of
more obvious concentration.

  "As predicted by the cross-compatability simulations," Makoto
announced, "synchro-rate has dropped."

  "Is it the same effect that precludes synchronisation between
Unit 01 and Rei?" Fuyutsuki asked.

  "Unknown without further analysis," Maya said.

  "Well, at least he can synchronise with that Eva enough to make
it work," Misato spoke. She did not try to hide the sarcasm in her
voice.

  Upon the screens, the faces of the pilots remained unchanging.
Kaworu continued to look intent yet still in control. Asuka's
eyebrows formed a resigned arch above her closed eyes. Rei simply
appeared asleep. For in her case, they were essentially testing her
harmonic compatablity with an Eva which was not there.

 *

  It may have been strange that it never occured to the blue-haired
girl to question what her role might now be since the destruction of
her Eva. Yet, since she felt an as yet unrealised sense of greater
purpose, lacking anything to pilot was, to her, a moot point. She 
was aware that only a week ago it was a completely different story,
but as she ascended towards her destination inside headquarters,
dressed in her blue uniform, she simply did not dwell on any of the
past she might care to remember.

  Of course, she gave a start when, upon reaching the head of the
escalator, an unfamiliar face came into veiw. As she stepped off,
she made the connection: this boy is the replacement pilot. He would
be the Fifth.

  "So you're the First Children?" said the boy. His voice was light;
it held tranquility. Rei did not fail to notice that he was smiling
at her. Or that the gesture was genuine. She did not answer, however.

  "Ayanami Rei." He had stated her name, enunciating each syllable
clearly, but doing so with something akin to amusement. As if the
label did not matter to him; as if this name she had been given fell
far short of fitting what he saw her to truly be.

  "You're the same as me," he said, still smiling. Rei continued
her unblinking scrutiny. She almost appeared to be scowling. "Living
upon this planet, we have both taken guises in the bodies of Lilims."
  
  "Who're you?" she all but demanded.

 *

  Fuyutsuki returned the phone to its cradle in the dimness of the
Commander's office. "The Fifth boy has encountered Rei."

  "I see," was all Ikari offered.

  "Presently, the Magi are directing all resources to the analysis
of the Fifth's data."

  The Commander did not reply.

 *

  "In spite of all this..." Misato, dressed in her singlet and
denim cut-offs, stared at the Magi's progress on her laptop screen.
"...we still don't see his true colours."

  She sat back, frowning. "Just who is that boy?"

  After a further while of staring at 'data could not be correlated'
and 'no precedents available' and 'currently recalculating' labels,
Misato stood and walked out. A few strides down the hall, and she
was outside Asuka's room. The door was slightly ajar; she knew there
was no-one inside.

  Pen Pen waddled up to peer through the crack, then turned his face
questioningly to his owner.

  "I don't know if Asuka will return tonight," Misato mumbled. She
let her eyes fall closed. What must she think she would be coming
back to?

 *

  Asuka had not yet thought about returning to Misato's apartment.
Having showered and changed into the dark slacks and grey shirt she
had lately come to feel comfortable in, she walked sedately along
one of the meandering corridors outside of Central Dogma.

  She had tried, this time. For whatever reason, Asuka had entered
the test plug today with the most determination she had felt since
the last attack. Any positive feedback she had dared to hope for had
not come. Not even Misato had talked to her. Maybe its my fault.
Maybe I've acted like I want to be alone, she thought.

  Maybe, she felt, if she knew more about the theory behind the Eva
harmonics systems, she might fathom what she was doing wrong.

  But then, there were many things she did not know about Eva.

  The lack of comment about today's test led Asuka to conclude if
anything that her ability had deteriorated further. She wandered
almost despondently around a turn. Of course, they had a new pilot.
Misato and the others would have been concentrating on him today.
The girl wondered which Eva would be assigned to him.

  At least the world would be safe from the last Angel.

  What was it about Kaworu-kun? How could he keep that grin in a
place like this, the place where Asuka felt she had lost nearly
everything already? But he had made her feel better. He had helped
her forget, for a moment; she had been able to live without the hurt.

  As she approached the door, she quietly half-hummed, half-sang.

  "Joy, thou gleaming spark divine,
  Daughter of Elysium--"

  The portal opened and Nagisa Kaworu, also back out of his plugsuit,
stepped through towards the girl. She stopped in front of him.

  "Yo." He smiled upon her. "Where are you going?"

  With her face still loose and her shoulders slumped, something
inside Asuka yet returned the smile. Seeing him here was a _good_
thing.

  "Nowhere, really."

  "We'll go and get a meal, then?" Kaworu's hands were in his
pockets; his head seemed craned forward on his long neck; he never
stopped smiling at her.

  Food, something else which Asuka had not thought about.
"...Alright," she replied with her tired voice.

  "...You don't really want to?" For the first time, Kaworu's
expression shifted, now to a frown.

  "Oh," Asuka said quickly, her eyes slightly wider, "I didn't mean
that. Of course I'd like to go."

  Satisfaction returned to the boy's face.

 *  

  As they ate, seated in the deserted caffeteria, Asuka could not
help but watch Kaworu. Whenever he would be examining something on
the wall, or looking into his food, she would glance at his face.
She might have been looking fo something; she did not ask herself
why. But she looked away when he returned his attention to her.
Everytime, except -

  He was looking off to her right (being seated opposite), and
Asuka was surreptitiously staring at his eyes. She fought the urge
to ask about them.

  "What was it that put out your fire?" he asked. She was distracted,
and he turned his head to stare back at her.

  "Uh--"

  "As I said, the Second Children is quite famous. From all accounts,
she is the most determined, aggressive Evangelion pilot. The pilot
of the first fully standardised Model."

  Asuka realised that she was staring directly into his eyes, and
looked down at her plate.

  "I don't see such a person here."

  "The last few battles were hard to win," she said after a long
moment. She didn't want to tell him that she knew she had consistently
failed, that she was a shadow of her former capable self. "One of
Them got me, and now I can't pilot. Don't they say 'prodigies burn
out the fastest'?

  "Still, compared to Shinji, I was lucky," she continued.
  
  "The Commander's son?"
  
  She sighed. "I don't know if he'll even wake up."

  "You've lost someone you need." Kaworu smiled. "Do you think you
need to compare yourself against him?"

  "I don't know," she replied simply. "He got better, while I got
worse. I use to take it personally, but... it didn't help him
anyway."

  A level voice addressed them out of the air. "Central Dogma will
be closing down in ten minutes. Main night-shift staff, please report
to the roster room..."

  "That's it?" asked Kaworu.

  "We have to go..." she answered. "But I don't want to go home yet."

  "A home to go to. You can take comfort in having that. It's a good
thing."

  "Maybe."

  He smiled. "Let's take a walk outside."

 *

  Gentle light filtered into the Geofront from the night outside,
around the middle of the ceiling that used to be Tokyo 3. Pleasant
streetlamps illuminated the footpaths which wove around the pyramid
of NERV Headquarters. Even the sounds of night creatures accompanied
Asuka and Kaworu as they strolled back to one of the main entrances.

  "It's pretty late," the girl observed, then was overcome with a
yawn. "Need to sleep."

  "You'll go home, then?"

  "Mm. And you've got your own room in here, don't you?"

  They entered the quiet, darkened corridors and headed for the
closest annex.

  Kaworu was nearly half a head taller than Asuka. He walked beside
her, hands in pockets, with his neck still craned slightly forward.
He gazed forward, too, as he spoke softly. "You say you've been
changed. But you still avoid the deepest form of contact with others
as much as you can. ...Are you afraid? Of that contact."

  She glanced up at him, but he continued. "If you don't know any
other, you'll never betray or wound one another. But, you won't
escape the loneliness either."

  They finally reached the lift, where their paths would diverge.
Kaworu's words were ringing very true to Asuka, but she looked away
when he again turned to her. "Human's can't shut out that loneliness
forever. It's because _a_ person is alone." The elevator doors opened
ponderously. "Yet, since a person can forget it, they can live."

  She shuffled past him, turned, and looked back at him from the
lift with wide, wondering eyes.

  "...You're right."

  The doors started to close. 

  "Good night, Asuka."
  
 *

EPISODE 24'
            S a i g o
               n o
           S h i s h a

 *

To Be Continued


_____

Yes, Asuka is acting a lot like Shinji did in the real episode, but
that's because she's in a similar state of mind. It's gonna start
to really diverge from now. 
The new bits here-in were Asuka's bath scene (grabbed from eps.
22) and Kaworu's meeting with Rei.

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 3 of 3. Oska Archer, August 1999. C+C to archer@senet.com.au,
please


From: archer@senet.com.au (Vice)

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 24'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This is available in HTML at my homepage,
http://www.senet.com.au/~archer/works.htm

Make sure you've read DOE Episodes 22' and 23' first, or this
may seem silly.
I don't presume to claim either ownership or responsibility
for Evangelion. That's GAiNAX's job.
 
 *

 SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Tochter aus Elysium

 *


It was that time, in the bathroom. She had felt that no one could
have faced such overpowering odds as she did then. Always, always,
her problems had taken priority over whatever anyone else had to
deal with. But that time...

  The plug hole loudly choked down the first gouts of mineral-
saturated bath water before being silenced by the steady flow, and
the rippling level began its gradual fall. Asuka held the small plug
limply beside her wet thigh. She stood, watching and waiting. The
cold water with which she had rinsed the soap away ran down and dripped
from her as she stood with a resigned look on her face, yet also one
which hinted at quietly endured pain. Her damp hair clung around her
eyes.

