Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ NGE - Terminator ❯ Messages ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

NGE - TERMINATOR

Chapter 2 - Messages

During his way at the bottom of the sea, he encountered several hindrances that slowed his progress
down. His arrival would be delayed by several hours, as he often sunk deeply in the loose sand.

If he would have been programmed to shrug, he would have done so. It didn't matter. He would arrive
soon, and then he would fulfill his mission. Nothing would be able to stop him.

Tomorrow morning, he would reach the coast.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

In the command center, an unexpected sight awaited the three pilots. Instead of Ikari Gendo, it was
Fuyutsuki who sat in the Commander's seat. He stood up and led them into the conference room.

The pilots sat down and waited for an explanation, which came soon.

"Pilots, since yesterday, a lot of things has changed. One of the most important changes is the fact that
I am the new acting Commander of NERV, as Gendo Ikari was assassinated."

This speech brought all three pilots to full attention. Asuka's face lit up, Rei's became downtrodden, and
Shinji somewhere in between.

"Shinji, I know that this is a hard time for you, not now, we need you more than ever." continued
Fuyutsuki.

"I understand, I.....don't know how I feel......but......I will pilot."

"Good. For now, since Major Katsuragi is your legal guardian, you will remain with her, so your life
doesn't change too much. Although you'll get a new security detail, but you already know this, right?"
asked Kozou in a warm and gentle voice, which he hadn't used since his days as professor at the Kyoto
university.

"Yes. But....is this necessary?"

"Yeah, why does the wimp need security, while the best pilot gets none?" chimed Asuka in.

"Because only the most important gets security, and these are Ikari, Shinji, and Ayanami, Rei. You are
simply not important enough. They get the security because of their importance beside piloting, and
this is something, where you have none." declared Mana with a suffisant grin on her face.
As Asuka changed her face color to 'Angry Red', her grin widened even more. It was hard for the soldier
of the future not to fall laughing on the floor. In her time, Asuka was one of her instructors and
something like a surrogate mother. To see her this way, controlled by her emotions, unstable and violent,
was nearly too much fun.

Shinji didn't show any reaction, but Rei looked puzzled. She couldn't understand what was meant by this.
She had nothing beside EVA, which was her purpose, so how could she be important for something that wasn't
part of this purpose? She wanted an explanation, but since the briefing wasn't over, she waited if this
information was provided. If not, she could always ask the new Commander.

"And why do they need that much protection? Have they stomped on some shelter where a Mafia family was in?"

Fuyutsuki sighed. Now it was time for the hardest part.
"No. After the assassination of the former Commander, we received very detailed and accurate information
about a serious threat for our efforts to stop the Angels. The source of this information may be hard to
believe, bit we confirmed it accurate."

"And this source is?" asked Rei with her usual quiet and monotone voice.

"Kirishima-san, would you please explain."

"Sure."

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

In the next fifteen minutes, the view of the world changed for the three pilots considerably. Not only
confronted with the existence of time-travelling, but with the possibility of a very dark looking future,
Shinji was the first who gained the ability to speak back. "So, the death of my father was the first
step in changing the future?" he asked.

"Yes."

"And who killed him?"

This was the question Mana feared the most. She played with the thought to simply lie, but knew, he would
learn of the truth. And then, after she had lied, it would hurt him even more. And more important, it
would destroy all trust she would have built up. So she had to swallow the bitter pill and tell the truth.

"I did it." announced Mana, whose eyed Shinji closely.

The eyes of Shinji and Rei widened in perfect synchronization, and they landed at the same tenth of a
second on Mana.

The girl from the future expected this, and looked closely in their eyes. Rei wasn't that much important
to her, but Shinji was. So she was relieved as she saw shock and disbelief, but not hate and repulsion.
Now, the bad treatment Gendo gave his son came to her aid. Shinji believed that his father would try to
destroy the world for his schemes, so if it was necessary to stop him by death, he could accept it.
Sure, he would be very cautious around this self-proclaimed time traveller, but he wouldn't hold it
against her.

Rei's reaction was more negative, as she looked in disgust at Mana. This girl had killed her creator,
the man who raised her and gave her purpose. And now she proclaimed that she wanted to protect Shinji.
This was not to be believed. She would ensure that she would not hurt the Third. Even out of EVA. The
agreement they had was now useless, as there was no way that Rei would trust the other girl.

And, how could it be otherwise, Asuka gave her comment too.
"You killed the asshole? Let us be friends!"

After the emotion calmed down, the final question arise, and unsurprisingly, it was Asuka who asked it.
"And why should we believe you?"

"I have brought messages with me. Three of them are for the pilots. This morning, Akagi-donno had set up
a room where you can watch your messages in privacy. Who wants to be the first?"

Asuka stood up and went to Mana. "Give it to me." she demanded, and Mana gave her the crystal which
belonged to her. Then, Asuka was led by Misato to the converted Office.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

As soon as Asuka inserted the crystal into the reader, the large monitor came to life. Asuka was greeted
by an image of her own. A few decades older, but still very good looking, she saw in this woman everything
she wanted for herself. Her own customary smirk graced the older face, but instead of the mask she always
put on, this was one of pure and unadulterated supremacy. The confidence behind this expression was
something she craved for.

