From: "Rune" Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End is the Beginning. Prologue: The End of a Story An EDF Production. Written by Helix and Rune. aka Travis Carr and Jonathan Lloyd. "Our world is a thing that hates us already , for the pain and damage we have caused to her, if nothing else. Thus it is a surprise that she refused to allow SEELE to move humanity to a higher existence and be rid of us...." Commander Shinji Ikari, 19 AR Excerpt from "The Evangelion Pilot's Manual" by Shinji Ikari The Evangelion program could have said to be started in 2015 AD, by the old reckoning. This is what the public is led to believe, and what they will continue to believe, until they can forgive us for the crimes that we have committed against them. Because the Evas are as much of the criminal as SEELE was, despite the number lives they have saved both before and since that time. It truly started in Antarctica in the year 1999. That was the year that the Katsuragi expedition discovered what is believed to be Adam at the south pole. This truly was the end of the world, at least the world that we had known and loved. In the year 2000, the Second Impact occurred as Adam was reduced to an embryonic form, in order to reduce the damage that would result from the Angels' appearance. Yes, we knew about our enemies even back then... From the form of Lillith, as well as the form of Adam, the Eva's were created. There were, of course, failures. Somewhere deep in what is left of Terminal Dogma is a graveyards of failed Eva's... the failures of man's attempt to become gods. As The Human Completion Project was another of our attempt to play god. And now your are an Evangelion Pilot. Selected from the millions of human survivors, as the last hope for mankind. But, as a pilot you must know why you fight. Reasons that no book could adequately tell you. Thus, the reason for the classes and training courses. You are not just a pilot, not just a face. Now you are the hope of millions. Go in peace, and God bless you." ... Ryan sat back, looking up from his pilots manual for a moment. So this was part of the history behind the Evangelions, was it? Certainly not the most fascinating thing at the moment, but worth reviewing sometimes. Sighing, he looked around the room at the other recently accepted applicants. All of them young, and all of them quite nervous. Well, he couldn't blame them, he was as nervous as they were. Finally the door swung open, revealing a tall, slightly haggard man. He nearly brushed the top of the door, and he was definitely one of the close combat pilots. But the one object that drew everyones' attention was the EDF logo adorning his shoulder. "Alright recruits, LISTEN UP!" Everyone in the room snapped to attention, as if prodded by a shock stick. "Thank you. Obviously you know why you're here, the days of Nerv have long past, and we no longer cover information like that agency. Now, the first order of business is to familiarize you with your new equipment. If you will please follow me..." the sergeant turned and walked out the door he had entered. All of the recruits were whispering now, excited noises of "you mean we're going to see an Eva?" and "A real Eva, up close!" ran throughout the room. Ryan leaned back and smiled. Of course, these kids were all excited about seeing an Eva, as the closest that they had ever gotten to one was on TV. Ryan lived close to the main battle zone, and had seen several Evas before. Of course, he had never gotten to see one up close... The group moved onto a platform just outside of the holding area that they had occupied for the past hour. It had been terribly crampt, and Ryan hoped that whereever they were going, they would get there soon. The lift gave a shudder, and began its slow ascent. Ryan glanced at the lake of bright pink liquid that lay off to the side of the lift, coolant from the looks of it. But what did they need so much coolant for? The lift rose above the lake of coolant, and for the first time, Ryan saw the Evangelions. Hundreds of them, spread throughout the lake. Each of them had a small team of workers, ants at this range, swarming over them, repairing and fine-tuning the great androids. Ryan felt a grin spreading over his face as he looked across the lake, looking at his new job. "Gentlemen, welcome to the Evangelion Defense Force. Now if you'll wait just a minute, we'll arrive at the dorms, and you can begin your training." AUTHORS NOTES: Whew, finally posted. If Im luckly, chapters 1 and 2 should follow this post. I would like to thank my co-author Helix for this great fic idea, as well as Rilian for his wonderful editing. I hope you enjoy this, and C&C is VERY welcome. Jonathan Lloyd Rune