  "How disgusting," she said quietly. "Who'd want to bathe in the
same water that Misato and Baka-Shinji have bathed in..?"

  The mist-filtered light danced upon the receding water in lieu of
any answer.

  "Who'd want to use the same washing machine which has washed
_their_ underwear..?"

  The liquid continued its illuminated, perpetual motion.
  
  "Who'd want to use the same toilet as _they_ sit on..?" Her brows
furrowed and she scowled at the silent reflections. "Who'd want to
breathe the same _air_ as them?"

  A final second of silence was all her temper could endure. Her
voice trembled. "I hate Misato," she said. "I hate Shinji. I hate
First even more!" She fought back tears. "I hate Papa, I hate Mama!
But..." and she clutched her forearm across her aching belly as her
voice nearly rose to a shriek, "I hate myself the absolute worst!"

  Her tearful rage at the world for doing _this_ to her, finally,
_physically_ exploded. She swung a foot at the rinsing bucket even as
her pain seemed to blind her, squeezing her eyes shut and screaming,
"Oh God, I can't take it any more! Why me!!? Why me-e-e?"

 *

  The fourteen-year-old girl sighed shakily.

  "I didn't mean it," came choked out words before she could realise.
She thought she had spoken far to loudly, and looked around guiltily.
But her gaze returned to the pale, unconscious boy lying in the
hospital bed beside her chair.

  He had been like this for so long, it seemed, and had woken up only
once, briefly, the morning after the Fifteenth Angel's attack. Asuka
had been almost as incapacitated then; this was the first time she
had come to the hospital. Misato had of course told her that Shinji
would not be responsive.

  What was it like for you? she thought, looking upon him forlornly.
Misato said that the Angel attacked you with far more power than it
did me...

  I'll understand if you just stay like that forever.

  His body was not connected to any monitoring equipment: a few days
in the automated medical rig had repaired the damage from the super-
pressure of the plug LCL. He breathed normally; all that belied his
condition was the surreptitious nutrient drip feeding to his arm.

  Well, at least you'll be safe here, she mused, recalling clearly
how Shinji seemed always to take the brunt of the past Angel attacks.
She stood, pulling at the waist of her dark slacks (which contrasted
with her yellow NERV-issue pull-over). But she did not look away from
her helpless colleague.

  That would have been me, she told herself.

  "But I can't cry for you, Shinji," she told him, before turning
for the door. There're no tears left.

 *

  Misato sipped at the lukewarm coffee and leaned upon the control
panel. After a moment she noticed Makoto's hands: they rested
motionless on the keyboard. He was staring oddly at, or more
correctly, _through_ his monitor.

  "What's bothering you, Lieutenant?"

  His distraction was broken, but he did not look up at her. "It's,
well, it's not just one thing, but... aren't we running out of Evas?"

  The Major sighed. "One more Angel to go, or so they've said." She
sipped with a grimace. "Two Evas left, one won't accept any other
pilot, the other can barely be activated. And the dummy plug system
seems to have been a failure after all.

  "We might have depended on the last two Production Models from
Germany, but that program has been quietly scrapped." Misato looked
back at her subordinate. "And there's been no official word on the
_others_."

  Makoto had first informed his Major of the existence of a Mass
Production Model Eva series, but rumours had spread around head-
quarters fast. There was no indication, however, of the project's
completion date or when (or if) the new ranks would arrive at NERV.

  "And that would still leave us without pilots," Makoto added.

  Misato thought of the Third Children. "The extent of Shinji-kun's
mental trauma is practicibly immeasurable. He's never been so
completely defeated."

  "Post-situation analysis by the Magi showed that the Enemy's
attack had adapted to his mind's signature so intimately that it
could introduce whatever it wanted into him," said Makoto. "He
could not have distinguished his mind from that of the invading
mentality. Whereas the Angel only scanned over the Second Children's
mind."

  Putting her NERV mug down, she said, "From what I can tell from
her report, the attack caused the surfacing of many of the memories
of her childhood which she had subconsciously repressed. And she's
still only a child - can we blame her for her current performance?"

  After a brief silence, "Still, we have one option left."

  Misato hmmed in response. Today, the Fifth will mysteriously arrive.
But who will he replace?

 *

  For the first time in over a week, Asuka stood (still in civvies)
before the head of the submerged, red Production Model.

  It can't be true, can it?

  She looked up into its foreward opticals with an uncertain frown,
but looked away after a moment.

  Asuka's mother had always had time for her when she was very
little. She knew this, though remembering anything clearly was hard.
It was what made it all the more painful when Mama changed.

  When she had to stay at the hospital.

  When she wouldn't talk to her.

  When she took that _doll_ as her daughter.

  It was, litterally, as if Mama had lost her heart.

  Is it true? she asked the Eva again, then mused: First would know.
But how can I talk to that _thing_? I was right all along. She is a
doll...

  But a doll with a soul.
  
  _Like Eva._
  
  "It doesn't matter now," the girl mumbled, intentionally interupting
her train of thought. "I won't be able to pilot again, so I'll never
know."

 *

  The evening sun shone deep gold on the waters of the newest Ashino
lake. The calm conveyed by the gently lapping water upon the rubble-
strewn shore contrasted almost ironically with the recent devastating
violence of the lake's formation, a scene which was still fresh in
Asuka's mind's eye, as she gazed out over it. The cicadas were
subdued tonight.

  A doll... she thought. She had left headquarters and the geofront.
Left to get some fresh air, she had told herself.

  No. Many dolls. They died, but they weren't ever alive. Did the one
which saved me die? Whoever she is now, I can't bear to see her. Not
now. But there's no one else. Misato...

  I didn't know Misato was the kind of person who points guns at
people who are meant to be her friends.

  I can't see them. I can't pilot. What can I do?

  Someone was humming.

  The tune evoked memories from her early childhood as she could not
have done by herself; not many, and not at all vivid, but they were
happy memories. For a moment she was able to escape the situation she
had found herself in. Indeed, despite it all, the song let her take
a moment of peace for herself.

  She looked to the side to see that it was a boy who was humming.
The first thing she noticed was that he was dressed in the boy's
uniform of her school, like Shinji always was. He sat atop a
submerged, ruined statue, leg bent, with his arm draped over it,
his faced turned away, towards the sun. As Asuka stared he finished,
and turned to her.

  The dusk light cast a glow over his silver hair. His red, soflty
reflective eyes met hers with confidence. The wide-mouthed face held
an expectant expression while he gestured with his hand: _your turn_.
Without really thinking about it, Asuka began to sing:

  "Freude, schoner gotterfunken,"

  She took half a second to clear her throat properly.

  "Tochter aus Elysium,
  wir betreten feuertrunken,
  Himmlische, dein Heiligtum."

  A second of silence followed, then the boy, looking out over the
water again, sighed contentedly. "Songs are nice, aren't they?" he
spoke. A soft voice, to Asuka. She agreed, inwardly.

  "Songs are the height of Lilim culture," he continued. "They touch
the heart, and offer relief in the midsts of a person's most lonely
moments." He looked at her again. It was so long since she had seen
anyone so happy. "Don't you feel so, Souryuu Asuka Langley?"

  Her curiosity caught up with her. "How'd you know my name?"

  "Forgive me, but your fame as an Eva pilot has spread quite far."

  She looked upwards to avoid appearing sheepish, but still smiled.
"Oh. That's true, of course." After another second, she inquired,
"And you would be..."

  "I'm Kaworu. Nagisa Kaworu." he said with a deep breath. "I'm like
you, one of those selected: the Fifth Children."

  She was genuinely suprised. "The Fifth?"

  "You can call me Kaworu, Souryuu-san."

  "Ah, well, just call me Asuka," she replied. What a strange guy...

  He laughed lightly.

 *

  "The Fifth Children has just arrived."

  Misato and Makoto rode into the geofront on the express elevator,
inside her blue coupe, for the evening shift. Makoto remained serious
as his Major sat back comfortably.

  "Nagisa Kaworu. All of his records were erased," said the woman.
"Just like Rei."

  "The only thing we do know is that his date of birth is that of
Second Impact."

  Misato kept her voice neutral. "A child sent directly to us from
the Committee. There's definitely something else here..."

  "The Fifth's Marduk Report information is classified. So I
surreptitiously investigated the Intelligence Division's data..."
Makoto admitted.

  "A very dangerous thing to do!" Misato said, sounding more
concerned than she really was. Makoto could take care of himself.

  "And I learned this:" he leaned over conspiratorially.
"Ritsuko-san's whereabouts."

  Misato did not show any outward response, and Makoto changed
subject. "How will we go about the Fifth's Synchro test?"

  "For today I'll refrain from any tricks." Misato allowed herself 
a little mirthless smile. "Let's just see his real ability."

 *

  The familiar hum of a harmonics test. Maya and Makoto, supervised
by the Sub-Commander and Misato, monitored the Magi's test systems.
The bay window opened to a veiw of deep pink regulating coolant,
filling to acertain level one of the high white chambers of NERV's
central facility. Test plugs for the three present pilots were half
submerged beside a jetty of metal grating.

  The plug-suited children, with relevant information, were visible
on seperate monitors, accompanied by their harmonics and synchro-
nisation progress. Standing sinusoids of the spectrum's every colour
progressed continuously, overlapping and interfering in steady
patterns.

  "Lower it 0.3 more."

  "Yes sir," said Maya.
  
  "Are these readings correct?"

  "There are no errors detected in the Magi's system," said Makoto.

  "It's amazing that this boy can synchronise with Unit 02, and to
such an extent," Fuyutsuki voiced, "without any core preparation."