"Hi, as you can guess, my name is Soryu Asuka Langley, and you are a little brat. I have to tell you some
very important things. Some of them you will like, but most surely not. It is your decision, how much of
my advice you will use. Only your future depends upon it, not mine. I already have paid my price to become
what I am now. It is upon you if you want to become mature, or if you want to continue to act like a
spoiled brat."

Asuka gaped at the monitor and started cursing, but after a few minutes, she calmed down. Exactly at this
point of time, the monitor came to life again.

"Finished with your little temper tantrum? Good, then I shall tell you more. At first, we begin with the
reason for your degraded personality."

Asuka hmmphed at this.

"As you know, our mother committed suicide, but what you don't know, is that part of your mother is still
alive."

Now the face on the screen had all of Asuka's attention, and this continued for the next minutes, as her
older version told her how she could reach out to her mother and reach her in her prison. Tears streamed
over the face of the German girl, as she heard what exactly had happened to her mother.

"Follow the procedure I told you, and you will succeed." closed the older Asuka this topic.
"Now, we will proceed other important changes you'll have to make. One of the most important is your
behavior towards others, especially the other pilots, and the envoy from my time. I know that you dislike
Rei, that you have the hots for Shinji, and that you already despise Mana."

Asuka was once again on the verge of trashing the monitor, and only that her older version told her the
information about her mother held her back. Maybe there was more useful information, so she had to wait
for it.

"What you need to understand is that you are not the center point of the universe. In fact, Rei don't give
a damn about you, Shinji wants to see you shipped back to Germany, and only Mana is at ease with you.
Which is logical, as she was trained by me. I know, you don't want to believe this, but it is true. Here
are the reasons, and what you can do to change their view of you."

Although Asuka didn't like this topic, she found some information again very useful.

"And now the reason why you shouldn't try to get Shinji. There are several ones, the most important is
that it wouldn't function. Your temper is too much for him, and his quiet demeanor annoys you to no end.
I know that you plan to give him a spine. Forget it. It will not function, as I tried it and failed. I
pushed him in the hope that he starts to push back. All I managed to achieve was that he hated me. And
I even went so far and had sex with him, without his consent. It didn't function. You see him as your
chance for happiness, but you are partly wrong. You should be his friend, be the one who pushes him gentle
forward, who is strong, where he is not. I learned this only after his death, and found my happiness with
good friends, like Rei, and my love. So, listen closely, because this can decide if you find happiness or
not."

And Asuka listened closely. Several outbursts like "What?", "Hell, NO!", "Never!" broke her silence. As
this part of the message was over, she had to admit that it made some sense. She shrugged, as she decided
that she would only follow this advice if she had some hard facts about the truth in this message. She
would test the theory about her mother soon, and if that worked, she would try to follow this advice.
Asuka knew, the exterior she presented to the world was demanding, but it was only a facade. She didn't
want much for herself, only that she achieved some great things other would remember, and that she
wouldn't be alone. She could reach these goals if she followed this speech, so she put it aside as an
option.

"I know that you don't like it, so I give you the reasons for it. Now, I will tell you what could happen
if you don't follow my advice, what it could cost you and others. I don't know if others get this kind
of information about our time line of future too, so please keep those information to yourself."

After this last and longest part of the message, Asuka was silent. She understood completely. Why she
still would test the info first, she knew, this was too logical, too detailed to be disinformation.

Asuka took her crystal out of the player and left the office.

Outside, she was awaited by Misato and Mana. She looked at the younger of the two. "Thanks for revenge."

"No problem." answered Mana.

"Would you train me?"

"Sure."

"Ok. When will be the next EVA-sortie?"

"Soon. The Terminator is on it's way, and will reach the coast tomorrow around 11.00h. Then we need the
EVAs combat ready. And then you can try."

Asuka's eyes widened. "You know?"

"I know what had happened, and that this info was included."

Asuka nodded and left. She needed a secluded place, as she had a lot to think about.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Not much later, Rei arrived at the converted office. She looked darkly at Mana, who gave her the crystal
that belonged to her. Without a word, she entered the office and inserted the crystal.

As the image of an older version of herself showed up on the screen, Rei was extremely surprised. This
could be seen as one of her eyebrow lifted a half millimeter, which was more expression than all combined
since she smiled for Shinji. The image started to speak immediately.

"Hello. As you can see, this is a message from yourself. I understand that you are currently distressed,
since your beloved Commander is dead. But you must not deviate from your faith. And this is not what Ikari
Gendo had planned for you. It is not by initiating Third Impact, by fusing all souls and cease to exist.
On the contrary, you need to live. Only you are able to stop the war between the humans and the Angels,
only you have the ability to end this madness and ensure the safety of earth. I know that you are not
inclined to believe me at this time, so I give you the details that you need to understand and realize
the truth. I will begin with a detailed recount of the past as it happened in my time line. Since Gendo
is dead, your timeline will deviate, but not enough to be relaxed. Only after the end of SEELE, and the
end of the war, you have fulfilled your duty."

During the next hour, Rei got all the information she never wanted to hear. The madness and the betrayal
of Ikari Gendo, the war against the machines, the truce with the Angels.

