A Janok
Production;
General
disclaimer;
The
usual... Some characters and original storyline copyright Gainax
and
affiliated companies.
WARNING
This is
a Post-Episode 26 story, if you haven't seen up to Episode 26
of NGE
I advise you not to read this story. You have been warned, so
no
complaints.
**********
NEON
GENESIS CHAPTER 2
A Fall
From Grace: Out of Eden
VERSE 9
"You
liars, what will God do to you?
How
will he punish you?"
Psalms
120:3
"I've
just read the medical report, the seventh will be unfit for
combat
duty for at least a month," the man in beige said as he looked
over at
Ikari, "We only have one operational EVA, and no pilot. How do
you
wish to handle the matter?"
Ikari
glanced up from the report he was currently reading, "Assign the
ninth
as the new pilot of the prototype," he responded instantaneously,
"Prepare
the EVA for immediate test activation."
The man
in beige looked at him sharply, "Ikari, I know you. You
wouldn't
make such an important decision so hastily," his mouth turned
down in
a scowl, "You knew this was going to happen didn't you?" he
accused.
Ikari
went back to his report, "Pass the order."
**********
Michael
waited for the door to slide back and then walked in. He
looked
around the small entryway as the door closed behind him. The
walls
were painted a dull grey and the floor was an uncarpeted
concrete.
He
walked into the main room, the only furniture present was a metal
bed
with a rather uncomfortable looking mattress. He dropped his bag
on the
floor and slumped down on the bed. Yet another residence, his
third
in three months.
He lay
back on the bed and stared at the grey ceiling. He might have
to live
here from now on, but he didn't think of it as a home. As he
continued
to gaze at the bleak view above him, a strange phrase arose
in his
mind.
"Unfamiliar
ceiling..." he whispered.
**********
"Shut
all circuits, cut the power!"
The
umbilical cable ejected from the back of the giant, and the
Evangelion
came to an abrupt halt. Less than ten seconds later the
giant
humanoid started to resume its thrashing around the massive
white
room in which it stood.
"EVA
has switched to reserve power!"
"EVA
is still activated!"
Gendo
Ikari looked over to Professor Takai, "Sever the primary nerve
junction,"
he ordered in a cold voice.
Yuri
looked over to him, a startled look in her eyes, "But sir, the
pilot..."
"...
Is not our primary concern," he interrupted.
A
massive fist smashed into the armoured glass in front of Ikari
causing
it to bulge inwards alarmingly.
"It
still has four minutes of power remaining, it must be stopped
NOW."
When he received no response, his features took on a dangerous
cast,
"DO IT!" ordered Ikari.
"Yes
sir," responded Professor Takai in a sullen voice, she looked
down at
Captain Ibuki who sat at the station in front of her,
"Sever
the nerve junction," she ordered.
The
giant fist smashed again into the glass, causing it to shatter
inwards
over the staff in the control room. One of the technicians
shouted
in pain as a shard of glass sliced a deep cut a fraction of
an inch
below his eye.
"Yes
ma'am," responded Maya as she began keying commands into the
console
in front of her.
As she
punched in the final command the EVA stopped its thrashing and
instead
clutched its hands to its armoured head. A woman's screams
could
be heard over the comm. channel as the EVA collapsed to the
floor
and began to convulse in a fit. In a counterpoint to the woman's
screaming,
the EVA began to shriek in pain as well.
"Professor
Takai, the nerve junction is cut, but we are still
receiving
mental feedback from the EVA to the pilot!" shouted one of
the
operators.
"Eject
the plug, get her out of there," ordered Professor Takai.
"Negative,"
responded another operator, "EVA is still refusing the
signal."
"Is
there any other way to recover the pilot?" demanded Major Veitch.
"Not
until the power runs out," responded Yuri.
"And
when will that be?" he demanded.
Maya
winced at a particularly blood curdling scream before turning to
him,
"The EVA has three minutes and twenty six seconds of activation
time
remaining."
Veitch
looked out at the EVA, which was still shaking on the ground in
the
room below him, "Hell..." he muttered.
The
sound of the door opening caused those in the room who were not
in
shock to glance around quickly.
"I
have urgent business to attend to," said Ikari in his cold voice,
"Inform
me when the pilot has been recovered."
"Yes
sir," responded Professor Takai as she watched Ikari walk out of
the
room.
As
Ikari passed through the doorway a brief smile flashed across his
face
then disappeared back into his stoic mask before anyone noticed.
**********
Michael
walked through the empty streets of the massive fortress city.
He had
been told to remain in his apartment until he received further
orders,
but he couldn't stay in that bleak hovel a moment longer.
The
place seemed to drain him of energy, creating a lethargic
depressing
atmosphere that threatened to smother his spirit. Orders or
no
orders, he refused to be a caged bird.
He
looked up at the tall buildings beside him; they looked so
impressive
from the cliff side, but up close they revealed themselves
for
what they truly were, giant monoliths of concrete and metal,
designed
solely for function with no thought to beauty.
He
sighed deeply, he had chosen the perfect time to develop an
appreciation
for art, he thought.