  "I just can't believe it," blurted the young female leiutenant. "I
mean, it isn't possible on this system..."

  "It's a fact." Misato stared at the partially immersed test plug,
still labelled as Unit 01's. Both the Fifth and Second Children were
being synchronised with the same Eva's personal data - that of
Nigouki. For whatever reason, this new child had synched almost
immediately -  and so highly! - with the last remaining Production
Model.

  "Near-negligible mental contamination and the highest syncho-rate
we've ever seen with an Eva. We must accept the _what_, and then
investigate the _why_."

  Sempai would know what's going on, Maya said to herself.

  "We've learned all we can for now," said Fuyutsuki. "The most
important thing to see is if this pilot can operate Unit 01."

  "Swapping personal data and switching over the systems now, sir."

  The harmonics test was ended and then recommenced swiftly, steadily
bringing up the virtual nerve linkage between the Fifth Children and
Unit 01. Upon the closed-circuit display, unnoticed by the technicians,
Nagisa Kaworu's confident grin wavered, replaced by an expression of
more obvious concentration.

  "As predicted by the cross-compatability simulations," Makoto
announced, "synchro-rate has dropped."

  "Is it the same effect that precludes synchronisation between
Unit 01 and Rei?" Fuyutsuki asked.

  "Unknown without further analysis," Maya said.

  "Well, at least he can synchronise with that Eva enough to make
it work," Misato spoke. She did not try to hide the sarcasm in her
voice.

  Upon the screens, the faces of the pilots remained unchanging.
Kaworu continued to look intent yet still in control. Asuka's
eyebrows formed a resigned arch above her closed eyes. Rei simply
appeared asleep - for in her case, they were essentially testing her
harmonic compatablity with an Eva which was not there.

 *

  It may have been strange that it never occured to the blue-haired
girl to question what her role might now be since the destruction of
her Eva. Yet, since she felt an as yet unrealised sense of greater
purpose, lacking anything to pilot was, to her, a moot point. She 
was aware that only a week ago it was a completely different story,
but as she ascended towards her destination inside headquarters,
dressed in her blue uniform, she simply did not dwell on any of the
past she might care to remember.

  Of course, she gave a start when, upon reaching the head of the
escalator, an unfamiliar face came into veiw. As she stepped off,
she made the connection: this boy is the replacement pilot. He would
be the Fifth.

  "So you're the First Children?" said the boy. His voice was light;
it held tranquility. Rei did not fail to notice that he was smiling
at her. Or that the gesture was genuine. She did not answer, however.

  "Ayanami Rei." He had stated her name, enunciating each syllable
clearly, but doing so with something akin to amusement. As if the
label did not matter to him. As if this name she had been given fell
far short of fitting what he saw her to truly be.

  "You're the same as me," he said, still smiling. Rei continued
her unblinking scrutiny. She almost appeared to be scowling. "Living
upon this planet, we have both taken guises in the bodies of Lilims."
  
  "Who're you?" she all but demanded.

 *

  Fuyutsuki returned the phone to its cradle in the dimness of the
Commander's office. "The Fifth boy has encountered Rei."

  "I see," was all Ikari offered.

  "At present, the Magi are directing all resources to the analysis
of the Fifth's data."

  The Commander did not reply.

 *

  "In spite of all this..." Misato, dressed in her singlet and
denim cut-offs, stared at the Magi's progress on her laptop screen.
"...we still don't see his true colours."

  She sat back, frowning. "Just who is that boy?"

  After a further while of staring at 'data could not be correlated'
and 'no precedents available' and 'currently recalculating' labels,
Misato stood and walked out. A few strides down the hall, and she
was outside Asuka's room. The door was slightly ajar; she knew there
was no-one inside.

  Pen Pen waddled up to peer through the crack, then turned his face
questioningly to his owner.

  "I don't know if Asuka will return tonight," Misato mumbled. She
let her eyes fall closed. What must she think she would be coming
back to?

 *

  Asuka had not yet thought about returning to Misato's apartment.
Having showered and changed into the dark slacks and grey shirt she
had lately come to feel comfortable in, she walked sedately along
one of the meandering corridors outside of Central Dogma.

  She had tried, this time. For whatever reason, Asuka had entered
the test plug today with the most determination she had felt since
the last attack. Any positive feedback she had dared to hope for had
not come. Not even Misato had talked to her. Maybe it's my fault.
Maybe I've acted like I want to be alone, she thought.

  Maybe, she felt, if she knew more about the theory behind the Eva
harmonics systems, she might fathom what she was doing wrong.

  But then, there were many things she did not know about Eva.

  The lack of comment about today's test led Asuka to conclude if
anything that her ability had deteriorated further. She wandered
almost despondently around a turn. Of course, they had a new pilot.
Misato and the others would have been concentrating on him today.
The girl wondered which Eva would be assigned to him.

  At least the world would be safe from the last Angel.

  What was it about Kaworu-kun? How could he keep that grin in a
place like this, the place where Asuka felt she had lost nearly
everything already? But he had made her feel better. He had helped
her forget, for a moment; she had been able to live without the hurt.

  As she approached the door, she quietly half-hummed, half-sang.

  "Joy, thou gleaming spark divine,
  Daughter of Elysium--"

  The portal opened and Nagisa Kaworu, also back out of his plugsuit,
stepped through towards the girl. She stopped in front of him.

  "Yo." He smiled upon her. "Where are you going?"

  With her face still loose and her shoulders slumped, something
inside Asuka yet returned the smile. Seeing him here was a _good_
thing.

  "Nowhere, really."

  "We'll go and get a meal, then?" Kaworu's hands were in his
pockets; his head seemed craned forward on his long neck; he never
stopped smiling at her.

  Food, something else which Asuka had not thought about. "...All
right," she replied with her tired voice.

  "...You don't really want to?" For the first time, Kaworu's
expression shifted, now to a frown.

  "Oh," Asuka said quickly, her eyes slightly wider, "I didn't mean
that. Of course I'd like to go."

  Satisfaction returned to the boy's face.

 *  

  As they ate, seated in the deserted caffeteria, Asuka could not
help but watch Kaworu. Whenever he would be examining something on
the wall, or looking into his food, she would glance at his face.
She might have been looking for something; she did not ask herself
why. But she looked away when he returned his attention to her.
Everytime, except -

  He was looking off to her right (being seated opposite), and
Asuka was surreptitiously staring at his eyes. She fought the urge
to ask about them.

  "What was it that put out your fire?" he asked. She was distracted,
and he turned his head to stare back at her.

  "Uh--"

  "As I said, the Second Children is quite famous. From all accounts,
she is the most determined, aggressive Evangelion pilot. The pilot
of the first fully standardised Model."

  Asuka realised that she was staring directly into his eyes, and
looked down at her plate.

  "I don't see such a person here."

  "The last few battles were hard to win," she said after a long
moment. She didn't want to tell him that she knew she had consistently
failed, that she was a shadow of her former capable self. "One of
Them got me, and now I can't pilot. Don't they say 'prodigies burn
out the fastest'?

  "Still, compared to Shinji, I was lucky," she continued.
  
  "The Commander's son?"
  
  She sighed. "I don't know if he'll even wake up."

  "You've lost someone you need." Kaworu smiled. "Do you think you
need to compare yourself against him?"

  "I don't know," she replied simply. "He got better, while I got
worse. I use to take it personally, but... it didn't help him
anyway."

  A level voice addressed them out of the air. "Central Dogma will
be closing down in ten minutes. Main night-shift staff, please report
to the roster room..."

  "That's it?" asked Kaworu.

  "We have to go..." she answered. "But I don't want to go home yet."

  "A home to go to. You can take comfort in having that. It's a good
thing."

  "Maybe."

  He smiled. "Let's take a walk outside."

 *

  Gentle light filtered into the Geofront from the night outside,
around the middle of the ceiling that used to be Tokyo 3. Pleasant
streetlamps illuminated the footpaths which wove around the pyramid
of NERV Headquarters. Even the sounds of night creatures accompanied
Asuka and Kaworu as they strolled back to one of the main entrances.

  "It's pretty late," the girl observed, then was overcome with a
yawn. "Need to sleep."

  "You'll go home, then?"

  "Mm. And you've got your own room in here, don't you?"

  They entered the quiet, darkened corridors and headed for the
closest annex.

  Kaworu was nearly half a head taller than Asuka. He walked beside
her, hands in pockets, with his neck still craned slightly forward.
He gazed forward, too, as he spoke softly. "You say you've been
changed. But you still avoid the deepest form of contact with others
as much as you can. ...Are you afraid? Of that contact."

  She glanced up at him, but he continued. "If you don't know any
other, you'll never betray or wound one another. But, you won't
escape the loneliness either."

  They finally reached the lift, where their paths would diverge.
Kaworu's words were ringing very true to Asuka, but she looked away
when he again turned to her. "Human's can't shut out that loneliness
forever. It's because _a_ person is alone." The elevator doors opened
ponderously. "Yet, since a person can forget it, they can live."

  She shuffled past him, turned, and looked back at him from the
lift with wide, wondering eyes.

  "...You're right."

  The doors started to close. 

  "Good night, Asuka."
  
 *

EPISODE 24'
            S a i g o
               n o
           S h i s h a

 *

  "NERV - THE AGENCY FOUNDED AS SEELE'S EXECUTIVE BRANCH."

  "FOUNDED TO CARRY OUT OUR SCENARIO."

  "HOWEVER, CONTROL HAS BEEN SEIZED BY ONE PERSON."