After this part of the message was over, she used some time to digest those information. It didn't take
long until she came to the logical conclusion that her older version spoke the truth. Too much detail,
and a clear chain of events was too much to be constructed only to stop her from fulfilling the purpose
given by her creator.

"You can have the undeniable evidence when you free your sisters. A message for the new Commander,
Fuyutsuki tells him that he has to this, if you request it. I advise that you do this soon."

Rei thought that this was a satisfying course of action.

"I am well aware that you have a lot of questions, especially regarding the truce between the humans and
the Angels. To achieve this, the first real Nephilim has to be born, and you are the only one who is able
to do this. During one of the Angel attacks, your genetic structure will be altered to pure Angel. This
will be a confusing and hard time for you, and you will need help. You will find this in the arms of the
father of your child."

The next minutes consisted of several big revelations for the young blue-haired girl.

"I know that this information gives you not only hope, but more. However, this knowledge also contains
the seed for tragedy. You have to understand that several actions will result in a chain reaction which
will end with his death. To avoid this, you have to do what I was unable to."

Rei listened closely, and she had to agree. She didn't like this one bit, but understood that she had no
other choice. Not if she wanted to find lasting happiness.

"Sadly, this won't be the only problem of this kind. If you like it or not, there is another one. While
by far not this serious, it still could become dangerous. So I have to tell you that you need to change
your relationship with the second as soon as possible. She will have other intentions and interests, but
you will need to help her. Only if she finds her own happiness, you can have yours without the possibility
of interruptions and severe problems. Here is my plan to achieve this."

Rei had to admit that she liked the style of her older self. The plan was easy, straight to the point, and
impossible to fail. She was proud of herself as she heard this scenario, which was at least as good as
the scenarios her dead creator made.

"This you have to do at the same time as the other side. If you are successful, everything will go fine.
But don't forget, he must not know of this, as he wouldn't cooperate. He needs a long way to go until he
can understand our reasons and our intentions. I know, he can be forced to compliance, but I am sure that
you agree that this would not be an advisable course of action."

Rei nodded at this per reflex, as she knew that the picture on the monitor was unable to see her. But she
had to agree, so she did it this way. She would fulfill her new purpose. Not because her older version
told her so. Not because she was ordered to do so. But because it was her big chance to find happiness.
Her only chance to fill the void in her, the void created by Ikari Gendo, the void which craved for the
oblivion of death.

"Finally, to some other topics, which aren't that serious."

Rei heard the rest of the message, and found several mentioned scenarios and information useful.

After the message ended and the monitor froze, she took the crystal out. Then she sat there for several
minutes, concentrating and steeling her resolve for the things to come. This would be a long day for her,
and she had to prepare a lot. As she thought that she was ready, she stood up, went to the door, and left
the office.

Outside, Misato and Asuka waited for her, which was a very unlikely combination to wait for her. She
decided that she should use this opportunity to achieve the first of her goals.

"S..Asuka."

"Hello, wo...Rei. Heard something useful?"

"I heard a lot."

Asuka smirked at this response. "And what do you say to your new future?"

Rei's eyes widened. "You know?"

"Yes."

As Rei heard this, she blushed.

"And?" hooked Asuka again.

"I like it."

"All of it?" Asuka teased the other girl. Now that she could understand her better, she found it fun to
play her like a piano. It was funny to get the first emotional reactions out of her.

"I cannot say, as I don't have the necessary knowledge and experience. Considering some information I
got over internet, I think that it is likely that I will like all of it."

This surprised the German girl.

"I also don't have problems with the other prospect."

Now it was Asuka's turn to get emotional, and unlike Rei, her reaction could have been easily seen. Her
blush was intense enough to flood the entire command center with red light, which caused Rei to try a
little smile.

As Asuka saw this, the first step in a different future was made, as both understood something very
important. That they could like each other, and that they could be friends.

Misato, who didn't understand a word of this odd conversation, shushed the two girls back to the
conference room.

As soon as they were out of sight, Shinji was led by Mana to the office. She gave him his crystal and
shoved him inside. She didn't know what was on his crystal, but she hoped that it would make her job
easier.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

As Shinji shoved the crystal into the reader, he knew that this would be a very unusual message. Misato
had warned him again that this was a message from the future, which peaked his curiosity.

He expected the face of an older Rei, instead he was greeted by an entire unfamiliar face. It was a the
face of a woman. Framed with dark-brown hair, that had a reddish shine as the light played with it, the
two large blue-green eyes were the most prominent feature on this face.

