Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Apocryphal Rhythms ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author's Note: A bit of sexually related material in this chapter. I don't think it would even qualify as a lime, though.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

Apocryphal Rhythms

Part6

by ZERØ's Wings

Fuyutski marched briskly down one of NERV's white-tiled corridors, trailed by a huddled group of doctors and lab workers wearing clean suits. They were carting along a stainless-steel examination table, hovering busily over it even as they walked. Fuyutski reached a large set of bay doors with the red NERV emblem splashed across it. He placed his ID card in the waiting terminal by the door, and it confirmed with a high-pitched chirp and a flash of green light across the access panel. He stepped back as the doors parted vertically with the sound of shuffling metal. Gendo Ikari stood monolithic behind the doors, catching all in a stern glare.

"Sir, I believe we have found the cause of Rei's dropping synch rate with the Lillith sample." Fuyutski addressed his commander in a low, monotonous tone. He backed away from the examination table and gestured to the white sheet laid upon it. The sheet was covering a human shape, too small to be an adult, yet long and gangly nonetheless.

"What have you found?" Gendo asked impatiently. As he spoke, he removed his satin gloves and replaced them with rubber ones. Fuyutski did the same. They both removed their outer jackets and snapped on sterile facemasks. As the highest-ranking members of NERV, they could forgo the tedious process of a complete decontamination.

The head clean-suited scientist cleared his throat and began to read from a clipboard. "This sample separated itself from the main Lillith body in Terminal Dogma at 07:07:00 this morning." Gendo nodded and they removed the sheet. The fluttering sound of the fabric hung in the air for a moment as the entire lab fell silent.

"Impossible," Gendo muttered. His expression, one of confusion and perhaps even fear, disturbed Fuyutski greatly. He had never seen his commander look like that, not since the day Yui was lost.

Beneath the sheet, stark white with a freakish grin plastered to his face, was the body of Kaworu Nagisa.

"Lillith has stopped producing the spare Rei bodies," Fuyutski said gingerly, waiting in fear of Gendo's reaction. "As of 7:07 this morning, it has been producing these instead."

"Cause?"

The head scientist flipped forward several pages on his clipboard, reading frantically. "Uh…um, we have hypothesized the Seventeenth angel, Tabris, made physical contact with the Lillith body before it was destroyed by Unit 01. This may have caused a gap in Lillith's inherent blue-pattern DNA to be filled with his genetic material instead of Rei Ayanami's. That act caused Lillith, with its newly formed torso made primarily from genetically incomplete scar tissue, to gain an inherently male trait in its progressive regeneration."

"This was SEELE's plan from the beginning," Fuyutski whispered hatefully. "They wanted to create tools of their own with our hands." Gendo dismissed the scientists and sat down in a cold, metal chair. He removed his glasses and rubbed his temples wearily. Fuyutski stood over his shoulder, looking at the body on the exam table intently.

"They advanced another step, and had they acquired Rei III earlier, we would be unable to cause…Third Impact." Fuyutski spoke in a hushed reverence. Third Impact was a horrible deed, both Gendo and Fuyutski understood that, but it was also something that they simply could not keep themselves from doing. They had been handed the keys to heaven's door, yet in opening it they would destroy all humanity. That fate, however, simply paled compared to the overall achievement that they would have. They would transcend mortality, transcend nature, and transcend god. And, there was Yui.

*****

Rei stepped from the bathroom, drying her hair with a fluffy blue towel. It was the only piece of cloth that touched her body. She walked nonchalantly into the living room, followed by a neat path of elliptic water droplets. Shinji was reading a magazine on the couch, singing along a bit to "Strawberry Fields Forever" on his SDAT. Living is easy with eyes closed, Misunderstanding all you see. Rei strolled over and sat beside him.

"What are you listening to?" she asked in a quiet, polite voice.

Shinji pulled a headphone out of his left ear and turned to her. "Oh its just some…" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes trailing down in shock. He gripped the magazine so hard it slipped right through his fingers, and then he let out high pitch squeak and back away from her, covering his face with a pillow.

"Have I disturbed you?"

"Rei! I…I…I'm sorry…I," Shinji blubbered from underneath the pillow.

"Why?" she asked, her red eyes widening in concern. Shinji couldn't answer, he just went on stammering incoherently. Rei paused and looked down at her nude form, still dripping wet. "Oh, I will dry myself off. I am getting your couch wet."

"It's not that!" Shinji finally managed. Rei cocked her head to one side, trying to peer at his face behind the pillow. Finally, she nudged her way forward so they were staring face to face. She was troubled, afraid of having offended him.

"May I stay here?" she asked in a wispy, unsure tone. It was a soft, delicate, and decidedly more feminine tone than her usual voice. It was the voice of her true self. "May I stay with you?"

Shinji swallowed and tugged at his collar, feeling very hot despite the overall cool climate of the room. "Yes, Rei, you can stay here as long as you want. Could you just…put some clothes on, first?" he squeaked.

Rei looked down at herself, understanding now. Shinji was bothered by her nudity. It was uncomfortable to him. She had never felt particularly modest or embarrassed in her life; it was a learned feeling, not an instinct. She had to be naked quite often, for the special synch tests and other tasks. It was quite natural to her, and she actually preferred to be unclothed.

"I will…make my manner of dress more appropriate," she said, sort of embarrassed and confused. Rei got off the couch and began to slip away, but looked back over her shoulder. Shinji peered tenuously over the pillow, and saw her lithe neck, tapering down to the smooth, spade-shaped shoulder blades on her exposed back. Her skin looked like it had been frosted with confectioner's sugar. It was a pale, milky white with a sort of warmth underneath. He was quickly drawn up to her perfect, oval face and hypnotic eyes, shining with the color of rose petals wet with dew. "Thank you, Shinji-kun," she said.

She used my first name, Shinji thought. It felt wonderful. Far better than the feeling of arousal he had from the brief moment he looked at her naked body, this was a sort of inner warmth that made him feel both overjoyed and peaceful in the same instant. She wants to stay here, he thought, the feeling growing. She…cares about me, he ventured, daring to believe that he could care about her as well.

Suddenly, Shinji wanted to know more about Rei. Despite the hideous truth of the dummy plugs, he wanted to know everything about her. He oftentimes got this feeling about her, much like his mother. It was unsettling, to think that Rei could be related to him. We are so different, he thought, and yet so alike.

End part6