  "JUST SO. WE MUST REGAIN CONTROL."

  "BEFORE THE PROMISED DAY."

  "WE MUST RETORE NERV AND THE EVA SERIES TO THEIR ORIGINAL
PURPOSE,"
finished Kiel Lorenz. "IKARI - YOU WILL ANSWER TO SEELE FOR YOUR
BETRAYAL."

 *

  Ikari Gendou stood upon the catwalk of the Eva staging bay, meeting
the gaze of Evangelion Shogouki. His voice, quiet, did not carry any
further than he intended.

  "We have little time left. The Lance of Longinus that would hinder
our wishes is gone. The final Angel will soon appear, and when it too
is gone, our hopes will be realised." The man held forth his ungloved
right hand, palm open, revealing a grey misshapen foetal form eerily
embedded into his flesh.

  He kept his eyes raised to the impassive face. "Just a little
longer, Yui."

 *

  The noise had ceased for the night. Ayanami Rei lay in the moonlit
silence, on her front, in her school dress.

  Why am I here?

  Her chin rested on her forearm. Her eyes looked forwards at
nothing.

  Why am I still alive?

  For what? For whom?

  ...The Fifth Children. I feel that we are alike.

  Her eyes fell in a pale echo of a scowl at remembering him.

  ...Why?

 *

  For the entire homeward journey, Asuka's mind was consumed by
everything that the boy had said to her. On the train, sitting with
her eyes fixed unblinking on one random spot as the world was shut
out and her mind pondered over Kaworu's words; what was it about him?
What was it about his eyes?

  As she walked from the train station and through Misato's suburb,
she thought about the walk they had taken together. She remembered
the one moment when she had involuntarily swayed in her step and
their hands had brushed, and was again unbalanced by the way her
heart increased its tempo. A flush tinted her cheeks faintly in the
stark streetlight.

  This feeling... Kaworu-kun...

  I only met him this morning. Asuka shook her head with an auburn
flourish, trying to take rein on her thoughts. Then she sighed.

  He was right. I'm afraid.

  "You've lost someone you need," he had said. Asuka reflected, I've
lost everyone, everything I ever needed. It has to stop. Or I'll lose
my mind.

  She turned off the footpath and pressed the elevator button.

 *

  The hospital bed sheet rose and fell all but imperceptibly as a
pair of clear red eyes looked on. They saw the inconspicuous tubes
feeding God-knew-what chemicals into his arm. They took in the
vulnerability on the patient's face, the scars of his defeat so
sharply etched for all that no expression showed. 

  And still, Kaworu smiled.

  "Lilim can be so quick to dismiss their fallen," he mused quietly.

  "Well, rest while you can, Ikari Shinji-kun."

  He turned and left, closing the door silently behind him.

 *

  Lying on her sheets in the darkness of insomnia, Misato heard the
sounds of hushed arrival clearly. The mechanics of the front door;
a glass being gently filled from the tap; then a bedroom door
shutting. As she felt the muffled whump of a body resigning itself
to its bed, Misato levered herself up. Her feet groped for their
slippers, and she padded out quietly, down the hall to Asuka's room.

  She opened the door to darkness.

  "Where have you been?"

  "...At headquarters with Kaworu-kun."

  Misato almost gave a start at the unexpected reply.

  "We just talked. ...Its like he knows exactly who I am, Misato.
And he's the kindest person I've ever met."

  "So... where's he from?"

  "...I don't know. He never told me that stuff. Don't you have
information on him?"

  "...No."

  After a pause she said, "Never mind. You won't need to come down
tomorrow, but get some rest anyway."

  After whispered goodnights, Misato retired again.

  She says he's nice, mused the woman. How come the whole thing just
doesn't seem right, then?

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Episode 24':     When an Immovable Object Meets an Irresistible Force

 *

  The grey predawn light washed over the Third Ashino Lake and the
ruins of Third New Tokyo, seemingly at an almost visible speed. A
broken white statue broke the still surface at a bowed angle; atop
it, between its wings, stood a tallish, thin-limmed, grey-haired boy
in black trousers and a white shirt, his eyes closed and the corners
of his wide mouth turned up. Into the still morning air, he suddenly
spoke.

  "Humans are unable to create something out of nothing. They must
have something to start with - because humans aren't Gods."

  And just as abruptly, a huge slab of ebon material appeared and
faced Kaworu. 'SEELE 01 SOUND ONLY' glowed in red at its top.

  "BUT THERE IS A MAN WHO SEEKS TO GAIN POWER EQUAL TO GODS,"
boomed
the voice of Kiel Lorenz.

  Another monolith joined him out of thin air. "THERE IS A MAN
BESIDES US WHO WANTS TO REOPEN PANDORA'S BOX..."

  And another. "...AND WHO WANTS TO CLOSE THE BOX BEFORE HOPE CAN
APPEAR."

  "Hope?" Kaworu echoed, raising his eyes and grinning mockingly.
"'That' is the Lilim's hope?"

  More of the SEELE committee were appearing, forming a circle with
the boy at the centre. "THERE ARE AS MANY FORMS OF HOPE AS THERE ARE
OF PEOPLE."

  "BECAUSE HOPE EXISTS ONLY IN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE."

  "BUT _OUR_ HOPES ARE MATERIALISING..." added Kiel.

  "...IN LILITH, PROGENITOR OF HUMANITY - THE FALSE SUCCESSORS
FROM
THE BLACK MOON."

  "...AND IN ADAM, PROGENITOR OF THE ANGELS - THE TRUE
SUCCESSORS
FROM THE LOST WHITE MOON."

  "...AND WHOSE SALVAGED SOUL RESIDES ONLY WITHIN YOU..."

  And the Chairman concluded, "BUT WHOSE BODY IS ALREADY IN IKARI."

  Kaworu's apparent amusement never wavered. "Shinji-kun's father,
huh? Is he like me?"

  "THAT IS WHY WE NOW ENTRUST OUR HOPE TO YOU." SEELE 01 and the
fourteen other members of the full committee vanished as they had
come.

  "I understand," replied Kaworu through his smile, as the sun
finally breached the eastern hills and stained his skin and hair
bright gold. "That's the reason I'm here now."

  It was at this stage that Misato, watching through her field
binoculars from a cliff-side vantage point, which overlooked the
entire valley from over two kilometres away, sighed and said, "It's
no good. I can't read his lips from here. Still, going for a walk at
this early hour just to talk to yourself... Time for some serious
psychiatric work --"

  And it was with that that the boy turned and stared up at Misato
through her own binoculars.

  Misato almost dropped them, but both they and the cola can in her 
other hand went forgotten as she stared back down at the Ashino Lake
with incredulity. "Did he notice me?

  "...Impossible, of course."

  And Kaworu faced front again, his smile ever present. As he basked
beneath the huge dawn sun, he sighed.

  "Everything is going as the Lilim plan."

 *

  In the dark, between two black surfaces etched in red with kabbalic
symbols, Ikari Gendou sat straight in his desk chair and held the
phone motionlessly to his ear. Presently, he spoke.

  "All of the new medications have been started on him? Good. If
nothing impedes his recovery by this evening, increase dosage by
fifty percent." He listened for a further moment, as Fuyutsuki
entered and approached his desk, then lowered the receiver.

  The old professor frowned at the commander as the phone was set
aside. "Ikari, is it really a good idea to run full contact experi-
ments already? The MAGI still need more data."

  "The MAGI are getting nowhere." Ikari Gendou steepled his gloved
hands before his face. "One way or another, when the last Angel
shows itself, Unit 01 must be operational to destroy it. It will
happen no other way."

 *

  The Eva cage was illuminated by perpetual phoshorensence, but it
was still only mid-morning when Kaworu came to stand upon the catwalk
before Evangelion Nigouki. He might as well have been its original 
pilot for all the attention it paid him.

  But he looked up. And the look in his eyes softened.

  "The poor girl. You've not taken good care of her lately."

  Hands deep in pockets, Kaworu walked along the platform and out of
the cage.

 *

  It was no longer so much the hum of charging LCL, as the sigh of
a gigantic creature, resting, for a time, within its bondage.

  "Sky," said Kaworu.

  "Black sky. The border of eternity. The world bordered by eternity.
A brief, brief world.

  "The moon. Bright, white moon. Lost cradle of life. Life created of
God. The true life of this world.

  "Lilim. People created from God. So many. So small.

  "The Apostles. Also people created from God. In the image of a God.
The true God.

  "Eva. Created from God, in the Lilim's image. A Lilim within the
form of a God.

  "The moon. Black moon. Black is the colour I hate. A child born
in darkness. A child born in the image of a God. Who are you?

  "Who am I?

  "I am me. There is me, which has been shaped in God's image for my
purpose. There are others. Ayanami Rei. Asuka, the child from the
Islands of the Blessed. Katsuragi-sansa. Ikari Shinji-kun. Ikari
Gendou. All the other Lilim.

  "What am I?

  "What am I.

  "I am what I must be."

  There, before him, was a deep red ripple of holy light.

  Hello, Kaworu said to it, smiling. Have you been hiding in here?
Does it hurt? No, I won't hurt you.

  ...Well, may I stay here?

 *

  Over the ambience of the control room, Shigeru spoke, "No feedback
detected. Signs are stable."

  "Zero mental contamination," reported Maya. "Harmonics are static."

  "Has his synchro-rate climbed any further?" Misato asked.

  "It's stabilised at ninety-one percent. No further fluctuations.
Plug depth at calculated optimum."