"Hello, Ikari Shinji. My name is Sakura, and that is all you need to know, for now. You are standing now
on an important crossroad of your life, as I present you with an important decision. There are two
messages on this crystal, and they are very different. It depends on you, which one you want to see.
If you want to be your own master, if you want to stop running away and face your destiny, you have to
view message number one. It contains detailed information of the events that had happened in our time
line, and how we want to prevent the same things to happen again. It will also contain your duties, the
things you have to do, and will put a large weight onto your shoulders. The fate of all human beings will
be in your hands, as your are the key. Message number one will prepare you for this. But be aware, you
will hear things you never expected, and you will have to face the responsibilities that are heavy burdens
on you. I know that you were forced into the conflict against the Angels, and that you didn't volunteer
for piloting. Asuka also told me that you were probably the biggest wimp that ever walked on earth, a
disgusting, spineless coward, so worthless, that she thought that even the recording of this message was
more effort than you are worth at your current age. If she is right with those assumptions, play message
number two. It will contain some information, and more important, instructions for you how you should
proceed. Those instructions will give the responsibility of the things to come in the hands of others,
and you yourself will be degraded to a puppet. However, you wouldn't need to make any decisions, as
they all will be made for you. This decision you have to make now, can not be avoided, nor can it be
repeated. If you decide to play number One, you will understand. If you decide to play number Two, you
will be unable to play message number one. Choose wisely. And don't disappoint me."

Shinji thought long over this decision. It was tempting to play number two, to simply do the same he
always did. Float along, and avoid all responsibility. Do nothing, and let others decide. No burden for
him to shoulder, no further decisions to made, just getting along with orders. The only thing he was
ever good for.

Or should he face his fate, and do what he shouldn't avoid. Do, what a man would do, and not acting like a
scared child. It would mean facing things he always tried to ignore, taking his life in his own hands.
The woman in the message was right, this was a very serious decision, and he didn't doubt that there was
no way to repeat it if he felt regret about it.

Minutes went by as he tried to come to a final decision.

He sighed deeply, and announced what would become his guide to the future.

"One."

The face of the woman appeared again on the monitor. But this time, it smirked.

"Looks like Asuka was right. A little bit convincing through insults should work, and it did. Be grateful
for it. Now on to business. If you like it or not, your life had significantly changed as you piloted EVA
for the first time. And the life of others have changed as well. First and foremost, the lives of the
other pilots. If you like it or not, you have taken responsibilities you cannot even imagine, and you'll
need all help you can get. The presence of Mana Kirishima is only the first step. Her loyalty lies
completely by her mission, and her mission is to safeguard you. You can trust her completely, as her
loyalty is unwavering. But don't forget, loyalty should be rewarded. You will know what I mean when the
time has come. Your second step will be the change of the relations with Ayanami Rei, the pilot of unit00.
There are several mysteries around her, and now, I will prepare you for them."

During the next fifteen minutes, Shinji felt as if he was on an emotional roller coaster. Sympathy, pity,
regret, anger, hate, affection, disgust.

"Now you should know what you have to do. For this part of the future, anyway. Now on to the next problem
you'll have to solve. She is fiery, she has temper, and you two don't like each other. At least, this is
was everyone thinks. I am well aware that you want friendship, and I can assure you, she wants it as well.
If you plan to make more of it, it's your decision, but don't forget that you are otherwise occupied as
well. Now on to some facts that will be helpful. Asuka herself will tell you them."

The unknown face was replaced by the face of a decades older Asuka. She still looked good, and he felt
a pang of hurt as this Asuka smiled sweetly.

"Hi. As you know, I didn't treat you all too well back in the days of the Angel wars. This will change,
as my message to myself will help me overcome the things that are responsible for my behavior. And it
will change other things as well. Mostly, you will like what you hear. So listen closely."

This part of the message was by far not so draining. While it included a nice bunch of surprises, it
wasn't as dark and disturbing like the history of the blue-haired enigma called Ayanami Rei. The message
of Asuka included a pleading as well, and as he thought over it, he decided that he would abide it, if
things were running like this older version had outlined them. He could think of worse things to do.

As Asuka was replaced by an older Rei, Shinji was surprised, as he had expected the return of the other
woman.

"I have to tell you several things as well. Most you already know, but some things not. Those I will tell
you now."

The message was short, but it's impact was tremendous. The message already included several surprises, and
very weird news, but this one toppled all. But the best thing of this short message was, that it overjoyed
him.

Finally, the other woman came back on the screen.

"If you are still conscious, which I seriously hope, there is one last thing you need to know. For this,
you need to know our past at first."

The tale that followed shocked Shinji immensely. Nobody wants to hear about their own death, besides other
disturbing things.

"And now, I finally give you the key to the future, and the key to my life in your hands."

What followed were only a few short sentences. And like often, it were the small things that had the
greatest impact. Now, several hints in the first message of this woman made sense. He would have a hard
time to deal with this. However, he had made his choice, and now he had to follow the lead, and make his
own future.

As he left the office with the crystal in his hands, his mind was far away, and way too occupied to see
the concerned looks from Misato, Asuka, Rei and Mana.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Misato was the next who entered the office and sat down in front of the monitor.

That an older version of herself appeared on the screen didn't surprise her, as she had already guessed
that was most likely to happen. For the first words of her older version, she wasn't prepared.

"Hello, you stupid, drunken slut. Every time I think back to the times of the Angel wars, and remind me of
myself in those times, I only want to puke. What I was back then, what you are now, is one of the worst
life forms on the entire planet. Instead of shooting Ikari, I always excused my stasis with the hate of
the Angels. I used Shinji as house slave, treated Asuka as stupid brat, ignored Rei as if she didn't
exist, fucked around with a cheating and lazy bum, had friends who did nothing else other than stabbing
me in the back, and was always too drunk to realize this. This is your life in a nutshell."