**********
"Dammit
Ikari," said the man in beige, "You engineered this entire
situation,
didn't you?"
Gendo
Ikari glanced up at his colleague, who was leaning over his
desk,
"Do you really need an answer?"
The man
in beige straightened up and slowly walked over to the large
windows
at the rear of the office. He looked out over the defences
still
being constructed around the facility. "You knew that the ninth
was
incompatible with the EVA, and yet you still ordered her to have
that
activation test," he gave Ikari a hard look over his shoulder,
"You
just wanted her out of the way so that you could justify giving
Michael
the prototype to the committee. Am I wrong?"
Ikari
remained silent.
The man
in beige turned back to the view of the geofront outside the
windows.
"If you wont tell me anything else, at least answer me
this,"
he watched the reflection of Ikari, who was sitting with his
back to
the window, in the glass, "Why? Why him? You wouldn't be doing
all of
this for a candidate who simply has good potential. Who is he?"
He
watched the reflected Ikari swivel his chair around to face him,
"Very
well, I will tell you... though I am surprised you have not
already
figured it out on your own."
**********
Veitch
moved from where he was leaning against the wall to the middle
of the
corridor once the door began to open.
Professor
Takai hesitated her departure from the room once she saw him
blocking
her way.
"I
think we need to talk," said Veitch.
"We
have nothing to discuss Major Veitch," responded Takai in her
clinical
voice.
"Oh
no?" he said in sarcastic tones, "Then you didn't almost kill a
young
woman back there?"
Professor
Takai began walking along the corridor.
"What
did you do to that EVA?" he demanded.
"That
is not your concern Major," she said as she pushed past him.
He
grabbed her wrist and spun her back round to face him, "I think it
is,
this EVA has been assigned to my unit. I should know of any
factors
that could effect its performance during an operation."
Professor
Takai wrenched her arm from his grasp, and continued on her
way,
"That is classified information, you are not authorised to access
it."
"More
secrets Yuri? Tell me, how many lives have been lost for the
sake of
your secrets?" she stopped dead in her tracks, "How many more
lives
will you demand before you reveal the truth?"
She
began walking away up the corridor again, "If you have a problem
with
NERV policy Major," she said over her shoulder, "Talk to the
Director
or, if you prefer, resign your commission. Both will give the
same
result."
He
stood there watching the corridor long after she disappeared around
a
corner.
**********
"And
you chose him over your own son?" he said in a shocked voice.
Ikari
remained silent, his face betraying no emotion.
"You've
crossed the line Ikari, SEELE won't stand for this, when they
find
out that you have been sheltering him they will..."
"Kill
him," interrupted Ikari, he cast his penetrating gaze at the
man in
beige, "Is that what you want? The blood of an innocent boy on
your
hands?"
"He
is hardly innocent," protested the man in beige.
"Oh
no? What crime has he committed? The crime of being born?" he
turned
his back on his colleague, "Will that help you sleep better at
night,
knowing that the boy whose death you caused was guilty of not
what he
had done, but of who he once was?"
The man
in beige shook his head, "Don't change the subject Ikari. You
know
what will happen if he finds out what you have done to him."
Ikari
smiled to himself, "He will not find out, I will not allow it."
"Allow?"
The man questioned, "You are overconfident Ikari, need I
remind
you that there are greater powers at work here?"
Ikari
shrugged his shoulders, "They are of minor concern," he picked
up some
papers on his desk, "Now, what is this about a power failure
in
sector 3 this morning?"
**********
Michael
turned round a corner onto a small footbridge over a major
thoroughfare
through the city, and paused to take in the view. This
area
seemed to be still under development, as several of the nearby
buildings
on the sides of the road appeared to resemble construction
sites.
Like the rest of the city, this area was also deserted. As he
had
only arrived that morning, Michael didn't know if this was a
regular
occurrence or if there was a specific reason for the lack of
people.
He
leaned on the parapet at the side of the bridge and looked down at
the
empty street. He gasped in surprise, and his eyes widened as he
realised
that the street was in fact not empty. A girl, the first soul
he had
seen in hours, stood in the middle of the road. She was a girl
of
about his own age, with short blue hair and whose face seemed to be
as
emotionless as the mask he strove to wear in the presence of
others.
His eyes locked with hers, a startling red hue in colour, and
a
strange nagging sensation pulled at the back of his mind; these
unusual
eyes were familiar.
Just as
the thought in the back of his head began to coalesce, and a
name
begin to form on the tip of his tongue, a noise from behind
startled
him. He turned around to see a flock of pigeons take wing
from
off of a telegraph pole further down the street.
He
instantly turned back from the disturbance, only to see that the
girl
had vanished without a trace. Like the girl, the thought, which
had so
tantalisingly almost formed in his head, was also gone.
**********
To be
continued...
"...I
will be with you and
protect
you wherever you go..."
Genesis
28:15
---------------------------------------------------------------
Author's
Note:
If you
have any comments about this fanfic then gladly send them to
me.
Constructive criticism on my writing structure is especially
welcome.
Janok_Re
<jreproduct@hotmail.com>