  Fuyutsuki stood back as he supervised. "He has perfect control
over Unit 02, then."

  "Still," said Maya, "just the fact of his ability means he's
something special. The system wasn't really set up to handle his
abilities..."
  
  "Shall we abort testing until the MAGI can figure it out?" Misato
inquired.

  "We shall continue," said the Vice-commander stiffly. "We need a
fully operational Eva. This will do until we can get Unit 01 to
work."

  For just one more Angel, said Misato inwardly. But I'm still
relieved. Even with Asuka's hopeful harmonics scores yesterday, I
don't want her put through any more of this.

 *

  Clad in his black plugsuit, he climbed dextrously from the cockpit.

  "Kaworu-kun!"

  The boy turned and smiled at Asuka, who trotted across the catwalk,
as he wiped LCL-bedraggled hair out of his eyes.

 *

  He gains instant, perfect control over Unit 02... what sort of
training could he have been given? wondered Misato as she popped open
a can of tea.

  And this morning... and making friends with Asuka so fast... This
feeling I can't shake off... What am I missing?

  She took a long slug and walked through the lounge's exit, then
noticed the pair of children over the rim of the can.

  Asuka and the new one; she in dark jeans and a loose shirt, he
resembling Shinji, uncannily, in the old school uniform. Walking
side-by-side toward her, obviously on their way to the snack machines
themselves.

  She was smiling just as much as he was.

  An unbidden flash of anger welled up inside Misato. After all the
concessions she had made for this girl, after all that had happened
so recently, here she was walking out with this boy. And with Shinji
comatose in hospital!

  "Hi, Misato."

  "Uh, hello Asuka."

  As they passed, Kaworu's eyes caught hers for the briefest moment.
Until then, she had only observed him for afar, but up so close he
appeared somehow different. It was as if his eyes were gates left
wide open, ready and welcoming of anyone who might want to see
inside. All of Misato's animosity melted, and her face snapped around
to see forward before he might notice the baffled expression it had
gained.

 *

  "The Major is quick make judgements," observed Kaworu.

  "Eh?" Asuka looked up from fishing in her pocket for change. "Oh,
well, I guess she needs to be, in her job."

  "Quite unfortunate if she judges wrong," said he, sitting on the
bench.

  "...It happens." She retrieved the cans from the machine and sat
beside him.

  Kaworu opened his drink. "You know that I'll probably be Unit 02's
new pilot, don't you?"

  Asuka nodded.

  "I wondered how that made you feel."

  She paused. "It's okay. I don't really want to go near any Evas any
more."

 *

  As the sun moved across its zenith in a crystal sky, the two
children strolled along the barren shore of the Third Ashino lake.

  "I don't actually remember much of when I was young," the boy
admitted. "You know that I transferred from another organisation
independent of NERV? They've looked after me my whole life, and have
prepared me well for the role I must play - the same as you, right?"

  Asuka did not look up from her feet. "Mama tried to be there for
me, but when she couldn't, I looked after myself. And Papa, all of us
were part of NERV. Mama... was in charge of creating Unit 02. I only
realised that recently. It was when that work finished that they
chose me and began my training."

  Kaworu made no reply, so she asked, "Was it like that with your
parents?"

  "I didn't get to have real parents."

  "Oh."

  "But my 'Father' ensured that I understand who I am."

  "You were adopted?"

  "Something like that."

 *

  "I'm home!"

  "Welcome back," Asuka's voice replied over the TV noise from the
lounge room.

  Misato walked past the door on the way to her room, and spied two
heads of hair - one auburn and the other silver.

  "Oh, it's you."

  Kaworu twisted around and said, "I hope I'm not imposing."

  "I saw the tiny room they gave him in headquarters and had to
invite him to stay here," explained Asuka.

  "Right. Sure." Misato continued to her own door. "What do you want
for dinner?" she called.

  "It's okay, Misato. I'm about to make something."

  The woman paused in changing her clothes to consider if she had
heard right. "I wasn't expecting that," she muttered.

 *

  The evening had progressed, and the television shone into the
otherwise dim lounge room. Asuka was slumped sleepily, beside Kaworu
who watched the bland melodrama unfold with amusement.

  "It's surprising how shallow people can become when they try to
be someone else," he commented.

  "Mmm," replied Asuka. "These actors are terrible," she continued
around a yawn.

  "Going to sleep?"

  "In a while."

  They continued watching until the programme's unsatisfactory end.
Then Asuka levered herself up and swayed out of the room. Kaworu
heard a door open at the other end of the apartment, and presently
another, closer room was audibly entered. Within a minute, Asuka
returned with two futons and some tangled sheets.

  "Move the chairs back," she said around another yawn.

 *

  A warm place, a comfortable place. The warmth of the embrace of
another person. The smell of Mother.

  Asuka's mother spoke. "Your Papa has come to hate your Mama. He
doesn't want me."

  Asuka looked up into the shadowed, vacant face of the mother who
held her. The girl knew she could not move.

  "No, he never loved me from the start. Never ever needed me at
all. So let's die together, since we're so useless to him."

  "Am I a nuisance? Am I useless?" Asuka heard herself say, even as
she wanted to say nothing and escape instead. But she could not move!

  Her mother looked down, and Asuka was able to see her own face
reflected - the doll's face. Terror gripped the girl's mind even as
the gentle fingers encircled her neck. "Let's die together!" Kyouko
repeated maniacally, her slitted, lipless doll's mouth widening into
a hideous rictus grin.

  The words could not leave her throat as Asuka tried to shout, "No!
I'm not your doll, Mama! I'll think and live by myself!"

  "Sssh, easy now."

  Asuka opened her eyes to darkness, yet realised swiftly that it
was Kaworu's silhouette beside her. Her cheeks felt hot.

  "You were calling for Mama, and crying," he whispered. He pulled
her blanket up over her shoulder as she wriggled to the edge of her
futon and into his embrace. They lay motionless, and Asuka said, "I
hate Mama. She'll never leave me alone until I die and join her."

  "You've made the part of your mother in your own mind into the part
of yourself you hate the most. When you stop hating yourself, you
will be able to live by yourself. Your mother knows this. She will
protect you."

  Asuka curled up with the boy's arms around her and quickly fell
back into a dreamless sleep.

 *  

  Being careful not to wake the girl, Kaworu half-sat up and seemed
to address an empty corner of the room.

  "You never told me that people could be like this, Father."

  After a pause, the monolithic representation of SEELE 01 appeared,
nearly filling a quarter of the room and somehow bathed in, yet not
glowing with, an inner light.

  "IT IS PAIN THAT MAKES EVERY PERSON A DIFFERENT PERSON. IT IS
FEAR
OF THE PAIN THAT SEPARATES US ALL."

  Kaworu closed his eyes and smiled, knowing this very well.

  "AS BOUNDLESS AS YOUR LOVE IS FOR US, DON'T FORGET THAT ONLY
DEATH
CAN RELEASE US FROM OUR PAIN AND FEAR."

  "Yet, it is only death that extinguishes your hope. And hope is
what makes you human."

 *

  Misato was usually a heavy sleeper, but on this morning the front
door opening and closing just after five o'clock was enough to rouse
her. As she pulled on warmer clothes, she realised who it must be. A
distrustful frown grew gradually over her face. It was only a minute
before she quietly exited the door herself. Peering into the dawn
from the balcony, she saw the grey-haired boy just passing over the
rise in the road and disappearing from sight.

  "How'd he move so fast?" she wondered aloud. She turned and re-
entered.

  I've had enough of these questions, thought Misato, now scowling.
Today, I'm getting some answers.

 *

 To Be Continued


_____

The re-edited episode bits were:

o Asuka in the bathroom (actually from episode 22'),
o Kaworu meeting Rei (just that one line),
o Kaworu talking to the full SEELE Committee,
o and Gendou having a foetus embedded in his paw (hey, if Adam's in
  his hand, what's the white thing on the cross??? ^_^)

The rest was mostly made up by me, and for some that wasn't, I drew
from the Literal Translation Project script and ADV's commercial
subtitle release. And for the Kaworu and SEELE scene, I must thank
Bochan Bird for doing a better translation than I ever managed, then
letting me use it.
I know it says part 3 of 3, but there will be one more half-episode,
in which we will see Kaworu's, as well as Asuka's, fate unfold. It'll
be entitled `Anta no mono ja nakattara, atashi tte nan nano?' (What
am I, if I can't be yours?) and it's gonna kick arse!

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 3 of 3. Oska Archer, October 1999. C+C to archer@senet.com.au





From: archer@senet.com.au (Vice)

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 25'
by Oska Archer
archer@senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


Yes, this is part 4 of 3, the half-episode-long conclusion
to Neon Genesis Evangelion: Daughter of Elysium. The entire
thing exists as graphic-embelished HTML at the works page, 
http://www.senet.com.au/~archer/works.htm

I don't own Eva's rights - GAiNAX do. I didn't create Eva -
Hideaki Anno did. I'm just using their stuff coz that's what
you guys want.

 *


  The slim, grey-haired youth savoured the crispness of the dawn
air in his throat as he made his way down the suburban street, the
emptiness of the town somehow palpable to him.

  He had arrived at NERV and immediately understood the suspicions
of those around him. Human nature was to fear the inexplicable, after
all. But his task remained. Destiny would not be left unfulfilled, no
matter how much he loved the girl he had met.

  This day, he knew, was the promised day.

  Ahead of him on the footpath at the intersection stood a young
girl, dressed in a uniform, with pale skin and light blue hair.

  He met her stare and approached, his smile never faltering. "Where
are you going?" she asked mutedly, emotionlessly.