Now Misato understood why she had to be sober for watching this message, and why she had to give her
weapon to Fuyutsuki. Otherwise, the monitor would have been shot by now.

"Since I am an older and more wiser version of yourself, I feel inclined to help you. So listen closely,
as I will tell you what will happen if you do nothing."

The tales of such a dark future forced Misato to think over the things she heard in this message. Forced
her to think over herself, her actions, her wishes, her behavior. For the first time since......forever,
Misato was forced to look at her critically, and what she saw shocked her. As she heard what her actions
supported, how much guilt she loaded onto her shoulders through her inaction, she faulted. Tears streamed
over her face, as she sobbed over the realization what she had become. The hard and analytical words of
her older self were hurtful by intention, and she knew that. Only such harsh words were able to pierce
through the haze of alcohol and self-righteousness, and bring her back into the real world. And she didn't
like what she saw one bit.

"Now you know how much shit you have produced. And this gives you a choice. Do you want to change this,
or not?"

Misato understood that she was presented with an important decision. Ritsuko already told her that these
data-crystals had interactive features, so she simply answered.

"You have made your choice, and now you have to stand by it. You will abide the rules given to you, and
you will take the actions that are needed. I know that you still think too high of yourself, so I tell
you the reasons first."

This time, her older version underestimated herself. Misato was caught in the depths of self loathing.
There was no high opinion of herself left.

It took almost a half hour, until this part of her message ended. She knew that extremely hard times
laid now in front of her, and that she needed all help she could get. But so far, the message didn't
include anything that would help her to achieve these goals.

"Finally, I'll give you some information how you not only can achieve this, but how you can find happiness
as well. I already hear you crying in outrage." announced the face on the screen.

Misato listened, but there was no cry. She heard the facts, heard how she finally found happiness, and how
she could find it for herself. While it was true, a hour prior, she would have get a fit. But not now.
Now, she was only happy that she had this chance.

After she regained her composure, she left the office. Outside, Mana was the only one waiting for her.
She looked at the young girl. "Now I understand."

"I will help you, if you help me."

"Then we have an agreement." announced Misato.

"Good."

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Ritsuko was the next to view her message. She thought she knew what to expect, now that Gendo was dead.
The scenario she imagined was simple: Gendo was successful in bringing Yui back, and then he dumped her
before everything went straight into hell.

As the screen came to life, she had to admit that time was gentle to her. Very few wrinkles indicated
the older age of the person on the screen, and the fact that her hair wasn't blond, but her natural
brown with some silver in it.

"Gendo is dead, and that is good." announced the person on the screen. Ritsuko wasn't surprised.

"To understand why it was good, I have to tell you what I always try to forget. The events shortly before
Third Impact. As NERV HQ was stormed by JSSDF troops, he brought Rei down to Terminal Dogma for the
initialization. I finally understood, that despite all the things I did for him, I would never play a
role in his life. And this lead to other understandings as well."

Now Ritsuko was intrigued.

"Logic is a cold thing. And it comes only when it is too late. After I realized that I was worthless in
his eyes, I started to think. Over his plans, over Impact, over the future of the world. And I found
the flaws in his plans. I told him that his scenario was destined to fail, but he was blinded by his
one and only goal."

The blond scientist was surprised. Which flaws? And how was it possible that she overlooked them?

"The first flaw was good for me, and if I would have found it earlier, it would have given me hope.
Third Impact should merge all souls with each other. But the essence in control of the Impact would be
excluded. The soul of 01, the soul of Ikari Yui was bonded to Eva forever, and even the Impact couldn't
free her. The control mechanism cannot be cannibalized by the events it controlled. So, his goal of a
reunion with Yui was impossible, as 01 was the only Unit with the ability to control the Impact. That's
irony at it's best."

As the screen chuckled, Ritsuko sat stunned in front of it. It wasn't only logical, it was so easy, as
it was the key to instrumentality. The key could have never been part of instrumentality, therefore the
scenario of Gendo was destined to fail. And she didn't grasp this fact as well. She committed crime after
crime, did things that burdened her with guilt and the knowledge that she wasn't better than Mengele,
all for nothing!

"While this fact is interesting, it isn't nearly as fatal as the second one. Which is equally simple, too.
The moment you merge something, it looses all it's unique traits and changes to a new thing. While it is
possible to merge two, or possible three souls, it could never function on a greater scale. The merging
of humanity would have destroyed all thoughts, dreams, wishes, emotions and knowledge. The outcome
couldn't have been a perfect being, but an organic goo, consisting of water, proteins and other organic
matter. But definitely no intelligence, no soul, nothing that could have coherent thoughts because it
would have no brain."

Ritsuko flinched, and tears streamed over her face as she realized that this too, was undeniable. All her
work, all her dreams, all her action. For the complete annihilation of all live on the planet. For the
biggest possible 'RESET' in the history of evolution.

