[EVA] [FANFIC REPOST] Daughter of Elysium Ep 24' [bit of new stuff!]

[Vice]

Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Daughter of Elysium: Episode 24'
by Oska Archer
archer at senet.com.au
composed with msdos Editor


This is available in HTML at my homepage,
http://www.senet.com.au/~archer/works.htm

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


To be continued...

 *

			Preview of what's to come:

 *

  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."

 *

  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...

 *

  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.

 *

  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.

 *

All in the continuation,

Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Episode 24':     When an Immovable Object Meets an Irresistable Force

Coming very soon.

 *

Tochter aus Elysium - Erishiumu kara no Shoujo - Daughter of Elysium
part 3 of 3. Oska Archer, August 1999. C+C to archer at senet.com.au,
please