  He paused beside her, facing forward still but looking, and
smiling, sideways at her. "I think you know, Ayanami Rei." Her eyes
narrowed as she seemed to try to look through his surface. He
continued past her. "It will remain hidden in your heart until you
choose to realise who you really are."

  "Don't go any further," she told his back. She began to follow him.

  He did not turn around. "When you can tell me why that is your wish,
I will."

  They walked for another block before he said, "I've begun the long
path. I will either meet my destiny or be stopped." The footfalls
behind him halted. After another few seconds he added, "You haven't
very much time to choose." When he looked back, he saw that he was
alone.

  He let out an amused sigh and continued.

 *

  SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: Ende von Elysium

 *

  Dawn light filtered ambiently into the Geofront. The waters were
still beneath the bridge where Misato and Makoto had stopped. They
stood at the rail on the inward side.

  Misato leaned her chin on the cold metal, staring at the NERV
headquarters pyramid. "Well? Were you able to aquire his data?"

  "Here it is," he answered, handing her the memory pad. She raised
her face while he continued. "I borrowed it from Ibuki without her
permission."

  "I'm sorry... for getting you to act like a thief."  She activated
the page of interest. She frowned hard at it. "What the hell is
this?"

  "No wonder Maya-chan couldn't release this," spoke Makoto, glancing 
at the data. "It's not theoretically possible."

  "Right. The plot thickens." She advanced the page. "He can set the
Synchro rate with the Eva freely at any point he wishes, just by act
of will..." Her eyelids dropped as the mystery weighed on her mind.

  Would Ritsuko know what's going on? But she's been shut away... And
I can't trust her anymore. 

 *
 
  "Good morning, Katsuragi-sansa."

  "Ibuki. You're in early today."

  "Well, there's a lot of work to get done."

  "Of course. Good work."

  Misato propped herself on one of the control panels and sipped
her coffee. She knew she was very early, just like Maya, and there
was no-one else on the main control platform. The enormous display
showed the usual schematic of what was left of Third New Tokyo,
beneath a picturesque panoramic live feed of the rippling Ashino
lake.

  "Has Nagisa... the Fifth Children registered in yet today?"

  "Huh?" Maya replied. "Ah, I'll check, but... that's odd. He checked
in through the main gate ten minutes ago. I didn't think pilots
needed to be here so early as this."

  "They don't," Misato said gravely. "Find out where he's gone."

  Because I've got a bad feeling about this.

 *

  "You there," called the anonymous-looking security agent from his
post at the large door. "No personel are permitted down here. Go back
up to the command level immediately."

  The grey-haired boy did not stop.

 *

EPISODE 25:
	            Anta no mono ja nakattara, atashi tte nan nano?

 *
  
  Asuka awoke on the telephone's first ring. She pulled the cover
off of her head and squinted into the morning's brightness in
Misato's apartment. As she got up and made for the phone, she was
dimly aware of both having slept in her clothes and in the lounge
room.

  As she took the receiver in hand she saw an indefinite shape, a
shade of blue, move in her peripheral vision, but when she looked
there was nothing but the empty doorway to the hall. She answered
distractedly.

  "Hello?"

  "Asuka, I want you to come down to headquarters as soon as you
can."

  "Misato? But I don't have anything to pilot."

  "Please don't argue, Asuka. There's a chance that we'll need you.
Try to hurry."

  "Alright."

  As she put down the phone, her first thought was, They'd only need
me to pilot, if there was an Angel coming...

  Her second was, Waitasec - where's Kaworu-kun?

 *

  Why am I here now?

  Why am I alive now?

  For what? For whom? Could it be... for her?

  Why don't I know? Why can't I ...remember?

  I must know soon. There isn't much time left.

 *

  "Katsuragi-sansa, I found him."

  Misato stared at the screen over Maya's shoulder. "But isn't that
part of the restricted section?" asked the operator.

  "Good morning," called Makoto as he entered.

  "He's quite far down in Central Dogma, and he shouldn't be there.
I'm going to send security after him."

  As Misato moved away, Makoto went over to Maya. "What's going on?"

  "The new boy," she replied. "He's wandering around where he's not
meant to be, and Katsuragi-sansa's not happy about it. There could
be trouble."

 *

  Kaworu had reached a very large door. He was well on his path.
But there was no easy way to get past this obstacle.

  He closed his eyes and smiled, then became surrounded by a soft
light as his feet left the ground. He directed his energy at the
door.

 *

  "AT Field detected!" Makoto cried in surprise. The blaring
emergency signs punctuated his announcement.

  "The last Angel?" said Misato. "Position?"

  "How on Earth? It's in Central Dogma!"

  Misato could not even speak. It seemed like minutes as the unimagin-
able truth took form - the conclusion that even while it explained
everything, all of her being baulked at accepting.

  "...That boy?"

  "Depth: seven-hundred metres."

  "It's proceeding through the complex towards the main shaft."

  But, he's human. It's impossible! Misato shook herself out of her
stunned state. "Secure Central Dogma. Close all of the security
shutters and get a squad to that position."

  "But we can't send security personel against..." Makoto trailed
off as we met the Major's eyes, and saw what was there.

  "Put it on record: that boy is identified as the Seventeenth
Angel," she spoke sternly. But he's human, he's just a boy - would
he kill those men?

 *

  The plug filled with body-temperature LCL as Asuka tugged at her
slightly uncomfortable, hurredly fitted suit. She was still twisting
her arm around to get a kink out when the Eva activated, distracting
her for a moment. A video link with Misato appeared.

  "Sortie down Central Dogma's main shaft immediately, Asuka," she
ordered. "The Angel is progressing rapidly; if we don't delay you
will intercept hi-- it."

  "Misato, what's going on?" she finally managed to ask. "Where's
Kaworu-kun?"

  Misato looked to the side, biting her lip. She had not had time to
consider how best to break the news to the pilot, and right now
ensuring her cooperation was top priority.

  She sighed. She would tell her, and hope for the best.

  "It's him you are going after, Asuka."

  "What?"

  "Nagisa is the Angel."

  "..."

  "_Move out, Asuka!_"

 *

  Kaworu-kun is the Angel? It's impossible. Kaworu-kun is one of
those _things_? I don't believe it. He's a person! When everyone had
left me, abandoned me, he was there for me! If he's an Angel, why
is he so human!? How!? Why does he have to be the Angel, the enemy!?
Haven't I been punished enough!? Why does the only person who ever
loved me for who I am _have to be my enemy_!!?

 *

  "You want me to follow Kaworu-kun down the main shaft and kill
him?" she asked tonelessly.

  "You must destroy the Angel."

  Her emotion dam burst. "_How can you ask me to kill him, Misato!?_"

  "Asuka, please, it's not easy, but you must defeat the Angel. If
it reaches Terminal Dogma, the whole human race will suffer."

  "_He_ is a _person_! You want me to commit murder!"

  "I'm ordering you to destroy the Angel. Do it, Asuka."

  Maya's voice interceded: "Target has reached the main shaft lock."
And was followed by Shigeru's: "Still no response from security
teams."

  "Commence nerve linkage with Unit 02," Misato told Maya.

  "No!" Asuka cried. "I won't do it! I'd rather die!"

  "Belay that order," came the voice of Ikari Gendou. "Activate Unit
01."

 *

  As the technicians did as they were ordered, Misato stared up at
the Commander as he was joined by Fuyutsuki, who said, "Have all
personel evacuate Central Dogma, and assume level-one battle
stations."

  "I was unaware that we had a pilot for Shogouki," the Major said
formally.

  "Its designated pilot has made a surprise recovery," he replied,
cold and unreadable. "He should have no problem aquiring the target."

  Misato's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Shinji-kun..." she
whispered as she turned back to the screen.

  "Harmonics are steady; feedback within acceptable parameters."

  "Synchro rate at forty-seven percent."

  "Shinji-kun!" she called. "Are you all right?"

  "Communications are off-line," Maya reported.

  The Major looked back up at her superior, scowling and thinking,
You're up to something again, Ikari.

  Fuyutsuki shifted his weight and commented, "Using a pilot who is
in such a physical and mental condition is a big gamble, Ikari."

  The man grinned briefly beneath his steapled hands and replied,
"He's not dead."

 *

  "Shinji? Can you hear me?" Asuka tried on the main circuit. None
of the channels would work.

  She heard Shigeru's and Makoto's voices. "Target has breached
final wall. Entering main shaft." "Unit 01 launched. Five minutes
to interception."

  Asuka felt a rapidly swelling sense of urgency. She tried opening
the emergency Eva-only intercomm. "Shinji, what's going on?"

  After a second of pause a screen opened, displaying a plugsuited
Shinji with his face buried in his knees.

  "Shinji?" He did not look up. "What's wrong with you? Shinji,
don't follow that boy. He's not our enemy!"

  At that, he looked up. Asuka saw pin-points for pupils in the
sunken, reddened eyes of the living dead. His lower jaw trembled
above the straining tendons of his neck. He looked like he had not
eaten anything for weeks.

  Shinji echoed that word with increasing fervour. "Enemy, enemy,
enemy! Enemy! Enemy!! ENEMY!!" The link cut out.

  Asuka gasped, then blurted, "My God, what have you _done_ to him!?"

 *

  "Unit 01 has boarded the elevator cable and is descending."

  "Target has passed the ninth layer. It has breached the seventh
barrier."

  "So SEELE itself sent an Angel to us," spoke Fuyutsuki coldly. 
"What is their real objective?"

  "The old men want to advance the scenario with our help," said
Ikari.