"So it was pure luck that this could have never happened, as a third flaw prevented impact from happening.
The only factor Gendo was sure of, failed him. Rei. She, the key for the initialization of impact,
abandoned Gendo and chose his son over him. She wanted to save him, even after he treated her like shit
after I showed him the truth about her. I did this to push him away from her, and I was successful. But
this didn't affect Rei the way I thought. After the third Rei was pure Angel, she had some abilities the
other Rei hadn't. One of them was the complete restoring of her memories after the transfer. So she knew
what had happened, knew that she was betrayed. And she waited, to act at the time where it had the biggest
effect. She merged with Lillith, but instead of collecting the souls, she freed them in a way that we were
never able to understand. Lillith didn't survive this, and detonated with the same ferocity as Adam did in
2000. Only that she was high up in the stratosphere, so that the effects of the detonation weren't that
severe. The large losses of humans weren't because of the detonating Angel, but of the EMP shock wave.
They knocked the last remaining fission reactors out, and their detonations killed over a billion of
people. That the planet wasn't contaminated with the radioactive fallout is something we don't really
understand. The radioactive elements degraded to lead, but at an impossible rate. The only explanation is
some side-effect of Lilliths demise."

Ritsuko heard the words and understood them, but was unable to do anything else. How should she live with
this knowledge? How should she live with this guilt?

"How Rei survived is also something we do not understand. The only possible explanation is that her
angelic abilities saved her. But this doesn't matter, as we have something more important to discuss.
As I understood these facts, I wanted to stop Gendo, but failed. I wanted to ignite the self destruct,
but the MAGI denied this command. My mother's final betrayal at her daughter. And Gendo, loving as he
always was, shot me."

She heard it, but there wasn't surprise anymore. She understood all too well. Now.

"I survived barely, but was paralyzed from the waist down. I sat for decades in a wheelchair, and regained
the full control of my body only after the truce with the Angels. I doubt that I would have to tell you
that Maya, Misato and the others weren't all too fond of me, which didn't make things easier. Still, I
found my luck. And I can tell you how you can find yours too."

Hope sparkled in the gree eyes of Ritsuko, as she heard this last sentence. The next minutes, she listened
closely. Several surprised gasps could have been heard during this message, if someone would have listened.
As the message was over, she knew what she had to do. It was not an easy task, but it was her only chance
left. Ritsuko left the office and was greeted by Misato, who waited for her. Instead of simply walking
beside her back to the conference room, she hooked her arm in Misato's. If she wanted to work for her
future, she would have to start immediately.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Kaji was the next to hear what the future wanted to tell him.

"Hi. This is a message of a married man, to a cheating idiot."

Kaji grinned as he heard this greeting. It didn't look as if had changed at all.

"Now drop the stupid grin, you are not married to Misato."

Ouch. That hurt.

"While you are not as responsible for the entire impact shit like others, you are to some extent as well.
You didn't shoot Gendo, and that's your crime. Now, the bastard is dead, and the future has to be changed.
For this, you have to do several things. At first, the elimination of SEELE. Although Mana has this
mission as well, she is unable to fulfill it. The security of Shinji is more important, so another one
has to kill them. And this will be you. This crystal has all necessary data to achieve this pretty easy."

Kaji wasn't all to surprised. He already asked himself how the envoy from the future should protect Shinji
and kill SEELE at the same time.

"This will be your first task. Several others, as important as this one, you will also have to accomplish."

During the next hour, Kaji got some missions he never wanted to get, and a lot of information he never
wanted to know. Sure, a nice price was included, but so far, he looked with very mixed feelings at the
prospect of the future his older version had outlined.

That he wouldn't get Misato was something he didn't like, although he had to agree with the reasons for it.
Not that this calmed him, but it gave him at least reason why it wouldn't function. And as much as he
hated to admit it, they were sound.

Killing SEELE would be no problem for him. They weren't the first persons where he would be responsible
for their death, but the ones who deserved it the most.

However, the other mission would be definitely more fun. Especially helping Mana, and showing Shinji how
to treat women. If someone would have told him yesterday that he should explain how women should be
treated to a fourteen year old, per order, he would have given the person a mercy killing for stupidity.
And now, he had exactly this to do.

Kaji was the first who left the office chuckling.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

While the first ones heard their messages, a civilian was brought into NERV. This person was the only one
outside NERV, who got a message from the future. Briefed by the new commander, she was the next to hear
her message.

Horaki Hikari entered the converted office and inserted the crystal. She didn't really believe in the
story the Commander had told her, but she had nothing to loose by hearing to those ramblings.

The screen came to life, and she gasped, as her own face, only significantly older, greeted her.

"Hello."

Hikari blinked and gulped.

"You were never involved with NERV so far, so you don't know what to expect from this message. I can
assure you, you will not be a pawn of NERV. But you have another destiny to fulfill, and only you can do
this. But first, I should ensure my credibility. For this, I will tell you a lot of things nobody else
beside me knows."

A few minutes later, Hikari was convinced that this was really a future version of herself.

"I hope you are able to trust me now. To understand why you received this message, I have to tell you
what had happened in my time line. You will not like it, but you have to know this in order to play your
part."

Hikari heard the dark tale of this future, and how her own acts had large impacts in it.

"This future must not happen. The first steps to prevent it, are already done. Ikari Gendo is dead, and
help has arrived. Knowledge from the future will ensure that the battles will become easier, that the
impact will not happen. It is logical that the pilots are one of the key factors in this fight, and you
are the best friend of one of them. During the battles, she will come under a lot of stress, and you
will have to help her. I failed in this regard, because at the time Touji was injured, I neglected
Asuka badly. Even as she came to me and lived with me for short time, I only ran in the hospital to
visit Touji, instead of helping her. I never forgave myself for this, and this is one of the reasons
why I sent you this message. Another one is a warning."

The next few sentences shocked Hikari deep into the core of her being. She never expected to hear this,
and tears stung in her eyes as a whole bunch of her dreams shattered. At first, she had hope that those
events won't unfold themselves, but she had to agree that this chain of events wasn't a result of this
other future, but of things she simply always overlooked. Hikari understood that she floated in the
paradise of idiots, and now she was forced to face reality.

"I don't know if you are ready to trust me in this, but it is truth. Think over it. Not only for you,
but for Kodama and Nozomi, your father, and your love. Yes, you heard me right, your love. Not
everything is bad, so listen closely."

Hikari listened, and was willing to follow this advice.

"As you can see, following my pleading has some very interesting effects for your future. I know that
you have no problem of considering this, so please do so. It made me happy, and it will give you happiness
too. Although, you won't have to pay the same high price as me. Please, make yourself happy."

The message had ended. And Hikari understood. She would do her part, she would follow those suggestions.
It was the way to find her happiness and her love. There was no way that she would neglect this chance.

As Hikari left the office, Asuka waited outside for her. She smiled at her and followed her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Fuyutsuki was the next one, and the last one from this time.

The message started, and an unfamiliar face greeted him. Beautiful, with almost black hair with red
highlights and blue-green eyes, she was a sight to behold.
As the unknown woman introduced herself, the old professor sighed. Alone the introduction made one
thing clear. His job wouldn't get easier.

"Now straight to business. With the death of Ikari Gendo, a lot of changes were set in motion. So, your
future should already be quite different from the one we had to endure. To ensure this, other actions
will have to follow. The first one is the end of SEELE. As you know, Kirishima was assigned with this
task. She will not be able to fulfill it, as she had other priorities. The security of Shinji is more
important. So, another one has to eliminate SEELE. Assign this task to Kaji Ryoji. He is not only best
suited for it, he is also highly motivated to do it."

Fuyutsuki nodded to this. As he heard her name, he already expected such a demand. That Kaji should do it
surprised him, as he didn't thought that he would agree to do it. Well, things had changed since
yesterday, so it wasn't a complete surprise.

"Another task is the ensure the safety of Ayanami Rei. She is one of the keys, and contrary to Gendo, you
will have to help her learning. Not only to pilot, not only science, but how to live. Shinji will support
her, and you will do this too. He is too young to understand a lot of things, and this is where you will
have to take action. They both need to learn a lot, and it will be your mission to teach them. Katsuragi
and Kaji should assist you in this endeavor."

Fuyutsuki understood this. He already knew that Rei would need a lot of help, help Shinji couldn't give
her. And it was no wonder that this task was assigned to him. He wasn't professor for nothing.
He felt an odd thrill as he thought over this new aspect of his duty as Commander. He would finally go
back to teaching, which gave him a strange satisfaction.

"Now some information that should help you during the Angel war."

He listened, and his face contorted several times into shock. There was so much he would never have
guessed, so much he would never have anticipated. He almost smiled as he realized that not even Gendo
could have planned for all those things to happen, which was most likely the reason that in the end,
his scenario failed.

"Now on to some more scientific aspects of this war, and why the impact must not happen at all costs."

He shook his head as he was confronted not only with the stupidity of Gendo, but also with his own
blindness. The old professor always thought that he was at least somewhat intelligent, but after this,
he had to severely doubt that.

"Now you understand why we didn't only send a person to destroy the Terminator, but to help you. I know
that you already understand that this is not the only reason, which is why there are several other things
to do."

He heard it, and he nodded. It was logical, and would do a lot of good. Sure, it would put him in a very
unlikely role, and he would have to order some odd things. A chuckle escaped him as he understood how much
fun this would be.

"That would be all. I know that I demand a lot. You are the only one with the ability to make those things
happen. If humankind is important for you, try to accomplish all the outlined goals. Please."

The message ended, and he stood up and took the crystal. "I will." He promised to himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

All messages for the people of this time were played. Now it was time for Mana to watch the message she
received herself. She didn't understand why such a message was necessary, since she had received all
instructions before she started her journey into the past.

As all the others did, she put the crystal in the player and started the message. The familiar face of
Ayanami Rei greeted her.

"I know that you question yourself why this message was necessary. Fact is, we had good reasons to record
it. That you watch this, means that you were successful. Ikari Gendo is dead, and the others have already
viewed their own crystals. Those crystals however, change a lot, including the surroundings of your
mission. Therefore this message."

Mana nodded to herself. She could understand this reasons.

"I will not tell you all the secrets you will have to unveil, as this would be pointless. We cannot burden
all the responsibility on your shoulders, and take the decisions out of the hands of the others. So you
will get the knowledge of some changes that should occur, and how you can use them for your advantage."