 *

  Disembodied voices boomed through the shadows of SEELE's meeting
chamber.

  "PEOPLE WILL FORGET THEIR FOOLISHNESS AND REPEAT THE SAME
MISTAKES."

  "PEOPLE WILL NOT CHANGE IF THEY PERFORM THEIR OWN ATONEMENT."

  "WE WILL NOT RELY ON ADAM OR THE ANGELS..."

  "WE MUST ADVANCE THE FUTURE BY OUR OWN MEANS," Keil concluded.
"EVA UNIT 01 - FULFILL YOUR DUTY."

 *

  Events were unfolding far too fast for Asuka's liking, but she
understood that if she did not act, Shinji might well kill Kaworu,
or himself be killed in the attempt.

  "All right," she said to her Evangelion, "there's only one more
thing to do. We only need to do this, and then you can rest. Just
one more time. Please."

  She folded her fingers around the grips, concentrating with every 
fibre of her being, and pulled.

 *

  "Interception in eighty seconds," announced Shigeru.

  "Unit 01 pilot harmonics are showing feedback," Maya warned.

  "Asuka is activating Unit 02!" shouted Makoto, whirling in his
chair.

  "What will you do?" wondered Misato.

 *

  Either end of the incredibly deep main shaft of Central Dogma was
lost to vision, but Kaworu knew he was getting close. Details of his
immediate surroundings were drowned out by the white glow that
surrounded him. His usually silver hair and even the black of his
trousers were cast holy white.

  Even as he broke the next barrier, he looked upwards to see the
approaching purple form of Unit 01.

  "The Eva series, born of Adam, and a loathsome existence to
humans," he spoke, his soft voice reverberating with unnatural
intensity. His brow narrowed in a frown as he continued staring,
meeting the glowing eyes of Shogouki. "Why the Lilim would use
_that_ in order to survive - I can't understand."

 *

  Even as she moved her Unit to the Command Level vent, Asuka let
her relief and gratitude flow. She carefully reached Nigouki's hand
behind its back and connected the firmly clutched umbilical cable.

  "Fifteen seconds to intercept," Shigeru announced.

  "What are you trying to do, Asuka?" Misato demanded.

  "I've got to stop this, Misato." Unit 02 took its cable, winding
it around its hand twice and gripping it tightly, then stood at
the threshold of the shaft. "I don't want Kaworu-kun, _or_ Shinji
to die." Her voice had become grimly determined. "It's the last
Angel. It's our last chance. _My_ last chance."

  Unit 02 leaped into the main shaft of Central Dogma.

 *

  "Unit 01 has reached the sixteenth layer. Contacting the target."

  Shogouki descended rapidly down to Kaworu, drawing its Prog knife.
Kaworu's eyes stayed on it as it swang the weapon, the blade's tip
impacting with a rippling concussion at the center of a two-
dimensional barrier of strobing octagons.

  "You know that it's useless," he said with a confident smile.

  With splinters of steel, the metal of Unit 01's jaw pulled apart
in a roar, as it reared back for a second strike.

 *

  The density of LCL had never simulated weightlessness the way that
freefall now did for Asuka. Unit 02 accelerated rapidly, the power
cable playing out from above with a metallic shriek, growing speedily
distant. The flash and glow below rushed up at her.

  The backs of Unit 02's pauldrons opened and its jets fired as the
umbilical cable, nearing its limit, detached. Asuka grunted from the
deceleration, shutting her eyes and fighting to maintain her vital
concentration. She reopened them to see Unit 01 immediately below
her and about to attack again.

  "No!" she cried, landing atop the other Eva and grabbing for the
weapon arm. It let out a deep shriek and reached the other hand
around to clutch at Unit 02's throat. Asuka gritted her teeth, but
glanced down as she heard Kaworu's voice.

  "I've been waiting for you, Asuka."

  "Kaworu-kun!" she shouted, grunting again as she fought to restrain
Shogouki's rage. "Please stop! Why are you doing this!?"

  "Eva and I have the same body," explained the boy levelly, "for I
am also born of Adam. I would be able to join with your Unit 02, if
I did not have a soul." He knew he was meeting Asuka's eyes through
the visual sensors. "It's because the soul of that unit has shut
itself away."

  For a moment Asuka was completely distracted by Kaworu's monologue.
Final pieces of puzzle were falling into place. Unit 02 was made from
the First Angel, and he knew there was a soul inside. And it had shut
itself off..?

  With a sudden twist of its body, Unit 01 freed its hand and again
thrust the blade at the boy.

  "Kaworu-kun!" Asuka cried. Flickering orange force boomed into
visiblity again, the Evas on one side and the Angel on the other.
"An AT Field!" It was still surprising to see one protecting such
a relatively small creature.

  Kaworu smirked as the field's force reflected in his eyes and
whipped at his hair and clothes. "Yes. That's what you Lilim call
it. A sacred province inviolate to anyone - the light of the soul.
You Lilim are aware of _that_, aren't you?" he asked. "That the AT
Field is the barrier of the heart that everyone has."

  As she heard his words she fought desperately to maintain control.
She bade Unit 02's hand to catch Unit 01's again, but movement was
becoming slugish. The purple Eva gave a defiant struggle, getting
a tight purchase on Nigouki's neck. Asuka felt her windpipe
constrict and coughed; her own Eva twisted violently left, then
right, and slipped from its precarious position on the other unit.
The sudden shift of weight caused Unit 01's foot to lose its purchase
on the cable, and both Evas fell.

 *

  "Units 01 and 02 have reached Terminal Dogma," Shigeru reported.
"The target is passing the sixth malvoisie."

  "Unit 02 pilot's harmonics are unstable," said Maya. "Its as if
there's something trying to block the connections."

  "If either Eva's signal disappears," Misato told Makoto quietly
and gravely, "and another change occurs in that AT Field..."

  "I understand. Self-destruct the entire place, right?" He was
equally grim in tone. "It's better than letting Third Impact occur."

  "I'm sorry." The words slipped from her lips.

  "It's all right - as long as I can die with you."

  "...Thanks."

 *

  Kaworu watched the pair of giants fall to the bottom, where they
threw up an enormous cloud of what he knew was salt. They were
tangled around each other, and on one level he was concerned for
Asuka's well-being, but then he knew that all people's suffering
would end soon. He knew what he had to do.

  Is this fate? he wondered. People's hopes are bound with sadness...

  The glow increased like a sun going nova.

 *

  The entire command center trembled under the impact, screens
flickering and some systems immediately going dead. Misato braced
herself on Makoto's chair, crying, "What's happening?"

  "An AT Field - the strongest yet detected!"

  Shigeru added, "All light waves, electromagnetic waves and even
particles have been shut out." Nearly every monitor on the control
boards had switched off. "We can't monitor anything!"

  "A complete barrier!" Misato said.

  "Target, Unit 01 and 02, all lost!" said Maya. "Contact with pilots
impossible!"

 *

  The pain in Asuka's head was unbearable, but the pain in her arm
was worse. It felt broken. She tried to move and felt pinned down
by a great weight. She tried to see what was happening; all around
her was a plain of white, with tall pillars everywhere. The roof of
the place was lost in darkness. As she stared upwards, Kaworu
floated over and away.

  "Kaworu-kun! Wait!" But she knew she had lost her precarious
control. The Eva would not respond.

 *

  The Angel took a final look back, then turned to the matter at
hand. The lock of the massive portal opened at his bidding, and he
sailed through the widening apeture.

 *

  "Final safety system released!" said Shigeru.

  "Heaven's Door is opening," said Makoto.

  "So an Angel finally reaches Adam," Misato spoke. She gripped
Makoto's shoulder. "Hyuga-kun..."

  He nodded, swallowing with his first real taste of dread.

 *

  Suddenly, the weight lifted from a despairing Asuka, and she looked
to see Unit 01 levering itself up, then begin to dash in the
direction in which Kaworu went.

  "Stop it!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing in determination and
anger. A surge, a second wind welled up within her.

  The casing of Unit 02's helmet seperated, white eyes shining from
within.

 *

  Kaworu hung in the air, having finally reached his goal. It stood
before him, suspended by nails through its hands from a giant cross.
The familiar mask, the Face of God, hid its features. "Adam,
progenitor ours." He had waited for this moment all his life, but
now... "Must those born from Adam return to Adam, even at the cost
of humanity's annihlation?"

  Something was not right. There was no response from it. And he
did not feel like he was home at all.

  "No! This is... Lilith!?" A strange serenity washed over him. "I
see... I understand now, Lilim."

  He would fail after all.

  He turned in time to see Unit 01 charging at him. And you, he
thought. Not Adam at all. How did I miss it?

  "NO!" came the defiant scream, followed by Unit 02 landing behind
the purple Eva and grabbing at its leg. Unit 01 stumbled, its out-
stretched hand not closing around the Angel and smashing him to the
ground, but swiping him out of the air instead. The small, glowing
human form flew in a long arc until it hit the wall of the huge
chamber and slid limply to the ground.

 *

  "Interference from the AT Field has cleared!" announced Shigeru.
"No longer monitoring."

  "Get a picture up on the main screen!" Misato ordered.

 *

  With a cry of anguish Asuka bade Unit 02 pounce on her opponent,
getting one arm locked around its neck and the other hand, any 
damage forgotten, grabbing at the helmet casing, fingers gouging at
eyes. Unit 01 roared and flung its weight around, then backed into
the wall to sandwich Asuka's Eva with a mighty crunch. Asuka had the
wind knocked out of her again but held on, reading Unit 01's move when
it prepared to slam her on the ground. She flung Unit 02 sideways
and kept it on its feet, while Unit 01 swayed, leaving an opening.
The red Eva thrust its good hand into the belly of Shogouki and
pinned it to the wall; Asuka leaned over and pointed a pauldron at
the purple Eva's shoulder - it opened and with a concussion six huge
metal pegs fired forth. Unit 01 reached around to its shoulder,
trying to get free.

  Asuka used the opportunity to put some ground between the Evas.
She turned to see the boy's body slumped at the base of the other
wall, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

  "Asuka, what's happened down there?" Misato's voice conveyed her
concern. "We've lost contact with Shinji in Unit 01."

  "Huh?"

  Unit 01 had stopped moving completely, and as Unit 02 turned again,
its head reared back in a thunderous roar. Ripping free of the large
spikes in a burst of bits of wall and purple armour and blood, it
sprang towards Asuka, its wounds healing in instants. It bowled her
over, ending up on top with its hands closing around her throat
again.

  "Uck! - Shinji... it's me--!" Fear gripped Asuka's mind as she
grasped at her neck, feeling the skin squeeze and contort.

 *

  Maya reported, "Asuka's nerve connections are destabilising. The
feedback is entering the danger zone."

  "Cut the connections," ordered Misato. "We can't stop a berserk
Unit 01, but we can keep her from getting killed."

  "Unit 02 has already exhausted its internal batteries!" called
Shigeru. They all watched in anticipation.

 *

  Asuka slumped and gasped when the lights suddenly extinguished and
the sensations of battle were abruptly cut off. As she regained her
breath, she peered around in the gloom.

  What was that? It feels like there's someone else here with me.

  The truth that she had forced herself to ignore, that she had not
let her mind even try to consider, was now there for her to see.

  Her mother's breakdown and eventual suicide.
  
  Ritsuko's explanation in the dummy plug plant.

  Kaworu's cryptic statements just before.

  'The soul of this unit'?

  "When you stop hating yourself, you will be able to live by
yourself. Your mother knows this. She will protect you."

  ...Mama? Are you there?

 *

  Finding a completely limp Eva in its hands, Unit 01 relaxed its
hold. It was with that that Unit 02 awoke and counter-attacked. Its
eyes shining like four slashes of starlight, it bent a leg between
itself and Shogouki, and catapulted the purple Eva away. Hauling
itself to its feet, the damage on its arm glowed momentarily and was
repaired.

  Unit 01 also stood again. The Evas faced off, crouched and tensed,
their low growls echoing through out Terminal Dogma. Unit 01's maw
gaped wide and it dashed with a howl, but Unit 02 bent low and met
the sternum area with its whole weight behind its shoulder. Shogouki
went down heavily, and the red Eva was instantly atop it, straddling,
and delivering fists to its face. They howled in unison.

 *

  "Two berserk Eva's?" Makoto said. They all stared at the scene in
rapt horror.

  "They'll kill each-other!" Maya worried aloud.

  Fuyutsuki commented, "Nigouki has finally woken up too. This is
unexpected."

  Gendou gritted his teeth and stood up. But no human could do
anything to stop what was happening now.

 *

  Unit 02 threw its head back and roared, its four unveiled eyes
glowing brightly. It prepared to continue its merciless assault,
but was interupted by Unit 01's desperate hand clawing for its
throat again. The red Eva managed to restrain one of its opponent's
hands; abruptly, Unit 01's pauldron opened and the Eva drew its
knife. Unit 02 tried to catch the weapon hand's wrist but closed
its fist around the vibrating blade and recoiled with a howl.
Shogouki saw its chance.

  Then the light's of its eyes went out, and it ceased activation.

  Faced with a now defenceless target, Unit 02 moved to pick up
where it had left off. Its fist did not reach Unit 01's head,
though: the strobing impregnability of an AT Field intercepted
the strike.

 *

  "Another AT Field!" blurted Makoto.

  "There's another Angel?" Misato asked in disbelief.

  Indicators from the Magi flashed over Shigeru's terminal. "Still
analysing--" The whole screen suddenly flickered out. "Uh, I mean,
it vanished!"

  "Gone?" Misato said. "And the Angel that created it?"

 *

  Nigouki peered up and around, knowing that the AT Field had
been introduced by a third party.

  Standing above, at the mouth of the shaft of Central Dogma, was
Ayanami Rei.

  At the sight of the girl, who stared aloofly down at the scene,
Unit 02 relaxed, leaning forward and joining its opponent in
deactivation.

 *

  "Both Evas are now silent," reported Makoto.

  "Pilot status?" Misato asked. "And the target?"

  "Shogouki pilot's signs are weak. Nigouki pilot has ejected her
plug and is leaving the Eva."

  "Lifesigns of target are fluctuating," Shigeru added.

  Misato looked up at the unhelpfully bad camera veiw on the screen
for want of something else to do. What are we meant to do now? she
wondered.

 *

  Asuka's small footsteps echoed dimly as she ran towards the limp
figure, half propped up by the wall. A soft light still surrounded
him. No blood was pooling from under him as she had half-feared,
but his eyes were closed and his jaw was loose. She knelt beside
him.

  "Kaworu-kun..." What could she say to him? Don't die? He was the
last Angel; the purpose of NERV was to ensure that he was
destroyed. The organisation that had always been part of her life.

  Tears ran down her cheeks and she reflected on the perversion of
the situation, where the gentlest human being she had ever met was
also humanity's ultimate enemy.

  "Thank you, Asuka."

  She looked up through blurred eyes to meet his. A weary smile
was on his face.

  "Why?" she replied, trying not to sob.

  "It is my destiny to go on living, even if that means the end of
humanity." He looked upwards. "But I can also die here - Life and
death are equal to me." He paused as Asuka took a sobbing breath.
"My own death - that is my only absolute liberty."

  "I don't want you to die," Asuka quiveringly managed to say.

  "The powers that be don't seem to share your wish," he said
light-heartedly. The girl put her face in her hands; her
shoulders shuddered.

  "And they're right," he spoke more quietly, reaching a hand of
his own to her cheek. "Only one form of life can escape the time
of annihilation - and obtain a future. And, you are the one who
should not die."

  She willed the tears to stop, and after a moment looked at him
again with reddened eyes.

  "I was given free will. And I'd rather die than live in a world
without you." He looked up again, but his expression was different.
Wonderingly, Asuka turned her head to follow his line of sight,
but could not see anything.

  "All of you need a future."

  Asuka again returned her eyes to him. She still could not say
anything.

  "Because you have hope," he said even more quietly. He closed his
eyes. "You always have hope, the hope that the future will be
better. The will... to live."

  After a moment, the rise and fall of his breathing gently slowed
to imperceptability. While Asuka sat there at Kaworu's side, the
ambient white glow gradually dimmed until it was gone, leaving
the boy's hair its original grey.

  Then Asuka leaned forward onto the floor and cried quietly into
her arms.

 *

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
END OF ELYSIUM:     Epilogue

 *

  Misato stepped through her door and it whooshed shut. The
apartment was utterly empty. It _felt_ like there was no-one
living there. It _smelled_ deserted. The feeling maybe should have
surprised Misato, but it did not. A detachment had overcome her.
She just could not attach the same importance to most things
anymore.

  The last Angel was defeated. The last task left for NERV was
the Instrumentality of Man Project. Not for the first time, Misato
wondered what it was meant to be, and what it could involve.
Would the Evas be part of it? It was something that she knew she
would have to discover. Eventually.

  Not right now.

  She walked through her house, switching lights on to try to
remove the deadness. Not for the last time, she missed Pen Pen,
who she had sent away from Tokyo 3 for his own safety. She tried
to take comfort in that.

  She called, "Asuka?" but there was no reply. Not until Misato
opened the Second Children's door did she realise the very real
possibility. Sure enough, the room was clean and packed up,
impersonal in its tidiness and looking just like the spare room
it actually was.

  There was a letter on the desk.

  Misato left that room with it in her hand, heading for the
refrigerator. An impulse told her she would probably need a can
of beer after reading the letter. She retrieved one then sat at
the kitchen table and opened the envelope.

	_To Misato:_ (it read, in Asuka's neatest Japanese (that
  Misatohad seen, anyway)) _I want to first apologise for being
  such a burden since I arrived here. I don't know how you and
  Shinji put up with me. I wish I had realised sooner. In Germany,
  I used to think that I could do anything by myself. I could live
  really living. Nobody lives alone. I was really selfish.
	Maybe you know what it's like. To be completely defeated,
  or violated, or have everything you believe in go up in flames.
  I hope you don't. I can't see how anybody could deserve to go
  through what has happened in these past few months.
	So I've quit NERV, and am going back to Germany. My father
  still lives there. We were never very close, but he's still
  family. I think everybody needs a family. Good luck, Misato,
  in whatever NERV will do now, now that all the Angels are gone.
  I hope it will be worth it.
	Goodbye.
	Souryuu Asuka Langley

  p.s. If the Evas are no longer needed, I hope they'll
  be destroyed. Let them rest in peace.

 *

 End.


_____

There was only one scene from the re-edit episode 24 in this
chapter: during Kaworu's descent, the stuff that SEELE says was
altered, so I put that in. Translation courtesy of Bochan_bird
and Brendan Jamieson. Also, thanks to Brendan and to Ketheres
Elyion for very supportive proof-reading.
       Ende von Elysium - Erishiumu no Owari - End of Elysium
part 4 of 3. Oska Archer, December 1999. C+C to archer@senet.com.au