Mana flinched a little as she heard that she wouldn't get the entire responsibility. She was the only
soldier that came from the future, so why shouldn't she know everything? After some cursing, she accepted
the fact and concentrated again on the screen.

"The first change in your mission will be related to SEELE. Their death is important to ensure the
avoidance of third impact, but you cannot leave your prime objective long enough to accomplish this. So
we decided to give this mission to Kaji. He will be grateful for this assignment, as he always wanted to
know the truth. By fulfilling this mission, he has the great chance to raid all of SEELE's data storages,
which he will surely do. This is his price, and the reason that he will be very eager to accomplish this
assignment."

As much as she didn't like it, she understood that even she couldn't be at two places at the same time.
But why didn't they simply give Ayanami the mission to guard the third and let her kill those bastards?
What were the reasons for this? If she had to kill them, she would raid their data too, and she would
bring it back, to see if there is something useful included. So why did Kaji, a not very trustworthy
person, get this mission? She knew that Kaji was not only a triple agent, but that he cheated on Misato,
failed to kill the bastard, led Asuka on, and was responsible for a lot of things that happened during
the attack of the 14th Angel. She didn't like this one bit.

"Another change in your mission will be your stance towards the second. You will start training her in
the arts of war as soon as possible, along with the other pilots. Horaki Hikari will be included in
this training as well. We have our reasons for this orders, and it is your duty to fulfill them."

Well, since she had to train Rei and Shinji no matter what, the addition of two others wouldn't be a
problem.

"Also, there are some changes regarding Rei. First off, she will pressure you to share your duty of
protecting the third. You will agree to that. The responsibility for his welfare will still lay on
your shoulders, but you will use her offer to ease your stress. Guarding someone 24/7 is very hard work,
and you will need all help you can get. Try to get help from Katsuragi as well."

Mana shrugged at that. Less work was always good, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to be always
with him. So, help from Ayanami and Katsuragi was a good idea, but she would add Asuka as well. She saw
no reason to exclude her from this duty, and her orders didn't forbid it.

"One of the main reasons for your inability to guard him all the time is your work in research and
development, where you will help Akagi with the technical data we sent. Shinji has to learn a lot, but
we don't think that he should be in NERV all the time. Also, too much proximity with only one person
will most likely get annoying, and this is to be avoided at all costs. It was Asuka's idea to get
some help, because she remembered very well her times during the Angel war. They lived together, were
together in school, and were together in work. No wonder that they didn't get along very well."

That made sense.

"Now for the reasons for these changes."

The information Mana received during the next minutes surprised her more than anything else in her life.
Not even as she received the mission to go into the past surprised her this much.
So much things she never understood, so much facts she never knew, so much facets of this time she never
could understand. Now, all of this laid in front of her eyes, and for the first time, she understood.
Only one fact didn't get covered by this information, only one question remained. Why did they send her,
and not somebody else?

The message ended, at least the part with Ayanami. The face of her empress appeared on the screen.

"Listen closely, as this is very important. During your mission, you will face a lot of hardships, and
problems. Not only due to enemies, but others as well. There will come a time where you will be desperate
for guidance, a time when your feelings and your duty collide. I know that now, you cannot imagine this,
but it will happen. When this time has come, you should watch the second message on this crystal. You
will know the password when the time arises. Be assured, we had good reason to send you and not somebody
else, but now, the time for this knowledge hasn't come. Good luck."

Mana blinked surprised at this little add-on. While it was nice to know that she will gain the knowledge
why it was her, who was sent, it was frustrating that she had to wait. Well, it wasn't that she could do
something against it. Unsurprisingly, Mana was in a very bad mood as she left the office and went to the
conference room, where the others should be waiting for her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

The big conference was rather uninteresting. Beside that Kaji get the assignment to take SEELE out, nobody
told what they learned with their messages, nor did they give any indication how much things had changed.

So it was no wonder that the conference didn't last long.

"Tomorrow, approximately at 10:34, the Terminator will reach the shore. The JSSDF will await it, and try
to destroy it. We already know that they cannot be successful, but they think otherwise because of their
success with shooting his plane down." declared Fuyutsuki.

"Idiots." came Mana's devastating opinion about the military of this time.

"After they failed, we will move in with the EVAs and destroy it. One of the EVA will neutralize it's
AT-field, the others will destroy it. After this, the EVAs come back to base, and our teams will get the
remains of the machine and try to learn something useful about it. For this night, all personnel will
remain inside the geofront. The assignment for the living quarters are in the folders lie in front of
you. Good night, as we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." finished the new Commander.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

All the pilots and Mana were assigned to one apartment, which consisted of three bedrooms, a living room,
a kitchen and a small bath. While Shinji, Rei and Asuka immediately walked into the bedrooms, Mana made
herself comfortable on the couch in the living room. Since this apartment was subterran, there were no
windows, so it was sufficient when she controlled the way to Shinji's room, and didn't need to sleep in
his room. At least for now.

She disrobed and laid down, started to wait for the first sleep in this time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------

Preread by Yagami
Useful comments and encouragement to write by Kuracao
Domo arigato.